Welcome to Gaia! ::

Albite made his way through the ceaseless halls, walked, because he had the energy for it. Wisp in tow. A bangle of light that bobbed about him like a halo.

Somehow it was easier now than ever to find the conjoined office of --- was it still conjoined? Was Jet moved into his new General King office? Was he simply standing outside of Aquas old one again and he'd Godamned forgotten because this castle was a MAZE?!

Maybe, who knew?

Aqua might've asked him to knock -- but Aqua wasn't here, and Aqua wasn't Jet. So Albite didn't wait to ask permission to enter. Jet had Earned his kingly clout, but Albite was allergic to knocking on doors. Not when there were obvious as hell auras mingling about beyond 'em.

So Albite made a move on the door handle, opened the thing up, and shoved his head through - orb of light spilling in after. He didn't go in all the way. Cause he wasn't rude, and maybe if the guy told him to get the hell out and knock? Fine, sure, he would.

But first?

"Sup! Is this Jets? Or Aquas? Cause uh -- I do tend to get -- yanno -- really we should get youma to take people around here. Maybe some real obvious hallway makers? Maybe arrows on the floors in the shapes of glowing frogs...Is that...is that a thing we can do? No, ********, colored brickwork with crystal inlay. Way more classy for a castle..." albite beamed as his dreads brushed the floor -- his gaze cast around to land on the only thing he really cared about in the room.

Jet himself.

Oh, his Lysister. He didn't know Jet n her were in on good terms with each other. It was nice though, a good warm snuzzly sorta thought to imagine that she'd gone around and worked on plans for the whole of the place. If anything it made him smile *wider* as he made his way in, and shoved his menacing orbi back out the door to disappear in a glimmering huff of silence.

Jet seemed cool -- all of that on top of the fact that Jet had time to see him? Uh -- half see him? Cause holy ********, his face?! Either he was gonna have a real badass scar, or an equally badass eyepatch. Probably jewel encrusted to match. Jet was a whole Captain Harlock, for sure!

Except a General, and also King. Albite was never quite sure how that worked title wise? Whatever. Jet was speaking, sweet nothings, but it was everything about Aqua that had him piqued. Perked him right up as he snatched a chair around the messy packings and made himself a seat. Preferred to use his chairs backwards so he could lean forwards into them.

"Oh? Reliable and Useful? Alluvthat in the same sentence even? Well ********, General King Sir -- but I might need to see that in writing! Signed in blood. Hell, let's get it certified with an official seal. Just so I can hang it in a million dollar frame." deep warmth that pervaded his mirthful chuckle.

Sterling silver -- no -- platinum. Some faux-diamond encrusted thing, the gaudier the better, just to piss Aqua off with. The proof that Aqua had a heart? Was sitting there, living and breathing as Jet the General King. The proof that Aqua said nice things?

Albite wanted that mounted for all the world to see. So he could preen and let the masses wonder what the ******** had Albite done to get a 'good job'. He'd happily bury the secret of Aquas kindness by playing dull about it. Let them think it all false platitudes and gold stars. Just Aqua being 'nice'.

Even though Albite knew the praise was real, if not the wording. Cause he'd met the blond more than once and none of those things sounded quite like 'him'. Didn't mean he couldn't have fun with it. Though it'd probably have helped if he answered actual questions about why he was there, aside from wanting to be nosy.

"Wha-nah, I already talked to Aqua about this -- I think? He's not really into letters --- though. Maybe you shouldn't be either? Are you okay? Should you even be working?" all valid concerns, because the more Albite looked around....and now he actually paid attention to the packing. Sat bolt up enough to tilt the chair as he stared Jet down.

"Are you two breaking up?"

They were the perfect goddamned pair. They couldn't!! He'd kill him.

"Cause, for one? You can't. Aquas <********>, and for two? Why would you ever move out! Ohgod, no, it's too weird. You're bringing him with you, right? There's some of his s**t in those boxes and you guys are just - idunno - upgrading to the duplex office instead of the 'cozy singles shackup' version of one."

Albites face fled through stages of emotion, joy, relief, confusion.

Aqua getting his memo? Good! Maybe he’d get a card out of it with Aquas actual words! The pair weren’t breaking up? Thank god, that would’ve been a travesty. They were a power couple on steroids - it was official. No one would change his mind on that. The fact that Aqua wouldn’t move in with Jet to his new office? Strange…

Something to work on.

He settled on contemplative nodding while he watched Jet switch tasks. Felt his smile twitch for the way he said ‘fine’. <********, were they married, had to be? Either that or everyone went to the same damn school of ‘Fine’. Everyone was ‘fine’ - all the damned time - never anything else! Albite actually had to do a double take because — “I can’t tell if you sound more like Aqua, or Faustite when you say ‘F.i.n.e’ like that? Like, you’ve got a little less of a tone — but — Nope. It’s that same ‘don’t ask’ intonation. Swear, y’all round here gotta let people care for you - for each other - it’s not that damn weird.” not that he intended to do anything other than abate Jets restlessness by giving him all sorts of busy to be.

“But! Since you’re fine? Which, me n anyone with eyes coulda told you. I’ve got this junk mail from an earth kingdom…I don’t think it’s music notes, but it’s got pictures! I think it’s all rift s**t, maybe? But it’s rift s**t I need — and I’m kinda — well…it’s the shittier part of being a Senshi, yanno? I’m all snack down there, no substance.” and he’d just cleaned out his everything, made the letter easier to find. The seal was broken, sure, but the letter was intact. He offered it up to Jet with ease, even as he lamented the fact that he had to ask for help at all.

He had power was the thing, would dust a b***h for days if they got nippy, but those bastards guarding the gates!! Rude, all of ‘em.

They were all ‘you shall not pass!’ And he’d never be Balrog enough to break by them. Not that he was crazy enough to try.

That, got a long middle distance stare from Albite. Like he was trying to figure out the the hidden image in one of those old Magic Eye paintings at a doctors office. Except it was Jet talking, and all his words. Albite wasn't offended, wasn't sure why he woulda been, either? It was all good for Jet to keep his private stuff to himself. Even if it sounded a lot like he needed a person to confide in..,

Whatever.

He just also wasn't sure what 'going on missions' had to do with, well, damn near anything. Especially stuff that sounded a hell of a lot like 'trust issues'. Because of course, this would be the guy Aqua hitched his a-class, ice trimmed yacht to. Love took all sorts tho, he supposed. "No worries king-boss, we're golden. I - uh - I didn't actually think about taking this to my firebrand first-off, yanno? It was more of an excuse to hang with Aqua n' drink. It wasn't till I opened the damn thing that I realized it'd be interesting."

Albite hadn't wanted to bug Faustite with something that could've ended up trivial -- that could've come to 'nothingness', if he was wrong. Also, he couldn'ta made it much of a surprise if he just went straight to his best of bosses and handed over the details of it. Cause he knew Faustite woulda asked. All sorts of raised eyebrows and sliced smiles layered over 'why the ******** do you want to go here's?' - Nah, better to borrow the restless King than inconvenience his boy.

Plus, he'd always wanted to meet Aquas other half. Except the guy was upper tier now, so, better to have reasons to see him other than for the sake of just hanging around and being nosy.

"Cause Aqua might've done it if I'd actually asked?" Which Albite hadn't, the idea of even bothering to died rather quickly once he'd seen the state of Aqua. The eerie way it all mirrored Jet now. Except....Aqua was doing it to support his boy..to..to ensure s**t for the mission went right. Alibte hadn't known then, but it all clicked now - after - Aqua half haggard and insistent, cause he knew what was coming before the rest of them. Albite couldn't've imagined it, if it'd been one of his own on the other end of that kind of a plan.

No, he could've imagined it. The plan would've never happened at all. He wouldn't have stood for the risk. He wouldn't have simply 'kidnapped' a princess. It would've been a suicide mission from the go - youma on tap and crawling in through the windows - a whole damned army at the gates. Better that he never asked for details, only directions - only to be pointed at 'what to hit' and told 'how hard' to hit it. Otherwise he might've gotten ideas, which were rather dangerous things to have in the middle of something that required detached precision.

"He uh...was all sorts of in the middle of twenty tons of other s**t. Paperwork to the ceiling. N then, course, he was all obsessed with working while---" Albite waved the unfinished statement off, it didn't matter now. "---whatever. It's got, like, pictures? Kinda? It's all old n faded stuff, but it seemed really cool, especially since I've got this project in the works with my mau. Best little haybaby around, but he said he might need some things to get it going." he wasn't sure if he needed to know any of the words on the page. If it was warnings, or recipes, or directions, or someone's thousand year old letter about how he liked to lick leaves.

There was a plant though. Definitely.

He needed the plant - no - the things that grew off it - sharp looking little spike bits that'd likely been all sorts of petrified by the rift by now. More than that though, he was curious. Faustite went on about the rift all the time. Kingdoms, conquests, Metallia - some chick named Serenity? The guardians being lost soldiers of old -- Albite wasn't sure of the layout though. Had never asked to go explore the old structures. He could've - it would'a been fun - but he didn't like wasting his Generals time without a reason.

Not when he had so much else on his plate already.

Which ---

"M'sorry if I'm inconveniencing you too. If I can get someone to walk me through the hall..the rest might not be too hard to navigate. Even without the map - uh - if it is a map? Is it a map." excitable hedged bets and a lackadaisical shrug. Cause he had not a damn clue, and the Rift seemed all sorts of big...

It woulda been fun, though. Getting to roam free range through a dustable army. Like the best sort of no consequences treasure hunt married into a brawl to end all brawls.

“Jet? Buddy, pal of mine. *Friendmigo-Ala-King*. You can’t tell people you’re surprising with things that you are, in fact, surprising them with the thing — that’s - that’ll spoil it.” Albite flailed around a shocked sort of gasp. Gathered himself and sighed because he realized he hadn't explained a damned thing.

Cause maybe Albite should’ve told him *why* he was looking for what he was looking for? That shoulda been a ‘first’, there was probably a point of order to it all, detailing adventures and also shenanigans. He had Faustite the rift expert extraordinaire at his fingertips - really ******** literally, sometimes. Then he had agni and headache in hand — in gut? In flares of Morse code strobe and flashfire.

“It’s parts for a present. I’ve gotta get it to him finished, not in pieces, cause he gets all shifty when ‘nice things’ happen to him. So I’ve gotta be sneaky — like — ‘oh, yeah that thing you mentioned and I totally forgot, except I ******** didn’t, hah!.' Like that, like...uhm..a birthday surprise. Except I dunno when his birthday actually is?”

Or did he? Maybe he'd written it down somewhere. He was so terrible with that stuff sometimes.

It didn't matter though. Faustite deserved something nice for once! For something to go his way entirely, without hiccough, without depending on him to do a thing right. Jet was a King with a capital K now, probably had some badass youma friend — probably — though the way he talked about Aqua threw him off a bit, n it showed. Consternation crease between his eyes as he tried to puzzle out why Jet was thanking him at all.

Cause Aqua? Liked mountains of paperwork and soft little scenes, dark liquor, and *quiet*. Aqua was a follower — or so he woulda thought. Except now he’d actually met Jet; instead of just glancing him across a battlefield. He knew a wolf flanking a pack leader when he saw one, a right hand man with a penchant for really sharp knives - really ******** supportive of his main guy.

“Pfft, who the hell wouldn’t like Aqua? He’s like…” he flailed for words and searched his brain - found faces of people instead - Fafnir came to mind, Faustite, and — “…he’s good people. I know these things. I’ve got a godamned radar for it.” all bravado and grin, like it was the most well assured pile of truths he’d ever stated. Aqua wasn’t a pity-vent or a play-date - Aqua was smart, deadly and hella tolerable of all his antics. For all the ways Aqua snapped. He didn’t treat him stupid, didn’t patronize him. He listened and shared in turn, it was good s**t.

Most importantly tho, to Albite at least.

Aqua was *l o y a l* - with a capital L - like Love. Albite got that most of all.

Cause he was the same way.

"But yeah - Rift, Me, You - like a treasure hunt! I'm sure you've got a badass giant youma, n that cool weapon n...C'mon, it'll be super fun! N safe, also safe - like, nothing bad at all could go wrong. Probably." Albite heard alllllllllluv Jet's words. N then he puppydog eyed up and said 'please'. He'd make him a deal even, he'd give him something cool for it - he'd. Surely a General king had some sway in the Rift?

Except Jet was still very injured --- so there was that. Maybe he knew some half youma types to recommend him to? Oh, like the badass Dragon lady one and dragon lady teo? Amazon? Lev? Fafnir - wait, no, the horns were ********, and Meri's were too...He kept forgetting they weren't youma, just aesthetic.

Double damn.

If they had to bring Faustite along...Maybe Jet could make up a really nice lie? Oh, a super lie! Yeah, so long as he didn't know it was him who was looking for things, if he thought it was their new king who needed some rift s**t instead?

That might've worked, too.

Albite shrugged, he didn’t believe it, wasn’t sure — it was possible those two were, what? Too much fire n ice, too similar, too opposite to mix without a middle man mediating some things. He wasn’t sure, didn’t think that Faustite disliked Aqua tho — no more than he thought Aqua disliked anything.

They just needed more time - maybe - and some context, and a ******** ton of alcohol between ‘em.

“Hmm? What concl—nah— ya see if I ever paid attention to, like, any of that stuff?” consternation stumbled into a shrug and a soft shake of his head. Stretched his arms behind it and laced his fingers at his nape thoughtfully.

“I don’t got time for it, Jet. There’s too much life going on to pay attention to any of that petty s**t, like words. Not when actions mean so much more…m’sure Aquas thought about pulling my plug as often as anybody, but he doesn’t, yeah? Takes a lotta restraint — a lot of care, to put up with me. I make a good yardstick - I think? At least for that sorta thing.”

Albite thought about all the people in the world, pretty as they were sweet, to ones face at least. N those same people were just as likely to put a knife between his ribs. He’d rather have spent a million years around the people that were honest n with an edge….around people that feel real.

“Sides, Firebrands good, like Aqua is, yanno? I don’t think he really hates him. Maybe—we’ll get em together like friends? Oh, like a double date! Friends n alcohol on an outting — that’d probably do it.”

He thought of all the ways he liked it, loved it - Fafnirs icy gaze that melted into pointed n fiery conversations when he pushed him just enough. Faustites blaze that he was careful of, how it burnished over a distinctive vulnerability.

Aquamarines — everything. Easy conversations, a warm bar, a quiet college area stripped down and far removed from anything that screamed fancy.

Sylvite, sweet as spun sugar and holding a knife. Bubbling, bouncing, stating her opinion in matters easily. Caring enough to baby step him through his hang-ups and failings. Like all the others did. So effortlessly. Kindness layered simply under serrated words. Maybe he was especially tolerant..but he didn’t think so.

“Ooh, would he now?” The knowing little smirk that bypassed his want of a pout. It was good to hear Jet had someone looking out for him at least. Guy needed someone like Aqua to ground him probably — or — at least as an active deterrent from working himself into a grave.

“Good on Aqua. Whenever is fine - I wanted you, yeah? S’why I came. Though If you wanna tag outta it — get me someone who knows this s**t. Otherwise? It’s you, me, and an adventure!” Albite glittered at Jet, practically vibrated on his seat as he leaned forewords, as serious as he was intrigued. All sorts of want - but he could find endless ways of being busy between now n then.

It was gonna be so ******** fun!

“Now, do you need help packing s**t? Or like, carrying it? Oooh, or are you gonna get a whole army of youma to packmule it to the new office? Can I help, can I see?!”