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 Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 8:13 am
In the breadth of a second, Bischofite remembered his own unique introduction to teleportation. Dizzying, worrying, and damnably nauseating it was - many a time he heard tale of other lieutenants, captains loosing the contents of their stomachs directly afterward. He considered it one of their more meager rites of passage, small steps to garner small fragments of respect. Frat party dares without the drunkenness or stupidity. A step outside the comfort zone to prove a little more dependability.
Maybe that's all it was these days.
No longer did the two stand in the dreary back alleys behind the school, where graffiti painted the walls and cigarettes littered the floor from one too many self-destructive students stole away to smoke. Rather than poured road tar to map the means to the back of the cafeteria, worn linoleum stretched beneath their feet. The walls stood pristine save for reprints of Thomas Kinkade paintings, depicting places so far removed from their war zone of a city. A counter stood not far from the pair, flanked by doorways to the narrow halls behind the reception area. Behind the counter stood reams of medical documentation, alphabetized and allocated to a sturdy bookcase suited to the purpose.
Whether she retched or not, Bischofite fully intended to force her to keep pace. Taking her wrist with his good hand, he used an elbow to turn the handle to one of the doors and push his way through. "I discovered zis place as a lieutenant - more or less." She needn't know of his demotion just yet. "A corrupted senshi was stupid enough to step in a bear trap I left for my enemy. At ze time I had orders to assist allies weekly and report my progress to my superior, so against my sensibilities I scouted for a clinic like zis. I see zey'f replaced ze window since zen."
A quick turn led to a relatively stocked and sterile room, intended for patients. Bischofite wagered they maintained a stock room further down the hall. "Ze reason I explained zat mess of detail to you was to clarify how we can teleport - once we see ze location, we can visit it instantaneously. A useful trick, if you can master it." However, with the addition of so much activity, his wrist pulsed terribly with the pain of its break. The scope of his knowledge for anatomy was limited to Quenton's project, and from what he remembered of the man assembling a human hand by heart, the wrist possessed far too many bones to identify a break without an x-ray.
So ist das Leben, he thought bitterly. "Your first assignment, Lieutenant - fix zis." With his good hand cupped around the injury, he raised his wrist enough to indicate the break. "At your rank, you lack usefulness in battle. Your duties are essentially limited to learning of ze Negaverse and draining energy to fill quotas. However, your training will be different - you will learn first aid and field dressing to assist officers in need, and... You will encounter ze rest of my plans in due time." He smiled absent mirth.Silverah sorry, ended up taking a break yesterday
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Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 8:50 am
The world spun. Dizzying, maybe - but Astrophyllite likened it more to a carnival ride, and she liked those. "That was amazing!" she crowed to Bischofite, her heart racing. Magic! she thought excitedly, just like in Harry Potter. She'd thought she was joining the Men in Black, but now it turned out that they were wizards?! This night just kept getting better and better! Well, Bischofite's wrist was still broken, so oh, right, back to business. Astrophyllite put on a serious face and followed the general, nodding along with his descriptions. He used a lot of big words, but she thought she was keeping up okay. "So, you mean, I can teleport, too?" she asked, eyes going huge. Teleport? Apparate? She was sure that if her terminology was wrong, he'd correct her. He seemed like the type. "When do I learn to do that?" Not tonight, obviously, considering the angle he was holding his hand at. Once they were in the exam room, her purpose in all this became far clearer, and the lieutenant bit her lip apprehensively, looking down at his wrist laid out before her. It looked - well, there were few things she was farther from being than a doctor, but in her thoroughly amateur opinion, it looked bad. "Okay," she said, wracking her brain. She'd taken a basic sports medicine course for softball that she'd done poorly in, just like every other course she'd ever taken, but some things had stuck. "We need to splint it," she said, thinking out loud. That meant - bandages, and something to keep it straight. There were tongue depressors on the counter - those might work in a pinch, she thought, if Bischofite would go and see an actual doctor to set the break at some point. Astrophyllite didn't want to be held responsible for jacking up her commanding officer's wrist forever her first day on the job! She pulled open the drawers, finding gauze and band-aids and even little needles for taking finger sticks, but nothing that would have quite satisfied her the way an ace bandage would have. Surely there had to be some of those somewhere else in the office. She just knew that doctors hid all the fun stuff somewhere else. "Put it on the exam table," she said, not trusting herself to be doing this right. "Keep it flat. I'll be right back. If that's okay. I need to go get something."
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Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 3:28 pm
Feverish gold eyes settled on the lieutenant as she darted to and fro, sifting through drawers and cabinets to take stock of the tools at her disposal. So she started on the proper track - survey the surroundings for useful implements to suit one's needs. As he straightened up to commend her for it, the cocked angle of his wrist drew a pained gasp out of the general, and in a wince he relegated his current drive to maintain a tolerable position for the broken bones therein.
Pain precipitated on his countenance in the form of beads of sweat, and a brush of his shoulder against his temple proved ineffective at wicking away the moisture. In an effort to distract himself, he focused on her earlier inquiry. "Teleportation is a skill developed by captains onward, yes - even ze walking abominations known as corrupted senshi can teleport when of equivalent rank. However, your capability of learning zat ability hinges on your survival to zat point - if you lif' to become a captain..." I'll be damned. "I can teach you at least zat much."
In a haze of effervescent energy, the pink-haired lieutenant finally darted toward the door with an ambiguous statement about needs and somethings. Bischofite frowned thinly, and accosted her with an admonishing gaze. "No. You will find what you need wis'in zis room. On ze battlefield, you don't haf' ze luxury of flitting about in search of ze ideal circumstances. If you're confronted wis' a fellow lieutenant sporting a broken arm, and a senshi hot on zeir trail, do you sink you'll haf' ze time to walk your ally to ze nearest emergency room so you can pilfer ze proper supplies for a splint? You'll be dead by ze end of ze block."
For a moment he considered his introductory talk with Alexandre, who spun tales of alien invaders and mass enslavement to some theoretical Moon Queen. Perhaps such drivel would work on Astrophyllite, who appeared so easily enthralled with simple teleportation. After all, to talk of warfare invites inquiries about the war itself... "Work as we talk. Discussing ze reasoning behind ze war is somesing of a headache, and I prefer to keep it brisk. If you wish to know more, solicit Zinkenite for furzer information. He should know far more zan I about ze topic." At least he assumed so.
"Ze Negaverse is a collectif' of soldiers who borrow power from a singular source. Our goal is simple - to eliminate ze influx of senshi who now scurry about on ze streets. Ze declared reasoning behind wholesale slaughtering ze senshi differs from mine, and I find it woefully lacking. To put it plainly, senshi are abominations - zey are perversions of natural law and seek to go against ze grain of it by employing zeir magical abilities. Senshi constantly try to preserf'e all life on our planet, to nebulous motives. However, natural law states zat everysing dies - you, me, zem, even ze planet itself.
"I'f heard it explained zat zey try to preserf'e life so zat zey can resurrect, find, recreate zeir Moon Queen and enslave all occupants of zis planet to serf' her, as an echo of a battle a souzand years past. I'f heard zey wrecked zeir own planets, drof'e zem into utter destruction, and now zey parasitically latched onto ours to rebuild zeir little empires in ze name of zeir court. I don't care for zese explanations. All I know from my experiences is zat ze senshi are unconscionably drawn to bystanders and protect zem extensively, even at ze cost of zeir own lives. I suspect zey haf' ulterior motives for such actions.
"All you need to know is zis - we borrow ze power of chaos. We champion entropy. We uphold natural law. Everysing dies - and everysing leans toward entropy. Zese are your tenets, and I expect you to abide by zem. Now, fix my ******** wrist before I ask you to amputate it instead," he finished with a pained wince.
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Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 4:28 pm
Astrophyllite froze in the doorway. "Okay," she said, before he'd even given her his reasons. It wasn't in her nature to be argumentative, and all of his reasons made sense to her. You couldn't just walk off the softball field in the middle of a play, right? She went back to the cabinets and got a few rolls of gauze and some medical tape. It wasn't - it wasn't what she wanted, she thought stubbornly, and she wasn't sure it would work as well as a proper bandage- but this was what she had handy, so this was what it would have to be. "Can you hold these?" she asked, placing tongue depressors against his arm to brace it from the ventral and dorsal sides. There, she thought, tearing the packaging off the first roll of gauze. That would a good base for the splint. "So the senshi - they're aliens?" she asked, wrapping the gauze around his hand and wrist. This all seemed very exciting and important to her - she just wished he'd use simpler words, because she wasn't sure what unconscionably meant. Astrophyllite started on the second roll of gauze, reinforcing the shape of the splint and hoping that, whatever test this was, she was doing well. She'd never been good at tests - never in her life, not even on the spelling tests they used to do in elementary school that everyone else said were so easy. But if she'd never been good at anything in her life, she thought, securing the gauze with a band of medical tape, then maybe she'd be good at this! "I can do that," she said, pulling her hands away from his arm. "I can fight for - I can fight for the earth." Especially against aliens! They were up to no good. They had to be - because they were aliens! And aliens were always up to no good, or else they'd just go back to their home planets and mind their own business - destroying your planet was not an excuse. That was like dropping your ice cream and expecting everyone else to give you theirs! Her improvised splint looked neat, she thought, but she had no idea if it would actually meet the general's standards. She hoped it would. "How is - how does that feel?" she asked hesitantly.
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Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 11:14 am
Bischofite visibly twitched at the use of the word alien, but focused on holding the pair of depressors to his broken wrist without wincing. "Alien could apply to many sings, Astrophyllite - I would be considered alien, as coming from Germany. Ze senshi? Zey are extraterrestrial." His distaste for English stemmed from these exact moments, when a multitude of meanings behind a word lent toward entangling terms and offended senses. "I do not know much about zeir home worlds, aside from zat I'f never met two senshi from ze same location. I spoke to one of zeir kind about her planet before, and she explained zat it was in ruins - so it seems our information is accurate."
If she wants to play the alien game, let her, he thought bitterly. She lacks the mind for idealism - and evidence shows that fighting a war on the home front leads to fiercer combatants with the drive to do what's needed. With much luck, she might be useful to me - even if I have to break her first. "You will haf' to, lest you want zem to take over." What a trite line of thinking - what did it matter if the lot of them surrendered free will to the senshi? Their lives would be no different than youma.
Bischofite loosed a seething hiss as the gauze tightened about his injury, but fought to still himself against instinctual reactions. "I should gif' you more information about our enemy before covering our own boons. As far as I'f deduced, each enemy has a unique set of magic at zeir disposal. I'f never seen ze same two senshi casting similar magics. Additionally, zeir effects vary widely - some heal, some put you to sleep, some still damage irrevocably. Zier magic also changes wis' zeir rank - a regular senshi I know has ze ability to put one to sleep wis' a small field of flowers. Ze second time I encountered him, he achieved ze rank akin to captain for us - super senshi. At zat point, his field of flowers was accompanied by snaking vines zat seek to pin one to ze ground.
"Zeir ranks... basic, super and eternal, as I'f come to know zem. I cannot differentiate visually between ze first and second, but you will notice a spike of power in zeir auric energies. Zat's right - you can feel zem coming, often before you see zem. Zeir final rank, eternal, is denoted by a pair of seemingly ornamental wings at zeir backs. At zis stage, you're not much use in a fight - you will likely avoid super and eternal senshi until your weapon becomes somesing more useful zan a Ouija board."
With a steadying sigh, Bischofite examined the girl's handiwork. Surely it wasn't of medical quality, but it served its purpose on a rudimentary level - he could not further damage his wrist through movement without legitimately trying. Although, he suspected the depressors would snap like a twig should he exercise his strength. "I sink zis will suffice." He would have to visit a hospital regardless, but this splint should tide him over to complete initial debriefing and introduce training. "Are you ready to hear of ze powers at our disposal, Lieutenant?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 12:05 pm
Magic extraterrestrials, thought Astrophyllite, going wide-eyed with excitement at the very prospect. This was just getting better and better by the second! Even with the rules he was describing, this sounded better than any video game she'd ever had the opportunity to play, with the added bonus of being real. Senshi sounded like bad news bears, for sure, but she'd already seen how quick Zinkenite was, and hadn't Bischofite been carting around a dead body just earlier tonight? (She still wasn't sure what that had been about, but figured it must be relevant and important and it was probably better to not ask about it, because she'd probably look like an idiot if she did.) (Not, she considered, that she was anything but an idiot. Everyone said so.) "I can feel them?" she asked, not sure how she'd go about doing that. But - the more she considered the possibility, the more she became aware that she had - it was like a new sense. She was aware of Bischofite because she could see him, and when she'd been wrapping the splint she could feel him, and she could smell him - faintly musty, and sharply metallic, like blood. (No, she thought, it was not like blood. It was blood.) But, on top of that, new and strange, she could also - she didn't know the word for it, if there was a word and she had just never learned it or if there was no verb for how she knew Bischofite was standing beside her, and would have known, even if she could not see him or smell him or hear him or feel him. He had a presence, hugely powerful, and dark like moist earth and deep caves, and comforting, like whatever his power came from and whatever her newfound power came from were resonating on the same frequency. And, the general promised, there were even more powers where that had come from. Even if he couldn't apparate like he could until she was more experienced, well. Astrophyllite could content herself to wait for that - for now, she was proud that she'd managed to put a passable splint on the general, and she was ready for more lessons. "Yes," she said, nodding eagerly. "I'm ready. I want to learn about everything." Perhaps she could make up for being a slow learner by being an eager student.
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Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 2:40 pm
"You can feel zem as certainly as you feel me - but zeir presence is more a perversion of your typical bodily reactions. For me, to feel a senshi..." He trailed off, searching for answers in languages both familiar and less so, echoes of old perceptions buried deep in his nervous system. "Is not so different as an itch beneas' my tees', or a pervasif', gnawing pain lingering beneas' ze skin. Zese aren't quite literal explanations for it, but ze closest I can approximate to zeir greasy, pungent presence. Perhaps it's different for you, or for anyone. I'f never considered it in great detail."
He had, however, considered the exorbitant ache in his wrist to a painfully scrutinizing degree, down to guessing at which bones might've shattered to dust, wholly unable to be rebuilt or reclaimed. Never again would he play piano, because Zinkenite felt it necessary to snap his wrist on a whim. A small gesture to him, with very little purpose at all. The consequences far outweighed what little he might've learned from such a blatant demonstration of power. Asserting rank hardly proved a noble task when one never manifested the disposition of proper leadership. An oppressive know-it-all with some premature Napoleonic complex in being called out on his inaction... Even mulling it over coaxed a visible twitch in the corner of his lip.
With a weary sigh, Bischofite closed his eyes and attempted to wrench his train of thought toward the topic at hand. His festering disgust for his inept leaders would have to wait. "You are not wis'out your own set of abilities as an agent of ze Negaverse. Increased speed and power are ze most obvious of note at your stage - in accompaniment to ze uniform. While in zis state, no one will recognize you as... As..." Opening his eyes, he stared dully at the far wall and clicked his tongue. "Whoever ze ******** you are. A veritable boon, considering ze actions we often undertake in our missions. Bischofite might level a building in an attempt to destroy a senshi, and while he and Alois Scholz are ze same entity, no one would recognize Alois as ze perpetrator of ze crime.
"However, zat is not ze limit of your abilities as a lieutenant. In zis form, you are capable of jumping far higher zan you could previously - you could effectively crown small buildings in one leap. A weapon is also at your disposal, however useless it is." Hers laid against the tops of her thighs when they first met, clutched between eager fingers. The writing ornate and lacquered, each letter expressed clearly upon the board. Could magic come of its progression? Pausing to search the depths of his creativity for a viable evolution, he found nothing. "However, it is your weapon, probably granted out of a deficit in reliable tools for war. I'f... seen worse zan yours." Jelly bracelets, paper planes, rubber snakes... What terrible ideas. "Regardless, your weapon evolves wis' you, and beyond zis rank you will find it proves infinitely more useful zan its current incarnation."
Inspecting his wrist as he spoke, Bischofite prodded at the gauze wrapped about his arm. It remained fixed upon itself, not entirely breathable, but given their surroundings, it proved remarkably useful. Her performance would've been commendable had he not taken an easy route with her. Perhaps later he would submit her to more rigorous tests for quick thinking. "You also haf' a communications crystal at your disposal. I suggest keeping it on hand for when I call.
"Later, you will claim ze ability to teleport at will. It is a taxing venture as a captain, but manageable in emergencies. Wis' zat rank comes increased speed and strengs' in accompaniment to your lieutenant abilities, ze privilege of visiting ze Rift alone, and enough respect vested in your rank to command some of ze weaker youma crawling about. At general, your speed and strengs' reach quite a height, your weapon adopts a far deadlier evolution, and more youma heed your call. Teleportation comes easier. Lastly, you manage ze ability to induct ozzers into our ranks. If you haf' any questions, ask while I still foster a little patience."
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Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 6:52 pm
Astrophyllite nodded, looking down at the ouija board in her hands. It was a lot fancier than the one they'd had confiscated by the nuns, hard wood and careful lacquer. She bet it was probably equally good for hitting aliens - or senshi, as they were apparently calling them. "Okay," she said. "I think I've got it all." She just hoped there wasn't going to be a quiz, because she actually hadn't. Bischofite had a thick accent and he used big words, and given that she was so invested in looking intelligent for him, it wasn't like she was going to ask for clarification. Well, there was one thing she was curious about. "Communications crystal?" she asked, tilting her head to one side. It sounded like he thought she already had one, but - aside from her magically-appearing ouija board, she didn't think she'd gotten any other cool gizmos when she joined the club. Astrophyllite patted down the sides of her coat suspiciously, and although she found a pair of deep pockets on her hips, she did not find anything even resembling a crystal. Rolling a little ball of lint between her fingers, the lieutenant looked uncertainly at Bischofite. She was absolutely certain that this was a dumb question, that at any second he'd grow tired of her and turn her out on her butt. Or kill her. Or something. Whatever it was that happened to girl who overheard conversations they shouldn't about secret societies they weren't actually smart enough to join. "I don't-" she said, biting her lip. Out with it, then. "Zinkenite didn't give me one of those," she said. "I don't know how to get it."
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Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2014 7:15 am
"I don't remember zem being around when I was a lieutenant, but I also can't recall how I received one... I never much focused on it because my allies had reservations toward approaching me." And for good reason; I can't abide by their piss poor half-measures and lack of foresight. "I suspect you can claim one in ze Rift; I'll look into its acquisition." The crystal held a myriad of uses far beyond the necessity of contacting his charge, some of which may prevent her death, as well as those of other officers. While the splint she fashioned was crude, it was not useless; if she honed her abilities in first aid, then other officers benefitted from her ownership of a communication crystal.
"Oh, and Astrophyllite... We haf' monsters." He grinned toward her, though it lasted but a moment. Already he paced toward the door; they needn't linger her now. "Surely you'f heard of ze strange creatures zat prowl ze city and attack civilians; zey aren't exactly subtle about it. Youma, we call zem. Zey haf' a loyalty extending far beyond an officer's, and will obey one of us until deas'. Perhaps not you, not now, but in time zey will learn to submit to your commands. Additionally, you can claim one as a partner of sorts." Bischofite hesitated before his undamaged hand reached the knob, eyes focused on his unrecognizable image reflected in the brushed nickel surface. "Zey are... Posthuman. Zey were officers and civilians at one time, now repurposed for greater servitude to ze Negaverse. As such, zey exhibit far more drif'e to serf' zose beyond our ranks."
Far more information lay unexposed, but forcing all of it onto her at once promised negative results. Her understanding of the war, of its technicalities between factions, mattered little in the end. Her usefulness to the Negaverse stood on the battlefield, not in quizzes and questions and theoretical quandaries. "Your initial tests will be ze hardest, for you are likely unused to my manner of teaching. Zinkenite gaf'e you to me, not Benitoite or Xenotime or any number of ozzer individuals. Obviously he didn't want coddling or half-measures to be a part of your training. Put plainly, I will drif'e you into ze ground, bos' in mind and in body, and you will suffer greatly for it.
"However, you will find it most rewarding in ze end. Come now, I expect you to construct a medical kit out of ze supplies here. Pick everysing you find useful. I will only allow you to do zis once." You'll be using it far more than I will. Likely on yourself, as well. "Once you're finished, I will take you back to ze alley in which we met. You can shof'e it into a backpack or somesing; keep it on hand for when we next meet. It will be a more...tumultuous occasion."
Opening the door, Bischofite half-turned to regard her over his shoulder. "One last sing - zis may stand as obvious information, but respect and salute all officers exceeding your rank. You don't haf' to like zem, or find zem wors' a s**t, but make zem belief' zat you do. Zey might be our allies, but over half of zem haf' s**t for brains." Afterward he departed through the open door, sweeping into the hallway to locate the stock room. Inwardly he debated the existence of the medical kit, if by awarding her such a stock of supplies was spoiling her, but ultimately he abided by his own decision. Her body is likely unused to strenuous physical activity, to the agonies sustained by the war. She will need help before she builds tolerance to these things, before she can scrape and scrounge her way through all manner of bandages using her environment. It's better this way, even if I don't like it.
I want her to suffer, and I want her to suffer greatly, but I cannot expect her to succeed without some measure of assistance. She's none too bright, but she has a surplus of enthusiasm, and I suspect that is all I need from her. It's exciting, in a way, to see a recruit with such optimism. Perhaps I can warp it toward my practices. "You haf' fif'e minutes to compose zat medical kit, Astrophyllite. I suggest you get started immediately."
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Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2014 10:27 am
"Monsters!" gasped Astrophyllite excitedly, before she could stop herself. Of course she'd heard rumors of dark things patrolling Destiny City after dark, but after spending her night learning about aliens and magic and secret paramilitary organizations protecting the world from devastation, they'd completely slipped her mind. But! Monsters! And not only that, but monsters who would obey her! She had never gotten her Hogwarts letter, and been disconsolate for weeks afterward, but this more than made up for that! She could not help but think - Zinkenite assigned me to you as punishment, because he was pissed at you, and because I'm dumb. You said that was why he did it yourself! But she nodded obediently, "Okay." Maybe Bischofite had changed his mind about her. Maybe he'd seen how Astrophyllite could be good, and brave, and a hard worker! Well, she'd just have to keep trying to impress him and that was that. His threats about driving her into the ground didn't scare the Lieutenant - or, if they did, she was not going to let him know that they did. She had to be brave. So she could protect the Earth. "Yes sir," she said, nodding at his suggestion that she show respect to everyone, no matter what. It seemed like wise advice, although not advice that Bischofite himself deemed worthy of following. But Astrophyllite was a good girl, polite and obedient. She could be a good little soldier and make everyone like her! She was sure of it. Then, following the general into the supply room, her fingers twitched of their own accord. What a treasure trove this was, and Astrophyllite felt things calling to her from every shelf: take me, take me! Grabbing a tote bag emblazoned with a drug company logo, she made a beeline for the ace bandages she'd wanted earlier, and wondered if Bischofite would let her fix his splint now that she had them: into the bag they went. Then, she made a grab for antibiotic ointment, and numbing gel, and gauze, and medical tape, and a box that claimed to be seven different sizes of waterproof band-aids - actually, make that two boxes. And tongue depressors! Those had been useful just now, after all... Astrophyllite glanced to Bischofite, realized she still had time, and went for the over-the-counter medications, not even bothering to read the labels as she tossed bottles of painkillers into her bag. And oh - was that hydrogen peroxide? Better grab some of that! She returned to the General's side. "Okay," she said, shouldering the bag. "I'm ready."
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Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2014 9:01 am
"Anozzer sing - don't ever call me sir unless you're in front of an agent. Just call me Bischofite." The structure is headache enough without the pretentious assignments of rank. With my luck, she'll take it as indication of friendliness. What a chore this is becoming... "I don't care for rank awards beyond boons to my abilities. It's superfluous, and counterproductif' to my philosophies." Leaning against the door, he directed gaze toward his new splint while listening to his lieutenant rummaging about the room. The sound of pills rattling around within their bottles was a peculiar noise - unmistakeable. Much like a death rattle in a newly-claimed victim. Should he push her toward murder next? Desensitization while young proved most fruitful - he was lucky to watch accidental death at such a young age. But her?
A quick glance toward the pink-haired youth confirmed that she looked remarkably young, possibly mid-teens, but no later. Surely she did not parallel his age, and he doubted stupidity preserved youth in such a fashion. A child, he reminded himself. She's a child. You're on babysitting duty, and the parent's not calling in to check on the kid. What do you want to do? ******** her up as much as possible. He smiled privately, almost a welcoming gesture. I wonder if you'll recognize yourself by the time I'm through with you. I suspect so, if you fill that empty head of yours by the end of it.
I was always fond of enthusiasm. Buddy possessed it himself, along with his weaponized charisma. Most people carry it in pairing to a greater tool, but I haven't seen such with you. No matter - I will weaponize your enthusiasm soon enough. Maybe this isn't so bad after all.
A glance at the clock confirmed the five minute marker, just after her declaration of readiness. Bischofite made no effort to comb through the picks of her time - for she would be the one to learn if her choices prevented certain doom. Idly he considered giving her the choice of their next pursuit, but that idea met its death not long after minting. He would award choice with the addition of a new rank, as a steady parallel to the freedoms provided by increased speed and the ability to teleport. Dispensing freedom in pieces was integral to avoid overwhelming her. Those accustomed to watching shadows should view the light in steady steps, as paltry as that allegory felt against the backdrop of his mind.
"Good," he confirmed without emotion to his voice. Already he focused on tugging the tips of his glove, loosening their hold on one hand using his teeth. Afterward the black leather slid off without much protest. Afterward he extended his hand toward Astrophyllite, nails too long to an almost feminine degree and lack of callouses denoting finer work beyond Negaverse duties. "Take my hand." You will learn to regret hearing those words.
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Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2014 4:31 pm
"Okay, Bischofite," nodded Astrophyllite. It seemed strange to her to drop the title - after all, at school, they had to call all their teachers sir and ma'am and it had been drilled into her - but she thought she could do it. She would have to do it, if she wanted to succeed. While rank didn't matter to him, it seemed like it mattered a lot to Zinkenite... this was confusing, the lieutenant thought. But hopefully - hopefully the general king wouldn't have assigned her to someone who wouldn't teacher her the right things, even if his methods were unorthodox. She reached for his hand, slipping her thin fingers against his smooth skin, and nodded once more. And then, they were gone.
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