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 Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 12:39 pm
Sometimes it really was easy to see why Disney Villains liked power so much that they went to stupid lengths to keep it. Power was…great. Intoxicating. Somewhat close to the edge of too much…but not quite there.
Andalusite had obviously done something right and now he was drinking in the rewards. Sure it had hurt when the General King had slid his hand into his chest and pushed in more power…but…
But power came with some pain, so it was obviously worth it.
There was a senshi nearby, and the newly appointed Captain grinned, summoning his new weapon into his hand and sighing slightly. So he had no idea how to use the bow and arrows…but at least…this was a bit more…flashy. Deadly?
Awesome.
Slowly he made his way as close as he dared, and then fitting the bow into the string, he thought he had the right sort of grip, at least until the arrow drooped like a limp piece of spaghetti…well.
Huh.
Well…this would take some getting used to…but at least…
Tossing the bow behind him, Andalusite gripped the arrow in his hand and drew in a breath. Squeezing his eyes shut, he teleported to right in front of the senshi, and opening his eyes again, he went to stab whoever it was with the arrow only…
Only it was Malus.
…Oh.
Quickly he tossed the arrow aside as well and gave a grin, shrugging. “Just a joke. Just a joke. You…you like it? Clearly I’m doing good in the world. Moving on up and everything…” He felt like a fool. He had the perfect chance and the fact it was Malus…
“You could be cool too, you know.” Backpedaling, trying to salvage his dignity. Trying not to seem as though he was someone that this power was wasted on. Because…clearly he wasn’t.
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Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 7:39 pm
Malus bristled immediately when the agent appeared before him and the color drained from his face when he realized he was armed. He was a split second away from casting his magic or shoving Andalusite out of the way when the weapon lowered.
"That wasn't funny," he gasped, barely able to force his words out. He didn't seem to trust that it was just a joke but he looked too dazed to protest.
"I thought you were going to stab me," he uttered earnestly, and took a step back just in case the Captain changed his mind. "I liked the boomerang better. Why would you want something that could hurt someone? What if I had moved too quickly?"
He rubbed at his chest nervously as if a anticipated that's where he would have been gouged. His heart was still pounding and he swallowed. Softly, he added, "please don't do that. I feel like I'm going to pass out."
A stupid request, considering they were on different sides of the war, but Malus wasn't thinking clearly and he knew it.
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Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 7:41 pm
Andalusite scoffed. “You liked the boomerang better? The boomerang wasn’t going to do me any good. It never really did. Now I can actually do some damage.” He was frowning though and sent the arrow away so as not to frighten the senshi more. “You look pale…I…I wouldn’t have done it if I had known it was you I wouldn’t hurt you.”
Placing a hand on Malus’ back, Andalusite slowly began to guide him over to a bench. “Take slow breaths, Mal…don’t stress yourself out…that’s just…that’s just silly.” His tone was soft, one of the many he used with Evan…and for a moment he felt just a little confused. There was a disconnect and he was angry with himself for even daring to compare this senshi to Evan. To betray Evan by caring for this…this guy.
“Anyway. I’m stronger now. So I can do what I want to do. That’s all I’m saying. And I think you should just come be with the Negaverse. It’s better than dying, isn’t it? And people in the Negaverse will kill you. So. Why do you even bother fighting for the wrong side?”
It was almost as though he couldn’t turn off the propaganda that was spewing from his mouth, but he found that he believed all of it. The Negaverse was stronger. They had weapons and abilities that the senshi could never hope to have…and…and well…
They were clearly better.
And when he finally learned how to use his new weapon…he would be an effective killer as well.
And soon he would be a General.
There was a smile on Andalusite’s face, one that almost twisted it into something frightening.
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Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2018 7:22 pm
Malus allowed himself to be guided to the bench and for a moment it was hard to remember that Andalusite was someone he should be afraid of—until he started talking about killing.
He groaned and drew a hand up to cover his face as another wave of dizziness consumed him. It was strange, hearing someone be so wrong but sound like they thought they were so right. He couldn’t imagine what the Negaverse had to do to make their agents think they were the good guys—not when Malus had so many bad memories about them.
“I already did the whole Negaverse thing once,” he mumbled. “Please don’t make me go back.”
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Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2018 7:54 pm
For a moment, another moment of concern stopped Andalusite and he reached out, stroking Malus’ hair. He had been part of the Negaverse? That…was interesting. “You…left then? You defected? So…you’re a traitor?”
For a moment he wasn’t really sure what to think. Was this something to report? He was sure that Ashanite would want to hear of this at the very least but…
It was interesting…hadn’t he only been a first stage senshi when they had first met? He had defected so quickly?
“What didn’t you like about it? You got out pretty quickly if you were really a part of it. You were a basic senshi when we first met, were you not?”
…And if he hadn’t been…well…
Hey, at least he tried to rationalize. “It’s been a while, I suppose.”
It was hard to remember when he was Tobias with Malus…and when he was Andalusite…
Everything just ran together.
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Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 11:29 am
Malus shrugged meekly; he didn’t shy away from the hand but he didn’t seem to be able to relax enough to allow it to be soothing. If Malus had any recollection of what stage he’d been at their first meeting, he didn’t confirm or deny Andalusite’s assumption. He shrugged and seemed like he was debating on what he should actually say. Finally, pleadingly, he looked at the Captain.
“Please don’t tell anyone. Please, I’m begging you. I don’t want anyone to know. I don’t want to be in trouble. I just want to live my life and not have any problems. I only power up because I have to, and sometimes I can help people who are in trouble. But I don’t like fighting, I don’t like getting in the way. I don’t like mostly anything that even comes with being a Senshi—but I know that the Negaverse is worse. I know they tell you what to do, they don’t care about you, you have to do things you don’t agree with. They breed monsters and make youma fight for them, and they hurt innocent people, and nobody even knows what their true goals are because most of the time they don’t even tell you. You’re just another pawn in their game, and even though you aren’t at the bottom of the totem pole anymore it doesn’t mean you’ve gained anything. You’ll probably never be high enough to really make a difference or do anything that means anything. They’ll let you know how much you need to know to be complacent, but if you do good, they’ll take credit for you, and if you do bad they’ll kill you, and there’s—there’s no winning. It’s playing a losing game, it’s just waiting to see how long you last before they replace you with someone newer, someone less jaded and suspicious and aware of what’s going on.”
His mouth was suddenly parched and he looked frantic. “They’re monsters. And the youma aren’t even the worst of them. They’re just the ones who got the worst of it all. They don’t even get to be people anymore, they’re just slaves to the Negaverse—tools to use again and again and again because no matter how much you hurt, you can’t even die, you just keep coming back and you can’t say no, you just do what they say and you’re not even you and you don’t even think and you just do what they say and they don’t care about you or who you were or anything. You’re trash, you’re nothing and it doesn’t matter.”
His breath hitched and he seemed like he was going to say more but caught himself; his voice was raw and uneven and he just shook his head and swallowed.
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Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 3:08 pm
Andalusite watched the senshi for a long moment, frowning slightly. “Don’t have a panic attack. I won’t tell anyone.” Slowly he drew away from the other male, letting his hand trail down Malus’ cheek and across his shoulder before crossing both of his arms over his own chest, huffing softly.
“I doubt that any of that will happen to me, my General is a cool guy, he wouldn’t take credit for the things I do or kill me if I do something wrong. I know that much at the very least.”
His eyes were looking just past Malus though, he didn’t want to make any eye contact just in case there was doubt. He wasn’t sure he could look into those pretty teal eyes of the senshi and not really let the words affect him. But…
“They’ll find out sooner or later, Malus. You can’t hide forever. And the Negaverse…people know when people leave. They’ll find you one day, I’m sure of it…and I just hope…you don’t end up getting hurt because of it.”
He shrugged and gave a soft sigh. “…But I won’t tell.”
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Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 5:34 pm
Malus’ lip trembled with Andalusite’s words. Moisture was already building in his eyes and he felt so stupid. He shook his head and inhaled sharply as he reached up to scrub at the building wetness.
“I don’t want them to know,” he whispered, afraid that if he raised his voice any louder it would crack. “I don’t want them to find me. I shouldn’t even be out right now, it was stupid of me to think I could do anything alone. I didn’t even want to go out anyway, I just. I don’t want t be dead weight. But I don’t want to be dead either!”
He sniffled loudly and, ashamed of the action and his emotions, he averted his gaze to the ground.
It shouldn’t have been so easy to talk to Andalusite, even if his chest was constricting and the corners of his vision had dimmed from the conversation. Even if he was suddenly terrified of how convinced Andalusite was that they would find him. It meant a lot, if Andaluite’s guarantee of secrecy was earnest—and Malus was desperate to believe that it was.
He groaned weakly and buried his face in his hands, trying to suppress the shudder that ripped down his spine. It was so stupid; he shouldn’t be this weak in front of any agent, but the fear of being found out was crippling and horrifying and in the face of that he couldn’t help but feel like his only option was to let part of himself shut down.
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Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 7:35 pm
Andalusite was quiet for a long moment, and finally he placed a hand on the senshi’s head. “I’m sure…they won’t find out. How can they? I was wrong, I…If I don’t tell them, there’s no way they’ll find out. And there’s no way that I…”
He drew in a shallow breath and let it out, finally just sitting down and resting against the senshi, burying his face against the male’s neck. “I won’t betray you like that. I’m sorry for scaring you…I…”
Drawing in another slow breath, the captain shook his head. “You’re not going back there. They won’t find you and you won’t be dead. I’ll protect you. It’s the least I can do for you, Malus…I…”
He broke off, going suddenly quiet. Now was not the time to get sentimental. If Malus knew who he was…that could be bad, right? The enemy wasn’t ever to know your identity. It compromised everything. …And Andalusite had far too much to lose right now.
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Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2018 9:01 pm
Malus was quiet for a moment, just trying to breathe. He didn’t pull away from the physical contact, but he had bristled at it. And yet, despite it being a Negaverse agent consoling him, it helped. Seconds dragged on and even after the trembling and choking on air had stopped, he was still sniffling.
Finally, he managed a nod.
“I’m sorry. I appreciate it. I’ll make it up to you,” he suggested suddenly. “If you keep my secret, I’ll have your back, too. As long as you aren’t jumping out of the shadows and trying to stab me. You just have to say the word, and I’ll do whatever. Please, it’s that important to me.”
He was earnest, but there was a blatant desperation in his voice, and when he finally managed to raise his eyes to meet Andalusite’s they were red and wet and fearful. “Please promise me,” he whispered, as if it were enough to cement the arrangement anymore than any other words would. “And I’ll trust you, I’ll know you aren’t bad, like so many of the other ones. I’ll know there’s still good in you. Please.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2018 7:26 am
Andalusite felt as though his head were spinning. This senshi was offering to do…whatever he wanted? Just so he didn’t go telling that he was a traitor…?
Some part of the Captain wondered what sort of trick this was. Perhaps he was actually a plant and Ashanite or one of the Bigger higher ups were watching him right now? Perhaps he was meant to snatch this senshi’s starseed?
Was this all a test…? Was he failing the test…?
But when Malus looked up at him with those gorgeous eyes that were red and beginning to swell from crying…the look of fear in them caused Andalusite to swallow hard and give a curt nod.
“I don’t…think there’s any good in me. That’s silly…but I promise. I won’t tell your secret to anyone, Malus. You have my word…”
His voice was soft, a low murmur rather than something that would draw attention…if they were being watched…if this was a set up…he didn’t want them to know he had allowed his heart to be led astray by some pretty eyes and some sparkling tears. “…I promise.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2018 9:16 am
For a moment, Malus managed to watch him. He wiped at his eyes quickly, once more, and nodded. “Thank you,” he said, with such raw emotion that it was hard to believe he was being anything but sincere. “I’ve worried about it a lot,” he confessed, suddenly feeling more open. “I don’t want to wind up with them, just some science experiment or something. I’m honestly—Andalusite—honestly, for the first time in a long time, I’ve been really happy. My life is coming together—and it was messed up for so long, but finally I’m starting to feel like I’m human again—and like I’m doing better than before. I used to be messed up, really messed up and…and I’m not. I think.”
He swallowed and then shrugged. “I’m happy and I’m functioning and I’m doing okay, and honestly this whole Senshi thing is the only thing that threatens that. And I’m only doing it because there are people in my life that I really care about and I couldn’t stand to lose them. I just want to be able to take care of them, to take care of myself so I’m less of a burden on them, and…”
He sighed heavily. “Oh, I don’t even know, I’m rambling. I know. I’m sorry. I’ll have to make you something the next time I see you. Something nice, to eat.” He mumbled, “I’m good at cooking. And I wouldn’t poison you. I like you. I mean, for a Negaverse agent, you’re like. One of my favorites. When you aren’t trying to scare me or corrupt me.”
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Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2018 8:07 am
Finally, the Captain couldn’t take it anymore, and he slid his arms around the senshi, drawing him close and nuzzling his face back into the crook of his neck, only to pause a moment later.
…This senshi was a fool.
Andalusite literally had a hold of him…and he could just…teleport him back to the Negaverse and nobody would ever even know…one of the General Sovereigns would be able to corrupt him and…
Swallowing, the Captain only pressed closer, nodding. “I’m…happy for you, Malus…” His voice was soft, though mostly that was to try and hide the thoughts going through his head. …Did it count as a broken promise if you had just made the promise? Did it take a while for a promise to become binding?
“You’ve always been one of my favorite senshi too…which is why I want…wanted to bring you into the safe embrace of chaos…I’d rather have you corrupted and in one piece than dead somewhere because some officer used you for target practice…”
He wondered if he had enough energy to teleport them both…he had already used so much in scaring Malus that…
No, he wasn’t sure he could actually manage it…but the next time…
The next time he ran into Malus…regardless of whatever promise was made…he would see that he was corrupted…and Andalusite himself would take care of him.
It would be his new mission. No matter the cost.
Hell, Malus wouldn’t remember anything anyway…so honestly, there would be no harm done.
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Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2018 8:30 am
Once more, Malus’ breath hitched at the closeness, but he even managed to overcome that and relax.
“I appreciate you trying to help,” he said slowly, “It’s just that I’d rather be dead than be with the Negaverse.”
He wasn’t embellishing anything; his voice trembled when he said it and it was clear that it wasn’t a spur of the moment thought—it was a confession, and one that he’d considered many times. Once, Lysithea had been able to save him. If something ever happened, he supposed that she and Michel could save him.
But if they couldn’t…?
He didn’t want to live like that. He’d rather die, be sent to the Cauldron, and be sent back for a second chance whenever his stupid starseed was ready for it.
But that was a dangerous path of thought and Malus didn’t trust himself not to wander further down it than he needed to, so he shut the thoughts off immediately and tried to focus on things that made him happy, even if only for a few seconds.
Cambria. Zac. Tobias.
The kitchen.
His friends, even down to the villagers in his game.
Mac and Cheese. Dr. Pepper.
Titanic.
He wanted to go home. He wanted to have Tobias come over and tell him stupid stories and make him think about all the good things in the world.
Malus sniffled and managed a small smile. “I think I want to go home now, Andalusite. I’m tired. But I’ll see you again, soon and maybe we can talk more. You seem like you care so much about the Negaverse. I guess I want to know what you think is so good about it, but I’m just so tired right now. Is it okay if I go home now?”
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Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2018 8:08 pm
Andalusite nodded, and tilted his head up enough to place a gentle kiss on Malus’ cheek. “Are you going to be all right going home on your own? You seem really upset...I don’t want you getting hurt on the way there or anything…”
For as ready as he was only a moment ago to just rip apart this senshi’s world, for now he felt more protective than he had over anyone else...except perhaps...Evan but…
Or maybe that was the reason he felt so strongly. In a way, this senshi reminded him of Evan, even though that was one of the most ridiculous notions in the world, Evan as a senshi. It almost made him laugh out loud.
“You’ll be fine, Malus. I forget that you’ve been doing this longer than I have...I hope to see you soon...I…”
The Captain gave a long sigh and shook his head, pulling away and standing. “I’ll...talk to you then, be safe. Stay sweet.”
And with a wink, and a half grin, Andalusite teleported again, ending up about a block from his house, utterly exhausted.
No, there would have been no way he would have been able to take himself and Malus all the way to Negaspace...but…
Next time.
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