Welcome to Gaia! ::

Athene had indulged in a small sigh of relief as the magic had taken hold, with the beads forming a circle around the youma. It had worked!

Looking towards Atë, the dark-haired senshi was in time to hear his fellow senshi rant something about ‘can’t’. It was confusing because before the Athene could actually say anything it was followed by the rockabilly senshi calling upon her own senshi ability in between expletives.

Maybe the youma sensed what was going to happen next as it flung itself at the beads closest to it, but was unable to pass through the magic’s barrier, but it was Atë’s garbage ball that was the climatic finale, the force of the rubbish plus hobo’s shoe slamming into the youma enough to dust it and Athene’s beads ‘exploding’ into harmless fragments that quickly faded out was by then anticlimactic.

Athene couldn’t help but be a little envious of Atë’s senshi ability, he would have loved to have an ablity that worked on tap like that without the will it-won’t it that seemed a part of his own unpredictable ability, but it didn’t stop the fact that at least the youma was done for, just dust littering the alley.

He looked over at the Rockabilly senshi again, concern colouring his voice as he asked “Are you okay Atë?” His fellow senshi had taken a pretty nasty hit from that thing earlier on.

Athene wasn’t sure what to say in answer to Atë’s comment about trusting in his beads. After all it wasn’t as if he had full confidence in his own senshi ability, although at least he used it more these days. It probably helped that since powering up a level that his upgraded senshi ability seemed to at least behave better.

He was even less sure what to say about her ‘hero’ comment, feeling his cheeks reddening in embarrassment. After all it wasn’t as if the dark-haired bead senshi felt he was a particularly great fighter. “To be honest, I’m not sure I could have dusted that thing on my own” he admitted at last. “Even when it works” and it still didn’t always “My senshi ability’s not exactly offensive” he smiled slightly at the rockabilly senshi “But at least we’re both in one piece.”

Politeness had Athene automatically reach and take Atë’s outstretched hand, his eyes slightly concerned from behind the lenses of his somewhat battered black framed glasses. Although the dark-haired senshi would be the first to admit that he was no medical expert, the rockabilly senshi unsteady gait made Athene think that she was not as okay as her earlier words had made her out to be although uncertainty about whether it was his place to say anything kept him from saying anything.

What he was not expecting was for the pollution senshi to use his grip to pull him into something of a one-handed hug. Until he’d moved over to the States, the dark-haired senshi hadn’t had much contact with touchy-feely people – his family in the UK (at least what remained of it) weren’t exactly big on affectionate gestures and he’d gone to a school where public displays of affection was not something that was commonplace. Eventually however, Athene awkwardly patted Atë’s arm gently, his face slightly red – after all it could have been worse – last time the rockabilly senshi had picked him up and swung him round.

It was famous last words – it seemed he wasn’t fated to part ways with the pollution super senshi so lightly. The kiss took Athene completely by surprise and given by how hot his cheeks felt his face probably rivalled a tomato.

After an awkwardly waved goodbye and the dark-haired senshi decided to call it a night himself, little knowing that the next morning would be spent locked in the bathroom frantically trying to wash away the rockabilly senshi’s parting ‘gift’.