Candy Grrl stands, her face pulling the same awkward smile "perfected" earlier at the base.
<Super sweet to make all acquaintances. My unit designation: Candy Grrl. Chassis musculature and derrmis is Candium™. It replicates all the functions of humann tissue, but is superrior being several times as strong and rresilient. My hard candy shell is highly durrable, exact limitations unknown.>
Her torso slowly rotates 360 degrees as speaks, allowing her to address the entire group.
<My joints and musscle tendons are made of a highly pliable compound LiquoricΣ. It allows my torso, limbs and neck to be highly flexxible and to extended to grreat distances.>
Candy Grrl follows the lead of Femtite by stretching her arms high toward the ceiling, then retracts them before also taking a slow articulated bow.
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Percy was sitting with the others at an old style eatery table that had been left in the station, the iron wrought frame having been cleaned of any rust and burrs by a quick pass over of a simple incantation since actually refurbishing the piece would have been nearly impossible. A nice home cooked chicken tender from a plastic lunchbox and a heavy mint-scented tea. An odd combination for certain but it seemed to keep him in high spirits. "That sounds wonderful Horizon, I wonder what prompted them to opening classes like this so suddenly I wonder if it had to do wi-" He cut himself off thinking better of it considering he had heard that Horizon was part of the sentinels up until they sort of imploded. "Do they want us to bring our outfits for the super class? I mean those of us who have actual outfits. Speaking of which Ciao if you need I'm sure we could glamour something up for you. Maybe there'll even be a costume design class or something? You know like those ones for graphic design, awful but they let you tool around with things a bit to get the hang of it."
Percy is a bit shy to take the stage after such performances, having swapped into his mage outfit after the previous set of classes, his hood pulled so that it projected the shadow perpetually. He stands leaning into his staff to keep up the visage of some traveler burdened with wisdom. "Ah, I am Indarius, my powers dwell in knowledge of the arcane arts, and the spark necessary to tap into the aether. I have a variety of incantations and spells at my disposal, but for safety I will not demonstrate any here if that's alright with everyone. If anyone is familiar with the abilities of Doctor Infinity that would give you a decent idea of my own capabilities. Though every mage is different as far as my understanding of the subject goes." He gives a quick bow of his head and then shuffles to sit down again, hoping noone prods him for a demonstration.
Steel Guardian seems to be enjoying Codexes antics with the computer. But when Horizon mentions everyone enrolling in classes at Hal-Prep, they reply "Yeah, I don't think so. I may drop in for some exercises, but I won't be handing over my personal information for them to 'enroll' me in anything. I don't tell just anyone who I am."
__________
Once Indarius finishes their introduction, there are some metallic footfalls that precede Steel Guardian's arrival. Seeing they are late, and clearly being judged for being so, they comment "Had to do a security sweep to make sure this was all on the up and up. Can't be too careful," before moving off to the side and leaning against the wall, folding their arms across their chest.
Yeoman nods in a humanlike gesture of approval as the introductions are made.
The girl in the pink hair rolls her eyes. "I'm Skyler. I don't have a 'super hero' name," she says with air quotes. "I was kind of voluntold to be here. Anyway, I see auras around people. Which does me no good to, like, punch bad guys or whatever."
The youth in the costume with the bell drawn on the shirt goes next. "I'm, um, thinking about going as Ringtone. 'Cause I can amplify sounds."
The one with the makeshift cape holds up his hand. "Levitron. I can fly. Or, well, go up and down. I'm not really great at the side to side part yet."
Femtite turns to Skyler. “Whoever voluntold you to be here is worth volun-listening to. There is an advantage to knowing your eyes see what others cannot.
“And if you don’t mind my prying, was it your mother who voluntold you to be here… because she saw you can do what she cannot?”
Femtite’s question is asked spontaneously, but her guess at Skyler’s situation is quite specific. Femtite is no mind-reader (and could be completely wrong), yet her words roll off the tongue with certainty.
Max studies Skylar from afar, intrigued by the girl's attitude and abilities. She wonders what Skyler sees when she gazes upon her demonic form. What secrets does Devil Diva's aura reveal?
Caio cringes at the mention of "Tattooed Terror". "No, please. Just Caio is good for when we are here. When outside, in a mission, please call me... uhn... Lobo." He shrugs. Not the best name, but also not the worst, the the foreign world would also give a sense of mysticism. He makes a mental note to find someway to notify the silly anchors that "Tattooed Terror" is a terrible name.
Sadly, Caio also has to pass on Candy's offer of chocolate discs. "Not trying to look rude, but I'm not too keen on sweets... also, if I eat the amount of food I need in just chocolate coins, I'd sooner end up with a terrible stomachache and... become a king for the rest of the day, if you know what I mean."
As Horizon informs them about the change of school and the special classes, Caio is truly impressed, since he was already getting better opportunities. Caio used to study in Halcyon East High and while it was not a bad school, it was undeniable inferior to the prestigious HPA. Caio echoes Percy. "That is indeed awesome... I'll need a room in the dorm, please!"
Then to Percy, he continues, eager to leave and eat something, since he had not brought any food with him. "Man, I hope you are joking... I can't think right now of anything more boring than a costume design class... I'd be happy with some plain clothes that are resistant enough, or that regenerate... or... do you happen to know about illusion runes? My runes are all about abjurative effects, and while I know they do occupy a lot of space, perhaps we can find some place for some runes that would hide my identity when I shift." He adds, a bit excited, but then returns to the real word. "Though resistant clothes are still necessary... specially underwear."
When it is his turn, Caio takes the stage, a bit shy as well. "Hi, my name is Caio and I'll go by the name 'Lobo'. I'm cursed with lycanthropy... which means I'm a werewolf." Much like Max and Percy, Caio isn't keen on showing his power, specially because it is not that easy for him. "When in danger, or angry, or hungry... the wolf tries to take control of me and turn me into a monster. Luckily, I have ways to keep it at bay for now." Caio reveals his arm, which is covered in opaque silver tattoos that look like magic circles. "The wolf inside me is always angry and bloodthirsty, so I'll not shapechange for no reason... it is dangerous, even if I can control it."
"I'm much faster, stronger, and more resistant than a normal person. I also have enhanced senses. And hungry... much more hungry." He also ends with a joke.
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She snapped her gaze back up to Femtite. "Whatever. You don't have to worry about me being comfortable, whether with very-visible magenta, neon, or star-spangled bottom. Comfortable is for people who don't solve their own problems." The moment sat, but when she spoke again the brittle tone had left her voice. "Sorry. But yeah, I know that if I need you to... I dunno, not boil me or whatever, I'll speak up, okay?" Her eyes flashed along with her bright grin, "After all, I'm not the Neon Space Princess with all the powers and secrets of the Microverse at her disposal."
"Change-resistant clothes?" she asked Caio. "Oh I can definitely hook you up with that. Just give me some blood, sweat, and hair. Uh, wolf hair and regular hair. Oh, and what makes you change? Anger? Hunger? Monthly cycle? That can all help me tailor your, uh, tailoring."
Connie's outfit wasn't all that different when she was showing up in Hero Mode: some overloaded cargo pants and a crop top, partially covered by an asymmetric jacket. "I'm Conflux. I'm a mage like Indarius-" or close enough for government work anyways "-so if you give me enough time, I can solve basically any problem. Oh, but since the whole Bullets, Blades, and Bludgeons triad isn't big on down time," she tapped a holstered wand, twisted a ring, and tugged on a piercing, "I've always got wards and force fields ready to go." I'm also probably smarter than you, but also smart enough to let you figure that out for yourselves first.
Skyler doesn't meet the stares her way after she announced her ability. She gives Femtite a slight shrug of her shoulder when asked about who "voluntold" her to attend. "Something like that, yeah," she replies.
Yeoman gives the late arrival a look that manages to exhibit some disappointment despite the rigid robotic face. "Welcome, Steel Guardian. Thank you all for your introductions. I am called Yeoman. I was programmed by my creator to be a boon to mankind -- I was to be the first of a line of robots that could do the types of work too dangerous for regular people to do. Unfortunately, the second World War shifted my parameters to protecting humanity. I was programmed well; as I developed sentience over the years, I still feel those old drives as keenly today as when I first started to exist."
The automaton walks to the whiteboard and pucks up a marker. "Which brings me to my next question for you all." In precise letters, he writes a large WHY on the board.
Turning around to face the class, Yeoman's faintly glowing eyes regard each of you. "Why? Why be a hero? Why choose to use your powers and gifts for the good of others? This class cannot give you the answers. You must decide for yourself, because there are many ways to answer this question. It is my hope that, if you do not have your answer already, that by the end of these classes you will."
Why be a hero? Max grimaces. It’s not like she was given much choice. It was either that or hide away in the sewers for the rest of her life. At least this way, she might be able to win a modicum of respect and acceptance in this monstrous form.
She glances over at Caio, grateful that her only friend is attending classes with her. His presence does make things a bit easier to manage.
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Why be a hero? It was a question Percy had already answered years ago, though his looked like so mild an answer, 'Because we want to do good'. Now days that answer was just insufficient and he questioned if he had done good recently. Having injured several people through the loss of control, permanently crippling his childhood friend, blowing up and then holding together an exploded building. All of these things no doubt pushing the city ever closer to making this program, certainly not the only person to be the base of such a decision however.
His grip on the staff tightened ever so slightly the cloth thankfully muffling any sound that the tightly woven leather strips would have made. Percy sat up slightly straighter not exactly certain if Yeoman wanted everyone to actually answer now or if he had simply posed the question openly. Under his hood his eyes swiveled to the others checking to see if their expressions had changed or hardened at all to the posed question.
The question makes Caio feel somewhat out of place. He never wanted to be a hero and, to be honest, he still doesn't... even if this alternative is far better than be a murderous monster.
He just wants to live a normal life, and wonders the same as Yeoman, if by the end of these classes he'll have changed his mind and be able to answer the question.
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Femtite flits to the front of the class. Big confident smile.
“My mother voluntold me to come here because I am the only pixite who can live among humans. My home planet is of Jupiter’s proportions in comparison to pixites of average size, but to you, it is the size of a breadbox—which I understand is a vague voluminous measure of things neither big nor small.
“My original mission was intended to be diplomatic, but seeing that my heliokinesis and nanotechnology have proven useful, I now wish to help innocent humans. All I ask in return is that this benevolence is given in turn—that my planet and her people remain safe…”
She looks at Conflux. She definitely told her the planet is at the Romika Museum of Natural History. Did I tell anyone else? Everyone else? She decides not to blurt this in front of the class, just in case.
“And I enjoy being helpful! Thank you!”
Femtite returns to her seat.
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Caio audibly sighs and mutters "Puta merda... como ela fala..."
As Femtite orates Candy Grrl sits silently processing the question.
[糖糖电脑]:.. WHAT IS A HERRO?
[糖糖电脑]:.. A PERRSON ADMIRED FOR HAVING DONE SOMETHING VERRY BRRAVE OR ACHIEVED SOMETHING GRREAT…
[糖糖电脑]:.. THE MAIN CHARRACTER IN A BOOK WHO IIS USUALLY GOOD…
[糖糖电脑]:.. SOMEONE YOU ADMIRE VERRY MUCH.
Her head tilts curiously and she raises a hand.
<Tutor Designate Yeoman. Are you a herro?>
"It's about fairness, isn't it?"
Connie didn't stand or 'face the class,' but from any angle her voice had an annoyed edge to it.
"Or 'Justice' or 'The Balance' or whatever, if you want to dress it up a bit more. Your average normie is SOL whenever some kaiju, or alien invasion, or powered psycho like Shard or Dusk or whoever comes to town. Assuming people born with power will do the right thing is idiotic when metas go villain at a 5:1 ratio compared to the ones that cape up; and saying pretty please and counting on inner goodness and essential humanity is even less useful when you get to the threats that Don't Have essential humanity! Like attracts like and power attracts power unless you set things up to prevent it; no one's gonna make the world fair for you."
She'd been steadily leaning forward on her desk with each barb till she was almost pushing herself to a standing position, but then like a switch had flipped she folded back in on herself, hunching up in the curve of her chair with her hood pulled back down over her eyes.
"But yeah, fairness."
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Femtite alters the size of her heart pendant (a.k.a., her flying car) to the size of a cell phone. Its magenta dome window is opaque to everyone else, but perfectly clear to pixite eyes.
Earth language detected: Portuguese. <Sacred excrement! How verbose of her!>
She shrinks the pendant back and crosses one leg over the other. After Conflux speaks, Femtite turns to Ciao. “Speaking of fairness, I am still new to your world. I didn’t realize it was socially acceptable to speak to or of another in a language the listener or subject cannot comprehend.
“But now that I know differently, I will reply to you in my native tongue.”
Femtite’s body suddenly compresses to a speck as bright as the North Star. She exhales inch-long cones of fire as she speaks three full sentences at a pitch too high for humans to hear. Dogs can hear her, and she suspects so can werewolves.
She reverts to her human-sized form and sits down, one leg crossed over the other.
Yeoman is silent, his head making small movements to focus on each one who speaks. Before the banter between Femtite and Caio can become too distracting, he continues.
"I am pleased that at least some of you have an answer. To your question, Candy Grrl, I once thought that I was a hero, because my programming instructed me to be one. But as new concepts were introduced and my ability to question my own existence expanded, I came to the conclusion that I was not a hero, because it was merely programming. But now, I am not required to follow my primary directives. I may ignore, or even delete my original programming. But I do not.
"I am a hero because I choose to be."
Horizon has a small, barely noticeable flinch when Conflux mentions Dusk. Anyone with heightened senses or closely observing Horizon would have noticed his brief scowl, before he put on a smile and spoke up next.
"Yeoman is right that there are many reasons to become a hero. Those reasons right now may not be the same as later on the path," He notes. "I think the most important thing to not let yourself get caught up in only one reason to be a hero but several. If you obsess over a single purpose, eventually you'll find yourself justifying any means to achieve that. That's how good heroes go bad," Horizon warns the others.
"I look at my reasons to be a hero to be four pillars. One, to be a good example and role model to those who might look up to me. Two, to serve the community and aid both law enforcement and rescue services. Three, to protect and defend those who can't against others who would use force. Four, to give myself purpose for my abilities and to have pride in myself." He lists them off, recalling his mentor's own lesson on this subject.
"Oh, but don't feel the need to follow my example. It's just how I make sure that I'm trying to do the right thing when I'm at work. Though you really shouldn't think on it too deeply when you're being dogpiled by alien soldiers or duking it out with a giant robot crab!" He says to lighten the mood.
Max covers her mouth at the exchange between Caio and Femtite. She still snorts a bit with laughter. Fortunately, Shin’s ensuing monologue provides ample distraction from her amusement.
Yeoman nods his head toward Horizon. "Very sound. And funny! A robot crab!" The automaton clutches his sides in an imitation of laughter. "I can understand why you are the designated class leader."
Briefly, the robot's head turns to face Conflux. "Your idea is an interesting theory. It has merit; sometimes the forces arrayed against the Alliance are unfair. Having more heroes is a positive." He again returns to the whiteboard and starts writing.
When he is done, there are four words, EXAMPLE, SERVICE, DEFEND, and PURPOSE in precise letters. "Sir Horizon has provided four very good examples of what a hero looks like.
"Being a good example, setting an ideal that others can look up to. I have worked alongside some great heroes that have inspired later generations. The original Praetorian and his lineage. The Cat. The Pillar. Silver Shield. Ultra Star. And now Captain Stalwart. Perhaps one of these heroes have inspired you.
"Serving others is a hallmark of heroism. Helping out, and working together towards a common goal, without expectation of reward or glory. Though, the city does frequently recognize its heroes. But I believe there is a difference between receiving it, and expecting it."
Yeoman then gestures to the next word. "As Madam Conflux has stated, normal humans do not have the capabilities of standing up to the threats that Halcyon City typically faces. Heroes defend those in danger, and place them above the efforts of stopping the villain.
"This is not the last or final quality of being a hero, but having a purpose is important. You all have abilities or capabilities beyond most beings. You likely want to exhibit those abilities and put them to use. Being an example, serving others, and defending people are excellent outlets for you."
Yeoman's head quietly turns to survey the class. "You are all intelligent beings. I am not providing new data. Perhaps you could... explore what it means to you to be a hero? I am eager to hear what you believe."
”Being a hero means fighting the bad guys. Protecting the innocent. Standing up for truth and justice and all that jazz,” Max says. ”Just... being a role model for others to look up to.”
She looks down at her desk and falls silent again until Yeoman moves on to somebody else.
Wow, could she believe that less? If you look like a demon, you've really gotta either lean into the spooky or stick the landing on Stalwart-ness. This just leaves her looking insincere.
"Like, conceptually? Or should this be one of those essay prompts that's about our own 'period of personal growth'?" She smirked.
"Mostly its emergency responder stuff writ large. Protect the normies, stop the baddies, and do it without adding more s&&$ to the pile. It Should be about helping things grow towards a better future, but you can't redo the kitchen while the house is on fire. You know, turn your damage into something useful."
Deciding to throw Max a bone, she added, "Role model stuff can tie into that last stuff too. A lot of people don't look up at Captain Stalwart or the Praetorian and see someone like themselves."
Caio doesn't appear to hear Femtite in her native language, and when she returns to her normal size, he gives a simple reply. "I was thinking aloud... but you've proved my point."
Horizon's last two pillars are actually good and resonate with how Caio fells. He keeps them to himself for now.
Later, when Yeoman asks about what he considered to be a hero, he gave a different answer than the others. "To me, a hero is someone that saves something. Anything that is important to people, big or small. My grandfather saved me, so he is my hero. The same applies to a protester against a war, a firefighter rescuing a cat from a tree, a teacher helping a wayward student into the right path... ideals, pets, morals... all these can, and should, be saved. All these people are heroes, yet none use cape."
"It means knowing that at the end of the day you made someone's life better, or easier, or endurable. Hero work isn't always saving a life or defeating the bad guy," Horizon says. "Part of it is working with the people who can help those you've rescued and pushing to ensure that they aren't lost in the cracks of the system. That's part of working for the community - doing what you can to help in all matters. Even if it's as simple as talking to a victim to keep them calm until EMTs can arrive and informing them what problems you might have observed."
Mentally Shin fist-pumped. He was totally acing this in front of Yeoman!
"In another case, imagine you've just defeated a bad guy, but you wrecked an apartment building in the process. You'd want to make sure those families and people would have a place to stay for reconstruction, or help with repairs." He looked over at Steel Guardian. "What do you think you would do in that sort of scenario?" He asks, attempting to prompt some discussion.
Steel Guardian turns their head towards Horizon. ”I’d make sure the people were safe until the proper responders arrived to handle the rest. Powers and weapons like these aren’t meant to be used and abused all the time, even if we think we are doing the right thing. Save what lives we can, and get out.”
Feeling some stares boring into them, SG clarifies ”Think about it. Your example involved busting up an apartment complex? Well, that building needs repairs. Repairs most likely paid for by the insurance companies. That money would go to paying the construction crews, plumbers, electricians, what have you that would do such work. Sure, you using your handy dandy powers or magic to rebuild the homes in a moments notice would be a nice publicity piece. But for every minute you spend doing that, how many hours of livelihood are you stealing from other honest men and women?”
Conflux snorted. "If Horizon helps with repairs he's bad because he's stealing work from a plumber? I assume you send steady retainer checks to all the beauticians you'd otherwise put out of work by wearing a mask all the time? Getting into third degree problems like that leads to nothing but navel gazing. The real problem is if we have a bunch of electricians and construction crews that are on the brink of poverty if a few gigs don't get assigned to them, but that's one of those reshaping society problems that eye-lasers can't solve.
"Well, not unless you're talking overay-owingthray ethay overnmentgay, but that's what I meant about not adding more s$#$ to the pile..."
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Percy listened in quiet contemplation of his own answer to the question at large. Perhaps he had just been hard on his previous judgment to an extent. He cleared his throat a bit too quietly at first to be heard over the others as they started to speak shortly after. Everyone seemed to be making good points. Finally the chatter died down enough and he found his confidence.
"Yeoman is it possible that one doesn't just mean to be a hero to save others, but also to save themselves?" He let the question hang for a bit. "We've all grown up in this world knowing some of the newer heroes, and not all of them have such spectacular beginnings. Take a recent example to the solo-hero stage Praetoria. We've no doubt all heard of the happenings a few months back, not exactly sure how much of it was truth and how much was talked-up news, but all falsities are based in truth. My point being there were several bumps in the road for her including the loss of well, The Praetorian and Ultra-star. Do you think that aside from stepping up for the people, she and in part others step up for themselves to prove their ideals mean something?"
With his long-winded question posed he sat silently for a few more pauses giving Yeoman time to respond before continuing. "I think honestly that when one decides to be a hero deep down it's not just the common man that they're fighting for."
He wasn't sure if it was a good thing that he agreed to alot of what Steel Guardian was saying. After all his parents were just normal people, he was a normal person until he found the spell book. If they didn't work then he wouldn't have gotten into the school he was in, which means he wouldn't have had his avid nature for reading, and would have never found this book and become Indarius.
"Heroes aren't here to solve everyone's problems, but to show others that there is a shield trying to make it possible for them to continue on with their lives, to protect them until they can stand on their own against the threats beyond their current ability."
"I was thinking aloud... but you've proved my point."
Femtite hears the words, but gives no reaction other than to turn toward the class discussion.
“I tend to agree with Conflux’s point. In Horizon’s example, he is fixing what he has broken. I think no repair crew would bemoan this, while they would certainly have a problem with Horizon magically optimizing every dwelling in the city.
“The line between responsible use of power to abusive use is invisible, but one should know when she has crossed it.”
Horizon was glad to have the group discussing this in more depth. He figured this would be a great chance to let each other bounce their personal philosophies against each other and learn a different perspective.
Percy's mentioning of Praetoria however seemed to douse his mood, listening to what he had to say in full before replying. "Prae lost her parents for a second time that day. That would be hard for anyone to handle, let alone someone who has to then carry on their legacy for the sake of her family." Despite how tense he'd feel facing her again, he couldn't help but try and defend his former teammate.
"As for using our powers to do other people's jobs - it really is subjective. I can easily absorb all of the radiation in one area and then channel it into a safer conduit, so does that mean we don't need the specialists who work in containing or cleaning hazardous materials? No it doesn't, because I am only one person. If it's something you can do and you're in the right place at the right time, you should absolutely do it. But we're not looking to put hard-working citizens out of business by tackling everything available to us."
Candy Grrl listens impassively to first Yeoman's answer then each of her fellow students notions and examples.
Her flexible limbs allow her neck and head to rotate somewhat grotesquely as she follows the input of group from one to next.
"Though you really shouldn't think on it too deeply when you're being dogpiled by alien soldiers or duking it out with a giant robot crab!" He says to lighten the mood.
At Horizon's comment she tilts her head quizzically once again;
[糖糖电脑]:.. DOGPILE
[糖糖电脑]:.. HEAP OF PEOPLE FORRMED AROUND ONE PERRSON ON WHOM THE OTHERRS JUMP...
[糖糖电脑]:.. A LUMP OF CANINE EXCREMENT...
She mulls her processing looking somewhat alarmed and perplexed.
Slowly Candy Grrl raises her hand once again, elongating it to ensure it is noticed;
<Apologies Frriends. Am confused. How does jazz, plumbing and invisible lines build into components of a hero?>
Caio remains silent for now, finding the whole discussion about rebuilding stuff and construction works quite pointless.
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Femtite turns to the adorable candy fembot.
“Excellent question, Candy Grrl! The invisible line thing is my attempt at a metaphor, so please ignore it. But jazz? It is the most inspiring Earth music—ideal for fast dancing, fast driving or Rooftop Kung-Fu.”
She seems to wait a little too long to say “music stop.”
She gives Candy Grrl a confident smile that screams I am totally not just making up this convoluted metaphor as I blather.
“Jazz is heroic, metaphorically. It gets the body moving. Heroes move, like jazz, and are heard like jazz, and seldom rest like not-boring jazz.” She thinks a moment, then realizes what’s missing from her metaphor—and she’s pretty sure this answer doesn’t make her sound crazy to 7-9 out of 10+ classmates:
“Most important of all, jazz is teamwork. If the band members don’t work as a team, each playing their part with heart and soul, it’s not jazzy. It’s uncooperative, uninspiring… and weak.”
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"I didn't mean for that to come off as me insulting Praetoria, Horizon sorry if that's how it seemed. I mean more that she like other heroes are fighting to give themselves meaning and purpose. To go against the evil of the world allows them to move past their own-" His gaze flicks to Devil Diva for a moment, "internal strife. But I don't think we shouldn't be the only ones in this discussion." He motions to the others in the room who have been mostly silent, in an attempt to pass the baton away from himself.
Skyler folds her arms in a defensive posture, and shakes her head when Percy's eyes fall on her. "Don't look at me. But do continue; this is a lot more interesting than I thought it'd be."
Yeoman's eyes glow a little brighter when Candy Grrl asks her question and Femtite answers. "Indeed, humans use metaphors in their language. It is a fascinating field of study. We can discuss the idiosyncrasies of language later, if you wish, Candy Grrl."
He addresses the rest of the class. "Please understand; I did not intend to create an exhaustive list of motives for being a hero. Only that there are many, and what works for one may not work for another. But if you are perhaps struggling to decide," he turns to focus on Skyler, "there are other perspectives that may assist in finding your own motivation."
"Not all of those were metaphors, or you know, said by humans, but whatever," Conflux involuntarily corrected beneath her breath.
Candy Grrl listens intently to Femtite's impassioned description, then nods wearing her awkward smile;
<So being a herro is like jazz AND candy Friend Femtite! All the best ingrredients!>
Her voice modulates in a jingle-like tone as she speaks.
When Yeoman offers her the opportunity to delve further into the idiosyncracies of human language , she extends her arm with a thumbs up.
<Thank you Unit Yeoman. I have comprehensive understanding of humanity's taste in candy, so a decipherment of their language structures would be most beneficial.>
Yeoman responds with a thumbs up, using one of his digits to approximate the gesture. He then returns to the whiteboard and efficiently wipes clean the words. "I have been given the pleasant task of providing you with insight into the storied history of super heroing in Halcyon. Starting with the Golden Generation, the heroes of the World War II era were colorful, but inexperienced -- having no earlier generation to look upon as examples. Many turned to myth, of the great heroes of legend such as King Arthur and Udysseus.
"The Golden Generation gave way to the Silver Age of heroes, which then led to the Bronze Age. The late 1980s and 1990s saw a... 'deconstruction' of superheroics and many antiheroes with quite violent tendencies arose. Thankfully, Captain Stalwart appeared and brought a return to traditional heroism. The next generation will be led by you, and I am quite excited by the future."
Yeoman then launches into a lecture, starting with the heroes of the Golden Age and the forming of the original Alliance of Heroes. The venerable robot prattles on for nearly an hour, and has barely reached the 1950s without signs of stopping or taking a break.
Class is suddenly interrupted in the middle of a rundown of the roster of the Commie-Busters by a floating drone phasing through the ceiling. The small device sparkling with colorful nodes hovers in the air and rotates in a jerky fashion, as if it were getting a look at all the beings in the classroom.
Before anyone can react, the floating device hums discordantly as it appears to train most of its sensors on Horizon!
Immediately thereafter, a loud sound pierces the space in the activity room. The air shimmers briefly, and out of nowhere an eleven-foot tall being in bulky armor appears. The face behind the glass protective dome is surprisingly babyish, being bald, round and pudgy with dark beady eyes. The armor is bulky but powerful-looking, with a coruscating pattern of colors swimming over a dark grey -- like oil running over water.
The being looks directly at Horizon. In surprisingly conversational English, he says, "Ah. Finally, an associate. I'm here to collect the interdimensional criminal known as Praetoria. I am requesting knowledge of her whereabouts. I am Alcott, hunter across universes.
"Please comply. Use of force against me is not advisable."
What do you do?!?
Horizon is enraptured in the history lecture, his spiral notebook and sharpened No. 2 pencils at the ready and scratching furiously on the paper as he took copious notes. As much as he'd explored his own personal history, he hadn't looked deeply into other notable heroes and conflicts so this was a bit refreshing.
It's not until one of the other teammates speaks up about the drone that Horizon stops notetaking and looks up into it. He's confused as it seems to train on him and wondering if he should take it down before the figure steps out of shimmering space, towering over the rest of the group.
His hand raises up as a signal to the others - pinky and thumb touching, the other three extended upwards. A sign to hold in place, one of the basic ones he'd described in Unity Station for when direct communication might be too slow. He hoped they would all remember and not jump the gun.
He thought about responding in Japanese to buy a few seconds to think, but that would probably be rude. "It is nice to meet you, Alcott. I believe that I have heard of you from another associate of mine. Your reputation precedes you," He says, wishing Triplight was here to back him up. They would know enough to guide him here.
"I apologize, but local laws and customs prohibit me from aiding foreign or independent hunters without first understanding the charges being made, by which government and the likely punishments and penalties should they be convicted," He informed Alcott to try and figure out a way to get through this without a fight and without throwing Praetoria under the bus. "It will have to be recorded in a format readable for this place's level of technology as well."
Max had been about to doze off during the interminable lecture when the armored being's sudden appearance puts her on high alert. Her first instinct is to leap up to smash the intruder, but she sees Horizon's signal and holds herself back.
When Horizon tries to get Alcott to reveal more of their purpose here, Max chimes in. "Yeah, uh, and the people of this world aren't exactly the brightest bunch. So, uh, use small words so we all can understand. Uh, please?" The devilish girl gives her best innocent-looking smile.
There is nothing more useless than a broad strokes history lecture from someone who lived through it... Toss it into a blender with enough other similar personal accounts and maybe you get some sort of useful history smoothie out of it?? Even then you really need someone to fact check this kind of thing, but I guess this is 'Be A Good Little Superhero 101,' so objectivity and bias aren't exactly their first considerations...
"Hey I'm just curious, how close do you have to get to the Praetoria that has followed along a particular chain of consciousness? Like, after her inter-dimensional crimes, if she has toast for breakfast instead of grapefruit, which one carries legal responsibility among Multiuniversal Hunters? We'd hate to send you after the wrong entity while attempting full compliance."
While she stalled, she gave Alcott's suit the once-over, then circled back for a twice-over to make sure. Engineering wasn't her strong point, but luckily, sufficiently advanced technology was pretty indistinguishable from magic so...
Alcott looms over Horizon while the small drone drops into a small socket in the back of his armor. His head moves slightly to regard Max briefly as she speaks.
"I'll do you one better," he says, as everyone is hit with a sudden vision in their minds. It's hyper-real -- somehow the vision is ingrained as hard-line Truth -- authenticated and verified in a way that settles any internal doubt that what they're viewing really happened -- but also augmented as names and valuations are overlaid upon each of the figures in the vision.
On Luz-7 a fully licensed sale of Princess Ai'leyla Tey'vala Unitas rightful leader of Tecla-Valpaar, the Glorious Jewel of Y'sahth, for a minimum bid of 1.2 billion standard currency units, was disrupted by the being known as Praetoria (formerly valued at 500,00 scu -- now with penalties and sanctions only valued at 125,000 scu).
Her actions on Luz-7 on the 1544th Basic Time Unit of the 745th Chron-Cycle resulted in three ^5 ultra infractions: Grand Theft of Auction-house Property; Transportation of Stolen Chattel; and the most heinous of crimes on Luz-7, Disruption of Commerce. Punishment involves reimbursement of all lost proceeds and expenses of the prosecution -- plus interest.
After you all have a moment to process the visions, Alcott makes a pointed glance at Devil Diva. "There you go. No words at all, so I trust you understand."
Turning back to face Horizon, Alcott's pudgy face stays in calm control. "Now, you will tell me of the location of Praetoria, or I will use less-pleasant means of extracting the information I require."
What do you do, Horizon??
Now that was disorientating! Horizon keeps his hold sign up for now as he rubbed a temple with his other hand. This made perfect sense - it also made sense that instead of finding Praetoria, this intergalactic baby-faced bounty hunter found him. Which meant that Horizon was again dealing with the consequences of her actions.
"That's a neat trick - I know a girl who is good with that sort of thing as well. Here's the problem though and you'll find that I'm not inclined to be false about it. Praetoria's not going to go with you willingly, which will lead to a big dust up which will cause lots of damage and cause massive amounts of headaches for everyone involved. She also has a particularly large family of powerful people protecting her. Maybe you could take them all, but then you have the Alliance and the Heralds and you're looking at probably thirty or more empowered people who you'll end up fighting if you go about this the quick and dirty way."
"In the worst case scenario, you'll be jailed for the destruction of property caused by the fight, which will probably be far more than any bounty that Praetoria is worth," Horizon says. "So, I will tell you where she is if you agree to allow her proper legal representation and to work within our laws to bring her to court for her actions."
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Indarius was stunned by the sudden entrance and also by the follow-up visionary implants. "So... wait you all stole an alien princess from an auction? Excuse me, erm... Alcott how does this still result in fines against Praetoria? Also do you factor in that the selling of sapient beings is illegal here? I mean I'm not an expert on all of our universe's laws, even less so those of a completely different place."
Indairus examined the strange alien creature, "Also even if we were able to locate Praetoria, which while not impossible, is still rather difficult for someone who can fly across the world in a few hours. What do you plan on doing with her?"
Femtite is clearly disturbed. “I don’t see how any system of law can permit the sale of a princess. I guess some societies evolve faster than others, but it seems nonsensical to hold a title of princess and…”
Femtite is a princess.
“…not be free.”
But her mother’s plans for her aren’t the same as… she shakes the personal thoughts. “Praetoria does not seem like one any of my classmates could catch or trick into meeting them. She knows she has broken an unjust law and knows she has the ability to avoid you.
“I think your time would be better spent on learning to stabilize the economy without using sentient beings as livestock regardless of title.”
The inter-dimensional bounty hunter takes a long look at Horizon. "You make a lot of sense, young Terran. The destruction that would result in resisting apprehension would be very great indeed. You clearly value the lives and safety of the denizens of this planet. Therefore, I will make you this offer. Provide me with the location of Praetoria so I can do this the quick and clean way, and you will spare this world a great amount of suffering."
Alcott glances dismissively at Indarius and Femtite. "Praetoria broke the laws of Luz-7. It is a commerce-world with the authority to defend and prosecute its own laws. I have been contracted to bring Praetoria back to answer for her crimes."
Caio is taken by surprise both by the sudden appearance of Alcott and then by the images in his head. Surprises like these aren't a good thing, since they cause him to be anxious. Caio doesn't like being anxious, but the Wolf inside him hates it.
By reflex, Caio's nails begin to turn into claws, his teeth to become fangs, his eyes turning yellow... he can feel the unease sensation of his skin becomes extremely sensitive and a chilling wave courses through his spine. Even as the image finishes, Caio doesn't open his eyes as Horizon speaks with Alcott, and he doesn't hear all the words, being so concentrated in keeping the wolf at bay.
As seconds turn into minutes, Caio remains silent and concentrated, his safe song humming in his mind. He can slowly feel the claws and fangs stopping to grow, so he feels safe enough to open his eyes and sense the situation.
Caio did not know Horizon and the other heroes too much, but he had a hunch that Horizon would not give Praetoria's location to Alcott. A confrontation with the bounty hunter appeared inevitable to him, but he would rather do so in another place...
“But… you’re not on Luv-7. You have no authority. You’re trespassing, in a school which means you’re violating child endangerment laws. I know this because this is my second time in a school building, and also the second time the school was invaded by a super villain. No offense.
“If this is normal, Halcyon City parents should consider homeschooling. But I digress.
“The American system of law presumes innocence, and your unlawful pursuit combined with the implied death threat to civilians leads me to believe your claim of legal recourse is… questionable.”
Shin flinches, his calculated expression breaking towards the threat against...well, against the whole of Halcyon and the world. It made him more than a little ticked off as he stood a little straighter and floated up to Alcott's eye level.
"I am a hero of Halcyon City...and I won't take any threat of violence against the people here lightly," He said to him. "We are the bastion on which people like you who thinks they can take by force find themselves broken on," He claims boldly. "So I'm sorry to say we've come to an impasse in negotiations...either you leave, or we make you leave," He finishes as he powers up.
Caio realizes that his own toughness can probably block or defend the younger classmates. He also picked up that Conflux has some sort of defensive wards in place, so maybe she could be used to shield them.
To Caio, the only way to end things quickly seems to be giving the hunter what he wants -- which is the location of Praetoria (or assistance in bringing her in). That would likely involve convincing Horizon to cooperate. The only other option to ending it quickly would be to take down Alcott hard and fast, but the alien seems too tough for that.
Femtite's sensors quickly fall upon Yeoman, who is watching the exchange with wide-eyed interest. But utilizing the ancient automaton to contact his adult companions might be too invasive for his systems. Secondary resources appear to be the classroom's intercom system. It might be able to be repurposed into a means of reaching the adult heroes.
Alcott twists his head in a neck-popping motion in response to Horizon's ultimatum. "Looks like we're doing it the dirty way."