AN: Ughhh my momentum got shattered trying to write this one. Really sorry about the stupid long delay. not sure I'm entirly happy with this one especially how abrupt the ending came off... but I've been fighting with this too long already and if I hold onto any longer it won't get posted until I have another 4 or 5k words written so you're all getting it now. Hope you all enjoy!
{}{}{}{} Thursday, public relations/public speaking primer
I couldn't quite fight off the urge to fidget as the public relations team assigned to my debut circled me like hungry sharks sniffing for blood in the water. Chuck, Mark, and Lindsey. The latest trio of hell spawned nightmares sent to make my life miserable. Mercifully these three were not high school girls so I thought my odds of getting out of this encounter with my soul intact were better than they had been back at Winslow.
I was less certain about my dignity and self-respect.
Mark was an impeccably dressed, and almost worryingly thin, black man. Lindsey was a petite brunette dressed in business casual. Chuck seemed to be following Glenn's lead in terms of fashion going by his jeans and the t-shirt depicting one of the local Wards.
"Why did Glenn have to go and ok this outfit?" Chuck bemoaned as he looked me up and down in the model of my costume I had traced based on Glenn's design. "We could have easily played up the white knight angle!"
For a brief moment there was a flicker image of memory and nostalgia from Shirou. A petite blonde in an armored blue dress; Saber, Arturia Pendragon. I recognized her from a few different dreams of the grail war. Not that I had seen much, but the sheer oddity of her existence made her hard to forget.
"Mmm." Lindsey hummed. "It would have been a great win with feminist groups as well. The brave woman in shining armor? They would have eaten that up with a spoon and asked for seconds." She agreed airily. Despite her agreement I got the feeling she wasn't half so offended by my costume choice as Chuck.
I snorted. The idea of myself dressing like Arturia and playing up the valiant knight? Hah, no. Even before Shirou, the trio and Winslow had made me too cynical and pragmatic to do what little I knew about the woman king justice.
"Too late to worry about it now, and you have to admit this is a good look." Mark cut in. "Solid, serious, dependable. A no nonsense look."
"The skirt and belly showing windbreaker aren't really agreeing with you." Chuck threw in with an arched eyebrow.
Mark waved that off. "Those are details. The base outfit screams serious hero."
I decided right then I liked Mark best... so far. There was still plenty of time for him to piss me off.
"True, true." Lindsey muttered as she circled around my left cradling her chin in her right hand. "Nothing wrong with serous heroes, but let's not leave her so one dimensional in the public eye. After all the skirt and jacket do tell the world she's a young woman as well."
Chuck grunted something vaguely agreeable. "And popularity ratings show that capes who are known just for being serious don't market so well. Miss Militia is a lot more popular than Chevalier and the only extra trait that's been pushed is her patriotism."
"Don't ignore the fact that she's an attractive, powerful, woman. That wins her points with a number of demographics." Mark pitched in as he started flipping through files on a tablet.
"All advantages which Arsenal here shares." Lindsey commented as she went to read around Mark's side. She wasn't tall enough to look over his shoulder, and Mark obligingly held the tablet farther to the side.
"Except the patriotism." Chuck commented blandly. Then he blinked twice, tilted his head, and turned to face me fully rather than continuing to inspect my costume. "You aren't actually really patriotic, are you?"
"Not particularly." I answered dryly. "Freedom of speech is nice, and I love the fact we're not a dictatorship, but beyond that?" I shrugged hoping that properly conveyed my apathy. To be fair, given that the laws of my nation had seen me locked up for three months they should just be grateful I wasn't moving to Canada.
"Teenagers." Chuck muttered rolling his eyes.
"Yes, we tend to not care about institutions that don't really do anything to help us." I bit out. "But I'm sure you get plenty of that, working with the Wards." I gave the idiot my best condescending smirk to emphasize my point.
Shirou's chuckling and Mark's surprised laugh mostly drowned out Chuck's spluttered growl.
"Spunky, we can work with that." Lindsey muttered as she tapped her pen against her chin. "Though we'll want to properly direct and moderate it or you'll do your image more harm than good. Do you have any other skills, talents, or hobbies not related to fighting?" She asked.
"I'm learning to speak Japanese, and I'm a pretty good cook." I offered with a shrug. Beyond that… well I don't think they would be impressed with my skills in English lit.
Lindsey only hummed and made a note on a pad she pulled from somewhere.
Sick of standing and being eyed up and down by three grown adults I claimed a nearby chair and leaned back in it.
"Not a lot we can do with the Japanese... Though the cooking might have potential." Mark murmured tapping something into his tablet. "Her powers are going to be the biggest stumbling block."
"Well so long as she doesn't stab someone it should be alright. Blunted weapons, and things without blades?" Chuck fired back. I realized at that moment that they were talking around me now. "Broken bones and heavy bruising aren't ideal, but it wouldn't be the first time. Plenty of heroes cause damage like that."
"Yes, but that's no reason to encourage one more to do the same." Mark frowned. "The less we see of that the better."
"Mmm." Lindsey hummed. "There's also some notes here about knives that pin people by their shadows. A little disconcerting to see in action I'm sure, but if the results are as advertised it'll be a real crowd pleaser. We'll want to talk those up. Probably include them in any toy lines."
"Still going to be a hard sell with the public." Chuck drawled. "Blades getting thrown about? People are going to react, not think. Might actually be easier to deal with broken bones now and again."
"You say that now, but she can augment her strength for a low brute and mover rating." Mark mildly rebuked. "I could break bone with a crowbar and a decent windup. If she's not careful she could do a lot worse, blunt weapons or not."
I scowled a little. They had damn well better not expect me to do all my fighting bare handed. If they seriously asked me to try that I'd walk.
"We do have a training dummy for exactly this purpose." Lindsey stated with an air of long suffering. "Several in fact. Assign her mandatory training time with one and move on."
"That's actually a suggestion I can get behind. Figuring out exactly how much force I need to break bone or not sounds like a good plan." I poked the thought in Shirou's direction.
"Point." Both men agreed with Lindsey in sync.
"It still seems like a waste of time to me, but if it will keep people from complaining and further disrupting your training, I suppose it won't be a complete waste." He grudgingly admitted. "Though you are still getting stronger as you continue to absorb me and train. You'll need to practice regularly or else one day you might accidentally do far more damage than you intend to."
I nodded and turned that thought over in my head. My rapid growth spurt seemed to be slowing down now that I was coming up on six foot. But my non-reinforced speed and strength was starting to leave high school athlete behind and edging into junior Olympian territory now. If Shirou was to be believed, and he was, he was only a low tier heroic spirit and he could leave Olympians in the dust.
Some of that was magecraft. How much though…. that was hard to say. Even harder to say was how strong I would get independent of using reinforcement. My situation was just so different from Shirou's it was hard to even guess.
Idly I traced my practice knife and started going over a particularly difficult trick I hadn't quite mastered yet. I let the rhythmic click-clack fill my head and push aside idle worries about just how much my body, and mind, were being changed. I'd had my freak outs ages ago and worked through them. Dredging it all back up wouldn't do me any good.
My brief moment of moving meditation stretched on as I went through a number of tricks until I felt centered and calm again.
Then I opened my eyes to find all of the PR stooges staring at me. The boys both looked horrified while Lindsey was giving me a pursed lip look of disapproval.
"What?" I asked sharply.
"Well, it's just…" Mark trailed off obviously having trouble putting his thoughts into words.
"That's got to go." Chuck declared flatly.
Lindsey's pursed lips turned into an outright frown as she glared at her college and Mark palmed his forehead as he groaned.
"Don't give me that." Chuck growled. "You know I'm right. Dancing around it won't do us any good."
"Look it's only a practice blade." I flicked it open and slapped it against my palm before holding up the knife and my hand for inspection. "See? Perfectly safe and non threatening."
"That isn't the issue, Arsenal." Mark spoke as he rubbed at his temples. "Knives, especially small blades like that, are associated with Jack Slash."
My deadpan glare didn't deter the PR trio in the slightest.
"Even if they weren't associated with that man, small blades are simply not heroic." Lindsey chipped in. "They are the calling cards of low level gangsters. Looking farther back they are most associated with assassins, backstabbers and even such unpleasantness as ritual murders."
"Got to admit I'm surprised she even knows about ritual sacrifice." I only knew about them because I had a few daggers used for just that.
"Maybe she has an interest in ancient history?" Shirou offered absently.
I rolled my eyes for all they were worth. "And swords and spears and arrows were the weapons of war before guns were invented." I waved them off. "I make weapons, knives are not my go too. They are a lot riskier than keeping an opponent at a distance, but that's no reason to write them off."
"Swords and spears might have been weapons of war, but that's not what people think about when they see them." Chuck shook his head. "They have been romanticized over the years. People see them and think of myths and legends. The brave knight that slays the evil dragon, the noble hero fighting against the evil empire." He waved a hand grandly.
"And what exactly do you think said evil emperor was fighting with? Harsh language and bad breath?" I shot back scathingly. "There are just as many, probably more even, legends of cursed blades used by great betrays that thirst for blood." I should know, I had quite a few of them.
"But it's not what people think of first." Mark pointed out. "And we've wandered from the point. We can't have a Ward using knives."
"Look, this," I held up my butterfly. "is my stress ball. I use it to vent and calm down. There's no blade on it, and my therapist hasn't shot it down. You don't want me playing with one on national television? That's fine, but I'm not giving it up because it'll make me less popular."
"Arsenal, this isn't about what your therapist considers acceptable this is about the public." Mark frowned.
"Right, I'm not dealing with this bullshit."
"I'm supposed to be here about my debut? I passed my ridiculously easy competency test yesterday." I blatantly changed the subject before leaning back in my seat and idly spinning my knife.
It really had been a simple test, common sense plus a few memorized regulations and procedures. According to Jason my real training would be a mix of team sparring matches, and on the job instruction. He seemed to think I was being rushed through the system. He was probably right. Everyone involved in my case knew I'd been more than patient, and just how thin that patience had become near the end.
After that meeting with Legend, he had probably told whoever he needed too to start hacking through the red tape before I decided to start doing my damndest to shake things up. The Protectorate wasn't even twenty years old, the Wards newer still, and despite how quickly they'd gotten set up and spread out as an institution they were barely out of the cradle. They were popular, they were powerful, but for all their posturing they were young, only two years older than I was! And that made them not half as secure as they might like to be.
That's why my backup plan was an actual threat. I was walking evidence of a catastrophic failure of the Wards program. And the idea of a cape working as a part of the regular police department? If I could actually pull that off and survive for even just a few years it would undermine their entire organization, and the PRT as well. If a cape could be a regular cop, why would you even need a separate organization? And if the Protectorate couldn't even handle one of their probationary Wards? Well maybe a more established agency was the better option after all.
So yes, I probably was being rushed through the normal bureaucratic bullshit in order to keep me relatively happy. I had no doubt Mr. Chambers really did have a number of worst case contingency plans sitting on the back burner in case I decided to try scorching the earth on my way out the door. But the fact those contingencies were even necessary, and they had made a point to try and dissuade me from the attempt by telling me about them?
That a threat cooked up by a nearly sixteen year old was taken so seriously by some of the biggest names in the business really said it all didn't it?
"Arsenal, you can't just ignore what we're telling you. Your image is important. The Protectorate and Wards need to be presentable and personable." Lindsey stated firmly. "Conveying the wrong image can do all kinds of damage to both your reputation and the Wards in general."
"Look it's nice that you three seem to take your jobs so seriously, but you seem to be laboring under the misconception that you can stop me." I said flatly. "You don't want me waving this thing around in front of the press, that's fine. I can do the whole stoic hero bit for the camera, or be a sarcastic bitch if you want me to appeal to teenagers, or whatever PR nonsense you cook up so long as it doesn't make me want to stab someone. But if you seriously expect me to drop a hobby that I enjoy and doesn't hurt anyone, then you're out of your minds. You can't exactly stop me after all."
As I finished speaking, I started tracing butterfly knives that were clasped closed and began juggling them just to really drive the point home. I actually had five going for a few seconds before the timing got away from me and I dispersed them all.
Chuck and Lindsey both looked chagrined, and Mark looked like someone had murdered his puppy. I was unsympathetic.
"Now, I've got powers, a name, a costume, and I'm supposed to debut soon. So... how are we going to go about introducing me?"
They didn't like having a teenager they were supposed to be getting ready dictating terms and reminding them to stay on task. However, they did recognize a lost cause when they saw one.
Listening to them argue in circles about how to present me for an hour before they really started coaching me felt like a bit of petty vengeance. Still, I could deal with that if it meant they didn't bother me about my butterflies again.
{}{}{}{} Friday Taylor's room on base.
The box with my costume came with all the bells and whistles. At least two copies of everything except the helmet, and a selection of jackets for every type of weather.
As I laced up the final boot and shrugged on the jacket meant for fall weather, I had to marvel at the feel. My traced versions of this outfit had been passable but I didn't really know anything about clothing. This fit me like a glove and didn't hinder my movements at all. There were no points where it pinched or pulled. I grinned as I stepped out into the ready room.
"Well? How do I look?"
Dani squealed and clapped excitedly, Lilly grinned broadly and shot me a thumbs up after looking me up and down. Fred and Jason both nodded and favored me with barely upturned lips. Taking in their positive responses my smile finally broke fully free.
"Very professional." Jason spoke up. "Not that your mockups were bad, but this is just a step up from them."
I nodded back agreeably. "Yeah, making swords and spears did not prepare me for making clothes."
"So, you've got the gear, and a name… When can you hit the street?" Fred asked as he leaned back against a couch.
"I've got to show them I've mastered the art of hitting people without breaking bones first." I shrugged. "The practice dummy they set me to working with is a huge help, but it's taking me a while to really get it down considering how they have me practicing it with a bunch of different weapons. Still, I'm supposed to debut on some morning show on Monday."
"Wait, are you going to get introduced on Good Day New York?!" Dani shouted as she leaned forward getting right up in my face
"Umm, yes?" I leaned away from the girl but needn't have bothered because a moment later she jumped backwards to flop on a nearby couch where she started to pout.
"Lucky." She grumbled.
Jason rolled his eyes before clueing me in. "She's a big fan, watches it all the time."
"It's not fair! How come I didn't get to be introduced that way?" She bemoaned into a throw pillow she'd pulled over her face.
Lilly reached over the back of the couch to consolingly pat the more energetic girls' knee. "Because you would have spent the entire sessions fangirling and never answered any of their questions."
Dani only grumbled in response to that. Shaking my head, I turned to head back into my room.
"Give me a minute to get changed, I've got a stir fry recipe I want to try out and I'm not getting my costume dirty the first time I ever put it on."
That caused a cheer to go through the group, I rolled my eyes as I realized Dani was the loudest despite being grumpy not ten seconds earlier.
"So, question!" I called through the door.
"Shoot!" Jason's voice came back clear enough.
"What's the deal with us having our own ready room as opposed to all the Wards just… I don't know, sharing?"
"Well... all told we've got twenty seven Wards right now. You stick a dozen late teens in the same room as a bunch of thirteen and unders and sooner or later someone's going to snap and start a fight. That's bad enough when all you have to worry about is worn tempers and hurt feelings, but with a bunch of capes?"
"Kablam!" Dani shouted to emphasize her boyfriend's point.
"Yes, that." Jason dryly agreed. "Considering all the differences in how they treat the different teams and age groups it all just makes for even more things for people to start fights over. Really, they just can't afford to have us all at each other throats like that when we're expected to work together. Keeping us all separated like this cuts down on the tension and makes us something the kiddy group can work towards and wait for rather than a group of people they resent."
"Plus, there's differences in how we deploy." Fred called. "Lancers leave from the roof; Army takes the streets and we have a straight shot to the subway bikes. Having the ready rooms near our exit of choice makes things simpler."
"Huh, alright then." I answered as I pulled on a t-shirt.
"You'll meet some of the others as you get trained." Jason spoke back up. "Joint ops are pretty common so we all practice together regularly. Next one is actually scheduled for two weeks from now."
Slipping back out of my room I got four looks ranging from hopeful to careful disinterest.
Rolling my eyes, I headed for the kitchen. "One of these days I'm going to order some shitty pizza just to see the disappointed looks on all your faces." I called over my shoulder.
Dani's offended squawk and Fred's bark of laughter had me grinning as I pulled out ingredients and pans.
{}{}{}{} Monday, 9am stage for Good Day New York
The set was nice enough. A glass coffee table and a big wrap around couch made up the most of it. The two hosts Sara and Ben were dressed fairly nice and I was in my costume.
Lindsey was flitting about behind me seeming to appear and disappear from one side to the other in random intervals, or whenever I blinked. How she kept dodging my attention was a question I was beginning to find annoying.
"Remember, light and cheery for the most part. You're glad to be here and serious about hero work." She repeated for the umpteenth time. "A snarky comment or two about a villain of group is alright, but nothing about the PRT or Protectorate. That would just undermine the idea that you're excited about being a hero."
I nodded absently to show that yes, I was paying attention to her rant even if I could recite it by heart at this point.
"If they ask you about yourself keep it vague. Details that can lead back to your civilian identity should be avoided, but don't lie. This will be recorded and all over the internet within the hour. Any lies could be caught out later, and that's never worth it."
I hummed an agreement.
She opened her mouth to repeat some other bit of advice but the hosts waved me over.
"That's me then." I cut her off. "Wish me luck." That said I moved and sat opposite the two hosts on the couch. They nodded politely and gave shot me warm smiles as I settled myself leaning back into the cushions slightly with my hands in my lap. Professional, maybe a bit relaxed but still professional. Just like I'd been drilled to sit…
"I hate public relations bullshit." I thought even as I smiled back at the hosts. Not that I had anything against them. I just didn't appreciate the whole thing being a production instead of just acting like myself.
"You signed up for this because it was better than being a solo vigilante. This is part of that package deal." Shirou lightly chastised me.
"And I'm sure I'll appreciate that much more once we get to the parts of the package, I joined for instead of all the bullshit it comes with." I flatly replied.
One of the techs working the equipment called for quiet. "And we are live in five, four, three, two-"
"Good day New York!" Sara chirped happily.
"Today we have the pleasure of introducing the city's newest Ward." Ben cheerily picked up.
"So please give a warm New York welcome to, Arsenal!" Sara finished off my introduction.
Gamely I leaned forward to look into the camera lens. I gave the audience a jaunty little wave before sitting back in my proper PR sitting position. "Pleasure to be here Ben, Sara." I said with as much false confidence as I could muster. Honestly the whole being on camera for who knows how many people to watch was making me stupidly jittery. I'd give just about anything to be allowed to play with my butterfly knife right now. But I'd threatened to attack Legend's life work to his face before. I would handle this.
"So," Ben leaned forward a bit resting his arms on his knees. "I suppose the first question on everyone's mind is what are your powers?"
"Mmm, that does always seem to be the first question people ask." I smiled lightly. "I'm afraid I'll be keeping most of my tricks up my sleeves for now. Knowledge is power after all, but I suppose a small demonstration wouldn't spoil too many surprises."
I held out a hand to my side and traced a basic gladius before dispersing it. Then I traced a dirk, then a mace, a kite shield, quarterstaff, tonfa, bow, katana, rapier, then I finished off with a collapsible baton which I twirled for a moment before I dispersed it as well.
"You project weapons?" Sara asked sounding both confused and surprised.
"Yes, I do." I nodded favoring the show hosts with a smile that screamed 'I know something you don't know'.
"Forgive me if this sounds impolite but," Ben started to ask.
"How does that make me any more dangerous than anyone else who picks up a weapon?"
"Yes." He had the grace to at least look sheepish.
"Like I said, I'll be keeping my tricks up my sleeves for now. No point in giving the criminals a heads up."
"Not even a little hint?" Sara asked playfully.
I gave her a little chuckle in response. It was only slightly forced. Despite my nerves the casual tone the pair had set was calming me down. "Sorry, you'll just have to wait for PHO to figure it out. Though I will say that people should see me down by the water soon when I go to practice my archery."
"Why by the water?" Ben asked.
"It was the best option." I answered without answering.
Sara huffed lightly and gave me a mild pout. "We're just going to have to wait to find out, aren't we?"
I only grinned cheekily.
"Alright then, how are you liking the Wards? And Which Wards team are you a part of?" Sara asked redirecting the conversation.
"I've been placed on Siege squad. I'm still getting a feel for the organization as a whole," I diplomatically sidestepped talking about my issues with the Wards program. "but I like my teammates. They've all been good about helping me adjust."
"Adjust how?" Ben asked.
"Lots of ways. There are plenty of things I need to learn as part of the Wards, the city is new to me, and really just having people around who can see where I'm coming from has been amazing."
"You're not from New York?" Sara asked.
I shook my head. "First time in the city was a little over a week ago."
"What do you think of the Big Apple so far?" She asked.
"Big. Really big." I answered solemnly. "The number of capes and gangs is just ridiculous, not to mention how spread out they are. I've been working my way through all the relevant files, and its no small pile. If you want my opinion on the city itself…" I shrugged. "I haven't seen much of it yet. I checked out a few of the tourist spots when I first got here, but other than that it's been paperwork, training, studying and meetings."
"No school?" Ben asked curiously.
"Ah, well, my life got a bit… complicated, after I got my powers. The PRT are looking into tutors to get me back up to speed, I'll have to work through the summer, but I should be going back to school next fall." I grimaced a bit and couldn't fully keep my distaste out of my voice.
"You sound, less than thrilled about that?" Sara asked kindly.
"School and I have had a very toxic relationship since I started high school." I chose my words with the utmost care. "I'd personally prefer taking all my classes online or something, but I'm not sure that's an option. The Youth Guard pushes to keep us all in regular schooling whenever possible."
"Not a fan of the Youth Guard?" Ben asked lightly.
I blew out a breath and leaned back. "That's a very loaded question." I answered carefully. "I think they're hearts are in the right place, but I honestly don't think they do much good. And in the process of trying I think they anger a number of the people they are trying to protect. For example, my issues with public school. More generally I find it presumptuous and offensive that people who have never met me think they know what's best for me, and others in similar situations."
I shrugged but soldiered on before either host could get a word in. It's not that the Youth Guard was the biggest axe I wanted to grind, but I'd heard enough from the others and found enough of their frustratingly bullshit rules sprinkled throughout my manuals that I was going to take my shot at them anyway. Besides there was a lot of overlap between my issues with them and my issues with the Protectorate.
"I joined because I believe law enforcement needs all the help it can get, and I know I can provide some of that help." I stated firmly. "I'm sure right this moment some Youth Guard member is pointing at the screen and declaring this as proof I've been manipulated by social pressure and Protectorate propaganda. And they are saying I'm too young and naive to really understand and make such grown up decisions." I spoke with scathing sarcasm.
"Well they're idiots. I grew up in a world where Parahuman gangs running chunks of a city is the norm. Where criminals can get away with murder if they're powerful enough. I don't need to be eighteen to know how messed up that is and want to change it. If the Youth Guard really wants to spare innocent children from shouldering such heavy burdens," I mockinglyenunciated. "they can get off of their buts and join the PRT, or police, and actually help deal with the root of the problem instead of chasing a symptom."
Ben leaned back fully into the couch and gave a long low whistle. Sara looked at me wide eyed.
"But the Youth Guard work hard to keep young children out of dangerous and traumatic situations." Sara quickly reposted. "They do a lot of good work making sure children are not exploited."
"And how young is young?" I asked calmly. "Am I young until I turn eighteen? I'm a few months shy of sixteen now. Will I be young until my next birthday? The vigilante act is a thing, and it makes no mention of age. Does that mean the government only considers capes children when we are under their oversight?" I spread my hands out inviting their retort.
"It's very easy to point out flaws in the system, but I notice you aren't offering a better alternative." Ben countered skeptically.
"I did say they should join the PRT or police." I smirked briefly before I suppressed it. "I don't have all the answers. I doubt there is anything close to a perfect solution. But I joined to put away criminals and keep people safe. I believe that I'm mature enough to make that decision and understand the risks associated with it. My Dad agrees even though it scares him." I shrugged. "I can't think of anyone better able to make that judgment."
"Not all parents are really fit to make that kind of judgment." Ben countered, though he kept his tone neutral enough that I couldn't be sure if it was a general statement or a pointed dig. "And I'd be hesitant to accept any teenager's opinion on their own maturity."
"Then you aren't listening to them. You've made up your mind, and nothing they do or say will change it. And if they can't prove you wrong why bother trying? Especially when they can just go and do whatever it is behind your back?" I grinned. "Teenagers and adults do this cycle all the time with all kinds of things. Sometimes the adults are right and sometimes the teen is. The trouble is you don't really know which way it'll go until it's all played out."
Sara looked slightly flummoxed and Ben just shot me a skeptical look.
I had to wonder if Mom would be proud of me or frustrated. She had been a feminine rights activist who ran with Lustrum way back when, so the idea that I was using logic to argue against an ingrained societal opinion would probably make her proud. The fact that her teenage daughter was arguing that society should give teenagers more say in what they were allowed to do would likely have her telling me I was turning her hair grey. The smile that train of thought brought to my face was the first honest one I'd had since the show started.
Ben shook his head slightly before looking to the camera. "Ahh, well, we're about to go to commercial, but we'll be right back with more questions with our cities newest Ward."
The green light above the camera man switched off and the red one next to it turned on. Immediately a stage hand came up with three bottles of water. The hosts declined but I gratefully accepted the drink.
Lyndsey came marching up right behind said stage hand and actually sent him scurrying for cover with a look. Given she was all of maybe five foot five I thought it was fairly impressive. Although it could just be that stage hands lived in constant fear that they would be fired over anything.
"Arsenal, what on earth do you think you are doing?!" She seethed.
I took longer than was strictly necessary to swallow a mouthful of water as I gathered my thoughts. "Projecting the image of a hero who takes their job very seriously and is also intelligent, witty, and has a healthy streak of teenage rebellion. All things you insisted would be good for my popularity and agreed came naturally enough to me so as to actually work rather than coming off as bad acting." I dutifully replied.
The woman actually growled. "Not by taking shots at the damn Youth Guard! Do you know how much of a fuss this is going to kick up with them?!"
I sighed. "Look, you insisted I not take shots at the Protectorate, the Wards, or the PRT. You never said anything about the Youth Guard."
"Because it should have been obvious! They get offended over everything." She shouted.
"Well unless they can give a logical argument that doesn't boil down to my age then all they are doing is proving my point." I shot back. "And when they come calling feel free to tell them I said so."
Lyndsey actually growled before marching herself off of the stage. Shaking my head, I took another sip from my water bottle.
"I've got to hand it to you, Arsenal, you've certainly got guts." Ben sardonically praised as he leaned back. "I can't imagine that will win you any points with your bosses."
"Probably not." I admitted with a light chuckle. "But while we're off the air I can say that I think they could use a few good swift kicks in the pants. You want things to get better you need people to come along and rock the boat from time to time."
Ben only hummed lightly in response.
"You would have made a good investigative reporter with that attitude." Sarah offered with a shake of her head.
"I'll keep it in mind if the hero thing doesn't work out." I chuckled.
"Five seconds!" One of the techs calls. The red light started to flash before it switched off with the green.
"And we're back." Sara smiled warmly. "For those of you just joining us now this is Arsenal, the city's newest Ward. Arsenal, if it's alright, I'd like to ask more questions about you personally."
Obviously, she wanted to shift to lighter topics. I nodded agreeably. I might want to rock the boat some, but there was no reason to draw too much heat from my bosses all at once.
"As long as you understand I'll need to keep some things vague for the sake of my identity. I'll be happy to answer what I can."
"Well…" Sara leaned back a touch as she thought. "Any hobbies?"
I couldn't quite stop the chuckle at the tone whiplash. "I make it a point to practice with as many different weapons as I can though I won't deny having my favorites, but I'm also a pretty good cook and I'm learning Japanese. The team certainly seem to appreciate my cooking."
"Really, cooking?" Sara asked surprised. "Ahh, not that it's bad, I just… you don't strike me as the type." She shot me a sheepish smile.
I hummed agreeably. "It caught me off guard as well honestly. A lot of my practice is intense, cooking is… oddly soothing. Plus, making something people will appreciate is really rewarding." I smiled faintly.
"You mentioned your father. How is he handling all this?" Ben asked, He leaned forward slightly with an earnest but honest expression on his face.
I blew out a sharp breath. "It's been hard on him. I know he's worried, maybe even terrified. But he stepped up to help support me as soon as I asked. He's thrown everything into backing me up." I smiled, bittersweet at the memory of Dad agreeing to give up on Brockton Bay just to give me the best chance he could. "He's been really amazing."
"Are you nervous about confronting criminals?" Ben asked.
I took a moment to think about how to properly answer that. "I've spent a lot of time preparing for fights." I answered slowly. "I'm getting very good, and I do have a number of tricks up my sleeves. That being said I'm a realist. People get lucky, or unlucky, and guns are not going to be impressed by my skills… So, I have to be smart, and careful. Capes are such a mixed bag that it's hard not to be nervous about fighting them. So, yes. I am a bit nervous about fighting criminals, but it's the kind of nerves that keep a person sharp, so I'll take them and be grateful."
Ben nodded slowly. "A very mature outlook." there was a ghost of a smile tugging at his lips as he said it.
I grinned back. Maybe he wouldn't just write off every teenager as immature now, or maybe I'd won special exemption status but it either way it was nice to have it acknowledged.
"I think we have time for one last question." Sara smiled lightly. "And I'm curious but we may as well save the internet the trouble of bothering you about it."
"Alright, shoot?" I asked just slightly nervous. If it was something the internet lurkers were likely to ask I wasn't sure I'd want to answer.
"Are you seeing anyone?" I swear the woman actually chirped the question.
I could hear Shirou snickering from the back of my mind, which really only made my sudden blush worse. The ass.
"I- ah, well, no. No, I'm not seeing anyone."
"Got your eyes on anyone?" She asked wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.
I looked to Ben for help but he just seemed to be trying not to laugh at my expense.
"No, not really. I've been really focused on preparing for cape life the last few months." Not a lie just not anywhere near the whole truth… "And now… we'll things are complicated now. I wouldn't feel right getting involved with someone I couldn't be upfront with about everything, and that's a fairly small group of people at the moment."
They would probably assume I meant my cape identity. That was part of it, but the bigger issue was getting into a relationship with someone without telling them I had a guy literally living in the back of my head for the time being sounded like a horrible idea. I wasn't about to inflict that kind of mess on anyone without them knowing what they were getting into. And that wasn't even getting into the whole issue of capes being presents from evil multidimensional space monsters. No, I had enough going on right now without chasing after romantic drama.
Sara sighed wistfully, well I suppose that makes sense, but still, you're only a teenager once, don't forget to have some fun." She lightly scolded with a twinkle in her eye.
Ben coughed into his fist. "Well it's been a pleasure to have you with us here Arsenal and we'd like to wish you a long and successful career on behalf of everyone here at the station."
I gave the two host a slightly strained smile. "Thank you, it's been great to be here."