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Pasiphae was doing her very best to be careful, especially after the lecture she had given Tsui. She had actually been going home from her rounds, finding no single force of Order fighting alone. That was what she patrolled for now as much as forces of Chaos--more so, in fact. She had had no intention of doing anything but helping her allies... but she detected a Chaotic aura and it was her duty to look into the matter. To make sure that no one else got hurt.

Stealth was not exactly the Shame Senshi's strong suit, and her entire outfit worked against her. The beads and pearls clicked slightly as she moved, the silk and lace swishing and scratching against itself, and her high-heeled boots left a hollow echo, despite her best efforts, as she slowly walked down the abandoned street near the park. The evening air was heavy with the scent of grass and flowers, the final signs of summer even though school had started this week.

Pasiphae jumped at the exclamation, half-stumbling over her heels as a result. She wobbled for a minute before regaining her balance, and as soon as she did she turned to face the owner of the voice she heard. Her eyes flitted over his form as he waved to her in the dark. It took her a minute to identify the Dark Moon Senshi that approached her, but the eyes and the voice were a dead give away. His outfit had changed to include a hood, among other changes, but those elements had not changed. "Yes... I know you! You're the one that hugged me!"

The mere memory of it made her blush a bit, but she cleared her throat and tried to keep her voice calm. She folded her hands into her lap and asked nervously, though politely, "You seem... well? No injuries?" No, she hadn't forgotten the battle, and she was not going to break the truce they had developed in those last moments of the fight. If he wasn't going to start a fight... then neither would she.

Pasiphae stared at the offered hand for a few moments as she listened to the barrage of questions, but there was no real doubt in her mind as to whether or not she would take it. It was the polite thing to do, and of all the Dark Moon Court... she believed Virtus to be genuine. Not like Remarque, who had tried to manipulate her emotions. At least... she hoped not. She had to be careful. She had to be strong. Not for herself--never for herself, but for those that she cared about. She would not falter...never again.

Yet, the Shame Senshi could not help but take his hand within her own and give the smallest of smiles, exchanging names so that their current pact would be more solidified. She needed to be strong--but Virtus had already seen her at her weakest. And his response had been to be... kind. She could not, would not, forget that, when it was a rarity in those she had fought, "Pasiphae."

She then answered his well-meaning questions, her eyes lowering somewhat in embarassment, "I... I'm glad you're alright. I'm as well as could be expected, given... everything that happened." It really was awkward for the shy girl to be here with him again, to accept that he had comforted her on the battlefield when she had been at her lowest point. And now he was... stronger. More aligned with his Court. No, she wasn't quite sure what to feel.

The blushing was just doomed to get worse. Her response to the compliment was to look away and brush some of her her hair behind one ear with her free hand. "This time," she added to his last statement, her naturally soft voice lowering in tone. "Next time... next time neither of us may be that lucky." Her gaze shifted to stare at their interlocked hands and gently moved to take hers back. The motion wasn't angry or aggressive but hopefully it would get her intention across.

It was just awkward when all she could think whenever she looked at him was that he had hugged her. After his Court and the Negaverse had done such horrible things... that was all she could think of when looking at him. What was she going to do? If Ganymede had been there, he could offer attitude. If Nyx had been there, she could offer a punch. All she could manage was a small, almost self-deprecating joke, "Although... you may, at least, want to reconsider hugging on the battlefield. It can be dangerous."

'It felt safe at the time.' Pasiphae was honestly not sure what to make of such a statement,considering how chaotic the entire battle, and especially those last, horrific moments before they had been teleported to the Moon. Still... his understanding of the situation relieved her, at least. She didn't want to see him hurt.

"I believe that you think that." She did. Why he believed it, what he had been told, if he could be saved... those were all questions. That he believed it was not. It was a debate that had been going on far more often than she liked, and her own experiences with the Jovians and with Carnelian made her rub her arm self-conciously. So many had fallen... first to the Negaverse and now to the Dark Moon Court. "That you're helping, instead of hurting."

Unfortunately it wasn't true. The Shame Senshi did not say the words aloud, as she did not wish to antagonize. She considered his question very, very carefully. She was more on guard now than she had been previously in her Senshi career. After the ambush... they all needed to be more careful. Discretion was, at least, a skill she knew well as she finally replied, "I do patrol, yes, and I fight as needed. It seems... more necessary than ever, now."

Is there something wrong with me? First Carnelian, then Remarque... now Virtus. All trying to... confuse me. To corrupt me. She could not stop the thought from rising, a small, worried frown passing over her face before she could suppress it. In response she brushed some of her black hair behind her ear, her gaze lowering.

After a moment of silence, she felt able to continue. "The problem is which side we'd all be joining." She kept the conversation civil, but her gentle voice was bittersweet. She moved a step closer to the equally gentle Virtus, her hand spread in an open gesture, "I assume you'd want me to join your Court. I would want you to join mine. Because... we both think we're saving the other."

Now her shyness rose again, a blush coating her cheeks as he might take it the wrong way, given their closeness, their previous encounter. But she pressed on, though more quietly, "I do want to save you, Virtus. To stop the fighting, but I can't... I won't join you. I'm sorry."

The Shame Senshi was doing her best to be more careful around her opponents... but it was hard not to want to relax around Virtus. Many had hurt her, and those she loved, but he had not raised a finger. She could not put the blood spilt at the ambush on his hands. The doubt about herself was, likewise, not his fault. That was all her. Yet, she did not want to give him false hope either as she nodded, "My heart is with my friends. I don't think it'll ever change. I understand if you feel the same way." She gave a soft smile as she finished her thought, "But... even if we have to fight, I don't consider you an enemy. If that makes you feel any better, I mean."

He was willing to answer questions. It could be an opportunity to learn more about the still new faction that they were standing against. She could pass the information along to the Jovians, to Polaris, to Tsui. She should be jumping at the chance. Pasiphae knew that, cognitively. Yet it was not in her nature to use another in general, and especially not someone who had been as kind to her as Virtus had been. So, she bit her lip for a second before asking, "May I tell others whatever you tell me?"

Now it was Pasiphae's turn to look thoughtful. She scuffed the heel of her boot against the ground for a moment, staring at the upturned earth as though it would allow her to put concreteness to her thoughts. There were so many things... not just for her own knowledge, but that others would want to know too. Why hadn't she thought to ever ask the others what they wanted to know?!

After a moment she looked up and took a step closer. No need for them to be far away if they were only going to fight. Plus, it would keep them from needing to raise their voices and--hopefully--not garner any additional attention. She had to be careful. She couldn't say anything based off of her own assumptions without fear of alienating him. "I suppose the best place to start is... the beginning? Um... why did you join the Dark Moon Court? What are you all fighting for?"

Not that she truly needed to ask. Not when the memory of Ares in the Surrounding was only too clear. The memory of a different hand grasping in her own chest, cold and insistent, led her to unconciously bring a protective hand near the bow on her chest. Her voice dried up momentarily. How could she... delicately ask what was on her mind? There seemed no way to do so, but her pitch softened all the same when she spoke again, "Does it... does it hurt? When you awakened... when you call on your planet?"