Αναβολή των Αργοναυτών!
"Behave." He said as Caenis slumped in her seat. She started blowing air in frustration as she stared at the white wall that encompassed this entire hallway. It was bad enough that she was forced to come along, but to endure such… stillness was egregious.
"You have endured for far less there, friend… if anything I'm surprised you're this impatient in the first place." A voice said to her right as Caenis frowned at their direction. She glared at them but at the same time, she had nothing really to say regarding that matter due to it being true.
Sadly, as much as she could tolerate the sheer boredom that was the sea in her journey within the Argo, this was a different matter altogether. One that brokered politics, unnecessary talks, and just the sheer reality that this was also a form of punishment from their master due to her accidentally breaking the silence over their presence towards the public. Her master would never broker any sort of direct punishment or anger on her part but given that she was front and center of their movement, she was forced to come along to make face for her actions and decisions.
"Think of it as meeting a local king… or an oracle in some instances woman. This is no different than that, just in a more, modern sense." Another voice further down to her right said in a condescending and annoyed tone that made her all the more angry in response.
"Did you forget that I was always left outside if I wasn't specifically called for, or did any of your studies for medicine go straight up your ass so much that you've forgotten?" she angrily said.
"It's not like you were productive in keeping those meetings afloat and friendly." They responded as Caenis felt her fists clenching.
"Hush, the master said that we must behave, especially on your part Caenis." The deeper voice said between the two as some of the fires in Caenis' heart subsided. She looked away with a frown, still fuming. Quickly the silence between them was instated again as their master, towards her left had looked at his watch.
"They're taking quite a lot of time keeping us waiting out like this."
"It feels like every other politician back in our day, master. Fear not, however, I do realize that this also means that they are intimidated by our presence."
Their master chuckles as they hold onto their cane. "Oh no, I am used to it Archer, mostly due to the fact that even the highest in the Clocktower do this exact same tactic. I'm mostly just worried about the others due to my absence."
The man, known as Archer visibly cringes at their master's words as Caenis blows another puff of air in silent agreement. "I'm sure Sabe-I mean, Jason can keep everything in check."
"Oh? While I do agree that the man isn't all that bad and his tactical acumen is commendable, his ego is pretty much what holds him back, and the last time we left him to his own muses, we nearly had half a million dollars in terms of debt being thrown at our doorstep."
"I… uh…" Archer stops, not knowing how well to defend his comrade as Caenis forms a smile.
"At the very least I had people to conduct tests on Master. I will give my dear old Captain that much at least." The voice on the farthest of Caenis' right said as their master nodded in agreement.
"Yes indeed. It gave enough room for my hypothesis to be confirmed as well, Caster." Their master then turns to her as Caenis raises an eyebrow in response.
"What?" she asks.
"I need not remind you that I won't waste a command spell on keeping you from shedding any blood today, but… I do require you to not make a scene, at least for now while we're in this building."
"Sure." She quickly said.
"I'm serious Lancer… don't let any of them get to you. Leave the room if you must, but never try to vent that will have the entire building crashing down on everyone."
Caenis opens her lips partly before closing them again as she nods. Knowing that this was in fact an important meeting and her presence and conduct were tantamount to that.
Her master then wished to say something one more time only for them to stop when they all heard footsteps coming down the hall. The insufferable woman from before had arrived and she was smiling at all of them.
"Thank you for waiting… we didn't expect you all to come so early, so Miss Stillwell had to adjust."
Their master then stood up and took the woman's hand for a shake.
"Glad to be here, though we must insist that the wait was excessive." He firmly said with a still smile as the woman nodded.
"Once again, I'm very sorry on behalf of Vought. Though, I do hope that today's meeting becomes fruitful for you and your…"
"Subordinates." Their master clarifies as the woman smiles.
"Yes, and you may call me Ashley, and I'm very, very happy to meet you all."
There was a small bit of silence between all of them as they all heard Caster hum in response.
"The feeling is mutual, Ashley… may we meet Miss Stillwell?"
"Yes… yes, of course…" she quickly said as she led them across the floor.
On their way, Caenis watched the various offices and rooms that occupied this part of the building. From various art, posters, and people walking along them, it seemed like the building was really busy this time of the day. While she held some interest in some of the things that she saw, she was already quickly bored given that she was already used to the various beauties that Olympus had to offer back when she was summoned in the Lostbelt. Now, seeing that they were in the modern day, or at least a version of it she was not too impressed nor even slightly interested in what she saw.
Quickly, however, they reached a room where they were led and eventually, they were given seats in front of a woman who sat proudly behind her desk with that shiny plate that had her name emblazed on it. It was… cute in the most demeaning of ways…
Especially since with the seats placed around them, it manifested a sort of feeling that would indicate the woman felt in charge at that moment. With her smug smile that reminded her of the Olympians, she only served to smile back in the fakest of sensibilities.
Hopefully, it was a good ruse, politicians knew how to do it after all, so why not she?
Madelyn Stillwell, even her name screeched like a bitch.
"Good morning again, sir… 'Wodime'? Is that how it's pronounced?" the woman asked with a smile. One that made even her own master nod with his face unchanged.
"I would like to be called Kirsch, rather than my surname. Though I do not harbor any such descent against it, it is mostly a name attributed to my father and his family." He said, his accent not lost on the woman as she continued to plaster that smile like a fox.
"I see… though forgive me, your name is very peculiar, and frankly while I am very fond of our neighbors across the pond, how is it that you've come across your subordinates in the first place. Rather a diverse set of people, some that I can't imagine are hard to find given this day and age."
"Straight to the point huh, Miss Stillwell." Caenis saw her master tap his cane before he continued. "I will be frank; it is more or less that they came to me other than the opposite. A fact that I am most thankful, and a fact that I take pride in with all humble diligence."
"You must be good at your job then, or notable enough that despite being a nobody, these people have done their part to get to you… of all things." She said in a backhanded compliment. One that made Caenis lose her already fake smile.
"Oh, it was not easy I will tell you. More so, I would reckon that the challenge was keeping them all in line… and even then, I wasn't totally in control of that aspect in the first place. Still, we all harbor a relationship in a workmanly manner. Professional and straightforward, so much so that I can gladly call them as family, in some sense." He replied back in a straight manner, much to the surprise of Madelyn as the young man (she assumed) had experience in dealing with office politics. One that was already making her overwhelmed in some capacity.
"I'm glad to hear that… though, I do acknowledge that you understand the meaning of our meeting, right? Given that miss… Lancer is here today…"
Caenis quickly glared at the woman's direction before the bitch continued talking.
"… you know well that you still have to answer for the endangerment of our own hero, A-Train given the incident three days ago?"
Caenis turned to her master whose expression remained passive. "I do not see why this is an issue that needs traversing, my colleague over there, Caster whose expertise in medicine is quite vast in various fields has already shown to the public, and towards the courts that your employee, A-Train was undergoing severe drug use and inoculation during that period. That exonerates any such action from my subordinate and even if I were to argue about it now, I really don't see how it is relevant to the request that was scheduled for us to meet Mr. Stan Edgar."
The woman blinks at him as Caenis finds herself smiling.
"…while I do think the matter is already closed, unfortunately, we at Vought do still wish for the two to make up. Perhaps… in a matter that can be used for PR, we don't really need it to be public, just confirmation for the reporters out there that the matter is resolved. You understand, right?"
"I will leave that decision for Lancer. If she agrees to such a thing, then I will gladly cooperate."
"And do you agree, Miss Lancer?" the woman says as she turns to Caenis.
Caenis could only stare back before speaking up. "No." she simply said as she relaxed back into her chair. The woman's eye twitches as her master remains impassive.
"That's a shame. Given that you've overtaken Queen Maeve as the world's premier Female Superhero, it would have done a lot to make the world inspired in your words and actions. Don't you… want that in any case? It'll make a degree more popular than you already are, you'll probably go head to head against Homelander, given the following you've already cultivated." The woman offered with a smile that made Caenis remember Aphrodite's or even that of Poseidon when he was still alive.
"I decline." She calmly said despite the budding feelings within her as Stillwell made a fake measure of disappointment.
"That's unfortunate…" she then turned to her master. "… will you not really accept this offer, even on your part Mr. Kirsch? Surely, it'll help your already growing company to prosper even outside your extreme head start within the medical and pharmaceutical industry."
Her master simply smiled with a slight chuckle in his voice. "I believe in some manner of independence with my subordinates Miss Stillwell. If she refuses, I will have to back her up in that."
The woman hums in disappointment as she shifts a few papers off her desk.
"That's a shame, poor A-Train needs the publicity. He's already beaten by your dear hero Rider in most aspects in front of the public's eye. The whole thing with Miss Lancer would have helped in making sure that some of the confidence in the public consciousness can be rest assured with not just one person of color within the limelight. With her popularity, we might have created something divine…"
She then smirks at Caenis. "Something beyond the whole race matter within America."
Caenis turns to her master, seeing some amount of discomfort within him brewing but was still concealed quite well, with only her and the rest of the Argonauts present within the room knowing of it. His displeasure was already known when they all first discovered the 'quirks' of this world and the prevalence of these 'heroes'.
"I hope you understand, most of Vought's heroes are predominantly White, and with the sudden interest in your group's rise to fame as well as your… diverse set of capes, it would have allowed some more level of trust to fuel the people's beliefs in heroes again. We don't want to inscribe extremism of course… not in any of the sides present."
There was a solid minute in terms of how the silence was displayed between them. Even the stoic Archer was quite disappointed much to Caenis' understanding and even Caster was taken away from his own musings.
Eventually, their master was able to speak.
"Quite the approach you have there, Miss Stillwell, but I'm afraid if Lancer will not budge, then I will back her on it with just as much fervor with her own actions as a hero to the public."
"Then there is no room for negotiation on that then?"
"No, and I wish for us to move to the next topic, given that I believe we are here for much more important things." He said with finality as Madelyn smirked, thinking that she had already gotten inside the young man's thinking.
"Speaking of that, however, I'm to understand that Olympia's assets are still leaning towards your pharmaceutical and medicinal sector, correct? Then what is the basis for linking your own superheroes to your market, given that you seldom do anything at all in promoting them?" she asks.
Caenis watches her master return to his usual aristocratic air as he smiles.
"Well, most of the people under me were for the most part supposed to help our dear Caster in making sure his endeavors are greeted well, anything outside of that is of no consequence to us. My people help out because they wish to help out, and any sort of fame, publicity, or commercial business tagging along is just a merry consequence, and even then, I believe the woman in charge of handling the public presence our heroes have is already doing a good job."
"I… I guess? In some way I do agree with you on that, heroes are supposed to be heroes after all." Madelyn says as she inwardly disagrees with the methods these people use for their 'publicity'.
"Yes indeed, in whichever perspective you view of it, I suppose."
"Alright… though, much of the agreement of this meeting states that your best are supposed to meet with our own in some capacity. Make them mingle, make them chat, that sort of thing, so that their efforts are not just wasted on keeping the public safe, perhaps it'll forge a brand of friendship in some capacity." Madelyn said to change the topic as Caenis watched her master nod.
"Yes, I believe that is part of that, but… given that Archer and Caster are important players in regards for these talks to matter, I will insist they remain." Her master then turns to Caenis.
Who was frowning in response to this change of direction.
"Lancer… be a dear and take Miss Stillwell's offer."
"Bastard." She whispered within their mental bond as Wodime kept his impassive smile.
"Oh, that's actually delightful. Miss Barrett! Can you escort Miss Lancer around please?" Madelyn said as the woman walked in, genuinely happy as she nodded and smiled at Caenis' way.
Caenis looked to her master again as he nodded for her to follow Ashley.
"Happy to be of… uh, service." She stiffly says even as the woman continues to smile at her words as she slowly stands up and follows the woman who was now talking with such excitement for her.
Caenis and Ashley left the room, leaving the rest within Stillwell's office in a silent cold war of sorts.
"Should we go to business then?" she started as Wodime nodded.
"We will not be meeting Mr. Edgar today, I assume."
Madelyn grinned.
"Mr. Edgar is quite busy today, however, he has left every bit of negotiating power on my part for Vought's interests for this matter, so you best know that you are talking to someone that is happy enough to accommodate you."
"I see. Then what is this proposition that you and your suits told me about?"
Madelyn leaned over her table and looked at Archer who remained stoic and displeased as well as Caster who was on his own muses writing something on a tablet while the two mechanical snakes hovering by his shoulders helped him.
"We wish to consolidate the superhero assets of Olympia into our own." She said simply.
Instantly, every sort of sound that was made within the room was halted.
Caster focused his gaze on the woman…
Archer crossed both his arms on his chest…
And Wodime, the crypter of the Olympian Lostbelt could only smile in recompense.
"Girl, how much do you work out? You make every other superheroine out there look stupid and despite having the abs and muscles, you're still drop-dead gorgeous!" Ashley spouted out as she gawked at Caenis like she was a statue of a goddess made reality.
She simply tuned the woman off completely as they walked along the building in pure disinterest. Well, at least on Caenis' part as she hums a whistle even as Ashley, much to her genuine excitement was still talking while unaware of how she felt.
Inevitably, they stopped by the office or the room where this world's The Seven were held in as the dull girl beside her explained in excruciating detail about what this entire room's history was. It was bull of course, but she did not give any comment, honoring the command that her master gave her as she stared into the distance and eventually at the bronze mural where The Seven were shown.
She was no such fan of the statues that decorated the Gods and Goddesses of Olympus even before Poseidon's influence on her… but she did admire the effort and art placed within these bronze sacraments. These heroes were the equivalents of deities in this world after all…
And they all acted the part of it, both on the methods they prescribed to… and the underlying human vices that came with it.
She was never a good person, nor did any of the people within the Argonauts and the rest of her colleagues when viewed in a modern light and understanding. Yet even in their most human moments, they were never close to the sheer indifferent view that the Gods had on humanity.
Or at least most of her colleagues were…
Even Wodime, her master was imperfect in his very noble wish for humanity.
Yet, none of them acted as if they were Gods amongst men.
These people did… despite being mortal, foolish men…
And it made her angry knowing that it was one of those vices, that made her history notable to the world. It sickened her… and while she may not be a true hero, in some way or form she would honor her master's new goal in this world, to actually make a difference.
To be a hero in a way that would show her oppressor, the Gods in Olympus that she would not be trampled by their vices… their indifferent view upon mankind.
She woul-
"Uh, Miss Lancer, are you okay?" Ashley asked, taking her out of her thoughts.
"I… I apologize. What were you asking again?" she said, keeping her temper down.
"Oh, I was just asking if it was fine for me to get a selfie? Or an autograph?"
She blinked at the woman, who looked at her in childish delight.
"An… autograph would do for now." She said as the woman, no, this girl squealed. She quickly did as she asked before Caenis looked at her after.
"Why exactly are you excited just by meeting me?"
The woman stopped before staring at her. "I uh…"
Ahsley then deflated and sighed. "Can you keep a secret?"
Caenis looked curious. "Sure?"
"It's hard getting into this job, eventually knowing how much of an asshole people are in reality." She then turns her gaze towards the mural. "These guys are pretty much not the people I viewed in my head when I first met them, and eventually I got used to it. I grew callous…"
She then turned to Caenis. "I grew… tired and exhausted. Maeve's as much of a bitch as everyone here, but she tried back then. She really tried, and normally this was just my dream career at the start, but eventually, it's just hell in the most manicured form. Nobody's real in any essence. Everybody's just… fake."
"And?" Caenis asks, not getting the point.
"You on the other hand? Oh boy… the very first time I saw you… I was excited. I was pumped! I didn't even believe it at first, but you? You're real. You're a person that's not hiding behind any sort of bullshit that the public wishes to see you as. You're Lancer in their eyes, and you're still Lance even in civilian clothes. You're the most real person I've ever met in this business… and it feels refreshing knowing that I get to find someone that I actually feel honored to be in their presence for the very first time."
"Ah," Caenis says.
"Ah indeed. You rock sister… and I'm pretty happy that you're here because unlike the rest of them fakes out there, a girl like you can get something done! Right?" she cheered with an offer for a fist bump directed at her. Caenis actually grinned and shared that little moment as Ashley started to giggle and laugh.
Eventually, the entire dynamic between them resumed, until Caenis raised a hand.
"D'you guys got a place to train here? Like a gym?"
Minutes later, she was introduced to a specialized area where The Seven were actively training, at least if they needed it. Caenis was not impressed at all given her background, but she did appreciate the space and what it entailed if given the right amount of effort for any sort of training regiment to be done. It was wide enough for sparing and big enough that if she and the rest of the crew were to have their hands on it, they could actually make this place feel like home…
In some sense.
Ashley eventually left her for a brief moment, as she offered her a drink and some snacks that she quickly went to get as Caenis was left to her own graces. She knew that people in Vought were still watching her, but given that they had no inkling of what her true nature was, she just let them.
She wallowed within the silence as she thought about her summoning…
And why she was allowed these memories of the Olympian Lostbelt to remain within her.
Only she and her master had any recollection of the events there, and the rest of her comrades, even Jason, the ass that he was had no memory of Atlantis or Olympus. It was a mercy she supposed. Given that they were enemies before…
Yet she still questioned why fate had placed her and her master into this new world…
And why were they tasked with such a simple request and objective.
One that her master readily accepted.
She mulled on those thoughts until a voice greeted her from behind.
"It's quite the place isn't it?"
Caenis turned her head and it was the big blue, blonde asshole himself…
The Homelander.
AN: Snippet for now…
Hope ye enjoyed hehe, I sure did.