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Tiny toe beans padded across concrete, dodging foot traffic and hitching rides on the backs of cars to make it to his destination. Odd as it sounded, Itsuki got a call from Caitlin - now Hypatia - and had been asked to meet for lunch. It was only a few blocks away, and Itsuki didn’t mind travel during the day. He could easily hide if someone came too close, and knew some excellent ways to avoid being picked up by Animal Control, should someone try to nab him.

Caitlin was a smart cookie, her first question being, how on Earth do you call a cat? Really, it brought a whole new meaning to catcalling (one that was likely preferred by most women!). Itsuki would have to tell that joke to Zach later. In the meantime, Liryn’s Kitty Communication Device was paying dividends, allowing the Mauvian to send and receive phone calls to anyone who had him registered to their phone.

The sun was shining that day, weather warming with the disappearing winter season. Cafes were now allowing their patios to be open to paying customers, which is where Itsuki ended up finding the young lady in question. Large metallic heat lamps were positioned outside for customer comfort. The lilac point duck under the table and batted at Caitlin’s leg to get her attention. Most people were busy walking by or focusing on their plates, so a cat talking in hushed tones? Not the first thing on their mind.

“Ohayo, Caitlin-san~”

Hopping up into Caitlin’s lap, the Mauvian took to purring and rubbing against her like any other cat might. The Bluetooth headset was an excellent touch - something Itsuki hadn’t thought of - and perfectly disguised the fact that Caitlin might be talking to someone other than herself. People tended to pay little mind to someone talking to themselves if they had something visible sitting in their ear.

One glance towards the dog and Itsuki remained unconcerned. “Don’t worry, Caitlin-san~ If the doggy causes trouble, I’ll just make myself scarce for a little bit and come back when they leave~” Even though he wasn’t technically an Earth cat, Itsuki still shared many habits with those that were, including lightly kneading on Caitlin’s pant leg. His claws weren’t particularly sharp, though Itsuki did try not to puncture the fabric. “Tea would be great, Caitlin-san~ Domo arigato gozaimasu~”

Tail swishing to and fro, the cat never minded simply chatting with people. In fact, he preferred it that way. “What’s on your mind, Caitlin-san? I hope being Hypatia hasn’t given you any trouble? I have a Kitty Communication headset if you ever need to call me~ Funny, isn’t it? We look like cats but we make whole cellphone networks. Liryn-san gave me the headset. I’m working on a little something of my own, too!”

Itsuki didn’t mind the petting at all. In fact, he trilled and chirped in the same way a Siamese might, bunting Caitlin’s hand and gently kneading her legs. Mauvian or not, pets were fantastic. And besides, he was soft. He worked hard to make his fur soft and lovely! After all, a soft cat garnered more snuggling than a cat with matted fur.

The teacup filled with lovely tea and placed on the chair beside her was the invitation the Mau wouldn’t pass up - tea was delicious! While he could pick the teacup up with his paws in a clumsy manner to drink from it like a human might, such a thing would be terribly obvious in a public space. So, like the normal, non-verbal cat, Itsuki huddled around the cup and bent over to lap from it like a water dish. Ears swiveled while listening to Caitlin describe some of her nights as Hypatia, training just as a senshi should. Knowing she was taking care of herself and trained in relative safety helped put his fuzzy mind at ease.

“Eh, that sounds… maybe like Kerokero-chan~? There are quite a few genki senshi, though, so it could be anyone! If he wore frog boots, that’s Kerokero-chan~ Blonde, genki! But, I’m not supposed to call him that, but it’s kawaii, isn’t it?” Tail swishing, Itsuki made sure to look a little more vacant when another patron happened to walk too close to Caitlin’s table. Such was the plight of Mauvians.

“What do I do all day?” Tilting his head, Itsuki could understand the question. Even now, despite their shared time together, sometimes Zach would be startled when his furry companion would sit on the bathroom counter and brush his teeth, or use the toilet the way a human might. Toilet-trained cats were rare, but not unheard of. However, cats didn’t typically brush their own teeth. Mauvians were aliens, but still looked very much like a standard housecat. “Hmm, well I like to browse Instagram, and play with Zee-chan’s internet settings… And cuddle with Melody-san~ That’s Lacrimosa! Sometimes we watch TV, and I like to eat and take naps, and talk to people like you! …I guess I’m not too different than anyone else’s cat. Naps are healthy!”

Several confident nods to himself followed, as if Itsuki was reassuring himself that he was a perfectly decent Mauvian and standard house cat, simultaneously.

Caitlin’s question about how dextrous a cat must be was an excellent observation. “Hai! We Mauvians are pretty skilled! You’d be impressed, Caitlin-san~ We have a headquarters with a workbench, all with tools specially-designed to be ergonomic for us! Some of them even stick to our bean-toes so we can work them with easier~ I asked Ash-denka to modify a toothbrush from Zee-chan so I can keep my teeth clean a little easier. Hygiene is important!”

"Hai! Kero is like ribbit in English. I guess it's kind of like froggy-boy but kerokero-chan sounds an awful lot nicer, don't you think?"

Lapping up more of the delicious tea (why didn't Zach have this brand? He'd have to find out!), Itsuki's ears swiveled to indicate he was still listening intently to Caitlin's questions. "Ie, Zach and Melody don't live with each other... yet. They just started dating, after a night filled with dokidoki~! Oh, that's... the sound a fluttering heart makes! Gomen, Caitlin-san. I'm trying to practice my Japanese. I'm not fluent yet, but I'm taking lessons from native speakers and using Rosetta Stone on the side!"

The comment that Lacrimosa, and therefore Melody, didn't look Japanese earned a vigorous nod from the Mauvian. "Hai! Melody isn't Japanese, but neither is Zach. I'm probably not either, but... I don't know why, but it feels very important for me to learn all about the culture! I know some Maus had lives with senshi in the past. Maybe you had one too? I bet Hypatia is a beautiful, reef-filled world~"

Casting his gaze off into the distance, Itsuki played a montage of Little Mermaid and Blue Planet in his mind, as if that was what Hypatia was truly like.

The cat snapped back to reality with a funny look on his fuzzy face. "Oh, hai! Headquarters is great! It's got heated vents and beds and a great computer! That's how we monitor the cell network and things~ Unfortunately, humans wouldn't really fit in the entrance areas, since we're much smaller than you! But trust me when I say it's really neat. It's a great place for any homeless Mauvians at the very least."

"Eh, a Mauvian language? Hmm."

Paw to his chin, it wasn't something Itsuki ever thought about. Ash-denka and Liryn-san hadn't mentioned anything about a pure Mauvian language. He knew, peripherally, that a place called Mau was the origin of all Mauvians, but Itsuki himself knew nothing about it. The Headquarters computer didn't contain much in the way of information, either. "I don't know, Caitlin-san! Gomen. I should have thought about that, but... I don't know! I'll have to ask. I'm sure someone else would know better than me. I've only been this intelligent for less than a year. I'm sure there's a lot more I don't know!"

Ash-denka would be the perfect Mau to ask, in more ways than one!

Caitlin's concern about space travel was incredibly smart - pushing the button and jettisoning oneself into space willy-nilly wasn't the best idea. "Don't worry, Caitlin-san~ Each world has a habitable atmosphere. Magic helps keep them from being detected by NASA or satellites. They look like uninhabitable rocks, but once you teleport yourself there, you'll see it's completely different! Maybe Lacri-san or Themi-chan can take you to their planets first, so you can get an idea of what it's like!"

Itsuki spent the new few moments lapping at the delicious, warm tea Caitlin was kind enough to pour into the cup for him. Yum yum! Lifting his head when finished, the Mau nodded with enthusiasm. "Hai! We cats kind of have an... epiphany? Mine was when my family's restaurant was attacked by the Negaverse and their youma during the dinner rush one night. I know Ayako-chan and her family survived and they've rebuilt the restaurant thanks to crowdfunding in the community. Going back there..." His ears drooped for a moment. "I would, but it might cause a lot of problems for Ayako-chan. The Negaverse might target them again if they knew a Mauvian lived here. I just keep an eye on her social media, in the meantime."

The petting was appreciated, and Itsuki took a break from his tea to curl up on Caitlin's lap for the time being. "Hai, as far as I know! Themisto and Lacrimosa both have habitable atmospheres, and Kallichore does as well. Kalli-sama is Themi-chan's big sister! He's been to her moon as well. I've been to Lacrimosa, which is an asteroid, and it's very pretty! I'm not sure how landing on a gas giant would work, but I'm sure other senshi would have some idea. I can research it in the Headquarters computer, if you want!" Tucking his feet beneath him, Itsuki assumed the internet's beloved cat pose - the loaf.

"Lacrimosa is full of sakura trees, as you'd imagine. I'm sure Hypatia has beautiful reefs and lots of fish! Oh... that sounds delicious. Can I go with you, Caitlin-san?" cat_whee

"Hai! Someday, when the war is over and peace comes back to Destiny City, I'll go back and visit~ I just don't want to put them in danger. The Negaverse has taken some of the cats and turned them against the senshi. It's really sad, but... We'll fix it! Someday!"

Itsuki's eyes shot open as if he hadn't considered Hypatia to be a world full of water. He wasn't even sure he was capable of swimming - he'd never really had to. "Caitlin-san, I think... if we go to Hypatia, do you think we could bring... an inflatable raft? You know, just in case. And... a fishing pole. And a bucket!" Nevermind the fact that, in cat form, Itsuki couldn't possibly hold a fishing pole. Introducing Caitlin to the fact that Mauvians were capable of transforming into a humanoid form. One thing at a time.

Happily swishing his tail against Caitlin's leg, Itsuki's ears flickered with happiness under her fingers. "Sometimes I play video games on Zee-chan's computer! I can also text! And watch K-Dramas with Melody-san's mother. I don't remember all the characters, but she gets very emotional and cries into my fur. I don't mind~ It'd be nice to have thumbs all the time, though. I'd love to learn to play tennis or drive a car!"

"Oh, be careful about bringing other people, Caitin-san," warned the cat, keeping an eye on the passersby, including one large brown dog, "Senshi business is important to keep between senshi and knights only. Other people might not understand!"

That, and the underlying possibility that Caitlin's brother might've been a member of the Negaverse and neither of them were aware. Her cover might be blown the moment she takes out her special cellphone.

Itsuki leaned into Caitlin's hand, enjoying the scratches. His tail brushed gently against her leg as she spoke. The fact that she caught onto his accidental admission about thumbs and the possession thereof was a pleasant surprise! His ears flattened against his head and Itsuki wore a mischievous look on his features. "Hai, sometimes I can assume a human form~!" he whispered, as if such a thing was a massive secret. With a laugh, the lilac point's face returned to normal. "It's just very dangerous to have thumbs most of the time. You remember how you could sense us while you were Hypatia? Cats in a human form give off such a big burst of energy that it's like asking for trouble. I wish I could just put a hat on and walk down the street... and hold my own teacup..."

Ears drooping, the cat sighed.