CS ST14 Friends of the Furry Kind G1

"Seasonal Task 14: Friends of the Furry Kind
(Or feathered... or scaly...)
Our pets are family, and we love them, so we didn't want to leave out our Senshi's pets! Tell us about your pet(s), or ones from your past. If they've never had a pet, perhaps there was a special animal that they met in the wild or a pet of a loved one that was important to them."

Google Docs version of story for easier reading: docs.google.com/document/d/1pL…
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    Jia was at her usual station in the Map Room, just off the the War Room. She was well into her third pot of tea and yawning a bit. She stared down at the tokens on the table, deciding she had to rework the team she had selected, as they really needed someone who could glide and Camilla had requested some down time after the last battle; aerial skills were not an option right now. Xaio was already on assignment and would be for a few more days. While Mira hadn’t worked with this team before, she was competent and Jia was sure that she would be able to provide air support just fine if she were properly briefed on their mission and the specific quirks of the members. She was absorbed in her next group makeup when Caine, one of her close teammates, announced himself.

    “Hey Jia, I got a present for you.”

    She glanced up at him momentarily with a raised eyebrow before looking back at the tokens on the table. “If you gesture between your legs at this point, I will make a serious attempt at drowning you.” Caine was a notorious flirt and liked to use Jia to stay in practice, though it wasn’t serious since she was almost like a sibling at this point, and he was friends with her actual lover. It was force of habit, really.

    “You’re no fun, as usual.” He sat on her low table, placing his rear on her map in order to annoy her, but being cautious not to sit on any of her little rock and gem markers she had arrayed. He knew full well how attached she was to them and he didn’t want to destroy her hard work, either. He glanced down and recognized the colors, shapes, and patterns in order to identify who she was considering; Jia valued Caine’s input in mission and battle plans, so he had practice reading her system. “Though you always make such loving threats, here I am with an actual gift that is not ONLY my hopelessly attractive self. I’m hurt, Jia.”

    She jotted down a series of names and short hand notes in her native writing and  scooped her markers back into their bag before she turned her attention fully on the Senshi known as Orion. “I’m sure you are deeply wounded,” she remarked. Caine nodded at her sarcasm, pretending to sniff away a tear. She feigned an apology, “My sincerest and most heartfelt apologies, Caine.”

    He slapped at his thigh dramatically. “Forgiven! Okay, really, I got you something.” He stood and walked across the room to the entrance, reached around the open doorway, and produced a covered birdcage. She didn’t, however, hear a bird moving around or calling inside. Before she could ask, he set it on the table and pulled the fabric away from it. Within it, clinging motionless to a small branch that had been wedged across the cage was a lizard of some sort; bright green and with three horns on its face. It wasn’t completely still; as soon as the cloth was flourished away by Caine, the lizard’s eyes watched the two Senshi carefully. They were on different side of it… this its eyes could swivel and focus in two directions, independently from one another.

    Jia couldn’t help it, she bounced in excitement, causing her ample chest to bounce with her, which distracted Caine for a moment before she spoke and broke his concentration. “Oh! He is so cute! Look at his eyes, I think he can see us both at the same time. And his color, it’s so brilliant and THOSE HORNS and his TAIL!” She went to open the cage door but stopped, sensibly cautious for a moment. “Is he safe to handle? Poisonous or aggressive?” She was fairly sure Caine wasn’t going to bring something dangerous on the Cloaked World where the Lady of the Stars was, and probably not hand her something toxic to handle, but… well… Caine enjoyed more excitement in his life than same and occasionally other considerations were secondary.

    “No, he’s not poisonous and he hasn’t tried biting me. He’s safe and he’s not very fast because he walks kind of weird. But, that’s normal for them, the guy on Earth I showed him to said.” He watched Jia open the cage door and reach her hand in, palm up, against the branch the lizard was holding on to. She nudged his back, near its tail so that it moved on to her, cautiously, in an odd, swaying gait.

    Jia was trying hard not to baby talk it or jar it about as it finished climbing on to her hand, but when the creature was safely on her, she slowly brought him up for a closer examination. She loved sea creatures and many reptiles because many of the stories, art, legends, and religions of her home world featured them, or dragon-type beings that often blurred the lines. Of course she also enjoyed furry creatures, but she had a soft spot for scales and wings. “I really like him, Caine… thank you! Do you know how to care for him at all, what he eats or anything?”

    “I do!” He produced a small book from a pocket, its title obscured by his hand. “You see, Roh and I were out in this jungle area of Earth along with one of the local guides, doing the survey you sent us out for (which, by the way, I do know was basically a job you assigned to get us out away from battle together for a few days).” Jia allowed a small suggestion of a smile and shrugged, guilty in this as charged. “Anyway, the guide was telling us about animals as we went, as we had received permission to hunt later, and when I saw this little guy on a low branch, he told me what he was. Well… Roh may not have found it as amusing as me, but I decided it definitely had to come home with us. When we got back, I picked this care book up from the local animal dealer as well as the cage. You can read it and tell me if you want help getting what he needs, since I know where to go.” He extended the book to her, trying to keep a straight face and failing.

    Jia set the lizard on her shoulder, where it seemed to decide to rest and start examining her glass hair bauble. Feeling nice and warm against her body heat, he started to lighten to an even brighter shade of green, which just amused Caine more. She reached over and took the book from her teammate, unsure what he was so entertained with, but she had no doubt she would find out soon enough.

    The title of the book clued her in. How to Care For Your Chameleon: a first-time owner’s guide. The drawing on the front looked very much like the lizard on now happily riding on her shoulder. She sighed in resignation as Caine started howling with laughter. This was a lot of work for a pun about Rhoot and her relationship to him. But that was Caine, dedicated to whatever it was he had set his mind to, and entirely to pleased with himself. She was certain that, when Rhoot got back from his own mission, Caine would enjoy teasing him, too. “Hilarious, Caine,” she remarked dryly as she re-read the title. “Very clever. Well, I’m keeping him of course. Even though I know you did this to amuse yourself, I assume he’s actually mine to have?”

    After his laughter subsided, Caine advised that yes, the chameleon was meant as a gift, as Caine was aware she did like animals such as this, and he promised again to help her get whatever was needed to make the new pet comfortable. “So, what are you naming him?”

    Jia peered at the chameleon and smiled. She wasn’t completely above a little innocent poking fun at Rhoot with Caine. She decided he could share his nickname some of his friends called him by around here with her new animal companion. “Mr Reptile, I think.” She gave a small chuckle as Caine laughed approvingly.

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MR REPTILE FACTS!

   Mr Reptile the chameleon was first introduced in a very sketchy BSCST comic (that sat gathering dust for a bit before I remembered to upload it XD).
He gets a rather nice enclosure that is still in the Dorado rooms today, though it's empty now.
Mr Reptile has a big crush on Rhoot XD
Mr Reptile will often ride around on Jia's hair or shoulder, but is usually in her room (as he's happier under his heat lamp than in the War Room).
Jia thinks he is super adorable and baby talks him when no one is around. Or when she forgets XD
At the end of the War, Mr Reptile is taken to Earth with Jia and proves to be the longest living Chameleon. Jia's daughters become super attached to him and he officially becomes their pet.

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Jia/Dorado nickyflamingo
Caine/Orion WingsForDreams 
Camilla/Volans KOSMOS-ver3 
Xiao/Columba snow-princess 
Mira/Aquila Animecolourful 
The Lady of the Stars nickyflamingo 
Roh/Lupus SailorAlcyone 
Rhoot/Chameleon LotusLumino