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Collecting energy always had the potential of running into a few snags. Sometimes it was hard to find a good target. Sometimes you stayed up too late the night before playing Skyrim and were low on energy yourself. And, sometimes, you ran into some White Moon noob who thought they were Big Man on campus and could stop you from doing your Negaverse chores.

Tonight it seemed like Captain Epidote had been stuck dealing with the latter. Thankfully, the shrimp hadn't put up much of a fight and a simple nick of the Captain's blade against the senshi's stupid looking blouse-shirt-top-thing had cut through to the skin and sent the crybaby off running.

Wiping the back of the blade against the side of his pants (though it would have been much cooler had he drawn a decent amount of blood instead of a dab), he grinned and preened at the sight of the fleeing enemy taking off into the figurative sunset.

It was easy to get caught up in the moment, enough so that he'd slipped up and missed the new signature on the scene. The feminine voice had his head craning, blonde hair ruffling in the breeze like some totally cool action movie scene.

"Who, me?" "Of course I've got it all covered, I---"

The senshi who'd approached him, however, was clearly not all covered.

Eyes widened slightly as the Captain's shoulders instinctively pulled back, straightening up his lanky form.

"Epidote. Folks call me Epi," the introduction spilled from his lips automatically, his curiosity over this new senshi taking precedence. After all, what better way to learn who she was? "And you would be...?"

His eyes narrowed at the hand outstretch - okay, so when in the world did cute chicks go out of their way to acknowledge him when they weren't trying to beat him down with their weapons or magics?

GRANTED, he knew he was a stud - that was a given - but every other chick he'd met as Epidote (besides his sister) and Alkaid (who was terrifying, let's be real) had wanted to fight him or eventually came down to fighting him.

Regardless, the hand was offered so he received it with his own gloved fingers, shaking it firmly (but not too firmly - she was a girl, after all). Her question gave him pause and he couldn't help but grin.

"Depends on your definition of bad, I guess?" Feeling confident in himself (after all, a chick had just approached him and not the other way around), he offered a smirk. "Most who get to call me that aren't the ones being chased off."

Okay, alright - so this chick might be a new kid on the block but clearly she knew where the talent was at. Where the experience lay. Where the pros patrolled.

Yeah - this chick knew who the best was.

"Been around for a year and a half, no big deal."

The way he casually polished his glove with the front of his uniform screamed yeah, I'm a big deal, however.

"What about you? Haven't seen you around here before, Still."

Green eyes cut over towards her with interest. Wait... if she was new, maybe... maybe she'd want to get some pointers from him? Could he have someone to actually look up to him??????????

HOLY CRAP!!!!

Got any advice for me?

If it was physically possible, his grin grew even wider. Even smugger. Even more Epi.

"Yeah, yeah - I think we could go over a few things." One arm extended itself out, hooked onto his belt as if in offering to the newbie corrupt. It was hard not to stare at certain elements of her fuku, especially when they were practically jumping out and screaming LOOK AT ME by being blatantly there, but he found himself distracted for a moment by the large hat resting on her head.

Didn't.....

No, that was silly.

"Who's your superior? They're not gonna be jealous that you're taking tips from me, are they?"

Not that he cared... y'know, just basic self-preservation reasons, just in case he might know the big bad that had added a senshi into their collection.

Color touched his cheeks as she nonchalantly suggested he should lay it on her, but the well-praised Captain managed to collect himself before he could start sputtering by accident.

"O-Of course they will. I mean, I make a point to keep my secrets to myself, so you're really lucky, y'know."

In other words, Epidote had yet to find anyone actually dumb enough to agree to be an underling for him. One day, though, one day.

"Since you're a chick and, y'know, you've got tits and stuff," he wasn't going to look, he wasn't going to look, "You should use your body to your advantage. I'm sure it's easy to get their attention - you just gotta get their energy after that. Easy peasy."

It never even occurred to the Captain that she was messing with him, that her comments about her uniform and the surprise in her voice were anything but genuine. So her next question brought about a surprised look, as if to say why in the world would he do that? Her expression, however, seemed to be infectious and her grin was returned with one of his own.

"I'unno, Still. Somehow I don't think mine would be quite as effective."

Shoulders shifted towards one another in an attempt to bring his pecs together, much as he'd seen women do when they were trying to push their breasts out and together. It looked absolutely ridiculous to begin with, but even moreso when he tried to shimmy, the lack of excess skin and tissue making him look foolish. "Doesn't seem to do the trick - is it doing the trick? You're wooed, aren't you - I should stop."

His shoulders straightened up, the smile still as wide as ever on his face. "Guess that Epi suggestion isn't self-applicable. Pity."

His free hand moved out, showing off the gauntlet. "Guess I'm left with showing off my long, hard friend."

A schiiiiitck later and the blade came out, the blonde boy proudly showing off his super cool weapon to the girl on his arm.

"Me? Hurt myself with my own weapon?"

The laughter that came out of him at the question was a little too loud and a little too forced. Memories of a certain annoying, infuriating senshi came to mind and the "incident" involving his weapon and how it had nearly amputated a precious part of him. No one had to know about that moment - no one but him, the senshi and his older sister who'd been forced to deal with a whiny, crybaby little brother for hours after the fact as she bandaged his hand.

One hand shifted to absentmindedly rub itself over the old wound (it had scarred, he knew, just to spite him) as she continued chattering, her emphasis on long and hard perking his attention... until, that is, she suggested that he drop trou.

"I..."

Eyes were wide, deer-in-the-headlights wide, as it took him a moment to process her suggestion. The idea of swinging around his genitals on display was a horrific thought, but finally - finally - her latter comments registered and the young man realized the senshi was implying it all in jest.

Thank christ.

Not that... he had anything to be ashamed of, of course. It was just... yeah.

"I'm going to leave the shaking and the exposing to the people who know how to use them properly," he conceded, the blush on his face turning darker as they walked further into the night. Quick to change the subject, he gave her offered arm a squeeze. "So, whaddya say you and I go learn a few more Epi ways of doing things - and maybe grab some pizza, while we're at it?"