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This wouldn't be the first time Encke had seen Caedus.

Encke had been aware of Caedus since was when he assisted them into the Negaverse, allowing them to, for once, gain the upper hand and rescue some starseeds. They had made a significant strike that day, even if the events of that day had left him more than a little weary, more than a little nervous.

It had faded, over time, but it certainly hadn't been forgotten.

It might have made him avoid Caedus initially, if only to avoid reminders of what had occurred, but over time, the feeling of victory had taken over; they had managed to save lives, even if most were just saved for the possibility of a new life, and they had made a significant strike even if it hadn't seemed like it at the time. It had been a worthwhile venture, and Encke was grateful for it.

After a while, he decided that he would rather visit Caedus and thank him for the opportunity than not. Besides, Caedus was a legitimate space alien. Encke was fascinated by space, from his own comet to the other planets that were once populated just like his own. The chance to get a chance to speak to someone about space, and how it had been before they had all apparently died, was worth taking.

That was how he had ended up within the forest one evening, a paper bag slung over his shoulder. Inside were a few crystals he had gotten from one of those new age energy crystal stores. He wasn't sure if there was anything to all that crystal stuff, but Caedus sure seemed to like crystals, so maybe he'd find utility in these.

He also had a couple of bean burritos and cookies, mostly because he had wanted burritos, but he figured Caedus might appreciate some food.

Now, how did one call an ancient king over?

"Caedus?"

He lifted both glowing hands, palms out, to show that he meant no harm and also to try and get attention.

Encke lowered his arms when he could see that Caedus had approached, but he left his palms open, letting Caedus know he wasn't holding anything. He wasn't sure what he would be holding that might be harmful, but he'd rather not make any bad impressions or accidentally cause the ancient king to think he needed to escape back into the shadows.

He returned the head bow of greeting, and waited for Caedus to finish speaking before attempting to offer his own response. ... And maybe waited a few seconds too long, laughing nervously when he realized he had. No need for awkward silences. Caedus probably thought Encke needed some help. Or maybe a--

"Ah, sorry." He shifted the paper bag over his shoulder, letting it roll down into his hand. After lifting out his own burrito and cookie, he held the bag out to the other. "I wanted to thank you? All those months ago, you let us make the strike at the heart of the Negaverse." It wasn't like Caedus didn't know that, but--"While I don't think everything turned out the way we wanted, it was still... good. To finally get at the heart of them. To make a dent."

He smiled uneasily. "I'm sure you were hoping for more, but..."

What happened happened, he supposed. At least they hadn't end up dead, trapped in the Negaverse, becoming additions to the starseed pile. He'd try not to think too hard about that.

"There's some stuff in the bag I think you might like. Some food." He lifted his own burrito to show some of what he had in there. "And some crystals?"

"I don't detest you for it, no," Encke shook his head, crossing his arms and leaning back a bit as he thought about the right word for a moment or two. "s**t happens," was what he finally came up with, which was admittedly probably the easiest thing he could have come up with for a reason. "The Negaverse is a great evil, and ending great evils isn't exactly easy... Any chance to get a strike against them, even if it doesn't turn out fantastic, I think is worth taking."

As Caedus dug around in the bag, he'd find various crystals that an Earthan new age store might use for healing. There were the usual suspects, of course -- amethyst, quartz, tourmaline, some small rods of selenite. But he also included a couple small chunks of things that he at least thought were unusual (he wasn't exactly an expert) such as apophyllite and scapolite. Overall, they were smaller pieces, which allowed him to get a few varieties of things without necessarily breaking his bank. Crystals could be expensive.

Encke had discovered that rather quickly when he tried looking at the bigger pieces.

Sheesh.

"I'm glad you like it. The gift. The crystals were some varieties I found; I'm hoping a couple are at least newer to you." He chuckled. "Not sure what other people have given you." In retrospect, maybe he should have seen if he could have found any from his home comet...

But he didn't exactly know how he'd go about mining crystals.

"Do you have all of these kinds of crystals on your home planet?"

The idea that Caedus' home world may have different varieties of crystals, or at least a different amount of them, was a fascinating one. He wondered how certain conditions caused certain ones to form. He wondered why certain crystals formed in one place and not others, considering so far as he could tell, elements were consistent across the universe. He wondered--

"I'm glad you like them so much."

Encke couldn't help his smile, even as Caedus shamed himself by saying Encke must have found him strange. His smile lessened, though, when he remarked that he was chastised as a child. It was familiar to Encke. His father and his family hadn't really ever approved of Encke's more artisty habits, and yet, there he was, an actor, despite all that had been said about it.

He didn't talk to his father anymore, but that was a separate issue.

Encke took in the bags around Caedus' waist, admittedly wondering what was in each and every bag. He would ask in a moment, but he should address something else first. "I know the feeling," and he did. "My father and his family didn't exactly approve of my acting hobby, but now it's my career. It's helping me earn the money I need to survive." He laughed.

"Of course, saving your life is a bigger deal than that! But it's still... It's similar. I understand how hard that is, when people mock you for things you like." His smile was small. "So I get that."

He hoped that helped at least some of the emotion Caedus was feeling, though he couldn't imagine being so distant from his home planet without access to go back, to be away from his family in a permanent fashion. He supposed he did have some similar experience in that he had stopped talking to his father and his family. In effect, there was a permanent distance there. He was uncertain that would ever be breeched. "I don't talk to them, anymore," he admitted, quietly.

There was likely more going on there, with Caedus' uncertain emotions. He would offer a hug, and did open his arms a tad in case that was what he wanted, but he wasn't sure if that was the kind of thing Caedus would want.

So, additionally, he offered curiosity. "Are those all from here?"

When Caedus didn't take Encke up on the offered hug, he lowered his arms. As an afterthought, he had to wonder if his people even did the whole ... hugging thing. What did his people think of physical affection?

Honestly, there was so much he wanted to know.

Like, admittedly, more about the crystals. The fact that they were not from Earth piqued his interest much further. If this was a way to find out even a little bit more about the planets and stars and galaxies that populated the universe, Encke was all ears. Maybe Caedus had something in his pockets from Encke's Comet?

Encke shouldn't be silly. He just had a small comet hurdling through the Sol System. As haughty as the Enckeans seemed about themselves, he was uncertain if Caedus would have stopped by.

Then again, Caedus was here--

"That sounds fascinating, honestly. I'd love to see some of them, know about where they came from."

And after a pause, he offered a smile, looking back into Caedus' eyes. "And thank you. I don't think times have changed all that much, unfortunately. I know a lot of people doing things they don't love. Mostly because they can't find anything else. Lots of service industry stuff -- stuff like stocking shelves or cashing people out," he paused, "erm, taking their money for goods." Just in case Caedus hadn't heard that colloquialism before. "But I'm glad I get to act on my passions every day. Sometimes literally, with the acting thing.

"It's something I wish most people could do."

... What were his other obligations? Likely something to do with his position on his home planet, if he had to guess. That likely blocked him from doing much else until he ended up in this awful position.

Though he supposed it wasn't as bad as it could be, now. Caedus seemed comparatively safe here, so long as he stayed housed in the forest.

"Well, if you want to know anything about our world, I can tell you what I know from my corner, at least," offered Encke, with a smile, as Caedus fished around for a bag of crystals. He saw how worn this one was in particular, and knew it definitely had to have older items in it. He couldn't help coming a little closer, wanting to get a better look if he could.

These things were actually from space.

These things were from space in far reaching corners he would never be able to get to himself. These were pieces of other worlds, with likely different types of living things, different peoples, different societies. The fact that there really was so much in their universe kept Encke endlessly hungry for more about it.

Wait. Him?

"Encke. Of Plasma." He wasn't totally sure which part of his senshi "title" Caedus wanted, so he just gave him both. Was there something from his world in there, or maybe something related to his world or sphere, at the very least?

That would be totally unexpected.

"I imagine there must be all sorts of worlds in there, eh? Literal pieces of them."

A transparent stone?

Encke was curious, and couldn't help the way he sort of got on his tip-toes (Caedus was tall) and leaned in to try and get a better look at it.

That was when he saw it.

A gasp left his lips, and Encke seemed unable to speak, for a moment. It took another second for his brain to come back online, and for him to register what was in front of him. No, what was being presented to him.

"For me?" confirmed Encke, pointing to himself, just to be certain Caedus was giving it to him and not just letting him see it.

He took the stone into his own hands when Caedus presented it to him.

As Encke held the small stone in his own hand, he watched the purple light move around within it. Magical or not, it was beautiful. It was reminiscent of him, too -- purplish electricity seemed to be an element of his attacks, or at least, an element of his appearance. So much of his outfit was purple. And this was from space, legitimately from space, in a place he would never get to go.

An unpopulated asteroid was a place he would truly never get to discover.

"This is gorgeous, Caedus," said Encke, sincerely -- and it was. He couldn't take his eyes off the thing, fascinated by watching the electricity dance. "You have a good eye for these things, though I suppose you would with all the crystals." There was a small, teasing glint in his eyes, but the smile was on his face was sincere and happy. He was seriously touching a piece of deep space.

He turned the stone over in his hand, watching it curiously. "You said the asteroid had a lot of minerals. Was there anything else on the asteroid at all, or was it just a mineral-rich asteroid in space?" He supposed the second was certainly possible, but he couldn't help but be curious about the world he was now holding a piece of. "What minerals did it have?"

"No need to apologize at all," murmured Encke, shaking his head at the response. What Caedus could remember was enough for him. It was more than he could ever have known on his own.

The image had already sprouted to his mind on its own. He picked something like the surface of the moon, grey, full of rocky ground and cratering so far as the eye could see. He saw the stars above, and he could even see the horizon in the distance. Every step felt like he was attempting to yank his own leg up from quicksand before he sank into it, and breathing even felt tougher than usual.

After a moment, he opened his eyes back up, bringing himself back to the realities of the forest and his presence on Earth. "That's more information than I'd ever have on my own, eh? I can only go to Encke's Comet on my own, and definitely have no access to an unpopulated place." He clutched Caedus' gift close to his chest, taking his eyes off it for the moment and returning his gaze back to Caedus.

"Thank you," said Encke, finally, with a smile. "To give me this is ... really awesome of you."

He'd need to get a shadow box to protect it as soon as humanly possible.