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 Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 9:52 am
********* had managed to step aside and summon up her own phone so she could contact one of her newer Super Senshi from her team. It was necessary at this point because from the small amount she had seen from the newly purified Sailor Psyche, there were much confusion about the whole ordeal which had just happened. In all honesty, the guardian also had some confusion lingering in her heart about it as well.
One moment Nickeline had been threatening to do something rash with her starseed, the next moment Nickeline was Psyche. Now that she had some time to clear her head a bit, she vaguely recalled Iris briefly mentioning Psyche when they had gone back to the Iridian Asteroid recently.
Even more, the sudden connection she felt with this girl was miraculous! For the moment, ********* was silently serving as a lap-warmer for the silver haired girl as they sat at the benches, waiting for a familiar purple fuku to arrive.
They had managed to get Ellie somewhat slumped upon the bench next to them.
Somewhat.
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Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 8:18 pm
There was no time to contact another Asteroid, no time for anything. As soon as Irene got what seemed like an emergency text from *********, she had headed off for the location indicated without a second thought. She tried not to think about the sorts of terrible situations that might warrant such a summons, but ideas kept creeping into her head unbidden. Maybe ********* was hurt and couldn't move. Or maybe it was another Asteroid. Maybe someone was kidnapped, or even worse!
When she arrived, for a moment it seemed like it was what she had imagined. It was impossible to miss Ellie, sprawled on the bench, apparently unconscious. Irene froze, her mind flashing back to the last time she had seen her captain. In that situation, Ellie had been close to passing out, because of what Irene had done. Even though she had worked out her issues with fighting, at least partially, she still couldn't totally forget how low she had fallen, or forgive herself for her actions.
However, Ellie was not the only person there. Irene looked over the senshi on the bench, frowning slightly. This didn't factor into her imagined scenarios at all. It seemed that she hadn't really guessed what the truth was, but was that a good thing, or a bad thing?
"What happened?" It was the logical question to ask, and Irene didn't think she could help without knowing what the situation was. "Is Ir- is Ellie okay? And who..." No, that was rude. Instead, Irene turned towards the unfamiliar senshi, offering a small curtsy. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to exclude you. I don't believe we've met- my name is Irene. Might I ask your name?"
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Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 8:28 pm
Carrying the other girl had been easy at first but it had taken her tolls on the senshi, and finally when they had been able to sit down she had practically dropped. Frozen wood wasn't very comforting mind you, but her body welcomed it like a cool breeze on a hot summer day. To make things about what Psyche would claim was one hundred times better, ********* curled up on her lap. It may not have been as awesome as wearing a hat on her head but sitting down with this little furball in her lap brought great comfort to the senshi of breath that she didn't quite understand. She didn't dwell on it too much though because frankly she had some petting to do.
Attention had been drawn to Irene before she could even see the other senshi, her body reacting instinctively like a rabbit might to the rustling of a bush. She was alert, grey eyes staring widely around from all directions until finally the body came into view. If she had fur, it might have been on edge. She didn't know this person, and quite possessively Psyche wrapped her arms around ********* while a nasty expression fell on her face. No one was taking her cat away! Especially not someone she didn't understand!
All Irene got as a response was a strange, probably slightly unnerving silence.
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Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 8:46 pm
The manx didn't shift at all when Irene appeared. All she did was look up and listen to her many (and logical) inquiries. However, Psyche was the one to shift, seeming to cling to the animal's small body as if someone was trying to take away her favorite toy.
From her current spot, ********* answered one of the many questions, casually gesturing her head to the unconscious tomboy nearby. "...Ellie is fine... I think... I'm pretty sure she just needs some rest in all honesty, though resting out in the snow is not exactly a great way to stay healthy..."
Even though Irene had tried her hand at manners, it had gone over like a lead balloon. The feline wasn't surprised, though Irene might not have been as understanding yet.
"...so you remember when I thought I had found all of my girls, Irene?"
There was a pause as if to leave room for the purple fuku adorned senshi a chance to reply, but before she could, ********* answered her own question. "...well... I was wrong..."
Her ears flattened slightly out of embarrassment before she offered a word of advice. "...you can try that greeting again... in Greek if I were to guess correctly, but this is Sailor Psyche... formerly..."
There was a hesitation, as if she was uncertain if it was wise to share this specific information onto Irene. However, using her better judgment, she added one more word.
"...Nickeline..."
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Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 9:07 pm
Irene tensed up again at the senshi's silence. Her words seem to have the opposite effect from what she had hoped for, and she wasn't sure how to react. If being polite was the wrong answer, did that mean that it would be better to be rude? No, that was impossible. Still, it seemed that ********* was more willing to talk, so she decided to deal with the cat until it was safe to do otherwise.
"What do you mean, you thought you found all of us?" None of this made any sense! "You said eight, right? Iris, Metis, Parthenope, Hygiea, Egeria, Eunomia, Victoria, and, um... oh, and me." Irene had to count on her fingers to make sure that everyone was accounted for, since they were a fairly sizable team. But ********* had always been very clear about who she was looking for, so how could she have been wrong?
And why was ********* telling her to speak in Greek?
The name ********* said was meaningless to Irene, but the mention of the language made her remember another senshi she had met, not too long ago. One that had scared Irene just a bit, but one that she had felt a lot of sadness and confusion over as well. Her eyes widened as she looked at the senshi again, and she put her hands over her mouth. "You don't mean she was... but how? Why?"
This was a good thing, or at least, Irene wanted to think it was. But it was so strange and overwhelming. And if she felt that way, the other senshi- Psyche, ********* had called her- must feel even stranger. That gave Irene the courage to speak again, slowly, wondering if this would even work.
"Are you alright? My name is Irene. Can you tell me what happened?" Somebody would have to, and soon, before Irene's brain simply stopped working altogether.
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Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 9:16 pm
For the most part, Psyche kept her defensive position as she watched Irene. Grey eyes locked onto Irene's purple before they slid down just a bit and watched her mouth as it moved. Expressions were interesting, and watching Irene's reaction to finding out that this senshi before her was actually Nickeline was a doosey. She hadn't made any effort to take *********, so Psyche's body relaxed a bit only to relax completely when Irene finally spoke words she understood.
"Why wouldn't I be all right? Did something happen?" It probably wasn't what Irene was hoping to hear.
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Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 9:45 pm
Both of her ears twitched forward at the question the darker haired girl had for her. ********* could not say she didn't understand the confusion. ********* herself didn't even understand it.
"...I don't know... it's just... I just know... I know she is one of my girls. I have a couple theories on it... but when a starseed is as clouded with chaos as hers was... I can't sense anything about her senshi self..."
She carefully gave another nod to Ellie. "...I tried to fix the starseed myself... but... it didn't work. Only her crystal was able to do anything..." There was more to the situation than such, but there was so much for the little manx to wrap her mind around that it was hard to keep it all organized at the moment.
The verbal exchange between the two senshi didn't go unnoticed, but there wasn't much the manx could do about that. It was all Greek to her.
Literally.
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Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 9:56 pm
That Psyche was speaking was a good sign. The words themselves, on the other hand, were not. "I don't know!" she said reflexively, even more confused than she had been a moment ago. "That's why I asked!" Getting upset wouldn't do any of them any good, though there was a certain relief that went along with it that was attractive. Irene paused for a moment and took a deep breath before speaking again. "Could you please tell me about what happened before I arrived? I would like to hear it from you, if you don't mind."
********* explanation helped, but not much. "If her starseed was... clouded, as you said, then how did you know that she was one of your girls? How were you going to fix her? How did you even talk to her? If she is... if she's the senshi I met before, she doesn't speak English!"
At least one thing was clear, after the meeting they had attended a while ago. This was a purification. Now she had evidence that such a thing was possible, and was seeing the results with her own two eyes. It was wonderful, or would be once she had a better grasp of the situation that led up to it.
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Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 10:28 pm
To say that Psyche didn't like the fact Irene was talking to ********* in some language she only understood pieces of was an understatement. Her face had a huge scowl on it, her arms hugging ********* even more protectively than she had been before. She was yet to be squeezing the cat to death but the situation could still escalate to that point if Psyche felt threatened enough.
"I wore a hat, hat disappeared, I was sad, girl with hat disappeared, cat appeared, I found out that girl was a cat, girl disappeared, another girl appeared, carried girl here, fell onto this... thing, and waited. Now you're here... you're not going to take my cat away are you?" She said rather matter of frankly, a long note of suspicion on the question at the end. It was probably not the most unnerving thing Psyche said to Irene, although to Psyche was definitely the most important. Story with an end but no beginning? Not strange at all.
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Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 10:36 pm
The poor manx let out a surprised cough thanks to Psyche's hugging arms. However, she still managed to give what information she did know about the situation prior.
"...I only could figure it out after the chaos was gone. Which was... maybe 30 minutes ago..." It did take a bit of time to get Ellie to the bench and for the cat to punch out the message necessary to get Irene there.
Her whiskers fanned out slightly as Irene explained that the girl didn't speak English. "...actually... she speaks English... even now... but.... it is only bits and pieces... enough to just barely get the point across at times..."
Glancing up to Psyche, then back to Irene, the cat had to ask "...so... dare I ask what is being said?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 9:33 pm
For a brief moment, Irene hoped that Psyche's initial confusion was temporary, and that a proper explanation was forthcoming. That hope was short-lived, and as Psyche spoke again, Irene winced. At least cat and hat didn't rhyme in Greek, or she would have felt even more lost than she was. The situation was still pretty much impossible to grasp. All she really understood was that it involved cats, hats, and girls. Which she could have figured out on her own, really.
That last part was just wrong, though, and since it was the easiest to understand, it was what Irene latched onto. "********* is not your cat." It wasn't a hugely important point, but facts were sorely lacking in this case, and she didn't want any more to get lost. "She belongs to all of us. But you may continue holding her, as long as she lets you."
********* didn't seem to mind being held too much. and was at least able to relay a few new pieces of information. "She speaks English?" That was news to Irene. During their previous... meeting, as it were, the senshi she had met hadn't spoken any English at all. "Then why do you need me? I don't think I'm getting any more information from her than you already know."
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Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 9:41 pm
"Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" she said, wincing away from Irene as if suddenly she had three heads. She had a huge pout on her face, and her legs curled up to her chest so ********* sat carefully caged between the pleats of her skirt and her breasts. She wasn't giving ********* to this person, nor was she sharing! ********* was hers! How dare this girl try and come to her home and take her cat from her! To make matters worse, her lip started quivering and it looked as if she was about to cry. ********* was all she knew, how could someone take her away from her?
"*********..." she choked out.
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Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 9:54 pm
Squish goes the ********* manx blinked a few times at her current location and the sound of Psyche's voice. "...She only knows a bit I think... it was enough for her to tell me... what she had been tasked to do..."
There was a pause as her tone seemed to grow serious. "...she was given the task of killing me, Irene..."
Just confessing such aloud reminded the manx of the fact that they were powered up was probably a liability. Shooting a look to Irene, she directed "...power down... and... get Psyche to power down too... please..." The little blob of a cat shifted as best as she could in her current position.
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Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 10:12 pm
And now Irene felt like a monster.
She wasn't wrong, though, she wasn't! And as bad as she felt for this girl, she wasn't about to let someone take ********* away. Not when she needed her- when the whole team needed her- just as much. This situation needed to be handled delicately, and Irene took a deep breath before speaking again. "I told you I wasn't going to take her, didn't I? ********* wants you to be happy. And so do I." And then, a bit more desperately, she added "So please don't cry."
********* latest tidbit of info caught Irene by surprise, and she gasped. That right there was big. It meant that someone in the Negaverse knew enough about ********* to want her gone. It meant that they were willing to devote their resources to accomplish that. It also meant that they didn't know their resources as well as they thought, it the would-be assassin went and told her target of the plan... and also happened to be a secret member of her group.
What were the odds of that?
As Irene digested this latest fact, she followed ********* instructions and powered down. Lydia, still in her Crystal Academy uniform, held out a hand to Psyche, hoping that would be comforting somehow. "Can you please go back to being yourself? Not Psyche, but your other self." Explaining this concept felt weird, even more so in a language she wasn't totally fluent in, but she hoped that she got her point across. And that she hadn't sent her new teammate into hysterics again.
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Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 10:20 pm
Psyche didn't believe Irene's words, keeping her body crunched up and protecting ********* even as she spoke. She might have stayed like that if Irene hadn't powered down a couple moments later and scared the crap out of the senshi of breath. At first she didn't comprehend what had happened, and it truly took a moment for it to sink in. The outreached hand was a peace offering from the senshi of peace, and to Psyche it was sort of comforting. However, what this girl was asking her was not something she understood.
"I am Psyche," she said. "I don't understand what you're asking, I can only be me."
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