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 Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 8:41 pm
With a guardian cat so readily available, it didn't make sense for the Basterds to not have an official team mascot. Through his previous association with Team Anglerfish, and clear fondness for Sailor Pyxis (you couldn't deny it, even if he hid behind a mask of grouchiness), Abel seemed like the ideal feline for the job. Or so Sailor Europa had thought. Said cat was presently up a tree.
"Heeeeeeere kitty kitty," she called, and felt silly. Instead of hunting Youma, she and Pyxis had spent all night tracking down a wayward guardian cat. A wayward guardian cat who read Faust - ergo, the 'here kitty kitty' was a bit silly.
Sailor Europa stared up at the bare branch, where she could see Abel crouched.
"Come on," she called up to him. "It'll be fun!"
She glanced at Pyxis for back-up.
"You say something to him," she hissed.
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Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 8:52 pm
Though they didn't have years of bonding and experiences behind them, Abel was already a very crucial part of Pyxis' life. Even if his guardian cat wasn't actually there, he treated him almost as if he were an imaginary friend, mind automatically assuming that his very favorite kitty was always there with him. After screwing up so terribly during his first Negaverse encounter, it was the only way he could really calm himself.
As a result, it was admittedly a little embarrassing when Tallulah brought up the idea of Abel helping out the Basterds and Pasha blurted out, "But isn't he already?"
His small hands reached up towards the tree as if Abel would just gravitate towards them, face scrunched up in concentration. "Hey, Abel! We gotta ask you about stuff and. And I promise I won't make you help me pick out which pajamas are the best if you come down?" It was a fair deal in his eyes. Even if he ended up wearing the worst pajamas he ever owned.
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Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 9:04 pm
Abel stretched along a large branch rather languidly. It was messing up his fur, sure, but Pyxis would surely insist on another bath later that night anyway. Not that he really minded all that much, because the boy (as Abel referred to him. Pyxis was THE boy. The only one worth noting specially in his head.) was the epitome of innocence, a pinnacle of what was right in the world.
The guardian cat looked downwards, tail swishing in the air. A sort of half-smile crept up his furry face-- it was so slight that the Firefly senshi was likely the only one could pinpoint that it was, in fact, a smile, but a smile nonetheless. "Iiii suppose." He gracefully took his furry self to the bottom of the tree, peering upwards suspiciously at Tallulah. A friend of Pyxis' was generally good in his book, however, this whole idea of being a team mascot was iffy.
But how could he say no to that face? "About stuff and? What sort of stuffs and ands, Pyxis?" Abel asked in a stern voice (if he had eyebrows, one would be quirked). There was amusement in his voice, and he sat back on his haunches, licking at a paw, sitting directly on top of the blue haired boy's feet, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
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Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 11:57 am
Arguing with cats who were probably smarter than you was just a fact of senshidom. However, that didn't make it any less consummately bizarre. While Pyxis's plea hadn't exactly gotten across any of the points she'd wanted him to make, it had advanced their cause. Sailor Europa made a mental note to never underestimate the ties between a boy and his cat.
"There'll be bruschetta if you come down!" she called hopefully, trying to negotiate. Abel had the weirdest tastes of any cat ever. This wasn't to say that she had bruschetta with her, but that they could stop into the corner deli on the way home and buy some.
"We," she explained, still waiting for the cat to get out of the tree (were they going to have to call the fire department?!), "and by we I mean all of the Basterds, would be indebted to you if you would be our team guardian cat. All of the good teams have one."
That and she needed Abel's intellect and guardian cat know-how to keep everyone in order, of course, but she wasn't about to admit that.
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Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 9:24 pm
Pyxis always thought that it was incredibly silly that Abel liked this thing called "bruschetta", especially since the only thing he ever saw him with was candy. He didn't quite make the connection that the candy always went to him, so he was using some of his wish-power he'd saved up from shooting star wishes to hope that Abel would take the bribe. He didn't really have any doubts that his guardian cat would help him out when it came down to it, but this wasn't a matter of life or death. It was more just a matter of helping Pyxis help other people where he'd previously failed.
"It'd be super helpful! I don't have a whole lot of experience about anything so I can't really be a good part of the team or anything, so you've gotta help me be helpful, okay? Plus, you make the cutest mascot ever. In the world. And we need one of those." He continued, lowering his voice. "I'm not really a b*****d, though. It's just a team name. Don't tell mom, especially because she doesn't know I have a talking kitty."
It had taken weeks of coaxing to get his mother to accept Trinket, who couldn't say a word (other than maybe 'hello' in the creepy kitty way). He was almost positive that getting her to accept Abel would be about a billion and one times harder.
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Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 7:15 pm
HMmmm. Abel eyed the two of them, giving Tallulah a bit of the good ol' evil eye before he clamored down the tree.
"I suppose that I could be of assistance." He nodded lightly, and came up to Pyxis, rubbing against his leg. The boy had the silliest of notions, though it was endearing. More than he cared to admit-- he could see Astraea laughing her a** off at him without batting an eye.
"I should hope you will both live up to those words, as I take them as a promise." There was just something about the texture of a good bread crust, gnawing on it and then nibbling at the cool tomatoes was enough to make him one happy kitty. He wondered what this whole "Team Basterd" thing would mean, anyway. He had never been privy to a team before, as he was unbound before he and Pyxis became a duo. He never thought that he'd meet a senshi he was fond of-- and while he was wary of Europa, he was willing to at least attempt to be friendly, if only to please his Pasha.
"Indebted? I think not. As a guardian cat, it is my duty to assist the senshi. While you may need to feed me bruschetta for an indeterminable amount of time, you are far from in debt to me, Tallulah."
He nodded at them both, tail hitting the grass. "So." He pawed at the ground, kneading his claws a little. "What is our first order of business? Besides carrying on our roundtable in a safer place, one where I may not be overheard speaking?"
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Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 9:05 pm
It was endearing how Abel could call her by her civilian name and discuss going somewhere more private in the same breath. Almost. Tallulah crouched down and gave the irritable guardian cat a scratch behind the ears, bringing forth an initial string of protests that devolved quickly into a purr.
"Basterds like the Inglourious Basterds," she explained quietly, to both cat and boy. "It's a movie, but I don't think you would have seen it."
No, Pasha would probably have passed out during the opening credits.
"We can go talk in the alley behind Dippin Donuts," she continued, reluctantly stopping her cat-petting. "And then I'll buy you your bruschetta at the deli on the way home."
Once in the alley, which smelled appetizingly of frying dough and cinnamon-sugar, Europa took a seat on top of a closed dumpster. "You say you assist the senshi," she said to Abel. "What exactly does that mean? We know that cats do awakenings, and some of our friends have talked about cats doing power-ups as well - what else do you guys do?"
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Posted: Thu May 06, 2010 1:00 pm
Laughing as Abel brushed against his leg, Pyxis picked him up to cuddle him against his chest, holding him just tight enough so he wouldn't fall (but with just enough slack for him to be able to hop down or crawl across his shoulders). It really was the best, having such a good companion who also doubled as an adorable kitty.
"I wouldn't break a promise, Abel, c'mon!" His insistence was genuine, but he still had to swallow a knot in his throat. The promise made to Serandite had been broken, but she was part of the Negaverse. Surely it didn't count.
"Oh," he responded to her clarification. That really did make more sense, now that he thought about it. He supposed that his confusion was well deserved, considering how late he'd been to their first meeting. Very unprofessional. "You'll hafta tell me about it later, okay?"
He followed Europa into the alleyway, Abel in tow, keeping an eye out for any civilians. His encounters had taught him that civilians didn't like the look of powered-up Senshi; instead, they did things like call him a terrorist. Facing Europa as she spoke, he relaxed his arms, not wanting to impair Abel's answers.
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Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 12:35 pm
Abel squirmed a little in Pyxis' arms, harumphing (mostly for show, though, as he was rather comfortable) as he slid up to curl around the boy's neck like a lazy scarf.
"You are correct, Europa. I am, however, aware of the context surrounding it." As they made their way to the alley, he calmly nuzzled Pasha, purring quietly, enjoying the nice summer day.
Abel nudged his nose against Pasha's face, the coolness brushing against warm skin. "I believe you, Pyxis. Do not fret."
When asked about Senshi matters, Abel merely said, at first, "It's complicated." With a sigh, the cat burrowed his brow. Or as much as a cat could burrow his eyebrows, that is.
"Mostly awaken and give them a pep talk. When they are strong enough, I grant them the ability to move on, to advance and grow stronger." He grew silent, for a time, pawing his way to sit at his Pasha's feet, lazily laying on top of the cute shoes with a yawn.
"And we search. For our queen."
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Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 2:34 pm
"Yes," nodded Europa. She'd been roughly expecting this sort of answer, everything seeming to revolve around their elusive Moon Princess-slash-Queen, but having a guardian cat confirm it bolstered her confidence. "We do the same thing."
She nested her fingers together, looking pensive. It wasn't that she wanted Abel to be their mascot, because she didn't see him as just being some sort of toy or pet. She bit her lip. "When we were Team Anglerfish, I mean," she said. "You hung around with us. I just wanted to know if you would want to keep doing that now that we're a bigger team."
She had another thought, something that would be good to know - what made guardian cats so different from regular cats? "What makes thew guardian cats so drawn to senshi in the first place?" she asked. "How is any guardian cat different from a normal cat?"
It was almost like some kind of symbiotic relationship.
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 8:17 pm
Typically, Pyxis would have plucked Abel up again, not content unless he was snuggled against him. But he felt warm against his feet, and the Senshi had a lot to think about. Europa was good at driving conversations and leading meetings - he didn't mind being her helper and just falling back when he ran out of Important Things to talk about. It also came in handy when his mind was racing and the pesky Senshi burden was nagging, which seemed to happen more and more when this sort of topic came into focus.
His feet shuffled just slightly, and he was careful not to bother Abel too much. "It's probably 'cause we're really cute, and kitties are cute, and we've gotta stick together and all," he offered, hoping it would lighten the mood. It didn't, however, get rid of the nagging that caused him to blurt out the next series of questions.
"But um, Abel...what if we can't ever find the Queen? We've gotta keep fighting forever?" There was definite worry in his voice. He didn't like fighting now, and forever sure was a long time.
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