Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Albite's thing seems to be a hierarchial polyamory kind of situation." Promethei, personally, was not a fan of hierarchy in his polyamory. He wouldn't knock it for the people it worked for, but for him, he didn't quite see the point.

It also sounded like Albite had just expected everyone to accept this was the way it worked and to be alright with that. That, in itself, was dysfunctional. "But he basically worshipped the ground Faustite stood on from your wording. The payback being a hole in the face is shitty." He snorted. "Not that I support Albite," was his clarification, flicking a wrist toward his chest as his twang kicked up. "He's a highly dysfunctional lost cause. But still, what a whole damn shitshow. He had better choices!"

Promethei gestured up and down Nectaris to illustrate his point.

"Clearly!"

Not that he particularly wanted Nectaris barking up that tree, anyway.

"Maybe if we run into him some reminders are in order." Promethei pinched the bridge of his nose. "Which, speaking of. The other guy you mentioned, the mirror one? Your description sounds faintly familiar. Think I might've ran into him before, maybe."

Maybe that could give him more to start in on.

"You are! It's important everyone involved knows where your priorities are and what each individual relationship means to you." Promethei was familiar with the Amber Dragon to its own degree; he had set clubs he preferred, but that didn't mean he wandered from time to time. Sometimes he wanted something different! A bit of spice, if he would.

Promethei didn't think that Albite necessarily considered much outside of himself even if he acted like he did. Something of an illusion of pretending to care when really all he wanted was the thought he was caring. He was caring about them, totally! That was why he warned Nectaris he was eventually going to kill her, right?

Caring.

His gaze slipped over to Nectaris as she stabbed the sidewalk, offering her a bit of applause with a grin. "Look, I'd support you! Is he even getting anywhere with Fulg?" Was anyone? "No point in holding back if it's not even working. Or maybe it'd be a kick in his a** if getting stabbed by his apparent priority relationship didn't already do that."

His tongue slid over his lips.

"Also, you're not dumb. You are ace, but not dumb."

He was nowhere near ace himself, but he did understand it-

Just like the Faustite thing. At being called out for being a disaster, his laugh was a bark loud enough it attracted attention momentarily. He didn't care. "I mean, for myself? Hell no. But I can explain what I see," Promethei winked. "He's a powerful gay man, a powerful twink at that, and that has a lot of appeal on its own, whether it be the power, the looks, the devotion he seems to show considering how much he and his whole team seem to be a very cohesive unit..."

He shrugged.

"There's also something to be said about the queer attraction to monsters. It's a whole psychological thing. Faustite ... was at least monster adjacent."

"I dunno," she said with a shurg about Albite and Faustite. She'd used to get all upset when her second ex's name came up, but it was getting to the point now where it wasn't as painful to talk about him. She still wished she could do something for him, but, well. Time and distance had done it's work with her heartbreak, she guessed.

"I haven't really seen them in a while."

She was listening, instead, to Promethei's analysis of Faustite's hotness, and honestly it seemed like he might be up to something. It did raise some questions for her, like, if I'm short, and I end up being, like, the in charge one, does that make me like Faustite?

She was, however, freezing and tugging at his sleeve before she could ask about that, 'cause, like, that was the dude they were looking for, right there. Well, one of the options. The mirror fiance. He was alone, too. She didn't feel any Negaverse auras. She was a little worried about the girls with him, but they seemed to be getting into an Uber okay, so she didn't dwell on that.

Instead she waved, smiling back. "Hi!" she said. "No, you can come join us. You'd probably be interested in what we're talking about, anyway. Like, literally. You walked up to us while we were trying to figure out why people think Faustite is hot."

The friendly greeting was promising and...the topic of conversation was way too personally enticing. Eyebrows raised and smile dimpling up into something much much more boyish and sincere, Hybris nodded. "Well. Certainly."

Maybe tonight, he'd be the one taking home the better story.

And then he laughed and gestured to the club he'd just left, Juicy Fruits, with a small bow, "Over drinks? My treat." As much as he loved chatting on sidewalks, shady alleyways, and in parks...well, he didn't, actually.

Proper gossip needed drinks and comfortable seating.

Juicy Fruits? Promethei's amusement seemed to be kicking up by the moment. It was interesting to consider the fact that the fiance of someone who was considered so dangerous in chaos was someone who also attended unnecessarily decorative places like this one.

Also unnecessarily expensive. If he was really willing to cover whatever they ordered, that gave him some more information without Hybris saying another word.

His gaze shifted to Nectaris.

"Everything they serve is kicked up to the max, including the mocktails and the nonalcoholic drinks in general." He shifted the weapon he held to his other hand, glancing Hybris up and down. To be honest, considering the places he had run into this mirror twink so far, it seemed to be a fitting spot.

Time to test it. They were both knights, this was a super of the dark mirror, they could handle this.

"Alright. If it's on your dime," Promethei gestured toward the entrance, bowing with a gallant flair that he would not normally offer to someone of chaos he wasn't actively charming, "after you."

Nectaris, who had grown up on the lowest rung of middle class, couldn't help balking at the price tags in this place. It didn't keep her from ordering, though, while she made some mental notes.

Mirror guy: rich. Faustite: gold digger?

Her virgin Strawberry Fields Forever had fresh strawberries, candy strawberries, and strawberry popping boba. It also had, like, mist coming off of it and was served on a plate of cotton candy shaped like clouds for some reason? She was very sad that she was powered up right now and she couldn't pull out her very distinctive civilian phone to start posting pictures on Instagram.

Instead, she tried taking a sip, but Hybris opened his mouth and her reflex was to gasp and gag, but it didn't work, and suddenly she was choking on very overpriced strawberry lemonade.

She coughed, and coughed again turning five shades of red at the same time. Like, yeah, okay, she'd asked, but also no. No. No. No.

She struggled to catch her breath, then leaned in to rest her forehead on Promethei's fluffy shoulder. "This is why I need you," she said, voice a weak squeak. "Please, like, handle this."

Hybris was a bit of a professional at observing people, and had grown rather good at being subtle about it. Fairy Knight was clearly intensely uninterested in the physical side of Faustite's love life, even though she was clearly extremely curious about certain aspects of his relationships. Mr. Mercury seemed much more comfortable, but also willing to accommodate his companion.

He seemed to make a point of looking comfortable with this in all manner of ways, actually. There was something in the way he took up space, not simply physically, but in atmosphere. Interesting.

"Well," Hybris drummed his fingers playfully along the side of his glass, "for one, he's an artist. Maybe that's why he's always so keen to see the truth of people, to gently push and pull until they reveal more and more of themselves to him. And then, with devastating accuracy, he uses those lovely lines and colors, all his beautiful words, dug up raw and tumbled fine, to let them know that he loves what he sees."

It was truer than maybe he'd intended at first, which only emphasized the complaining tones of his answer.

"Isn't that really unfair of him?"

With a little huff, Hybris took a deep drink.