Welcome to Gaia! ::

He pleated his ponytail into a better braid, scrubbed crust out the corners of his eyes; reminded himself that first impressions were important and how, some things? Even the worlds brightest, tightest glamour couldn’t hide. Like eye bags from too little sleep and bruises in the shape of clawed hands….

Always had to be monsters, didn’t it? ********, but he felt old. Like a wash rag that’d seen too many launders.

It was fine — *it’d be fine*

Though it would’ve been nice to have known he’d been reassigned before all hell broke loose topside, and now? A vague other-ite would be over him, *again*; the notice to ‘attend to introductions with his superior’, signed by their freshly blooded Sovereign felt closer to a funeral invite than the party kind.

It had weight. Importance. The kind that held eyes and the sort of scrutiny he wasn’t entirely unused to.

So he had to make it count.

If only he could find where in the rat-hollowed-hell he was supposed to meet his new General? He thought he knew most places, lest this one was a Captain, but even then? Triton wondered where they’d holed the poor b*****d up, a crawl space? An attic? The bottom of a chipped stairwell…

He hoped there weren’t stairs.

Zultanite Swept around the bend of a hall with only the echo of his boots to trail him; until the soft shiff of fabric over chilled stone floor proved a distraction enough to catch his eye, along with the Eternal aura that bloomed up around it.

He thought he knew that shade of orange, a bright spot mid a sea of ink — this one was sure as hell worth asking questions of, helpful sort, managed orders amidst chaos just fine. Better to do that, ask directions, than hunt for a room that may or may not have existed. For a person that may not have existed, Things happened. Life happened. Dying? Dying definitely happened. It seemed like every other day somebody’s space was getting cleaned out, repurposed, or left empty like an ominous doom-harboring reminder of ‘what if’s’ and ‘lost causes’.

“Hey! Got a minute?”

Zultanite's hand went for a weapon he didn't have, empty sheath that held no sword -- only cinnamon sticks -- and sighed for the way he'd instinctively stilled at the sound of shattering; the way that loudness seemed to drag on...

What on Earth was the poor Senshi doing dragging pots half the size of himself around?

He found it in himself to move again, his clipped approach found halt in scattered mulch and ceramic shards, kneeling down to join the (Eternal?) in the dirt. Thank goodness for Auras; batwings on a body so massively swathed in bright folds were hard to check for, but an Aura? Meant this one'd been around long enough to maybe know someone. N maybe they could help each other out.

"Plant'll survive, Sir..." Triton felt his knees creak where he knelt, a pair of rusty spring's that'd complain at him later in the day for spending too long down, swiping the worst of the sharp mess away from the root base. He couldldn'tve said if it needed repotting or not, but it seemed large enough that it might be hardy enough to survive a tumble or two, "No sense crying over spilt dirt, right?" there was a joke buried in there somewhere, even as Triton was yanking open subspace, pulling out something burlap with rope handles, could've been one of those reusable shopping bags as easily as it could've been something to haul potatos...or bodies....

Right now? It'd be hauling a plant. Zultanite let it drop flat, heedless of getting his gloves dirty as he shoved as much soil into the bottom of it as he could save.

"Lieutenant Zultanite, Sir. Maybe you n me can help each other out here? A little quid pro quo."

"Sorry, force of habit," soft sapphires that ticked up under thick lashes, searching the pale face and starbursts entrapped in flowing black waves; the look itself accompanied by a one sided shrug, because it was true. When in doubt? Sir it out. Surely that was better than -- what? 'Senshi', or even 'Hey Eternal?'

People reached ranks, acknowledgements were made, otherwise? Wasn't like there was a 401k and bountiful dental plan for enrollment, though the particular sort of perks Triton personally did enjoy...

Innumerable enough as to be unnecessary to name. He knew what they were, enjoyed them. Some sheen of that must've shown on his face while he plucked through shards, picked them further free, and carefully pulled clinging clay away from the delicate roots. Those simpler inner thoughts were shunted through with surprise at the name, the way it showed with the stilling of fingers and a brief head tilt.

Kamacite, really? N now the Senshi had his full consideration.

"Think you've helped me already, actually," would wonders never cease, if anything he should'a counted himself lucky for stumbling into the person he needed to find, "though first I gotta ask? That wouldn't be 'General Kamacite', would it?"

Who was he to know? The way things were most days, the way things'd changed? Coulda been a Senshi was Eternal and a General now. Coulda been a lotta things -- Like how the longer he stared, the more familiar the soft spoken senshi seemed; and if he squinted hard enough at all that orange---

Yes, before it'd been wrapped around some blonder than bleach civ with a killers glare, but? The familiarity was strong even if the whole 'satans-summer' event'd felt like the kinda bad dream he wanted to wash down with a bottle of drano on the rocks.

There were no coincidences in life. Nothing was ever happenstance. Not even this.

"See, that's what I thought too. Which means this is a pretty hilarious typo," coulda been the bright as the sun wall-flower type wasn't well known? A clerical error? Coulda been a personal slight by someone less than fond of the Senshi? Zultanite couldn't have been sure; tugged the edges of burlap firmly up and around the winding vinelike plantlife - careful of the many sprawling limbs and clingy velcro hooks at the edges of the leaves ;made for crawling trellises and concrete alike. The hell'd Kamacite been planning with it anyhow? Maybe some castle beautification thing. Triton couldn've guessed, and subsequently realized he'd have all the time in the world to ask what was now his new 'boss', "cause apparently, I've recently been re-assigned to serve under one 'General Kamacite', which -- m'guessing that to be you?"

"So, Boss? Where we taking this thing to. A secret garden, a sprawling vineyard?" coy as the singular raised brow and head-tilt that screamed 'lead on el' capitan'; the remainder of debris'd have to be left to someone elses hands -- the sinking suspicion that those hand's end up being his own? Except he was sure there were greener shoots than him sprouting around who he could delegate to with something as simple as a quota boost.

"That is..that's gonna be hard, S--Kamacite. Is it that you don't like titles, or is it that you don't like hierarchy?" he made a face for the vibe he got back in turn, shrugged it off cause he'd always figured high ranking Senshi were called Eternals, that it was the thing that made them different from the rest.

If Kamacite wanted neither though? That'd take some getting used to. No sir, or boss, or chief. It felt strange...

If he'd been in charge---

But he wasn't in charge, was he.

Offered up options on the hedgiest of hopes that maybe he'd wanna be addressed as something less casual than the equivalent of 'Hey Beth', or just in case this one had a Senshi-ier name? Some of 'em that clung to stars n carried their roots into the underdark with em - "Cause if you want me to call you General, I can? M'not above a little eccentricity with monikers," enough time spent absorbed in enough strangeness, and one could come to accept anything in DC. It was easy, when every other week a pothole was swallowing half the city and spitting out glowing demons from three galaxies over; or ravenous 'nessies' were drowning innocent people mid swim, "though 'Just Kamacite's' fine, if you insist on it."

He let it slide under a raise of brows, after all, they had a whole branch that was made up of honest to goodness 'aliens' - the far less than human-looking kind; possibly of the purple people eater variety, but he knew well the difference between rumor and truth. Knew what he didn't know would eventually pop up and reveal itself with enough time.

"Sure, long as you point the way," he hadn't been aware that there was a solarium, tilted his head to indicate so even as he gathered the rough edges of burlap close enough to tie -- would make the thing easier to haul in whatever direction Kamacite led.

"Can't say I'm very interesting on my own. Middling career line in managing bonds, brokering trades --" all the ways that sounded better than 'debt settlement manager' for the casino down the way. Got less angry glares, cause no, he wasn't typically that guy on the phone one-eight-hundreding a person to death about credit bought for pennies -- he was the other guy -- "I've become a bit of a homebody when I'm not working though. Tryna wrangle in a thirteen year old is tougher than being in my early thirties...." trying to get through guardianship hearings and adoption paperwork was tougher still; but Kamacite didn't need details. Grains of truth spread over the soft sands of omission seemed the best way to go till he knew the guy better.

"If you mean my time here? I came in a few years after the merger n consolidation this place underwent -- used to work down south of the line. Lots of cleanup in terms of managing civil issues, grunt work for the higher ups; which's er'eone above me, 'ncluding you." inclined his head as he spoke and hefted the canvas sack along, he'd no idea where in the place a functioning Solarium would fit in. Couldn't deny the eagerness to find out since it'd be something fresh to be seen. "You'll find my file under 'Lieutenant Zultanite', I'd shake your hand, but?"

"Heh, a 'Teenager', anything even remotely close ta' 'child', gets an eyeroll s'long that it makes the Mississippi look like a pissy little crick," he could laugh at that here, away from ever-listening ears and eyes that had more tread than tires for how often he'd watched them swing round, petulantly, only to be snap-crackle-squeaked at by a voice that he was sure had his nephew cursing puberty, "but yes, I have one. A child, a job, and this---" a soft tug of lines that led to the beginnings of crows feet in the corners of his eyes, he assumed he'd gray early, at this rate, but was assured he could pull it off, or if all else failed? He'd dye it all back, least till he got tired of trying to feel like a twenty-somethingyearold in a thirty going on ninty-yearolds body.

"I do my best to split my time evenly without being absentee, the kid's a recent development, was easier working this gig before -- but? So long as you're willing to work with me n my hectic'a** scheduling? I'll always be willing to give my best for you -- Just Kamacite --" and Zultanites took Kama's hand, shaking it firmly, warmly, wobbling only slightly beneath the haul of dirt. His smile said 'Sir', even if his mouth stayed shut on the pushing the matter any further. Kama seemed a gentle enough sort, he didn't wanna ******** with him too much---

Speaking of --

"You can relax though, I don't need much maintenance. Never have. I think they must be doing this cause their tired of me lingering -- n'mhsure you'll be the one to light a fire under my un-promoted a**...Now..this Solarium thing? Need help with it....or is this some casual hobby you're bringing down here? Some people are real picky with who helms their projects."

An upticked twitch of a splintered smile, how he thought it was cute the way Kamacite corrected himself in some measure. Truth be told? He'd always called Coady 'kid', too. Much to the ire of the twelve going on thirteen going on thirty boy who seemed to always think himself beyond authority even though he was barely beyond the juniors section in a clothing store. To hear Kamacite stumble over correcting himself in saying it? How that warmed the parts of Triton that wished to continue to drag the gentle bit of respectful teasing along as far as he could. Caused him to ease up a little, beyond that ever-present, ingrained urge that demanded the professionalism of earned titles as prefixes -- out of respect -- out of loyalty?

Because nobody was 'just anything' in this world, especially not someone who'd made his way to Eternal. Every child a potential chibi, and school marm a potential agent of rank wearing a civilians mask--- But if Kamacite insisted? He supposed he could swallow the sour grit of using anything other than a title with the other man, of being 'friendly' with the liberal use of mineral names over and above rank.

"So--a literal light in the darkness kinda deal? A whole seventh botanical wondr' of the underdark," he snorted softly, minds beyond his were made to suss those sort of logistics out; plopping a sun into a dead world and growing things in it. "I'd say it sounds like something out of science fiction, but?" and his gaze swept the space, made a point of the comedy that particular level of hypocrisy would be, his laugh a huff of exertion as he leveraged aid to hauling earth along.

"I 'preciate it though. Yer consideration 've everything." Plodding after Kamacite steadfastly, ready to see where he and this other General were trying to make the sun shine. Of all the ways he thought he might get his hands dirty today? This wasn't one of them. It was worth it he thought, to nod for Kamacites kindness, to smile quietly over the load in his arms. He didn't believe it for a second, that there would be no danger herinto in whatever Kamacite would or wouldn't put him to use for, but he appreciated what rung to his ears as genuine sentiment nonetheless.