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 Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2016 9:21 pm
Being a General was more nerve wracking than Jet was really prepared for. Sure, there were the perks, like having more power. A lot more power. And a dangerous weapon to go with it. But Jet, despite his youth and inexperience, knew very well that there was more to being a General in the Negaverse than just going around fighting senshi and collecting information. He needed more.
And that thought was why he hesitated on his way back into the night. Energy had already been collected and offered up. Double, to make up for Aquamarine’s slack. Collecting energy was nothing for Jet, but he was a General now, and there had to be more to it than just that. Just like Cinnabar inspired him to be stronger, to be better… he should want that as well, right? For others to look to him as someone who was strong and valuable, rather than some lanky barely seventeen year old.
“General,” he called, his heart already in his throat, but the word came out before he could stop himself. He straightened as he took a few steps to close the gap to the dark haired General whom he knew had no pleasant feelings for him. And yet, this General was also bringing in new recruits at a surprising rate. His prowess probably rivaled Cinnabar’s.
Standing at only five foot eight inches and in his new uniform, General Jet looked up at the dark haired General Aurostibite with determination, despite the sudden, overwhelming anxiety of standing before someone with so much more experience than himself, and an obvious dislike towards him.
Naturally, when he opened his mouth, no words came out, and his face flushed faster than he could breathe.
You’re a General now, too. Snap out of it.
“I… would like to… request - … ask… you something,” he somehow forced, although it was strained and almost unnatural sounding, immediately getting frustrated with his own inability to stand up under this man’s dark gaze. He should have just gone to General King Axinite…
No. He was now a General, deemed capable and strong and loyal to the Negaverse. He'd seen his brother killed, he'd been kidnapped and tortured, he'd fought countless senshi and suffered their attacks to obtain information. He was… not any other General’s equal. Not yet, not even close, but he wanted to be. Now if he could just keep his fists clenched tightly enough to stop them from shaking.
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Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 5:48 pm
There was a power signature sizzling through the air, though Aurostibite hadn't yet made a move to go towards it. He let it come towards him, instead, because he had a starseed in one hand and the empty body of a drunken mess in the other.
Besides, it was a Chaos signature; he wasn't overly concerned about it, Aurostibite's gloved fingers letting go of the drunk and letting him collapse in a heap on the ground. He gave the starseed a cursory glance, then tucked it away as he heard a voice call out to him, turning slowly.
Dark brows rose.
"If it isn't the little Captain," said Aurostibite, sounding a mixture of slight surprise and mild amusement, though it was vague and faint; he never was one for showing a great deal of emotion. Something shifted on his face as he looked the young man over again.
"Or - I see, it's no longer Captain," he amended. He did not care much for Jet, it was true; a myriad of random instances had left Aurostibite annoyed with the other for several reasons, but it had also been a little bit of time, and it was clear that Jet had been promoted. Maybe he'd wised up.
Maybe.
The hesitant question was surprising. Aurostibite's head tilted a little to the side. Beside him came a low crooning sound as his youma peered around the back of his legs, Behellagh's feathers ruffling as she shifted, suspicious of the newcomer. Aurostibite laid a hand on the top of her head.
"What sort of request could you wish to ask of me?" said Aurostibite, but it wasn't dismissive, only curious.
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Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 8:54 pm
Jet flinched when Aurostibite greeted him as “little Captain,” his throat working as he swallowed down his nerves, not needing the General to tell him that he held no fondness for him for him to know. Even as he corrected himself, Jet couldn’t help but feel inadequate.
He knew he was a kid, and maybe that made things worse, but he was also determined to be of use, to prove himself. To show that he wasn’t some brat who didn’t care about learning more and becoming better.
And now he had the opportunity to talk to this man who clearly had a lot of subordinates who loyally followed him. If nothing else, Aurostibite would just laugh (if he was capable of that) or wave him off as a waste of time.
Once again, he opened his mouth, only for nothing to come out, which was awesome, really, because what better way to show that you weren’t a dumb brat than to not be able to even say anything. Jet swallowed again and pushed his shoulders back, trying to pointlessly increase his height.
“I want to learn how to recruit others into the Negaverse. And,” he paused, hazel eyes flickering to the befeathered youma lingering behind the General, mesmerized by the youma’s power and beauty. “And… anything else you could teach me. If you’re willing.” He knew he could have gone to others, but it wouldn’t be the same as trying to learn from someone who wouldn’t pull their punches, if only because Jet knew Aurostibite didn’t like him.
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 6:43 pm
He was so young, and yet already a General, like himself. Aurostibite had long since stopped making irritable comments about the youth of some of the people in the Negaverse; there seemed little point, and at the very least, they weren't like the hateful Order, recruiting children who couldn't even hold a license yet.
Jet looked as though he was trying to say something, and failed. Beside Aurostibite, Behellagh put her head against his leg, and crooned out another note, Aurostibite's gloved fingers absently smoothing back the feathers in a gesture of reassurance.
He was curious; he'd never seen Jet like this, only brimming with arrogance and too much confidence for someone his age. He'd been a troublemaker, at least in Aurostibite's mind, but it had been a while since he'd seen him in action; maybe he'd changed since then.
Maybe.
It was not a question that had been expected. Aurostibite paused, staring mutely at the other General, his expression unfathomable, half shadowed by the brim of his hat. His hair, long as ever, was cascading in an elegant tangle of curls down his back, and for a few seconds, silence stretched out between them.
"...why me?" Aurostibite asked, though not angrily, merely...confused, as though trying to figure out if he was under some sort of prank, his tone almost suspicious. "I'm sure there are others more capable."
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2016 9:47 pm
He hated feeling like a child, even though he knew he was. There were many times he didn’t think he qualified as a child any more, and yet he still felt as though he had no idea what he was doing.
Especially in the face of this man. It wasn’t as though Jet liked him. That wasn’t the reason he approached him. Cinnabar had offered him care and guidance, just as others had before her when he had a whole year to wait before he was able to become emancipated and live on his own. The Negaverse wasn’t unkind to him, and even if it was, it wouldn’t be as though he’d never handled hardships in the past.
But the fact that Aurostibite didn’t care for him in the least… that was what drew Jet towards him before anyone else.
“Because you don’t like me,” he said simply, maybe too simply as he shifted his gaze from the man in half shadow to the youma by his side. There was a huge part of him that told him to back off and leave because there was no point in stubbornly pushing for Aurostibite to do anything for him, but Jet was determined.
“I don’t think you’ll hold back, and I don’t want you to. If I end up hurt and dying, and you decide not to save me or help me, then that’s because it wouldn’t be worth the effort.”
Jet supposed it was strange of him to measure his worth by how someone who didn’t like him, possibly hated him, would end up treating him, because surely if it meant getting rid of some annoying kid, then why wouldn’t Aurostibite leave him to die? Cinnabar or Azurite would help him, but they probably felt obligated. Aurostibite had no obligation to him.
“I’m not afraid to die…” he added, his voice a little softer, his eyes lowering for just a few moments, before he lifted his gaze back up to meet the other General’s. “I’m afraid of being worthless. And right now… I kind of am.”
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2016 7:18 am
Contrary to popular belief - and possibly to Jet's belief as well - Aurostibite did not hate him. Find him an unruly, annoying, persistent brat with a penchant towards recklessness, yes. But hate was something reserved for the foul White Moon, not those on their own side, and Aurostibite found it useless to expend energy hating when he could be training.
Because you don't like me.
It was a startlingly truthful answer. Aurostibite's head tilted a little to the side, Behellagh crooning, bobbing her fierce head, but he didn't remove his gaze from Jet, a frown of thought still tugging at his lips. He hadn't expected such a blatant reason, though maybe he should have.
Maybe Jet had changed more than he'd thought was possible.
For a moment, a few beats of silence passed between them, Aurostibite considering the proposal and the words. He wasn't exactly afraid to die himself, but he had a reason to live, a heady, strong, impossibly important reason to live, and he refused to allow himself to be die. Jet, inasmuch as he could see, did not have that same reasoning.
Another moment passed. Then -
"All right, I will help you."
Aurostibite waved a hand, and a second later Behellagh had disappeared, banished back to the Rift where she could hunt in peace. It was just the two of them now - two Generals, as Aurostibite had to keep reminding himself. Jet was young, but he was no longer a child.
"What do you feel the most worthless at?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2016 11:08 pm
Jet couldn’t read Aurostibite’s expression. He had no idea what he was going to do or say or if he was going to laugh at him or wave him off or try to hurt him or kill him or who knew, but Jet stood his ground, if not a little nervously.
And then finally the answer came and Aurostibite dismissed his youma and he was actually agreeing to help him.
Wait, really??
Jet gaped, his eyes wide and his mouth opening and closing a few times. “R-really??” he sputtered, before shaking his head, not wanting the other General to change his mind.
“I mean… I’m pretty worthless at everything. No matter how hard I try I don’t seem to get any better. I mean I can collect energy fine, but I don’t think I’m very good at fighting, and I have no idea how to corrupt someone, and I’m afraid to try because I’ve heard they could be turned into a youma, and I don’t want that,” he quickly explained, feeling a little starstruck at the moment.
He definitely hadn’t been prepared for Aurostibite to actually agree, what with how he definitely didn’t like him.
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Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2016 6:58 pm
Jet's surprise was enough to amuse Aurostibite, the faintest flicker of this passing across his usually stoic face. He lifted his chin, regarding the young man in front of him as he folded his arms across his chest, hair cascading down his back.
This could be of use, he thought.
"Yes," he said calmly, "Really."
Besides Jet's useless babbling, he listened quietly, Aurostibite making mental notes along the way. Truth be told, as much as an upstart little brat the other general was, he was not...terrible. He was even more tolerable than many of the others in the Negaverse, which was saying a lot.
"You've corrupted no one at all?" Aurostibite said, frowning slightly, though this was more out of thought than of irritation or anger. "Not one person? Yes, youmafication can occur, but channeling the correct amount of energy is a skill all should learn."
He was silent for a moment, then said, "I will teach you how to corrupt, and I will teach you how to fight and anything else under one condition."
Aurostibite's gaze was steady on Jet's.
"You will owe me one favor, to be cashed in whenever I see fit."
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Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2016 7:30 pm
”No, no one,” he admitted quietly, wondering if that was really such a horrible thing. He was only a new General, after all. But maybe he was supposed to be doing it whenever he had the chance. If he was honest, there was a huge part of him that didn’t want to drag people into the Negaverse who didn’t actually want to be in the Negaverse. Sure, he’d joined willingly, but the two he’d been corrupted with had only done it to make sure Jet didn’t get himself killed too easily.
And thanks to their efforts, he was now a General. But he had to wonder at what cost all of this was.
Hazel eyes flickered up to the other General’s face, wide for just a moment, and then narrowing with suspicion. He didn’t like the idea of not knowing what he was getting himself into. And if he was asked to do something he didn’t want to do, or didn’t believe he should, he didn’t want to be bound to his agreement.
“I should have known there’d be a catch,” he frowned in disappointment. He’d already expected Aurostibite to flat out tell him no, but he hadn’t. Instead, he was going to ask him for a favor at any time. It wasn’t as though he didn’t already know Aurostibite didn’t like him, hell he probably even wanted to see him fail, despite that not helping the Negaverse in the least.
“Fine,” he said, figuring if Aurostibite tried anything questionable, or wanted him to do something he didn’t want to do, he could just not listen. If it came down to keeping his word and remaining loyal to the Negaverse, he already knew what he’d choose.
He just hoped he wasn’t going to regret this.
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