Welcome to Gaia! ::

For nearly two weeks Pompeii had been spending every few nights in one of the close by parks. She remembered the first night on her own, hiding in the deep shadows once the cost was clear and powering up. trying to run in the new heels she now found herself in. Sitting on the swings mulling over this ginormous change in her life. How many people could say they were now a member of a semi-secret superhero war? How many of those people wished that they weren't? In some ways Pompeii knew she was lucky, so far no real damage had been done to herself or her friends, had actually only encountered a youma twice but had met others on her side, and she was getting the chance to come to terms with her new status.

This night was no different. The moon, a waxing gibbous, flirted with cloud coverage and bathed the darkened area in silver when the clouds moved on. The two lone lamps by the public bathrooms were softy glowing but only casting a small radius of clear visibility, everything else was in shadow. Pompeii stepped out of the shadows cast by the trees and turned her face up to the moon. The night was chill but had more then a hint of spring and Pompeii was ready to try something new.

She lightly tossed her 'weapon' from hand to hand. Watching the dark gray ball of yarn flash through the moonlight. Each toss going higher and higher, each catch becoming faster and faster. She dropped it a few times and had to chase after it. Hand, eye coordination, she thought as she tossed the yarn high and wide. Pompeii started to go after it when her boot heel slipped in the damp grass sending her tumbling to the ground and the yarn bouncing into the dark.

Pompeii scrambled to her feet and chased after her 'weapon'. Her outfit, uniform she mentally corrected, was wet and a bit dirty but the darkness hid it well. She was only semi certain as to where the yarn went but it she knew that if she went in this direction she would have to stumble upon it. Pompeii didn't even realize that she was getting closer and closer to a 'vibe', something she has been feeling ever since she had started to power up. So far most gave off good vibes but the few times she encountered a youma the twisted slimy vibes were pretty prevalent. This vibe was distinctly different from the knight vibes she got from Camelot or the senshi vibes from Maia, it was so different that she didn't even really pick it up and it came as a complete surprise when she came upon her ball of yarn.

A cat was playing with it! "Oh no. Kitty please don't play with that. You might get hurt." She said softly in a kind voice as she slid cautiously closer. Pompeii didn't think the cat was a domestic cat, not out this late at night, but she did hope that it was friendly. Although if the way it was tearing at her yarn was any indication that isn't likely the case. "Could you even get hurt by it? or it by you?" She kept talking softly and non threateningly as she went to look for a stick with some leaves on it, hoping to distract the cat into playing with the leaves instead.

Cats and books never really mixed in Pompeii's home life so she had no idea what type of cat it was, just tawny and lanky and covered in feathers and beads. I guess it could be a unique collar but not really all that likely she mentally thought to herself as she slowly approached. The cat was not happy to have its.... her? playtime interrupted and Pompeii remained a respectful distance away. She was about to jiggle the stick to make the leaves dance in an enticing way when the cat spoke. "Eating string is not good for you...." Pompeii answered automatically before her brain caught up with her mouth.

Wait! The cat just talked! Pompeii yelped and scrambled backwards, lost her balance once again and ended up on her butt on the damp grass. "How! Who! What!" The branch was forgotten as she tried to scooch farther away without taking her eyes off the cat nor getting up. And to think Pompeii finally thought she got a handle on this superhero gig.... and now a talking cat. She shook her head and mumbled "No freaking way," under her breath as she tried to rack her brain to see if Camelot or Zia had ever mentioned anything about talking cats.

The smarmy tone of the cat put Pompeii's own hackles up. Seriously the damn cat was taking a tone with her while playing with her ball of yarn. "Well excuse me. I have encountered youma, a knight, a page, and a super senshi but a cat? No. How would you feel if you met a talking mouse that you just met?" Pompeii didn't try to get up but she did cross her arms in a fit of childishness.

After a moment of letting her fear and anger cool her curiously kicked in. Trying to appear nonchalant, and failing miserably since her butt was still wet and grass stained, Pompeii asked, "So what exactly are you?" She was going for uninterested but the question came out laced with curiously. Really, how often did you meet at talking cat?

Pompeii watched in fascination as the cat let go of the yarn and seemed to settle herself down. It seemed so much more adult now that it wasn't playing with the yarn but telling age for a cat was not something Pompeii knew. She, Pompeii mentally decided the cat was a girl since she acted like a female, had even rolled the yarn back towards her. Pompeii had picked it up and was slowly rotating it in her fingers as she admitted to the cat just how little she knew. "Personally I know nothing about my history. Camelot gave me a brief rundown on the general history of the war but I still have so many questions."

Pompeii remembered how she, Zia, and Camelot had spent a little while answering and asking questions. She had a general grasp of her new life now but no in depth understanding of it. Pompeii knew she could go back and ask Camelot for more information but she would rather learn it on her own. However her own research hadn't unearthed anything like what they had told her, but she did know a lot more about ancient greece in general and Pompeii in specific. Maybe this cat can answer her questions? But first, manners dictated her saying, "I'm Pompeii by the way. It is nice to meet you and thank you for giving back my yarn." She nodded and held up the ball in reference, not that the cat didn't know it was hers. For being a really bright person she wasn't all that smart sometimes.

Pompeii watched as Laoise stretched and her fingers practically itched for a sketch book. As an artist she wasn't much more than stick figures but she did enjoy drawing every so often and watching the graceful arch of the tawny back paired with the wild array of feathers painted a picture of contrasts and yet it really worked. A camera. A picture would have worked better. She thought as she waited to see what Laoise would say or do next. This conversation was almost as surreal as her first youma battle with the dozens of white rabbit youmas.

"From within?" She had questions and to have them all answered would be fantastic but how does one answer your own questions 'from within'. "Do you mean like a voice or spirit guide appears? It sort of sounds like a vision quest where I would have to go to a secluded nature filled spot for a few days and contemplate the universe and my place in it." That actually sounded like a pretty good idea but she would have to find someone to watch the store for the whole time, and to check on everything in her appartment. The only very secluded place she could think of would be outside of city limits and she was a bit leary to leave the relative safety of the city... what would happen if she met a youma and couldn't deal with it?

"Hum" Pompeii would have to think about this 'spirit quest'. Laoise seemed quite sure that if she did it she would arrive at a better understanding of her new status as a knight. But did she have the nerve to find such a quiet place outside of the city limits to meditate, or could she do it inside of the limits just in a quiet, solitary spot? Did she have to be powered up or could she just be herself? So many questions still to ask. As her mind mulled this information over she watched as the cat settled in front of her and part of her thought of Bastet, the Egyptian goddess before Sekhment came into fruition. A lioness goddess of protection. Laoise would likely fit that description quite well.

"Can I ask how you know so much? I admit that I don't really get out much and to be honest I try to find out of the way places to 'practice' so I haven't met too many others so I still have a lot to learn but where did you get so much information?" Pompeii was just curious and a small part of her wondered if she could follow in Laoise's steps. Although I could go back and talk with Camelot or Zia for that matter she mentally admitted to herself but she really didn't want to impose since she did pick both of their brains that one night.

"Yeah I don't think I could do that." Pompeii smiled at her joke and imaginaned her mother's reaction to a statement like that:

"Mom I moved in with a page"
"Page? That's a very interesting name dear"
"No mom a page.... someone who is a page not a person named Page"
"Well then when is the wedding" and in the background "Honey what kind of a job is a page?"

Pompeii nearly snickered at her 'conversation' but pulled her self back to the conversation. "Mauvian? I guess that is a planet like Maia is.... although I think Maia is technically a star" Pompeii had spent quite a few hours digging through books to find anything and everything she could about her planet, wonder, and the few others she had met. There was so much out there and yet nothing that covers this situation... although plenty of comic books sort of fit it. "Saturn? Oh I know.... When I first powered up Maia asked and I auto responded 'Pompeii of Saturn'. Still don't quite understand that other then its a part of me and this power. I knew it even before I became Pompeii, although it was like a encrypted file on a computer.... it needed the right steps before it was unlocked." Pompeii shrugged and fiddled with the very end of the yarn ball.