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The night was still. The air hung stagnant and muggy, and Europa gritted her teeth against it. She'd fallen sick almost two years ago, and time and distance could make you forget just how bad the weather was this time of year.

She had her strength back now. She could feel her power coursing through her veins with every leap she took and it felt good. It was good to be back.

Turning her attention towards the East, she took a lap through her old neighborhood, skirting the edge of the park. She could feel the bright auras of a few other senshi and knights operating in the area, and took a moment to try to distinguish them. She was good at distinguishing allegiances, but beyond that... Could anyone get more detail than that? If it was possible, well, she'd have to practice.

Nearby, the nova-bright aura of an eternal senshi caught her attention. Europa shifted her path, turning towards the source. There were only so many who matched ranks with her - perhaps the bright spot in her mind's eye was a friend from before her illness.

He came into view, a tall man swathed in shades of blue. Europa's blood turned cold for a moment. Surely, she was mistaken. He was-- he was gone and she'd mourned and she'd raged and--

"Castor?" she asked in disbelief, circling him. Against all likelihood, it was him, and she'd recognize him anywhere. Europa felt tears stinging behind her eyes and scolded herself for being so completely, illogically emotional. "Where were you?" she asked, her tone accusatory. "And what are you doing back?"

For the moment that he called her Tentacles, Castor didn't seem all that much different. Almost like the years melted away and all the maturity left his eyes and the color flowed back into his hair.

Almost.

Europa nodded, tight-lipped, taking in what had become of her friend. The white hair leant him an air of mysticism that was befitting of his rank - now the prince of hail's outsides would match his insides. "What are you expecting to come?" she asked, charmed by his seriousness and hoping he did not go for the obvious, crass retort. It was a test of a sort.

Out of habit, she stepped back from his approach. She didn't like his accusatory tone, but then, she'd started it. Europa frowned. "No," she said - where the hell would he have gotten an idea like that? On reflection, she supposed it wasn't fair to hold his years away against him - she'd been equally useless, and accomplished even less, in the same amount of time. At least he'd been restoring his planet. Her moon was probably in even worse condition than she'd originally found it in following the past two years' neglect.

"It's like fighting up a hill," she sighed. "It's always like fighting up a hill. I'm glad you're back. We could use your help."

They'd needed his help all along, she thought, trying not to look too sour.

Five in the last week. For a girl with only one kill under her belt, ever, the number seemed huge. Gunn racked up numbers like that. Megiddo, maybe. She knew Negaversers had to pull numbers like that, including civilians - especially back in the day, at the height of the coma wave when they were pulling starseeds like candy from babies. "I don't remember things ever being tipped in our favor," she said, "but maybe I'm just showing my age. Did we really get that late of a start out the gate or is Destiny City just ********?"

It was harsh language for her - especially if your most recent conversation with Europa was some two years prior.

"You're right," she said brightly, not shrugging away from his arm like she might have at one point. With age came body confidence, apparently. "I don't know why you're back." Jelly-butt. He had such a way with words. It made her feel like a teenager again. "But, probably unwisely, I trust you, and I want to know what you're up to. You wouldn't have come back to Destiny City if you didn't have a plan, and you're waving it right in front of my nose."

So she'd taken the bait. So what? Cooperation with Castor could be mutually beneficial. Europa still had plans for her foot to find its way back to Leto's throat, and this time she meant to finish the job.

"I got really sick in 2012," she confessed, a little worried that he'd criticize her for that - at least he'd been useful elsewhere during his absence. She'd been in a medically-induced coma. "So there's about a year that I don't really know what happened around here. But before you go and write me off as useless, I've been back since last October and I've been paying attention. I know what's up."

A few years ago, Europa had been gung-ho about reviving her moon and discovering its secrets. Now, she hadn't been back since falling ill and was terrified of what awaited her. She was certain that it had fallen into further disrepair, and since trying to grow earth plants with water from her moon had nearly killed her, she wasn't sure what steps to take to make it habitable. The entire process was so daunting as to be overwhelming.

But admitting that would be showing weakness, and she wasn't interested in doing that in front of Castor. Europa wanted him to see her as confident and competent and experienced, not as a little girl who'd played so hard at being a leader and failed every step of the way. "I'm ready for that," she said, smiling very faintly at how he tugged at her collar.

It was like neither of them had ever left, but with the added experience of age.

She paused.

She said, "Castor, it's good to see you, but if you touch my a** I will have you on the ground and hallucinating Cthulhu in three seconds flat."

He'd gotten her all caught up on where he'd been, but she thought it might be best to hold off on the whole hey I married a former corrupt senshi bombshell until later. It definitely seemed like it might be a sore subject.

He was actually, perpetually incorrigible, thought Europa, groaning as his hand moved. Castor really wanted to try her, and while she'd sworn to use her powers for good, the definition could very well stretch to include this. Jabbing a finger at his chest, she snapped, "Deep Ocean Terror."

His hand was on her butt, because, of course it was.