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 Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2023 8:22 pm
(Back dating this)
Rather than taking Gisela out, and risking anyone hearing their conversation, the ashen blond had invited her over to his own home. He'd ordered some desert over grubhub and had it arrive only ten minuets ago. A cheese cake and a tiramisu, since he didn't like cheesecake and the tiramisu at least involved coffee of some sort. As he didn't have much of a sweet tooth he was going with something he could at least tolerate.
The house had been cleaned earlier, though the place was always clean, and he'd made sure he had a tea service out and waiting on coffee table so they could talk and have something of a proper tea and talk; though he'd be avoiding the tea as he disliked it. This was important and he was trying to do his best so he could set Gisela at ease with whatever happened with this talk; plus he was nervous himself. There was a lot which could happen, good or bad, depending on her decision today.
Now he was left fluffing pillows, for no reason, as he wandered around the living room.
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Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2023 8:54 pm
Gisela had changed her mind about Alex's proposal maybe thirteen times or more. Sometimes multiple times a day. She kept making list after list after list of pros and cons, and sometimes things switched sides or vanished and reappeared on new lists, or maybe only appeared for one list and then vanished never to be seen again. Even as she drove to Alex's house, she couldn't say that she had come to a solid decision. She couldn't say that she was fully on or off board. But she did know that she had two or three final, lingering questions, and that her answer hung on those answers. Gisela didn't have an answer as she rang the bell of Alex's front door, but she did know that she would have an answer by the time she left.
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Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2023 9:06 pm
Finally, she was here and he could stop fretting so. Moving across the living room he made for the front door where he unlocked it and with a turn of the handle he was swinging the door open. As a civilian he didn't look nearly as intimidating as he did when powered up. The uniform he wore normally gave him a bit of bulk, made him look a bit wider perhaps, but it also did drown him as well. But either way he was small, petite even, with fair skin and light hair and eyes the color of storm clouds. One could almost, if you tilted your head right, mistake his gender even especially from behind.
Well dressed, as expected, he stepped aside and motioned the other inside. "Come in, I have tea and desert set out. Help yourself, but do mind the tea set." It had been a gift from his grandmother. She, as the head of his family, got everyone a tea service when they were older and he'd been no exception to the rule. Sterling silver and with fine crafted cups and saucers it wasn't a surprise; she had good taste.
Closing the door, and locking it, behind Gisela the blond followed after her on socked feet. "Shoes off on the mat." He kept a mat by the door for guests to put their shoes on. [/coloor]
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Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2023 9:20 pm
Alex always made Gisela feel overdressed, though never on purpose. She swam in her ripping jeans and faded band tees, even cinched at the waist as they were by oversized flannels. She felt even more so as she kicked off her boots and stood in her stockinged feet beside Alex. Not for the first time with him she wondered how she might look in a button down and nice slacks herself. But then she pushed the thought as from her mind as possible because there would never be any time or place in which Gisela would trade the comfort of soft cotton and ripped denim for anything. Mind the tea set, Alex had said, and mind it Gisela did. It was lovely. She picked up a cup in delicate fingers and wondered at the lightness in her hands. She'd never seen a metal tea set before, and in fact when Alex talked about tea she'd expected something like delicate and painted china. Then again... that wasn't exactly Alex's style, was it? Her general was all bird-fine steel and unexpected strength. She smiled into her hazy reflection in the curve of the cup as she tried to imagine him as a delicate china cup. No, of course it was silver. "Thank you, Alex." Her voice was soft, as it often was when she was a civilian. "You always take such good care of me. I really appreciate it." And then she fell silent, her mouth in a thin line as she tried to organize her thoughts. She busied her hands selecting her slice of cheesecake and carefully pouring her tea, even if her stomach turned with anxiety and kept her from feeling at all enticed by the treats. She even meticulously counted her sugar cubes, as though worried she might lose count somewhere between one and three She only spoke when Alex had served himself as well, and after a deep breath, centering herself. "Thank you, also, for giving me time to think. I don't... I can't..." she took another breath as she felt herself slipping. "What I mean to say is... I'm still not certain, but I do have a few last questions." She took a perfunctory sip of tea and ignored the angry clenching of her stomach at the action. "First of all... will it hurt?" And yeah, that felt horribly juvenile to ask... and maybe a yes wouldn't be a deal breaker but... she'd like to know. "And second, this is reversible, right? Like if something goes wrong or it doesn't work... we can take it out, right?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2023 9:38 pm
Oh, he had a china set as well to use but that was more for family when that was expected. He'd had his grandmother get himn the second silver set as well as the usual china cups and saucers. He'd said it was for less formal affairs with more casual friends; which was true. He was using it now because it was less proper and more comfortable, more fitting in some ways he supposed.
"I do try, at least with thsoe I'm close to anyway." Watching her pour her own tea, before he could even offer to do so, he didn't bother with a drink for himself as he wasn't one for tea. The only time he ever drank tea was the herbal kind and than it always served a medicinal purpose for him, as he did avoid medications as much as he could. He'd rather a tea than a pill if he could help it, and often he could. "You've been busy, I can tell, and I do hope this whole thing hasn't caused you too much distress." Because that was something he had not wanted to cause her, it would go against the whole point of his offer to her.
It was the other desert which he served himself a slice of, taking a small bite from a desert fork, as he leaned back in his seat. "I don't believe so, and if you want I'm sure you could take a painkiller before hand just incase. I've never met someone with one and I've not spoken to any who had administered one." That was one worry of his own as well, though he didn't let her know this, he wanted her to make her choice on her own and not with his influence. Especially, he didn't want himself influencing her choice when he didn't know everything abotu this procedure. It could all go fine really.
"Yes, they can be destroyed and removed as well. If anything happens I can remove it. If you want we can even revisit things at some point and see if we can remove it without you returning to poor health." Because he didn't need her loyalty, nor did the Negaverse or their Queen as they all already had it.
"I wouldn't leave it if it hurt or in same way caused you suffering. The point of this is to help you."
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Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2023 10:29 pm
Gisela nodded as Alex spoke, puncturing her cheesecake over and over with her fork as she listened. He seemed to know about what she did, which was precious little. Even the Negaverse databases, as far reaching and comprehensive as they were, yielded precious little information. It was all guarded. Hidden and buried by someone for some reason. And information didn't get hidden and buried like that for no reason. She had been hoping that maybe because she was a senshi, or maybe because she was still a Super, she didn't have the clearance but... if Alex couldn't find anything on it then it really was hidden knowledge. Gisela let out a breath at the realization that they were both flying blind. She carefully set her plate down, minding the tea set as she was told, and buried her head in her hands. A long, slow breath hissed through her fingers as she considered everything. Behind her eyelids, her lists and lists and lists of pros and cons ran over and over. The same lists forever slipped past her eyes, even closed as they were. Spiralling down and down into what ifs and could bes. She'd been up for nights, sleeping fitfully and wondering what it would be like to just stop and think clearly for once. And well... that was the crux of it, wasn't it? That was the core of it all. Sleeping. Resting. Her health. Finally slowing down and healing. And the possibility of getting to do all of that was right here. It was right here. And there was an out. Alex could stop it and if it hurt well then it was only for a second and then she could sleep. She took another deep breath, released her face, and stabbed her cheesecake. "Let's do it." Before she could think herself back out of it.
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Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2023 3:10 pm
"Alright, if this is what you want. Just remember, I'll back out if it hurts or anything happens. To hurt you would defeat the purpose. I'll keep an eye on you even afterwards, as I would anyway, in order to make sure you are doing better." Since this was to help her get better, so she could do better in general. He wanted her in good health and the Negaverse needed it. She was dedicated and loyal but with her health as it was...she couldn't give a fight her all, not like he knew she wanted to. She was a risk to herself; and he didn't like that.
"Alright." More to himself than to her, he was nodding his head as he spoke. "We'll do this." And then his focus was fully on her and a smile crept into place. "Now eat your cheesecake and stop trying to kill it." This was like a weight off his shoulders and it left him thrilled but also sick feeling, from how badlt his nerves had been getting him ever since she'd told him that they needed to talk.
Running his shaking fingers through his hair, tugging on his bangs gently, he tipped his head back. "Perhaps the information, or lack of information, is so people who get this done against their will don't find out. I could see that being an issue in some cases. But, I'd hope this being done against someones will would be a rare occurance." But he couldn't promise that either. Who knew how many might infact have a youmiglia in them and no one knew. Thankfully he wasn't about to go behind someones back and do this to them, it was distasteful. He'd rather be upfront about such things; even if it meant dragging someone kicking and screaming. Not that he'd do it to someone unwilling but if he was going to they'd at least know it was coming.
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Posted: Sun Jul 16, 2023 10:34 pm
Saying that she was going to do it felt... better than Gisela expected. It wasn't that she felt good about it perse... there were still so many unknowns. But she did feel somewhat settled. Like something inside of her had clicked into place now that she had made a choice. With that hurdle out of the way and the assurance that Benitoite would protect her during and after the implantation, her nerves fell silent. She was nervous, of course, with no knowledge of whether it would hurt or not, no real promise that it would even work, but... it was quieter. She laughed quietly at Alex's instruction, noticing only then that she'd practically stabbed her slice of cheesecake to mush. "Need it to stop struggling," she joked lightly, smile still playing on her lips. At Alex's wonderings, Gisela only shrugged. I didn't really matter to her why the information was kept secret. If it was used, then it must have been for extreme cases, and only as a last resort. Else it would be a more widely known practice, wouldn't it? "The Negaverse and the General Sovereigns have never wronged us before," she offered in way of comfort. "If anything, they've only ever bent over backwards to help us. Why should this be any different?"
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