"If trashing the pizza place turns out to have been totally useless I will maybe feel a little bad about that, but whatever, I didn't know I was a superhero at the time."

<You didn't know you could remove the mind control; stopping them from making any more pizza was a reasonable fallback. If we go somewhere with more privacy I can give you that full explanation I promised. My name is Minerva, by the way.>

"Nice to meet you. In an incredibly surreal kind of way. I'm assuming you know my name already because you know a lot of things. Sure, let's go talk; do you have somewhere in mind?"

<I don't actually know your human name, just that you're the Lunar Guardian. And unfortunately acquiring real estate is not one of the things being a cat is convenient for. If you'd prefer somewhere other than your house we could go to the library.>

"—are you, like, okay? As a cat? Do you need like... food and a place to sleep...? Like I have to assume you've been getting by all right so far because here you are, but... anyway my place works if you have a way to, like, get there. Also how do I... stop... being all Lunar-Guardian-y, I don't super want to take the subway in this outfit."

<I can hunt alright, but a place to stay out of the weather would be appreciated. To detransform you can just say "mundane form".>

"...does this system have a—what's it called, use-mention distinction—"

<Oh, yes, you won't change forms on accident if you don't mean it as an incantation.> Minerva seems to know these streets very well, judging from how she's walking towards the subway station a pace ahead of April with her head turned back over her shoulder.

"Good! That's good. Uh, mundane form...?"

And the transformation reverses and she's back in her normal clothes.

"I am maybe going to have to pretend I don't know you on the subway because I don't know if bringing cats on the subway is even allowed and if I talk to you out loud everyone will think I'm insane—oh, uh, does telepathying back at you even work, it kind of wasn't clear."

<It works fine. You have to intend that I hear the words, but you don't need to say them out loud. As for being allowed on the subway, most people's reaction to something out of the ordinary is to do nothing.>

<In that case I apologize for threatening to hit you in the face with a pizza shovel.>

<You were under the influence of hostile magic and experiencing telepathy for the first time. Just don't actually attempt it.>

<I won't! Not unless something really fucked up happens!>

<I'm afraid a great many such things are likely to happen.> Minerva says, walking under the subway turnstile and waiting for April to traverse it. <Celestial Guardians are universally danger magnets. But I intend to ensure you're ready for everything.>

<"Universally danger magnets" is not the most heartening phrase I've ever heard, gotta say.>

<It really isn't, is it.> A couple people stare at Minerva, but as she predicted none of them are sufficiently bothered by her existence to try to pick her up about it.

<Watching people have no idea what to do with you, on the other hand, is hilarious.>

<No-one tries to argue with you when they think you don't understand language.>

<Is that as convenient as it looks?>

<Extremely. I do sometimes envy the ability to purchase things.>

<I can buy you stuff. If it's not too expensive. I'm not gonna get you a car.>

<Thank you. Never fear, I wouldn't know what to do with a car if I had one. I mostly just want books and food that hasn't been thrown away.>

She can't help giggling at the image of Minerva behind the wheel of a silver sedan.

As she disembarks to make a transfer, she says, <Those are both things I can do!>

<I appreciate that. Will I need to avoid your relatives' notice, at your house?>

<I admit my parents will be kind of weirded out if I come home being followed by a cat and can't explain why. ...genre conventions are telling me I shouldn't explain why but genre conventions probably aren't my best source of information here? —also I forgot to actually tell you my name once we established you didn't know it. I'm April.>