A/N: I swear, action is coming. Just not yet.

Stasis 2.5

"Materia will not be your cape name."

I was a bit sad, at that. I had spent some time picking it out, and while I hadn't gone out using it yet, it already felt somewhat familiar to me. All the Wards called me by that name when I had my mask on, and I had found a cool Aleph game series that referenced the concept, although I couldn't afford to get the console to play it. Still, I had been warned that the PR team would have final say on my image, and that included my name, I guess. Besides, I had only had it a few days, and as attached as I was to it, I could stand to at least hear him out. Speaking of which, Glenn continued talking.

"Don't take that the wrong way; it's not a bad name by any means, and I can see the train of thought that went into it. Many cultures had similar traditions involving elements, and prima materia is at the core of the European traditions. That being said…" he paused, "It isn't a good fit for your powers, and while it's a good name, it sounds too much like a tinker name, and you have to look up what it means after adding 'prima' to it, just to find out some vague alchemic history. Alchemic symbols are good-looking for a costume, but again, they lend themselves more towards a tinker or chemical user, not an absurdly powerful shaker/blaster."

"I envision your fighting style and power, and I see less an alchemic master, searching for ways to bend the elements to your will through wit, and more a demigod guarding a sacred grove, or a young monk defending a temple; an archetypal figure, the childlike guardian who wields immense elemental power. The fact that your powers rely on martial arts helps this image, as does your request that a staff or rod be part of your standard equipment. When people say your name, I want it to call those images to mind. We need something esoteric, but recognizable, based in far eastern cultures. We also need the name to be catchy, easy to attach a symbol to, easy to recognize."

I nodded, thinking about it. I didn't know nearly as much about the mythology of the CUI or India, and Japan was half underwater last I heard. I would have to research them more. The only thing I had relating to that was this one new-age coloring thing my dad had sent me last birthday; he was really into Zen and stuff. What were those things called again? The really ornate circles, with lots of symbolism? I wish I had cared about coloring enough to use more than one or two sheets now. They were interesting to look at when I did them justice, even if they were tedious to do.

Glenn continued, somewhat oblivious to my thinking face. "Adrian and I were discussing a few ideas before you came in. Your powers are too varied for most mythical figures, and besides, we tend to name big threats after gods, so that might be for the best. 'Chaos' fits the concept if an origin to the elements and worlds, but is far too villainous-sounding; Demiurge has unfortunate connotations, even if the original concept was almost perfect." I had no idea what that was, so okay.

"Ziggurat, Pyramid, taken; Pagoda is not currently taken; I'll add it to the list. More esoteric concepts like Chakra, Sephirot, and Chi, are taken too. Axis Mundi isn't taken, and would be a great fit for your shaker powers; it literally means 'center of the world', though, so it might sound a bit arrogant, and while it's a prevalent concept in society, few people know the name of said concept. Zen might be good for recognition, but there are always problems naming yourself after a religion. Mandala…"

That was it! The circle things were mandala! I nodded fervently. He stopped, smiled. "Ah. Good choice, actually. I didn't think too much about it while I was crafting this list, but I can see how that would work with your image quite well." Adrian looked a little confused. "How do decorative circles have anything to do with his power? They're just Hindu religious symbols, right?" Glenn shot him an incredulous look.

"Mr. Miles, please keep the meaning of the concept in mind before protesting! Mandala are not simply religious symbols; they are symbolic, flat representations of various conceptions of the universe. They are a hugely varied and respected art form, and more importantly for this discussion, they are a very good choice. Mandala are often divided into four sections, each symbolizing a different aspect of the universe, with a central point around which the universe unfolds."

He drew an imaginary diagram on the surface of the desk as he continued. "In much the same way, Michael here has control of four elements, and unfolds dream realities around himself. The logo practically makes itself, and unlike some of the other names we suggested, it's fairly easy to search up a mandala and get a basic idea what it is without slogging through a wiki page. Mandala are used in meditation exercises, and in some martial arts, and have both a recognizable imagery and a deeper, more powerful meaning behind them. I can't believe I didn't notice the symbolism before, we could have saved twenty minutes of talking!"

Adrian protested, "How do you even know all of that off the top of your head?" "It's my job to know. I'm the head of Public Relations for an international organization, knowing lots of random facts about various cultural symbols is just one facet of my duties. Maybe you should do some learning yourself," Glenn said with a slight edge to his voice. Adrian looked sufficiently cowed, but said, "Okay, Glenn. If that's settled, let's move on to basic costume design. We only have an hour forty to iron out the details and get measurements and so on." Glenn nodded, snapping back to serious mode.

Oh boy, here we go.

"Normally, we have our younger capes in outfits designed to be bright, to be happy. Unlike the name, I think we could make bright colors work on you. Your powers hardly lend themselves to stealth, after all. We need some armor and coverage, but it needs to be breathable and agility-based to allow freedom of movement. Most importantly, it must fit the theme. Any ideas, Adrian?"

"How about a modified gi, with Kevlar undersuit and a hood and cloth mask? I'm thinking golden yellow, with orange undersuit and metal-banded, sleek gauntlets and boots." Glenn put a hand to his chin. "I can see it, but it seems a bit generic. The gi can stay, and the gauntlet/boot combo, but let's work on image."

An idea struck me. Quickly typing before they could get too far ahead, the phone said 'Wait'. They stopped and looked at me. 'Clock's animated panels.' 'Could we do that with a mandala?'

"Yes, I love it!" Glenn exclaimed. "It'd make it more expensive to maintain, but it gives a unique appearance to the costume, and we can change the image to fit the occasion! So, armor panels of slowly shifting mandala. We probably need to scrap the gi, but we gain a distinct image boost. Okay, your powers require flexibility, so how about a more form-fitting costume based off of ceremonial armor? I'm thinking a sleek, open-sided half-chestplate, with a segmented build for added flexibility. High shoulders, too, with panels on the upper arms and around the forearms and hands. Minimal armor below the belt; shin guards, maybe some sleek hard storage panels in the small of the back and outside of the thigh."

Adrian had picked up a sketch pad and drawn up a rough idea of the armor. It looked okay, but I would need to ask for a few features to be added. Also, there was a distinct lack of a mask, and I literally pointed that out on the page. "Ah, yes. The ever-important mask. Let's see here… so far, we have armor that looks much like a cut-down, slimmed-out military uniform. A helmet might be too unwieldy in combat, don't you think?" I nodded, imagining a power rangers helmet, how bulky they were.

"Right. Since you can't talk, we should focus on the eyes being uncovered. That tends to make you a more trusted figure. How about a hard face mask?" I shook my head, typed, 'May I demonstrate a power?' They nodded, confused. I reached for the fire simmering in my stomach, letting it hit my lungs. I inhaled, and when I slowly exhaled, a burst of fire came out of my pursed lips in a small jet. I followed up with a second breath, this time blowing wind. Their looks of surprise told me I got my point across. I needed my mouth free, even if I couldn't talk.

"Well, that is somewhat unfortunate. I really hoped we could go with that," Glenn said. Adrian spoke up. "Actually Glenn, we might be able to. All we need is the ability to open the mask with a switch or gesture, and to make it temperature resistant. A chin switch would do it, and the mask would still be plenty to cover his identity, especially if we added a head covering." "Well, Michael, do you think that might work?" I nodded. It might be awkward, but if nothing else, the added protection to my mouth might be good in a fight.

After that, the meeting devolved into much more trivial details. My costume was changed from gold to green, then finally mixed reds, with accents of gold and silver; the face mask and armor went through several alterations; a few features were discussed, including a sign language to speech translator and text display on the animated panels, which was eventually settled on for the forearm panels only due to image concerns and control difficulty. I even managed to convince them to let me have a small pop-out keyboard in the left forearm, so I could report in and stuff. Plus, an extendable staff with a few cool features built in.

Unfortunately, the tech would come at a cost; it would probably take a week to complete the suit, longer for the staff, and I might need to get them maintained by a tinker from time to time. Also, if I wrecked the suit beyond repair, I might be benched awhile, but then again, I'd probably have worse things to worry about if that happened. I would still have a spare made, of course, but punishment is punishment.

Next came measurements, an embarrassing process involving stripping to my underwear and posing a bit for cameras. Thank God, they were going straight to a machine, and that the booth had no windows. I didn't want anyone to see my flab.

Last came merchandizing. Yes, the Wards did in fact need money to run, and I was a member of their target demographic. Action figures were some ways off, but various designs for clothes were discussed, and I might get some mugs or a poster or two made once my costume was finished. Overall, it was a whole bunch of somewhat boring stuff, but I was glad to be able to contribute here and there. I got the feeling not every hero got this kind of input; how else do you explain the girl's underwear with Armsmaster's symbol on it that I saw in the gift shop? He was a guy, not a girl; it should have Battery, or Miss Militia on it.

Come to think of it, Adrian probably signed off on that. That didn't bode too well for my PR future.

Anyway, it was time to go. I got up, offered a hand to Glenn, waved to Adrian, and went back out to my escort.

It was time to get some therapy.