Welcome to Gaia! ::

Carmen was bored to the point of existential ponderings. It was fun at first, but after a while, turning the thought of "why was I granted consciousness and why can't I turn it off when there's nothing to do" over in her head became more annoying than enlightening. It felt like no senshi were ever by where she was, potential or awakened. Not being able to do her job or hold much more than the equivalent of small talk with normal cats was chafing. Maybe she needed to lower her standards for resting places?

Then 'she' came by. At first, Carmen thought her glasses needed to be cleaned (which they did anyway, but that was beside the point), but further sneaking confirmed for her that yes, there was indeed a senshi nearby! With some precise feline parkour, she landed on the railing that Elpis was leaning on and padded over to her. As she got closer, she got a feeling, a sort of tingle in her mind. Ah, this senshi must have been ready for a gift of power! How excellent.

"Would you mind some company, senshi?"

Carmen purred. Yes, right there was perfect, how did the senshi know that there was an itch there? "Mm, not really. It has been quiet, particularly for me. It's quite nice to finally meet a senshi after all this time." She gave a contented little cat exhale before sitting just so on the railing. "I am Carmen. And you are?" A quick rub against the senshi sent another tingle through her that confirmed her intuition. "If you give me your name and some information, I can give you a gift. Well, I would give you this gift anyway, or I would be a poor Guardian Cat, but I would certainly like the information."

"Elpis of Metal... noted. I wonder what the others are doing tonight? Do you know of any events that might draw people off the streets or keep them at home?" Maybe there was a festival, or some special television program. The latter seemed more likely than the former, since she hadn't seen any flyers or the like for a gathering. "And yes, a gift! The time has come for you to reach a new level of power. Dramatics aside, you're ready to achieve the next senshi stage. Please hold still for a moment." With a soft purr, Carmen began to extend those mental feelers out towards Elpis's starseed, working that mysterious magic that caused a starseed to express more of its potential. She regretted not knowing the precise mechanics behind it, but at least it worked when it needed to.

After a few more magical pokes and prods and pulls, Carmen had the feeling that the upgrade was done. Exhaling heavily from the concentration and effort, she adjusted herself on the railing and beamed at the new Super Senshi. "All done! I must say, you look... well, super! Do pardon the pun. How do you feel? And, more importantly, how do you plan to use this gift? I would like to know. Consider it the beginning of a collection of mission statements." She really had to find more senshi and know what they were up to. If she could get a clearer picture of what senshi were doing, she would be able to guide them more effectively, but as it stood she was rather in the dark.

"That's very noble of you," Carmen said, her tail twisting a bit. "So you plan to be a guide to others, a protector, a shield. Do you consider yourself truly ready to take on such a burden? It feels like you want to take on a lot of responsibility." Her tail flicked the other way and she repositioned her paws. "Please don't take that the wrong way. I don't doubt or question your strength. But being the post others lean on can be very stressful. How do I know this? Well, my scratching post would certainly attest to it." It was a silly turn of phrase, but she liked it well enough to not backpedal over it.