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Virgo wasn't patrolling. Patrolling implied you were moving around, doing something; Virgo was just sitting, tired, after a night of patrolling patrolling with another one of her Zodiac friends. There had been two strong youma about that night, and it had taken a lot of her energy to defeat them. She hadn't been lying when she said to Vanadis the youma are getting stronger. Every time she said it, she'd been telling the truth. How much of that was the deaths of who knew how many senshi, and how much was just the despair of every heart in Destiny City?

Probably it was just more monsters. She sighed and rested her head against the back of the bench, shivered. Gosh, it was cold. Would it never be warm again? Summertime would be nice in this outfit.

Something ping'd in her head, and without opening her eyes, she let herself slide sideways to lay on the bench. "I don't want to fight anyone," she said the negaverse agent she imagined was nearby, "And I'll kick your butt and tie you to a tree if you try, so please let's not fight, I've been fighting all night."

The sound of the slamming door instilled Virgo with hope. Maybe she'd get away without another fight? She permitted herself to relax, but it was an abortive effort; someone was approaching, and her brows furrowed; one green eye peeped open. She couldn't see anyone, and she balled up her hands into fists just in case, but otherwise didn't move.

"Who says I want to fight?"

Her stomach jumped in a funny way, her eyes flew open, and she stared at Variscite uncomprehendingly for a few moments as the other rounded the bench. "I already went," she replied, without thinking; "I left and then--" She shook her head. Sitting up, she scooted away from the taller Negaverse lieutenant, her expression suspicious, but not initially angry.

"I'm sorry for hitting you," she said, "that was an overreaction." That was also what she had always been told to do if anyone tried to touch her in a way she didn't like, so she didn't really feel that bad. "I'm not sorry for leaving, though." She stood up, her intention clearly being that she was going to bolt; Variscite had seen how quickly she could run the last time they'd met.

The Negaverse agent was doing better at her goal than she knew; having been beaten so thoroughly before herself, she knew how much it sucked. Her guard dropped a little, the furrowed brow disappearing. It was true that Variscite did look very messed up, and Virgo wouldn't attack someone who so clearly couldn't defend herself.

She looked obediently at Variscite's hands, watched in silence as the blades were set down on the bench beside Virgo. Each one made a tiny clack noise. Then, calmly, Virgo put her hand over the blades and slid them back, listened to them fall through the cracks in the park bench with a pretty tinktinktink, like a windchime or maybe water flowing over bells.

Now the weaponry was out of the Negaverse agent's reach. She wasn't worried about Variscite reclaiming her finger knives; she knew that agents could easily reclaim their weapons, and draw them out just as fast. Wasn't sure how she knew, she just knew.

"I'm sorry you're hurt," she said, "a red-headed officer messed me up for a long time. I'm better now, though."

Things were clicking into place now, too. Obsidian. Obsidian: the name beat in her head like a drum. The details of Jude's death weren't unknown to her. That was the name of the man who had beaten her up; that was the name of the man who killed Jude.

Caught up in her own revelations, tired, she missed Variscite's lunge. Virgo didn't fall over the arm of the bench, but she squeaked; she'd have another interesting bruise to hide come the morning. Then, forcefully, she shoved the Negaverse agent back, stood and tackled her, assisting the reeling lieutenant in her fall to the ground. Virgo imagined she could feel the dark-haired lieutenant's ribs grating under her own weight. Straddling Variscite's bandaged chest, she balled up her fist and drew it back, punched her once. She was clearly going to do it again, her chest heaving, the remnants of her french braid from the party falling out with the force of it.

"He killed Sagittarius," she said, leaning harder on the hand that pressed into Variscite's shoulder. "He killed one of my brothers." She pulled her arm back one more time.

Her hand loosened, she lifted her weight off of Variscite for a moment, her other hand slipped to the ground beside the Negaverse agent's head. "I wouldn't do anything that jerk told me to do!" The words weren't strong, but her tone was agonized. He'd broken her Zodiacs, and more than that, her Mutables. There would always be a hole in her family because of the stupid redheaded Negaverse officer. "I hate him," she said, vehemently.

At the moment, she didn't know who she hated more--Charonite or Obsidian.

After a long moment, she straightened and slid off of Variscite. "I'm sorry, I overreacted again," said Virgo, her hands folded in her lap. She knew what Kunzite had said, knew that she was sitting next to a murderer and she should punch Variscite's brains out, but... the Negaverse agent looked pitiful.

"I'm sorry," she said again; her look was undoubtedly sympathetic. Virgo would have been really hurt if someone had punched her after her ordeal with Obsidian, and that empathy brought one hand up to gently straighten Variscite's hair. She didn't think about the other ways that action could be taken; she just did it, like she always did with the Zodiacs.

A car wasn't like a brother; it was replaceable. But fearing the anger of your father, Virgo understood. Parents were not replaceable, especially when they loved you and only wanted the best for you. She crossed her legs, rested her chin in her hands and stared at Variscite for a long, long moment. "That sucks," she said, "Je suis desole... I would be careful. My Captain lectures me when I do poorly, is it the same for you?"

And then, after a pause: "Or do they just beat you?"

Not for the first time, Virgo wished she could uncorrupt people as Chronos did. It would be good to be able to save Lieutenant Variscite before she got any sicker... but it was something outside the Senshi of Innocence's powers.

Only the long-lasting surprise of the I'm lucky to only be beaten comment allowed Variscite's bandage lasso to work; the bluenette lurched forward, leaning on her hands, face barely more than an inch away from Variscite's. Their noses were almost touching. In slightly horrified slow-motion, she glanced down at officer's hands, then back up to her eyes, which Virgo was noting with horrified fascination were a very blue shade of blue.

She forgot Variscite was unarmed for that moment; forgot that she was possibly twice as strong as the Lieutenant, that she had more experience and probably more training, too. Virgo reacted just as her Captain had taught her, albeit a bit belated; a swift pull backwards snapped the bandage, her foot lashed out as she slid back only her palms to slam squarely into Variscite's chest. The blow wouldn't be hard enough to break bones, it was just barely powerful enough to knock the Negaverse agent for a loop.

Nervous, she skittered away, standing in a position meant to ward the Lieutenant away. "Please don't touch me," she said; it was more like a whimper. It was wrong for anyone but a Zodiac to look at her that way... wasn't it?

She wanted to run away. It would be smart of her to turn on her heel and bolt, or better yet, earn her place on the Guard and just kill the officer on the ground at her feet. But, while she was more committed to her role as a senshi to protect others, she wasn't quite to the point where she could hurt someone who was laying on the ground in pain.

Virgo hoped she never got to that point.

"I'm stronger than you," she pointed out needlessly. "Please be more careful!"

It would not make her feel better if she had to hurt the Negaverse officer again.