View source for 437/Immature Human Most Unusual

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2015/09/23
|Location=Dark Kingdom
|Synopsis=Kunzite recruits Jadeite's assistance. Because this always goes well.
|Cast of Characters=109, 112
|pretty=yes
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{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>It's hard to tell one day from another, in the Dark Kingdom. Largely because there aren't specifically days, so much. Just time passing, endlessly slowly, and then -- for some -- suddenly and hideously running out. It's one reason that Queen Beryl's four lieutenants, for all that they tend to hold the Garden of Rainbows and its inhabitants in not-at-all-veiled contempt, spend so very much time either on Earth or watching it.<br /><br />For the most part, though, the Dark Kingdom is the center of their lives even while they're away. And for the most part, the Dark Kingdom is where they actually meet.<br /><br />They don't necessarily meet all that often. Zoisite is infinitely and poisonously social, yes, and Kunzite steps in when responsibility demands, but Nephrite, for instance, prefers to spend as much of his time as possible with his primary source of company being the stars.<br /><br />"Jadeite," Kunzite says calmly to the General he's asked to meet with him. Even in the violet-darkness of the chamber they stand in, where walls and furniture have been slowly encrusted over the centuries with something not entirely unlike a light-eating coral, the eldest of the foursome is easy to see: a statue of frost, his habitual one undone button a precisely chosen imperfection. "Nephrite is becoming a problem. That isn't like him, which makes it ... interesting. He eliminated the Americas from consideration in the search, competently as one would expect. He moved on to help concentrate in your area. And then." He pauses, perhaps to see what Jadeite might fill in, perhaps to find out whether Jadeite was paying attention to Nephrite at all. It wouldn't be a fault in Jadeite if he hadn't. They *don't* pay attention to each other, by and large.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:112|Jadeite (112)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>None of Jadeite's imperfections have been chosen, precisely or otherwise. His uniform is buttoned to the throat, his gloves immaculate, but neither of these things can hide the way he tends to wander, how his focus itself is flawed when viewed from almost any angle. Today, right now, /this/ angle is the only one that seems to be of the proper cut. Alone with Kunzite in a room shrouded in persistent shadow, he seems attentive, eyes like deep eyes following every move Kunzite makes, even when there aren't many moves.<br /><br />He makes a thoughtful noise in his throat, adjusting one cuff with the fingers of the other hand. "I think he has gone off to America with a traveling band." Jadeite offers, not particularly helpfully, his mouth tugging downwards into a frown. "Which really seems strange in light of having eliminated them from consideration. He mostly didn't seem to be *doing* anything." This may be a fallacy, an inadequacy of Jadeite's own ability to observe--but at some point even the blond notices things.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>They're the lightest two of the four, in a sense. Nephrite shrouds himself in literal darkness, in night skies and dark hair. Zoisite in a figurative one, skulking and working out of sight and through a thousand masks. Kunzite's magic is a thing of shadows, but the man himself is not. And Jadeite ... there are senses in which Jadeite is the brightest of them all.<br /><br />Kunzite worries about that, sometimes, but never where anyone can catch him doing it.<br /><br />"Yes. Precisely." Kunzite's nod to Jadeite confirms what he heard: the eldest of the generals just agreed with his evaluation. "Whatever else Nephrite does, he produces results; his astrology is accurate enough to give him places and times in which to work, and methods that will work well. But this time, the stars pointed him at a place and time -- and he stayed there, entangled. Whatever situation he walked into, it affected *him* rather than his mastering it."<br /><br />Kunzite's tone is matter-of-fact, unemotional; there's an occasional stress of a word for emphasis, but he might be discussing a mildly unusual bit of weather. His expression changes little. "I've established an identity in the location that Nephrite was working. One of the immature humans that he was interacting with there has an unusual amount of potential for energy. This isn't surprising in itself; your division has to deal with quite a number of high-potential humans. It must be irritating. But this one is ..."<br /><br />Silence for a moment, and now there's a flicker of irritation on Kunzite's own face. "Unusual." And that he can't pin it down, can't specify it, can't do anything but repeat himself, is more ominous than any description he could have given.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:112|Jadeite (112)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>The indication that Nephrite was overwhelmed causes Jadeite to narrow his eyes, half-suspicious without looking threatening. He doesn't comment on it, because he simply doesn't need to. The both of them know how uncharacteristic this is, they've touched on it already. That it's happened at all is troubling enough. That it's upset Kunzite enough for Jadeite to be able to *see* that, as subtle as the signs are--that's far worse, somehow. "Has Nephrite contacted you recently?" It skirts near concern, the way Jadeite frequently does when he hasn't had a hand guiding him firmly enough. He flirts too often and too much with kindness.<br /><br />"I somehow feel it would be worse for all of us if there were *no* high-potential humans." Jadeite murmurs, still watching Kunzite's face carefully as they speak. The nuances can be so easy to miss. "Do you think it was perhaps this *unusual* human that drove Nephrite...away?" He won't say *crazy*, that's just inaccurate. They were probably all *already* /there/.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Contacted me? No. My reports on Nephrite's troubles have been through my agents." Whatever the sorcerer-General ran into, it wasn't something he wanted help with. But then, he largely works alone. There's a hint of amusement for a moment, just at the corner of Kunzite's mouth, when Jadeite comments about it being worse if there were no high-potential humans; but he postpones any jokes about batteries to a later conversation. Because Jadeite's focusing in on the important point.<br /><br />"I don't know, yet, what drove Nephrite either into whatever entanglement he found, or away from it in turn. I know that the boy and his contacts bear investigation. I've spoken to him in a human guise; he has an unusual turn of thought for an immature human. Both wider and narrower than usual. He was suffering from some injury at the time, or I doubt he'd have admitted to some of the things he did; humans at that stage tend to be self-centered and self-involved, and most of all not to want to stand out except in a few socially acceptable ways. All of this may be meaningless; the boy may have nothing to do with whatever Nephrite found. But he's ... odd. And oddities in the vicinity of whatever affected Nephrite so greatly deserve investigation. Nephrite is, after all, the one of us we might have expected to have the easiest time detecting the presence of a power like the Silver Crystal. We *must* presume that anything strange near him might be of use in finding that."<br /><br />Kunzite exhales sharply through his teeth. It's a familiar sound to Jadeite. It's usually directed at a failing subordinate, though, or at Zoisite picking a fight with another of the Generals. Not at a teenaged human who isn't even present. "At the same time -- we must also presume that anything strange near Nephrite may have been capable of affecting him. We must proceed carefully, to avoid falling into the same trap ourselves. I'm keeping an eye on the boy personally. But I'm not the best of us at dissecting the psychology of humans. That's either Zoisite or you, Jadeite. And this particular task you'd outdo Zoisite at. Would you consider taking the time to investigate the boy? To see whether he might have been able to find a weakness of Nephrite's and influence him, or whether one of his connections might have? And whether he might be made useful to the Dark Kingdom?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:112|Jadeite (112)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>It's a conditioned response, the way Jadeite's shoulders flinch and then pull backwards further, absolutely eradicating any sense of ease from his posture, the moment Kunzite makes that noise. It occurs to him moments later that he wasn't the intended recepient of the annoyance, but that doesn't mean he's about to relax and risk *becoming* so. "I can." He agrees immediately, perhaps too hasty, but to be perfectly honest his own efforts have been less that fruitful, and if he can *succeed* where Nephrite *failed*...<br /><br />There's no need to get ahead of himself. Instead he inclines his head a little, eyes tracking to the side and over the furnishings in the room that he's never quite willing to *touch*. "I can absolutely. There must have been a reason Nephrite was lead to his vicinity. If he is also unusual--I will figure out why, and how to turn it to our advantage."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Kunzite's not touching any of them, either. Maybe it's a considered tactical maneuver, looking the more professional. Maybe it's just that the stuff growing on them is creepy and might decide it wants a mobile host. Fungi do not tend to respect rank. "Excellent. I intend to continue to maintain a presence in the vicinity myself. It will make it easier to confer on a regular basis - if either of us becomes compromised, it will be useful for the other to be able to identify when and perhaps how. The location is, of course, within your division, and I will respect that." To a certain extent, anyway. Sometimes 'I will make sure any youma I unleash have instructions not to try to eat yours' is about as good as it gets.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:112|Jadeite (112)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>Jadeite acknowledges the gesture of respect, as far as it goes, with another quiet 'hnh' of sound. There is no need to try to sound out *that* boundary, either. It is not fathomable. It moves too much. "The location cannot be the entire division." He observes finally, eyes moving back to Kunzite's face. "Where is it, and this young human?" He almost asks about what 'a presence' means, but Jadeite stops himself before the words actually come out of his mouth. He'll figure *that* out in time, as well.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:109|Kunzite (109)}} has posed:'''<br><span></span>"Tokyo," Kunzite replies. "The human attends a particular school there, Infinity University. He calls himself Mamoru Chiba..."<br> <br>
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