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Anguished echo's of yowling fur-beans made Albite reminisce on the first time he'd come down to the Rift to dispose of an oopsidental accident in the form of a corpse, and the second time he'd come down to see the Scar proper, excitedly playing at bait so those making an arduous climb up the cliffs could have it a bit easier at the top -- and then --

He hummed a nameless tune that resembled an offkey rendition of 'everybody wants to be a cat', he had cats on the brain more often then not, what with his Hayby working towards becoming the realest boy with thumbs. It'd made him extra eager to agree to come see Tama -- he didn't have the slightest inkling of what the suave bob wanted, nor how he planned to get past the Hall of Shadows and into the Rift proper without having an agent or higher up around, but!!

Those were problems for an Albite of minutes from now -- the Albite of the present? Saw the source of the yowl and made for it with a run, "TAMA!!"

"Sup sweet-fluff, Albite, Eternal of Bait at your service," the words offered with a bow and mockery of subservience, his smile all tease, all play. Because he loved Tama as fiercely as the rest of his team, and there was little he wouldn't do for him in the name of being helpful, "so who we goin with? Cause, uh, otherwise? This is gonna be the worlds shortest mission into the Rift." and he would've been as likely to flip off the lingering wretches of shadow and spite beyond the distant glass, n haul Tama off for coffee n treats soon as he would've been willing to walk right in n die.

Well, less willing to become a snack, more willing to do the flipping of birds. Figured he could probably talk Tama into a coffee over an empty casket funeral if it came down to it!

Next Monday arrived sooner than he would have liked. He made a promise, however, and Tama would never let him forget it — would likely bring it up with the Queen if Faustite tried to dip out on him.

Thus, it was with mild irritation and excessive reticense that he descended from the level of the Generals' offices, to the Captains', to the Lieutenants' small gathering areas, and finally the base floor of the Citadel proper with the intent of tracking down the wily Mauvian. As he approached the source of the auric energy, however, he found that the creme-colored furbag found himself and oversized armchair on which to lounge, and Faustite squinted at him as he rounded the banister.

Faustite kept his words to himself until he was within conversational distance of the pair. He gestured to Albite as he stared up at Tama. "You couldn't have picked anyone else?" He felt a lukewarm grimace coming on.

Yes, Albite was easily suckered into going to the Rift. Yes, Albite was stupid enough to play bait for forces he couldn't hope to conquer. Yes, Albite had a critical problem with the idea of self-preservation. But that didn't mean that Faustite wanted to throw his boy's life away for the chance for Tama to look at the Sistine Chapel Ceiling version of the Rift's own starmap.

"I ******** hate you," he informed the cat matter-of-factly.

"And you're a ******** idiot," he elaborated as he pointed at his husband. "Come on."

“I could have chosen someone else. ” Tama said as he buried his body into the protective curtain of Albite’s hair.
“But, really, who would have been a better choice for you? Do you not like seeing this one?”

He played because he could. Being on Albite’s shoulder felt like the best protective he was going to get — both from Faustite and any hungry youma they met in the Rift.

“See. He likes going to the Rift with you. He’s absolutely smitten to go on this journey with you. Not my fault if you hate what’s good for you.”



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"Awwhh, Ei" Albites face was on fire, hot with a wide smile, because Faustite was holding his hand -- on the way into the Rift even!!! Showed those shadowy ******** what for -- He didn't even care for the why of it all, just curled his fingers pleasantly and sought the backs of those sharp knuckles with a brief kiss. The most tentative little brush of affection before he opened his mouth to offer something like hope--

"I love that you worry bout me Firebrand, I've gotten a bit tankier as an Eternal though--probably tastier too, but!! I've got Cerbs to back me up if I call, n a thought-locker fulla trinkets that might help me down there; worse comes to worse? M'real good at dusting things. Practice allll the time even...." he'd amassed some treasures over time, youmafying-pendants, and soothing-bells, and slightly more armored things than that-- sometimes being extra of service to a certain smiling salesman had it's perks. Same as being of service to a Sovereign or two. To his Husband. He'd have to get a fanny pack at some point, or maybe a cool-a** satchel! Something more physically accessible than the quick thought it took to snare things outta subspace, "....and I don't just mean in those heels you like."

He could make promises to keep though, nodding even as he returned Faustites plea-filled gaze with sincerity, because talking walls were the last ******** thing he wanted to listen to!! Haunted places could get absolutely, totally, railed by a burning semi, for all he cared to ******** around with them.

"I'll only listen to you down here, kay? No talking to strange eels, or taking candy from trees. I won't even ride off any of those flesh balloons with the limbs....or the floaty ones, either...Besides? Who better to have you n Tama's backs than someone who cares about you guys! M'pretty sure Alkmene would cry a single tear if his favorite fur-muff got all swallowed up down here."

That too was a worry, but the tickle of Tamas settling weight behind his neck and across his shoulders eased that some, it was good to have the cat where he could keep track of him, physically. It was good to have his boy in hand -- like --- like going on a picnic!

N yeah, it wasn't the best area to go picnicking in! But Albite didn't believe them the sorts to be easily trifled with either.

Faustite rolled his eyes while his husband went on with empty assurances, counted them right off his fingers until he couldn't count any higher, all while blissfully missing the greater issue. "Not the Rift that concerns me." The shadowy beings they passed as he led the three down? Wall decor, as far as he was concerned anymore. They ceased to be a problem when he truly became comfortable as a General.

If Albite had made an innuendo, Faustite missed it by the width of the Rift. His thoughts were on the uncountable unknowns that they would face, and thus he lapsed into silence.

Once they descended the several flights of stairs to bring them to the entrance of the Rift, Faustite felt a margin better for breathing the strange, ozone-charged air. It felt more familiar to him — more invigorating. The clamor of creatures at a great distance served as a backdrop to his thoughts and a dampener for his tendency to fixate on that which he couldn't ascertain. While Faustite never truly felt at ease here, he thought the Rift served as some kind of abusive, ******** up, dilapidated, yet well-loved home. At least, it was the one home that wouldn't collapse under the weight of his poor decisions.

Still, he hadn't relinquished Albite's hand. His had grown somewhat clammy against Albite's cool, dry skin. "Hope that favorite fur-muff doesn't get you killed. Or worse." He shot a warning glance at the cat, in case he got ideas for how to make that starmap more interesting.

He responded to Tama as he began the long descent to the craggy landscape of the Rift proper. "Meant to look into the tower. Ran out of time for that, though. Flying blind doesn't sit well with me — seen what that tower can do.

"Isn't far, assuming it didn't migrate. Tell you about it while we walk." Faustite squeezed his boy's hand wordlessly.

"First mission as a General was to come out here and fix a tower. Sovereigns came out, too. Sent us looking for gears — something to fix a mechanism inside the tower. Seemed like it was on Alkaid to fix it, but she sent us away. The tower we're visiting — it makes Ascended Generals, like Alkaid, out of senshi like Albite. Haven't seen or heard of it getting used since the day we fixed it, though."

The fur-muff knew better than to leave Albite if he wanted to live and that also meant keeping the senshi alive as well.

“Ascension?” Tama perked up. Their descent into the Rift with its moving shadows and eerie sounds and who knows what else lurking in the corner of his vision had keep the cat silent for most of the time, merely listening to Faustite as he told the tale.

There had been only one sentence that briefly mentioned ascension in all the written material he had found about corrupt senshi in the manual and he had not meet any in the time he had been in the Negaverse.



☆

“Ascendant General?” Another term he had only ever seen once and in passing.

Tama was one to dig deep in his reading, but it seems Faustite was a better source than anything the Mauvian had dug up in all his searching. He’d spent his first six months here rummaging through every written source he could find in Negaspace. But it seemed that he would have spent his time just as well questioning the general.

Had he know Faustite was such a wellspring of information, he would have spent more time with his flame-highness.

“Well, it’s good to know someone had found a way to make youma leave senshi alone. Although if the only one who could is dead now, maybe that’s not such a good sign?”

As he eyed the other youma that followed them even with an eternal senshi and a general, he was loosing hope in his youma repellant making aspirations. At least, he would have this star map dreams fulfilled.

“Anything else we should know before heading in there?”

He wanted to be prepared.



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