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After checking out the roof where his usual meetings with Almandine happened Arachne had texted the address to Mag Mell. There was a nice fire escape on the side so the knight would be able to get up onto it easily enough. He was thankful for that since it would be easier to just have everyone meet up early rather than having to get Almandine and go somewhere else.

He probably should have asked Mag Mell to meet them later, give him some time to talk to Alma first, but that hadn't crossed his mind until he was already sitting on the roof and that was a bit too late.

Instead he'd started fiddling with the end of his butt bow while he waited. Arachne knew he shouldn't be nervous, he trusted Almandine that the corrupt senshi wasn't tricking him, but he still wasn't exactly sure corrupt senshi would make of Mag Mell.

He'd left the apartment that night knowing that his partner was uncertain about the meet up scheduled for that evening. On one hand, it was fortunate that the uncertainty had nothing to do with the fact that it was his ex who had made the arrangements for the meet up. It said something about how far their relationship had grown that Luc wasn't worried about that.

It said much about his feelings towards the Negaverse and the senshi they had corrupted that talk of purification was the thing that made his lover's lips purse together into an uncertain expression. "We have to try," he'd said to Luc, giving him a quick kiss before ducking out into the crisp evening air.

He didn't power up until he was closer to the meeting place, even then only doing so when he was certain there was no one else around. The added weight of his cloak once he'd donned the guise of Mag Mell was a comfort as it settled onto his shoulders. Not far from where he stood were two auras: one strong and familiar, the other lesser and dark. "Must be the building," he murmured to himself as he continued in that direction, eying the fire escape as he paused beneath it only to sigh as he then took to it.

The urge to slide his arms around Arachne's waist and step closer was surprisingly strong for someone who rarely ever even talked to people. Almandine's head tilted into the touch of the other's hand, basking in the bright smile, which was doing something peculiar to his chest, a fluttering, pleasant sensation he rather liked.

"I read that you're supposed to give a kiss in greeting," Almandine informed him. "It was in one of the books you lent me, on psychology."

A rather fascinating chapter about all sorts of relationships, actually. Almandine glanced over his shoulder, hands still resting on Arachne's arms, blinking owlishly in the dark. Now that he thought of it, he did actually feel a separate power signature than Arachne's drawing nearer.

"I do - it's very strong, like yours," Almandine said, turning back to Arachne. "I assume he's the same rank?"

"Must have forgotten that was in that book." He laughed, knowing that wasn't always a thing anymore but he wasn't going to complain. Arachne liked that Almandine was willing to do things like that, seemed comfortable doing it.

He brushed his fingers along the other's arm as he nodded at the corrupted senshi's next question. "He's a knight, so yes. Same rank but he's been that rank longer than I have. So he's been around more." HE didn't need to get into all of the details with Almandine but he wanted the other to trust that Mag Mell knew what he was talking about.

When he heard his friends voice he grinned, looking over toward the fire escape. "Oh come on now. Someone out there will appreciate all the work you put in climbing up here. Besides, Almandine made it up here without complaining." Arachne doubted anyone was going to complain about Mag Mell's muscles. They looked good on him. Proof that the knight had been taking better care of himself.

"Someone might, but that doesn't mean I enjoyed it." A smirk tugged at his lips as he looked to Arachne for a moment before turning to the corrupted senshi. He wished that he could remember if he had met any others before; if he'd known anything at all about them that might make any of this easier.

"As our mutual friend seems to be awful at making introductions this evening, please allow me." He bowed his head politely, sweeping his cloak back in a flourish as he did so. "Mag Mell, Knight of Cosmos, at your service." As he righted himself he extended his hand, suppressing the Aspect of Cosmos so as to not unintentionally harm the young man while simply trying to introduce himself.

"I also don't know that I would consider myself entirely well versed-- not when compared to others of the same rank who have definitely been at this longer than I have been, but I know what I've been through and I know who I was before... And if it helps anyone to share that information, I'll offer whatever answers I can."

Almandine surveyed the offered hand with a mixture of curiosity and a certain amount of wariness, feeling Arachne's gentle nudge of reassurance. He still felt a sense of unease; but stretched out his own hand after a moment, accepting the handshake.

His other hand slid down Arachne's arm; an unconscious gesture that had fingers slipping over his wrist until he found gloved fingers, his own twining with them in a simple, instinctive grasp, as though he was trying to find something solid and familiar to hold onto.

"Hello, Mag Mell," said Almandine politely, which took a few seconds to actually escape, because he was Almandine, and sometimes words were difficult to come by, mostly because he had to think about everything carefully before he said it.

He glanced at Arachne, then back at Mag Mell.

"What sort of information?"

When he felt Almandine's lace with his he gave the other man's hand a squeeze, wanting the other man to feel comfortable. Arachne also wanted Almandine to know he was there for him if he needed something.

"Mag Mell can answer any questions you have, at least probably." Mag Mell had mentioned that he didn't remember everything but he probably knew enough. "Anything you want to know, don't have to worry about being judged or anything."

"There are a lot of people out there who would disagree with what I am about to say, but not everyone in the Negaverse is bad, per say. There are good people on both sides of this war-- Chaos and Order, the biggest difference is what's inside the hearts, or the starseeds, of one side versus the other." He took a deep breath, tilting his head skyward while running fingers back through choppy locks of hair. He was reaching a point where he'd have to get Cordelia to trim it for him again soon; not quite shaggy, but uncertain as to whether or not he actually wanted to let his hair grow out once more.

"I don't remember anything about the time I spent as a Negaverse officer, personally. When the Chaos was driven from my starseed it took those memories with it-- that doesn't happen to everyone. From my understanding there are some people who forget who they were on the civilian side of things. I'd like to think that we keep the memories that will help us the most; the ones that make us stronger." He had remembered the good things about his civilian life; the love, light and laughter, all things that had made him stronger.

"I do remember how I felt when I was powered down, though; the sort of effect being in the Negaverse for five years will have on you. It felt like something weighing me down, pushing right against my chest and twisting while leaving me in the darkness. It's considered 'bad' because it takes who you are, who you were meant to be, and warps it into something so dark that it becomes hard to see the light right in front of you." His last words were said while glancing towards Sailor Arachne, his gaze brief before it returned to the corrupt senshi at his side.

"I can remember the ache in my chest the night I was corrupted. It never really went away until the night I made the choice to switch sides."