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Serpentine was looking that night for easy prey. He had a quota to fill, but he also did not have much time tonight to hunt. He knew that Richard was counting on him to guard his apartment; the Captain had sworn to his partner that until Bischofite was no longer a threat that he would do so. To keep his fellow Captain, his best friend, safe from a pyschotic that should never have been gifted with the dark gift inthe first place.

A young, purple-haired girl walking alone from a lab seemed the perfect target. He uncoiled the whip that lay in his sash and jumped out of the alley in which he had been hiding to aim it directly for the girl. There were less showy ways, but this one was one of his best in terms of intimidation. He could feel a powerful Senshi energy signature getting close, and he doubted he had time for much finesse.

It was Eternal Sailor Pasiphae who leapt down from a nearby office building and absorbed the Captain's blow. The whip bit into her forearms, slicing through the white sleeves until a streak of red appeared. She hissed in pain, preparing a strike of her own as she called to Keren, "Run! I'll hold him back... just, please, run!"

She had not been watching over the girl specifically - it was just a happy circumstance that she had come. Pasiphae had been doing routine patrol whenever she felt the Negaverse agent's signature and come as quickly as she could to try and correct it. When she noticed tell-tale purple hair and a familiar local... she had only increased her speed.

Keren had survived the events of the Surrounding, had never given into death... but the Shame Senshi distinctly remembered how the girl's hand had crumpled within her grasp, turning to gold dust that was only later reassembled. She would not lose her again.

Pasiphae maintained her defensive positon, waiting to see what the green-and-gold clad Negaverse agent would do. Her blood dripped down onto the concrete, and her arm stung terribly. Still, she stood her ground. She had to buy time for Keren to get away, to be safe... it did not matter how many cuts from the whip she endured. She did not dare call forth her magic because it would leave her rooted in one spot. If the Captain then decided to chase after the girl... then the Shame Senshi would no longer be able to help her.

Captain Serpentine growled as a Senshi bedecked in pearl and lace blocked his path. The blood he drew from her was enough to satisfy him, for now. What he truly wanted was to simply take his energy and go. It seemed his night would not be that simple. He had no fear in taking on an Eternal Senshi, despite the difference in power level. He raised his whip again, intending to lash at her stomach and hopefully draw her further back. Perhaps his prey was not yet out of reach. Perhaps he could salvage the situation and then go back to his nightly guard duty--

Or perhaps, because his attention was focused squarely on the black-haired-girl, a pitcher could strike him in the forehead. His retaliation was immediate, and instinctual, he threw a punch forward, hoping to nick this new full-mouthed, gothic girl down. First a Senshi and now whomever this was? Had he been less proud, less vain, he very well would have considered running. Retreat was a strategy of last resort.

Pasiphae would never have thought to equate a Negaverse agent with a rapist... but when this page made the comparison, it seemed natural. She remembered the feel of hands in her chest, groping at her starseed. Painful, cold... invasive. Yes, the comparison was too apt. She could not suppress a shudder, but she nodded to show she understood the plan. "You got it!" She launched a kick to the Captain's right side and waited for the page to take the left.

Serpentine did not dignify the purple-haired girl's taunts. He took no pleasure in causing pain unless it was to those that deserved it. The person who had decked him in his aching temples? She very much deserved it. She was also not overly bright in screaming out her plan. She had power in her strikes, and rage, and perhaps he could use that to his advantage. He rolled his shoulders back in the half second he had to himself to pop the joints and then rolled forward in an effort to avoid their attack.

Given a slight advantage by avoiding the last thrown blow, Captain Serpentine wasted no time. He turned around first and lashed his whip straight for the page's back. Instead, it encountered more resistance. The whip wrapped around Pasiphae's boot and jerked her leg aside. It was not a graceful movement at all as she fell, but she did not appear seriously hurt, other than her still bleeding wound. Disappointing - his concern for Buddingtonite and his father's death must be making him soft.

Before he knew it, the gothic girl had spun around and was assaulting him once more. In particular, it was coming near his face, one of his most prized possessions. He barely blocked the oncoming pitcher with a forearm, biting back any cry of pain. His arm could easily be covered with a long sleeve shirt, particularly in this colder weather. But his face? He refused to let them mar it!

The observant Pasiphae crawled forward and grabbed hold of his whip-wielding arm during this distraction. She squeezed as hard as she could and yanked down. She was rewarded when the whip fell from his hand and landed on the ground. She maintained her grip as she shouted to her ally, "Go for the face!"

The bone did not fully crunch in that sickening, satisfying way that the written word described, but the sound of metal against the side of the Captain's face was distinct. As was his howl of pain as he hit his knees and covered his most precious feature. His mind simply was not in this fight. He was thinking of a different place, a different face. No energy would be gained here; his quota would have to wait.

His partner needed him. What if Bischofite had come, while he was fighting here? What if Richard had crawled back into a bottle and needed someone to make sure he did not choke on his own vomit? Serpentine closed his eyes and resummoned his whip to his hand - but he did not raise it to strike. Instead, the rainbow-haired man disappeared, teleporting back to the place where his energies would be needed. There would be time for revenge on these two in future, safer nights.

Seeing the man teleport away, Pasiphae breathed an open sigh of relief. She did not remain at a distance for long, however, as she rushed to the page's side. Concern dripped from her voice as she murmured, "Are you alright?" Then, with a small smile, she added, "Thanks for your help... I appreciate it."

Maroon eyes widened as she realized that the pitcher wielding page had been snuck up as well, but Pasiphae was glad to hear that she had not recieved any injuries. "With the hit you gave him... I am sure he probably will. I'm glad you weren't hurt."

The Eternal Senshi laughed at the page's last statement, a tension breaking sound that distracted her from the burning pain of the whip slashes on her forearm and stomach. She shook her head, the beads on her mask clinking slightly as she explained the source of her amusement, "I'm Pasiphae. My moon is around Jupiter and... I'm sorry I laughed, but as far as I know none of us choose our names. It's nice to meet you, Megiddo, although I wish it had been under nicer circumstances. If you'll excuse me... I need to go find a friend of mine. She was attacked, like you, but got away. Maybe you saw her? She is very tall, with purple hair and was wearing a gray uniform?"

The Senshi's eyes only widened further. The announcement that Megiddo and Keren were one and the same, followed by the eventual loss of glamour... made her smile all the more. Of course it was Keren. Of course. It all made sense now. Pasiphae did not know how long the girl had been a page but she attacked it with the same intensity to which she clung with life. She would return the trust offered her by giving Keren her civilian identity as well.

Her own glamour melted away in a falling shower of maroon energy beads leaving only Penelope Seneca to stand before her friend. Eternal Sailor Pasiphae may have been bedecked in finery, including lace, pearl, and bead, but Penelope was a much more... well, common presence. She wore a light mint green sweater, it not being cold enough yet for her to pull out the cream colored coat from the previous winter out of the closet. Gray pants lead to cream colored ugg boots and perfectly matched the gray gloves with white heart decoration that covered her hands. No hat covered her thick black hair, but she did not need it yet.

A small blush coated her cheeks as it often did when she first made introductions, but really... it was just introducing Keren to another part of her life. She stretched out a hand and murmured, "I'm Penelope. Penelope Seneca. I'm so, so glad you're on our side, Keren..." The reasons why she felt did not need to be stated after what they had both seen in the Surrounding, after the battle they had just fought together. She was glad because Keren was tough, spirited, and most importantly of all... safe.

The movement of offering her arm made her wince slightly. Blood seeped into the woven sweater from the strikes of the whip. In her excitement, her joy... she had forgotten about them. Now they stung and bled, and the sight might very well upset her friend. "Looks like I need to bandage myself up... is there a pharmacy nearby that would be open this late? I'm not.. all that familiar with this part of town..."