Welcome to Gaia! ::

The note had come unexpected, plucked from air on patrol that set up an agreeable forewarning of time to meet that wasn't reserved to the Cosmos Knight's usual hauntings to bench and park. It wasn't far, a bounding wall with periodic, poured and sculpted fountains built for the city's beautification in 'better' years by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Better, between the lean 30s and the violent, despairing war of the current time that gnawed the city was an argument of the beholder.

Thraen came, though, early since he'd set an alarm on his phone for thirty minutes ahead of the time to make sure he didn't forget. The fountain was on, spilling clear draughts down vined and scalloped tiers into a mosaic basin dotted with patina pennies. The eternal sat on the ledge of it, looking down at the pennies as though considering switching his legs from outside on the sidewalk to setting boots into the water- turned at the hip and one hand supporting up his shoulder in the lean. A neat, recycled material tote with an excessively cute cat logo sat hard by. It has been some time since I saw Hvergelmir in person. She sent Hyperborea to me. Brilliant, eager light. I wonder if they've spoken in the interim since. And other questions beside, older and younger. I am glad for her faith...but it is strange. Why? We never talked of personal beliefs. We may not tonight. She mentioned the primer in her note. An aura- Knight. It is likely her.

Flame eyes lifted from the flickering gold lines of streetlamps in the fountain to the street, sidewalk and surrounding buildings.

"It is no trouble to assemble to moot with an ally. My situation slowly improves, and I am alive. You may have seen advertisements of a Cat Cafe announcing 'coming soon' or the Grand Opening date online or around the city paper. It is a project of mine. " Or maybe she had spoken to Hyperborea in between? It was hard to tell if the young knight had found the prospect of a Cat Cafe exciting or not enough to talk to others about compared to the bringing donations to the Black Watch.

"How be you? " She looked radiant- the early pastel and waking dawn still touched by pale silver, but crested over roundness with worthy gold. How much is magic filling in for other wants in any of our faces? Our bearing may show more than our actual faces or limbs. As I marvel the coming of any new day, so must I marvel that you still live to speak in it. Still alive. Still gentle. "I worry of you. "

Weighted pauses, for what? Evaluating? I suppose we both do as much, often enough, with every person we meet. We skip ahead because we have to be efficient. He listened as she made assumptive leaps in parsing out what he must have meant by worry, then tittered along to sitting and moving on to a subject that was not herself. Probably more comfortable for that. He had the choice of correcting her, pressing the conversation, or allowing her to dodge any interpersonal relational rigamarole.

"Thank you for sending her. I don't know how much it will help, in the end, for Hyperborea herself. She definitely needs some training, other than the options available of hep that don't involve battle. She seemed to take the benefits of partners and teams to heart. She powers up and down ...too casually. I don't think she's actualized that as much as we have double lives, so do our enemies. Hyperborea did ask about what a senshi's magic had to do with their aspect. Gardens, in my case. "

"She had wound from meeting General. Ill omen and luck for three days into her service. She indicated she would be careful of having her wounds knitted before patrolling much. I suggested she speak with you again, to expand her knowlege about being a knight. I offered to help in training, myself, once she was not in stitches. Were you able to cover much when you spoke with her? Among the Knights, has there been anything similar to the Primer made? The primer is at least a checklist to cover for a mentor, or a fallback for introverts who don't trust others. You had wanted to read it once, but we never made the arrangements. Have you had a chance since with someone else?"

"It's sometimes trickier to manage enthusiasm- a learner, whether peer, student, or a master themselves, has to be in the right frame of mind to not only hear but listen to advice. One short meeting on my end, and only two on yours is a start. If my words really did stick, whomever she forms regular rapport with for patrols will have a better chance of knowing how and when to phrase suggestions. "

Hope, always hope, that that connection with others is built quickly before anything worse happens and comes with alterations of habit. "Word of a friend is the most successful advertising, to apply the wisdom of one behavioral field to another branch. It's hard to talk about without sounding disingenuous, or haughty. It isn't my intention. We're all young, and the superficiality of the ranks of magic prevents relationships and peers more than anything it seems to do for fostering mentorship. I hope she stays in contact. "

"You're not transparent by far, and I'm not so lucky as to see the future. You made an impression of intention - trying to make a difference with both sides through learning, that stayed stalwart in mind since last we spoke. It's not only still okay, but much hoped for. Information between our 'factions', such as a two tribes of cats as we are, needs to be better shared to the benefit of all. " He drew his phone out, thumbing through the menu to the Primer and offered it out to her. "As well as any suggestions you have of additions. Or offering answers to questions, or whatever I can to you and Babylon for your efforts on behalf of the knighthood. "

He sat quiet to give her time to focus and read at her own pace. It was easy to tick away the minutes mulling the obvious- the persistent disconnection, despite any effort, between the two groups with each other and within themselves persistent a firefly S.O.S. in the back of his mind every day. Years of service, rank, footwork, heart-to-hearts and continuing tragedies had failed to solidify anything. They all still ducked in and out of windows and doors, powering up and meandering alleys and rooves as alone as they had a year, two years, five years ago. Teams remained silent or unmet between members. Asking voluntary leadership, or self direction, had fallen flat on its face beneath the big block letters of 'EFFORT.' The two minutes to text another senshi or knight, or call them if they were a known friend, to go on patrol was too much to ask, despite being more impactful than the 140-character update earlier in a day about what school lunch was and how heinous it had been. I wonder if one of the Mauvians could set up a similar service on the phones? If it's branded as 'fun' will they be more likely to use it? But it isn't just the new senshi and new knights. Even I still patrol alone, or only with Faust. Veterans for whom the losses and struggles have been painted painful are ignoring common sense in favor of what? Laziness? Pride? Do I oversimplify? Can it be just one thing with people varied so different in their motivations? Knowing the symptoms, though, would better let us make changes.

"When Alois and I spoke, we came to a similar understanding on resisting and moving against Metallia, itself. Alois' predilection to anarchy and the diction of this war stating her as 'Chaos' I was never able to cross out as a bias. The definition, or label of 'Chaos' strikes me as a misnomer. The Negaverse is a military, and military are not formless, confused, and disorderly. The 'White Moon,' or Senshi, are. I wish I could tell you more about Howlite, but all I know is that the name was entered there of Kallichore's experience. I haven't seen her in months on months, nor heard from her, to be able to ask her for elaboration or tutelage. She was already long a senshi, I think. Maybe as many years as Maia? Maia might know more about the name and officer. She was already an Eternal senshi when I first met her. "

Saying the Knighthood is disorganized treads too close to insult, and I can't claim it from my little exposure, anyway. I wonder if Alois is likewise her connection to that conclusion, or if it is based with and backed up by a second, third, nth other officer. She talks to them with some frequency, maybe. There was lasting annoyance that the primer wasn't just update-able constantly the way a living document should be. Senshi should be inputting fact and rumor with tags as they learned them or remembered. The Eternal Maia shouldn't have to be directly questioned on all accounts by another party. All the Senshi should be able to help each other with what they learned. Words drifted back to him from a least a year ago, like rain being sweated out of wood- or blood out of the scars on his face and back, The orderless Order, like the queenless monarchy and empty throne.

" I was going to ask one of the Mauvians about establishing something deeper and separate from the Primer itself. A Wiki of some sort, maybe. Whether a more in-depth history of the war itself belongs there or in the primer...I don't know. Temperaments are so different between Hyperborea and others I've met- Cybele, Megrez, yourself. But your help on the information itself, wherever it ends up, is absolutely welcome. What you've learned of Negaverse training and the history behind what we're all supposedly doing out here night after night. If you're at liberty, citing sources would be helpful as well. Not strictly necessary, but like the notations in the Primer already, the curious could try to contact Kallichore directly if they were interested in what she knew. Playing source-of-a-source becomes like Telephone and the information is at risk of distortion. "

"Do you want me to make you a hard copy of this information? I'm certain I could get a hold of a typewriter."

Even if you can't give a specific name, if you can site where the information you're reporting came from as far as a rank, like 'Learned according to a Negaverse Captain hearsay that there are divisions in the labor of the Negaverse.' Then later someone could likewise confirm or deny with a rank and what they learned. Names are great when and where we can get them, but even on a base level they can't be a requirement. We aren't generally wandering around like 17th century combatants declaring our names and terms of to-the-blood or to-the-death before engaging. None of us are working with a complete map. "

"They learn our names as easily as our use of magic. It doesn't work the same the other way. It makes intelligent discourse about specific officers difficult,...but descriptions can serve well enough as warnings or cautions to each other of who can be approached, or may be a purification possibility, and who to avoid at all costs. But...yes...mostly just rank learned from, and your own Title-name as first generation source if someone comes wanting further clarification on whatever it was. " Source-of-a-source wasn't clear enough. I get too wordy and too afield, as usual. I wonder when it will become as much a leak and a problem. It is inevitable, really, in a war that doesn't involve just human morals. I wonder when the information will slip of names or traceable features. Some fool broken in mind but not corrupted who shares their phone with the Negaverse. A hard copy would let you do that without a phone, Hvergelmir. They'll slit your tongue out faster and all the rest of our throats for your pointless pact paying thousands of lives for saving a handful in attrition no one but you can afford.

But what else is there but to try and build something better before the tide comes. Earlier, more comprehensive....glass the sand instead of leaving it as grains. "I can bring it by in a week. Same time, day. Here and hand it over to you. You should keep it a physical paper thing on Earth only so long as absolutely necessary. Retaining it at your wonder, or someone elses, or in some other form secure to the knighthood alone, would be appreciated. It sites names that could become specific hunting targets among senshi as information gatherers and teachers. "

"Kill the teachers and the students remain ignorant." Thraen stood slowly up onto the stone platforms that had become a natural part of his stature at some point of life. "Aught else come to need of address?"

Thraen's gaze narrowed, initially at her since that was were he was looking, but he turned them to the more neutral fountain to regard with cool malice at the news. "Is he."

It wasn't a question, she'd delivered the news a second ago. There's no reason for her to lie about Aegir doing so. There's nothing to gain by it for either of them. He is stupid, callous, at what else are all the senshi and knights but at once self indulgent and selfish enough to do so. She tells me. Did he say we were friends? He's being ridiculous. This is ridiculous. "Thank you for telling me. I will try to ..."

"Talk. With him. For as much good as it may do. Where offers and nicety failed miserably, maybe fire can burn in, if he hasn't yet landed himself in the interim to a hospital. If he values what he called a 'friend' at all. " I know just where to find you, Colin. You're not going home another time late and exhausted. Requiring an escort because you're going to be stupid enough to force someone hold your hand like a toddler. "We will see. "

The eternal senshi brought a hand up to press against the solid steel of his masseter. "Thank you for letting me know, Hvergelmir. "

"A burden cannot be put on me. A problem can be proposed to me and then I can choose of my own accord to do or not do for it what I am able to. Things will get better if we can bring things to each other. All of us. " More importantly not just that we can, but that we do bring them to each other instead of stewing alone on our asses believing we somehow deserve hardship more than others or aren't worth the carbon we're made of. Colin.

The sudden, unannounced presence of an enormous elk? caribou? moose? deer? drew the senshi's attention - No chaos aura. It moves to her. Where from? How?

There was a lurch in his gut of unpleasant familiarity. A sense that he had seen the beast before many times, even if this was the first. Speaks certain of the dreams. It is a knight magic? Yes....yes they can all call creatures, can't they? Is that in the primer? I don't think it is? It should be some part of the expansion about knights, when or where they are allies. What are they called...all the dreams the flit in and out like moths at my window here and there for an hour or an afternoon. The Guard. She was one of the Guard.

"I...yes. Why not. Any block near the cafe is well enough. " It was a kind offer, but strange to be offered all the same. He felt no less awkward, or more graceful, in trying to accept a gift than when Alois had given him the antique book. Thraen carefully approached, in case it spooked. " Thank you."