Cavansite was planning on just having a nice, relaxing night tonight. She wasn’t out…looking for trouble, but she was willing to accept it if it came her way. Of course, as she thought this, she felt a knight nearby, someone on her level. Well, okay. Perfect. Since there was someone there, she couldn’t just ignore them. Couldn’t just let them scamper around being…you know. Alive.

She made her way towards the knight, and decided to be as flashy as possible with her entrance. The captain teleported behind the knight, and blinked in surprise as she took in the girls getup.

How…pretty. Like a figure skater, or someone who was playing pretty pretty princess and ended up winning.

Her eyes were drawn at once to the long braid that was covered in beautiful dangly bits, and she wanted them. She needed more trophies, and always wanted more trophies…and this girl had so many, she wasn’t going to miss a few, right?

“Good evening, it’s a lovely night, isn’t it?”

Destiny City certainly was a cruel mistress, in her own way. While she was in India, Anandi had, for the most part, kept trying to patrol amidst family drama. It was difficult to say the least, with her being out of practice and out of the right frame of mind. Tsui was gone, as far as she knew, which was heartbreaking in and of itself. The death of her own grandparents was yet another blow in a series of terrible trials the universe saw fit to put her through.

That being said, Anandi was not dissuaded from her duty upon returning to Destiny City. Despite the decidedly less active Negaverse branches in India, she still attempted to practice. Attempted to do the right thing. Whether or not she was successful remained to be seen.

Powered, Sutai stood atop a lonely building, only having been back in the city for a few days. Perhaps it was duty that called her, or her restless mind. Either way, she wasn’t paying much attention to energy signatures and was quite startled when a presence suddenly appeared right behind her.

Whirling around with a shriek, Sutai fumbled with her sextant like a juggler in training, all the crystalline accessories to her outfit making a cacophony with her jerky movements.

“Ah! ...um…!” came a less-than-impressive reply. “You--! Ah… yes! Yes, it is quite lovely, Miss Captain, but… I certainly hope you are not up to any mischief!”

Yes, how intimidating.

“Mischief!” The word flew from Cavansite and she couldn’t help but laugh richly. “Really? Mischief? Is that what the knights are calling it now a days?” That was cute. So very cute. Like as though she was going around, throwing toilet paper into trees or something. That was mischief, not what she did. What she did…was evil. She was into evil, not mischief.

“No, no of course not. I’m not up to any…’mischief’, not at all. And what are you up to, dear?” Her eyes raked the squire’s outfit again, picking out different bits she could take…and with this girl, she was beginning to think that it would be one of those easy pickings, where the knight would just give her one of the trinkets that she wore. She really was liking the necklace that the girl wore, it was so pretty with all of the snowflakes…

“I must say, you have to be one of the prettiest knights I have ever seen.” Her own little trinket chain glinted in the light from a street lamp. She did like her trinkets.

“Is that what knights are calling it nowadays?” parroted the squire. “Oh… I’m not sure? That is just what I call it, you see.” Her Indian accent was thicker than when she left Destiny City, her English falling into disuse over time. Sutai cleared her throat. “And… I am not a knight! Not… not yet. I will be, someday. I am watching the city, as I am supposed to do but...” The squire tapped her chin for a moment, as if trying to search her mind for the correct phrase in English. “...you are very skilled, Miss Captain!”

With a decisive nod, Sutai tightened her grip on her sextant. Could she even remember how to use her magic? She didn’t need it back in India, where the Negaverse was lax and lazy. Only the occasional youma, really, which was susceptible to being bonked over the head with heavy, metallic objects. She certainly didn’t fit in over there, with her figure skater-slash-ballerina getup. No, not at all.

Standing up straight, attempting to remember her solemn duties as a representative of Polaris, Sutai queried the captain before her. “I am Sutai, Squire of Polaris! Who might you be, Miss Captain? I don’t believe we’ve met before.”

Cavansite seemed almost amused with the squire’s prattling. It was kind of cute…and kind of annoying…though she did like the compliments. She always liked compliments. “Very skilled, hm? And what makes you say that…Sutai, Squire of Polaris?”

Polaris? Had she met a knight from Polaris before? If they were all this flighty, well, maybe she wanted to meet some more of them, honestly. “I’m Cavansite, you know, that is a beautiful necklace you have there, Sutai. May I have it? I do like to collect trinkets from those I’ve met before, and you have ever so many, it would make me so happy.”

She watched as the squire’s grip tightened on the gold…thing she had in her hand and she summoned her shiny spear to her hand, not really trying to be threatening…but trying to give an idea that maybe it would be a good idea just to give up the necklace.

Having a weapon that was at least a little intimidating was such a glorious thing. She loved being a captain.

Ah, that is to say….Sutai didn’t even realize she’d complimented the Captain in an inappropriate fashion until Canvasite had said something. Now she couldn’t really take it back, could she? To say, you’re very good at your job, sneaking up on me like that when I wasn’t paying attention… thank you for not killing me!

Sutai was still not very good at this.

“Well ah…” she stammered, her motions making music of her accessories, “...you must be skilled, Miss Canvasite, because you are a Captain now! They do not promote the unskilled people, right?” The Captain’s spear suddenly appearing out of thin air made Sutai unconsciously swallow the lump in her throat. Without Tsui to show her how to fight, was Sutai even able to stand on her own? For Tsui, she had no choice. The Squire refused to let her lady, or her princess, down.

But what harm was giving away an accessory that should reappear once she transformed again tomorrow? The Indian girl furrowed her brow, assessing the situation. Avoid a fight that she likely won’t win by giving away a necklace? Perhaps Canvasite won’t harm anyone else if she’s happy… it seemed like a fair trade, all things considered. Wrapped her hands around the back of her neck, cradling her sextant in the crook of her arm, Sutai undid the clasp and handed the shiny thing to the Captain.

“....since you asked so nicely?” came a meek reply.

Oh, she knew this girl was going to be a good one. Cavansite grinned, gently plucking the necklace from Sutai’s hand and examining it. “It is lovely. Tell me about your...about Polaris knights. I’ve never met one before, and you have an...interesting style. It’s like you’ve escaped from the Ice Capades.” Not that she figured this girl would even know what that was. Heck, even she wasn’t quite sure what they were, but that was the phrase to use, wasn’t it.

“Spin for me, let me see your whole outfit.” She did want to see it, in all honesty, but she also really wanted to see what else she could get away with.

“Knights are such strange creatures.” The words were said softly, and Cavansite wasn’t trying to offend…

Sutai didn't think much of the request and slowly spun around, the crystals in her hair making gentle sounds with the motion. “Ah, Polaris, you see, Miss Canvasite, is a very cold and icy place.” Tapping her chin, the squire wondered if Canvasite knew much about how knights and their order worked. She thought, as was human nature, some are good and some are not-so-good. Which one was Canvasite? Either way, it was Sutai’s duty as a knight of Polaris and as a Celestial Shepherd, to offer guidance to those who might be lost.

But was the Captain really lost? Or was she truly a bad person? The squire tended to look at the world with rose-colored glasses, for better or worse.

“So Princess Polaris’ knights usually wear these colors, and have fur on them. I'm… a bit of an exception.” Truthfully, Sutai didn't know why she was dressed rather inappropriately for the environment of such a cold and distant star. “The Princess is a very kind and strong person. I hope someday I can be strong like her, and protect the people of the city like she does. Have you seen a princess before, Miss Canvasite?”

Sutai had a run-in, somewhat, with the Princess’ opposition in the Negaverse once. It was a harrowing experience, something the squire would not forget. An oppressive aura, a frightening presence, power that leaked from their very pores. The squire then wondered if her own Princess would feel as frightening to someone on the other side?

Had she seen a princess before? What an...odd question. “LIke, a princess from the movies or what? I’ve seen my girlfriend, and I think she’s a pretty bitchin’ princess.” Cavansite had to grin at the mental image of Gently dressed up in a puffy dress acting the way a princess would act...it was most amusing.

And the furthest from how the woman actually acted. What a funny thought indeed.

“Interesting. You mean...that you’re only a knight because this...Polaris girl is a princess? That...is a very interesting concept.” Had someone explained that before? She had a vague memory of that one cosmos knight prattling on and on about something, maybe that’s what she was speaking of, but who even could be sure.

She fingered the necklace for a few moments more and stuffed it away in her subspace pocket. There would be time later to figure out how to best fit it in her outfit.

“So, what else, Sutai. What else can you teach me?” ...Not that she was really eager to learn anything...right?

There was no harm in being a little curious now and then.

When the Captain inferred that she had never met a true princess before, Sutai frowned and shook her head. Meeting a true princess was an honor, indeed, and the squire had wondered if the Negaverse didn’t even realize what they were missing out on. The dark-skinned girl with rose-colored glasses firmly believed General-Kings and Queens simply did not measure up with all of the darkness that lurked in their hearts. It was a tragedy, as far as she could tell, but one that was not without hope.

“Oh no no, not at all like in the movies. A real princess.” Sutai made a grand gesture, as if attempting to convey just how real of a princess she was speaking. “Polaris is very real, with wings and a glamorous dress. She has the power to take the hurt and the pain and the darkness out of a willing heart. It’s truly amazing!” If it were physically possible, Sutai’s bright eyes would be the size of dinner plates and would have been quivering with joy and reverence. “It’s a honor to serve her, really. It’s a blessing, I suppose. It is because she is a princess that people like me even exist in the first place. I don’t know why that is, but it is.”

Sutai tapped her cheeks, looking up to the heavens. “There are knights of Earth and Venus and Neptune but I do not know if those princesses are here. Polaris is a princess, Iris is a princess… But I’ve never met Princess Neptune. I wonder if she is in hiding? She must be, because her knights would not be here if she was not here, I suppose…” The exposition was more to herself than to Canvasite, but the information was truthful nonetheless. Nysa was on a quest to find Neptune, last Sutai had spoken with him. Had he found his Princess yet?

“Nevertheless,” began the squire again after a brief moment of introspection. “Polaris came from the star for which she is named. I did too, a lifetime ago. I have a mountain there. There was a whole civilization in space, but I do not know what happened to it. I do not know why there is darkness now. No offense, Miss Canvasite.” Sutai twiddled her fingers then, realizing her blathering might have wounded Canvasite emotionally.

“Do you know why there is darkness now? Do you know what happened?”

Wings and a glamorous dress? The ability to take the darkness out of a willing heart? What the hell did all of that mean? Cavansite frowned, watching Sutai run on, and her own mind decided to run on for a while too. Did that mean that…princesses had some sort of power over darkness? Over chaos? What did a willing heart mean?

…Maybe she would have to find Cinnabar and ask about that too…It wasn’t fair, even when she was as strong as she was now, there was still so much that she didn’t understand. Well, maybe she wouldn’t go and ask Cinnabar. Maybe she’d just find the answer for herself. She was more reliable anyway.

“Hm? What? Why there’s darkness now?” The captain blinked a few times, trying to put herself back into the conversation. “I have no idea. Perhaps because you all messed up at some point. That’s the only real logical explanation. And now haven’t you come to earth to mess it up too?” The words flowed from her mouth with conviction, it was such a practiced line, but for the first time, she almost felt a sense of confusion inside herself at the words. Well…

“Regardless of what you and your kind is trying to do…I have to go. I have important things to take care of. Fare well, I suppose, Sutai. I don’t suppose we’ll see one another again, and I don’t suppose I’ll be as…understanding if we do…so…don’t seek me out.” Cavansite drew in a breath and turned away. “Go home. I really don’t think someone as naive as you is made for this war.”

With one last look back at the girl, Cavansite teleported again, leaving the same way she came in. A ninja in the night. A ninja who’s heart was aching in a way she didn’t like.

Perhaps because you all messed up at some point. That’s the only real logical explanation.

Sutai found this to be incredibly odd. Not offensive in the slightest, but very odd. Before she could reply, however, Canvasite had begun to teleport away. Did the squire frighten the captain? She certainly hoped not. She wouldn’t be much of a Celestial Shepherd if scaring people away was her modus operandi. Sutai frowned, disappointed in herself. Eyebrows touching, the Indian girl knew Canvasite couldn’t hear her, but the universe could.
“It’s okay, Miss Canvasite.” she started, turning to face the dancing lights of Destiny City. Her breath became fog as soon as it left her lips. Her body might’ve been cold, but her heart certainly wasn’t. “Sometimes it’s really scary to find out things you didn’t know before. But… I don’t think we messed up. I don’t think you messed up either…”

Tilting her head, Sutai gripped her sextant. “I think… some very bad thing happened, a long time ago. That very bad thing is why we’re all here, instead of up there. Like Princess Polaris said, it’s our job to protect people. Even you, Miss Canvasite.”

The squire made the decision to go home then, tiptoeing across rooftops until she could safely land. “....even you, Miss Canvasite.”