Stepping softly through the fresh snow, Haumea wondered, if only for a moment, whether he should have skipped patrolling tonight. But, no. He had a great deal to think about and if the snow kept people inside and out of his way, he’d be able to focus on his thoughts.

Which would be all to the good.

As far as his mission for Cinnabar went, he was having little to no luck. None of his searches had revealed the lost officer sneaking back to look over friends and family. And while he agreed with the half-youma General that sometimes the best way of discouraging purification was to take rather brutal measures, he couldn’t help but also play a bit of devil’s advocate. If the officer had purified, was it possible that their memories of those friends and family members had been destroyed? Well, yes. Of course it was a possibility. But the punishing of relative innocents was more to dissuade others from taking that same path. Or rather, that was the impression he’d gotten.

In any case, he was content to hold his hand for now. Every time he’d been around to check on the people in that file they’d had too many others around them. And while Haumea was all about leaving unmistakable messages, he preferred subtlety. Why burn down an entire house just to catch a single mouse, after all. So that was that. For now.

Making a dissatisfied noise deep in the back of his throat, the tall corrupt continued to prowl. Maybe this snow wasn’t the blessing he’d first thought. Even if he took to the trees and roofs, it would be obvious that something or someone large had come through here. Gnawing on his bottom lip, he thought for a moment before sighing and powering down. No one was out and the snow made being sneaky a little on the tricky side. So, much as he disliked it, he might as well be Kekipi for a little while. At least if he was going to be out and wandering while he thought.

Which brought him to the second problem on his plate. Though he was certain that Sapphirine would have some strong (and probably very interesting) words for him if she ever knew that he considered her a problem. Not that she was the problem exactly. More the end result of one. Rubbing gently at his still healing face, Kekipi still couldn’t help but be upset. That she’d been awakened and given so little information about why she was meant to fight and for who… Now that was a problem. And one he needed to find a solution for. He’d never really known just how many senshi were within the Dark Kingdom’s ranks. The databanks might be able to give him a clear census. But of that small population, how many were like Sapphirine? Surely not all of the officers were so negligent. Adamantine had certainly been highly complimentary of her own General. And he couldn’t see Cinnabar leaving her recruits floundering in the darkness.

“This is what comes of mostly sticking to yourself, idiot,” he muttered to himself. Perhaps he would speak to Alkaid about this. She’d been in the Negaverse for so long now that she might have a better idea of which officers were likely to corrupt a senshi and then leave them to wander about lost and confused. Hell, Alkaid might even have some ideas for combatting the issue. Perhaps a meeting, with Laurelite’s blessing, of all the senshi within the Dark Kingdom? Would something like that help? It really couldn’t hurt, he supposed. One more thing to bring up with his mentor.

Still, his heart felt a little lighter with the thought of at least one possible solution. Which left entirely too much room in his mind for thoughts of Sapphirine. He liked her, he decided. She was intelligent, brave and such a lively person when she wasn’t busy being a brat. Yet, at the same time, she confused the hell out of him. Her apparent need for physical closeness was an alien concept to him. He’d never been like that. It was unnerving in its own way. And yet. And yet, he sort of liked that too. He enjoyed talking with her. She was a good listener once they both understood that her questions were more out of ignorance than spite.

And she didn't hold a grudge towards him for how brutally he’d treated her before he knew just how ignorant she really was. That in and off itself was very interesting.

And she was so willing to learn. The questions she’d peppered him with, wanting to know everything about everything. Kekipi couldn’t help but laugh a little and smile fondly to himself. Apparently a fire had been lit inside of her and was burning steadily away. Though some of her questions had held a hint of childish curiosity. Like asking if Laurelite was nice and pretty. Snorting a little in amusement, he kicked at the snow around his feet, watching small puffs of white swirl in the air. Metallia preserve us, he thought. Why would I pay attention to things like that? All he cared about was that Laurelite was a wise and effective leader who carried Metallia’s wishes to the rest of them.

Quite unlike Beryl. He could just barely remember her, and that was more as a rumored presence. He couldn’t recall ever having seen or heard her. Snorting again, he decided that that particular bit of Dark Kingdom history could be taught to Sapphirine at a much later date. Preferably by someone with a better understanding of the situation than himself.

Kekipi swore softly as he tripped over a bit of broken pavement that lay hidden in the snow. Shaking himself irritably, he decided that he’d had enough introspection for one night. He was tired and the cold was beginning to hurt his face rather than soothing it. Pausing for a moment to look around at the still, white world, Kekipi found himself sighing. It was so lovely and quiet. What a pity that it would eventually become a battlefield. Every place would, he thought. Someday. Turning slightly, to ensure he was still alone, Kekipi powered up and once he wore Haumea’s skin again, he teleported himself away.

It took less than an hour for the snow to cover the tracks he’d left behind.