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Knowing that some people were often into some incredibly odd s**t, for the sake of privacy, Maya wasn’t normally one to get involved or jump into their business unless it seemed obvious that they needed help.

Let people collect skeletons in their closet for later ammunition, didn’t bother her one bit. A side hustle with illegal drugs exchanging hands wasn’t something she was inclined to get hurt over either, even if it might land in the hands of a minor. Stopping something like that on the street level would be a fruitless endeavor and she did not have the time, energy, or resources to look for the head of the snake either.

All of that was best left for the Destiny City Police Department or some higher form of government power. Especially since she was just a Page with nothing more than a small bouquet of golden Gingko leaves to use as a weapon.

What was she expected to do? Make tea for someone and kill them with insincere politeness. The mere thought was almost as absurd as her outfit but it had, over time, grown on her. At the very least it was form-fitting and showed off her assets quite well.

Maya had been ready to power down for the evening and go get some sleep when she felt an aura flare up at the edge of her senses. A youma of all things, and she thought to herself that this was a chance to finally do something worthwhile as a knight of Ganymede.

Without any hesitation she made a beeline in the direction of the aura, only stopping when she saw the humanoid beast with insect-like eyes and multiple limbs; most of which held onto the man it had chosen as its prey. Ahh strewth…

“Oi! I think it’s about time ye bugger off.” Maya shouted a short distance away. Probably should have looked for some sort of weapon to wiled before interrupting, but she was neither here nor there and it was too late to really look now.

Oh s**t… oh s**t s**t s**t… Maya couldn’t help but mentally swear at her unpreparedness.

The youma she’d dealt with thus far were mostly feral creatures. Mindless aside from the carnal need to rend flesh with class and sharp pointed teeth. Easy enough to understand. But this one was new in a way that she did not like.

It spoke!

Seemingly capable of conversation, it was of an intelligent mind and that alone did not bode well for her. Get away from here the man had yelled and for a fraction of a moment, Maya actually considered. Not so much out of cowardice but because with the youma she’d fought before, they were more interested in her signature and she could lead them away.

The insectoid lady, however, was probably too smart to fall for that sort of trick.

All she had left up her non-existent sleeves was to bluff her way out of this. And so, she shifted her weight onto one foot, crossed her arms under her chest, and lifted her chin up with a level of confidence that would make many envy. “Care to dance?” She asked, not knowing how in the world she was going to contend with something that had four arms; but she’d try nonetheless and pray that someone else happened upon them that could dust the b***h.

Maya’s eyes were squeezed shut, both hands pressing to the back of her head from being dragged by her hair.

“I’m fine,” she wheezed. A lie for sure but so long as there wasn’t blood the statement would be true. Without looking she knew there to be scrapes on her legs and her left palm from being dragged. They’d hurt worse later, but for now, her head was her biggest concern since it felt like that insectoid youma had managed to rip a chunk of hair from her scalp.

It took a moment for her to finally open her eyes and try to sit up and it was only then that Maya realized that the man was no longer in his work clothes but rather in a knight uniform like her; well not exactly. Barely clothed yes, but the colors and symbols were different. Under different circumstances, she might have even admired him as Peggy Carter reacted to Steve Rogers because good heavens did he have a nice chest.

“I don’t think we can take it on just the two of us,” she admitted quietly. Her own weapon, a small bouquet of golden Gingko leaves, lay on the ground beside them. “Unless you got some fightin’ moves. Running might be our only option.”

Between being spun around and abruptly thrown into a car, Maya found it a bit difficult to get herself properly situated while the car was in motion. Initially, it was thrown in reverse and she fell sideways into the dashboard, her left arm hitting the passenger side airbag. Then he turned and the side of her head bumped into the window.

God Bless-

She understood the urgency of the situation but damn it was difficult to finally get seated. The youma slammed her palm against the window and the newly awakened page snapped at her as if this situation was somehow her fault. Maya nearly snapped back at him but instead just stared at him with the most incredulous look that spoke the words her mouth would not; No s**t Sherlock.

“Unless ya have somethin’ in the back I can use as a weapon then I suggest ya slam on the breaks!” Most things would be kept in the trunk; a bat, a crowbar, that ‘+’ shaped tool for removing the bolts on tires after getting a flat. A more lethal weapon, like a handgun, would be preferred since it’d be stupidly hard to try to get a good swing in a moving vehicle. But if he had at last something useful then she’d give it a try.

In the seat beside him, Maya was still reeling from the suddenness of his actions. Perhaps she had prefaced her previous statement with a request to let her put the seat belt on first because when he hit the breaks the first time, she definitely came out of the seat and damn near went through the cracked windshield.

Yes, on a normal day she could be classified as a bit of an adrenaline junkie. Sometimes she could be seen going almost 200 mph on the race track with her motorcycle. But this... this was a far cry away from anything she’d consider fun. If anything, this crash course on how to use a vehicle as a lethal weapon to dust youma did a supreme job on causing her stomach to churn violently and all she could do was cover her mouth with one hand to keep from throwing up beside him.

Her elbow and both knees were no doubt bruised from trying to brace herself using the door and center console. But those injuries were superfluous by comparison to the wounds on his neck or the ones on his forehead.

“We-” Maya moved to reach out to him but that simple act gave rise to an aggressive wave of nausea. She now knew what a green apple martini felt like; shaken to all hell.

She sat back ever so carefully and gave herself a moment to just breathe. Until this sickness subsided she’d be no use to him if she suddenly threw up inside his car. “We need to get you to a doctor.” Maya managed to breathe out “We as in I- me…” Whatever, he knew what she meant.

Grabbing ahold of her burgundy sash-like sleeve, Maya yanked on the fabric, pulling at the seams until it snapped the threads holding it to her bodice. It tore in some places but she was unconcerned; the next time she powered up it would be whole again, but for now, it would be used to apply pressure to his wounds.

“Is there a water bottle in the trunk?” no wait- Why ask that when she had one in her subspace? “Never mind. Here, c’mere-” Tired and frustrated with the cramped space, she yanked on the door handle and swung both legs out of the car. Each stride had her knees threatening to buckle beneath her but Maya managed to walk around his vehicle to the driver's seat where she reached in and cupped his cheek with her own shaky hand. “Lean this way so I can clean it.”

His car was trashed but that didn’t mean she wanted to add more blood to the mix.

“I’m fine,” she lied.

The bruises would darken come morning to some nasty deep purplish yellow color and the egg forming on the side of her head would be more prevalent in an hour. But those injuries paled considerably in comparison to the wound on his neck and face. Whiplash and concussions were something to be concerned about later, for now, she could at least see straight and think coherently enough to help him first.

“That,” Maya’s eyes glanced over to the hood of his car where a sweep of dust remained scattered across the dented metal. “Is what we call a Youma.” With careful fingers, she turned his head slowly to the side “It’s a monster from the Negaverse, although… I’ve never seen one like that before. Normally- in my experience, they’ve been feral beasts. Actin’ more like rabid animals. Never have I heard one speak before-” Intelligent, bi-pedal, a science experiment gone horribly wrong. It was like it had been pulled out of a sci-fi movie, and as someone who liked horror films, this one actually scared her.

“There’s no knowing what was on its claws.” The scratch on his neck needed to be cleaned. “This’ll sting-,” she offered as a brief warning. No reason to talk in maybe’s or treat him like a naive child who didn’t know what was coming.

Carefully, Maya poured the contents of the water bottle over the back of his neck

“Honestly? I have no idea where exactly they come from.” Other than the fact that they were part of the Negaverse, she had no idea how or why they appeared. “Only reason I knew where it was-” Maya leaned her head to the side, her expression looking more like a grimace. “Ah - It’s harder to explain without another one nearby. But I sensed it was near.” That was not at all helpful.

“When you grabbed the weapon,” the glass jar of something or other. “And powered up into…”She leaned back a bit to see what symbols were on his uniform. “Into a Knight of Pluto, it looks like. When you powered up you might have noticed it too. When that youma was on the roof of your car you might ‘of felt aware of where its body was at even if you couldn’t quite see it.” As if he had a firearm in the car, they’d both know exactly know where to shoot to land a kill shot.

“Or I guess, when you threw me in the car, you knew which way to drive without looking directly at her.” Granted he could have gone sideways and it would have been an okay choice so long as it took them away from the insectoid.

Carefully, Maya used the mauve-colored cloth to dry the area around his wound. “I’ll be honest though, I’ve never run into one that could talk. Most I’ve seen are feral, four-legged, and have a mean bite.” Or sharp claws… sometimes both if she was really unlucky.

Throwing modesty to the wind, Maya lowered herself down to eye-level rather than ask him to look up at her. “My name is Maya, I’m a Page, like you, but of Ganymede. But only when I look like this-” She closed her eyes and just breathed for a moment, focusing her thoughts on what she had been wearing earlier that day. “Like this, my name is Piper.” The scantly clad Page now wore something far less revealing. A sports bra, tank top and fitted jeans with a new black leather belt that had silver rivets.