---

_{@PapiTan@Digmata}
Twinned silhouettes shot across the skyline of Residential District Mu, one white and another pink. It was rare for two mainline Talents to share the same patrol routes, especially when their territories were often negotiated and purchased by Agencies, but for AGC Rising, such occurrences weren’t nearly such a rarity. Despite their reputation as a stepping-stone agency, where their Talents would often end up graduating to a larger corporation with more product lines, it couldn’t be denied that their Talents always came out as exceptionally capable of handling real emergencies.

And for one of Aspera Agency’s latest Talents, getting that experience would be instrumental to advancing her own career. Sure, Elpis could play at being an indie Hero, pulling soccer balls off of tree branches or helping an old lady with her groceries, but there was a reason why the Opera Nova, for all the initial hype surrounding a Talent that took on such a meaningful name, was currently still such an unknown of a Talent that there were regular-ass idols who had a bigger follower count than him. Elpis needed a senior Talent, someone like the Moon Arrow, who could show her how to pick out actual emergencies along the road, who could tune in to the Public Safety Department’s radio chatter in order to filter out the meaningless noise and pick out only the most public disturbances.

For Amaris herself, of course, well…

With the recent surge in listeners to her podcast after that incident two weeks back at Neo-Spotlight, there was undoubtedly a market for her voice too. Regardless of what she personally thought of it, forming a connection to Elpis and Aspera Agency would no doubt go some distance in linking her to future opportunities for voice acting.

That was how it was with Talents. Some needed to improve their personal abilities as a Hero, and others needed to work on their ability to grab the people’s attention.

_{@Taka@Psyker Landshark@Yu Narukami}
It was expected of Day One, but the Play/Tech Expo was still such a bustling affair. A yearly convention where companies all across Neo-Astraea would congregate in the Sky Lounge to showcase and promote their latest gadgets and toys to superfans, shareholders, and news reporters, its three floors were filled with all sorts of gizmos. And, of course, with any event like this, it went without question that any corporation with a Talent branch would also use this to get their own people’s faces out there.

Heroes were ever-present, their regular outfits swapped out for something more sponsor-heavy. Some ran the booths themselves, scientist-Heroes who were more than happy to explain the inexplicable technological principles that went into these limited-edition toys. Others were called in through Agency-contracts to simply be devastatingly attractive models for anything from airsoft guns to sports cars to VR-rigging gear. And of course, there were those who were present only to present figurines of themselves and their fellow Talents. Hands were shaken, business cards were exchanged, future talks were promised, all while calculations were made in the minds of investors and journalists. On the Orchard Stage, live presentations were hosted by Talents with a million followers at a minimum.

And for Ladyice, Armada, and Zephyr, at their respective booths on the eastern wing of the second floor?

Though their official duties remained, this was nevertheless an opportunity to make up for their individual shortcomings through networking and brain-picking. Blackriver’s marketing department was seeing a plateauing of Ladyice’s numbers recently, and more importantly, her power itself hadn’t been developing the way they had initially projected. Team RESPAWN had yet to find a solution to the problem with converting their video game sales, which were still impacted by piracy and black market account-trading, into merch sales. And as for Carmine Corp?

Well, with all the money and hours spent, with her being their only Talent, how on earth was Zephyr still a sub-200,000 Hero? She needed to find a Rival, fast, someone beyond two-bit part-time Villains and common criminals to play off of.

_{@Yankee@Crowvette}
That was the problem, wasn’t it?

There wasn’t a hook.

What had started out as a projected Fame count of 300,000 ended up only with half that instead, and that was with the industry favours that Summit Studio called in. And now? It was already sinking, barely making past the minimum threshold of 100,000. It was only by the luck of branding alone that Astraeus even developed some supernatural power to begin with, but even with that, he wasn’t as if he could do something worthwhile with them. Enhanced durability and stamina? That didn’t make for good video.

Perhaps, they were just being stubborn, after all. Stuck in old days, idealistic fossils. True people’s champions, when Neo-Astraea no longer had nearly the same crime rate as before? A do-gooder who could whip up mass appeal, when even AGC Rising struggled with that, despite being THE Agency known for realheroics Talents? Astraeus couldn’t appeal with his aura and charisma alone, not when the City of Heroes has seen hundreds of Heroes being promoted the same way before. And anyhow, what was trendy these days wasn’t a regular person slogging their way through a dirty, brutal fistfight to a messy victory, but rather…

The Skybreaker, the scream of the sound barrier being shattered as she resolves all troubles with her very arrival.

The Technological Marvel, putting on a show and reveling in his own genius with every appearance.

The Moon Arrow, piercing through all defenses from five city blocks away.

The Maiden of Hearts. The Ashborn. The Unmade Song. The Grinning Maw.

Swift. Untouched, Flawless. Violence delivered without any of the messy, human element. If people wanted to watch fists and teeth fly, if they wanted to see a ten-count sound out ten times, there were real athletes they could watch. But for a truly street-level hero with nothing more than a decent heart and no other standout elements?

If they were being charitable, people would say Astraeus simply hadn’t found his audience yet. How would he actually change the industry from within though, if he was nothing but a niche? How could he get out there, into the spotlight, so his voice could actually be heard?
Perhaps it was sensing that discontent that had the senior Kerk produce two tickets to a concert for Cas and his sister. Officially, he was there to scout out a potential rival from another Agency that recently debuted their first Talent.

Unofficially…well.

It may just be a break from the grind.

---

'What kind of hero do you want to be?'

That is the first question the management threw to her during her first audition, she naively muttered the 'hero who helps everyone back then', and it took her quite a while to realize that she is answering the question wrong. You see all heroes, from the passionate Mighty Man to the enigmatic Theorist to even the villains have this thing called 'character'. Character is what separates a man to a cape, the character is who the people root for not heroes themselves. Character is where the public clings and shapes their perception of her.

It’s little bit of a bummer back then to realize that the heroes she admired might actually be hiding in some sort of mask but also a little liberating knowing she could separate Phoebe and Elpis with a costume change. When you come and give it a thought being a hero 24/7 feels like an existential nightmare. Blame his stupid brother for casually dropping the most existentially questioning statements out of nowhere, it got worse when he started listening to the Theorist.

“Alright, be more attentive next time.” The cyan haired maiden told the little girl as she returned her cat that she took the tree. The child saluted at her as she walked away.

“Sorry about that, there’s just no way I can ignore that.” Elpis answered to Moon Arrow as she floated her way back to the patrol route. As much as the agency complained about her numerous ‘small acts’, it had an interesting side effect of allowing her to ‘sense’ problems no matter how big or small it is. A skill that she didn’t need to speak about to explain how useful it is.

“So any tips you could give me?” the maiden of hopes asked the moon arrow as she landed and matched her pace, she stared at her with the most innocent smile she could muster as she waited for an answer.

Patrols were calming, in a sense.

White noise filtered into Amaris’s ear as the hard heels of her boots gave a faint click upon hitting solid ground. For the most part, the radio chatter wasn’t helpful, especially out in a residential district. With so many people vying to be Heroes, it was harder for petty street crime to be a viable option, after all. Reports of suspicious behavior were usually from nosy neighbors who wanted to contribute to something, especially if that report might bring a Hero running along. A moment of starry-eyed glamor for something as mundane as an out-of-place shadow could be the talk of their social circle. Talk could generate rumors and Fame. Fame kept Heroes pushing themselves further and further.

‘But those are the rumors you can’t control. It could affect you in ways you don’t want too.’

Amaris’s eyes followed Elpis as she performed a friendly cat rescue, thoughts of her manager annoyingly clear in the back of her mind. When the Maiden of Hearts returned with an innocent grin, it was instinct that had the Moon Arrow pull the edge of her hood down to secure it in place and obscure her features by the barest amount. A pointless movement at that distance, but there was a reason for the excessive flashiness of her wardrobe.

“It’s fine as long as there aren't other emergencies.” Not quite as many people to linger at home when there were Talents to meet at the week’s hottest affair in the city. Burglaries and suspicious people might be the most to expect, which was probably for the best if the pink-clad maiden was as inexperienced as Amaris had been told. “…but kids are impressionable. You could be a little flashier in front of them for this kind of thing. They talk and believe twice as m--”

“Dispatch to Patrol Three, we have a 10-50 traveling north in Mu.”

The Moon Arrow tilted her head and cut her own speech off as the crackling numbers in her ear caught her attention, as though it would make the broadcast clearer. She really needed someone to replace the earpiece if they were going to go on the fritz every time she launched herself.

“10-4, we are en route.”

Probably nothing serious, given the expo, but it could be something to look at. Cosmic eyes drifted back to the cyan-haired Hero, the expression on Amaris’s face still just a fraction more stoic than she meant for it to be. Michelle suggested trying to be friendlier to other Talents, but Amaris didn’t have a great track record in that department. In fact, there was part of her that believed a collaboration with someone like Elpis had been decided in part to disrupt the less-than-inviting image that the Moon Arrow had started to develop. Intentional or not, it would be a problem in the future.

So Amaris affected an attempt at some semblance of a smile different from the one she practiced in the mirror. It felt stiff on her face and disappeared as quickly as it had formed once its bearer recognized how uncomfortable it felt to wear. Embarrassing. The white-coated Hero broke eye contact, disguising the momentary lapse as a quick movement to push her bangs out of her vision.

“A disorderly is moving north, it could be a group.” Amaris adjusted the hem of her hood again impulsively as moonglow gathered on the surface of her skin in preparation to move. “It may be nothing, but a patrol is heading over. This is a good opportunity to get experience with a safety net and publicity.”

Thoughts of her first experience in an unscripted incident before her official debut came to mind. A safety net would have been nice for no reason beyond avoiding getting clipped by a motorcycle’s side mirror in a botched escape attempt. Phantom aches throbbed in her elbow at the memory.

“Have you worked unscripted before?”

---

"Thank you everyone! I love you all!!" Kirara did a turn on stage, giving a scan of the concert attendees as she waved to them all. She had just delivered the "last" song of the concert, but of course it was common knowledge amongst fans that there would be an encore. She quickly stepped off stage, not wanting to take too much time to change costume before she had to get back on stage.

As she ducked into a dressing room, she could hear the cheering for the encore. For this particular leg of the concert, she was advised to wear merch for the encore - the special t-shirt and towels this time. She was used to changing quickly, so it didn't provide much issue. She used the opportunity to catch her breath for a moment.

The cheering was getting louder - or perhaps some specific super fans were simply deciding to raise their voices to the limit to try and stand out. Faye couldn't take up any more of their time waiting to rest, plus, she was just as fired up as the fans were. This was hardly the largest venue she had performed at, only seating a thousand or so, but she always treated any performance with the same amount of care. She took one last big breath before stealing back onto the stage. The lights were off to let her get on without being seen, but also to let her show off her own ability.

For a moment the crowd's voices died down, reacting to the dimming of the lights. Faye smiled to herself, and raised up one arm in a striking pose. A halo of light glowed all around her, clearly coming from Faye herself and not any kind of stage equipment. It became brighter to match the raising of the audience's voices until it illuminated the whole stage, and with a snap the music began to play.

With a dazzling smile Kirara led the cheers of the crowd along with the music, bounding along the edges of the stage as the music's intro played. "Thank you all for coming tonight!! Don't forget stay for the handshake event too right afterwards!! Let's goooo!" She immediately transitioned right into one of her most popular tracks, Diamond Fire. She had performed it plenty of times, but the added focus of controlling the light in addition to the song and choreography made it feel fresh all over again for her. Of course, she hoped it would be fresh for the fans too - as she bended and manipulated the light in ways a normal light setup could never. Her personal favorite was the light distortions she managed at the chorus which looked exactly like heat shimmers, as if her song was heating up the stage itself.

She hoped that the crowd-pleaser song would be the perfect pick to end the concert on, and put her all into this last song.

The siblings had arrived at the venue early in order to beat most of the crowd as they piled into the auditorium. Their spots were on the edge of the orchestra level - that is, on the floor instead of a balcony. Neat maybe if you were big fans of the performer, but far from optimal viewing.

"They couldn't have sprung for better seats?" Gianna grumbled lightly. As far as both heroes and idols went, "Kirara" was still a budding Talent. How expensive could her concerts actually be?

"Aw c'mon, it'll still be fun. Where we're sitting isn't gonna change what we're hearing anyway, right?" Cas said, patting his sister on the head. She sighed, leaning away from the reach of his hand. Then she tipped her head back against her wheelchair, looking up at him.

"Aren't you supposed to be doing research... or something? You'd think they'd set you up with a much better view of her."

Cas rubbed at the back of his neck. "You're kind of making it sound weird."

"It is weird," Gianna pointed out. "An idol-hero for a rival... do they expect you to sing and dance, too?"

'Maybe I should stop telling her everything that goes on,' Cas thought to himself. He did agree with her, though. A hero's rival should be their nemesis, both striving for victory over the other, and not a fellow hero competing to see who could become more famous. On that front, Kirara already had him beat anyway. It was the kind of cheap publicity stunt that Astraeus wanted to steer away from. Unfortunately that wasn't an option at the moment, if he didn't want to be dropped from his agency.

Truth be told, he didn't want to think about work right now. The fact that he even considered it to be work was telling enough. Before he'd needed to join up with a talent agency in the first place he'd been content, happy even, to just take the time to help people. Now before and after every time he aided someone, he had to sit in on meetings about image, promotion, reach, timing, brand focus, and numbers.

God, it sucked.

But this was where he was at. This is what it took, or so he'd been told.

"Hey, have you listened to any of her songs before?" Cas asked his sister, leading the conversation away from scouting out a peer and towards general chatter about the concert itself. It worked, though whether Gianna read the thoughts on Cas' face or just wanted a change of subject herself, Cas couldn't say. They talked until there was movement on stage, and the swell of the audience grew into excited cheering.

---

"She's so cute!" both siblings said at the same time once the encore had concluded. It had been the first time Cas had actually heard any of Kirara's music, and though it had that stereotypical pop-fare sound the earnest enthusiasm with which it was performed gave it a little something extra. It had been an enjoyable hour or so.

...which made Cas think it was sort of a shame that she was splitting her time between heroics and music. If she focused her all on the latter, maybe she could develop her own musical style and really take off, especially when combined with her light powers. He had to wonder why she'd decided to to become a hero in the first place. He wanted to ask her.

"...you think they'll let us backstage?"

It was a rhetorical question; he was going to try it regardless of Gianna's answer. Cas gripped the handles of her chair and steered the both of them out into the aisle, then whizzed by the growing queue that was forming for the idol's handshake event. Maybe being part of such a storied agency had its perks beyond just free concert tickets, and he could drop a couple names to open a few venue doors? If he could talk with the 'Dazzling Brilliance' for longer than the few seconds that a handshake would take, well that would be the best type of scouting there was now wouldn't it?

The Play/Tech Expo, a safe haven for nerds, a beacon for geeks everywhere, and Armada knew exactly how to draw the crowd. Several monitors were mounted around the booth, some showing off gameplay from Armada's latest stream while other giving showcases to the newest PC and accessories. Kids walking with their parents would stop to line up to watch their favorite streamer, eyes widening with excitement, whilst adult nerds stood in awe to the prowess displayed. Armada kept his eye on the kids, a smile sinking deep on his face, ecstatic to see that he was making am impact. Suddenly the best idea crawled it way into his cranium, forcing the streamer extraordinaire grab the nearest chair and hoist himself up on the nearest table at this booth.

"Come on, come all." Armada's voice boomed from the speakers strategically stationed around his both, "Am I happy to see you all, supporting a legend such as myself. I know see the gameplay and wonder why a legend such as I would dare grace you with his presence?"

The people watched intently to his every word. No matter how overconfident or cocky he spoke, it was like he had them entranced, his charisma oozing out, ensnaring them all like honey.

"See in reality, I wouldn't be here without all of you. You, my loyal Admirals, inspire everyday to go and do my best. Your hopes. Your dreams. All in my hands. I will always your best interest. And for those that aren't part of The Fleet, we welcome you with open arms. Come. Subscribe and join The Fleet. May you dream sail on peaceful seas. And please check out the new Scrapple 1080x graphic card at our booth, and use my tag ARMADA#1 for a discount."

The crowd had only grown larger as the technological hero spoke, for they followed him with little fealty. Everything he said was simple, so simple that any streamer could follow him and yet none could match his popularity. Did Armada believe anything he said? To be honest, it didn't matter for his loyal fans only cared that he spoke to them. For now, that adulation was all he needed to keep his place in the upper echelons of the hero food chain. His eyes trailed the showroom floor until it would meet one of the other heroes known as Ladyice, a devious smirk crossing his face. Suddenly a voice diverted his attention.

"Hey, Nerd."

"If ain't Casanova in the flesh."

The most genuine smile of the day was given to the one and only Jimmy Casanova, Armada's best friend.

Not for the first time today, or this week, or even this month, Sheena wanted to strangle whichever member of Carmine's brain trust decided she ought to be the best choice for their new Hero position. Still, she was nothing if not a company woman. So she went along with this complete farce.

Orders came down from up top, of course. Find a way to get above 200,000 fame as soon as possible, using whatever means available. Freedom to achieve the objective was good. It was rare, but good. A shame she couldn't say the same about the actual objective. Evidently, just beating the hell out of villains on camera wasn't doing the job quickly enough. She'd have to take more proactive measures, which was why they'd even put her at this Expo.

She'd done her research on the competition, too. Both established heroes with sizable fanbases, several times hers'. Still, that offered ZEPHYR an opportunity to piggyback on those fanbases if she made enough of a name for herself here. Time to get to work, then.

ZEPHYR had only been signing autographs so far at the Carmine Corp presentation, but as the alloted time for signings ended, she rose from where she'd been sitting and signing as Ladyice started on her spiel.

Ah, a volunteer. It wasn't quite personal, just business-
Alright, that was a lie. She didn't like the skank bit. If it was a bit. Still, it was motivation for her.

"So, how come the rewards get worse as they get more exclusive?" ZEPHYR called out towards Ladyice as she flew over to Blackriver's setup, her arms folded mockingly. "Listen, sister, you're not worth more than a free ride to college. Even if you give out a free ride." The cyborg hero flipped upside down midair, shooting a casual salute towards the audience below.

"Seriously, do you have a punchline that isn't just sex?"

What was she doing? Well, controversy sold. Simple as that. Setting up a rivalry above her weight class in fame ought to do something for her numbers, at least.

---

“…but kids are impressionable. You could be a little flashier in front of them for this kind of thing. They talk and believe twice as m--”

Elpis listened with the curiosity that could only be attributed to someone with a mind of a child. She was right, she should have used some magic tricks as well. It would be more flashy or 'cool' to the younger generation.

“Dispatch to Patrol Three, we have a 10-50 traveling north in Mu.”

The Moon Arrow tilted her head and cut her own speech off as the crackling numbers in her ear caught her attention, as though it would make the broadcast clearer. She really needed someone to replace the earpiece if they were going to go on the fritz every time she launched herself.

“10-4, we are en route.”

Too bad she doesn't have enough time to voice it as an emergency appeared. She discreetly took a moment to close her eyes, her senses appears to be weak but it seems that there is a 'big' problem, at least bigger than the normal problem that she felt on the streets.

Elpis nodded at her senior's words as she prepare herself on her first crime related, unscripted event as a hero. She had done a few livestreams and patrols but this will be her first foray into unscripted crime fighting. Okay Phoebe, you can do this.

“Have you worked unscripted before?”

Elpis smiled as she began flying her way to the scene of crime, letting the Moon Arrow take the lead.

"Well does the agency unleashing a horde of mind controlled animals count?" she asked as she recalls her audition and her training that could only described as controlled chaos.

"My first unscripted job but the agency trained me to manage, hopefully."

“Hm.”

Soft was the sound of contemplation that slipped through Amaris’s lips, a noise easily lost to the wind as two talents moved through the skyline. She didn’t expect her companion to hear it, nor did she think there would be a response. AGC Rising had been stringent on her training prior to debut. The reality that other agencies might not give their talents any experience had seemed distant until she was faced with it. Eyes shut against the wind momentarily. Elpis wasn’t experienced, but she wasn’t entirely helpless.

Calculations, then. Being the senior was a double-edged blade, wasn’t it?

The Moon Arrow’s pace slowed—that was getting harder to do. She’d have to ask her manager to do some damage control before it got out of her control—as she glanced back at Elpis.

“It shouldn’t be dangerous, so let’s have you take point this time,” Amaris said as the woman gestured at the flashing lights they’d already passed, the sound of a siren carrying even to their altitude. Excessive, but bored law enforcement tended to be. “We should be able to avoid a fight. Your image is better suited for that in execution and benefit. You’ll be fine. People usually don’t want to provoke a hero.”

Again, the talent attempted to offer a smile. Again, it felt stilted and uncomfortable, so it was cut short. Instead, Amaris glanced away to try and find the expected disturbance. It was a nuisance, as always. Galactic eyes swept the area, ears straining to try and pick up sounds that didn’t belong. Despite her best effort, Amaris gave an annoyed click of her tongue when a secondary sweep didn’t make it immediately obvious.

“Tsk, if we can find the scene first.”

---

_{@PapiTan@Digmata}
When Neo-Astraea could no longer expand outwards, it had expanded upwards. The Residential Districts, of course, rose higher and higher up, scaffolding and construction reaching greater heights, but so too did the roads themselves climb, ascending into a network of overpasses upon overpasses, snaking up and down twenty meters into the air. It made for a complicated commute when viewed from a ground-up perspective, but from a bird’s eye view? Most streets just went to specific levels of the districts or merged together into a single artery that lead to the flatter commercial and social districts. And when there was an incident occurring?

Skidding to a stop upon a radio tower, the two Talents looked down the network of roads as red lights flared up down one of them, the first visual cue. Warnings were sent along neighbouring streets, vehicles directed away from the encroaching disorder, while police cars and drones sped in to get closer to what looked to be a runaway car. Was it a stolen car? A reckless joyride turned into panic? The getaway vehicle of some thief? Those were all questions to be answered afterwards. For now, there was only the buzz in both Amaris and Elpis’s earpiece, as an office clerk said, “Res West PD has been contacted. They’re aware of your proximity to the incident. Good luck.”

Crimson neon continued to trace down the path that the offending vehicle was taking, the technological work of Socappo the Crime Light, but the police giving chase had their hands tied too. If they were on flat ground, they could perhaps run the car down or pop the tires with low-caliber firearms, but at ten meters up on an overpass? In a densely-constructed residential district?

If the car crashed, there was every chance that it would fly right off the road and smash into a building or drop down into the streets below.

Indeed, in a situation like this, it wasn’t the police who could act, but rather…

_{@Taka@Psyker Landshark@Yu Narukami}
“Huh?”

It went without saying that there was certainly a market for Talents that catered towards more adult audiences. While it had been a point of contention between the Ministry of Self-Actualization and the Ministry of Population Development, it was finally accepted that Agencies were allowed to pursue profits and Fame from that angle as well, so long as it was kept away from the broad public’s eye.

An announcement made from the Play-Tech Expo? Even if it was purely just verbal with no microphones? That certainly was not keeping it away from the public’s eye. There were news reporters here, and not just the authentic, professional type. There were stockholders present, even amongst those just walking from one exhibition to the other. And of course, there were superfans too. Though Ladyice wasn’t a massive Talent compared to other the titans of Neo-Astraea, she was still known, an ice-themed temptress that was still surprisingly passionate.

“Seven? Seven what?”
“Miss Ladyice, could you explain the specifics of this deal?”
“Was this Ministry-approved? Ladyice, your answer, please!”

A small crowd, some drawn by the initial words spoken by the Talent and most drawn by the hubbub that occurred afterwards, was forming now. And across the city, viewing all this from her cubicle in Blackriver Agency, Samandra let out a low sigh, before swapping apps to order an extra-large pineapple-and-strawberry pizza for her post-work meal.

What was immense psychic pain for her PR team, of course, was nevertheless an opportunity for other leeches to latch on. Intercepting at sonic speeds, Zephyr descended, presenting an entirely different image of what a Heroic Talent ought to be. Sleek, sharp, scandalous levels of skin exposure broken up by a mesh suit underneath. And the mocking disdain in her voice…that sounded about as close to real disgust as one could get.

Cameras, from phones and other devices, were pointed now towards the two women, the confrontation streamed live. The first salvo had been fired by Zephyr, in a way that was almost incongruously ‘witty’ to her company-image of a cold but just warrior of the skies. And in the meanwhile, Ladyice’s fans were at once confused but also intrigued by this. Hero-on-Hero conflict wasn’t nearly so common in Neo-Astraea, but if there was one company who was willing to muddy the waters on the subject, it had to be Blackriver. Is this it? Could this be the lead-up to the first real fight that Ladyice would get into since her debut?

181,000 vs 690,069

On the second floor of the East Wing, something was brewing up indeed.

Something that didn’t include Armada at all.

There was always time to make big purchases and do shopping, but while a few people who were originally drawn to Armada’s corporate spiel stayed behind to talk with business representatives, the majority of them were filing out now, turning away to see the drama that was happening just a stall or two away! Graphics cards? Mailing lists? Generic speeches about how Talents depended on the support of their fans? There were only five million people in Neo-Astraea, and almost all of them were fans, followers, of multiple Talents. Speeches like that? They were one in a hundred, in one ear and out the other!

A catfight though? One that didn’t seem wholly scripted?

They couldn’t miss that at all!

“It was a nice speech,” Jimmy said, a good-natured grin on his face. “Wouldn’t get you any points outside of school though.” The pink-haired Fashion-Talent was turning towards the Blackriver stall as well, leaning his elbows against one of the glass display cases propped up around the Team RESPAWN exhibit.

“Didn’t think Carmine Corp produced Talents like that though, huh? The tech-based type.”

Zephyr’s attention and ire was turned to Ladyice, sure, but if one considered overlapping factors between fans…Armada’s casual ‘robot-boy-cool’ audience was in just as much risk of poaching.

_{@Yankee@Crowvette}
“Oh my god! She’s glowing! She’s GLOWING!”
“AHHHH! THE KIRA-KIRA BEAM!!”
“My past mistakes…today, I have been reborn!”

There was no doubt that it was a success. Some became new fans, some turned into zealots, and still more had what could only be considered a spiritual awakening while in the glow of the Idol-Talent’s final heart-pounding, foot-stomping, singalong-inducing song. No doubt, it would be played many times more in the fans-only afterparty at the Skylounge once the handshake event ended, and though there were rules against unauthorized recordings, camera-rips from the show would no doubt be trending across more niche online communities for at least another few days.

Needless to say?

The thunder of the crowd’s applause and cheers sounded long after she left the stage for the dressing room.

“M—-arvelous work~!” In a yellow-and-green checkered suit, Mario Schuler, producer and owner of 72ka Production, greeted Kirara with applause of his own. Despite the clear joy in his expression, the man knew of course that they had precious little time to retouch her makeup and outfit before the handshake event began. He would save throwing her up in the air and celebrating for later. “You truly are the next shining beacon of Neo-Astraea’s future, Kirara! With a response like this, as well as what we have planned for the next week, I just know that you’ll have a spot on the Monthly Rising Stars list! Bravo! Keep this up, and you’re guaranteed to break the One Million Barrier before the year ends!”

Which was something to say indeed, when half the year was already gone, but where would Mr. Schuler be without his explosive enthusiasm?

The makeup artists and hair stylists were already bringing Kirara to a seat as they worked on making her just perfect for her role, while another production assistant held a drink for her, letting her take a quick sip or two of honey water to help with her throat after such a taxing performance. Two security personnel (who were kinda just for show, considering how the strongest person in the room was the pop star who was currently being pampered) stood beside the door, their hands either hooking around their vests or clasped together around their stomach.

There was perhaps only five minutes before Kirara would be expected to emerge for the handshaking event; every second of recuperation mattered.

But then, a knock on the door, followed by the voice of one of the event staff.

“Uhm, excuse me, Mr. Schuler? There’s two people who’d like to meet Kirara. They say they’re from…Summit Studios?”

"Oh, a movie deal? F---antastic~! Let them in, darling! Let's go CINEMATIC!"

…

Clearly, Caspian’s face wasn’t well-known enough to be recognized as a fellow Talent.

---

"We will work on that smile someday." Elpis noted as she flew away from Moon Arrow and into the crime scene, as she got closer and closer she recalled the words of advice given to her by his brother when he asked her for Elpis' first autograph.

"Be flashy, smoke and mirrors it may be, it is how the public garners fame. This is especially true during debuts where a Talent's skill set remains unclear.

Colorful flames began to surround her body invoking the image of blazing wings as she flew through the sky, it wasn't really providing her any benefits but the fans might believe that they do. Her speed at chasing the car wasn't impressive compared to speedsters but it was fast enough to reach it.

She didn't immediately descend to the vehicle like most heroes and instead focused on encircling the car to let the driver be aware of her wonderful presence and give her time to assess the situation. On the driver seat is a young man nearly the same age as her brother, pushing the gas pedal as hard as he could. Behind him were a bunch of bags that were not filled with money but with items like clothes, pillows and some cans of food.

She could feel it, what was inside his heart she could see the surprise in his eyes, the fear in his body as the flames got closer. And the shame creeping to his shoulders and the desperation from fleeing his life.

"It's okay." the Maiden of Hope spoke through the intercom and the car's fearful driver. Her flames began getting smaller, just enough to keep up with the car.

What a weird unscripted debut, there is no criminal for her to stop but someone to help.

But that's just how most of her patrols go.

"No one is out to get you, we're here to help." She spoke with complete confidence and sincerity.

"I can't."

"What?"

"THE BRAKES AREN'T WORKING, I CAN'T STOP IT!" he yelled to Elpis which is heard through the intercom as he tried turning the wheel to no avail.

Credit to Elpis she didn't panic and instead began looking ahead of the road which is about to reach a turn, it doesn’t take much to realize that there is almost no time for the car to turn.

"Jump!" she ordered as she began pushing the car back, planting her shoes on the asphalt road.

She managed to slow down the vehicle but her strength alone wouldn't be enough to kill it completely but she didn’t need to do this alone.

---

Her producer's enthusiasm always made Kirara smile, but riding the high of a good performance only further fired her up. "I feel like I already have a million!!" She nearly bounced into the seat to let her makeup and hair be touched up.

While she was never exactly the best at staying still for the stylists, she almost knocked the brush out of someone's hands when she heard that people from Summit were visiting. "Summit?! I need to make sure my hair is-" She stopped as her thoughts caught up to her mouth, realizing someone was tending to her hair right now. "-Ahaha... Right. N-No way it's a movie deal... Right?"

Kirara let the stylist finish the final few touches before getting up to meet the people from Summit. She had no trouble giving a bright smile as they entered. "Hello! I didn't know I had fans from Summit!" She offered her hand to Cas for a handshake, but kept on talking. "I hope the music was as moving as your movies!" She gave a little laugh. "Where in Summit do you work? Are you a writer?"

Despite her warm greeting, it was evident enough that she didn't recognize Cas.

Good luck? Good luck?!

“Oh. Great.” It would have taken a monumental effort to have made a tone flatter than the one that escaped from Amaris’s lips as she saw the streak of neon tearing through rising roads of the residential district. It was to her benefit that Elpis didn’t need further instruction to move first, allowing Amaris to step back and shut her eyes against the neon lights of the city for a moment.

Inhale.

‘No crime reports on the radio chatter, so it’s probably not a getaway vehicle.’

Hold.

‘If she can slow the car down, the reports should make her stronger too.’

Exhale.

Starlit eyes opened with vision so sharp it might have left birds of prey filled with instinctive envy. The kaleidoscopic wings were easy to pick out even from the distance while Amaris adjusted her position with renewed focus. The driver was panicking, and though the crackling words over their communication lines was difficult to make out in their entirety, exaggerated movements made of turbulent terror filled the blanks in for Amaris.

Motes of moonlight lifted away from the surface of her skin as a hero felt something within her shift. A surreal sense of lightness and static permeated her nerves, tingling washing over her like being bathed in a shower of freezing rain. Her debut had been generous with the development of her abilities, as expected from AGC Rising’s efforts, but there were some things that Amaris couldn’t afford not to nurture. It didn’t matter to her if the rest of her skills suffered for it. Not at the moment, at least.

Sharp vision caught the sight of a driver trying to escape, jerking violently at a seatbelt in a wild bid to free himself from its restraint. The same eyes took in the sight of a maiden trying her best to stop a runaway vehicle head on. Brave. Reckless. A moment of doubt would have made things turn out entirely differently.

Softly, Amaris spoke to her temporary partner, her voice carrying an unnatural reverberation as her stance lowered.

“Elpis, try to direct it against the guardrail at the turn. It should slow the car down if this doesn’t work.” Everything tightened, her body taut like a drawn bowstring as it always was. Another breath with her focus somehow becoming clearer as her flesh and blood melded into one in the confines of her senses. A mental twang sounded off in her head the moment she saw the driver clear his seat.

And the moon loosed its arrow, a beam of moonlight sending rippling whistles as it tore through the air of Neo-Astraea.

The sound of metal screeching came before the feeling of impact wracked Amaris’s body with its weight. Her ability to pierce never came short when she became the arrow herself. Unlike a handgun, the lunar bolt tore through the engine from an inopportune angle without difficulty. The world came back into stark focus as a radiant arrow returned to its archer’s form in a scattering of stardust, her body twisting in the air to face the out-of-control car. Smoke was fast, a sputtering of an engine, the sound of a mechanical heart trying its best to beat without the energy it needed.

With Elpis’s strength keeping it in place, it might even stop before reaching the turn. After all, the raging beast of metal and wire was quickly reaching its final breath. Good. Her eyes followed one of the police drones for half a second, and she felt something between annoyance and relief at the likelihood of a good angle of the shot.

Gross. She would have preferred any other media outlet’s camera shoved in her face over the potential of having to negotiate with the police department.

Amaris pulled her hood again to secure it against herself and flicked the long train of her coat away from herself with a practiced movement. A familiar movement to followers of the white-hooded hero, but it was little more than an adjustment to ensure she could move again if the need arose.

Kirara and company were surely soon to be disappointed at the true nature of their visitors from Summit, but for said visitors themselves it was a pleasant surprise as they were led through the backstage area. Cas grinned and leaned down slightly toward.his sibling to whisper, "whoa, they really let us in, Gi."

With the lights, the assistants, the mics and artists... It sort of felt like getting to go to a private meet with a real celebrity. The idol herself might take some offense if she heard that, but that was the thing wasn't it? They were all pushing the celebrity status first and foremost. The thought didn't hamper Cas' mood so much as kept things in perspective for him.

Eventually they were brought to a dressing room, waited a few minutes before an attendant peeked inside, and then they were let in to see the Dazzling Brilliance in all her backstage glory. Not a drop of sweat to be seen nor a hair out of place. Those assistants were 'talents' in their own right, really.

Gianna inhaled and held a sigh, already seeing where this was going to go from Kirara's first words. On the other hand Cas smiled at the idol, taking her up on the offer of a handshake. Up close he could see she was young, which wasn't surprising. She also seemed genuinely excited to meet, and- wait was that a pun? Did she just say that out loud without a hint of shame? Oh man, he hoped the little cringe he felt didn't show on his face.

Back on topic. Movies- no, wait, heroism!

"No way, I don't think I could ever be a writer," Cas chuckled. "My name's Cas -this is Gianna- and I'm one of Summit's heroes. Astraeus."

There was nothing in his voice that indicated he felt bad about not being recognized. No insistence, no desperation. If there was even pride it was only a little - he'd always put more stock in actions than words or titles. Helping people was what mattered, and struggling so hard for a fanbase was not something he wanted to do... and yet here was this girl in front of him who'd been doing just that.

"Thanks for agreeing to talk! I wanted to ask about your work. We just caught your performance and you make a great idol! I mean the lights, the choreography, your voice - it was an awesome show!" Cas kept the smile on his face as he went on. He gestured enthusiastically as he talked until there was a short pause, and he crossed his arms and tipped his head slightly.

"So... why are you doubling as a hero talent?"

The question might have come out of no where for 72ka's shining star, but it had been on Cas' mind at least since they'd arrived to the venue and especially after the show had started. Just as earlier his tone and body language suggested that he was entirely genuine in his interest, besides the slight tightness in his face when he'd said 'talent.' He didn't like the term, but it was one everyone in the city was familiar with.

Milk? Seriously? Sheena rolled her eyes beneath her visor, thankful that they weren't visible to the public or the cameras. Still, she let out a derisive chuckle in response, nonetheless. Because damn, was it easy to get under this bitch's skin. Two sentences in and Ladyice was already firing off the profanity.

"Not a chance." ZEPHYR replied easily to Ladyice's cursing, her arms folded as she just hovered there mockingly. "Easy and desperate isn't my type. See? I can do it, too. You're not special."

Surprisingly enough, still not a single comment from her handler yet. Ruiz had to be halfway to apoplexy at this point, really. Sheena could tell that woman hated the job. Hell, Sheena hated the job. Still, that didn't mean she wasn't going to do as good a job as possible at it. And if that meant starting a high school catfight in the middle of dozens of cameras and hundreds of people? Well, catfight it was.

"And this is a public event, princess. No one inside needs an invitation. Think you ought to be real familiar with the concept of letting anyone in."

Come on, come on: take a swing. Fire some icicles. If Ladyice lost it and started popping off, ZEPHYR's job here was done. She could beat a quick retreat under the guise of not letting civilians get caught in the crossfire, and probably steal a good few fans away too. After that, maybe dinner. Carne asada sounded good tonight.

---

Kirara's posture relaxed considerably when Cas introduced himself as a hero himself, but only for a moment - she immediately stiffened when she caught her faux pas. Cas led the conversation away from the topic before she could apologize, but she had to take that as a sign that he didn't mind.

Kirara fidgeted a little as Cas praised her. She was no stranger to praise, but it felt different coming from a fellow talent. "Hmm... It's like..." She furrowed her brow as she clearly paused to think about it more. It might look like this was the first time she was asked this question with how much she thought on it, though it was hard to believe that was the case.

After a moment she had gathered her thoughts enough to speak up once more. "When I was young, I always watched S-" She caught herself and shot a quick look at her producer before returning to her thought. "-A property owned by a different company so they don't want me to say it directly-" She laughed nervously for a moment. "...But in that story, everyone worked so hard to become idols, and they all had moments where they found some special way to make it their own..." Kirara closed her eyes, fondly looking back at it in her mind. "I thought I could do it, so I did it! Idols have already saved people without powers, so I bet that one with hero powers could take it even further!!" She opened her eyes and nodded to herself, apparently satisfied with that answer.

Kirara cocked her head after a moment, coming up with her own question in turn. "Say, why did you become a hero, then?"

@Yankee

Zephyr stood in amazement at just how fickle the crowd was. Jimmy's words cut into his ego, as even he noticed that his speech had fallen on deaf ears once the ice princess and the robot girl started having a back and forth. How could the streaming king lose the audience to these losers? Well that was something he was going to find out and take back control.

"Carmine Corp doesn't produce Talents. Just soldiers pretending to be heroes." Armada scoffed as he hopped down from the table, his body floating to the ground, a purplish stream of electricity surging around him as he descended. 'I'll be back."

Armada's eyes were locked on ZEPHYR and Lady, his mind racing with many things he could say, thoughts of finding embarrassing footage of Lady to show the world or maybe showing just how incompetent Carmine Corp really were. He could commence a brutal, slanderous take down of either through one of his many V-tuber followers, faceless and anonymous but, that would ruin his fun. No, Armada needed to be the face that confronts them or he could turn this whole thing into a show of peace, propping himself up while passively pissing off the ice princess in the process.

"My my. If it isn't the effervescent Ladyice."

Armada took to a slow stride, his devious smile across his face. He bowed to the woman, giving a sign of respect that the other two surely did not have for the other. The hero lifted his hand to a monitor situated near Ladyice, the monitor flickering only for a moment before the image became a video of a recent modeling event that Lady had taken part of. "Truly a thing of beauty."

And then he turned his attention to Zephyr but, he had only a smile for her. She was a no name. A lower class hero with nothing to show for it within Armada's eyes. With a wink and a nod, he positioned himself between the two. See Armada needed to be the center of attention. He craved it. Being a hero was his dream. This was his time. He wouldn't let two fake heroes take that spotlight from him. A shiver ran down his spine from Ladyice's cold manipulation in the air, but this had to be done.

"Now now girls, are we really here to fight each-other?" He giggled before continuing, "You both know do know theatrics like this only stands to generate hype, but nothing long standing? ZEPHYR here might not care due to being a Carmine talent but, you Lady? Can you afford to fight here? Don't you ever want to reach my level of fame?"

---

_{@PapiTan@Digmata}
"Jump!"

Shocked into action by the iridescent magical girl's orders, the young man immediately reached for the door and tried to fling himself out, only for his seatbelt to jerk against his shoulder instead. His eyes widened, but there was no time for Elpis to hesitate now. Her heels shattered asphalt, digging into the reinforced concrete underneath as her hands pressed against the crumpling fender of the car. There was an immediate deceleration, the young man's body lurching forward a second time and causing a sharp 'BEEP' when his head smacked upon the steering wheel.

Elpis was not a magical girl known for feats of strength. She was a magical girl, after all. Her promotional videos were of her descending like an angel from on high, before utilizing all sorts of pink-colored magical projections to save people from harm, or smiting her foes with flashy beams from her wand. In this moment, her strength was only sufficient to slow the vehicle, her physical durability only potent enough to prevent her body from being shattered.

But this act, recorded by police drones and corporate cameras alike, would be recorded. Streamed. Proliferated.

...

"Sir, she's acting out of character again. Should we request a suppression of this encounter?"

"No." A thumb brushed against a perfectly waxed moustache. "That old dog at Summit's trying something. Let this develop...organically. If the Opera Nova's wave ever comes, we'll be primed to take it for ourselves."

...

Salvation, that day, was found not in the smile of a girl who inspired hope, but a single shaft of moonlight, whistling like an antediluvian song to pierce the engine of the rampaging car. Without its heart, how could a beast continue to struggle? Pistons pumped, only to gradually gas out. Smoke sputtered, but the Moon Arrow's divine precision had avoided puncturing the gas tank entirely. Ten meters away from the guardrail, with its front compressed by half, the car stopped, leaving a magical girl covered in dust and asphalt, a car that was certainly going to be scrapped for parts, and a driver that was fully unconscious.

Of course, though she was responsible for actually stopping the car, it would be Elpis who would benefit most from such heroics, who had the spotlight that took the form of the majority of drones tracking her movement. For camera-shy Amaris, perhaps it was to her benefit, but there wasn't any doubt that her junior would be gaining the most fans tonight.

There would be an ambulance arriving soon. Probably a news unit that would be dispatched to interview Elpis. She should probably join in on the scene, even if it felt like pulling out her own teeth, if only to fulfill contractual obligations.

Bzzzt.

Her communicator sounded, but it wasn't the droning tone of their operator-office-clerk.

"Ah, this is the Moon Arrow, yes?" A man spoke, and the intonation immediately gave his identity away. Corporate hijack. "I'm representing GAG, the Gendarmerie Automotive Group. It would be most beneficial if you could convince your partner to leave this scene before any statements can be made involving this incident."

The GAG. It wasn't one of her own sponsors, but they were still one of the big four automobile manufacturers in Neo-Astraea.

"Please understand, of course, that not doing so would mean that we may have to reconsider our relationship with AGC."

Really, there wasn't any reason not to obey this outsider directive. Gave her a reason to dodge both the police AND the media, after all. So long as she ignored the implications of this particular bit of ickiness.

_{@Taka@Psyker Landshark@Yu Narukami}
The air around them turned cold, colder than the air conditioners...but that wasn't a good thing at all.

Ladyice had gone off-script, dramatically so, and in that moment? Well, it certainly proved the critics of her actress-career right. Blaire Ozly was not a method actor. She needed a script, needed direction, and often ended up being typecast into the seductress or femme fatale role on the strength of her naturally good looks alone. Now though?

"Is she...making puns?"
"Bwahahaha, a milk moustache?"
"Dunno 'bout you guys, but that kinda gap is kinda cute..."

The image that Blackriver had cultivated for her, that they had hoped her own personality could then naturally coast on, was crumbling. This was Day One of the Play/Tech Expo. There were far too many eyes in every direction. And in this moment, Ladyice was no effortless queen bitch, as cold as a tundra. She was falling apart, being dragged down into the arena of Zephyr's barbed insults. Her earpiece sounded immediately, one of her producers telling her to just shut the fuck up, turn her nose up, and settle for a stink-eye before she said anything else. But was she going to let this lie?

Her abilities hadn't yet managed to develop. Would she throw hands anyways, pull this metal-bitch by the hair and clock her right in the nose? Would she screech and rant, pale cheeks reddening? Could she win the after-round via sheer social media influence, grinding the SKybreaker's fans into dust with the sheer number of her followers?

"Blaire! Just keep your lips sealed and smile! Poker face through it! I swear t-"

And in that moment, a third factor arrived.

Armada, the Technological Marvel. A showman at heart, one made fearless due to the fact that in a tech expo, against one Talent who was functionally still powerless and another Talent whom his own Fame absolutely dwarfed, could take them both on and come away without a scratch...so long as there were no surprises.

The crowd immediately responded. Some were already eagerly texting away at this new development. Others were seething at how some privileged m*le Talent just had to insert his way into a females-only event. Still more were wondering if this 'spontaneous' catfight was actually just a scripted planned between all three corpos.

They were right, of course.

But only because the script that Team RESPAWN followed was one that morphed and mutated at the whims of their eccentric CEO.

"Ey, Justin, my guy!" David's voice sounded cheerily through the Technological Marvel's earpiece. "Casanova'll be ready for the support. I'm just letting you know that you've just gotten approval to announce the latest system at Re:Arcade! As for the demo of the VR tech, I'll work things out with Carmine and Blackriver. Get those ladies in on it!"

Armada could clearly envision his boss's goofy smile in that moment. Guy was probably still playing mahjong over at the park. But amongst the crowd, Jimmy caught his eyes and gave him a wink, letting him know that the honor was all his.