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 Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 3:58 pm
The bad thing about the Negaverse, as far as Ladon had seen, was that communication outside of uniform was rarely done. Everyone felt keeping their lives separate was best, aside from a few teams that stuck together. Unfortunately for Ladon, he had no teams, no best buds, and no one he constantly patrolled with. It might be a little sad, but he felt that he was greatly missing out on something and once again felt like an outsider.
However, there were a few people he could see every once in a while, and he was more than overjoyed to be able to meet up with Serah outside of work and school just to "hang out" and talk. More importantly, he finally was about to come to her to celebrate his promotion to captain just as Serah had when she had been promoted. His senior was still far more experienced than he was in the Nega-dom, but he liked being able to show his little accomplishments to her – even though it wasn't really a grand celebration. The note from the memory of his upgrade had been one that said he could no longer screw up and that he hadn't been awarded the captain stage through an accomplishment, but from necessity to continue doing his job.
Still, he could at least show off a bit. No harm in that, right?
Since the park was no longer a place to visit what with it being overrun with all sorts of senshi and patrolling police officers, Ladon suggested a bakery he often went too after his patrol. Buttercup Bakery was a sugar-addicts delight if they happened to be an insomniac and wanted to go have a lemon petite four at 2 am. The place was delicately petal pink, yellow, and blue. A painted paradise of pastel colors with adorable little cakes and pastries in bright displays and small sitting areas to enjoy your dessert and yet have some privacy.
Ladon had been delighted to come here as a sort of reward after patrolling before going home (how he remained thin was anyone's guess). While he was usually a health nut, baked goods were his ultimate weakness, and it was just the sort of friendly, perky place he knew Serah would like – he hoped.
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Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 11:45 pm
He didn't have to hope. It was, by default, that Serah would love this place. When Ladon called to invite her out, she had happily accepted-- as soon as he mentioned sweets of course. But it wasn't as if Serah would have refused the chance to meet with a fellow ally (especially ones with ribbons!) and rumors circulated ..This meeting was also an incident to confirm such rumors. An injury to Castor, was it? The halloween masque had been eventful in a countless number of ways-- Serandite herself had been entirely too busy to even catch a glimpse of Wolframite at the event. But if one followed the rumor mill, a upgrade and a new weapon? Serah thought anything might be preferable to a jump rope really.
She was sitting on the table, already accompanied with a bowl of ice cream. Apparently, she decided she just couldn't wait for Ladon.. or she simply had an "extra" before the main course. She was dressed in a simple skirt, collared and sleeveless white shirt and outer black vest, leaning against the support of the seat. She seemed intensely in thought when Ladon approached but her senses drew her attention towards the incoming customer, flashing a wide grin on her face.
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Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 10:36 am
The first rumor that was confirmed was that he did have an injury. It would be a week before he went in for his prosthetic eye and he was still wearing the patch. He had tried sun glasses, but he wasn't the type of person to pull them off. Every pair he wore made him think of Charonite that he just gave up and decided on the patch instead.
He noticed her and gave her a wave before ordering, and then moved over to sit at the booth, noticing the ice cream. "You don't think it is a little cold for that?" He asked, wondering why people liked cold things in cold weather. Instead, he had some lemon cookies dusted in powdered sugar and some small cakes. He was going to bring some home and hide them. If his mother found out, she's flip a lid at having such 'junk' in the house. Still, he hoped she would at least like the apple tart – though he'd make the excuse he bought it later on in the day and not at some ungodly hour of the night.
Settling down, he breathed out. "It's nice to see you again. It seems like ages. We're never summoned into the …uh…meeting place next to each other." Being teleported to the Negaverse was sort of a scramble based on rank. He had moved up a spot to where the other captains were, but he was never next to Serandite. It was just a tossup of what stranger you'd be next to, and sneaking to a more favorable spot just wasn't done.
Looking about, he offered a weak smile. "Do you like it here? I didn't know if it would be cup of tea or not. The food is really good here. You can have one of the cakes that I bought if you want." He more or less stole the money from starseed victims after all.
As a joke, he placed a small slice of individually wrapped carrot cake next to her. The wrapping a triangle of pink with a little yellow flower on the label for the Buttercup Bakery logo, but leaving a clear plastic window to see the cake, decorated in white frosting and decorated with a little carrot on top.
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Posted: Sat Dec 04, 2010 1:04 pm
"I have a jacket. It's fine." Although the answer didn't really justify the act of cold combined with cold, it was reasonable in a sense. Her bunny bag looked rather bulky so the jacket was possibly in there. Where else would it be? She examined his appearance critically, making no effort to hide the fact that she was confirming the rumors. Brown eyes examined him, pausing to look at his eye. In her eyes reflected a multitude of emotions. She glanced down, her eyelashes lowering. At least the rest of him was still there.
The negaverse seating was.. probably on seniority. Serandite wasn't completely sure about that fact but it was a good estimate. With that reasoning, it was likely that the captain and herself wouldn't be placed next to each other. Not for a good awhile, if ever, anyways. She held a spoon up, gesturing to the area around them. "Even if we were placed next to each other, it's not like we could converse. We'd likely be blasted on the spot if we tried." She referred to the strict order that Beryl kept at meetings, the rigid military structure that they were built on.
"It's great! Conveniently placed and the hours are awesome-- Really?!" She exclaimed, eyes widening. She was just about finished with her ice cream (when?! It had been full only minutes ago!) and her eyes widened at the adorable carrot cake. The looks almost persuaded her not to eat the poor cake. Almost. She was unwrapping it from it's little plastic confinement as she spoke to Ladon.
"It's good to see most of you is still here, Ladon. I can't imagine that your family reacted very well to your newest sense of vision, though." She remarked, pointing a fork from across to the table to his eyepatch.
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Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 8:52 pm
He had to smile at the idea of having a little chat during a meeting. Ignoring or speaking over their Queen would probably get them turned to cinders on the spot or just having one heck of a punishment. They'd both be demoted before they could say 'oops!' Meeting outside like this was probably the only way he could talk or meet anyone. Last he checked, there wasn't a water cooler back at headquarters. Sad considering he rarely met other Negas outside the mass meeting, and you couldn't talk there.
Before he could see if she would save it, Serah broke into the cake casing and was munching away on the slice. Seeing her enthusiasm, he took out a slice of red velvet for himself and started to pull apart its cover. It was one of the rare occasions that Ladon would eat or let anyone see him eat junk food.
As he took a bite of cake, humming a little at the taste, he looked up and back down. "Yeah, my mother was pretty angry that I got hurt, but just at the city for being dangerous and herself for being in a coma. Right now she's just more over protective and sad. My dad and sister already moved out of the city after the coma because of all the commotion going on. If my mother didn't have her job keeping her here, she's be gone too. For now, she just wants to make sure I'm safe at all times. It really makes patrolling hard. I've had to be just as clever in hiding any bruises or marks from any senshi run-ins." He took another bite of his cake, looking up at her, before reaching for the juice he brought to drink.
"So I just wait till she's in bed before I head out, and leave the house during the day. I can't stand her attention." Her expression always said she was worried about him, and he was sick of it. "Sometimes I just think I could take some money and get a place of my own. Then I could patrol whenever I wanted without having to worry if I was bleeding on the carpet when I got back or making up all these lies for someone." All he wanted to do now was do his work with the Negaverse.
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Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2010 2:39 pm
Serandite was concerned for the other. It was probably Wolframite's-- or Ladon's incredible work ethic but .. Well, Serandite enjoyed her human life. Just as much as she enjoyed being in the Negaverse. (Or perhaps more, at times. Getting beat up wasn't a pleasant experience.)
"Workaholic." She commented, in good-nature, setting her fork down. "Be careful Ladon. Working's all good but don't overwork yourself. If you lived alone, I dont doubt you'd let it overtake your life completely." By 'it,' she meant their mutual affiliation to the organization, her eyes slanted towards the waitress refilling their water. "Sometimes, you need that little annoying part of your life that keeps you the way you are, you know?"
In a way, it could be compared to a strawberry shortcake. That shortcake needed those strawberries to help fill in as the sweets on the not-so-sweet bread.
"Personally, I like the cheerful you over the workaholic Wolfy. You know?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2010 3:18 pm
He really wasn't listening, and he nodded at her advice, but found it flawed. "I think I'd stay just the way I am, and who I am is someone who likes working for our cause and our planet. I don't see any reason to waste time when our numbers are so few and we have so many people against us. I don't feel like I'm doing anything when I'm just sitting at home and….wasting time with tv and algebra homework. I could be patrolling during the day and the night if I didn't have to put up some fake charade to my mother. She's bound to figure something out at some point, and then it would just make a bigger mess. If I just stopped, I could go out and work, come back to sleep and eat, and go back out again. Don't you think we could discover more and have more of an edge if more of us could spend more time scouting or looking around? If anything, taking out a few of those..annoyances that we have bothering us." Of course he was referring to the senshi in general. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that spending only a few hours each night was not helping any. Not only did he have to get back home in time to sleep and get ready for school, but he found it pointless to be in school.
He usually was so focused. He set goals. He wanted to be in track, and do well. He wanted to graduate and then, after that, he wasn't sure. He didn't really have any friends, so there wasn't the enjoyment of school to socialize that made him eager to go to school. Why did he need to learn about the world when the future of it was in jeopardy. He had a calling, and ever since he was made a Captain, he knew he had to prove himself. Right now, he was working around a tight schedule and he was losing focus on both ends. Life as Ladon was hard because he thought about the Negaverse and what he could do to help, and he couldn't work all the time as a Negaverse agent because he had to juggle his other life.
"Ever since I rose up in rank, I've been thinking about it. I don't feel like I did anything to deserve it. I was given that rank to work and to help our cause. I have so many things I want to do. I just don't see how I can do it all when I have to go to sit around at school or wait till night comes. I could be spending that time actually doing something with more meaning." He stabbed his cake, not feeling as hungry as he did before. His real eye was shimmering with the fires of dedication and aspirations of things greater than his mundane life as Ladon.
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Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 4:32 pm
Serah didn't necessarily agree with Ladon's view in the world. But everybody had different views that Serah didn't always have the capacity to understand. Hell, half the negaverse, Serah didn't understand what was going on in their heads. Nor did she want to or attempt to.
Ladon's ambitious nature blinded him to the fact, he had a life. Summing up his confession nicely: Ladon had been overtaken by Wolframite. In a way .. that might be a justified point of view, as morally correct for the negaverse. In some ways, Serah envied Wolframite for having such black and white views of the world. While Serah seemed to be constantly struggling in the gray.
Ladon's eyes were shining. Much more then usual. (A little odd but understandable.)
"Well, we know where your free time's going Ladon. If you hate being you so much, why not just leave home? There's quite a few of our numbers that live alone you know-- It's an option to room or live alone." Serah suggested, the solution seeming ideal for the young man who wanted to get out of his house.
Leave his home, school and parents.
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Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2010 6:10 pm
As much as he wasn't the type, he started to absentmindedly play with his cake, breaking little pieces off into bite size bits but not taking a bite. He was preoccupied with these thoughts, and it was clear from what Serah had suggested. Leaving his home was a big decision, and it came with lots of complications. He didn't want to crush his mother, but he doubted she would let him go that easily. He had no lies to give her that would excuse him living on his own and even then, she'd want to visit. Just up and hiding in some place in town would destroy her and as much as she bugged him, he wasn't sure he was at the point that he could ignore her feelings and leave her heartbroken. It would leave her truly alone. As much as he tried to muster any cause to hate her, all the ones he had fell short.
Aside from that grave detail, the one of finding a place wasn't that hard. He knew plenty of areas that didn’t question who rented an apartment, what they did in that apartment, and bothered with things like background checks or age limits. As long as you had the rent, that was all that mattered. Then again, these places were…not the sort of place he was comfortable with.
What it came down to was how much was he willing to go out of his comfort zone and push himself to be of better use to the Negaverse?
It was something he had to seriously think about.
"That does sound like a good idea, but I don't hate being me. I just want more time. Haven't you ever thought about getting a place of yoru own, living alone, or what life will be in the future as a member of our group?" Did she think of promotions or a world of peace for Earth?
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Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2010 6:46 pm
"What life will be?" By this point, Serah was done with both of her desserts, She stood up, her chair pushed out in an indication that she was done and going to exit. "No. I don't think of the future. All we can go on is the now, the present. .." She started to speak and then shook her head, as if correcting herself.
"No. All I can think about is the present. After all, our queen is quite temperamental. You never know-- one moment of annoyance and you go boom! I'm having a hard enough time just trying to survive as is. You know?" Serah shook her head, avoiding the heavy topics that Ladon introduced. If one knew Serah, they knew she didn't spend time on such thoughts. Much. Besides, she had a point. Who knew when and where you might spark Beryl's wrath and anger-- The negaverse was stepping on eggshells around her.
Ruthless and mercenary, she didn't hesitate to take out anybody in her way. Including her own, probably.
"Think less, act more. Speaking of acting--" She flipped open her cell phone, scanning the time. "I've gotta be back. My lovely brother will go crazy if he's discovered me gone. I doubt, a pillow is going to work for very long. I don't care to explain my whereabouts at this time-- he actually might keep a watch on me. Then, that'd go pretty badly."
It was a given that.. Well, negaverse identities were much more closely guarded than senshi identities. "See you, Ladon!" She called out, gathering her items into her bunny bag, several bills left on the table to pay her portion of the tab.
Off she went!
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Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2011 9:48 pm
When Serah rose up, he was startled, but by now he was feeling that he should be rising in his seat just as well. Not to leave, but to make a point. Saying such things about their Queen, no matter what certain rumors about their past leaders, was not the sort of thing he wanted to hear. Their Queen, Beryl, had only tried to bring strength to their numbers awarded those who showed obedience and loyalty, and had done nothing but lead their army to what needed and must be done to save their planet. Not only did she hold the history of the battle they were waging, but she could bestow whatever power was necessary to keep them pushing forward in their goal. To question and even insult such a leader was not something Ladon OR Wolframite could tolerate, and he was very close to cutting Serah off right there.
Either she predicted this or did not want to stay any longer, because she was already making her way out the door. To say such things!
Not only was she speaking like a traitor, but she didn't even look to the future. What an idiot – and he hated to think that about his friend. A girl he once respected for being his senior and always seemed just above the ladder than he was. To think of her as a role model for his career in the Negaverse was now something he had to reconsider.
And to say that acting now and not thinking was best? Who even believed in such a way of life? It was thinking to the future – a more perfect one where their planet was protected and in peace – that motivated all of them after all. Right? Clearly not in Serah's case, and he wondered why she even bothered with the Negaverse if she did not think before she acted, look to the future, and doubted their leader.
He was concerned, and had half a mind to report her.
Frowning at his desert, he pushed it aside. No sweet cake would get the bitter taste out of his mouth, and rising up, he cleared the table and left, upset.
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