Welcome to Gaia! ::

The call went out — the yank n pull — he even threw in a little gesture, cause Faustite assured him he could summon people he knew the auras of at whim, course he shoulda asked him for a few more specifics then that? About energy consumption n whatnot, but he’d worried so damn much, thought hard n long about it all before he yanked on every fleeting image n sense of aura related to Fulgurite that he could scrounge outta his own head.

….. w a i t e d ……

She’d had such a large team, n if they were being parceled out?! Dismantled?! Dismembered !! Okay—probably not that, but still?! No amount of knowing made the fretting less, didn’t matter that his gone-girls hand me downs were second to none. He still wished Alexa’d left him something more than a tear stained teddy that he couldn’t bear to remove from its perch in her space, and snacks piled in a vacant office…

….. continued to wait……

How long did summoning a whole a** body take exactly?

Oop — asked and answered!

“Hi!! So — sit — also? Don’t mind the bird. M’teaching it NOT to go for the eyes, s’ah learning process. Kinda hard to manage when people have so many eyes to go for, and are always kinda *just* — looking at things.” albite gestured across from himself as he spoke, patted the carpet, all candid charm n excitement. He was totally using Faustite’s office for his own means while he was away — doing things? People? Places - whatever. He’d even gotten out the good carpet from the storage closet, laid out a platter of treats, n a variety of bottled liquids to choose from.

Even as he said the words, he knew the problem was more his bird’s complete n utter lack of manners than it was the people who had heads full of eyes!! B u t!? He had to try something!

Cerberborbus had become this ever present, oft looming thing. All shadowy down and flares of color over brackish browns; which rode up into its deep red, featherless, head-skin. He was still trying on names — found he missed the warm fuzzy swath of orbies, their dizzying glow. Being left with only Faustites sweethearts didn’t compare. Not when in exchange he’d gotten himself a tri-beaked, two-foot tall, mini-pteranodon instead.

Hell of a thing…

Albite sat for long seconds, stared. Realized he’d never actually gotten that far along in his path of — of what? Reasoning? Making excuses to go about obtaining the remains of Alexas team?

A reason for summoning — Oop. He uh, he definitely needed one of those. One that wasn’t *I miss my girlfriend* or *nope, just practicing!* Yeahhhhhh —— yep. Those were terrible reasons alright. Albite made himself a mental note to get Lilith on top of writing him a much better reason for Fulgurite, or maybe Cela could?

Whatever! It was fine, he just had to play off like he knew what he was doing as an Eternal!

“Oh! Oh, hell yeah, just, there’s several ******** reasons actually…..” and his beauteous bird born straight outta some extra-planar hell, seemed increasingly interested in the shiny bits of metal woven into the ends of his dreads. “…sooo…soo many reasons. Really important ones even….like? This is so very worth your time!”

So much so that at least one of the three heads tried to eat them. A barrage of pecking, n tugging none too gently at the jangling ends.

“We’re actively ignoring them. *N I…*”

Until it became a clear entanglement. Personalities more vast than their owners, a bobbing weave and a silent squabble for supremacy amongst the snakelike locks.

“I miss my girlfriend. So, that? I mean, maybe I shouldn’t..I’ve got..like.. A kickass team chock fulla Senshi. The best fiancé this side of the galaxy; feel free to spread the word on that - me and Faustite. I personally think the weddings gonna be amazing! But? Sylvite, she just — you know she’s gone, yeah?”of course Fulgurite did, why was he even asking! Probably cause he didn’t know if people had ‘the sins of the father’ mentality when it came to teams. Knew he would’ve hated to see anyone left in a lurch just cause Alexa’d made a choice…

“N then I keep thinking bout alluv her team….n I’m half tempted to wrap these endless lengths of hair ******** the throat of whoever poaches her people — I swear if they’re even the littlest bit unkind to — *ohmygod* — Behave!!” and the final peck n tug was the last straw. A scrabble of vast wings n black binding magic; then Albite was wrangling the kicking pile of feathers into his lap.

He was going to get around to individualizing the names of each of Cerbs head’s at some point n time, for how all ten glorbs (god he missed his wisps) had become one, had been amassed into the body of — of this?!

“What I mean to say, Fulgurite,” spat between a heave n huff, the strain of tucking the bird up under an arm like a particularly pissy turkey. “is that I brought you here to ask you to be my subordinate….temporarily; cause if I lose one more thing, to one more person? I’m going to commit a murder — n not even the forgivable kind. Just —“ he loosed a weighty sigh offered the super a look of apology. “—I really hope you say yes? I swear, my subordinate Lilith is awesome. You two can work together, n with Celadonite too.”

Maybe he’d make him his official bird tamer! Wait, no, water mage? He might have to actually look at this ones file, n figure out what he did n didn’t do?

“Then I’m sorry for that,” a wince there, for all the time he’d wasted in-between what’d happened and now by avoiding that responsibility. But especially for not having noticed Sylvite planning to go; some need he’d missed under all those soft smiles — *and* — it seemed only one of the heads enjoyed being petted!

“And of course you have a choice….” the wince became a rough smile, utter bewilderment, it was an invitation - not a demand — was he being demanding? Maybe, probably — aaaaannnddd now his fingers were food for the other pair of beaks.

Cool. Great. Good.

It didn’t matter, no amount of paltry pecking was breaking his imposition of birdy time out. The good head got pats and ruffled neck feathers, the other two could tantrum all they liked. Albite had other things to think about, a sky blue colored priority that looked not about to be budged. Sylvite had years of experience doing these things, managing a team? He just piggybacked off his boys finer abilities. His teams support for where he was forever lacking. He knew damn well he probably couldn’t manage tracking Sylvi’s remaining wardrobe of a team down n hauling them in under his banner — if they’d even want him? If they hadn’t already made better choices?

But he wanted this…

“You can tell me to ******** off n then go home, if you like. Take your time. Hell, you can say ‘No’ entirely. I’ll get it. Sylvi’s hard to compete with — but also? Working under someone, when it’s good? That’s *impossible* to compete with.” The shrug that rolled one-sided stopped short, became a readjustment to avoid the dig of claws at his hip; such a feisty feathered brat. His features considerate for what he knew all too well. That people like Sylvite only came around once in a lifetime; there wouldn’t be any repeats, no copies, no ‘Eternal rebirth’. It was all the same reasons he clung so hard to Eion.

If the once was all he could have? Then he’d damn well make the most of it.

“Fun fact though — not every general n captain in this place get people ‘assigned’ to them. If you don’t mind grunt work? Not a soul will notice you burning out unbothered on the backend.” and there was severity there, a level stare to meet every which way Fulgurites body language screamed ‘closed off’. So he offered truth; because hadn’t he chosen that before, for how many years after Auro? To exist as some unbridled, wilding, thing. Underling of none, subject to all; it was never boring, there were always jobs to fulfill, enough bits of minutiae that needed doing to spread round bodies with too much energy n free time.

“But if you value the time you’ve already put in? The s**t you get on to while outside of here…..I don’t have Sylvites experience, or Faustites sharp mind, but I didn’t get to Eternal by assing around. Plus? I take care of what’s mine, same as family.” was it a good offer? Did it matter? He realized very quickly he wasn’t selling himself, only remembered Fulgurite from everything else that went down. The missions in the rift, the aftermath of the hill. Remembered some blonds that also answered to Sylvite, but hardly her whole squad.

“At the very least. No one will ******** with you while you’re under me. That I can promise.”

He knew. All her care, her comfort. ********, but he missed every minute he'd spent with her in the aftermath of Faustites perceived end. The solid presence she'd been at his back, and beyond that? Every single soft bit of in-between spent on her couch, eating out; watching her blush while bundled in his arms. It never had to be anything more than that--it never had to end---

The pair of sharply scythed beaks aimed at his eyes ended up snatched in a fist, gently shook; a chide of 'no' and stern volley of looks that the defiant being merely ruffled it's thick plumage for. Certainly it didn't seem to enjoy being restrained -- and the eerie glint of intelligence that lingered in returned looks.

*We should've killed Gany, Day One.*

He left his regrets in downturned lines of a rare frown. "Honestly. Fulgurite, I've never assigned a single quota, or run a single meeting. Couldn't tell you what a 'division requirement' even is?" there was a list of things he'd done, but what did that matter to this one. When the Senshi before him was clearly seeking, what? Autonomy, peace of mind. "I honor rank being the rule of law just about as much as I honor 'store hours', which is infrequently, and only when I feel it applies." he knew he only had as much as he did because of Faustite. The rub of it, for his own failings. All these people who'd come flocking to his Fiance's fires n the rare few that'd been shunted under his name for the sake of training him up.

They answered to him, except for how they absolutely didn't, it wasn't expected, not by him. Never had there been brought to his attention an issue with working that way; should there have been, had he been failing them by letting the brunt of his team have lengthy leads while leaving the particulates to his General?

"That's...."

Did he want to be alone?

"Sylvite wouldn't have left you alone, to rot," caught off guard, because Fulgurite had said as much himself. All the work she'd put in, endlessly dedicated, everyone's friend no matter their need. All her Senshi left behind, and poor little swirls! Probably off nibbling boot buttons in the Rift... "do you want to be alone, Fulgurite?"

And there must've been something in their bondeds tone. For how six eyes turned, sightlessly blue; save the spark of interest within the whites, the sinuous roll of vertebrae through long snakelike necks. Eerie - for how the heads managed to stay completely still despite it.

"You're gonna ask me what to expect, but what does that matter compared to what you're willing to give? Everything we have going on here --- it works well cause we shore up each others weaknesses, assign to our strengths. The common denominator is the belonging, the want for that? To have some kinda comfort amidst all this chaos. The people who don't, more often then not..." he shook his head because he couldn't promise to leave Fulgurite the ******** alone if he took him on. Didn't leave anyone the ******** alone in the history of ever. He could offer safety, security, and the ability to tell people who he answered to so *'they'* would leave him the ******** alone. He could give him some names to stack over his own like a nice, handy, umbrella. Great for avoiding fallout n people ******** with him simply for being a walking battery of a lower rank...

"Do you even want to be on another team? No --- what do you want. Cause me, I'm being impulsive, yeh? Ah, all sorts of unclear, but as much as it's about me it also - really - isn't. Nothing in any team I'm on is ever 'only' about the individual. S'ah collective sorta happiness...It cant - or -- maybe -- I just don't know how to make it work any other way?"

That wasn't to say people didn't have their own time, their individual hobbies, a good work life balance that he popped in and out of regularly. His check ins were far less regimented, completely informal in every way shape n manner of the meaning. Phone calls, mass texts, a loop of emojis n gifs. ********, they had game nights, he watched Hina's streams? Harus'? Emmys had made it to his list recently.

Oh - those too bright eyes - focused and unblinking in Fulgurites direction; a fluorescent flare that traveled the spots of feathers along its spine. Suddenly still. As if it realized the key to freedom was to stop moving entirely.

Albite couldn’t’ve missed the looks his baby was getting if he’d been struck blind. Seeing Fulgurite watching so intently despite the warning? What else could he do but smile.

“Heh, I’m sorry about them, too. They were just a pile of wisps not even a few days ago — a whole glorb of ‘em, actually — still getting used to having a body, I think?” not that he could be damned sure of anything, especially when he knew for a fact that his orbies were smart, n most likely ******** with him. That notion was easily confirmed, the second he eased his babies free of his hold he was met with open maws cackling silently, and a bobble of heads weaving gentle figure eights.

“You’re silly Cerbs — but this is a *meeting.*” or as close to a meeting as Albite could get without catching hives. He was practically allergic to hierarchical structure, to responsibility and tiered regimes of any sort. “Kinduv a meeting…so..the short answer to all that? Is yes.” and he cracked under ‘getting back to business’, trying to figure out what ‘division’ was, math? Team s**t? Fulgurites spirit animal?

God, did he suck at this.

He could pull his act together enough to, at the very least, try! Found himself fidgeting with his hair, winding into something less of a bird-meal mess; ignoring the way Fulgurites sigh resonated deep in his bones.

“The long answer involves me admitting I didn’t even once look at your file — cause it never tells you the most important parts of a person — I just remembered your face….What were you doing before I yanked you here? Like — earlier today?” a rough attempt at ‘how’s it going’, a scramble to unbotch everything.

“We’ll figure out work stuff as we go along, whatever pages you n Sylvi’ we’re last on, but I can’t do ******** all of anything unless I know like — you — The person, not the Senshi.”

There was a symphony of crickets in response, followed shortly by the rustling of overly large wings. The scrape of claws making tentative steps *a w a y —-* from their would-be behemoth of a wrangler.

As if any bird that large could humanly possibly sneak.

Albite seemed rather fixed on Fulgurites words though, lent the man his full attention. Narrowed his eyes as he ticked over rough points in the black n blue Supers narrative — “You don’t trust me as far as you can throw me, do you?” and there was no offense, only the dawning realization of a challenge. He liked that, making friends the hard way, keeping them as such. Fulgurite seemed full of challenges!

‘I’m gonna enjoy building him up so much!’

“You’ve been here so damn long. ********, we’re gonna speed run you into Eternal so you don’t have to keep living under rocks like me…or whatever’s worse then me?” by his own reckoning, Fulgurite should’ve been as in charge as Lilith should’ve been. Had knowledge, clearly, however undefined. Whether he was willing to share it or not?

That was the question.

If he'd get comfortable enough to talk about Laurels pre-crown days, or to grow him a rift centric garden, or hell — to answer him if he called him up on the phone? Only time would tell how far Fulgurite would bend into being ‘a part of their world’. He just had to find that solid middle lane; where he wasn't letting the man languish, but also wasn't smothering him with burdens either. At least, not when he seemed ready to bolt back home - all steely gaze n middle fingers to the void. Definitely had to avoid that kinduv an outcome.

“How about this — you can consider your quota managed, and I’ll only bother you for trivial things, like? Totally friendly n inane s**t; with the occasional sprinkling of super important mission type stuff? Team as a whole can support us in shoving you at a branch — if that’s something you’d like — and the rest of the time? You’d get let alone.” Splay of hands and he sounded like he’d done a wonderful trick. Landed the conversational dismount with perfection. Surely Fulgurite couldn’t refuse such an awesome offer! Though maybe the other man had some stipulations to add of his own…

“That’s a lot of alone time — you could watch something more interesting then just ‘t.v the show’? Ooh, could figure out if we can get a Rift centric garden going out here!“ And the birds heads bobbled with albites own, beautiful mimicry of a nod; though the trio of minds couldn’t seem to get in sync. It became a merry-go-round of nodding.

"Not-at-all. See, I'm a people person myself, which means m'out pretty often. So if I snag extra - ********, if I get enough to cover my own, your own, the whole restuv the teams? Specially since y'allve got better s**t to do." a simple shrug for how it was sound reasoning in his mind. Fulgurite wasn't some fresh caught basic; all bright-eyed, new, and wet behind the ears. He'd been at this. Not for a minute, a month, or a year - but for a long-a** time.

Maybe a bit too long, even.

They had to remedy that somewhat soon. There were dangers inherent in sitting idle under an unwanted yolk for ages, he knew this as a way of being. People wanted ladders to climb, forward momentum, a sign that something they were doing had meaning beyond attaboys n blue ribbons. In every other instance he'd have admired how uncowed Fulgurite was by Rank n File dynamics; he'd always believed that s**t was bull too, unless it was earned. But for the guy to look like he'd rather have been chewing glass then spending another second of his day within spitting distance of the Citadel?

Such red flags flaring round a guy wearing so much blue.

"N I promise to let you be as much as a guy like me can manage. Stipulating that 'alone' doesn't mean 'un-checked'; people go quiet for too long now, n I get anxious." with good reason, experience was teaching him to keep eyes on anyone within spitting distance of his name. If peopled just come talk before running off into the ******** ether....

Albite shook his head like he was chasing off flies. Caught sight of the mischievous three headed devil-bird when it suddenly stilled; as if he were a dinosaur who could only see things that moved too quickly. The Senshi let it slide with an eye-roll, and intentionally looked away. The hopscotch scrabble of clawed steps didn't go any more unnoticed than the triumphant fanning of wings, a daunting span that easily rivaled Albites reach. He thought' his birby baby would be a terror to behold once he got it out n in flight.

Whatever. Couldn't teach his borbies to play nice lest he gave them a bit of leeway. So long as they didn't look hungry...

"N who knows! Maybe you'll meet the team and decide you want someone to watch your shows with? We've got two cats, my bird, some proper wisps, uhm --- twelveish -- others? Oh! Or - might find that you'd like gardening down here -- I get that look - Rift-centric isn't the right word; its actually a place we're building up south side of the Citadel...like..a house? Could be a nice side-project...makes it look like you're still invested, yeh? Insteada checked the ******** out." the tinge of hope there, bolstered and brief as he stammered through plucking words outta the thick cotton fibers of his mind.

Fulgurite deserved better than alone -- deserved Eternal, the fast-tracked version. He had questions for that; held them a moment longer for how he got side-eyed like a dangerous snack by the one head in particular -- and man, did he differentiating need names for them (not just the creature as a whole, but the individual heads with their bold personalities as well) -- something better than far right, middle, n 'the left one'.

Fulgurites surprise, it netted something like sheepishness n shrugs from Albite. He hadn’t exactly known how many people Sylvi had under her, how Alexa ran her crew. Getting hints at it now? Should he have been deterred when he saw all that love n loyalty she’d poured in — the way they flocked to her kindness — figured, ********? Right! Maybe it’d be an act of good will to shore them up n support them into something like an upper rank? Maybe it’d make up for missing all those signs about his most favorite pink pastel girl — if he spared some of her team a little heartache.

Then again, if her team was just — *just done with it*. The way Fulgurite was?

As if anyone could’ve compared to Livi.

But then there were the likes of Faustite, of Kamacite, if Chrys-y (her he didn’t know from ash); but the rest, they were generals, eternals. He was sure whatever animosity the kaleidoscope eyed girl had for his best boy? She couldn’tve had it for everyone. Seemed like a ‘of the past’ sorta thing. He could make suggestions, tug on connections n reach out to make sure they were properly situated under someone who’d meet them halfway.

Whatever — he’d sort it out. Lob a half smile n side-eye the other Senshis way, give his bird some more mental rope to hang itself on “You say that, n maybe that’s the trick? Some reverse psych nonsense…where only the people who seem happy to stay, go n leave, n the rest?”

What — did everyone have to be disgruntled postmen to work there? All, castoffs n misfit toys stuck on this little island cause their too miserable to go?

Too tired, too bereft, too…

Albite anguished over the fact that he didn’t know the defining line, heaved a breath n watched his bird instead of Fulgurites reassuring features. A mouth that said one thing n vibes that screamed ‘meh’.

“Whatever, I’m the Eternal Senshi of Retribution -- that’s what this is, *for me*. If her team will have me, however many? I’ll take them in. I’ll carve out places they can call home…the bat-wings don’t make any of us lesser to a proper General,” he could think of all the things that held him just under matching other leaders, n the wings that adorned his a** we’re not one of them! “y’gotta give me a chance to try before you outright flunk me tho, yeh? Maybe over time — and peppers. Our house is definitely gonna need a pepper patch.” there was a vulnerable little catch, a hint of concern intertwined with sadness. N it was far easier to watch Cerbs preen at a distance; all those bloody beaks disappearing into blacks n browns sheened with green. Some sort of iridescent eeriness that clung from before they’d made the shift into a far more solid body.

It was a good distraction —

Kept him from chewing too hard on how badly he wanted to tell Fulgurite that he deserved space; to have more than an alcove. Albite didn’t care if he took up room! Wasn’t like he didn’t have it; Sylvite sure as hell had - in all her sweetly compact frame.

If he couldn’t match that, then what good was he?