percipi | open post

( As it turns out, coming back from the dead is annoyingly difficult. Sure, the set up, the roll of the dice, the final performance, all played to perfection -- he just hadn't considered all the work that reversing the process would take. After all, he wasn't supposed to do that at all, there'd been no accounting for it, no grand plan for it.

But he'd bet on his survival, there in front of IX, and he's always been lucky.

Getting to Ratio's current place of residence wasn't easy, either -- and only partly because the other man had carefully kept that particular detail away from him during their partnership. But he needs someplace to go, and there's no one else who'd even open the door to him these days. Or who might remember him from all those months ago. So Doctor Veritas Ratio it is, Aeons help him, and he realizes too late that maybe he's misjudged the other man when there's no response to his knock.

Damn it. Better hope he's being watched somehow. )

Well. ( He says, a hand on a popped hip as if it hasn't been months since they've seen each other, running a hand through his (ugh) slightly unkempt hair in an attempt to look as collected and coquettish as he used to. The illusion is ruined both by the fact his clothes are faded, the bright colors leeched from the fabric by the Nihility and the Dreampool and by the fact he just doesn't feel like being that person anymore.

(He hasn't told the IPC that he's survived. He'd been careful to avoid their ever-present eyes as he'd moved in and out of planets, stations, whatever ship he could get passage on, and he intends to keep it that way. Whoever he is now -- and he still hasn't decided on that either -- he wants to do it away from their chains. Ratio probably won't call up Jade the moment he sees him. He hopes, anyway, and his winning streak lately has been just as good as ever.) ) Not going to invite me in?

Edited 2024-04-14 15:56 (UTC)

[When it comes to different matters in the IPC, sometimes a crossing of paths should be expected. The Intelligentsia Guild hardly works with the Strategic Investment Department unless asked, and in this case, well. It's an interesting conundrum, all things considered. A local planet's resources have suddenly flourished once again almost overnight- this wouldn't be so unusual in most cases, but this planet in particular has been essentially dead for over three hundred years.

It warrants investigation at the least, and a future investment should the supply prove to be consistent and profitable for the future. Unfortunately, the natives aren't exactly friendly with outsiders, let alone members of the IPC. It's taken quite a bit of bargaining to even let them dock in a city that won't outright throw them out at first sight.

Normally, Diamond would send Aventurine on something like this, but Diamond also knows that despite the Sigonian's incredible luck, this is still a tricky investment to pull off. Besides, the gambler is currently focusing on another task- so instead, the job gets handed down to a non-Stoneheart, a man by the name of Sunday.

Aventurine has spoken of Sunday offhandedly as "that one guy who keeps turning down Diamond's request to join the Stonehearts," a Halovian who doesn't seem to really fit in, in terms of other IPC members. While not a loner by any means, Sunday is still professional and cordial, and often the one sent to deal with the more... complicated investments the department has. Jade has even placed bets with Pearl sometimes to see if the man can wrangle any potential issues towards the IPC's favor.

And so upon receiving the job, a request for someone from the Intelligentsia Guild is made. One Dr. Veritas Ratio is sent as the representative to both meet Sunday as well as accompany him in this endeavor, the Halovian proving to be quick and efficient in providing information and queries if asked. Overall, the arrangement is rather painless and the trip is scheduled without any delays.

When the time comes for the two of them to meet, Sunday offers a cordial and polite hand over his chest, nodding his head in a greeting. Despite not being extremely social, Sunday would be remiss to not at least know of Ratio's feats and his genius, both of which will be greatly appreciated here. He shows a great amount of respect in his actions and words, taking the time to explain if needed, and people-watching when he's free.

Still, there is a moment during their travel where he turns back to Dr. Ratio, intrigue clear across his face.]

Before we arrive at the docks, might I ask for your thoughts on this entire matter? On this planet's sudden new turn of life, so to speak? [Said with no malice but a tinge of curiosity, as Sunday himself truly feels there's something going on that they aren't aware of just yet.

He might as well gauge to see where they both are in terms of expectations.]

[To come across a Knight of Beauty usually means you've either found yourself in a terrible rut, or a bad case of luck. Whether this is because of the need to be saved from a hazardous situation or from the Knight himself, well................. it's hard to say. Especially considering how Idrila is dead and yet her Knights still remain- having lost most respect from others, one would think the group would all together just up and disappear eventually. Still, there are a valiant few who remain steadfast to the path of Beauty, even as it has faded now in obscurity compared to other paths.

Unfortunately for Ratio, Argenti is a man who ventures the cosmos often, and has come across the entire extravagance of the IPC. Sometimes this means he ends up saving some random IPC employee and delivers them back to the docks, which is what's happening now. A crowd has formed if only because Argenti tends to grab attention easily with how he is, either as dumbfounding people or nearly putting them into stitches of laughter. After all, a Knight of Beauty is a rare specimen indeed, considering only 11 of them remain.

Wherever the genius is right now, whatever he's doing, it's going to be incredibly hard to ignore the redhead- as he's ventured across the platform to see people and now has noticed Ratio.

Closing the distance between them is rather easy, and Argenti speaks with delight in his eyes to this compete stranger.]

Oh? And to think I had seen everything before I took my leave. Truly, Idrila insists upon me coming across as much Beauty as possible. [To Ratio, Argenti puts one hand to his own back as the other crosses his chest in a sort of greeting.] You are as magnificent as a golden haze surrounding the dewdrops of morning, and it is an honor to meet yet another on this path that I walk.

[Please run. He isn't going to shut up otherwise.]

( Aventurine would never claim to be above his secondary gender -- being an Omega is just another tool for him to use, a weapon in his hands to be twisted into whatever he needs it to be. It's easy to watch Alphas make fools of themselves because they think they can pull on his instincts to manipulate him when he's hopped up on enough suppressants to lay them low. A twist of a hip, a flirtatious tilt of his head to make them think he's anything but repulsed by their sent, and it's all too easy. He's careful, he knows how to play the game, and -- in the rare occasions that biology comes calling -- gets himself the best heat partners money can buy.

(The kind that are paid for their silence, the kind where he never has to see them again, and never has to worry about contacting him after. Preferably far away from Pier Point as he can get, where he can give a fake name and pay in impossible to trace credits and no one is the wiser of who he is. He refuses to spend a heat with someone who would think to use him. Not before he uses them first, at the very least.)

Ratio, on the other hand -- there's a man who thinks he can beat biology through sheer force of will. And as far as Aventurine has seen in their partnership, he's succeeded. The man never gives off any sign he's susceptible to Aventurine's sent, which is rare enough, and he's never given any sign about going into rut. That probably can't be healthy, but it's not particularly his business. They work well together, or better than anyone at the IPC has worked with him, and -- luckily for Aventurine -- he even finds Ratio's scent to be pleasant rather than off-putting. Chalk, ink, parchment of all things -- and something else pleasantly refreshing green underneath it all.

All of which is to say that when Ratio doesn't show up at their scheduled meeting at a café without even a message to say he'll be late or got caught up in work, has Aventurine morbidly curious about what illness has struck the good doctor. A quick call to his University reveals that he'd called in with little explanation and no one had managed to get ahold of him since that morning. Huh.

So he does what any reasonable person would do when confronted with a missing colleague. He goes to Ratio's apartment and lets himself in, dumping his copy of Ratio's key the counter, shrugging off his jacket with a too-cheery greeting. )

Heya, Doc. It's not like you to be late, you know--

( And then it hits him, like he'd walked right into a wall. Ratio's scent curls around him, heavy and sharp. A smile creeps over Aventurine's face in spite of himself, eyes widening at the realization of what has kept the other man locked in his apartment. It looks as if the mighty professor-doctor Veritas Ratio isn't above his biology either. )

( How they got here is unimportant -- another planet, another mission, and, honestly, by Aventurine's standards -- without serious threat to his life and limbs. Ratio, he knows, would likely argue with him about it considering he'd been doused with something that had thrown him into pre-heat before he'd been hauled out in front of a crowd, but Aventurine was already planning on banking on his status as an Omega to get what he wanted. He'd even found a dress for the occasion, something sleek and synched at the waist for maximum impact -- and he'd bought Ratio one, too, though that was more in the style of his home planet rather than something made for titillation, because Aventurine does have a sense of style, thank you. Well, titillation for the strangers who don't know him beyond strong arms and to-die-for pictorials. Absolutely titillation for Aventurine, who thinks the sexiest thing Ratio can do is absolutely eviscerate strangers for not living up to his standards.

He's a simple man, and a simple Omega. But not one to be underestimated, considering the way things had fallen into his hands, into the IPC's pockets, exactly how he'd wanted. A job well done, perfect for his return to the Stonehearts and proving once again what they want him for -- he's irreplaceable.

Which only leaves him with the pressing issue of his now-heat and the man he spends them with -- who did end up wearing the dress after all, and Aventurine can't help but slide his hands into the cutouts, fingers running over skin and digging into Ratio's flesh to pull him close as Aventurine nuzzles at his neck, his own sent sweet and wanting. They're, luckily, in the private quarters on the IPC ship he'd hired to take him to the planet; plenty of space and plenty of time between them and Pier Point. Long enough for them to work through the worst of Aventurine's heat, at any rate. )

I almost want you to keep this on, ( He says, fingers traveling from bare skin to gold ornaments, pressing kisses on the parts of Ratio's chest that are exposed. ) but then it'd only get in the way. And we can't have that now, can we?

( It's like this:

Aventurine doesn't need to do anything to improve his grades in any of his classes -- it's always just good luck that the tests and essays and whatever else the professors give always ask about things Aventurine knows about. University is, unfortunately, not particularly a challenge no matter what classes he takes to see if he can find the one that finally breaks his streak.

Even Doctor Veritas Ratio has to concede the point, right? Aventurine is sure he's nothing but a headache for the professor, given that Ratio knows damn well Aventurine is putting in the bare minimum and still coming out with As that defy any rational explanation. Which is why Aventurine is here, standing in front of his desk in a lecture hall, facing down the man himself. Or, well, the plaster bust of the man himself.

What Aventurine wants is very simple: he wants to see what the professor looks like under that bust. He wants to be bent over the desk by a man who has no right to look as jacked as Ratio does. He's put on just the right moves, he's flirted, he's showed up to office hours and been summarily thrown out. The man can't be as dense as this to not know what Aventurine wants -- not a passing grade, but to see if the man's cock is a big as he figures it should be.

So he takes the gamble, rolls the dice with one hand clenched tightly behind his back -- hops onto the corner of the desk and swings his legs around to face Ratio, grinning. )

Are you really going to accuse me of cheating in your class, Prof? I've been such a good student for you, and this is my reward?

no subject

gives u an IPC!Sunday AU in ur inbox

sends you this idiot also ig

omegaverse b/c we know who we are as people

im here for breeding and crossdressing and--

filthy trash, again.