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"Daijoubu, daijoubu, Gooshy-san," tittered the fluffy cat at Elara's feet. He padded along beside her as best he could, cloaking her signature unconsciously. It was just a Mauvian Thing That They Did. Cloaking the signature of a young, up-and-coming senshi was an excellent way to get the training and expertise she'd need to withstand encounters with Chaos in the future, without broadcasting her presence as an easy target to whoever might be stopping by. "I'm proud of you for doing this! You'll be the best slime senshi that ever slimed when we're all done!"

Never mind the fact that there was only one slime senshi, a la Highlander, but if there happened to be more than one, Elara was definitely Slimy Senshi #1 in Itsuki's fuzzy little heart.

The street on which they walked was fairly dark, even for this time of night. Some of the streetlights were dimmed from age and in dire need of replacement by the city at some point. Others were disabled outright and should be a priority. All night coffee shops and bars were still open, but the powered pair tended to avoid being seen as best they could, turning down an alley before a group of drunk college kids stumbled right into them.

"Gooshy-san, did the ghosts in your house go away? I hope the ofuda worked!" he continued, brushing up against Elara's leg partly from affection and partly to avoid stepping in a rank puddle.

~~~

If there was one thing Logos was not familiar with, it was Mauvians. Acubens had been training her as best she could when time allowed, and Mauvians came up briefly. Logos knew they were cats who could speak for some ungodly reason, but their primary function seemed lost to her. It made little sense to require a cat to awaken one's latent power when a mirror worked just fine.

That being said, Logos had never met a Mauvian before, and wasn't even sure what they may look like until she'd happen to sweep her eyes in Elara's direction as the senshi rounded a corner. Logos had been following Elara at a great distance for some time, waiting five to seven minutes before moving forward along the rooftops. While she was still a base-level senshi and knew there was much for her to learn, she did have a theory about the detection limit of her fellow senshi and aimed to test such a thing tonight.

And perhaps bring someone home to be welcomed into the mirrors.

"Gooshy-san, if the ghosts come back, just give me a call! I'll be a tiny Ghostbuster, just for you!"

And Itsuki would have given her a thumbs-up if... having thumbs didn't mean setting off a beacon the size of a spotlight that screamed hey Chaos agents, please come ruin our day! Itsuki had hoped there would be some kind of dampening device that could be created to help with this problem... He'd have to go back to the drawing board for that one.

"Oh, Gooshy-san, what do you know about phone charms, hmm?"

Just as the pair was about to round another corner and continue their slow (but absolutely methodical, no doubt about it) patrol, a sudden Chaos presence intruded on their relatively peaceful evening. Itsuki had sensed it, but the signature moved much more quickly and aggressively than its level might have suggested. The lilac point puffed up and placed himself between the newcomer and his beloved Gooshy-san.

Before the pair stood a young, dark-skinned woman in black, a curiously colorful diaphanous fabric overlaid on her uniform.

Itsuki made swipes at the air. "Eh, Dark Mirror-san, we don't want any trouble!" Not that Itsuki himself would pose much of a threat, but still. The Guardian recognized the Dark Mirror senshi not only by their strange and somewhat unique Chaos signature, but by being stuck in mirrors by them sometime last year. To him, their presence became known at that point in time.

The young woman merely narrowed her eyes, clenching her fists. "So, you're more knowledgeable than I expected. Do you and your friend want to come along quietly, or will I have to demonstrate my ability to convince you?"

For the first time since sentience, the lilac point hissed. "Ie! Gooshy-san, I'll hold her off for you!"

"Unlikely." came the reply.

Logos hadn't the slightest idea what she might do with a talking magical cat, but she did know that others of the White Moon could be convinced (forcibly) to pad the Dark Mirror's numbers. And that was a goal she could get behind and put much effort towards.

Itsuki, for his part, was very proud of Elara's decision to attack and delay their pursuer as much as possible. The Dark Mirror attempted to backflip out of the incoming slimy projectile, but misjudged the distance and ended up mired up to her shins in green slime. As soon as it was clear that Logos couldn't immediately give chase, Itsuki turned and started running towards Elara.

"Retreat time! Retreat time!" he squeaked, making sure to keep the slime senshi's signature cloaked as best he could. "Gooshy-san, let's go!"

The little lilac point's legs weren't very long and he couldn't travel as quickly as Elara, but he was small and harder to see. His little heart was thumping in his little chest and his little eyes were looking for any alleyway out of the Dark Mirror's line of sight in which to hide. Fortuitously, Itsuki had noticed a dumpster and an open restaurant door with sickly white fluorescent light pouring into the alleyway.

It might have been a risk, but the Dark Mirror might assume the pair she was pursuing might not travel into a potentially public space. Itsuki turned the corner and used his size to his advantage, poking his head into the restaurant's kitchen to find it empty.

"Gooshy-san, let's hide in here!"