Yankee

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

Getting Up to Speed

Celica & Primrose
^@Sadu@Yankee
Word Count: 2883 (+3 exp)

From the infirmary to the mess hall was a bit of a walk. Not the longest on the Avenger by any means, especially with the ship's built-in elevators, but long enough that Celica had a look around as she walked, noting the design features of the place she was in. From her experience, it all felt very, human. At least from what she had come to know of humans, but she also gathered that this place was, to some sort of extent, not the reality she knew.

When she did arrive, most of the Seekers were already there. Unbeknownst to Celica, she was about to go from a conversation with one dancer to another. Grimm had bid her join the others and get a feel for them, and almost as soon as she'd entered the room Primrose's eyes flicked over to her.

The light skinned woman with the blonde bob (and were those... ears poking out from her hair?) was not familiar to Primrose. She also didn't seem to be one of the Lost Numbers, given there was an air of... uncertainty around her. Though Primrose had chosen to stay on the Avenger during the excursion to the Paved Wilderness, she had heard some of the other Seekers had various run ins with locals both friendly and not, and that someone new had been brought back with them (as well as some comments about a huge new addition to the ship's vehicle bay).

This must be the newcomer then, she thought.

Primrose had only been present to get a small taste of Bracket's hard work and maybe chat a little, and since she'd already finished her small plate the dancer slipped out of her seat and walked towards Celica. There were plenty of more outgoing Seekers that could welcome her, and that likely would in time; Primrose was just the first, her body language made friendly and open in contrast to her usual more guarded demeanor, if only to help make Celica a little more relaxed.

"Good evening," she said with a small smile. Her voice was low and calm. "I hope this all hasn't been too overwhelming for you...?"

Celica was becoming increasingly surprised on how willing others were to talk to her, even if she had never seen beings before like most of those she now saw. As Primrose spoke to her, getting her attention, the long pointed ears with tufts of fur twitched, her eyes turning to look at her.

“I am more accustomed to this sort of situation than I wish I had to be. Losing everything, only to end up in a strange place I do not understand, it has happened time and time again. I thought that perhaps I had finally found a home that would be permanent… but I suppose with a reality altering enemy like we now face, even that was not meant to be.”

Though momentarily distracted by the ears, surmising that the newcomer must have been of some similar race to Ms. Fortune, Primrose's gaze returned to Celica's face. The Seekers of Light seemed to attract unfortunate souls, based on what she knew of some of their pasts. Her own included. The dancer could empathize with Celica, but rather than pry or offer sweet platitudes Primrose simply gave her a somewhat sympathetic look, and kept the conversation where it was, on this 'strange place' and the enemy that brought them here. A goal to chase was important, and a good way to keep one's mind off of things.

"So they've filled you in somewhat?"

“Somewhat would be putting it lightly, I suppose.” Celica shrugged a bit, adding “Just piecing together what I remember myself, and I’ve been told everyone here is like me, freed from the false memories of that, thing… and that everyone here is intent on fighting against it.”

"Just so. None of us took very kindly to learning the truth of what happened - and now we work to fix it." Primrose placed one of her elbows in her hand, her held arm gesturing lightly as she spoke. "I think all of us have some unfinished business in our original worlds... people to get back to, plans incomplete... I'm sure it's the same for you."

“You could say that… but much of my life has been spent just surviving, so I’m not sure if I really have unfinished business. All that has ever mattered to me is surviving, with my friend. But now he could be out there somewhere, as clueless as I was.” She sighed, shaking her head as she said “It is not a comforting prospect, that is for certain. If he is out there, then I must find him. But if he is not, then the least I can do is help in setting things right. If everything will go back to normal from our victory, then that may be the only path forward that I have available.”

Thinking on it, she said “I only wish you had found someone more capable. Like, my squad leader, or anyone else in my squad for that matter. They are far more experienced in combat than I am. Before I joined those humans, fighting back was never an option. It was only run, hide, and survive. So I am still not accustomed to it.”

At that Primrose shrugged one shoulder lightly. "You will be soon, if you stick with us."

It was just a fact, really. The very nature of this world they now found themselves in meant that more often than not, violence was needed to solve their problems - whether to save someone from Galeem's influence, or to cut their already borrowed time short in order for the Seekers to reach their goals. Perhaps Celica could put any skills she did have to use in other ways aboard the Avenger, like Tora and Poppi had, but that would be her choice.

After a moment of thought Primrose circled back around to Celica's mention of her friend. The dancer had been lucky to find Therion herself, and she knew plenty of the others wished they could see their own friends from their worlds. Now, though, that they were stationed on the Avenger with some kind of demonic information broker...

"If you're worried about your friend, there may be a way to find him," Primrose said. It was something she'd thought about since hearing of Vulgrim's services, finding the locations of her fellow travelers if they were out there in the world somewhere. She hadn't tried it yet for a variety of reasons, but perhaps Celica would find the demon's services helpful. "You would need to take a trip to the storage area of the ship though, unless you happened to have any spirits on you now."

Celica blinked at that, looking more than a little confused. "Uh, other than my own, I don't believe I have any... spirits..." She then followed that up with asking "Why are there, spirits in the storage area?" To her, spirits were something malevolent, but etherial. Not exactly something used as a tool or to gain an advantage in any way. So she would definitely need that explained to her.

Primrose didn't immediately answer, instead she just fixed Celica with the same small smile. So she'll need a more in-depth primer, then, she thought to herself. Lately Primrose had been leaving the technical explanations to others whenever they needed to fill someone in on... everything... but she wouldn't mind doing it now. Better to give the woman all the information she'd need sooner rather than later.

"I'll tell you, but first... don't let me stop you from getting something to eat," Primrose said, stepping away a little to give Celica plenty of room to claim a seat where food platters were already laid out, or to join the buffet line. "It may be a lot of information to go over, after all."

Celica hadn't even thought about food. It took her a moment to realize it had not just been a long time since she properly rested, but also she had not eaten anything in... possibly even longer. It was a wonder she hadn't starved yet. "That's, probably a good idea... I'm gathering there is much I do not understand about this situation, let alone this place we are in. But I seem to have forgotten that I still need to try and take care of myself." Ration packs kept her alive, but they were hardly food.

And so, with that offer, she nodded, and walked further into the dining, eventually finding herself a seat that wasn't too crowded with people wanting to ask her questions. Her story was both simple, and complicated to explain, but she was sure at least some of the people would be curious about where she came from, the kind of world she knew... but she needed her own information, and that would be hard to get if she was about to spend her entire time explaining her own life story to others.

Primrose flashed a few other Seekers in the mess hall a look over her shoulder as the two women made their way to the far end of the tables, and waited until Celica had at least started to nibble on something before she spoke.

"So... spirits," she began, propping her elbows on the table and folding one hand over the other. "You may have already seen them, but just didn't know what you were looking at while you were still gleaming.

"That's what some of us call the state of being before you wake up and realize the truth. Others call it... being 'storied' I believe. Regardless, when anything dies in this world, their bodies dissolve and they leave behind a physical spirit. A small, glowing orb of light. There are quite a few things you can do with them. Make them into items, or into allies... even take them into yourself, gain their strengths. And their weaknesses."

Before she made herself sound like some amoral sorceress, Primrose mentioned, "when I was first learning all of this, spirits were described to me like bookmarks. Information storage. Copies. It helps not to think of them as someone's soul."

Truth be told she still wasn't entirely sure if her line of thinking was correct. After everything she'd learned though, she felt it was as close as she could get until she learned even more. For now she left out certain details like the fact that everyone alive was allegedly a copy of their original selves, and that they'd expire in ten years time... she didn't want to overload Celica at the moment.

"They fade away after about a day's time, but storing them in a container makes them last longer. That's why they end up in the stockpile."

Before Celica had a chance to ask, Primrose went on a little more. "You must have seen how much fighting there is out there? The storied -the gleaming- are compelled to do battle at even the slightest provocation. Coming across spirits is a fairly common thing. And there's someone on board who trades these spirits for information. I've heard that he is almost supernaturally knowledgeable."

This naturally took some processing from Celica, but eventually she asked “Is everybody out there, or are only specific people chosen to be here in this new world? Either way… I’m not sure how I feel about trading something like that for information, especially if it may amount to nothing, and moreso if I’m not at least trading something that I myself earned…”

She looked thoughtful with a sigh, but ended up saying “I still don’t know everything, but it does feel as though the best course of action is to defeat the one responsible for all this. Are we, sure what will happen when that is done? Or are we just guessing?”

"Guessing, unfortunately," Primrose said. It was the truth. None of them knew what would happen at the end, not even the Lost Numbers' commander who had apparently been around for many, many cycles. If there was any group with more information, that could at least make more educated guesses, it would probably be... "There are other groups of un-storied people out there besides us. The Consuls which oppose returning the worlds back to the way they were, the 'Organization' who seem to support us... we learn a little more each time we encounter them, but until then..."

She trailed off, tipping her head slightly. She figured everyone had their own thoughts about what would happen at the end. And equally unfortunately, they had no way of knowing if everyone from all worlds was present in this one. Maybe they were, and everyone's 'rebirth' was staggered to allow other people a chance to populate the World of Light. Primrose had no idea. The only way to find out if Celica's friend, and her own, were out there was to ask or encounter them by chance.

There was a long few moments of silence, before Celica gave a slow nod. “Then, I guess I only really have two more questions that come to mind. The first is, what is the plan? I assume we aren’t just going to fly at the thing, fire everything, and hope that works. And the second is… what happens if someone like us, who is freed, dies?”

The second question there was an easy answer for. "We turn into spirits as well. To be used or revived, eventually."

Briefly, Midna and Goldlewis flashed into her mind. When they'd died they hadn't left spirits behind. She didn't mention it.

As for the first question, Primrose leaned back in her seat and rested her hands on her lap. "We've been told that Galeem has 'guardians' protecting it, so we've been traveling around the world and destroying them one by one. So far we've defeated... seven. Apparently there are six left."

This was as good as time as any for Celica to decide where she wanted to fight, if she was decided in fighting with them in the first place.

"Tomorrow we'll split into two groups to go after two more Guardians. Some of us are bound for the Frozen Highlands, which is just as it sounds I imagine. The rest are going to the Forbidden Kingdom, and a city called Esaka." Since Primrose had only been to Meridi-at-Han, she had no context for what Esaka was like besides the fact that martial artists flocked there. "There's a large map of the world in the ship's bridge. And I'm sure Sandalphon could tell you more."

The dancer then nodded her head towards another table across the room, where the aforementioned archangel was seated around a couple of others. Given the woman's stature and her huge tripe-halo, it was hard to miss her. "She was recently chosen to lead our little ragtag group."

Once more, Celica considered all of this information. Death wasn’t as permanent as she was used to, but that didn’t mean she was about to get reckless with things, since she was getting the impression they still didn’t know everything there was to know about this place. [color=6ecff6]“So, which place do you think you’ll be going to? I should probably go check on what has become of my Skell at some point, I doubt it’ll be of much use anytime soon, but, to be honest I never was the best pilot to begin with, so I won’t be too upset about having to do things myself for a while.”

Skell...? Perhaps that was the thing that had been hauled into the cargo area where the other vehicles were stored on the Avenger. Primrose would have to ask at some point, but first she responded with her chosen destination. "The latter. I want to get a better look around that area."

Celica looked on at the one who was called their leader, and she couldn’t help but think of a few species she knew. “I’ve seen a lot of things, where I am from. A conglomerate of alien species who decided it was their right to go around killing and stealing who and whatever they wanted. I imagine, to others, seeing such a colorful group of people must be quite a shock. I know that, once, humans where I come from thought themselves the only sentient species in all of existence. It took them quite some time to come to terms with how wrong they were. I don’t think I will have too much trouble though, as long as these people have a common goal, and no reason to turn on each other in the meantime.”

"It was certainly a shock at first..." Primrose agreed. She wasn't surprised to hear some of what Celica was saying. She supposed that humans from all worlds must have more similarities besides how they looked, after all, and the malicious could be found anywhere. Of course at the mention of turning on each other, Primrose's thoughts momentarily drifted to a few of the stronger personalities she knew within the group... but she only smiled at Celica again, an expression that wasn't exactly reassuring, but not telling enough to be called on it.

"With an outlook like that, I think you won't have much trouble either."

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

Feast & Farewell

Edelgard & Pit
^{@MULTI_MEDIA_MAN@Yankee}
Word count: 1,828 (+3 XP)

After she left the meeting, Edelgard returned to her room to gather her belongings. After dinner, the Avenger would pass over what they called the Theater of War and return her to Enbarr. To her people. Equal measures of excitement and nervousness ran through her at the prospect of seeing her friends and comrades again. She would, once more, have to lead them into battle and to victory. She wondered if Hubert and the Professor would be present. Her two dearest confidants and her most invaluable allies. It would be an immense challenge to reclaim her throne without them. And she would have to free them from the thrall of Galeem, as well.

Shelving the thought for now, she gathered her meager belongings and made her way to the cafeteria. There were few Seekers present at this point, though more trickled in as she chose her seat away from the center of the group and filled a plate.

Given that she had already announced her departure and sat dignified but separated from everyone else, it would make sense to assume that Edelgard may want to be left alone before she returned to her own battlefield. Whether she actually did or not, a little while after she was settled into her seat her vision filled with a head of fluffy brown and blonde hair, and a pair of white feathered wings.

"I'm glad I found you, I thought maybe you left right away!"

Pit was all smiles at the moment. Edelgard had missed it earlier, but being chosen to lead part of the Seekers' mission (even if only by a slim margin) was a nice confidence boost. Had he not spotted Edelgard in the mess hall the angel would likely have went to happily talk about the result with Roxas, but as soon as he'd seen the white hair and red armor his feet had taken him over to her table.

"So you're going to... Enbarr?" He asked, tilting his slightly as he recalled the name she'd said. "Is that where you were before Skyworld? Like, back home?"

Edelgard's face remained impassive as the angel joined her, though she did have the decency to put her fork down and pay his words due attention. It wasn't until he mentioned Enbarr that her expression changed, a ghost of a smile finding its way to her mouth. ”Indeed. Embarr is- was- the capital city of the Adrestian Empire in Fodlan. It was home after the war well and truly ended.”

Normally one could expect others to have no context for places and things unique to their own worlds. Pit still wouldn't be able to point out the country on a map of Edelgard's world, but he did have a little more information than most thanks to the Goddess of Light.

"Oh yeah, Lady Palutena said you were the ruler of Adrestia," he said, nodding his head once. "So it's not just your capital city, it's... Uh, well, really your city."

He sunk into the seat across from the empress before he went on. "I know you already said if you needed help you'd let us know, but... even if you don't need help and just want some more manpower, you can give us a call! I mean, you helped us out a lot in freeing Skyworld, and you were protecting it before I got there too, so..."

His voice had grown earnest, as it usually did when mentioning his own home, and his bright eyes were filled with determination to deliver on the promise he was about to make.

"So if you need anything to help your home too, just say so! You don't even need to ask Sandalphon - if you pray to Lady Palutena, she'll hear you. She can warp me right to you."

After a beat he added, "or send some Centurions! They're really good at rebuilding things… if that's something you end up needing."

Loathe as she was to submit herself to a self-proclaimed goddess, Edelgard had seen for herself what Palutena was capable of. Pit's offer was not one of spiritual aid or empty hope, but genuine military force, or in the case of the Centurions, a corps of military engineers. As such, she would be foolish to categorically refuse.

”Of course. Thank you Captain Pit. I shall keep that in mind should we require your assistance.” Whether she would decide to do so in the future remained to be seen, however.

The mention of protecting Skyworld before the Seekers’ arrival bothered Edelgard a little, prompting her to ask Pit, “Speaking of Skyworld, I take it that is where you and Palutena are from? Was it normally so…rife with corruption?”[/color] Rather than beat around the bush, Edelgard struck at the heart of the matter. She wanted to know how they had handled their problems outside of this world.

"No way! Usually it's safe up there! ...okay, well, we have been invaded before by the Underworld Army, and aliens, and there was that one time all the vegetables came to life and started attacking people... but besides that it's the best!"

Pit had beamed at being called captain once more, and the pride in his voice when he spoke about Skyworld was all too easy to hear.

"We watch Overworld from up there and help out whenever we're needed. But since Lady Palutena says its best not to directly interfere with humans, we pretty much only step in if other gods start messing things up. So... there's a lot of free time to make sure Skyworld stays clean and protected. All that corruption and those fake-angel monsters were because of Galeem smashing it together with some other worlds."

A world where gods only intervene to prevent the rise of demons? If only Fodlan had been so lucky that its goddess rose to halt Those Who Slither in the Dark. No, it was the efforts of her, Hubert, and the Professor that quelled Rhea and, more importantly, the Agarthans after her. ”I am glad to hear that your world is ruled by more benevolent forces. Mine stagnated under the thrall of dragons, using an unjust system of power to coalesce influence under the Crested houses. Crests grant tremendous power, but with that power comes abuse and mistreatment. I fought to see the end of that system, and the defeat of those who would suppress my people. It took many years, and many lives…but not long after my final victory, Galeem destroyed my world. How cruel.” Edelgard sighed, stabbing a piece of crab with her fork.

Pit tilted his head slightly. He thought he got the gist of what she said - evil dragons had controlled her world at one point, using those crests as a crux... but wait, weren't crests supposed to be like divine blessings? Maybe dragons could get crests too then?

Ultimately, the workings of another world would always be a little difficult to wrap one's head around.

"At least when we're all done here and beat Galeem, all the hard part's already done when you get home!" Pit said, never doubting that eventually the Seekers would succeed. Of course, he had no idea how difficult politics could be during the act of reconstructing an empire, especially after the fighting was done.

"Hey, if you got rid of the 'crest system,' did you have to give up your crests too? 'Cause you're really strong - do you still have both?"

Edelgard nodded along with Pit’s optimism about their return to their own worlds when the Seekers inevitably won. She may not have held his unshakeable confidence in this ragtag bunch of misfits, but she knew that indefatigable purpose could lead to great victory all the same. ”Yes, I suppose that would be one way of looking at it. The efforts of rebuilding after the war are still ongoing in some places, but Fodlan still stands strong, especially with Claude in a position of power within Almyra to quell their more ambitious incursions into our land.”

When he mentioned ‘both’ Crests, however, Edelgard’s face caught for a moment- shock, surprise, then a profound sadness that was wiped away in all but a moment for a much more put-on countenance. ”I’m sorry, Pit, but I believe you may have been misinformed. People may only possess a single crest outside of extraordinary circumstances. I am not one of those people, merely possessing a Minor Crest of Seiros.” On that subject, it was clear she would say no more.

Pit had seen the flicker of change in her expression, but it was gone much too fast for him to interpret. He blinked in surprise of his own. Lady Palutena had definitely said Edelgard had two. "Huh? But I-"

Maaaaybe let this one go, Pit. It doesn't seem like she wants to talk about it.

She said crests give you a lot of power - I thought it'd be better to have more?

I don't think it's that simple. Remember what she also said they came with?

Pit's mouth snapped closed, embarrassment coloring his features. Right, the whole reason Edelgard said she fought against that system in the first place, not just against the dragons themselves. Using such power was one thing, but being proud of having it was a whole other can of worms apparently. Pit rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Oh, uh, yup, I probably heard her wrong!" he said. "Sorry."

It might have been best to excuse himself after that, but he didn't want Edelgard to leave on a bad note. After having stuffed part of a bread bun into his mouth to stop himself from saying anything else that might make things even more uncomfortable, Pit swallowed the food and attempted to pivot to talking about something else.

"So, uh, Enbarr! Is there anything you're looking forward to seeing again from back home?"

Edelgard appreciated the quick pivot, despite how awkward it was. She gave a tiny nod to show that appreciation, her face softening as Pit asked about Enbarr. ”My friends. The city itself. I would like to visit the Opera House again, as well. Dorothea is an excellent songstress.”

Just seeing the temple still standing had been a relief for Pit, so he could definitely relate to Edelgard just wanting to be in her city. Of course nothing could beat good company though. "Is she famous? Maybe she'll be singing there when you get back, and you can surprise her, then you can see your friend and the show at the same time! I bet everyone'll be happy to see you, too!"

”I hope so, Pit. It would be excellent to see everybody again, though I fear that much like myself, many of my friends may be scattered about the world.”

"That's true... but if any of us happen to run into them, we'll know where to send them!"

The pair's conversation continued down more cheerful avenues, as they discussed their homes and friends that they hoped to meet again, dinners slowly dwindling as they took turns eating and conversing, hopefully to see the empress off on a positive note.

Howdy

Welcome~!

Howdy!

Welcome to RPG!

Greetings.

Welcome!

who up

Welcome to the site!

howdy howdy

Welcome to RPG!

After Era Mythos

Just so it doesn't seem like I threw the boy into the char tab out of the blue, I was chatting with ERode in PMs. Also obviously ended up going with a completely different concept lol.

Three NPCs

Marcus Kerk, majority share holder of Summit Studio Co. and its prior CEO, though he still holds a great amount of sway within the company. Was a regular at the Lagrond family store. Responsible for sponsoring Caspian, and is betting on Astraeus' success.

Luther Kerk, current COO of the hero work division of Summit Studios Co., a position he definitely did not earn through nepotism. Has a much different vision from his father and Caspian, but is attempting to get Cas to quit rather than going against his father outright.

Gianna Lagrond, Caspian's little sister, two years younger. Independent for the most part. Though she can be a task master, the two are very close and she supports her brother's goals as he supports hers.

After Era Mythos

Astraeus: Opera Nova

"He chased down the thief that jacked my bike.
No clue how he caught up to it!"

"Astra found my doggie after it got lost!"

"He walked me home when I was scared late one night."

"He subdued four brawling guys wrecking my bar
and then waited on the sidewalk with them until they sobered up."

"He babysat my twins one time, they still ask when he's visiting again!"

"My husband was trapped under a car and Astra lifted it off him!"

"He saved my son from drowning!"

"He was just in time to fight off the guys that broke into our house.
I dunno what would have happened if he hadn't been there."

"A mugger attacked me and my girl in the street,
but Astra showed up and taught him a lesson!"

"That boy ran into my neighbor's burning house!
Pulled out a couple of people that probably would've died if he hadn't."

"When I got separated from my parents,
he sat with me and cheered me up until they found me."

"I'd like to see him become a really popular hero!"

Champion. Idealist.

Astraeus, Opera Nova

---

_____________________ "I always liked hearing them on TV, but man - they don't tell you how embarrassing saying a catchphrase can be in real life!" _____________________ Fame Level: 100,001 Concept: A hands-on hero who always gets back up no matter how many times he's knocked down. Agency: Summit Studio Co. One of the oldest talent agencies in Neo-Astraea, a large company that got its start producing stage plays but grew to incorporate movies and hero work when their stars began to shine too brightly to be tied only to one stage. At its height Summit fielded dozens of successful heroes, and though it still holds the image rights to many legacies the company has scaled back in recruiting new talent for a long time now, focusing on maintaining their current brands and producing theater plays and feature length films in contract with non-Summit heroes. That is until the surprise introduction of Astraeus, a once abandoned hero concept recently revived. Some within the company and without hope Astraeus will be the catalyst of Summit's return to creating Neo-Astraea's finest heroes. Others reject this old fashioned hero and await the inevitable failure. So far the divide hasn't led to any major ripples within Summit yet, but only time will tell how the agency's -and their newest talent's- future will go.

Caspian Lagrond, who would prefer if you just called him Cas, has always been a big fan of heroes. Unsurprising, really, growing up in the City of Heroes. Those strong, flashy men and women who stood up to bad guys of all stripes and made Neo-Astraea a safer place every day... What better role models could there be? As a youngster, Cas emulated them and everything they stood for. And then, the opportunity to see them up close. Really see them, not just at one of the many meet and greets Cas made his parents take him to. A villainous attack taking place during a street parade, one that the Lagrond family happened to be attending. A swift response from a hero nearby, dazzling their impromptu audience as they engaged their opponent in battle in front of the many recording cameras. It was exciting, amazing; until the cheers turned to shrieks, and fanfare to fire. For a majority of the city, the event was an unfortunate case of a villain going rogue, lashing out at innocent bystanders. Even to those that had been there, collective belief of the rest of Neo-Astraea's citizens influenced their memories. Only the most grievously affected know the truth: the attending hero's publicity stunt gone horribly wrong. The Lagrond family returned home with one less parent, a daughter robbed of her ability to walk, a chunk of a cash settlement and a signed NDA. Even after that, Cas still loved heroes... though his admiration had changed more to what they represented, rather than how they operated. He still wanted to be a hero, too, but someday when he finally made it he would be a better one than the fakes just seeking fame and fortune. If they spent their time actually helping people instead of playing pretend, then they could prevent real tragedies instead of risking creating them in the first place. From his earliest teenage years, Caspian worked at being an earnest hero. In between classes and shifts at the family shop, he trained and went out helping people whenever he could. It started as rescuing cats from trees or helping neighbors move. As he got older and made a small name for himself in his and nearby neighborhoods it evolved into protecting girls from aggressive pursuers, breaking up fights, and talking situations down before things escalated. He didn't have the resources to truly chase his dream to become a well respected hero whose words couldn't be easily brushed off... but he was content to be an 'indie hero.' At least until the shop started to fail, and that settlement money had long dried up. Then auditions made their way onto Cas' daily schedules, begrudgingly so. But what self-respecting profit focused company would take on an unknown indie hero with no following outside of a few neighborhoods, no gimmick, no marketability? None but the most desperate start ups would, and even those didn't work out. Enter a certain old man, a shop regular who commonly chatted with Cas about their favorite talents and heard the young man out when he complained. A man who longed for the 'old days' of true people's champions, and who on the store's final day handed the aspiring hero a business card and a plot for a return to form for Neo-Astraea's heroes. Who needed niche characters, when one genuinely good hero could pull in numbers with broad appeal? Who needed robots and lasers when the greatest of history's heroes protected people with only their body and defeated evil with only their fists?! ...well, couldn't argue with that. Though their goals didn't entirely line up, Cas wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth especially when his family needed funds. If this was the path to upholding justice, he would take it as far as he could. Maybe he would even get the chance to change this virtue signalling system from the inside. Months of planning, preparation, and promotion have led to this: Cas' imminent debut on his twentieth birthday, reborn as the hubristically named hero Astraeus. Extra Curriculars: Cas is always helping someone or other, whether with something serious or just a simple errand. He has a lot of good word of mouth going for him, but usually forgets to record himself and has to rely on others happening to do it or CCTV much to his agency's chagrin. He is often spotted at community events like clean-ups and food drives; his volunteer work in general is a well known fact about him. He genuinely does like doing meet-and-greets as well. Recently has learned how to make his smile more genuine at company events while trying to network.

Shoujo⁴: Hatsukoi Reunion

So Junko, Suzuka, and Mikako are in the classroom for lunch (or at least the first part of it), and Ryuu is running into someone in the hall. I'd think we'd want to have one or more someones get run into, otherwise, we can set up an encounter for others? If anyone's up for it.