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 Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2022 5:51 pm
The Queen herself had told him to take it easy, so that was what he was going to do.
“Rose. Coffee,” he said as he entered his office, knowing very well that Roselite was already there, working on some of the paperwork he’d been tasked with. They had a mission coming up, and since he didn’t know how much he could trust the rest of the team that Jet put together, he was having Roselite dig up some of his own research on Ganymede and Sessrumnir and the others that had been mentioned.
He didn’t bother keeping the jacket on. He slid it off his shoulders and tossed it onto the back of one of the chairs in front of where Roselite was working, before sitting down in it himself and propping his feet up on the edge of his desk.
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Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2022 7:06 pm
Roselite’s wisp, previously floating peacefully above the desk, watching him work, fluttered away at Bloodstone’s entrance, hiding in the shadow of a filing cabinet.
Roselite himself stood halfway out of his chair. Captain Bloodstone’s chair, actually. This was still Captain Bloodstone’s office, Captain Bloodstone’s desk, and Captain Bloodstone’s paperwork.
Only… Captain Bloodstone was not Captain Bloodstone any longer.
Roselite blinked, mouth hanging open in shock as he slowly processed what he was seeing.
Upon sensing the aura of an approaching General, he’d thought he might see another familiar face on the other side of the door. Maybe General Faustite needed help with paperwork again. Maybe General Aquamarine wanted some of these old files back. Roselite stood automatically — to make tea or to gather folders into a semblance of order, depending on who it was.
He did not expect it would be Bloodstone. Roselite froze. He blinked again. His mouth worked as he fought for words that wouldn’t come.
“S-Sir…”
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Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2022 7:30 pm
He knew that getting the promotion was going to make him feel tired, but that much energy directly from the Queen was a little more than he’d been expecting. Nothing that he couldn’t handle, of course. He just needed to take it easy for a day or so.
Bloodstone opened his eyes when he heard Roselite’s surprised voice, and tilted his head to the side as though it was completely normal for him to get a promotion and then come back.
“Are we out of coffee?” he wondered, because Roselite knew there was a break room not too far away that surely had some more coffee. Bad coffee was better than no coffee.
Finally he just let out a little sigh and shrugged, arms crossed over his chest.
“I asked the Queen for a promotion. I didn’t want to wait another five years.” Sounded simple enough, right?
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Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2022 10:40 am
“No, Sir,” Roselite squeaked a reply.
The explanation was… well, it made sense. It was also very bold, going directly to the Queen for a promotion, asking for one, instead of going through the usual channels. But… well, there Captain Bloodstone was — General Bloodstone now, so the Queen obviously agreed with him.
Roselite had a hard time believing Bloodstone actually made it a request. Usually he just demanded things, or did what he wanted without waiting for permission (or asking for it in the first place).
Oh! The coffee!
Roselite scuttled over to the coffee station set up along the wall to his right. Going through the steps was easy; he could make coffee on autopilot. Every few seconds, his nervous gaze flicked over to Bloodstone, considering all the modifications the extra Chaos had made to his uniform.
“I’m glad the Queen sees you as an asset,” Roselite said. “I was thinking… after the mission she gave you and the others… it would only be a matter of time…”
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Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2022 10:48 am
Bloodstone didn’t miss the way Roselite kept looking over at him, and maybe later he would look more closely at his new uniform as well. He liked how the bodysuit gave him more movement than his uniform as a captain. The material felt strong, like it was interwoven with some kind of material to keep it from being damaged as easily as normal fabric, but not strong enough to be considered armor.
Which, he realized, he hadn’t had a chance to inspect whatever weapon Metallia gave him.
Still casually sitting back in the chair with his feet crossed at the ankle on his desk, Bloodstone pulled his new weapon from subspace. It was a sleek, larger horseman’s pick than before, and one that was balanced just as good as the previous one.
He turned it this way and that, inspecting the hammer and the pick and the gems that adorned it.
“It should only be a matter of time for you too,” he admitted, because after everything Roselite had done for not just him, but for others, it was very clear that he was just as much of an asset to the Negaverse as any other deserving Lieutenant. And Bloodstone wasn’t going to make him wait five years like he had to.
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Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2022 11:19 am
Roselite waited for the coffee maker to do its job. He fiddled with the silver bracelet around his left wrist, tracing the metal with the tips of his fingers, then twisting in it a continuous loop.
Bloodstone’s promotion was sudden, yet expected. His own would not be — or so Roselite had come to believe. No matter what Bloodstone said about his potential or his readiness, any promotion Roselite received would still have to be approved from someone higher up the ladder, wouldn’t it? Roselite was sure he hadn’t proven himself worthy enough yet. Surely any number of people could do paperwork. That didn’t make him special.
He shook his head, nervous and uncertain.
“Wh—… What happens now?”
Roselite knew the correct order of things. Lieutenants reported to Captains, and Captains reported to Generals. He was a Lieutenant, and Bloodstone was a General. There was a link missing between them now.
“If your mission for General Jet goes well, I… I assume Carnallite will be up for promotion, or… will a Captain be assigned to you in the meantime? What about your office? Should I—... I mean, you’re entitled to a larger space now, so…”
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Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2022 11:36 am
If Bloodstone didn’t think that he would probably make himself pass out, or may accidentally youmafy Roselite in the process, he would have made an attempt to give Roselite his promotion at that moment. As it was, he was still drained from his own promotion.
Coffee would help, of course.
He continued to weigh the new weapon in his hands, letting himself get used to it. He would have to try training with it before whatever it was they were expected to do for General Jet. If the others could figure out a way to not make it into a body retrieval instead.
“If you see an open office that you like better, then I’ll make a request to move,” Bloodstone shrugged. His office space was mostly for Roselite’s work. Now that he was doing the paperwork, there was little need for Bloodstone to worry about how big or small his office space was. But if it made things easier for Roselite, then he didn’t mind moving.
“You’ll still answer to me,” he said with confidence. He knew that generally speaking, a Lieutenant would answer to a Captain first, but since he didn’t have Carnallite or Roselite as Captains (yet), they would just keep listening to him directly. He was certain the Queen wouldn’t give him a hard time about it.
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Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2022 1:54 pm
Privately, Roselite thought a larger office might be nice. Not for himself, of course; this wasn’t his office, even if he spent most of his time there. But he thought General Bloodstone deserved a larger space, maybe with nicer furniture, plusher chairs, and a nicer coffee station. Maybe there’d be room for a couch or something, so Bloodstone could rest more comfortably, instead of relying on his desk to prop his feet on.
“I… I don’t think I’d mind answering to Carnallite if she gets promoted first,” Roselite said.
He didn’t necessarily like her, but he thought she might be more tolerable with a little extra power. Right now it just seemed like she was bitter to be at the same rank as Roselite. Once she could order him around and actually find some use for him, she might not be so mean.
Or maybe that was just her nature and she’d still be awful. It didn’t matter much. Roselite would do as he was told regardless.
When the coffee was done, Roselite brought a cup to Bloodstone. Cautiously, he eyed Bloodstone’s improved weapon and struggled not to wince.
“Congratulations, Sir,” he said when he realized he hadn’t already.
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Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2022 4:39 pm
Bloodstone raised an eyebrow at Roselite’s comment about answering to Carnallite. She deserved a promotion as much as Roselite did, but Bloodstone knew the woman was bitter and jaded and angry about the world. And she didn’t like Roselite very much. She’d been against him bringing Rose into the Negaverse in the first place.
If she was a Captain and got to order Rose around…? No, that would be a horrible idea.
“We’ll see,” he said with a small grunt, feeling the somewhat dull pick of his weapon, but it didn’t matter where blunt force trauma was involved.
He would like to see someone trying to stop him from dealing with those annoying White Moon children now.
He lifted his eyes in Roselite’s direction at the congratulations, and snorted softly. He took the cup of coffee when it was handed to him, and he lifted it up as if in toast.
“We’ll have to see what’s in store after this mission. The Queen suggested Infiltration, if I hadn’t already been in Special Operations. Maybe I will see if General King Lepidolite has any use for us.” Because where he went, Roselite and Carnallite would go as well, even if not necessarily in the same branch.
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Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2022 4:54 pm
Roselite stood to the side and continued to fiddle with his silver bracelet, eyes cast downward.
He didn’t think he’d be very good at Infiltration. (He didn’t think Carnallite would be very good at it either, but he wasn’t sure his opinion would matter much in that regard.) What would he have to offer that branch? He didn’t have a useful position in society, and he didn’t trust his own judgment enough to determine who might make a good agent. Paperwork was his strong suit — filing reports, compiling information, running errands for superiors. Intelligence was the only branch that seemed to be a decent fit for him. He thought that was what Bloodstone recruited him for, why Bloodstone brought him to Axinite when he joined.
Bloodstone could transfer to or crosstrain in any branch and continue to prove himself up to the task. Roselite would never be like Bloodstone.
“I… wherever you think I can be useful… I want to help, however I can.”
In the end, he would always do what Bloodstone wanted of him, because Bloodstone believed in him, for reasons Roselite still did not entirely understand.
“I know I haven’t been—... Or… I mean… I know I have limitations… room to improve, but… I don’t ever want to do anything to make you regret recruiting me.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2022 5:26 pm
The weapon was dismissed from his hand so he could focus more on his coffee. And focus more on the things Roselite said. And the things that Roselite did. The way he fidgeted with his bracelet and kept his eyes down. It was clear that Roselite still had little faith in himself.
But that didn’t bother Bloodstone. He had enough confidence in himself for both of them.
“I won’t regret recruiting you,” he verified and then sipped his coffee. “Even with your limitations, perceived and not, you can still recognize details and patterns that are missed by others. I read the report on your mission in the Rift under General Jet’s command. You noticed things that others hadn’t.”
Just because Carnallite was stronger and a better fighter didn’t mean Roselite was less useful. He had finesse where others didn’t. In fact, Bloodstone was tempted to tell Roselite that he was likely going to have him promoted before Carnallite. But he didn’t want Carnallite to have a reason to try and do something stupid in the meantime.
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Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2022 5:44 pm
How Bloodstone could make statements with such certainty, Roselite would never know. Bloodstone didn’t even spend much time thinking about it.
Roselite shifted on his feet, then shrugged. He didn’t think what he’d done in the Rift had been impressive. No one else noticed because no one had the chance to. Things happened quickly, and the terrain had been unforgiving. Their group had been split. There was no telling what someone else might have accomplished in his place. Maybe they would have accomplished more.
He certainly hadn’t been much use when the fighting began. It had almost been a relief that General Benitoite needed comfort; Roselite could focus more on him and less on the danger they were all in.
“General Jet was very kind,” Roselite said. He shifted again, spun his bracelet around his wrist, and murmured, “So many of you have been so kind. I didn’t know what to expect—... When you first brought me here, it all seemed so frightening. It still does, but… it’s been—…”
Roslite paused, spun his bracelet again, then swallowed and said, “I’ve never been so happy as I am serving you, and the Negaverse.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2022 6:03 pm
It was strange to have any kind of correlation between himself and happiness. Bloodstone couldn’t remember the last time he was truly happy. But then again, Roselite didn’t say he was happy, just that he’d never been so happy.
Bloodstone wasn’t sure why, but it was almost a relief to hear Roselite say that. From that shy young man who kept looking at him in the coffee shop to someone he could rely on to complete reports and do research and, really, be something of a companion. Even if it was all platonic.
Carnallite really was right -- Bloodstone was helpless when it came to relationships. Even with all of his confidence he didn’t know where to even start.
“Thank you for the coffee,” he said instead, which had nothing to do with their current conversation. And he’d asked for the coffee. But it was still polite to thank Rose, right? Bloodstone knew he wasn’t kind like General Jet, or any others. He was blunt and harsh and didn’t play nice when he didn’t have to.
“We’re lucky to have you, Rose,” he said after a moment. With Roselite it was easier for him to not be so mean. He tried to be honest when he spoke his opinions, but it wasn’t always done kindly. Roselite was different somehow. He made Bloodstone feel like maybe it was worth it to not be so cold and distant to everyone.
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Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2022 6:14 pm
Roselite didn’t see how his presence within it made the Negaverse lucky. He didn’t understand what would make Bloodstone think that way, unless the state of the paperwork had really been that bad before Roselite’s arrival. (He didn’t think that was the case, but there also weren’t many other explanations that made sense.)
Even if he couldn’t think highly of himself, Bloodstone’s opinion still mattered to him. That Bloodstone put so much faith in him was overwhelming, but… Roselite couldn’t suppress the warm rush of emotion either.
Bloodstone was intelligent. He was successful in and out of the Negaverse. He was all the things Roselite could never be, yet he looked at Roselite with such approval, as if Roselite was exactly what he wanted him to be.
Before the Negaverse, Roselite was nothing. With Bloodstone, he thought maybe he could be enough somehow.
“If you need anything else…” he said, letting the sentence hang, knowing Bloodstone would understand how it was meant to conclude.
Anything. Bloodstone need only ask.
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