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 Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2020 2:03 pm
Quote: In a village in the middle of an eerie forest, you need shelter. There are many empty houses speckled across a central village, each with its own customizable features. The houses are always made of wood and field stone. They lack all modern commodities, however there is crude indoor plumbing. There are thick glass windows, misty and difficult to see through, and thick wooden doors that are heavy and difficult to move--however all of them have barricades on the inside to keep intruders out. Most houses have several rooms and some even have multiple floors, but there is something aged and almost crumbling about each of them. They are safer than nothing, but they are cold and uninviting. You need to claim one of these homes for yourself, but with so many unknowns, it's probably best to find a group to stick with and have your back. Do you try to take on this oddity in a house, alone? Or do you manage to find people to get along with and share a house with?
Aquamarine shut the door on what he hoped was only a temporary shelter. It wasn’t the largest house in this ramshackle town, but it also wasn’t the most decrepit. In the end, it was probably the best they could hope for. At least it didn’t look like it would crumble down around them. The windows were thick and seemed secure even if they weren’t easy to see through, and the door was heavy and easy to latch. Barring some pretty strong, destructive magic, it seemed unlikely that anyone would be able to break in.
But that was the best he could say for their dwelling. The rest of it was disappointing at best and distasteful at worst. The décor was basic, everything about it old and decaying. From a quick glance around, he didn’t see anything to reveal what or where this town was or who might once have lived here.
“This place is worse than our apartment,” he observed, frowning with a disgusted wrinkle to his nose. “And with our luck, it’ll be haunted. It ******** figures this sort of bullshit would happen now. Like the universe is like, oh, it’s almost Halloween, time to do some creepy s**t in Destiny City.”
He scuffed his boot along the floor and kicked up a small cloud of dust, contemplating their circumstances. If they couldn’t teleport out, how the hell were they supposed to get home?
“I don’t suppose you have any ideas.”
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Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2020 5:32 pm
They were lucky to find a shelter that wasn’t already occupied, and in good condition. Jet supposed they could share with other Negaverse agents, but there weren’t many that they knew, and he wasn’t sure how long anyone could tolerate Aquamarine.
“Better than being stuck outside,” Jet pointed out as he heaved the latch into place, just in case someone else, or many, decided they wanted to try and bust in to take the shack for themselves. “If you’re asking about how we’re supposed to get out of here, no I have no idea. I guess we’ll just have to wait it out and see what happens.”
Not that Jet wanted to just sit around and wait for something to happen. He’d heard whispers from others that there was some monster that lurked in the woods whenever the fog rolled in, but whether that was just a rumor caused by paranoia or not, he didn’t know. They hadn’t been there long enough to know for sure.
“I still can’t believe you’ve been keeping it secret that you have money,” Jet reminded his companion. He pushed against the door to test the barricade and once satisfied he turned back to where Aquamarine was standing kicking up dust. Was he mad that Aquamarine hadn’t told him? No. He didn’t know what to do with as much money as Aquamarine said he had, so it was as though it was just… not real.
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Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2020 9:20 pm
“Do you really think now is a good time to bring that up again?” Aquamarine complained, rolling his eyes before giving Jet a look that was supposed to be irritated but just ended up looking pouty. “You always knew I came from money. Get over it and help me check this place out.”
After his first look around yielded few results, Aquamarine didn’t expect they’d find much. Indeed, there wasn’t anything noteworthy in the main room, just some shabby furniture and absolutely no personal effects to speak of. Everything was covered in a fine layer of dust or dirt or both, which seemed to indicate that no one had been here for quite some time. Then again, Aquamarine wouldn’t be surprised if no one ever came to this place before them. Maybe it appeared from nothing and would disappear again as soon as they left.
If they ever managed to leave.
“Would be nice if there was some sort of map or brochure lying around,” he grumbled to himself. “Hello, weary traveler, and welcome to Sketchville. There’s nothing to do here and no famous attractions, but we hope you enjoy your stay. If this sort of s**t has to happen, the least the universe could do is give us some clues.”
It was cold in the house, and more somber than welcoming. Aquamarine peered into a fireplace along one wall. Some of the stonework was split and crumbling, but as far as he could tell, the rest of it looked alright.
“I guess we can get some wood. If we can even start a fire. ******** if I know how without a lighter or matches. You never had any survival training, did you?”
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2020 10:11 am
Jet returned Aquamarine’s look with an unimpressed expression of his own. Even though Aquamarine had come from money, it wasn’t as though he hadn’t left it all behind when he suddenly decided to live with Jet instead. The fact that there was any money was a surprise, so the large amount was difficult to get his mind around.
“You think the universe would be that kind?” Jet asked, although he knew Aquamarine was mostly complaining about things to himself and knew he was asking for too much. They had a shelter, so that seemed to be better than not. Who knew what would happen once the sun went down that night.
The question about him having any survival training had him pausing to give Aquamarine a perplexed look, only to realize he was possibly serious.
“They didn’t exactly let us foster kids around fire, much less teach us how to make our own,” he said regretfully. If they were able to start a fire, it would at least make the place a bit more comfortable. The cold wasn’t yet unbearable, but he might have been a little concerned if they didn’t at least have their capes to use for extra warmth.
“What about you? Never learned survival skills either?” Probably not, so Jet shook his head to change the subject. “I can go look for firewood. Maybe some other agent has a way of starting a fire,” he suggested.
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2020 1:38 pm
“You’re hilarious,” Aquamarine grumbled sarcastically, replying more out of habit than any need to prolong a particular part of the conversation. “Do I look like the sort of person who’s had survival training?”
At least he was capable of self-reflection and willing to admit to his own shortcomings. He was spoiled and overindulged as a child. No one responsible for his upbringing would have thought to toss him out into the woods and see if he could fend for himself. He had a hard enough time figuring out how to take care of himself after leaving home, even with modern conveniences at his disposal. Sure, he eventually managed it, but not without crying like a little b***h about it first.
Fortunately, Jet hadn’t been around for that part.
Aquamarine waved a dismissive hand and continued his way around the main room, running his fingers over the surface of a table to make patterns through the dust. He pulled another disgusted face and wiped his hand off on the leg of his pants, then nudged at a chair leg with the toe of his boot to check its stability. It creaked and wobbled a bit but didn’t seem as if it was on the verge of falling apart. Everything in the room appeared to be functional enough, but barely so.
“You might have better luck finding a Senshi who can use fire magic,” he said, moving from the table and chairs to a raggedy, old-fashioned sofa. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we don’t exactly recruit the most competent people.”
Aquamarine paused in the middle of examining the dingy sofa to glance back over at Jet, his expression creasing with annoyance again. “Speaking of, have you noticed whenever this sort of s**t happens, there never seems to be a General King or Queen around to deal with it? It’s just us. Maybe not you and me specifically, but you know what I mean. Us peons.”
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2020 2:28 pm
Aquamarine definitely didn’t look like someone who’s had survival training. Jet was surprised he’d lasted as long as he had without the luxuries he’d grown up with, and even more surprised that he willingly went longer without them even though he could afford them. Apparently.
Jet had turned his attention to a trunk in the corner of the room while Lovely messed with the table and wobbly chair. He had some trouble with the latch, but after a couple tries he was able to open up the lid. Inside wasn’t much, but there was an old quilt. Nothing special.
“Yeah, you want me to go find a Senshi? Sure, I’ll be right back.” The comment had started as though he was playing along with Aquamarine’s suggestion, but the bitterness in his voice grew by the time he stopped. Having to rely on a Senshi was the last thing he wanted.
“Of course there’s never a General King or Queen. I’d imagine they have enough power to ward off anything that tried taking them from where they were,” Jet shrugged, thinking it sounded pretty convincing to himself. Surely there was a reason why it was only Generals and below that got whisked away.
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2020 11:28 pm
“Convenient,” Aquamarine observed, his tone still low with sarcasm, his expression going flat and unimpressed.
That was another reason they couldn’t — or shouldn’t — share a dwelling with any of the other agents: Aquamarine had the habit of running his mouth. Not only was there a very good chance the others would be annoyed by him within a few hours, but his opinions could get him into trouble if he wasn’t careful. So far, he hadn’t been stupid enough to voice them around anyone else, but he did frequently vent to Jet, and there was always a chance someone else might overhear if they happened to be in the vicinity. Since he couldn’t be depended upon to keep his mouth shut for long, striking out on their own was really the best option.
Personally, Aquamarine thought the General Kings and Queen were all lazy. What did they do all day and night while the rest of them were risking their lives? And Queen Laurelite — when was the last time he’d actually seen her?
“You should take more initiative,” Aquamarine decided, turning to prop himself against the arm of the sofa. He folded his arms over his chest and stared at Jet like he could give Jet the boost he needed if he only looked at him long enough. “Be the big bad General I tell people you are. We can revamp the Negaverse. Recruit people who’ll actually be useful. Kick out the incompetent ones. Remove the traitors. Send the crazies into the Rift or something, I don’t know. Anything to make being involved more bearable, because we definitely aren’t living in the golden age of the Negaverse right now.”
Back when they first joined, things were… not perfect, but certainly more cohesive. Now it seemed as if they were limping along, a shadow of their former selves.
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Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2020 3:42 am
Jet let out a skeptical laugh at Aquamarine's suggestion to take more initiative. But the more Aquamarine spoke, the more Jet thought maybe he was being serious.
"Wait, so you tell people that I'm a big bad General but you don't actually think I am?" he asked, even though he didn't need to confirm. He himself could say he wasn't the big bad General that Aquamarine apparently claimed he was. He was young and inexperienced, and it wasn't as though people bothered listening to him.
At least not in his mind.
But maybe that was wrong of him to think. People did listen to him, for whatever reason. Aquamarine for one, even if he was sarcastic and not always helpful. Seraphinite had always had his back, even when he did stupid or dangerous things. And for some reason or another, he hadn't had much difficulty with those he'd recruited. Was he in constant contact with all of them? No. But had their recruiter ever been in contact with himself, Aqua, and Sera?
Jet frowned to himself and moved over to the sofa Aquamarine was sitting on the arm of so he could sit, ignoring the cloud of dust from the ancient upholstery.
"It never really made much sense to me. Why have seemingly unlimited resources and people, but do practically nothing with it? It's as though the part of the Negaverse we're in has been completely separated from what goes on in Earthen society. There are better ways to recruit without forcing people against their will, and maybe we'd have better officers that way. Money is definitely a huge motivator. And having a job and shelter and food. Health care would be a plus."
He took a breath, but regretted it because there was still dust floating around and he coughed and covered his mouth so as to not breathe more in. Jet had been a loyal officer of the Negaverse for years, but Aquamarine was right, and some of his ideas weren't all that bad, just some a little more questionable than others.
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Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2020 2:19 pm
Aquamarine rolled his eyes. For once, the action almost seemed more fond than annoyed.
“I’m not even convinced a big bad General is what we need,” he said, effecting a nonchalant shrug. “But it’s what most people tend to take seriously, so the reputation would help to start with. What we need are competent leaders who care enough to inspire loyalty but who don’t care so much that they become over emotional. I think you could be that.”
As for himself, Aquamarine wasn’t interested in assuming any sort of role beyond the one he already had. He would certainly be capable of more active leadership if he put his mind to it, but he lacked the passion. His only ambition was to keep Jet alive. Jet had a passion and a purpose beyond anything Aquamarine had ever acquired. Supporting him and promoting his interests was about as far as Aquamarine was willing to go. If there were some improvements made to the Negaverse in the process, that seemed like a win-win to him.
He eyed Jet carefully as Jet took a seat on the sofa. It wasn’t often that they could have serious discussions without bickering back and forth or snarking at each other, but they’d gotten better at it in recent months. Maybe it helped that Aquamarine was making more of an effort; when he complained now, Jet tended to listen instead of arguing.
“I think the Senshi invasion ******** us up,” Aquamarine continued. “Things’ve been getting worse since then. We keep losing agents — although, in their defense, there’s not much incentive to stay — or we recruit the wrong people.”
It took everything he had not to make a snide comment about Corrupt Senshi. Jet already knew his opinion on that; belaboring the point wasn’t going to make Jet change his mind about his recruits, it would only derail the conversation with the same old argument.
“The cutesy bullshit has to stop. The same with recruiting timid people. That isn’t going to benefit us at all. We shouldn’t be encouraging any of the ******** insane or manic behavior either. And I don’t understand the point of recruiting high schoolers unless we’re just looking for cannon fodder. We’d be better off going after people with more influence in the community.”
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Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2020 11:09 am
Jet stared at Aquamarine for a long moment. He was someone Aquamarine thought could inspire loyalty but not get overly emotional? He, a kid who had grown up orphaned and in the foster care system, passed around from one abusive house to the next? He, who managed to get Lovely and Jericho stuck in this mess because he'd been hellbent on getting revenge for his brother's death? He, Ilian, who was only really good at playing the piano, but gave over a hundred percent to everything else he ever put effort into, which could very well be why he got himself into so much trouble?
He looked away, trying to hide the fact that he could feel the color deepen in his cheeks. It wasn't exactly a compliment, but coming from Aquamarine he might as well have been given a gold medal.
Unfortunately, Jet wasn't convinced he had the confidence to be the person Aquamarine thought he could be. He was still just a kid in many people's eyes, and no one wanted to listen to a kid.
"Yeah, I think so too. The invasion really messed things up," he agreed, glad to have a change in topics. It didn't go unnoticed that Aquamarine hadn't brought up his recruits. Yet. But he was grateful for that. It wasn't as though he went around looking for senshi to corrupt. They just happened to be senshi when he tried to corrupt them.
"I think the first thing that really needs to be done is get the castle and barracks in Negaspace cleaned up and put back in working condition. If people knew they had a place to live, many might not even bother with a home in Destiny City. Those that cause trouble can be reassigned to janitorial for the castle. Or we could put them in the Rift," he added with a small shrug. It was meant mostly as a joke, but it was an option.
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Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2020 5:34 pm
If Jet could somehow inspire loyalty in Aquamarine, who could admit that he was a bit self-involved and not inclined to care much about other people, then Aquamarine didn’t see why he shouldn’t be able to do the same with people who might be more empathetic. Jet didn’t give himself nearly enough credit.
Not that Aquamarine blamed him. They didn’t talk about it, but he was very much aware that Jet didn’t have the easiest time growing up. That probably didn’t lend itself to confidence.
As carefully as Aquamarine was watching Jet, the light flush to his cheeks didn’t go unnoticed, but the infinitesimal amount of kindness in Aquamarine’s heart extended far enough that he didn’t mention it. He glanced away instead, shifting against the arm of the sofa like he was trying to find a more comfortable position. His gaze flicked around the room, fighting the awkwardness that always seemed to arise whenever they teetered too close to expressing or discussing feelings that were normally too tender for them.
“We’re probably getting too far ahead of ourselves,” Aquamarine said. “How much do you wanna bet the General Sovereigns think everything is fine? ‘Oh, yeah, no, the Negaverse functions great. No issues here.’”
He huffed a sigh and turned on the arm of the sofa, drawing his feet up onto the musty upholstery as he faced Jet. Uncrossing his arms, Aquamarine planted his hands on either side of him to keep himself upright, leaning forward just enough that he wasn’t at risk of tipping backward and taking a tumble to the floor.
“If they showed their faces more and got involved with all the s**t the rest of us have to deal with, maybe there’d be a better sense of trust,” he continued. “I can’t even remember the last time I saw the Queen. What do any of them even do? Unless I’m the only one with trust issues and everyone else is blindly loyal and does what they’re told like good little pawns. You know, if anyone heard me say half the s**t I say to you, they’d probably put one of those creepy a** youmaglia things in me.”
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2020 7:37 am
"Probably," Jet agreed with Aquamarine pointing out how the General Sovereigns didn't seem all that inclined to take an active role in changing how things operated, much less step down to the same playing field as the rest of them.
"You really should be more careful. I hate to say it, but even I don't know who is listening. I don't want anything happening to you. Especially if it's something I can't try to stop," Jet scowled down at the floor, kicking at some of the disturbed dust they'd been walking through.
"I don't like this place. This village. It seems… off. And I don't like how everyone is so eager to work alongside our enemies like it's no big deal," he said through gritted teeth. "Has no one else suffered at their hands? Or realize how they're a threat to this world? I know you don't care or don't believe it all or whatever, but I really don't think Senshi were meant to be on Earth. They all have their own worlds they can travel to, apparently. The Earth was home to the Negaverse, then something happened, and then they all ended up being born here."
Jet knew he was rambling, and maybe he didn't know all of the story or the details of what happened, but every time he crossed paths with a senshi, even if it was one of his own recruits, he felt like they just didn't belong there. Really, the Negaverse was the only defense against an invasion of Earth.
"And I hate that name. The Negaverse. Of course people are going to point fingers and say we're evil with a name like that."
He paused and glanced up at Aquamarine, some of the frustration he'd just been displaying no longer there.
"Guess I should watch what I say, too."
In his defense, he just wanted the Negaverse to thrive. Sure they did some sketchy things, but only because people were self-righteous and pointed fingers about how bad the Negaverse was, while also doing nothing to change.
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2020 2:18 pm
“Maybe, but I like when we actually agree on Negaverse s**t,” Aquamarine said, offering Jet a pleased little smile.
It wasn’t often that it happened. They tended to have different opinions about the Negaverse, the people involved, and their respective roles in it. Jet might not be enamored with the people in power on an individual basis, but he was loyal to the organization, and that generally meant keeping his head down and doing what he was told. Aquamarine didn’t care for the organization, and cared even less for the people. His loyalty began and ended with Jet. To hell with everyone else.
But being with Jet, keeping him safe and alive, supporting him, all of that meant being involved to an extent he wouldn’t bother with otherwise. That being the case, Aquamarine would prefer if there were some changes made. Maybe it would take time to see them implemented, or maybe any efforts they ended up making would be shut down by the higher ups before they even had a chance to make a difference, but it might also be worth it to try simply to see what they could accomplish. With some improvement, the Negaverse could return to its former glory.
“Well, we can’t do anything about all that until we find a way out of here,” he continued, propping his elbows onto his knees with one hand supporting the side of his face while he gave their situation some serious thought. “I’m still not convinced working with the Senshi and Knights is the way to go. Who’s to say that’s not the reason we’re still stuck in a war that never ends? We’re too willing to cooperate when s**t like this happens instead of taking advantage of the situation.
“We should figure out what brought us here,” Aquamarine decided, “whether that’s a who or a what. Why not try allying ourselves with them or it instead? It probably wouldn’t be easy, assuming whatever it is that forced us here against our will is hostile, but easy hasn’t ended the ******** war yet. All we do is maintain the status quo. It’s boring and ineffective.”
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Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2020 8:12 am
Aquamarine’s smile always seemed so rare that for as long as it lasted Jet took the time to just look at him. It was probably a little weird, but he happened to like seeing Aquamarine happy. Jet knew he wasn’t exactly the easiest person to deal with, so knowing he’d done something worthy of a smile was… nice.
“The Senshi and Knights can’t be trusted,” he said after a while, looking away from Aquamarine so he could stand back up from the couch, restless. “There are some that are sympathetic towards the Negaverse, but not many. You’ve seen what they’re capable of doing. I don’t understand how anyone can agree to work with them and forget everything they’ve done.”
Diplomacy could only go so far, and as Aquamarine mentioned, it was the reason they were stuck in this never ending war.
“If we can find whoever brought us here and ally ourselves with them, then yeah I’m up for that. Maybe they’ll wipe out the Senshi and Knights for us. And if they’re not friendly, well… we can just keep out of their way while they go after everyone else,” Jet said with a shrug. He didn’t know who else had been brought there, but he was currently only concerned with getting himself and Aquamarine out in one piece.
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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2020 10:24 pm
A satisfied smile continued to grace Aquamarine’s face, satisfied with Jet’s agreement. He sat where he was for a little longer, watching Jet rise and move about in such a way that anyone who knew him as well as Aquamarine did would sense his restlessness. Considering their current situation, Aquamarine couldn’t blame him for being agitated. They had no idea how they’d come to be here, what they should expect to face now that they were there, or how to go about getting home. The presence of Senshi and Knights complicated matters, and the willingness of some of their allies to work with those Senshi and Knights was aggravating if not downright infuriating.
Eventually, Aquamarine hopped off of the sofa, too, pacing around the main room like he intended to look around more, but as there wasn’t anything of interest, he eventually gave up the pretense and turned to Jet with a smirk in the place of his previous smile.
“I’m going to check out the second floor,” he said, making his way toward a rickety looking staircase. Some of the boards were loose and others showed obvious damage, but the first few steps held up under his weight. “Maybe the bedrooms are in better shape.”
He stopped and looked over his shoulder, waiting to see if Jet would take the hint and follow.
“I’m already bored of this place. If we’re going to be stuck here for a while, we might as well make ourselves at home.”
They’d have to look for food later. And firewood. No doubt Jet would want to check in with some of the lower ranking officers to make sure they had all they needed. They’d search the woods for clues and figure out how to survive without some of the modern conveniences they were used to.
But for now, Aquamarine could think of far more pleasant ways to pass the time. Besides, Jet could use the distraction.
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