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One of the best ways to land herself in a bit of a hairy situation was to do exactly the opposite of what her Sovereign, Zinkenite, had tried to teach her with the snowball fight they had had just this past winter.

Wandering around aimlessly, not paying much attention to her surroundings usually didn’t end well. However, there was in fact a reason for her being out here in the first place rather in her usual spots surrounded by civilians which typically helped diffuse a situation before it turned into a fight.

Her purpose for being powered up this evening was twofold and for once energy gathering to meet her quote was not among them. On one hand she wanted to perform her due diligence and get a handle on who was more active around Destiny City this time of year. Senshi with uniforms similar to her own tended to hide inside during the winter months but now that it was warmer out, Meridiana expected to see an increase in activity. On the other hand, since encountering that brightly colored White Moon senshi, she had been secretly hoping to run into him again.

The evening had been quiet thus far but when a powerful aura, though not as strong as her General King’s, flared to life at the edge of her sense, Meridiana had the startled idea to quickly power down and find some place to hide. However, the casual pace at which they approached and the fact that they had undoubtedly sensed her in the vicinity for some time before making their presence known, piqued her curiosity enough that she remained put until they got close enough to see.

“Hello,” the corrupt senshi took hold of her skirt and curtseyed like a lady. “I would be immensely happy for something a little less open in the front. But I’ve learned to work with what I’ve been given. At least her heels were of sensible height which made it easy enough to run away if the situation called for it.

Meridiana looked at the pile of warm clothes he was holding and smiled. “What brings you around this late at night.” Perhaps he used similar tactics as she did and was trying to seduce someone earlier with a bit of a striptease. Likely not the case since Order typically had a bit more of a dignified air about them but the thought was amusing at least.

“Why thank you," she replied. "In a faction filled with military uniforms, I do kind of stand out a bit. I may have been told once or twice that I look like a questionable secretary looking to cause a distraction or a lady of the night…” Meridiana shrugged her shoulders uncaringly and reached out to take his offered hand.

“Unfortunately the only trouble I seem to be having is dealing the knots in my ridiculously long hair.” Thank god it was only a temporary thing and, once she powered down, went back to a more reasonable length.

“So, kind Knight.” The corrupt’s eyes swept over him appraisingly as she tilted her head back to look up at the handsome man. Sunkissed golden spun hair with deep purple eyes and an amazing physique; she’d have to be careful with this one “Tell me, what is your name?”

With an intrigued look on her face, Meridiana hummed thoughtfully as she watched the Knight carefully. Usually she felt very uneasy around those of his kind; senshi not so much, but anyone with a physical weapon was someone worth being wary around, if only to circumvent repeating the incident that happened back in January.

He seemed kind, if not understanding of her situation and position in the Negaverse. However, it did come as a bit of a surprise when he did not admonish her for her clothing or need to gather energy as she would have assumed he would have. Rather, he proposed alternative options that would work with the assets she had been given.

“I will take your suggestions into consideration,” She smiled up at him and stepped in close to fan her hand across his chest. A polite way of saying ‘thanks but no thanks’ without being so blunt since she was taking a bit of a liking to this Polaris Knight. “I will say my way tends to benefit all parties involved and keeps me a safe distance away from anyone who may shoot, or stab, me.” Those kind of unsavory people, though deserving of a good energy drain and in some cases even more punishment than that, were in her mind more dangerous than a good portion of her fellow agents.

“But you may call me Meri,” A very shortened version of her full name; Alphekka Meridiana. “Senshi of the Succubus.” She stepped back and bowed graciously to him. Not as deeply as if he were her Sovereign but still formal nonetheless.

Meridiana’s eyes seemed to light up at the mention of a hot spring. “You are quite the gentleman to offer such a gift. I would love more than anything to accept however, I’m not sure I have much to offer in return.” She had been to several hot springs in the past but never a wonder, though her curiosity of these strange places had nearly prompted her to inquire more about them in the past, her lack of courage to leave Destiny City and potentially become a prisoner of the White Moon Senshi or their Knights was what kept her from pursuing such fantasies.

“I admit, I spend more time in the company of other corrupts like myself than with other officers.” She seemed a little sheepish at that admission. “But if you can give me some sort of a description I would be happy to look into it for you!” Though she would be upfront with the general in case this was not a mutual curiosity and they would rather information not be passed on. Loyalties were still to her own and if the answers to his inquiries put Ashanite in harm's way then she would have to work around it to keep him safe.

The corrupt looked up at him with renewed hope that he would consider the offer as a, at least temporary, reasonable exchange. “I do have to ask though. How come you’re so willing to help me out with this, my quota that is?” Meridiana canted her head to the side innocently, a bit baffled, yet grateful for his suggestions and concern she had to wonder what warranted such kindness.

Meridiana seemed to hesitated for a moment before taking his hand and with good reason. To date, he was by far the strongest she had encountered while alone with the only exception being her General King, Zinkenite. Should his friendly nature turn out to be an elaborate facade, there would be nobody that could save her. The possibility worried her greatly because she had already stood at death's door once and did not wish to do so again, at least not in the same year. But she had made a promise to herself, and Sovereign, which left little room for her to back out now.

When finally she gathered the courage to accept his offered hand, Meri’s fingertips barely brushed against his and at that moment she was reminded of the vibrantly colored senshi she had met no more than a month ago. While their auras opposed each other fiercely, perhaps more so for her than it did for him, she felt oddly drawn to Whisler. Then again, it could simply be because she craved the affection he seemed so willing to give.

With her free hand, the corrupt reached up to gently cup his cheek. “You seem so unhappy,” Her thumb brushed over the illuminated marks. “I’m not sure how much help I can be, but I’ll willing to try”

Meridiana motioned with her head for him to follow to a place where they could sit and chat while she gathered what energy he was willing to give. It felt almost reminiscent of the first time she had met Zinkenite; although he was a civilian at the time, he too offered her a similar offer that she couldn’t refuse. Though amusing, it did not turn out well for her in the end because his aura was just simply too much for her to even make a dent.

“There is only one in existence that I’ve drained completely. However, it was by request and I do not keep the energy for myself. A very dear friend is often plagued by nightmares and it seems to be the only way she can sleep peacefully.” Noctua was such a sweetie. It was, however, a bit of a tragedy with how her own sphere affected her so.

Meridiana brought her hand up to hide her amusement at the way he craned his neck to the side in what appeared to be a rather uncomfortable position. “Here,” she scooted over just a bit then patted her lap. “Why don’t you lay down instead? It’s much more comfortable I assure you.”

While the openness of the front of her dress left little to the imagination, as long as he didn’t mind, neither would she. It’s not as if he needed to lay on his back and look up at her to continue on with their conversation.

“I’m curious,” Meri paused for a moment. She worried her lip as she debated whether or not it would be too forward to ask her question. But after a few seconds passed she continued. “If I may ask… what made you decide to leave?” Valeria had once spoken of potentially switching sides, and at the time she had talked her fellow corrupt out of defecting. But as time wore on she was beginning to realize just how much she had been living in the dark with her unknowing the full scope of the war they fought in.

Meridiana did as he requested and began combing her lithe fingers through his long silky golden hair. With each passthrough she slowly gathered threads of his energy as she ran her manicured nails over his scalp. It was a motion that was not unlike what her own mother use to do when she was sick as a child; soothing for even her in a way.

“So your wonder wasn’t willing to let you go,” she hummed thoughtfully. It seemed as if this place was sentient to some degree; as if it had a will of its own. “You became its prisoner…” It was a sad notion to consider.

Although she wasn’t a proper massage therapist, Meri had enough experience to know where to, and how much pressure to apply for a satisfying, if not relaxing, head and neck massage. Many times her father would fall asleep on the couch as it seemed to help with migraines. Similarly, with Noctua, it helped lul her into a comfortable sleep.

“Did-” She hesitated for a moment as she looked down at his peaceful pace. Curiosity struck her as she just barely traced her fingers over the marks on his face. They felt warm, but not in an uncomfortable kind of way; then again, perhaps it was simply the brightness she was translating into this inviting feeling. “Did you know you would lose memories of your past when you changed sides?”