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Mostly, Astrophyllite just felt bad for Chibi senshi. They were just children, after all, drafted to fight this war by those goddamn cats. (She'd learned that phrase from Melanite. He had Strong Opinions on the subject that Astrophyllite couldn't help but echo because she had no opinions of her own, besides that they were alien scum? But she doubted that more and more all the time... solving the universe's moral quandaries was hard.)

So far, her most significant interaction with one of the tiny senshi was the night she'd had that spell cast on her, the one that made her start to follow what that little girl had called the right path. On some rational level, she knew that it was only a spell, the way that Avalon's sword was cold to the touch, or Kerberos could make her feel sad - but that didn't change the unresolved ache in her chest, the need to know - where does the path lead?

She felt the chibi senshi on the breeze first, sweet buttercream and bright innocence, brick dust and cherry-filled pastry. There was no mistaking this girl for any of the dozens of others who roamed Destiny City's streets by cover of night. Moving into range only verified what she'd already known.

"Hi," called the captain, approaching slowly. "D-d-don't be afraid. I just want you to show me the right path. I can't stop thinking about it. I want to know where it goes."

"Oh," said Astrophyllite, breathing a sigh of relief. She adjusted her hold on her club, still uncertain of its heft - she missed her ouija board. It had been versatile, able to be used as a club or a shield, and lightweight in her hand - but this newer, crystalline weapon was a sign of rank, of her growing strength and the faith her betters placed in her.

Still, with this senshi, she didn't think she needed it - and if she did, then it was just out of sight, just a finger's wave away.

Astrophyllite vanished the club and held up her hands. "See?" she asked pleasantly. "I - I come in peace."

Strange thing to say to an alien, she thought, all things considered, and shook the offered hand.

Pulling back, she found her hands were empty, and the captain couldn't help but wring them together awkwardly. "I'm called Astrophyllite," she said. Somewhere out there was a wonder, her true name - but she was perfect and pure in Chaos, and it wasn't worth worrying about, right?

"You have magic," she said. The path had been spellwork, nothing fancier than that - but Astrophyllite's mind was awash in questions and perhaps, as the caster of the spell, the senshi had answers. "I want to know how it works. Where the path goes."

"I- where?" asked Astrophyllite awkwardly. No, she thought, I need you to tell me where the path goes because I don't know. Well, that was disappointing. Heartbreaking, even. She'd always hoped that to be a senshi implied mastery and knowing everything there was to know about your power. If the path went nowhere, then how was she to follow it?

"You told me it was the right path and I needed to follow it," she said softly, feeling betrayed. Oh, no, thought Astrophyllite, feeling her cheeks burn. Don't you dare cry now, you big baby.

She sniffled mightily, which she thought might hold off tears for the time being. "I want to follow the right path," said Astrophyllite. "I--"

Natron had given her this promotion, she thought, balling her hands against the front of her fancy new coat. Natron had given her this promotion as thanks for her service to Chaos and how well she was doing - hadn't he? She had power at her fingertips now that she hadn't had before, power that was going to make her a good Officer.

But it was Chaos, and Chaos had driven Bischofite mad and made Kerberos cruel and it was hard to insist I am perfect and pure and strong in Metallia's service when service to Chaos was what had gotten General Avalon killed.

"I'm scared that I'm not following it," she said, voice tight. "I'm scared I'm on the wrong path. A bad one."

Astrophyllite nodded, tears tracking down her cheeks in earnest now. "I don't?" she asked quietly. No one had ever told her that she didn't have to serve Chaos. Everyone had just always said that once you were in the Negaverse, you were in it for life, and you had to meet your quotas or else--

Or else--

She wasn't sure that Melanite ever met his quotas, but she wasn't going to worry about that right now, it was just a passing oddity.

Hvergelmir had told her to seek balance, but so far Astrophyllite was having trouble figuring out how to do that - especially now that she was a captain, and her quotas were even higher than before. What Aludra was suggesting seemed like it went beyond finding balance, though. She was suggesting that hers was the right path, and Chaos was wrong.

(I am perfect and pure in Metallia's service, she thought weakly.)

Astrophyllite dropped her voice to a whisper, as though she was nervous someone might overhear her saying something so heretical. Nervously, she asked, "Is there a way to leave the Negaverse?"

Astrophyllite took a tiny step away from the senshi as she moved closer, so hugging her probably would have been disastrous. She sniffled, trying to stop her tears, but was for the large part unsuccessful - she'd never been one for quickly regaining her composure once it was lost. "You'll... you'll ask?" she asked uncertainly. Perhaps she'd misunderstood Aludra - she'd thought that the girl was suggesting with certainty that she knew there was a way. Why suggest Order was the right path if there was no way to get onto it? That was just-

That was just-

Cruel.

But it still sounded like the little senshi was willing to put in an awful lot of work in order to make sure that Astrophyllite knew all of her options, and she knew she should be grateful for that. "Okay," said the captain. "Um. Thank you. How - how should I find you again? Or how will you find me, when you know something?"

This sounded like a totally agreeable proposition to Astrophyllite. "Okay," she said, reaching out excitedly to clasp the senshi's hands in hers. "Thank you, Aludra!"

Except, she remembered really hurriedly, "I have to go out of town for Christmas." She'd feel really bad if Aludra sat out in the cold for her on a holiday when she couldn't come! "I'll be back the day after New Year's."

She let go of the senshi's hands. "I'll - I'll come see you soon. Thank you so much."

As she hurried away, Astrophyllite couldn't help but feel a weird little flutter of hope in her chest.