This chapter's slightly longer, but still kinda short.
Oh, well. I wanted to try my best to update tonight.

By the way, contest two has already been won by newsiesgirllaces. CONGRATS!
Her character will be appearing very soon.

Hope you enjoy this chapter.

"So, shall we approach her this day?"

Vigilante almost jumps out of his skin. He spins around to see Sir Justin standing right beside his room's door. He didn't know how long the knight had been standin' there, but he'd obviously been waiting for him. Of course, that wasn't really anything unusual. Justin always waited for him outside the door when they had monitor duty.

"Sir Justin, do you know what happens to somebody if they get scared half ta death twice?"

Justin's brow furrows in bafflement before he asks, "What?"

"They punch whoever keeps startlin' the daylights out of 'em."

"Wast that meant to be a 'joke'? For t'was not funny."

Vig sighs before shaking his head and giving up. He begins to walk down the hall towards the monitor room when Justin follows.

"Now what was it you asked earlier when you was standin' outside my quarters waitin' for me, which-by the way- is rather disconcertin'."

"I asked if we would approach her this day."

"Approach who?"

"The new hero."

"If you 'ant to, partner," he answers stifling a yawn. "In my opinion, it's too early in tha mornin' fer any critter ta be up 'ceptin' those of us who've gotta take up the monitor duty fer this shift."

The two walk down the hall, casually chatting on in this manner, just as they do all the time. Anyone who sees them thinks them an odd pair of friends. A modern day cowboy and a sixth century knight of King Arthur's court certainly don't seem likely friends, but Sir Justin and Vig and been friends for a long time. Since back before the League when the Seven Soldiers of Victory were still a group. Somehow, they had seen past their differences, 'the creeping moral decay of the past thousand years' as Justin put it, and the 'right funny lookin' shiny, golden armor' as Vig put it. These differences overcome, they still remain the best of friends.

But if Sir Justin and Vig thought that they would be the only ones awake except themselves and the shift of monitor duty which they had to relieve, they were mistaken.

They find the new hero awake and staring out at one of the huge windows encircling the monitor room. She seems quite content to look out at the stars and the Earth spinning slowly on its axis far below them.

"I believe thou wast wrong, my friend," Sir Justin says to Vig as he catches sight of the hero. "It seems as though the new hero hast also risen early."

"Well, maybe she's one uh them thur early risers."

"Let us go speak to her before we take up our shift."

"Whate'er you say, partner. Le's go tawk at 'er."

The two walk towards her. Upon seeing their approach in the reflection on the glass, she quickly takes in every detail she possible can. She had seen both of them before. Almost a year ago today. She owed them everything. So many of her decisions during the past year were influenced by what she had witnessed that day.

As they get closer, she turns and smiles.

"Hello," she says brightly, greeting the two friends.

"Howdy!" greets the cowboy. "You're that thur new heruh, right? The one named… Mad Hatter?"

"Yes," she replies, waiting for the normal question that she had become accustom to following the first question, but he simply nods.

"Well, it's right nice ta have ya hur. My name's Vigilante, Vig fer short. And my friend hur," he says, jerking a thumb in the knight's direction, "that thur's Shinin' Knight, but we call 'im Knight fer short. He's a genu-ine knight from King Arthur's court."

Hatter watches Shining Knight straighten up to stand taller as he adds, " 'tis a pleasure to meet thee, Hatter. May I inquire as to how thee came about acquiring thine name?"

She smiles, "Only if at some point down the road, you'll tell me about some of your adventures in King Arthur's court, Sir Knight."

"Nay," he replies, smiling a somewhat dejected smile. "You'll not want to hear of those. No one does."

"Well, I do," she retorts assertively. "I've always loved reading the stories about King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table, but you never know what's true and what's not. Besides," she smiles enthusiastically, "I think it would be much more interesting to hear from a real live knight."

"Thou truly dost wish to hear them?"he questions, surprised, yet cautiously optimistic.

"Of course. Why would I have asked you if I didn't?"

"Well—"

"Exactly."

"Well, I hate ta be a interuptin' ya'll's chat, but we really gotta be headed ta tha monitors. I reckon them bodies up there'll be wantin' some rest and are prob'ly right agitated at us fer not bein up thur already. But I figur' we'll be seein ya aroun' later, ma'am."

"Truly we must be on our way, but may we sit with thee at the lunch break if thou art there?"

"Fine with me. Well. See ya," she answers, waving as they walk off.

Alone once more, she stares out at the vastness of space, wondering what today might have in store for her.

SO... Like it, love it, hate it, wanna set it on fire? Too bad.
If you'd like to tell me about it though, that'd be awesome. lol.

Seriously though, hope everyone liked it. I'll try to update again soon.

~Kanae~