Welcome to Gaia! ::

Sakura had once again cleaned the town house from top to bottom in anticipation of company. Introducing Ei to Aloysius was important to her, both as Ako and as Sakura. Aloy was not only her General but also family to her, and Ei was someone precious who she wanted to properly introduce. On top of that, this would allow them to freely discuss and exchange information about the recent tidings, of the space prison that Aloy had been whisked away to, and of what might be awaiting them.

Bouncing on her heels, she thought for a moment before heading to the kitchen and beginning to make tea. Tea was always good. It soothed the nerves, and as far as she could tell, smoothed over any and all potential awkward situations. God she hoped she wouldn't mess this up. WHatever deity might be out there, she sent a silent prayer out to them that she wouldn't somehow make an utter mess of this.

Aloysius was bone tired, much to both his fiancé and mauvian's disapproval, but he had seen the request from Sakura to come over to his other home and how things needed to be discussed about the current events. He plucked another grey strand of hair before pulling a comb and oil through things to make himself look up to his usual standards. At least his hand was healed after the encounter with Acrucis, but his ribs still hurt, further proving how unbelievably hardheaded Benitoite was.

The drive gave him time to stare into the small mirror on his sun visor and nitpick over the tiredness he couldn't quite hide even after getting through a shower and the overly healthy breakfast that he'd had thrown at him before all this. It was more than he could eat, it always was, but he knew Liam meant well and honestly, he needed it to get moving.

Walking up to the home after he parked, he noticed someone standing outside as he shot off a text to Sakura to let her know he was walking up. He'd heard there was someone in the picture, coming over to what had been his home for quite some time, but given his schedule, them all being in the same place at once hadn't managed to happen yet. With a cautionary look over before closing the last bit of distance, he called out a polite hello before coming up to the doorstep. Out of habit, he had the ring of keys out to unlock the door. The one for this home was particularly dinged up, having been scratched against the lock on many a night where he had been too lost in a bottle to see the deadbolt clearly.

"It looks like you are early as well. Have you been waiting long?" Fiddling with the key in his hand, he decided to let Sakura just let them both in and slid the ring of keys back into his coat pocket.

Ei's first impression of Aloysius was that he was small. Of course, she topped six feet, so most people were small next to her, but there was something about him that seemed...slight. And weary, on top of it. Perhaps that was to be expected; he was a General, and one of those with special interest in the mess they all found themselves in. One of the ten who had been brought to space, to witness whatever warning was being provided to them to prepare for the oncoming beast.

So if he looked tired, maybe that was only natural. Maybe it was a sign of him taking his responsibilities seriously. Still, it worried her, to no small degree.

"I would always rather be early," she said, and if she took more than a passing notice of his keys and how they looked, she kept it to herself. "But no, not too long at all."

Sakura got a warm, fond smile, the type that spoke obviously of deep affection.

"Always glad to see you, darling," she said, warmly. "And it's a pleasure to meet you, Aloysius. Sakura has spoken very well of you, any time you've come up." Which was good. And, based on some things Sakura had said, Ei owed the man in front of her quite a lot.

"Tea sounds lovely," she said, and she moved to the living room. Once she sat down, she glanced back at Aloysius.

"I'm given to understand we both have a stake in the...more magical happenings in the city, yes?"

The look on Sakura's face at the term of endearment from her girlfriend could have warmed the whole house alone. Truthfully, it always made her stomach do little backflips every time Ei called her that. Well aware of the utterly lovestruck look she sported, she quickly grabbed a tray and set cream and sugar on it before filling the cups and letting the tea steep. Carrying it carefully, she came into the living room and set it down on the coffee table before curling up beside Ei.

"I figured it would be.... a lot easier to properly introduce both of you. All things considered." She gave both guests a small smile, her hand finding Ei's reflexively as she spoke to Aloy. "Ei reports as a Captain to Aquamarine, if I remember correctly. I don't want to step on anyone's toes, but I also would like to be able to freely share with her what you told me as well. She is aware of my identity as Ako, and to be completely transparent, met me once before I took your offer and was brought into the fold." She met Aloy's eyes, her expression completely serious. "I trust her completely, and would ask that the three of us speak transparently about the current events. Ei is.... precious to me beyond what I am able to put into words. Something I am sure you can understand." She had seen how he and Liam were together, that soft warmth between them that made her feel warm inside just from proximity. She knew that he would understand just how important Ei was to her.

The scent of lavender filled the air from the steeping tea, and Sakura was glad that she had picked that one to make. It helped ease tension in the room, she thought, and she knew it was a tea Aloy liked. She smiled warmly up at Ei and nodded to the tea. "Would you like anything in yours? I think I also have honey in the kitchen if you'd prefer that to sugar?" The shift of her facial expression from utterly serious to complete adoration was easy, as if just by looking at Ei she was put at ease.

At the mention of Aquamarine, the corner of his mouth almost twitched down into a frown. He hadn't really liked how childish they had been in that prison, Jet, he was at least a bit better in his opinion, maybe a bit young, but they listened and seemed to take advice seriously from what he could tell.

Reaching for a cup, he remembered the reports that had mentioned his name, submitted by the blonde and curly brown-haired males. It had been short and to the point, and included some intriguing information he hadn't known either about the composition of things. "Yes, something very serious, for now, gathering information is key." Not that it wasn't his priority any other time,e but the ability to interact with order with a bit more leeway did benefit his own project and goals.

Adding a few cubes of sugar to his tea before sipping at it, he noticed the closeness and looks they gave each other. It meant he wouldn't have to worry as much about a relapse into order for Ako, not that he openly brought that up to anyone. It was a bad enough look that one of the ones he brought in had quickly run off, but if any others went that way, he might have to take more drastic measures. It wasn't something he preferred to do, in order to keep up appearances, but he also didn't like it when the people around him didn't follow his plan for things.

"A colleague of mine, Benitoite, has one of those artifacts that was retrieved from the prison." Considering they would likely be closer to the center of things, he knew it might be better for someone, working below another of the people who were at the prison, to know.

But the thought still didn't sit right with him, that Benitoite had the artifact instead of him. It left him following up leads and reaching out without a very important piece of information and proof to provide. He didn't like the fact that he couldn't take control and charge of what needed to be done while the other bumbled around and ruined important interactions.

Outside of that, he didn't quite mind not needing to be directly involved in that creature's entrapment or death. When a fight came, he would of course be there, but in his usual place further back where he was most effective with his bow and well out of the eye of the enemies on the front line.

"I will be reaching out to multiple leads in the near future, and I recommend seeing what information you both can gather from any of those alien senshi out there. Given their.... outsider point of view, they may have information which is unavailable to us. I have seen on occasion that their magic can be unpredictable, so keep that in mind as well."

It was still a goal of his to bring one of them to the proper side of things to see about fixing up their magic, much as he had aided some other corrupt senshi before in those regards.