4.1

Even after deciding on her course of action, actually convincing her mom to let her go to the Boardwalk was another matter entirely, one that was perhaps even more daunting than her costume quest itself.

So naturally she waited until her mom had popped out and asked her dad instead. Technically she did need a new hoodie, since the non-descript grey hoodie she'd used for her flute quest she had since mentally earmarked as her 'cape hoodie' afterwards. Which meant that once she'd washed it, the hoodie along with the rest of the outfit she'd worn for her Winslow break in had been relegated to the depths of her Inventory. Stored safetly away and more importantly out of sight, just in case her power decided she needed to do anything else she wanted to remain inconspicuous for.

Her dad wasn't an idiot, but the puppy dog eyes actually worked on him (sometimes) and the only reasons she didn't feel worse about it was because she was literally trying to become a Hero for the betterment of the people she cared about. That and more importantly the fact that once she was there she'd be able to pick up some of the retro sherbet candies he liked.

Unfortunately since it was early afternoon on a Saturday when the Boardwalk would be jammed full of residents and tourists alike she couldn't try simply teleporting there as much as she really, really wanted to. Getting the bus was a way of life, but after gaining teleportation powers she wanted to use them!

But through her sheer force of will...and also not wanting to announce herself quite so publically she resisted, catching the next bus and wasting time on her phone until she eventually arrived. On the way she had at least confirmed Parian's shop was actually open before she got there, something that would have been an embarrassing thing to discover when she arrived if not.

The Boardwalk was as busy as she'd expected when she finally arrived, but it hadn't taken her long to make her way down to where she knew the Rogue was based. Parian's boutique was along a line of nestled shops that faced out into the Bay, sitting in front of one of the larger open spaces that straddled the shore between the shops and the wooden walkways that extended over the water.

Depending on where you walked you could go down to some of the nicer beaches, or even a decent way out on the large pier that jutted out into the Bay proper. But wherever you were there would be some vendor or another selling 'authentic' food or drinks and plenty of space for people to walk or sit.

The open space and constant foot traffic made it a popular patrol route for the Wards and occasionally the Protectorate too, so it wasn't uncommon to see impromptu crowds form in a clamouring for autographs or pictures at random points during the day.

It had looked like there might have been a couple of Heroes present further down Madison noted as she walked towards Parian's shop, namely because people were heading towards whatever the commotion was rather than screaming in fear and running in the opposite direction, like was typical whenever Uber and Leet showed up. Though whatever was happening she had no real inclination to get closer and find out, even if she wasn't on a mission of her own right then.

The Wards were cool, but she'd never really wanted to meet them the same way she'd never wanted to meet any musicians or actors she liked. Whenever she'd thought about it she'd always struggled to think of what they would even talk about that wouldn't just be a: 'I like you and thanks for doing your job' from her and a polite 'nice to meet you too random citizen' from them.

After getting powers of her own that feeling had only really doubled since it would feel like she was lying to them in any interaction, even though they obviously had secret civilian lives of their own where they must have spoken to people who had no idea about their Hero life either. It was confusing and Madison hoped that when she did finally meet one of the Wards, she'd have some kind of accomplishment under her belt so she wouldn't feel like a complete imposter.

Stepping to the side as two women exited Parian's boutique, Madison made her own way inside, eyes drinking in the details as she saw it all for the first time.

For how relatively large it looked on the outside it was a surprisingly cozy shop, the clothing racks and stalls taking up enough of the limited space to give the whole thing a much more intimate feel, especially with other people browsing or queuing to make their own purchases.

Even as she lightly browsed she couldn't see Parian herself, just an older girl at the counter ringing things up, though there was another room towards the back that she hadn't explored yet.

As her fingers found one of the price tags of a jumper she glanced down and winced at the price, eyes flicking to the other tags and realising that her previous assumptions were very much correct when she'd figured she wouldn't have been able to afford anything.

Briefly she spotted Parian herself as the Rogue said something to the shop girl before disappearing again into the back and Madison hesitated before starting to make her way to follow. Part of her was wondering if she was actually making the right decision after all and the rest of her still just very nervous about the whole thing to begin with.

Eventually slipping past a woman who was too engrossed in trying on hats to notice her attempting to get by, Madison managed to reach the back of the shop a few minutes later and found herself both relieved and annoyed that Parian was nowhere to be seen.

There was a door almost hidden between two displays on the right hand side near the back and Madison could see a small non-descript area through the small vertical window halfway up the door. The space beyond seemed to turn abruptly to the left, which was presumably where the stairs were and where Parian had probably disappeared to. Not wanting to look like she was stalking the Rogue, Madison stayed far away from it, not planning to approach it except maybe as a last resort and contented herself with checking out the rest of Parian's wares as she slowly made her way around the small room.

Whilst everything was still way out of her price range, the rack of discounted clothing she did find left her a little more hopeful she could maybe ask for a couple of birthday presents from her parents and not immediately get shot down. And if her power wanted to help with making that particular pitch she certainly wasn't going to say no.

After another five minutes where she'd managed to look over everything at least once Madison knew she hovering, feeling entirely too conspicuous as her eyes couldn't help but dart back to the door every so often or when she heard a sound that might have been Parian and wasn't.

Any moment she expected the shop girl or Parian, or even one of her puppets to calmly ask her to leave as she waited for the Rogue to reappear. There was a constant trickle of customers, some obviously residents of the Bay as much as some were obviously tourists, though it wasn't always obvious which were there to buy and which were there for the novelty of visiting a shop run by a parahuman.

She heard the slight creak of a door handle and her head turned before she'd even registered it, thoughts caught in a stop as Parian casually reappeared carrying two pleated cardigans that were probably destined for the front of the store.

As Parian's masked face tracked across the room Madison stepped forwards without thinking, the Rogue pausing as she seemed to regard her with a sort of wary curiosity.

"Ah, hello Ms Parian."

"Hello" the Rogue replied demurely with the trace of an accent Madison couldn't place, the porcelain mask she wore to conceal her identity giving nothing away. "May I help you?"

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[Quest: Costume Inquiries Without Revealing Your Identity to the World]

Madison Clements has met the illustrious clothing Rogue known as Parian in pursuit of obtaining a Hero costume, however she must now much divine a way to enquire of Parian's services without outing herself as a parahuman to Parian or anyone else.

[Objective: Do not reveal your cape identity whilst in a civilian guise]
Rewards: Continued Secrecy, Common Sense

[OK]

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Madison almost choked as the quest appeared, her eyes slipping to it and reading the text by sheer ingrained reflex, the poorly thought up excuse she'd concocted to try and get Parian alone dying on her lips.

"Um" she stalled as her brain did much the same thing and then Madison did what she always did when she panicked and talked. "I just wanted to say I'm a big fan and you're really cool and stylish and thank you for making such nice clothing all the time and I'm so sorry for bothering you!"

Her cheeks were on fire as she finished in a mad rush, though in that moment she wasn't sure if she was more mortified at the fact her power had basically cuffed her on the back of the head, or that she'd permanently humiliated herself in front of Parian who she'd wanted to establish a professional working relationship with.

The light chuckle of amusement a moment later didn't do anything for her embarrassment, even if she was incredibly relieved Parian wasn't grossed out or worse. "Thank you, it's always nice to meet a fan, is this your first time here?"

Madison nodded, not immediately trusting herself to speak lest she somehow dig herself an even deeper hole.

"Well feel free to browse as long as you'd like and if you wish to see one of my shows, the next performance will be at three just outside."

"Thank you" she replied so quickly it was almost a squeak. "Sorry for getting in the way."

"Not at all" Parian replied with a slight bob of her head. "I need to take these things through, but I hope I'll see you later."

Madison almost thought the Rogue was referring to the costume discussion they hadn't actually set up, before realising she meant the show she'd be putting on later and nodded rapidly. "Of course, thank you!"

Parian headed back to the front and as much as Madison desperately wanted to escape, that would have meant following her and that level of awkwardness would have killed her right then. Which left her instead to float around the room not really looking at anything as she replayed the conversation in her mind and died a little more inside with each repetition.

Judging enough time had passed a few minutes later she cautiously made her way back to the entrance, absolutely not looking at Parian as the Rogue seemed to have been cornered by a couple of older ladies that seemed to be talking to her at length about several tops they'd picked out for themselves.

'Why am I she such an idiot?' Madison wondered as she made her escape. Quest was right, getting powers didn't make a person smarter at all, just more obviously idiotic, no wonder Quest hadn't suggested speaking to Parian!

But then again Quest hadn't stopped her either until she'd literally been about to out herself to the other cape... So maybe she had been on the right track after all and it was just her execution that completely sucked...?

She was lost in thought as she wandered further down the Boardwalk, no real destination in mind, only wanting to get as far away from Parian's as possible before she spotted a coffee shop she liked and bought a drink to sit down with.

As much as Madison wanted to go home, jump onto her bed and scream into her pillow for a few hours, she'd basically promised Parian she'd be there for her show, so she still had a good hour to burn before she could even think about heading back in any case.

Mentally reviewing her shopping list of what really only amounted to a single thing, Madison wondered if there was anything else worth picking up whilst she had the opportunity.

Well Quest wanted her to get a costume which meant either her power thought she was finally ready to start hitting the streets or had some quest in mind which had a costume pre-requisite, not that there was much difference in the end really.

If she needed a Hero costume then she'd obviously be doing Hero things. She paused as another embarrassing realisation struck her and she suppressed the urge to groan out loud. How exactly had she even been planning to stay in contact with Parian, give the Rogue her number? Wow she was lucky she had Quest, no wonder so many new parahumans got caught early.

"Okay so a burner phone definitely" she murmured, "maybe two" she corrected after a moment's thought. She'd already broken her phone once just doing normal Madison things, she didn't want to guess how easy it would be to break some disposable burner, even if it was probably going to live in her Inventory most of the time anyway.

Handcuffs? No what if she needed to tie up more than one person? What was it the Heroes used on the dramas? "Zip ties!" She smiled as it finally came to her, eyes then darting around to check no one was staring at the girl who had just gasped 'zip ties' to herself like that was a totally normal thing to happen. Then again it was the Bay.

Thankfully she was in the clear and racked her brains for what else she'd probably need. She wasn't too sure how she was supposed to actually beat any bad guys she came across, but she could teleport and she was pretty sure she was just generally a bit faster... And she still had access to her dad's crowbar as long as she put it back afterwards before anyone noticed it was missing... Madison nodded, teleport behind bad guys and smack them with a crowbar seemed like a pretty decent plan compared to 'punch them and hope my tiny hands don't break first'.

All that left was her costume and that was out until she figured out how to talk to Parian without actually talking to her. Madison tilted her head with a frown at the thought, but no ideas nor helpful hints from her enigmatic companion were forthcoming. Still, she had her current Independent Hero outfit, which was technically a Vigilante outfit, which was technically a Villain outfit in her Inventory and she mentally pictured what she'd look like with it on.

Basically not like Madison Clements which was entirely the point, until she remembered that beyond having the hood up her face was completely exposed. "And domino masks" she quickly added. The things were as ubiquitous as packs of gum thanks to the PRT and the amount of cape themed birthday parties meant no one was going to think twice if she picked up a couple from a hobby shop shelf.

They probably might think twice if she picked up a domino mask and zip ties from the same store though.

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In the end she managed to pick up everything she'd needed, she hadn't even realised zip ties came in more than one kind and she'd grabbed a twenty pack of both normal looking zip ties and some handcuff ones. After buying a couple of cheap pre-paid phones and grabbing a four pack of basic black domino masks from a hobby store, Madison had realised she wouldn't actually have enough cash left to do any of the clothes shopping she'd told her dad she'd been going out for in the first place, though she didn't feel like making the walk to the nearest ATM to get more either.

She did have enough to pick up the sweets for her dad though and added them to her small bag of what had previously contained an assortment of questionable goodies, before heading back to Parian's where a small crowd had already started to gather before the show started. Madison had remembered very keenly the lesson Quest had all but smacked her around the head with and had made sure all her suspect purchases were stored away in her Inventory well before she joined the periphery of the crowd.

It was only a few minutes later that Parian appeared from her boutique accompanied by two giant person sized plushies, one a rabbit and one a fox which were carrying fabric bundles of their own.

Instead of wheeling out a wooden stand or something similarly permanent, Parian quickly erected her own stall, fabric sheets lifting as if of their own volition and flowing forward with a flourish to create the stage. The larger plushies accompanying her were then revealed to have been holding smaller puppets of their own and gently placed them down before their smaller charges scampered under the sheets to the amusement of the children watching.

Madison couldn't see Parian's face, hidden as it was, but if it wasn't one of intense concentration she could only imagine the Rogue was smiling as she performed her show. The small puppets moved with a grace and fluidity that gave Madison an even greater appreciation for Parian's talent. The Rogue had a natural sense of showmanship as the puppets interacted with each other, the two other person sized plushies 'guarding' the show and even the audience themselves. Watching the little drama unfold, it was easy for Madison to appreciate why Parian had survived for so long in an environment that was cutthroat to both businesses and Rogues alike.

With a bow from Parian herself and her 'assistants' the show came to an end some time later with a healthy applause from the audience that had gathered. The crowd began to disperse, though a decent number of people converged on Parian and Madison could suddenly see the logic of the woman being accompanied by two giant plushies, that looked from another perspective like they might have been able to manhandle Hookwolf if it came down to it.

Madison felt a temptation to go and say hello again, if only to show that she wasn't a rambling idiot and could actually hold a conversation like a normal person, but she was pretty sure that ship had sailed. That and she'd need to start heading home before her mom decided she needed to track down Madison herself.

Thankfully getting home would be a lot simpler then getting in as she strolled contently down the street to the small, well it wasn't a mall, more like a tunnel with a skylight over the top and shops on either side that cut through to another part of the Boardwalk. It also had public toilets, the fancy kind where the doors didn't cut off at waist height, which was perfect for what she needed. Since it was slightly out of the way it usually wasn't that busy and a satisfied smile adorned her face as she entered and was proven correct. Ignoring the lone woman washing her hands Madison strolled to an unoccupied stall, the door shut but not locked gently behind her and paused only for a moment before she was gone.

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Sitting at her desk, purchases arrayed in front of her after pushing back her keyboard, Madison had spent a little time setting up her two new phones and making sure they were as simple to use as they looked. She'd been tempted to add her parent's numbers to their contacts lists just in case, but in the end she'd felt it was too risky and left them empty for better or worse.

She'd messed around with the zip ties a little too and even after seeing them in basically every show and movie ever was surprised at how tough the things felt. Though she had gone for the ones that said 'heavy duty,' so she was glad she'd gotten her money's worth, even if she'd almost had to cut one off her wrist before she'd found a useful video tutorial to get it off without wasting it.

Wearing a domino mask was decidedly weird. It was entirely awesome which she hadn't expected, feeling like she truly was a Hero even if she wasn't wearing a full costume, but it was weird how different she had felt. A little bit of her face covered and she suddenly felt more confident like she could actually take on the world. Cool, but very weird. That and she wasn't sure she liked that they were black, even if they were the only option in her price range that didn't have crazy designs which would given the extremely wrong impression to anyone who met her.

Which had brought her back to thinking over her costume again, or more accurately how she was actually going to contact Parian to begin with.

Her phone rang and she distractedly scooped it up, partially grateful for the reprieve which lasted until she saw the caller ID, surprise and confusion stealing across her face when she saw it was her mom calling her from downstairs for some reason.

"Hello?"

"Hi Maddie, I just wanted to check when you'd be back as I'm going to put dinner on soon."

She had told her parents she'd got back hadn't she...?

"I'm in my room, I er got back a while ago."

She heard the sound of her mom's voice both through the phone and the floor as she lightly berated her dad as to why he hadn't told her she'd got back and his own denial he'd ever heard her return.

"Your father didn't hear you get in either, do I need to worry about my daughter practicing getting sneakier because I caught you?"

"No?"

"Mmmmm, well good job Maddie, please don't make a habit of it. Now be down in thirty minutes, no later."

"Yes mom."

Her mom hung up and Madison looked at her phone with a faint sense of incredulity. Right then she wasn't sure whether or not to consider her day a success or a failure.

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[Quest: Funding Heroism by Means of Technical Villainy (It's Not Stealing if They're the Bad Guys and No One Catches You)]

Madison Clements requires capital to truly begin her heroic career, however lacks the means to outright purchase the centrepiece of her heroic identity that is her costume.

Through her own research she is aware that as an Independent Hero, certain spoils can be taken during the pursuit of heroic activities. Further she is perfectly aware that no criminal actions can be legally attributed to her if there is no direct evidence of it.

Madison Clements can thusly complete several goals at once as she embarks upon the first steps of her Hero career. To stop crime and in doing so save innocent lives, acquire funds towards her own heroic ends, establish her heroic persona and deny funds to those who would use them to perpetuate the cycle of violence that has a stranglehold on the city she calls home.

[Objective: Undertake first patrol, secure any funds found.]
Rewards: Money, Influence, Experience, Unlocks: ? Quest, ?

[OK]

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"No, no no, you want me to go out and steal from criminals? I'm supposed to be a Hero!"

Naturally Quest didn't respond and Madison was left arguing with a proverbial brick wall. Sure they were criminals and sure there were provisions in the law to let Independents not starve to death whilst trying to do their job, but that was for petty cash and stuff! Not, not raiding drug houses and emptying out their safes for her own bank account!

It was wrong! ...wasn't it? She wanted to say 'then I won't be any better than them,' but she wasn't a completely naive idiot. Anything she stole would be put directly back into her heroics and if she was raiding something like a Merchant drop off then all they'd be using it for would be drugs, guns, paying off cops and more drugs.

And if she just let the police take it, well even as a middle class white girl in one of the better parts of the city she wasn't blind to the fact the BBPD wasn't exactly squeaky clean if they weren't outright Nazis themselves.

Realising she was rationalising stealing just so she could afford a Hero costume she paused, trying to find a good argument as to why she really, really shouldn't go that route.

Well the obvious one was getting caught... And the obvious solution was just putting all the money in her Inventory... The Heroes wouldn't even be able to hold her if they searched her, something she wasn't quite sure if they had the authority to do, but either way it wasn't like they would actually be able to find anything if they did regardless.

Though they'd probably suspect her really, really hard... Which admittedly didn't actually mean anything like Quest had said, since they'd have nothing on her. That and everyone knew the PRT would basically let Vigilantes get away with anything if it meant they'd give up quietly and join the Wards when it came down to it. What was a little drug money compared to that?

"No wait, hold on I'm grounded, I can't just go out and fight criminals and steal their money!" She exclaimed with a quiet hiss, the excuse feeling more than a bit desperate and hollow as it left her lips, but at least it was something concrete!

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[Quest: To Break the Letter of the Law but not the Spirit]

Madison Clements has been grounded by her parents for absconding from her educational responsibilities and other past failures, unable to leave the house without explicit permission unless for official actions.

However Madison Clements follows the path of the Hero, to operate within rules that are only superseded by one's own moral imperative.

Madison Clements has already broken the law several times and feels no remorse for her actions because these were in pursuit of a justice only she could provide.

More than ever Madison Clements has become aware that the law is not always black and white and that sometimes it is indeed better to ask of forgiveness than permission, though it is perhaps better still to remain undiscovered most of all.

[Objective: Leave on patrol without being discovered]
Rewards: None

[OK]

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Madison glared, unimpressed at the notification window.

"I'm beginning to think you're a bad influence on me Quest."