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Hafwen saw everything. The slumped over motionless body of Darren Waughner at the fountain - a boy who did absolutely nothing wrong other than being at the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong person and had to pay the price for it. With his life that was encased within the starseed that Buddingtonite removed from his chest before giving his personal crab youma Gra the command to retreat as he now came for her.

Was that all there was to it? Was she too late in trying to save him?

The blue-haired teen started clawing at the Captain's hand and arm, her struggling a couple of seconds late with her instincts kicking in from the acute lack of oxygen just as her mind began to register the fact that his hand was around her neck and choking her. "N-no..." She protested, ceruleans fixated on the brightness that was Darren's starseed as she tried her utmost to reach for it even as her strength started to fail her as a result of the energy that was being drawn from her.

"... give him back... please..."

Came her plea amidst her coughing, alarm bells already going off in her head at the darkness that was beginning to invade her field of vision as her body screamed at her to do anything in order to get more air into her lungs in the interest of self preservation. "Not... ... him... ..." And yet she couldn't find it within herself to place even her own life before his that had already been lost, thinking that so long as she got her hands on the starseed that Buddingtonite still had between his fingers, there certainly must be a way to bring Darren back to life.

And for that, she was willing to take his place if that was what it took to get him back.

Serpentine's eyes remained firmly closed as his youma guided him towards his parrtner. Stheno found her instructions strange but the worst part was that a glimmeing morsel had just slid out of Buddingtonite's hand. Her slit eyes widened and a forked tongue ran over her lipless mouth. She rose to surge forward--but immediatly stopped when her master's hand gripped her arm tightly. "Focus. Buddingtonite."

He felt her tense beneath his touch, but she hissed her assent. The Captain opened his eyes once he had taken a few steps away from the person he had felt compelled to look at and found it comforting that he could see again. Just in time, too, as it filled him with a particular amount of pride to see his partner succeeed. They had both grown much in their time together, and this just seemed to prove it. Medea's interference may have cost them a starseed, but that was not the prize they had originally sought anyway.

"Stheno, return." The youma disappeared in a puff of black dust, back down to the Rift that was her permanent home. Unencumbered, and free from the Senshi's magic, he gave a final crack of his whip to keep back the crowd as he teleported himself away from the area. He trusted Buddingtonite to be intelligent enough to do the same. The sooner they left the area... the sooner hsi friend could deliver the energy to his General and ensure his safety. The mission may have gone unexpectedly... but it was over now.

Victory was sweet.