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"I know you want to save everyone," said Cybele, and there was no judgement in her voice, just a gentle admiration. "It's a worthy goal, truly. There's a lot I want to learn from you some other time about how you reach out to people."

The park where they stood was still washed over in the reds and oranges of mid-sunset. With luck, it would be early enough that the forces of Chaos were not going to be out so much to bother them. They could just have some time alone to train. Cybele was stretching a bit, rolling her shoulders and curling and uncurling her fingers.

"But I hate the idea of you only trying to talk, and of you freezing up or something when someone reaches for your starseed."

Cybele froze in her movement and swallowed hard as she looked over the other senshi. Her green eyes were bright now, but the image of how lifeless her face had looked when she'd been sprawled out on the pavement that night Lysithea had taken her starseed was still burned into Cybele's mind.

"I'd like to see what you can do in that kind of situation, just in case."

"I'm not going to simulate taking your starseed," said Cybele quickly. Even if there was some way that she could do something like that, she'd refuse it. Albireo's lifeless face flashed across her mind again and she had to push it away with a forced smile.

"I just think we should train a bit. Even if we just work on defensive techniques, so that you can get away better if things get out of hand." Freezing up wasn't a problem that Cybele had ever had. She'd defaulted to the fight response since the moment she'd woken up in Axinite's office, but she assumed that was because of things she'd worked on during her time as a senshi before her corruption.

If they could do that now, and keep Albireo from freezing when she came across someone who didn't want to listen to her, then perhaps Cybele would not have to worry so much about her.

"Why don't you show me your magic, first?"

Of course Cybele had been prepared for magic. They were sparring. She'd asked Albireo to show her. She even heard the word distraction.

It didn't mean she was prepared for just how loud things were about to get. Given the gaps in her memory, Cybele did not know much about the sounds that swans made. When the honks and trumpets echoed out around the entire area, drowning out any sounds of traffic or muffled conversations in the distance, Cybele had to blink multiple times while she got used to the sound.

"This isn't lame, Albireo," she said once it was quieter again, and there was no need to feign any excitement. This was different than any magic she'd ever dealt with before, and the part of Cybele's mind that had been working on cataloguing senshi magic and working it into battle strategies was already whirring.

"You're not lame," she added, quickly, and there was a softness in her voice that didn't come out often. "You're so good at so many things and apparently that includes magic! You know how when the Negaverse is trying to run their ambushes, they're always talking to each other on those communicators?"

The softness was gone again, and instead Cybele was thoughtful. "If you did that, they couldn't hear their orders. Even if you were one on one with someone, it should be a distraction."

She just had to make sure that Albireo didn't think it was so lame that she didn't try using it.

When Albireo came towards her, Cybele didn't hesitate for a moment. She wrapped her arms around her, using all that Eternal power to hold her tight and close and safe.

Then, without thinking too much about it, she leaned up to press a kiss against Albireo's forehead, gently, like the one that Albireo had given to her when she'd been having a hard time. She hoped that it would make her feel better about all of this, about how strong she was.

It was strange that her cheeks felt a bit warmer afterwards.

"You don't have to try to fight," she murmured. "You don't have to seek out trouble."

If trouble came anyway, Cybele thought, she would do what she could to deal with it so that Albireo did not have to. There was only so much being a better person for Cybele. There was no getting around the blood on her hands, and if she had to add more blood to keep Albireo safe and happy, that would be what she would do.

But she thought she might be able to learn a thing or two about kindness from the other woman, too.

"You're the kindest person I know, Albireo. I think you might even have Ganymede beat. It's your greatest strength, how sweet you are. I'm just glad you'll try to be careful, because I know how Chaos can be, sometimes."

Cybele nodded softly against Albireo's cheek. Perhaps it was just all of the loss she'd experienced recently, or perhaps it was something about just how sweet and precious Albireo was, but she wanted to go all fiercely protective. On the other hand, though, she knew it wouldn't do to go off on long lectures about being careful when the other senshi had already promised to try.

It wasn't like she was one to talk on that, anyway, when she'd gone toe to toe with Generals as a Super and paid for it, when she tried to save lives regardless of the price to herself, too.

"The shoes just show that we were fated to be friends, I think," said Cybele, and although her smile tilted sideways, she was only half-joking. "I don't know that I can say much about before. I was a different person back then. I just hope that I can help you feel less lonely now, because," her gaze went a bit distant, but the smile never quite faded, "With how dark my life's been recently, you've been a lifeline for me. I want to return that favor."

She pulled away some, but she kept a grip on Albireo's hand. "Here, should we patrol, since we're out here?"

They could always practice magic or other skills some more if they ran into any youma.