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Encke would have answered, but it seemed that the general in front of him had figured it out herself.

The fidgeting that seemed innate to both of them stopped entirely for her, and soon, she was no longer facing him entirely, and Encke swore it was like the weight of the world looked like it was suddenly on her shoulders. And perhaps it was. If she had been trying to change the Negaverse from within like that, an organization that's problems had been systemic and woven in from the top down, it would have been exhausting. It probably felt hopeless.

His heart went out to her.

Encke found himself bending down too, going down on one knee and balancing his arm on the other so he wasn't towering over her. No need to seem threatening. He was fairly sure all the threat she might have contained the last time they met was gone.

"You've been trying to do as good as you can in the system you're within," he found himself tapping into the calming voice he had used for a recent role, a low baritone murmur. "And that's a great goal. An admirable one, even. To work within the confines that the Negaverse sets from the top down -- from the abusive generals, the starseeds, the youma -- and to try and fix that..."

He forced himself to bury down the slight nerves at bringing the concept of switching sides back up. He had seen how she reacted last time. But this felt ... different.

"The how I'd do it is by showing how to get freedom from those systems. Away from the Negaverse." He was careful. Reached out, went to put a hand on her shoulder if she was willing to accept it, but he would have pulled it away if she didn't seem to want it. "You mentioned, last time we met, that people kept leaving. I don't think they were leaving you. I think they realized they couldn't stop those things from within the system."

The way she softened drew Encke in closer, While he didn't attempt to gather her up -- partially perhaps for her own sense of security, and partially for his own -- he did reach to put his other hand on her other shoulder, too, to offer a supportive squeeze to show that he was there, as he let her have her own closed, tight ball.

She was muffled, but he understood it well enough.

"If you find that we're not," Encke couldn't help the ghost of a smile, even if she couldn't see it, "then that's the beauty of Order. You can ignore us. Do your own thing, rescue in the way you see fit. Our name can be very deceptive--"

He noticed it, too, perhaps noticing it primarily after she stiffened because the bright auras didn't bother him so much as they bothered her. He was able to pick out what they were -- a super and a transcendent super, an unusual aura to feel even in most circumstances. He did know one transcendent super off the top of his head. He did hope this wasn't the transcendent super he was thinking of--

"I'll talk to them," he offered, to Sylvite, hoping that he could keep her there.

It felt like something was breaking through.

As he shifted his attention to the approaching auras, one Transcendent Super Sailor Anser had keyed in on the general aura so close to the eternal aura, and was heading toward it with one of her favorite patrol buddies. "Think they're gonna need back up?" She was already presuming yes. A general and an eternal could have ended up at a deadlock, but adding two supers to the mix would hopefully make that overwhelming. "My magic works a bit better now that I've shed the chibiness. Could probably boost all of us if I get in the right range."

Anser cracked her knuckles, quickening her pace just the slightest bit.

Anser knew that Cybele was hurting, that her arm wasn't in the best shape -- but that just made it better that they were working together and that she also felt an eternal over there. It could go haywire, there could be more Negaverse agents that showed up if it was anything like those damned generators, but three against one was generally good odds--

When Cybele stopped keeping pace, Anser came to a stop, turning back.

And then she saw red.

It didn't matter to her if she saw Encke over there, either. Encke could have been in trouble if this was the person who had force corrupted Cybele. The Negaverse was not to be trusted, not with how many people they corrupted, not with how many people they tricked, not with how many people they had turned into youma-- When Cybele charged forward, she did too, unleashing her magic as soon as she thought she was in close enough range.

To Encke, he saw the arrows, found himself murmuring a quiet, "s**t," under his breath, one that was reaffirmed with the way Sylvite shook her head, "I'm sorry," he managed-- and she vanished like the Negaverse was wont to do. The s**t was a bit louder the second time when his balance rocked because he was now holding nothing and he quickly scrambled to get to his feet and brush himself off as a self-regulating measure. s**t--

On one hand, it was good to see Anser and Cybele back out together again. On the complete opposite hand, he was deeply upset and torn that he had just lost--

"She better know better to run! Teleportation bullshit--" Anser huffed, arriving in front of Encke like lightning, as she looked around, waiting for the inevitable moment that a*****e would reappear--. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," his voice was probably a bit terser than he intended. He took a deep breath. He let it out. "Sorry. Not your fault. She was talking to me about leaving. The Negaverse--"

Anser reeled back, not quite letting him finish. "What?"

She's not going to leave.

He believed Cybele, he did -- but something told him that wasn't quite the case, here. Not with the way she collapsed in front of him. Not with the questions she asked, the way she spoke, the way she acted. And perhaps she was a brilliant actor, but-- He worried over his bottom lip for a moment, tapped his fingers against his leg, and murmured, "I don't think so." It was an important point, but, "Not that I don't believe you. I do. But I'm not sure if she's the same person you knew."

Anser crossed her arms and huffed. "And what makes you think she's not as good of an actor as you are?" It was a compliment, at least, and Encke did take it that way even as Anser kept talking. "If she's Info, she's good at pulling heartstrings. Maybe she just figured out how to yank on yours."

"She asked me about things that the Negaverse had done to us, related to starseeds. Said that things like starseeding, abusive generals, and forced recruitment were bad." Encke shrugged, folding his arms over his chest. "And she didn't ask me for anything about myself. Not even my name."

Maybe he could show her how to call out to Cosmos while she wavered--

Ah.

So he did know the person she had force corrupted.

The fact that the few people he knew directly bubbled to mind and one of them was right in front of him was an interesting mental loop to take himself through, and his face broke into something of sympathy, the way he crossed his arms first turning tighter and then relaxing as he bounced on the tips of his toes, not quite able to keep his emotions bottled up -- or even wanted to, what was the relevance here, where would take get him -- "I'm sorry."

He was, sincerely. Didn't want to dig up those memories, and certainly didn't make the connection until she had said so. He'd imagine that'd motivate her reaction to the general at large -- "Understandably upset. I think she's learned from what she did to you, though." He knit his brows. "It doesn't excuse it. But she mentioned the person she force recruited leaving--"

Anser scrunched her nose. "I'm still inclined to not trust her, but your thing has always been being chatty with people, I guess." Wasn't hers. Would never be hers. Not with after what had been done to so many of the people she knew and so many people she didn't. It had long-passed the time that it was acceptable to wonder how many more lives could be at risk-- "Anyway. Yeah, you coming?"

Encke shook his arms out, let out a quiet sigh, and let the topic drop. No point in pressing on it. No point in bringing back up that pain-- "Yeah. Sure." A wry smile accompanied a, "Most generals aren't exactly up to talking."