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 Posted: Fri May 08, 2015 10:34 am
((I would prefer for this to be backdated to the end of February please.))
Sane was not a word that Chase had used in reference to himself in a long time.
Back before his father died, maybe, but after that he was certain that he walked along the thin line between sane and insane more and more often. It hadn’t helped that he’d been driven to extremes with his physical and mental health time and time again. His father’s abusive tendencies and his desire to control his son’s life. The house arrest. His father’s death and his mother’s sudden decline in health.
And there was that stupid thing with Iris, where she’d tried to force him to join her side.
That’d ******** him up for months. He’d still been questioning everything before his mother started to get better, before she got discharged. But then Lara had recovered enough to come home and with her return came his clarity, which eventually washed away in the onslaught of nightmares about a future that may or may not exist.
If he were honest, and he hardly was anymore, he would openly admit to someone, or something, that he was still wavering in his faith, in his determination. But Chase was not an honest man and while bouts of his insanity had likely spread amongst his comrades, despite whatever attempts he might have done to conceal them.
It’d been a mistake to talk to Iris.
A mistake to speak with Hver, especially after he remembered all of the horrors he’d inflicted upon her and the knowledge that she remembered parts of it too. Remembered the monster this man had become and yet still tried to talk him down, calm him. That had left a sick and uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.
One that’d sat with him for days after.
Any time he thought of the possible future he was sick, stomach flipping over and collecting knots. Unfortunately, that was something that happened far too often because memories of the future would creep into his conscious whenever he alone, which was frequently.
His mother, and James, were his only constant companions.
Which is how he found himself sprawled out on the underused couch that adorned his oversized living room. His head rested on the arm of the couch, legs spread across the full length of the cushions and he distracted himself by tossing a golf ball into the air and catching it with the opposite hand. It’d been the way he’d learned to cope with the hallucinations created by sleep deprivation. If he focused on the white ball, he could ignore the blood painted walls that lingered in the corner of his vision. Or the blood splatters on the ground from when he’d cut up the sides of Hver’s mouth.
He’d been laying there, head tilted back towards the ceiling, with his bright eyes following the path of the ball, distracting himself for hours.
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Posted: Sat May 16, 2015 7:17 pm
Laurelite did not make house calls. Or, at least, she did not make house calls without very good reason. It was not usually an intimidation tactic, but perhaps it was always a good reminder to let the Agents of Metallia know that yes, she knew where they lived, and yes, she wasn't afraid to let herself in uninvited. Though, she certainly had her manners, and while she would have been more than happy to teleport into the living room, Laurelite had taken time outside first to scout out the area, to ensure there were no powered menaces afoot. She was not so oddly dressed that she would have stuck out like a sore thumb, but if she spent any more time outside Labyrinthite's door she wondered what the neighbors might think. It was always good to keep them on their toes, of course, but she wasn't here to terrorize neighbors. She was here to terrorize Labyrinthite. Or, Chase, given that she didn't detect any energy coming from the house. She raised one hand and curled it into a petite fist before knocking. It was a firm knock, not the timid rap one might assume from her. It didn't matter if he chose to answer the door or not; she was coming in. She just wanted to make sure he was wearing pants.
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Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2015 10:00 am
He was not expecting a visitor, because he never received visitors at his home anymore. If people came over, it was because he brought them over, like Freia. And when people came over otherwise, it was to see his mother and they specifically avoided times when he was home.
So the knocking on his door surprised him and he reflexively caught the ball he was throwing and rolled off the couch and onto his feet.
He ignored the visions of blood dancing in the corners of his vision as he moved carefully, slowly, deliberately towards his front door. His shoulders were square, tense, and he could feel how rigid his whole body was in response to this unexpected visit. He couldn't tell if it was panic or instinct that had his heart racing even as he reached out to turn the door knob.
Chase didn't know what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn't the petite woman before him.
He looked down at her, perplexed, like he couldn't comprehend why she was standing at his door in all her terrifying glory. When recognition hit him, it slammed him hard in the chest and he visibly moved back, swallowing hard as a different type of panic swelled within him.
Instincts, and old habits, made him step back again and drop down to one knee. His head bowed down and he struggled to control the trembling that threaten to overtake his frame. "General-Queen," he murmured, voice hoarse and underused. "To what do I owe this honor?"
His stomach churned and he could feel the beginning stages of sickness threatening to rise. Remain calm, he scolded himself. Remain calm.
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2015 6:10 pm
Laurelite kept a stern, unwavering smile on her face. "Oh, dear," she said when he took a knee. She reached over to pat his head as if affectionately. "Aren't you even going to invite me in? It's probably best we do this behind close doors. I'd hate for the neighbors to wonder." She did not wait for an invitation now; she stepped inside and closed the door quietly behind her. "You may stand." She scanned the apartment as she waited for him to obey, but she did not stop talking. "You weren't expecting guests, I see. I assume, of course, the reason you seemed so nervous to find me here is because you were wholly unprepared to entertain and not because, perhaps, you had a reason to be afraid of me? I mean. It's not as if you would try to hide anything from the Negaverse, from me, is it? Because, Labyrinthite—dear—you are such a good, loyal agent, aren't you?" Her voice dripped with saccharine venom, and an almost taunting sarcasm. A few choice events and a few of his actions were fresh on her mind. She wasn't saying it, but she didn't have to. She knew. And she wanted him to know, too.
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2015 3:45 pm
Chase kept his head down and refrained from flinching when Laurelite patted him on the head. "My apologies," he mumbled, willing the panic welling in his stomach to calm, "I did not mean to be rude or inconsiderate ma'am." And he wasn't, under normal circumstances he would've been the best host, but of course, this visit was not normal.
Nor was his state of mind. Still, he tried to fall into line like the good soldier boy he was supposed to be.
He rose at her orders, standing as straight as he could will himself. “No ma’am,” he responded with all of the respect he could muster. “It is unusual to receive a visit from an esteemed General-Queen such as yourself, ma’am.” The words came out smoother than he anticipated considering how clunky they felt on his tongue.
Her words were loaded, he couldn’t miss that, but he didn’t know the proper action to take. She hadn’t accused him of anything, so he was hesitant to admit fault of any kind, but it was very clear that she was expecting something.
“Of course General-Queen,” he settled upon. It was neutral, free of condemning himself. He would not deny any claims she lodged his way if they were true, but he wouldn’t admit anything himself.
He wanted to think that he was smarter than that.
He hadn’t forgotten his insubordination when he openly attacked the Dark Mirrors and he hadn’t been as cautious as he probably should’ve been when interacting with Sailor Iris or Hvergelmir, nor had he been fulfilling his duties with the timeliness they were likely accustomed to. He only needed to know if it was all of the above or specific actions that warranted a visit.
“Perhaps we could discuss the origins of your visit in the living room?” He hesitated slightly, daring to flick his eyes away from the woman to the hall leading to the room.
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2015 11:48 pm
Laurelite watched him, and then followed his gaze. She did not move for a moment, and then smiled again. "Of course. That sounds like an excellent idea." She did not know the location of the house, but she made a good show of acting like it. She followed his direction down the hallway and into the living room, though she did not sit. Once more, she looked around. The General Queen did not hesitate to insert herself in the house, nor did she feel she had any reason to worry about such things. This was not a friendly visit, this was business. She would impose when and where she wanted, in whatever manner she pleased. Parading about his house was desecrating this sanctuary, polluting it with her presence. She wanted him to remember that—that this place, his place—was not safe from her. He was not safe from her. Laurelite willingly allowed the silence to fester before she spoke again. "Labyrinthite, my dear. Will you please tell me what you think describes a good agent?"
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Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2015 9:04 am
He waited for her to walk ahead of him and waited a beat before following. His stony expression faltered, a brief flash of worry and fear freckling across his face, before he recomposed himself to join her. He had plenty experience dealing with someone like Laurelite; let nothing show in your expression and give nothing away with your body language. Admit nothing until confronted and concede to lost battles when needed.
Chase valued his life, mostly, and he wasn’t a fool. He knew a threat when he saw one, even in a petite shark-toothed grinning package like his General-Queen.
He came to stand behind her, debating if he should drop to his knee again as a formality. He weighed the options and decided that perhaps standing straight with his arms behind his back was the better option.
“A good soldier follows orders without questioning the origins. A good soldier is efficient in their division,” he said without blinking. “A good agent upholds the will and commands given by Metallia, her General-Kings and Queens and understands that failure to do so could result in some form of reprimand.”
He wondered if that was what she wanted to hear, that he understood that if he was convicted of falling out of line that he would be punished. He did believe everything he said and he said it all with conviction, even if his actions lately hadn’t shown as much.
Labyrinthite was a good soldier. Or, at least, he always tried to be. Until recently.
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Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2015 9:19 am
Laurelite nodded, apparently satisfied with this answer. "Then you know why I'm here." She let the words sink in for a moment, watching as he stayed kneeling. At the very least, he seemed respectful enough. It would have been a shame to lose an Agent with such nice manners. "You've gotten into quite a bit of mischief, you know. It's hard to think that you're the same agent in my file when you've done nothing but show exemplary behavior in my presence. But there is the matter of," she sighed. "A certain disregard for our rules regarding the Dark Mirror Court. Not to mention that whole…what was it?" She feigned ignorance poorly and deliberately, looking to him. "White…White something, what was it?" It wasn't a rhetoric question. She was looking straight at him and clearly expected a response. She expected a good one.
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Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2015 11:05 am
He knew it'd been foolish to think that he wouldn't face reprimand for the debacle that was the White Phoenix. Still, he'd hoped that it was just further proof to the higher-ups that they didn't need the Dark Mirror Court, that many did not want an affiliation with something that'd started from the White Moon terrorists. The alliance had devolved, he'd seen no reason to associate with them when they no longer had orders too.
Of course, Laurelite had told them that they shouldn't go out of their way to hunt them down, which he and many others had when the opportunity presented itself.
He'd killed a few Dark Mirrors during the attack and in the aftermath. He wasn't foolish enough to admit that though.
And of course, foolish Wolframite had turned to the White Moon to aid in his plan and perhaps that, was his greatest folly. Labyrinthite's greatest crime against the Negaverse, he stood by and allowed it because it fueled his selfish wants.
"White Phoenix," he answered solemnly, eyes never leaving the petite woman's face. His fingers flex into his palms, the only nervous tick he allowed because they were behind his back. He wondered if it would be worth bringing up the events with Sailor Iris and the strange attempt at forcing his hand. "Permission to speak General-Queen." He requested, deciding that while punishment was inevitable, perhaps he could attempt to talk his way out of a severe one.
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2015 10:44 am
Laurelite seemed to enjoy his attempt to keep his gaze locked on hers. She saw him flex his fingers from her peripheral and seemed to enjoy even that. She did not know him well enough to know if it was a nervous tick or a sign of hostility, but she was eager to find out. He would have been foolish to try and attack her, and so far he had been polite. Enjoyable, even. It would be a pity if he did something foolish now. And he had even worked up the nerve to answer her. Although, she was now fully expecting an excuse to work its way out of his mouth. It was an excuse she wanted to hear. She wanted to know how he could justify deliberately going against the order of the Negaverse. Deliberately defying orders and trying to carve his own path. "Granted," she answered— eagerly.
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2015 2:59 pm
Labyrinthite, the general behind Chase, often acted recklessly but he was not foolish enough to think that he could attack Laurelite and not have his a** handed to him. He'd seen her in combat once, back in the days of the realms of Elysian, and he knew it would be a terrible sight turned against him. He dared to stand against the royals he encountered, but those were something he could handle. Mostly.
They lacked the ability to plunge their hand into subspace and rip his starseed right out of his chest.
They could still kill him, but Labyrinthite had enough confidence that he could at least get out of fight, to cut and run when necessary. Laurelite, on the other hand, was inescapable. She could summon him to her in a heart beat.
"I understand that my actions were a transgression against the cause, the Negaverse," he acknowledged carefully. "My reasons for participating in White Phoenix were petty, a grudge held over from a time before the Dark Mirror Court existed, personal and naive." He left out the unspoken I would do it again. "I will always pick our soldiers over theirs." Which was part of the reason he'd gone alone with Wolframite's plan, because too many of the original Dark Mirrors had tortured and killed his fellow soldiers.
"I digress. I believe I have information for you that you would find most...interest." He swallowed, flashes of his memories passing across his vision. "As you know, it's been confirmed that Sailor Iris, senshi of Rainbows is a Royal," he paused, trying to study her stoic expression while keeping his own blank. "At one point, Iris and I had a confrontation and she attempted to use her crystal on me," a pause, hands trembling as he resisted the urge to clutch his chest, ghost pains of the attempt, "I believe she attempted to turn me and it failed." An important discovery if there ever was one.
"She tried to force me to..."purify", as I've heard it termed, and it failed. It left her considerably weak. I think," he hesitated, the tiniest crease of his brow showing on his otherwise impassive face. "We could use that to our advantage."
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Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2015 11:51 pm
Laurelite seemed contemplative for a moment, tapping a delicate finger against her cheek thoughtfully as she watched the male. She did not speak for a moment, instead choosing to reply in the form of a drawn out, " Hmmm." Either she was taking a long time to process, and scheme or, more likely, she was wondering how much she could get the man to say by making him squirm. Finally, after drawing it out as long as she felt necessary, she finally shrugged. "I suppose that is valueable information. Were you sitting on it just for such an occasion as this?" she asked, smile still tugging at her lips. "You are a clever thing, Labyrinthite. Which means I could both like and dislike you. You are dangerous to your enemies, but it means you are more adept at concealing any ulterior motives. So let us be honest with each other, shall we?" A rhetorical question; she continued without waiting for an answer: "We could have punished you, you know. It isn't as if we didn't know your involvement in the White Phoneix catastrophe. However interestingly executed it might have been, such direct violation of our very clear orders would generally warrant strict punishment to ensure we do not repeat the situation. Your transgressions have not been forgotten. But." She was looking at him, seriously now. No smiling charade, just unshielded honesty. "You have the opportunity to ensure we look past them. I would hate to see you fail again. Just because you weren't punished before doesn't mean we can't change our mind if we need to. But, my dear, I don't think you want that. And look! I am not disappointed with this information you have shared with me! That is very good to know, and I would be most interested to hear what other plans you might have. See, Labyrinthite? You have such potential. I just cannot sit by and watch you waste it. I look at you and I see a man capable of great things, if only he sought to pursue them." Another smile, fond and approving. "I want to see you succeed. I know you can. This world is in turmoil and we need all the good men we can get." She removed her hand from her face and reached to brush her fingers lightly across his cheek. "We cannot do that if the best of our agents are faltering. You do not fail just the Negaverse, but this entire planet will fail without the Negaverse. It needs us. And we need you, at your best."
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Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 12:57 pm
"While it may appear so, it had not been my intention to keep such valuable information from you," Labyrinthite responded, voice as even as he could keep it. He hadn't meant to keep the information to himself, but he hadn't been prepared to share it so readily yet either, not until he knew what he could do with it.
"I didn't want to come to you with information without an idea or plan to utilize it."
He left out the personal struggle he'd gone through in the aftermath of attempted purification. He didn't dare tell Laurelite that he struggled with the idea that they could force a faction change and the other side could not. He opted out of telling her that he'd thought he'd reached clarity only to have it ripped from him when memories flooded him and threatened to break him.
He did however, pose his statement as though he hadn't wanted to waste her time. He knew better than that.
He kept his gaze on hers, smoothed the wrinkle in his brow and did not flinch when she smiled at him fondly nor when she touched his cheek. If this were a game, to see if she could make him break, she'd have to try harder than soft touches that were out of place.
"I understand General-Queen." His teeth clenched, jaw ticking. "I have a plan, it's more of an idea really, but it requires me gaining Iris's trust, long enough for her to try again. The problem is, it immobilized me as a captain."
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Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2015 10:07 pm
Laurelite watched, and listened, nodding every so often. "Immobilized you as Captain?" she repeated, tapping her finger on her hip. "Well, that just won't do. I suppose I could do something about that. Perhaps." Laurelite had her fun being coy; now was the time for honesty. "You and I both know you have untapped potential. You are too great of an asset to limit in mere captaincy. So I would like to grant you a gift, despite what poor choices you have made in the past. In hopes that your future will blossom as brightly as I know it can." Her hand rested over his chest. "I think General Labyrinthite has a nice ring to it. Don't you?" She locked eyes with him, but didn't quite wait for an answer before she began to shove a steady stream of Chaos straight into his starseed.
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Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2015 11:53 am
Labyrinthite didn't know if being any other rank would make a difference on his capacity to fight after they tried to force his starseed in a way he did not want, but he reasoned that perhaps with more power the drain would not be so exhausting.
Of course, he hadn't expected Laurelite to so readily promote him. Not after his transgressions and her underlying threats in everything she said to him.
He opened his mouth to speak, to thank her or something, but her hand was plunging into his chest and chaos was funneling into his starseed. He gasped, sharp stabbing pains consuming his body as the chaos flooded his system. He saw white, the haze of pain all-consuming until it was gone.
When she was done, Chase wasn't standing in front of her, but General Labyrinthite.
He dropped to his knees, both out of respect and because his body couldn't stand to support him. "Thank you, General-Queen," he mumbled, heart racing and thundering in his ears. "I will not disappoint you."
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