She followed the who she assumed to be one of Edgeshot's sidekicks. Though thinking about it now she definitely should have been a lot more inquisitive about the man than she was, but she didn't sense any danger. At least until he disappeared in the middle of a crowded street.
Looking around in alarm, Kae realized that he really had disappeared from her sight. She had only just avoided getting lost! The street was too crowded for her to try and pinpoint his voice or his nonexistent steps so she frantically tried to remember what the man smelled like. It was pretty indistinct, but she caught a hint of onions. Following that notion, Kae weaved through the crowd, hot on Sneaky Ninja Sidekick's trail. It led her in and out of shops, through alleyways, and at a few points, across rooftops. This is a test, she realized. So with greater determination, she sped up, hoping to catch him before she started getting annoyed with the goose chase.
He must have caught on because he distanced himself even further from her, widening the gap between them. She was so focused on the trail that she hadn't realized he led her right to Edgeshot's Agency in downtown Tokyo.
He turned so abruptly she ran her nose right into his chest. "Congratulations, you made it to Edgeshot Agency," he said, voice monotone. She rubbed her nose indignantly.
"Huh?"
"He said welcome to the agency. I see you were able to pass your entrance exam." Jumping out of her skin she turned to face the ninja of all ninjas. "Edgeshot!" she cried with her tail high in the air and her ears pointed right at him. He was actually shorter in person, her line of sight was directly parallel with his tall hair, and he was standing right in front of her. "Don't be so loud. By the end of this week you'll learn that through the quiet you'll be better able to listen."
Kae snapped her mouth shut, nodding wildly, but the stars in her eyes remained. He gestured to her case. "Get dressed, Itoyo. We're going on patrol."
Jerking the case to her chest, Kae gave a single, happy hum. "Mm!" A different sidekick, dressed in the same ninja outfit as the one who led her here, showed her through the halls, and directed her to a small furnished bedroom she knew was her's. Her costume was actually very unremarkable, as far as hero costumes went. She wore a black, full body catsuit made of reinforced material so it was lightly armored. To make her a little sneakier, Kae asked for a cowl with slits for her ears, as well as no soles or toes for her feet. Though the neatest item she'd requested was a matching mask that would help filter out smells in the event her nose be used against her.
The support department had taken some liberties with her plain design and added neon green detailing along the limbs of the suit, overall making her appear much cooler than originally intended. With their meddling she looked less like a cat burglar and more like a sexy, highly trained spy assassin. In short, she looked cool as fuck.
As expected, her hair was a hassle, so Kae tied it into a braided ponytail atop her head. Satisfied with her get up, she retraced the path she took to get there. Her claws clicked against the floor on her way to rejoin Edgeshot at the front entrance, she noticed other sidekicks silently watching her. A little strange, but she was an outsider on their turf so they had to be a little curious about her, if not outright wary.
When she caught sight of Edgeshot again, she herself set aflutter all over again. He eyed her costume, "Acceptable. Though that braid may be used against you by less honorable foes."
"No worries," she said as she lifted the cowl over her head, giving him a wink from beneath the hood. "I've got it covered."
He said nothing about her joke and turned his back on her to face the street. "Come along, now. Danger lurks in the shadows," he said cryptically. Then he peered over his shoulder. "I expect you to keep up." He suddenly disappeared from sight, but Kae could still hear his breathing, faint as it was, and most of all, his scent hadn't left yet. It's his quirk! Looking closely she could see the faint outline of his body before he really did take off and she rushed after him. She chased him through rooftops and alleyways, noticeably avoiding civilian traffic, but still remaining close enough to keep an eye on them.
He stopped atop a jewelry store and his head reappeared, the rest of his neck and torso remaining paper thin and thin enough that it wouldn't be visible to the normal human eye. "I see why it took Poltergeist longer than it should have to return to the agency. To your benefit, otherwise I would have sent you back to UA."
Kae tilted her head. "Poltergeist? The sidekick who led me on a wild goose chase all over town?"
Edgeshot relaxed and allowed himself to appear fully. "Yes. Your first test. If he returned without you in tow, it would have been a failure on your part." They crouched by the edge of the roof, looking over the darkening horizon and bustling foot traffic. Absently, she noted that a few sidekicks joined them on the rooftop.
Kae's throat suddenly felt dry. Just like father had before her, Kae had tiny rudimentary collarbones that allowed for extreme degrees of movement in her shoulders. That combined with an extremely flexible spine, the cat girl was much more bendy than the average person which further aided her already impressive speed. She only got faster when she ran on all fours- not something she did often, mind you. She was a lady after all.
Still, that would've meant nothing if she hadn't caught Poltergeist's scent in that brief interaction they had before he took off, disappearing from view. Feeling very unsure of herself, she jumped when Edgeshot spoke. "Your eyes glow in the dark. It'll be frightening for villains, if you manage to build a reputation, but otherwise it will give you away." She nodded dumbly, already trying to think of ways to keep her eyes hidden without interfering with her eyesight.
"Tapetum lucidum, isn't it?"
"Oh, how'd you know?"
One of the hidden voices spoke up. "He has three cats at home"
"Cats would make great ninjas," the pro said with absolute certainty. Kae pouted. "That's not why you invited me here is it?" It'd be weird if her mentor had a cat complex.
"Of course. You showed some promise at the sports festival, but you lack situational awareness and maturity to know when to strike your opponents down rather than let your mouth take over for your claws. Rest assured, you will learn much in your time here." He stood up. "Come. Break time is over." The sidekicks took off behind their boss and Kae was left behind to catch up.
