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It was only supposed to be a quick patrol.

Only - after all he and Anxo were supposed to be meeting up later on and heading to New Year's Eve celebrations.

Well okay make that Arian was supposed to be meeting up with Anxo given that his boyfriend had no idea of his double-life as a senshi.

Unfortunately the two youma that had been prowling around the store didn't seem to care about his 'quick' patrol or what had supposed to be a quick patrol–

Instead they seemed to be rather more into terrorising the civilians trying to use the shop - and things hadn't gotten any better after he'd managed to finally finish dusting the youma pair because it seemed that the majority of the shoppers had been Swagger Report fans and hadn't thought too highly about the 'costumed menace,' causing him to have to make a hasty retreat.

The wind picking up had been the 'icing' on the cake, especially when the few snowflakes had started to turn into considerably more than that - and when they had started turning into actual hail pieces Athene had known that he had to try and find shelter.

The cabin had turned out to be the one stroke of luck in what had otherwise ended up being one of those afternoons, especially since it boasted enough wood to make a fire and a quick rummage had turned up some candles.

Sighing Athene, pulled out his senshi phone in order to send a text through to Ida and Liryn, a part of him glad that neither had come out with him and thus were (hopefully) not stuck out in this.

He just hoped that the growing storm wouldn't last too long, because otherwise he had no idea what he was going to tell Anxo.

It didn't seem like luck was with him, because the weather outside didn't seem to be getting any better - instead it seemed to be getting worse - to the point where he was starting to think that he might have to send a second text to Ida and Liryn and start thinking about what he was going to tell Anxo–

The sudden flare of aura distracted him from his thoughts, the warmth of the aura suggesting a fellow senshi and the closeness of said aura suggesting that the poor soul was also out in the horrible weather, although it was only when he heard the cabin door bang that he realised that the source of the second aura had been quite a bit closer than he'd thought.

"There's no need to apologise" there was a rueful smile on his lips as he took in the taller senshi, "I came across this place when trying to get out of the storm too" he sighed quietly as he added"At the time I was hoping that it would blow over - but it seems like it's getting worse."

At least the trail of snow that had followed the other senshi in suggested that the storm was most definitely getting worse.

He started to glance around to see if there were any matches to go with the wood and candles that he had uncovered earlier, but paused to nod at the other's question assuming that the other had caught sight of the scratches on his right arm that he had picked up during the course of his earlier encounter with the youma "Yes I am, but thank you for asking, you?" Because the other senshi looked cold "I can see if this place has any blankets."

And then at the next question he nodded again "Yes, well I was until you came - I'm not sure who owns this place or where they are."

Although Athene was hoping for their sake that they were not out in the storm.

The holiday-patterned plasters made Athene smile again because they were kind of dorky in a seasonal way and was something that he could kind of picture Anxo carrying around "Thank you" he said quietly as he held out his hand for them "I should be okay" because if truth be told he'd had worse - much worse "But I appreciate it."

He continued "And it's nice to meet you Sailor Fornax," because the plasters were totally something he could picture Anxo having the other in front of him was not his boyfriend "I'm Sailor Athene, senshi of beads but feel free to just call me Athene."

The smile faded slightly at the other's agreement with his assessment that the storm appeared to be getting worse as he nodded at the other's suggestion about starting a fire "That sounds like a good idea, I came across some firewood and there's also some candles that have been half-burned," he gestured vaguely in the direction of both as he continued "I was hoping that there would be some matches around too but haven't had a chance to really look for any as yet."

Because giving the way the wind howling outside, it seemed that Fornax was right and they would both be stuck here a while.

"By the way would you mind if I power down?" His quiet voice was rueful "I mean I have no problem with you knowing my civilian identity" after all they were both order senshi. "And I was supposed to meeting someone today which - given what's going on doesn't look like it's going to happen now and I don't want him to worry."

He could text Orah whilst he was at it and Saffron too, although Athene figured that he should start with Anxo - even if he still had no idea just what he was going to come up with to tell his boyfriend.

Athene had been expecting Fornax to simply hand him the band aids and leave him to it and as such had been unable to hide the look of surprise that had flickered over his face as the other had instead carefully pulled the arm closer and swabbed antiseptic over the cuts that the youma had inflicted before applying the band aids.

He hadn't pulled his arm away, had instead let the other work, biting back the instinctive hiss at the sting of the antiseptic–

And whilst it had been unnecessary, as Athene knew enough basic first aid to be able to dab the antiseptic and stick on some band aids, it didn't make the gesture any less kind - and had probably taken less time than if he had done it himself.

"Thank you" Athene's quiet voice was sincere as the other gave his consent, his lips quirked up in another small but rueful smile as he admitted "My senshi outfit really isn't cold-weather appropriate." Although he would have stayed powered up if needs be - if Fornax had preferred that he do so.

"I'm happy for you to power down too - that is if you want to" he continued, his voice still quiet, and then because he figured that as he was powering down that the other may as well know his unpowered name he added "By the way my name is Arian when I'm not powered up - Arian Laith."

He let go of the magic as he spoke, the finery of Athene fading away to leave a young man dressed in a track suit, his hair - as long as it had been as the senshi - in a simple unadorned braid as he absently reached down to fish the cell phone that he kept in his pocket.

To say that the other's senshi's reactions was unexpected would have been an understatement, Arian's eyes widening as the other first stared at him as if he'd seen a ghost before striding over towards him.

The strangeness of it all meant that he was slow to react meaning that he was not able to get out of the way in time, a startled sound slipping from his throat and the phone in his hand dropping to the floor with a clatter as the other grabbed him and started babbling something about him being a senshi which was strange in itself because he had been powered up only moments prior.

"I.. err yes" he said, his quiet voice sounding as puzzled as he felt "Have we met before?" Because Arian couldn't remember crossing path with the other senshi before, not even in passing although it didn't mean that it wasn't possible.

He bit his lip awkwardly as the other continued to hug him, before trying to extricate himself backwards "Also would you mind letting go of me" because whilst impulse hugging seemed to apparently be the other's thing it wasn't really his - not with someone who was to all intents and purposes someone who he'd literally only just met "I have a boyfriend."

One that he still had to phone and that it was perhaps just as well wasn't here given the previous fiasco with the mistletoe kiss.

The more that the senshi spoke, the more it became clear that the other did somehow know him, although it was only when the senshi powered down that the how became clear–

Even if truth be told Arian found himself staring at the newly revealed Anxo with a stunned expression of his own, his eyes wide beneath the semi-rimless frames that he favoured because never in a million years had he expected Anxo to be a senshi - in fact the likelihood had been right up there with Saffy being a senshi - ie. unlikely.

He managed to recover somewhat at Anxo's question, his voice quiet as he said "Probably for the same reason that you didn't."

Because whilst Arian wasn't upset about Anxo keeping the fact that he was a senshi from him, it was something that his boyfriend had been equally guilty of doing.

Arian bit his lip for a few moments "I actually had no idea that you were a senshi" he admitted quietly. "But I'm not upset that you didn't tell me."

He hesistated for a moment before adding "I mean it would be a bit hypocritical of me if I was given.. Everything. " He waved a hand in an awkward attempt to encompass the fact that he was a senshi too.

"And I've been a senshi for a while - since shortly after I moved over here really - a mauvian called ********* awakened me during my first and last summer camp.." For a moment a wry note slipped into his voice, his lips quirking up briefly as he added "Let's just say that it didn't go well."

It was mayhaps something of an understatement given that he hadn't been a particularly great basic senshi and had probably been only somewhat marginally better as a super senshi.

The not-quite smile faded, Arian suddenly finding the cabin floor very interesting.

"I haven't actually told that many people about being a senshi" he said at last "And everyone who knows about it is powered too."

He glanced up, his eyes serious from beneath glasses that matched the style of the ones that Athene had worn "Powered life isn't particularly safe and I didn't want to drag in anyone who wasn't already involved into well all of this."

Anxo had seen his scars, scars that it had taken months for him to show the other, even though at the time he had kept quiet about the cause, hiding instead behind the fact that he didn't want to talk about it.

Arian bit his lower lip again for a moment, before admitting "And the secrets didn't just involve me - but given that you're kind of caught up in all of this as well - I don't think they'll mind if I tell you."

A brief pause, brief enough to mayhaps be unnoticeable, and then he admitted "I live with a senshi and a mauvian" and given the fact that Anxo knew that he lived with Orah, it was perhaps enough to put two and two together that Orah was also powered.

"We also let those who need it use the spare room or just drop by the apartment - kind of like a safe spot of sorts for those who might need it." It was why he had refused to let Anxo stay over after the youma had scratched him up, why he always stayed over at Anxo's–

And why since that day he had taken for the most part to patrol later into the evening on the nights when he patrolled, in an attempt - sometimes poorly - to try and juggle everything.