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It certainly sounded like Painite to Tsui, but she held her tongue and her anger as best as she could for Athene's sake. She didn't want to interrupt him and she certainly didn't want Athene to think that she was angry at him. She certainly wasn't! She listened as quietly as she could, though by the way she crossed her arms over her chest and huffed, it was clear that she didn't like how this story was playing out. Again, nothing of Athene's doing.

When Athene admitted to not wanting to talk about the rest of it, Tsui could understand. She was curious, but she respected his request. The Senshi of Tigers gave a solid nod, letting him know that she understood, and if that wasn't enough, her words would do the trick. "It's okay, you don't have to talk about it. Mine wasn't all that much better, really. Nearly beat a poor Corrupted senshi to death..."

It wasn't something she was proud of, even at the time. She still felt the sting of shame in her chest at the mere thought of what she had done, but the past was the past. What could she do about that now except ensure it didn't happen again? This would certainly make wanting to get revenge against Painite for hurting Ida and now possibly Athene even harder, though for that brand of crazy, maybe there could have been an exception.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I've learned my lesson from messing with Painite. This scar at my waist is a pretty good warning, don't you think?" Tsui said, trying to lighten the mood a little but knowing that there may not have been a way to. "She went after my starseed later, but Ida and Chaonis saved me... but just barely. To think, Eternal rank and I still need help!"

"We can be scar buddies, then," Tsui said with a laugh, knowing that the joke was pretty lame and likely wouldn't have had much of the desired effect on her friend as she hoped, but at least she'd try. Tsui was certain that it was Painite that had attacked her friend, and it was enough to cause the Tiger senshi to want to overcome her fear of the general to fight back. She had hurt too many of her friends, and Tsui wasn't going to just sit by and allow it to happen. What was the point of this power if she couldn't protect others with it?

Tsui had no idea who Athene's cousin was, but she could sympathize with her. Maddy had the same reaction when she visited her young sister in the hospital, and it was terrible to have to lie to her to keep her safe. No one had said the senshi life would have been easy, but then again, why would anyone have thought it would be? What their unpowered families went through was horrible, and Tsui had seen it first hand.

"It's hard to lie to Maddy," Tsui admitted, tugging at the extended white bangs and giving the hair a twirl, an obvious sign of her discomfort. "I can imagine it's hard to lie to your cousin like that. There are times I wonder if it'd be safer just to tell Maddy's what's going on, but... then what if I get her involved? What if she becomes a target? Or my baby brother? Or your cousin? It... just sucks."

She gave a frustrated sigh, before admitting, "There's got to be something we can do."

"Well, better them to think we're crazy then get them involved, I guess," Tsui said, though there was little conviction in her voice and she knew that it showed. Tsui wasn't the type to lack confidence of any kind, but she also wasn't the type to lie, either. The fact that she didn't have an immediate solution to something bothered her, but she knew she was doing the right thing. Maddy couldn't know. Neither could her mother, or little Jacob, or even him. She didn't want to think of her family being in danger, and she'd rather Maddy think she was a delinquent than to know the truth. "But we're doing the right thing, Athene, even if it feels wrong. If that makes any sense."

Still, the thought of Painite harassing her friends boiled her up, and she wondered if there was something, anything, she could do. Besides attacking Painite head-on. She still feared her, but if it meant to protect her friends and so many others, then Tsui would take her on, alone if she had to. But as quick as that notion came to mind, she forced it down. Ganymede's, Pasiphae's and Valhalla's words still rung truth with her, and she knew that she wasn't alone. She didn't have to be alone. Neither did Athene, or Ida. None of them were alone...

Which gave her a thought, one that she brought up to Athene. "You know, we don't have to do this alone. We have so many other Senshis and Knights out there to call on. I have the Jovians... don't you have others to count on when you're in trouble?"

She thought he had mentioned it, but she couldn't remember. Which now made her wonder... who did Ida have?

It was good to know that Athene wasn't alone in his endeavors and sometimes that was enough. It took Tsui much too long to realize this herself, but it was never too late to make amends, at least in Tsui's eyes. "Well, know that you have them, and me... and there may be someone else who I will have to introduce you too, assuming she hasn't decided to hide her henshin pen and never transform again."

She had faith in Ida, though. She understood her friend's fears, but she knew that she wouldn't allow fear to get the better of her. She knew she'd rise to face the challenge, though perhaps more wisely than Tsui could do. Despite how disconnected their court may have been, Tsui did have some amount of faith in a few individuals, and Ida was one of them. For her to stand up to Painite that first time without any thought or hesitation... yes, Ida would do well once she overcame her fears, and perhaps the combined efforts of Tsui, Athene, and others could help her with that?

It was a thought for later, though, as Athene's statement did not go unheard. She gave him a nod, letting him know that she understood the sentiment. "Yeah... took a lot of time off for my brother, so I got a lot of shifts to make up for it. But take care, Athene... call me if you need someone to beat up a few baddies for you."