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Acubens was hidden deep inside of the wooly folds of her peacoat while she patroled, absently letting out her wraiths as she tapped along the sidewalk, the falls of her clawed pump echoing on the buildings around her. Winter seemed to take forever to get there, but now that it was, it was there with a vengeance. The wind howled around Acubens as she called back the now stuffed and opaque wraiths. She should go home now that she was done... curl up with a blanket and Alois... maybe ask if Lavender wanted to come over. Otherwise, warm up with a nice cup of tea and something to snack on...

A sound caught her attention, however, before she could turn to go back home. She couldn't make out what the sound was exactly, but she knew that it wasn't right. And so she did what she always did. She followed the sound to the source regardless of what might be there waiting for her.

Lavender would yell at her for it, but she'd deal with that if it was bad news. For now, however, she honed in on the sound, and once she was close enough, searched for an aura, letting out a breath of relief when she felt another dark mirror aura instead of order or, god forbid, negaverse. It quickened her pace and lowered her guard quite a bit.

Concern, however, didn't come until she saw Kibirev for the first time since Altea's castle. Acubens stopped short, recalling how distraught the young senshi had been when they had been left with no choice but to fight. How she had condemned them all, but Acubens could not find it in her heart to condemn her. And now the girl was on her knees keening from pain that Acubens could not see.

Acubens looked up at the building and saw the funeral parlor again. Despite the throbbing in her chest, however, she steeled herself. She'd been through this once before, hadn't she? She'd already seen this memory. Already lived it twice now. What harm could a third time do? Her memory self reached for the casket lid and Acubens looked away, focusing her attention on Kibirev and not the scene unfolding before her for a second time.

"You must be cold," she offered softly, shucking off her peacoat and slinging it across the other senshi's shoulders.

Acubens stood stock still and stone-faced against the reflection of the memory that she was seeing for the second time. Her mother had just pushed past the memory of herself and was sobbing on the other side of the room. Acubens watched as her memory self ran. Watched her brother gaze after her. Watched him put the pieces together. Suddenly she realized, with renewed pain, that this memory was not being seen through her eyes, but rather a silent spectator. Was this really, then, a memory? Or a fictionalization based on memory, with outcomes Acubens would rather see than the truth?

Her arm acted on it's own, lashing out to strike the reflective surface of the building as the memory faded to black. The ice echoes and the shock sent waves of pain up her arm, but nothing else happened. Lavender would scold her about the bruises later, but she'd have to explain that she had no choice. And this time her target hadn't stuck back so there was also that.

"So you saw something too," Acubens asked softly, dropping to her knees so that she was eye level with Kibirev. "Seems like this bullshit has been ******** with more than a few people around town." Acubens sighed, trying to smooth over her rattled nerves as she spoke. "Leave it to Destiny City, am I right?"

Kibirev recoiled from Acubens and the older senshi's heart ached. She had just been so angry at whatever magic had twisted her emotions and the emotions of someone far more innocent. And then her heart shattered even further when Kibirev started sobbing. Acubens had to fight the urge to attack the building again, no matter how useless it was. Kibi, no matter what she had done with Altea, felt -- no, she knew in her heart that what she had done was right, and what right had Acubens to condemn her. Hell, Acubens couldn't even remember who cast the first stone, Altea or one of them. Maybe they could have reasoned with Altea and things would have gone better.

But they hadn't.

And now one of their own was frightened and alone and Acubens had to help.

So she leaned forward to catch Kibirev in her arms and held her. tight enough to reassure, but not so tight that any desired escape would not be possible.

"Look, sweetie," Acubens sighed, her anger quickly fizzling out and replacing itself with something much softer and more nurturing, "I don't know who your friend is, but her being gone is in no way your fault." Was this person leaving a result of the fiasco with Altea? If it was, then their leaving Kibi definitely said more about them than the senshi in Acubens' arms. "If you don't want to talk about it, then that's okay. But I doubt anything that you did drove her away."

There were two ways Acubens' embrace could have gone. It could have been accepted or rejected. Violently, if she recalled Kibi half as well as she thought it was. Or, well... violently for Kibirev. And as the younger senshi stiffen in her arms, Acubens readied herself for a rather rough shove as well as the possibility of losing Kibirev all together, but if there was one thing she had learned from Lavender it was to just go for it. Reach out and hold and anchor. So that was what she did. She anchored Kibirev.

And Kibirev broke down.

Acubens herself relaxed into Kibirev's returned embrace and rubbed her hand in circles around the younger senshi's back. Half of what the other senshi said made no sense to Acubens, but she tried to piece it together as best she could.

"I've not seen her. I'm sorry. Oh, honey, I know. I know it hurts. And I can sit here and tell you that it's going to get better all that I want, and even if it is true, it won't make a lick of difference for you right now, will it?"

Acubens knew that it wouldn't. Because she remembered the absolute agony of driving Lavender away.

"I drove someone I love away too, Kibi," she whispered gently into crystal-colored hair. "Except I had the opposite problem. I kept my mouth shut when I needed to say something. Anything."

Kibirev pulled away and Acubens allowed her too, releasing her as she disengaged.

"Honey," Acubens said gently, wiping away tear stains with gentle finger pads, "It's not a matter of getting over it. Pain isn't made to be gotten over; it's not an enemy. It's just a tool, like everything else life gives us. Pain is just a little more difficult to use, that's all. And as the hurt lessens, it gets easier to use." Her voice was gentle as she spoke, like her fingers. Barely above a whisper, as though anything louder might frighten Kibirev away. She'd been so worried about the younger senshi since Altea... Acubens didn't want to frighten her away now. "There are lessons to be learned in pain, as well. We grow the most through our hardships. they're called growing pains, after all." Acubens laughed through her nose at her own joke. "To evolve we must struggle. I'm excited to see what you evolve into... if you'll let me see, that is."

And gods knew this young lady had suffered and struggled enough to be able to see the truth in what Acubens was saying. Acubens could see it clear as day in her eyes. Hear it like crystal in her voice.

"So. What are you going to do with this pain? You don't have to answer me now or tomorrow or ever. But you do need to answer yourself. And you'll know that answer when you come to it. You'll feel it." She tapped Kibirev's sternum with a gentle pointer finger, "right here.

And as for your friend, I'll keep an eye out. If I see her I'll let you know. How many back and white senshi can possibly be running around, after all?"