Acolyte. Can't say heard of you. New to the game, or a behind the scenes type? He asks Or, do you really have some very odd parents. Not judging, but if it is your real name, it'd be unique.
Yeah, you caught me. I'm here because I'm the personal assistant to a guy who does a lot of contributing. I like to think I lend morale support to heroes though. He smiles at his own joke But, my boss is off doing gods know what. SO I'm Chatting with Pretty Girls and Potential Capes until I see someone I'm supposed to be trying to flag down or chat with.
Oh, you're... Let me try again She says, taking a sip and calling a napkin over to her My name is Madeleine. I'm not a superhero, just a low-grade TK and Telepath. What do you want me to call you? she offers her hand in greeting.
Bronwyn grinned, "Well you got me right back; yeah, I'm mostly behind the scenes. Not really here looking to meet someone, but uh, who're you trying to grab? I might be able to help you with it. Perks of being behind the scenes is that I know more than I'm known."
"Nothing I can't handle. But I appreciate the gesture," Whippoorwill says to Bronwyn, the tightness in her face lessening somewhat.
She lowers her voice. "Interesting trick you've worked up. Very nice. Anyway, there's a blind spot once you go around the corner past the men's restroom. Sign says restricted, but it's really a museum staff lounge. It's not in use at the moment, unless an amorous couple finds it."
Wingblade giggles. "She knows I can take care of myself. But you're right. It's my first dance, so I'm going to enjoy it for what it is." Her arms stay in the same position as the dance finishes. When it does, she does the best imitation of a curtsy that she can muster. "Well, if your dance card isn't completely filled by the end of the night, look for me."
She got some distance away from the boy, thinking that since she had caught a few glimpses of Bran out of the corner of her eye, staying close to him could be hazardous to his health.
Unfortunately, the distance put her back amid the circling vultures.
"Wingblade! Wingblade! I'm Gloria Canzater, publisher of Halcyon Haute. I love your dress! I had no idea you had some fashion sense! What would you say about doing an interview and photo spread? This summer, backless is going to be king, so maybe you could model a few of our looks?"
Wow, Tiffany really hasn't told her boss about me, Shayera first thinks. She plays with the hem of her dress, feeling self-conscious about it for the first time since she arrived. "Well, thanks. I don't know, um, let me think about it?"
"Anyway, there's a blind spot once you go around the corner past the men's restroom. Sign says restricted, but it's really a museum staff lounge. It's not in use at the moment-""Oh great! Could you actually join me-"
"-unless an amorous couple finds it."
Bronwyn's eyes widened almost entirely to whites, and her cheeks and the tips of her ears practically burst into flames. "Not because- Of course- It'll just... If we head there together, and out in separate directions - after like ten seconds - the uh, trick will work better.
Whippoorwill gives a half-smile at Bronwyn's fluster. "It's all right."
Trying to be as discrete as possible, she leads the way to the staff break room which is currently unoccupied. "I must confess I'm very curious to see the... switch? Transformation?"
"It's pretty quick, not really much to see," Bronwyn quickly removed her bracelets and set them aside, automatically reached for a pocket that wasn't there with an eyeroll at herself. Then she took hold of Gae-Dearg and in a flash-
Bran was there. His tuxedo was already on, broad shoulders, barrel chest and powerful legs knotted with muscle all carefully contained within the expert tailoring of his suit. His tuxedo was traditionally cut, though with just enough flair to seem more vintage than old fashioned. Studs of jet ringed with gold brought out the deep red of his cummerbund and stood out against the black of his bowtie. He slid on Bronwyn's bracelets, re-fastening his sleeves with cufflinks that matched his studs so that they didn't show, first plucking Gae-Dearg free from one, and using it as a pin for his lapel.
"I thank you for your assistance. Now, shall we return? Though it would perhaps be better if we soon separated."
"That's fine. You go on ahead. I'll be there shortly," she says, giving Bran's appearance in the tux an approving look.
As he steps out, she taps the feather hanging from her right ear. "Hey, Whet? Give me a rundown on this evening. Any crises I need to know about? All right. No, it's about what I expected."
She's back at the gala in a minute.
After tentatively committing to a photo shoot, Wingblade retreats to the food table again to grab a couple more pork buns.
She's on her second bun of round two when she sees the giant in the tux stride into the gala. Far from a brief glimpse, this was certainly Bran in the flesh. She tries to meet his eyes and give him a little smile and wave.
Bran's face eased into a warm smile at Shayera
Ugh, no helmet means I have to watch my expressions a lot more. This little domino thing is really just for show...
He strode over, head and shoulders above even the taller members of the assemblage, his sturdy, simply made dress shoes for once making him move more quietly than Bronwyn in her stilettos.
Bowing low over one knee, he took Shayera's hand in his and pressed a brief kiss of greeting to the back of her hand.
Looking across at her from his knee he murmured, "If I had thoughts of evading this convocation, then surely some madness held me in its thrall."
"Hi Madeleine, nice to meet you." Cassie replied, trying to place her from school and moving around so that Xander stood between her and the newly arrived figure of Odysseus' statue - she didn't want him to cause some kind of scene, at least, not one that involved her. "You can call me 'Hex, or Cassiphone - Cassie, if you like, and this is 'Mercy'. So, if you're not the 'heroic' type you're here with someone else?"
Well, for one thing, I think you're pretty great. and... you're good, but you can't disguise Bone structure. and... well, I know getting your school ID photo from the school website and reverse image searching with a couple engines designed for facial recognition does give a few hits... Sorry, day we met, before the diner, I googled you some. and then when that came up empty, I tried harder. Half the reason I took you, you were mysterious and interesting. she says.
And There were pictures with a few people. and since that MTV show, everyone and their Mum knows how to make a fake profile. If Alexis was capable of any level of deception, I'd almost suspect them. they display enough surprising competencies that the computer stuff might not be beyond them. She says
Well, My boss wants me to try to talk with the Doc, and see if he can arrange a Video-conference related to Magic-resistant construction. Any other mage-super as well. You didn't hear it from me, but before 2025, the Eldritch Academy might not be the only Hogwarts around... he says smiling conspiratorially.
Also, I'm trying to get a few of the Young defenders together at a table. Machina, Wingblade, and Bran for preference. Boss has a marketing deal he wants to run by them. He smiles
Lovely to meet you, Hex. She says And I got an invite in exchange for some gossip I heard that was very helpful to someone with a +1. She says, smiling. Hex, Mercy... that means you're one of the new superheroes. with the Museum, and the Park. How is that going for you guys?
Kaoru squirmed slightly in Alexandra's frame, torn between the surge of warmth at the nice things she was saying and the still present sense of unease as doubts continued to make themselves known. Alexandra's proximity seemed to be helping, but despite it he still felt tense and off-balance. "Yeah, but you're a PI, remember? Use to that sort of thing. Most people aren't going to go to that kind of length just to find out about some random kid in their class. And given that Alexis needed help setting up a gmail account, I doubt he could have done it. I'm sure I'll be able to figure it out once I have time to look into it. Even if MTV taught how to do image searches, I'm pretty sure they didn't teach how to cover their tracks." He took a deep breath that didn't really help. "So if you like all that mystery stuff, does that mean I should stop telling you about myself? Keep you intrigued, so you keep spending time with me?" The voice modulator apparently decided his voice should come out playful. An interesting choice. And certainly better than the slight trepidation he felt waiting for her answer. Weren't relationships all about getting to know the other person? He wanted her to know him, and to know her in return. But was he not supposed to do that? Was he supposed to keep her at arm's length to prolong the mystery and keep her interested?
Alexis replies without thinking. "I haven't killed anyone yet. So I think it is going okay."
The pregnant silence makes him shift uncomfortably on his feet, as Xander stares at him incredulously. "You are pretty awkward around people," He observes with some humor. "But generally, no hero kills anyone. That's kind of the point."
Alexis looked blankly out for a moment. "...Going to the bathroom. See you on the dance floor?" He asked Hex before stiffly walking away. Needing some space to himself.
Alexis let Bronwyn go off, still uncomfortable. He didn't know why. There was something that was wrong about the gala that he didn't quite understand.
Not the gala, perhaps, but how he was in the gala. He felt like a .38 Special trying to fit in a 9mm magazine. He was out of place, a bad fit, a weed growing in the garden. He felt too big all of a sudden. He needed air. He rushed to find space out by the balcony, trying to settle his anxious thoughts.
Alexandra quietly hoped the VPN she had used would keep Kay out. It wasn't that she had done anything "Wrong" precisely, But Kay might not see it the same as she did. It had been for the best, let her know the lines, know what to watch out for, without making Kay go through sharing the story.
Let's not worry about it until there's something more concrete. sounds pretty harmless to me, but Your investigation will give us a better idea. she says, trying to subtly turn the pair so they don't dance right into Nick and his dance partner.
No, no. I don't want you to start holding back information. among other things, it would be hard. and a little mystery gets things going, but as a relationship progresses, it's about trust and familiarity. She says, smiling Don't worry so much about what I want you to do. If I wanted an adoring puppy-slave, I'd have taken up one of those "Lois Lane" sites ages ago She says, Kissing Kay on the cheek, and causing herself to stumble a little as she does.
"Uh, yeah, I'll meet you out there." Cassie replied to Alexis. As he walked off, she turned to Xander and Madeline. "Sorry, he's got a weird sense of humour." she said, smiling in an attempt to explain Alexis' words. "But he's good in a fight and he's on the right side. Sooooo, you mentioned gossip?" she said to Madeline with a smile. "Care to share?"
Wingblade tries to keep her face neutral, but her cheeks burn red with Bran's gesture. Finally a smile bursts forth and a giggle escapes her throat.
"All right, Mr. Tall, Dark and... Taller. I thought I saw you around; it's about time you showed off this tux of yours." She takes a step back to take in his full frame. "Not bad. Who knew you could pull this off? But, I guess that's the advantage of being a guy, huh? You always look good in suits."
She suddenly realizes she never had a chance to assess the damage her flight did to her hair, and immediately begins fussing with it. "Shoot. How's my hair? I put some curls in it, but I couldn't get the charm to work right so I had to fly here like this. It's not too windblown, is it?"
Eyes still closed, Kaoru gave a half shrug. "I figure you seem to know more about how these things work than I do. Though admittedly, that's not a very high bar." He gave a soft chuckle. His eyes opened when he felt a slight pressure on one side of his mask and then immediately attempted to steady Alexandra as she stumbled slightly. "You okay there?"
Bran gently raised an eyebrow and replied in a voice very lightly dusted with affront, "I fear you may underestimate all that was needed for this sartorial outcome. All that was needed from me was to don the outfit and arrive, but Bronwyn seemed to find its design a worthy challenge."
Sure, just toss any old suit on a gorilla, and I'm sure he'd look fantastic, who cares about tailoring or balancing or color or... Maybe if I'd been able to go to this as your girlfriend I wouldn't care, but... I only get to talk to you while I'm him... I may be stuck in this stupid body, but if it makes you smile for a second, everything with this stupid suit was worth it...
His eyes twinkled, "Not having seen the initial masterpiece, I find it hard to judge the beauty left behind." But God I love when your hair's windblown...
"Well, My boss wants me to try to talk with the Doc, and see if he can arrange a Video-conference related to Magic-resistant construction. Any other mage-super as well. You didn't hear it from me, but before 2025, the Eldritch Academy might not be the only Hogwarts around..." he says smiling conspiratorially.
"Also, I'm trying to get a few of the Young defenders together at a table. Machina, Wingblade, and Bran for preference. Boss has a marketing deal he wants to run by them." He smiles.
"Huh. Well, I bet Bran'd be willing to give things a look with the Magic-resistant stuff, but... Marketing? I mean, Machina values his privacy, and I can't really see Bran as pushing any promoted posts on his Insta, can you?"
Movement, speech, stance, scent (when she's not using the same shampoos), he's so different as Bran. But the way he looks at me... Her stomach twists as she again remembers Mary Beth's words to her at much.
She finally shrugs. "Well, Miss Gloria from the fashion magazine didn't get turned away by it, so I guess it's not too bad." She looks around, a little unsure about what to do next. "So, um, you want to eat? These are really good. Or, you know, dance?"
Before Bran can answer, a rail thin man with a hooklike nose strides up to them. Shayera's smile fades instantly, only to be replaced by one that requires real effort to maintain.
"Miss Wingblade," the man says. "I must say I'm very disappointed that your team did not arrive together for pictures at the red carpet. And where is Machina? I need to speak with him about certain expectations I have."
"Overseer Innis, this is Bran the Blessed. Bran, Overseer Innis," Wingblade says, ignoring his demands.
His great heart thudded against his ribcage, excitement and a shriveling dread running through him at Shayera's offer to dance. Well of course I want to dance with you... But I want you to dance with ME, not with-
Ugh, this zángano
She considered going for a bone-crushing not literally handshake, but that's a bad habit to get into.... Instead, Bran held out two fingers for Innis to shake, no trace of any mockery upon his broad face.
"I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Overseer. It grieves me that such weight lies upon you that even amidst a celebration of heroism, you are so wearied by your cares."
Are you actually hoping for good publicity? Or is this just another moment for you to stick the knife in..?
Overseer Innis looks Bran up and down. "Yes, well, it's a pleasure all around, isn't it?" He doesn't look to be in an especially good mood. "There's always things to worry about, you know."
He nervously looks around. "Like a team without a name with only half their roster in attendance," he mutters.
"What??" Wingblade barks out, a little too loudly causing some heads to turn. Returning to a normal if affronted voice, she says, "So far, only Kilt's been a no-show. But he... might be healing up or something."
Innis looks down his nose at Shayera. "I've yet to spot Machina. And where is Mercy?"
"Mercy's--" She stops herself as she notices the tall boy over by the dance floor. "Mercy's here, but she's... well, dressed like a boy. Or is a boy. He's like, gender-fluid."
Innis follows Wingblade's eyes, his gaze roaming around the dance floor. He then turns to Bran. "Children these days," he sighs.
Bran's geniality abruptly chills. "Have a care, Overseer. No part of Mercy's life is worthy of mockery. And if you believe that Mercy's identity is something new or unique to this time, then you would do better to study among your sages until you have something more useful than ignorance to spew."
Just the Champagne. She says. Let's just enjoy this for a few minutes... until some fan corners us. Maybe We'll get lucky, and a villain will crash it this year... well, crash it and make a scene.
No, no. Not having them promote material. Merchandizing. Bran, Wingblade, and The strong one... Mercenary? he shrugs Are already marketable. If we could get the others a little more High Profile, i mean... Lunchboxes, toy lines, Posters. Funds their Heroism, and Brings in Business for the Boss. He smiles
and if I can get to them before Souvlakos does... He says Thank you, If you see them, send them my way?
Madeleine Chuckles. Very odd that one. But earnest. She pops another hors d'oeuvre in her mouth. Well, Three things really. I gave Sylvester some advice on how to Get Jenny to date him.. Told My benefactor who started an unpleasant rumour about them. And i told her What Gillian was hiding. Anyone in particular you want dirt on? My rates are very reasonable.
"Well, I can't say I expect them to say yes, but I wish you good luck I guess? Oh, isn't that Bran over there?" She pointed across the gala to where a hulking figure in a tux had his back turned.
"Better hurry. He's surprisingly sneaky!"
"Sylvester? Jenny? - Who're they? And Gillian too? How'd they get you a ticket? Cassie asked curiously. You're being very mysterious you know. Who's your 'benefactor' and why would they do that?"
The Man with the Scar on his forehead nods. This has been lovely, Acolyte. He offers. Shoudl you change your mind about me... I'll likely be here all night.
With that, he starts wading towards the false Bran.
That new, Huh? She says Sylvester, Sy to his friends, is from Oldtown. You'd not have met him if you're in any decent classes, or about half the time in his own. He's actually quite clever, If He'd stop cutting class... and other students occasionally. she titter a little. And Jenny is the tertiary lead in every school play. In the same classes as Sy, and not because she doesn't care. but a sweetheart, and hopefully she'll mellow him out some.
Gillian is a little Too-Smart-By-Half Pain in my ass. Goth, mostly to contrast from her sisters, Shorter, and kinda insecure about her appearance, though she'd never admit it. difficult to read too, little too much going on
Well, My benefactor, Sorry I don't think She'd want me to tell, Happened to have a +1 she used on me.
So, I've just shared a bunch about my powers. Dish, what can you do? Actually a mage, or is that a theme?
Xander was quiet briefly as the two women got to chatting, his eyes following Mercy as he leaves. He returns to the conversation after losing sight of him and puts on his easy smile. "I don't think that powers make a person interesting. At most, having the ability to stretch your body or lift a car or fly is just a talent. Me, I happen to have a more refined palate than most people. It's a talent, but I don't think it defines me."
"Which is why I suppose I'm more interested in learning about your hobbies rather than if you can curse me to attract mice or sneeze slugs," He makes his point to Hex. "Though I am curious at a minimum as to why you're hiding from the big statue guy using me as a blind."
Mercy looked at the moon. It wasn't a full moon tonight, but it was pretty much the only thing to look at in the sky with all of the light pollution of the city. It made it look all the more empty for the lack of stars to him.
A soft crinkling announced that Mercy had company. "Would you mind if I joined you out here? It's a lot, what's going on inside. Also, I'm hungry, and even if I can not smell it, looking at the food is difficult enough." The woman in the containment suit pulled up next to Alexis and leaned heavily against the railing, checking by rote to make sure no rough edges or spurs could catch on her suit.
"You are one of the new children, correct? I have been able to skim some reports. Are you the hacker, the swordsman or the lab rat?"
Innis gives Bran a look of extreme distaste. With a face nearing a scowl, he eyes the giant up and down. "I see that Wingblade has shared her opinion of me quite thoroughly with you, if your first and immediate reaction is to insult me." He gives Wingbalde a withering glare. "I had hoped that she wouldn't have stooped to such underhanded methods, but clearly the girl is still a sulking child."
"Hey! I didn't--" she starts, but is shushed by the overseer.
"Given your status as a mythic being, I had thought to offer you a chance to become exempt from the SIDEKICK laws as Odysseus has. Perhaps even qualify you for consideration as a Defender. Now I will have to reevaluate my opinion if you can't stay above schoolyard gossip."
Wingblade becomes red-faced and hot. "You just--! Bran could totally be a Defender! And I didn't bad-mouth you, I just told them all you took me off as leader. He can make his own opinions, you know!"
Innis looks down his nose at Wingblade. "Oh, I see. I see very clearly."
Before the air in the immediate vicinity of Wingblade and Bran could Actually grow cold, A Mediterranean woman in her thirties, with a sparkling yellow dress, and a perfect set of teeth her smile bares.
Wingblade, Bran! How fortuitous. I was just speaking to our VP of IP's about you two. I'm always happy to see you in the news. And now you have a team again! She says Inez Souvlakos, VP of Marketing for Gleeco. Where Are Machina, and Hex? I'd love to run something by you, if you've the time. she is all smiles
"Think back, sir, upon the words that were exchanged, and you may recall that while I spoke of your words as nought but ignorance, never did I say that that was all you were capable of. If you take offense at the idea of expanding your vision and understanding of the world..." Bran shrugged heavily, "Well, blessings be upon you in any case."
***
Bran looks warily at the beaming VP. "I suppose this is a better time than most. What is your offer?"
"Indeed," Overseer Innis says, hardly cowed or persuaded. He then excuses himself completely heedless to the seething glare Wingblade is giving him.
==========
Just the Champagne. She says. Let's just enjoy this for a few minutes... until some fan corners us. Maybe We'll get lucky, and a villain will crash it this year... well, crash it and make a scene.
There's a loud sputter behind Alexandra and Kaoru. "Is that alcohol? Are you underage drinking here at the Superheroes Gala?" raises a voice with just the right amount of pomposity to make it really grating.
"Silver Shadow," says SIDEKICK Overseer Fleming Innis. "Getting a head start on your family's alcoholism, I see." He lets out a scathingly disappointed sigh.
"Before you thoroughly embarrass yourself, you need to find your absent leader and have him assemble your <ahem> team for the media gathered outside. There were supposed to be photo ops that your team missed."
* * *
Wingblade had been trying to calm down by heading over to the pastry and dessert table and sampling a few of the goodies when Ms. Souvlakos appeared.
She wipes the petit fours' icing off the corner of her lip while shrugging at the question of where Hex and Machina were. "They're around," she says, about to find an excuse to blow her off, then blinks in surprise as Bran asks about her offer. She glances up at him briefly, then turns to hear Inez out.
Alexandra smirks. What else is there to do, when someone gets into a duel of words with the Silver Shadow. Oh, Overseer, didn't expect to see you here! Figured you'd be busy with important work, Especially as the SCA will be attempting to do what we superheroes usually handle. But I'm glad to see you here. Everyone deserves a break. she says.
Her next words needed to be chosen carefully. Break him, embarrass him. Leave him where he can't retaliate in front of the crowd without loosing face. [i]Now where are the fun psychological vulnerabilities. Super-Envy, A bit of insecurity, if he's flexing his power over children... what do I know that could embarrass him.[/ooc]
Inez nods, and gets her phone out. We'll, we've been working on a new line of 2.75 inch toys, like we made for the defenders. Honestly, we've had preliminary designs for Wingblade for nearly a year now, and if We could get Bran and Hex to start as well, the full team if you three go off well. She says,
We would have to flesh out your precise share, what ypou woudl get, maybe 5% of net... But let's just start with some talks about willingness, and maybe some stuff about poses and equipment... she gestures to the buffet table Perhaps over food?
Bran's discomfort in no way eased.
Okay, it's not like I don't have a Silver Series Whippoorwill somewhere in my room... And athletes do endorsement deals and things like this all the time. Part of being a hero really can be setting an example. Still... I know I might be treading a fine line with what I do as Bran, but... I mean I can't let them literally sell idols of me, right?!
"It is far from what I am here to do..." he glanced over at Wingblade, "but I suppose I could at least hear what you have to say. Wingblade, do you have any experience with such matters?"
Alexis blinks under his domino mask, confused about who was speaking to him. She certainly wasn't dressed up. Though he wondered how she ate or drank in such a suit. Or cleaned up.
"I'm Mercy," He confirmed, getting quieter. He didn't know her. Didn't understand what she wanted.
"...who are you?" He asked.
"Ah, I am Volcana. It is a silly name, I am quite aware." The amusement that could have been in her voice was entirely flattened out by the time it could have made it out of the speaker set into the collarbone of her suit "I had a path not dissimilar to yours when I joined my team. It can be difficult, getting them to trust you. Harder once you have already hurt them. Is this your experience, Mercy?"
Hex smiles. "Well, I don't really have time for hobbies any more," she says in reply to Xander's comment. "Not with all the stuff that's been happening and school and everything. I was trying to learn an instrument, but I haven't been keeping it up over the last couple of weeks.. I did design this dress though." she says, giving a little twirl. "As for 'statue-man', he doesn't like for some reason. It's weird because I'm obviously so likable."
"Huh. Maybe he just doesn't like women who use magic. He's got that history. In which case, he's a prejudiced ass who you shouldn't care about," Xander tells Hex with a smile. "...Ugh. Excuse me ladies, I can see my father signalling he needs me to show up and smile to his prospective clients. Let's pick this up later," He tells them, gracefully making his way from the buffet.
Alexis frowned, confused and feeling awkward, looking down below the balcony. "I thought they trusted me. But they all treat me different because I changed. I don't understand it. I thought Kaoru would understand," He muttered, squeezing the railing and feeling the stone creak under his fingers.
"I want to be normal. But I also want to help. I want to be a hero, but I want to fall in love and have a happy ending." He closed his eyes. "I want there to be happy endings. Instead of more pain and anger and people fighting other people. I don't want to need to fight."
Smiling smugly, the Overseer sniffs. "Are you implying that it's my job to go running around, jumping from rooftop to rooftop? No, Miss Shadow, I am the Overseer of the SIDEKICK program. Which means that you follow my directives so that you are free to swing about like your father and grandfather once did."
Deliberately confiscating the champagne flute from Alexandra's hands, he says, "So my important work is right here. Keeping you lot in line."
Wingblade felt a crazy amount of nervousness radiate off of Bran. She's just talking about kids' toys. What's wrong with that, I wonder?
She glances back to the buffet table, not as interested now that she'd stuffed herself pretty well and had just sampled some of the desserts. "Um, maybe just briefly? I went through a few pitches when I first started working with Whippoorwill. And she told me the whole story of the "torpedo-tits" model that wasn't the sculpt she approved -- some male exec swapped out with an old Winged Princess mold from the '80s to do them on the cheap and had the gall to claim it was meant to be flattering."
She gets a cheeky grin. "Though I'd personally love to see a 'Baby Bran' chibi doll. He'd be sooooo cwute!"
Cassie stood at the table for a few moments as Xavier moved off and glanced around the room to see if she could spot any of her team mates. Seeing Bran and Wingblade engaged in a conversation with a woman in a yellow dress. Cassie frowned at the sight of Shayera's dress, it was sure to draw attention away from herself, and her more modest choice but, with luck, she'd be able to use Wingblade's wings and Bran's size to avoid Odysseus' attention. Excusing herself, she made her way over to join them, doing her best to stay out of Odysseus' line of sight. Joining the conversation "Hi guys, meet anyone interesting yet? she greeted them, making sure that Wingblade and Bran were between her and the statue. Turning to the woman she held out her hand. [b]"Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Cassiphone or, 'Hex' I guess, if you like code-names.
"Well that is simply foolish. One of the few great truths that is of any use is that nothing ends. Everything is a reaction to what has gone before. You changed, why should they not treat you different? Seeing someone change into a living weapon from the boy they thought they knew is an event worth noting. I have changed, more than once. I would not want to be treated as what I once was.
"I do not know which one Kaoru is, but it sounds like she took what she saw with difficulty. Give her time. Give yourself time as well. Do not try to rush towards a happy ending when endings do not exist."
***
Bran gave a startled smile at the idea of chibi-Bran, very glad to move on from tits torpedo-shaped or otherwise, but before he could ask Shayera to elaborate on her experiences, Cassie approached. Gah! If I don't do the hand thing is that weird? Shayera and I have worked together a lot longer, maybe people will understand that? No... even when we didn't do **anything** Shaun thought we -umm, Bran-we- were together...
With a smile he knelt to dwarf Cassie's hand in his, barely brushing her knuckles with his lips. A spidery feeling of anxiety jagged across the inside of his chest, and a fuzziness tugged at the edge of his vision, but he was all warmth and placidity by the time he rose. "It is wonderful to see you here, Cassiphone, you are truly a vision. This is Inez Souvlakos. She intends to make toys of us, though the details of such an undertaking are quite beyond me."
The moment the song had ended, Kaoru had pulled away from Alexandra and then murmured something about needing to get a bite to eat. His stomach was churning wildly, and he was really hoping to find something with ginger to try to settle it. He felt weirdly flushed, and the full face mask was feeling oppressively close to his face. He had managed to find some sweet but kind of spicy ginger chews by the desert table and was trying to focus on their flavor rather than his desire to vomit while he waited for a member of the serving staff to return with some ginger ale.
When that didn't seem to help, he focused instead on watching the people around him. Chloe had found some kinda short guy with dark blue skin and long white hair to dance with. He apparently had some kind of levitation or flying power as every time he went to spin her, his feet left the ground just enough for Chloe to pass easily under his raised arm without needing to duck. Judging by her smile, she was loving the gala. And why wouldn't she? She loved any excuse to go out dancing.
He pulled uncomfortably at the collar of his shirt. Why was it so hot in here? And why did no one else seem bothered by it? It still felt like everyone was staring at him. Somehow able to see his flushed face despite the mask covering all of it. God, couldn't this whole thing just be over already? He glanced at his watching, grimacing as it revealed that it had barely started. Ugh, where was that server with his drink? Hopefully it would be cold and he could hold it against the side of his face despite the mask...somehow.
Inez 's smile falters slightly. I'm sorry you had that experience. but these will be modeled to be compatible with out Defenders, Alliance, and Heralds toy lines, and I think, if you look through those, you'll be quite pleased with our depictions of super-heroines. Inez says
as Cassie arrives, Inez turns happily oh, Hex. I was just asking after you. Hi, I'm the VP of Marketing for Gleeco Toys. I was just telling Bran and Wingblade that we at Gleeco were hoping to include you, and they in our latest 2.75 inch toy line, compatible with our lines for other prominent hero teams. She stops to catch her breath and take a sip of her drink. And if you three succeed, we could include the other members of your team in our next installment.
Wingblade bites her lip in thought. Whippoorwill had discouraged the whole toy/image/marketing early on, but it seemed to be an inevitability. Better to seize control over her marketability now, rather than let all the bootleg products continue to make money where she doesn't get a cut. However, it would likely mean that she, Bran and Cassie would have toys on the shelves before the other team members. She hoped that wouldn't cause hurt feelings.
"What do you think will be the time before the whole team gets released?" Wingblade asks. "And did you ever settle that suit over the 11" doll line versus the 'Action Class' deluxe figures? That sounded like a nightmare."