Piercing blue eyes fiercely judged the competition laid out before them. Each competitor sought to win the day, but only one might be chosen.

"I think this one would look good on you," said Shara as she held up a strange bright white button-down top for Sonja to add to the current competition. It had a bright blue oversized color and came with a red neckerchief tied at the front.

"Oh and this skirt," said Shara as she showed her a bright blue skirt that would barely come to her mid-thigh.

"Truly?" asked Sonja as her gaze drifted from the pile of clothing on the bed to the offerings in Shara's hands. She noted the soft gleam in the girl's eyes, but saw no sign that she held ulterior motives.

"Yes, though that chainmail bikini that you are wearing is interesting," said Shara. "How come it doesn't chafe you, though?"

Sonja started to explain how armor worked once more then thought better of it. Was it not possible that armor worked differently in this world? Were she to explain the concept of armor, it might not be the way things worked in the world and thusly she would have lied to Scott's childhood friend.

"I'm not certain," she said after a moment.

The Valkyrie showed no shame when she removed her final article of clothing. The chainmail bikini was the closest thing to undergarments that she currently possessed. They did hold certain things in place to a certain extent, but the item was tailored toward bonus defense and not designed to uplift the masses, so to speak. It could not be helped. Her master was a relative newcomer in the armored fashion field.

Shara eyed Sonja thoughtfully for a moment then grinned mischievously. "We can't have you walking around like that... One moment."

Sonja blinked at her when she quickly scurried off to her closet then looked down at the glory of her naked body. "What is wrong with it?" she asked curiously. She swayed her body from side-to-side but saw nothing that should be hidden from view.

Not long after, Shara returned with new articles of clothing in hand. She offered them to Sonja and the blond girl took them dutifully. "What is the significance of this item?" she asked before she showed the cat-eared headband to Shara.

"Scott will love them," said Shara lightly.

A curious expression crossed Sonja's face for a moment then she looked down at the cat-ear headband in her hand. They matches the strange underwear granted to her. "I see. Master likes cats?"

"Yes. Let's accept that as the reason," agreed Shara lightly.

Sonja squinted at her, but said nothing. Instead, she donned her new apparel then straightened her clothing. "The time has come," she said decisively.

"Shall we away to your master's home, milady?" asked Shara in good humor.

"Yes," agreed Sonja with authority.

Back at stately Blackthorne Manor, Scott busied himself with the baking of a cake. He realized earlier that the cake ingredients were basically ready to be baked, but no one had actually bothered to use them. Rather than throw them away, he decided to finish the task. As things stood, he now held a bag of icing in hand and lightly decorated the cake in a bid to make it seem more festive. He managed to write, 'Welcome to Earth, Sonja," just before a heavy knock came from the door.

Icing bag in hand, Scott strolled over to the door. He opened it fully expecting to find Shara and Sonja on the other side. He was correct. They had returned. However, what he saw waiting for him was not quite what he expected.

"Uh..." began Scott.

Sonja looked him square in the eyes, as though to challenge him, then lifted her hands and curled them into fists. She bent her hands at the wrist to make cat paws then greeted him in a serious tone. "Please take care of me. Nya."

Scott made a choking noise and then his hand involuntarily squeezed the icing bag. Icing flew into the air then landed on the ground with an indecent splat.

Shara tittered inanely then lightly bumped Sonja with her shoulder. "See. I told you he'd like it."

"I see," said Sonja, her eyes still locked on Scott's rapidly reddening face.

Scott tossed the obviously defective bag of icing aside then coughed into his fist briefly. After the coughing fit passed he looked to Shara. "Why is Sonja dressed like a Japanese high school cat girl?"

"She looks cute in it?" asked Shara as both a question and as an answer to his question.

"Well, can't deny that..." said Scott while he did his best not to look at Sonja.

"Did I speak the ancient words of greeting correctly?" asked Sonja to Shara. She then stopped in her tracks, tilted her head to the side, and made her fists bob up and down slightly. "Nya?"

"You did it well," agreed Shara. "With practice, you may cause your master to become so excited that he will develop a nosebleed from the mere sight of you."

"Truly?" asked Sonja in a wondering tone. The light in her eyes began to sparkle slightly.

Scott drew back and threw up a hand to protect his sanity from such a wondrous image. Things were ridiculous enough without adding to the effect.

The girls entered the manor and Sonja spied the cake on the kitchen counter. She walked toward it, her cat tail swaying lightly as she walked.

"How is that thing moving?" asked Scott curiously.

Shara grinned at him. "When a girl has moves like that, what tail wouldn't sway?"

Scott groaned at her, and she laughed at his antics. Sonja, however, remained quiet. She gazed down at the partially completed welcome sign.

"Master, this message..." she asked him softly, her eyes downcast.

"Yeah... I mean, the cake mix was ready so I figured I'd bake it for you," he said lightly. "I mean you're the one who always cooks for me, so..."

Sonja bit her lower lip softly even as her cheeks reddened. A sweet laugh escaped her lips then she looked up at him, a warm smile on her lips. "You are so thoughtful..."

"Say that now, but you haven't tasted it..." said Scott with a soft self-deprecating laugh, "I mean, I was going to give it a fancy border but... the icing bag was defective..."

"Really? Your icing bag seemed to be working perfectly to me," remarked Shara.

Scott groaned at her again, and she laughed once more. Sonja, however, sighed softly and stared down at the cake a warm smile on her lips.

A moment of back and forth chattering dialog occurred where little was said, but all the while Scott's eyes drifted down toward Sonja's legs. She wore the typical knee socks one might expect from her attire, but she also wore a garter belt. Was she supposed to be a high school cat girl, or a live-action hentai parody of one?

He looked over to Shara and asked her a simple question, "You don't even have normal people clothes, do you?"

She grinned at him. "Normal clothes are boring."

He groaned softly once more. "Have to get her some real clothes, soon. If she walks around in public like that, it'll cause traffic accidents and impromptu dance fights."

"Dance fights?" asked Shara with a laugh.

"I don't know! Either way, her wearing that outfit would break the world and cause people to go crazy," said Scott lightly.

"Shopping?" asked Shara in a perky tone of voice.

"I'm a little low on cash at the moment. Have to do it soon, though," said Scott.

"I could buy her some stuff," offered Shara. "I'd love to do it, actually."

Scott considered her offer for a moment, but eventually shook his head. "No. I have to take responsibility," he said. "I owe her that much."

He went over to get Sonja a knife. She clearly wanted a piece of her cake.

"R-responsibility?" asked Shara, her eyes widening. Fingers rose to her lips as the light in her eyes began to dance. "Goodness."

"Wait, no... Let me do it," said Shara as she rushed forward. She took the knife from Sonja and said, "I'll cut it for you."

"I am capable of doing it," said Sonja in a mildly annoyed tone.

"Of course, but you shouldn't stress yourself out too much," said Shara. "Let big sister help you."

"Ah..." Sonja did not know what to say to that. Though, the idea of having a big sister again did feel nice. Even so, how would it be stressful to cut a cake? Perhaps it was harder than it looked? Scott did mention something about the taste earlier.

Shara took a finger full of icing then lightly licked it. A soft joyful giggle was soon followed by the words, "Yay. I get to be the cool big sister."

The cake was cut, and soon everyone had a piece. They laughed, carried on, and enjoyed the sweet taste of a passably good cake. However, at no time did it cross the mind of Scott or Sonja that Shara never asked why the cake had welcomed Sonja to Earth.