Welcome to Gaia! ::

The last time Captain Serpentine had come this close to the shadows that flittted throughout the Rift, he had been on a guided tour with a still human Bazzite. Now the newly promoted officer acted as the guide instead, proudly striding forward. What did it matter to him if his khaki tunic stood out against the darkness, or that the enlarged crest of his hat made a larger potential target? He had more power now, as well as a weapon that could be legitimately expected to deliver damage. What had he to fear?

"Carefully, Buddy. Incline," he warned hsi partner, carefully moving down himself. Buddingtonite--once again his equal in rank--might have been the one to suggest their mission, but his partner took it upon himself to see it completed successfully. If the punishment went awry, then his red-headed friend could easily get in more serious trouble. Which, in turn, would lead to more whining and pleading for him to get Buddingtonite out of trouble. Serpentine definitely did not want more of those drunken tirades and ear-breaking begging sessions, both for his own sake and that of his friend. The rainbow-haired man did not have loose lips...but there might be others listening, eager to sink the boomerang-wielding captain's ship.

While he waited for Buddingtonite to catch up, his eyes restlessly searched the darkness. Oh, there were many shadows, and each would reveal a terrifying Chaos beast upon closer inspection. Tentacles writhed in half-warning, half-invitation. Large, looming shapes slid, thumped, bounced across the ground, while smaller, quicker ones skittered out of their path. Curves that could be wings, horns, or other anatomical anomalies beckoned interest. Serpentine ignored all of these in favor of one that remained imprinted on his memory.

He looked for a tell-tale hood, a slithering movement...anything to indicate the creature he sought was near. as a lieutenant, he had made two voew in the Rift: thathe would protect Bazzite from the monsters and that he would return to claim the cobra-esque youma he had seen for his own. Serpentine had already failed in one of his tasks. He did not intend to fail again.

All of his efforts to locate that desired shape were in vain. The green-and-gold clad Captain could identify several eldritch shapes around him, but none of them were the cobraesque youma he had vowed to claim. Still, his disappointment was broken some by the familiar complaints of Buddingtonite. It was... good to be back with him again, on a mission. Poor circumstances, naturally, but it meant that in their way they were both moving forward.

Serpentine turned back and knelt down. He offered his fellow Captain his hand. A glimmer of amusement sparked in his eyes and stretched to his voice, "Warned you as soon as I could. Maybe you should get your eyes checked?" Such sentiment might have seemed out of place in this land of swirling darkness, but the Indian thought it better than adding to the ominious nature of their location. The Rift could become oppressive quickly - and his partner seemed jumpy enough without any further help.

Out of habit, Serpentine began to look over his red-haired companion for injury. A sudden tenseness overtook his shoulders as he noticed something he had not seen until he was looking very closely - a bulge, of sorts, on Buddingtonite's hat that he knew was not part of his outfit. It was difficult to see in the darkness. If it had not moved slightly, he might have convinced himself that it was not real.

But he knew a claw when he saw one, and he whispered to his fellow Negaverse officer, trying to keep him calm, "Richard... you have a crab."

The newer captain watched as his partner pulled down his hat. A single hand went and pulled out the whip from his hip, just in case the beast decided it wanted to attack. His apprehension seemed for naught, as Buddingtonite was able to lower his headpiece with no problems. Getting a better look at the crab, it appeared to be of the Fiddler variety, with one claw far larger than the other. Its tiny eyes, small dots of red, were fixed solely on the other captain.

"Disgusting," Serpentine agreed. One look at the foam spewing forth out of the creature's mouth was enough to convince him that that was the only appropriate adjective for the youma.When he saw the substance dripping down on the gloves of his partner, his nose crinkled in distaste; he took a pointed step backwards in order to avoid any accidental spray hitting his own uniform and person. "Release it, so we can continue."

It never crossed his mind that is partner might actually be enamored with this slobbering, misshapen thing. After all, there were far larger youma, far better youma. The rainbow-haired officer had seen them with his own eyes.. and he certainly would not settle for anything less.

Serpentine remained unconvinced, despite Buddingtonite's pleading. All of the reasons he gave were reasons to release the disgusting little monster. If it was small, it was likely on the bottom of whatever food chain existed here. This 'horrid place' was its natural environment, to which it was suited. To express such concern would be akin to taking a tiny cactus out of a desert for fear of it drying out. "Beneath us, but fine." His tone made it very clear that he was not taking any responsibility for the crabby creature to which his partner had taken a liking.

"The youma I seek too big for your hat," the rainbow-haired captain snorted, turning away from his friend and beginning to scan the area once more. Standing still had attracted the attention of other youma in ways he did not like. "Keep moving." As long as they kept moving, it would be more difficult for youma to gang up on them. It was a technique that had worked thus far, at least, so he saw no need to change his strategy just yet. He boldly continued forward

Then he saw it! The distinctive movement of a serpent, slithering towards them. The curved hood rising and falling. At the sight, the sound that escaped his lips could only be described as a contented sigh. "Buddy...isn't it perfect?" With that, he began to run towards the creature, his whip at the ready. It had been implied that he would be forced to tame the youma, or at least to show his worth. He was ready.

If someone asked him about why he continued to partner with Buddingtonite, Serpentine would be the first to shrug his shoulders. Buddy, Richard, Buddingtonite... his forced partnership had become a mutual friendship somewhere along the lines. Yes, there were sticky moments. Both had large egos. Both were vain. Both were self-serving, to a point. Yet... they both also understood one another. They trained together. They fought together. One took the velvet route in the Negaverse, the other steel.

For this reason, the captain was certain his partner knew he would not come back. Not until he had claimed that which he had set his eyes upon. The only reason he stopped was because the youma was coming at such a speed that he was not sure he could get in a shot. He planted his feet, cracked the whip, and then stood without flinching as the creature slithered to a halt.

The youma reared to its full height, easily as tall as Serpentine himself. The size was not all together surprising, given the ease with which it could be seen from a distance. The more surprising aspects became apparent when the creature turned. Unlike the crustacean that clung to Buddingtonite's hat, this youma was a mix of animal and humanoid. The hood framed a face clearly human in shape, but serpentine in its features. Flat lips curled back in a hiss, revealing sharp fangs. Delicate arms, previously unseen at a distance, now rose from their resting place to reach out for the charging Captain.

In response, Serpentine gave a hiss of his own, although his was clearly directed towards his partner, "Go left. I will go right."

The blows that Buddingtonite endured were not in vain. Serpentine tackled the youma from the right, as promised. He stretched his whip out horizontally to act as a binding, of sorts. Likely it would have been more effective if he could wrap it around her small arms or her serpentine muzzle, but he made due with what he had. With the tether around her torso, Serpentine pulled back on both sides of the whip to pull her back and off of his crab-faced companion.

To the struggling serpent, the captain hissed, "He is mine. So shall you be." Serpentine was never one for words, and he did not rely on them now to claim his prize. The words were more to distract attention away from his partner and, hopefully, to free him from the grip of the crab. He could only hope that the disgusting little monster actually was defending his partner and not trying to impregnate him a la Aliens.

The comparison to that science fiction classic became even more applicable when the youma continued her struggle. She bared her fangs once more, but this time a clear liquid spritzed through the air. Serpentine jerked to the side to avoid the shot, pulling the youma down with him. "Careful, Buddy. She spits!"

Few things were more piercing than a friend's scream. Krishna had neard Richard scream for all sorts of reasons - an unexpected downturn to his luck, a surprise fly landing with unerring accuracy into his soup, but nothing at all like the pain-filled sound he heard now. It clearly indicated two things. First, the crab HAD been protecting his partner, and two, the youma he currently had (barly) contained with his whip was far more dangerous than he had known.

Pulling back on the whip was clearly not having the desired affect, but Serpentine did not loosen his grip. Instead, he pulled back sharply to gain more distance before releasing her - only to tackle the snake-woman at the earliest opportunity. Normally, he would not take such dangerous action. She likely had plenty of venom left, and even if she did not, she had fangs to bite, strength and agility to smash, and if Bazzite were any indication, an insatiable appetite for the starseeds that hung in both he and his partner's chests.

But she had hurt his partner, and he tired of this game. "Tell me your name."

It was not a question. It was a command, as clear and crisp as any that had ever left his lips. Curious eyes easily met his gaze, and transparent lids closed to moisten them. The captain stayed perfectly still as a forked tongue came out to flick his cheek, as though it would tell the creature something about him she did not already know. Perhaps it was her test of sorts - Serpentine had assumed he would have to master her in some fashion. Whether it be his actions, his words, or his demeanor, the youma seemed... satisfied. She hissed a single word, "Stheno."

"Stheno." Serpentine repeated the name, and then offered his own. "Serpentine. From now on, we are partners. All four of us. Understood?" He took her silence and her lessening struggles as an affirmative. To show his trust in her, he removed his grip and began to head towards the screaming Buddingtonite. "Buddy... calm down. I will take you home."

The green-and-gold clad Captain's emotionless face softened somewhat at his partner's bitterness. For all of his fussing, Buddingtonite seemed truly in pain and blindness was nothing with which to be trifled. Stheno slid near first, as though to touch Buddingtonite, but Serpentine dismissed her with a shake of his head. With a hiss, the youma coiled around herself in a half-seated position. He watched her for a time, but she did not move or offer any further display. Her black-and-white scales gleamed in the low light, but she did not move as her officer stepped towards the blinded man. Her hooded head lowered slightly as she simply waited, her forked tongue flicking out every now and then to taste the air. As Stheno moved, Serpentine could feel a queer stirring in his chest. It hurt, a cold burn somewhat akin to the touch of Chaos that Zinkenite had first instilled, that had only grown upon his promotion. A sign of their new connection? Perhaps... but he had other matters to attend to at present.

Satisified that she would not harm his partner more, Serpentine turned his attention to the ginger once again. He knelt in front of him and kept his voice soft. "Quiet. I am here now." One hand moved the formarm covering the confectioner's eyes. The calloused fingers of the other hand cupped Buddingtonite’s chin as Serpentine inspected his partner’s injuries. He had not known of the other man’s blindness, only his pain; he had assumed that the dramatic fellow was engaging in another exageration. Yet, now that the florist was in range he could clearly see that nothing he did seemed to invoke a reaction from those sightless eyes that were currently trying to view the crab-youma on his shoulder. "Very well. If you are an invalid, I will treat you as such."

The captain took hold of his partner, lifting him with a grunt. Thankfully, being powered up gave him added strength or even he could not have hoped to hold, much less carry, his partner any great distance. Teleportation would leave him exhausted, and then how would he care for his blinded Buddingtonite? "I misjudged Gra." Serpentine was never one for unnnecessary conversation, but he felt he owed Buddingtonite something. It was his fault, however indirectly, that he had been blinded. The crab, however, had steadfastly guarded him fro the threat, even though Stheno had been far bigger and more intimidating. "He is disgusting... but perfect for you."

When the three of them set off, Stheno followed behind--a rear guard, to protect from what else may be waiting in the dark.