Welcome to Gaia! ::

Lopezite had texted Lavendulan and had been relieved that she had some free time this evening. He’d messaged her a short while ago and asked if she could meet up with him and a new Lieutenant. He didn’t want to surprise her or ask anything of her she might not have been comfortable with, so he made sure to include that he was hoping she could take this Lieutenant under her wing.

When she’d confirmed that she was available for it, he’d given her a rendezvous point–a well lit statue with some interesting shrubbery around it. The statue was a new addition to the park, but he wasn’t particularly impressed; the soldering was sloppy and the metal looked flimsy and uneven. Lopezite crossed his arms over his chest as he critiqued the modern art.

Lavendulan had confirmed that she’d be there shortly so he didn’t bother taking a seat at the bench behind them. He could feel an energy signature at the distance and assumed it was her. She knew he was here with a Lieutenant, and he’d sent specific information about their location to make it easier on her.

“Shouldn't be long,” he assured Retzian as he frowned at the piece. The city could have done better, there wasn’t even any passion in this piece. It looked like someone had welded scraps together and whoever agreed to install it here hadn’t known the difference between junk and art.

“You okay for now? You need anything? I know the whole process can be a little draining, but I’ve got some water. I think a few snack bags, too."

Nothing big, just something to tide someone over if they got trapped somewhere or something. Or if he found a stray dog he needed to befriend.

To say that Lavendulan was full of a myriad of complex emotions was a complete understatement.

Although Tallulah's little stunt before had worked out some of the nervous knots in her stomach, the ride here took enough time to send her thoughts back into a frenzy.

Being that her scaled companion was a youma, Lavendullan had never equipped him with any sort of saddle or harness and relied on him to listen to verbal commands or leg cues with pressure points similar to how dressage riders maneuver their horses. Made riding bareback an adventure when each time they went out it was a test of how much they trusted each other that day.

When she felt two signatures ahead, Laven brought her youma to a stop so she could pull out her tablet to send Lopezite a message asking him if it'd be best if she arrived in glamour and ease into this whole half-youma thing.

However, Tallulah, like before, started dancing sideways so she couldn't type a damn word or even use a voice to text so Laven got off him and walked in front of the beast only to grab a fistful of his beard. "You are not going to embarrass me."

It wasn't a request. Laven was done with his playful antics and didn't want her bonded personal youma to disobey her so openly in front of a new recruit.

He let out a huff, pulled his head back so she'd let go of his hair, and bumped her against the side of her face with his soft muzzle. A nudge to put the tablet away, stop caring about what she looked like, and get the hell over there.

Lavendulan sighed, patted him firmly against the side of his neck, and decided to walk the rest of the way.

Eventually, she got close enough to hear them talking and it was at that point she raised a hand in welcome when they were close enough to speak without yelling. ""Hello, I hope you two weren't waiting too long." Laven placed a hand on Tallulah's muzzle in a non-verbal command to stay a good fifteen feet away since his appearance and size could be a bit overwhelming to someone who might only view him as some mythological creature from a story or fantasy game.

Retzian looked up when she heard the voice, and her eyes were drawn first to the large creature, and then they landed on the Captain herself. This…Lavendulan…this.

Drawing in a sudden, sharp breath, Retzian tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and simply stared at the black clad woman for a long moment, quite unable to speak. Her eyes had landed on the pale blue webbed hands and it seemed that she were fixated on them for a moment. A half forgotten memory from a recurring dream that she had when she was younger resurfacing. Nothing more than a gentle hand playing in her hair, cradling her face, but the hand…the blue, webbed fingers.

Honestly, the Lieutenant thought for a moment that she were going to faint, or start to cry or…or something, but instead she forced a smile and took a few steps closer to Lavendulan, extending a hand. “Captain Lavendulan. It’s a pleasure to meet you, as General Lopezite says, I’m Lieutenant Retzian. I just. Was just hired over at Romanos, and this was part of my hiring contract. I do hope that I’ll make you proud.”

Her eyes flickered to Lopezite for a moment and she gave a laugh that only shook a little, for which she was proud. “You neglected to tell me how beautiful she was, that. Wasn’t very kind of you, General.”

Lopezite couldn't clearly recall seeing Lavendulan blush like that, and his brows lifted in something of surprise. He hadn’t been expecting the compliment, but he smiled encouragingly, anyway.

“We’ve gone over enough for tonight. I’m afraid I might have been a bit overwhelming. And, if I wasn’t, I’m certain General King Lepidolite might have been. But she’s been doing a good job absorbing it all so far. I think she’ll be a good match.”

He just hoped she wasn’t as easily distracted by every beautiful woman that crossed her path. Her mood had seemed to shift, and he’d noticed how eager she was to meet Lavendulan. It wasn’t that she’d been unfriendly to him, but he could definitely see her bias.

He didn’t have hurt feelings, at least. And if it meant she got along with Lav–great! Especially if she was going to shower her in compliments.

“I hope you two will be able to get along. I’m optimistic. I have a lot of faith in the both of you. I’d like to see you go far in the Negaverse, Retzian. It’s more than just a job. You have the ability to help change the world. I want to see you do your best.”

Lavendulan looked visibly surprised by the sudden pointed statement Retzian directed at Lopezite.

Clearly something had happened before her General had reached out and requested she come meet them. But now did not feel like the right time to ask for clarification. Still… Laven’s brows knitted together in deep concern, as she glanced between them half expecting one of them to start suddenly laughing as if that was an inside joke she had not been let in on yet.

However, the anger in Retzian’s voice felt too real to be anything other than an honest threat? Promise?

Honestly, she didn’t understand things went from being light-hearted to suddenly accusatory and kind of dark within mere moments of a conversation. But this is where they were and Lavendulan felt like she should speak up to diffuse the situation before it became something more.

“I can assure you, Retzian. General Lopezite is an honorable and respectable man. I have had the pleasure of knowing him and being a part of his team for years now and can assure you he would never do such a thing.” To even insinuate that it was a possibility felt almost blasphemous.

However, Laven did have to consider that this comment came from a place of former abuse and this was her way of protecting herself from would-be predators. Something she’d inquire about later when it was just the two of them. “I trust him with my life,” Laven’s expression and tone both softened at the statement as it was not something she admitted to openly, especially not while in the presence of the person she was talking about.

But they were neither here nor there and now was about as good of a time as any for Lopezite to be reminded of her feelings towards him; both as her General and friend. “But I do agree, it is getting late and I understand that this is a lot to take in. You can reach out to me any time, Retzian. I’ll check in with you in a day or two after you’ve had a chance to process everything. Ok?”