"Say what?" Duke's voice echoes the bewilderment on the faces of all, save Purrsia's.
Her face shows contempt as she looks at Duke, her eyes darkening to a brilliant emerald.
"I asked, how badly do you want to take Dragaunus down?" She stretches languidly along the couch. Kintarae and Mallory note that while she looks completely relaxed, her position would allow her to be on her feet in an instant if she feels the need.
Who are we dealing with? thinks Wildwing, unconsciously admiring her sleek form and seductive position. She flicks a knowing glance and an equally seductive smile his way. He fights down the urge to blush as she looks around at the others. A mercenary or an seductress? It seems that the phrase "femme fatale" applies to her perfectly. "Excuse me?" He starts, realizing she had spoken.
Purrsia sighs. "Let's get one thing straight. I hate to repeat myself. So listen up, because from here on out, if you miss something, tough luck." Her tail lashes in annoyance as she says, "Isn't anyone going to answer my question?" She pins each of them with a cold green stare.
"What is it you want with Dragaunus, Miss Purrsia?" asks Wildwing, trying to do as the other males are doing and ignore the lashing tail that draws the attention to her rear.
"Don't call me Miss Purrsia, please. Purrsia, Purrsie, or Twilight, I will answer to even Lady Purrsia, but not Miss Purrsia." She sits up and crosses her legs. "As for your question...Time for a quick history lesson."
She draws a deep breath, then speaking rapidly, "I am a mercenary/ bounty hunter. Before the invasion of Puckworld, Dragaunus called me and hired me to work as his assassin for a while. I did so but when I noticed that he was losing his hold over Puckworld, I decided that it would be a good time to scat. I went to him and told him I had been hired elsewhere, which was true, and requested that he pay me what was owed. He refused and when I tried to take what I had earned, he tried to have me killed.
“Anyone with feline blood in their veins knows when it is time to cut a loss. I left, but I warned him that I would be back for my payment. I went to where I had been hired and worked there for some time.
“When the job for which I had been hired had been completed, I returned to Puckworld to find Dragaunus long gone. I have spent the last Earth year tracking him here."
She pauses long enough to take another breath. "The day of the wedding that the Saurians interrupted, I had finally located The Raptor. I went and demanded my money. He nearly killed me with a lucky shot. I shifted and was found by Grin. When I was healed, I left and made two vows. One for revenge on Dragaunus and to return your kindness to me. I have spent the time between now and then doing research. I know of your feud with him and I am offering my help until he is dead or imprisoned...preferably the former. Any questions?"
"Yeah,"pipes up Nosedive. Everyone turns to look at him. "Would you mind repeating that?"
Kintarae rolls her eyes.
Purrsia smiles a sweet, but malicious smile at Nosedive. "Would you mind being turned into duck flambé?" She extends the claws of one hand. Nosedive gulps and sidles a little farther away from her.
Purrsia retracts her claws, having made her point. Then she stretches out along the couch again. She closes her eyes and appears to go to sleep. By the cat god, I'm tired...That teleportation took more out of me than I thought...Her ear flicks in the direction of the Ducks as they quietly leave the room.
In the room containing Drake1, the ready room, Wildwing asks, "Should we accept her offer of help?"
"I dunno Wildwing...You heard her...she worked for Dragaunus," says Duke. "How do we know she isn't working for Dragaunus still?"
"You heard her...He tried to have her killed," retorts Nosedive.
"In her aura I sense a great deal of blood...the blood of others. I also sense danger from her," says Grin in his quiet way.
"There, ya see?!" says Mallory.
"But what if she isn't working with Dragaunus...I mean we all saw the wound he gave her when Grin helped her a couple of months back," says Tanya. "And she did save our lives."
"I have to agree with Tanya. She did save our lives," says Wildwing.
"You are only for it Wildwing, because she likes you," says Duke sourly. Wildwing looks at him. "I saw the looks she gave you."
"That is not influencing my decision." answers Wildwing quietly. "Her feelings towards me do not reflect my feelings towards her. Right now she is a possible ally as well as a possible threat."
Duke starts to reply but Kintarae, in a mildly amused voice, cuts in saying ,"Children, children, don't fight." They fall silent and look at her. Her lovely face is thoughtful. "I have heard stories about Twilight Purrsia. She is very dangerous. But also has her own honor code. She has never broken a promise unless she has had to. She has occasionally shown mercy. She is also an impressive warrior. I have heard it said that she is the only one with what's known as the Twilight Power."
"Any stories about her origins?" asks Tanya.
"Yes. They say that there was one person who asked her story before she killed him...he taped it and left it to his niece or nephew or something and they made it public. I don't know very much but-"
"I was born on the planet of Catern with the Twilight power." They look over to see Purrsia lounging against the door way. "Those with the power were trained as Guardians, but in the time I was born and the ensuing years there was no need for a Guardian. Our planet was at peace.
“So I left the planet in hopes of finding some use for my powers. I aided an old mercenary who took a liking to me. He adopted me as his daughter and heir and trained me. He said that with the aid of my powers I surpassed him. He was later killed.
“I returned to my planet to find that the planet was a wasteland. It had been turned from a lush, beautiful planet where there was no want or worry, into a nightmare desert. I had been gone for two hundred years. It had seemed only two years to me but time passes differently in space. I found one old man sobbing beside his wife and children. He was dying. He looked up and in his eyes there was wonder. I knew then that he had been a Guardian but when I looked his eyes were empty of the Power of Twilight. I asked what had happened and he told me." She closes her eyes, her face reflecting the pain of having to remember.
"What happened?" asks Wildwing gently.
"Ten years before I came back, an invader came. They had thought him a friend, but in the end, he betrayed them. He found some way to wipe out the Power of Twilight from all who had it. It killed a great many of the Guardians and left our planet with out defense. Then he proceeded to use up our resources and harm a peaceful people. Nine years later, he left. There was nothing left and it only proceeded to get worse...Almost all of the people of Catern died that winter. The rest died as the year progressed. When I came upon that old man, he was the last Catenian left alive. After his story, he begged me to avenge Catern as the last remaining Guardian and Catenian, and to send him on to the Bright Paths. I complied because no Guardian should live with out his power or his family.
"I used all of my skills and found the person who had destroyed my people. By that time I had become the person you see before you. His name was Mardock. And I killed him slowly and painfully, all the time enjoying Mardock's pain. After that I hunted down and destroyed those who had helped him. Then I moved on and became universally known as the deadliest mercenary alive."
She finishes her story and walks over. She drops a piece of paper on the floor at their feet. "This is the frequency of my wrist com. Use it when you are ready to let me know your decision. I'll be at my ship. Twilight teleport."
And she is gone.