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Picking up litter in the park wasn't how Alise pictured spending part of her winter break, but it seemed there would be no getting out of this one.

As part of an effort to get her daughter to make 'normal' friends, Alise's mother had been arranging things with the parents of some of the other children from school... or at least the kids Alise hadn't already scared off, anyway. Pam was in a few grades below her, but she and Alise had struck up a friendship, bonding over having the same birthday. They had different interests, though, and Girl Scouts wasn't something Alise had any interest in joining (though Etoile loved their cookies). Still, it seemed she'd be helping them out today either way, and she knew trying to protest would fall on deaf ears, so Alise had begrudgingly accepted her fate... though not without smuggling Etoile out to the park with her (hidden in her coat).

As the two approached, Alise spotted Pam waiting just up ahead, and waved to let her know she had arrived. From her position inside Alise's coat, Etpile started to squirm, and Alise hoped that the little cat wouldnhave enough common sense to stay hidden. "Hey! Sorry if I kept you waiting," Alise greeted.

"Good! It's too cold to be picking up trash, anyway," Alise declared decisively, "The sooner we get it done, the better." She wasn't interested in doing this longer than she absolutely had to, after all.

Meanwhile, Etoile continued to squirm, paying no mind to if she drew any attention to herself. There was a senshi to be awakened! Maybe Alise couldn't sense those things, but she could, and she had to be there!! Her first awakening!!

"Let meowwwwwwwwt~" a tiny voice whispered from within Alise's jacket.

"Nnnoooo?" Alise quickly said, scrambling to think of a distraction...

... Just as Etoile managed to finally free herself, poking her head out of Alise's jacket. Finally! Now that she was free, Etoile knew exactly who she was looking for, and, before Alise could stop her, spoke up.

"Salut, enchante!" the little cat cheerfully greeted.

(Alise shrugged, though inside she was panicking. "... Okay, maaaaaybe?")

"Oh no, I'm not a toy," Etoile corrected, now climbing to perch on Alise's shoulder to get a better look at Megumi, "but I'd love to play! Especially if there's snacks afterwards- do you have any candy canes?"

"Uh... Etoi, I don't think this is the right time for that-" Alise attempted to interject, hoping that Pamela wouldn't tell anyone about the talking cat. If only she had one of those pen things like the Men In Black did in the movies, or Jedi mind trick her way around this.

(Maybe if she claimed Etoile was her dark demonic familiar from the underworld Pamela would think this was just Alise being Alise and dismiss it as an elaborate prank)

Etoile, on the other hand, seemed to consider things for a moment, before continuing on. "My name is Etoile, and today," she said, "is your lucky day, Sailor Chibi Megumi,"

"That's purrfectly okay, because we're not going on any boats!" Etoile cheerfully informed Pamela. tail twitching in excitement.

Meanwhile, it was all Alise could do not to gawk at the situation currently unfolding before her. Not only was one of her friends a fellow chibi senshi, but it was someone from school, too! There was a vague sense of disappointment in the fact that she wouldn't be able to brag about this to anyone, but it was exciting all the same to have someone familiar to share her secret with.

Still, Etoile wasn't done talking.

"You, Pamela," she began, pointing a paw for emphasis, "are a magical girl! You are Sailor Chibi Megumi, the senshi of fondness!"

"Isn't that exciting?"

Now it was Etoile's turn to be confused. While she understood some of the things Pamela was talking about thanks to Alise and her interests in the spooky and the occult, the fact was that the Mauvian couldn't comprehend the idea that her explanation of magical girls would be lost on a ten-year-old.

"Well, I supposed 'familiar' is close to what I am, but I don't go riding around on any broomsticks... yet," Etoile mused thoughtfully, "No, I'm what you would call a Guardian Cat! Hmm... we're more like helpers, or guides?"

Maybe a little push in the right direction would help. Hopping down from her perch atop Alise's shoulder, Etoile did a little somersault, producing a henshin pen from, well... wherever henshin pens came from, before nudging it towards Pamela with a paw.

"Maybe this will help," the little cat suggested, "This is for you; a present~!"

(Alise, who admittedly had only been half-listening at this point while she started to think up all the cool stuff she and Pamela could do together now, suddenly snapped back to the present as she realized where this conversation was headed and where they were.

"Umm, I think first, we should go somewhere... a littttle less out in the open?" she pointed out.)

"No, no, you should," Etoile insisted, willing Pam to pick up the wand, "It's yours, after all. But... Alise is also right; we should move someplace a little more secluded."

Alise nodded. "Yeah, like... if the 'muggles' see us using magic, we'll get in trouble," she explained, "And there's no Obliviate like in Harry Potter, either."