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As per Kaatje's request, he'd called in sick to work. Something something summer flu, very terrible, barfing every five minutes, won't be in all week. And then, probably against all better judgment, he neglected to send a letter to Hvergelmir and instead headed out on patrol. It wasn't, he told himself, just because he'd accidentally henshined and couldn't figure out how to un-henshin, but it sort of was. The house rules were clear: no powers inside Florence Court.

So, woozy, leaking light, and in a whole lot of pain, Babylon headed out into the night. He could only hope that he encountered friend and not foe out in the wilds of Destiny City. Perhaps Hvergelmir-

Damn-

He was supposed to write to her-

He did not have any paper, or a pen, or-

Anyway, there was a knight's signature up ahead. Too strong to be a page like Hvergelmir. With his current luck, it would probably be someone Babylon had no desire to run into tonight, but even bad company would pass the time.

It is Kairatos, said Menachem, as Babylon drew closer.

"I can see that," he said. "You know him?"

He is an old friend.

It would be rude not to say hi, in that case, decided Babylon. Besides, he liked Kairatos. The guy had good advice. He raised an arm in greeting. "Hey," he called. "You got a few minutes? I've got a heck of a weird story for you. You're not going to believe this."

Behind his visor, Babylon's eyes were glowing brilliantly blue.

Weirder than the Code? Well, Babylon didn't think the Code was weird so much as he'd made up his mind to completely disregard it until such a time as it proved itself to be useful. So, like, he was definitely weirder than the Code right now. He was definitely even Dude, what the ********. After all, he was glowing. He had a knight from the silver millennium inside his head.

This was as Dude, what the ********> as things really could ever get.

"I told you it was weird," said Babylon. "But, like, hear me out, I told my ancestor I'd take him back to the space cauldron so he doesn't have to bum around our wonder into perpetuity, so I've got his starseed in my chest and his voice in my head." How many times had he explained this already? Well, kind of a lot.

He still didn't have a good explanation for the glowing, other than total systemic failure, but Titan's guess about his chest being too full was kind of fun and wacky. Babylon decided not to bore Kairatos with that bit of tomfoolery, however. "He says, uh, he knows you?"

We attended the Academy together, supplied Menachem.

"School friends," added Babylon helpfully. "Anyway, I'm trying to find a way to the space cauldron."

Babylon shrugged - it had been worth a try. Kairatos was a great guy to go to for anything and everything regarding the Negaverse, but he was apparently a man of limited specialties. Which was, you know, fine as a general rule and nothing to hold against the guy - but it was useless for his purposes tonight. "Don't worry about it, man," he said easily.

But, like, he definitely understood what the other knight meant with gesturing to his eyes.

"Um, it was at first?" he said, pulling off one of his gloves and showing him the light bleeding from his fingertips. "Now it's all the time, and I really hope it's not permanent, because if it is, it's going to make my life super hard."

Which was sort of a farsighted thing to be worried about right now, considering he didn't even know how he was going to get this thing out.

"Anyway, I'll keep asking around about the cauldron," he said. "Someone's got to know. Camelot, maybe. Or Iris." Or not. "How've you been?"

Well, there was nothing encouraging about having his current state compared to a corrupt senshi and a youma, but Babylon was at the very least confident that nothing he had done so far even began to involve messing with Chaos. So, even if he was in imminent danger of dropping dread, it was unlikely he would rise again as a reanimated Chaos-zombie. Which was probably for the benefit of everyone involved, as Babylon did not want to become a Chaos-zombie. It just seemed terribly counterproductive, not to mention inconvenient.

"It's okay, don't worry about it, I've still got lots of people to ask," he said easily, wanting to make sure that Kairatos really knew that it really was fine. Fortunately, they had plenty of other things to talk about.

"I love Zia," Babylon gushed. "Like, platonically. She's awesome. I mean, if you ever want to move out, I know a place that's got low rent as long as you're on the side of Order, but to be honest Zia probably likes the company." He had a lot of questions, mostly involving the cats he'd seen roaming Zia's apartment last time he'd been over, but bit his tongue and let the other knight have some time to speak.

"That's great that you're getting adjusted," Babylon said. "I've got a purified senshi living down the hall from me - Spinel? Oenone now. We snatched him out from under Avalon's nose a few weeks after I met you, but she's actually been trying to follow up and get ahold of him. I guess Zinkenite's all bark and no bite then, huh? Lucky us."

"Lina," said Babylon sadly, remembering their previous conversation about the young woman. He'd never know why she'd abandoned him the way she had, but accepting that he'd never been a priority for her the way she'd been one for him was just part of the growing process. "I don't know." He'd known what her virtues as a knight had been, supposed that they must carry over, but... talking about this could only make him sad.

You no longer need her guidance, said Menachem, in a tone that was clearly meant to be encouraging but wasn't quite.

"If she wants to be Zinkenite's lapdog, then that's her prerogative, I guess," said Babylon, with a bitter little shrug. "We're better off. We don't need her."

He nodded, listening to Kairatos's conundrum with Zia. He supposed it really was different for people who forgot their civilian memories - all your friends could be waiting to welcome you with open arms, and you'd never know. "She still remembers what your friendship used to be like, huh?" he asked sympathetically. "I, um, I'm kind of that person for Avalon, but in reverse. She corrupted and it's driving her nuts that I know all this stuff about her that she doesn't."

Anyway, that thing about corrupt senshi and the rift was interesting. He'd gotten the same kind of impression from Spinel's displeasure, but he'd never heard of the rift being outright dangerous before. Then again, there was a lot he didn't know about the rift. "Oenone," he corrected gently. "What tries to eat them? Youma?"

Once he sorted out this weirdness with the multiple starseeds, he thought, it might be time to start investigating the rift more seriously.

Babylon nodded. This information about the Rift was interesting, but - it wasn't like he could do anything about it now. Maybe later, he'd circle back and pick Kairatos's brain some more, in the name of knowing the enemy better... but it wouldn't be tonight. Not until he got Menachem out of his head, probably - but it was comforting to make plans as if he'd be successful.

Instead, he decided to follow this conversation about memories. Corruption and Purification seemed like they were a major head trip. "It kind of seems like, no matter which set of memories you lose, it's a hard time." Oenone might function fine, day-to-day, but they were having to re-teach him everything about being a senshi, and the sheer guilt of not knowing how bad he'd been was crippling and Babylon had seen that.

He wondered if Kairatos would have good advice on the subject, but decided it was not his place to ask. Maybe he could arrange a meeting for Oenone, though...

"It probably doesn't matter a whole lot," said Babylon. "Anyway, if you ever want to get out of her hair, send me a message and you can come look around the building and decide if it'll be a good fit for you." Kairatos in group therapy was a kind of interesting thought. He wasn't sure if that would go over well, but it was interesting.

You're awfully quiet, he thought to his ancestor.

Just thinking of all the friends I will leave behind.

You want to talk to him?

For a moment or two, yes.

"Uh," said Babylon, finally speaking out loud again, "The old guy says he'd like to talk to you for a moment or two. You want to pick up the call?"

"Cool," said Babylon, closing his eyes. It was getting easy to do this by now. Everything went cool and quiet, and as he opened his eyes once more, his posture straightened noticeably.

"To be fair," said Menachem, eyes crinkling, "It was a very nice horse." Of course he did not expect Kairatos to remember him the way Virgo had - she was very clearly a special case - but it still pleased him to gaze upon an old friend with his own eyes (sort of). He'd long ago resigned himself to spending all eternity on that hillside, so this was a real treat...

...Even as he knew that his time in Finn's body needed to end soon by necessity. The strain was obvious.

"What is this I hear?" he asked. "That you spent time with the rebellion? I am glad you have returned to the light."

Menachem smiled, with some awkwardness befitting his descendant. "It is my understanding that our Order was slow to resume," he said, "So it is no surprise to me that many of the rebellion know nothing of their origins." And a pity that was - so much tragedy could have been averted with a simple understanding of history. The Negaverse could lie as much as it liked about its origins: there was no ambiguity to clearer eyes. If the knights had not been so slow out of the gate, they would not have lost so many members to the rebellion's sooner awakenings.

He did not know who Iris was, but nodded all the same. He recognized her name as that of a senshi, and that told him enough. "I am glad you have friends with their heads in the right place," he said. "It is good to seek allies among the senshi. They will be our saving grace."

He had served a senshi once.

He had loved a senshi once.

"I am envious of you, in a way," he said with a deep sigh. "You are alive. You can continue the fight. But soon I will be gone to the cauldron, and this will all be but a fleeting dream." After such a long vigil, he looked forward to rest. "I hope we will meet again one day in peacetime, Kairatos."

He nodded. He closed his eyes, he exhaled, and Babylon was himself again. "Huh," he said, raising a hand to rub his pounding temple. "I think I'd better start heading home. You have a good chat with the old guy?"