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 Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 5:41 pm
Backdated to April 18th. Fury sent Carnallite marching down the hallway.
Roselite was a Captain.
Roselite. A Captain. Meek, sniveling little Roselite with his big doe eyes and his quiet, airy voice that stammered, and his constant need for comfort and validation. Bloodstone promoted him, because Bloodstone was an a*****e who played favorites. Apparently, being friends for well over a decade meant nothing now that he had his docile little house boy.
Apparently, actually being competent meant nothing either.
Carnallite bore it for a month. She reported to Roselite because that was what Bloodstone, with a malicious smirk, said to do. She put up with Roselite’s timidity and mild manners because she thought, once Bloodstone had his fill of entertainment, he would see that Carnallite, too, received the promotion she deserved.
Weeks passed, and Bloodstone did no such thing.
Carnallite could tolerate it no longer.
She stopped at the door to General King Jet’s office and knocked. If Bloodstone could go to the Queen and request a promotion, then Carnallite could go to the General King that owed her for an assist in rescuing him. She had scars on her back from Valhalla’s bird. Truly, making her a Captain was the least Jet could do.
“I’d like to speak with you about a promotion,” she said when she was allowed to enter.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 5:43 pm
Jet was already standing when Carnallite entered his office. He was working on rearranging some books he had displayed on a shelf. They weren’t just book books, but books of various music theory and several folders filled with sheet music. There was a keyboard that had been added to his office because, well, he had the space for it. And if he was going to be in his office a lot, he wanted to be able to keep up with any musings that might come to him.
“I hope you’re here about your promotion,” Jet frowned when she explained why she was there. “I asked your General when he was going to submit your paperwork, and he said you’d rather stay a Lieutenant for a while.”
Judging by the way Carnallite’s expression shifted at his words, that was not the case.
Jet turned his full attention to her and took several steps forward so he could hold out his hand, palm out, as an invitation.
“I know what you’re capable of. You should have gotten this promotion as soon as we got back after our mission. I don’t see any reason in holding you back even longer.”
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 5:46 pm
Jet was young, but he was also practical. That was what Carnallite liked about him. He was willing to listen to his subordinates when they had complaints or concerns, and he did all that he could to see that they thrived. He didn’t play games or waste anyone’s time.
Sometimes, when Bloodstone went too far in his attempts to be a complete a** — such as now — Carnallite thought of requesting a transfer to Jet’s team. The only thing stopping her was that it would mean working with Aquamarine on a regular basis.
Bloodstone might be an a*****e, but at least he wasn’t a raving b***h.
“My General has been my friend longer than he’s been my superior officer,” she explained, “which means he’d rather see how long I’m willing to tolerate the indignity instead of immediately giving me what I deserve.”
Carnallite stepped forward, unafraid of Jet’s hand.
“He plays favorites, as I’m sure you’ve noticed,” she added.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 5:50 pm
Maybe it was because Jet didn’t have many people he would call friends that it didn’t make sense to him. He had people he respected, people he felt as though he would trust, people he did trust when it came to various things, but he couldn’t imagine making someone tolerate indignity as a means of, what Jet would assume was, amusement.
He was, however, aware of Roselite’s capabilities. He didn’t doubt Carnallite when she said Bloodstone played favorites, but he would have been equally confused if Carnallite got a promotion and Roselite didn’t.
“Let’s correct this, then,” he decided and pressed his hand against her chest, and then into her chest. He was careful about how he moved his fingers, how carefully he gripped onto the starseed, knew the right amount of Chaos to channel into it. Since becoming a General King he’d assisted in more promotions than he’d brought to General King Axinite himself.
If it helped take some of the work off Axinite and the Queen, then he was more than willing to assist.
He kept his other arm out, ready to offer it to her to hold onto if she needed some stability. And when it was over, he carefully withdrew his hand to nod in acknowledgement of her new outfit and new power.
“If Bloodstone isn’t going to help with your training, or is going to give you a hard time, let me know and I can pair you up with some others. Cymophane picked up on teleporting rather quickly,” he said as he offered her the same snacks and drinks he offered everyone else that might need to replenish their energy after their ordeal of being promoted.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2022 5:55 pm
Carnallite bore the pain like she bore everything else — stoically. She didn’t make a sound, simply winced and grit her teeth, and, when the pain grew to be almost too much, let her eyes close until it was over. She knew to expect it. She’d tolerated it well before, and could again.
Jet was careful. He clearly knew what he was doing.
When it was done, Carnallite stood before him much improved.
“Thank you,” she said, for his assistance as well as for his offer.
She took a snack and a drink, opening the latter to swig at some water. She would need to rest soon, but she would never be so weak as to faint. (She was sure Roselite had cried. Maybe he stumbled and swayed and let Bloodstone baby him. That Bloodstone would do so seemed ridiculous and yet entirely believable.)
“I may take you up on that offer once I’ve had the time to acclimate to the power,” Carnallite continued. “Until then, I won’t take up much more of your time. I’m sure you have more than Bloodstone’s nonsense to deal with.”
She waited only a few moments more, steadying herself. Then, when she was sure she had the strength to leave without falling flat on her face, she offered Jet a shallow but respectful bow and turned for the door.
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