It was on Lilith's recommendation that Alkmene was at this particular office. Apparently, he couldn't just report directly to Lepidolite forever--unfortunate, Alkmene would have liked the eye candy--and he had to, in fact, have a General he was working under. Lilith had, of course, suggested her own, and frankly, Alkmene figured that was his best and most obvious chance to get in with someone before he was forced to.
So he stood outside Faustite's office, and rapped on the door, and hoped that this went as well as his sister seemed to think it would. So far, he had to admit, he liked being a Corrupt--not that he had any memories to compare it to, since those had all been carved out, but the sailing felt pretty smooth, and he was actually pretty happy with where he was.
And definitely with how he looked. If nothing else, that was a stark improvement. He had to wonder, though, what General Faustite might think, to have a pretty boy in a tiny skirt showing up at his office and asking to be part of his team. Alkmene hoped that his reaction was, at least, interesting. Or entertaining.
Strickenized
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2021 3:36 am
When Alkmene knocked, no one answered.
When Alkmene knocked, no one could hear him. The two occupants on the other side of the door yelled at each other, until one occupant chose to leave. This occupant burst through the door, holding her face where it had started to blister in the shape of a handprint. She pushed pushed Alkmene brusquely, then set off down the hall at a furious power walk. If she had parting words, she kept them to herself.
The other occupant of the room wasn't as well heeled. He chased her to the door, held onto the wood frame (which protested by shriveling in on itself, turning black, popping and crackling), and shouted his venom back at her. "Give me my mail on ******** time and I won't melt your ******** face!"
He was aware of the presence at the door, but he looked after the retreating figure foremost. Only when she departed wordless, no longer visible, did he turn his attention to that which stood at his door.
Faustite wasn't sure who they were or why they were there; the only supposition to come to mind concerned Lilith, who said her brother would be coming by. But this one didn't look like a brother, unless her brother wore skirts. This probably wasn't her brother.
A stranger, then. "Don't have any other appointments booked," he replied brusquely to their standing there, then shut the door on the barest of flames that started where his hand was.
The sounds of shouting inside the office made Alkmene raise his eyebrows. Apparently, it would be a bit before Faustite could see him, presuming one of the people yelling was the General, which...seemed a reasonable assumption.
Finally, the door opened, and he watched the woman rush past him, and...yep, that was definitely Faustite; surely there couldn't be two Negaverse generals with a core of fire.
Oh, Faustite was cute, even when he was spitting mad. Alkmene wondered about his tastes--but that was a consideration for another moment, unless "get in his pants" became a clear way to accomplish the objective of "get assigned to the same General as his sister."
And then the door shut in his face.
Alkmene crossed his arms, frowning down at the doorknob, and decided that ******** this, actually, he was going in. So he turned it--and hissed at the heat left behind on the knob, but soldiered through, shoving the door open.
"Hi, you do, actually," he said. "I don't know how much my sister told you, but I'm Alkmene. Lilith's older brother? She said you'd be expecting me." Though it would be just like her to leave out very important information, like, for instance, anything about how he looked, for some entertainment. So maybe he shouldn't be so surprised that Faustite had no idea who he was.
Strickenized
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2021 3:51 pm
Heard his door open again as he was walking away with it, and Faustite knew as soon as he heard the latch that he wouldn't be dealing with more than one dumb ******** today. Back still to the senshi that imposed, Faustite grit his teeth as his upper lip raised in a snarl. He halted in step.
The wrecked desk, the broken bookshelves, the beaten chairs each seemed to warp and liquefy as the air around Faustite baked to the glittering bend of tarmac. "You're right. Forgot it's sudden ******** barbecue time —" He muttered, the words sizzling and sparking on his overheated tongue.
But his heat died near instantaneously when he heard the words Lilth and older brother, and he turned as he hocked fresh blister fluid into his throat, expected the brother had weirdly convenient timing —
But it was the same senshi as before. Lilith's older brother was this one. "Oh."
Faustite's mouth became a disturbed line, more for the bitter taste of fresh-burnt injury than the situation he faced. Spat black into his beleaguered trash can, then paced around the fool bold one to shut his somehow-still-on-the-hinges door.
"Wasn't expecting you to show up wearing a skirt." Sibilant sizzles still left his tongue; it would take some time for his heat to bank down entirely, he knew. Paced back up behind this one, and he started to pick out the nuances. No heart-shaped feminine a** on this one, legs looked more sculpted, muscle to the shoulder region, deeper voice. Brother wears a skirt, then.
Whatever. Cannon fodder was still cannon fodder if he couldn't make the cut.
"Then you should know who I am, and that I don't take any bullshit from humans." A hand returned to his hip, thumb through the nearest belt loop. "Need to know more about you than your name — sphere, magic effects, strengths, weaknesses, your curriculum ******** vitae."
noir songbird
I'm only putting this here because it's what almost happened heart
Meltdown ;; Range: 10' radius around user Duration: Up to 30 seconds Use Count: Up to 2x Miss Chance: Escaping range at or before the buildup stage Effect: By expending some of his core, Faustite can whip up a firestorm on a local area, prefaced by dancing cinders seconds before the burst. Inferno gusts orbit clockwise, burning anyone caught in their whorl. Friendly fire possible.
It was. Hot, inside Faustite's office. Almost unbearably so. Alkmene was glad for his skimpy corrupted outfit, because at least he wasn't in a button-up and long pants to roast in the heat in here. Which perhaps he should have expected, since he was entering into the domain of a man made half of fire, and he was clearly furious, but well, he'd already charged ahead, so here he was, and more the fool him for charging straight in. Maybe he should have given Faustite some space to...well. Literally cool down.
Ah well, he was here and committed now, and Faustite at least seemed to be slightly less likely to literally explode, and while he felt a little steamed, as far as he could tell, there was no serious injury.
So he stood still, as Faustite moved around him to the door, and very clearly looked him over. This wasn't the most pleasant checking-out he'd ever experienced, but truth be told, it wasn't the worst, either. Firmly neutral, so far.
"Sorry," Alkmene said, and he managed, and was very proud of himself for doing so, to keep any sarcasm out of his tone. "I guess my sister decided not to warn you." He shrugged his shoulders. "She probably thought it'd be funny."
A wry smile crossed his lips. "Straight to the point. I like that in a man," he said, before he could think better of it. "Sailor Alkmene, Senshi of Envy. Magic steals uses from other people, the way envy makes you want to destry what other people have when you can't. Did some testing with Lil to get limits, since unfortunately, when I waltzed my fine a** over here from Order, I forgot everything I knew about being Alkmene." He rolled his eyes. "Inconvenient as hell, since the person I remember being had to disappear, but we've done some work to relearn what I was missing. Not much in the way of physical skills, I'll grant, but I lie exceptionally well and I'm good with people." He paused, briefly.
"Also, I play the violin professionally, but I don't think that's the kind of skill you're after."
Strickenized
Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2021 6:40 pm
Strange to be referred to as a man; Faustite figured anyone calling him that was just being generous. To come out and flirt so brazenly spoke of flattery, anyhow. As for Lilith — deliberately putting her brother into danger like that… A corner of Faustite's mouth twitched downward.
"You were corrupted at will." Same hallmarks from Nembus, then. Faustite started to pace. "Better you answer to Nembus. She's got memory damage like you. Doesn't seem like it comes back." Might never return, whatever pieces of their lives they lost. Faustite spared a brief thought to if remembrance really mattered to him, got as far as his family, and displaced that thought to the ether.
"She's Infiltration, though Information-bent now. Learn from her. She was trained by an Information General.
"Your sister is —" Faustite clicked his tongue, sucked in a breath, "— training someone else, or I'd have put you together. Pity that; it can't be helped." Better if he could've kept Nembus's plate completely clean for her work, but this may yet turn out to her advantage. A Super approaching Generals about how to do the job, how to train her subordinate into a good little senshi sounded just as plausible, if not more so with Alkmene's addition.
Didn't like that his scathing annoyance at having to deal with more people had diminished. Didn't like the implication. Didn't like the tired acceptance that he oft drifted into when faced with these moments.
He glanced at the hem of Alkmene's skirt, then up at his face. "Don't be so quick to dismiss your violin."
Alkmene nodded at the directions. That wasn't the same Senshi Lilith was under, and Faustite acknowledged that--but that was alright. He didn't have to be his little sister's shadow, after all, and who even knew who Tomoko was working with these days.
He liked Faustite, so far. Could see why Lilith had recommended him. Why she'd chosen him for herself. And if the Negaverse had to be structured, better to be structured in with someone he liked.
"I can work without her," Alkmene said, "and we can find plenty of time to compare notes and what have you." He shrugged his shoulders, not overly concerned, and glanced around the office for somewhere to sit. Spotted a chair, plopped in it, and crossed one leg over the other. A little pointedly, because he could see Faustite's eyes on the hem of his skirt.
"Anyway, I suppose my skill with a violin does demonstrate that I'm good with my hands. Fine detail work. Concentration, memorization--it takes a lot of practice to play a concerto, and a violin is a finicky instrument. Get it right, and you have something beautiful. Wrong, and you've got a cat in heat being strangled." He looked Faustite dead in the face, and said, deadpan, "also, I don't really have a gag reflex, which is useful in more ways than you'd expect."
Strickenized
Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2021 1:28 pm
Faustite heaved an exasperated sigh as he turned his gaze to the ceiling. Don't ******** your subordinates, he reminded himself, it's gauche. And he didn't want to be Schörl.
Mainly he didn't want to be Schörl.
The flamebound thing turned his attention to Alkmene once more as he crossed his legs, shifted on his stool. "Thanks, Lilith. Message received." Busied himself searching for whatever teabags he could find, for wherever his carafe wandered off to when it didn't have a home, and something vaguely cup-like to hold said tea. He spoke while he searched, and altogether took a handful of minutes to assemble all the parts.
"Certain the Negaverse could use a proficient sword-swallower." He knew he wasn't the only uptight a*****e living in the halls. "And 'violinist'. Assuming we're referencing the actual skill, thinking we need to build your popularity as a fiddle player and use you to sell or rent some special violins. Enchanted to drain energy, keep our stores stocked and our methods varied."
Once he found all the parts, he placed two cups resembling keyboard keys on the slant of a desk fragment. One was labeled ctrl, and the other alt, but their triplet del was destroyed in his falling out with Albite. He'd scrounged some tea, too — silk sachets of oolong he'd made in his downtime as Eion.
"The Negaverse?" He raised his eyebrows, amused. "I mean, if you think I'd be so generally useful, that's kind of you." He shrugged his shoulders at Faustite's suggestion for what to do with his talent, and nodded.
"Wouldn't have to be violins, if you can enchant items like that. Rosin, bows, strings. Signed CDs. If that's what you think 'd be best put to use for." Idly, he flipped his hair back over his shoulder, and rested his elbow on one thigh, leaning his cheek on his fist. "Violins are expensive, but smaller things would sell better, and be easier to send out online, since I mostly do YouTube."
His eyes flicked to the teacups, and he waited, with interest. "You know, I don't drink tea much. Guess this will be a new experience for me."
Strickenized
Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2021 1:43 pm
"Was trying to be coy about it. Jerk off half my peers and they'd be half as inefficient." Head cocked to the side, he rolled his eyes to the ceiling. Pretended what he said didn't fit him just as perfectly.
Uncrossed and recrossed his legs, too. "Can enchant any of those. Just need you making some energy. Figure we have enough agents in the streets collecting from the source. Better we make money with a different strategy." If Alkmene was as obviously flirtatious and indulgent of company in plainclothes as he was in that… Skirt getup, then they had prime opportunity in a music store. Assuming, of course, that he was being literal about knowing how to play the violin. Faustite assumed he was, by the sound of the suggestions he rattled off.
Waited a beat, as the water held against his middle began to bubble, then added, "don't know how to couch this: you're very distracting, but I don't ******** my subordinates." Alkmene could take that however he wanted.
A little longer, and the kettle started to whistle. He shifted his grip on it, poured hot water over the sachets, and set the remainder on the floor behind his dented little stool. Considered what it meant when Alkmene said he didn't drink tea much, cocked his head to the side, then started digging through his beleaguered desk again. This time he unearthed a decanter of ruddy amber, uncapped it, and poured a margin into Alkmene's cup.
An actual laugh passed Alkmene's lips. "Duly noted," he said. Faustite's explanation was considered and taken onboard, and Alkmene nodded, agreeably. There were certainly plenty of options, and with his magic being what it was and only sometimes useful under certain circumstances, better to put the talents he brought to bear to use in whatever other ways were available.
And there were indeed a lot of those, even if he was being denied putting them to use in one particular, specific way.
"I will be totally honest with you: that is wildly disappointing to me, but I'm also impressed by your ethical boundaries." Fine, so Faustite wouldn't sleep with his subordinates. That was probably a good thing, in the grand scheme of things, but it was also wildly inconvenient for Alkmene personally, because Faustite was cute, even considering the furnace at his core--and truth be told, the inhuman aspects really weren't all that offputting.
No comment was made on the addition of alcohol to the tea; Alkmene just stood up and moved over to the desk. With his advances firmly rejected--though Alkmene was going to take it as more of a not now than a not ever, being something of an optimist that way--there wasn't much point with playing peek-the-upskirt, and it seemed like it would be way more likely to just make Faustite uncomfortable. Not wise, given the situation.
"How long do these steep for? I know that's a thing, Lils prefers caffeinated teas to gamer energy drinks, but I've never paid too much attention to the exact workings."
Strickenized
Posted: Tue Nov 23, 2021 6:03 pm
Faustite thought about it, then realized he had no idea why Alkmene would find his answer disappointing. He wasn't good looking, he wasn't tall or built, he lacked a deep and gravelly voice, he didn't have… Anything that he thought was attractive in a boy. Plus he was on fire. Plus he wasn't human. Thus, Faustite doubted that he would be on anyone's list of people to take to bed (unless people included Albite, who was somehow thrilled with the idea of sleeping with his boss after a couple promotions).
"… Why would it be?" Best way to learn, he supposed, was by asking. He would let the ethics observation slide without comment; let Alkmene think he had some shred of nobility.
Though that impression probably went up in smoke with him adding alcohol to tea, especially since he hadn't asked Alkmene's age. Not that he had any business pouring alcohol for anyone at the ripe old age of twenty.
The tea question was an easy one, and drew Faustite away from more difficult subjects. He looked to the rim of the tea mug, at the rich dark colour of it. "Black tea's 2-4 minutes, usually," he said offhand. "Steep time depends on the tea. Too much and it'll taste bitter, waxy, saturated with caffeine. Too little and you won't have much flavor.
"Strange thing to ask, for someone who doesn't drink tea." He looked up to Alkmene as he approached. "You asking because you're interested, or because it's hard to make conversation with someone who isn't human?"
Alkmene blinked, raising his eyebrows. "Because I think you're cute, and I wasn't flirting just for funsies--I actually would have liked to sleep with you." He shrugged his shoulders. "But if you'd prefer not to, that's fine, and I won't push."
It would be immensely rude, and also offputting, to try and pressure his new General into sex, and honestly, Alkmene didn't want to be about that kind of thing. If Faustite changed his mind later, that would be a win, sure, but a no was a no, whatever the reasons.
He paid attention to the answer to his question, though--he'd asked it, after all, and anything else would be rude. "Seems fiddly, but interesting. And worth learning, if you're gonna drink the stuff."
The return query made him shrug his shoulders. "I'm interested. And I like hearing people talk about things they know. Maybe I'll never really drink tea, or be a major league gamer like my sister, but I still like asking you stuff about tea or hearing her talk about her k/d ratio in her last game." he quirked his eyebrows. "So, y'know. Tell me something about this blend, I guess."
Strickenized
Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2021 6:42 am
Faustite found himself in a predicament. He could either withhold the most disgustingly exasperated sigh that had built up in his flamebound body over the past five years, or he could heave it without giving Alkmene any context and leaving the boy to assume the worst. Both options were a level of terrible that he hoped to never experience again.
Hardly a second passed before he decided. He heaved the sigh, shoulders rising up before deflating with it, and he slouched on his stool at an angle that only a practiced stool-user could manage without falling off, and his eyes rolled to the ceiling where delicate Rift crystals began to form. However melodramatic the action was, he felt better for it — like he could accept himself again, now that he vented some frustration. Alkmene would have to suck it up with his assumptions.
Unless he asked. That would be… Another predicament.
He decided to blame Lilith. It was her fault that he had to deal with a boy today — her brother, of all things, so he couldn't send this boy back where he came or direct him to Jet or Netherite — and it was her fault that her brother was cute. If she hadn't corrupted the b***h and sent him over, Faustite would otherwise be having a normal day in the office where he drank too much tea and set his reports on fire at least twice.
Now that he collected himself, Faustite recrossed his legs. He heard Alkmene's answer and understood it, appreciated its honesty, but did not comment further on it. He smiled, however slight.
"It's a black and oolong mix with black currant, vanilla, bergamot and caramel notes. Something with enough caffeine for the night and a flavor that stays decent if I don't chug it." Considered explaining the last part, but Alkmene seemed smart enough to figure it out. He'd have to explain it to Albite, however.
Faustite plucked the tea bags out by the twine at the end, and dumped the dripping bags into the dented wastebin. "Got blueberry honey with cream. Usually drink tea the British way, but russian tea's grown on me," he added, as he thought back to Misha's offer of jam. He seized the honey jar from his desk and the carton from subspace, and finished prepping both mugs. Set the teaspoon aside on a saucer. "This tea — made the recipe a few years ago. Made it loose leaf for a long time, but an officer asked me for some. Switched to making silk sachets for it." Not that it mattered either way in his own office, he supposed.
"What does your sister drink?" Might as well dig for information while he had the brother here.
noir songbird
he falls for boys so quick and he's So Tired of falling for boys it's terrible
Alkmene's eyebrows traveled slowly upwards at the sound of Faustite's sigh, but he supposed it was none of his business if the General didn't want to share his frustrations. There were plenty of reasons to find oneself sighing heavily and staring at the ceiling probably, and Alkmene was not going to assume any frustrations were with him unless he was given more evidence.
It was an active effort to not jump to that conclusion, but he was going to make it, damn it.
The description of the tea made him nod along, taking it in with interest.
"That sounds amazing," he said, honestly. "Good depth of flavor, and it sounds like it'd be sweet but not overwhelmingly so, even with honey?" He smiled. "I'm glad to get to try it."
What a way to introduce himself to his new General. Flirt with him, get gently shut down, and try his special tea blend. Not exactly what Alkmene had been expecting, but then, what did one expect from the Negaverse, really? Alkmene still wasn't entirely sure.
"Lilith drinks black teas, mostly, sometimes matcha, because she's doing it for the caffeine boost. Her fans like to send her gifts with it, too; mugs and blends and stuff, and I know some of them have sent her blends from this one website that lets people make their own, so a lot of them are fandom or character based--so they'll send her stuff for her mains, and that sort of thing. I think she has a personal blend she sells, actually? One of her merch items?"
Strickenized
he delights me infinitely and i am mega sad that this got lost somehow
