SRW: The Warden meets an Enigma.

It wasn’t long before the golem guards had torn the straight jacket asunder from Claudia’s shoulders. Thankfully it wasn’t any sort of magical bound clothing or else it may have been tougher to get off. Instead, Claudia was free to fix her uniform as she desired while glaring at Felis. Judging by the look on her face, Eros could determine that Claudia had experienced such behavior before...but had no idea exactly how it happened.

Eros wasn’t even sure herself, if she were being honest. The world had seemed to be frozen in those brief few seconds when Felis pulled her prank. The golem guards didn’t react to Felis’s movements towards Claudia, didn’t try to stop her from wrapping the Officer up in a restrictive jacket. Eros herself was the only thing unaffected by it. She could move, even to the point of restraining Felis had she desired. But doing so would have kept her from seeing all of Felis’s power. Apparently, she could only freeze time for a short period...but could freeze it again in almost as short a period. Truly terrifying power if it were placed in the wrong hands. Was it really just luck that Eros happened to be immune to such a fantastic, alien gift? Or were there other powers at work here? Had the Overseer seen this all come to fruition? Did he know this would happen?

A truly amazing thought. It seemed there was nothing the Overseer could not predict! He placed Felis under her care because Eros was the only one immune to her trickster ability! That must be it! His amazing foresight and ability to predict events was truly unparalleled! No wonder he was the hero and supreme Law of Gaia!

Before Eros could get too deep in thought, Felis would suddenly dart over like an excited kitten and grab ahold of Eros’s hands. The Warden maintained her professional, if mischievous expression as the inexperienced enigma began rattling off questions and answers in a manner befitting of a child. But, there was promise in Felis. For one thing, she didn’t harm Claudia. Her prank was strange certainly but it could have been worse given her powers. At the very least, Felis seemed to have a grasp on morality and mortality.

Felis asked the Warden if she herself had any “superpowers”, leaving Eros to simply stare into her eyes before a Cheshire grin split across her face.

“Indeed I do, Felis. But sadly that will have to wait until later, after we have been together for some time. After all, I’d hate to scare you away so quickly after we had only just met. So sit tight, and I’ll show you your duties after I escort Claudia off~”

Eros would finally split away from Felis, leaving her alone with the two giant rock golems. Of course they couldn’t do anything to her while time was frozen, but Claudia was still there. For the moment, Eros wanted to spare herself the pain of explaining what she herself did not fully understand and decided to at least look as though she were following protocol.

“Warden Officer Claudia, are you alright?”

“A miserable little pest, she is! I’ve spent years drilling the Warden code into her head, and she’s incapable of remembering anything that didn’t happen in the last few weeks! She always escapes our discipline cells because of that disappearing act of hers, so I insist you keep her under proper guard at all times.”

“I understand, Ma’am. As the Sub-Warden of this facility, she will report directly to me and be under my constant supervision. And, it is no coincidence her personal quarters will be next to the surveillance room for the entire facility.”

“...Which is under heavy guard at all times. Whatever you think will work, then do it. She’s your trouble now. May you have an easier time with her than I ever did.”

With that, the Elf turned away and left. Eros gestured for one of the Golems to follow Claudia out and give her a proper escort. The facility was large and filled with hidden dangers. Best not to have her fall into one of them accidentally.

Eros would return to Felis and the rock guard, gesturing for her newest recruit to come along and follow her.

“This way Felis. It’s time we showed you your new room and get your schedule in order. I’ve been in need of proper help for some time now, and I would love to see what you are capable of.”

A grin appeared on Felis’ face thinking about what had just happened. It was funny to see her freak out, it always was, especially with that attitude of hers only made it seem more over the top and therefore even more funny. The last time this had happened Felis threw a few stinky bombs everywhere and had stopped time only to throw a few more, in the end she had never seen so many things floating mid-air before eventually time unfreezing and flooding the guild with bad smell for weeks. These types of pranks were funny to make and with her abilities it was really simple to make, she was almost glad that she had them, however going through all that was horrible and made her thing really worth it all.

Discovering now that someone else also had powers was amazing, she didn’t have to feel alone in that regard. People had called her immature before, wasn’t exactly known if it was about her usage of her powers or not, so maybe it wasn’t at random that they were putting her under Eros’ care as she also had powers and seemed confident in her abilities and perhaps it was to do what Claudia couldn’t. At least she wasn’t didn’t seem as authoritarian as the elf and seemed more friendly, making it much easier to get along with her. The Neko didn’t know much about this Overseer, or perhaps she heard and simply forgot about it, didn’t quite remember that part…

Seeing Eros leave to take care of Claudia, Felis turned to the Golems to play with them. She quickly walked and warped around them to explore how they worked, how they felt and moved. She was having fun comparing herself to the golem, how her hands, legs and overall smaller she was compared to them. It was funny to play with them and by the time Eros returned, she was sitting on a Golem’s shoulder as he had a normal sized top hat, a scarf around its neck and a mustache drawn on its face with a marker, all stuff she brought with her warp gates.

As the other golem left, escorting Claudia to the exit, Felis simply watched. She knew what she was doing and never had the intention to hurt her in any way even if they didn’t get along. Like a Kid, she might think of something bad of her, but never death or major harm to her, as she always wanted to see her as a friend…

Upon being called by Eros, Felis quickly jumped down and started following. A smirk appeared on her face as they were finally getting that over with. “Well, and I might show what I am capable of… if you also do~! I really, really, REALLY want to see your Superpowers Nyan~!” The cat girl followed her like an excited little child. She also tried to ignore the fact she was still in training for being a “Warden” however it was stuck in the back of her head.

While walking she looked around at the cells and all the beasts inside. “So many more of these monsters. Did you catch them all?! How did you do it?!”

Eros had to resist making a disproving expression after seeing one of her Golem guards was now dressed up and had a mustache drawn on it’s once featureless face. Eros preferred her guards looking menacing, if at all possible, rather than some sort of art project made by a child. At least it wasn’t too much damage to clean, and it entertained her energetic guest while she worked with Claudia. The thought that Eros may have to actually get Felis her own sort of toy or subordinate to keep her entertained briefly crossed the Bakeneko’s mind, but for now introducing Felis to her position and quarters should be exciting enough for the...well, Eros wasn’t exactly sure what she was. A cat girl maybe? A cat girl with Golem like legs?

“Super Powers? I’ve heard of those...that's what other species call unique traits possessed by different species, right? The Harpy’s natural ability to fly or the Dullahan’s ability to carry it’s disembodied head might seem like a power to some, but to them, that is their everyday life. The same goes for myself, so I’m not sure what you might consider a Super power. But if you’re patient and mind your manners, I’m sure you’ll see something interesting every now and again.”

Eros was lying, if only just slightly. She had quite a few tricks up her sleeve that she could use to dazzle Felis and enchant her for a good while. But even the greatest of tricks get old if they are shown off too often. Instead, Eros preferred to lead Felis by her curiosity. By placing the condition that she behaved herself, she had the incentive of Eros possibly rewarding her with something. Claudia may have approached Felis with the stick, but that just made it easier for Eros to use the carrot in her leadership role. The head Warden could sacrifice a simple trick every now and then to keep her vice Warden under control, even if those tricks gave a hint to the strength she had been hiding since taking this position.

“And most of these beasts and spooks are actually criminals of Gaia or the city of Tsubar. Freaks and beasts that caused a bit too much of a ruckus for our liking. But these here that you see are the lesser threats. Akin to pests or low level thugs with above average strength. I’m still struggling to think of a way to include them in the Overseer’s Sovereign Reign, but with a little time I’m willing to be this lot will prove to be useful in the future. You won’t have to deal with any of them, so try not to worry about it.”

Continuing to walk down the long hallways and the winding corridors, Eros and her dressed up Golem would stop at a door not far from what looked to be a very secure room. Eros ignored the room, instead typing a code on a keypad next to the door, causing it to open up and reveal a stunningly well furnished room. A window revealed the city of Tsubar below, and let in a bout of beautiful sunshine the likes of which any feline would enjoy.

“This will be your quarters Felis. There is a lock on the door, but that is to keep others from getting in when you leave the room or just want privacy. I will provide you with the code, of course but for now why don’t you take a look around? See if it is to your liking.”

Eros’s yellow eyes observed Felis carefully. The Bakeneko had moved into the center of the room, but other than leaning on her cane, she did little else. She was like a statue, only watching Felis carefully as the golem waited outside the doorway.

Felis used her new golem friend as a form of transportation, as it simply walked behind Eros, following her, Felis staying on it’s shoulder as they walked around. Hearing Eros explaining about one’s racial and natural abilities, promising of showing her “SuperPowers” and the inmates… For once the Neko was listening to what was said to her and not forgetting right after, perhaps she was interested in knowing the warden, the weird and yet interesting creature that was Eros. The Bakeneko was already better than the elf.

While hearing her explanation, she couldn’t help but look around and continue to look at the caged beasts and be amazed how each one is unique and therefore had different “Powers” and such, before starting to imagine which powers could Eros have. However half-way through her speech, Felis couldn’t bother but bother hearing something she was unaware of.

“Yes Sir! I wait and you show those powers, and then we play! But what is the ‘Sovereign Reign’? and why is it hard to put these ones? And the Overseer was that all powerful dude or whatever that sees and does everything… right?”

Felis was trying to understand how the place worked by asking questions that maybe would’ve been of general knowledge, but also trying to impress with information about The Overseer even if she wasn’t sure about it. However they came to an halt as they reached a secured door and looking inside seemed a room with a bunch of furniture and once it was it was hers, she instantly started to dash around the place, looking at the shelves, cabinets, electronics devices like the lights or the TV, before finishing by laying on the couch, all in a flash.

“I like it here…” The Neko was close to sleeping on the couch before darting to the window to see the view and standing there for a few seconds before she started acting awkwardly, which was normal for her, as a warp gate appeared and darted inside it before coming in and out with a bunch of stuff, like food to put on the refrigerator, a playcube and a few yarn balls.

She’d put the stuff on the ground, before walking up to Eros. “This place is good. But I have a question… Where’s the bathroom?” She said as she was doing small jumps in place, with her hands on that place as she was trying to hold it in.

Eros noticed that Felis had asked a pair of rather worrying questions. The first question, what was Sovereign Reign? was the most troublesome. Felis hadn’t even been briefed as to what she was doing here or what this facility actually was. While Eros could give a general overview of what her facility did on a daily basis, it just made finding a spot for Felis in her staff even more difficult than previously imagined.  Overwhelming the strange Neko with too much information would just make it difficult for her to remember anything, and she had already proven herself to be mentally immature. Drip feeding her information might be best, but certainly inefficient for Eros’s goals.

But worse than that was Felis’s other question. She didn’t seem to have a clear idea as to whom the Warden’s served. Even Eros couldn’t help but flick her tail in annoyance. She maintained a perfect poker face, but the troubling news that her vice-warden had no real idea as to what the Overseer is and what he had done for all of Gaia was concerning. Such an issue would have to be rectified quickly and made a top priority in Felis’s coming education and training. The Head Warden continued to think through Felis’s education plans while the young Neko scoured through her room. In less than a few seconds, the once furnished and clean room had a pile of toys, snacks, and entertainment systems piled onto the floor. Eros simply watched Felis, a bit surprised at just how fast she could clutter a room but not all that interested in reprimanding the catgirl for simply unpacking. This was her room for the moment. The Warden would grant her staff certain liberties to decorate their living space how they wish...so long as it was within reason.

Of course, despite pouring a horde of toys on the floor in front of her new boss and dashing around the room like a kitten being chased, Felis still managed to surprise the normally unshakable Head Warden by stopping right in front of her and asking Eros where the restroom was. Felis even went so far as to do a potty dance, jumping from one foot to the other.

Eros’s smile seemed a little bit strained after that.

Raising her cane, Eros would point at a small hallway next to the door.

“I believe this one has its restroom on the last door on the right. It should be properly stocked, but please use the form outside the door to request proper toiletries should they not be readily available.”

Eros would give the room one final look, her yellow eyes lingering on the mountain of stuff that wasn’t there just a few minutes ago.

“When you can, please put your toys wherever you are going to put them and get things in order. I’ll send someone to stop by in the morning, and after you’ve eaten we will talk a bit more as to how I will train you. Now, is there anything else you would like to ask me before I leave for the day?”

Eros tapped her cane back to the floor, leaning on it as she peered at Felis’s dancing form. She had a teasing smile on her lips, knowing quite well that Felis had some place she probably needed to be, unless she wanted a new mess she would have to clean off the floor.

This was all pretty much a trap, all a clever lie to trick Felis. Had she ever found out about where she was being sent, she would never go along with it and wouldn’t meet her new and funny boss and best friend Eros. So while she was lied to it was also beneficial to her in some way. However knowing her supporior, this was also a way to Felis and the blame for her into someone else as a way to never deal with her anymore.

Of course since the Neko never really cared about learning all that before from that damn elf, so now that Eros asked about it, Felis was more interested, but she didn’t know anything about it since she didn’t care about it until now. Well at least about the Great Overseer, but she couldn’t really say about Sovereign Reign, not remembering being ever told about it or maybe she was… and just didn’t remember.

However there was something she found WAY more important than all of that, something that was actually messing with her body and not making her think straight, which was the feeling of using the Restroom. She quietly asked Eros for directions to the WC, and upon hearing them she slowly started walking away while hearing what she was saying. After she finished, she stopped and turned to her direction. “Uh… No-I-Don't-Think-So, BYEEEE!!!” She exclaimed it all, almost in a single word in a hurry, as in a sudden flash she disappeared into the bathroom. In the middle of the silence, she screamed “WHEN CAN I SEE YOU AGAIN-NYAN?!”

After being done, she used her warp gates to go to her room and clean all her toys and snacks, while she tried to make Eros think that she was still in the bathroom, even though the ruckus she was making could be somewhat hearable…

And just like that, Felis was gone. The young newbie had made a mad dash for the restroom and slammed the door hard enough to disrupt her mountain of toys on the floor. The Bakeneko only smiled to herself before resting her cane on her shoulder and turned to make her leave. Just as her gloved hand touched the doorknob, Felis would suddenly erupt a thunderous question that echoed into the main room of the complex. Eros only blinked once before turning the knob and pulling the door open to leave.

“I’ll be in touch, Felis! I mentioned I would send someone to meet you in the morning didn’t I? They will bring you to my office. Don’t do anything too messy until we see each other again, alright?”

With her question answered, Eros would finally make her leave, but not without hearing the subtle movements of someone packing things away in a totally different room. Eros would peek inside one final time and see that the restroom door was still closed, but those feline ears could definitely hear the sound of toys being clicked together and candy being moved.

So, she has mobility powers as well...Claudia certainly gave me a tough project to work on this time.

To be continued…