[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/GV9UV83.png[/img][/center] [indent][b]//AE 53, Sol 13 //Day 1 of the Play/Tech Expo[/b][/indent][hr] [sub][@PapiTan][@Digmata][/sub] [i]"Jump!"[/i] 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 [i]magical[/i] 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. ... [b]"Sir, she's acting out of character again. Should we request a suppression of this encounter?" "No."[/b] A thumb brushed against a perfectly waxed moustache. [b]"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."[/b] ... 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 [i]pierce[/i] 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 [i]she[/i] 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. [i]Bzzzt.[/i] Her communicator sounded, but it wasn't the droning tone of their operator-office-clerk. [b]"Ah, this is the Moon Arrow, yes?"[/b] A man spoke, and the intonation immediately gave his identity away. Corporate hijack. [b]"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."[/b] The GAG. It wasn't one of her own sponsors, but they were still one of the big four automobile manufacturers in Neo-Astraea. [b]"Please understand, of course, that not doing so would mean that we may have to reconsider our relationship with AGC."[/b] Really, there wasn't any reason [i]not[/i] 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. [sub][@Taka][@Psyker Landshark][@Yu Narukami][/sub] 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 [i]not[/i] 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? [b]"Is she...making puns?" "Bwahahaha, a milk moustache?" "Dunno 'bout you guys, but that kinda gap is kinda cute..."[/b] 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? [b]"Blaire! Just keep your lips sealed and smile! Poker face through it! I swear t-"[/b] And in that moment, a [i]third[/i] 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. [b]"Ey, Justin, my guy!"[/b] David's voice sounded cheerily through the Technological Marvel's earpiece. [b]"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!"[/b] 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.