Even though it was a rather simple mission, Sutai was pleased with the outcome. Truthfully, scaring off a criminal was much easier than attempting to slay a youma. The young couple Sutai had assisted were walking by an alley in downtown Destiny City when the woman was accosted by someone who had hidden themselves in the alley. The criminal drew a switchblade and the woman screamed, which is what alerted the Polaris Squire to trouble.

Be-tutu’d, Sutai obviously wasn’t intimidating by looks, but using her magic to slow the criminal down was more than enough. The man yelled about “getting away from magic freakshows” and ran off down the street. Sutai had picked up the woman’s purse, dusted it off and handed it back to its rightful owner. She gave the couple a curtsey, and was actually thankful that not too many other citizens were staring at her - that always made Sutai nervous, especially since she looked like she’d escaped from a ballet recital.

Maybe Destiny City was getting used to all this by now?

“Please be careful!” she told the couple. “If I see that man again, I will call the police immediately! Please go home and get some rest, and do not hesitate to call for help if you need it! That is what people like me are here for~!”

Sutai giggled then, turning on her heels to ponder what direction to head in next. She stood on the corner of Elm and Washington, under a street lamp, studying the nearby bus route map. Maybe if she stayed in this area, criminals would think twice about assaulting people…

-

The whole spectacle hadn't really been discreet; Alexei had been close enough to observe enough that he knew something wasn't quite right. It wasn't just the strange outfit, it was how she apprehended him.

When she left, so did the civilians that had been watching. Most of them went in a different direction.

He went after her.

Alexei had been running an errand and had been on his way back to the courthouse when he'd stumbled upon the sight. He watched from the back, simply observing. Though he was dressed in a nice suit, he was wearing a dark coat and scarf. He didn't look like anyone important--but then, that was the point. He wasn't out here for appearances.

He was out here for answers.

At least, now.

He followed after Sutai, driven by a nagging in the back of his head--a curios need that needed to be sated.

"You," he called, when they were far enough away from the others that he felt comfortable enough to address her.

"Why did you do that, back there? --And how?"

It was clear by the way he held himself, by the way he spoke, that he was a prideful man. He had been elected into his position not so very long ago; it had been a public event to anyone that paid attention. His campaign had been successful and as a whole he'd found that he was well received--at least, he assumed, given that he'd been elected by the people.

That had to say something.

And yet, despite the fairly public profile he'd had to keep, here he was--chasing down what could have easily been a criminal herself.

But he had no doubt in his mind: there was something different about her, and he needed to know what.

-

The fluffy knight was quite startled by the sudden, terse call from somewhere behind her. Oftentimes she found normal citizen-folk scarier than Chaos agents, simply because she couldn’t sense them the way she could people with magical powers. With a start, Sutai whirled around, grasping her chest. “OH!” she cried, with all the crystalline bits and bobs of her getup making a cacophony of noise in the process.

Sutai cleared her throat after a moment, finding that it was indeed just a normal, average, everyday citizen (who she did not recognize). It was her solemn duty to help protect the citizens of Destiny City and perhaps this man was simply more frightened of her than she was by his sudden appearance! Princess Polaris always had such a graceful way about her - something Sutai simply couldn’t replicate. She had too much energy for that. Clicking her heels together, the squire gave him a vivacious salute in return.

“Greetings, citizen!” she announced, a smile practically beaming from her face. “Are you in need of assistance? That’s what I’m here for!”

The Polaris Squire dropped her head to give Alexei a curtsy. “My name is Sutai! What I did back there… you mean, with this?” The bubbly girl held up her lovely golden sextant. Tapping it with a fingernail, it gave off a metallic tink tink sound. “I used my magic to slow down the criminal, sir. He may have gotten away this time, but if I see him again, I will surely call the police and then slow him down so he can be arrested and brought to justice. Yes!”

She gave him another smile then. Hopefully that information put him at ease! Sutai was well aware many people of Destiny City were wary of people like her. “That being said, are you in trouble, sir?”

-

Alexei's eyes narrowed once more, processing the information she was giving him. "Magic," he said flatly. If it was meant to be a question, he didn't do a good job of indicating such.

His eyes went to the sextant, taking in its detail, before he returned his gaze to her face. She didn't seem to be anything but genuine, though she did seem a little boisterous. She was comfortable doing this--fighting crime, as it were. A job typically best left to the police force, but which, in this instance, he didn't mind.

"I am in no trouble I cannot get myself out of," he assured, but he was unwilling to let her leave without more answers. "They talk about people in strange costumes, on the news." She must have been aware of them; Destiny City treated them partly like crime and partly like local cryptids. "Gang members, terrorists. You seem like neither. I would think a vigilante would wear something a bit less conspicuous--why are you wearing that outfit?"

-

Sutai didn’t seem the least bit phased by Alexei’s disgruntled demeanor. She nodded with enthusiasm. “Yes sir, magic. Lots of people like me have some kind of magic. That helps us do our best to keep the city safe, yes indeed.”

She was quite satisfied that Alexei admitted he wasn’t in any imminent danger, but was reminded that citizens couldn’t sense the Negaverse closing in on their position, and kept her mental radar open. The Destiny City Police Department were fine men and women dedicated to keeping the peace, but they could do precious little against magical forces. She wondered then if Alexei had ever seen an agent of Chaos up close, or if he lumped all of them in with gang members.

She shook her head when he mentioned terrorism. “Oh no sir, not one bit. You are right! I am neither a gang member, nor a terrorist. My family may not be native to Destiny City but I love it all the same, sir. But if I see anyone participating in terrorist activities, you can be sure I’ll give them a good whack with my sextant! Terrorism will not be tolerated!” Her grip tightened on the instrument and she gave Alexei her best fierce, determined look (which probably appeared about as threatening as a chihuahua).

The Polaris Squire knew, deep in her heart, that she wasn’t much of a fighting force. Tsui was much better at such things, more suited for it with her true fierceness. Sutai was more supportive than anything else.

“Why am I wearing this?” She seemed puzzled by the question, and looked down at herself. As much as she fit in with other Polaris Knights, Sutai realized that the man had little context in which to place her, and was thus confused. “Oh, sir, I did not choose this. Not at all. You see, when we are chosen for this duty, we receive an outfit… somewhat without consent, I suppose.” Sutai tapped her chin. Indeed, she didn’t specifically request a tutu, but then again, she didn’t mind it too much. “Since I am a Squire of Polaris, I look like this! Other people who are in service of Polaris look like me, or I look like them? I suppose it’s somewhat of a uniform standard, sir. Other people who are in service to other stars and planets have their own uniforms, like Mr. Nysa is of Neptune, so he looks very regal and wears ocean colors!”

She smiled brightly again. Princess Polaris would be pleased to know Sutai, Public Relations Squire was on duty!

-

Alexei's first thought was that this girl couldn't be too old; she had an enthusiasm that seemed to be snuffed out by the hardships of life once you'd reached a certain age. The fact that she might be young bothered him, though he wasn't sure he could quite place why.

It must have had something to do with fearing the younger generation didn't know what they were getting into and was just going to get hurt.

Of course, all this nonsense about magic...

"I see," he said slowly, though in truth he was still processing. Of a rational, logical mind, it was not exactly easy to take what she was saying as truth.

Receiving an outfit, without consent.

It resonated with him, recalling with brief vividness a night he'd had in his office. A niht he had dismissed as stress, too much coffee, and too little sleep. He pushed the thought from his mind and continued, "How were you chosen, then? For this duty. Forgive me if I ask too many questions. It's a bit hard to take in. I confess, it is a bit difficult to believe that there could be magical beings running around our City and no one's picked up on it yet."

...There were the conspiracy theories, the tabloids, but...

They'd write anything to sell papers.

Polaris, he didn't recognize, but Neptune was easy enough. "Does that mean that Mars and Mercury and the other planets have costumed agents here on Earth? --Why?"

He treated it as a serious conversation, even if his mind was telling him none of it was serious. He treated it as if one were humoring a toddler telling a story--with disbelief of any true facts, but interested all the same.

-

The Squire had to pause for a moment, mulling over the olders man’s question of how they were chosen. In truth, she wasn’t entirely sure on that one, and her explanation would sound terribly esoteric and metaphysical. But it was the only explanation she had.

“Well,” she started, looking up to the starry night sky. She made a grand gesture, as if to encompass the entirety of the cosmos above their heads. “...it seems to me, sir, that the universe picks us. I was almost eaten by one of those terrible monsters. I’m sure you’ve seen them on television - sometimes DCTV picks up a story about them. Then, this wonderful man named Camelot, he came and saved me, and that is when I received my powers!”

Sutai spun in place and struck a pose for a moment. “Mister Camelot, he is a Knight of Earth, and he wears armor and carries a large shield. He’s very powerful, and wise. Someday, I hope to save people just like Mister Camelot had saved me. He’s a very kind man.” The plucky squire poked her cheeks for a moment. “I think the universe had said to me, it is time for you to join the fight to protect people, and then my weapon appeared and I received my outfit! I’m a Squire now, I was a Page before. My weapon used to be a telescope and now it is a sextant!”

She looked down at the object in her hands, turning it over and over for a few silent moments. “Well, I say weapon but it is more like a focus or channeling tool. This is what I use to channel my magic on my friends to speed them up, or on enemies to slow them down.”

Satisfied, Sutai gave Alexei a warm smile. “I could show you, if you want! If you want to run faster than you’ve ever run before, it might be fun? But please don’t hurt yourself! Princess Polaris would be very upset with me if a citizen got hurt on my watch.” She would make sure Alexei wouldn’t ram himself into a wall if at all possible!

His last question was definitely something Sutai could answer more readily. “Oh yes sir, there many knights in the city from each of the planets. Like I said earlier, Mister Camelot is Earth, Mister Nysa is Neptune, but there are knights of Venus like Miss Aventine and Jupiter like Mister Sessrumnir. Each of them wears a specific uniform so if you know your planetary symbols, you can figure out who is who.” Sutai then leaned over and pointed to the eight-pointed stars lining the outside of her boots. “This is the symbol of Polaris, the North Star! So, now you know!”

Presentation over, Sutai gave Alexei another curtsey.

-

Alexei listened intently, despite how his rational mind told him all of this must be a fantasy. He held up a hand to decline her offer of magic, saying, "Oh, no, I couldn't possibly bother you for something like that. Your answers have been quite fulfilling so far. I appreciate the time you've taken to fill me in, truly. They don't publish things like that in the paper. At least, none that I've ever read."

Was it reliable information?

It must have been, unless she was doing one of those LARP things, or just performing some great act.

Honestly, he'd prided himself on being able to read people--and she didn't seem like she was lying.

Which might have been bit scarier than if she were.

Either she was misinformed and simply believed what was she was saying--or it was true.

Either way, she'd answered his questions.

"I suppose you're very busy keeping the City safe. May I ask one last question?" It was rhetorical; he followed up with it anyway. "You seem so young. Isn't it dangerous for the Universe to grant such powers to people so youthful? I mean, you've got your whole life ahead of you. Wouldn't it be better suited to grant professionals extra magic? I mean no disrespect, of course, only that...it seems a bit unfair to entrust so much power, so much responsibility, into the hands of someone who is...possibly unprepared."

Not that he meant to say that of her, of course; he just couldn't imagine being ten years younger and being given magic powers and being tasked with protecting a city. He'd been too busy in school, pursuing his career. Although, even back then, he was trying to save Destiny City.

In his own way, though. Not by way of some cosmic gift.

-

The squire seemed perplexed by Alexei’s question. She tilted her head in response. “It seems to me, sir, that people of all ages are chosen. Mister Camelot is an older fellow, you see, a business owner too, I think? And some are younger than me! I’m not sure what criteria the Universe uses but I trust its judgment. I mean, I suppose I might be a professional too, because I have a career…” Sutai looked up into the sky, quite thankful that she wasn’t in school during all of this. She was when she was first awakened, and juggling everything was so very difficult.

“I can’t know what the universe is planning, truthfully.” Sutai sighed, poking her cheek absently. “And sometimes, I wish I could, but perhaps it’s better this way. We have our own free will to exercise and make our own decisions.” With a new burst of confidence, Sutai balled her hands into fists. “I can only do the best I can do, which is to help people in any way I can… and speaking of!”

She gestured to Alexei, giving him a playful wink. “If there is trouble near where you work, sir, I can patrol over there for a while! Perhaps that will tell Chaos to buzz off and leave you be.”

-

Alexei blinked and then shook his head. "'Oh--no. No, there isn't much trouble where I work. I spend a lot of time at the courthouse--we have ample security. Thank you though, I appreciate the offer. I suppose I've taken up enough of your time this evening. I must thank you, Miss Sutai."

He hand mentally filed the information she had given him and bowed his head just slightly in gratitude.

"I suppose you've got a busy night ahead of you. The trouble in Destiny City never seems to sleep. I suppose I ought to get back to cleaning up the streets, myself. You take care of yourself, won't you? ...And stay out of trouble."

-

Sutai nodded enthusiastically. So this man worked for the courts! Yes, there would be plenty of police officers there and additional security. To the squire, Alexei seemed as safe there as he would be if he were a police officer himself. While the citizenry couldn’t properly defend themselves against a youma attack, they could always call for backup…

...Hmm…

“Oh yes sir, I do have some other things to do, but please, take care of yourself too, okay? If you see any monsters or anyone carrying a dangerous weapon, please get to a safe space!” She nodded again, devising a plan to at least add this area into her patrol routes, just to keep Mister Alexei and the courthouse safer. Yes, Princess Polaris would be pleased!

With a final curtsey, the Squire bounded off and began her quick ascent to the top of a nearby building. While she was still in Alexei’s view, her leaps seemed almost… superhuman. She gave him an enthusiastic wave once atop the nearby office building and disappeared into the night.