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 Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2016 4:39 pm
This was it. Goretti was prepared. He couldn't wait anymore and he was just about losing his mind. He'd tried everything, and now he was going to go hunt down Julienne and ask her for the hard truth—ask him why he wasn't going anywhere. Why he wasn't getting any stronger.
And he was going to ask her what to expect on his homeworld, because tonight, glue oceans or not, he was going to visit Goretti. He was going to find out just what power he was tapping into, and what he was supposed to be protecting.
Or…whatever.
He wasn't actually sure—but Julienne would have the answers, and he knew he wanted to talk to her. And pet her, and give her some of the salmon he'd stashed from the restaurant his father worked out. He didn't know exactly where he could find her, but he tried in all the usual places, all the while carefully carrying the tin wrapped fish. He moved quickly, calling out her name every moment or so.
At first, he thought his search was fruitless—until he saw a strange little thing on the ground. He approached, hesitantly, wondering if some baby had lost a sock or something—only, as soon as he got close enough to it he recognized it.
Of course, he had no idea what Julienne's hat was doing on the ground; he made a confused noise as he knelt, picked it up, and then examined it. He stood, holding the fish in one hand and the hat in the other. Brows furrowed, he couldn’t figure out why she would have just left her hat here.
Unless…
Slowly, he looked up, and jumped when he saw the cat. "Julienne!" he exclaimed.
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Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2016 5:17 pm
Julienne wasn’t the type who climbed trees, honestly she didn’t even like trees. But today, the branch in the oak tree just looked so…so lovely that she had to climb up it and see if it was as lovely and shaded as it looked. Once she was up there, she discovered two things simultaneously. Number one was that it was as lovely as she had hoped it would be, and number two was…now that she was up there…she wasn’t quite sure that she could get down.
A cat who got stuck in a tree. It was almost laughable. She had tried in vain for a quarter of an hour, and finally gave up when her hat fell from her furry head and gently tumbled to the ground.
If she wasn’t careful, it would be her tumbling to the ground, and at her size, it would be anything but gently.
So, the Siberian decided the only thing left to do was…
Nap. And that was what she had done for the past few hours, snoozed in the warm afternoon and evening, feeling the wind go through her thick fur.
It was bliss.
After a long while, she heard someone calling her and her ears pricked up to better catch the sound…but more importantly, there was a smell that her nose caught.
“Salmon! Goretti!” Her blue eyes were locked on the chibi senshi and she looked terribly relieved. “You’ve come to feed and rescue me! You wonderful child…help me down, I’m afraid I’ve gotten myself into…” She considered him for a moment and let out a small laugh. “…A sticky situation!”
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Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2016 5:36 pm
Goretti nodded quickly and set both the salmon and Julienne's hat down on the ground. A smile split across his face at her joke, but he didn't want to laugh until she was absolutely out of harm's way.
"Okay, you just hold on for a minute, I'm coming up!"
He moved quickly, glancing between the branches before deciding on one that was close to her. He jumped into the air and gripped it tightly, swinging for a moment before he pulled himself up. He very carefully stood, keeping one hand on the trunk as he stepped over to the branch she was on.
He was extremely careful not to step on her and, when he was certain that he had good, solid footing, he reached down to scoop her up.
"I gotcha!" he promised, wrapping both arms around her and holding her close to his chest.
"What on Earth were you doing up here! …How'd you get stuck?"
He didn't seem judgmental, just a bit confused. Still, he kept his arms around her and stepped for the lower branch, working his way down the tree until he was at the lowest branch, and then he jumped down and landed perfectly on his feet. Once there, he crouched in front of the food and her hat and set Julienne down.
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Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 3:33 pm
Julienne nestled into Goretti’s arms, feeling that this was a much, much easier way of getting down from the tree. She had been wondering…well, had been, before the nap at least…wondering if she would have to jump. That would have been such a long way down and what if she didn’t land on her feet…but now.
Now here was Goretti, saving her and feeding her. It was a win-win situation. Plus…well. She felt that there might be something she could do to pay him back for all of this as well.
His starseed felt as though it was ready for more power…oh he would be so excited.
When the cat was put back on the ground she purred loudly and rubbed against the chibi’s legs. “Goretti, before I lose myself to that salmon you’re carrying…would you mind letting me see your henshin pen for a moment?” It was the perfect distraction...now she would never have to answer just how she got stuck in the tree. He would never know.
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Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 3:39 pm
Goretti blinked and then nodded. "Yeah, here," he said, fishing around in his pockets until he found the pen. "It's the same as it's always been though, I'm sorry. I've been trying to get stronger, but I'm having a hard time. It's like, nothing I ever do is working—which is why I was looking for you! I need help," he sighed. It was clearly a topic on his mind and he immediately forgot about what she was doing in the tree.
After he handed it out, he crouched down once more and began to unwrap the tinfoil around the salmon. "I brought this for you!" he said, clearly distracted. "It's from my dad's restaurant. It always smells so good, so I thought you might like it!"
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Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 3:45 pm
Julienne took the pen between her front paws and sniffed at it for a moment, though paused when the senshi put the wonderful smelling salmon near her as well. No. No she had to focus first. Focus first. She had a job, she could eat that soon enough right now she had to help her friend. One of her favorite senshi.
He was ready.
She focused on the pen and poured her own power into it, unlocking the next stage. The stick glowed bright white for a moment and it changed its shape. “There you go…take it and say, ‘Goretti Eternal Make-up!’ You have gotten stronger, Goretti, I noticed it the moment I realized it was you…and now other people will notice it as well…just…put the salmon down before you do it okay? It smells wonderful…thank you so much for thinking of me! You know I do like food!”
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Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 3:53 pm
"Huh?"
Goretti stayed frozen for a moment, but his eyes lit up and he seemed in disbelief before he quickly reach out for the Henshin Pen. "—What, for real? Are you sure?"
He didn't waste more time with questions; instead, he repeated the phrase as she had instructed—and transformed. A light shimmered over him, and suddenly he felt stronger. Like a whole new Senshi. His eyes were closed and he was holding his breath, just waiting.
And he opened his eyes. "—Did it work?" he asked, almost bouncing where he stood. A grin had split across his face. "—Am I real senshi, all grown up like Lenka?"
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Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 4:03 pm
Juliennes face was buried in the salmon almost at once and she didn’t hear the chibi for a moment. Finally she glanced up, licking a speck of the flaky fish from her muzzle. “Huh? What did you say? Oh.”
She sat back and looked at him, almost appraising him for a long moment. “You’re…still a chibi. I don’t really understand why…You’re stronger, you’re an eternal senshi now…but you’re still a chibi…” Her ears flattened against her head and for a moment she looked quite upset with how things had turned out. She had expected to help him. That he would be stronger and be so happy…well he was stronger…but he was still a chibi.
“I don’t understand…”
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Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 4:06 pm
Goretti's face immediately shifted from joy to horror. "What?" he asked, as though he'd been delivered the worst news of his life. His hand raised to his chest, clutching at his heart. "No! For real? —Lenka will never take me seriously!"
He dropped to his knees in front of Julienne, placing one hand on each side of her. "I have to get stronger! —I am going to go to my homeworld! The answer has to be there—that's the only place I haven't looked! How—how do I do that?"
He reached into his pocket and fumbled with his phone. "This has something to do with it, right?"
He looked up at her with pleading eyes. "—I mean, thank you so, so much for helping me get stronger, but—I'm so close, Julienne! I have to get all the way!"
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Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 4:23 pm
The cat blinked and slowly nodded.”Your homeworld…yes I think that might be a good idea. All you have to do is press the center button on your phone, and concentrate your power, think about Goretti…the place, not you yourself. Visualize yourself being there, and you’ll go…but I want you to know, that…”
Julienne leaned up and licked his cheek with her small sandpaper tongue. “I am proud of you no matter what, and I know that Lenka will be too. Be safe. We’ll both be waiting for you to come home. And the way you’ll get home is pretty much the same, but you hold the center button and think of here. Think of being home, and you’ll go. It’s a simple process, even if it is a bit scary to think about.”
She settled back down again, eyes drifting to her salmon. “Come back soon, Goretti.”
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Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 5:21 pm
Goretti nodded, determined. He had an adrenaline rush going on right now, and he'd finally reached the point where he wasn't going to run away. He knew what he was going to do and he was going to do it. He offered Julienne a little smile and a quick hug after she licked his cheek.
"I can do that. I will do that. And I'm gonna try my hardest to come back stronger, Julienne." He gave her a kiss on the forehead, just over her star, and then pulled out his phone. He sucked in a breath, closed his eyes, and pressed the center button on his phone.
For a moment, nothing happened.
And then he disappeared.
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