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Siphoning energy was something that Ako was not fond of doing, at least not morally. She took just enough to meet her quota, and was always careful never to take too much as to harm a person. She did her best to keep to herself, to not make waves, to not provoke attacks. So why oh why did she have the phenomenally bad luck whenever she went out gathering to be attacked and interrupted?

Eye half on the storm and half on the man she was draining, the corrupt senshi of firestorms was far too preoccupied to notice anything amiss, to think there was any chance she would be attacked. She had thought herself lucky, for once. Thought that her luck was actually turning when a belligerently drunk man had approached her and said things that made her skin crawl, presenting the perfect opportunity right at her feet for energy gathering. She hadn't thought twice about it when she knocked him out and went to work, far too pleased with this turn of events to take note of anything else.

But Lady Luck is a fickle b***h, after all, and her night was about to get considerably less lucky.

A curse slipped from Ako's lips as she was hit with magic, hearing opposition rapidly close the distance. Of all off the stupid, shitty things, how had she not noticed? She was usually so much better than this, sharper and faster, more alert and on point. Was it her worry for Aloy, with how bone tired he had looked? Or maybe it was the god awful impending doom? She wasn't sure, but either way, she had to do better. This slip up would be her last.

Making a sound of disgust, she dropped the man and turned to glare at the rapidly approaching senshi and mauvian. She squashed down the little pang of guilt at the thought of hurting a cat, mentally scolding herself before attacking. "Pyrocumulus." She watched with a cold expression as flames formed around the duo's feet. "I'm going to give you one chance. When the fire stops, walk away." She really was not in the mood for this, and she really didn't want to hurt such a cute mauvian.

Ancha said some very unladylike things herself when the fire sprung up around hers and Sacha's feet, Sacha pressing closer to keep his fur from getting singed. She scooped him up, holding him close, kicking dirt and gravel at the flames that licked just a bit too close for her comfort. "Get ********," Ancha spat back.

But it seemed they didn't have to worry, as ghostly rocks and mud washed toward the corrupt senshi. "Hey, thanks," Ancha replied. "Yeah, I'm good, just annoyed." She jostled Sacha up a bit higher, him letting out a small meow of disgruntlement at the motion. "I'm Ancha, this is Sacha."

"Hello," came Sacha's smooth baritone. "Your timing is fortuitous. My senshi does not always--"

"Hey, hey, don't start--" The two of them were interrupted by a wash of red water and algae that surrounded Ancha and flowed toward the corrupt senshi she'd been initially attacking. She sneezed immediately, then coughed in an effort to clear her throat from the burning sensation that filled her mouth, nose, and eyes. "Dammit, it's late."

Sacha made a noise of distaste, sneezing twice as he jumped away from her arms, splashing into the water at Ancha's feet but swiftly leaving it. "At least it put the fires out." Eyes watering, he looked up at the senshi that had joined them. "Thank you again."

A late blooming senshi. Had to be. Ancha's magic seemed to have some quirks, much like Tempesti's did, and Aruna gave her a comforting smile. "I'm Aru-." She found herself cut off as the corrupt spoke her name, her stomach twisting. How did she....? Ah. She looked different than when she had last crossed paths, so she didn't immediately recognize her.

"Oh. Ako." Aruna did her best to try and suppress the need to cough, squinting against the stinging in her eyes. Carefully maneuvering herself in front of the pair she had come to aid, Aruna met the corrupt's eyes. "I know neither of us want to fight. But I will if you don't leave, Ako." She made herself stand tall, or as tall as she could at only five-foot-four, and stared the fiery senshi down. Hopefully the two behind her wouldn't continue to attack while she tried to talk Ako into leaving. But then again, Aruna's luck was always rocky at best.

Ako opened her mouth to reply to Aruna but quickly found herself moving out of the way of another attack from the fluffy white cat. She glared down at him, gritting her teeth before looking back at Aruna. "Aruna, I had so hoped you could be better than this, had high hopes for you being a reasonable person with an ability to lead. I see I was mistaken." She took no joy in speaking to the girl this way, watching the subtle way her shoulders deflated and eyes dimmed. Had she not been under attack, or had circumstances been different, she may have even enjoyed the girls company. But currently, all she wanted was to get out of there. She had what she wanted from the man, after all.

"I see no reason to prolong this. Aruna, do take care to teach these two to not pick fights they can't win on their own, hm?" With a hint of a smile on her lips, Ako teleported away, vanishing into the night.

Sacha found himself scooped up and meowed a protest reflexively, tail lashing one way and then the other before stilling. He looked up at her once she set him down. "Thank you for your concern. I am perhaps less durable than I assume," he admitted diplomatically, sitting and wrapping his tail around his feet. He his head toward Ancha. "Are you alright?"

He didn't see anything wrong with her, and none of the flames had reached them directly, but he would not rule out freak circumstance.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine." Ancha rolled her shoulders and tossed her head, ends of her braids jingling together, before gesturing at the water around them--or, rather, where it had just been. "Once that goes, I can breathe again." A grumble, "one day I'll figure out how to get my magic from being weird. Maybe it's just while I'm a regular senshi. Maybe when I'm a super senshi, it'll fix itself. Who knows? Anyway." Ancha turned to Aruna. "Thanks for getting him out of the way."

"I was fine."

"You are twenty-one pounds according to the vet. She could have soccer-kicked you."

Sacha snorted, flexing the claws of his front paws. They scraped audibly against the pavement. "She would have to catch me, first."

"Why am I being the reasonable one? What's gotten into you?" Ancha rolled her eyes. "Anyway," she said again, turning back to Aruna, "thanks for helping chase her off. I would have rather if she had just ran away when you were trying to get her to. I don't want a reputation on the other side, you know? 'Oh, don't worry about this senshi, her magic is on the fritz, and her cat has to save her.'"

"A late-blooming senshi?" Ancha echoed, looking down to Sacha, who looked back up at her with what she assumed was the cat version of a shrug. She looked back at Aruna. "No, no one ever explained it to me." She wondered if Hydor and Faust even knew. It wasn't like she'd talked to many other senshi. And if anyone she fought knew about it, they wouldn't have had any reason to tell her. Let her stay in the dark as long as possible, that sort of thing. "You know what? How's lunch sound? My treat."

She looked down at Sacha again. "I can't go with you into a restaurant," he replied, head tilted to the side. "If you wish for me to accompany you, anyway." If she didn't want him to come along, he supposed his feelings wouldn't be hurt, but she would have to repeat to him everything she learned. Would it not be more efficient for Aruna to come to their living space and eat food there?

"Hey, I know some great pizza I can order to the house." She turned back to Aruna. "Anyway, if you're up for it, just follow us." On cue, Sacha leapt back up into her arms, and then off she went.

--fin--