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 Posted: Sat May 09, 2015 1:52 pm
There was definitely a volume issue. The cat's ears made it pretty obvious as they folded back as his tone grew louder and louder. And though the manx did not have a smile upon her maw at this point, she also did not look intimidated by the noise. Instead she looked thoughtful as she considered his words.
"*********," she stated. "My name is ********* might not have been the most stellar introduction she had ever given, but it needed to be mentioned before he went into a further riff of sounding like Sailor Iris.
"I personally would consider the evil organization to be more of a threat, but that is because they have proven themselves to be a legitimate threat. However, perhaps that is more of me speaking from being around so long. I have seen this 'shadow' organization, as you call it, murder more people than you could possibly imagine. Some steal just the energy you produce, but they also have been known to steal starseeds, the very soul of a person. They have routinely been responsible for many of the inexplicable comas that have popped up in this city."
She sighed and lifted a paw up towards her chest. "Honestly... you can just think of us guardian cats as a key. We just unlock the potential that each of the senshi already have. However, I am certain if a situation got dire enough... they wouldn't even need the guardians to unleash their powers. I can't speak for other cats, I can only speak for myself. I try to inform them of the situation, so they understand what is going on. However, in many cases... the senshi I awaken will already be in a dangerous situation. A youma has come across them and it is either awaken their powers, or watch them die."
Setting her paw down again, the manx had to ask the obvious question. "...may I ask who it is you speak of... before... who is the 'she' you mention? I've been around the block before... I may know who you speak of."
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2015 6:05 pm
He was building up momentum, ready to explode, until the introduction cut him off. It wasn't enough to get him to calm down, but if the cat was going to try to be polite, he supposed he ought to play by those rules. "Nazca," he said shortly. "Of Mercury. Whatever that means."
It was a challenge to listen to her explanation without interrupting. Just because they're a threat doesn't mean you're not, he thought angrily. You don't know that for sure. You just don't want to take responsibility for what you're doing.
But he didn't say that. First, because he wanted to give the cat a fair chance to defend her actions. Then because he was caught off-guard by her question. Even though he'd brought up Aquarius' name to everyone he possibly could while he was looking for her, now that she was back, he was reluctant to talk about her. "Why do you want to know?" he asked suspiciously. "Want to make sure all the cogs are still in motion? Would it really hurt so bad to leave some of these kids alone for a while?"
If these cats wouldn't even let the senshi take breaks, they really didn't deserve the title of guardian. As it was, Nazca wasn't convinced that they weren't just as dangerous as the monsters they claimed to fight.
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2015 6:50 pm
The cat couldn't help but chuckle at the newly introduced Nazca's reluctance to answer her question.
"Ah, I can tell you really trust me!" There was no harm in trying to add a bit of humor into this whole ordeal, even though this man did not seem of the same mind.
Her whiskers fanned out as she then seriously addressed his prompt. "No, I am more concerned for her, whoever she is. I am aware that times are difficult, Nazca. You can believe me, or you can decide to not believe me, but I would like to help out if I can. Not all senshi have the advantage of having a dedicated cat by their side. I personally have several girls that I call my own, that I watch over. And though the times are difficult and we need their assistance, my girls have to do what is best for themselves. I have had a few put down the henshin pen for their own personal reasons. And as their guardian, it is my job to respect their wishes, yet keep an eye on them. Not because they are 'cogs in motion,' as you phrased it. Because I love them, I care for them, and I could never forgive myself if anything happened to them."
Her whiskers seemed to relax after she had finished speaking, eyes rather large and inquisitive as she looked the Page in the eyes. "...as I said... you can believe me, or you can decide to not believe me, Nazca."
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2015 7:12 pm
So he wasn't exactly subtle about his doubts. So what? He wasn't ashamed of being hesitant to trust an alien space cat. But it was hard to convince himself that she was some sort of dastardly mastermind when she was being so... well, nice.
If things really did go the way she said, though, why were there kids like Amphitrite, who were at the end of their rope? Why was no one there to pick them up when the rope snapped?
"What makes your girls so special?" Nazca asked. He was still frowning, but this time he spoke calmly, and much of the venom was gone from his voice. "I mean, what decides who gets a guide who genuinely cares, and who gets one who sees a cog in the machine? Because some must, or there wouldn't be all these kids stumbling in the dark."
One of the words the cat used was foreign to him, making his frown deepen just a bit. "And what's a henshin pen? You guys should really publish a dictionary, you know?" It was a pitiful attempt at a joke- he was still too frustrated to loosen up much- but it was something.
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2015 7:44 pm
The easiest matter to explain was the stray question asked. "Henshin pens are what a senshi uses to power up, to transform." With that definition, it would hopefully make the definition of what she had mentioned prior a bit more meaningful. Some of her girls had decided to stop the fight, and she had respected their wishes.
The question about what had made her girls so special, on the other hand, was not nearly as easy to answer. She sat herself up and rested her front paws against the chub of her stomach as she considered how to answer it. Perhaps not the most complimentary position she could have taken, but it was pretty darn cute.
"Well... for as long as I can remember... there were some names I knew. Senshi names... the names of my girls. I just innately knew they were mine. One of my girls..." Iris "...has a theory as to why I would favor some over others, and it has to do with lives we had a thousand years ago."
Sighing and leaning into her own chub a bit more, the cat added "Each of my fellow Guardians is different, just as there are different senshi, different knights, different people all around the world. Not every single one of them does the job the same. Just as not every single senshi contributes to the fight in the same way."
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2015 8:11 pm
"What, like a key?" Nazca's frown became even more pronounced. "I thought you said you were the key. Like, you unlock it and then they just change when they have to, right?" Or, if they were anything like him, at totally inconvenient times. Heck, having a physical key would be really useful, since it would give him more control over the whole transformation thing.
In the long run, that wasn't nearly as important as the rest of his questions, so he made himself listen to their unsatisfactory answers. "So, what, this knowledge that comes out of nowhere means that there are some kids who get guardian angels and some who get nothing? That doesn't cut it. What happens to the ones that nobody remembers? Aren't they good enough to get more help than 'go save the world now, bye'?"
The mention of past lives just made him roll his eyes. It wasn't even worth commenting on, not when there were real issues to discuss.
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2015 8:34 pm
It was growing increasingly more difficult to keep her smile upon her face, but somehow ********* managed to continue on with a curl to her kitty lips.
"Tell me, Nazca. Do you have a place where you sleep every night, comfortably? Something stationary, something in the same place, never changing?"
The manx glanced towards their surroundings, as if trying to pinpoint a location.
"It must be nice. A luxury if you will. Once again, I can only speak for myself, but I don't have such a thing. I am stretched pretty thin, traveling through the city to try and help out where I can."
It was clear that the mention of different individuals was not getting through this young man's thick skull. "However, I can only do so much as one individual. Now, if you could clone me and have a bunch of me running around, then perhaps things would be more suited to your standards. That is not the case, unfortunately. So instead, think of it as a cross section of your graduating high school class. You have the high achievers, the average achievers, and then you have the low achievers. Now translate that into the Guardians. Translate that into the Senshi. Translate that into the Knights. I am not justifying the lack of information and preparation that my fellow Guardians offer. However, just as we are all different, so are all the senshi. Some want the help. Some ask for the help. Some shun us. Some turn on us."
Rather dramatically, the fat just flopped backwards on her back, so she could look at the starry sky.
"...it's a difficult job, Nazca. If you think you are more capable of doing the job, I will partner up with you for a bit and you can show me how I am supposed to do this all."
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2015 8:48 pm
So now the cat was pulling the guilt card on him. Nazca was unimpressed, though not unsympathetic. "I get it- you're a saint. You do everything you can for everyone you can. I'm not doubting your intentions or your work ethic." Not much, anyway. "I'm doubting the system. You shouldn't have to be pulled in eighty-five directions, AND nobody should be shoved into this thing unprepared. I know it's not the sort of thing anyone can tackle on their own. But can you really tell me that I'm wrong about this?"
The look he gave her implied that if she tried, the volume would be cranked up again.
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2015 8:54 pm
********* lifted up her paws, wiggling the digits a bit. "I am not saying you are right, but I am not saying you are wrong. You look at this from your perspective, and I look at this from my own perspective, Nazca."
The cat rolled from her flattened manx position back to her feet.
"...whoever this girl is that you spoke of earlier... she is really lucky to have someone who cares for her as much as you do for her. I wish I could talk to her and tell her that myself, but... as I do with my senshi, I respect your decision to omit her name."
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2015 9:14 pm
At this point, Nazca suspected that the cat wasn't willing to concede his point- which was absolutely spot-on- just to be ornery. It was the only reason he could think of, since otherwise she'd been surprisingly logical for... well, an alien cat. And considering his behavior, he couldn't really blame her for wanting him to squirm a bit.
He didn't fully trust her, and he didn't believe everything she said, but it was about time he acted like a grown-up. "I apologize for raising my volume earlier. I've been letting my concern get the better of me, but that's no excuse."
Well, it was sort of an excuse, but he couldn't say that.
"It's just... not that simple. If the senshi I'm thinking of isn't one of your girls- and for her to have ended up in that place, I think that's a safe bet- I don't want to draw more attention to her than I already have. Really, I don't want to draw attention to the fact that I've drawn attention to her already. She won't know why, and she's not ready to hear it yet." Nazca hadn't thought his situation could get more complicated, but omitting names from the explanation proved him wrong. Hopefully that wasn't an omen of more confusion to come.
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Posted: Sun May 31, 2015 9:46 pm
The manx let out a light laugh. "I am a feline, and by nature, I am prone to curiosity, Nazca! However, as I said before, I will respect your wishes."
Standing herself up, she tilted her head with a smile. "It is no concern! I have a feeling that I should be keeping an eye out for you though. So we can chat again! Good evening!"
With a nod, she began to trot off, her collar jingling just as cheerily as it had been to begin with.
At least she got some popcorn out of all of this!
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