Scene #9231: Finding Friends in Family

Owner	Pose
Petra Soroka	Yuuki Kuran did do a lot of interviews today. Neither Petra nor Audrey were the only Partners accepted to the Concord, and in the bustling mezzanine during orientation, there's enough activity that they don't happen to bump into each other even once. Congratulations, expectations, introductions, guides towards services and programs that the new Partners can take advantage of, easily fills a couple hours of time with critical information while the sun approaches the horizon. Eventually, the orientation tapers off to an elective, celebratory event to follow it up, because as Partners, there's a certain level of dignity and treatment they should be afforded. A luxurious dinner, restaurant of course reserved entirely out for members of the Concord elite, awaits them at the end of a short, twenty minute ride. Chauffered, obviously-- they're not animals. A collection of several sleek black limousines waits outside the Elysium Apex, transporting the Partners in pairs for comfort and, almost assuredly tactically, more personal introductions in a private space, so that the 'Partnership' isn't solely emotionally relegated to interviews and presentations. Doors are opened, Partners are ushered in, and there's just twenty minutes of peace and extravagant comfort to go until their first real social event with more established members of the organization. It's all about as opulent as expected. Four soft black leather seats, embroidered with gold, are split in pairs on either side of the car, with a glossy black bar stocked with crystal glasses and high quality alcohol for their free use. There's soft music playing from the speakers and enough soundproofing and tinting between their seating and the driver's that it's entirely possible that there's no human driver present at all. The windows are impenetrable looking from the outside in, but just give a mutedly hazy view of the gorgeous Grand Dorado cityscape during the aesthetically curated drive to the restaurant. Petra is extremely not used to people opening doors for her, not in a class-based context. She tries to do it herself and is vaguely put out when denied the opportunity, sliding into her seat with a mumbled sort of 'thanks' to the chauffer. She's wearing a sweater vest that practically flattens out her chest entirely over top a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbow, exposing a tapestry of white-pink scars all over her forearms as well as several glimpses of night-black burns that twinkle like stars. She has gold eyes that don't quite match her blonde hair, and an abstractly haggard demeanor despite having put concealer over the bags under her eyes. She's also wearing jeans. She sighs and pushes her hair out of her face, releasing some of the tension from the high social demand of the past couple hours. When Audrey is helped into the car next, her eyes immediately go to the uniform, and she makes a small noise of recognition even before seeing Audrey's face, sitting up in her chair. "--Nova Heliosanctis? Lilian's school?"
Audrey Basque	There are so many things you can wear to a fancy dinner. And so many things Audrey has worn to fancy dinners. The dresses long and short, the corsets, the loose frills meant to twirl when you dance and spin, the tight fabrics for stand-and-greets, the flowery corsages and the hats, oh, so many hats. The heels of such varied colors and heights, adapted to partners to always make sure she's smaller (as Yuuki demonstrated, an impossibility, sometimes). Which makes it weirder that Audrey arrives in her school uniform, of all things. She has no shortage of options, but... she is here to represent her school. None of this matters otherwise. Still! She is all smiles tonight. Why wouldn't she be? Yuuki had scared the soul out of her, but it had worked out. And now, she was one step closer to... To what? This plan was never well-built, or orderly. Necessary steps, spaced out by blanks, leading to... "... ah?" She's not even fully seated yet, and whoever's sharing the ride recognizes... oh. Of course. That's how they recognize it. Why would it on its own merit, after all. Audrey doesn't sour, not visibly anyway, that beaming, perfect smile stays strong and stalwart and-- "P-Pe-- MISS SOROKA??" The color drains from Audrey's face entirely. She's still smiling, but it's the emptiest, deadest inside smile she's ever put on. The light almost fades from her eyes too. The only reason she sits down rather than stare awkwardly is the fact it would be quite the bad look to hold the vehicle up. She's so close... what if she's armed? "W-whatever brings you here, miss Soroka?" Does she remember?! She has to, how could she not! "Are you... also becoming a Partner?"
Petra Soroka	It has to be said, that the lack of the black and gold lily collar-- which Audrey has seen before, since Petra was wearing it to Lilian's graduation, thus making the symbolic connection undeniable-- around Petra's neck isn't just because it would be an awkward look to display her allegiance to one black and gold while interviewing for allegiance to another. She is also, specifically today, on the worst terms with Lilian that she's been in two years; and even despite her ideologically anchored loyalty, she can't help feeling sour about that. Typically, having Lilian be placed at the forefront of her mind during a stressful event would make it that much easier to bear, but today, it just makes her chest ache a little more. Being shrieked at slowly drags her eyes up from the familiar uniform to Audrey's face, and usually for her, she actually lands on it and considers it fully rather than skimming over. She has to get used to treating Partners with some respect, after all. So the spike of shock wears off, and she stares at Audrey's face for long enough to be a tiny bit insulting before suddenly remembering with a gasp. "--Oh my god. You poured milk on my head! You're that girl!" The door slides shut. In contrast to Audrey's horror, Petra looks slightly more energized than she was before, though she still seems pretty exhausted and beat-up for a celebratory new Partner. Rather than being unhappy about the partictular situation, since she's not really slouching or disrespecting the atmosphere of the interior of the limousine at all, she just seems, a little bit, like this is 'not' the greatest moment of her life. That whatever put all those somewhat healed wounds on her is about equal or greater scale to being accepted into the Concord, and so she can only halfway commit to being excited. This is something exciting, though being reminded of Lilian's graduation in the mindset that Petra is in right now also reminds her of her behavior that led to being bullied during it. A relapse. "Oh my god. It is you. I never got your name, by the way, since Lilian was talking over you during her speech." Petra swallows back a further stream of completely baseless insults that come from nowhere besides her own rotted internal feelings. She has to be niceys to other Concord members, now. Carefully, she tries to diffuse her tension by picking up one of the crystal wine glasses and twirling it around between her fingers, though she doesn't put any alcohol in it. Wait-- but don't hooligans in bar fights use those sorts of things as weapons?! "I am, actually. I figured it was only a matter of time, I guess. 'Also', though? How'd you-- what made you, uh, come to the Concord?"
Audrey Basque	She remembers. Mercifully, it is not possible for Audrey to get any whiter, both literally and metaphorically. If conversations are chess games, Petra just flipped the table and put down a deck of UNO. Which Audrey knows how to play, and is ungodly competitive at, but that's wholly besides the analogy. There's really only one way to salvage this. And it's the second worst thing she can envision herself doing. The first is pretty similar, but it's not about Petra. Lilian was talking over you. Right for the heart. Does Petra know? No, she couldn't possibly. "Miss Soroka, you have my deepest apologies for what occured that day. You had wronged the school, and we just... no. It does not matter what we were thinking. That was most improper, and certainly not befitting of a Concord Partner. I should like very much to start over on the correct foot, if you will allow it." The tone is overly formal, but at least it doesn't feel horribly forced. It's quite natural for Audrey to speak like that! She bows. Well, as much as the car interior lets her. When she looks back up, starry blue eyes are drawn to Petra's face, noticing the makeup and telltale signs of A Bad Time. The full introduction would... not be right here. "Audrey. Audrey Basque. It is nice to make your acquaintance under better circumstances, miss Soroka." As for what and why, "Personal matters. Studying, largely; the school is hoping to expand its reach, and I was chosen for this honor." She looks back at Petra, head-on now. "Are you injured?" She considered commenting on the makeup directly, but elected for the safer option.
Petra Soroka	"You had wronged the school, and we just... no. It does not matter what we were thinking." Petra waves her hand dismissively. It's somewhat of a comfort to be apologized to, since it puts her in the conversational driver's seat, but it also makes her feel even a little bit more sour. She did deserve it, and Lilian thought it was funny, and being treated like she isn't some fucked up monster deserving of nothing but abuse is an eventual goal but not one she can handle right now. "Nah, don't apologize. You were pretty much right to do it. I spent basically an entire year getting beat up everywhere I went for what I did to Lilian." To Lilian, of course. Not to the school. She assumes that everyone in that crowd beating her up was doing it on behalf of Lilian's honor. "I, uh... actually feel like I should be apologizing. My first impression to you must've been way worse. I don't really know how common knowledge it is for you guys," Meaning the broader student body, "But Lilian was telling the truth about me being a Watch terrorist back then. So... sorry I brought all that to your school." Petra looks into the refractions in the crystal facets of the wine glass, angling it to see if she can catch any of her reflection in the even lighting inside the limo. "... So I don't really feel like it's fair to start over from 'scratch'. But we can start again on even footing as Concord Partners, at least." It's almost impossible to tell when the limo starts moving from how smooth it is, but behind each of their heads, the evening lights of the Dorado are streaking by. Petra gets surprised for a moment that she isn't buckled in and twists her torso around to look for the seatbelt, and then suddenly feels unbearably like a child for doing that and abandons the entire concept, returning to looking over at Audrey with her weird golden eyes. She resists the urge to prop her foot up on the seat and hug her knee to her chest-- she's in a limousine. "Nice to meet you, Audrey. I'm kind of surprised that Nova Heliosanctis is worried about expanding its reach at all, when Lilian's already pretty much the most famous Elite in the sector. She's not Concord, but, well, everyone knows..." Petra trails off. "Well, I guess I won't gossip. What's it you study?" "And, uh..." Petra touches the pink-healed wound across the bridge of her nose that Night Mist gave her just a week prior, in an unconscious but dimly intentional echo of how Lilian occasionally gestures towards her facial scar. "It happens. I've kind of been out in the sector for a... while, now. You sure picked an interesting time to join up, though."
Audrey Basque	What she did to Lilian. Resist the eyeroll, Audrey. Lilian was telling the truth. Lilian's the most famous Elite. Be strong. This car ride can't last forever. "First impressions are always so damning across both sides, aren't they? It doesn't take much to ruin them, and it takes so much to fix them." Just a bit less formal. Like she's finally getting to relax, just a little bit. Or more accurately, she's no longer feeling the need to eye whatever Petra reaches for in case it's a knife or a gun. Right, there's something she can do. Audrey reaches over the side compartment to pull another glass out, and a bottle of champagne as well. She eyes the bottle, briefly - there's a good chance the names and dates on the bottle don't mean much to her, but she's certain the Concord only stocks the finest for these occasions. She opens the bottle, in a pointedly practiced gestured, and motions for Petra's glass. "The school is always looking. I rather appreciate they are trying something new rather than simply continue relying on a past success' good name." A simple, only half-forced smile this time. "Ah, me? Unified Celestial Theory. ... it would take hours to go into it, but in essence, the celestial rules and laws that bind everything together. You could call it the underlying principles of both astrology and divinity. What makes it make sense that dozens of culture all came up with their own interpretations of the stars, and yet, were all simultaneously correct." She seems just a bit smug about it. It's not the same tone she used when she said that to Yuuki, that's for sure. "So it seems I did. Perhaps I could count on you to fill me in, sometime? Perhaps that is why we ended up in this ride together." ... now that she says it out loud, that sounds attrociously dreadful. "I would quite appreciate it."
Petra Soroka	"I rather appreciate they are trying something new rather than simply continue relying on a past success' good name." "Fair enough." As much as Petra's world revolves around Lilian, she's been to Nova Heliosanctis several times, and interacted with the Phantom Circle plenty more. It's easy to rationalize that it's practically strange that there's never been some connection with the Concord for them, and that it's only Lilian's star power that's buoyed their interests for so long. It's a little easier to rationalize that too, when that internal world is undergoing a bit of an apocalypse at the moment. She looks a little surprised at the pouring, since she only grabbed the glass for physical fidgeting, but offers it over anyways. She's god's lightest lightweight, but it's champagne. "Oh, yeah. Thanks." Compared to the topic of Lilian, talking about Audrey's studies makes her perk up noticeably more, and she sits up in her seat and leans forwards, interested. "Oh really? I mean, not that I ever studied Traditions, not like you or Lilian have, but I've always thought that was kind of interesting. Different regions of terrestrial astrology is kind of just a microcosm of how no terrestrial astrology makes sense in the context of the multiverse, right? You know, like, you could go to a different Earth, even, and the stars would be totally different. I, uh-- actually didn't think it'd be much more than small talk; everything Lilian says about her alchemy studies kind of just goes over my head." As way of explanation, she takes a sip and tilts her head to the side, a little embarrassed. "I, uh, used to be a bit of a pattern cosmology girlie. Way back when. So I'm actually, like, you know, I wouldn't devote my life to studying it like you, but I do find it pretty cool, genuinely." "Perhaps I could count on you to fill me in, sometime?" "... Whoof." Petra's wince takes out just about all of the dim sparkle that was gradually entering her eyes. "... I should, yeah. It's kind of a fucking-- kind of a bummer, though." "You don't happen to know anything about, like, my recent, non-terrorist career as an Elite, do you? It'd make it easier to explain. I mean, I don't know if looking into Concord Partners as prep for your application would turn me up unless you looked at the right ones, so...."
Audrey Basque	A full glass is less likely to be shattered and used as a shank. Small victories. Petra's interest in her studies even takes Audrey by surprise a bit. She'd always taken Petra as... Alright well there's no nice way to say "simpleton terrorist" now is there. Likely for the best she doesn't voice that thought. "That's the issue, isn't it? I could study Earth's celestial history and physics across every culture that's ever existed, and most of that knowledge - maybe, even, all of that knowledge sometimes - would be irrelevant one world over. Not a concern if one has no prospects of involvement in Multiversal matters, and, truly, many of my Enlightened brethren don't. My family does. I guess, by extension, I do." Do I? An eyebrow even perks up when Petra mentions pattern cosmology. "Really? What kind? Something more Earth-based, or something foreign and unique?" Am I really going to start liking this freak now? Non-terrorist career. What a wording. Audrey contains a laugh and just brings a hand up to her mouth to giggle lightly. "I would be lying if I didn't admit your name hasn't come up since the incident. There are even those who pay you a bit more attention than is healthy. For better or worse." Audrey among them. Petra and Lilian both. "But I would also be lying if I said it's easy to follow the conversations. A lot seems to happen, every week, and without direct exposure, it's hard to determine what's true and what's exaggerated. For example..." A pause as Audrey arranges the words in her head. "... did you really take over a town and turn everyone into your robotic slaves? Is that... part of your "non-terrorist" activities?"
Petra Soroka	"My family does. I guess, by extension, I do." "By extension?" Petra raises an eyebrow. She understands the Concord more than well enough, to wonder the same kinds of things that Yuuki did on contact. "You're the Partner, not your family. It's kind of on you to have multiversal aspirations now, you know." "I sort of made a point to not apply through any of the Partners I already know, even though there's like, half a dozen that would've been thrilled to have me here. I'm not... totally independent, sure, and you aren't from your family, but, you know. I'm a Partner now, I kind of have to do it for me; and I'm sort of among the strongest Elites in the sector already. You've gotta have something in it for you." "Really? What kind?" "Oh!" Petra takes another sip of champagne to prepare for a bunch of talking, and takes a breath not entirely unlike a professional wine taster, but with an entirely different intention. The wine, the scent of leather, the low, smooth hum of the limo, creates a certain atmosphere for her to chameleonically mimic, and though she can't do the trappings of high-class living, she can do the 'shadowy elite conversation in a back room' vibe. "So, I moved off Earth when I was a kid, and for... various reasons, I ended up moving back. That kind of turned me off terrestrial astrology really young, so I looked into, uh, ones that aren't dependent on which planet you're on. A model of the universe and its relationship to people that'd be the same whether you're on Earth, in the City, on a moon somewhere, drifting through space alone, whatever. Because that only makes sense, right? I'm a person with a lot of core traits that stay the same when I step through a warpgate, and only some certain things change based on that, so if I'm looking up at the stars for guidance, you know, I'd rather have them be there for me wherever I am." "Ah--" A little embarrassed again, non-glass hand pressed flat on the leather seat besides her. "Well, I could go into details about, like, how it all works, but... it's silly, anyways. It's not real like Traditions are." Petra has been humiliated and abused by so many people in the past two years that as far as she's concerned, what Audrey did to her is just milk under the bridge. Especially so because it was for Lilian's sake, something she can't ever criticize even if maybe she wishes that she deserved better treatment and a tiny bit more forgiveness sometmes. Audrey hasn't quite pulled off 'liking' in her eyes, but as a friendly acquaintance and someone she wouldn't mind talking to in the future? Sure! "Oh noooo... they talk about me at the school?" Petra laughs a bit in reflection of Audrey, but hers is a bit more dully dry and unhappy. "Makes sense. At least I can feel smug about some of my haters online taking time out of, like, pulling on the puppet strings that control your world in order to tell me to kill myself in a forum post." "I've been pretty closely tied to some Concord members for a while now. Namely Lobotomy Corporation and Doctor Eggman. So...."
Petra Soroka	"... did you really take over a town and turn everyone into your robotic slaves?" "Okay, well, first of all, it was an entire nation. Like a quarter of the world." Petra grouses. "Second of all, I didn't even do the robotomization myself. I don't-- I don't like that word. I was nice to them, and they were unconscious in there, and I did my best to make sure none of them died. Even though the 'hero' that was supposed to stop me kept basically trying to murder them myself, I didn't kill any." "I did have a robot army for a while though. And was ruler of a country, and basically laid waste to it and caused it to be totally stripped from the annals of history, myself. And it's supervillainy, not terrorism-- I only do it, uh, occasionally, nowadays. Supervillainy." With a short aside of "Oh, do you want to see my evil lair on the floating island of the capital of that nation that I ripped out of the ground and stole for myself?", Petra pulls out her phone and turns it towards Audrey. It's a selfie, which is deeply unintimidating on its own, with a blue and pink magical girl giving her an ecstatic side hug. The only thing that makes it seem villainous is that it's flying above the cloud layer, and there's a looming dark stone castle in the background, though the kind of soft design of it makes it seem like a 'World-One' type boss castle that gets purified immediately after clearing it.
Audrey Basque	What does Audrey want? Yuuki's words were still fresh, predictably, and hit a very similar note. There's really no going around that one, is there? Even Petra has her number now. "I do. I think. It's just very difficult to talk about. Still... it's important to advance my field, and my family business. The studies and contacts I make now could shape the world in twenty years. I think that's important, too." But then Petra starts talking, and foor the first time Audrey is, genuinely, interested in the conversation. There's a glow, and she even catches herself praising Petra. "No, no, not at all. Everything you said is sensical, and is more alike Traditions than you would know." Well... "Okay, some Traditions. But... you're not far off the mark. That's part of what I want to accomplish. I'd like to develop a model that works, no matter where in the Multiverse you are. Or, more accurately, bring that understanding to our current models. A lot of that work is already underway, but by people who aren't seeking the first-hand experience I'm now in a position to have. I'm about fifty years too young to make a major breakthrough, but better start now than wait." Audrey ponders something-- and her train of thought slips to Petra's corrections instead. That's not helping! "I see. Well, case in point, even if I wished to keep up with your deeds, the amount of information that makes it out, and how it alters by word of mouth, makes it very hard." A pause. "You have an evil lair on a floating island?" Okay yes that's kind of-- Are you forgetting she's a freak? No, most certainly not. But the Concord has expectations, and... Petra knows a lot about Lilian. This is useful, from that angle alone. What am I doing? Audrey shakes her head. The selfie certainly means little to Audrey, but she can appreciate the magical girl aesthetic. "And this person with you is also a... supervillain?" Ah, right, the thing she thought about! "Well, since you showed me that... you said it'd be nice to always have the stars with you. I have a trick for that, if you'll entertain a quick demonstration." Audrey starts unbuttoning her blazer.
Petra Soroka	"I do. I think. It's just very difficult to talk about." "That either means it's something boring, or super interesting, actually." Is that an acceptable way to talk to a Concord Partner? Petra isn't actually sure-- it's hard for her to modulate how much cruelty is coming out of her mouth, and that's a line she pretty much says to every Elite. Including that dumbass cringe loser who popped into the radio just to whine and blubber a couple days ago. This one is capable of holding a conversation, at least, and that puts her miles above most Elites in Petra's mind. ... Probably because she's Concord and not some angsty Watch slop, come to think of it. "Right, you've probably got a long lifespan like Lilian's, uh, family did, right? I've honestly never really thought about twenty years ahead. It's never seemed like it'd be relevant to me." "I'd like to develop a model that works, no matter where in the Multiverse you are." Being praised has an immediate and obvious effect on Petra, drawing her further out of the miserable stupor that she's been silently stewing in. Muhc, much more talkative about this than anything else, she gestures with her glass towards Audrey excitedly and makes a little surprised 'whoop!' when it almost spills. "Then we should talk about it sometime! I've got the personal experience and you've got the academic stuff to know what to do with it-- you know, I've lived, like, pretty long-term, on five different worlds and moons, now? Hey, hold on--" Petra flips open an ornately decorated compact mirror that's chained to her pocket, and presses her hand against it. The mirror-reflection of the hand (which looks slightly different from Petra's own) is holding a notebook, and it passes into Petra's real hand across the boundary. She scribbles some numbers with a pen on a page, and tears it out to hand it to Audrey. "Here's the radio frequencies for Elite stuff I'm on--" She has the Concord radio frequency already, because of Angela's memories, even though she's not really supposed to. "And my own number." With an odd look on her face after handing it over, she leans back in her chair and looks out through the tinted window at the approaching urban mass of the Dorado. "Man... I should actually get a business card. That's twice in two days." "And this person with you is also a... supervillain?" "Well, sort of," Petra says about the adorably cheerful teenaged girl with hearts literally floating around her head. "That's the Magical Girl of Love. She's been good lately, and I've been trying to help her, but sometimes she does eat people. She's staying on Hydrochoeria-- that's my island, by the way-- since she's got nowhere else to go, but she wasn't involved with any of the villainy stuff." "I have a trick for that, if you'll entertain a quick demonstration." Petra has a moment to consider how many times it's been that girls from Nova Heliosanctis have gotten her into a private room to start stripping off their uniform to show her their chest, before that thought actually starts being embarrassing rather than funny. Flustered, and trying to make a weird little joke in an uncertain situation, Petra starts to say, "Uh, haha, I have a g--" Except she doesn't, anymore. That makes her instantly shut up with a suddenly stone-dry mouth, lips pressed together like she's been punched in the chest and is barely holding back from crying. She politely just tilts her chin up and turns her face away so that whatever Audrey's doing, she can do it in peace without Petra staring.
Audrey Basque	Petra is flustered. Audrey picks up on it, and herself regains color in her face in the form of turning red. "I-- a million apologies, I didn't mean it like... it's just..." She tugs at the white blouse under her blazer. She can't even form the words to say 'no see I'm not stripping I have a whole other layer underneath' and hopes the gesture suffices. She should have thought about it. Or said something. "Let me... here." She decides, actions will speak louder than words. She opens her blazer, without taking it off, to show the inside lining; it's pitch black, but covered in scintillating dots, linked together by glowing threads that form the constellations between stars. If Petra looks closely enough, there's even a bit of movement, barely perceptible, like the stars are shifting around the inside of her blazer as time passes. "As... as I was trying to... say," Audrey manages, regaining something akin to but not quite composure, and unlike Petra, she's not a lightweight, so she doesn't even have that excuse, "I have the stars with me at all times. No cloud, roof or daytime can keep them from me. I've been consulting star charts for different worlds, and most of the principles I use seem to translate over well enough." She has an actual star chart, too, but the blazer she can trust to always have on her. Blazer kept open (in case Petra wants to stare), Audrey doubles back a bit. "Yes. Enlightened, not just, her, family, can live for centuries naturally, and even longer with the right care, rituals, connections... I'm sure you get the idea. It's important to think ahead and get started on things sooner rather than later." And more importantly: "I would love to discuss your ideas. I've not gotten to study non-Earth models yet." I would? Huh. Oh, papers and frequencies. She accepts them, nodding and regaining her pure bean smile. She has a lot of questions about the mirror and notebook trick, but this is an involved back-and-forth already. "I'm sorry, she eats people? And... a business card?"
Petra Soroka	Audrey's face going from blanched to pink is mirrored by Petra becoming pale and withdrawn again after whatever cut off sentence she was going to say. To Audrey's flustered apology, Petra just shrugs one shoulder and makes an 'it's fine' wordless noise, obviously just as eager to move past it as Audrey is. The reveal of the star charts inside her blazer is something much better to focus on, though Petra will need a little prompting to realize that she can look in her direction again. "Oh... wow. That's really pretty, actually...." Petra is a sucker for the stars. This has always been the case, and as much of a poetic romantic about space as she is, the active magical planetarium woven into Audrey's uniform is among the coolest things an Elite has ever shown her on their first day. She leans in, but not too far, because she's a little lingeringly embarrassed about staring too much. "Are they, like, always exactly the stars overhead? Hemispherically and stuff, not just for Earth? That's kind of amazing." Placated and soothed by the topic change, Petra has the opportunity to have another kind of silly, inane thought pop out of her mouth again. "Will you just wear your school uniform everywhere then? For this, and since you're repping it? Or do you have other outfits like it?" "It's important to think ahead and get started on things sooner rather than later." "Oh, yeah. I'm used to that from Lilian. She's planning a birthday party for a dragon kid in a hundred years; I don't plan for it because I'm totally not going to be there." "I'm sorry, she eats people? And... a business card?" "Oh, that was two unrelated thoughts." Petra leans back against the leather, relaxing some. She rubs her cheeks with a palm tiredly, which would be a pretty bad look to do during the approaching dinner party, but this is a private and now familiar-feeling space. What good luck she had, to get put in a limo with someone who has overlapping lore with her! "Love's a total sweetheart, but she's got a sort of... curse," In her mind, Petra is thinking about the Magical Girl of Love being borderline like she is, thus sharing the curse. "That makes her turn into a monster sometimes. You don't need to be scared of her, though-- really, I can't even start to explain how adorable she is, you'll just have to meet her." "And, uh, the business card..." Petra casts her mind back to the events in the City the previous day, and the brutal death of Angelica. "I met some... people yesterday, on something that's related to all those recent interesting events I was telling you about. There's a big investigation going on into a pretty horrible monster attack that killed some... pretty important people, and I'm in a good position to help." "And then they needed my contact info, obviously, and I didn't have it ready." She finishes, considering that self-evident. Then she chews on the inside of her lip and flicks her eyes up to meet Audrey's. "You know, that might be a good opportunity for you. That world's one where my sister, also a Partner--" Saying that sentence briefly stunlocks her, but she moves past it. "Lives, so it's pretty important to me, and it'd get you caught up on a lot of the stuff going on around the Elite circles lately. I could rope you in to help, if you want?"
Audrey Basque	"That's right, it reflects the stars overhead. It's a little bit less than 180 degrees, but that's still more than you'd see from the ground. I've had to make a few adjustments to it, and I've barely had a chance to test it outside the Phantom Circle, but so far it's working." She seems proud of herself. Don't ask her how much the thread costs to make. Will you just wear your school uniform everywhere? "I... guess? I'm representing the school, and I don't graduate for another... nine months, barring any major delays. I hadn't really... thought about it." "I could make more, I suppose. I might have to go shopping for more... Multiversal clothing? To wear sometimes?" She'll have to do some research on fashion trends and such. She'd been thinking about so much else that this simple thing never occured to her at all. Ugh, Lilian again, and again... what did she DO to this girl? No hang on what did she say? "... excuse me, a dragon kid? N-Nevermind, perhaps this is too many questions for one night. There'll be plenty of time later to..." Mingle? This is not at all how she expected tonight to go. "Oh! That kind of business card. I see, I see, that makes sense. And I'll take your word for it about Love. I'll look forward to meeting her and, hopefully, not be eaten." That'd be optimal. Then the offer; well, any excuse to start going out and doing things might not be so bad. "Monster attacks?" Don't say you've never been in a fight. "I'd be glad to assist. It's only natural as a Partner that I provide help to other Partners, and it's the least I could do in payment for the information you're providing, and... the milk." She feels like the kicks and punches were probably worse, but those weren't hers.
Petra Soroka	"I hadn't really... thought about it." "Well," Smug, "It's 'important to think ahead and get started on things sooner rather than later', right?" Easing off the bullying-- because that's something Petra is capable of doing, contrary to popular belief-- Petra's advice becomes more sincere, as a Senior Elite, despite being a new Partner. "You'll really want to get more changes of clothes with that stuff, though, if you need it for magic. I mean, besides the fact that you're going to be meeting a lot of people and it's kind of, like-- gauche, to go around wearing your school uniform to everything. You might think that you're prepared for everything, but you'll end up getting a cut right through that blazer, or thrown into the ocean, or tossed into a portal into prehistoric times for a few days--" That one might only happen to Petra. "And then you'll be shit out of luck, clothes wise." "Believe me. I had a jacket that I wore for, like, almost every day for a year when I first started as an Elite, and that thing got ruined. Cut to pieces, patched back together, burnt, stained, you name it. Right now it's stuck in the castle of an evil queen and I'll have to fight her generals again just to get it back." That evil queen is also Lilian, but she doesn't mention that part. "Lilian's fiancee has a good eye for fashion, though. Before my apartment got wiped off the face of the earth, basically half my wardrobe was stuff she picked out." What relationship does she have with her?! "She might not mind giving you tips for that sort of thing. I can tell just by looking at you that our senses of fashion aren't the same at all, aha." "... excuse me, a dragon kid?" "Her name's Fae, she's the cutest thing ever; hold on, I've got a picture-- r-right, maybe a lot for tonight." Petra awkwardly slides her phone back into her pocket. Fawningly showing off a collection of pictures about all the adorable younger girls she's met over the course of being an Elite to a new coworker makes her feel suddenly forty-five years old. ". . . and it's the least I could do in payment for the information you're providing, and... the milk." Petra snickers and covers her mouth with one hand. "Well, I like giving info to my allies, and I earned the milk, but I really do appreciate you helping. I'll catch you up more on the situation some other day." It's practically impossible to tell from the motion of the car that it's slowing down, but Petra's internal sense of physical position is very precise. She looks up, surprised, and puts the glass in her hand down on the bar. She stretches her legs out across the width of the limousine, a minute before the chauffeur opens up the doors again in front of the restaurant. "Welp, guess we're here. Good luck inside, Audrey-- oh, and I forgot to say earlier, but I'd really rather you just call me Petra. No one really uses my last name unless they're my enemy."
Audrey Basque	Betrayed. Deserved, though. Audrey certainly ran her mouth about Planning Ahead and then revealed she hadn't. About fashion, so it's not important, but still. "Oh. Good luck with your jacket," Audrey says, blinking at the notion an evil queen is holding her clothes hostage. Maybe she SHOULD plan a shopping trip if this is a Real Threat that happens. She pointedly does not reply to the Lilian & wife matters. Eventually she won't be able to keep ignoring it, but right now? They just arrived, so it's a good excuse. "Alright. Petra then. Like Yuuki. I'm getting the feeling this isn't like my usual dinners and balls, where it's all about titles and family weight."