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 Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2023 11:58 am
"This is a pointless exercise," one Faustite complained, while fighting an uphill battle with a stapled bag of fast food. A layer of grease had coated the bottom, which was then pooling on the glass surface of his desk. Inside was quite a number of tacos, such that any normal person could be having a party or a small gathering that they needed to feed cheaply and effectively.
"It's good for you," the other Faustite replied. "Teaches you dexterity. Better that they're not on fire before I eat them."
"And what does that matter."
"Better taste, more calories."
The bag was still sealed. "Do you taste them that way?"
Setting the pen down, the other Faustite leveled a deadpan look at the first.
The first Faustite gave up on his task. "Then why bother?"
Turning on his chair, the other Faustite crossed his legs and abandoned his task to give the first Faustite his full, undivided attention. When he spoke, his cadence was initially calm. "Did it ever occur to you that I get really ******** tired of scraping ******** wax paper out of my ******** grate? Or that, should I even so much as burp, I don't want to taste ******** charcoal all the time? Not that you have a scrap of understanding for any of that, since eating is something you're lucky you can avoid.
"Now stop dawdling and open the ******** taco bag. I'm starving[/]."
The first Faustite managed a huff in dismayed acceptance of this irritating task.
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Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2023 12:24 pm
One thing Hestia hadn't been expecting, was how full of life this Dark Kingdom was. The landscape with its crumbling ruins, the strange sky overhead, they all reminded her of the senshi homeworlds, her own included. Vast and desolate, worlds beyond worlds, all of them crushed under the foot of something terrible and long past. Except here, instead of a quiet stillness, everywhere she turned was the bustle of bodies and chattering hum or people, going about their day with purpose. She tried to not think about her past years of work with bitterness, and instead immerse herself in the relief it all brought. And, of course, the work she was meant to do. Glancing down at the quilted carrying case in one hand, and thermos in the other, she supposed that this could be considered a start. A small wisp, still with her even after the all this, squirmed out of the warm case and popped out of existence as she approached the office. It was, perhaps, still a little cautious of her fiery superior. Hestia supposed that bringing food was less a matter work and more the fact that she didn't feel comfortable visiting someone for the first time and not bringing food of some kind. Arriving with hands empty just seemed too cold and thoughtless for such a meeting. Standing in the stone hallway, in front of the door she only slightly recognized from that night, Hestia shuffled her burdens to one hand, and gave a tidy little set of raps on the door. "Sir, it's Hestia."
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Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2023 3:45 pm
Oh, Borax's latest project was here. The strange one that wanted to join the Negaverse for a**-backwards reasons. Faustite perked; if nothing else, she was bound to be better entertainment than watching a wad of bugs try to open a Taco Bell bag.
"Enter," he declared as he rested his chin on his palm.
Then his attention darted to Headache. "She might open the bag for you if you're nice to her."
"No," came the flat reply.
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Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2023 4:39 pm
Stepping inside, Hestia was met with the sight of two of the General King. She gave a startled raise of her eyebrows before vaguely recalling something like that. A figure that was first Faustite, and then herself, as she had been. "I brought you a meal," she began, nose taking in the smell of grease, tortillas, and questionable meat. One the of Faustites was ineffectively battling a paper bag on the desk. "Though it seems you're already eating? I'll set this aside for you later. It's only a macaronic and cheese bake, I haven't had a chance to go grocery shopping yet." Easing the casserole dish out of the carrier, she placed it on an unoccupied corner of his desk, the thermos following next to it. "Creme Earl Grey, I thought a lighter tasting black tea would be nice with it. There were several very helpful captains and lieutenants at the barracks, who helped me find what I needed." And here is where she sounded a bit unsure and confused. Why were they so helpful? They did get a small meal out of it but she hadn't expected the, well, respect. In fact, she'd expected quite the opposite to follow her joining.
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Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2023 5:51 pm
"I would be eating if Headache knew how to use thumbs," he huffed. Faustite passed an unamused glance to Headache, who only shrugged as if to say, you did this to yourself. While he knew that to be true, he wasn't interested in Headache's backsass and turned from the youma entirely.
With his attention on what Hestia was unveiling, he addressed his youma one last time. "You're not allowed to leave til you get that open." He didn't need to look back to feel the disappointment emanating from the youma.
"Food never goes to waste around me." Faustite beckoned for Hestia to sit, if she was so inclined to bring food by. Since Headache was busy failing at its duties, he decided the delightful-smelling back would hold him over in the interim. He'd even try eating it with his mouth first, and if it tasted good enough and he could remember how to coordinate food well enough to avoid spilling it all over himself, he might even eat the entire thing. That is to say, it wouldn't be relegated to the disposal.
Seemed she ran into enough helpful Captains and Lieutenants that knew his tastes, too, though he was uncertain why some of them would. No — perhaps it wasn't all that surprising. Albite was loudmouthed and often spoke of matters that others had no business knowing. It was likely enough that he told the world how much Faustite loved black tea.
The creme version of an Earl Grey was likewise a nice touch. It was cause enough to rifle his desk for little cups of half-and-half, as well as some raw honey.
"Expect you didn't drop food off for its own sake." Faustite surfaced with a handful of the cups, as well as the squeeze bottle of honey that featured melt marks around the plastic.
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Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2023 6:14 pm
"No, though if you'd like me to start doing so, I do have some questions." Oh. Their name was Headache? And thumbs were...difficult? What a curious youma. She'd have to get used to that, now would she? Youma being people of a sort, rather than the simplest, least emotionally complicated targets. Pausing her motion, she set the glass casserole dish down in front of him and pulled out a set of utensils rolled in a cloth napkin. When she'd been looking for a nice serving plate in the barrack's kitchen, it'd been firmly labeled as unnecessary much to her confusion. Hestia then summoned up a tea cup of pleasant, if simple design and poured his drink. The dish itself was a simple macaroni and cheese bake, generously topped with bacon and chives. Relatively fresh out of the oven and set just enough to not be a mess, but not so much as to loose the creamy indulgence of the butter and different cheeses. It was a simple, but well made, comfort dish. Stepping away, hands folded in front of her, Hestia asked, "Do you have any special dietary needs, sir?" As she spoke, she eyed the honey and cream, noting the brand and also the signs of melting. "And times of day you prefer to eat?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2023 7:16 pm
Headache seemed to be at the end of its wits with its task, for it abandoned Faustite's visage entirely and reverted to a cloud of orange fireflies that hence swarmed the bag. Quite a number of them crawled underneath the rolled-over top of the bag, as if the force of a dozen or more bugs could somehow push it open. But Headache soon found that this manipulation was no more fruitful than the last; the Taco Bell bag proved the victor yet again.
Not that Faustite was at all concerned with its progress. He was presented with new food with a more promising taste and texture than mediocre horse meat tacos, so naturally, the entire left section of his desk ceased to concern him anymore.
So accustomed was he to making his own tea that he was visibly taken aback by Hestia pouring the cup. Unusual, if a bit unnerving, but overall, no harm done. He poked one of the half-and-half cups toward her, as they mostly didn't survive him fiddling with their sealed tops, for it took longer with lengthy nails and that was plenty of time for his heat to melt through the cheap plastic. He could squeeze the honey himself, and it stood up to the heat a little better, though he felt the bottle growing soft and pliant in his grasp. It was still enough for about a teaspoon.
"Those are your questions?" He asked as he picked up the (thankfully metal) fork. "Dietary needs — gluten-free and s**t like that? No, don't think so. Just have to eat a lot."
He'd gotten accustomed, once again, to dumping everything in his grate. He realized this shortly after pushing the fork into the casserole, for it was more troublesome than usual to keep the pile of gooey bacon, chives, and macaroni balanced on his fork long enough to get it in his mouth. At least the first bite had the decency to fall right back into the dish and not on his desk. He took that as a cue to pull the warm dish closer to himself.
"Eat whenever I'm awake, basically. Being on fire burns calories."
Headache deadpanned a laugh. Faustite shot it a silencing glare.
"Should add that I'm awake nights, unlike the others. Why — thinking of making a habit of this?" He looked at her as he managed the first forkload of food to his mouth. Truly it was a delight — far superior than the ill-gotten Taco Bell that Headache had yet to open. He got to savor that delectable medley of flavors before it started to burn on his tongue.
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Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2023 7:53 pm
Hestia watched the youma's transformation with a look of open wonder. After over a decade as a senshi, she was more than familiar with magic. But there was an almost fairytale quality to Headache that felt a little more wondrous that what she'd long been used to. The small motion of the creamer cups brought her back, expression returning to it's typical neutral lines. Wordlessly, she opened the little cup and poured it in. He needs a honey dipper, Hestia thought, adding it alongside other implements such as tongs, and craft tweezers. Small things to make small actions go a little more easily. No dietary needs beyond an immense need? "I do wish to make it part of of my duties, sir. Do you have any preferences, then? Dislikes? And..." she paused a moment, hoping not to be too inappropriate in asking. "May I know your age, sir?" The General King looked both fairly young and also, very timeless.
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2023 6:06 am
She caught on quickly enough. That meant fewer items had to be sacrificed in the name of being too hot to handle them.
The tea was quite delightful — creme versions had a delicacy to them that was both rich and subtle, and Faustite always liked having them in the house when he remembered to order them. Paired well with the rich food, too. He might actually feel full for a couple hours. Better than being perpetually hangry, and it was likely enough that the rank and file would begin to thank her for it if she kept him off of hangry status.
Faustite pressed a knuckle to his chin in thought at preferences. He supposed he really didn't have any, considering Albite's most beloved story of how he ate a roach off a gas station floor. And he'd been told to eat things that take longer to burn.
"Don't like a lot of greasy things. Have to clean it out too often." He was already due to clean the grate, so the tacos were slightly less troublesome for having to do the chore regardless. "Prefer anything that tastes good overcooked. Or has a flavor other than 'burnt'. Got told I should eat things with a lot of fat and protein."
The age question, though — he wondered if she was trying to calculate dietary recommendations by age bracket, or if the rank and file told her that he was either sixteen or four thousand years old. Might've been both. Oh, unless Albite was trying to convince her to buy him his alcohol. Maybe she had compunctions about age limits. But if she did, the Negaverse was seldom a good place for such scruples
He had to think about that question, too. Checked his tablet for the date, then he had to remember when he was born. Count back a year, and — "22." Same as Jet, he wanted to say. And Hessonite started as a General-Queen even younger than that, so he didn't want to hear it if she thought his age precluded him from being in this role. No, the only thing to blame for him sucking at being a General-Sovereign was the fact that he was inept. Nothing else.
Looking a little disgruntled about it, he went back to forking up piles of hot cheese and bacon.
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2023 1:16 pm
A steno pad appeared in her hands, along with a pen that began to swiftly make notes on one half and jot down a shopping list on the other. Quote: nocturnal extremely hot hands long claws inconvenient list small tongs (ice style?) craft tweezers (press to open) honey pot honey dipper (walnut? mahogany?) small hd double wall thermos for half and half chopsticks (ivory? metal?) In between notes she periodically peeked over to see how he reacted to the food and tea and felt a distinct thrill that both appeared to be enjoyed. It touched a bit on the great, yawning emptiness of memory, though. A feeling not to be dwelled on too much. The concept of cleaning the grate, perked Hestia's curiosity, prompting her to ask, "How often do you need to clean it?" The idea that what he ate may clog up his insides was logical, bodies were like that, but it was a bit different, to have the process so direct and visible. While she missed his disgruntled look as he answered the question of age, he likely missed her deeply relieved expression. The needs to a teenager were very different from those of a grown adult. While she might feel confident when it came to nutrition, navigating the emotional landscape of a teenage boy was an intensely foreign concept to her. He might've also missed the look of sympathy that followed after. He probably wouldn't be able to grow any taller, would he? Even General Kings could be brought low when it came to the unfair whims of height. What a shame. Quote: low grease, clean burning (?) high fat high protein smoked and barbeque meats foods that can be eaten while wrapped (foil) cook just shy of perfectly done where appropriate vegetables! somewhere! spiced nuts sturdy desserts (cobblers?) .... list hd aluminum foil smoker barbeque metal skewers pizza stone .... After a stretch of companionable silence, each busy with the business of either the consumption or planning of food, she lifted her pen and asked, "Are there any questions you have of me, sir? Or requests?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2023 1:39 pm
While Faustite was satisfied by having a different meal than what was planned, Headache saw it as an opportunity to abandon what it saw as an impossible task. Gone were the fireflies on the Taco Bell bag, where they reformed as a copy of the burning boy in the chair. With hands secured loosely behind its back, Headache paced just far enough to peer over Hestia's shoulder at the Steno pad.
Seeing this, Faustite waved it off. Headache rolled its eyes, begrudgingly complying with the order.
Faustite had easily managed his way about halfway through the dish, taking only occasional breaks for more tea where necessary to mix up the flavor and wet his tongue. She was quiet, he was quiet, and he always preferred these stints of silence for how no one could say anything overtly wrong. It alleviated him of the burden of learning social nuance or minding his words.
After a moment's consideration for her question, Faustite swallowed some tea to respond. "A few." Without elaborating further, he opened his tablet to pull up her file.
"Need to know if you've gotten through the Negaverse handbook yet. Need to get you up to speed on draining, teleportation, and starseeding, too. You got your identity finalized yet? See something in here, but it shows up as pending…" He motioned for Headache to come behind the desk and take over for him. With his hands free of it, he looked up at Hestia. "And has Borax taught you anything?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2023 2:25 pm
"I have, sir, and will continue to study it." Learning through books wasn't Hestia's strong point, but it wasn't exactly some huge tome to haunt her nights with. "The ah, interesting perspective regarding the White Moon, I assume, is best left out of discussion?" Reading the phrase The White Moon army had brought a single, incredulous tear along with a cocktail of other emotions to her the first time it appeared on page. "It took me some time to decide on a name, sir," a flush rose up Hestia's cheeks at the admission. "I thought Diobolica Smashkick sounded very nice, but was dissuaded." There was a pause, as if she expected him, as a person of taste, to take her side on this. There was an even longer pause at the mention of Borax, the maid senshi clearly in the middle of some internal battle. She finally glanced between Faustite and Headache with an expression like she'd just stepped in dog s**t. "Captain Borax has been fairly thorough and very professional in onboarding me, sir." Hestia heaved a deep sigh, then inhaled through her nose and went on, "He has explained draining, teleportation, and starseeding. He also offered to take me out on a patrol once I felt adjusted enough to move beyond the theoretical and into the practical." She looked even unhappier at this, and Faustite would grow to find that despite maintaining a very neutral expression most of the time, the new maid had an excessively honest face when it came to what she was feeling. Trying to come up with at least one complaint about the captain, she eventually added, "Though he refused to let me practice draining.... on him."
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2023 3:29 pm
Faustite tried to smother a smile at her polite call-out of the White Moon indications in the handbook, and any attempts that Faustite ever mounted to smother a smile had unanimously failed. This time was no exception; the boy was left to awkwardly cover his face while hoping he wouldn't bust up laughing about it.
The intimation wasn't lost on him. He'd dealt, firsthand, with how poorly the White Moon could organize. They were more a guerrilla force that survived on its own lack of a central structure to continually oppose Negaverse tactics.
That was to say nothing of the Handbook's insistence on the Negaverse's cause, which Faustite found to be similarly preposterous. Really, the whole thing was a collection of useful information framed into someone's fanfiction on the war and its origins. But, he understood that several officers needed that reinforcement that they were doing The Right Thing, despite signs of their efforts pointing toward the opposite. He could let them have that, though he wasn't yet sure if Hestia would number among them. She had to see the hypocrisy there, though, right? She'd fought for the White Moon long enough to become Eternal, after all.
Diobolica Smashkick sounded like one of the pro wrestler names Albite was trying to come up with, back around the He Man The Man competition. The name brought another smile. "People want boring names," he agreed. Youma tended to be more creative about it.
She looked like she was in physical pain — or ready to take a s**t — when she mentioned Borax. It was understandable; the boy had his uses, and conversation wasn't among them.
Picking up his fork, he went back to eating while Hestia provided a report. It was then that a detestable thought crossed his mind, one that caused his fork to pause, and he had to consider that thought for a long while before he finally opened his mouth and gave it voice. The resultant wretched recoil felt up his spine simply had to be endured.
"If he won't let you practice draining him, then practice starseeding him."
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2023 5:55 pm
The smile and confirmation that having to choose otherwise was boring had Hestia beaming back at her General King. Yes, clearly he understood these things! And in the back of her mind, made note to make sure the the things on hand, like tongs and tweezers or chopsticks, all had a little bit of extra design to them. Elements to help them blend with the ornate nature of his uniform and make less bland and modern. The smile quirked, turning, for just a second, into a littler smirk. It'd be nice, wouldn't it? To turn that particular table and see how Borax liked receiving just what he gave. And then she was giving her head a small shake, followed by a little nod. "To be frank with you, sir, I'm not entirely comfortable with removing starseeeds. Upon your order, of course, I will not hesitate," she looked up to meet his gaze, once again solemn. "It's not something I'm able to take lightly, though. But, it's something I should be prepared to do correctly, without accident. Wasting one would be worse than taking it in the first place, correct? I will be very careful with his."
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2023 6:43 pm
"Because they're a person's life?"
He'd heard the argument before. Life was precious, all life was precious, therefore they all needed to protect it for the sanctity it was owed. Something like that. Something that followed Pendour's line of thought. Something that said people were worth having around as themselves, not as the youma that Faustite found more amenable to conversation.
He kept his eyes on the food. "Whatever you decide, be sure to put his back before he expires. Need him to run a survey at some point." Assuming Axinite still wanted it done, it was somewhere worth visiting on the priority list.
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