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Sailor Altair was tiptoeing as silently as she could between the shadows of the trees within this park. It was a park she frequents, though she avoided it for a while before willing herself not to persist avoiding it in fear. It was the park where she awakened. But she suspected that perhaps it was said fear that made her memories scarcely quick to recollect and for the most part hidden somewhere in the corners of her mind. And also perhaps it was the aforementioned fear that could be credited at least in part for what little she did remember of the life-changing event to have been continually warped by her nightmares.

And after much flailing around in this new chapter of her life, she was now here again to flail some more quite likely. But specifically in this case, she was trying her hand at locating the cat that had awakened her. She had many questions and she hoped she remembered to ask a majority of them, hopefully yes so hopefully. Yet, she was not going to try to fool herself into thinking there was no likelihood that she would not forget any or even draw a blank when she found the cat she was in search of, if she found the cat she was in search of.

As she looked up to survey the branches of the tree she was presently beneath, she looked for a feline form. While she was occupied with this, she was also continuing a battle alongside it within herself as she mentally shook her head in an attempt to fend off her insecurities. This included trying not to repeatedly knock her head against the tree in frustration for forgetting so much about what happened when she awakened to her powered identity in the first place.

Altair had just stepped up onto a tree root when she heard a voice that suddenly startled her. With a sharp intake of breath in surprise, she clung to the circumference of said tree or really as much of that circumference as she could grasp. This was in a desperate hug for balance as she struggled for a moment not to fall off from her place abruptly and hopefully not twist an ankle or something or other in her avoidance attempt at staying away from compromising her state of being.

It was a few beats of moments before she turned her head from where it seemed to be glued to the side of that tree to face the other direction where the voice came from. She felt both embarrassed and somewhat afraid of what she would see, who she would meet. With a quick, initial look to take in the other individual, she thought she was seeing a civilian person in a parka.

"H-hello," she smiled with a passably cheery greeting that mixed with her meek demeanor at having been found in what she thought to be an awkward predicament. This was followed by her stepping off the tree root she had somehow managed not to fall off of. "Um, I-I'm looking for someone, a-a kitty actually." She added the later after rapidly reasoning in her mind that it may be even more odd of a notion for her to be looking up a tree for someone other than a cat. But with a mental shake of her head, she admitted to herself that it may not make a difference in all the weirdness she considered her life to be full of anyway.

However, after more time passing as she timidly stood at a loss for more words before the individual who found her, she noticed similarities in their attire and wondered half in slight alarm and half in slight curiosity if this individual was also a magical figure like herself except having been in a full costume that was at present partly covered by the parka.

Altair reached out and took the individual's extended hand in a sure and polite but motionless handshake. It seemed it wasn't until just a moment's beat after the individual offered an introduction that Altair began to regain her ability to speak. "H-hello, Eternal Sailor Europa," she especially spoke the name she received carefully, honestly afraid that perhaps there may be a consequence for incorrect pronunciation; after all, Altair had yet to identify with certainty whether or not this magical realm she somehow entered was military while combined with being dangerously ruthless in nature. "I'm E-" she swallowed and hoped the the slip she caught seemed only to have been another monosyllabic expression of insecurity, "A-Altair, Sailor Altair. A-and yes, I-I think I remember the talking cat to be brown. I-I, u-um, I admittedly don't remember our meeting one night very well." She dreamed about the night quite regularly, or had nightmares, might the latter be more accurate? However, said visualizations seemed shrouded in shadows and hazy for the most part.

She subconsciously clenched her other hand at her side, and the movement of the glove's fabric by her leg brought her awareness to the action before she eased the insecurely tensed fist as slowly as she could, not wanting to in any way appear to be picking a fight with anyone. She was out of her element, she was still out of her element. And if she had the ability now to assume this second identity, Altair found herself unable to keep from wondering why she had to feel this way. It was becoming increasingly frustrating for her that she was so magically incompetent by her own judgement.

Before she could restrain herself from doing so, her head fell forward as she heaved a sigh and then at the realization of what she had just done in the instant that followed, she hastily lifted her head again, "I-I'm so sorry. I'm behaving rudely and I keep stuttering and I-I'm admittedly feeling at a loss about, um, about suddenly being able to be this uh some sort of magical existence."

"L-likewise, Eternal Sailor Europa, pleased to meet you," Altair replied and went on to say, "U-um, I-I think part of why I can't remember much of my meeting the talking cat is because I am fearful. I am trying to jog my memory to remember especially my conversation with the cat, but I-I'm so frustrated with myself for remembering only bits and pieces of that night that are probably not so important. U-um, I also think my imagination has twisted much of what I do remember."

She spoke on as one of Altair's gloved hands came up to rest at the side of her hair over part of her braids while she was looking as though she was trying to ward off a headache. "I don't remember so much dialogue but more of feel that I know some topics of the conversation. But I don't know how much sense my recollections make. And my dreams are usually of a short version. The long version though includes the cat and I having a phone between us that has numerical buttons in style and then next thing I know there is the smartphone between us instead. I don't know how that happen apart from vaguely feeling that I was definitely panicking internally then on top of sharing with the cat my confusion and fear about all the magic and even not being good at speedily using and remembering how to use the older phone style and I draw a blank when I wonder what exactly was said with regards to having a magical phone. I am largely puzzled about having a magical phone admittedly. But consistent with my dream, it is the same smartphone that was with a pen I found in my bag when I woke up. That discovery was my first confirmation that I had not just dreamed that night. My second confirmation was that I actually did transform when I tried some of the few words from that night I did remember; words like Sailor Altair, senshi of Scalpels, and a magic spell. In my dreams and memories the cat was there, I believe the cat was guiding me. I'm pretty sure it was at this park that we met, it is the park I frequent most but I can't help but question myself and my memories since I suspect my imagination had a hand in my dreams in making the setting all wispy and full of shadows. The short dreams I have include just the usual small shadow that is the cat and me running from a shadow with more than two arms and glowing green eyes and I wake up after I turn around to face the shadow chasing us while casting the magic spell."

She lifted her hand from the side of her hair as an added thought came to mind, "A ribbon, if I am remembering correctly, the cat had a neck ribbon. I hope the cat got away safely that night." And silently she realized that perhaps part of why she was searching for the cat now was to gather more courage in addition to better recalling that night. "A-and oh I-I'm rambling on and on, I'm so sorry!"

She grew quiet again but inwardly admitted to herself again that she was still cowering while attempting to press onwards. And inwardly she went on further this time to admonish herself more as well that if she really wanted to be better at this, better at being a senshi that wasn't so dangerously close to her own demise by her own definition, she needed to deal with all her fears. And thus she inwardly resolved that among one of the things she would start with next in the days ahead is giving the magical smartphone she received a less fearful and more thorough examination, rather than just warily skimming through some of what looked to be the safest screens in the few occasions between busy hours of her civilian days.

Altair swallowed and made a more conscious attempt to again try and push back the insecurities of hers that had surfaced and that she tangibly had just now realized had repeated having taken to surrounding her. She breath in a short, shaking breath and exhaled in the following second before she gave her reply with some added strength that gave her a bit of courage she was thankful for. This night was another important reminder to her, another reminder of great value and help that was already starting to aid in pushing her ahead as opposed to looking back far too much. "My fears and guilt indeed aren't what I should keep so closely and even perhaps subconsciously cling to with such stubbornness in trying to remember more of that night. I need to improve in my endeavors to survive as the senshi I have somehow become. I admittedly feel that the few memories that escaped being locked away likely by my fears about the night I became a senshi are not enough. But aside from a part of me still hoping that I come to remember more about that night eventually, I shall begin searching harder for answers no longer just by mostly attempting to jog my memories. Thank you for helping me realize all this, Eternal Sailor Europa."

A small smile had been growing gradually on her lips as a feeling of relief grew inside her. She took in another breath to muster up more courage and said next, "I-I would like to be more knowledgeable about what are my skills as a senshi aside from casting a magic spell. I think it would help me further to know better about what I am capable of to avoid accidents I might unknowingly fuel and to attempt to strategize better in this magical form, um I mean, as a senshi. I also would like to find out more about who are fighting and in the process learn about the senshi I have discovered I can change into. Was I recruited to a certain side? I-I, Eternal Sailor Europa, may I ask if you may explain a bit about some of these queries I am now hoping to find and comprehend answers about bit by bit?"

"W-wow," and for a few beats of moments, Altair was thoughtfully silent as she intently digested all she was told in hopes that tonight's encounter stuck in her memories unlike her very first magical one. "A-and since senshi fight off threats of the forces of chaos, what is the purpose of chaos forces? What are they trying to accomplish with their actions?" As she went about processing the many thoughts now whirling around in her mind while listening for Eternal Sailor Europa's reply, Altair kept her hands against her abdomen with the edge of her index's fingernail placing a bit of pressure against the pad of the thumb of her other hand. No, she wasn't dreaming, at least according to that strange little attempt at checking her state of consciousness. She then tried to repeat in her head the Japanese words that had been enumerated to her so as to hopefully commit them to memory as well and also made a mental note to use a search engine at some point soon after this occasion to translate them.

Altair drew in a shocked breath upon hearing Eternal Sailor Europa's response to her query. "T-that's horrible," she swallowed, her mind reeling at trying to process how brainwashing and all the other exploits listed to her were accomplished. Numerous imagined scenarios of magical possibilities raced through her head and Altair lifted one loosely clenched hand to apply a bit of pressure against her skin just below her choker. And before she knew it, she spoke again, "A-and by space cancer, do you mean that chaos is capable of space travel as well?"

She took a deep breath in hopes that it would help ease the nervousness she found to be a challenge to shake off time and time again. "I have mixed feelings about exploring it," Altair's voiced response came with an uncertain smile at the prospect of the unfolding magical future, "Yet, I really very much appreciate the time you have taken, Eternal Sailor Europa, to explain this still foreign, cosmic world of magic to me."