Humming softly to herself, Nacrite wedged herself deeper within the tree branches she was currently perched in. The park was a good place to go when one needed an easy patrol or simply time to think. And oh boy, did Nacrite have a lot to think about. Tapping her fingers against her thigh, the lieutenant was considering options.

She wanted, needed recognition and validation. More now than ever. She was still here though Cavansite was gone. And oh, hadn’t that been a ******** and a half. Sure, this was Destiny goddamned City where people disappearing was annoyingly commonplace. And had Cavansite just been another peon or nobody, it wouldn’t have mattered that she’d vanished into the ether. But she’d been a decorated General. She’d been responsible for bringing Nacrite to the family bosom, as it were.

The fact was, Cavansite should have been the last person to just vanish.

It still rankled that Nacrite had no idea what had happened. And while no one had said anything outright beyond simple questioning, she knew that she’d been viewed suspiciously since. She had to prove her loyalty beyond any doubts. She thought she’d been doing a decent enough job of it, but her focus on her personal life had cast something of a pall over her willingness to volunteer and drain the city dry. She couldn’t quit her day job. Talented though she was, she didn’t have any of the skills required to get a job within the Negaverse itself. And she did have a certain standard of living that she was loathe to give up. Not to mention that she could use her show as a propaganda machine for the Negaverse.

All she needed was the right hook to get her in with the right people. Problem was, she wasn’t sure who the right people were. Other than the Sovereigns and Queen. But unless she single-handedly saved them from an atomic bomb, she couldn’t see much in the way of accolades coming from there. Which meant schlubbing from the ground up.

s**t. She was going to have to look for people to work with. But if that was what it took… Well, she’d force herself to swallow down pride and play nice with the other children.

This wasn’t about ratings or mundane concerns. Not anymore. She’d been coasting on the bare minimum for so long. Well, she wouldn’t give up a useful tool like her show. But she’d play nice and use her show to cut a swath through any competition she might have. She might never reach the coveted heights of being promoted as a General-Sovereign, but there were other ways to power and acclaim. Nacrite rather thought she’d be happier moving more behind the scenes when it came to the Negaverse. You were less of a tangible target that way.

Sighing she carefully stretched out her legs before pushing herself from the tree branches and landing lightly on the ground below. If she had to make nice and find herself a new General to report to, it was best to start now.

She had inquiries to make.

Word Count = 522