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 Posted: Sun May 29, 2011 6:20 pm
Things seemed to be going smoothly, for the most part, for the new Knight. He had run into a few fights, mostly with youma, and had taken some cuts and bruises. Long nights and warm baths followed those rougher nights. But the sense of accomplishment that he was building was what really stuck.
He was helping people. Actually helping them, not getting in the way or making himself something that needed to be saved. He was doing what needed to be done.
What he needed to do.
Tonight, he was walking down an alley, as per usual, looking for any sign of youma or nega activity. Any drained bodies, or, hopefully, people he could prevent becoming one. He had a few anxieties about running into anything incredibly powerful or over his head, but even those were fading as his confidence in himself, and his purpose, grew.
Humming to himself, Camelot tried not to day dream too much about himself being the knight he had grown up reading about. But that was very difficult, considering his current good mood and the ever increasing idea that he was, in fact, destined for this work.
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Posted: Sun May 29, 2011 6:33 pm
Hiro was on the prowl. He had a mission, a very important, very sneaky, very clever mission (if he did say so himself, and he did). Hiro was forgoing his usual training or spending the evening glued to Alkaid's side. He was hunting.
His target? New, naive senshi. Hiro wanted information and he had an ingenious way to get it. Now he just needed prey.
A faint blip of energy caught Hiro's attention. He paused, head tilting. One ear swung to the side, as though that might enhance his Mauvian energy-detecting sense. The blip was faint... new, perhaps. Though there was something decidedly off about it. Hiro couldn't detect that faint tinge of corruption to it that heralded a Lieutenant. It definitely didn't have the ring of 'senshi' to it, either.
Curiouser and curiouser. Might this perhaps be the new enemy that Painite had fought? Or would it resolve into either senshi or Negaverse as Hiro moved closer? There was only one way to find out...
Hiro trotted off in the direction of the energy signature. It wasn't too long before he was entering an alley, slinking out to inspect the tall man giving off the strange energy. Sitting himself down in the man's path, Hiro tilted his head to one side and widened his eye - a clear cat expression of 'wtf, please explain'.
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Posted: Sun May 29, 2011 7:02 pm
Camelot looked down when he spotted the cat in front of him, frowning thoughtfully. At first he thought it was a youma, considering its strange look, but it actually seemed to be a normal... non-attacking, run of the mill cat.
Well, maybe not run of the mill.
"Uh. Hello there," he said, stooping to look at it a bit closer. Tony was not exactly great with animals, and he was not, like Painite, overwhelmed with the urge to pet and cuddle. He had a cuddle monster at home, which he did dote over endlessly, but that was because she was his dog. It was acceptable to turn into a puddle of mush for ones own dog, and in no way embarrassing for a 39 year old man in the peace of his own home.
Petting animals that belonged to others, or, like this guy seemed to, didnt' belong to anyone was a different story.
Was the cat looking at him funny...?
"What happened to your eye, I wonder?" he said, frowning a bit. He couldn't help but feel a twinge when he saw the cat only had one eye. Had it been hurt in a fight? An abusive owner from the past? It must have had a sad story, and that immediately threatened to break Tony's heart. Despite his denial, he was the kind of person who would adopt a thousand animals if they all looked at him sadly or seemed to need him.
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Posted: Sun May 29, 2011 9:14 pm
Well, the guy wasn't trying to stomp on Hiro, or attacking with that... shield? huh. Someone affiliated with the senshi surely would have noticed the star on Hiro's forehead and known what that meant. (Or at least known to suspect all cats of being Secretly Magical.) That this guy didn't even notice the strange mark most likely meant Negaverse or other.
Hiro stared, concentrating hard. Nope, no matter how hard he tried, no faint sense of the Negaverse here. Did that mean Hiro had actually found one of those mysterious 'Pages'? On his first night out looking for likely targets for his plan?
... Oh yes, he was such a talented kitty <3 (Just ask him.)
"What happened to your eye, I wonder?" the man asked.
"Lost it in a fight," Hiro answered, matter of fact. The fact that he didn't remember the fight was of no concern to this stranger. Hiro had woken up in the Negaverse, missing an eye, a chunk of ear, and a great deal of memories. Ah well, old history.
"What with the shield?" he kept talking, not giving the guy much time to acclimitise to a talking cat. "Some kind of knight or are you one of those weird people who dress up and roll dice with other weirdos?"
The soul of tact, that was Hiro.
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Posted: Mon May 30, 2011 1:08 pm
"Oh, that's a shame," he replied, before he realized that the cat had been the one to answer his question. He looked around, just to be sure the owner wasn't standing around nearby or someone wasn't pretending to be the cat and throwing their voice.
If Nate were around, he'd probably like making him look like an idiot. Even if Nate didn't know Camelot was his dad.
There was no one around.
"You... ah... hmm."
He had heard from a new senshi friend that she had been given her ability to power up by a cat. It made sense, then, that a cat that helped them power up could also talk. Was this one of those then? He had no concept of cats being evil, and only the fleeting references to them in his experiences, so he was baffled.
"I... I'm a Knight, not a... weirdo..." He frowned. He was dressed up as knight, talking to a cat. That was pretty weird. "How... how are you talking? Are you one of those cats that wake Senshi? Youma don't talk... or haven't yet. I wouldn't be surprised."
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Posted: Mon May 30, 2011 5:04 pm
Hiro resisted the urge to smirk when this... knight... brought up the senshi. So he was already familiar with them and their guardian cats? Excellent. Half Hiro's work was already done.
"I am not a youma. Why does everyone ask that lately?" Hiro muttered loudly, ears flat back against his head. Really, did he seem like one of those stupid monsters? He was elegant. Graceful. Sleek and slinky and sneaky and smart. What youma could compare to Hiro's magnificent self?
"Yes, I work with the senshi," he said, padding forward. It wasn't even a lie - Hiro just worked with the corrupted senshi, not the White Moon faction. "We Guardian Cats are from another planet - Mau. We're far more intelligent than your Earth cats." And some humans, but that was besides the point.
"So, " he circled around Camelot, blatantly staring, "a Knight. Any relation to 'Pages'?"
Hiro didn't like to think that there were two new factions out there. Had Painite perhaps gotten the name wrong?
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Posted: Mon May 30, 2011 9:46 pm
"Oh, I didn't mean to offend you. I just thought... because youma are so prevalent and you're a bit... uh... scruffy. Not that that's a bad thing. I just. With the one eye... hm."
He cleared his throat, discovering now that he was as awkward with animals as he was with people most of the time, save at work. Awesome. He sighed and shook his head slowly, trying to smooth over the bump in the road that he had created with a friendly smile.
Which fell a bit as the cat began to circle him. There was something oddly unsettling about being sized up by a tiny, furry animal. If Dogby ever did it to him he'd probably panic.
"A Knight, yes. A Page. Ah. I've heard that too," he said. He knew he was a Page of Earth, and most people just called him a Knight. If that was the actual title, or just because of how he was dressed, he wasn't sure. He watched the cat, wondering why he didn't know this.
"Don't the senshi know about us? I've run into a few who seem to be at least aware of our existence, if not who we are. Of course, I've ran into some who don't know anything about us, either, so I guess it's not that farfetched... you must know a lot about senshi, though, if you're one of the ones that awakens them?"
He looked a little hopeful, wanting to get some of his questions answered.
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Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 9:30 pm
Scruffy? Scruffy!? Hiro drew himself up and gave the Page/Knight/verysillyman his most outraged look. Hiro was epitome of feline masculinity! Of danger and badassness. Of sleek fur and whipcord muscles. Of- okay, okay, so he was a bit scruffy. Maybe. His ire dulled down to baleful stare.
"I work for a living," he muttered, one eye narrowed. "I'm not one of those spoilt housecats who sleeps all day and does nothing of any use." Or even other Guardian Cats out there who showed up once in a blue moon, awakened a senshi, then ran as soon as the enemy appeared. Hiro was damn proud of his battle scars.
Stupid human. Stupid human Earth cats. Stupid other Guardian Cats.
It took the human asking for more information to break Hiro out of his mental ramblings. Regarding the level of knowledge the senshi had, Hiro couldn't say. Half-truths served him well as he explained, "One of the girls I train mentioned running into a 'Page'. I don't think he explained anything other than that, as they were both busy at the time."
Which didn't explain how this guy knew so much about the senshi. Most civilians bought right into the 'terrorist' stuff regarding the senshi and Negaverse activities. Had this Page been active for longer than anyone had managed to notice?
"Information exchange, hmm?" Hiro purred. "I like it. I'll answer a question about the senshi, you answer a question about Pages?"
The brillance - the absolute brilliance - of it was that Hiro wasn't even giving away information on his own faction. He chortled inwardly, though was careful to keep the mirth from his face. Might be hard to explain to this guy why it was so funny.
"I suppose the polite thing to do is to introduce ourselves, too? Guardian Cat Masahiro. Hiro is fine, since most manage to mangle the full name."
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Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 11:27 am
Camelot watched the cat. This was the first time he had ever gotten that look from a cat. From people, yes. He had a bad habit of saying exactly the wrong thing in his efforts to cover up a possible insult he had already managed to let slip out.
It was a depressingly common occurrence. But never with an animal. Of course, he had also never spoken to a talking one before. So it seemed to make sense that he would mess it up.
"R-Right, I know. I meant... I didn't mean that it was a bad look. Just.. you... uh..." he thought for a moment. "You look very much like someone who has earned all his scars. You've probably got a thousand interesting stories to tell, I bet? It's a handsome look. Surely the... lady cats... find rugged handsome."
Hopefully appealing to his apparent vanity might get Camelot out of a clawed face.
Nodding his head, he shifted his position so he could settle in for the interview. As far as he knew, he was talking to a good cat, who would take the information he gave him to the senshi. Of course, he didn't know what senshi, so he wasn't going to tell him anything like his own identity, or the identities of the senshi he was close to.
"My name is Camelot, Page of Earth." He said, smiling. He'd offer his hand, but he didn't think cats were much for handshakes. Considering they had paws. "My friend said that she was awakened by a cat who... spat up a pen to give her. Is that really how senshi are awakened?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2011 6:34 pm
Hiro wasn't sure about the ladycats - the Negaverse didn't have any and he didn't have the time for, or interest in, romance anyway - but he did preen a little to hear that he was handsome. Nothing he didn't already know, of course, but it was nice to hear.
He settled in to soak up as much information as he could. Already he was writing a mental list of questions he wanted to ask. It kept growing as Camalot spoke - a Page "of Earth"? The Earth's response to all these magical invaders? One Page per planet? So many things to find out... Not to mention just what these Pages stood for and whoose side they were on.
But first, Hiro had a question to answer before he could ask his own.
Jaw dropping, Hiro gave the human a horrified look. "They spat it out? That's just... ugh." Hiro was vaguely embarrased on the behalf of that cat, and for his entire species. What a reputation to suddenly have!
Hiro raised a paw to his head, rubbing at the headache forming above his eyes. "It's... possible to do it that way. Clearly. But thankfully not mandatory. We guardian cats do make the pens for senshi, and while it uses our own energy, most of us do not form them in our stomachs first."
He normally would have left it there. But the question had been about awakening, not just the pens. "Some senshi do manage to awaken themselves. It's rarer, and either they use up a lot of their own energy to form the pen, or they have trouble until one of us happens along and makes it for them. Much easier with a pen."
Though of course there were rumours of those who didn't need pens. Those much stronger senshi who possessed crystals or merely had to speak the words aloud to transform. Hiro didn't think there'd been any of those since the last Moon Princess, though. Not worth mentioning to Camelot, when it no longer applied.
"My turn," Hiro perked up. He forced aside his own curiosity to ask the question he knew Tanzanite would be most interested in. "So what are you Pages or Knights, or whatever? As a group, I mean. Senshi being the chosen magical warriors of each celestial body out there, fighting for love, justice and all things good, and those evil Negaverse creeps being corrupted humans fighting to destroy everything..." Was Hiro laying it on a little thick? ... Naaaah. "You Knight-Pages are what?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 8:07 am
Camelot, still oblivious to the fact that he was giving information to the Negaverse, listened as Hiro reacted to the information of the cat reportedly spitting up the pen. He laughed, nodding his head.
"Well, I'm glad that's not the usual method, then," he said, shaking his head, "I didn't see it, but ah. It didn't sound too pleasant."
It was interesting to see a cat rubbing its face.
His attention was quickly absorbed in the rest of the answer, as he learned about how senshi were awakened, and the role cats played. He had only just learned cats were involved at all, and now it was fascinating to him. He would have to learn not to talk to every cat he saw now.
"Uh, well," he said thoughtfully, "to be honest, I don't know what we are, as a group. We don't know... each other, until we run into one another. No one seems to have any one plan, though I'm hoping to gather a few more knights together to help end this war between senshi and nega. I know you must have a predisposition to support your side, of course, but we... I don't. I fight for good and life, and I don't think anything has to be destroyed, let alone everything. And anyway, not all senshi are all about love or good, and not all Negas are creeps. Anything that's corrupted must be capable of being restored."
He frowned. He wasn't being too helpful, but how much could he know when he was all but brand new to this?
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Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 5:55 pm
Hiro agreed - it didn't sound pleasant at all. Not for the Mauvian, and not for whatever senshi was expected to pick up the henshin pen and use it after watching a cat spit it up.
"So you're not on the senshi's side?" Hiro questioned, letting his honest surprise show on his face. Let Camelot think Hiro was surprised anyone wouldn't be automatically on 'his' side, or that people wouldn't automatically choose 'his' senshi as the ultimate good. No, Hiro was just surprised because Fluorite and Alunite were both under the impression that the Page they'd encountered - one who used a shield, no less, he thought with a stare at Camelot's weapon of choice - was firmly sided with the senshi.
"Or is it more accurate to say that you Pages are acting seperately, following whatever code or creed you individually believe in?"
Hiro was pleased, though he tried to hide it. The options were opening up. He'd gone from thinking that the Pages were reinforcements for the senshi, to the Pages possibly being their own firm third side (neither against nor for either existing side), or not at all organised with all of them just running around chaotically on their own. His day was looking up!
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Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2011 10:58 am
"That's a good way to think of it. I can't speak for all the knights, but as far as I understand my duties... I am fighting for this planet and everyone on it. The senshi are mine to protect, as well. And those of the negaverse who would have my help... I seek the end to this war."
He smiled.
"There are more like me, as well. I'm going to fight with them. Ah."
He frowned at the cat, not sure what else to say. He wasn't much of an interviewer, to be honest, and couldn't think of what questions he wanted to ask. He had a lot he wanted to learn about the senshi.
"Alright, well, let's see," Camelot sat back. He knew it was his turn for a question, or it should have been, and he needed to come up with something good. Instead, he was interested in a surface level question.
"What senshi do you know? Ah, who have you awakened? I might know them, and I think they would be interested to know that we met." He chuckled.
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Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2011 5:11 pm
Oh crap. Touché, adversary!
Was this Camelot smarter than Hiro had thought, or did the Page just have uncanny luck? Think fast, Hiro! Who could Hiro name that Camelot couldn't check up with, and who also wouldn't give the feline's true allegiance away.
"Ly-" No wait, Lyra had her own cat! Quick, make something up! Hiro repressed a wince and grabbed a random star name. "La Superba. She was my main senshi, but she... died. In Elysium." Hiro hoped that his one drooping ear would be taken for sorrow, rather than anxiety over whether his lie would be believed or not.
"I also awoke Alkaid, though I hear she's since gone Dark." Perhaps it was a mistake, but he couldn't help but mention his Alkaid. Hiro forced a poor chuckle. "Perhaps I'm an unlucky cat to associate with."
Hiro's gaze, which had dropped to the ground as part of his depressed act, now flicked back up to Camelot's face. Time to see if this guy was buying it.
"Recently I'm just trying to check in with the newer senshi, check they're learning what they need to, if they have older senshi they can rely on for support and so on... You might have met some of them. Pasiphae?"
It was Hiro's turn for a question, but he kept quiet. His paws shifted under him. It may be time for a speedy getaway, if Camelot was getting suspicious. The cat waited for the Page's response, holding onto his 'turn' til he knew it was safe.
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Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 11:10 pm
Of course, Camelot had no idea he was being duped. So when Hiro mentioned his misfortune he didn't find it as a rueful joke, but as an honest admission of painful memories. He frowned sadly, scratching the back of his neck.
"I'm sorry to hear that. About both of those. I'm certain it's not ah... it's not bad luck," Quick, he thought to himself, think of a joke, "wouldn't you need to be a black cat for that to be the reason?"
Nice.
The name he mentioned was unfamiliar, though if Hiro had been talking to his son he might have gotten a different response. Or kicked across the alley. Camelot shook his head, but didn't seem to be questioning a thing. Certainly all these names were real ones, though he hadn't heard them, and of course the cat was keeping an eye on the newbies to make sure they weren't getting in trouble.
That was nice of him.
Still, Camelot watched the cat with what might have been a difficult to read expression. Though he had no reason to doubt the cat, his thoughtful face often looked like he was skeptical or even upset about something. He couldn't help it, especially when he got lost in thought.
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