[hr] [center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/8zfY3hBF/Untitled-design.png[/img][/center] [hr] [color=gray][center][h1][i][b] Friday 6:45pm SDN California Gala[/b][/i][/h1] (( ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ: [@FourtyTwo]/Lightning Girl, [@Ezekial]/Ikret | ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ: [@BigPapaBelial]/Hat Trick, [@FourtyTwo]/James + various, [@SonnetNSunbeam]/Asteroid ))[/center][/color] Oooohhh this was [i]not[/i] good. She was so stressed out and they weren't even at the gala yet. Asteroid said something about karaoke to LG and that briefly distracted Blackstar, making her think of that night a few weeks ago now at the hero bar where he and Madcap had sung some karaoke together. Jet's dramatic performance had been cute. And his voice hadn't been half-bad, either. If he sang again she wouldn't mind at all-- [quote][color=gold]"Well, Asteroid, that depends how many vodka martinis you and I drink. Who knows, maybe it'll be more than a duet!"[/color][/quote] Blackstar's head snapped slightly to the side, pale eyes wide as she stared at Lightning Girl for a second before remembering her eyes were actually visible at the moment and swiftly looking away again. That had sounded suggestive. But Sophie didn't mean [i]that[/i], surely? It almost seemed like she was hopped up on excitement without even having any of the champagne yet. [i]Caaaaaalllmmmm down,[/i] Alaine chided herself mentally, one leg bouncing anxiously where it was crossed over the other. She took a deep inhale. [quote][color=gold]"Like Blackstar might join in and sing too, I mean, if we keep drinking champagne!"[/color][/quote] [color=gray]"Ahaha!"[/color] Blackstar registered her name and laughed automatically, though she was immediately horrified by the robotic sound of her own voice. Quickly clearing her throat, her smile was a little more tense than she'd like as she added, [color=gray]"Ah, hah, uh -- I don't drink, so, uh, it'll be a hard sell."[/color] Weak, but it would do. At least it was a coherent sentence. Looking at the rest of the group, she wished she was an empath. If she could just siphon off some of the cheerful excitement of Lightning Girl and Hat Trick, or even the cool nonchalance of Ikret, she'd be good to go. But maybe that was the right track to be on -- maybe she could just trick herself into being chill. Like Ikret. Yeah. ...Well. Ikret actually didn't seem "chill", exactly, it was more like effortless elegance. Even with two giant wings crammed into the limo she somehow looked blasé -- in the sophisticated sense -- like being encrusted in diamonds was just a regular Friday night for her. Alaine tried to pretend that was her. That she'd done this a dozen times before, that she totally wore very nice dresses all the time and hobnobbed with the rich and powerful and famous all the time... and she definitely [i]didn't[/i] want to crawl out of her own skin... and they all definitely [i]wouldn't[/i] immediately see through her act and nail her to the wall... Lightning Girl laughed and Blackstar blinked, letting out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. Her hands were fidgeting relentlessly in her lap, and she was mentally thanking Asteroid for letting her borrow that gold bracelet -- turning it around and around her wrist was giving her some small outlet for her nervous energy. She was trying really hard not to just latch on to his gravity again, even though it'd be so easy and so nice with him sitting right next to her... but no, she was trying to keep herself from developing a dependency. He wasn't always going to be around. He wouldn't want to be. So what was she supposed to do, fall apart? No. No, she was a tough, strong, independent woman, and she always had been, and she always would be, and she didn't need anybody or anything ever. ...Although a hug would've been very appreciated right about then. It seemed like she blinked and the next thing she knew, the limo was pulling up to the gala. Alaine pretended she was adjusting her necklace but in actuality she was casually checking her heartrate. Ah. Racing like a rabbit about to be mauled to death by a pack of wolves. Great, yeah, that was great. She could already see the flashes of cameras up ahead through the windows and felt her stomach drop. [i]Shoooooot[/i] she hadn't thought about cameras... The stars' incessant screaming in the back of her head was threatening to give her a headache before she'd even gotten out of the limo, and she could feel her breathing trying to keep pace with her rapid heartbeat. [i]You're going to make yourself hyperventilate.[/i] God, if only her body would listen to her head. No matter how many times she told herself she was fine, her nervous system refused to get the memo... that had always been something she'd struggled with, but it had gotten ten times worse when that stupid shooting star whacked her in the head. Speaking of stars, they were burning so bright at the edges of her vision she was starting to get scared she was going to have a reaction she couldn't control. Blackstar sank back in her seat a little, again hiding slightly behind Asteroid as she tried to regulate her breathing and force down the increasingly-anxious cosmic energy. Lightning Girl and James were talking but their voices were reaching her ears in a muted way, like she was underwater. [quote][color=gold]"Here we are. Wow. I've only seen this on TV."[/color] [color=lightblue]"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."[/color] [color=gold]"The Carnival, good performances? The star power of east LA? Come on James, don't overthink. For once. Enjoy this."[/color][/quote] Alaine nodded slightly to herself, even though Lightning Girl had been talking to the dispatcher and not her. [i]Don't overthink. Enjoy this.[/i] Yeah, but since when had she [i]ever[/i] enjoyed something like this? Uhh oh, right, never. She hated big fancy places. She hated big crowds. She hated dressing up and feeling like a fraud. The stress was being tempted to turn into rage. The stars were coaxing it out and she could feel it, like something physical sticking to her ribs and trying to work its way up her throat. She wasn't sure if the flashing in her eyes was the cameras outside the tinted windows or the flickering stars forever in her vision. Maybe both. She was disconcerted by the fact that she couldn't tell the difference. That made it worse. Her body started reacting before she could stop it, and she knew the second her eyes started smoking light. Like floating when she was asleep, it was a physical response to the cosmic energy that she hadn't figured out how to control, and Blackstar immediately shut her eyes. She had no idea what it looked like from the outside, whether the light was still glowing through her eyelids or drifting up past her lashes. [i]Okay. Okay, okay,[/i] she thought, taking yet another impossibly deep inhale that had her bruised ribs screaming in protest. [i]This is okay. At least it hides your eyes. Right?[/i] The limo doors opened and Alaine's eyes snapped open, but she couldn't see anything properly. Between the stars and the photographers, her vision was a mess of lights. She stifled a groan, rubbing a hand over her eyes that were still smoking cold light, irises and pupils completely hidden by the glow. If nothing else, it'd make focusing on her face a nightmare for cameras. Blackstar was the last one out of the limo, trying not to glower but not wanting to smile, either. [@FourtyTwo] [quote][color=gold]"We'll be fine, Blackstar. Promise. You look stunning by the way!"[/color][/quote] Eyes leaking starlight, Blackstar glanced over as Sophie offered a word of encouragement and a compliment. [color=gray]"Thank you,"[/color] she mumbled, but she wouldn't have been surprised if the noise around them drowned it out. That said, it didn't go unnoticed how LG put herself out in front of the cameras; there weren't [i]that[/i] many photographers around, but even one was too many as far as Alaine was concerned. She felt relieved to see the white-haired heroine taking the brunt of the flashes, and she knew her own glowing eyeballs would help hide her identity, but she lifted a hand to shield her face anyway. She hadn't been paying attention if SDN corporate had sent down word about smiling for cameras, and frankly, she didn't care. Blackstar certainly didn't linger on the carpet, making a beeline for the indoors and having to work extra hard to keep her feet on the ground. She would've killed for a little of Asteroid's gravity to stick herself down -- she was having enough trouble regulating her breathing and trying to get her eyes to stop bleeding luminescence, let alone making sure she didn't go drifting off like a wayward comet. It didn't matter how sophisticated the noise was in the hotel -- like the cameras, just a few voices was too many for Alaine's crowded head. The singing from the [i]actual[/i] goddess on the stage was beautiful, but the stars' screeching was too obtrusive to let her properly appreciate it. Once she was in she didn't scan the room like she might have had she been a little less jittery, instead just keeping a hand up over her glowing eyes like she was embarrassed of them, falling back in the group in an attempt to hide behind any one of them. Which was easy enough, since she was apparently the shortest one there. In fact, ducking between Lightning Girl and Hat Trick pretty much completely hid her from view. Occasionally glancing out from under her fingers -- her hands still bearing somewhat bruised up, scabbed-over knuckles -- she did spot a few figures she recognized. Not from personal acquaintance, but because... well, [i]everybody[/i] recognized those heroes. Her gaze lingered longest on Lady Liberty and Quickdraw; the former because younger Alaine had always liked the iconic American-ness of her and the closeness in their ages, and the latter because something about the cowboy hat and revolvers felt comfortably familiar. Probably because she'd spent so many nights watching the old western channel with her dad. [i]Don't think about Dad,[/i] she pleaded mentally as soon as her mind started conjuring up images of her old family living room, with the old worn armchair her dad always sat in and the thrifted pillows her mom had re-covered and the infomercials playing on the TV between episodes of [i]The Rifleman[/i] and Clint Eastwood movies. Ah, great, now she was homesick again. Blackstar, still struggling to manage her breathing and avoiding the photo op, hurriedly scoped out the edges of the room for a good place to go be a wallflower. But before she could act on her plans the team had been approached by Valerie, looking intimidating as all get out, as was to be expected. Alaine dropped her hand from her face, if only because she didn't want to get called out for it. [quote][b]"You made it.....finally. Don't fuck this up. Especially you two."[/b][/quote] Who, Lightning Girl? Ikret? That baffled Alaine. Those two, in her opinion, looked the most like they were supposed to be there. They were literally [i]sparkling[/i]. Also Hat Trick, who seemed charismatic and down to earth enough to fit in just about anywhere. [quote][b]"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."[/b][/quote] Being specifically named made her go very still for a second, blanching as if Valerie had just put a hit on her. [quote][b]"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."[/b][/quote] [i]When you're called? Come up?![/i] Blackstar felt properly sick but she swallowed the anxiety-bidden nausea, glancing at James when the dispatcher eventually spoke up. Mental. Yeah. At least he seemed like he was enjoying himself, judging by the smile. That was good. He and Sophie started bantering again in that sibling-y way they did, and Blackstar felt herself stuck in place, trying to decide if she could actually get to their table or if it'd be pointless since nobody else seemed to be sitting. Where was Asteroid... she turned just slightly, catching sight of him nearby and focusing briefly on the red-faced watch on his wrist. Watching the tiny gold hands tick, trying to imagine the steady sound of it in her head and pretending that was her heartbeat. Slower than it currently was. Focusing a great deal of her mental energy to the task of imagining her heart as a red-faced watch with gold hands, the shine of Blackstar's blazing eyes started to dim -- she might've just been getting a hold of it when Lightning Girl's voice startled her back to a full glow. [@FourtyTwo] [quote][color=gold]"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!"[/color][/quote] Alaine swallowed thickly and quickly forced a smile. There was a joke to be made about height, probably, but it wasn't coming to her. [quote][color=gold]"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?"[/color][/quote] The red hair bit immediately had Alaine's hands jumping up to the back of her head, hastily trying to hide any inkling of red peeking out from under the rest of her mousy hair and [url=https://i.pinimg.com/1200x/4c/c1/68/4cc1688677901d2e7c780ce88340eac4.jpg]the low bun[/url] she'd attempted. [color=gray]"Ha... yeah... I'd kill to turn invisible..."[/color] It might've been an awkward-sounding response, but she meant that with all her heart right about then. If she could turn invisible she wouldn't be hanging around any longer than she had to, just long enough to establish she had been there. [quote][color=gold]"And Tsunami. I almost fucking forgot."[/color][/quote] [color=gray]"Oh?"[/color] Alaine glanced over in the direction LG had looked, still trying to adjust her hair. She spotted the blue-themed heroine in question, silent for a moment before saying simply, [color=gray]"Well. Let me know if she starts winding up again."[/color] She would [i]soooo[/i] much rather be in a fight. So much. Honestly, she would be happier back at the clownfest. Social interaction was so much easier when the interaction was a fistfight. Which was awful to think, and she really shouldn't be thinking it, but she was, and now she was upset at herself again, and-- [color=gray]"You look really nice,"[/color] she said to Lightning Girl, trying to casually thank her for taking the spotlight with the cameras. [color=gray]"Those photos are going to look amazing. The lights on that dress make it look--"[/color] Ah, actually, she could see the light from her eyes reflecting off the silvery material. She'd hoped that had stopped already. Alaine pressed on. [color=gray]"--look like starlight."[/color] She paired that with a weak smile. [color=gray]"Ha. I oughta know."[/color] Genuinely. The stars trying to fill up her peripheral vision could've blended right into Lightning Girl's dress. [color=gray]"You and Ikret both. Y'all--"[/color] Her voice cracked a little and she quickly cleared her throat. [color=gray]"Uh, you both look amazing."[/color] Speaking of... Ikret might actually be the [i]perfect[/i] person to go linger behind. For one, those big, majestic wings were practically a wall, no one would see her. For two, who would look at Blackstar when there was a diamond-studded, model-bodied angel in front of her? Yes, perfect. ...Was that rude? To use Ikret as a distraction? ...Maybe? Alaine didn't really think she'd mind, if she even noticed. It was kind of a roundabout compliment. Her eyes drifted to the side, following Lightning Girl's departure and the man she approached, dressed in his dashing black and red and gold. Alaine's gaze lingered for a second unintentionally. She'd thought Asteroid was handsome ages ago, and she'd thought he looked amazing in his suit in the locker room, but seeing him from a bit of distance in a setting like the gala... [i]wow[/i]. He looked so... ...Far away. Alaine swallowed the lump that had suddenly risen in her throat, deciding not to think about that strange, tugging sensation in her chest. Instead she turned to set her sights on Ikret. Time to become as invisible as she possibly could... With the practiced movements of someone who was used to skirting around people and avoiding attention, Blackstar sidled her way towards the winged goddess reincarnate. Intending to just casually stand in the shadow of her wings, she was almost there when she thought she heard Asteroid laugh. Maybe it wasn't him at all, maybe the stars were evolving and now mimicking familiar voices -- or maybe it was just some other random guy who sounded like Jet. In any case, Alaine's course was derailed embarrassingly quickly as she turned to look, catching a glimpse of LG and Asteroid chatting; looking back mid-step, she realized a server with a tray of drinks was walking right past her. They saw each other right about the same time and she could see the split-second panic on his face. Obviously he couldn't really yank back with that tray in his hands, but he did lurch slightly as if instinct almost made him do it. Alaine caught herself, quite nearly colliding with him -- she, likewise moving on instinct, threw out a hand that hit a glass and [i]almost[/i] tipped it over, only she managed to catch it instead as she turned sharply to avoid hitting the rest of the tray. Whirling to a halt, drink in hand, she and the server shared a somewhat bewildered look before the man sucked in a breath and continued on his way towards the tables, leaving her to turn and realize she was actually right in front of Ikret. [@Ezekiel] Looking with wide, glowing eyes between the drink in her hand and the winged woman, Blackstar realized just how close she'd come to knocking a whole tray of drinks right into that million-dollar-looking dress. The thought was almost enough to make her nauseas again. She was [i]far[/i] from the relaxed, casually-saluting woman who'd wished Ikret good luck on her first day earlier that afternoon. [color=gray]"Yikes, sorry, that was close."[/color] Alaine cleared her throat, paused, then extended the drink in Ikret's direction with a sheepish smile. [color=gray]"Uh -- do you want this? I'm assuming it's champagne -- I don't drink. If not that's fine! I can just... set it... somewhere."[/color] Somewhere behind her she heard James and glanced back to see him pointing at them and beginning to direct everyone to the table. She wasn't sure if she'd feel better sitting down or not, because technically that was being stuck in one particular place. Standing up and walking around was a bit more stressful [i]but[/i] at least there was the feeling of being able to run -- or fly, in her case -- if she really needed to. And she might need to, the way things were going. She could still feel her heart pounding painfully fast in her ribs, and she knew her stupid eyes were still glowing, which was starting to get embarrassing because [i]somebody[/i] was going to figure out sooner or later that it wasn't a voluntary thing she was doing for the sake of giving herself a little more anonymity. It was probably annoying, too. Was it hard to look at? She'd actually never really [i]looked[/i] at herself when her eyes were smoking light like that before, just caught glimpses. Mostly because it had only ever happened in very high-stress or high-power situations, like a fight. Her mind was going a hundred miles a minute and she really wished someone would just give her a shake and tell her to cut it out, because obviously mentally scolding herself wasn't working. Blackstar cleared her throat lightly again, mouth feeling so dry that she was almost considering having a swig of one of those drinks anyway. [color=gray]"Your dress is stunning, by the way,"[/color] she said to Ikret, starting to turn to head for the table but somewhat obviously waiting for the winged woman -- more out of a desire not to walk on her own than genuine politeness, if she was being honest. [color=gray]"I've never seen one like that. Those, uh -- are those real diamonds?"[/color]