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Admittedly? Eurydike's patrols had been slacking the last couple of years. He'd been trying so hard to pull himself and Rhys back out of the hole of debt he'd inherited when he'd lost his mother, and then there was the whole easing into married life thing, some long due training like more than one senshi more useful than he was had suggested so maybe he wouldn't nearly die every goddamn time he tried to do a single damn thing, and -

Yeah. He'd been distracted. He'd shot out texts here and there, and really tried to set aside the time to do that. But considering every damn one of his friends was a goddamn senshi or knight, Hitch couldn't really fault them for being too busy to touch base.

Still, though, he and Rhys were more settled now, so he was trying harder. Usually in a group, or at least with Rhys, but if his husband had something to do, well - there weren't really so many excuses not to come out and attempt a patrol. So far it'd been a whole lot of nothing, but at least he was getting out there.

Maybe the silence was why even if the first ping on his radar was definitely stronger than his, cautiously, he went for it. Carefully. Just to scope s**t out. That was kind of the whole damn point of a patrol, right?

Eurydike had been planning to keep at a distance up until he heard that scream echo through the air, and he immediately cursed under his breath. No second energy signature - so basically this ******** had done what chaos ******** did best and ruined some poor b*****d's night. Which meant he was going to have to take action.

Was there any point in playing this s**t subtle? - he knew they were there 'cause he could sense it, which unless they were insanely distracted by their victim, they probably knew he was ******** closing in on them. So no good playing up the dramatic entrance.

Much. It was really just a coincidence that the wind caught him just right when he rounded the corner, making his stupid little half cape flare up behind him, fists raised as he whirled to face the target. "Hold the ******** up you slimy a** -- !!"

Then he actually looked, and immediately all of his gusto just flowed out of him like rain down the gutter; the way his arms dropped and the wind swept out of him, you'd think he'd just been punched in the gut.

That would've been better.

"No... Olga???"

He hadn't heard from her. He'd texted her, but hadn't heard anything in - he didn't know how long it had been. Hitch had just been so busy, and he knew she was busy, too, so he hadn't thought anything of it.

He'd been wrong. He should've thought something of it. Guilt swirled heavy and potent in the pit of his stomach, weighing him down and making him sick.

She didn't know him. Eurydike, unfortunately, was an ever open book when it came to his emotions, always bubbling hot and fast too close to the surface. Shock and hurt visibly flared across his face, and he swayed on his heels, biting hard at the inside of his cheek. She doesn't ********' know me. She --

"I'm - I'm Eurydike - you know me, you - "

She sounded so unphased. Like she was fine.

But Rhys hadn't remembered being a lieutenant, he tried to rationalize. He didn't know what'd made her switch teams, but - Olga would have never, though, right? Would she have?

Still, though. If she knew Hitch -- not like he could ******** ASK, but -- "You were at my weddin', " he sputtered out, taking a step closer. "You - you ********' took me in when I was ******** that night, you - it's fine if you don't remember me like this, but Olga - " He took another step. "Olga, I know someone. I don't know what ********' happened, but we can fix this."

The way she said it - just so casually, again, like it didn't ******** matter to her. She even laughed while she carelessly said she didn't remember anything, not a goddamn thing -

"You... like this?" he sputtered out, although there it was twisting in his gut: guilt, burning visibly in his face even as it coursed its way through his whole body. "No, Olga, you're - don't you think it's ********' weird that you don't remember jack s**t? That doesn't throw up any warnin' bells for you at all?! You're smarter than this! You're - "

He should have gone to see her when he hadn't heard anything. He should have patrolled with her. He knew she was going to get herself hurt, he said it from the first goddamn night it was a mistake, and now look at her.

You did this. You ********' let her down. s**t senshi. Shittier friend.

"You snapped a damn picture of me the first day we met, " he tried, even knowing it wouldn't do any good. It was like rapidfire, like somehow if he threw enough memories into the air, something would take and he'd ******** wake up from this. The desperation was too obvious, written across his face. "You flipped my ********' skirt. You washed ********' vomit outta my hair. You - you like Italian BMT's on wheat bread with vinegar an' oil, an' we shoot shitty a** puns back an' forth, an' - "

He looked down at the limp form of the man in front of her.

"An' - you took his starseed... didn't you?"

He was going to be sick.

"Wha - " Eurydike shook his head furiously. Granted, he didn't have first hand experience; he'd only seen Tolliver go to Rhys, and for all he knew, the process of corruption was a whole different ballgame. But, "I know someone that came through! They lost half, not everythin'! There's a cost, yeah, but it's not that ********' high!!"

Blanks. He was shooting blanks. His shoulders slumped again, and it was - it was like talking to the ******** dead, wasn't it? Like a zombie. This was Olga, but it wasn't. It was some other thing, some other person, and this person was, "Give it back to him, " and he said it quietly (for him), his voice thick and rasping at the edges. "Olga, please, I - you're not a goddamn murderer, Olga. If you can't remember me, then fine, " it wasn't fine, it was the opposite of fine, nothing was fine, "but you can't - just give it back to him. Please."

Eurydike went stock still for a moment, frozen in place with his body rigid. He took a deep breath, seemingly trying to maintain calm.

He was s**t at that, of course - he was s**t at a lot of things. That she was even standing there decked in black was a goddamn testament to that. "I'm sorry, " he tried, coming closer again. "I don't know what they ********' did to you, an' I'm sorry I wasn't there, an' I'm sorry I didn't know, I - ********, Ol - Still, " it didn't taste right on his lips.

"He should be punished. Yeah. He ******** up. No question." His brow was furrowed, and his face was pale, further highlighting the dark of his eyes and all the raw emotion that lay there. "We all ******** up. Does he really ********' deserve to die for that?!"

"Y'mean you want me to act like it's a good thing you don't remember me? - what, should I be happy??"

He didn't mean to spit it out like that, sounding as bitter and venomous as it did. The super senshi drew in a long breath, shutting his eyes and gritting his teeth. It wasn't like it was her fault - unless it was - how could he know? He didn't know what the ******** had happened because he wasn't there.

"Sorry."

His voice was choked at the end. He bit it back, biting hard again at the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood.

This wasn't even okay. That Olga had done this to another person. But -- "You don't ********' know him, " Eurydike countered, trying to meet her gaze, even knowing he wouldn't find any ground there. Even so, he couldn't help trying. "He could've had a s**t day. He could be ********' desperate, somebody like me who comes from nothin'. He could be some s**t that got too drunk an' did somethin' stupid. I - I ********' heard him scream, you already hurt him, so let's - if you think it ain't enough, punish him more. Hurt him. Just - "

He couldn't see the starseed. There was nothing he could do here but try and barter with her; even if his hand was curled into a fist at his side, shaking, there was no intent to harm. Even knowing this wasn't Olga, he didn't think he could've done it anyway. This was the only chance this poor ******** had. "First offense shouldn't be punishable by death, right? We teach him. Next time, he ******** up again, then do what you want. Fear's a damn good motivator."

God, please. Please, ******** listen to him. Please let something good be there.

Eurydike didn't miss a beat: "'Course you're happy. You don't even know what you're missin'." He flinched when he said it, cursing under his breath in the wake of it. Just like him for words to flow out half-formed. "Just - forget it."

That, though, he had words for that: "You don't remember me; you don't know what the ******** I've been or done, " the super senshi countered, glaring down at the ground. "You don't know if I'm a piece of s**t or not. All I've ********' told you was that you - Olga was there for me when I ********' needed it, an' that's all."

Olga never would have talked like this. She never would have done any of this.

There was a brief surge of relief when that starseed fell into his palm, and he breathed a deep, throaty word of thanks, clutching it to his chest like it was some precious thing. He'd saved someone tonight - he'd saved a life.

Why are you so ********' relieved? You saved some shitty a*****e's life. You let Olga get corrupted. You haven't done s**t Logan.

He looked at her, and found himself at a loss of what to say. All that left him was another apology: "I'm so sorry I wasn't there. Olga. Sedna. Still. I'm sorry."