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It was a perfect night for a hunt. The moon was large and lit the city streets with a cold blue light, and the weather was warm, with a strong breeze. It lifted papers and rattled trash cans, helping mask any stealthy footsteps. A storm was coming, but for now, the sky was clear.

Sugilite kicked off and jumped, landing awkwardly on the second story balcony of a dirty run down house. As usual, she was sticking to the parts of the city where there wasn't much worth protecting, in terms of money. Cops stayed away, and she was more than a match for any band of roving thugs. She could certainly run faster, if necessary. Tonight however, she was charged up with determination after the last meeting she had been called to. Plans were afoot! People were on the move! And she had to step up the energy collection. In this part of the city, no one walked alone. So it was simple, come up behind them, knock their heads together a bit, then drain them and move on. Plus she was cleaning up the streets at the same time, it was tantamount to a public service.

She rapidly scaled the fire escape that connected to the balcony, allowing her to reach the rooftop and her favourite hunting vantage. There was nothing like looking down over a street, watching people moving around like so many ants. Well, from this height, very large ants. But bugs, nevertheless. There was an awful dive of a bar barely a block away, so she settled down to wait, certain that a group of people would pass by eventually.

Sugilite rested her hands in her palms and sighed quietly. This was the dull part, waiting. And, apparently, getting a cramp. She stretched her legs and leaned over the balcony, willing something, anything to happen. Suddenly she paused. Did something lurk in that shadow? Had she seen movement? Reaching up, she took off her glasses to wipe a hand across her eyes. Why on earth would she be getting paranoid, what could she have to fear from shadows? The only threat out here was senshi, and they certainly didn't lurk. Dance around like idiots, yes, but sulk in shadows, no.

Pushing her thick glasses back into place, she suddenly spotted the old lady wobbling her way down the street. Life at last! She felt a flash of bitterness, almost resentment towards the woman. Here she had been waiting for a group of drunk delinquents, maybe even older men. A little old woman wasn't what she had been expecting, or hoping for. She doubted the woman had any energy to give, let alone a decent amount. The fact that 'beggers can't be choosers' applied to this situation annoyed Sugilite even more. She was a beggar, searching for .... for gosh darned scraps in the gutter! Sitting for hours, with only a drunk old bag to show for it! Glowering, she kicked off the roof and landed heavily behind the old woman, one hand whipping out to cover her mouth, the other to grab her and drag her into the nearby alleyway.

Sugilite had been draining the woman slowly, while mulling over where she should go next. Maybe back to the bar, only this time go inside and lure some people out? The patrons were so inconsiderate, making her waste her night playing the most tedious game of whack-a-mole ever. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of feet pounding down the street towards her direction, and she had skipped farther back the alley, one hand in the old drunk's chest, the other holding the woman firmly by the collar. It had been her swift move father back into the dark side street that saved her from being barrelled over by the enraged senshi.

For a split second, Sugilite almost dropped the woman and ran. Then the orders she had recently received rung in her head. If you're interrupted, grab the seed. We need all the energy we can get. She swiftly yanked the rather pathetic starseed from Mary, and flung the suddenly motionless body forward at her unseen opponent. Backing up more, she glanced around, looking for an escape route, and trying to get a better glimpse of the self-proclaimed Sailor Ate. As always, while her mind raced to find a plan, her mouth already had a taunt sitting on the tip of her tongue.

"Oh? Is this walking garbage bag yours? You can have it back then, I've no more use for it. Do try and put it away somewhere nice and private where decent people don't have to be assaulted by it's stench."

If Sugilite had been aware that the senshi in front of her had never seen a starseed taken before, she would have made more of a show, slowly pulling it out to rattle her opponent as much as possible. Tossing the faintly glowing object up and down in one hand, she lashed out with her tongue, still searching for an exit.

"Oh my, you were on first name terms with it? How amusing, did you feed it leftovers on your morning walks? It's best not to, it only encourages the things to nest here."

She couldn't help noticing, as Ate stood up and clenched her fists, that she had a fair bit more muscle than the other senshi Sugilite had seen. It wasn't exactly something that reassured her, and she decided that taking a direct hit from this woman was a no-go. She would stick to scrapping with the ones whos arm muscles didn't bunch up threateningly like that.

It had been a good thing that she was focusing so intently on the senshi's body, instead of eyeing the alley around her. That fact and that alone was what allowed her to duck in time, but she heard the fist whistle by her ear and felt a sting from it brushing along the side of her face. Too close, far too close. Dropping, she grabbed at Ate's waste, trying to tackle the woman to the ground. If she could just get past her, out the alley mouth, and start running, she would be home free.

Sugilite felt like she tackled a brick wall. Like she tackled She-Hulk. It was a reminder, that while she jogged and skipped and kept herself in good health, she didn't bench-press trucks like this woman clearly did. She felt her grip on the other girl's tight skirt slip as the senshi brought an elbow down onto her head, making her vision dance and sparkle. She pushed back from Ate quickly, certain that staying in close to the muscled girl while she was seeing double was bad.

Hopping backwards, rather unsteadily, Sugilite backed further up the alley, shaking her head. She hadn't noticed the fire escape, intent as she was on keeping the senshi within her sights, but as her wobbly gait brought her up against it with a bump, she suddenly felt her spirits lift. Already her vision was clearing, and the ground had stopped shaking like jello. there was no mistaking the rattle of the metal stairs she had heard, and Sugilite knew she had been delivered her freedom. That meant only one thing, time to lip off again.

"You know dear, you won't ever get anything in life if you ask like that. Try using the magic word sometime, showing a bit of manners is never out of place. But really, after all those hurtful things you've said, I feel quite indisposed to giving anything to you, be it the time of day or this pathetic little thing."

The starseed was brought out, dangling in her hand for a moment, before it was flung upwards, with all her strength, sailing up into the air almost as if in slow motion, over the lip of the building and onto the roof . Sugilite didnt' stop to watch, though she was counting on Ate to. The moment she had flung it, she had turned sharply on her heel and jumped, using her full unnatural strength to land a full story up on the fire escape. Jumping again, she was two storeys up, and with a third she disappeared over the edge of the roof after the path of the thrown crystal, scooping it up where it lay. Not stopping to see if she was being followed, not even turning her head back, Sugilite legged it off along the roof, jumping to the next and the one after that.