Welcome to Gaia! ::

Colin always welcomed his beloveds into his home, his bed, his arms. That he'd been hurt didn't change that, especially as by this point he was fairly well healed (and had his eyebrows back!).

With Nadia snugged in his arms, Colin sighed contentedly and enjoyed the feel of her fingers in his hair.

"I have no idea what Lorne was thinking...pretty sure Auguste just thought he shouldn't go alone. Neither of them listen very well." The blond sighed and gave Nadia's shoulder a squeeze, pulling her closer momentarily so he could kiss her forehead, "I was just thinking that I couldn't let them die or you'd kill me."

But Nadia wasn't wrong, not really. They were reckless - he'd been reckless when he'd gone through the portal, chasing his teammates. "Sorry darling." But he'd done his best, to keep them alive...to make it back home in one piece.

"If he was, I didn't see him, and neither did Lorne." All things considered, it was probably for the best that they hadn't seen Ashanite; everything Nadia said was true - Lorne seemed unable to help himself where the former Saturn Knight was concerned. Thinking about his former friend made Colin sad in the deepest of ways, but he didn't chase after the man the way their sweet love did.

"They both have a really bad habit of not listening." Especially when one of their leaders had something important to say - why they bumbled blindly into the arms of trouble, he'd never know. The muscles of his chest bunched and shifted under her wandering finger as he made an agreeable sound. "I'm sorry we worried you." He caught her hand and brought her fingertips to his lips, expression serious and solemn.

At least, until she kissed his nose, which made him cross-eyed momentarily.

"I have no intention of doing that again." He'd been hurt, badly - worse even than he'd thought to start: a punctured liver, clipped kidney, second degree burns. Severe dehydration. No, he really did not want to be in such a dangerous position again...but they both knew that he would go chasing after his teammates to try and protect them if something like that happened again. As to the second part, well...yes. He was stronger. "Yep. I think that might be the one good thing that came from it all."

"That, and meeting Cosmos."

"Lorne," Colin spoke the tall man's name softly and with great affection, "Is fixated on him and all other Saturn knights." Ashanite - Ploutonion, once - was simply an extension of this; their shared beloved had too kind a heart and was willing to try and see the best in everyone...and it was going to get him hurt.

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black... He knew that this was a problem within himself, also, which was partially why he worried so much for Lorne. "He'll not be back, it's clear to you and I...but..." Lorne wouldn't accept it - and Auguste followed the knight with starry eyes and a burning desire to help that was as endearing as it could be frustrating.

"We've got to impress on them that listening to us is important." But how? That bit, neither of them had figured out just yet.

Nadia's excited questioning prompted him to drop another kiss to her forehead before answering, "Yep. The Cosmos. She was beautiful, Nadia, like a doll...but stronger than that. Even having over-extended herself, she was generous and kind and more concerned with us than anything." His obvious like for the legendary woman was apparent in every word he used to paint the picture of the pale haired woman that had saved their asses.

The blond made a sound of assent, agreeing with Nadia wholeheartedly. Their Saturn brethren were extremely important to them - all of them - but one really did have to look at the bigger picture. Had to understand that sometimes, you just had to accept that someone was lost...and that while it was good to mourn and to try...sometimes you weren't going to succeed. It hurt to admit it, but...sometimes truth hurt.

Colin rubbed at her bare shoulder reassuringly, "I know. I worry too." All the time, he worried about Lorne and Auguste. About Mont Blonc and Thyrmr...and the trouble they could get into either way. How many times had he gone vaulting to their rescue already? How many times had either of them been in mortal danger? "My hope is that they get strong enough to protect themselves."

Her voice was small, muffled against bare skin, but he heard clearly what she said and felt the same. "It'll be okay. One way or another, we'll all be okay."

"Yeah, she's...actually, she's the only one that summoned us there. She nearly killed herself to bring us all out of the Negaverse safely. Said she heard our starseeds screaming and...yeah." They'd talked about it only briefly and without major details, as he'd been injured; it was nice to hear the details now. "Did he? I...am not as surprised as I might've been before all this happened. Ganymede was bitching at Cosmos and behaving in a really nasty manner." Colin frowned before continuing, "Actually, there were a lot of people acting like assholes up there...not sure why, but they were."

Colin tipped her chin up so he could place a gentle kiss to her lips, "You can't get rid of us that easy. I'll always get them home to you." Unless he was physically unable, but that went without saying now didn't it?

Soothing Nadia as she had done for him so many times was, in itself both soothing and rewarding on multiple levels; as a creature that craved physicality, being close and able to touch - having his touch wanted - made him feel warm and fuzzy all over. "I wonder when it'll happen..." But he was just musing, there was no real way of telling...after all, hadn't he done it in the middle of a massive c**k-up-of-a-battle without any idea he was ready for it?

Hadn't it been almost accidental, with Ash just happening to put her hand on his chest, feeling the burgeoning power within, and then - only then - unleashing it and giving him some swanky new duds and a whole new magic attack? I wonder if they'll stumble on it the way I did, or if there will be more to it. Bribing Faust, perhaps? Asking Ash? Meeting some random space cat and powering up that way? For Auguste, yes, any of that was likely, but Colin had no real idea as to how a knight powered up.

As much as he wanted his beloved friends stronger, he was also afraid since the upgraded powers came with suitably upgraded auras: making them much bigger targets for the Negaverse.

"Huh. Well, Castor left with Virgo before we all went into the portal." He'd only briefly interacted with the younger Xanis brother, but found him generally a stalwart sort. Just think if it had been Miri. I might have been just as bad. Colin was not going to judge Pollux for freaking out over his missing brother, though from Nadia's tone he gathered that his behaviour hadn't been pretty. Even uglier had been the way that knight - Alexandria - had behaved towards Chris Gallo's 'gift' of aid for Scholomance; how could he but judge that which he'd experienced first hand? Alexandria's words and manner would not be forgotten, nor forgiven. Ever.

"It was definitely not our best moment." Meaning, of course, the White Moon and/or Order aligned folk. Best forget it for now.

He had better things to do than relate the pain and helplessness, or the ire - edging over to rage - he'd felt at Ganymede's treatment of Cosmos, at Alexandria's dismissal of he and Scholomance as being "worth" helping. Better things presently included kissing Nadia and wrapping his arms around her just a little tighter; she was a bright spot to burn away the dark, shining and silk in his embrace.

"Of course. I'll always come home to you." Colin's smile widened as he rubbed noses, cute 'eskimo' kisses for his best girl. "It would take Metallia herself to stop me, Nadia." He paused a moment to chuckle, "Or, you know, a job with the Bolshoi Ballet." The blond could not help teasing her, fingers creeping along her spine, light and playful.

"I hear they import blonds these days."

Nadia and Colin had been blessed with a team full of wonderful, beautiful people that they cared very deeply for. But there was always a price - As Mont Blonc, Lorne ran head-first into danger, never thinking to save himself and but always so focused on doing the Right Thing that he often got hurt badly in the process. Auguste followed Lorne's example but also pushed himself too hard, trying to force himself into a mold that wasn't ever meant to fit the senshi known as Thyrmr.

Not that he could talk much, really. Colin had spent years figuring out the best way to turn Aegir into an offensive player, rather than the support senshi he'd always meant to be. And he knew that Aegir was meant for support...the same way he knew he belonged with Methone, Mont Blanc, and Thyrmr -- they had been partners before. "Mmhmm." The most they could do, as the captains of the team, was to try and cushion their beloveds when they stumbled, when they fell; to help lift them and buoy their flagging spirits - to encourage and guide and pray that whenever they went out, they returned home.

"It should, we took out a General Queen, nearly two. Plus all the..officers." Colin had been responsible for several deaths; it weighed heavily, but he was trying to work through it, to accept that in war, death was inevitable. I survived, that's the important thing. I can work my way through the guilt and shame...the nightmares. He could do anything, with his friends at his side, with his gentle, wonderful lovers - one of whom was helpfully distracting him just be being there.

Colin kissed the corner of her smiling mouth, "Yep. Hallberg's a principle there. He flies back and forth or something like that." He mouthed his way to her ear, giving the lobe a gentle little n**. "Would you miss me terribly, lyubov moya? I'd miss you guys so much...I suppose I should just stick around, hm?" No answer was required or expected, as the blond shifted so he could take her mouth in a sweet but thorough kiss, making his intentions as clear as possible with hands and mouth.

[excuse u, fade2black]