Welcome to Gaia! ::

Destiny City was deep into the night according to the position of the moon. It was only appropriate that the dead haven of the aliens should light her way. To her, it did not so much loom in the sky as it was a remaining testament to the power and righteousness of the Negaverse. The moon was not theirs to occupy – yet – though it was their trophy. The guardian cat, Rhys, was long off of the grounds of the local YMCA, herself; she loved to drop in on the establishment often, but wasn’t necessarily in love with their operating hours. She found herself restless at the oddest times, pent up energies welling until they overflowed, which led to… interesting nighttime adventures. Sometimes this led to assisting a Negaverse officer, Dark Mirror Court member, one of her precious senshi, or, if absolutely necessary (that is, ordered), a youma out for the hunt.

In contrast, tonight she had spotted an officer returning from patrol, his uniform and rainbow tinted hair catching her attention in the streetlamps. He was not a lieutenant and, accounting for the energy signatures in the area, she did not fear for his safety; however, she didn’t know this one and that simply wouldn’t do! Silver eyes watched him from the rooftops until he stopped at a flower shop – a curious choice, but that was all the better for Rhys. Hopping down the impossible heights with an air of nonchalance, she landed behind the officer and mewed softly. No sense in letting herself out of the bag right away.

The guardian welcomed being scooped up into the captain’s strong, but delicate arms and even tolerated being held at arm’s length like a ragdoll. This agent had a kindness to him, and that could be just as important as a proficiency in energy siphoning or starseed harvesting.

... Spare bacon, he says, the nerve! Though, perhaps a candy-maker’s bacon could be exceptional in some way, so Rhys stored the information away for another time. For now, she thanked the flower shop’s shadows and her dark star for hiding her exceptional identity a bit longer to afford some mischief. The hat’s escape had not been missed – in fact, it was her new target. What a thing to discard so casually! She twisted and mewed again, not so dramatic as to create a full-out yowl quite yet, wiggling free of the agent’s grip. It wasn't the most elegant maneuver - chunky soup overflowing the pot, one could describe - but it got the job done. She landed deftly – an easy feat after leaping tall buildings – and made a bee-line for the fallen garment. The hollow of the hat would fit her fluffy body perfectly, she realized after giving it a good test-sit.

Oh yes, her new hat was wonderful indeed!

Rhys had no intention of returning the hat, least of all so easily as the agent’s request. It had fallen to the ground, clearly within the realm of discarded goods and her own territory. Her rational was flawless, if a bit skewed, by her own admission. She leaned into the touch, turning it into something of a petting, and then shot a stubborn look back at the accusing golden eyes. What came next was a level of mischief that the guardian cat nearly felt guilty for indulging in. Stifling her own giggles, Rhys eeked out in the most falsetto, saccharine voice she could make,

“But Captain, I love it!” Without further explanation, she laid down completely in the hat, filling it to the brim with navy and white fluff, and purred contently.

Rhys could barely contain her laughter at the agent’s reply. It had been so very long since she had encountered someone in this war that had no knowledge of the guardian cats that she fully expected her ‘cover’ to be blown when the words came from her mouth. Destiny City was truly the white-hot forge of the continuing war against the Moon. It was a fresh battleground with new potential that could still tilt the favor for ill or good. She would have to make herself known to more agents, especially those who were unaware of the Mauvians.

At the moment, however, she could only imagine the rationalization attempting to be pieced together in the captain’s mind. His demeanor did not give away much distress, but he was thrown askew, and that was enough. Feigning innocence, the painted cat rolled over on her back in the disputed hat and pawed lightly at his fingers, using the brim to hide her tell-tale star when he drew nearer. The only sound she made was a playful meow, tumbling into a rolling mrrow, as if nary a bit of human speak had ever crossed them.

“Yes, I’m just a perfectly normal kitty~ What else would I be?” she thought, devious and lackadaisical all in one. Whatever this agent had settled on as an explanation, he was a shrewd one. If he was screaming hysteria on the inside, he was keeping it very well together on the outside – commendable, though with its own drawbacks. Also, not commendable enough to see his hat returned this night.

Having reached the end of her pets, Rhys flipped her paws under her in a flash. Showing off, the ragamuffin put all of her energy into ricocheting off of the agent’s shoulder and onto the sidewalk next to the coveted hat. Without a look back, she quickly plucked it up in her mouth and, through a series of hops, perched on the nearby lamppost. "What will you do now, agent?"

The guardian was not surprised to see the hat disappear into space and chaotic residue, knowing quite well how all of Metallia’s army de-powered by now. She was, however, nonetheless slightly huffy that her further attempts to play with the captain had been put to an end. Her tail lashed against the lamppost, strobing the light behind her. The fun had been unexpected, and it left as quickly as it arrived, swallowed up into the night. Yet, the captain-turned-civilian remained, smug with himself at the “victory.” She would let him have it, as a gift. Rhys smiled. He had stopped her without noise or incident and thus now earned the extra commendation. Rhys had his building, face, weapon, and rank – the rest could come later. From her perch, the cool night wind ruffled layers of fur as though shoo-ing her off itself. The extra energy had been burned off and sleep finally called her back to her hidy-hole in Destiny City’s Pillow Emporium. The Captain surely had sleep of his own to commence. There was only one matter left, anyway.

Lifting a paw, Rhys mimicked the captain’s motion from before: pointing first at her eyes and then at him.