See last chapter for disclaimer. The only things in this story I own are Jello, Flan, and (in this chapter) Lori.
Yeah, I had to up the rating for this story just for this chapter and its Lori-ness. PG-13, peoples! I usually never write things like this, because I'm such a nice little girl (not), but it was necessary for Loraine's character. Yes, I also know the character of Kish's sister has been done many times before, and I guess I did kind of steal the idea, but Lori has a distinct personality, and…I can't believe no one thought to name a sister of Kish Lorraine! Quiche-lorraine… get it? It's a French dish… I've been studying too much French lately…
Thanks for the reviews, Krys and Fuzzy! I love you too.
I have really bad news, but I'm going to put this story on hold for a little while. Don't kill yourself, Fuzzy (lol). I want to finish my other ones first. That will give me more time later to focus just on this story and make it the kind of quality you expect. Perhaps I'll be more motivated to write more once I see "Mew Mew Power", or, then again, it is "Mew Mew Power"… So, if I'm on your Author Alert list for this story, just ignore the next eight or so updates I make, because they'll be for other stories. Thanks for understanding.
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Chapter 2: Bird of Prey
Yawn. Stretch, stretch. In a remote corner of New Mercuritopolis, a young teenage girl sat on her familiar wooden crate, eyes staring straight past the flickering screen in front of her.
"The noble families of Glittel and Mysmir still remain in a state of emergency, as they search for their missing heirs…"
The girl yawned again, as strangers' faces filled the small box. There was never anything good on television. Of course, she knew of the mighty families, the Mysmir, which owned the Mysmir boating company, dedicated to exploring the relatively new seas, and the Glittel family, which now owned the vast Glittel Estates, but they were far-away matters that she knew would never concern her. What would a poor self-sufficient girl like her have to do with two ultra-wealthy families? Personally, she thought they were all heartless misers and deserved to fall. Everyday, you heard of the noble families, who had fared so well under the last King Jubala's wing, now struggling to establish a franchising empire, with heirs. It was about time, she thought.
The girl sucked on a finger and gazed absentmindedly out the window where a faint breeze played with her long forest-green hair. She wondered about her own family. She knew her full name- Lorraine Willows, so she thought she might be related to Mercury's honored savior, Kish Willows. At least she liked to tell everyone that she was, even though she had no idea. There could be several families with the last name "Willows".
Lorraine shook her head and pulled her swollen finger out of her mouth. Once again, she was straying from the urgent matter at hand- and that was that she was out of a job. Scowling, Lorraine looked away from the window, recalling the circumstances that had brought her here…
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Lorraine stood on the long wooden stage, slicked up with polish. Mechanically, she performed the dance steps her troupe of entertainers had been performing for the past two weeks. Lorraine frowned angrily, thinking of how boring and dull this was, as her puffy, multicolored flower costume swished in the iridescent light of the overhead spotlights. She'd been dancing at this same old café ever since the age of 7. Lorraine huffily threw out her bedecked hip. It was time to spice things up, time to break away from the norm, time to rebel against these ever-repeating motions.
And that's when she spotted him. He was your everyday teenage Mercurian boy, his baggy shirt illuminated in the stage lights, but he was looking at her.
She took a step into an empty spotlight, twirling her arms gracefully above her head and shimmying. There was an abrupt pause in the dance routine, as the others wondered what was going on. Lorraine smiled. Now all the attention was on her, and not on that hideous, monotonous exercise. She looked into the eyes of that teenage boy, and he stared back, as if in a trance. Well, how could he not look at her, since she was the only one bathed in spotlight now, and sliding seductively closer to the end of the stage.
Lorraine slinked along downstage, hips swaying in time with the music. Once again, she looked over at the same boy, giving him a raised-eyebrow glare. How come she hadn't noticed before how sexy he looked, bathed in the reddish-yellow haze of the overhead lights? Finally, she reached the edge of the stage. He was right there, staring breathlessly up at her. She remained fixed on him, trying to see down his shirt, but it wasn't working. She'd have to get a little closer…
Without thinking of anything else, Lorraine slowly slid her body from the stage, wrapping her legs around the teenage guy's waist and her arms around his neck. Her heart pounded with excitement. She knew what she should do now, and leaned closer, preparing to kiss him.
At last, the boy managed to wrench her from his waist, flinging her to the ground. "Let go of me, you dirty (EDIT)! I have a girlfriend!!!" Of course, this caused quite a scene, and the crowd all turned to look either at the guy, barreling out the café doors, or at Lorraine, lying speechless on the floor.
The blurry stage lights merged and shifted as she stared up at them. What would she do now? She just wanted to stay on the floor here forever, feeling the throbbing of her backside and imagining… A snide comment bounced around in her head- "Oh look, they've made another one. The geniuses." Although, she had no idea what that meant.
Later that night, the manager fired her and threw her out of the dancing troupe, as much as she whined, begged, or screamed her head off. The manager didn't want to be sued for sexual harassment, so he had to get rid of her now. Lorraine had wandered the streets for the rest of the night before coming to this abandoned building and claiming it as hers.
---
Now…here was her problem. She had to get some other kind of job, because without money, she couldn't survive. Lorraine glanced around the room. What could she do? She felt that no one would hire her as a dancer now, but she had to at least try, right? Putting her pointer finger up to her mouth, as she always did when she was thinking, Lorraine tried to find a solution to her problem. "Hey, I know!" she suddenly lit up, as the idea came to her. "I could make this building a…"
SLAM! Suddenly, a heavy book fell from a shelf high above, landing with that terrible slapping noise. Even though it was heavy, it seemed to make a lot more noise that usual.
"Darn, I don't remember seeing that book there," Lorraine said to herself, getting up to place it back on the shelf. Just as she did, a very different new report came on.
"And, as a special message from the Research Institute, we ask- 'are you looking to make some money?"
Lorraine's pointy ears perked up and she instantly turned back around to the screen. Well, yes I am…she thought, but that doesn't concern you.
"The Xenimis family, whose daughter was kidnapped yesterday at roughly 4:30 PM, asks everyone for your help in rescuing the girl. In fact, the family offers a 1,000 uboo paycheck to whoever will go to the Sphere Star Galaxy and help rescue Jello Xenimis…"
"Wow!" Lorraine couldn't help crying out. "1,000 uboos…a week!" At her last job, she had only been making 30 a week. "And I'd get to go to another galaxy! That sounds like so much fun!!!" So, when the address flashed across the screen, she quickly grabbed a pen and paper and wrote it down. Excited and giddy at the prospect of a new, high-paying job, Lorraine skipped through the house, grabbing a pen, in case they asked her to fill out an application, and changed into her brown belly shirt with the puffy sleeves, and short miniskirt with padded light green shoes, their ties twisting around her legs.
Lorraine shook her hips and watched the stringy bows on the side of her skirt bounce. She wanted badly to break into a dance routine, but there were much more important things to be done. On her way towards the door, she gathered a tube of lipstick, carefully gliding the red color over her lips. If she couldn't get the job based on past records and experience, she'd have to get it based on physical attraction.
Passing a mirror sitting on the box table she'd constructed, she bent over to get a look at herself. In vanity, she puckered her lips and tried to look pretty. Instead, she only looked even trashier. Lorraine, however, was blind to these definitions, and giggled excitedly at her reflection. She then skipped out the door of her humble warehouse, oblivious to her past accusations, her revealing appearance, and the grand journey she was about to undertake.
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"31 Merrund Road…31 Merrund Road…" Lorraine tightly clutched to the piece of paper with the address on it. She wasn't very good with directions, and had been down several other streets already, looking for the place. In the process she'd also knocked on the doors of 31 Morrice Road and 31 Merric Road, only to be quickly shooed away by an angry mother and an old man with a staring problem.
"Merrund…Merrund Road…" At last, her large, lime green eyes fell upon a street sign, that despite the stamp of "Forest 2" near its lower left corner, clearly read- "Merrund Rd."
"Merrund Road!!!" Lorraine exclaimed. She shakily gazed back down at the piece of scrap paper directions in her hand. "Now I've just got to find 31. That's all! And then I'll be rich!" She squealed like an air-headed schoolgirl and floated, confidently down the soil road.
The Mercurians didn't believe in paved streets, viewing it as a sign of the beginning of pollution, but it didn't really matter to them. They could always just float to their destinations, except for young children that hadn't learned how to float. Usually by the age of nine, every Mercurian knew how to float. Lorraine didn't fly most of the time, because she thought it was more fashionable to walk, and because anyone walking beneath her could see up her skirt when she flew.
"2…4…6…8… Who do we appreciate? Whoever's giving me this job!" Lorraine hummed along to her own spontaneous tune as she searched for the house. "Oh, wait, I'm on the wrong side, aren't I? 15…17…19…21…only ten more!" Since no one else was around, she decided to do a joyful half-spin in midair, celebrating prematurely. "25…27…whooooaaa…"
Further up the street was the biggest and most elaborate house she'd ever seen in real life. "Gee, I wonder who lives there…29…" she was very close to the semi-mansion now, and marveled up at the ornate windows, pillars at the entrance, four floors, and the giant garage. The yard even had a big stone statue of a girl with cat ears in the front, water spewing from her heart-shaped bowl and into the pool below. Lorraine gaped at the silent, stately manor, interrupted only by the trickle of the cat girl's water bowl.
"Wait…this can't be…" Hesitantly, her soiled, underprivileged slippers walked the sparkling stone trail up to the majestic front door. She blinked, unbelievably at the gilded, glistening numbers fastened to the house's side panel. It is! She thought with a panic. This is 31 Merrund Road!!!
Lorraine suddenly felt an uneasy flutter in her stomach. Would she really be accepted at this prodigious estate? It was almost as if those noble families in the news had suddenly become a reality right in front of her. For a second, Lorraine even considered ducking out and fleeing back to her lowly shambles, but the thought of a possible 1,000 uboo paycheck pushed her forward. It forced her hand up, and pressed her log-nailed finger to the soft, light-up button next to the doorway.
She waited in misery and anticipation as whoever was inside came to greet her. The long pause only heightened her apprehensions. As she stood on the expensive porch, she thought she heard what sounded like the cry of a hawk off in the distance. Lorraine stared back at the fancy decorated door, and thought, hopefully, maybe they're not home. Unfortunately, a moment later, that same piece of carved wood began to fold inward.
On the other side was a woman with long, elegant pale pink hair, reaching beyond her waist. Lorraine was stricken dumb as she observed her. She was beautiful- from her shining hair, and her lovely, fancy dress, to her young, kindly face. She had to be only in her twenties. The woman smiled at her. "Well, hello, young lady. What brings you here? Not an autograph, I hope, we're awfully busy…"
"Uh…uh…n-no," Lorraine stuttered, looking into her warm pink-colored eyes. "I…I'm here for that job…you know, the one to um…travel the galaxy…and…stuff…" She'd been so distracted by the number 1,000, that she'd forgotten exactly what this job entailed.
The lady blinked. Then, upon recognizing the motive, smiled again. "Oh! You're here to be in my daughter's search party!"
"Y-Your daughter?" Lorraine squeaked, now growing even more nervous. This rich lady was expecting her to find her daughter…
"Come on inside," she said. "My husband is upstairs right now, but I'm sure he'll be willing to hear your application."
Lorraine gulped. Application? She hadn't even prepared a speech of any kind. This is wrong, she thought, I shouldn't be here, but some strange, inner voice, the same one that had spoken to her on the day she was fired, kept telling her that she did.
"Right up those stairs," the lady explained, gesturing to a spiral staircase on the right as she led her desperate guest into the home. "That will bring you to the fourth floor. He'll be in the first door to the left of the top. Good luck."
Lorraine nodded, playing along as if she knew what she was doing. Then, shakily and apprehensively, she began to climb the plush carpeted stairs. Her hand clung tight to the cold, polished wooden railing, and her mind raced with all sorts of dreadful thoughts. Who was this "him" that the lady kept talking about? Wait, that was right, she had said, "my husband". But who was her husband? Glancing at her surroundings, she pictured the man of this house to be a grim, tough army general, or a penny-pitching miser, since those were the stereotypes she associated with wealth.
At last, just when her legs were beginning to ache from the stair-climbing exertion, she reached the head of the stairs, and stepped off into a quiet, office-like hallway. "Gee…" Lorraine whispered to herself. "This is like some kind of business, almost like they say the king's palace used to be." Remembering the mistress's instructions, she turned to her left, and spied a wooden door with an opaque window. Slowly, she stepped up to it.
Now, she felt it wasn't the money that had brought her here. There was something important to be done…something was waiting for her. She had to fulfill her mission. Then, at last taking control of her own situation, Lorraine knocked on that mystery door, and slipped inside.
There was a big, shiny desk, like every prestigious office should have, and one chair sitting in the back for visitors. Various painting reproductions hung on the side walls.
That was when it suddenly struck Lorraine. She gingerly stepped into the room and realized with sudden horror that she hadn't been listening close enough. Was this…Mr. Xenimis?! Mr. Xenimis, head of the Mercury Research Facility- Mr. Xenimis, the Associate?! Lorraine shivered as she glanced up at the man behind the giant desk. He plucked a thin pair of spectacles off his face as he lifted it from a stack of neatly organized papers on that shiny desk. Lorraine silently gulped as his icy dark purple eyes glared back at her.
"What do you want, young lady?" His voice was even more intimidating than his eyes. Now Lorraine could barely speak, and she had to avert her eyes in order to find the courage to answer.
"Um…the…j-j-job offer…"
"Oh," Mr. Xenimis replied, his sharp, hardened face softening a bit. "So you want to be part of the search-and-rescue party?"
Search-and-rescue party? Why hadn't Lorraine heard these parts of the job description? Even though she had long, sensitive ears, her selective hearing had only picked up the words "1,000 uboo paycheck" and "go to the Sphere Star Galaxy". She meekly nodded back at the man, and he motioned to the side of the room as soon as she did.
"Okay, then. Come here, Craush."
Lorraine hadn't noticed the little dog door at the back of the room on the right wall, but she certainly did when a strange silver-and-red crab came scuttling through it. Her light green eyes widened as she watched the crab grab onto the chair's legs with its clamp-like claws and push it up on the other side of the desk. She continued to stare, skeptically at the little silver crab as it unhooked itself from the chair and stood next to it, expectantly. It was a common rumor on different political criticisms that Mr. Xenimis kept mutant crossbred animals as slaves in his estate…and it was apparently true! The breath stopped up in Lorraine's throat, although in her panic, she didn't even notice that she was not breathing.
"Well…take a seat…" Mr. Xenimis told her, impatiently, probably wondering what was wrong with seeing a silvery crab pull up a chair for her.
Lorraine tiptoed around to the left, trying to avoid the unusual creature as much as possible, and finally sat down in the plush, polished chair.
He noticed her nervous movements and pushed his mouth into a thin smile. "Don't be afraid of Craush; he's a helper, he wouldn't hurt anyone." At that moment, the chair crab somehow walked up the side of the desk, and sat on it, just in front of them. Mr. Xenimis patted its top shell, then finally looked back at Lorraine. "So…what's your name?"
"L…L-L-Lorrrrrr…" He raised an eyebrow at her as she continued struggling to pronounce her own name. "L-Lorrrrraine…Willows."
"Willows?"
That was when Lorraine recognized her only advantage…her (possible) family roots! "Yes!" she cried, suddenly jumping up in confidence. "I'm related to Kish Willows!"
"Really?" Mr. Xenimis asked, his eyes widening a little. "How are you related?"
"Um…I'm not really sure…"
"Well, you look a lot like him." Lorraine shivered for a moment. She hadn't known she looked that much like Kish, since she'd never really seen a photograph of him. "You must be his cousin, or his niece or something…no one knows much about the Willows family. What are your parents' names?"
"I don't know," Lorraine truthfully answered. "I never knew my father and my mother left me when I was really little."
Mr. Xenimis tapped a long fingernail against his desktop in thought. He gazed into the distance, losing himself in the mystery of these people…
"Um…Mr. Xenimis?" Lorraine apprehensively addressed him. Her courage was a little stronger now, and she needed to find out the finer details of this job she was applying for.
"Please," he replied. "Call me Pie."
"Well, um…Pie…what exactly would I be required to do in this job?"
"Well, I can't give you all the specific details," Pie answered. "But it does require going to the Sphere Star Galaxy, perhaps fighting, training, exc. There'll be four other girls with you."
"So this job is only for girls?" Lorraine asked, a bit surprised. It usually wasn't right to discriminate by gender for job applications, and usually it wasn't the female gender.
At that exact moment, before Pie had a chance to answer her question, a Mercurian guy in his older teens burst through the door to the office, his long auburn braid bouncing, and looking quite distressed. "Pie!" he called, out of breath.
Pie quickly stood up from his office chair. "Tart?! Did something happen?"
"I-It's the Antennima Bird…" Tart started to say, taking a deep breath. "I don't know what's wrong…it's not moving…"
Pie glanced back down at Lorraine for a second. "I'm sorry, miss, you're going to have to wait a moment," he told her, and then, focusing hard on his own power, disappeared in a streak of light.
Tart, in the doorway, glanced curiously over at Lorraine before he too, transported out of the room.
Lorraine jumped up from her seat, accidentally knocking Craush from his platform on the desk. What was the "Antennima Bird" they had been talking about? Was this job really only for girls? Why was that? These questions were what drove her to dash out of the room and follow them. She also thought that Tart guy was pretty cute. Unfortunately, she hadn't learned to teleport yet, which was a bit behind most Mercurians her age, so in order to quickly find them, she jumped over the railing, and floated down the four stories, landing right in front of Mrs. Xenimis.
The startled woman jumped back. "Oh! Um…did you need something?"
"Where did they go?!" Lorraine cried, suddenly indifferent to the elegance and dignity of the mistress.
Somehow, she knew what she was talking about and replied with, "To the garage! I was just going there! Get a move on and help your friends!" She suddenly covered her mouth, looking slightly embarrassed. "Oh…I'm sorry, honey; for a moment, I thought you were someone else."
Lorraine stared in confusion for a second, before floating after the frantic lady. Only a minute later, the two of them flew up beside the giant garage Lorraine had first noticed on her way in. Briefly, she wondered why they were going to the garage to see a bird, but decided not to annoy or upset Mrs. Xenimis any more than she already was. As soon as she set foot inside the surprisingly clean, cozy garage, she received her answer.
There were no buggies, or cars, or hover machines of any sort, but a giant bird, resting against the ground. Tart stood to the side with his hands behind his back, worriedly, while Pie knelt next to the bird's head and checked its condition. Mrs. Xenimis rushed forward to talk to Tart, but Lorraine hung back.
Again, she wondered what in the world she was doing here. She should be back at the café, learning a new dance routine with her friends from the troupe. She didn't belong butting in on this family, and being a thorn in their sides. Still, there was something…something about this bird that she just had to see…that was somehow connected with her own life.
At last, Pie looked up from his examination and sighed, deeply. "He's gone." And everyone knew what that meant. The four spectators stared at the dead Antennima bird's body, in silent respect.
Slowly, Lorraine stepped closer to the body, unafraid of her own intrusion. She was right next to Pie now, looking sadly upon the large, limp creature.
Pie at last noticed her presence and turned his head towards her. "Lorraine? I…I thought I told you to stay in the office." The green-haired teenage girl didn't reply, but continued to stare in an unusually serious manner. "You must be related to Kish…" Pie spoke up. "There's no doubt about it now…"
A strangely familiar scene slowly blurred into Lorraine's mind. She was two years old, and her mother was talking to her… "Lori," the smooth, cultured female voice said gently to her. "You should be very proud. Your brother is fighting for our future, on Earth…at this very second."
"Yes…" she replied in a whispery voice, amazed at what she was suddenly able to recall. "…He's my brother."
At this statement, Pie's eyes began to strangely shine as a brilliant idea crawled into his head. "Kish's sister…Lorraine Willows…you've got the job."
Lorraine glanced over at him in confusion. How had she gotten the job? Just because she was Kish's sister?
Tart glanced over at Pie like he was crazy, but the scientist already had his mind set on this. He produced a strange needle out of nowhere, which he injected into the dead Antennima bird.
"What the…?" Tart at last spoke up. "You can't be serious…"
"Now, Lorraine…" Pie ordered the girl as he squished some liquid chemicals around in a tube that also appeared out of nowhere. "I need you to just turn around for a second…"
"What are you doing?!" Lorraine asked in alarm.
"Don't worry," Pie assured her. "This shouldn't hurt. If it does, then that means something went wrong, but it's not going to!" He loaded the tube of chemicals into a handheld device that looked like a gun with five bullet holes. The chemicals only rested in one of them. Just as Lorraine was beginning to turn around to see what he was doing, he fired the device, and a round bubble-like substance hit her left leg, just below the knee, and went right through her skin and into her body.
---
Lorraine glanced around at the blurry, morphing colors around her. Huh? She said to herself. I'm seeing illusions. What happened? Did I blacken out? Am I drunk? But I didn't even drink anything! Finally, she looked down at her own body and her eyes widened. She had no clothes of any sort on! I must be having a dream, she decided. I've had dreams similar to this before…
Something in the distance began moving towards her, and as it grew closer, she recognized it as a large bird with several eyes and long, trailing antennae. "The…Antennima Bird?" she asked. "What's that thing doing in my dream?" It was getting closer and closer, until she could feel the warmth of its feathers and its wings, wrapped protectively around her.
"Ah…" she whispered to herself. "You're a nice bird…Anty." Then, the creature almost began to shrink, moving closer…moving into her. However, Lorraine didn't feel any different as the creature entered her body. Then, the world blinked out, and back into the cold, hard reality of the Xenimis' garage.
---
"So…how are you feeling?" Pie asked. He was standing right next to her, along with Tart and Mrs. Xenimis.
Noticing Tart next to her, Lorraine's mind was completely clear again, and she seized her opportunity. "Oh…" she moaned, putting a hand to her head for dramatic effect. "I feel…faint…" She then flung her body limply towards Tart. His eyes widened and faded to their shocked, honey color as he instinctively reached out and caught her. Lorraine deliberately swooned and snuggled closer to his chest, gripping his loose, red-orange shirt tightly.
"W-What happened?" Tart asked, nervously squeaking under the uncomfortable situation.
Pie, now noticing what was really going on, stepped up next to them, speaking in an intentionally loud voice, "Oh my God! I think I might have hit the wrong spot! Hurry, we have to get her to a hospital!"
Instantly, Lorraine's head popped up. "No, no, I'm fine!" She quickly, yet regretfully pulled Tart away, while he stood there, dumbstruck by her sneaky actions. He stepped back a bit, afraid the wild girl would "throw herself" at him again…literally.
"At last…" Mrs. Xenimis chimed in. "I thought you'd never take advantage of the permission Ryou gave you." Lorraine glanced, confusedly over at her.
"Nope," Pie answered, a slightly delighted tone entering his voice. "I've been compiling different samples from the former Palace lab and storing them in Tart's new lab, since mind is so cluttered… Some of them have gone missing though. Anyway, I figured this is the perfect match, since Lorraine is Kish's sister, and the Antennima Bird was Kish's favorite anima."
"Really?" Lorraine asked. "Um…what exactly happened? I saw the bird while I was dreaming…"
"You're now a Mew Mew," Mrs. Xenimis explained. "You have the Antennima Bird's DNA."
Lorraine blinked in puzzlement. "Um…I have that thing's DNA?! And…what's a Mew Mew?!" She frantically felt around her face and body, coming to the realization. "I'm a bird! I'm a bird! AUGH!!!"
Mrs. Xenimis chuckled and put a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down. You won't turn into a bird. You just have special powers…you'll learn soon. Don't worry, I know exactly how you feel."
Lorraine crossed her arms in frustration. "And how would you know?"
Mrs. Xenimis smiled, mysteriously. "I was a Mew Mew, too. Mew Peach, with the DNA of a giant panda… You know, there's someone who would be very grateful to be in your situation right now…"
"Huh?" Lorraine uttered, still not understanding. She held her hands just under her chin, after checking her face for the third time.
"Speaking of the other Mew Mews…" Tart spoke up, and instantly she was focused only on him. "We ought to get them to help us. If they're still the Mew Mews, that is…" He then turned to Lorraine, who began to "pose" and flutter her eyelashes at him, obviously trying to flirt, to his embarrassment and disgust. "Lorraine…"
"Oh, please," she replied, cocking her head and showing off her long, shiny, green hair. "Call me Lori. All my friends do."
Tart's face flushed, more from anger and shame then bashfulness. "Well…Lori," he pronounced through gritted teeth. "I think you should stay here at the estate, at least until we create the other Mercury Mew Mews."
"What do you mean "we"?" Pie asked, cocking an eyebrow at his young friend.
"Um…I mean until Pie and Flan create the other Mercury Mew Mews. I'm not that advanced yet…" he hung his head a little at this statement.
"Well," Flan addressed her. "Let's get you settled, then!"
Lorraine protested at being dragged away from Tart, but after she saw her guest room, she forgot all about him. This was better quarters than she'd ever had at the café, and after Flan closed the door behind her, tumbled onto the fluffy bed, squeezing the feather-stuffed pillow to death.
"There's a ball tonight at seven," the kindly mistress had told her before exiting. "I hope to see you there."
A ball! Wow, a real ball!!! Lorraine stared up at the detailed and intricately woven canopy, feeling like a princess. She was so absorbed in her own fantasies that she didn't even notice when a dirt-eating miniature elephant-like creature came in to eat her footprints off the rug.
---
Later that night, Lorraine arrived at the Xenimis' ballroom on the ground floor, dolled up with extra lipstick and eye shadow. The house was so large, it had its own ballroom, and as she stepped inside, felt her heart beating fast. Couples were whirling together around the darkened room; the wooden floor resonated with the taps of various high-heels and dress shoes placing themselves across it.
Lorraine contentedly dove into the crowd. Her lime green eyes morphed into the shining, feline yellow eyes, in order to see clearly in the dim area. The cat "radar" scoped out a particular Mercurian guy standing on the side of the ballroom floor, near the refreshments table. Lorraine decided, of course to make the moves on this guy, and barreled over to his dark corner.
He seemed embarrassed and confused as she wheeled him into the middle of the dance floor. She was pretty, though, and he was soon mesmerized as he watched her fluctuating body and long, swishing hair, flashing emerald in the dim ballroom lights.
Soon, the waltzing couples around them turned to get a look at the strange new girl, jumping like a pop singer around a wooden stage. Two other guests approached, asking the initial guy if they could have his partner. He gladly consented, and bolted from the floor, ashamed, as two other men began energetically dancing with Lorraine.
As more and more people crowded around her, her dance seemed to get even more complicated and acrobatic. At one point, she even flipped around in mid-air while the crowd clapped to the rhythm.
Meanwhile, Tart stepped gingerly around the dance floor. He always went to the Xenimis balls, even though he had no dance partner. For some reason, he just didn't find himself attracted to any of the young ladies around him. Normally, he drifted around, chatting with his buddies from work. At the age of fifteen, he'd graduated from the newly constructed Mercury University, to pass into the scientist profession he had now. Tart was very smart; some considered him a genius, but he was certain he'd never live up to the accomplishments of Pie.
Shortly after winning custody of him at age twenty, Pie had easily become the head of the new Mercury Laboratories, and then four years later, elected as one of the Associates, mainly for his contributions to technology and his former connections with Kish.
Tart looked down on his weak overlook with frustration. He couldn't concentrate at work, he held on to pointless memories, and he had even let those mysterious Mew Mew clones kidnap Jello! He forced a smile and tried to enjoy the party, though on the inside he was yelling at himself. The tension kept growing, so when he noticed the ruckus in the center, glared at Lorraine, who was the center of attention.
"Whoooo!!!" the teenage sister of Kish screamed, then, caught up in the excitement of the moment, ripped off her top, green shirt, leaving a thin brown one underneath, and whirling the green one around her head.
The male crowd gasped and applauded at her strip tease, but Tart was completely outraged. This was no way for a defender of the planet to be acting. "Lorraine!!!" he yelled, marching over to the center of the room, and grabbing her arm, forcing her back to the floor. "Just what do you think you're doing?!"
Lorraine, oblivious to his rage, screamed again, and threw her arms around his body. "Taaaaaart!!! You're here! C'mon, baby, let's dance!"
Thankfully, if there was one thing Tart was proud of, it was his increased physical strength, and at this statement, gripped her shoulders, pinning her to the ground. "Look!" he yelled in fury. "This is a ballroom, not a freakin' nightclub! Get a hold of yourself! And…don't you ever call me 'baby' again!"
Lorraine just smiled, sheepishly and muttered, "Okay, okay, whatever you say, sergeant…"
Seeing that funny grin on Lorraine's face suddenly took him back to those days… "Oh, God…" Tart said to himself, eyes wide. "It's like Kish was reincarnated as a girl or something…"
Lorraine snapped back up again. "I'm not his reincarnation! I'm only his sister! …And some of us don't even believe in reincarnation."
Tart shook his dark orange head, and pressed a hand against his forehead. "It's just…you're so much like him, it's scary…"
Looking up from his reminiscences, he noticed something blinking on the wall. Funny…he hadn't noticed any decorative lights there before. That was when it hit him. "Quick!" he called to the crowd of Mercurian ballroom guests. "You must evacuate immediately. Dangerous materials have been identified in this room!"
Of course, this sent a rush of panicked dancers flooding to the double entrance doors, and Lorraine began to run with them, but Tart reached out and grabbed her hand with a firm grip again. "What?!" she cried in alarm. "Are you trying to kill me?! I'll stop dancing…just please don't…!"
"Relax," Tart told her, a determined smile flickering onto his face. "You'll see what this is all about in a minute." At last, when all of the other guests had left, and the dim room was empty, the red glow of the light began growing stronger.
"Oooooh…" Lorraine said, in an affectionate voice. "You just wanted to get me alone, so we could…"
"Shut up!" Tart snapped. "You're so single-minded…now, watch this…" He held out his hands, and shot a bolt of electricity at the light in the wall.
"Wow," Lorraine marveled. "I didn't know you had electric powers, Tart!" She opened her mouth, but before she could say anymore, a giant dark blue bug, resembling a beetle burst through the wall, the red light emanating from a round screen embedded in its chest. Lorraine screamed and hid behind Tart.
Tart just continued to grin. "Recorder beetle. Of course. We always get some of these around when we hold a community party of any sort. You see, Pie is one of the Associates, but not everyone likes him, for some strange fabricated reasons, and they send these bugs to observe us and try to find any evidence to support these convictions."
"So, um…what's this got to do with me?" Lorraine asked, cowardly peering around his shoulder.
"I think you need some training, since you are a new Mew Mew…"
"Yeah…I still don't get that…" she held tight to Tart's back as the beetle shot a laser beam at them, and he zoomed out of the way.
He shoved Lorraine out in front, much to her shock and horror. "Just trust me…yell out 'Mew Mew Lorraine Metamorphosis'."
"Um…Mew Mew…Lorraine…Metamorphosis?" Lorraine slowly spoke up, feeling unsure and stupid as she dodged another attack.
"No!" Tart yelled, even more frustrated. "You need to have more feeling than that! You're never going to defend the planet that way!"
Suddenly, Lorraine stood up straight, recognizing what she must do for the first time. She had to fight this creature back! "Mew Mew Lorraine…Metamorphosis!" In morphing, psychedelic dark greenish lights, Lorraine felt as long, fluffy wings sprang up from her back, a tail from just above her behind, and long, antennae, that arced down the length of her body. Rolling over in the warm, comfortable glow, a strange costume flew onto her body, and raising her arms above her head, a long pole materialized, sitting solidly in her hands. Stepping out of the transformation sequence, Lorraine held the pole to the ground, a strangely determined expression on her face.
She wore a short top, with the straps floating off her shoulders, thin bow ribbons tied up the two pieces of hair in front of her ears, and floating golden rings around her wrists. Her skirt was short and ended in separate, round diamond shapes, with ties on the side, a bit like Tinker Bell, and boots just above her ankles. Not far above, on her right leg, was her symbol, looking like "less than" and "greater than" signs with accenting, slanting lines. Of course, she also had the standard Mew Mew choker, arm puffs, and garter, all in forest green and accented with a lighter green shade, as well as her costume.
"What the heck?!" she cried, noticing the position she was in, and staring down at the brown pole with green ribbons wrapping around it. Then, noticing her pumping, light green wings, screeched, "Augh! I knew it!!! I am turning into a bird!!!"
"You're a Mew Mew!" Tart called, annoyed with her inability to comply. "Now…attack that beetle!"
Lorraine stared over at the oversized beetle, and ran for her life as it advanced on her. "Attack it?! How?! I don't have any…" She was just about to add the word "weapons", but then stupidly noticed the pole in her hands. She could shove it at the beetle! She could probably whack it to death or something… But, dodging another laser from its center, she realized what she was really supposed to do.
Flying up, and using her wings to assist her, Lorraine held up the pole, preparing for an attack of some sort. "Ribbon Lorraine…" At that moment, she swept the pole down, creating a large green blast of power that spread out towards the beetle creature. "…Thrust!"
The creature burst into pieces and disappeared upon impact. Lorraine sighed and lowered herself to the ground.
"Phew," Tart commented, landing next to her. "There might actually be some hope for you yet."
Lorraine turned her large lime green eyes over to him. "…I still don't get it."
Tart sighed and looked away. Why did he even bother?
Pie and Flan had heard the battle from their room above. They intended to come down near the end of the ball, so they looked half dressed up as they hurried into the ballroom.
"What happened?!" Pie cried, a bit more frantic than normal. After losing his precious daughter to a group of unknown kidnappers, he was becoming paranoid over every little noise.
"Oh, Lori!" Flan called to the girl, still in Mew Mew form. "You've awakened! So…how was your first transformation? You're a powerful, magical girl now, and your job is to find our daughter…and, after that, to defend the planet Mercury!"
Lorraine's eyes widened, finally seeing the reason for her crazy costume and her strange wave attack. "Wait a minute…this wasn't in the job description!"