shadowsaint007

Titans: Dawn of a New Tomorrow

Brightstar

"Yes mom, I'll be running late," Penny speaks into the mike of her headset as she flies to the observatory. "Sorry, I know I should have mentioned this earlier, buuuut I got invited to a study session with some of the other students. Yeah, I know, it was pretty sudden for me too; I just... well, they just invited me I guess.

"Why is it windy? Uh, the window's open? Yeah, yeah mom, I'll try not to catch my death from a cold. Mom, I'm not a kid anymore... Look, just... I'll let you know when I'm heading home. I've arranged my own transport, don't worry. I'll keep you posted, okay? Love you, mom..."

With the phone call ended, she makes a landing in front of the observatory. She checks online maps to see if she got the right place, and takes a deep breath.

"Penny, you're making a mountain out of a molehill," she tells herself, trying to break her feelings of anxiety. "You're just being asked by a former member of the Titans to help solve a case that's all. You don't know if they're restarting the Titans, so don't overthink this, alright? Alright."

She takes a deep breath, trying to stay calm and make a good first impression, before she opens the door and walks inside.

Titans: Dawn of a New Tomorrow

Brightstar

As she flies towards the observatory (helped a little by Google Maps), Brightstar thinks over the invitation. It could be a trap, there's always that little chance, but either way, it's something to investigate right? Plus, if it's tied to the recent rash of kidnappings, it would certainly be something important.

Viran, she thinks. All I know is that he's a member of the Titans, an alien who grew up on Earth, like Superman did. Other than that, just a few tidbits from whatever I could find online. Seems to be a legit Titans thing if he's involved, but why would he pick a rookie like me? Maybe he's starting a new Teen Titans? No, he would have said so. New Titans then? But if so, how old would everyone be?

Still, would be nice to get some help as a rookie hero. Plus, if I can help them with whatever problem they're having, I'd be glad to be of service...

As she thought about it, Brightstar started looking up Viran and recent Titans history on her suit's PDA, just to brush up on general knowledge. She'll be in sight of the observatory mentioned soon...

Nova Lux: A Magical Girl Game

This time, Nicole let her laugh fly.

"C'mon, Penny, bask in your glory a little bit. Not every girl gets to be a hero before she even puts on the uniform. Sure sounds like an origin story to me." She winked. "You wouldn't believe how cool under pressure she was, either. Don't pick a fight with her, ladies, you wouldn't believe the nerves she's got. Real crocodile."

@Plank Sinatra

Penny gives Nichole an annoyed look

Et tu, Nichole? Penny thinks. Nichole's clearly enjoying the attention directed at Penny. I swear, that girl didn't look like a troublemaker when she first came on board...

Penny wasn't trying to be a hero when she tackled the Void. She just saw a man in danger of dying, and tried to help him, that's all.

“Oh, for real?” It’s clear that Cara’s a little disappointed with that answer, possibly having expected something more exciting with the rumors of disappearing girls swirling around. Nicole and Dana’s extra praise does seem to at least elevate the redhead’s opinion, and she adds: “You must be pretty strong, busted hand or not.”

@Inedible

"Well, not to brag, but I am pretty strong for my size," Penny replies, humorously flexing a bicep.

Sorry, Cara, I'd love to share the real story, but let's just say we were told to keep it hush-hush, she thinks. And frankly, the circumstances are more frightening than boast-worthy.

“A chair, huh?” Interrupts the spectacled blonde girl, taping her fork against the tray in front of her. “Was it her highchair?”

This time, Penny barely gives her a cold sidelong glance.

No, it was the park bench I bent your mom over last night.

This is going beyond poking fun at watching silly cartoons; Penny was perfectly willing to let blondie have that little cheap shot because she guessed most here would dismiss Gunslinger Alexis as a children's cartoon - even though more than half of them probably grew up on it.

Blondie, however, is clearly just trying to put people down. The only reason Penny doesn't insult her back is the fact that they're still making good first impressions, and she didn't want to make trouble for her group.

This is clearly, however, strike one.

Her olive-skinned friend snorts, a hand quickly covering her mouth. When she recovers she chastises her companion, sputtering, “Amanda!” The girl clears her throat, giving an apologetic look toward the Laurus crew before she offers: “I’m sorry. I’m Priya, nice to meet you. I’m super excited to become an Ars Magi too, being able to transform is going to be totally amazing.”

“Yeah yeah,” Agrees Cara, “Ignore her. When you’re an Ars Magi you’ll be even stronger! And, you know, they wouldn’t use their most powerful weapons to just dig holes or clean toilets or whatever. We’re gonna be heroes!” The girl flexes a bicep, to indicate just how strong and heroic she intends to be in the future.

Amanda, the blonde girl, makes a derisive snort. “We’ll see who gets that lucky.” She comments, returning to picking at her meal afterward.

A chime rings out from somewhere in the distance, warning that dinnertime will be coming to a close shortly.

Priya seems okay, and Cara's pretty cool, a sort of big boisterous bruiser sort. She decides to chalk Amanda up to being 'that one in every class'.

Either way, dinner is almost over, so she finishes up pretty quickly. She just hopes she doesn't see too much of Amanda - for Amanda's sake, that is.

"So what's next on the agenda?" she asks Cara.

Titans: Dawn of a New Tomorrow

Well...this kind of sucks. We need at least three other players besides myself to get this to run plot-wise and I think we're down to three total.

Anyone know if anyone else might be interested?

@Chev

Whatever happened to the others? Did they drop, or did they not post?

Titans: Dawn of a New Tomorrow

Brightstar

There were few things in life that Penelope "Penny" West, A.K.A. the young superheroine known as "Brightstar", found quite as exhilarating as flying. Soaring in the sky hundreds of feet above the ground, watching the milling citizens go about their day, only occasionally looking up when they see a shadow overhead... there's just something unique about the view, and Second City was one of those cities whose streets seemed custom-made for scenic routes, especially for flyers.

Penny had initially been reluctant to come here after her more established life in Pittsburgh, but now she feels she could get used to this city pretty quickly. School was progressing nicely, she was fitting in school nicely, even managed to make a couple new friends. Life's pretty good.

She makes a quick stop on top of the Greene Building, her usual spot overlooking the bay, giving a great view of the city overall. From there, she takes stock of the view, taking a deep breath.

"Well, I think I'm getting the hang of this place," she says to no one. "I think I've memorized the routes around the city, getting to know the place pretty well, and school's turning out pretty nicely. Plus, I think the trick of wearing long johns under spandex is paying off; I'm not freezing my ass off anymore! Well, I'm still a bit cold, who knew flying can be so chilly? Still, I think I'm getting the hang of it..."

Just then, she heard... something behind her. She turns around to see... a small glowing orb?

"Huh?" she says, approaching it carefully. She resists the urge to touch the thing out of curiosity, and was just trying to decide whether to just get away from it when the orb suddenly changes into a full-body hologram, startling her into taking a few steps back.

"Greetings, My name is Viran, a former member of the now defunct organization that was known as "The Titans". Many of you are familiar with the history of Second City and how my actions and those of the other Titans helped shape it over the past decade, through both tragedy and triumph. For the last eight years, our city has had minimal meta-human criminal activity but I fear that is about to change. As some of you may be aware, a number of abductions have taken place recently. Although I have been able to find very little data connecting the abductions, I have a feeling that soon our city will be in severe danger once again. I ask that those of you that receive this message meet me at the old observatory located seven miles south of the outskirts of Second City if only to hear me out."

@Chev

Brightstar watches the hologram, warily at first, but then in genuine curiosity. The names click with her, and her mind races as she tries to comprehend the message.

Wait, Viran? The Titans?! Really?! she thinks, subconsciously glancing in the direction of the Titans Tower. Right, they've got their base here in Second City. Something happened to them... they disbanded or something. But... why would a veteran hero ask a rookie like me? Aren't there other heroes he can ask to join instead?

Also, 'As many of you are aware'? He's sending more than one of these? Are they going to bring back the team?

When the message is over, she's just bursting with questions.

"Wait, does this mean you'll be bringing back the Titans?" she asks breathlessly. "How many people will be there? When should I show up? Should I show up in superhero or civilian getup - no wait, I'm definitely going in superhero getup, nevermind. And why did you pick me of all people? I mean, I'm honored, but I'm pretty sure there's a dozen other heroes around here... right?"

Unfortunately, the orb had burned up before she could finish asking. She sighs.

"I guess I better get going, then," she comments.

With that, she flies upwards, and then banks sharply and heads southwards to find the old observatory. Hopefully, she'll find the observatory in time...

Nova Lux: A Magical Girl Game

Penny gave a dramatic sigh as Dana elbows her playfully.

"See what I mean?" she tells the blonde girl. "I don't know where she gets all that energy."

When Cara joined in, Dana continued Penny's narrative... but then threw in a bit about Penny smashing flying furniture.

Seriously? she thinks. Next you'll have me smashing walls in with my face...

"That was just a fluke, really," Penny explained.

Nova Lux: A Magical Girl Game

“That’s kinda depressing,” Dana observed with a nervous giggle. “But I don’t think it’s anything to worry about,” she hastened to add. “I mean, we went through a buncha prelim tests back home, and I doubt they’d go through all the hassle of bringin’ us here, if there was any chance we’d just have to be sent home again.”

@Ponn

Penny thought it over.

"Yeah, you're right," she sighs. "They'd probably have experience with which cases work and which probably don't by now, and know what to look for and when to do extra tests."

"Besides, they're not really in the business of wasting time here," Nicole pitched in, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees and head in hands. "You heard how early they blew the horn for us, and with the way things have run so far, I doubt they're going to waste time bringing a girl into where they do procedures just to bounce her out. If they were gonna go through all that trouble they'd be more likely to kill you just to shut you up."

She winked at her new friends and adjusted her newest skirt, glowering at it with an irritation she hadn't even directed at Astrelle at her worst yesterday.

@Plank Sinatra

Penny made a face.

"Wow, aren't you all sunshine and rainbows right now," she replies. "I mean, I don't think anyone here's above the age of 16. Would be pretty grim thing to do. Has Astrelle been rubbing off on you that fast?"

"I wish they'd kill me, frickin' uniform..." she grumbled. "Hey, wait, I probably shouldn't say that, right? That's probably what they say in those shows you guys watch before things go bad. Forget I said that."

"Aw come on, they're not that bad," she replies, feeling the fabric. "Not the colors I'd have chosen, but I suppose that's a matter of personal taste.

"Then again, I suppose being from Hasta makes it harder to accept uniforms meant for mere mortals, doesn't it?" she teases Nichole.

Turning to Vanna and Astrelle, she gives them a wave.

"So how are you two today?" she asks them. "Slept well, I hope?"

They were on the subject of their favorite shows again, discussing how they hoped their transformations would be modeled after certain girls from certain Adjective Adjective Job Title Noun anime. She thought again of their discussion on the airship yesterday, and the innocence with which they'd discussed Ars Magi propaganda. Astrelle hadn't been fooled, and she was probably smarter not to be. But why go through all the trouble of being an Ars Magi just to feel like shit about it?

"You'll have to tell me who I'd be," Nicole said with an apologetic grin. "I really only speak the language when it comes to over-the-top macho stuff."

God, it would be so sick if I became Eradicator. Or Demonetta or Roboslut. She pictured herself, slinging a pair of pistols in either direction. I don't kiss magical girls. I turn 'em to slag.

"Maybe you girls could give me, like, a list of beginner's stuff to watch for nights off? Help amica tua out?"

"I've watched a few shows, if you want inspiration," Penny says. "Most are stuff you only watch when you're ten, but I know a couple others that are pretty enjoyable even to grown-ups."

“Yeah!” Dana added. “From what I’ve heard, ya don’t really change all that much. Ya just get a super cool outfit, based on your personality and your mental image of your ideal magical self! So, like, I’ll probably look a lot like Beautiful Guardian Gunslinger Alexis! And my Gladius’ll probably be some kinda super cool magitech pistol, or somethin’! Whadya think, Penny?!” she asked her roommate excitedly. “Wouldn’t it be awesome if ya looked like Magical Maid Altea?!”

"Weeeellll..." Penny starts. To be honest, she does like the costume in Magic Maid Altea, but the idea of going around in what was basically a costume from a kids' show would probably draw scorn - assuming of course someone else didn't have that same costume idea.

“Gunslinger Alexis?” One of the nearer pair of girls asks, drawn by the stray bits of conversation from the Laurus bunch. The olive-skinned girl speaking turns to the group nearby, continuing, “I used to watch that all the time—”

“Isn’t it a kids show?” The girl across from her, short-haired and blonde, peers over a pair of rectangular glasses at Dana and Penny, “How old are you two? That stuffs not like real life. You know that, right?”

@Inedible

Penny looks over at the snarky girl, but just shrugs.

"You got me," she says dryly. "I'm actually just 13 and lied about my age to get in here. Dana here, though, I think she's got her attitude permanently stuck to 'youthful optimism'.

"In all seriousness, though, I like to think of them as a teen girls' equivalent to the 'Join the Self Defense Forces' clips. I mean, they show them all shooting those shiny new guns, but never seem to mention 90% of soldiering is either cleaning your stuff, digging holes, sitting in a freezing foxhole, or cleaning latrines with a toothbrush.

"Hopefully, we won't have to do that bit - cleaning latrines with a toothbrush, that is."

Conversation is interrupted briefly by the clatter of a tray as another girl joins the table, taking a seat next to Vanna. Her roommate, Cara, offers a bright smile to the small group of girls gathered there. “Vanna, are these your friends? You all came in together, right?” It was clear she wanted to ask more the night before, but politeness kept her from pestering an obviously exhausted Vanna.

It did not, however, keep the girl from remaining awake. It’s unclear when exactly or if she did sleep, but she doesn’t seem at all tired if she didn’t.

“I’m Cara.” The red-haired girl introduces herself shortly after. “From Aquileia.” Her introduction is short, and she barrels on to more interesting things after: “I heard a few candidates didn’t show up, along with you all being late. Did something happen?” The girl leans forward, expecting some juicy gossip to be soon imparted.

"Oh yeah, that's right," Penny says, snapping her fingers as though to remind herself. "I thought Her Ladyship here got a room to herself, but apparently everyone gets a roommate.

"I'm Pennelope Grenoble from Ciscia, my friends call me Penny," she says, reaching out with her left hand before remembering that's in a cast. "Well, the flight here's been a bit mixed. Service was nice, but we hit a bad bit of turbulence and I slipped and broke my arm on the way. Thinking of lodging a complaint about the flight, but so far too lazy to do so..."

She hides it, but the revelation that some candidates didn't show up makes Penny wonder. Is there a targeted effort against Ars Magi candidates? Or was it just her paranoia and air traffic in general is having trouble? She'd dismiss the concern, but the knowledge of an Ars Magi helping the monsters attack their airship leaves a nagging doubt.

Titans: Dawn of a New Tomorrow

Just wanted to do one last check to see if everyone is ready for the opening post.

@Chev

I'm ready. :)

Nova Lux: A Magical Girl Game

Penny never realized how annoying the Reveille trumpet blast could be, and for a moment, felt immense annoyance at being woken so rudely especially after the long day yesterday. For a moment, she lays in bed, growling to herself, before remembering she's in a dorm with only one other roommate, and unfettered access to a hot shower. The idea makes her perk up with a grin.

'Thirty minutes?' she thinks looking at the clock on her PDA/phone. 'That's not a lotta time, is it? Certainly not for a long, soaking bath.

'But maybe enough for a good shower? Let's try that...'

She gets up to answer the knock, and finds a new issue of the school uniform, something she's grateful for as her old one still had claw marks from the fight with the Void yesterday.

"Thanks," she says to the faculty member, perhaps a bit overly enthusiastically, then makes a break for the shower.

Several minutes later, Penny feels herself relax under the hot, steamy shower, letting the scalding water sprinkle all over her while trying not to get it inside her arm cast. She feels the knots from last night still there, but perhaps the soothing sensation of a shower could help with some of those.

Coming out of the shower, drying her long, heavy hair, she gives a contented sigh.

"Yeah, I needed that," she muses. "Hey, Dana, shower's free now, but ya better hurry up, they want us in the main hall in less than half an hour."

She gets dressed quickly, though she pauses to braid her long hair, checking to see if it's done right, and making sure her appearance is right; breaking in new clothes is always a fun experience. Fortunately, though, they got her size just right. She tests the joints and moves her arms. She remembers that they asked for sizes when she enrolled at the school.

"Seriously, is this what having a custom tailor feels like?" she asks. "I could get used to this..."

After tidying up her bed, she follows the others to the main hall, looking around at the sheer size and elegance of the architecture. Orientation speech, that's expected, but Penny still pays attention to the Headmaster's words; she always took pride in her schoolwork, and she's not going to let being an Ars Magi change that - if anything, she feels it should encourage her to do her best.

What she's less enthusiastic about is the full medical checkup. She feels like she's been poked and prodded in every place imaginable - though she's fortunately excused from some other tests because of last night's medical examination. However, it does mean she notices the annoyed and jealous glares of the other girls forced to undergo the full suite of tests.

Breakfast, however, makes up for it, and she digs in heartily. She's just sad there are no fancy desserts like there was on the flight, but she can live with that.

Penny listens to the conversations while trying to be discrete. She turns to her flight-mates.

"Ugh, just had a horrible thought," she says with a mild grin. "'Hey, we just tested you, and while you have magic, we don't think you're a suitable candidate for the procedure. Sorry to waste your time, now pack your bags because you're going home.' Wonder if they ever had a case like that.

"Yeah, I feel bad for thinking about it."

Titans: Dawn of a New Tomorrow

Would it be okay if Brightstar is basically enjoying her first day flying through Second City and Varian recruits her that way? Also, as someone who wasn't there for previous iterations of the RP, how much would Penny know about Second City and Titans Lore, as a somewhat dedicated superheroics nerd?