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 Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 8:43 am
Jasper couldn’t have said why he went out at all, much less powered up. He should’ve stayed home. Should’ve caught up on sleep, or wrote something, or edited. He could’ve done literally anything else (showered, or cooked, or cleaned something, or zoned out with the TV on), yet here he was fending off a bunch of kids.
They hadn’t snuck up on him. Not really. They couldn’t, not when he could feel their auras approaching. He just—… Alright, so he was tired, and he hadn’t been paying as much attention as he should, and most of them were weak, and once he caught sight of them he knew they were kids, so he hadn’t thought he needed to leave. What could a group of kids do to him?
He’d forgotten how vicious teenagers could be.
“Will you stop for two seconds?” Jasper said, lifting an arm to shield his head from the stick a blue haired girl was wielding.This guy wasn’t nearly as tall as the Captain they’d encountered a few nights ago. Cynthus could lift her arm up and whack her crook against his head.
Which she did. Twice. Or tried to, anyway. His arm got in the way.
“Tell us who took Stirling’s starseed!” she demanded.
Lieutenants were pathetic, Cynthus decided. More pathetic than she was, being only a Page. This guy might be older, but he didn’t put up much of a fight. Maybe he felt bad for lashing out at kids.
Well, they’d just have to use that to their advantage, wouldn’t they?“I don’t even know who Stirling is!” Jasper argued.
He tried to grab the stick out of her hands, but she yanked it away before he could get a good hold on it.Yvoire didn’t have a stick. He didn’t have anything useful, just a flower carved from wood. Ganymede told him it would change as he gained more power, that he’d have something better eventually, but for now he was stuck making do with whatever he could get his hands on. If he could reach high enough he’d try to poke the Lieutenant in the eye with the end of his wooden flower, but the Lieutenant shoved him away easily, so Yvoire resorted to shoving him back and punching at him ineffectively.
Yvoire wanted to hurt someone. He wanted someone to pay for what happened to Daddy, even if he didn’t know who was responsible. They all were, as far as he was concerned. Everyone in the Negaverse. They were evil incarnate. If they got Stirling’s starseed back in the process—
Well, Yvoire still wasn’t sure how he’d feel about that. Mostly he didn’t want to think about it.
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 9:49 am
Reims was right beside the others attacking the Lieutenant. He aimed a kick for the back of his leg, not happy with how easily it was for the guy to just shove Yvoire away from him.
They were getting desperate, Reims knew. They were running out of time to get Stirling’s starseed back, and it was looking more and more grim with each day of no results. They hadn’t heard anything from the adults they’d reached out to, either.
“You were there, weren’t you? At the bank?” Reims asked. He wasn’t certain that this guy was there, but there was a chance. “It’s your organization. Don’t you have records for who was there that night?” he asked, and then scoffed because if they didn’t keep track of things like that, then the Negaverse was really just as pathetic as he’d heard.
Well, no, he hadn’t heard they were pathetic. He was told to look out for them. But so far, they had only pathetic officers to deal with. “Maybe we should, um, give him a moment,” Ephesus nervously suggested as he clutched tightly to his staff. He was trying to be brave, but mostly he was there to make sure he could heal anyone who got hurt. He didn’t want anyone to get hurt, but he would be useful if they were.
Anxiously, Ephesus fumbled with the sketch he was holding. He’d made copies with Lucasta and Soleiyu’s help so they wouldn’t somehow end up linking him or his family to being Senshi or Knights. Or maybe his dad was just really paranoid about all technology and was being overly cautious.
“This is the General who took her starseed. We just want to talk to him. Please,” he said, trying very hard not to sniffle as he held back the seemingly endless threat of tears.
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 6:28 pm
Amarynthos sort of felt bad for the Lieutenant they’d run into. He didn’t seem particularly intimidating, but he also didn’t have a weapon, and so Amarynthos didn’t think he’d be good at pulling starseeds, either. He felt like he was supervising when they went out like this. He could have hit the man with his staff, or used his magic, but aside from a little elbowing and kicking, he didn’t seem like he stood much of a chance. Between the four pages, Amarynthos felt like he was just there for backup.
He didn’t mind, he liked being able to stay close to Ephesus, and he thought it was smart to have someone make sure there were no energy signatures getting closer, or someone hiding in the bushes or anything.
Besides, the pages were fierce!! Even Dering had tried to poke the man with a bit more vigor than usual, it didn’t even look like he was just trying to tickle him this time.
Ephesus was trying so hard to hold it together, and it broke his heart to see him like this. He stayed close for support, and just in case he needed a hug or something while they were out.
“Nobody’s taking us seriously,” he said to the Lieutenant. “And we’re getting frustrated. We just need to find this guy, okay? If you help us we won’t tell anyone that you got beat up by a bunch of kids.”
Dering didn’t even care that Amarynthos called themselves kids; he figured that probably would have stung more than ‘teenagers’. It’s not like any of them were children. He’d gotten scolded several times for being out late, and while he hadn’t gotten into any trouble, he was worried that this was just going to get him in worse trouble.
It felt like he wasn’t ever going to get to go home. But then–was Stirling?
Anger wasn’t really an emotion Dering was used to, and at the first signs of it he was usually quick to calm himself and find some way to destress. Now was no different, he was just keenly aware that he was tired and losing control. He didn’t want to hurt anyone, he just wanted his friend back.
He wasn’t cut out for fighting, that much felt certain. He wanted magic. He wanted his friend back first, though, and he couldn’t understand how none of these people knew each other or anything. Was the Negaverse that big? Or were they all just that unaware of each other?
He stopped trying to jab the Lieutenant, but only because Ephesus had the picture out and he wanted to make sure this guy got a good look.
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 6:32 pm
“Maybe you’d be taken more seriously if you’d hold back the mob long enough to have a conversation,” Jasper snapped.
They were kids. Fifteen, maybe. The age Leigh would’ve been when the Negaverse sank their claws in. Jasper hated that thought. Despised it. That anyone would recruit a bunch of reckless kids who hadn’t even finished developing a fully functioning brain...
“Ow!”
The girl with the stick whacked him on the head again. Jasper grabbed it this time, yanking it out of her hands to toss it away.“Hey!”
Cynthus kicked at his ankles, earning a string of hissed curses, then turned to run after her crook. He hadn’t thrown it far, at least, but she had to dig it out of a prickly bush.
“You don’t have to be a jerk about it!”Jasper could’ve pulled his hair out. He almost wanted to throw something else, just to let out some frustration. She had the nerve to call him a jerk, but she and her friends were the ones attacking him?!
He needed to calm down. This was ridiculous.
“Stop,” he demanded, before any of the others could get in any more pokes or kicks or punches. He pushed the blond in black and pink back again, then did the same to the other blond, the one in the bright colors, but gently. Getting poked wasn’t as deserving of backlash, and the kid didn’t seem as into it as the others anyway.
“I don’t know if there are records,” he answered the one in the pinstripe vest. “I can’t go check if you don’t give me the chance to.”“Look at the picture,” Yvoire said, voice rough with hatred and emotion.
He knew fighting wasn’t his strong suit. He didn’t have any training. He probably didn’t even throw a very good punch. But it felt like he was accomplishing something when he lashed out physically, like he could take revenge if he wanted to. He didn’t have to be good at it, he just had to try.
It didn’t make a difference that this Lieutenant didn’t seem all that threatening. He’d still joined the Negaverse, hadn’t he? That made him a shitty person. There wasn’t any good reason for joining, as far as Yvoire was concerned. He assumed most people did it for power, or because they wanted a reason to be cruel. They wanted an excuse to hurt someone, to kill people.
“Tell us who he is, or how we can find him.”Jasper sighed and snatched at the sketch to get a look at it.
“No idea,” he said. Before any of them could take that as an invitation to start hitting him with sticks again, Jasper added, “The Negaverse isn’t some small little gang. Everyone doesn’t know everyone else. There wasn’t even a plan in place when we got to the bank. A distress call went out and whoever was available responded to it. This isn’t a General I’m familiar with and I don’t have the clearance to go through personnel files to find him.”
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 6:34 pm
Reims clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth in frustration. This guy very obviously knew nothing.
“This is a waste of time,” he growled, after quickly moving over to make sure Dering and Yvoire didn’t get shoved hard enough to knock them over. He cast a concerned glance at Cynthus as well, but she seemed to be okay. As long as this guy didn’t try to hit her in retaliation.
“We’re better off trying to find someone else,” Reims decided, grabbing onto the back of both Yvoire and Dering’s shirts before they tried swinging their weapons at the man again.
“The Negaverse is full of cowards and lowlives. Go figure that a shitty organization would have shitty organization,” he spat, frustration growing.
He was tired. And he didn’t know what else to do other than keep looking. From what he knew about it, there was only so much time they had, anyway. After that, well…
At least he would be able to say they tried their best. An audible sob escaped when the Lieutenant said he had no idea who the General was. This was too much. His heart felt like it was crumbling more and more with each dead end.
“Are you sure?” he asked with a wobbly voice and tears in his eyes, despite trying to blink them away. “Maybe… um… there was another Senshi there,” he stumbled over his words as he tried remembering her name, but he was just so exhausted, physically and emotionally. If Amarynthos hadn’t been right beside him, Ephesus wasn’t sure he would be still standing.
“Please. We just need to find him.”
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 7:05 pm
The push wasn’t enough to send Dering falling backwards, but he stumbled just enough to throw him off balance. He kept a good grip on his bow string but he didn’t try to attack again when Reims gripped the back of his shirt.
It wasn’t so much that he even wanted to attack, he just didn’t want to let anyone down and he wasn’t going to slack. If they were still attacking, he was going to attack.
He was quickly calmed and lowered his weapon, but he seemed ready to go again at the slightest encouragement. He wished he could just agree with Reims and share his anger and hold onto that emotion, but the furrow in his brows immediately shifted to worry a soon as he heard Ephesus cry. It took everything in him not to try and make his way over to him and see if there was anything he could do. It was just in his nature to want to help.
When Ephesus cried, he felt the pressure build in his chest–not because Ephesus was doing anything wrong but because it seemed so much more hopeless. The Knight had been around for longer, had seen more than he had.
And every time they heard a no, it just seemed to be one step closer to failure.
He didn’t want to lose Stirling.
Amarynthos was resolute. He could hold his own weight and he could hold Ephesus, and he could hold the weight of all of their doubts and worries. He wasn’t going to cave. As long as Stirling hadn’t given up, he wasn’t giving up.
He kept an arm wrapped around Ephesus and drew him close.
“Mizuki was her name,” he added. He didn’t know if it would matter, or if there was anything she could do. Or if they’d be able to find her.
Maybe nobody knew her, either.
He didn’t trust the Negaverse in the slightest but he really didn’t get the impression that any of these people would stick their necks out for someone else. It didn’t seem like he was trying to protect someone. Didn’t seem like he was trying to spite them, either.
So, maybe he really just didn’t know.
They shouldn’t waste any more time here than absolutely necessary.
Just because he didn’t know the General–and might not know the Senshi–didn’t mean that someone else didn’t.
They’d find someone who could help. Eventually.
Hopefully sooner rather than later.
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 7:09 pm
Cynthus trotted back over once her crook was retrieved, tucking some flyaway hair out of her face. She frowned at the Lieutenant but didn’t attack again, keeping her crook close so he couldn’t yank it away. They were getting desperate, maybe. She knew they were running out of time. If they could just find someone who knew...
“Purple hair,” Cynthus added, hoping against hope that this Lieutenant knew at least one of them. If not the General, then maybe the Senshi. “Her outfit was sort of flowery? Woulda been cute if she wasn’t evil.”
Nose wrinkled in disgust, Cynthus eyed the Lieutenant suspiciously, like she suspected him of dishonesty or other such bad intentions.Jasper’s only intention was getting out of here without getting whacked on the head or poked in the eye. He continued to look at the sketch, but no matter how hard he delved into his (admittedly limited) knowledge of his fellow agents, nothing made the General look familiar.
But the tears got to him. Jasper sighed heavily. He brought a hand up to rub at his face.
“Look, just because I don’t know who either of them are doesn’t mean I can’t find out,” he said. “If I take this sketch to one of the General Sovereigns, will you lay off?”“Are those the people who feel like a Princess, only gross and evil?” Cynthus asked.“Yes? They don’t feel evil to me, they feel like—... You know what? Not the point. Just… ease up. Attacking first and asking questions later might not be your best option.”Cynthus snorted and folded her arms over her chest, resulting in her crook hanging at an odd angle.
“Seems to have worked with you,” she said.“Why would you help us?” Yvoire asked. “Why would a General Sovereign help us?”
Why would they care? They went around ripping out starseeds all the time, didn’t they? To be as strong as a Princess… a General Sovereign must have accomplished far more than the rest. Yvoire remembered what that one felt like at the bank. Heavy. Wicked. There was no saving a person like that. They were so steeped in evil they probably couldn’t see a way out. They probably didn’t even want one.“Not like I have much of a choice,” Jasper said. “You’ve got me outnumbered and surrounded.”
He shrugged, folding the sketch to tuck it into one of his jacket pockets. “But some of us don’t really care for harming kids. I’m not promising the ending you want, but I’ll ask around and send this guy your way if I find anything. I don’t care to be harassed for his poor choices.”
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 7:14 pm
Reims didn’t trust this guy. He didn’t know what to expect from him, but it seemed completely against the whole being evil to want to help them do anything.
He didn’t want to seem like he was trying to control what Yvoire and Dering were doing though, so he released his hold from their shirts. If they wanted to attack this guy, then he would just have to make sure he was there to keep them from getting hurt, that was all.
Either way, this guy was going to maybe try to help them.
“How do we know you won’t just call for backup and have us all killed?” Reims scoffed, but he didn’t really want to give this guy ideas. He just didn’t trust him.
It was their best chance at trying to save Stirling, though. A sickening feeling in his gut suggested that they might get themselves killed in the process but… they were at least doing their best. Ephesus was grateful that Amarynthos had a much better memory than him. His own head was swimming with everything. What would happen if they didn’t succeed. What would happen if they did. What would happen if this happened again.
His chest ached, and he rubbed absently at it. He wasn’t the one without his starseed, so he had no right to feel anxious about its loss, but he also didn’t do anything to move himself away from Amarynthos’s comfort.
He nodded gratefully when the Lieutenant said he would try to take the sketch to find the General. It was their best lead so far, but there was no guarantee they would be able to get anything from it.
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 7:22 pm
Dering wanted to hope that this guy was sincere, even if in the dark corners of his mind he couldn’t help but wonder if he was just saying what he thought they wanted to hear. He wanted to hope that he meant what he said–hoped that he would actually help and not just say whatever he needed to in order to get out of here. …Or, worse, he hoped he wasn’t going to take this to a General Sovereign and make it impossible to get her starseed back. He pressed his lips together and tried his hardest to keep a straight face. His brows came together and he barely hid the avalanche of emotions threatening to crush him. He wanted something to go right. Amarynthos shared the skepticism. As soon as this guy got out of here, who's to say they’d ever see him again? Once he was in the safe embrace of the Negaverse, why should he care about helping them? He could say whatever he wanted if it thought it would save his skin. There was no guarantee that he meant it. And, worse, they’d never get the starseed back if it somehow ended up in the hands of a General Sovereign. He knew how dangerous they were. This time, he didn’t feel the need to chime in; he didn’t trust the Negaverse and couldn’t think of any reason why he shouldn’t suspect that this guy wouldn’t just turn on them the second he had the opportunity to. Reims’ question was enough for him. For now. He didn’t want to add to it and worsen Ephesus’ anxiety, anyway.
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2023 7:36 pm
“I could’ve called for backup already,” Jasper pointed out. “I didn’t. You’re kids. Someone else might kill you, or corrupt you. That someone isn’t me.”
They didn’t need to know the details, the reasons why. If they’d been older, circumstances might have been different. He might’ve called for backup. He certainly would’ve fought back harder. But all Jasper could see when he looked at them now was Leigh’s face nine years ago—a fifteen year old brat dragged into something he couldn’t possibly understand.Cynthus wasn’t any less suspicious than the others. Once this guy was out of their sight, he might chuck the sketch or send someone worse after them. He could say anything to get them off of him and not mean a word of it.
But what other choice did they have? Keeping him here wasn’t going to solve anything. Beating him up might make them feel better, but how far could they actually go? Whacking someone with her crook was one thing; killing someone was totally different. At some point, they either had to release this guy or make some tough decisions. Cynthus didn’t think any of them were ready for that. It felt wrong to even think about it.
“Maybe you’re just lying to us to save your own a**,” Cynthus said.“Maybe,” Jasper agreed. “What other option do you have to find this guy?”Cynthus sighed. The heavy gust of breath sent some of her hair fluttering.
This was their best lead so far. Wandering around the city at night harassing anyone with an evil aura probably wasn’t going to get Stirling’s starseed back. At least there was a chance this guy would keep his word. They couldn’t afford not to take it.
“Fine,” she said. “Whatever. Run back to your General-ruler people and tell them they’re next if they don’t give us what we want.”Yvoire wanted to keep hitting this man. He didn’t care what the Lieutenant said, or how the Lieutenant might feel about the situation. He didn’t deserve to walk away. He didn’t deserve comfort or consideration or peace.
But Yvoire was becoming increasingly aware of his own shortcomings, and the boundaries the others might not be as willing to cross. Alone, he would not be able to subdue this man.
“Tell us your name,” Yvoire demanded.
They couldn’t let him go with nothing more than promises. They needed whatever information they could get, or they’d be back at square one. At least with another name, they’d have something to offer anyone else they might come across, in the event that this Lieutenant slipped away, never to be heard from again.
Of course, the Lieutenant could just as easily give them a fake name.Jasper considered it, but ultimately decided to be truthful. His name meant very little in the Negaverse, after all. He was one Lieutenant among many—and not a very active one, at that.
“Jasper,” he said. “I serve under Captain Roselite, who serves under General Bloodstone, who serves under General Queen Hessonite.”“So you’ll take the sketch to her?” Cynthus asked.
A sort of morbid curiosity rose in her. As awful as these people were, Cynthus had to wonder what a General Queen must be like.“No.”
Jasper knew nothing of Hessonite beyond her name, and gossip that traveled through the halls of the castle. He didn’t expect she’d care much for a girl’s missing starseed. Maybe none of them would.
“I’ll take it to Jet,” he said, repressing his contempt.
What happened after that was of no concern to him.
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