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 Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 6:55 pm
Larimar felt a little less like a limp rag now, a little more alive and a lot less on the verge of having a panic attack, but that didn't mean ze was willing to go anywhere near the ******** ship -- or the robots, either, but that was less of a priority than the ship, which was probably evil, given everything.
It was like nobody had ever read sci-fi. The robots would absolutely get killing. Why was everyone so ready to just accept the party, the island, the -- everything? So soon after the rifts, which had not been anything near friendly? Okay, maybe genre savviness didn't apply in real life, but... to some extent it had to, right, if one took into account the fact nobody had seen these before?
Ze was pissy about it, sure, but it was in an ineffectual sort of way; hackles-up cat, that sort of thing. For the meantime, Larimar had taken a position hanging out near one of the buildings further from the main group, distant from as many people as ze could manage, and glaring ineffectually at anyone nearby.
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Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 7:08 pm
This place might have been the coolest thing she had ever seen! Sure, she had been to several planets by now, and she loved every single one of them, and she loved seeing every single one of them thrive! But there was something different about being on a planet with an ancient power that had sentient robots on it. Viatrix deeply wanted to know everything she could about everything that was here, and the easiest way to do that was to start exploring a bit, so when there was a bit of a gap in interesting conversation she wandered off to see if she could see anything else of intrigue. What she saw, instead, was an agent of the Negaverse. A sulky one, at that. Ze didn't seem to be a threat but-- She still kept her distance when she asked, "Are you okay?" There was no point in fighting now, she didn't see the point when they were all stuck here in this very cool place, but that didn't mean that this agent wouldn't think the same...
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 7:16 pm
"No," Larimar said, reflexively; half out of defiance, half just because ze really did feel just absolutely ******** godawful on a couple of levels.
...and then, several seconds later, through grit teeth: "...yes." Sigh. One long, exaggerated sigh.
"My ******** coworkers," Larimar enunciated the last word sharply, "are just prancing ******** off into alien spaceships, because apparently none of this is suspicious enough to bother hanging back," and it was an uncharitable description, but it felt true to zem at the present moment. "The space elves, whatever, who cares. I don't get paid enough to care about space elves." Not that ze got paid by the Negaverse outright, anyway, but 'my boss told me not to bully them' sounded really, really stupid when it was said out loud, and it was the kind of thing that would cause people ze didn't know - like her - to lose respect.
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Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 7:29 pm
Alright, damn, maybe she should just give zem even more space-- And then the answer changed to yes, and Viatrix's shoulders relaxed as she shifted from one foot to the other (one foot! one foot! she was still getting used to being able to just do that and it delighted her each time she didn't need some little trinket --) and listened to the rant, chuckling at the reference to coworkers... "The people I came with," because even though it was arguably obvious, Encke would never want Viatrix to say they were bonded either, "are also holding back a bit! There's just a lot going on, and something about the people who lived here possibly have been extremely powerful? And while I am pretty excited I do understand hesitance might be a good idea..." She wanted to go into that ship and everywhere else, but she had hesitated for the moment. To be honest, she wasn't entirely sure why. Maybe the agent had a point that she had acknowledged without thinking of it, or at least, Encke's nerves were rubbing off on her... She frowned. "I honestly don't know what to do with the Velencians either. I just prefer we stopped trying to fight them." At least, so long as they didn't try that corruption s**t again. Then she wouldn't hold back. Her senshi were too important.
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 7:38 pm
"Who cares if they were powerful," Larimar said, more annoyed than bitter, "they're dead as dust now, aren't they?" Ze scuffed one boot against the ground, drawing circles with zir toe. "I don't give a s**t about space, I just want to get back to Earth -- I had things I was in the middle of."
It was petty, and selfish, but it was true. Space didn't mean much to Larimar; zyr focus had always been a little closer to the ground. Senshi and Knights got to go to space? ********, great for them, why was this important. Velencians were from space? Obviously space wasn't all it was cracked up to be, if they'd rather be here. If everyone in the greater cosmos was getting reborn on Earth, who cared about some dead, dusty city in the galactic middle of nowhere?
"They're pretty garbage allies, anyway. Too concerned with each other to do anything for us."
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Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 7:50 pm
She guessed it made sense that a Negaverse agent didn't care about space. Wasn't their whole thing supposedly about protecting earth? Even though they were doing the exact opposite of it "I was in the middle of something too," a patrol, but ze didn't need to know that. "I honestly can't understand why you would have been brought out here. Such a strange selection of people too..." All different groups, and Almadel, and Kurma--who Encke knew, apparently, and the Velencians-- Which ze had some pretty interesting things to say about. What was the point of allying with them at the Vanguard was not offering them anything? Maybe their Queen just liked the space connection? Or they seemed pretty tech-savvy, considering their little comtech things they wore... Please. She was absolutely convinced she could make Order something cooler if they needed it. "I guess it's good to know I don't have to worry about anything coming from that alliance anytime soon..." Unless this agent didn't know about that, she supposed. "Hopefully, we're able to leave soon. I know the people I came with would prefer that." Even though she wanted to find out more about the sentient life...
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 8:05 pm
Probably the Velencians were offering the Negaverse things - technology, information, allies -- but Larimar did not care, was not given to caring, and didn't feel any reason to go looking for information that proved it otherwise. Unless any of it was directly relevant to Ashanite (who would... maybe tell zem, if it came down to that -- ze gave it a 50/50), it didn't matter to zem at all, really.
"I could be lying," ze said, more casually now. "Think about it: what's more likely - that the Queen made an alliance she gets nothing out of, and that info gets disseminated down even to the grunts - or that I'm just ******** lying to you, and I know exactly what we get out of them, I just think they're annoying?"
It was kind of funny to ******** with the catgirl, at least. Kept zyr mind off things.
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Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 8:12 pm
Did ze seem like ze were relaxing a little? Maybe that was a good thing? Or a bad thing? Arguably, ze was an agent, she should be making zyr life worse but what was the point in this situation-- "Honestly don't know what's likely of those two options," she noted, warily, shifting her weight from one foot to another in a mirror of her bonded. "Probably that you don't really know what it is that she's getting." Which was not great. If it wasn't openly known... There was no way it was nothing unless the entire alliance was the mass corruption and the starseed stealing. But why were they still allies then? What was the Vanguard providing for this continued alliance? That made her weary. She glanced in the direction of the party. "Or that you won't tell me what it is, but you still find the Vanguard annoying. Honestly don't like any of that, thanks for that." There was a definite hint of sarcasm in her voice. She crossed her arms under her chest. "Well, I suppose we're all just as clueless here at least."
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 8:27 pm
"You're welcome," ze said, and now ze sounded smug. "I live to entertain." Well, not exactly a total lie; half of this was a played-up performance, anyway, because if you wanted to get anything nice and dramatic you needed to have villains, and Larimar was more than happy to be a proper villain. If that promotion was any time soon (and it had better be, because putting up with rifts and then this s**t without complaining was a lot for the Negaverse to ask of one ******** Captain), ze'd be even better at it.
"They are annoying, regardless, right? So clingy to each other. It's kind of gross."
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Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 8:33 pm
Why did ze sound so smug now that she admitted she was also not feeling great? Was this what Encke dealt with when he took the talk to them approach? She supposed this was better than getting outright attacked at least... And one person that was less despondent hopefully meant that they could get out of here a little faster. Or at least maybe get some more information a little bit faster. She wanted to know how these robots are even sapient the way they were! "Entertain yourself, you mean?" It came out as an airy tease, an attempt to cheer herself back up even as her mind was buzzing with the possibilities that she did not like. "Honestly, they're not so bad when they're not in an alliance that's trying to wipe our memories. Some of the people I know are pretty close to some of them," although not the ones that went with their commodore. Caedus hadn't gone with Lyndin, for obvious reasons... "They're probably so clingy to each other because they don't understand the world they've been thrust into."
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 8:49 pm
"Details, details." Larimar didn't wave a dismissive hand, but it came across enough in zyr voice. "It makes them look so pathetic, I don't know how they stand it. It's basically broadcasting exactly who anyone should target, if they want to really hurt people." With those uniforms, ze almost expected better; shouldn't they have been militaristic, maybe? Colder? But they were insular, and two of them had started actively kissing in the middle of everything (eugh), and ze hadn't seen anything that implied any of these tall ******** aliens were any great hands in combat.
Not a great showing, in other words.
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Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 8:55 pm
Considering the mood ze had been in before, she couldn't quite tell if ze buried zyr feelings under nihilism, or if just needling her until she was thinking about the possibilities of what the Vanguard could have actually been providing the Negaverse cheered zyr up. "Evidently, they broadcasted it well enough considering a squire started yelling at them and even attacked them..." And then Pendour, who she believed was the Kerberos Encke had mentioned, and a couple of others had to get between that whole mess. "They look pretty militaristic, but I feel like their aims are different than yours--and I mean that as a faction, obviously I don't really know your aims." Besides for making her wonder that that queen's game was-- "I think quite a few of them went off to go explore, hopefully they don't end up getting themselves hurt."
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 9:08 pm
"Why do you care if they get hurt? They're not your friends." Ze knew exactly why she might care - wasn't quite as heartless as ze played it up to be in uniform - but it was important character reinforcement to add. "My aims? Whatever serves the Negaverse best, of course, and nothing else."
Well, that was a bold-faced ******** lie, and ze didn't even try to disguise that one.
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Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 9:16 pm
Well, no, none of them that ended up here were her friends, but she had at least gotten the impression that a lot of the Vanguard hadn't expected that mass corruption thing--and she even had watched one of them die for another of their own--but what were they doing now-- That wasn't really relevant, was it. "Of course," mused Viatrix, looking over zem for a moment. That was an obvious lie. What was zyr actual aim? "I think your actual aim is to just get away from everyone and get home so you can get back to what you were doing." Especially considering the fact that ze hadn't bother grouping with the rest of the Negaverse... "They're not my friends, but I don't have to be friends with someone to care if they get hurt." Viatrix shifted. "Would you like me to leave you alone?"
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2022 9:37 pm
She did have zyr number, it looked like. And that was -- fine, honestly? As fun as screwing with her might have been, too much longer and the odds were she would've hit a nerve, something that actually did really bother zem - and Larimar knew zemself well enough to know that ze might make a scene, if and when she did.
This had served its purpose. Not that it'd had a purpose, originally, but now it did, and it was done.
"Close enough," Larimar said, and: "yes, actually; shocker, I know. Go do... whatever catgirls do."
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