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So Roka was looking for someone who could reasonably protect them, then. That was, at least, what Borax could reason from what was said, considering Roka was not wrong; they were of the same strength, unfortunately. Borax would like to resolve that as quickly as possible -- to his favor, not Roka's, naturally -- but it was there. It was the present he was working with. It was like he was back on the traders' floor...

Was there something else he could offer, though?

He was trying to find ways to angle things to his advantage, always, and they seemed to be at an impasse. Borax did not particularly favor such things. He dug around in his mind for what may have been useful. Certainly wasn't magic. Roka didn't seem to care to know their fellows, from the way they shook their head at that reference, or Borax may have been able to give them some leads on that front in exchange. Doubted Roka had any interest in receiving the energy Borax was collecting -- unless they did, that was certainly a thought.

... Though if they were looking for powerful connections.

"We are the same level, pity," and truly, it was, "though if you're looking to connect with more powerful people, I am on a fairly extensive organization over here." Borax's lips quirked just slightly upward. "Can put a favorable word in."

Somehow, Roka's words were both a relief and a frustration all in the same breath. He found a piece that worked for the other, but they still wouldn't relent on not sharing their magic. That was not quite the intent of his mission; he was supposed to find out everything he could about these senshi, and usually, they were a bit easier than this.

Of course, the others were easier to provoke with an attack. And while Borax could just attack them, he had a feeling that that would not have been his best move in this case. There was a greater utility to be had. He just needed to figure out how to unlock it, and to get enough information that he was still doing his job.

It was the last comment that he zoned in on.

Perhaps there was something useful there.

"I don't usually do favors without anything in return," Borax remarked, off-handedly, glancing at his energy ball--coming along quite nicely--before turning his attention back to Roka. "How old are you, anyway?" Roka didn't exactly look old, but Borax didn't exactly know many fish either. Maybe old looked young. How the ******** was he supposed to know that--

Centuries.

If he had been told that even just a year ago, he would have called bullshit at the source and told them to step out of a fantasy land to give him a real number. As it was, he knew of demons. Youma. People who merged with them. Aliens. Ancient aliens, beyond what that crackhead on the historical channels could have ever conceived. Elven things that lived on artificial worlds. Fish people, like the one he was staring at, right then and there.

What Borax felt was not disbelief but envy. Intense envy.

To have lived through the lives of several peoples and still remain came with an inexplicable power and depth. Perhaps not magically--it was true, Roka and Borax were the same on that front--but wisdom? Intelligence? Clout? Universal weight and the accumulation of that weight? His gut cried in hunger. "********, centuries. You senshi are something else."

He wanted that.

"Tell you what," Borax clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, "I'll tell my powerful friends to perhaps consider you as not a threat, and in turn, you say the same of me if asked."

Was Borax not a threat?

Oh, absolutely not.

But he desperately wanted a taste of that ancientness.

Did he think Roka held the answer as to how to live that long?

No. Yes. Perhaps. Probably not, Roka was a literal alien from outer space and Borax was simply a human with a magical outer layer. But did he think observing them might give him an idea as to how to pursue it, and perhaps coming in a more common contact might give him another direction as to how to get there? Perhaps.

Thus far, observations had made him concerned that any pursuit would require losing his physical form. The half-youma had seemed closest to that raw physical power so far, but those he knew gained attachments that made that physical form different, or alterations that changed that physical form from its base. Borax would prefer to avoid that. Roka, though, did not seem to be special in body shape beyond being a fish person.

Curious.

Hearing that Roka would return the favor brought the edges of a smirk back to Borax's face as he tucked the energy ball he had been working on from their ambient civilian surroundings away. "Glad to hear we have an agreement." It didn't take the depths he wanted, but it was certainly a start. "If I hear you've been doing otherwise, be aware that my words can easily be altered or withdrawn."

And that was that, as Borax glanced up and down Roka, clocking down everything he could with a gaze that seemed curiously intense.

"Hopefully we won't have that issue."

What was layered was enough, Borax could tell some part of this comparatively ancient being seemed to have some understanding of the consequences. Because sure, he could vouch for Roka. Absolutely.

If Borax was made to regret that, especially if it had caused problems for someone else? Perhaps not.

Definitely not.

"Very well," and Borax found himself at least quietly surprised this senshi had not been easy to provoke. Not that they had all been easy--Myrrha needed some goading, for instance--but none were so easily resistant as Roka. Borax suspected he had other uses.

As he waved over his shoulder and replied with, "See you soon, Roka," he suspected he was going to find them.