[R] Friends in strange places (Hygiea x Dahlia) FIN

[Iris_virus]

She wasn't exactly sure what she was looking for. Senshi... corrupted... negaverse... a place to lounge for awhile. In her curious wandering and eavesdropping Dahlia had picked up on the fact that the park was a pretty big hotspot of activity. So it wasn't so much of a surprise that on one boringly slow night the creamy white cat found her paws leading her towards the once familiar location.

Upon arrival she didn't sense anything. No dark or light energy, not even a youma within the immediate area. Just a dark and surreal scene, like innocence on tainted or shifted into the sinister by the long shadows that crept from every plaything.

There was no one around at the moment... no reason she had to be entirely on her game. She could rest a few moments couldn't she? With a few striding steps and a graceful leap Dahlia landed atop one of the small swings, claws retracting as the platform gave a little and shifted under her paws.

It only swayed once or twice though and she settled onto it comfortably, lifting one of her paws up for some tongue attention. In a grimey place like the city it was hard work to stay so pristine.  

[chirigami]

This was going to be an act of rebellion for Hygiea, going against ********* - and really Iris' - orders to not go out alone without calling anyone. But really, her captain had done it first and she felt it was in her right to do the same at least once.

So, with a bag of Oreos in hand and a quick transformation after another successful attempt of sneaking out of her house, Hygiea was nearly skipping through the streets not far from her home - as she never really went too far from her house just in case anyways and wouldn't when she was alone. She was being daring but she figured doing something stupid, even if it would be fun, wasn't going to be a good idea.

She headed towards the city, it always seemed to be where evil things would probably be doing things. This meant passing by the park with the awesome swing set and her orange eyes drifted over as she began to skip her way past. And then stopped, nearly tripping over herself.

There was a cat!

THERE WAS A CAT!

The senshi of herb's eyes grew wide with excitement as she detoured on her course and towards the fluffy white feline that was cleaning herself. "Kitty!" She squealed out when she was close. Hopefully she wouldn't scare it off or anything.  

[Iris_virus]

She was not unused to the proclaimation. Unless you hid yourself away constantly, almost any mauvian that wandered the streets was used to being approached by someone using the familiar term. Especially younger civilians.

The youthful voice was in fact the thing that struck her the strangest about the cheerful call, only noticing after the fact that soft light aura the girl was giving off. A senshi. No... the tiniest, and therefore absolutely cutest, senshi she could recall ever seeing. She'd heard of chibis before in passing, and who knew.. maybe before she was corrupted she knew some? But if that was the case she did not remember. So this was a special treat.

She lifted herself from her seated position with a soft murr, but nonetheless didn't seem to make any move to flee. The creamy white guardian was too curious to worry about any dangers the little senshi could have posed.

"Dahlia" She chirped back enthusiastically to the 'greeting'. "What's your name sweetie?"  

[chirigami]

It wasn't just an ordinary cat that she had stumbled upon, but a guardian cat! If there was a possibility to add any more joy to the children's face, it found a way. Cats who didn't run away were awesome enough, but one that conversed back with her? Loads better!

When Hygiea finally got closer, it became even more obvious how it should have been obvious in the first place just which kind of cat she had found. The black star mark planted in the middle of a fluffy white forehead, the utter intelligence behind those eyes and the mannerisms as a whole. The little girl was around cats so much, she should have easily been able to spot the difference.

The aura should have been also an indicator and probably really a deterrent but the chibi senshi was oblivious to such things.

"Hello Dahlia!" The little senshi greeted in return with a wide smile. "I'm Sailor Hygiea, senshi of herbs!" Without hesitation, she reached out to scratch the white cat behind her ears affectionately.

"You're really pretty! Would you like an Oreo?"  

[Iris_virus]

Hygiea, senshi of herbs. The information was tucked away quickly, almost subconciously. As a cat it was simply one those things you did.. keep track of names and powers. If she thought about it she might have been thankful as she'd recently learned it was a little harder to get a read on the regular senshi these days, often only able to come up with half of their identity. But at the moment Dahlia was not thinking business, and so the thoughts and thankfulness were left for a better time.

"Nice to meet you" The words degraded as a welcoming and pleased purr rattled through her as her ears were graced with soft affection, her tail swishing in delight. The soft smile shape of her feline maw stretched just a little further, until almost the tips of her teeth could be seen. Yes.. she was very pretty! Dahlia knew, Dahlia definately knew.

"Oreo?" Dual colored eyes widened a little from the soft half lull that had come along with a delightful ear scratching. Head cocking in a soft and curious look. "What's an Oreo?"

Food probably? Or a toy? What else would someone be offering? While Dahlia had had her share of lots of fancy and delicious meats noone had really tried to feed her sweet treats yet.  

[chirigami]

Purring was always a sign of successful venture of petting and affection and Hygiea was very pleased to hear the rumbling sound that Dahlia made and to see the look on her face. Cats always smiled to her, and it was more evident that Dahlia's had curled even more. Awesome.

Though, honestly she was a little confused with how the fluffy cat didn't know what the cookie she was offering was. True, not all cats could possibly eat as many sweets as ********* generally did, everyday - and possibly live to see the next. But who in this day and age didn't know what an Oreo was.

Taking a moment, the little senshi reluctantly pulled her hand from the cat's head and reached into the bag that was held in her other one and pulled out the black cookie with white fluffy innards. Hygiea held it out to the corrupted cat proudly, "this is an Oreo, awesome chocolate cookie with delicious cream filling!" She tipped the round disk, letting the edge rest horizontally just in case the cat wanted to take a nibble at it - or would she pretty much take the whole thing like ********* would? She honestly didn't know ... this was only her second guardian cat she had encountered with food.  

[Iris_virus]

The kind of pampered feline that Dahlia was... when it was food time she demanded what she wanted. Or snubbed what she didn't. The practice had quickly made her fairly carnivorous, with most of her diet being seafood or fowl of different sorts. Desserts though.. she was fairly unused to.. with exception to a few mostly dairy based treats like mousse and ice cream.

'Chocolate' she knew the taste vaguely, and cream, she certainly knew that! So as the cookie was offered, she only sniffed at it lightly, for a brief moment, her whiskers wiggling with the action, before taking a quick nibble.

Sweet! Not unpleasant at all, but very different then anything she was used to. The crunch of the cookie was a bit strange.. as usually she equated the sensation with cheap (and therefore unacceptable) cat foods. But the taste fought that thought away especially with the sweetier squishy middle.

"It is good! Thank you." Dahlia offered after she'd had a moment to take it all in, leaning forward to attempt to gently take the rest of the cookie. For as much as ********* engulfed, Hygiea would soon find out that Dahlia was the exact opposite preferring instead a slow and ladylike pecking.

The thought of a senshi wandering around with... snacks.. was a little strange to the cat. Though granted... her memories of how boring and uneventful senshi nights could be were long gone. The negaverse rarely found themselves unproductive on their nights out. But she couldn't help but mention the fact and her curiousity, musing softly. "So what are you doing out so late running around with cookies and treats?"

"On your way to slumber party?"  

[chirigami]

It was a little surreal watching Dahlia eat so daintily, that Hygiea couldn't help but watch in fascination. So unlike *********, and even humans; she was used to her family and peers just stuffing the whole cookie in their mouths. "Aa, you're welcome!" The little senshi finally managed, having been a little too quiet for her normal behavior. It was really something to watch though, kind of like how birds ate something really big.

"Well, I'm on patrol," She explained, a little puzzled why the guardian cat would even ask. It's what senshi normally did, right? How come she didn't know? Hygiea gave the fluffy cat an odd look before spinning in place and then plopping herself down in the next seat on the swing set. "Usually it's really boring and there's no one to fight in these areas so I tend to bring a snack and such just in case." She pulled out an Oreo as to emphasize the fact, pulling the two cookie pieces apart to lick the creamy center.

"It helps keep me awake even though I don't usually patrol for long." Hygiea continued, stuffing one of the sides into her mouth.  

[Iris_virus]

Patrolling wasn't strange at all, it was more the addition of snacks that had thrown off the guardian, but when she'd opened her mouth to mention that the answer was already being offered. And she nodded a little before looking back down at the little bit of her cookie that was left. "That's actually a very good idea. If you're busy you don't notice hunger but on a slow night." Especially as a child.. she couldn't help but think. With their need for more sleep then older senshi the sugar probably was a great help.

"I'll have to mention it to my boys and girls"

A few more bites finally finished off the cookie, and a couple quick licks rid her white paws of the dark colored crumbs.

Standing atop the swing, her tail lifted like a long and fluffy periscope, swaying just a little at the tip. "Would you like some company for your patrol then Hygiea?"

It might be a little tricky if they actually ran into something but... Dahlia was bored. And really far too curious to let the little senshi just run off already.  

[chirigami]

She was being fed a compliment, one based on something she had come up with with her mind. Hygiea didn't get too praised too often for her thinking skills, so it just made her heart swell and her smile deepen. "Thanks!" She couldn't help but exclaim, excited and pleased with herself.

Oh, she liked Dahlia a lot more now.

"You have a team?" She then asked, equally as excited as she hopped right back off the swing nearly as soon as she had sat down upon it. But the cat had expressed her desire to accompany the little senshi on her short patrol and she was more than ready to go.

"I usually only go a few blocks into the city or go until a certain time, whichever comes first and such. Not a lot happens but thats when you make up your own adventures and stuff." With a small pat to the back of her skirt, she was ready looked to Dahlia and hummed a little in thought. "Do you want me to carry you, or do you want to ride on my shoulders or do you prefer to walk? Usually ********* likes to ride on my shoulders, so I .. thought I'd offer and such." She smiled, lowering herself closer to the cats eye level.  

[Iris_virus]

"Well.. not an actual team. More just a set of boys and girls I tend to look after more then the others. I like to leave my available for everyone after all since it's so nice to make new friends." What she spoke was all the truth, but she was being vague of course. No names.. no admission to the fact that.. not all of these 'boys and girls' were actually senshi. In fact the far majority weren't. They really did need more senshi... and Hiro seemed to have his claws tightly wound around most of the ones there already.

"Oh? Am I small enough to fit on your shoulder?" She asked curiously, the idea was strangely charming.. silly even. "If not in your arms will be fine." Why walk when you could be carried after all! Or groom yourself if someone else was willing to do all the tiring work. Work smarter not harder!

Hopping up on her back legs, she rest her front paws against the girl's knee before leaping up, trying to find a way onto the child's shoulder. She was a bit larger than ********* after all, but she did have the advantage of a long and full tail for balance.  

[chirigami]

She hadn't meant to mean that as an insult on Dahlia's size and Hygiea's mouth fell open and ready to apologize as much as she could. But nothing came out as the fluffy cat scrambled up to the orange suited senshi anyways.

It certainly was a weight and mass difference between her and *********, but Hygiea was really not going to say anything about it. At least the corrupted cat was still much lighter than her own cat, whom she still couldn't carry properly. So, it was more like ********* weight plus all of Pris' fur, perhaps.

Carefully, Hygiea straightened herself up properly, giggling all the while as Dahlia's long elegant tail swished behind her head. This could work, she could see this working. "Hang on," she instructed the cat as she proceeded forward slowly at first before breaking out in a normal happy pace.

The little girl reached up to against scratch the cat behind her ear, "So you don't belong to any senshi in particular?" Kind of like how ********* claimed to be, most of the other cats seemed to belong to someone, "you're like a free agent," she put it in a term she knew or at least one she figured worked, "that's really cool ~ it leaves you open to working with so many people!" Hygiea found herself smiling, "are they all nice?" Well, they had to be nice, right?

Well... no, some of the senshi she had met seemed to be kind of... pricks? They liked to comment lowly about the chibi and all.  

[Iris_virus]

The platform was a little small, but not impossible for a graceful feline. Between that child's attempt to keep her stable and her own skills, she found a comfortable and fairly stable stance in the first couple of steps, purring once more as her ears were once again being scratched. It turned out it wasn't that hard at all to please Dahlia.

"That's correct, a girl has got to keep her options open after all. Lots of people to see and things to do." She mused softly, keeping a wry smile to herself. If Hygiea were a little older she might have teasingly swapped her words and joked a bit. "Don't get me wrong, I love having friends, but it's nice to be able to roam around freely when I choose."

"Most of them yes." The cat offered to the question after a few moments of thought. "You'll always run into a few people who act in ways that rub you wrong I suppose, but I tend to avoid them unless it's necessary for the job. And in that case you just have to suck it up for as long as it takes to finish the job." But she liked most of them truthfully. Perhaps she just hadn't been around long enough for many to upset her yet. But Lyra.. Carnealian.. Beni and Realgar... and of course Zinkenite. She liked them all quite a bit.

"So then, do you belong to this *********?" She mused curiously, tail twitching with playful amusement.  

[chirigami]

With Dahlia settled, it was easier to press on even though Hygiea really didn't have a set location of plan in mind. She was just going to wander, kind of looking for trouble, like she always did - even though she never really did find any. Apparently not a lot happened in her neck of the woods, probably because people were usually inside and safe by the time the sun went down over here.

Hygiea pushed her lips together in thought as the cat explained those that she worked with and how she operated - though she was a little sad over the lose of the nice rhythmic sound of purring in her ear.

At least it was replaced by conversation, something new to ease her loose patrol.

"I guess that makes sense, a lot of us chibi are running into a similar situation." The little girl explained to the cat, "most of the older senshi don't really take us seriously, so I guess that applies with us too, huh?" They had something in common! That brought a nice big smile back and she would have skipped if not for the precious load wrapped around her shoulders.

Hygiea didn't even catch the implication that she belonged to a cat when she replied to Dahlia with a nice happy, "yup!" To her question. Honestly, she would firmly believe that she belonged to not only ********* but her own cat as well with how well she was trained to respond to their needs and not the other way around.  

[Iris_virus]

It was not an uncommon or misplaced thought for a human to suggest that they were owed by their cat. Cats were not dogs after all.. forever loyal and obedient. Cats were creatures of their own, clever, self aware, and perhaps even stubborn. Dogs waddled up to people begging for attention. Cats well.. more often then not with the right flip of a tail had people crawling over to them with the desire to shower attention.

She listened to Hygiea's concerns with soft interest, actually a little surprised, her ears twitching a bit as she digested the information. The negaverse had at times made some distasteful remarks about the child senshi running around. Valid worries about children being put in danger's way and being part of a war far before their time. But still... that thought that they're side felt the same way.. when they were the ones awakening them in the first place? "That hardly seems fair. You're out doing as much work and taking as much risk as they are... Just because you're a little younger..." She offered genuinely, sympathetically.

It seemed unfair... ridiculous even. Surely with a bit of thought they could find a good job for the littlest soliders. Even if they weren't right out in the forefront. You just had to be clever and strategic.

"What does your power do?" She asked, her curiousity perked. If the other senshi couldn't do, certainly Dahlia was clever enough to think of a way for them to be useful.