[b][u]January 7th, 12:34 PM Conrad Hotel, New York City[/u][/b] To say that Karen was excited would be an understatement. Pacing about her hotel room, she eyed herself in the mirror to make absolutely certain she was ready to greet the pair of girls. Not that she would have much time to change anything, if she wasn’t. She had all but given upon on Clio and Star accepting her offer. It would have been perfectly understandable if they [i]had[/i] turned her down, after all: that night at the concert had been quite frightening. There weren’t a great many people that would wish to place themselves in that sort of danger on a regular basis if they could help it. Sitting down on the edge of her bed, she shot a glance towards the door. Normally, Jones would be right outside of it, but he had been called in by management to discuss the additional security measures being implemented for her upcoming concert. Of course, he had left guards behind to keep watch in his absence. The timing was rather unfortunate; she had hoped he would be here to help with the interview process. He would undoubtedly be unhappy with her for hiring them without his approval. But she needed this, for her [i]mental[/i] health, if not her physical. While Jones was a great bodyguard, she couldn’t exactly relate to him on a personal level on most things. He could be quite aloof, and would likely find most of what she had to say needlessly preachy or vapid. He wouldn’t be alone there, she knew. With those two, it felt like she might be able to actually form a lasting friendship. When was the last time she had one of those? [hr] Clio shifted in her pantsuit, walking up to the man behind the front desk at the hotel and telling him that they had a meeting with Karen. She found that, whenever she dressed professionally, people took her more seriously. Today was no different. The man gave her an appraising look, and did a double-take whenever he saw Starfire, then said he’d see what he could do. Clio turned, offering Starfire a smile. [color=EF1956]”This is really what you want to do?”[/color] She asked, voice soft. She hoped Starfire understood what was being asked of her. Clio certainly did. She didn’t know why she was planning on uprooting her life to travel with a famous singer, but she had already made plans to call her clients and tell them to seek out a new accountant. Starfire was holding her hands behind her back, rocking back and forth on her heels as Clio spoke to the manager. When her friend turned to look at her, Starfire nodded. [color=c4df9b]”Yes, this is really what I want to do. Is this really what you want to do?”[/color] She mirrored the question back upon Clio. Starfire had been preparing to say goodbye to Clio, as she seemed like a very busy person who wouldn’t want to leave, but her friend was apparently coming along. This was good news but Starfire was curious nonetheless. [color=c4df9b]”Do you not have friends or family you are leaving behind?”[/color] The alien asked. Clio wasn’t prepared for the question to be thrown back in her face. She blinked, smile faltering for a moment. [color=EF1956]”Well, my family lives far from here. I left them behind a long time ago.”[/color] She hadn’t even told her mother she’d be leaving New York. Well, it was going to have to be a surprise. As for friends..she was quite a hermit. She supposed Starfire was her friend, and that would mean they’d be going together. Starfire nodded solemnly. The manager returned, with a security guard who asked the girls to stand with their legs spread and their hands out. Clio sighed, but did as she was told, and allowed herself to be patted down for weaponry. Starfire complied, raising her hands as the guard awkwardly patted her one top and her one bottom. Apparently the real trouble were her thigh high boots. Everything seemed to be in order. Checking for weapons almost made Starfire giggle. She could shoot lasers out of her hands and they didn’t even know. Once that was over with, they were guided into the elevator and taken up the floors to where Karen was staying. The whole time, Clio stared begrudgingly at the guard. He was just doing his job, but he sort of put a damper on things. She didn’t feel comfortable talking in his presence. When they made it outside of Karen’s hotel room, they were made to wait while the guard entered and asked Karen if it was alright for them to come in. Clio nearly groaned. This was quite a lengthy process, and if she were being honest, she hadn’t taken enough advil to deal with it. It took a good five minutes of waiting, but eventually Karen popped her head out of the doorway and greeted the girls with an enthusiastic smile. The security officer had taken great pains to ensure that she understood that her “guests” wasn’t to be alone with her just yet. [color=orchid]”Sorry for the wait, you two! Come on in!”[/color] said Karen, holding open the door for the both of them. Inside [url=https://i.imgur.com/9AG1R1J.jpg]hotel room[/url] was the security guard, who now stood beside the sofa with his arms folded. The room itself was quite luxurious; the company had paid for it as it did with most of her travel expenses. It all seemed a little extravagant for Karen’s tastes; she missed the simplicity of her family’s group home. Taking a seat on the sofa, [url=https://i.imgur.com/f0EuLHt.jpg]Karen[/url], who was dressed rather casually, crossed her legs and gestured to a pair of plush leather chairs that sat across from her. [color=orchid]”Have a seat! I hope the guards didn’t give you too much trouble. The company insists on having them with me whenever Jones isn’t around.”[/color] Starfire had taken a seat on the left chair, and crossed her legs like Karen did. [color=c4df9b]”They did not give me any trouble.”[/color] She said simply. Starfire didn’t know what to say. They were in an apartment that was much larger than Clio’s. It reminded her of home- especially the large windows. Karen wanted the both of them there, so Starfire assumed she had something in mind. So the alien looked expectantly at the singer with her glowing green eyes. Karen smiled to the alien girl and Clio, folding her hands in her lap. [color=orchid]”Wonderful! I’m [i]so[/i] happy you both decided to take me up on my offer!”[/color] [color=orchid]“Honestly, the two of you did an amazing job the other night protecting everyone at the concert!”[/color] said Karen, her eyes flashing with excitement. She then glanced to the tall, broad-shouldered man beside her. [color=orchid]”I, myself, am quite well-protected as you’ve seen, but I’m getting really worried about my fans.”[/color] Exhaling through her nose, she suddenly shot up straight. [color=orchid]”Oh shit, I almost forgot! Would either of you like something to drink before we get down to business?”[/color] Starfire was startled by Karen’s outburst. Then, she shook her head vehemently. [color=c4df9b]”No, no thank you. I don’t want anything to drink.”[/color] She politely but firmly denied the offer. Starfire learned her lesson. Human food was not for Tamarans. She glanced up at the guard next to her, then back at Karen. [color=c4df9b]”You can give a drink to him.”[/color] She said cheerily. The security guard grunted towards the alien. “No drinking on the job. Something you’d better learn if you’re going into this line of work.” [color=orchid]“¡Se amable!”[/color] said Karen sharply to the man, before turning back to the pair. [color=orchid]”I’m sorry about him!”[/color] Clio, who had been staying silent during all of this, shrugged. She had been staring off out the window, starting to feel how tired she was. Refocusing on Karen, she offered a wry smile. [color=EF1956]”It’s not a problem, really. So, what would this job entail? Other than...protecting the fans. How would travel work?”[/color] Her intention wasn’t to rush Karen. It was more to get answers for Starfire. She was almost completely certain the girl wasn’t going to ask on her own. Karen was sweet and all, but she had to look out for the friend who’d been living with her for the past week first. [color=orchid]”Right, right, the job!”[/color] said Karen, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She had gotten a little carried away with the hospitality, she supposed. [color=orchid] “So, Jones is not actually on [i]my[/i] payroll. He’s on the company’s. They hired him to protect me, which he does [i]really[/i] well! All of the other security guards you’ve seen were also hired by them.”[/color] Karen eased into the sofa, leaning against one of the arms as she continued. [color=orchid]”For you two, I want to hire you [i]directly![/i] I’ll pay you each one hundred grand per year, and cover all of your travel expenses! Unlike poor Jones, you’ll only have to answer to me, not Sterling Records! I’m afraid I don’t have a medical or dental plan to offer, though...but who does anymore?”[/color] She snickered at her own joke. [color=orchid]”In all seriousness, I’d be happy to pitch in if you ever get hurt or need any kind of operation!”[/color] Starfire listened intently. It all sounded good. It sounded like something to do, and if it was anything like that night at the concert, Starfire would be good at it. Fighting was her speciality. [color=c4df9b]”One hundred grand a year, hmm?”[/color] She pondered aloud. After a moment she leaned toward Clio and whispered. [color=c4df9b]”Is that a good amount of grands?”[/color] She asked. Clio listened intently to everything Karen had to say. She didn’t react outwardly to the pay raise, but in her mind she was doing splits and cartwheels. As Starfire leaned over and asked her about the ‘grands’, she grinned and nodded. [color=EF1956]”It’s a great amount, Star. You’ll be earning a proper income. I’ll..explain more in the car.”[/color] [color=EF1956]”Karen, would we be going across the Scar?”[/color] She knew the singer had never crossed before, but who knew if she’d get bold now that she had powered bodyguards. Karen blinked in surprise at Clio’s question, her eyes reflexively darting out the window, as if she could somehow see the scar all the way in New York. [color=orchid]”The Scar? No! Sterling Records would never allow that. I mean, I’d love to visit the Pacific Federation, but you know how difficult travel is these days between the Coven and Atlantis…”[/color] [color=orchid]“Not that I’m doubting your abilities or anything!”[/color] she said, holding up her hands. [color=orchid]“Though...I will admit to being rather [i]curious.[/i] What, exactly, can the both of you do? Clearly, you can handle a very…[i]aggressive[/i] mage if you have to!”[/color] Starfire looked over at Clio and then back at Karen. She’d never really had to explain her powers to someone before. [color=c4df9b]”Um...Okay. My people use the powers of the stars. I can shoot balls of fire that explode, or ones that don’t. Or I can run faster. I can release this energy in the form of force, or heat, or both if I concentrate hard.”[/color] Some of the words escaped her to make this explanation easier. The more she spoke a language, the easier it became to explain more complicated concepts. [color=c4df9b]”I can use it to jump. Jump in mid air. If I jump long enough I can jump out of the planet.”[/color] She added casually. [color=c4df9b]If I rest for a night, I can heal from most wounds.”[/color] [color=c4df9b]”I draw this power from four different places.”[/color] She began pointing to the different places on her body. [color=c4df9b]”My mouth, my heart, all of my skin, and the most important one, my Emerald.”[/color] For the Emerald she gestured to her belly button. Clio had seen the object in Starfire’s body light up once before when she collapsed suddenly on her couch. There is quite literally an Emerald embedded in there, and it’s the most critical source of her powers. The other drawing points being mostly supplementary to it. [color=c4df9b]”I think that’s it. All I need is your bright day star. Unfortunately it seems like yours goes away for about half the day, but as long as I’m careful that shouldn’t be an issue.”[/color] She assured Karen. [color=c4df9b]”...and I know how to do the punching and the kicking.”[/color] She added. Karen stared at Starfire in awe, taking in her laundry list of powers with a sense of wonder. [color=orchid]”Wowsers, you sound [i]really[/i] powerful, Star! I’m certainly glad you’re on my side!”[/color] The alien smiled and nodded excitedly. She then glanced to Clio. [color=orchid]”And how about you? You’re a Mage, right?”[/color] [color=EF1956]”I am.”[/color] Clio said simply, still working through Star’s list of powers in her mind. Finally satisfied with her understanding, she began to elaborate on her own abilities. [color=EF1956]”I specialize in Voodoo...it’s the family’s thing.”[/color] Her talents were a bit more...gritty than Star’s. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to talk more about it. It was an interview, though, and this was part of her resume. [color=EF1956]”I can summon things to my person,”[/color] [i]Start out small, so you don’t scare her.[/i] [color=EF1956]”And, uh, I can manipulate the shadows.”[/color] She cleared her throat, scratching the back of her neck. Might as well get to the darker bits. [color=EF1956]”I can bring corpses back to life...but only if they’re fresh. And if I have DNA off a person, I can stuff it in a doll and control their bodies. And then there’s the...[sup]curses[/sup].”[/color] If Karen was at all put off by Clio’s description of her powers, she didn’t show it on her face. Instead, she merely cupped her chin in apparent consideration. [color=orchid]“Curses, huh? What sorts of curses? Like, long term ones? Instant ones? Curses that require rituals?”[/color] These were not the questions someone that was completely unfamiliar with magic would normally ask about being told of such abilities, and the security guard standing next to Karen eyed the song artist warily. Clio perked up at the lack of fear in Karen’s voice. The way she talked made it seem as though she was a mage herself, one of the family! Clio didn’t mind one bit. She loved to talk about her work, and hadn’t had anyone to discuss it with since she had left home. [color=EF1956]”Long term, usually one to three weeks, depending. No ritual, just a cauldron.”[/color] Karen smiled at this, nodding. [color=orchid]”Great! You certainly sound like you know a wide variety of spells! You must be prepared for just about anything!”[/color] Glancing between the two girl in front of her, Karen scooted forward on the sofa. She seemed to be ignoring the uneasy posture the security guard was displaying, his hands now lightly clenched at his side. [color=orchid]“You both sound like you’ll make amazing bodyguards for both me and my fans!”[/color] Reaching across the pair of small tables between them, Karen offered the both of them her hand to shake. [color=orchid]“You’ve probably figured it out by now, but this is kind of an [i]informal[/i] sort of agreement. We’ll shake on it, and I’ll write you two a cheque every month! You can work for me however long you want, and if you find something else you’d rather do with your life, you can leave! No dumb contracts or anything to get in the way! Sound good?”[/color] Starfire reached out and clasped Karen’s hand.[color=c4df9b]”This sounds like it will be exciting. No one will hurt you as long as I am around, Karen. I promise.”[/color] She took her promises very seriously and that was evident by the look in her emerald eyes. [color=EF1956]”Likewise,”[/color] Said Clio, as she held out her hand and took Karen’s offer. Karen smiled warmly to them both, though she was a little surprised by the seriousness in Starfire’s tone. It certainly wasn’t unwelcomed, however; taking one’s duties seriously showed a lot of character. [color=orchid]”I know I’ll be in good hands with you two, as will my fans.”[/color] She then leaned in close to whisper, so that only the two of them could hear her. [color=orchid]”And maybe we can find a way to slip out from under the nose of Sterling Record’s goon squad on occasion.”[/color] Randy, the security officer, raised his brows at the whispering, but said nothing.