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Backdated to February 1st. Preceded immediately by this.
He'd had work earlier that day, and he had work again tomorrow morning. Rakovanite didn't consider it ideal that he should be kept out late tending to Negaverse activities, but neither was he really in a position to refuse a general's suggestion. Especially not when Rakovanite wanted something from him. The general, Lashenite was already waiting at their agreed upon meeting location, so Rakovanite was at least thankful there wouldn't be much wasted time between them.
He gave a pause when he spotted discarded plates and lobster tails on the ground, and his dark gaze riveted up to where a hairless, wrinkly Mauvian was perched on the general's shoulder.
"Rakovanite," Lashenite greeted with a small smile, to which the captain inclined his head in response. "This is the Guardian, Gremlin," He introduced his companion, petting two fingers down the side of the cat's face. Gremlin's lips pulled back in response, face scrunching as he bared his fangs. "They are perhaps the most useful creatures we could ally with. An unawakened senshi's starseed resonates only to a Mauvian. They can tell when one is nearby. But more importantly to our purpose, they can shield our presence." The general went on, and the words seemed to make the Mauvian simmer down ever-so-slightly. "It's not really great practice to risk a Mauvian in a fight, if it can be helped, but given their unique abilities, it is possible to skirt the dangers of combat entirely while still performing necessary acquisitions."
The Mauvian's ears twitched, and he turned a curious gaze on the general.
Rakovanite was similarly uncertain. Given the choice in locale, behind this restaurant, he'd been expecting they they would likely spend much of the evening talking, perhaps so Lashenite could get to know what kind of person he was before agreeing to take him on. But Rakovanite was starting to get the impression that wouldn't be the case. Avoiding potential combat? 'Necessary acquisitions?'
"You are trying to keep out of fights?" Rakovanite asked, brows pursed. "Is that not most of what Special Operatives specializes in?"
"Eliminating the opposition," Lashenite answered in that deceptively light voice Rakovanite was starting to become familiar with. He crouched to pick up the plates and trash from the ground and stow them in the brown paper bag from the restaurant. The Mauvian balanced precariously on his shoulder. "The less attention we draw to ourselves, the less Infiltration has to cover up. Bodies devoid of any markings that suggest a fight occurred will get less attention than those that have been mangled in a scuffle."
"Though how you handle any remains will be up to your preference when you are able to teleport more freely with another person." The general's expression turned thoughtful. "You could conceivably bring the body with you and dump it in Negaspace, where it is unlikely to be found at all. But then you'd have to dispose of it somewhere it wouldn't offend anyone's senses. A youma could eat it, I suppose." He shrugged. "Huh. Things to consider. Come on, then. We've no reason to linger here."
With the trash picked up, Lashenite straightened himself and beckoned for Rakovanite to follow. They took long strides down the alley, deeper into the encroaching darkness and away from the city proper. Once out of sight of any civilians, Lashenite scaled the side of a building in a single jump, with Rakovanite on his heels.
Rakovanite couldn't help but eye the other man thoughtfully as he followed. It was obvious now that they were doing something more with the night than he'd originally anticipated. Lashenite had gone to the trouble to recruit a Guardian to join them for the evening, and their pace wasn't leisurely. Lashenite was covering a lot of ground as he leaped between the rooftops, and his speed was easily superior to Rakovanite's, though the general was taking care to ensure the younger man kept up.
"Have you taken a starseed before?" Lashenite prompted as they made their way across a rooftop.
Rakovanite had to tamp down the compulsion to say yes, when he was sure Lashenite already knew the truth: he hadn't. Despite his personal belief that he could under the proper conditions, nothing he'd been a part of had resulted in anyone's death. Though there had been instances when he'd thought, this time, only to not follow through. His voice dropped to a murmur as he answered, "No."
"This is the most basic requirement to be a Special Operatives agent," Lashenite replied, though he didn't seem swayed one way of the other by the response. "If you can't kill, or if you're unwilling, you should pursue a different path. Carefully consider how it might impact you not just in this moment, but for the rest of your life. Most people aren't really interested in going out of their way to take lives." He'd slowed his pace as he spoke, and by the time the words had fully left his mouth, Lashenite was peering over the side of a building and beckoning for Rakovanite to join him.
Ahead of them, there was a girl moving down the alleyway. She was dressed in light blues, with many symbols he didn't recognize, but which might suggest a knight. If Rakovanite thought to feel for it, her aura flowed in a gentle simmer. She looked young, and she was only a Page.
"The young ones are often out on their own," Lashenite said quietly as they watched the girl dart further away from them. "I understand Order has pretty bad organization, especially with their newbies, so it can be very easy to pick them off when they are still fresh. I've seen reports of this girl patrolling this area nightly, and what we know of her ability is that she reasonably has none, at this stage. It likely wouldn't be much strain to corrupt her, but also it would be a lot of wasted energy for a girl that hasn't expressed any real talent to be useful. But if we wait to take her out, she could become a threat. Sometimes it is simply better to remove knights before the become an issue. And this is no different."
Lashenite turned his gaze back to Rakovanite, and in the dark, rolling voice that only made itself known very infrequently, he rumbled, "Take her. She has no idea we're here, thanks to the Guardian, and her abilities should be inferior to yours at this level. It shouldn't even turn into a fight. The whole altercation should last no more than a few seconds."
His arm flicked up, sleeve sliding back so that Lashenite could eye the silver watch strapped to his wrist. "Go."
Rakovanite's entire body was tense and tight. His dark gaze darted from Lashenite to the girl rapidly disappearing from view as she moved ahead on her patrol. If he lost sight of her, he would lose his chance to teleport to her exact position and make a quick snatch for her starseed.
But this was still a new experience for him. Lashenite had told him to consider carefully, and Rakovanite had thought that he had taken the time to do such a thing. He knew this branch was where he wanted to be because it felt like one missing life of someone he didn't even know would have little impact on him. Everyone died. Life was meaningless. It shouldn't matter if the cause was naturally... or by him.
Why did his heart thrum so loudly?
The girl was nearing the corner toward the street. He could see her headed that way, and once she was out of sight or positioned so that any passerby might see her, the opportunity would be gone. Lashenite would be disappointed in him...
Rakovanite knew this was what he wanted. He knew this was what he wanted.
He flicked away in a pulse of teleportation and landed in front of the girl such that her body collided with his with a sharp yelp of surprise. One of his hands smothered over her mouth, and the other was in her chest almost immediately. Her screams were muffled by his gloved hand, and the pinch of her teeth felt like almost nothing as she tried to bite him. But the whole affair lasted literally an instant. He yanked his arm out of her chest, starseed in hand, and with a muted cry, the girl crumpled away from him.
Rakovanite took a step back. For doing almost absolutely nothing, his breath still came sharp and shallow. The page girl was a pile on the ground in front of him, laying in a heap of dirt and trash out behind some city office building. She was still, though he knew she wasn't yet dead.
But she would be, without her starseed.
His gaze snapped up, quickly swiveling around in case anyone was nearby to witness the occurrence. ...But no. The alley was silent. The nearby windows were dark. Even the street some several paces away seemed devoid of cars. Rakovanite inhaled a steadying breath and straightened himself. He smoothed the stiff fabric of his coat and tried to calm his heart.
It was just one girl, one life. There would probably be those that missed her, but with time, their pain would pass. The world moved on, always. It would continue to do so without the existence of one girl.
He whisked back to the ledge he'd left Lashenite on, and as Rakovanite landed before the general from his teleport, he thought the other man was giving him... some odd look that Rakovanite couldn't quite decipher. Swallowing, he dipped his head and offered the starseed to Lashenite.
There was only a brief pause before Lashenite hummed (and his voice was light again, Rakovanite noticed), "Keep it. You should keep one on you in case you run into trouble down the line. If you're badly injured, it will hep heal you faster. If you're outmatched, it will give you a boost to your strength and speed. Just be cautious when consuming them. Too many will turn you to youma. They are best in emergencies only."
"I am not sure I would ever feel like I am in so much danger that I would risk the side effects of starseed consumption," Rakovanite murmured quietly, keeping his gaze off the general in front of him.
Lashenite shrugged. "You never know. But this is enough for tonight. We'll have another meeting soon. Please keep an eye on your messages. Oh- You've already teleported twice. That's probably your limit. Should I take you home?"
"I... I will walk," Rakovanite decided at length. With a soft inhale, he straightened, and looked back to the general. "You agree to train me, then? After this-"
"Mmmmm, no," Lashenite clucked. "There are still a couple more things I need you to do for me before I'm ready to fully evaluate you as a Special Operatives candidate. Like I said, keep your eyes on your messages. I'll be in touch soon. Please be safe on your way home tonight."
There was a pause, as if the general was waiting for Rakovanite to argue, or perhaps to decide that he did want transport home. But none was forthcoming. Lashenite, with Guardian in tow, whisked away in a pulse of energy, leaving Rakovanite alone on the roof, with the starseed of a page girl in his hand.
He wasn't enthused about the circumstances. When Rakovanite acted, he usually did so only after he'd obtained whatever knowledge he needed to feel confident and assured. The girl... It had all been very brief, and he hoped, hoped that nothing would be out of place in the coming days.
