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 Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 2:40 pm
Better that this was handled sooner than later, he told himself. Destiny City needed a story fed to it to explain the incidents at the Farnsworth Building on May 17th, and while Faustite had little love for fabricating bullshit backgrounds to Negaverse operations, the Infiltration branch was full of people who were at least adept at it. On a whim, the smoldering General looked up one of their number: a Super Senshi Fafnir, who had yet to use a mineral name.
While still fairly convinced that his head and chest were blooming open, Bloodstone's recommendations for painkiller had tamped it down to a dull ache. An ache he could think through, at least, which would make the meeting much more bearable.
And since he could finally think again, Faustite chose to stage this meeting in a place comfortable to both of them — a reformed parlor room in the lower levels of the Citadel, where ornate but aged furniture and plush seating were available to anyone not imminently on fire. For the moment, he could count himself among those ranks. And since the recruits at the meetings chuffed so much about it, Faustite had fruit and sparkling water procured on a metal platter for Fafnir's perusal. Faustite had yet to figure out the secret to digesting food without a working furnace, however.
The room was round, nestled in the base of a turret, and it boasted a picture window that looked out across Negaspace. It was through this window that Faustite watched, counting down the minutes to their appointed meeting time. Clawed fingers rapped gently on the lacquered table to a tune he couldn't quite remember.whimsical blue let me know if this works! i'm assuming that fafnir and faustite had already spoken about the op needing a backstory!
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Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2021 7:29 pm
The tall figure swept down the hall towards the door of the turret room, steps measured and graceful as hair and clothing trailed behind him. It was hard to say who watched him approach, and these days Fafnir was careful to cultivate that appearance of easy competence when there was any chance someone of higher rank might see him.
In places where someone's opinion mattered for recommendations or recognition, it was important to keep up appearances.
Knuckled knocked lightly at the door as he lifted his tablet for another quick, almost nervous scan of the notes he'd taken, quick refreshing himself on what he knew of what he was here to do. Crafting a backstory was not often on his list of duties, and it was yet another thing it was important to do well. If General Faustite liked his work, perhaps more would come his way, and others would notice too. That was worth a lot.
The moment he sensed it opening, he smoothly lowered the tablet again, bowing his head respectfully.
"General. It is a pleasure to work with you." He said, his voice warm and professional as he greeted the man who had called him here.
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Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2021 4:10 am
Given that personnel files were need-to-know basis for everyone below the Sovereigns, all of Faustite's knowledge of Fafnir came from word of mouth. He was an up-and-comer, one of the rare few with an air of professionalism, he actually listened and tried unlike several acquaintances of the past. By all rights, he sounded like he would make a fine paper-pusher. Someday, an Infiltration analogue to Axinite (but with fewer cookies and worry lines).
As he turned at the sound of Fafnir's voice, he realized he needed to get very interested in whatever was going on outside the window. The guttering General immediately stopped his half turn, stared out, felt himself flush deep and waited impatiently for it to die down.
Fafnir was as hot as he was, but in a much less literal sense. Those ******** he talked to never told him Fafnir was cute.
What a damn betrayal. "Please be seated," he tried, but it sounded flat and awkward and he was going to have a terrible time sounding normal through all this. Luckily, he could remind himself not to get his hopes up, that being on fire killed his chances with anyone but the most dedicated pyromaniacs, so there wasn't any reason to make or keep up appearances outside of professional acumen. But, that never helped the hormones any.
Faustite paced, and in the circular room, he kept to the outer wall. "Heard you were good. Came to see for myself.
"Ran on operation on the 17th. Broad daylight, lots of youma, minor smoke and fire damage in one of the buildings. People collapsed from starseeding. Don't worry, already got cursed out for making this a hard job. Still needs a cover story, though — something sensible to plug into the press. Heard you could do it."
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Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 5:42 pm
He hadn't been able to find out a lot about this general, between being called and showing up to the meeting. They said he was youngish, and the flash of a face confirmed that. They said he was half youma, one of that rare group of officers who were unfortunate enough to end up on the wrong side of an encounter with the cursed beasts. They'd said he was made of fire, but he hadn't really believed that, assuming they meant something else, until he was standing at the door way, staring at a grate in his midsection with flames behind it.
It was probably good he hadn't turned around to face him... There was a moment when Fafnir couldn't hide the fascinated horror of seeing a half-youma officer for the first time, and one that was on fire to boot. He'd seen youma at a distance, but that had been different. This was a level of horrific he wasn't fully prepared for.
It took him a few ticks before he realized he was standing there gaping like an idiot and the mask dropped again, smoothing out his fine features into something a bit more respectful for a general. Faustite's voice almost came as a surprise, sounding so normal, and it helped kick start the senshi again so he could move to the seats provided and sink down into one. He crossed one bare knee over the other and studiously brought up his tablet, taking notes as the other provided the details. Having something to do helped take his mind off the strangeness, though nothing was going to make him forget it completely.
"I should be able to take care of this, and if I can't personally spread the story, I know people who can." He assured him, flicking a glance up to watch the young man's pacing before returning to his tablet. "I will look into the history of the building... do you know anything of it? I suspect it could be as easy as blaming it on a gas leak that finally caught fire, the fumes causing the collapses and possible hallucinations."
He would have to talk to someone in the fire department, which was not normally his area of expertise, but he'd been working on expanding his network and this would be a good direction to move in... It just might take greasing some palms along the way.
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Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2021 6:34 pm
"Glad you can help." It was nice, for once, to not hear excuses. Any tempering of expectations was quickly met with an alternative that Fafnir already had brewing. Strange that it felt strange to meet someone competent in their shady, halfassed organization, but Faustite wouldn't question it. Better to let Fafnir do his work, and for the results to illuminate the quality of that work. And if this aquamarine adonis could deal with this effectively, Faustite would put more work his way, exercise those creative muscles.
Surprising that Fafnir would ask about the building. Faustite spoke of it as he paced. "Only structurally. Built twenty years ago, expensive skin, cheap guts. Mostly been used as an office building. Had a lot of servers in it at one point, was something shady I didn't understand. Cops confiscated them. Back to offices after."
As he passed behind the draconic senshi, his eyes were drawn to the horns on his head, and Faustite briefly wondered if they were real. Briefly — before his thoughts maundered to how they should be put too ******** him for being attractive.
Faustite sighed through his nose. "Fumes seem plausible. The operation wasn't contained in the building; what about an underground gas leak?" Might explain hallucinations outside the Farnsworth.
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Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2021 5:47 pm
"I'll look up who owned it. They may ask the most questions." He said, making a note to do just that.
"An underground leak may work, but I'm not an expert in how such a thing would spread or affect those in the area. The general public will believe whatever we tell them, or near enough not to matter. The ones who might dig deeper will need to be dealt with, which may or may not be troublesome, we shall see." He said, finally lowering his tablet and lifting his head.
Fafnir fancied he could feel the heat radiating from the young man behind him as he circled. How hot were those flames inside of him? Was he impervious to heat? Did that heat radiate from his skin, or just the firey cage? Questions swirled about Fafnir's head, but he kept his face smooth and professionally interested. Such questions were not appropriate with someone he'd just met... though he didn't have a lot of past experience to go on in that area.
"Was there anything else, sir?" He said as he half turned his head. "Anything else you can think of that I might make use of?"
It wasn't going to be easy. It would be a test of his abilities, but it was a good chance to push himself and perhaps show off his skills.
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Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2021 4:18 am
"Hm…" Faustite halted, crossed his arms, stared through the stone floor as he thought. The enemy was there, but Fafnir already knew that. Smoke came from the building, but no fire. The security cameras were mostly destroyed. "Jammed the local phone signals." That might be a useful symptom for a problem Fafnir concocted. "And traffic was at a standstill. We tripped the fire alarms in the building to get everyone out."
Whether Fafnir could make use of any of that, he didn't know. He just had to give the information and trust that Fafnir would make a plausible cover story from it.
One hand perched on his hip as he walked back to the desk. "Brought the report." Fafnir might not need that, either, but it held some relevant background information. Time of day, weather patterns, astronomical data, local events — anything that might influence senshi and knight activity. Faustite pointed at where the slightly melty plastic folder lay. It was an old folder recycled from a previous report, but Faustite still didn't trust that his heat had died down enough to handle it more than sparingly.
The smoldered General took a peach from the platter and bit into it. He'd swallowed most of it by the time he spoke again. "How long you been in Infiltration?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2021 3:56 pm
The dark head nodded as he listened, taking in new details and fitting them into gaps in the story he was already concocting. The fire alarms would help, as would the report the general mentioned, on the desk across the room.
As the upper officer retreated to the food that had been laid out, Fafnir rose from his seat in an easy motion and drifted over to the desk. He swept up the file with little comment on it's state, though he did note it with interest.
He does put off a fair amount of heat, if he can warp plastic. Something to think about later, and mentally file away.
The question brought him back around, the senshi's head lifting from the file in his hands. His eyebrows lifted in polite surprise and he had to actually think about it, measuring when he'd been conscripted and when he'd earned his promotion. It was longer than he cared to think about, really, but at least things were better now than they had been... before.
"Roughly a year and some months." He said as he closed the file and lifted his head in acknowledgement. "I joined that branch after my promotion and reassignment to my current general. And you, sir...?"
Things had gone so much more smoothly after the reassignment. He couldn't say he wasn't glad of it, but there were times when he remembered what it had been like before with mixed feelings.
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Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2021 3:35 am
A year and some months. Interesting way to answer.
He shrugged lopsided. "Nearly four years." Schörl was quick to shunt him into a more specialized branch; he wouldn't be surprised if it was due to being part youma, but he suspected she had worse motives than that. In all that time, though, he didn't have as much to show for it as he would've liked. "General wanted me in a branch." Shame that he was reminded of it.
It was his own fault for asking, he knew. Faustite tossed the peach pit at the metal garbage can, was rewarded with a resounding clang as the thing made it in.
It was rare to explain himself without prompting, but this time, it was worth the effort (and the rote displeasure). "Looking for go-to's in the other branches. People to work with me, to exemplary result." Less a formal team, more contacts with mutual benefit. It was easier than a team, he supposed, less infringing. "Interested to see what you do with this. Might come back again."
His nails touched the edge of the desk as he paused, and his dimmed glance fell on the easily-looked-upon corrupt. "Need anything else?"
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Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2021 9:19 am
Fafnir inclined his head, the folder held loosely in his hands.
"Infiltration was always my intended destination." He said, his voice dropping a little of the formality. "I was recruited with that in mind, I believe."
It still gave him a pang, thinking about it, but it was blessedly less painful than it had been once. Life moved on and his situation had improved. This was hopefully something that would further that, and he was eager to prove himself with it.
His eyebrows rose at the shared information and he tilted his head in acknowledgement, his dark hair slipping down the side of his face as his horns tilted.
"I am very pleased, then, to have been chosen for the opportunity. I hope I shall meet and exceed expectations." The senshi said, putting a lightness into his voice to match the small smile that curved his mouth. His manner turned brisk as he tucked the file under his arm and bowed his head. "I believe I should have everything, but if anything comes up, I will reach out. Please feel free to contact me if you think of anything else, or if you'd like an update. I will send you a report once I have things arranged."
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Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2021 3:53 pm
"Looking forward to it." Faustite lacked the careful composure that Fafnir exercised over himself; the cindercraft General still bent beneath all the pain and torment that was his shattered youma bond. There was little inflection to his voice, or robust tone, though he meant the words. His body just wouldn't cooperate.
That was a running theme in his life, in retrospect.
And Fafnir sure was pretty, at every angle. He wouldn't mind starting a liaison with that one, even if plans fell through or Fafnir delivered a subpar product. Wouldn't be very nice for Fafnir, though — too much fire leaves a boy burned. Might come up with reasons to contact this one, with an invitation like that.
Faustite raised a pair of sticky fingers. "Two weeks, I'll contact you." Setting his thoughts aside, he turned back to the window. "Till then."
whimsical blue fin — though he would totally bug Fafnir for no reason bc he wants to look at someone pretty
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