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Elke had gone to the library the very next day and was, quite frankly, shocked to see Mr. Darrow back at work. So, knowing he was apparently all right enough to be working, that night after that Sailor Virgo popped up on the bike rack. It was sort of embarrassing that she was small enough her feet didn't touch the ground when she balanced on the metal poles; they just sort of dangled, toes pointed towards the floor.

The lights in the building were going off, section by section; she watched them, a little mystified. Most of the people passing by on their way to the parking lot gave her curious looks, but didn't say anything. Some people, Virgo knew, were scared of the senshi, and she saw some of those people too. Were they going to call the cops?...

It seemed like someone had just told the workers inside the library, because after a little while, Mr. Darrow came out of the doors. "Hello," she said, waving. The hand she left in her lap was in a brace, but otherwise the only signs of the recent battle were fading scrapes on her cheekbone, and her somewhat scabby knees. She looked down at her toes, blushing a little bit. "I promised you an explanation, right?"

Right.

She tensed up a little, trying to read the nuances of his expression. It looked like he was scared of her. Really, deeply, truly she hoped that wasn't what that queer smile was about. Virgo didn't hurt anyone, didn't want to hurt anyone. Not even on accident. "I'll walk you home," she said, "just on case."

Beat. "Is that right? Just on case?" She tilted her head a little bit, then slipped down from the bike rack to stand close, but not too close, she didn't want to scare poor Mr. Darrow. "I don't speak English so well sometimes," she admitted, shrugging.

The bluenette smiled, a little goofily, when he laughed. "I'm sorry for leaving," she said, "but I couldn't get caught, my Captain is already so mad at me--"

She was fidgeting while waiting for him to walk, staring fixedly at the sling on his arm.

"--because I go out alone." She gave Anthony a hopeless look. "So I really had to, Mr. Darrow."

She colored at that. "Just in case. I'll remember." Probably. Maybe. She still tended to come out with 'seen a goat' on occasion, and people at Crystal rampantly reminded her that it was 'seen a ghost'.

No one was perfect, okay?

Her heels clicked as they started to walk. That was the smile she was more familiar with, and reflexively her own smile came back. "Don't be sorry, Mr. Darrow, it's my job to keep civilians safe." The frown she took more as a 'you shouldn't be out alone' frown than an 'I am unhappy with you' frown, which was probably good. Virgo could get really worked up when anxious.

"It is, usually. The monsters are getting stronger, this was a lot easier before. I'm supposed to pair up with other soldiers on my team--the Zodiacs? I'm Sailor Virgo, Soldier of Innocence, and my brother's Sailor Leo, Soldier of Radiance. Our Captain is Sailor Aries, Soldier of Bravery." She blinked owlishly at Anthony, laced her fingers in front of her and picked up her pace a bit. It was hard to keep up, a little, because she really was very short, especially compared to Anthony. "Do you have any specific questions I may answer?"

His proclamation of innocence seeming 'apt' was met with a somewhat frustrated pout. Everyone said it was apt, but Virgo was very sure she was pretty worldly. After all, she had died like three times. That was a lot of times, two more than people usually got. She waited for his answer, reaching up to fuss with her circlet.

Then she smiled, shaking her head. "No, you can know my name! I mean, not the name I use as a civilian? But Sailor Virgo, you can know. What is it they say?... um. I won't have to kill you 'cause you know." Then a firm nod, like confirmation of what she had said. She pursed her lips, watched him more than the road; she almost walked into a light pole because of it, but it was worth it. Totally worth it.

"Don't do that," she said sternly, reaching up to remove his hand from the area of his stitches. "I had stitches all up my side and I was not allowed to touch them 'cause you can pull them out!" She seemed to realize what she had done, then, and turned bright red. "If you want to, though, if it's really important you could..."

"No," she said, shaking her head; "It was the Negaverse. They're the bad guys, sort of? They attack people and steal starseeds." She searched her memory to see if she had told him about starseeds; she'd mentioned having something special in their heart, right? Something like that. She pressed one hand to her side with remembered pain. "They cause the monsters." Virgo pressed her circlet further up her forehead, making a humming sound as she did.

Then, she took a deep breath and was about to launch into the whole explanation, but the box cut her off. She looked at the box; up to Anthony; back to the box. And then, one more time, back to Anthony, and then she hesitantly took the gift. "Thank you," she said, still sounding a little uncertain. Was she even allowed to be given gifts for doing her job? She would ask Hero, when she got back. As was polite, she opened up the card first; the message on the inside made her giggle, and it was with less trepidation that she opened the box. The charm bracelet caught the light as she lifted it out, reflecting off the circlet she wore.

The look of utter delight on her face could not have possibly been feigned.

"Thank you," she breathed, again, as she slipped the bracelet on. The card and the box she tucked up against her, and she continued to smile her beatific smile at Tony for a long, long moment. If she ever took off the charm bracelet, it would be a miracle. Sure, it was kiddish, but it was something! And that was a lot more than people usually got.

Looking down to the box for a moment, she scrubbed at one flushed cheek. "Thank you," she said, for the fourth time. "You really shouldn't have." And then she asked, "What else can I tell you? I can try and explain as much as I know, and I know a lot, it's kind of complicated though..."

'Happy' was a weak word for the way Virgo was obviously glowing with delight, but that was besides the point. The point was, he was grinning at her and she was grinning back and oh, she knew it would never happen but still, wasn't it nice to hope?

"Starseeds," she supplied, "they are called starseeds, they're inside your chest, like your heart? That's what the monsters, they're called youma, they want the starseed. Only it's like your soul, without your starseed you--" She paused, looking up at the very dark sky. How should she word it so it didn't come out callous or scared? The petite Zodiac soldier took a deep breath. "You die," she finished.

She straightened, her shoulders slipping back like she was steeling herself to keep talking. "The Negaverse could get them from us senshi, of course. Our starseeds are different--not better, just different. Because of what we are? but there are things that humans can do that senshi cannot, so not better, just different." The bluenette pressed one gloved finger to the corner of her mouth, looking thoughtfully at him (or his jacket, one of the two). "They make the monsters because for a long long time it was just a very bad man named Charonite. Charonite killed--"

Virgo cut off. She couldn't tell him about how the Zodiacs had died, and died, and finally stayed alive. That would be extremely stupid, and also he'd probably think she was joking. The senshi had been very sincere, making eye contact as much as she could without blushing bright red, but telling him resurrection was possible? No.

"--some senshi," she said, stonily, looking straight ahead now. "I hate him. I hate him a lot."

"Life is unfair," said Virgo, her shoulders slumping forward. This made her look disconsolate, and more than that, even smaller and younger. Before, she might have been pegged for fifteen. Now, she looked maybe twelve. Twelve as of yesterday, anyway. Anyone who knew the dark-haired senshi could have told you that this was a very uncommon thing for her to say, and this was indicated when she straightened a little bit. "That's not right," she said, trying for confident but there was a tiny tremor in her voice. "It will all be okay."

Her sigh was quiet, her next words more so. "Did you know, we don't choose to be senshi? I've been a senshi for longer than I can even remember." Thousands and thousands of years. "The news says we choose to do this, so we're terrorists, but that's not so. I was born inside this skin."

She launched into her next explanation. "We're strong because that's how it is," she said, "because that's how it's always been. And I saw you because I always patrol around the library, I like to make sure everyone gets to their cars all right--well, I mean, it's on my patrol route, I also go through East Heights and the boutique district, you know."

Her feet stuttered on the ground when he wrapped his arm over her shoulder. As much as anyone else would swear Elke and Virgo were like night and day, they really were the same person, and that person could not believe her luck. Not only had Anthony bought her a charm bracelet, now his arm was over her shoulder, and it was just like...

Really sad. Why was he doing this? She looked up at him through her bangs, an uncertain smile and a blush extending to her collarbones on her waist. At the joke about the tiger, she giggled; and then, sounding a little lighter, she said, "Thank you." That made five times in a night that she'd thanked him, but her look--well, it made sense.

It was like the time with Black Lady, really. Except Tony hadn't just attempted to kill her. She had failed--he'd gotten hurt, hadn't he?--but he was still trying to cheer her up. Purposefully, she widened her smile and scrunched up her eyes. "I am really sorry, Mr. Darrow, I'm supposed to be answering your questions." She brushed at her hair. "Um... what else do you want to know?"