[color=orange][center][h1][i][b] Friday 17:52 Inside a Lincoln Town Car Claremont, Los Angeles [/b][/i][/h1][/center][/color] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Very Important Heroes[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] The team made their way to the limo, and one by one, clambered in, James holding to let Ikret in, dazzling in her diamonds, followed by Hat Trick, suave as ever. It wasn't long until champagne and bad ideas came around. [@SonnetNSunbeam] [quote] Jet laughs and starts to look for a sunroof on the limo.[color=mediumpurple] “Maybe we can do limo sunroof karaoke on the way back. What should we duet- LG?”[/color] He tosses his friend a smile. [/quote] "Well, Asteroid, that depends how many vodka martinis you and I drink. Who knows, maybe it'll be more than a duet!" Lightning Girl's tone was way, way more sultry than she probably made it out to be, realising Blackstar was probably looking at a frightened horror, like a cat looking almost alarmed at its owner. "Like Blackstar might join in and sing too, I mean, if we keep drinking champagne!" She chuckled, trying to wriggle her way out of that one, leaning across and turning up the stereo in the back a little bit as if to mask that. [i]Smooth. You fucking moro..[/i] [b]Soundtrack: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUosSQZSw5c]Marlene Shaw- California Soul[/url] [/b] Oh, Lightning Girl would sing that if she was more drunk, she got an appreciation for the classics from her brother, who smiled, still having little to say, apart from a wave of champagne at her, Sophie realising she hadn't touched hers yet from the table in the limo. It wasn't the booze, it was definitely her trying to poke at Asteroid, knowing what she knew between her and Blackstar. Making him feel it a little, but, that was part of the fun, she reasoned. The thrill of the chase, as she took glass to hand. So a flute of champagne in hand, and the suggestion of another photo from Hat Trick. Lightning Girl leaned forwards, grinning, letting Hat Trick get his obligatory social media shot in. And watching as he typed away on his phone, his big hands against small phone making her giggle. [@BigPapaBelial] [quote] Tyler chuckles, "Hmmm no that won't get us into trouble. There have been worse hashtags posted by more popular Heroes and SDN PR reps." [/quote] She double checked him, as her phone buzzed at her, checking the tag, the fact there was a mask there perhaps not revealing how Sophie's eyebrows went up, yet her eyes rolled back to see if the goblin inside her head was also seeing this shit, leaning up around a corner before leaning back out. "Cheeky fucker!" She giggled with a little biting British sarcasm, poking at his side with a not insignificant jolt, her exposed leg in the shot from what Sophie had seen- not that well, that was the problem....maybe it wasn't really. She sipped down more bubbles and sighed, The others seemed rather content. Blackstar was quiet, nervy, close to Asteroid and trying to hide. But holy hell, was she pretty. That dress was beautiful, nothing flashy, regal, but red and black, wow, it popped and brought her to life. It suited her, even if Lightning Girl wondered if based on everything she knew, Blackstar even had owned the dress herself. Then there was James, not really with anything to say. He seemed to still be defusing himself, still coming down from the big meeting he had gone in. What did the Claremont PD want with him? Was it linked to the carnival, or something else? Red Ring? Who cared. Going through the interstates of LA into sunset, the big skyscrapers of DTLA got closer and closer, and the A-Team were en-route to the biggest event of the year. The big lights, big city, and most of all, the absolute glitz and glamour of it all coming close. This was quite a different vibe to Claremont. But from the glimmery diamonds of Ikret's dress, the red and black of Blackstar, the purple of Hat Trick, silver of Lightning Girl, to the suave black of Asteroid, the team seemed rather ready for going uptown. [hr] [color=orange][center][h1][i][b] Friday 18:42 The Grand Cayman Hotel, Hollywood, Los Angeles [/b][/i][/h1][/center][/color] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Stars In Their Eyes[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] The limousine would pull up and the beautiful, white-fronted visage of The Grand Cayman Hotel, located just off Hollywood Boulevard was hosting the annual SDN California Gala, the celebration of all things corporate hero in the state, but more importantly, the single most important event of the social calendar for SDN LA's high rollers. Like the Catalina Wine Mixer, but with less incentive to sell helicopters, more incentive to keep the Governor sweet, local city councillors engaged, and more than all, keep SDN's profile high among stakeholders and the people who mattered. Heroes were always in demand, and it didn't take just supervillains to justify SDN's role in a metropolis's utility services. Other firms may have competed, but SDN had this patch, and they weren't relinquishing it anytime soon. The City of Angels was protected by an army of supers that kept the chaos at bay, day or night, and this was their celebration. The Art-Deco era building had been a long standing structure here in Hollywood, and its white stone facade was covered in posters, beyond the Mediterranean - inspired palm trees and spikes of colour that broke up its vintage appeal, and it was now in full view through tinted glass. "Here we are. Wow. I've only seen this on TV." Lightning Girl said almost as if to nobody, as James nodded, taking it all in for himself. "Yeah, A-Listers out tonight. And us. Valerie must have a secret caring side of her I didn't think existed. Or is setting us up for something." James replied, thinking back to why they were here together at all. "The Carnival, good performances? The star power of east LA? Come on James, don't overthink. For once. Enjoy this." She replied, getting the mood back on track, not wanting anything to let her down, even if she very much implied in sarcasm some parts of that. Because with that comment, the door to the limo was opened, and with it, revealed the red carpet, photographer blasting already, catching silhouettes through darkened limo glass. Lightning Girl smiled, but in particular, looked to someone inside as she shuffled across, dress gliding on leather. Blackstar. The only person in this moment she knew would be terrified. She didn't know much in this life, but she knew of all things, Blackstar was scared. There was a different vibe to her, not like Hat Trick, Ikret, maybe not even quite Asteroid or James. She looked like she felt out of place. Scared to deal with people. But Sophie knew deep down it would be good to give her that confdience. [@cosmiccowgirl] "We'll be fine, Blackstar. Promise. You look stunning by the way!" It was easy for Lightning Girl to say, because being closest to the door, perhaps a little selfishly, strategic, of course, she put herself as that face. And yet Lightning Girl had confidence to share, heel clicking into carpet, pulling forward and elegantly pushing forwards onto two heeled feet. As she faced down cameras, grinning, every single childhood dream was coming to life. The fame, the glory, of finally being all that she wanted to be. Sophie was so far gone, so far removed, so out of reach of this. And it almost felt like it lived up to everything she dreamed. Walking on soft red carpet, hair parted to one side, able to feed from the metaphorical electricity of it all. And emerging into the photography, the snaps got the rest of the team arriving on the red carpet, media kept to a limited figure given the nature of this event, tight and focussed, not wide and diffuse. Having heroes on security made sure no paparazzi that didn't belong would come. It was VIP, exclusive, and more importantly, a showcase of what SDN could do, curated. And well, the guests already seemed to suggest that. James could already pick up a few senior managers in the crowd too. Blonde Blazer, SDN Torrance's branch director, seen chatting to a punkish looking heroine who seemed extremely grumpy to have to be dressed up formally. Mr Mephisto, SDN Burbank's manager, a wiry bald looking guy who still was the biggest creep of all of the directors in his black and red tux. And what seemed like a smaller, afro-having guy who wore Aviators like he stole them, James not being able to make the name out of that guy, but being sure he was a manager in.....fuck, Downtown San Francisco? He couldn't remember, yet was last out of the car and the first to twig those, among the many, many others. Capes were gone for suits and dresses, for the most part- though from a weird looking Andromeda-descending alien to what looked like a straight up bipedal alligator, getting them formal seemed the biggest challenge of them all walked by James as his sister continued to preen, sharing photos with Ikret wherever she could, and with other members of the team, willingly or not. Following behind his heroes, Lightning Girl posing for more cameras, James couldn't help but grin as he tried to overcome the fact he was absolutely not this crowd. Many heroes would kill to be here, and sure, a few branches had sent from San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, even a few out of towners from Vegas and Salt Lake. But James? Well, he wasn't one of them. He was a tagalong. An accessory, but as he looked to Asteroid, walking alongside him, he chuckled, shaking his head. [@SonnetNSunbeam] "I suppose it's how the other half live. I think that champagne bottle cost more than my rent." James commented dryly, knowing Asteroid was made of money, at least, he had been in his past life, current circumstances being different. He let Asteroid come back to him, before moving on, the big doors wide open, and the lobby leading straight to the ballroom. Among all the heroes, the real highlight of the show was the Hollywood Six and in even the internal posters, they seemed to be the dominant advert. SDN Hollywood's premier team, and from what the SDN Claremont team would know, probably the best team in all of LA, if not the country. Some would say it was all show, all for tourists, media, optics, but others would probably say it was the finest bit of advertising that SDN had in the land. Their best heroes, given an opportunity to kill it on high profile, sensitive jobs that didn't need violence, but a pretty bunch of faces. People who could easily double up in movies too, or easily represent SDN's various specialisms when needed. Each seemed to be an expert, dedicated to one or two of the attributes that James would have sat looking at daily. [hr] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]The Hollywood Six[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] Walking into the ballroom, they'd find just those heroes, doing what they did best. Poking their head a long way above the parapet on their home turf. Past the mere accessory of a lobby at the Grand Cayman, the stage was set, draped in banners and curtains, round tables and chairs all postured around, with crowds inbetween filling every gap. The lighting was moody, a haze making everything shimmer a little under chandelier light. For a five-star hotel, this place was giving 1920s vibes that felt unchanged from when the hotel was built (in spite of plenty of modern technological updates), from the gaudy Art Deco architecture to the shine of the silver-backed chairs. Spotting the Six wasn't too hard, based on the posters and what the team might have loosely known before. On posters, billboards, media, it was always different to reality, seeing it in person, out of costume, but she could twig each. The easiest was a tall, well muscled, black-tie wearing, pasty looking socialite, although his look seemed to have a weird digital shimmer in his cuffs.[u][b]Technocrat[/b][/u]. A non-cover for [i]Lucas Aster[/i], Fintech executive with his longer fair coloured locks, who seemed to effectively be both his high-tech, crimefighting detective and billionaire self at the same time tonight. He'd usually be out with a high tech exoskeleton, all coated up in black ceramic carbide armour and a blue-hued lynx-like mask, a thruster pack and a claimed IQ of 180. It made him the guy you called for high profile cases, investigation, civil protection and for preening around when he wasn't busy running around making money by night and single handily boosting his own ego by day. He may have had none of his gear right now, but he was still a certified genius who'd invested in a hell of a squat rack while reading Descartes, the kind of finance bro Sonar would aspire to be. It also made him a certified prick, that at least made him fit the profile of Hollywood and it's corporate heroism. He was too self interested to care about who came in, for now at least. [u][b]Lady Liberty[/b][/u] was, as ever, attracting all the photography by an SDN branded backer, that kind you'd find in. In a stunning blue, white and red number that revealed way too much cleavage that anyone else would have gotten away with, coupled to her lightly copper hair was proof even Lightning Girl or Ikret weren't too much in this town. A heroine that was America's sweetheart, coming up from rural Colorado, and hitting the perfect mix of vigour and charisma, being crafted by SDN into probably one of the most marketable heroes in the US. A star in every sense of the word, within an inch of her life, picture perfect. And with the kind of power that maybe wasn't all too far off Phenomaman, super strength, flight, and the ability to beam energy out of her hands. Resilient as hell, but also, fast. Lightning Girl would blush at the sight, because that was one hell of a thing to see in person. If Technocrat was an asshole, she prayed that Liberty wouldn't be, because Sophie had pictures of her when she first became a hero, that Facebook-famous turning into someone who had their own merch line. And not too far, off from her, the sound of laughter, a deep tone from a lanky, yet instantly distinguishable hero. [u][b]Fastlane[/b].[/u] A classic speedster, maybe not as fast as Track Star, but his yellow and black costume, dreads and Jamaican chill made him an icon that brought island vibes to red-hot speed. Being able to be a first responder made him ideal to get places fast. Not much more, but, he absolutely nailed that down in a world where speedsters were relatively rare. In a dapper looking mustard yellow suit, he looked every part the suave, easygoing islander that had made it big in LA. With a gold chain on, he gave his iconic pose, an archer's pull, and grinned, laughing heartily, absolutely seeming to be the most sincere of all of the Six, even if his charisma wasn't as classic as that of Liberty, nor that of another member of the team Lightning Girl could hear, but not see yet. Beyond Fastlane, a nearly as dapper, tan-suited Texan, looking like he was going to sell oil rather than attend a Gala was her real interest. Still with Stetson in hand, this was clearly [u][b]Quickdraw[/b][/u]. He was still armed, openly, two revolvers at hip. But it was like props at this point. Sophie had already known about him, but James reminded himself what he'd read. Fastest gunslinger in the States, not particularly super like the others, but had a knack for solving problems, talking trouble down, and when it came to it, stopping threats with an encyclopaedic knowledge of bullets. Hence why the revolvers were inseparable to him. Lightning Girl spied a look at him, and mid conversation, he peeked at her, the two catching a glimpse across the room. His look was broken by a crowd, where Lightning Girl's eyes drifted to someone more inconspicuous. Quietly, skulking in the corner, a dark, burgundy haired, lithe looking, almost tactical-like black dress wearing heroine, the dress more like a body glove than something too elegant, face unmasked yet....somehow not quite right. Flat heeled too.....she was tactical. So that would be [u][b]Black Rose[/b]. [/u] Even in plain sight with distinctive red hair, she seemed to almost dissolve into her background. But that was the way she liked it, her face somehow distorted as if her nose, or her cheeks, or her lips, something, something wasn't quite aligned to the rest, yet it seemed human. Not a shapeshifter, no, of someone curating who she was. Optical camouflage, silenced pistols, grappling hooks, the kind of arrangement that the CIA would call science fiction were her normal arsenal, and while she may not have had regular powers, she had the kind of tech, and the capability that made even supers wince, a combination of intelligence and lethality. It was strange to have her in Hollywood, but, she had her reasons, so at least people believed. Was it retirement from some special forces gig? Or hiding in plain sight? Who knew. Who [i]wanted[/i], to know. But she flicked a butter knife back into into the buffet cart like it was a frisbee and it didn't even clink. She saw the sight of Blackstar, and her eyebrows flickered up. [b]Soundtrack: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9ekY7E8O8k]London Grammar- Intro[/url] [/b] And yet among all of them, the most notable was actually on stage. It would sound like the heavens opening up. A hero that didn't seem to fit the mould, but in Hollywood, perhaps she just did. [u][b]Calliope.[/b][/u] A Greek demi-goddess, white toga-like dress wearing, long black haired siren. Siren in the literal sense. The ability to use her voice to shrill, captivate, charm, break glass, open people's minds through almost a mythical level of charisma, well, that did things here. Maybe not the way the other heroes could, but, with a Muse on your side, you could convince most to spill their thoughts. But more than all, it sounded like pitched perfection. As she sang, the violin behind her picked up, as if her own vocal chords seemed to strum it alive more than the violinist playing them could. She had an aura, almost a sort of pull, that would make anyone around her seem almost small. Calliope caught the sight of diamonds walking through the door, and she looked to Ikret, her voice trembling a teeny bit seeing her, realising the other goddess from antiquity had come back. But the voice continued. The team would be getting snapped on the ballroom, in front of a SDN-branded event canvas, Lightning Girl preening in front, happy to be joined by any others that came along with her. But from afar, each of the Six had their eye. Curious as to faces they hadn't yet seen. Faces that had punched far above their weight. But before they could do that, the A-Team were interrupted by the brute that was Valerie Halliday, towering over the group, even Hat Trick. The SDN Regional Director made a point of intercepting the group, able to almost cover the distance between anyone else that would come to talk to them. She absolutely stank of Chanel, and in a shimmering black dress, she seemed to magnify every part of her ability to stop the fuck out of anyone that didn't agree. No gloves, because with arms like that, concealed carry wasn't an option for an immortal warrior. "You made it.....finally. Don't fuck this up. Especially you two." She stared evils at both Ikret and Lightning Girl, the latter looking at the other with a look of bewilderment, as the Viking queen seemed to sigh, looking on as the Governor shook hands with Technocrat, somewhere at a far table, James nodding, Valerie almost ignoring the puny mortal of the group. Brave he was, nothing of value he had to add right now. "Governor wants to talk with me. Keeping all of your sorry asses, and corporate in contract.....and you didn't bring Madcap at least, James. Keeps us in with a fighting chance. That and Blackstar seemingly posting numbers even Liberty's struggling to match." She sighed almost nonchalantly, looking across, knowing the concierge had fucked up the job making that fix for her, clearly, and she would have to take matters into her own hands. Oh well. Best to do a job properly herself, she thought, James now having nothing to say, unlike his attempt earlier, Valerie finishing her point. Madcap being taken off the team and reassigned had probably given James a few years back on his life, albeit not those taken by the stress of the carnival. "Your table is there. When you're called, come up, don't say anything stupid. Shake hands, look good. And enjoy your night. This ain't gonna be regular." And with that, Valerie stared only a little bit of daggers at the group, before moving away, leaving them all likely speechless. That voice, a husky, raspy tone sounded aged like a wine bottle, East Coast for sure, but with the hints of her Vinland heritage. ---- James chuckled, shaking his head, waiting until Valerie was out of sight, the group together by that canvas board. "This is mental." He had no further words, chuckling and smiling, still a little in shock. He wasn't even sure where to begin. Gone was the serious, absolutely in control dispatcher. He seemed to actually be having fun. Like for a brief moment, despite every part of him telling him this was fake, bullshit, a lie, all of it, this felt a little bit special. A little bit like something he could see his sister loving the idea of. And looking across to her, she seemed to be trying her hardest to contain. Lightning Girl in the interim was still trying to play it cool. Trying. But her eye had caught a nearby drinks trolley, halfway between where they were and their table. Not that it was likely they would get the table with what was going on. There were so many crowds standing, talking amongst each other, not sitting down, it almost felt redundant to get to where they'd be right now. Not without being accosted, taking in the scene. "Ikret, what did you do to piss Valerie off? Please tell me this isn't a long running thing." She asked, as James tsk'd. "Everyone has, if you spend enough time in the hero game in LA. Or happen to exist in any point in the last thousand years between here and Newfoundland. I think she's quite chill now, compared to the rumours I heard." James merely remarked, as Sophie giggled, giving into that part of her that just wanted to stir shit. She was polite, nice, friendly, but every now and then, it hit, and Valerie was enough distance away that she wouldn't be getting Blood Eagled if she made the comment. "Well, she has thighs like she ends bloodlines. She probably still does." LG blurted naughtily, as James sighed, looking up at her, as Lightning Girl walked on over to Blackstar, something about tonight just making Lightning Girl all sorts of odd. It was a party, after all. "Seen Lady Liberty over there? I thought I grew up looking up to her. But she's actually a lot shorter than I thought in person. So cool though. I'm not worthy, Blackstar!" Lightning Girl giggled, knowing she had been almost shielding Blackstar from it all, trying to lean casually against the upstanding table, looking over. "Then over there, that's Black Rose. I think you two have a lot in common. Quiet. Highly effective. Red haired. And you both have black costumes. But she can turn invisible, soo......when we getting that?" Sophie teased Blackstar about that strand of red she'd seen poking out of the back of that hair. And looking across, seeing....her. "And Tsunami. I almost fucking forgot." She wasn't in the Six, but Tsunami had been relocated to DTLA. Family connections. Or some other bullshit. But she was here? And in that scaly blue dress of hers. Bitch. Ikret may have wanted to stay out of pictures with Lightning Girl, but Sophie was staying the absolute fuck away from her. Not after last time. She tried to hide, but it had brought itself out, Lightning Girl not wanting to open wounds up, leaving Blackstar to it after chatting. She walked across to Asteroid, seeing his suit, realising the two astral heroes had unintentionally matched. "You're a match. But, so are....yeah. Damn. We need to be more creative next time. I hope there's a next time. I mean...." She cut herself off looking at Ikret, who James pointed towards the table, rounding up the others. "Come on then, we heading over?" He asked, knowing it was time to get to their table, after they'd all enjoyed the entrance, taking it in, and Lightning Girl fixed her gloves, a smile back, shrugging.