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Babylon had been on his way home after a frankly exhausting night, but was thankfully not so close to his block that he thought the corrupt senshi would be able to piece together where he lived or who he was. Turning to face Persephone, he recognized her instantly - how could he not? There were only so many tiny, green-haired girls wearing Negaverse Fuku.

"Go away," he said, rolling his eyes at her, trying to hide that there was anything wrong with him that might make him an easy mark. "I don't want to fight you and we already know you're not going to be able to take me back to Avalon." God. Was that still going on? He hoped that wasn't still going on. He had bigger things to deal with than a bunch of lieutenants trying to collect a bounty.

Like the second starseed burning a hole in his chest, for example.

Now this is the sort of corrupt senshi I'm familiar with, said Menachem, to which Babylon thought, Yes. Great. Let's not become more familiar with her.

"Just turn around and leave and this will be over before it even begins," he said.

Babylon narrowed his eyes at her briefly, not sure whether he ought to suspect a trap. But she seemed honest in her intentions, and he decided to trust her, sure that, if need be, a good whack from his lantern would be enough to send her on her merry way. "Honestly, it's what you deserve for going over to their side," he said guardedly.

This is the threat you face? asked Menachem, sounding incredulous. Children who do not even wish to fight you? How is it that you did not defeat chaos long ago?

Babylon gritted his teeth. He hadn't wanted his ancestor to have any more reasons to look down on him - especially because the old man was inside his head and they'd finally reached an understanding. "I know she wants me to join her," he said, "But you have no place getting mixed up in that. I don't care how much money she offered you. She should have skipped the middleman and come to me herself." Not that he would have gone with her either way, but having bounty hunters coming after him had been completely off-putting. Couldn't Avalon at least maintain some illusion of sanity?

That was in the past, of course. He debated what to tell her about his aura, whether to be straight with her or... let her work for it a bit. "Perhaps you should have stuck around longer," Babylon suggested. It occurred to him that if he were to spill the beans, she'd run right back to her supervisor, Avalon or whomever, and tattle, and then he'd be responsible for a whole lot of bullshit.

"Any strangeness with my aura is my business and mine alone," he told Persephone.

Babylon... didn't actually know what she was referring to, and decided it wasn't worth the effort to find out, because he wanted her to leave him alone. Asking the stage-five clinger corrupt senshi what she meant was not conducive to getting rid of her. She could threaten to follow him, but surely she'd eventually get bored and go home, right?

Well, he could only hope. "Virgo's fine," he said, planning to leave it at that because he remembered his solemn promise to never embarrass her ever again. "Why's it any of your concern?"

He was sort of confused what the deal was with all these completely ineffective corrupt senshi he'd been meeting lately. Was there something in the water? The air? He still wasn't going to tell her why his aura might feel weird.

What a strange era to come to, said Menachem, where no one who has thrown their lot in with Chaos understands what that truly means.

Because fighting an enemy that actively wanted to kill you, all the time, 24/7 would be so much easier, thought Babylon flatly. Avalon was like that, and the only advantage he could see was that you always knew exactly what you were going to get with her. It was confusing to fight people who sometimes wanted you dead and sometimes wanted to talk about the weather.

Speaking of Avalon, though. "It does change you," said Babylon, not letting her off so easy. Even if Persephone didn't think she was twisted. Even if she wasn't exactly a cold, heartless monster. "Which set of memories did you forget?" he asked. "Civilian or powered?" Who was she to say how much she'd changed?

"I'm on my way home," he said, trying to project a definite air of I'm not in the mood for small talk so bug off. If it weren't for this interruption, he'd already be home, but there was no way he'd lead Persephone back to Florence Court. "I'm probably going to change into pajamas and watch an episode of Orange is the New Black and pass out. I'm boring. Sorry."

Babylon nodded, her mention of watching a fourteen-year-old senshi bleed out pinging something familiar in his mind. He couldn't place it, though, and so he let it slip from his priorities for the moment. Would Babylon have gone dark, if he'd seen someone he cared about so intensely die that way?

No, he decided. He'd lost people, and it only made him fight harder. He couldn't comprehend the kind of thinking that made people corrupt.

For the better, boy.

"Did you think that joining their side would make it stop hurting?" he asked, trying to understand her reasoning. "Did someone tell you you would have a choice and they could do that for you?"

Because, like, the Negaverse was built on a throne of lies. Lies and corpses and stuff.

"You should go rediscover what being boring is all about," he suggested. "It's not about following me home. I can't be boring if you're there."

That was a really shitty reason to corrupt, thought Babylon, although he knew better than to say so. He did not think that there were actually any not-shitty reasons for corrupting, but thinking that joining with the dark forces of evil and dark would solve any of your problems was just... really dumb.

So, like, what an awesome way to honor a dead girl's memory: by trying to completely forget her.

What utter cowardice, said Menachem. Babylon sighed: he was inclined to agree.

"Okay, okay, fine," he said, deciding to bullshit this. If she wasn't going to let him go easy, then maybe he could frustrate her into leaving him alone. "But, like, it's really embarrassing, so you've got to promise not to tell anyone, okay?" He paused a moment, to let tension build just a little.

"I'm pregnant," deadpanned Babylon.

"We're magical warriors from outer space and you're telling me you draw the line at male pregnancy?" asked Babylon incredulously. "Besides, how do you know what I'm packing in my pants? There are dudes with those parts." Not that Babylon was one of them, for anyone following along at home and keeping score. Not that we'd be under any obligation to tell you if he was, but, just for narrative clarity, and now we are clear, and this metatextual intrusion will end in three, two, one...

He cradled his hands beneath his navel. "I am growing a tiny baby senshi messiah," Babylon said, trying very, very hard to keep a straight face. "One who will lead us out of darkness and restore the moon kingdom to its former glory, all before the tender age of twelve. Queen Serenity came to me in a dream and told me so."

That is the most embarrassingly bold lie I have ever heard, said Menachem, But I don't see why you refuse to tell her when you have been so open with others of her alignment.

Because she'll rat to Avalon, thought Babylon, biting his cheek to keep from laughing. "My aura is so strange because I am in the family way," he said.

If all else failed, Babylon decided, he would clock her with his lantern and beat a hasty escape and call it a night.