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 Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2020 8:20 am
General Lopezite had already had an eventful day; after being summoned to see the General King he had only assumed that he had done something wrong or wasn't meeting quota. It was a pleasant surprise to hear that a promotion was on the table.
They'd talked about his progress, about his accomplishments, about what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go.
And then, he'd had Chaos pumped through him and been fed a cookie and some Gatorade and sent on his way.
He had dismissed the empty bottle to subspace but still found himself ravenous. It was strange, walking around in a skin that didn't quite feel like his own yet. Everything felt more sensitive, but he wondered if it didn't just have something to do with the fact that he was in the Dark Kingdom.
At any point in time he could have summoned Lavendulan, but he wanted to get used to this new feeling--and didn't want to disrupt her. He was a bit faint, a bit lightheaded. He didn't want to admit it and had hoped that walking would rejuvenate him.
...Instead, all it did was highlight how hungry he was. He made his way to where she was staying; he knew it well enough and hoped he wouldn't be surprising her. He leaned against the doorframe, taking a moment to relax and try to push the fog out of his head before he knocked on the door.
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Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 11:43 pm
The last several months have been spent hard at work creating prototypes for testing while Wolframite recovered from his injuries at home. Most days were either so quiet she could hear the hum of her laptop fan or it was full of the white noise of her Dremel tool as she grinded away at stone to create the forms used for this science project. It gave her something else to focus her mind on so she didn't spend her days hovering around Wolfy's door wanting to check to make sure he was alive ever hour. It was Lopezite's visit that really shook her from that state of mind and made her realize that she was currently walking a destructive path. It went without saying that it was a much needed intervention and something she owed him a great deal for. At the moment, in her office space in the castle, there were about a dozen rings that had crafted out of crystals provided by Laurelite, each of them had absorbed varying levels of energy. Yes, some had broke in the process of either cutting them out of the stone and there being a flaw, or fissure, in it. But after almost a year it seemed that she was ready to move on to the next step, finally. But for now, Lavendulan had taken the day off to get some chores done around the house and, in general, relax a bit. She sensed the Genera's aura before she heard the knock and had assumed it was Benitoite coming to check on Wolframite. But when it became apparent that her boyfriend was not expecting visitors, she got up from the couch and set the book she had been reading on the coffee table then walked across the room towards the door. The knob turned in her hand and as she opened the door, Laven paused. "..." The half-youma blinked in surprise "Lopezite!" Her gaze traveled upward until it settled on the familiar face of her Captain… correction... General. "Oh my God... You got a promotion!" Laven stated as if he didn't already know. "Congratulations! Come in, come in!" The initial shocked expression ebbed into one of genuine happiness for her friend.
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2020 12:59 pm
Lopezite's mind seemed elsewhere but he paused, drawn back to the moment. "Yes, I suppose I have. It's left me ravenous, so of course, the first thing I thought to do was come here and see if you were hungry."
He walked into her home, always feeling a bit odd about being powered up in such a nice, domestic space. And yet, he was certain that it probably wasn't safe for him to just power down. He didn't have the same immunities to Chaos as a half-youma officer might and, knowing his luck, the moment he powered down some Youma from beyond was going to drop in and try to eat his starseed.
"I had meant to visit a little earlier but I've been having a bit of trouble. Nothing major, just so busy at work, and, ah. You don't need to hear my troubles," he said dismissively, quite content to think about something better.
He smiled at her and hid his fatigue well as he followed her into the house. "How have you been?"
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2020 7:16 pm
"I'm hanging in there." For the most part anyway. Her sense of time was all skewed, living in a world where there was no differentiation between day and night as well as going on a extended 3-week 'vacation' that only lasted 3-hours instead. It was confusing and she tried not to think too much on it otherwise she'd likely get a headache. "Wolframite's recovery has been going well. I suspect he'll be back to light duty here soon. Oh, and my glamour project has reached the testing phase." Her face lit up with a proud smile. "Looking forward to seeing the fruits of that labor." Laven, walked across the living room and into the kitchen where she peered inside the fridge and grimaced. It had been a long while since Wolfy had gone hunting and she really didn't have the time or heart to ask anyone to taxi her to Destiny City for a grocery trip since her and Tinaksite had a bit of a falling out; it seemed that both of them were too proud to call the other or reconcile. "I'm sorry, I wish I had something to offer you to eat." She closed the door and looked over at Lopezite, a lopsided grin on her face. "I've been grabbing food from the cafeteria lately. Not exactly a place I'd recommend for an occasion such as this."
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Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2020 12:20 pm
"Oh, has it?" he asked, clearly excited for such news. "Congratulations, I'm proud of you! I can't wait to see what comes of it. You've been working so hard, I hope it's everything you want it to be. Come, do you want to go up and grab a bite? I didn't come here to make you cook for me. I'll treat you to a meal, we can get something to go for Wolframite, too."
He had tilted his head to peer into her fridge before she closed it and raised a brow.
"...And then, tomorrow, perhaps we'll go shopping, no? I've had your cooking, it's far better than anything the cafeteria has to offer..."
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Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2020 12:57 pm
The compliment startled an embarrassed laugh out of her. It had been a while since she last invited him over for food, perhaps she should propose setting aside one day a month to have like a game night or potluck. A thought worth considering but for now, Laven skirted around the island and placed her hand on his should. God he's tall she thought as she looked up at him; an action she wasn't entirely used to since for the most part her day was spent looking down at her work, or straight since she and Wolframite were the same height. "Have I ever told you how much of a God Send you are?" She stated as-a-matter-of-factly. Far from overbearing or demanding, Lopezite had a knack for showing up at times where he was most needed, or wanted, to be around. "I appreciate the offer, thank you. I think I'll take you up on that." And maybe even make dinner for the three of them if time allowed. "Let me just get changed really quick then we can take off!" While her comfy clothes, a pair of sweater pants and a blue hoodie, would be acceptable to wear in public, she'd much rather wear jeans and a coat instead. "Any idea what the weather is doing out there today?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2020 10:41 am
Lopezite just laughed, perhaps as amused as he was touched by how appreciative she was. He had always imagined Lavendulan a bit stubborn, the sort who didn't want to ask for help if she could avoid it, so he was grateful when she didn't put up a fuss at his offer.
"No rush," he assured; the promotion had left him a mix of invigorated and exhausted so for as hungry as he was, he didn't mind a leisurely pace to get anywhere. "It's a bit cold for my tastes," he admitted. "But you know I'm happiest by the fire of my forge. It looked like it might rain, but it's been that way all day. Sort of seems like an empty threat after all this time. Just wear whatever's comfortable, no matter what the weather is I'll try to get us inside soon so we don't have to deal with it."
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Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2020 2:42 pm
"Fair enough. Ok, I'll be right back" Laven turned, and with hurried steps, she retreated towards the stairs before disappearing down the hallway and into the guest bedroom across from the main master suite. Now that Wolframite was, for the most part, back to his normal self, she should probably move her things back into their shared room so that this one could be used as intended. A task best saved for later. For now, she simply sorted through her drawers for a pair of blue jeans, a creme colored knitted sweater, some warm winter socks, and a long navy and red plaid scarf. When she reappeared at the top of the stairs, with her hair pulled back into a high ponytail, it was not the familiar half-youma face but that of her glamoured form that looked down at him. Her usually pale skin had a healthy tan appearance and her horns were, kind of sadly, missing. "I just need to put on a pair of shoes and grab a coat, then I'll be all set." Perhaps it was because she was petite, or simply excited to get out of the house, but her footfalls on each step were unusually quiet and light-footed as she quickly descended the staircase and shuffled across the living room over to the coat closet. The new hinges made no sound when she opened the door and picked out a pair of ankle-high boots from the wicker basket and slipped them on. "Alright," Marissa pulled one of her black coats off the hanger and closed the closet door. "I'm ready when you are!" She folded the coat over her arm rather than put it on then smiled up at him. Cooler temperatures didn't affect her as quickly as others but that didn't mean she liked getting wet if it suddenly started raining. Swimming in the ocean, or reservoir, was one thing; running down the street looking for shelter was less fun.
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Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2020 4:46 pm
Lopezite didn't seem to mind waiting; he seemed peaceful, just standing there--though, he looked at the couch for a little too long, a little too longingly. Marissa was back before he could lose himself in the thoughts and he smiled and extended his arm to her so he could teleport them out of here.
"I am very ready. I'll even let you pick what you're in the mood for." He could get food whenever he liked; the Negaverse didn't really have any fast food stations and she was limited to eating in the city only when she had someone to ferry her here and there. He didn't mind, he'd never mind; he liked spending time with her and while he wasn't responsible for her condition he couldn't help but feel responsible for her, anyway.
He wanted her to be happy, and sometimes the small things made such a difference.
"Give me a place and I'll get us there. Otherwise we're going to wind up at that little Mexican place I told you about last month."
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Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2020 7:27 pm
"Mmmm" Marissa's stomach growled unusually loudly, evidence that she had forgotten to eat lunch earlier. "Mexican actually sounds really good." Usually, she wasn't one for spicy food but an enchilada with mole sauce or chips and guacamole sounded amazing. "Since it is a place you like and recommended before, I think it would be the perfect place to celebrate."
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Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2020 5:01 pm
Lopezite laughed and nodded, wrapping his arm around her. "Then, Mexican it is. You make it so easy on me. Hold on," he said, but he had a good enough grip on her that he wasn't afraid of losing her in the teleportation.
He took them to an alley just behind the restaurant; the smells hit them even before the rush of the teleportation. He had powered down almost the same second he had felt them land in Destiny City and now, more than when he was powered up, the fatigue was easy to read on him.
He flashed her a smile but was resting against her a little more as he got his grounding. "Oh, good choice, I think. It smells good. I feel like I could eat a horse. So, I suppose we're a good pair," he smiled, teasing about the noise her stomach had made. He took the first few steps, trying to roll off the soreness from his promotion, but stayed close to her.
"When was the last time you were up in Destiny City for leisure?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2020 8:26 pm
Although she had never experienced it first hand, Marissa was acutely aware of the aftereffects of promotions and the toll it took on an agent when they teleported without giving their bodies time to properly recover. Wolframite had done something similar when he had been promoted to Captian and after whisking her away to the state fair he nearly fell over from how much energy the action took from him. Lopezite, on the other hand, was now a General with nearly two years, if not more, of teleporting experience. She felt confident that he wouldn't have asked her to come celebrate if he wasn't sure he'd be ok enough to handle the exertion. "Honestly?" She fell in step beside him as they walked through the alley towards the main entrance of the restaurant. "It's been a few months, give or take." It depended on if she counted the time spent in the fog veiled village or rnot. Granted, the last time she had done anything remotely close to fun would have been when he took her to see his forge. Thinking back on that moment it didn't feel like that was so long ago but that was probably because the weather then was similar to what it is now..
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Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2020 6:42 am
Samir glanced at her, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Marissa," he chastised. "I worry about you."
Not teasing, despite how he delivered it; he meant it.
"It's so dark elsewhere," he said, now that they were in public. He knew she'd understand he meant Negaspace but he wasn't going to say it out loud. They arrived at the front door and were seated quickly; he ordered only a water to drink, let the waitress take Marissa's order, and then when she had gone asked, "What can I do to help? You've been working so hard, what can I do to give you a break--a chance to do something relaxing, or fun? Do you want to come to the forge? We can make something. It's the perfect weather for being by the open flame, you know."
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Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2020 10:08 am
Unable to hold his gaze she looked down at her feet, a pang of guilt caused her heart to skip a beat in an almost painful way. I should have lied... she thought to herself, if only because she didn't want to sour the mood. Rather than try to explain her reasoning she drew in a deep breath and affixed a mask that she hoped would make him less worried. "You've already done a lot for me," Marissa elbowed him in the side playfully. "But yes, I would really enjoy re-visiting the forge with you and seeing your dogs again." The last time she was there had been before Wolframite had been injured and she, in turn, had a falling out with Tinaksite for being the reason he got shot. "Plus, I'd like to see how far you've come with the flower sculpture. Have you been able to make much progress on it?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2020 7:19 pm
Though Samir seemed like he might have believed her, he still wore a somewhat contemplative, doubtful look.
"Doing 'a lot' is subjective, my friend. You don't ask for enough, if we're being honest. I worry about you constantly. It's such a struggle not to come down and steal you away," he finally confessed. "I wish you'd ask for more, if we're being honest. When I say I'm more than happy to help, I mean it. It's not a chore, and I enjoy spending time with you. Especially if it's at the forge," he said, and flashed a grin.
"The dogs miss you." The dogs missed anyone and everyone, but he wanted her to come by more anyway. "The flower sculpture isn't anything impressive, I've hardly worked on it at all. Maybe you should come by and give me some inspiration? When you've got free time."
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