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Sherlock was a big dog and merrily pulled his little girl along behind him like a kid flying a kite. The Alaskan Malamute/German Shepard mix meant he was large, fluffy, and extremely protective. At just under a year he still had a little growing left to do but he was already fully grown into his protector mentality, his little girl was his to guide and shield. But he was still very much a puppy so when he smelled something strange he wanted to investigate... Dragging his little girl along for the ride.

Abby didn't mind walking the giant fuzzball. It gave her a chance to think and wander the city she was forced to call home. If she didn't have Sherlock her father would never let her leave the measly plot of grass they called a yard... Too many strange occurrences had happened in the city recently. Sure they were all logically explained but [insert name] had become a bit overprotective of his little girl, it didn't help that around a year ago she had run away and was bedridden for a little while due to her adventure. Abby knew what was going on thanks to that little adventure and while she understood she still was scared of it. Having Sherlock along helped alleviate her fears, very few mundane things messed with a large dog that looked eerily like a wolf, however it was the unnatural things that stalked the night that Abby was truly afraid of.

Abby was unfortunately no longer paying attention to where the big dog was towing her. She looked up in surprise when she found herself being dragged into the shadows of a alleyway. She pulled back on the dark leash but it only stalled Sherlock and when he gave sharp lunge the young girl stumbled. The leash slipped from her fingers when Abby went to catch herself against the brick wall, her foot sending an empty glass bottle skittering into the darkness as her hands scrape against the dirty, pitted brick. She was going to have to disinfect her hands with bleach once she caught up with her dumb dog.

Abby was moving deeper into the alley and nearly called out when a voice echoed from the depths. She wasn't alone, ducking behind a large dumpster she tried to see deeper into the darkness but couldn't make out anything. She sensed something was off about the whole situation so quietly powered up while hidden by the gross dumpster. Seconds latter Ellicott found that she was standing in a puddle of stagnant water, atleast she hoped it was water. She also realized her hunch was right, a negaverse aura was coming from the depths of the alley... A strong one at that.

If she had been alone she would have just left, a fighter she wasn't, but she still needed to get her dumb dog. At least powered up she could bluff her way out of any potential danger, Sherlock was learning to guard on command but he was still pretty young. Her own aura was now revealing her location but she still tried to remain quiet as she made her way closer to the chaos member and her dog.

Sherlock meanwhile had come to a stop and studied the figure standing in front of him. He was the smell the pup had come to explore but the dog seemed to realized that something wasn't quite right… maybe it was the body slumped against the wall or maybe it was the loose leash trailing behind him. Sherlock wined softly and took a few hesitant steps backwards, his tail wagged once before falling limp.

Ellicott inched closer, close enough to nearly hear the negaverser clearly as he murmured softly at Sherlock. She hesitated in the shadows, this man did not seem to act like a negaverser should. Where was the evil? The insanity? The hatred and darkness that chaos was the embodiment of? As she mulled this juxtaposition in actions the nega called out loudly. She started and sent a can that she hadn't seen bounce off the brick wall. With her heart throbbing painfully in her chest she answered him, after all staying silent wouldn't help anything since he knew she was there. "He doesn't need your help Negaverser." Her voice was clipped and precise, wobbling only slightly with her nervousness. Her proper British accent seemed strange drifting in the dark, trash scattered alley.

Sherlock heard his girl's voice and perked right up. His ears went sharp and alert while his tongue lolled out if his mouth. His tail which was hanging low and submissive began wagging so much his butt wiggled along with it. When his girl stepped closer and he saw her Sherlock gave a happy bark but he remained where he was. The strange smell was here and he wanted to know about it.

Ellicott had inched her way closer until she could clearly make out the chaos agent, this also put her in full view. She was likely more visible the. He was in his dark uniform since her dress was brightly patterned with jewelry accents of gold that glittered softly in the watery light of a distant street lamp and the muted light of the nearly full moon. She glanced at Sherlock, saw that he was unharmed and unfettered, a slight frown crossed her face before she schooled her features to read as cool and aloof. "Kuja," the command was said with a firm but gentle tone. Sherlock was taught to respond to commands in Swahili, or to be correct a bastardization of the language since neither Ellicott nor her father could pronounce the words correctly.

When Sherlock just smiled and did a little dance Ellicott glanced away from the Negaverser, who she had been watching with trepidation, to frown at her dog. He was pretty good at following commands but sometimes he chose to test her... Now seemed to be one of those times. Not the best time for a 'who's the pack leader' arguement. "Kuja." Her voice was firm and brooked no argument and was accompanied by a pointed finger by her feet. She was alpha here and would not have him challenge that.

When Sherlock complied, whining once and his tail no longer waging full throttle but more half heartedly, Ellicott held back her praise as she issued another command, "Kukaa." Sherlock's butt promptly met the cement at which point Ellicott ruffled his ears and gently said, "good boy. Very good boy. Who's a good boy? You are!" She unconsciously tried to reach into her pockets for a treat to reward him. The realization that she had no pockets anymore made her eyes snap up to find the negaverser as her heart rate skyrocketed once more. She had forgotten all about him in the small battle of wills between her and the dog.

Ellicott eyed the negaverser with distrust. It was true that he had shown her or Sherlock any hatred nor had he moved to harm either of them but he was still an agent of chaos. He was a member of the group that she was fighting against... Sort of. Ellicott wasn't a fighter and as such had only really encountered youma in her night jaunts, and those only occurred when she was dragged out of her house by another chibi senshi. She was told that the negavers was evil, they hurt and killed anyone who got in their way, they wanted to control everyone, and other things that went against everything that made life worth living. However this agent was not acting like she would have expected him too.

"He is a good dog though he is still learning." She answered him hesitantly while she gently, and unconsciously, played with Sherlock's ears. The dog meanwhile remain seated at her feet but once more his tail was wagging in happiness. A frown crossed her expressive face as she asked curiously, "if your apartment doesn't allow dogs how do you have one? Is it a small dog that wouldn't be noticed?" Thankfully Ellicott didn't have that issue to contend with. They had a house with a yard although the hard wasn't nearly large enough for such a huge dog as Sherlock, hence the walk that brought them to this situation.

At the mention of a treat Sherlock perked up and let out a happy bark. Ellicott grabbed for his collar, worried he would bound towards the negaverser. She murmured, "kubaki." Sherlock seemed to deflate slightly at the order to stay but he gave Ellicott a lick on the face when she crouched down to give him a hug. "Ugh. Gross!" She wiped off the dog drool with a giggle. She focuses on the chaos agent again as she tried to surreptitiously wipe her hand off on her brightly patterned skirt. Standing tall, or as tall as a she could, she shook her head. Ellicott kept her hand around Sherlock's collar as she replied, "he needs to get use to responding to commands without a... a..." She searched for another word other then treat since she didn't want to get the pups hopes up, "snack." It wasn't the best substitution but it would do for the moment. "Thank you for your offer though." Manners required a polite response even if she didn't understand why he made it or if she trusted such an offer.

"A youma!?!" They could be pets? He could tame such a creature? Ellicott stared at him in shock as she remembered the youma that had first attacked her, a dinosaur creature that still caused her to wake up at night covered in sweat. The thought of a tamed youma was the stuff of nightmares for her. The fact that he had a youma for a pet actually made her more leery of him because all the creatures she had met were vicious, mindless, beasts and the person to tame one had to be just as bad.... No matter how polite and nice he was acting right now. For now she would watch him, talk to him, be polite, and not provoke him... She did not want to meet his pet youma.

Swallowing and shaking her head Ellicott pulled her thoughts from youmas and focused on the topic at hand; treats and rewards. "Yes but a food reward is just as good as a verbal reward which I have given him. A variation of rewards was recommended once the initial bond was formed. He has been trained since he was weaned so he knows that praising is also a type of reward." She glanced down at the tall dog and realized just how much he had grown since they had first gotten him when he was only four months old. He was a month (?) shy of his first birthday and he had grown so big.

Ellicott politely listened to his suggestion before she shook her head no. "Thank you but no. A reward now would just confuse him." besides I don't want to test the polite face you are portraying.[/ i] She mentally added. She was aware that a negaverser could teleport but by having him do so with all of them she would be fully dependent on his honor and his word. Ellicott would never say as much out loud, it wasn't polite, but she defiantly thought it. Stranger Danger took on a whole new meaning when it came to the nightly clashes between order and chaos. "I've only met a few senshi around my age as well." She had very few encounters from others period, mainly because she chose to ignore the nightly romps of so many others... Having it rubbed in her face just how useless she was, again, was not something she appreciated. As a senshi she only went out when dragged by another chibi for patrolling.

She was lost in her thoughts so when the man spoke again she started slightly, her bare feet digging painfully into the detritus of the ally. A wince flashed across her face as she shifted slightly, trying to ease the pain. She hesitated only a moment before she dipped a quick curtsy, ladies didn't shake hands... Or rather she didn't really want to get that close, "Ellicott of dance and this is Sherlock." The dog in question perked his ears and his tail swished across the dirty ground, he knew he was being talked about.

Ellicott smiled briefly when Captain Leucite greeted Sherlock as well. The pup in question wagged his tail happily, if Ellicott hadn't had a hold of his collar he might have went over to check the guy out again. "Well yes. As far as I understand it." She looked at him curiously since it seemed that the older negaverser had no clue that the younger generation had been recruited into the war. "Do you not have younger lieutenants or privates or whatever they are called?" Why wouldn't they? Ellicott shifted slightly from foot to foot, trying to mentally figure out the new twists of this struggle she was dragged into.

"I'll have you know it is not polite to ask a lady her age." She huffed and totally glared down her nose at him like a proper lady would at a dirty little bug. Regardless the fact that he was barely shorter than her, even while crouching. "Besides I am no child. I am a young lady." She crossed her arms huffily in front of her, completely contradicting her statement. "I'm nearly a teen anyway. Calling me a child, feh. Sherlock don't these yanks know a lady when they see one." She smiled down at the dog who woofed his agreement. Her last statement was said in a much lighter and softer tone. Her smile turned shy when she glanced back at the nega officer. For a moment there she had forgotten her weariness of him and poked fun at him like she would have any other adult who had asked a silly question.

Ellicott smiled and nodded her head regally. "You are forgiven. It is to be expected that one from such a country is a bit 'rough around the edges'. Just don't mess with my tea time." She oddly enough really did like a good cup of strong black tea and found the story of the Boston tea party to be rather sacrilege. Which she guessed was pretty much the point. She quietly eyed Captain Leucite, almost all humor in the situation fading away. Regardless how nice he seemed and how friendly he was being Ellicott couldn't forget that he was working for the negaverse.

"Conscripted?" She had to repeat the word to make sure she had heard him correctly. "You mean you force them? That is what that means you know which makes the rest of your sentence a contradiction. How can they truly understand what's going on if you force them to join you?" She frowned at him trying to figure out that twist of logic. Ellicott had completely skipped over the thought of how the negaverse had no kids... She didn't quite understand the reason why order had them either but she did believe, at least partially, that if she hadn't 'awakened' the night she was attacked by a youma she would not have survived. Ellicott conveniently forgot that she had met the kitty and powered up shortly before the youma showed up. Her awakening could have been the reason it attacked.

She withdrew from her train of thought as Leucite continued. "As the song says though, 'we can't always get what we want'." If only she could. "If life was fair I would be home, in England, with both my parents. Not stuck in this horrible city and backwards country." It was still a secret... Not so secret... Dream of hers to return back to the UK but after so long in the city that was becoming less and less likely. She tried to regathering her composure, she had lost it a little bit, and a few tears had trailed down her cheek. She swiped it away and buried her fingers in the fluffy scruff of Sherlock's, the pup turned his head and licked her arm. "Gross Sherlock!" The squeal was full of amusement as she wiped her arm on her side, the dog had effectively fixed her bad mood with a well timed doggy kiss. He was the main reason she had started to become happy in this place. "As for calling each young person child," she glanced at him and smiled, "try using a synonym... Do you like being called 'man', 'boy', or 'guy'. Just because I have not yet hit the age of majority does not mean I like being called a child." Her tone was kind if a bit chiding but she softened her words with a quick razz berry. Ellicott was a regular contradiction and she enjoyed it, a lady must be mysterious after all.

As she stood there a slight breeze kicked up chilling her shoulders. The night was dark and getting darker. She had been out much later then she should be, "I need to be getting back before my father begins to worry." She took a few steps backwards, wincing when she stepped on a stone again.

She most definitely did not want to know what the alternative to being forced into the ranks of chaos was. Ellicott had a vivid imagination and she most definitely did not want to visualize what Leucite ment. She turned her mind to work on politely declining his offer to escort her home.

In proper society, him providing an escort home would be acceptable but as a senshi she really did not wish to reveal her home address to him. Hell, even as a civilian revealing a home address to people that aren't close friends is a bad idea let alone a complete stranger. "I appreciate your offer but Sherlock is a pretty good escort, that and you must understand the hesitation to lead a person I just met, however so nice, to my house." She smiled softly, trying to ease her denial of his offer. It was true that he really had been nothing but polite and kind but Ellicott was still quite aware of their positions on the opposite sides of the war.

"Oh," before she was able to more then shake her head at his offer at the jacket, Leucite had draped it over her shoulders. The fabric was heavy and quite large, with the sleeves nearly reaching the ground. Sherlock turned his head and buried his nose in the fabric. The scent as intricate and detailed as anything he had ever smelled before... And oh so strange. "Um, thank you. I can walk it just takes a bit of concentration to avoid anything really sharp." She was tempted to add a smarty pants reply along the lines of 'you have no idea' but kept her mouth shut. He didn't need to know about the scars that now crisscrossed the bottom of her feet from the night she awoke. To be fair the damage was done before she had met the cat but the youma attack that happened right after did nothing to help matters. She hesitated another moment before sliding the coat off and handing it back. "Thank you but I really will be fine. I need to go now." She nodded and headed for the alley entrance, Sherlock following faithfully. Ellicott paused a moment at the edge of the alley, looking backwards. "It was nice to meet you Captain Leucite." She sketched another quick curtsy before leaving. As soon as she was able to get far enough away she knew she would power down and then her trip home would be much faster... And warmer.