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 Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2022 4:19 pm
Mauvian Gremlin
"You couldn't pay me to work with that ******** little monster!" Gremlin spat as he stared huge, incredulous blue eyes up at the general striding down the castle's corridors at his side. "If I'd known the only point in showing up here was to reward that little psychopath, I would've stayed home," he scoffed as his ears pinned and spindly tail flicked aggressively.
And honestly, wouldn't that have been better? He was kind of into all the options he had for sleeping arrangements, of late. Headquarters in Negaspace was cozy enough, but there was something special about having a house- or two, or three- that he could come and go to as he pleased. They all had senshi residents, and bunking with humans really was deplorable... But it was still cold out, and consistent food and bed was hard to scoff at. Especially when the humans would provide nearly any meal he asked for.
He'd spit and complain, as always, but his heart wasn't in it, so long as he was kept fed.
To be honest, he didn't have that many issues with most of the senshi. Narcissus was practically eager to do whatever Gremlin demanded of him, and Cervantite was rude and loud, but warm. Very consistently warm. They were fine. He could lounge in their houses and not feel like a hypocrite for staying with smelly humans.
But Calaverite was something else. Grabby and screechy and heedless of any warnings of violence Gremlin gave him, and God forbid Gremlin not manage to escape after giving the boy a clawing, because Cala was volatile and didn't seem to care if he was rough enough to snap Gremlin's bones. Sometimes he could be managed? But Gremlin hadn't figured out the secret, yet. Didn't even want to. The less time he could spend with that brat, the better.
And here they were, going to the queen to ask her blessing and magic to reward that ******** little monster so Gremlin could fashion him a shiny new pen. Total bullshit. Rakovanite should know better. Know better than to give Cala anything. Know better than to ask Gremlin to help with it. The whole situation was a mess.
------
General Rakovanite
Rakovanite’s exhale was terse at the Mauvian’s grumbling, but his focus was forward. Gremlin was always ornery. Not so different from Calaverite, actually. He might have even thought they’d get along, if he didn’t know each personally. And frankly, Gremlin wasn’t wrong. Cala was difficult on his best days, and it was a woeful risk to entrust him with the ability to leave Negaspace on his own accord. He was easier to control when he couldn’t get anywhere on his own, but he had been with the Negaverse for nearly two years…
He’d been at Rakovanite’s side for as many assignments as were asked of him, several ‘important’ missions to retrieve their own or eliminate White Moon threats.
He ‘deserved it’ in the sense that he had successfully completed assignments befitting of a higher rank. It was just that Calaverite couldn’t. Be trusted. To be reasonable. Or to make appropriate decisions, and Rakovanite hadn’t yet been able to do anything about that. He didn’t know what he could do for people like Calaverite.
The most obvious answer was nothing. Leave him as he was. A basic senshi to act as fodder if the need ever arose. Cala was manic enough to be unsettling, but he was hardly a true threat to enemies who had the willpower to overpower and kill him. But he was unpredictable and a distraction. Rakovanite would be lying if he didn’t admit to seeing a little of a benefit in that.
It just also seemed somewhat wasteful.
Calaverite was already attuned to Chaos, and Rakovanite had absolutely every doubt that anyone would be successful turning him from it. Couldn’t imagine anyone would even try with that one. If he was going to be so devoted and so eager and so thrilled to take from their enemies, maybe he should be given the chance to do and be more. Rakovanite liked to think that he, himself was only anything because someone had given him a chance…
He’d made arrangements because Rakovanite had decided he was willing to take the risk that was Calaverite. The only thing left was to find someone else who could actually give him that chance and hope they felt similarly. Considering Rakovanite had only carried on an actual conversation with one person higher in rank than himself, it was the Queen’s chambers he found himself drawn to. Gremlin accompanied him because it felt like his duty as a Mauvian to promote senshi development, but Rakovanite wished his team’s Guardian was just a tiny bit more demure.
Either way, they were there, and for all Gremlin’s spitting, Rakovanite could only mutter out an, “I have essentially paid you for every unsavory thing you complain about. This will hardly be different.”
The cat should be grateful to even be allowed to accompany him to see the Queen.
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Posted: Sun Mar 20, 2022 1:34 pm
Laurelite’s office was open, which meant that she was amiable to being interrupted from whatever she was doing. Invited it, even. She was working diligently, with no sign of the conversation shared between the Mauvian and General on their way to see her, but she seemed to be awaiting their arrival. Her desk had a space that had been recently cleared off. On one side, a strange, old artifact that looked like it was in several pieces. It radiated some sort of energy, unreadable and unpredictable. And yet, she left it forgotten and ignored when the energy signatures were close enough. “You boys seem lively,” she called from her desk. She didn’t have to raise her voice; it carried in the room and never seemed loud. She sounded amused, but it was always hard to read her emotions when she had that little smile on he face.
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2022 6:41 am
Gremlin shot an annoyed sneer up to the general, but there were people more deserving of his responses and presence. Better to save his ire and energy for the matters of persuasion to come. And Gremlin had absolutely no doubt that Queen Laurelite would agree with his perspective, because anyone with three brain cells could see that Calaverite was a disturbing little monster not to be trusted with anything, let alone the ability to just be wherever he wanted to be without supervision. He thought Rakovanite was a complete moron for even entertaining the thought otherwise.
But getting to the Queen first would certainly help Gremlin's case.
So with a snort, he set off at a cattywampus gallop down the hallway, long claws clicking against the stone nearly as loudly as the prior conversation. He didn't pause for even a beat as he bolted through her open door and vaulted up atop her desk, skidding slightly on the smooth surface as he came to a stop in front of her.
"Listen," he started. "You're gonna wanna buckle in for this one because it's the most ludicrous bullshit proposal you've ever heard."
Rakovanite's exhale was terse, hinging on impatient at the Guardian's machination, but he was not going to gallop down the hallway like a petulant child, so he arrived moments later at the doorway to Laurelite's office. With a slight inclination of his head, Rakovanite murmured, "We apologize for the commotion," only to be entirely unable to suppress a grimace at Gremlin's retort of-
"I'm not apologizing."
Maybe it had been unwise to invite him along. Rakovanite's better judgement had assumed a Mauvian would be useful in dealing with senshi matters, but this Mauvian? He was not the one. And it was far too late to reconsider. Better to ignore him, probably. As best as Rakovanite could, anyway.
"I mean no intrusion," he said, now directing all of his focus to Laurelite. "And if there is a better time to meet with you, I am happy to come back later." On the off chance he'd be given an out to return alone. "But I had hoped to discuss..." A slight pause as he searched for the proper definition of what he was actually asking for. "...the future of one of my subordinates with you. His name is Calaverite."
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Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2022 4:27 pm
Laurelite raised her brows in what wasn’t really surprise, perhaps it was just in recognition of the brazenness at which Gremlin addressed her. The way he vaulted onto her desk, the way he had no filter when he spoke to her. She was smiling sweetly when she looked at Rakovanite, and though she did not say anything, her eyes clearly demanded an explanation. “I accept your apologies.” Her smile remained and though she did not stand up she had no issue presenting with a commanding presence. “There’s no reason to come back later. Tell me whatever you like, I want to hear all about what’s got you so worked up.”
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Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 3:55 pm
Worked up? Rakovanite wouldn't be half as 'worked up' if Gremlin wasn't actively sabotaging him. The Mauvian had settled in comfortably atop the Queen's desk with exactly no humility whatsoever, paws tucked beneath him and tail curled around his loafed, wrinkly body. He looked perfectly at home: smug, confident, very cat-like for all his vicious spits and ugly commentary.
Rakovanite sighed softly, folded his arms behind himself and fixed the Queen with a dreary expression, as if already exhausted by some combination of the Guardian's antics and the willpower it took to come here. These sort of engagements were tiresome, and arguing with the cat was pointless. "There is a boy under my command, Calaverite," he murmured quietly. "I have had him on my team for over a year now, maybe almost two, and I know he has been with the Negaverse for longer than that." Rakovanite did not have any expectation that this meant very much. He knew it wasn't uncommon for senshi to never rise above basic rank. He didn't know exactly how uncommon, but he was sure Laurelite did.
The time itself did not mean anything.
"He has gone on every assignment I have asked of him, every assignment you or Axinite have called soldiers to arms for, with relative success. When someone is guiding him, he is useful, and-" The words, 'He is not intelligent enough to ask questions,' were at the tip of Rakovanite's tongue, but he gave the slightest little shake of his head and said instead, "I have no concerns about the depth of his loyalty. He is imperfect. I would not argue to the contrary-"
"He's a sociopath," Gremlin seethed. "Who's only useful while he's being directly controlled. Let him loose on his own? Don't get me wrong, I love a good senseless slaughtering. Doesn't do much for the image, though, does it? Might attract a lot of attention for a stupid brat to be running amok whenever he feels like it, just leaving a trail of civilian bodies wherever he goes."
Rakovanite's voice managed to drop another octave, low and firm and now almost glaring at the Guardian still arguing with him even when they were here in front of Laurelite now. It would be a waste of time to have bothered the Queen if she was only going to refuse. A waste of all of their times. "He deserves the opportunity to be valuable. I want a crystal for Gremlin to upgrade him," he muttered.
Only to receive an answering, "Pah!" of snort from the Mauvian.
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Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2022 5:45 pm
Laurelite watched with a nearly predatory gaze, in complete contradiction to the sweet smile on her face. “Oh, well this is a complicated situation. A General who knows his subordinate and thinks they’re ready for more power, and a Mauvian telling me that a Senshi’s too dangerous for more power.” Calaverite had been in the Negaverse for a while. Been active, but needed a guiding hand. Loyal, but problematic. And yet, Laurelite reached into her desk and produced a fully charged crystal. She left it in front of Gremlin, but there was something knowing in her expression. “That’s not a decision to make lightly. Rakovanite, I’m sure you can understand that if something were to happen, if things were to go wrong, it would be on your hands. I’m not interested in a loose cannon. Power requires discipline. Senseless slaughtering? Gremlin,” she gave him a look, “I don’t want to hear that. War requires sacrifice. Sometimes, loss is necessary for the greater good. But unnecessary damage? Please. We’re trying to create a better world. I don’t want it paved in senseless slaughter. Can you guarantee to me that he’s not going to attract attention and leave a trail of civilian bodies wherever he goes?”
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Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2022 6:12 am
Gremlin's outstretched paw reached for the crystal, almost hesitantly at first, giving the very tip of it a curious 'tap, tap, tap' with his unsheathed claws. His icy eyes raised briefly to the Queen, claws still out, the very picture of a mischievous cat only a few moments from swatting everything off the tabletop. "A better world would be one with no humans. Your methods are too slow. Cala's are too messy. Saw him crush a rabbit with his bare hands once for no good reason. Kid didn't even care. Just tossed the body into the snow and left. It's not gonna be different for any other bodies he leaves laying around." He smacked the crystal, and it spun away from him to come to rest at Laurelite's other side.
It wasn't like Rakovanite could deny what the Mauvian was saying. He'd also seen Calaverite give exactly zero concern about any kind of consequences for his actions. He had no discipline unless someone was standing right next to him, whispering in his ear to be cautious.
"I am under no assumption that a guarantee of anything is ever possible," Rakovanite murmured. He was only one man; no one fell completely and unwaveringly under his control while they still had a mind of their own. Even under Laurelite's own watchful eye, there'd been a handful of once-agents allowed to run amok unpunished... But he didn't think it appropriate to mention that. "But I have made what I hope are satisfactory arrangements that should curb the worst of any accidents."
He didn't know if the Queen cared for the specifics, so it was several quiet moments of trying to judge if he ought to waste more of her time with information she might not even want.
But it was information, and Rakovanite thought that he might have liked to know as much as possible himself before he'd had Calaverite on his team. No one had offered that to him, though. Even if Laurelite never had to deal with the senshi in person, maybe it was enough to assuage her concerns over 'senseless slaughter.'
"Calaverite has lived in Negaspace since he was recruited. As far as I am aware, he has never had anywhere to go. I have never heard him speak of family or a home, and he is happy to have his own room in Negaspace. It was easier to monitor him as well, while he could not go anywhere of his own accord..." Which was the main problem, as far as Rakovanite understood it. He would be able to go anywhere of his own leisure if Gremlin upgraded him.
"One of my other lieutenants has been staying with me in my house, after an accident in his own made living there uncomfortable. But Weissite has admitted to me that it is stressful in its own way, living in someone else's house as an adult. He thinks he will be more comfortable living on his own terms, just not at his old place, if I understand correctly. Weissite has experience in dealing with people like Calaverite, and I trust him on a personal level. They will stay together, and Weissite will be able to report to me if there are any issues."
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Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2022 10:38 pm
Laurelite watched them both very carefully, only it seemed that the more she listened, the less convinced she was that this was a good idea. She was patient, and though her smile lingered there was something dangerous lurking below the surface of her friendly calm. She didn't like to make mistakes. She didn’t like to promote loose cannons. She didn’t like the idea that there were risks to be had here. When she spoke again, it was with a seriousness that she didn’t often express, and her words weren’t laced with sugar and honey. “You make him sound dangerous and unreliable. Like a feral animal you haven’t yet managed to train. I find myself torn. Usually a commanding officer and a Mauvian do not so greatly disagree on a topic of this nature. I would hate for one of your subordinates to make a fool of me for trusting them with power they couldn't manage.” Sometimes, mistakes happened. Usually, they could correct them. She didn’t want to give more power to someone who couldn't wield it responsibly. She looked at the crystal and then at Gremlin. “I’m not going to force you to upgrade him if you don’t think he’s ready. But you should take that for when he is. Unless you think it would be better that he meet with a Sovereign on his way to promotion.” Her attention returned to Rakovanite. “If you promote him and he cannot be contained, it will reflect poorly on all of us. You, especially. I don’t want to ‘curb’ accidents, I want them removed from the equation. He isn’t an animal, he should be able to understand what’s expected of him. And if he fails to meet expectations, I expect you to punish him appropriately. This day and age? We can’t afford carelessness or insubordination. I’m willing to give him a chance, but don’t give me a reason to doubt your judgment, Rakovanite.”
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