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You know, saving lives was difficult, but, like, very rewarding.

That was what Super Sailor Auriga had been thinking for the past few minutes as she shook hands and posed for selfies with a group of five teenagers who were drinking and making out on the beach when two shark-dog looking youma had slithered out of the ocean and set upon them. It was 11PM -- did their parents not wonder where they were? And the beach! Beautiful, romantic, sure, but dangerous, especially in a city like this.

Lucky for them, Auriga had been on patrol! And triple lucky for them that one of the girls, Lucy, was one of civilian-side Maggie's mutuals on Instagram. If she hadn't seen the picture they posted (#drinksandboysandstars #DCismybitch), she wouldn't have felt curious enough to come out and see what they were up to, this thing she hadn't been invited to, not that she cared, definitely not, but like weren't Insta friends real friends? Were those likes on all of Maggie's photos meaningless? Did Lucy not mean it when she had said, no less than a few days after Maggie's return to DC, that they should totes do something whenever? Well, Lucy, aren't you lucky that Maggie is such a good friend to save your life regardless!

Anyway.

LUCKY for them, the super amazing Sailor Auriga had arrived to save the day, even if she had accidentally (maybe) punched Lucy in the face in the process of dusting the first baddie youma as the second scampered back to the ocean, or hell or wherever it was they came from.

The pack of five friends were throwing their things into bags, hoisting backpacks, and wiping tears. Auriga kept her hands perched on her hips, feeling more than a little proud and looking a beautiful shade of smug. "You know, kids," she began, her voice full of what she thought sounded like mature wisdom, "unnecessary risks have unnecessary consequences." She glanced up into the face of a boy she didn't know, who was maybe a year older than her, and booped him on the nose. "And friends, well, be careful who your friends are. You are the company you keep and whatever." She pointed at each of them, but lingered on Lucy, who had a half-empty beer can pressed to her nose.

"I can't help but think that you wouldn't have been such targets if you had, you know, invited more people. Something to think on for next time. Being more open to friendship. There is no such thing as too many friends." The Senshi of Pestilence rocked in place for a moment and then clapped her hands with a laugh. "I mean, what is this, a make out party of five? I'm not sure how good any of you are at math, but you're playing with an extra wheel." She swung a thumb at Lucy. "Probs her, amirite?" The bobbing teen skipped away before she could catch the look on Lucy's, her future unmutual on Instagram's, face. "Well A-NY-WAY, let's get your irresponsible selves into an Uber -- no drinking and driving on my watch!"

The Uber had already pulled up and was waiting. Lucy glowered tearfully at Auriga, who had little pity -- I mean, look, she had saved her life. She was entitled to gloat. Just as the door was about to close, Auriga caught the frame. "You know, as a champion of good, I can't in good conscience allow you to leave with this." She reached into the cab and snatched a Trader Joe's bag that rattled with whatever they had been drinking. The door closed with a thud and Auriga gave it a solid pat on the roof, like she had seen them do in Law & Order:SVU.

Twirling the bag around her wrist, she sauntered back over to the beach, checking to make sure her unfinished youma business had not reappeared. The bag of bottles landed with a clank. Auriga wasn't much of a rule breaker when it came to things like drugs and alcohol. Sure, she sipped wine at holidays from her parents' glass, and once she had stolen a Corona Light from her stepfather's fridge, only to discover beer was absolutely disgusting. There was something bright pink with a fruity label that caught her eye, but ALAS. No. First, make sure the day has been properly saved.

"Youma, youma, youma," she called walking other to the edge of the ocean and leaving the bag of bottles behind. "Would I be a good superhero if I left you here to continue terrorizing those tragically basic basics?"

Auriga was focused on youma tracking, which was why the sudden addition of a chaos aura somewhere in the vicinity made her shoot upright. But auras could be tricky -- she could tell it was some kind of basic Chaos-based fighter, but aura-sensing was not a science. It could be coming from anywhere, really, and could potentially power down just as quickly.

For a brief moment, the Senshi of Pestilence wondered if Lucy was some nasty Nega, souped up to return and exact her revenge. An idea occurred to the girl. Quirking her head to the side, she pretended to the scan the boardwalk, shrugged, and then turned her back, focused back on the waves and returning to her, "Youma, youma, youma..."

If someone was planning to surprise her... well, Auriga would have a surprise for them! Right?

For all the friendliness the other girl was radiating, Auriga oozed more caution. Once bitten, a hundred times shy -- Gunn had taught her not to trust. The aura pulsing nearest to her was Chaos-infused. An agent of Chaos was an agent of Chaos was an agent of Chaos, no? Straightening up, the Senshi of Pestilence met the other girl's eyes calmly.

No need for trouble, not unless they did start it. She was, admittedly, a little tired from her earlier double youma fight. "And who are you then?" Auriga ventured, not hostile but not quite warm either. "I'm on patrol to protect civilians. What were you up to?" Getting names for some reason made things easier, even if the White Moon senshi had not volunteered hers first.

Attempt at friendly banter detected. Must resist!

Auriga had to actively fight to stay tense and not relax into conversation. She knew better than to trust a snake just because it looked kindly at you for a moment. It didn't take much to cause that to change. "My outfit is badass, yes," she said, a bizarre mash up of compliment-loving Maggie and trying-to-be-professional Auriga twirling out of her.

"Dark Mirror," the Senshi of Pestilence echoed. "The last time I met one like you, they fought me. Chariklo ring a bell?" Granted, Auriga knew that she was now purified and totally awesome, but she was curious what her old teammates might think or know about her side-switch.

Skating past the mention of the civilians -- better wait until they were more completely out of range -- she instead decided to be somewhat civil: "I'm Auriga." And that was it. No mention of her sphere. If they did end up fighting, she preferred the element of surprise, and given her power, it had a tendency to be rather surprising.

"She is," Auriga said, feeling triumphant. "Turns out it isn't so fun to be apart of Chaos after all."

However, the other girl's lack of a defensive stance was continuing to confuse the Senshi of Pestilence. She had been burned before by people pretending to be friends. So Auriga didn't relax; she didn't want to be wrong. "So, what, you are the one Chaos agent who wants to be friends? Why? What's in it for you?" Actually, Gunn had warned Auriga that lots of Chaos folks would pretend to be friends, when really all they wanted to do was corrupt you.

Auriga wouldn't be corrupted, but maybe... maybe this one could be purified. It was a painfully idealistic thought, but the girl chased it. If everyone was purified, then no one would be in danger anymore, right?

Auriga snorted. She liked the idea that she was something to be feared. Feeling important in any way was a drug to her. Similarly, she also did not want bruises so she relaxed. In her head, she could hear Gunn chastising her for letting down her guard. Chaos agents were only worth anything purified or dead. As much as Auriga believed she could kill if the situation demanded it, she really didn't want to be put in that situation either.

"Okay, so," she said, a little confused at where this was going, "what did you want to talk to a senshi about then? If not fighting?" In her career, she didn't really chat up the enemy. Weren't they all just trying to corrupt her?

Auriga wanted to say something clever back to that curious line, but all she could think was curiosity killed the cat, which was distinctly uncool hero-enemy banter. Instead she pursed her lips and kept a careful eye.

"No, I don't," she snapped. "If you have to feed off energy to have power, than you're a parasite. I don't drain from people. Sure, you may not rip out starseeds like a Nega, which I guess is a bonus, but Chaos is Chaos is Chaos. If you want to be, like, the good kind of vampire that only drinks from animals, why don't you just purify and actually stop being a part of Chaos, huh?"

DMC were confusing to Maggie. They were Chaos, that was certain, and she had heard scary stories about the long-disappeared Ares. But they were, at heart, senshi, weren't they? They could be like her, if they wanted to, couldn't they?

Auriga huffed. "Okay, so someone saved you! Someone saved me too. Why not bring them all over? Isn't that the best option? If we're all together on the same side, there isn't any fighting or bruises or whatever." Her hand waved flippantly in the air to emphasize her point. "Then you wouldn't have to take energy from anyone. Wouldn't you like that better? You would live in your own power, without needing to make others weak to be strong." The young senshi just couldn't wrap her head around how anything born from Chaos could be pure. All of Auriga's power came from within. Why wouldn't everyone want to be like her?