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 Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2021 7:15 pm
It was helpful, having Captain Kosmochlor explain the intricacies of their technology to the new recruits. His excuse for passing on that particular topic was that he couldn't use most of the tech at their disposal, owing to his natural temperature. This was, of course, true — but it was likewise clever cover for Faustite's tech illiteracy. The one thing that Faustite knew how to use was his phone.
Was, because it finally reached planned obsolescence and he had to get a new one from the Apple store. And now, so many operating systems later, he had no idea how to use the damn thing again.
Given that, it behooved him to thank Captain Kosmochlor for her help tackling that particular section. And for speaking in general, considering how little he favored that around anyone, let alone former enemies. Thus, he descended the Citadel steps, listening to their faint echo on the crystalline ceiling as he reached the Captain offices. Metal heels thocked firmly on the stone floor as he passed one door after the next, most remaining unadorned, but a few had small hints of life.
He passed one with a wreath on it, and Christmas lights that somehow worked, though he couldn't see where they were plugged in. He decided he should get a wreath for Lysithea's office door as he passed it.
Finally he reached the Captain of the hour's office. Felt as though she was in, though there were plenty of Captains in their quarters that evening. He knocked, twice, then waited for an answer. "General Faustite," he announced, though he was sure there were few Generals who felt quite like him.daekie for her to ask him 50000 questions and he will just. leave.
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Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2021 9:46 pm
It'd taken her a few days to really get an office assigned once she'd trotted her way back to Destiny City (and, by proxy, Negaspace), but once she had, Kosmochlor had wasted no time getting everything set up. It helped to have that odd little work-life division -- anything for Destiny City Medical Center she did here, in uniform, surrounded by the pulse of every other aura in every other office; and everything she did for streaming she did in her own apartment, as Soleil, and wore considerably less purple.
That was something she needed to think about, really. Plans for the future, and for promotion. How much control could she exert? How much variance? Sure, she looked good in purple in the right lighting, if it didn't leave her all washed out - but it was something that'd belonged to Babel first, like those broken symbols, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to keep it when Captain Kosmochlor eventually became General Kosmochlor. The broken symbols could stay. She thought of them a little like Amazonite's burned-in oathmark: promises broken, oathbreaker: and that was a confidence boost.
Faustite making his way to her office seemed like perfect providence, actually; she'd been debating for days and days about the right wording and the right way to ask him oh-so-many questions about where metal had replaced flesh. (Mostly for replication purposes. If she could amp up her arm, amp up herself, without falling victim to her starseed warping and cracking like Faustite and Carnotite had done - if she could do it and still keep Soleil as an effortless default skin - it'd be a great advancement.)
"Oh! Hi! Door's not locked, you can come right on in - shouldn't be anything eminently flammable outside of the cubbies, although you might want to stay clear of the computers, they're sensitive." This Kosmochlor called through the door, making an effort to keep herself sitting sitting ramrod-straight; slouching might've been a default, but she wanted to have him think well enough of her that it'd take at least a few questions to burn through all that goodwill.Strickenized but faustite 🥺 faustite what about scientific advancement 🥺🥺 faustite it would be really cool and sexy of her if she could amp up her arm. girls dig that. faustite where are you going come back
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Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2021 8:27 am
Faustite paused when he heard her call back. He blinked a couple times, asked himself if he heard correctly. If so, she was the first person to ever consider his pyrogenic state when it came to offices — even Axinite had yet to pick up a couple metal chairs that he couldn't set on fire. It was strange, and worse yet, it provoked a smile, so he had to stall until he could straighten his face out to its usual stoicism when he entered.
Opened the door, entered, and Faustite spared only a cursory glance around the room. Offices were more like professional bedrooms — they spoke of the image that the officer wanted to project. Certainly Kosmochlor's use of computers in here spoke to her technology background. And there she was, sitting in the middle of it all, looking bright and attentive.
He left the door open because he hadn't expected to stay long; a thank-you was a thank-you, and an open offer for recommendation was something to say right before leaving, in case the recruit decided to ask for more (they almost always did).
So he paused at the fore of her desk, still standing. It struck him that it would be appropriate for her to stand at attention, but he was never terribly picky for convention. "Wanted to thank you for speaking at the Orientation. Wouldn't have been able to explain half of it myself." He hadn't determined if that was because he disliked their technology, or because he couldn't use it. Like Kosmochlor's computers and cubbies, they were sensitive to heat.daekie faustite walks out and slams the door hard enough that the gses can hear it
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Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2021 7:13 pm
Her grin was blinding-bright as the sun. "No problem! I've run into so many people who've got no idea how to use the tablets, it drives me insane, and talking about it all comes pretty naturally. As does most tech! ...seriously, do stand at a distance from these, though, a lot of this is work for the hospital, and I don't think Infiltration would be all that pleased to hear I lost data for an easily-avoidable reason."
Kosmochlor hopped up from her desk, absentmindedly flexing her left hand - clench-unclench - and only semi-subtly whisked the tablet she'd been fiddling with into subspace. Ideally he hadn't seen it, but it was hardly a loss; doubtful he'd even know what any differences had been. Certainly the Mauvians were unlikely to lend their blessing, yet.
"Actually! While you're here, I wanted to ask you something? So, first off -" she clicked her tongue, gestured at her left arm - too-pale, a little desaturated, the black lines of tattoos seemingly shifting if they weren't looked at straight on - and let that hand rest against her hip, "replacement youma graft. That's not news; got it when I joined to replace what I'd lost. You, though."
There was an odd light in Kosmochlor's eyes. There was something a little unholy about it, about how she looked at him now, about how guileless and genuine her immediate question sounded in comparison to what her words were. "You're the only half-youma I'm aware of with inorganic parts! So that implies human interference. How'd that all work? Segmented integration over time, any issues with rejection, any of that?"
It wasn't that she assumed Faustite's path to being the way he was had been anything but traumatic - it was only, simply, that she didn't care. There was information she didn't have, that nobody had publicly, and the idea of it would've set her tail lashing if she'd had one; half-youma were well and good, but Kosmochlor had no desire to be one, she just wanted to be more. Why not make use of her own tools?
She'd never have thanked Labyrinthite for cutting off her goddamn arm, she wasn't that kind of deluded, but - well. It had opened up her eyes to a whole series of things that Babel would've never agreed to look at, never would've recognized.Strickenized she'll get her info one day!!
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2021 2:08 pm
A little miffed to be chided over standing too close to some electronics, faustite shifted his weight and stood with his knuckles against his left hip. His other hand he examined idly for Rift dust under the nails while she gave the background to her request.
So she had a youma graft. He'd heard about those. Seen two of them, one in a Negaverse senshi and one on a youmafied officer. Both terribly strange cases in their own right. This girl had one too, and now that he looked at it, the skin colors hadn't matched. The thing looked withered, unhappy, like it wanted a different home than this one, and Faustite could sympathize with that. Humans often were the worst of the lot.
He stared her in the eyes, growing less amused by the second. His hand dropped out of sight. "I am the only half-youma with inorganic parts." The only one he knew of as well; likely, the rest of the youmafied officers were fortunate enough that the human and youma in them played nice, or if it didn't, they were smart enough to avoid surgery.
Especially Schörl's meddling. Lucky ******** struggled to suppress a lip twitch. Still, if he had to explain away slow-roasting an insolent Captain, he'd be looked at for a traitor, too. Better that he didn't fry this one for prying.
"You want your information, Captain, you best work for it. One question for double your weekly quota. Including starseeds. Expect it by next week.
"And," Faustite raised his hand to pat a desktop that began smoking from the top. "Sorry to hear about your computer."
He graced her with a perfunctory half-smile before he turned, and walked himself back out of her smoky, electrical abode. There was better company to be had in the Rift. He slammed the door hard enough to rattle the hinges on his way out.
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Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2021 10:28 pm
"Hey now - " She knew better than to start yelling at someone who'd be able to set her and all her work on fire, Kosmochlor did, but that didn't mean she didn't still snap reflexively under her breath, miffed. The nerve of some people. Well, if she was lucky that'd been nothing she couldn't replace; stealing was one thing (and even if not stealing, "work expense" carried things a long way), but it was still undue effort she'd hoped not to put out.
It couldn't be helped, maybe. (It absolutely could be helped, but hell, she valued her physical wellbeing too much to do it.)
The thing was this - he might've said it out of spite, might've said it with unchecked bitterness - but Faustite hadn't said no... and she was willing to take that. If he'd thought he wouldn't carry through, more fool him. What was a little extra death in the name of exceeding human limits, anyway?Strickenized yep, fin! just wanted to get one last post in
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