Welcome to Gaia! ::

”Oh, hello, Captain.”

An alien, almost metallic voice crept to Captain Arseno’s ears over the din of youma cries and the scratching of claws. It was here, near Bazzite’s nest, that feral youma tended to scatter. They disliked the presence of one of the humanoid youma and Bazzite had long since demarcated his territory using deep scratches in the ground and the bones and clothing of long-dead agents acting as scarecrows. These dry effigies were propped atop some of the crystalline landscape that made the Rift so hazardous.

Bazzite’s nest was more vertical than horizontal and was dug out from the side of a large crystal mountain. If one was not looking for it specifically, the small entrance hole leading straight up would be difficult to spot. The homeowner, a six-and-a-half foot blue locust creature, had felt more than seen the Captain from a healthy distance away. He was out collecting trinkets to decorate the inside. Other feral youma activity had alerted him to the unusual presence of a human nearby. The creature approached Captain Arseno casually, as if they were two civilians meeting on the street.

”What brings you to my end of the neighborhood? You’re all by yourself.” The statement was more of fact than a veiled threat - Bazzite didn’t do wordplay and subterfuge. The creature seemed to have a pleasant demeanor, despite his monstrous visage.

The blue creature tilted his head, as if confused by Arseno’s apology. ”Ah? Interrupting? No.” His vibrant blue eyes had a luminous quality to them, allowing Negaverse agents to see Bazzite’s eyes long before they could see the rest of him. This Captain was tall, one of the tallest he’d ever met, and that in and of itself was unusual. ”Where are you trying to go, Captain? Not many agents come down here alone unless they’re a General. What are you looking for?”

Indeed, traveling alone made agents prime fodder for hungry youma, even at Captain rank. Arseno must have been strong enough on his own to fend off the feral creatures that would have been tearing at his heels otherwise.

Bazzite was getting closer now, inching slowly and quietly. Really, he wanted a better look at the Captain. He wanted to remember the Captain’s uniform and his smell. ”Are you one of Beni’s Captains? What’s your name? I’m Bazzite, but call me Bazzi.”

"Hmm? Another particular youma? One that talks, or one that doesn't talk?" Bazzite was quite interested to find out about other youma who might be on the same level of sentience he was (not that he was the brightest bulb in the socket, even when compared to other humans!) "What were they like? Not too many that are people-shaped like me and you. Most of them are skittery little things, or slimy and sloppy."

Like Keith. He vaguely remembered a man-zombie with a camera for a face. Creepy, that one.

The youma perked up visibly when Arsenopyrite confirmed he was one of Benitoite's own. Good, their brood was growing! "Beni is the best General. Sometimes I accompany him topside, to help with missions. Have you seen him lately? He hasn't called me in a while..." Bazzite's pointed ears visibly drooped for a moment.

Bazzite tilted his head. "Centaur? Yes, like the horse-people. I don't think I've seen a centaur-lady down here, but there's an awful lot of slimies and slinkies so... sometimes it's hard to pick out a specific one." It was oftentimes like wading through a sea of dripping, sloughing amalgamations. Most of the ferals looked like hybrid animal or insectoid creatures, like himself.

The youma drew closer to Arseno, seeming to be intrigued by the Captain's hair. "Maybe... maybe if I lead you back to the Hall of Shadows, Beni will come back and see me. If you want to, that is." While Bazzite wasn't forced into submission when it came to Captains, Arseno was endeared to him due to his connection with beloved Benitoite. Beni would be very upset if Bazzite let something happen to one of his Captains...

"If you see Beni again, tell him I miss him."

Bazzite’s ears seemed to perk at the Captain’s willingness to be lead back to the entrance. This would surely help to endear the youma further to his beloved General. ”Okay, Captain. Follow me. You were headed in the wrong direction, but they don’t really hand out maps to the Rift, do they?” The youma chuckled with an odd, throaty, metallic sound. Bazzite’s vocal chords were never the same since his change years ago.

His wings in quadruplicate buzzed quickly and with great volume - this served as a warning to the feral creatures lurking in the shadows nearby. Feral youma, without the gift of greater intelligence, responded well to obvious physical threats. Claws and teeth were sent skittering further into the darkness and away from Captain Arseno’s delicious, juicy starseed. Perhaps Arseno would regail how the youma had protected him during his jaunt in the Rift, and perhaps that would prompt Benitoite to visit his friend more often.

”Beni has always been busy, ever since he was a Captain. I miss his company… He has that cat too, a little wispy thing. She doesn’t come down here, though. Cats are too… easy prey, I think.”