How It All Started
"Well, I think that about does it." The producer said with an accomplished sigh. Close to an hour they worked together (mostly each girl with the producer personally), crafting their heroes to what their hearts desired. It took a bit of creative liberties in interpreting their play book's instructions to fit their needs, but they got the job done. He gave one final glance around the girls, some of them looking a bit tired, but they all had satisfied smiles on their faces. The assistant, Ushi, also had a small smile on her face, still holding the camera that was handed to her.
"So who wants to introduce themselves first?" he asked them. "Shiki, want to starts us off?"
"Hai, yes sir!" she answered with a salute, along with the cat grin she often has. Her enthusiasm then decreased dramatically, to a more subdued level. Her face also shifting to a calmer, if smug, expression.
"My name is Christina Jameson, more commonly known as Chiron to the people. I'm a 3rd generation European immigrant, my grandparents moved to Jupiter City in the 1920s. A bit on the thin side. I tend to wear clothes that have some sort if pop culture reference to them, and usually appear as I dress in urgent situations."
"Hooo!" light claps erupted from the rest of the unit, somewhat expected as Shiki and Frederica were prone into getting into skits between the two.
"I'm not physically fit for combat, which is why I created robot to fight by my side. Named Ajax, it can handle itself well in a scuffle, but its main priority is always to defend me and anyone I deem important, which include my friends." She nodded satisfactorily, both in and out of character.
"How did you first reveal your genius to your friends or family?" the producer asked the question from her playbook aloud for the others to hear. "Don't hesitate to ask your own question, girls." He added.
"When I made a clean, sustainable source of energy for our home! That way, my family will no longer struggle for power." Shiki answered with a smirk.
"And they were fine with it?" Mika asked, leaning closer to the brunette.
"My siblings didn't really understand, they were still quite young. But my parents were both worried and relieved." She further explained.
"Why do you call yourself Chiron?" Kanade asked.
At this, Shiki smirked. "I am a genius, especially in the field of Astronomy. One of the most significant discoveries is the closest star system to ours. Alpha Centauri. With my genius intellect, I chose it to honor one of Greek Mythology's wisest heroes. The centaur, Chiron."
The producer waited a few seconds in case anyone else had a question amidst the ohs and ahs of the girls, before he continued down the list. "Why did you decide to use your intellect to the benefit of others?"
"I've always been kind of selfish, just focusing on my family. But after what I did, I've strived to prepare the world for what's to come." She answered with a disgruntled look on her face.
"And what did you do?" he asked again.
"I discovered something that wasn't meant to be discovered." She replied grimly.
"What accident or misfire taught you some sense of humility or responsibility?"
"My shame." At this, the rest was drawn in by Shiki's backstory that she had crafted.
"What is it?" Syuko asked, just as curious as the rest.
Shiki then met the gaze each member of LiPPS one by one, before answering. "I found something. While I was looking through my telescope at night, indulging in my hobby of stargazing, I found a peculiar thing. Something that didn't match any recorded findings. I would know. It was a celestial object, about the size of Saturn. I kept focusing on it, ecstatic that I had found something new! And then all I saw was an eye." She visibly swallowed, as if to emphasize her worry. "That was all I saw. An eye… that was peering through me, as if staring directly into my soul. And then I heard it. I will find you. It said."
"Then what happened?" Frederica asked with audible concern.
"I don't know." Shiki said, shaking her head. "All I remember was screaming at the top of my lungs, until my father found me."
"Who helped you realize you need other people?" the producer continued.
"My father. After they found my in the state I was in, and after I explained what I found, he told me to find people who could help me. People who are stronger, smarter than me. And I did." She said with a slow nod.
"Why do you care about the team?"
"They do not scoff at me when I tell them of my worries, unlike most of the adult superheroes. They take me seriously me, and wish to help."
"That's right we do!" Frederica proclaimed, hugging her friend tightly.
"That was well put, Shiki." Kanade said, giving a subdued clap for the brunette. "Now I wonder if I can live up to that."
"Yeah, some of us aren't natural like you, Shiki-chan." Syuko said with a hearty chuckle.
"Oh, now I'm excited though!" Mika exclaimed with glee she seldom shows in the unit.
"Fre-chan wants to go next!" Frederica announced, picking up her playbook from the coffee table.
Both the producer and assistant chuckled, he even more so at not having to get a word in after Shiki finished her piece. "Alright, Freddie, go ahead."
"Yay!" she coughed purposefully, preparing herself for her turn. Then, taking cue from her friend, the usual goofy expression on her face morphed into one of melancholy. Such an unusual expression to see on her face, that some of the girls were caught off guard.
She started with a drawn out sigh. "I used to be called Michelle Richards. But now, everyone just calls me Venus. I, don't remember how I used to look like. But, I'm still distinctly female. My eyes often startle people when I stare at them for too long. My skin is mostly green but there are colorful patterns, sometimes vines and leaves growing on top of it. Around my neck, and sometimes able to close around my head, are large rose petals. Because of this, I tend to not appear as anything else."
She sighed again, before continuing. "Just like how I look, I can control plants like they were a part of me, and as if I'm part of the earth itself, nothing can get by me. Can surprise me."
The producer waited to see if anyone would ask any questions, but it seemed the girls we're too enraptured. "Who were you before?"
"I was just an ordinary high school student."
"When did you change? What caused it?" He continued.
"It was during a school field trip, at a research facility. It was attacked by a supervillain."
"Who was the supervillain?" asked the brunette beside her.
Her character broke for a few seconds as she thought of the answer. "He never gave himself a name, but everyone started calling him The Void. He looks like a complete blank space in reality."
The producer jotted the information down in his laptop before continuing on. "Who, outside of your team, is helping you understand your new body?"
"My teachers." She answered. "They were there when it happened. They've been helping me since."
"What about your parents?" Ask the white haired member of LiPPS.
Frederica shook her head dejectedly. "They didn't want to do anything with me."
The girls gave sorrowful comments in response, and even Ushi seemed to have completely bought into the story. "Why don't you just hide yourself away?"
"I've already been exposed. I didn't bother hiding."
"Why do you care about the team?"
"They do not see me as a monster." Came her simple reply.
"Fre-chan!" cried out the brunette, crying exaggeratedly through her muffled sobs.
"Really, we shouldn't expect anything less from you two." Kanade commented with a smirk, with the two besides her nodding in agreement.
"I thought you said you wanted to make something cute." Mika said, laughing at the shift. "That didn't sound cute at all"
"She is cute!" Frederica retorted indignantly. "She's a colorful flower!"
"Are they always like this?" the producer glanced to his side as the assistant whispered to him.
"Not all the time." He replied, just as quiet. "Let's go down the line then. Mika, your turn."
"Ah, really?!" the startled gyaru responded at having the spotlight moved to her, before she calmed herself down. She was the most experienced idol in the unit, yet somehow it seemed like she's always out of her depth when she's with them. Then there was a subtle shift in her body language, and her smile seemed to tense up.
"My name is Satoshi Kumiko. But people don't know that. They only know The Rider." She paused, seemingly for dramatic effect, before continuing. "My family moved to Jupiter City a few years ago. Without the Mask, I wear stylish, trendy clothes! And my brown hair is died platinum blonde, but just the tips, because I'm growing them out. But with the Mask, I wear a concealing biker's leather jacket and jeans with heavy boots and gloves, wearing a tinted helmet to cover my head."
"My powers make me stronger, faster, tougher than normal humans. I also posses the ability to absorb energy, allowing to enhance myself, like how I move around. That's why I'm known as The Rider."
"When did you first put on the mask? Why?"
"After I 'recovered' from an incident. I put on the mask after, after I also discovered my powers."
"What happened?" Kanade asked.
Mika shook her head. "No one really knows. All that happened is that my entire neighborhood blew up. There were hardly any survivors, and even in my family only my sister and I survived." She paused, meeting Kanade's eyes. "There are rumors, though. That my neighborhood was a casualty between an altercation between superheroes and supervillains."
"What happened to your sister?" there was concern in Kanade's voice, concern that was shared with the rest since they were reminded if the gyaru's actual sister.
"She's been in the hospital since, but she's doing better." Mika answered with a restrained smile.
"Why do you keep a secret identity?"
"Because I do not like the spotlight. I don't want to be connected to The Rider."
"Why?" he egged her on.
"I don't know. My own, insecurities, I guess." She replied with a weak shrug.
He waited a few seconds before continuing. "Who, outside of the team, knows about your dual identity?"
"No one. Not even my sister. Even on the team, not everyone knows."
"Eh? Why?" Frederica asked, sounding a bit hurt.
"Because I'm trying to distance myself with my hero identity." Mika answered.
"Who thinks the worst of your masked identity?"
"People and heroes who think I'm taking advantage of the incident."
"Well they're stupid." Shiki commented, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Thanks." Mika said with a chuckle.
"Do you know them?"
She shook her head. "No, because I've made a point to ignore them. I've heard that the superhero was there during the incident though.
"Why do you care about the team?"
"Yeah, why do you?" Syuko added with interest.
At this, Mika put on a convincing warm smile. "Because they trust me, even though I hold them at arm's length."
"Well aren't we a well of sunshine and daisies." The producer commented with an amused chuckle as Ushi took another picture of the group.
"That's what we planned, right?" replied the pink haired gyaru.
"That we did." He agreed with a nod, as he turned his attention to the girl. Next to her. "Kanade, you're up."
"Oh dear. I guess I am." She responded with a coy giggle.
There wasn't any visible change in her body language, but there was another subtle thing they noticed. "My name is Ariella Silverwood, also known as Wonderwood." Her voice was higher pitched, projecting a more youthful character, as if she was imitating Arisu.
"At a glance, I look like any other human. But if someone were to notice me, then they would see the differences. My hair is the deepest of black. My ears are pointy. And people are often left speechless by how beautiful I am." A hint of a smirk formed on Kanade's face. "My eyes especially, give away that I'm not human, with the golden 4-pointed star as my pupils."
"The clothes I wear are just as flashy. But my costume, if it can be called that, seems grab in comparison." She said with an annoyed grimace. "A simple uniform of my people's military."
"I have access to magic from my world, which I sometimes use to fly. And my race is tougher than humans. But I prefer to use the weapons that I was trained in, which is an elegant bow of grand design, and a sword that was handcrafted for me. I also have a mount, a gryphon named Alistair, accompanying me."
"Where do you come from?"
"The land of Xenia. That is my home." She answered neutrally.
"Are you an elf?" Shiki asked with her usual cat smirk.
"That's what you humans call me. But my people are called the Moorsyah."
"What language is that?"
"I'm not sure." Kanade replied, returning to her usual voice. "Producer suggested it to me."
"It's based off of Irish." He explained. "Why did you come to Earth?"
"I didn't mean to." She replied, shaking her head. "It was an accident that sent me here."
"That sucks." The pink haired girl commented.
"It's fine. It worked out in the end." She said back.
"Why do you want to stay here?"
A smile formed on Kanade's face. "This world. The earth. The city. The people. It's so full of intrigue and wonder. The good and the bad. And I want to see more."
"Why do your people want you to come home?"
"Do they?" she asked back, tilting her head slightly. "I haven't made contact with them ever since I got here. But if they did, it would be because I'm an important figure in my society."
"Oh, are you a princess?" Frederica asked excitedly.
"No, my people are not a monarchy. But I a member of one of its noble houses."
"Why do you care about the team?"
"Because they helped me in my time of need." She answered with a gratifying smile.
"Woo! The team's coming together!" Shiki exclaimed, before her eyes landed on Syuko. "Syuko-chan! Come on!"
"Calm down, Shiki-chan. Kanade-chan just finished." The white haired girl reply as Kanade giggled amusedly. She then glanced to the producer as the new assistant took another picture. He nodded to her, encouraging the idol.
Laughing nervously as the rest of the girls now had their expectant eyes on her, she took the leap before her.
"My name is Honda Yukari. Yukari Baker, if we use my adoptive father's name. On the field, I go by Heiki." Syuko went with a more nervous tick as the change in her body language. "As I said before, I'm adopted. I'm Japanese, but my family's local. Since I was a child. I tend to go anywhere wearing my school uniform. I don't bother changing. My costume is derivative of my father's, but not an exact copy."
"Wait, who's your father?" Frederica asked curiously.
"My father, is also my Mentor. Henry Baker. He's a politician in Jupiter City. But unbeknownst to the mundane, he is the Silver Age hero Armory." The Producer's meticulous typing re sounded in the room as Syuko expanded her character's backstory. "Armory, doesn't have the best of reputations. He's known for being quite terrifying."
"That's saying something, since Silver Age heroes are usually quite powerful." Shiki added with a knowing nod.
"He's actually retired as a super hero. Which is why he hopes that I can carry on his work." Syuko finished.
As if noticing something was amiss, Mika spoke up. "Wait, what about your powers?"
"Oh right. Haha." Syuko laughed at her own blunder. "My father and I use a variety of weapons and gadgets. But while as Armory he is known for his intimidation tactics, I prefer stealth."
"How did you first meet your mentor?" came the first question from the Producer.
"On the streets of Japan while he was on vacation with his wife." She answered. "I got caught trying to pickpocket them. They adopted me not long after."
"When and why did you decide to train with them?"
"Probably around the time my brother was born?" she replied a bit unsurely. "And it was when I found out who he was before."
"Was that an awkward dinner?" Kanade asked with a coy smirk on her face.
"Oh, it was." Syuko agreed with a hearty laugh.
"Why did they agree to train you."
"He saw potential in me." She said with a shrug.
"Who else, outside of the team, knows about your training? "
"His wife, my adoptive mother." Syuko answered with a smile.
"So your brother doesn't know?" the Producer asked himself.
Syuko shook her head. "No. He's completely oblivious to our family's secret."
"Is your mother cool?" Mika asked.
"She's super cool! Dad might be the super hero, but mom's the one who runs the house!" the girls laughed merrily together.
The Producer sighed tiredly as the assistant took another picture, this time standing up as she was sitting next to Syuko. "Alright, last question. Why do you care about the team?"
"They trust me, my training, and my experience." She answered resolutely.
"Alright." The Producer said, dropping the playbook into the table. "You girls should get some snacks, or drinks. This is gonna take a while."
"Oh, that's right!" Frederica almost shouted as she stood up abruptly. Her hands immediately sought out Shiki's and Mika's, dragging the girls along with her.
"Wait, why me?!" Mika protested weakly as she was pulled along by the blonde.
Kanade turned to her left to for Syuko, who sunk into her side of the sofa. "What did you think, Syuko?"
"It was intimidating, Kanade-chan!" Syuko said with a grin. "But it was fun!" she then turned to the Producer. "And you used to do this a lot?"
"Not often." He answered. "It takes a lot of commitment from everyone to get a session going."
"And that's why I'm also here?" Ushi spoke up, spending most of the time taking pictures.
"Partly so. It's going to be fun though."
"Oh, I can tell already, Producer." The assistant responded, as she took another picture of the three still in the room.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
this ended up being way longer than i wanted it to be, but i didn't want to split it up. hell, this already is kinda splitting it up, but at least it works as a halfway point for the "1st session"
also, if their names are Japanese, then it's written as "last name" "first name".
Syuko's character, Heiki, means Arsenal, written as 兵器
i guess that about does it. see you all next time!
