|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2021 11:28 am
There hadn't been a trace of Whisler at that park, and Ashanite prefaced with the knowledge that it had been years since they last met, but Faustite ran with it. Ran with it, and found that Whisler moved on, and found that Ashanite panicked, and that his own temper was ever explosive, even when primed with the expectation of failure. The pair left without Nembus and the park was several trees poorer for it. The volunteer firemen were given a call, and given justification for their jobs.
So he and Ashanite hadn't started off their professional relationship well. Nembus still found her way back to earth, back to Negaspace, but their lack of finding her and rescuing her first still harangued him.
In the interim, since receiving their new mission through Laurelite, Faustite spent much of his downtime reading up on other officers. He learned, therefore, that Ashanite was part of Spec Ops. And while Faustite had no access to his personnel files, his name was tied to some previous operations that were part of public domain: the most recent fiasco in the park, and that he'd spent some time acting as a mole (which was a curious multibranch discipline). He had a couple subordinates, some of which Faustite saw at the park (and Xenia, too, which earned a twitching snarl at first read). He'd done his due diligence, logged traitors.
Faustite told himself that these dutiful contributions to the Negaverse earned Ashanite a second chance. In truth, he had gone looking for justifications for a second chance. He needed to give Ashanite a second chance because he thought the violet-haired boy was cute, and he wanted to spend more time around him. Make some connections.
Satisfied that Ashanite was less of a moron on paper than he was in that one instance, Faustite set off for his office. Passed a few Lieutenants in the halls on the way there (so he must not have been the intimidating type to the rank and file, else these airheaded geeks wouldn't jabber in the halls).
Faustite paused once he reached Ashanite's door, considered it, asked himself if this was really necessary. Then he knocked, twice, and announced himself. "It's Faustite."
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2021 11:02 pm
The memory of Faustite’s explosive temper and his own frozen panic still stung. Ashanite hated that he’d displayed such glaring weakness in the face of failure, that there was still a part of him that was so scarred from his past experiences with Umber’s violence that he assumed that was what failure would result in. A failure that was only barely his, anyway!
He had holed up in his office since the incident, obsessively cleaning to make sure that it was spotless. He’d bene away for long enough that things had gotten a bit dusty and run down, and there was work to be done to bring it back up to acceptability. So he was dusting off the bookshelf he’d installed--a pretentious little decoration, but sometimes a man liked to curl up in his own office space with something to ******** read--when the knock came. He turned, and inhaled tensely.
Faustite.
He’d been at the meeting with Laurelite, which was, Ashanite supposed, incentive to try and play nice. They’d both been trusted with a special assignment; that was surely what he was here about.
He could have been petty and refused to open the door, but that would not be a positive start. So he strode over and opened it.
“Faustite,” he said. “Come in. What can I do for you?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Oct 29, 2021 2:03 am
Come in, he said, so Faustite entered. He gave the office a cursory once-over — looked like Ashanite was prepping for a meeting with a superior. Doubted he'd find a speck of dust in the corners. He wondered, briefly, if Laurelite pulled Ashanite aside, or if Hessonite had, and spoke an extra word to him. Faustite would guess something negative; why else would anyone touch up their space so, unless their superior threatened an end to them?
Better he didn't mention it if he wanted something productive out of this impromptu housecall. He hadn't entered far, seemingly preferring the wall for its inability to burn from the heat of his middle. Leaned against it, one foot tucked up underneath with the heel flat against the hewn stone.
"We've draining to do," he answered simply. Hand on his hip, he gesticulated as he continued. "Thought I'd invite you. Pick your brain while we're at it.
"Pieced together what I could about you. But public info's wanting — leaves gaps in the margins. Wondered if you'd fill those in." Hand settled quietly at his side, he waited for Ashanite's answer. The better part of him expected a no, never, now get the ******** out, but there was ever the possibility of a yes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Oct 31, 2021 2:22 am
Ashanite waited, and he had to admit to appreciating Faustite avoiding anything flammable. Not that he would mention it aloud; it seemed likely to be taken patronizingly, and when they were part of Laurelite’s handpicked force, being an a** seemed like an unideal way to interact. So he set aside his dusting rag and waited, because obviously there was a purpose to this visit.
A very straightforward purpose, at that. It was true; their increased responsibilities might better be completed together than apart. A lone General was vulnerable to some idiot Senshi or Knight with a hero complex; two in a pair were much less likely to attract a lone hero with ideas of grandeur.
“A sensible idea,” he said, and he strode towards Faustite, “and I’d be happy to answer your questions.” Mostly. There were things he would prefer not to speak of unless it was with subordinates he trusted. But let Faustite see that he was open to cooperation, and perhaps they could smooth over the rough edges from the incident with Whisler. “There may be some places where what I tell you conflicts with official records--I’m not sure how much they’ve been updated, since I was in a...unique position, for a time.”
He paused, briefly.
“Your Senshi--Nembus--did she make it back alright?” He couldn’t help but be concerned, even if she wasn’t his subordinate.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2021 5:40 am
Though surprised he would ask, Faustite supposed that was the natural course of conversation. He nodded once. "Whisler let her off freely. Suspect he had that change of heart you were talking about, or if he's cunning, made a deal with her." His suppositions about that deal grew darker the more he thought about it. The urge to pace grew as he contemplated the conversation, so with jaw set, he moved topics.
The Queen didn't ask them to dither, anyway.
"Found flyers for a party by North Side. We're inviting ourselves." Stepped off from the wall to hold out his arm for Ashanite.
The thought was an easy one — brick building, squat thing of maybe three stories, must've seen the civil war with its coal-stained surface. The bricks were chipped and pitted for their centuries of service, but held well to the elements. Faustite's thought was the roof, which had been replaced twice since its inception, and a short retaining wall suffered a halfassed modification of having the bricks knocked out for drainage. He vanished them to the side nearest the forest, with only a street between them and the wooded park. It was late evening already, and the sights and smells of barbecue, cigarettes, and weed each meandered up to them and commingled into an offense on the senses.
Faustite rankled at the smell, coughed a couple times as he waved it from his face. Settled into a comfortable pacing, hands ever on the move as he spoke. "Smells like s**t up here.
"Heard from Nembus about the forced corruption business. Checks out with the Database reports that you led everyone on. Heard you were also with an Unobtainium from Russia. Wasn't the end of his tenure, but he was just — gone." Opened his arms out. "Vanished into the ether." And his fingers danced the White Moon purification magic that might have been the cause.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2021 4:47 pm
Ashanite nodded. That was potentially concerning--Faustite would know Nembus better, but he knew Whisler, and he knew for a fact that making deals about purifications was in his wheelhouse. He’d tried it with Ashanite once, after all.
And Ashanite, being an idiot, had almost accepted. But that was in the past, now.
Instead of saying anything, though, he just took Faustite’s arm and let the other General whirl them off to wherever they were going. A party was an excellent place to drain; people had plenty of other reasons to feel tired, and they might not even look twice at two strangers in odd clothing. Faustite would draw a few more eyes, if they got too close, but people papered over what they didn’t want to see, in Ashanite’s experience. A living female might strain that, certainly, but things could still be managed.
Once they were there, he exhaled, unhappily, and wrinkled his nose.
“Ugh. Hopefully we’re far enough away to avoid a contact high.” An unpleasant proposition, because he liked to retain full control of his faculties. Too many risks when he was constantly balancing infinite deceptions and games.
The mention of Unobtanium made his shoulders stiffen, and for a moment,h e was back on the edge of that lake in the Rift, being kissed until he couldn’t breathe--and then brutally betrayed. He inhaled tightly, and forced a smile onto his face.
“I would have less than no idea of where he’s gone, I’m sorry to say,” he said. “He didn’t tell me where he was going, and not long after he vanished, I ended up chasing leads about a Mauvian that had developed a dangerous weapon and was fleeing to Europe.” Lies, lies, lies. He knew exactly what had happened to Unobtanium. The man was dead in the Russian wilderness, his corpse left for the scavengers. Ashanite had seen to it personally. But Faustite wasn’t Leifite, to be trusted with that kind of information.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2021 4:39 pm
Faustite rolled his eyes at the boy. Liked to complain, this one did. The burning thing approached the building's retaining wall, then knelt down where small holes allowed rainwater to drain off the sides and into their constituent gutters. He could see, though barely, a pair standing opposite the wall and talking to their friends; one had a pipe, the other did not. Passing it around, he supposed.
Knowing he wasn't any good at paying attention to someone while draining, Faustite kept an eye on the group below while Ashanite went on. Settled into a squat with his knees together and his arms folded around them; he felt heat bleed from his grate up through his thighs. Terribly convenient that his uniform didn't burn.
"Interesting. Heard you two were chummy. Imagine he would've said something." Wasn't a very convincing statement, which rendered Ashanite culpable to some extent, but the details of it escaped him. Whisler was still alive, he reflected while he watched a blonde-haired fellow with a goatee accept the pipe, and that intimated some reluctance to murder. If he had to guess, he'd assume that Ashanite and his new friend had some spat that sent the friend back to Russia, and wrote Ashanite off as a lost cause.
The Mauvian encounter hadn't shown up in any records he could piece together, however. It wasn't terribly efficient, public records hunting, and it seldom gave a whole picture of an officer's life. He wasn't surprised that missed the list.
"Tell me about the cat, its tech. And the cat's name." Tiberius was missing, after all, and he couldn't put something like that beyond the self-serving, intolerable sack of fat.
Extended a hand out while he waited, his free hand held back. Soon his free hand wasn't free, with a violet orb growing in his palm, and the group down below began their murmuring about feeling a little tired for all their partying. Some kudos to the weed filtered up to the pair.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2021 2:18 pm
Ashanite had split his attention between draining and talking, listening to the sounds of the party to gauge if they were pulling too much or if they risked being spotted. At least he had several years of practice at draining, which made it a little easier to give Faustite some of his attention and draining the rest. It was beneficial, after all, to be able to work and talk at the same time, and this was, of course, work.
“Whatever I thought we had, or whatever it appeared to be to anyone else, I was clearly just an entertaining dalliance, as far as he was concerned,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. Forced casual. Play down any actual emotional connection, because if Faustite saw how raw the wound still was, even after Ashanite had neatly gotten his revenge, he might pick at it further, and that might risk tangling up the lies and more revelations than needed to be given.
“In any case, he stopped being my problem when he ******** off back home. And the Mauvian became much more pressing.” He kept his eyes on his work, on the growing orb in his palm, as he spoke the well-constructed tower of lies he'd scaffolded, first for Laurelite and then for anyone else. “Her name was Florine, and she’d slipped over here with her owner when they visited from Europe. Not one of ours; an Order mauvian that somehow went under the radar. She connected with some of the Mauvians here and got a clever little scheme together that she thought she’d take home and use to start liberating France. I happened to discover it through one of my contacts on the other side, brought it to Laurelite, and got sent to track her down.”
A wry smile crossed his face. “I’d have liked to bring her back; we can always use more Mauvians; but when I finally caught up with her in Nice, she blew the entire thing sky-high rather than risking herself, and her plans, getting captured. A miserable outcome, but at least the weapon and its designs are gone.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2021 4:37 pm
Faustite nodded. He continued to drain, though his thoughts drifted to the conversation at hand. Hesitation laced his words; he second-guessed speaking, but he already committed to it by the time he thought the idea poor. "If you're… Looking for entertaining dalliances…" He left the words to wander.
Below, the group of smokers collapsed at once. Faustite got too distracted, it seemed.
Hastily tucking the orbs away, he waited to see if anyone noticed the fallen group, and the sounds of glass pipes and bottles breaking, before he would continue the task. A handful of seconds passed; Ashanite had gone over the Mauvian, too, and Faustite's thoughts drifted back to it. Would've been nice to have a furbag so driven and useful. Instead, the Negaverse was saddled with mangy little things that wasted time, resources, and effort. Creatures like Tiberius that ransomed their services, or ones that were ultimately useless, like Albite's new pet. Heard that one kept pissing on his clothes. Both were far from that one Mauvian.
"We'll see that weapon again. Mauvians loathe to destroy their blueprints."
Heard one person stop, tall, and mutter a disconcerted what the ********>. Faustite snapped back to work, drained that fellow until he joined the impromptu dog pile of drunks and dipshits.
"Should wrap it up." One hand on his hip, his free claws followed with a regroup motion.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2021 4:07 am
The offer made Ashanite pause, raise his eyebrows, and smile.
"If that's an offer, it's one I'd be glad to take you up on, once we're finished here," he said. Faustite was interesting, and pretty in a striking sort of way; besides that, at the very least Ashanite could guarantee that post-coital conversation wouldn't be dull.
His eyes flickered downward at the sound of a set of unfortunate thumps, and he sighed. Unfortunate, but still useful, and they would probably ascribe it to the drugs or the drink. Besides, most of his attention needed to be on Faustite, lest he start picking apart pieces or inconsistencies in Ashanite's story. So far, though, he seemed to accept it, which was good enough for Ashanite.
"It's possible," he acknowledged, although he had the certain knowledge that due tot he fact that it simply did not exist, there would be no resurgence. "If we're lucky, next time we'll get our hands on it."
He glanced at the energy orb he'd collected, and made a little thoughtful hum, tucking it into subspace.
"I think we've pulled enough that Her Majesty should be well and satisfied, yes," he agreed. "We can find somewhere more interesting to be."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2021 3:41 pm
"Somewhere more interesting sounds like your place, doesn't it." It was both a suggestion and an expression of interest, though Faustite knew he wasn't terribly good at either. He came off as pushy, terse, standoffish, and disinterested to most. And while he was forward enough with Ashanite for him to accept Faustite's interest, that was where Faustite's experience with flirting ended. Few, if any, of his previous liaisons required any sort of social grace.
Not that he expected Ashanite did — no, he expected that Ashanite did. He'd been walked out on before, it sounded like, and he should likely expect more of his mates now. But he hoped that Ashanite afforded him a little more grace for being part youma, and thus so far removed from the human world's expectations. Faustite lacked a map for these social waters, but what he lacked in words, he made up for with his mouth.
Vanishing his energy to the interstice, Faustite approached his companion. "You meant it when you said 'once we're finished here', right?" An honest question, and Faustite looked up at Ashanite curiously.
Ashanite could've been kidding, might still laugh in his face, but then Faustite would burn him down and cremate everything he held dear. Then he'd return to the Rift where the company was less two-faced (at least, figuratively speaking).
He hoped he had the don't ******** with me, I'm on fire vibe perfected by now.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2022 1:19 am
Faustite was so honest. Open. Easy to read--at least, right now. Ashanite had to admit, he appreciated that. After all the nonsense with Unobtanium's push and pull that ended with him crawling out of a lake of darkness in the Rift, it was just...nice, to have the ease of offer and acceptance.
"It does," he said, and he tucked away his energy and offered a hand. "And I did mean it. I try not to make offers I don't intend on following through on." Especially not to his fellows in the Negaverse, and especially not to someone he was absolutely going to be working closely with for a while after this.
Anyway, this promised to be interesting.
"Let me take you home with me," he said. It had been a while since he'd taken anyone to bed--might as well get back into it with what promised to be quite a spectacular bang.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2022 7:01 am
Faustite almost took him up on that.
It was an easy thought, to simply walk up to Ashanite and take up his hand, expect to be teleported away from there. They'd had some energy, after all, and should be leaving unless they wanted a whole mess of starseeds to go with it. He had even gone as far as approaching Ashanite, and reaching for his hand before he stopped and reconsidered.
A thought brought a cincher out of nowhere, and Faustite was quick to wrap it about his manufactured waist. Fingers clasped together the front of it with ease, and he breathed a relieved sigh afterward.
Then he reached again for Ashanite's hand, and took it up. Faustite was still feverish, but the heat no longer seared with the strength of an angry skillet. He was excited, though he didn't know how to show it; he didn't know what was acceptable, where he could start, where he shouldn't start. He assumed they should wait until they were indoors first.
So he bit back a smile as best he could, kept himself carefully under wraps, and offered, "lead the way."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
