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Delilah was leaned over her phone.

Low on space, it said. She didn't know how it was low on space. Had she taken too many pictures? It was probably that, considering pictures had long become the replacement for the rampant memory holes that plagued her every existence. Pictures of herself. Pictures of clothing. Pictures of flowers. Pictures of food. Pictures of Waru, and of Albite before she henshined, and of her apartment and of her degree and of-

The phone was suddenly out of her hands, and she was suddenly elsewhere, and her hair was suddenly longer, and she felt her heart leap into her throat for a moment as her body remembered the last time she had been yanked anywhere by someone else, and she gripped onto her chest for a moment, the fabric scrunching in her fingers, as she took a deep breath or three to regather herself so she stopped looking like she was about to literally die--

Right. Just Faustite. Just her least favorite place in the entirety of Negaspace. It was fine.

At least it wasn't a battle.

Or getting kidnapped.

Once she actually tuned back in and away from her panic, she realized this was some sort of team meeting. Oh. So there were more than just Albite and her, now. She glanced across the small gathering and saw Haymitch, faintly recognized "Lils" from the Negaverse party about the hospital they bought, didn't recognize the other two at all -- when did Faustite's team get this sizeable? Hadn't he not wanted underlings as much as she hadn't wanted to be an underling?

Supposed all was the same in the Negaverse, eventually; everyone was destined to follow a role they didn't want.

"Makes sense to me," she shook her head to deny the questions. Should she go first, or should she wait to get her heart rate back under control--

She did notice that none of these newbies had been assigned to her. She wondered if it was just the luck of when she was told to go on a functional vacation - had it been the same time as these people showed up? - or if he realized she was a bad fit for leadership. She wasn't sure what she thought of either option. Something told her she should be ashamed of the second possibility, but she wasn't sure she actually was.

Albite wondered, forlornly, if he'd ever be dragged out of the middle of bed, or sleep, or sleeping in bed. If he should just start T-posing for readiness to be jerked like well seasoned chicken into whatever space by whomever, when the hell ever they pleased apparently!?

Would open his mouth later - after - to ask if the Negaverse could just get a damn bell, some sort of forewarning to collar him with and stick him on 'ring'. Make him senshi on a speed dial instead of subordinate on the end of a retractable leash - yanked hither n thither by a prissy girl with no impulse control-----

"For the love of...Oooh! ******** yes, steak fries!" every caustic drip that wanted to fall instantly assuaged by the sight of everyone else, and the scent of greasy pub food. "Aww, firebrand, you didn't have to. Flamebroil after my ******** heart.." warm mutterings as he bit back n listened, snorted soft for Haymitch - tolerable troublepuff - and Albite was learning to love him. Since he was his now, because Axinite said so.

Which meant dreadlock-yarnballs 'n picking cat fur off his pants, but whatever....

Sauntered up to the table and picked his share out of the goodie bags presented, seemed to guess what he wanted by heft, before turning to the rest. Faustites directions so simple that even he could get 'em in one go.

Would pile the mans plates high with questions only when it was most inconvenient to do so, whenever some errant thought popped up that had him feeling like it.

"So cool, Nembs- psst - bossette - we gotta whole team now!" hissed as if the others coudln't have possibly heard, despite his complete lack of ability to whisper. "Which, yeah! Sooo...I'm Super Albite, Senshi of Retribution - formerly Praxidike. Haymi's designated human." and if he couldn't help but peek at what was in the bag halfway between leveling his somehow, ******** stunningly dressed team, with just alll the looks; because what in the actual cosmos? Tailor made to be best dressed, the lot of 'em, clearly.

"Uhmm...I'm good at all the things I'm good at, and bad at everything I'm bad at? Which --- paperwork --- bad. Fighting though? <******** yes. All my attacks are binding - like my word - so it works real well. Makes for good team strats really. I hold 'em you fold 'em type of fighting style." roll of a shoulder that ended with a shrug and ended up with him digging out a fry to enjoy as he stepped off and back into the line up.

Didn't know if he had to explain that he didn't mind being front lines for the punch guy. If he needed words to 'show' - where all his brawn lay in flagrant display over his brains. Figured what they didn't know they'd learn through him showing, one way or another.

It was a very lucky thing, Lilith thought, that she hadn't been streaming when Faustite pulled on her. Appearing with little warning in Negaspace, powered up as Lilith, was more thna a mild annoyance, but at least there was 1) food, and 2) her entire brand new team.

Her eyes fell on Alkmene first; she grinned at him, and he gave her a jaunty little wave. He looked so much better than she'd seen him in a long time; happier, more confident. Corrupting had done wonders for him.

The death of their father probably hadn't hurt.

She sauntered up to the front after Celadonite, giving him a brief, blatantly appraising look, and picked up a bag of food. Whatever it was, it was sustenance, and it wasn't like she had allergies

"Warn a girl next time," she said, quietly and for Faustite's ears only, but it was mostly amused. "I'm going to have to make my excuses on Twitter, I was supposed to stream in an hour." Oh well, that could wait. .

"Hello, everyone. I'm Sailor Lilith, Senshi of Kelpies. Alkmene over there is my brother," she gestured, and he waved, "but I'll let him introduce himself. My magic works by making anyone I touch while it's working think they're drowning--which is useful on just about everyone, because as it turns out, drowning is one of those primordial, lizard-brain fears. I can punch pretty hard, I'm a deeply underhanded fighter, and I will no hesitation kill a b***h if it keeps any of you alive, but I'm not exactly the most combat-capable--I'm better at talking to people than punching them, truth be told."

She paused, briefly.

"In my civilian life, I'm a streamer and a professional gamer, so I get to ply my social skills and my tits for money on Twitch. Ask nicely and I'll give you my OnlyFans." She laughed, like it was a joke, but it was only so much of one. "Anyway!" She bowed, briefly. "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! I look forward to working with all of you."

Alkmene watched his sister with no small bit of amusement as she arrived, stepped up, gave her speech, and stepped away. He eyed the bags of food with mild mistrust, but then--what was the worst that could hpapen? He ate a greasy hamburger and some poutine and had ot jog a little to keep his figure. Oh no, the horror. Besides, he had to make an impression. This team was full of lovely eye candy, and he might as well make sure they liked him.

So he sashayed up, all drama and hips, scooped up a bag, and waved.

"Corrupt Sailor Alkmene of Envy," he said. "Lilith's older brother. My magic works by taking access to whatever kind of magical doodads you have, which is fun in a fight, and is about he only thing I'm good for there because I am really not physically capable at all. I am, however, much like my sister, very good with people, and I'm happy to do whatever you need done, so just...you know, call and ask for help." He bowed, and darted off to give the next person their space.

Albite was right -- they did somehow have a whole team now.

Albite seemed considerably excited about it. Nembus couldn't help the spike of concern that Faustite, like her, was just as forced into things he never wanted to do as she did, and this was only an expansion of that. Had luck with Albite and Nembus. Clearly, he would have luck with a cat, a lieutenant, and two senshi more.

As Nembus worked on centering herself, she listened to the introductions of the others. Haymitch was adorable, somehow, and it brought a light to her eyes for a moment. Of course, Albite's was functionally useful for his actual strengths and weaknesses, but it brought a ghost of a smile to her face, anyway. A snicker tumbled out of her lips when the lieutenant dared to say that he was naked under his clothing -- wasn't that just how powering up worked, in general? She was pretty sure the henshin replaced all their clothing with whatever the new form provided --

Lilith and Alkmene were related, so Nembus supposed they came as a pair. It sounded like they were both geared for Infiltration already, perhaps already so much like Albite. And then there was Faustite--

Oh, Faustite was looking at her.

Right.

She flushed, brought her heartbeat into her body, and walked to join Faustite at his side. "Super Nembus," she introduced, her voice softer and gentler than it deserved to be. "Electromagnetism. My abilities cause shocks and blindness." She seemed uncomfortable with that, reaching up and rubbing her shoulder. "I've never been much of a fighter, though. Was originally corrupted for the purpose of joining Infiltration." Not so good at infiltrating, though.

Or perhaps she was better than she realized, considering her web of connections on the other side that she guarded close to her heart.

"Strengths are primarily in my ability to retain information," she swallowed, "because I've had to, and in speaking with others. Weaknesses are in that I'm not much of a fighter, best for quick in-and-outs if anything. I'm here if you need me."

And then she grabbed a bag of food and did her best not to quite literally skitter to her seat.

Celadonite was already stuffing the food into his face, but looked thoughtful, all thoughts of being naked under his clothes aside.

This was going to be the second time that Faustite had taken him into the Rift, and both times he had said just how dangerous it was. Made sure to rub it in his face that he was weak and that if he didn’t follow Faustite’s lead...that would be it.

Absently he chewed and swallowed his current mouthful and then raised a hand, though scoffed and just rolled his eyes at his own stupid action. This wasn’t school.

“I have a question. If it’s so dangerous, why are we doing it? Like, I get wanting to toughen us up and work as a team and all that jazz, but why keep taking us to a place where we could die? Why not bring some beasties out here or somewhere that we aren’t in danger of getting killed by literally everything and toughen us up that way. You know. Like what you do in games or something. You don’t just go into the big boss’s lair right off the bat. You start off with murdering some dumbass puffballs first.”

He ate another fry and shrugged. “Even if you have someone who knows what they’re doing with you, you still don’t go to the big bad place. Like, that just means you can take on something more difficult, but if they’re helping you, they’re going to take a hit anyway so...they should go where the weakest can train without the fear of getting killed. Yeah?”

Alkmene looked slightly thoughtful, at Celadonite's objection. It did seem a bit risky, but he didn't want to assume; still, there were some concerns to be had about the risks of going straight into the metaphorical dungeon.

And he couldn't believe he was thinking in video game terms, when that was so much more his sister's bag, but she didn't seem to have much to say, much more interested in actually eating greasy burgers and fries without anyone to see and judge her.

(Not exactly something he saw as a problem. Because he was also munching quite eagerly. A good greasy lunch was always a pleasure.)

"Not to continue the gaming metaphor," and he saw Lilith roll her eyes out of the corner of his, "but this sort of feels like going into the first area of a dungeon and grinding there? Like, as long as we don't go too deep in, it sohuld mostly be low-level beasties that the group of us can handle?"

He shrugged his shoulders, taking a bite of a fry. "Or I've massively underestimated how dangerous the Rift is, there is no safe area, and we're all going to die taking two steps in, which seems monumentally stupid and like it would make way more sense for the Negaverse to just seal the place off, after a certain point. Like, yeah, youma are useful, but they can be summoned to the city, right? So if it's a total hellscape down there, seems to me it'd be better locked down."

He shrugged, again. Alkmene didn't claim to be an expert on much of anything to do with this magic war; what little he'd known from his first dance, on the other side, had been wiped out by his corruption, and even if it had stuck, he was pretty sure whatever knowledge he'd gotten as an Order fighter would not carry over.

Still, there were basic principles of safety at play, here.

"Also," Liltih piped pup, once Alkmene quit talking, "I'd figure that our good General wouldn't ******** us over by throwing us to the wolves. Unless I've wildly misjudged you, sir."

She raised her eyebrows. Didn't think she had, at least not that badly. And if she had guessed so poorly, well, she wouldn't have much time to regret it, would she? None of them would.

"Faustite has led at least one expedition into the Rift before, and I went on it. So did Albite. We're still here, and that was way worse." She looked between them all. "Nobody pull out your starseed, please. It's a cool party trick, but youma already think us Corrupts are delicious, there's no need to effectively drizzle sauce on yourself and invite them to come eat you."

It was a colorful metaphor. She was not at all ashamed.

So respect them as much as you want to live.

Nembus barely held back a hollow laugh that she hid behind a bite of the food that Faustite had obtained for them. Perhaps it was unfair entirely to say that her desire to live was nonexistent, but the concept that her respect for the youma should have been predicated on that alone was probably not one that would get her terribly far. Probably was moreso directed to the others; for her part, she was primarily interested in serving her purpose, making sure the others were alright, and resisting the inevitable end of all people who followed Metallia to the ends of the Earth.

It was a dark thought, and the fact that she was alright with that should have probably rung more hollow than the rest of it.

It did not, and she instead watched the others, listening to them as they debated the merits of going into the Rift, of all things. Faustite seemed to have an affinity to it, something that didn't terribly surprise her considering his own status as a half-youma. There was probably something of the Rift that felt like home to him, especially considering he had once lived there. Despite his team's status as primarily a group of senshi, it was probably the most obvious place to train them.

"The Rift can be that monumentally dangerous," her voice was quiet, hardly carrying over the din of the others, "but if you keep your starseeds in your chest and keep your wits about you, you will likely be alright in the company of an experienced agent. It helps that we have someone like our general who is versed in the place with us, having led successful missions into this place before."

She palmed the pendant that hung on her neck, tucked behind her collar, for just a moment.

"Just do not tempt the youma. Like General Faustite said," she turned back to her food, "respect them."