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Albite had to keep reminding himself. Little mantra that ran on and on and on and - Axinite had told them to - No - he'd asked? Suggested? If they needed anything. Guy'd offered himself up for them to come to, time again, for needs. Albite had a need or two or twenty....

Or maybe just the one?

Numbers had never been his thing, not really. Not like people were, and man oh man, people were becoming a right godamned 'thing' that needed dealing with. ASAP, even. None of his problems were the sorts of things he could snap his fingers at and solve, though. Not this time, at least. There was no more changing the world with a skip, a smile and a 'are you hungry' tabbed with 'how do you do'.

His goals, all of them, they had power metrics that were required in order to see them properly met. N even if he coulda bamphed across the citadel n back with his eyes closed at this point. He preferred, as always, to walk it. To admire the brickwork, count the age lines in old familiar stone. It ate up any extra restless energy that swarmed in him like stinging bees.

At least, until he was at the door. The way he groaned mentally when he finally stood before it. Paced -- Breathed -- Then stared Axinites door down like it'd wronged him personally, and he now had one hell of a grudge to hold. This door in particular? It'd killed his mother, kicked his nonexistent-puppydog, and stolen his bitchass Corvette; which he loved - clearly.

Guh, he didn't know what the ******** it was with offices. He just - h a t e d - them. Walked up to the solid bulk of the door and gently set his forehead against it.

Realized it wasn't *that*, not entirely, not at this point.

There was something about Axinite that he Respected. Something that was so damn -- adult, grown, deserving of his decorum and whatever bare slivers of decency he could scrape together.

Whatever, it was all going to be fine!! He just had to *knock*.

So Albite Knocked.

Albite entered the office like a pony breaking ranks out the gate on a track. Nearly stumbled for it, and caught himself on the frame, before ever so carefully closing the door behind him after being bade entry. Auras man, a mess of a thing, great for hunting, but when it came to seeing people? It was like always walking around covered in bells — n the kings, queens, sovereigns. They had the biggest bells of all.

All sorts of unnerving — and then he saw Axinites ready smile. Returned it easily.

“Are you doin’ okay?” And he’d promised he wouldn’t meddle in whatever it was Faustite had going on outside of them - with his boss’s boss, but he could ask after the General king, he figured. It was an easy enough thing to do. The words came freely, even as he hovered around the seat he knew was for him, eyed it, wary of settling but knowing that settling was probably the best sort of thing to do.


Yeah - he just had to sit his a** down and — “…I know there’s been a lot going on, yeah? Like, it’s so damn busy - but you said we could ask anything - right? Yeah, so…” that first, a check in before he started dumping selfish little requests like extra work on Axinites table.

The sight of the box of cookies right there, and he knew they were warm — and he smiled for that. Helped himself, since having something to chew on would quell the jittering need to speak that lay deep in his soul.

There was relief apparent, a sigh that eased into a smile by degrees - the edges of a wince; only because he worried that Axinite adjusting his schedule in any way that wasn't 'spending more time relaxing', was just a different sort of *work*. Devotion to a cause was good, but anything that sounded like absolutes'd always made Albite a little nervous.

Ironic - because he'd been doing the exact same sorts of things. Hadn't he? Tying himself deeper and deeper to things that held permanency.

"I hope that being in the other office a little less means having more 'you time', yanno? I'm glad you're good tho," all the ways axinite seemed invincible, all that 'aura', but he was also just a man. N that mattered. "especially since I only see you in like, these weird little snapshots between really big happenings?"

There was something ever delicious about the perfect chocolate chip cookie, chunky smudges and buttery softness that had the tinge of baking powder he liked in most deserts. He could pull it apart and snack on the bits while he wrangled his thoughts.

"S'probably par for the course though, yeh. Things're good on my end - better n ever, actually. For the organization as a whole, m'sure, and for me n the team; minus a few hang-ups." like shitty knights with vicious aims and stolen sisters; it was all dirt in a wound, annoying, but healable.

"Maybe that's what the problem is? Everything's going so good. Keeping it that way though? That takes more than what I have now," He knew already, had a checklist with little scrawls and boxes unchecked. Full of items and names. "the kinda power I can't access on my own."

That was it, wasn't it? The crux of the issue. Getting to Eternal had always been it's own goal, a game of a thing, and now it had real merit and value. They'd lost Lysi. Faustite couldn't do it on his own. He couldn't protect them the way he was! Couldn't hold them all together if he was still so easily pulled apart - sitting just below as subordinate to his boss.

They were more than that to each other, and that change required as much equilibrium as it did new ability.

"I just - I don't want firebrand to know, not yet. Hayby'll feel it, cause we're bonded n'all, but for him? I want it to be a surprise."

"Mph, I mean..part of it is that I'm trying to be, uhm, tactful?" a wry sort of laugh and handwave. The way Faustite'd asked him very explicitly without explaining why - not - to go to Axinite with Cryolite. The very obvious branch swap. People were working on things, places, and he didn't need the details. He especially didn't need to stick his nose into s**t that was none of his business.

"I'm not gonna bug Laurl's with all this princess business going on - s'got me edgy. N' Lep already got my first time, n Hess already helped me bring my boy Sy in," he ticked off points slow, checked his fingers and an invisible running list of endless 'things'. "I thought about going to Jet? But Jet doesn't get to stick his hand in my 'anything' unsupervised. Not that I'm opposed to him, fresh-prince could use the street cred of leveling me up." the lightest sort of tease under thoughtful tones, because Albite knew he was good for that, for taking the rush-pain-pull of being filled with power. What'd been terrifying and was now a survivable thrill at this point -- he knew that he trusted Axinite most, though. The man was careful, caring, but Axinite was asking him why, and he had to keep track of that. Reminded himself to focus and wrangle his attention in for more than five seconds.

"But -- all that aside? There's no one above me on our team save him now. We've lost -- people -- ********, we lost *him*, and...we need a new Eternal." It'd crossed his mind more than once, if something happened to - pick a person, and what would happen in the aftermath? He'd be damned if he'd see his team assigned to someone who didn't love them as much as he did, who didn't care as deeply as Faustite did; despite all his crackle grousing and snide smiles. He knew his boss loved them, that every loss was another chip away at his own personhood...

"Even if we didn't? He's my boy, Axinite - I'm putting a ring on his finger, and following where he goes," if that was the Rift, or Spec ops, or a bungalow on the outskirts of the citadel? Some fireproof stone tower in the ruins? Whatever. Albite'd already decided, he wouldn't leave Faustite alone. Couldn't let his team sit idle without the kind of support a Senshi with full abilities could bring. "but all the love in the world doesn't change the fact that our teams too big to be lacking a backup...and if I'm anything like the good subordinate that whatever piece of data claims I should be? Then I gotta shoulder some of the burden in managing that, yeah?" It felt like something, everything, he was Shahrazad and had ten thousand tales to tell, but not nearly enough time to tell them. He'd never know when to shut up once he started. Where to place his inflections, whether or not to snarl for the fact that he wanted to put a period at the end of every knights name who'd ever harmed -- any of them.

"N that takes the kinda power to back a threat our enemies might look twice at." How many times had any of them come home - beaten, bruised, bleeding, halfdead? How often was it Faustite?

"That's why it's gotta be a surprise --- If I need him to beg favors for me? Then I'm not ready for it. N Hell, who better to tell me if I'm ready or not then you! You're 'The Guy', Axinite. Of everyone here? You'd be honest with me about what I need to do." all barely held sighs of frustration that bled into a soft sort of smile. An ease born of the trust he held for one of the few Sovereigns in the place he knew played by the rules. Maybe even to his own detriment? Axinite was a good person. Experienced. Albite could hear it better from him than anyone else, probably, if he got told to come back later, to try again -- ******** - to bring reference letters or whatever?

Albite, all the stillness of a cat on fresh n**, all fidget and white knuckled patience in the gap of words. The void of it. Then Axinite spoke and he was so -- he was so *relieved* -- because all the words were good and the flags were green as freshly printed cash. He could've made promises, or told Axinite he wouldn't regret this -- or - or - or..

Instead he stood, gentle screech of chair legs over floor before he swung around to face His General King; wearing a smile that could've split the sun.

"Bragging rights are nice, but so are hugs? I'll also settle for handshakes, head-pats, just..." a gentle shrug and open stance, hunting for the right words. "I don't bite, I swear! N' you're.." Axinite was too good for this place, truly. Too kind to have all of *this*, dumped on his shoulders on the regular. All these men and women above them - playing atlas like they were born of titans instead of men. It was humbling, it was sweet! Except, that might've been rude to say? "..you're a good friend, Sir. Now!!"

"C'mere, n then let's practice sharing the workload with Jet? Oh, maybe we can like, give him a pamphlet on delegation?! I noticed that's really hard for people sometimes - yanno - *'sharing the workload'*....Hell if you've got any for our firebrand? Preferably the fireproof kind..." ideas to consider and tangents to trail. Albite couldn't help but muse on all the possibilities, how useful he'd be to - hopefully - too so many people with just a little bit more power - an endless stream of possibilities that lay before him while he stood there, an easily hugged, open armed being.

Jet had been spending some time looking through books that he picked up from the castle’s library on crystals and their uses. Both the Queen and Axinite seemed interested in them, so he figured he could try to read up on them as well.

But he found reading boring and would rather be out looking and experimenting and seeing what the crystals did for himself.

So when he got the message from Axinite, he almost immediately teleported to his office.

Which was probably not necessary, since his new office was just down the hall.

“I was wondering when you’d get your promotion,” Jet hummed as he looked from Albite to Axinite, but glanced around -- they were missing someone, which drew a thoughtful frown to Jet’s face. “Another surprise for Faustite?”

Axinite gave Albite something akin to a look when he suggested making a pamphlet for him. But, Jet was here, and that meant that they should probably get things moving. They were all busy men, after all.

“Well, let’s make sure Faustite gets a good surprise. Jet, I know you’ve already gotten a little practice in. I know you know what to do,” he said, but there was room for him to ask questions or voice discomfort, and Axinite stayed close as if he meant to assure that he was there if he needed to be.

“I’ll get some snacks out. I know you know how draining this can be,” he said to Albite, and Axinite was prepared for such things with sweets and fresh fruit and energy drinks.

They were in his office, so he had quite the selection, and pulled a few things out while Jet and Albite settled themselves.

“You’re the best.” Axinite got a grin loaded with gratitude, a nod; ever the perfect host, n Albite couldn’t’ve thanked him enough for it in that moment. Putting up with all his nonsensical mannerisms n oddball ideas.

Faustite was gonna love it, he was sure. One less pound of pressure for needing to watch his back the way a General did, some unwinding of that ever tightening noose of stress his boy constantly wore — till he hung himself on it.

Him becoming Eternal? It could only be a good thing - it had to be. He’d make it work as a boon for the whole team.

“Oh? I’ve been ready,” he offered slyly, all tease even as he readied himself on kitten heels, tucked his dreads back out of the way “but I’m glad you asked. Go on.”

The idea of sparring a General King!!?!

Later later later - he’d ask - ********, he’d probably ask Aquamarine first? Had a bevy of new things he wanted to run by the blond after his promotion anyways, and permission to potentially punch his man seemed like a friend asking kinda thing?

Certainly he wouldn’t turn it down though.