"You're... welcome?"

Hmmm. "There's a strange energy around you..." 

"Coming from a talking cat, what's that supposed to mean?"

It wraps its tail around its legs. "Something best discussed in private."

Hmm. Well. The books will be here later, but the cat has a mind of its own.

"All right." She gets up, more carefully this time, and starts putting away her things.

It watches her, then jumps down to follow. 

Is just walking private enough or does she actually need to get all the way home?

It waits until she's home. Once there's four walls and a closed door between them and anyone else, it jumps and does an odd backflip – and the air shimmers, and a jeweled brooch falls to the ground. The brooch has a large central disk with an engraving of a crescent moon and a series of smaller circles, with four circular gems coming off the disk – red, green, yellow, and blue.

"What is that?"

"A transformation item. If I'm right... Using that, you'll be able to turn into Sailor Moon."

"Turn into...?" She reaches down to pick the brooch up.

It sparkles! Something feels oddly momentous about it.

"Now, repeat after me: 'Moon Prism Power, Make Up.'"

"No, wait, hold on. What did you mean, turn into? Will I be able to turn back? What's Sailor Moon, is that like that- 'Sailor V' on the news?" Also you're a talking cat. Something magic is clearly going on, but Erika wants just a little bit more information before jumping in with both feet.

"You will be able to turn back. You can only access your powers while using a powered item – the transformation brooch will let you access the basics. Sailor Moon is one of the Guardians of Justice, chosen to defend the Moon and everything the Moon is part of – the Earth's orbit, the Solar System, even the galaxy."

"Defend it from what?"

"Any and all potential threats. Corruption from within this world, malice from without." 

"Oh. No pressure, then."

"You will have power, and training, and allies in time – I haven't found any of the other Guardians of this Solar System yet, but there should be one for each major cosmic body, except the Sun."

"Guess that's something." Let's be realistic, she was never going to say no to magic powers. "How did the words go again?"

"'Moon Prism Power, Make Up.'"

Feeling only mildly ridiculous, she repeats after the cat. "Moon Prism Power, Make Up."

And power starts to rush around her, the world she sees replaced by a sparkly void, a light suffusing her from within as her clothes dissolve and then begin to reform.