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 Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2022 7:38 pm
They didn’t take Dorian directly to General King Jet or General Aquamarine, but they did bring him to the Dark Kingdom. Their auras would attract too much attention if they remained on Earth. Besides, Bloodstone wanted Roselite to help, and Roselite would rather do so in a place he felt most comfortable.
The Dark Kingdom could be full of terrors, but Roselite had grown used to them. The Negaverse had accepted him into their ranks. They gave him a place to belong. They devoted themselves to his growth, to his advancement, and he devoted himself to them in turn.
In Bloodstone’s office, Roselite set the drinks they’d taken from Dorian’s place onto the desk.
As a Captain, Roselite could have his own office. Maybe he would, eventually, but he was too used to Bloodstone’s office to stray far.
Carnallite took the chair behind Bloodstone’s desk without asking. If she wasn’t going to be the one sticking her hand into Dorian’s chest, then she thought it only fair that she got the most comfortable chair. She uncapped one of the drinks and drank straight from the bottle, watching Dorian stare around the way most people did when they were new.
“I take it you believe us now,” she said.
Dorian believed them as soon as he saw them change before his eyes. First August, apparently known as Bloodstone; then Celeste, apparently known as Carnallite; and finally timid Jonah, apparently known as Roselite. If he hadn’t believed it then, he certainly would have when he was brought to this place — not led there, but teleported, on Earth one second and gone the next.
“You weren’t lying about the things that occur in Destiny City,” he was willing to accept. “You weren’t lying about this… Negaverse.”
“We weren’t lying about Leigh and Ilian Jones either,” Carnallite said, taking another swig of her drink. She uncapped a second bottle and slid it across the desk toward Dorian.
“Drink. You’re going to need it,” she told him. Then, “Except you, Roselite, maybe lay off. You don’t want to accidentally destroy his starseed.”
Roselite gupled and ducked his head. Nervously, he glanced toward Bloodstone.
Bloodstone believed in him. He wouldn’t have offered this chance if he didn’t think Roselite could do it.
Dorian took the bottle, drank some down, and frowned at Bloodstone.
Here, it was even more apparent that Bloodstone was the one with the authority, that this was happening because Bloodstone willed it.
“How long have you been involved in this?” Dorian asked.
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Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2022 7:41 pm
Bloodstone was already in the process of removing his jacket and tossing it onto another chair in the room. He didn’t care if Carnallite was making herself comfortable. And he didn’t care if Dorian was confused about anything.
He’d already made up his mind that he would be recruiting his college friend (although, how they were friends at all was probably surprising) and that Roselite would be assisting him.
“Since January of 2016,” Bloodstone said rather casually as he picked up a bottle for himself. “I guess they needed people to replace those we’d lost.”
That wasn’t true. The incident involving Ilian Jones and therefore Leigh took place after he’d joined. But Dorian didn’t have to know that.
“You’ll be fine, Rose. Besides, if we mess up he’ll just turn into a youma. Probably,” Bloodstone shrugged and took a swig from the bottle he’d opened.
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Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2022 7:46 pm
Roselite blanched. He seemed to shrink in on himself even more than usual.
If the pressure to do this right wasn’t already immense, it grew significantly after Bloodstone’s comment.“Excuse me, turn me into a what?” Dorian said, lowering his drink before he’d taken another sip. “What do you mean I’ll just turn into a monster? Haven’t you done this before? Don’t you know what you’re doing?”“Bloodstone does, sort of,” Carnallite replied. She reclined in Bloodstone’s chair and propped her feet up on the desk. “He recruited me and Roselite, but he had to get a General King’s help to do it. Supposedly he can do it on his own now, but he hasn’t tried since the Queen made him a General.”Dorian almost asked about the Queen — what Queen? — but he thought there were more important concerns to focus on.
“So you’re experimenting on me?” Dorian glared at Bloodstone accusingly. “What, am I disposable to you? If you brought these two to someone who knows what they’re doing, why not do the same with me? Bring me to Ilian Jones. He’s one of those General Kings, isn’t he?”“The newest,” Carnallite said, lifting her drink in a mock toast. “Fresh off of a promotion. Rumor is he’s the Queen’s favorite.”
If there was any such rumor, Carnallite hadn’t heard it. She didn’t pay much attention to gossip to begin with. But she liked the sour look that crossed Dorian’s face at the idea that Ilian Jones was valued.
Carnallite didn’t know what his problem was with the kid. Clearly there was a lot of misplaced anger there. It wasn’t as if Dorian’s little brother was an angel. Quite the opposite, in fact; Aquamarine was a b***h.Roselite shifted on his feet and wrung his hands together, seeking refuge by the coffee station, where he began to re-organize things to keep himself occupied. His wisp came out from the shadows to bob around his ankles, but it flitted away again soon after, hiding from their company.
Bloodstone knew what he was doing. Roselite kept repeating that to himself. Bloodstone knew what he was doing. He’d had practice with Axinite. He could probably do it himself and Dorian would turn out fine.
It was Roselite’s inclusion that made things nerve-wracking. He didn’t trust himself at all.
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Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2022 7:51 pm
“A monster,” Bloodstone repeated, and placed his hands casually behind his back as he waited for either Dorian or Roselite to say they were ready. He wasn’t in a rush. As a civilian, Dorian only had so long in Negaspace until the energy was all drained from him, anyway. Once he wasn’t able to resist, they could just do the deed then.
“Or a youma, I suppose,” he shrugged. “They were once human, but turned into creatures. Supposedly immortal, unless on the wrong end of a Royal’s tiara.” Or at least that was what he’d heard. He hadn’t seen it first hand, but it seemed reasonable enough.
“I think I’m going to name you Jasper,” Bloodstone decided, not caring if he looked rather smug about the idea. “It’s a part of what makes bloodstone, you know. You should be honored. But you won’t be seeing Ilian Jones until you’re a lieutenant. So you can either decide to let us experiment on you, or you can wait until you pass out and then we’ll experiment on you.”
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Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2022 7:57 pm
Dorian grit his teeth and balled his hands into fists. He’d dearly love to punch Bloodstone in the face, but Dorian was keenly aware that he was both outnumbered and outpowered. He was allowing himself to become involved with something he didn’t totally understand, all because Bloodstone knew the kind of information that would sway him.
He could leave, maybe. Roselite looked sick enough by the idea of what they were about to do that he might be persuaded. Dorian could leave and confront Leigh about all this without the power.
And then what would Leigh do? Laugh in his face? Dorian had no proof. Nothing physical, anyway. Just gossip that could have been tailored to him.
He placed his drink onto the desk with a thunk.
“Just get on with it,” he said.Carnallite smirked. “Don’t worry, it’ll be over soon. Even Roselite could handle the pain, couldn’t you, Roselite? Or did you cry?”
He probably cried. Bloodstone probably didn’t hold it against him because he’d grown fond of him, for some reason. Carnallite would never understand how Roselite could be Bloodstone’s type, unless the unwavering obedience worked in his favor.
“Come on, we don’t have all night. Stop hiding in the corner and come do your duty.”Roselite flinched.
He wanted to hide in the shadows or sink into the ground. He wanted to leave and lock himself away in Kamacite’s office. Or maybe he should go to General King Jet, tell him what was going on here, confess to digging up dirt and asking around just to get Dorian to come along with them, to get him to agree. That had to be some sort of security concern, didn’t it? If he could ask around and put pieces together to figure out their identities, couldn’t their enemies do the same?
Roselite wished they were wrong. He wished none of this were happening. What was Dorian even going to do with the information once he had power?
Hesitantly, Roselite stepped away from the coffee station. He shuffled closer to Bloodstone than to Dorian, head still ducked down.
“I don’t know if I can,” he whispered. “I don’t want to mess up.”
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Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2022 8:07 pm
“You can,” Bloodstone decided for Roselite when it was clear that he was hesitant about the promotion process. “You know what it feels like. You should be able to repeat the process. Here,” he said as he took a step closer to Dorian, leading Roselite closer.
“Place your hand on his chest, just like taking a starseed. I’ll control the Chaos, so you don’t have to worry about turning him into a youma,” Bloodstone insisted, not really caring if Dorian had objections. This was training for Roselite, not to let Dorian complain about how he was being recruited.
If he wanted to get access to more information about his brother, then this was the best way he could get it. Sure it was probably a bit shady how they obtained that information, but it wasn’t as though Jet was known for murdering their own. Yet.
He was willing to place his bet that Jet wouldn’t have it in him to kill any agent, even if it was questionable where their loyalties were, such as in terms of Dorian.
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Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2022 8:12 pm
Bloodstone knew what he was doing. Maybe, if they’d been alone with Dorian, without the audience of Carnallite sneering and instigating, Roselite would have had an easier time believing that this wasn’t going to be a terrible mistake.
He’d taken a starseed before, once. Not because he wanted to, but because Bloodstone thought it was important training. Bloodstone subdued the Senshi, and when they were inert on the ground, he’d summoned Roselite and had him pluck the starseed from the Senshi’s chest. It hadn’t been pleasant, but it hadn’t been difficult either. He’d put his hand to the Senshi’s chest, felt their unconscious, shallow breathing, then let his hand sink inside and followed Bloodstone’s guidance.
Roselite’s hand came to rest against Dorian’s chest. He could feel Dorian’s breathing — not shallow, but stable — and the beat of his heart. Bloodstone stood at his back, holding him steady, waiting to feed energy through him. Roselite kept his eyes downcast. He didn’t want to see Dorian’s face, didn’t want to witness any of the judgment in his eyes.
He let his hand slip inside and carefully wrapped his fingers around Dorian’s starseed.Dorian had no idea what a starseed was. He didn’t even know a hand could sink into his chest so easily, until Roselite’s was there. It occurred to him that he should have asked more questions, that he should have made Bloodstone explain the process to him in minute detail, but it was too late now. Dorian could only trust that his friend would not let the procedure kill him.
Of course, having no knowledge of the process meant he was unprepared for the pain. Power, dark and foreboding, began to flow into him — from Bloodstone, through Roselite, and into Dorian’s… starseed. Some point in his chest that felt both fragile and powerful. It spread from there, through his limbs, into his fingers and toes, rising until it overwhelmed him. He could not breathe through it. He couldn’t suppress the hiss and groan that rose up his throat. He couldn’t squash the sudden fear that something integral inside of him might shatter into pieces.
Then, as quickly as the sensation began, it faded away, and left in its place someone new.
Dorian, a fresh Lieutenant, staggered backwards. He grabbed the first chair he could find and slumped into it, rubbing the soreness from his chest.Roselite stumbled back, too, his face white with fear and shining with sweat. His hands shook. His eyes gleamed with tears, but he held them back. He wouldn’t cry here. Not in front of Dorian— Jasper and Carnallite.Carnallite almost wished Dorian stood in front of them as a youma, if only so she could hold it above Roselite’s head for the rest of his life — Bloodstone’s, too, since he insisted upon believing in Roselite despite Roselite’s irksome qualities. She might be without a friend, in that case, but she had so few of those to begin with, she didn’t know that one less would make a difference.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” she said, without indicating whom she was speaking to.
She took another swig of her drink and looked Dorian over. The recruitment clearly took a lot out of him. He would need rest, as they all did in the aftermath. Carnallite might have fared better during her own, but even she’d needed time to recover, she’d just waited until there was no one around to witness it.
“Congratulations, you’re one of us now.”Dorian huffed out a breath. “Hopefully I won’t regret it.”“You won’t,” Carnallite said. “None of us have. Even Roselite.”“Even Leigh?” Dorian asked.Carnallite shrugged. “You’ll have to ask him yourself.”
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