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 Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2010 7:11 pm
Crimson eyes scanned the interior of the lavish department store for the young men's section. Fifty to seventy percent off was a hard bargain to beat, especially for the name brand clothing that carried a hefty price tag. Money was hardly an issue for Teddy, but he still couldn't help, but to be compelled to scan the young men's selection at each high end store. While the true intent of the bargains was to entice shoppers to buy gifts for loved ones, Teddy felt no such need. A bottle of sparkling champagne and the ritziest cheese platter would be sent to the family and his recent move to Destiny City meant that he was free of the burden of shopping for others. Not to say he would even consider buying another soul a gift, but thankfully, that would not be necessary this holiday season.
Making his way up towards the center of the establishment, he found himself at the collection of make-up counters. A retired woman, wearing an obscene amount of make-up, offered him a variety of men's fragrances. However, his choice of cologne was the most expensive. The actual smell was irrelevant, he simply wanted to show off to the attendant that he could care less about her ridiculous five dollar taxi cab colognes. However, he was disappointed at the smell that the gold bottle produced: a instantly sweet smell with a hint of musk.
"Cheap, glorified, generic after shave. What a lovely collection you have here. May I suggest finding a scent that doesn't leave young men smelling like wet dogs?"
He flared his crimson eyes at the elderly attendant. Her look of pure disdain made the purchase more than worth it. He could hardly bare that he had to sit through her sampling process, given the less than bearable results.
"Best of luck keeping your job past the holiday with those paltry recommendations. I don't envy you in the slightest."
Ignoring her look of shock and anger, he walked away from the counter and make his way up the elevator. Christmas lights lined the railing and he found a certain calm in watching as each color flickered. With a casual stride, he found himself at the outwear section. The search for a lavish leather jacket was on.
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Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2010 7:48 pm
When it came to Christmas, he was always last on his list, if ever. His allowance would be saved and any odd jobs he did during the winter and he'd go out and buy gifts for his family. His mother, his father, and his sister and maybe a cousin here or there depending if he had the extra cash and his mother nudged him to make a good impression on behalf of their family. His mother was also a believer in that, if you couldn't afford a gift, giving cards was not only best but required. Simply forgetting someone was rather rude and looked shameful and ungrateful.
This year, he was gifted with a small, tiny handful of friends and he felt that, with more money than he had in a long time (thanks to some pockets of some starseed victims before the energy changeover), he would share the wealth and buy them something nice. As he already had his parents and sister done, he decided to look at something for Tate and Paris. Since one was a girl that wasn't all that girly and one was a boy that acted like a girl, he was left wondering what to get them. He decided on a game for Tate or some horror thing that she might love, and something classy and nice for Paris. The boy was in love with fashion, and while it was usually girl clothes, he just didn't have the courage to walk into a girl's department store or in their section and start looking around. Maybe online, but while he was here, he decided he might just look in the guy's section and see if there was something that even Paris would wear.
Seeing as he was still recovering from a cold, everyone so far had left him alone (flu season meant everyone was on edge of getting sick around the holidays and avoided a person with the sniffles as if they had the plague), and he walked through the coats and other fashionable winter apparel for something his friend might like. Seeing as Paris had somewhat similar taste's as he did, he felt he could at least get something close to what he might wear. If not, well, he would put the receipt in there and let him return it – with an apology.
As he was inspecting a rather nice pea coat, he took the tag and kept himself from whistling. This place was REALLY expensive.
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Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2010 11:12 pm
As Teddy thumbed through the various styles of coats, he noticed he was not alone at the sales rack. It wasn't too surprising, after all, the sale was ten percent off. Not that the price reduction was truly a bargain, especially for some of the higher end coats that carried a hefty price tag of five hundred dollars and up. He was curious about his fellow shopper though. He felt like he recognized him from somewhere.
Maybe the gym?
While this seemed reasonable, it didn't feel right. This guy was familiar in a different way. Not someone that Teddy knew, but maybe someone he had seen as Esperite. The Negaverse had gone through more than a few interesting changes lately and through the recent meetings, he had become more familiar with a multitude of faces. Though most had just been different faces in the crowd. However, he decided not to waste an opportunity since the department store wasn't exactly up to his personal standards.
"That's a fine pea coat. One of your favorite brands?"
Idle chatter was almost foreign to him at this point. He was certainly out of practice and he hoped he didn't sound too much like one of the third rate sales associates that roamed the store.
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Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2010 5:15 pm
Curly, short, blue hair, red eyes, young, and very well dressed. These were the things that Ladon saw first when Teddy approached him, and while he wasn't sure who this boy was, he seemed familiar. His mind went to two places. Either they went to school together and he noticed this boy in the hallways or he was from his other life as Wolfarmite. For now, he wasn't sure. He knew very few people in Meadowview, and seeing as this boy was shopping here and put together this well, he was sure that he was popular. Basically, he was not someone who'd be hanging around Ladon. As for the Negaverse, there were a lot more recruits and people he just never met before, and it was hard to pick out who was who.
Not knowing, he went on the side of caution and went with idle chatter. "Um…not actually. I'm looking for a gift. My friend has a taste for fashion so I felt ..she'd like these clothes." He decided to call Paris a she just because it would be too weird and too long to explain exactly what his friend's dressing habits were. "I am really bad in picking out things a girl would like. Especially one as pick as she is." He put the coat back on the rack, not even wanting to smudge it with dirt. It was just that pricey.
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Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2010 7:27 pm
"I suppose it is the season for such things. Though I have to admit that it would be easier if there weren't so many people one feels obligated to purchased gifts for, but I ramble. My apologies. I'm Ted. I could give you a few recommendations, but I doubt I know the young lady you are shopping for, so please keep that in mind."
He reached out his hand in an effort to seem more civil to the green-eyed stranger. He still wasn't sure where he had seen this fellow before. He felt that given his unique green eyes and shorter stature, he would be able to place him. School or the gym seemed unlikely. However, the odd familiarity didn't mean he was willing to bring up the Negaverse. Still somewhat of newborn, he didn't know all the rules, but he was sure one of them wasn't to just randomly start bringing up the organization to strangers.
"Did this young lady specify that she wanted a winter jacket? I would think something more versatile would be best suited given the sporadic seasons of the city. Though at least you can rest assured the prices here are almost dirt cheap."
Placing his bagged bottle of cologne on the floor next to the coat displays, he started to scan the different racks for a coat that would accentuate the female form. Unaware Ladon wasn't shopping for a young lady at all.
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Posted: Tue Dec 14, 2010 10:11 am
He took the hand and they shook hands. "Ladon. Ladon Shepard."
It said a lot about what class of person he was talking to when he thought these prices, even while on sale, were 'dirt cheap'. Most people would be pumping their entire paycheck into buying just a plain shirt from here, and that was when it was on clearance. The difference made him more hesitant to talk to the boy, and he kept the idea that he was of a lower class to himself. "Yeah, it's why I came. Thought to pass by and see if there was something she might like." Heh, not that he instead was lured here on the hope that something ritzy would be actually in his budget.
He looked through the rack, trying not to glance at the price tags first and instead looking at the items themselves. "Though I like Christmas. The gift giving is the best part, but thinking what is best for everyone is the hardest." He only had a few people to shop for, but he was happy that he now had a small handful of friends he could buy gifts for. He just wanted to get them the perfect thing that they would love and actually use. The thought of having them disappointed or just insulted by whatever he gave them was not an idea he liked.
"The girl I'm buying for tends to forget to dress warmly. I would have bought her a scarf and mittens, but I was thinking a coat might be better. She likes dressing up a little more... seductive than I prefer, but that tends to leave her more cold than warm. I don't have a eye for some of the things she likes." He tended to look away from such clothing, but it was what Paris preferred. The blonde would probably be proud of him for attempting to buy him skimpy clothes, though probably be disappointed Ladon hadn't picked out lingerie instead.
Moving some shirts aside, he glanced at Ted and wondered. "I think I've seen you around. Do you go to Meadowview?" He asked, and then looked at the rack. "...or maybe from my work place? It's a rather big company." He was only going to touch on it, but if the boy bite, he would see if he was of the same 'profession' as he was.
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Posted: Wed Dec 15, 2010 12:04 am
"Seductive, I see. Trying to move things forward with this certain young lady? Perhaps a romantic venture under the mistletoe? Why you are quite the planner Mr. Shepard."
He gave the boy a soft nudge and grin. Ladon seemed a little shy and Ted wouldn't have his new found shopping partner boring him to death. No, if he was going to shop for someone else, he felt entitled to make it as interesting a venture as possible. However, he did feel it necessary so show a certain measure of restraint. Teddy didn't know the young man very well and didn't want to scare him off now. Especially since his interest was peaked about the reasoning behind the jacket. Moving to the outwear for young ladies, he found a raunchy enough brand display that seemed a good place to start.
"This red leather one is nice and form fitting. Don't you like how the belt almost looks like a corset. Or something like this too much? What kind of mood are you trying to set for this friend of yours?"
Returning to the racks, he began to rummage through the coats that weren't on sale. Money was no concern for him and he didn't even stop to think it was for Ladon. Finding himself at the higher end section, the prices started to reach one thousand dollars. However, before he could make another recommendation, his train of thought was interrupted by Ladon's question.
"I'm afraid I don't attend Meadowview. I completed my formal education in another city and I am thinking about applying to colleges here. Though nothing has been decided as of yet."
Ted paused for a few moments. He couldn't think of any other occupation that would have a similar description. It seemed the only reason that the green eyed boy would be familiar. However, he knew that the worst case scenario would be he would have to drain the boy of his energy and leave him for the night watch to find. So, taking a chance, he answered in a lower voice, so that only Ladon could hear his reply.
"Recently, I believe I started work at the organization you speak of. I believe a renaming took place as well as some very specific and unique training. If we are speaking of the same organization of course."
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 9:44 pm
The shorter boy flustered at the mention of a girlfriend and though Ted didn't know it, the assumption that he was going out with Paris. Coupled with the image of Paris in a corset didn't help either, and he looked aside to a reassuring and comfortable black coat on the rack that would make a puritan happy. As of recently, he found more and more people kept mentioning relationships, and he just couldn't shake it off. Even complete strangers. "I'm just friends with her." He pointed, disliking the idea that being a friend with a girl instantly meant you were going out with them, or at least lead people down that train of thought rather quickly. "She has more than enough boyfriends." He paused, and frowned at the idea that he was more or less destroying Paris' reputation…though he was talking to a complete stranger. Still, he felt bad talking ill of his recently acquired best friend.
Looking back at the coat, he was about to just shoo the thing away, but paused. "…she'd probably like that. It's up her alley in taste." Seeing as Paris loved talking about underwear (and showing it off to him as much as she could), the boy probably owned a few corsets. This coat was probably the closest thing to lingerie shopping he was going to get, and maybe that alone would make Paris happy and like the present.
He took the coat, looking it over, and tried to remember Paris size from when they bought Crystal uniforms. As he did, he had a much better distraction and boy panties and girlfriends. Business. Negaverse. A nice safe topic that he loved and preferred.
"Hmm. I think we are talking about the same business. Where the meetings are large and demanding, cold, with lots of crystals." He looked up, green eyes narrowing on the other boy. There was no one around them and with Christmas music blaring overhead, their words would be whisked away. So he dared. If something happened, he could rip the starseed from this guy. Problem solved.
"Lots of ranks……and our boss…well, she has the best interest of the company, for us, for Earth, in mind." He moved in a little closer, looking about. "Lieutenant?" He asked, seeing as the boy mentioned he was just recently started at their "company".
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Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 11:09 pm
"She does posses an admirable, indomitable will. I don't suppose you have been promoted past an entry level position? I have only just started, so I don't really have a lot of details."
Teddy left Christmas shopping behind. If Ladon was not only a member of the Negaverse, but also a higher ranking officer, he was someone Teddy felt he should respect. If the green eyed boy had made it farther up the ranks, then he, in a way, Teddy's boss. While they may be a similar age, this meant Teddy would have to show him a certain degree of admiration. If he was ever going to get to the top, he would have to at least meet other high ranking members right? Right, he wasn't going to try and demean this shy young man.
"Well, it appears there is more than meets the eye when it comes to you Mr. Shepard. I'll have to make a special note of you I see. Though I don't suppose these are things we should discuss if you are busy shopping."
Taking care to walk on eggshells, he certainly wasn't going to just start blabbing on and on about his patrols and starseed adventures when he wasn't sure where Ladon stood. No, this would require a certain degree of finesse in order to be pulled off properly. Teddy made sure to watch his words.
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 10:06 am
It was always a good policy to be mindful of one's words, especially around others who could report you - not that Ladon was that type. Right now, he hadn't assumed any sort of attitude to put those below him in their place and remind them that the world and all it's people had ears to eavesdrop and mouths for gossiping. Just as he wasn't use to pulling out rank, he wasn't used to the idea of anyone being below him. It certainly was a new - and exciting - experience. A new, peculiar taste of power he never once had.
"Past entry level. One step above actually." He wasn't a general, but there was something to be said that someone could survive to captain - not that he felt he deserved it. It had been more of a condition in order to have enough power to do his job. It added a sour note to his rank, and he wasn't about to puff up with pride as some others could because he was one step above on the ladder.
Humbled by that thought, he waved off Teddy for any note he would make of him. "Don't consider me something special in the least. I just work hard." And try as he might, he had little to show for it. Still, he didn't want a lieutenant to ignore and walk right over him either.
Looking at the clothes, he was quickly realizing he was out of his price range and the mention of work gave him the perfect avenue to leave the store. "I think I have other shops to visit before I make my decision. If you want to talk about this, about our work, we can go somewhere private. Less occupied at least." He thought about someplace that would be safe, and smiled. "There is a small playground we can talk at that's usually empty because of all the snow. We'll be able to spot any eavesdroppers if they approach." It was also a place he sometimes stopped by on his patrol.
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Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 1:08 pm
Given his earlier encounter with the sales associate at the beauty counter, Teddy had accomplished what he set out to do. The bottle of cologne was a mere byproduct of his earlier goal to first see if there were any sales worth shopping for and secondly, to figure out the quality of the store itself. Which he duly noted was piss poor at best. Returning to the rack where the two young men first met, he retrieved his bag and turned to his fellow officer.
"That sounds lovely. I am finished here as well. My car is parked in the parking deck in the center of town, do we need to drive to this playground or will walking suffice?"
Driving in the winter weather had been quite eventful the past few days. Teddy observed the snowfall turned most ordinary drivers into raving lunatics that either ended up sliding into ditches on the side of the road or morons who were completely unable to go over ten miles an hour. These factors had greatly increased the amount of time he spent traveling from on destination to the next.
"Actually Mr. Shepard, if you don't mind, it may be best if we don't drive. At least until the traffic had died down a bit."
Casually making his way through the various departments of the store, he headed towards the main exit. Past the revolving doors, he was somewhat anxious to hear what this young man had to say about the Negaverse. In truth, he had not had the opportunity to sit down and actually discuss the organization or another person's experiences within the group. He would have to make sure not to seem too eager or intrigued, best to keep a cool demeanor.
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Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2010 10:44 am
Teddy had a car?! Ladon was impressed. True, he should have started taking lessons to drive, but being in the city, it wasn't a hard necessity. Still, the idea of having a car was very alluring, but he didn't have that sort of cash. It further enforced the idea that Teddy had money, and he wondered if it was earned through hard work or given through family. He was leaning to the later seeing as most kids Teddy's age, out of school or not, did not have that sort of dough.
It was a good thing to walk though as he didn't want to bring up the fact that he didn't have a car or knew how to drive to the playground. "Walking would be best. It's not far." At least not by his standards, but who knew how much Teddy tended to walk around with his own pair of wheels.
It was a somewhat long walk through the departments until they excited and from that point, Ladon lead the way. Most people were too busy, too loud, to take notice of them. "It's rather hard to pinpoint a person from our group. I tend to just sense that we're on the same side, but it's always a tricky business to figure out if they are or not. We can't exactly wear a badge for our group and with pride. Not with the news as it is now. If only they actually knew we were doing this city, this planet, some good, they wouldn't be so hard to send the police after us." He hated that the most. That the city put them in such a bad light when it was mainly the senshis' doing. What he didn't like that they were often mashed up in the same group as their enemies. All terrorists and all menaces.
It was a block or so, a turn to the right, and there was a deserted playground freshly coated in snow. Only one pair of footsteps were seen there – some child probably who had come to play alone before leaving.
Moving over, he dusted a park bench off and gestured that, if Teddy cared to, he could sit beside him. "Now that we are alone. Captain Wolframite. Please to meet you." He said, offering his hand.
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Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 4:11 pm
As the two young men journeyed from the disappointing department store towards the empty playground, Teddy took note of their surroundings. The snow had greatly altered the city's landscape. What was once easily distinguishable by the architecture or color, blended into a white and gray array of concrete. Taking a mental note, he made sure to remember how difficult it would be to quickly get back to apartment after a night out looking for energy, especially when his heeled boots would make it more difficult to traverse the icy rooftops and alleyways. He did often walk when possible, given his rather short temper with traffic. The last thing the Negaverse needed was a rampaging lieutenant whose only victims included bad drivers and jay walkers. Nothing like painting a target on one's back when the victims could so easily be traced back to a frustrated rich kid. However, he decided to relieve himself of such thoughts while he was in the presence of Ladon. Teddy hadn't gotten a real feel for his motives and this was a rarity. Not one to cut himself down, he reminded himself that the green eyed captain was used to leading two lives. Reading him wouldn't be so easy.
"I agree wholeheartedly. Our organization is the true future and the greatest step forward. It is disgusting how we are labeled along with that rabble of frauds and magicians. I will admit that it is nice to be able to speak one-on-one to another officer. Most of my work for our lady and organization has been done solo. Though I have only unfortunately meet the more rebellious, less civilized members of my own rank. Needless to say, it was not as warm a welcome as you have offered. If you don't mind me saying, of course."
As they reached the playground, Teddy scanned over the area. He was more suspicious than usual. In all honestly, he hadn't expected to meet another officer of the Negaverse in a civilian manner. He would have to make sure he remained as cool headed as possible. Taking the hand that was offered, he gave the captain a firm shake and a slight bow. Then Teddy took a seat on the frozen bench.
"Lieutenant Esperite at your service. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir. If you don't mind quenching my curiosity, I must inquire as to how long you have been in service to our organization?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 4:00 pm
Teddy was not only polite but well spoken, and Ladon was instantly impressed. He seemed like a proper, upstanding person that could only do the Negaverse proud. It was true that they had some less-than-grand officers in their ranks, but it was more that they took what they could get and tried to shape the untalented masses into working, skilled officers. It wasn't a hard stretch when they should be trained and were given over to Captains to look over. They just needed guidance. After all, he hadn't been much of Negaverse material when he first started and now he was a Captain that knew how to kill, steal energy, knew the ropes of the Negaverse, and how to get his various jobs done.
And how long had it been from he went to that skittish, nervous boy to the one he was now? Ladon had to pause, having never been ask that question. "…..I'd say it's been……….a little over a year now?" Really? A whole year? He gave a little laugh. "It really seems much longer than that. I can't even imagine my life before being an officer, and from all that has happened, it seems to me that I've been here most of my life." So much had happened in such a short amount of time. He grew in one year, but he had seen so much happen in that time. Charonite and Nealite, Wiseman and Team Tra-La, the Doom Tree and The Coma Epidemic. So much had happened and changed in that time.
It was a heavy thought to think about. "We might have some less than great recruits in the Negaverse, but I should be a testimony that if you have the will to work for the Negaverse and the deserve to improve, anyone can turn into a skilled officer. It just takes the desire to do so." He smiled softly at that, looking out across the playground. "…it's probably why we aren't so picky. We don't have that luxury. I once asked why, and it's because our numbers are so few and our need to win so great. We can train recruits. We can help out team out, but we don't have the time to pick and choose as we could have if we had the time." To this, he paused and looked over to him.
"So why did they pick you?" He asked, wondering if the boy had any special talents for this line of work of, like him, he had been happened upon on one strange night and found himself corrupted without much thought that long day in his past ages ago. That one night.
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Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2011 6:30 pm
Teddy paused before answering the green eyed boy. A young couple, probably in their twenties roamed through the snow-covered park. Their faces warm with the glow of romance. Part of Teddy was curious as to why they choose to wonder through the cold at this hour for what seemed like a lack of good reasoning. However, the officer of Negaverse wanted to steal their energy. Drain them of their glow in an effort to prove to the city that they were the true leaders and not to walk into important conversations. Especially when he was in the middle of divulging Esperite's birth. As they approached to playground, they made their way to the swing set and began to idly chat and horse around.
"Excuse me, Ladon."
Rising to his feet from the frozen bench, the teal haired boy walked directly towards the couple. Their presence was only a nuisance at this point. As he reached them, he crossed his arms and gave them a scowl.
"Park's closed due to the weather. Move along or further action will be taken against you. I would personally recommend obeying this particular decree."
Partly confused and partly surprised, they quickly hurried off towards the gate. Crimson eyes carefully watched as they disappeared into the white haze that the snowfall had created. Returning to the bench, he casually dusted off his clothing and made sure his seat wasn't wet before giving the other young man a smile.
"Pardon the interruption. I didn't think we needed an audience. To answer your question, I was picked by random it seems. Though I can't argue with the decision, I doubt that there was much planning or forethought since I completed the transition quickly and was left to my own devices. If my awakening was part of any long-term goal, I am displeased to inform you that I have not been made aware of said plan. Though I do certainly hope my efforts for the organization have been beneficial. Do you mind if I ask who initiated your transition? If it's not too personal a question."
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