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This Negaverse business was starting to wear thin on the lieutenant's nerves, and he wasn't quite sure what triggered this bit of foulness in him. Buddingtonite never had problems with putting himself in a good mood, but it seemed that the world was out to get him down.

He joined the Negaverse of his own free will because he wanted to make a difference, and have a little fun while he was at it. Not to mention to preserve his own life- when the first member of the Negaverse one met was willing to kill a civilian 'just because', it seemed like the right idea to throw his hat in with that lot. Better to willfully submit to save his hide, than risk getting caught in the crossfires, or worse, dying for a lost cause.

But he didn't regret joining the Negaverse. He just wished he could have done more. He wanted to do more, and yet, they seemed to want to not let him. "Don't attack civilians," Buddingtonite said, griping to a stray cat in the alley he was pseudo-hiding in, as it devoured the tuna he offered it. "Don't take energy from civilians. Don't kill, they say. Yet, who told that to Painite when she was willing to take my head?"

He asked this question to the cat, but the cat didn't care. It looked up at him, eager for more food but still too timid to approach him, and Buddingtonite carried on with his rant, too worked up to have sensed any aura that was approaching, whether it be friend or foe. "Oh, but I guess it's a privilege I will inherit some day, so I guess I should get to it! What's my job again, oh, that's right, good relations and recruitment... I can do the first, but how am I do to the latter when all I have is... is... THIS!"

He threw his pinwheel, the toy not hurting the cat but the motion of the throw and the emotion behind that shout was enough to send it running. And now, he was without someone to rant to, and Buddingtonite couldn't have that!

In his little temper tantrum, he hadn't once noticed the Order aura that appeared on his inner radar, and of all the times he intentionally tried to hurt his White Moon adversaries with his pinwheel, it would figure that he'd get a direct hit by complete accident. Not that Buddingtonite was willing to let others see it was an accident, just as he wouldn't allow Phact to see just how completely off guard she had caught him right now. On the outside, he was cool as a cucumber, though on the inside he was more or less trying to kick his own a** for allowing his guard to drop as badly as it did.

Not that he didn't mind the company, of course. The cat wasn't offering him any interesting feedback and Phact was, by far, much, much prettier, if not potentially more dangerous. Still, he kept his cool, snapping his fingers and doing the only thing he could do in this stage and summoning his weapon back to his hand. It disappeared into a cloud of black smoke before reappearing in his hand, and he got some kind of satisfaction out of that, as he looked her over and hoped to see her surprise or admiration to the feat.

"Yes, my apologies. I seemed to have misplaced it," he said, giving it a little twirl of his pinwheel and keeping his facade up. Despite the unintentional attempt on her life (as threatening as a pinwheel can be), he still had a job to do, and the fact that she wasn't completely up in arms yet gave him some hope. What good would whining about his situation do when the solution could be before his very eyes? Surely she could be convinced... "I'm not quite sure how it ended up there, but I thank you. Would it be rude of me to compliment you on your appearance, young lady? You're quite stunning and it would seem wrong if I didn't!"

Lure them in with sugar. That was always step one. He'd worry about step two later, depending on how this encounter went.

"Yes, in my anger I threw it, but I assure you, there was no intention of it hitting your face," Buddingtonite said with genuine honesty (for once). Sure, he could have easily have boasted his great feat, but then, that would have likely triggered a fight, and the first rule of being part of Infiltration when approaching the enemy was to extend the hand of friendship, and triggering a fight would certainly not fall into that rule. Fighting should only come as a last resort, or if Buddingtonite was bored, and thus far, he'd say his night definitely took an interesting turn. "I apologize if I hurt you- I will be more careful next time I lose my temper."

In which he hoped he wouldn't, as it was always embarrassing and he often felt like a fool for allowing anything, whether it be big or small, get under his skin like that. It raised his blood pressure, left him feeling queasy afterwards and likely looked frazzled, and how was he to recruit members to the Negaverse if he looked like he just been thrown through the ringer?

She was right to have her suspicions- even if they weren't in uniform and weren't members of the opposing side, it was wise for a young woman to question an older man's motives, especially after buttering them up with compliments. In response to her question, he gave a shrug, pretending not to be too interested in her appearance and what he'd like to do if he suspected her to be of proper legal age. "Life is a game, I find. Some take it too seriously and it ruins the fun. I approach the game with the desire to have fun, and to win, of course. Having fun is important, but winning? There's no greater feeling, I think."

He looked at his pinwheel for a moment, and then realized that he didn't answer her question at all. After giving it a puff and watching it spin for a second, he decided to answer with honesty, "The game I'm engaged in at this very moment is to get onto your good side, and bring you over to the winning team, the right team, before you get hurt."

Buddingtonite gave a wry smile, but otherwise kept his thoughts to himself. He had no idea what kind of weapon he would receive upon reaching his captain stage, but he was certain that whatever it was that it would certainly be more menacing than a pinwheel. Or at last he hoped it would be. The thought ran through his mind but had little time to solidify before she was questioning him about the war, and the lieutenant gave a shrug.

"You do make a point, my dear," Buddingtonite said, twirling his oh-so-menacing pinwheel around as he approached the Senshi. "Two sides, set in their ways, butting heads until eventually ONE triumphs over the other, and history will always favor the winner, no matter what their intentions or goals may be."

It was truth, and only a fool would deny it. He wasn't fooled- he knew that the Negaverse wasn't the pure, kind-hearted, freedom fighting organization that members thought it to be, but still, to Buddingtonite, this was the right decision. And he explained it to her as best as he could. "However, there is a right and wrong in this instant. The right decision would have been to join the Negaverse in the first place. The wrong decision, however, would have you pit against the likes of horrors that you simply aren't prepared for."

Horrors such as Painite, the Negaverse, and the youma that they controlled. Yes, Buddingtonite wanted to drop those names, but he refrained for now. "Trust me, you don't want to be their enemies."

Buddingtonite's smile faded slightly and his pleasant demeanor transformed into one of exasperation at her words. It would figure that he'd find someone who was not only beautiful, but smart as well... or in the very least perceptive, something that the lieutenant wasn't quite prepared for. He didn't let this expression hold for long though, as he forced a smile back on his face in hopes of her not catching onto it and calling him out on that as well.

"Ah, well... it was worth a try," Buddingtonite said at her rejection, and he did his best to keep his tone calm and pleasant in lieu of the disappointment he felt churning within him. Add to that the insult she was inflicting upon him by turning around and expecting to leave without so much of a fight, and Buddingtonite should have been hopping mad. And in truth, he was, but he'd refuse to show it at first. No, he fancied himself the gentleman, and a gentleman seldom lost his temper. "However, if you cannot be an ally, then I'm afraid that makes us enemies, and I am required to fight said enemies."

That was his warning. While he knew he could have tried to jump in front of her and block her escape, he went for a more underhanded tactic instead. Once again, he armed himself and threw the pinwheel forward, more for a distraction than to actually harm her, and no sooner did he throw the toy, he ran forward, curling his hands into fists and going for the first blow. "A pity, because I really didn't want to have to hurt you!"

It was a shame, too. He rather liked this Senshi and would have loved to have taken her back to the Rift with him, or in the very least, his apartment if there'd be no unwanted conscequences. Unfortunately, he knew that he could not force either desire, so that meant the only option between them was to fight. That was why he swung at her, and yet, he wasn't surprised by how her dexterity and how she managed to block his strike, but her words.

"Who says? Did you really just say 'who says I have to fight?'" Buddingtonite parrotted her question, and yet, he was surprisingly compliant to the idea. When his first strike was blocked and openly questioned, he backed away, and he gave his hand a shake to loosen the knuckles as the other rested idly on his hip. "My senior ranking officers, of course. Who else would make me fight?"

He wasn't offended by her question, merely unwilling to believe that she wouldn't have known this. "The Negaverse is a finely-oiled gear and their orders are clear. If I cannot convert you over to my side, then I must fight. Unless you prove to be too powerful, in which case my orders are to survive. You're not... too powerful, are you?"

Buddingtonite only asked to judge his next course of action. If she was stronger than she let on, then he'd gladly take the 'tactical retreat' option. After all, he was a lover, not a fighter, and if he couldn't woo her, then he had no business messing with a stronger foe. However, if it was the latter... he was willing to bust a knuckle or two.

Buddingtonite was willing to push the fight to the next level if he felt he could have won the fight, and he honestly felt that his chances were pretty good. After all, she seemed unprepared, but she also had magic, and Buddingtonite wasn't a fan of magic. He had his fair share of bad run-ins with magic, and he wasn't quite willing to allow her the chance to use hers, whatever they may be.

He did not outwardly appear to be prepping for the next attack, though her words did dig under his skin. He spat, his bitterness clear in his deep voice. "Mindless soldier? No. I am a recruiter who's expected to fight from time to time, though I can use my own discretion to decide if the fight's worth having."

Then when it came to the second question, he calmed down a little, and he crossed his arms, making it very clear that he had no intention of continuing the assault with her for the time being. "No, I don't. They want me to play nice, play the part of the 'noble heroes' just trying to protect this world from the alien invaders. Leave civilians be... when they could be much more useful as fodder. They think they're doing all that they can... and I think they're simply not doing enough."

No, he didn't completely agree with the Negaverse's methods. "What they want is for me to fight all of you that cannot be converted to the death, and honestly? You're not worth my life. I'll let someone else deal with you- I did my part."

He suspected that she might have been bluffing, but he wasn't willing to take that chance. Not while his only weapons were a child's toy and his own fists. "Anything else, my dear, or can we consider our encounter here a wrap?"

"The fact that you owe your alliance to the Moon Queen and are likely a descendant or maybe once of her warriors reborn makes you an invader," Buddingtonite said quickly and rather dismissively, too annoyed to want to jump on that chance and perhaps not wanting to admit that he had no real definitive proof of this. For all he knew, he could have been one of those dastardly invaders in the past and merely chose the correct path the second time around, so it was a topic he was more than willing to sweep under the rug. For now.

In regards to her second question, he gave a reluctant sigh but had not approached her to strike as of yet. He crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his foot, letting her know that he wasn't all that pleased with having his time wasted and that she should be grateful that he was willing to stick around and answer her question, instead of just outright fighting her like he was suppose to.

"How are we different? Simple. You have access to this wonderful thing called magic, where I do not. That makes you far more threatening to me and the people of this planet than this dinky little pinwheel, don't you think?" Buddingtonite said, tilting his head to the side and looking at his own pathetic weapon. "Also, whether you currently do now or did in the past, you serve the Moon Queen, someone who has tried to enslave this planet before in the past. While I'm sure many of your kind are willing to forget this and let bygones be bygones, we of the Negaverse are not. We haven't forgotten, nor will we. Or rather, they... me, I could honestly care less. I don't hurt you, you don't hurt me. Everything's peachy."

He sent her an inquisitive look, most of his anger and annoyance gone now, as he asked, "Anything else, dear?"