|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 17, 2022 4:59 pm
His magic was fixed.
The sheer elation of that knowledge had been carrying Alkmene since dealing with Rockatanskite, since determining for certain that whatever was happening to his magic, it was fixed. To say he was still walking on clouds over the whole thing was....a little dramatic, but not entirely wrong.
It was with this newfound optimism that he arrived at Faustite's office, and no, he wasn't skipping or humming or anything, but for someone who was only really expressive in private, the little grin on his face was still quite a lot.
"You wanted to see me?" He said, letting himself in without hesitating. Enough time on desk duty and this place practically felt like his office, too, anyway.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 17, 2022 11:35 pm
It was good news, hearing that Alkmene's magic had been consistent since their followup on a strange tip-off. Faustite liked to think they were both happier for it — Alkmene was likely gladdened that he had magic to use, as it was the defining feature between an agent and a senshi, and Faustite was happy to release him from desk duty. While quite good at it, relegating someone to a desk seemed unreasonable.
And Alkmene could get so very distracting.
In light of these developments, Faustite had gathered and submitted the records he had kept since Alkmene walked into their team (much the same way that Lilith had; perhaps it was a familial trait). She talked him over, he proved himself steadfastly loyal, with terribly useful magic.
Faustite sent Tama to pick up the crystal once he received approval. The lot of his superiors were busy, which he understood, so they suggested a crystal, which he did not understand. But, they assured him the cat would. He hoped that was true, and Tama would not be making a fool of him for sport (though Tama would make a fool of him for sport while doing his job appropriately).
He had sent for Alkmene and waited. Tama would be but a moment, he assumed.
Faustite looked up at the sound of the door from where he sat. His desk was unusually cluttered with papers, and the room felt cooler for the cincher that he wore. "Sit," he offered, as he retired his pen.
His fingers latticed together as his palms pressed together. He rested his chin atop his knuckles. "Got word from the Sovereigns. You're getting promoted. Tama should be in shortly."
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bishoujo-senshi Mahou-shoujo
|
Posted: Wed May 18, 2022 12:17 pm
Tama had been sent to gather the crystal — the one thing, he had been told, that differed from what he had once known so well. Part of him wanted, lusted for, the autonomy he once had. The ability to simply will a senshi into being with a henshin pen and star knowledge or to create an upgrade via sheer Mauvian know-how. But he knew things were different here. Yet here you needed such things as these strange crystals for an upgrade. At least, for added power there need not be any contact with the starseed itself, no hand in the chest. Though Tama would not have minded doing that deed himself had it been required, especially knowing now who the target should be. Tama had conducted the whole business in his human form, the better to hold the precious crystal. He’d bowed low to the general-sovereign. Let his knee grace the ground. Offered his hands in the right fashion to take hold of the object like the thing of power it was. His eyes to the ground, but then to the glittering thing, too. He had stored it in subspace for protection, his pale hands twitching as he walked. He instinctually wanted to touch the crystal, make sure it was still where he placed it. He knew in his mind it was safest where it was now, but his body ached to touch the thing just one more time. He’d soon be there. Many minutes had passed and he was at the general’s door. Part of him wished that he did not need to do this procedure in front of Faustite. He’d much prefer a place more private. “General.” Tama said with an awkward pause. He looked over to Alkmene with that strange grin on his face. He’d not seen that look before and it gave him a second of unease. “Alkmene. I’ve acquired the necessary material.”☆
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 21, 2022 1:59 am
At the request, Alkmene found a seat. It was strange, being in the office and having it cooler than usual, but then, Faustite's flames weren't raging free.
The news made him perk up, and Alkmene smiled, broadly.
"You're serious," he said. Not that he doubted it. Seemed like a stupid thing to lie about, or joke about, and Faustite was neither a liar nor a jokester, anyway. Not on the whole. "********, finally." He had to guess it had something to do with the proper alignment of his magic; there was no way, he realized, that it would be viable to promote him without his magic being in working order. The Negaverse wasn't in the habit of rewarding failure, after all. And his magic misbehaving felt very much like a failure.
But now, he'd have some actual responsibility; maybe he could even pick up a Lieutenant or two? Like Jada had done for him? (Like Nembus, before, but she was--
Gone. It rankled.)
Tama arrived, and Alkmene gave him a little wave. Yeah, no, he was definitely and distinctly feeling ******** giddy. Like a schoolgirl at prom.
"Thanks, Tama. Need anything from me? Or do I just get to sit here and look pretty?" He produced his henshin pen from subspace, just in case, turning it over between his fingers.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 22, 2022 6:44 am
"Not playing a ******** joke on you, someone actually delivered the message this time." He plucked the missive up with the ends of two terribly long fingernails, then pushed it forward for Alkmene to read himself. Faustite knew it was rare for anyone to deliver his inter-office mail, and found it understandable that Alkmene would doubt. The only thing convincing Faustite that it had actually happened was the messenger, which, helpfully, was a youma.
Clearly, the Sovereigns wanted that message to make it to the recipient.
"You met your responsibilities consistently, demonstrated unwavering loyalty, and displayed potent magic that they want to see grow. You've enough people skills to lead a gaggle of green Lieutenants. And, I think Tama actually likes you, which deserves a gold ******** star." Not that they would make one, but he glared at the stubby cat regardless. Insubordinate, unruly thing.
He watched Alkmene for a moment, assessing him. Some of the others, they tried to suppress any signs of their leaving. But Lysithea, she appeared more volatile and depressed the closer she drew to turning coat. And Nembus, for as much as she tried to hide it, grew more skittish as the months wore on. He hadn't connected it at the time, but in hindsight —
But Alkmene's posture was loose, relaxed.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 23, 2022 9:23 am
“Just sit and looked pretty, my dear.” Tama flashed a toothy grin, his canines still a bit longer in his human form. “See! He already knows I’ll need that shiny pen of his. A good candidate.”He then glared at Faustite. “You too could be on my good list if you tried a bit harder to be less abrasive. At least, you’re not on fire today, so I’ll count that as an improvement.”☆
|
 |
 |
|
|
Bishoujo-senshi Mahou-shoujo
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 29, 2022 10:38 pm
Alkmene picked up the note. Read it once. Paused. Read it again.
Well s**t.
"Thank you," he said, honestly. He wasn't going to act like an idiot and duck away from praise he knew he'd earned just because it was being given to him by someone he felt...a deep and abiding affection for. Even if he sort of wanted to. "I know I make this look effortless, but I have actually been trying. And it means a lot that you think I can handle the responsibility."
The General-Sovereigns, sure. He was still invested in proving to Lepidolite that he'd made a good investment, bringing Alkmene in. But....mostly, Faustite's opinion mattered to him. More than just about anyone else's.
He offered Tama his pen.
"Anyway, everything seems to have something to do with this thing, so it makes sense that you'd need it to promote me." He shrugged, like it was an obvious deduction. As far as he was concerned, it was. "Also, you have not seen nearly how bitchy I can be, catto."
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 30, 2022 1:21 am
Of the two cats, Tama was the more active and knowledgeable. He understood Haymitch to be a kitten — inexperienced thing — so he couldn't outright threaten Tama or burn all his fur off for getting mouthy with him, not yet. They would need another cat first, something dependable and tolerable, and with Faustite's experience of the alien cats, they were each anything but. His attention lighted on Alkmene as he crossed his legs beneath his desk. As he laced his fingers over a knee, a foot bobbed restlessly. It would be something to watch this happen, he was sure; senshi were something quite different from agents. "You'll shoulder it," Faustite confirmed, as if it were fact alone. "Then you'll have more. Subordinates, projects, perhaps a branch specialization. "Like to see you in SpecOps, with magic like that." But that was a conversation for later, he supposed. For now, Faustite went silent, and his attention settled once again on Tama, as if to say hurry up.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bishoujo-senshi Mahou-shoujo
|
Posted: Tue May 31, 2022 9:06 am
Tama liked Alkmene’s form of sass. Faustite’s, less so. “You can’t rush these things.” Tama returned the general’s look. Perhaps he really did think this could be hurried along. Of course, the man was all fire and short sentences. How could he understand? “This is delicate work.” He said a bit more kindly realizing this was beyond the half-youma’s realm. He gingerly took the henshin pen from the senshi and held it beside the crystal. The strange thing began to pulse being so close to another source of power. “Now, sit still.” He said, his voice at once gentle, almost soothing. “The pen may be the conduit to your power, but it will affect you just the same.”Then the crystal begin to glow and a line of pure darkness siphoned from the crystal meeting a line of pure magic for the henshin pen. The star on the cat’s forehead glowed briefly and the light of it all reflected in his slitted lilac eyes as the process began. ☆
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2022 3:10 pm
Alkmene sat. Waited, antsily, watching power flow from the crystal into his pen under Tama's influence.
And then, he felt it. A shift, somewhere inside him, like something blooming, and he knew it was happening. He closed his eyes, and there was a whirl of green magic around him in the shape of brambles and thorns, and it faded away, and he was changed.

He could feel the new collar sitting around his arms, low enough that his tattoo was definitely exposed--but if he pretended it wasn't there, maybe Faustite wouldn't notice, and anyway, he could already tell, this was...better.
"Well that's neat," he said, looking down--taking in the cute, ruffled skirt, the corset crop top, the thick, heavy boots that would undoubtedly make for solid weapons in a fight. "Thanks, Tama," he said, genuinely, and then his eyes moved back to Faustite and he flashed a smile.
"How do I look?" He teased, lightly. But, more seriously-- "I'm not going to disappoint you, I promise. And I think I would like to join SpecOps. Best fit for my magic, all things considered." He'd make an effective strike force, he liked to think, especially depending on how, exactly, things developed in the future. What would he be capable of, he wondered, when he had bat wings sitting on his hips? If he could already do this much?
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2022 5:55 pm
'You can't rush these things.'
Like it was something sacred, or difficult, to push one's hand into someone's chest and overwhelm their starseed with power. Could promoting a senshi be much different, especially when a Sovereign granted that power in a convenient package? Faustite assumed that Tama was being snide again, trying to defy him at every turn again. He watched on from his desk, his chin perched atop his palm while the pair went about their business.
He straightened only when he saw pure, black power transition from the crystal to Alkmene's pen. He'd seen pens like that before, in the possession of his other senshi, though he had never thought much of them. He figured them for keys to a door, and no more than that.
But they were more than he expected. Tama hadn't touched Alkmene, yet Alkmene's outfit shifted, and his aura wavered before growing more powerful — an auric shift he seldom had the fortune to experience.
It wasn't subtle, this shift. It engulfed Alkmene in an echo of his own appearance, and left him looking more grandiose than before. He took in the boy as he took in himself, and Faustite's attention lighted on his arm tattoo for only a moment before moving to Tama, then Alkmene's face.
When asked for appraisal, Faustite shot him a lidded glance.
"Agreed," he decided. SpecOps could use that kind of magic, especially during dangerous missions. Better to have Alkmene thoroughly trained up for such tactics, rather than waste his cleverness and cruelty on infiltration, or let that magic languish in Information. "See you trained in short order.
"Cat," he began as he looked to the furbag by his senshi. He tapped the top of his desk, as if to invite the Mauvian to sit there. "A word."
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2022 9:06 am
Tama’s eyes practically sparkled as he watched Alkmene’s transformation. Brambles and thorns embraced him like some magical briar patch brimming with power. The flower blooming among the waste. “You look absolutely stunning.” The Mauvian beamed to the now Super Alkmene, quite proud of how the senshi had turned out. To be honest, he had not entirely known how the strange crystal and its Chaos would affect the pen or the senshi’s henshin. Perhaps he would have a word with the senshi alone and fulfill that desire of his. But then Faustite wanted a word. “I do have a name, you know.” But if the general wanted a ‘cat’, he could have one. Tama poofed into his cat form and jumped on the desk where Faustite had tapped, surprisingly obediently. ☆
|
 |
 |
|
|
Bishoujo-senshi Mahou-shoujo
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2022 11:23 pm
The look was enough. That, and Alkmene's pretty much unwavering confidence in his own appearance, if in nothing else. He knew he looked good, really, asking was mostly just a playful formality.
Would have been nice to hear it out loud,. and Tama got a quick smile for the compliment, but Alkmene's ego only needed so much stroking.
"Let me know exactly what I have to do to make it official," he said. Best to get started posthaste; no reason to dither, when he was fairly well set in his course.
Since he hadn't been dismissed, he waited to see exactly what Faustite had to say to Tama.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2022 10:12 pm
Arms folded on the desk, Faustite leaned toward the cat's ear to whisper. "Do you influence their outfits when you unlock their power?" It was a serious question, and one about which he wondered; either Alkmene got unlucky by some cosmic tailor, or Tama got up to mischief with his ability to promote.
Overall, Faustite liked the outfit — Alkmene wore it exquisitely. But seeing the shoulders migrate and expose a tattoo that had been hidden as a Basic seemed… Suspect. And since senshi were all manner of shocked and confused at their outfits upon awakening, he doubted that they had any control over the end result of their awakenings or promotions. Faustite didn't consider himself versed in awakenings or promotions for their kind, as he was only ever used as a conduit for a Sovereign's power in the rare event that he was invited to participate.
He never thought to ask a Sovereign. It seemed out of turn. But a cat that was assigned to him? Fair game.
"Looking good," Faustite added belatedly, as he straightened up. He never knew how much or how little of a compliment to give. He did look good, he always looked good, and would continue to look good, even in a burlap sack. But how much of a compliment to give, or when to give it? Social nuances that would forever escape him, he assumed.
"Dismissed at will. Take the c—" He paused, rolled his eyes. "… Tama with you."
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bishoujo-senshi Mahou-shoujo
|
Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2022 8:59 am
Oh! An actual, genuine question.Tama’s ears flicked, amused at Faustite’s whispered query. “Of course not! Though I could have hardly made a better outfit for that one had I tried.”So there were things the general did not know about this process, too. It was certainly deserving of more research, then. He certainly knew the use of the crystal was an invention of the Negaverse. No White Moon senshi needed such a conduit. It must have some influence in appearance and not simply aura and the twist it applied to a senshi’s magic. All Chaos senshi had a darker bent to their hue. Apparently, Metallia preferred black. “A Mauvian has no influence over the appearance. These things were determined long ago when the senshi ruled over their own worlds. Chaos, as its due, plays its part, but the design is not mine to mess with, I’m afraid.”He could be nothing but honest in that regard. Either way, Alkmene looked good. He mewed to be picked up. Though he did very much want to spread more fur on Faustite’s desk. ☆
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|