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Horatio was not very good at patrolling. She was good at seeking out playmates and then steering whatever they were doing into what she wanted to do--aka playing. Or maybe cuddling. Or running. Or beating up the bad guys. Whatever it was, so long as there was a friend there then it could be turned into fun, fun, fun. So, when she felt a Senshi nearby she simply made a beeline towards it, happily scampering into the park's playground.

Two words: Jungle. Gym. The childish cat mewed in glee as she ran towards it, and after a series of leaps and one slight miscalculation, she finally scambled to the top. She recognized the Senshi there immediately, and she purred. This night was going awesome so far!

"Hi, Ida, can I play queen of the castle too and--ugh, I feel somethiing gross." The Himalayan's nose crinkled, and her fluffy fur stood on end. Nasty, dark Chaos energy, and very strong... ruined the whole playground experience and was probably why the flower Senshi seemed so tense! The tiny cat carefully leapt onto Ida's shoulder and nuzzled her face briefly before facing straight ahead. "Don't worry--I'll protect you!"

A voice calling her name and a flash of cream startled the orchid senshi on her precarious perk, but she managed to hold her ground. Even when the small body leaped to her shoulder, she stood firm, one hand reaching to steady Horatio. Slender fingers worked into the soft, silky fur, feeling the warmth of the small body. It was so similar to her own pet cat, but she fancied she could feel the difference between them... one born on this world, one coming from the faraway Mau.

Ida was a little surprised to see the kitten tonight and normally she would have called it a pleasant surprise. She honestly loved the little guardian cat and had some of the most fun when she was around, but now wasn't exactly a good time, not with danger so close at hand. Horatio had told her once she had ways of defending herself, but against an officer of this level? It just bolstered her resolve to face the threat head on and do her best to protect her little friend.

Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared and Ida jumped as she spoke. Painite... after their last near-death encounter, she'd become like the boogie man, the monster under her bed and in her closet... but since then, Ida had grown, had upgraded and fought more battles that she could count. As she turned to frown at the general, her eyes were afraid, but her spine was firm.

"What are you doing here, Painite? I suggest you leave, now. Things won't be as easy for you this time, I'm stronger than I was before." Brave words... hopefully she could back them up. This could easily go south, especially with Painite's ability to teleport the way she did. Her hand trembled a little as she stroked Horatio again gently before lowering it, watching for any sudden moves.

"What do you mean, what am I doing here? I'm hurt. I came here to see you, and check in with how you were doing! We haven't seen each other in such a long time, don't you think? Why not catch up, as only we know how?" She grinned, remembering how close she had come last time, and how much fun she could have now. Ida's only back up this time was a little cat, and a silly looking one at that. It was certainly not something that struck fear into hearts.

It was cute.

When the cat leaped at her, Painite grinned and caught Horatio by the neck, holding her out since she weighed next to nothing. Even without her super strength, snapping the poor thing in half might not have been too difficult. Painite grinned at that thought, though she didn't act on the impulse just yet. Not immediately.

"Well hello there, kitty kitty. You want to play with the big kids too, do you? How sweet you are, and your soft fur too. I think I'll take you home with me, what do you think? You could be one of our kitties, you know."

She had learned a long time ago that most White Moon senshi feared the threat of corruption, and she assumed the same was true of cats. It was that or dying, and she felt it was fair to offer them both options.

Nice gal Painite.

She looked up at the Senshi and grinned, tossing Horatio around in her grip a bit, just to shake her and rattle her. Painite kept her grip tight enough to be worrisome, her eyes on Ida.

"What do you think? Can I keep it? Or can you take it back from me?"

Horatio squeaked whenever she was caught by her neck, her claws instinctively digging into Painite's hand for stability. If she fell, if she moved, she could be seriously injured. None of that really explained the anger that appeared in her teal eyes, though. She wasn't just angry because of the grip or the taunts or the threats - it was because she could not talk. For a motormouth like herself, being silenced was one of the worst possible actions.

She wanted to scream back at Painite that she could take her threat of corruption and shove it because she would rather die than become a stinking Chaos loser. She wanted to cry out to Ida that it was time to kick this loser in the teeth and not to worry but as soon as she was free she was going to claw her gleaming little eyes out. Instead, she was stuck flicking her tail and tring to dig her claws in as deep as she could in an effort to get free. It was fighting time, not blacking out time!

"No!" Ida shouted as panic gripped her. She had no way of knowing if Painite could corrupt Horatio or not, but she knew the feeling of someone reaching into her chest and she was terrified of the ease with which the general could crush that delicate crystal.

She had very little time to decide what to do and a very limited number of options. Allowing Painite to hold Horatio like that, play with her life like that, was not one of them.

"Let go!" The Orchid senshi shouted as she darted forward and swung at the general, hoping to land a hit that would be enough to distract her into letting go of the cat she held by the scruff. "Touch her again... and you'll regret it!" She hissed between her teeth.

The General grinned as the cat continued its little struggle, though the pain in her hand was rather intense now. Claws could do a lot of damage in panic, but Painite could at least focus on other things and force her way through the pain.

She did not want to lose hold of the cat too soon, it was just too much fun.

Ida charged at her, though, and Painite had to react. She laughed and pulled her hand back, to make sure Ida didn't get a hold of Horatio, though she had to take a hit that she was not too happy about. She growled and lashed out before she could really control her instincts, pulling her arm back.

"Let's see how good you are at fetch, Senshi! Do your guardian cats fly?!" She leaped back, away from Ida, and hurled Horatio as hard as she could. She could then follow after the Senshi as she raced after the cat, and see about getting her own attack in this time.

She called her weapon to her hand, in preparation.

No, Guardian Cats did not fly. Horatio vowed that this experience would not forever be lost to them, however, because just as soon as she was done here, she was going to invent a kite or a pair of wings or something that would allow them to fly because she was really getting tired of being tossed around and flying sounded like a really fun game when you stopped to think about it and oh, wait, the ground was coming rather quickly maybe she should--

Sink gratefully into the strong arms that caught her before she could go smack and slide back to rest against her chest. It was safe and warm, and the small cat huddled in that safe place gratefully. "Good catch, Ida! Now we just need to--oh wait, wait, I have an idea!" She wriggled herself around so that she could place both of her front paws over the Senshi's chest.

"I'm gonna give you a power up - but it's not an extra life, so don't go doing crazy things, okay? Okay." Horatio actually had to stay quiet for this next part because it required an intense amount of concentration. Games made it look so easy. You cross an entire checkerboard? BOOM, you're a king. Super Mario eats a mushroom? Huzzah, his size has been doubled! But powering up a Senshi?

Ida's heart was warm, warmer than even it had been whenever the two of them had first met. Teal eyes narrowed, the Mauvian concentrated on pouring every bit of energy she could into that warm area and helping the purple-clad Senshi reach the next level. She knew that her flower friend could do it - and then, then they'd turn this game around for the more dramatic victory! "Now... say Ida Eternal, Make-Up!"