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 Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 11:25 pm
Ahh! What a beautiful day! The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, it wasn't too hot nor too cold, and best of all? Dietrich had promised he'd meet up with her after his last class to hang out for the day. Tabitha was grinning like a fool as she hurried to the place she'd told him she'd meet him at; the middle of the park by the fountain. Though she had made a stop at the grocery store before she arrived, she suddenly just craved a nice platter of sushi. It was still cold too! That was when it was best, she felt.
She sighed happily and sat under a tree by the meeting place for shade, unwrapping the sushi and setting the plate down on her lap. Mmmm! It all looked so good! She checked the time on her phone to see how much longer she had before Dietrich's class ended. Hmmm..she had time to really enjoy this! Good, good. Besides, sitting off to the side like this was a good time for people watching, though Tabitha wished she'd brought a book or something along with her to read while she waited. Or having someone to talk to would be nice too! She had a feeling she was going to get very, very bored. But Dietrich had made a promise and Tabitha was determined to hold him to it! Not that she doubted him or anything but she couldn't leave just because she was bored of waiting for him. It was her own fault for leaving early!
It was nice that things had calmed down. Tabitha looked around from where she was sitting with a small frown. She hadn't actually seen it but she'd heard it, that awful commotion the other night. The news had said...it was a terrible monster. Tabitha didn't even want to think about how many people it probably killed; she herself had wanted to see it to see if it was real but her grandparents had made her hide with them in the basement like it was some kind of tornado. The park seemed to be mostly cleaned up, though it apparently hadn't taken much damage to begin with! It was closer to the outskirts that seemed to get the bulk of the damage...
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Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 4:11 pm
The sun was shining. The birds were chirping. The water in the fountain bubbled playfully forth from the toy horn of a small, stone child. Ophelia snoozed on the ledge, away from the wet, with her tail curled around her small, four-legged frame. As far as days went in Destiny City, this one had been mostly uneventful and void of unfortunate things like youma and misguided Negaverse agents.
This was how life was supposed to be.
Good. Comfortable. Peaceful.
It suited Ophelia, who'd suffered a bit of a conniption after the catastrophe the Blood Moon Court had caused, just fine. Better than fine.
She was roused, gradually, from a dreamless sleep by Andromeda's presence in the park. Senshi were the best thing about being a Guardian. Ophelia was a great lover of all things, but the magical soldiers were her particular favourites. So many of them were little more than children-- reborn on Earth and ignorant, until their awakening, to the true nature of their destiny. Most were shocked, astonished to discover that there was more to them than they could ever have guessed. Others acted as though they'd always known, somehow, that they were different.
Everyone, save those corrupted by the negaverse's dark light, took up the cause. In some way or another.
Smiling softly to herself, as much as a cat could smile, Ophelia hopped away from the fountain and strolled over to Tabitha. She peered around the tree, eyed the sushi in the young lady's hands, and said;
"Good afternoon, Andromeda."
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Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 4:54 pm
Tabitha forced herself to look away from the damage to the park and give her snack the attention it deserved, picking up the first piece of sushi and biting it in half. She instantly squealed with delight and wiggled in her place on the ground, finishing the piece and reaching down for another. That was when she heard the voice, thinking for a moment that perhaps it was Dietrich arriving early until she realized it was a female voice saying good afternoon. Tabitha looked up and looked around, only seeing a pretty cat sitting near her. Huh? Then who was saying hello? It wasn't to her anyway, it was to someone named 'Andromeda'. Guess there was no point in her seeing who it was! She looked down at the cat eying her platter, looking from her to the sushi and back again. "Hi there, pretty kitty. Would you like some sushi?" She picked up a piece and picked the rice and seaweed wrapping off it so she could get to the fish part.
She held her hand out with the pieces of fish resting in her palm, giving the cat a warm smile. "It's really good, I promise!" She made a soft calling noise to the cat, wanting to give her a nice little snack. It obviously didn't click with her just yet it was this very cat that had said hello to her.
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Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 10:41 am
Yes, the pretty kitty would like some sushi.
Ophelia balked a little at the ridiculous way people had of speaking to animals they thought were cute. It was not unusual for even the most serious of countenances or the hardest of hearts to transform into a gushing fool when faced with something that looked as harmless as she probably did.
But Andromeda was very sweet and Ophelia, who had a most serious countenance, warmed to her at once. She sat back on her haunches, and looked the girl in the eye.
"I have such a weakness for sushi," she said as she leaned forward, and plucked a piece of fish from Andromeda's open palm with her teeth. Ophelia took a moment to chew and swallow, and then straightened where she sat.
"That was very good, Andromeda. Thank you."
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Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 10:57 am
...
.....
Wait a second...this cat...d-did it really just..?
Tabitha was struck speechless, staying completely still as the talking cat ate straight out of her hand like any other normal cat. She..she couldn't have talked. She couldn't have. That was just impossible! Someone had fed her peanut butter and was now standing off to the side playing some sick game of ventriloquist. That had to be it. Tabitha frowned and looked around for the culprit, leaning over to peer behind the tree. No one there...and no one up in the tree. Maybe she was wearing a speaker or something? No..she didn't seem to be.
This left poor Tabitha dumbfounded, unsure of how one is supposed to react when you meet a talking cat. On television it was normal! No one thought anything of a talking cat! But real life?! "Uh..m-me...too?" It was her favorite food, she was always happy to hear someone else liked it too. But to hear it from the mouth of a cat?
This was the weirdest thing ever.
Wait, Andromeda? That was directed at her? "But wait, my name isn't Andromeda. I'm Tabitha. Tabitha St. George.."
Was she really having this discussion with a cat!?
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Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 3:00 pm
It was not difficult to see that poor Tabitha was very much out of her depth. Ophelia waited, patiently, for the girl to accept the reality of what was happening. She was fortunate, still, to be so shocked. There were other civilians, Ophelia knew, who'd suffered through worse things than panic over the unlikeness of a talking cat.
For a moment, Ophelia thought about turning away from Tabitha-- considered pretending that she was not more than she seemed, so that this poor child could continue life unmolested by the supernatural forces that plagued Destiny City. But there was also nothing to guarantee that Tabitha's innocent ignorance would remain that way. It was safer to be aware.
And, therefore, to be awakened.
"You are both," Ophelia explained calmly, and fixed Tabitha with her tender stare, "Tabitha St. George, and Sailor Andromeda, Senshi of Jellyfish."
What a sphere. They really did come in a myriad of varieties, these days.
"My name is Ophelia," said the cat, "I am a Guardian."
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Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 3:22 pm
Sailor what of the what?! What was a senshi?! What was a Sailor Andromeda?! Like the constellation?! But this made no sense! Talking cats, sailors, senshi, jellyfish, Andromeda? She was so confused. Tabitha's mouth opened and closed a few times like a gaping fish. So confused. What was going on. This didn't make any sense! Ophelia? "That's a pretty name...er...a guardian? Like, angel?"
Okay, Tabitha. Get a hold of yourself and figure out what was going on here. What did she know? She was here to meet her brother for a brother-sister day they were sorely overdue. He was still in class, so she was waiting here. She had sushi. This cat liked sushi. This cat, Ophelia, talked. And now she was calling her Andromeda, senshi of jellyfish? What on Earth was a SENSHI?
There was only one explanation to this. Tabitha started to laugh, leaning back against the tree and pressing the heel of her hand against her forehead. "I'm dreaming. That's it. I ate too much sushi, fell asleep, and now I'm having a dream. Of course."
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Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 7:46 pm
Ophelia could practically see straight through Tabitha's gaping mouth to all of the questions that she wanted to ask. It made sense for this sort of news to be difficult. Ophelia understood. And, because they were not currently facing the wrath of one of Beryl's agents, she was inclined to take her time with Tabitha.
This was serious business that called for serious consideration. The Guardian liked it when she did not have to rush through explanations.
"No, not like an angel," Ophelia smiled wryly, "Like a cat."
It might have been easier, she suspected, for Andromeda to accept the truth of what she said if she were to transform into her human body. But that took too much energy, and was not worth attracting unfriendly company.
"I can assure you," Ophelia's tail flicked slowly back and forth on the grass, "that you're not dreaming, Andromeda."
The cat shot a furtive glance over this shoulder, and then over that one. She looked one way and then the other. There was a small group of teenage boys playing soccer in the distance, and an old man quite asleep on a nearby bench.
"Here," she said, took a running leap at the air, and performed a sensational little backflip. Andromeda's henshin pen materialized seemingly out of nowhere, and Ophelia brought it back to the young lady with it clamped awkwardly between her teeth.
"Take this, and follow me," her words came out garbled and a bit difficult to understand, but Ophelia felt she got the message across well enough. She stared pointedly at Tabitha.
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Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 9:05 pm
Of course like a cat. Haha! This was so silly! It was like Alice in Wonderland! She loved it! This was just hilarious; any moment Dietrich would be arriving and waking her up, and then he'd take her to get a real lunch and then maybe even a movie or something. It'd be fun! And then she could tell him all about the weird dream she was having and...it wasn't a dream? But it had to be! Tabitha turned her head to watch Ophelia with a worried look, swallowing hard and pursing her lips. If she told anyone she was talking to a cat that talked back in the human language people would think she was crazy! This wasn't happening. This wasn't happening. This wasn't. Happening.
Suddenly Ophelia leaped into the air and Tabitha gasped, dropping the sushi platter all on the ground as she leaned away to avoid being hit. The cat was attacking! Rabid cat! Rabid cat! It wasn't until the strange purple pen-looking object appeared that she seemed to calm down and believe the cat wasn't attacking her. As Ophelia approached her with it she was unsure of what she was supposed to be doing now. She held her hand out obediently for the strange object, lifting it to give it a good inspection once it was in her hand. At the top was a circle with a strange symbol on it, one she swore she'd caught a glimpse of once in science glass; it basically looked like three circles in the middle of two backwards parentheses. The handle was purple, but a very pretty purple. "What is this? I don't understand what's going on." Regardless of her own worries she somehow felt compelled to stand up with the pen still in her hand, looking down at Ophelia. "Um..lead the way?"
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Posted: Wed May 25, 2011 2:15 pm
"That, Adromeda, is your henshin pen," Ophelia was thoughtful, and sat patiently while the child examined that which had always belonged to her. It was only natural that Tabitha experience doubt and uncertainty at this point. She had no real reason to trust the talking feline who insisted upon calling her by a name that she had never heard before.
Or, perhaps more accurately, a name that she had not heard in a very long time.
But Tabitha was curious. Ophelia could see it in her eyes, as surely as she knew Sailor Andromeda lurked underneath the surface.
"It is the tool you will use to become Sailor Andromeda," Ophelia led the way from the shade of the tree, out of the park, and into a nearby alley. They were surrounded by brick walls on either side. This did not guarantee privacy. But it sure helped.
"You must keep it with you at all times, and never lose it."
She fixed Tabitha with a bold stare. There was warmth in her eyes.
"When you're ready, say, 'Andromeda Power, Make-up!' and hold up that pen."
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Posted: Fri May 27, 2011 5:08 pm
Andromeda, Andromeda, Andromeda. Who was Andromeda? Andromeda was a constellation! A galaxy! A Greek myth! The basis of half of the name of a species of jellyfish! Well, Ophelia did say that 'Sailor Andromeda' was the 'senshi of jellyfish' so...perhaps it was fitting. But she wasn't either of those things! She couldn't be! She was just Tabitha Jane St. George, and that was all, right? She didn't even know what a henshin pen was! She looked down at it again while she continued to follow Ophelia obediently, frowning a little. She wasn't upset, just confused. A tool to become Sailor Andromeda?
"What happens if I lose it?" Tabitha asked, though not because she had any intention on losing it she just wanted to be sure what would happen if she lost this pen. This had to be a dream, it just had to be. There was no way any of this could be real. It couldn't be...it couldn't be...
Tabitha looked up from the pen to meet Ophelia's stare, her breath suddenly escaping her and her heart nearly stopping. So if she said that...what would happen? She would become this Sailor Andromeda person? She looked down at the pen and then down at Ophelia again. Well, here goes nothing? She swallowed hard and took in a slow, deep breath. Tabitha then raised her hand in the air, holding the pen up in it.
"Andromeda Power, Make Up!"
Suddenly her body began to glow and she gasped at the sight. It sounded like water was rushing past her ears as she was suddenly enveloped in bright purple bubbles, her clothes changing into something completely unfamiliar and different from anything she had ever worn. When it was all over she stood in front of Ophelia, staring down at herself with wide, green eyes. This dress, these gloves, this bow! Where did these come from?! She felt something tap against her forehead and her eyes turned up toward the tiara resting against her forehead, reaching up to touch it. It was real! It was all real! She stumbled suddenly and clung to the nearest wall, looking down at the shoes she was wearing. Where had all this come from?! She'd never even worn anything like this. Tabitha--no, Sailor Andromeda turned a confused but curious look to Ophelia.
"I...is this what...a-am I..." She looked down at herself again. "Wha--who--what am I?" A senshi? She looked like a member of that group people were calling terrorists? Did she think they were terrorists? No but...was she one of them now?!
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Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2011 3:10 pm
"You are a warrior," Ophelia confirmed, and nodded her head. There was a note of pride in the Guardian's voice, which she took no pains to hide. Ophelia was very fond of all senshi, but she had a soft spot for those whom she had personally awakened. She felt responsible for them, above the others.
"Sailor Andromeda," the cat addressed the brand new senshi pointedly to further drive the name home, and stared up into that sweetly astonished face. Ophelia could see that the reality of Tabitha's transformation had opened her mind up to the truth of her identity. Still, it seemed, the girl struggled to comprehend that this was actually happening.
"You are a champion of justice," Ophelia sat as still as stone, and the seriousness of her words was tempered a little by the warmth in her voice. "It is your duty to join your fellow senshi -- yes, there are a lot of you-- in their protection of the earth, and the universe."
"And to overcome the darkness of the Negaverse."
Somewhere nearby a door slammed. The little cat showed no sign of having heard it. But she lowered her voice, ears flatted against her head, and took a conspiratorial step closer to the sailor scout.
"You are stronger now, and faster too, but it is important that you know you're not invincible. There are more powerful forces out there, and… people who would see you die for being little more than what you are."
Charonite might have been long gone, but the legacy of agents he'd left behind grew more infectious everyday.
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Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2011 4:41 pm
A warrior!? What?! Andromeda looked down at herself in disbelief, clearly not buying it. If she was a warrior where was her armor? Her weapons? Her muscles? She wasn't a warrior. She was a little girl in a poofy dress. Even as she was called Sailor Andromeda and not Tabitha she felt compelled to look up to Ophelia again, a small frown present on her face again. This. Made. No. Sense. She was tempted to say she was dreaming again, but she was starting to understand..this was real. This wasn't a fantasy, it wasn't a day dream, it wasn't a hallucination or her imagination in any way. This was real. She listened quietly as Ophelia explained what she was exactly as she looked herself over, checking out her shoes, her gloves, her dress, the giant bow...where did her normal clothes go? Did they just vanish? "I don't...what's the Negaverse? Senshi? The universe?"
Andromeda gasped and jumped a bit as a door slammed, whirling around awkwardly on her heel and nearly falling over because of it. Why did she suddenly feel so defensive? Maybe she was just nervous. Yes. Nervous and confused. So very nervous and confused.
Did she just say die?!
Andromeda's heart stopped and her eyes grew wide, just staring at Ophelia with a look of horror. She...she could die!? There were people who would want to kill her?! "Wh...what?!"
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Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2011 11:39 am
The agents of the Negaverse were to Ophelia as troublesome, misguided students to their compassionate teacher. She could not blame them for the direction Fate had turned. So many of them were just children, like Tabitha. They didn't know any better.
Beryl was the real evil.
"I am not going to tell you not to worry," Ophelia's voice was soft. Kindness shone in her ocean eyes. "Being a senshi is handwork, Andromeda. It is also very dangerous."
"The Negaverse are misguided soldiers, who prey on the weak and the defenceless in order to achieve their means-- the means of their Queen."
Ophelia sighed. It was a long, drawn out sound that seemed as though it had waited fifty years to see the light of day.
"This is who you have always been. I have shown you what you are, because you deserve to know. Whether or not you take up the mantle of our cause is a decision that you will have to make for yourself."
Tabitha might have been little more than a girl, but Ophelia refused to influence this choice with anything less than the truth. There was no coddling. No sweet words of comfort. If she was going to ask Andromeda to risk her life, and to do these most important things, she was going to give her the respect she deserved and treat her like an adult.
Serious business was serious.
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Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2011 2:32 pm
Soldiers? Queen? Andromeda frowned, rubbing at the back of her neck. She still looked rather unsure. Die? She didn't want to die. She couldn't die, she had too many people it would break the hearts of; grandma, grandpa, Dietrich! Oh, if she was lost Dietrich would just...she couldn't imagine what he would do. First their parents then her? She didn't want to even imagine it. She looked down at her gloved hands, turning them this way and that as if searching for something. What was she looking for? She had no idea. A sign? Something? Anything. If she was supposed to fight soldiers how was she going to do this? She didn't want to fight! She just...why did they have to fight?
"How am I supposed to, um..fight? I mean, they're soldiers, right? I don't even have a weapon..." Andromeda looked down at her dress, her shoe, her long bow. This didn't look like a soldier. What had Ophelia called her? A senshi? "What..happens if I don't want to do this? Not that I'm saying I won't but what if I didn't? Is this, like, a war or something? I'm not a soldier I barely manage to fight off my brother when he's teasing me sometimes!" Of course little did she know said brother was late because he was fighting off a youma. Go figure. Andromeda looked down at her dress, trying to flatten it. "This outfit is weird.."
Girl's got priorities.
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