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The dogs were cold, which was understandable. They'd bundled up together on top of Sagittarius' shirts and were huddled for warmth, tails wagging as though they didn't have a care in the world. Magellan might have been irritated with the two boys, but she understood that it was pretty cold and the bluenette was going to need his shirt, so she whistled. The dogs sprang up, clamboring over into her lap, and settled on top of the silk and ribbons.

Normally, she would not want her doggies all over her senshi uniform, mostly because she knew they had a hard time resisting chewing on ribbon. But this wasn't a normal situation.

"Just to the subway station will be fine," she said, trying her best to remain mysterious. She'd just call her parents once she got here and henshined down, and tell them that the dogs had chased a cat or something and she'd ended up at the station. They were not going to believe her, but oh well.

Leo wasn't too concerned with his own wound, considering the kick to the face had hurt more than the spike grazing it, but he doctored himself quickly and pressed a wad of gauze up against his face to act as an impromtu band-aid until he could find a better one. (Jude did not have band-aids big enough to cover half of his face, apparently.) When he was finished, he pressed his cheek to his shoulder, wincing as he did, to hold the bandage in place while he put the kit back together and shoved it under the seat.

Considering Magellan seemed pretty determined to take the window, Leo decided it wasn't a very big deal to him and slid into the middle. How odd they were going to look, three senshi riding around town in the cab of a beaten-up truck.

The moment he sat, one of the dogs tromped over eagerly, sniffing and propping its tiny paws up on his chest so that it could get a better look at him. Leo smiled, scratching it behind the ears, as he said, "Sagittarius, look. They're so cute."

At his side, Magellan beamed.

Feeling oddly like she was being scolded by a parental figure, though her father would have been much more crisp in his delivery, Magellan scowled. Her good humor toward Leo evaporated in light of being treated like a child by Sagittarius, and her tone adopted the sort of irritated whine that only teenage girls could truly ever play to perfection.

"Do you have any idea what it'll look like to my father if he shows up and finds me with two guys at a subway station?" She could just imagine the disapproving look, the questions that would follow. Vincent Rymner would no doubt want to know why the two males in question looked worse for the wear, what their names were, and whether he should thank them or give their descriptions to the police.

God, she was going to have to come up with some heroic story about them, wasn't she? One that would bruise her pride and put her in a foul mood for the rest of the night, as her father would think she was some kind of damsel in distress (and she had been doing just fine, okay maybe not great, but she would've handled it).

From beside her, Leo said easily, "I can wait in the car." He figured that if there was trouble, though it seemed unlikely at a subway station, he and Sagittarius could do a pincer attack or something. But he really hoped there wasn't trouble.

He'd just used his attack after all, and he was tired from fighting the youma. Especially since he'd been trying to go to sleep in the first place.

Seeing the other senshi exposed in his civilian identity, Magellan was still suspicious, but much less so. She even managed not to be too offended at the hair ruffling, though she did take the time to straighten out her bodice and give him a dark look at his comment about lying. Dani tried to be honest with them, she really did. There were just some things she had to keep secret, like the fact that she was a skirted warrior of justice and her dogs had some ridiculous notion that they had to hunt down every youma that came close by the house and try to chase it off, despite being teeny tiny chihuahuas.

"Fine." And just like that, she'd henshined down, revealing the same young, adorable girl they'd seen before. Her lips were definitely pointing, but she gathered her dogs up and gave Jude an arch look. "Dani Rymner. I go to Meadowview, by the way. That might be where you saw me."

It didn't sit well with her to have only two out of the three of them know their personal identities, so she turned, giving Leo a haughty look. "You, too. Lose the glitz."

"I was getting hot anyway," Leo replied, lifting his shoulders in a shrug as the henshin dropped. He was back to being a slightly wet-haired young man again, sweatpants and colts tee shirt, one boot slightly unlaced, a cap shoving down his hair. "Grayson Graves."

Dani stared at him a moment before asking, "Why did you go out in the middle of the night with your hair wet?"

Grayson slid his gaze to Jude, looking equal parts amused and frustrated. "Jude's idea."

Dani didn't actually want to call home, because she was sure there was lecture in store for her, but she had to get some sleep. She had to keep to a regular schedule, after all, for when she got her stupid cast off and could take up her former exercise regimen again. So, she pulled out her cell phone, girlishly blinged out with fake jewel stickers, and dialed her father.

She turned away from them, jugging her dogs in one arm (thank God they were tiny) while she had a quick, heated discussion with her rather cranky father.

When she turned back, it was with a long-suffering look. "Okay, Dad is on his way, so let's go, Jude."

Clearly, Dani was not someone who had any problems going on a first-name basis with strangers. They'd just battled a youma together, so she figured they were close enough.

She gave Grayson a brief wave, saying, "See you at school!" and then turned to flounce off, her dogs still wagging their tails merrily from under her arms.

Vincent Rymner didn't look like was pleased to be called out of bed. He was wearing an ugly old Christmas sweater and a pair of jeans, somehow managing to look dignified despite the incredibly large Santa Claus in the middle of his chest. He pulled up in a sleek little silver car, and had already made it five strides toward them when Dani hurried forward with the dogs. "Dad! Good thing you're here!"

Vincent gave Jude a brief look, not necessarily heated but certainly not friendly, and accepted the dogs. "Yes, well. It's time for you to go home, Daniela."

His eyes flicked to Jude again, and he clearly didn't want to lecture his daughter in front of.. whoever this was. She'd given him enough information on the phone to let him know that the dogs had run out of the yard while on a potty break and she'd nearly been mugged, but some kind stranger had saved her. Apparently, at some cost to himself.

Grudgingly, crisply, Vincent thanked him. "I appreciate your helping my daughter, Mr. ..?"

From Jude's car (where he was not touching anything, all right) Grayson watched with some interest, mostly intrigued by the nice looking car. It definitely looked more comfortable than Jude's truck, though he did like th truck.

Vincent nodded toward Jude as well, an unspoken parting between men who really wanted nothing to do with each other. Dani and the dogs were safely secured in the car, and though she gave Jude a fleeting look, she was quickly occupied with what she'd hoped she wouldn't have to do until she got home: explanations.

Grayson didn't envy Dani one bit. Nor did he envy Jude having to deal with her father; he knew fathers could be troublesome things, having two himself, and was glad he'd likely never be in the position where he had to reason with an unreasonable father. Maybe, if he ever got into a serious, committed relationship, but Grayson wasn't in any big rush for that. Things were too confusing as they were in his life without getting serious enough to meet someone's family.

Funny that he thought of Ignacio. He dismissed the boy's face almost immediately, half-turning to Jude with hiked brows. "I suppose I'll take that in the spirit it was offered, and not be offended."

Grayson was a difficult one to offend, anyway, so they both knew that comment held no weight.

Had it been anyone else, Grayson would have leaned over and patted their back. Considering it was Jude, he simply offered him an exasperated smile. "Are you going to be all right to drive?" Nevermind Grayson didn't have a license. "Your shoulder looks pretty bad, and I'm not very good at first aid."

He really ought to try to get better at that, especially if he was going to patrol with Jude on a regular basis.

Grayson had expected the reply, and so he merely shrugged to it. He didn't have a license anyway, so the offer was kind of a ridiculous one. He imagined he could maneuver the truck decently enough if he absolutely had to, but he wasn't in any big hurry. His parents were beginning to needle him about getting a license, too, and that was just one more thing he wasn't all that motivated to have.

"All right, then." He buckled in, and then glanced over curiously when Jude referred to his girlfriend as Captain Aries. Grayson could understand wanting to keep your civilian and Zodiac lives separate, as he tried very hard to do just that, but he didn't think that applied when you were dating someone. Especially when that someone also knew both identities, anyhow.

His brow furrowed as Jude continued to speak, but he remained quiet. If he was expecting it to get ugly, maybe there was a good reason he was referring to Hero as Aries. That must mean it was official senshi business, the kind that would put a strain between two members of the Zodiac. He wondered, very briefly, what kind of effect it would have on their relations as Jude and Hero, but he quickly buried that thought.

So not his business.

But then again, when it came to patrolling, it sort of became his business. He was just getting used to patrolling with Sagittarius, and the thought of losing that disappointed him. More than he'd thought it would, and more than he wanted to admit.

So he glanced away from Jude, looking out the window with a faint frown on his face. "If that's for the best, I can't argue."