[IC] The Legend of Heroes: Tales of the World

[Dannyel]

Los Paraisos: La Macabaret

Dylan stared at the screen, his attention immediately captivated by the video before him. On one level it was a purely technical fascination - how did they do such a thing? - but on another it was the performance. Don and Selan was truly amazing together, the performance something that he knew would be talked about for ages to come. Even the engagement, though he was sure that it wouldn’t really last, was touching.

Ken seemed to agree, begging Selan to marry Don. Dylan smiled and shook his head. It wasn’t his business, but at least he knew more about what happened last night. As he tried to piece it all together, wondering if they had been at the strip club or the show first, his thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the waiter from last night.

“Big Sis… Big Sis has been KIDNAPPED!!”

“WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!”

“Wait, Josette?” Dylan asked, concern in his face. Yes the girl scared him, but they still had to save her. “We have to do something. It’s what Guilders do! Do you know anything else, bro? Who was the last to see her? And what should we do with this baby?”

[Rexcalibur]

Los Paraisos: La Macabaret

Trixie stared at the monitor in total awe, completely forgetting about her cootie-plagued gun in hand. Her eyes twinkled with the starry canvas background - and her attention was only diverted away the second a voice cried out "kidnapped." Trixie's body nearly crumbled from the sheer startling noise.

As Dylan pounded the new guy Cid with questions, Trixie paced in circles, stomping and pulling her braids. "Huh!? Josy's gone!? Gaaaah! I knew bad guys were afoot!"

Quickly after she slipped both the chalk fragment and the animal-paper-card-thing that Selan had returned to her into one buttpocket, and her uzi in the other; there would be more time for exploring last night's clues later. But for now... now was a good time for anxious circular pacing.

---

Los Paraisos: Saint Drega's Church

An afroed man soon burst right into the church, screaming something about an emergency. Amy only raised a brow at this, both with the spontaneity of it all and the whole dumbass "bro" thing going on. The more she heard that word the more she wanted to slap some sense into these nutters. Considering both Don and Josette were here, along with their waiter-bro who was well acquainted with both of them... could it be possible that these men were also their 'relatives'?

That suspicion was quickly confirmed by Jerry's next cries. Despite Moira's oblivious response, there was no way in hell the lifeguard could even think to calm himself down. Not after running all the way down here - and especially not after his big message. Lisette seemed vaguely familiar out of everyone else in the bunch, so his attention flitted between both her and Tom.

"It's- It's Big Sis! She's... oh gods, she's gone missing! We need to hurry and find Big Bro now or...!"

Outside the church, Amy's eyes widened as the man's cries grew more and more desperate. She looked to Marcus, a mutual sense of understanding what must have happened between them. While she didn't know Josette too well, the Pride were all well aware of women on the island going missing, particularly those who have gone to certain night clubs. And if Josette had gone missing - or kidnapped - while both Estelle's and Trixie's whereabouts were unknown to the current group as well...

Her head pounded with so, so much pain.

"Should've fuckin known this would happen!"

[Taerinn]

Los Paraisos: Saint Drega's Church

Lisette was recovering from the disappointment of still not knowing where Kapi was, but she wasn't preparing for what Jerry, the lifeguard from yesterday, was about to say next.

He bursted through the church doors, screaming for his "bro" and looking like the world was ending for all he knew. From what he was shouting, there was an emergency, and it was... It was...

"It's- It's Big Sis! She's... oh gods, she's gone missing! We need to hurry and find Big Bro now or...!"

Lisette's breath caught in the back of her throat, and her jaw dropped. "Big Sis... Miss Josette?"

"Should've fuckin known this would happen!" Amy snarled, pressing her fingers into her forehead.

"You mean... You don't think she's...?" Lisette asked, looking to each person's eyes and hoping Jerry wasn't implying what she thought he was implying. "We need to find Mister Capuello and Mister Thunderhawk, quick! It hasn't been a day since we last saw her, someone has to know where she last was, and... Are you sure she's missing!? Oh, what do we do...?"

Lisette anxiously started pulling on the end of one of her pigtails with both hands and began walking toward the exit. There wasn't a moment to waste if what Jerry was saying is true. Is Josette okay? If she really has gone missing, where are Estelle and Trixie?

---

Los Paraisos: La Macabaret

When Selan finally turned to look at the monitor, she was stunned by what she saw. The footage was just about what she expected considering her [lack of] knowledge about the previous night's events. But what she hadn't anticipated was just how... polished her and Don's performance turned out to be. Their singing was in tune, their choreography was impressive, and the unfamiliar song choice (she didn't think she could replicate the lyrics now if she tried) and accompanying band were impeccable.

It was a good look for them, she admitted to herself.

But of course, the moment was ruined, at least for her, when Don bent on one knee and presented a magnificent diamond ring to her (the whereabouts of which she hadn't a clue). The way in which he said it was, in a way, more sincere than the first time he asked her the same question.

“Miss, please tell me you’ll marry my big bro! You’re perfect! And he’s perfect! You’d be perfect together!” Ken stared at her with a fiery intensity in his eyes that all of the Capuello-aligned bandits seemed to share.

Selan looked palpably uncomfortable, and the answer hung in the air for a few seconds.

As if this day were destined to be filled with all sorts of loud slamming noises and shatters and yells, the doors burst open, hitting the walls on either side hard enough to leave dents and scratches in the paint and causing the equipment in the room to rattle from the force.

The waiter from yesterday...

Cid was yelping about an "emergency" over and over, to the point that Selan thought it was a classic case of "bro" overreacting. But she quickly realized that the emergency was all too real:

"Big Sis… Big Sis has been KIDNAPPED!!"

“Wait, Josette?” Dylan asked, concern in his face. “We have to do something. It’s what Guilders do! Do you know anything else, bro? Who was the last to see her? And what should we do with this baby?”

"Huh!? Josy's gone!? Gaaaah! I knew bad guys were afoot!"

"Are you absolutely sure that Josette is missing?" Selan asked, not wanting the situation to spiral out of control if it didn't have to. "And here, let me take him, Dylan." She reached for the baby, just as confused about what to do with him now as he was. Surely it wouldn't be right to take him along while they looked for Josette. Regret welled up, and she felt apologetic that her and Don's drunken antics had prevented her from being able to approach the hotel staff about him sooner, and she felt terrible that she may have been directly responsible for separating the young child from his parents.

[Fox of Spades]

Los Paraisos - Pellagio Hotel

They weren't having much luck and Xan felt defeated.

Lucien on the other hand managed to remain optimistic. He felt a lot better after having a soda and some chips. The summoner looked around, left, right, left, right. However, he couldn't see anyone familiar. They continued looking and he decided to help boost their group's morale. "Hey, hey, guys, wanna hear a joke?" He grinned brightly at Thunderhawk and Aria, snickering even before he had said anything.

Xan sighed but decided to humor him. "Go for it."

"I used to be addicted to soap." He exhaled sadly as if it were a deep, dark, and horrid secret. At the lost moment he brightened up with a chuckle. "I'm clean now." He gave a little clap, and readied himself for another joke.

The metallurgist let out a soft chuckle. It was so bad...it was actually kind of funny. "Oh, I see--what on earth?" the ground began to shake and Xan slid into a defensive stance. Was someone out to get them? Lucien and Thunderhawk were tackled to the ground and before she knew it she rushed up to the attacker, grabbed onto the collar of his shirt and yanked him back. "What are you doing?" She hissed angrily before realizing that he most likely wasn't a threat. He probably wasn't trying to attack her teammates either, but their run in with the paparazzi and the weird way they had all woken up make her feel tense and on edge.

Lucien was sprawled out on the ground, dazed and feeling awkward. Why was this man bawling? "E-Emergency?" He sputtered before awkwardly patting Clive on the back. He tried to get the man to calm down before dusting himself off. "What's the matter? You can tell us, yeah? But who are you?" Was he one of Don's many bros? He didn't recall seeing this particular person but if he was going all bro, then he had to be connected to Don. Oh! Don! Lucien brightened up and gave Clive another tap on the back. "Ey, by any chance do you know where Don is at or where the others are? If you could help us out it'd be grand."

Xan offered Thunderhawk a helping hand before turning to Clive. "Please calm down, it'll be fine. We're here to help. By any chance have you seen Aria or any of the other guilders?" Xan began describing her friend then the others. They needed to regroup.

[Pachamac]

Los Paraisos: La Macabaret

“It’s so… it’s so horrible!” Cid wailed, tears beginning to form in his own eyes. Ken took his handkerchief and handed it for his bro to blow and sneeze on.

“It’s okay, bro!” Ken patted the man’s shoulder. “We’re here. Just… just explain! What happened to Big Sis?! What do you mean she was kidnapped?!”

“Last… last night…!” Cid began, doing his level best to compose himself in order to explain. “Last night me and some of the other bros… Clive and Jerry… we were going out for drinks! And we were going to that one club, y’know. Well, we saw Big Sis there! She was with your friend!” Cid turned, pointing to Selan, Dylan, Aria and Trixie.

“Our… friend?” Selan replied. It was as if her heart had been tied to a heavy stone and thrown into the sea. He… he didn’t mean…?!

“Do… do you mean…?” Dylan also started to stutter.

“The girl with the red hair!” Cid continued to scream. “Eh, eh… Esta?”

“Estelle?!”

“Supersis?!”

“That’s it! They were in a club, drinking and partying! And… and we saw some strange man walk up to them!” Cid continued. “And, well, we thought it was kind of weird. We hadn’t seen that man before and he wasn’t any of your friends. And, well, we thought it was kinda weird Estelle and Big Sis were even dancing and laughing together after what Jerry saw at the pool. So… so we went to check it out! This man started leading them to a corner of the club, and we followed! And then… then we saw him…!”

“What, bro?!” Ken’s eyes bulged in fright.

“Then we saw him put something over their mouths! And… and knock them out!” Cid’s eyes welled up with tears once more. “We… raced over to where he was, but then he just… he disappeared! It was like… it was like he… he walked through the wall or something! Well, we raced out the nearest exit as quickly as we could, and we saw him again! We saw him carrying both Big Sis and Estelle to a truck, and he put both of them on!”

“A truck?!” Freddie exclaimed, his brow twitching in anger. The thought of his Big Sis being kidnapped was…! “Did you follow it? Do you know where it went?!”

“Yeah, we did! We managed to get a cab and follow it as… as carefully as we could, and we saw where they stopped at! It was that big new building… that fancy club place thing… reserved for all those super elite people… what was the name…”

“The Grande Diamond?” Freddie replied, scratching his moustache. “Yeah, that’s one of the ritziest, but most exclusive joints in the whole place. I heard it’s owned by an Artar noble’s son. You can’t get in unless you have a specific pass… and the security there is incredibly tight. No ordinary tourists are allowed in. There’s one way a person can get in, but…”

“Right! Which is as far as we got!” Cid gripped his head tightly. “This is… this is bad… so, so bad!” He shook his head from side to side frantically, his panic and paranoia building up to fever pitch. “We need to find Big Bro! Right now! Big Sis is in danger and he… he needs to know! We need him now!”

“Super… supersis…” Trixie sniffled as well, the Pride’s newfound knowledge that Estelle and Josette had just been kidnapped was… it was beyond belief…

They all turned to look each other, each realising and understanding one another’s desperate thoughts. This was all too much, too soon. What… what did they do? They needed to find the others, quickly, and then go and rescue the pair. But… but how? How could they…?



Selan turned to look at Crimson Justice, who had said nothing the entire time. He didn’t move, his body held rigid the entire time. With the baby in her arms beginning to sense everyone’s desperation in the atmosphere and starting to cry, Selan didn’t know what to do or say… but she needed to hear something… anything from Don. His sister had just been…

“Don?” Selan uttered quietly. She looked down at his arms. They were shaking.

“Big bro?” Dylan echoed.

His head shot up, and without a word he strode forward. He kicked the door to the production room down, and continued to walk forwards, the rest of the entourage following quickly behind.

“J-justice Bro?!” Cid and Ken screamed in unison. The superhero continued to walk forwards, passing through La Macabret’s lobby and kicking the doors open back into Los Paraisos’ open streets. Whilst still saying nothing, he raised one gloved fist into the sky… and stuck his thumb up high, as the overhead sun reflected brilliantly off his visor.

A signal rung out across the entire resort.

---

Los Paraisos: Saint Drega's Church

“…and that’s why we need to find Big Bro as soon as we can!!!” Jerry continued, his arms waving about in over exaggerated manners. “We need to rescue Big Sis and Estelle right now!!”

“By the gods…” Tom replied, his own eyes widening in fright. Syed, Lisette and Amy stared at the afro man’s story in dumbfounded silence, whilst a burning fire raged in Moira’s bosom. Oh, hell fucking no. Her eyes darted to Marcus, who said nothing, his eyes obscured by his messy silver hair. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but there was no more smiling.

“Okay, we’ll save the fucking stripclub for later. We need to go find the fucking others now.” Moira angrily spat, before turning to Tom and Jerry. “Where the fuck is that fancy fucking place Selan and that tit Don were at last night?”

But before any response could be given, Tom and Jerry’s heads suddenly tilted to a distant spot, their bodies tensing. Whatever Moira was saying was lost on them.

“What… hello? What the fuck are you two looking at?”

Syed and Lisette followed the direction the two bros were looking at but couldn’t see anything. They looked back at each other as panic and confusion began to overwhelm them.

“…Mister Tom?”

---

Los Paraisos: Pellagio Hotel

“They… they were fucking kidnapped?!” Thunderhawk screeched, the ranger’s arms gripping Clive’s shirt and pulling him up, pushing him against the nearest wall with a hard thud. Clive yelped as pain shot through his body, his mouth trembling as he looked down at the sheer anger surging through the Guilder’s eyes.

“H-hey, calm down, leader… heh…” Lucien waved his hands about, trying to calm Thunderhawk down and hopefully release Clive. This wasn’t the way they needed to react. The blonde man’s head sharply turned, his penetrating gaze focused on Xandra.

“You know what this means?!” He yelled. She nodded coolly.

“We need to find the others… as quickly as possible. But you need to put him down first please, Thunderhawk.” Xandra’s voice was as calm as she could muster. It was the only way to dispel this situation from becoming more worse then it already was. “He might know where the others are.”

“Fuck!” Thunderhawk dropped Clive to the ground, his body turning as his fist connected with the wall and his palm disappeared into it. As he pulled it out, plaster fell to the ground, and blood dripped along the floor, but the pain- he felt none of. “Forget the others! Take us to the Grande Diamond, now!”

But Clive wasn’t listening. His head was turned, staring out the nearby window and onto Los Paraisos beyond. Lucien and Xandra blinked, following the man’s strange stare, and seeing nothing.

“Er… bro, you okay?” Lucien waved his hand in front of Clive’s eyes. “You need a soda, yeah?”

“What the fuck, tubs?!” Thunderhawk screamed again.

---

20th Century Boys

Two men stopped their drilling at a construction site to look up into the sky. They silently turned, looking at each other and nodding, before turning to walk away from the site, pulling their hardhats off and throwing them to the ground, despite the foremen’s yelling protestations.

Four men working in the Los Paraisos’ Parade suddenly ceasing moving, a procession of people behind them crashing and falling to the ground. Their heads all turned to the sky in one direction. They looked to each other, saying nothing before starting to move, ripping their costumes off and throwing their paddles to the ground.

A Los Paraisos tour bus suddenly stopped, the guide’s driver slamming the brakes on and forcing the vehicle to a jerking stop. He looked up at the sky, before calmly walking out of the bus’ door, leaving his confused and screaming passengers behind.

All across the resort, men stopped working to turn and stare up into the sky. Silently nodding in understanding, they all turned as one to begin to move.

The signal had been given.

---

Los Paraisos: Outside La Macabaret

“Don! What are you…?! Ngh!” Selan grit her teeth and bit her lip as she followed out from the La Macabaret stadium building, turning around to face the rest of her companions after Crimson Justice showed no response and seemed refusing to budge. She turned to Aria, Dylan and Trixie for help, before realising… she was the senior Guilder. That meant… that meant she was in charge?

“We need to find the others!” Selan shouted. “They went to Saint Drega’s Church, right? We need to find them as quickly as-”

“Now now, little miss. No need to worry. Calm down.” Selan spun at the sound of the voice, and the touch of his hand on her shoulder, to see Ken coolly smiling towards her with a sparkle in his eye. His right hand’s index and middle finger rested on his forehead, as if he was flashing innate intuition or… or something. “They’re here.”

They could hear the sound of something rumbling coming down the street. They all turned in the sound's direction, and their jaws… their jaws all collectively dropped.

A chorus of men all riding motorcycles, their expressions determined, focused on their mission, rode towards them. The rest of their friends in the Pride seated with them on the backs of their motorcycles. Lisette gripping tightly onto Jerry’s waist, her pigtails fluttering in the wind behind them. Syed desperately clinging onto Tom with one hand, the other pressing down on his helmet. Thunderhawk tightening the bandana around his head. They were all there. Marcus, Amy, Moira, Syed, Lisette, Thunderhawk, Xandra and Lucien, along with a number of other men that, including Cid, Ken and Freddie, Tom, Jerry and Clive, numbered twenty of them in total.

The Capuello family!

The bikes came to a screeching stop in front of them, with Clive at the front pulling down his shades to look at them.

“Get on.”

Crimson Justice walked forwards, still silently saying nothing but climbing on the back of one of his bro’s bikes, as the rest of his group found themselves, with no choice at all, but to do the same. Selan looked exasperated. There was no way she could… not with little Delan…!

“I’ll look after him.” Freddie nodded with his bro's patented confidence, picking up the little baby from her arms. Much to her surprise, Delan seemed to calm down immediately in the big burly man’s arms, even smiling and laughing. “Go rescue Big Sis!!”

With everyone on board, the motorcycles’ engines revved, the pack surging forwards together. Crimson Justice, positioned at the front, rode whilst standing up behind his bro driving, his arm’s folded across his chest.

He would rescue his sisters no matter what!!

[Rexcalibur]

Los Paraisos: On the Go

They departed from La Macabaret as quickly as they arrived, with no time to waste. With all of the bikers and guild members included... the party of over 30 members charged to the Grande Diamond.

Amy miraculously managed to remain atop her bike behind Cid throughout their entire ride. Even as the bikers bulleted over bumps and holes, ignored red lights and signs, rumbled over grass, gravel, and sidewalks, and scared away various innocent passersby. With a straightened back Amy kept to herself entirely, arms crossed as usual, head turned away. Golden hair billowing in the rampant winds, there she sat like a statue. Her marriage ring sparkled.

Seeing as Crimson Justice took the throne with a stance both epic and so cool, the Wondergirl too burst with inspiration and attempted to mimic him. Donning a killer purple helmet and goggles, with her leather-pants cape still flapping behind her, she looked more like a superhero than ever before. Maybe even cool enough to be Crimcrim's own personal sidekick...! Trixie wobbled and tottered, but managed to rise to her feet. Luckily the bro's helmet provided the perfect grip for her.

"Whoa! I can take on the world like this...!"

But immediately she plopped back down on her seat, smacking her butt right atop the bike as the bro and her flew right over a skateboard ramp that was hastily abandoned by its tween jock occupants. When Trixie's bike whirred right over and took to the skies, she was quickly followed by two others. Though her butt hurt like hell from the harsh land and bounce, she couldn't help but giggle and squeal as they progressed. "Whooo let's go again! The Wondergirl commands it!"

Soon enough all the bikers came to a simultaneous skid. Amy was one of the first to dismount, as she cast aside her helmet, flicked her hair, and shielded her eyes. None other than the Grande Diamond towered in sight, its beautiful white exterior almost blinding in the sunlight despite its distance.

Trixie too quickly departed from her bike, keeping her helmet on her in contrast to Amy. She gave the bro a little knock on his helmet to show gratitude - and immediately pounced into a bush. Then she shoved her uzi's chewed barrel out through the other side, as if it were a periscope. But it totally wasn't.

She spoke in a sharp whisper, although no 'enemies' were within earshot. While men littered the building's entrance, the Pride and Bros themselves parked a bit of a distance away, far enough to observe the building and its splendor without being in plain sight. Still Trixie knew they needed stealth for this. They could just barge right in and shoot up everyone in a blam and rescue the kidnapped princesses and return to their home castles and have a big feast - but taking the stealthy route was so much cooler.

"Crimcrim! Boss! Miss Pretty and Doctor Evil and oh my omelets there are too many of you to name. Who's the target. Who do I distract. Who do I nab and bite and steal from and - what's the next step!?"

[Bunanigans]

Los Paraisos: On the Go
"Woah! Watch what you're doing, bro! You'll blow us up!"

Some things were easier said than done. Especially when you're clutching desperately onto the back of a motorbike for dear life, convinced you could fall off at any moment. Especially when you have difficulty keeping control of your magic when you get wound up. Especially when the guy driving was doing stunts! Although to be fair Tom was toning down the stunts compared to the others, sensing the discomfort of his passenger. Not that it made every time they barely missed traffic as they ran another red light any less horrifying.

At least he had a helmet. At least he had a helmet. At least they'd be able to identify him by his dental records. Unless he blew them both up of course, and he had done enough of that for a lifetime.

"Sorry! I'm trying I promise!" Syed cringed, pushing his helmet down on his head harder. Streams of electricity arced from his temples and stained the air behind him in a brilliant blue-white streak, dying down as he tried his best to suppress them only to brighten again when his bond to Moira caused the bike to wobble quite badly. Damnit damnit damnit damnit!

Moira, on the other hand...

"WOOOOOOOOOO!" she screamed, fist-pumping the air. She had managed to borrow a spare pair of shades from one of the many bros, and now was convinced she was probably the coolest person there. Or at least, the coolest person over 40. She leaned back on her seat to prove a point, gripping the back of her seat. Yeah. She looked awesome.

"'Ere, gimme a go!" she shouted over the din of the wind in her ears. "Come onnnnnnn!"

"Can't stop, sis!"

"Who said anythin' about stoppinnnnnnWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she screamed again as they nearly collided with a bus, only for her driver to dive to one side with a screach of brakes, orange sparks flying everywhere from the wheels as they drifted. She reached up just above their heads, her fingers brushing against the paintwork.

This was better than a shitty rollercoaster, that was for sure. This was probably the best thing she had done in ages! She was having a blast! She needed to get her own motorbike sometime.

Nothing lasts forever, especially the good things. Just as the bike came to a sliding stop, Moira was already stepping off, pulling her helmet off her head with a shake before putting her hands on her hips with a pout.

"Sorted."

Syed meanwhile took a quick moment to come to terms with the fact that somehow they had got there safely. He pulled his helmet off and let his forehead rest against Tom's back for a moment as he muttered a quick prayer. The priest bro gave him a solid pat on the back in return. He rather shakily peeled himself from the bike and returned to Moira's side. So they were in this place? Fantastic.

"This is what I call-"

"A challenge?" Syed volunteered with a wry smile.

"-A fuckin' pain in the arse." Moira folded her arms. This place was huge, an absolute monster of a building made entirely of glittering white stone and glass. Even in this city of glass the building stood out, most likely thanks to it's equisitly scuplted carvings carefully positioned across the facade. There were a lot of burly looking men patrolling the entrance. Ohhhh boy this was a bit different to raiding a bandit hideout.

"Crimcrim! Boss! Miss Pretty and Doctor Evil and oh my omelets there are too many of you to name. Who's the target. Who do I distract. Who do I nab and bite and steal from and - what's the next step!?"

"Woah woah Trix, hang on a minute," Syed held his hands in front of him as he went to crouch down near her. To be honest, as much as he knew they were far enough to not be noticable, he thought Trixie had the right idea just in case. "Just distracting those outside won't mean much if the people inside are hostile too. And we don't really want to endanger anyone held captive in there. We need a plan."

"Nah," Moira grunted. "I think we should just charge in there. There's like... a billion of us."

"And how many people do you think is in there?! That place is massive!"

"...We use the back door?"

[Dannyel]

Los Paraisos: On the Go

He was going to be sick. Clinging to the bro for dear life, Dylan had his face buried in the man’s back and prayed for the ride to end. Maybe if he wasn’t still hungover, maybe if he had ever been on a bike like this before, maybe if he wasn’t afraid of losing his grip and being launched backwards onto the hard asphalt. But no, he was helpless and afraid.

Then, suddenly, it all stopped. Dylan released his bro and slid off the bike, his legs like jello.

“You okay, bro?”

“Yea, just fine,” Dylan said, his voice devoid of all emotion. “Just promise me we’ll never do that again.”

“Um, okay bro.”

"Crimcrim! Boss! Miss Pretty and Doctor Evil and oh my omelets there are too many of you to name. Who's the target. Who do I distract. Who do I nab and bite and steal from and - what's the next step!?!

“Right, the next step.” The matter artist got to his feet, giving the bro one last comforting pat on the back. “Thanks.” Still queasy, he made his way over to where the other members of the Pride were gathering. Syed and Moira, as always, had different ideas on how to tackle the challenge in front of them.

He let them have their discussion, staring at the building before it. It was massive. It was a shining beacon for the wealthy of Los Paraisos. It was all white marble and glass, guarded by a bunch of men who could probably eat Dylan for brunch.

"...We use the back door?"

“There’s no way that’s gonna work,” he said with a shake of his head. “No, but didn’t Freddie say that there was some kind of pass to get in? Is there anyway we can get one of those?”

He really wished they had taken some time to discuss the plan of attack before arriving. Yes Estelle and Josette were taken, but that just meant they had to be more careful! They had to be smart about this.


“Or maybe we can find some clothes like the security guards have and pretend to be them!”

[Crescendo]

Los Paraisos : To the Grande Diamond

The wind whipped past her face as the entourage made their way towards the Grande Diamond. Aria paid no attention to the rest of the group as she stared at the passing scenery, brows furrowed and teeth gritted as she hung on to the seat. To think that both Estelle and Josette had been kidnapped despite kidnappings being the very thing they were trying to prevent. What had she been thinking last night, allowing herself to get so drunk? She had been naïve to think that just because they were in a group they would be safe. If anything had happened to the girls-

The group screeched to a halt, Aria nearly tumbling off the side but managing to grab onto the bro in front before she could hit the dirt. With a small smile of thanks to the man in front she hopped off and surveyed the scene, arms crossed.

They were at a good distance from the Grande Diamond and the building certainly lived up to its glitzy name. It was an enormous building with an exterior of shining white stone and carved statues, giving it a classic yet still modern look. Burly security guards prowled the premises, promising trouble if they were careless in approaching.

"Crimcrim! Boss! Miss Pretty and Doctor Evil and oh my omelets there are too many of you to name. Who's the target. Who do I distract. Who do I nab and bite and steal from and - what's the next step!?"

"I think we should just charge in there. There's like... a billion of us."

"And how many people do you think is in there?! That place is massive!"

"...We use the back door?"

“No, but didn’t Freddie say that there was some kind of pass to get in? Is there anyway we can get one of those?”

Aria twisted one end of her scarf, listening to the discussions of the guilders around her. Usually she would have suggested using an illusion to sneak in, but with this many people it would be rather difficult. Perhaps if they all squeezed together, but then they’d need to navigate the building without bumping or alerting anybody as a large clump. Not to mention she was still clad in Chirps’ smelly guild outfit without any of her weapons. If push came to shove she could manage to give a good punch in the stomach or other delicate areas but otherwise-

“Aria,”

The illusionist turned at the sound of her name, only to manage a bumbling catch as Xan, no longer in a sodden clown outfit, threw a very familiar duffel bag her way.

“I picked up your stuff from our room when we went back.”

Trust Xan to be on top of things! Aria gave a big grin and a thumbs up at her friend before ducking behind a nearby bush to change, throwing on a quick illusion just in case. Within a few minutes her multitude of small throwing knives and such were hidden away in her clothing and she stepped back out, adjusting a glove and decked in her full guild outfit. Chirps’ clothes were draped onto the ranger’s head as the illusionist bounced over to her friend, feeling suddenly more refreshed and clear headed than she had been all day and more than ready to give a good whopping to those who had the galls to kidnap her fellow guilders.

“Dressing up as security guards might work, but obviously not for all of us.” She joined in the discussion. “I might be able to sneak us in if I take a few people in at a time but it would take a lot of caution and quite a bit of time.” The illusionist blinked, before offering up another idea. “What if I take a group in and create a diversion so the rest can storm in? Would that be easier?”

[Fox of Spades]

Estelle and Josette were gone, had disappeared into thin air and nobody knew where they were.

Xan could only stare at Thunderhawk as he shook Clive around, it wasn't the poor man's fault. They should have kept their guard up last night. She felt a pang of anger, how had she gotten so drunk? She only had a glass...had she gotten carried away? Perhaps if they stayed vigilant none of this would have happened. It was a complete disaster.

Lucien seemed more stunned by the news than she was but he tried to keep silly. "They're probably just asleep somewhere, yeah?" He couldn't imagine their leader being kidnapped, after all, she had beat Lucifer to a pulp. If anyone could kick butt and fight, it was Estelle. Still, no one knew where the two were and it made him nervous. Thunderhawk continued yelling at Clive, but Xan got their leader to calm down with a bit of logical reasoning.

Thunderhawk began yelling again before they made their way to the Grand Diamond and whoa, was it grand! It definitely lived up to its name. Were those diamond studded doors? And those windows, they were painted so beautifully.

Lucien gaped for a few moments while Xan went to find Aria so she could deliver the girl's clothes.

“Dressing up as security guards might work, but obviously not for all of us. I might be able to sneak us in if I take a few people in at a time but it would take a lot of caution and quite a bit of time. What if I take a group in and create a diversion so the rest can storm in? Would that be easier?”

Did someone say a diversion. Lucien hopped up and waved a hand in the air. "Aria, yeah? That sounds like a grand idea." His dopey looking smile turned into a mischievous grin. "I could come with you, summon a bear and start screaming bloody murder." The thought made him snicker, "I'm sure that'll distract everyone."

Xan blinked in disbelief. "What? What if you happen to start a stampede? What then?"

The summoner shrugged. "I could always summon a Panda instead?" He looked at Aria with a grin before focusing his eyes on Thunderhawk. "Ey, leader, what do you think?"

[Taerinn]

Los Paraisos: The Grande Diamond

Check another mode of transportation off the list of 'Things That Make Selan Prefer Walking Instead'; Selan clung to the biker bro's waist and buried her helmeted face in his back, praying that it would be over soon. Every jump and bump made her head spin and throb more and more, and she couldn't fathom how anyone could comfortable ride one of these death traps.

Meanwhile, Lisette was screaming her head off like she was on a roller coaster. She was almost sad when it was over, and wondered if she would be able to ride one herself someday. She'd be totally cool, right? And Kapi could ride in a little side car!

When they reached their destination, Selan didn't remove herself from the bike right away. The helmet obscured her face, thus no one was able to see that she was still quietly mouthing a mantra of "Worst part is over" to herself. The world stopped spinning, and soon enough, she too was looking on at the enormous, brilliantly white building. Its name was quite fitting, but it also evoked the unfortunate memory of the ring that she couldn't remember being presented mere hours ago.

"So that's where Miss Josette and Estelle are?" Lisette asked, looking on with uncertainty.

"And possibly the other missing women," Thunderhawk said gruffly. "We need a halfway decent strategy for this, we have no blueprints, no guys on the inside... An army of bandits or whatever the hell is pretty damn conspicuous, if you ask me. If they figure out what's up, they might transport them somewhere else."

The conversation continued, and there were suggestions from everyone, mostly involving some element of disguise and sneaking around.

Selan looked to be deep in thought, looking up occasionally at the faces of the others for some reason. A plan was forming in her head, but she needed more information about this "club" first. "... What kind of people are allowed inside without a special pass?"

[Pachamac]

Los Paraisos: Outside The Grande Diamond

As the discussion carried on, with ideas being presented from everyone, Thunderhawk could only shake his head and feel the agitation in his body swelling up. After it carried on for a few more moments, the ranger couldn’t bear anymore, before finally shouting with his voice raised dangerously high. “No, no, no!” He shouted, then suddenly realising the need to calm down and be cool.

“No, we don’t just go barging in the back door, or try to pretend to be any of the security guards or cause a diversion. We don’t do any of those. Don’t any of you remember what I said when we first met?” Thunderhawk crouched down, sighing as he soothed his throbbing temples.

Marcus didn’t take his eyes off the building. He just looked it over. Estelle and Josette… were inside. “There’s no Guild here. We have no authority here.” Marcus replied. “Anything we do, we’re in the wrong.”

“Exactly, which is precisely why you guys need to actually start using your heads more instead of going for the obvious responses. Distractions don’t work. Any idea with a possible high risk of being spotted… of being found out is no good. Sorry Aria, your illusion abilities are pretty handy, but not even you could maintain an illusion for enough of us long enough inside. And if we were to get split up, which is pretty possible, then what then? No, this is what you guys need to understand.” Thunderhawk sighed.

“This is a noble. A noble from our own Artar Kingdom, which means any backlash we get from discovery is ten times worse. What we’re doing is illegal. Unbelievably illegal. Los Paraisos follows its own rules. Money talks here. As sickening as it is, as far as this place might be concerned… and I’m willing to bet it probably is if nothing’s been done about it already with the number of kidnappings that have happened, us just barging in or doing anything, even to rescue people that have been kidnapped, is going to do nothing more then cause a national shitstorm the likes none of you have ever seen before. We’re not the good guys here.”

“What? Fuck that!” Moira glared straight at the ranger. “You’re not talking about fucking giving up, are you? Like last time?!”

Thunderhawk shot a fierce glare straight back at her. “No, I’m not. I’m getting those women out no matter what might happen to me. What I’m saying is, we need to be smart about how we do this, and we need to make sure we don’t fuck it up in any way, shape or form. A single mistake, and this whole thing is fucked to kingdom come.”

Marcus again continued to do nothing but stare at the distant building. “…any ideas?”

“That pass Freddie mentioned…” Dylan repeated. “He said there was a way, wasn’t there? A certain way people could get in without a special pass. What is it?”



“Oh, I know that.” Cid interrupted, raising his hand as if asking for permission to speak. “Hot women looking for a job.”

“…pardon?”

“Yeah, hot women. The building’s meant to be a club for the richest of nobles. They hire beautiful women as waitresses and the like. Like, y’know, at the casinos.”



“Oh, card dealers and staff to run the games.” Clive added.

“And serve drinks and stuff.” Cid replied. “There’s still a pretty strict interview process, but that’s the only type of people they’d admit inside who aren’t on the list. Anyone else and you get booted straight back out.”

“Shame we're not hot women... Anyway, that’s good and all… but...” Clive continued. “More importantly, where’s Big Bro?! We still need to find him and tell him Big Sis is in trouble!!”



“He’s already inside.” Crimson Justice replied, the superhero staring towards the building much in the same way Marcus did, his eyes never leaving it, his arms folded across his chest. “He’s already working on rescuing them.”

“REALLY!?” The bros and Trixie all shouted at once. “Phew! That’s Big/Super Bro for you!!”

"Cor," Moira whistled as well. "How the fuck did he manage that? He went in the back door, didn't he?"

Thunderhawk’s brow twitched again. What the hell kind of information was that? How the hell could that possibly help them? That had to be the single most useless piece of information they could have possibly got-

And then his heart stopped.

No. No, no, no. Gods no.

His face turned pale. His head slowly creaked and turned towards Selan, who looked at him much in the same way. The expression one wore when they knew what the other one was thinking, but for Thunderhawk… it was something he couldn’t admit. Not ever. More then that, what was most horrifying to him was the sheer fact he even thought of the idea in the first place. And that, for all intents and purposes… it was also their best shot.

That fucking red haired idiot. She’d have to, wouldn’t she. She’d just have to do this to him. And Aria. That witch. This… this was all her fault.

He came to Los Paraisos on Tiberius’ behalf to rescue women. He also tried his best to better himself. To clean his act up. Go sober, and not to look at women as if they were little more then sexual conquests. He was meant to better himself.

And all that had happened instead was that he had fallen even lower then ever before.

“…what?” His friends looked to Thunderhawk with concern. Marcus peeled his eyes away from the building for a fraction of a second to scrutinise Thunderhawk’s horrified expression.

“Have you got an idea, Thunderhawk?” Marcus asked.

He gulped. He flashed his eyes at Selan again… and he could swear he saw a small smile creep up her coy lips.

“…we’re going to need some dresses…" He replied. "And a lot of makeup.”

[Taerinn]

Los Paraisos: The Grande Diamond

“…we’re going to need some dresses…" Thunderhawk replied. "And a lot of makeup.”

To her amazement, Thunderhawk seemed to be more receptive to the idea than she ever would have guessed.

Upon the ranger's orders, a number of Don's men took off on their bikes to fetch the requested items. They all had the same look of uncertainty that Thunderhawk did, skeptical that such a plan would even work. Even Selan agreed that not all of the men in the group would be convincing enough to take part in it (and those who weren't were quite relieved).

When the bros returned, they each had a large sack full of wigs, dresses, accessories, makeup, and padding in their laps. They would have had even more if there weren't some loss of items along the way due to the bumpy roads.

"Good, er, job men." Thunderhawk said, his face paling at the sight of all of the feminine attire. "Well, go on then. Might as well get this over with."

Selan eyed each of the male Guilders in front of her. "Aria, Xandra, would you mind helping me? We need to find some appropriate hair." Meanwhile, she began the arduous task of transforming the chosen men into ladies that, camouflaged somewhat by Selan and maybe another woman or two's presences, would get them into The Grande Diamond.

Theme: Sexy Drag Queen

One simply wouldn't sit still, kept flinching when she tried applying eyeliner, and coughed when she patted powder on his face. Two were completely still and thus made Selan's job a lot easier, and came out much better-looking. And the last was a surprise indeed, although he did keep joking around throughout the entire process. He was the most amused by his new "look". But the final touch was the wigs, and even the more skeptical members of the group had to admit that they had a pretty good shot at getting through those doors.

Selan stepped back to take a good look upon their work.

You betta WORK

[Dannyel]

Los Paraisos: The Grande Diamond

“I don’t know how to feel about this,” he admitted when Selan finished up with his makeup. He sat stiff backed as she gave him a smile, obviously meant to be comforting. She then moved on to Marcus, leaving him to slowly get to his feet. The dress was surprisingly tight, with the padding making him feel strangely top heavy. The shoes didn’t help matters, with the strappy heels having him rather unsteady on his feet. Where did they even find shoes to fit him?

He practiced walking while Selan, Xandra, and Aria beautified the other boys, slowly gaining confidence in the shoes though they pinched uncomfortably. By the time they were putting the finishing touches on Lucien he had started to look almost convincing. “Do I look alright?”

“You look great, bro! Um..bro-sis man!” Freddie said with a smile.

Dylan glanced at him, head tilted down so that he was gazing up through his eyelashes, taking great care to ensure that it was sweet, graceful expression. Might as well try to get in character. “So, ladies,” he said with a wicked grin, “are we ready to apply for our new jobs?

[Bunanigans]

Los Paraisos: Outside The Grande Diamond
Moira's expression darkened as the men underwent their makeovers. Wait a minute...? None of them were even looking twice at Syed, did that mean?

"Ey, how am I supposed to get in?! We're stuck together, remember?"

"You're not," Thunderhawk replied shortly as he continued to fidget and generally be as awkward for Selan's deft hands as possible.

"Oh, come on. I mean... uh... yeah it'll be hard..." she grabbed Syed and pulled him down into a headlock, before poking at his prominent cheekbones and angular jawline. He squirmed and protested in response. "Can't we just... throw a veil on him or somethin'?"

"Hey!"

"It's not him," Thunderhawk growled.

"Er, you what?! Excuse me?!" Moira released her grip, an offended expression appearing on her features. She clenched her fists. "You think I'm gonna sit on my arse?!"

“So, ladies,” Dylan grinned. Blimey the guy made an alarmingly good woman, it was a bit strange really. Then again all of the guys who had recieved Selan's makeover were very convincing. Especially Marcus, it was difficult to picture him as a guy seeing him like that. “Are we ready to apply for our new jobs?"

Syed brushed himself off before biting his lip. "You'll need to get some details sorted before you go, like your names and things like that. You need the details about yourself to be watertight in case they ask, you don't want to get tripped up by the simple things." His gaze lowered to Dylan's feet. "...Like those heels. Did you guys need to get heels? That seems to be making things more complicated than they need to be..."

Syed looked back up to the building, rubbing at his arms despite the heat. He did wish he could join them despite Thunderhawk's warning, he wanted to be there to help and support if they needed him. But the others were right - his features were too striking and masculine, and Moira just wasn't the type of woman they'd let in. Or the type of woman who should be sent on a job like this at all. They really didn't have a place in a stealth mission like this, they'd cause people to be suspicious and possibly jepardise the whole thing. He sighed. Well, this plan was all they had.

"Good luck in there," he said seriously, locking his eyes with anyone who looked in his direction. He had paled a little with nerves, which was saying a bit with the tan he was starting to develop. "We'll be out here if anything happens, ok?" It was a mostly empty gesture. If it got to that point that was probably it, game over.

Oh please let this go as smoothly as it could. Oh please. He trusted Estelle to be able to look after herself, even in a situation like this. He trusted her to the end of Ddaear and back. But these kidnappers were a complete unknown quantity, and to be sending what was effectively an incognito SWAT team in to help her and Josette, with the somewhat chaotic nature the Pride had...?

Gods help them all.

[Rexcalibur]

Los Paraisos: Somewhere Outside the Grande Diamond

Trixie watched with big, curious eyes as the boys were pampered with makeup. Wow, wow, wow! They looked absolutely stunning. Hotter than hot mamas. Would... would that make them hot papas?

After she-Dylan's proposal and Syed's follow-up suggestions, Trixie leaned in close while the finishing touches were applied to she-Thunderspock's eyelashes. "Ooh! Ooh, me next, me next!" She bounced with excitement, before looking over her shoulder at Amy, who stood awfully far from the others with her arms crossed and head turned. As usual. "Ames, you don't got any makeup on today. You look weird. If you're gonna compete with all these hot papas, you gotta pretty up too!"

"Not going."

"Wait, huh? But Amy! We gotta save Supersis and--"

The more Trixie talked, the more Thunderhawk's facial features twitched. Luckily however Amy stepped up to speak before he could break the young superheroine's heart. "No, Trix. You're waiting out here too." Trixie's face paled, but Amy kept her expression neutral on all the while, never taking her eyes off the glamorous building and the army of men wandering around its outskirts. Her lips twitched. "If this place is what I think it is..."

Her voice trailed off, eyes shifting to Trixie. The younger raised a hand, having more to say, but Amy shook her head and looked away again. "Listen to what the others are saying for once, all right? We're not sneaking and sliding by anyone. They're... going 'job-hunting,' Trix. You're too young. And the party's getting big enough anyway."

Trixie sniveled and gripped onto the pins on her shoulders, her lovely leather-pants cape. Cheeks puffed. Lips pouting. 'Buts' incoming. Eyes watering within her goggles. Shit, shit, shit.

"Look, you could... scout to make sure no one's approaching us, all right? Be, uh, a superhero and keep watch over the rest of us who aren't going in. Superheroes have to share responsibilities with each other too, don't they?" Amy ended her proposition with a wink - though it was much too awkward and forced.

But it was good enough for Trixie. She beamed widely and pressed her helmet down further on her head with a snicker. "Ay-ay, capitan! Leave the scoutin' to me!"

Then she dove back into the bush. Amy rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the building. Gods help them all indeed.

[Crescendo]

Los Paraisos : the Grande Diamond

Aria couldn’t help but give a low whistle when she stepped back to admire the newly made up boys. They all looked quite stunning, even under heavy scrutiny it would be hard to tell that they were actually guys. The results were way better than she had expected and she smiled brightly- perhaps they had a chance of getting in after all?

“Wait, stop right there.” She quickly grabbed Chirps before he could go change, tugging the dress he had plucked from the pile of fabric out of his hands and replacing it with a floor length one. “You, Chirps, unfortunately do not have the legs to pull of this dress unlike Dylan there.” she tilted her head at the blond who was currently waddling around in a pair of heels, giving the man an approving scan before turning back and nudging the ranger over behind a bush to change. “Lucien, you might want to have a longer dress as well.”

“So, ladies, are we ready to apply for our new jobs?”

"You'll need to get some details sorted before you go, like your names and things like that. You need the details about yourself to be watertight in case they ask, you don't want to get tripped up by the simple things."

Ah, yes. “Good call,” Aria nodded in agreement. They would need to need to iron out the small details before going in. Speaking of small details…

The illusionist frowned in thought, smacking away Chirps’ hand when he started scratching at his wig. “Now that you guys look like ladies, you’re going to have to remember to behave like one too! Take notes guys, this is important stuff.”

She smacked a fist into her palm, before whirling around and pointing to Lucien who froze.

“Don’t drag your feet around when walking! You’ve got to pay attention to your posture, so we don’t shlump like this,”

Tip from the Queen

“but instead keep your back straight, chest out, head held high. Next off, don’t scratch yourself in public!” She gave another whack at Chirps as he reached for his wig. “Doesn’t matter how itchy it gets; refrain from doing so until you can excuse yourself to go to the washroom or someplace like that. No buts.” She gave a pointed stare at Thunderhawk, before tapping a finger on her chin. What else is there?

“There’s not much we can do about your voices, is there?” She pursed her lips. “Marcus and Dylan might be able to fake it with some effort, maybe even Lucien but… Looks like you’re gonna have to keep to try to keep your mouth shut when possible, Chirps. Maybe fake a sore throat?”

She twirled back around, leaning once again on Xan. Despite the severity of the situation she couldn’t help but feel a little excited. When was the last time she had done a covert mission?

“Those are all the basics I can think of off the top of my head.” She gave a poke to the metallurgist’s cheek. “Xan, you wanna do the honors of giving tips on seduction?” She waggled her eyebrows playfully.

[Fox of Spades]

"Oh...wow," Lucien blinked slowly, eyeing his own reflection then turning to glance at Marcus, Dylan, and Thunderhawk. He remained expressionless for a fraction of a second before a goofy grin lit up his face. "I can't believe it...we're beautiful, except Thunderjerk, but no offense." He said everything in an extremely cheery manner before striking a wobbly pose. How did women stand dresses? It felt cold and weird and oh Gods, what if a breeze came?

Unlike Dylan, he was in flats and a fairly loose, but short dress. Aria told him to change into something longer and he gladly did so, eventually emerging in a long blue dress. He let out a relieved sigh, flashed his fellow "ladies" a grin and gave Selan, Aria, and Xan two thumbs up. His gaze lingered on the songstress, "Selan, your spy skills are grand." He cleared his voice and spoke in a much higher pitch. "No one will see through our ruse now!"

Xan had to admit, the boys' costumes turned out quite well. She was expecting the idea to crash and burn, but they actually looked like girls. No one could deny that Selan's work was admirable and convincing. The girl eyed the men, and chuckled softly to herself when Aria began throwing pieces of advice right and left. It was funny, watching the men wobble around but she clamped a hand over her mouth and tried not too laugh. This was serious and the men were suffering enough already.

“Don’t drag your feet around when walking! You’ve got to pay attention to your posture, so we don’t shlump like this,”

Lucien straightened up and gave Aria a salute. "Sorry, sorry," he squeaked in a higher pitch than usual. "I'll do my best." He added in in a still girly voice.

Xan simply stared before letting out a soft laugh. "Not half bad, Lucien. Marcus, Dylan, you could pass for pretty blondes."

"Not bad?" The summoner looked disappointed. "Puhlease, we're all smoking hot, aren't we Syed?" The summoner tried a flirtatious wave, but to be honest looked more silly than refined when he did it. Still, he looked happy enough.

Syed suggested that they iron stuff out and Xan agreed with a nod. "He's right, it'd be best if you came up with the basics before heading inside."

"Simple, I'll be Lucy." His nickname was girly enough already. It was kind of depressing.

Aria started giving them lessons and he took mental notes, trying to remember everything she was saying. Xan, you wanna do the honors of giving tips on seduction?”

"Seduction, gee, Aria. I don't think that's my specialty." Xan rolled her eyes and gave her friend a light smack on the back of the head. "Hmm, maybe I should tell them about that time you took a nap on a tower and couldn't get down after, just so I can send them off with some words of wisdom?" There was a trace of a smirk on her face. "Remember, don't get into anything you can't get out of." She told the others before giving Aria teasing smile. It was an inside joke that the others wouldn't get, but she liked teasing Aria about it from time to time.

Lucien bobbed his head up and down, brightening up at the last piece of advice. "Seduction, huh?" He bit down on his lip then stared at Aria with what were supposed to be puppydog eyes. "Why don't I practice it on you?" He purred before inserting himself between both Aria and Xan.

[Pachamac]

Los Paraisos: Outside The Grande Diamond

What… what on Ddaear?

His hand gingerly touched his cheek, his hair, as he looked himself at the woman blinking back at himself. Her golden hair was styled elegantly with a rose held between two strands. The woman wore a luscious shade of maroon eyeshadow, and her lips glistened back at him. The woman was… was beautiful.

And the woman was him.

He had walked straight into hell.



“There’s not much we can do about your voices, is there?” Aria pursed her lips as she continued her inspection of the new women. “Marcus and Dylan might be able to fake it with some effort, maybe even Lucien but… Looks like you’re gonna have to keep to try to keep your mouth shut when possible, Chirps. Maybe fake a sore throat?”

"I can't believe it...we're beautiful,” Lucien gasped at his own image, before grinning. “Except Thunderjerk, but no offense."

“Who the fuck are you calling 'not beautiful'?” Thunderhawk turned his head to the summoner, scowling, the elegant feminine features of the new woman revealing their hidden truths. The women sighed and shook their heads as Lucien laughed, with Thunderhawk turning his ire in Aria's direction next. “And who are you saying doesn’t have nice legs?!”

An unfamiliar laugh rang out behind the ranger, as a beautiful woman walked past, with unbelievably refinement and grace. Her hand reached out, stroking Thunderhawk’s cheek and shoulders, before batting a smile and a wink to him. “Relax, Thunderhawk. Let us focus on the mission, shall we?”



Everyone was rendered speechless. It was only with much blinking and eye rubbing that everyone remembered the woman was Marcus. He moved in a manner completely different to his usual own- instead it mimicked Selan’s own nuanced movements perfectly. And his voice was unrecognisable, having shifted several octaves and pitches to instead become a new, feminine voice. A feminine voice and body that was, in all admittance… extremely attractive. All of Don’s bros suddenly turned a new shade of red.

“Tsh, whatever.” Thunderhawk scoffed, lifting his head up. “Not beautiful my ass…” He spat quietly.

After Aria’s lesson in the art of moving and talking like a real woman, the topic soon shifted to seduction, with the spotlight falling on the demure Xandra to teach it. Lucien instead was all too willing to become the teacher and give a lesson to the two women instead, before a titter from Marcus interrupted them.

“Now, now. I think that could be important. Afterall, it can be a woman’s strength and a man’s weakness,” He smiled. “I think it would be helpful to learn a few tips. Selan?”

“Hey, there’s only one thing you really need to know,” Moira laughed. “If in doubt, get your tits out. Oh… wait.”

As the conversations continued, with Selan doing her best to teach Marcus, Dylan and Lucien just what the art of seduction meant, Thunderhawk strode forwards as well as he could in the heels he was wearing towards the crimson clad statue who even now continued to stare at the building with unwavering solidarity – his arms folded across his chest, his posture rigid and straight. Focused only on one thing. Out of earshot of the others, of the school lessons and of Moira and Syed’s conversations and Amy’s lecture of Trixie, Thunderhawk held a brief, one to one with Los Paraisos’ new ‘guardian’.



“Hey… you heard everything I said earlier, right?” Thunderhawk looked the man down, his expression having changed again from a pure, beautiful maiden to that of his traditional cranky visage. “You know how serious this whole thing is, right? And how careful we need to be?”

“I know,” Crimson Justice replied, his head not turning to even look at him. “Pi-Thunderbr- Thunderhawk,” He started. “They’ve got my- Don’s sister. And Estelle. This is-”

“Bad, yes, I know. Which is why we need to do this right.” Thunderhawk patted the taller man’s shoulder. “Trust me. I’ll get them out. I just need you to keep calm and stay back.”

Crimson Justice’s fists clenched tight, before relaxing. “…alright.”

Thunderhawk’s eyes remained on the superhero for a second, scrutinising him, before smiling and turning to head back to his ‘girlfriends’.

“Well then. Shall we?” He tried his best to speak as daintly as possible.

“Yeah, you’re definitely keeping quiet.” Aria laughed, the group following behind Selan to the Grande Diamond’s front entrance.

“Hey, Thunderjerk, what should we call you?” Lucien asked. “I’m Lucy, this is Diane and this is Marcy… what about you?”

“Shut up.”

Everyone else remaining behind; Syed, Moira, Amy, Trixie, Lisette, Crimson Justice and the twenty bros of the Capuello family (minus Freddie), watched from a safe distance the group of seven walk towards the lavish mansion ahead. Not a one said a word, until finally Moira uttered aloud the words every one of them were thinking.

“They’re gonna fuck it up.”

---

The Grande Diamond: Front Entrance

“Huh?” The black suited, sunglasses wearing man said, as before he and his partner appeared a group of remarkably beautiful women in stunning dresses sauntering before them. He gave his partner a quick glance, to an affirmative nod, before he stepped forwards with his hand out, his partner stepping to the side to cover the door completely.

“Excuse me, ladies. This building is offlimits to tourists. We’ll have to ask you to leave.”

“Tourists?” Selan replied, with a smile honed from years of practice. “We’re not tourists. We’ve heard about how the Grande Diamond is hiring, and we’re here to apply.”

The guard’s face frowned, as he turned and looked at each of the seven women one by one. He couldn’t deny that each of them were stunningly beautiful and exotic, but… security was security. As was protocol.

“Have you made an appointment?” The guard asked.

“No, we haven’t,” Aria piped up, in her own sultry fashion. “Would that be a problem? Seeing as we’re already here, and dressed and ready, it’d be a shame if we had to come back later…”

The guard looked over his shoulder to his partner again, who had his fingers pressed to his ears, quietly conversing over a communicator. After a brief pause, he looked back up to the other, nodding his head and removing his fingers from his ear, taking a step away from the door.

“You’re in luck,” The guard smiled. “Lady Vasco has said she’ll interview you on behalf of his grace, Lord Dumont. Follow me, I’ll take you to the interview room.”

A quick glance amongst one another prompted more smiles, as the guards opened the doors for the Guilders to enter, before being led down a hallway by the questioning guard, to another set of doors at the far end lined by another pair of guards. As the walked, a small mechanical device set at the top of the wall in the center of the hallway followed their movements.

“That was easy!” Lucien giggled.

“Just shut up and smile,” Thunderhawk quietly shot a brief scowl, before flashing a beautifully serene smile that was usually foreign to him.

Marcus’ eyes followed the device trailing them- a small, boxish machine with a spherical end at its lens. The technology was new and uncommon, but he knew precisely what it was – a security camera – a machine with a camera able to monitor whatever it was focused on and transmit the picture to another location and broadcast it on a video monitor. A device that made it simple to and easier then ever to monitor any types of problems and threats that might occur. And a device, alongside doubtless many others, that would make their jobs harder then ever.

Such security cameras were uncommon throughout the common populace. This definitely confirmed what they heard earlier about the building being owned by a noble. Only they would have the money to afford such a setup. Marcus could only wonder if his friends even knew of this technology’s existence… and if not, they could be in for trouble far sooner then they could expect.

Would the Silver Streak need to appear again so soon? And in public?

To save Estelle, he would do anything. Dress up and masquerade as a woman. Or to even replay the him that appeared at Vandrell…

“Welcome, ladies, to The Grande Diamond!”

The guards at the end pushed the double doors open, and their leading guard extended his hands and head up to showcase the gigantic interior within. An interior that rendered them all speechless.

Stunningly adorned with gold and a myriad of marble statues, the lobby floor was large and circular in layout. The ceiling rose straight up, far, far above them, to at least ten floors above. Stairs rose up along the edges of the room, climbing up to each floor and a long winding balcony with a myriad of doors that all led to another room beyond – some of these locked and flanked with more guards, others open for the other, laughing and loud occupants to pass through. This carried on for each of the building’s ten floors, and in the very centre of the building, in the lobby’s ground floor was an extravagant fountain that poured water high into the air and down into its sparkling basin.

The building was alive with roarous conversation and music. At the far end of the ground floor, the party could see within two open double doors another grand, fantastic room beyond, filled to the brim with people in fine clothing and dresses talking and drinking, rich aristocrats talking up a storm as beautiful women in fetching, revealing outfits waited and served on them, carrying trays of wine and champagne and platters of food. They could hear the sound of a live band playing somewhere within that next room, as well as sounds familiar to those they experienced in the Pellagio’s casino with dealers calling out to bidding players. The ground floor seemed to be where this main party was being held. Would this make things easier or harder, they wondered?

But they didn’t have time for more then a fleeting glance into that room, as they were directed by the guard to follow, past the fountain and other extravagant statues and columns towards another door at the opposite end of the ground floor. This one had no obvious security.

“In here, ladies,” The security guard extended a hand for them all to enter. Following Selan’s lead, they did – to find a much smaller room (but still fantastically large in its own right) with a long conference table placed in the centre, several plush leather seats spaced out equally around and other tasteful furnishings lying about the room. Potted plants lined each of the room’s four corners, and one of the walls held a full fish tank, filled to the brim with multicoloured, swimming wonders.

“Please, take a seat.” The security guard asked, locking the door behind him and standing in front. “Miss Lady Vasco shall be here shortly.”

[Taerinn]

Los Paraisos: The Grande Diamond

Selan frowned as she watched Thunderhawk quickly deteriorate into his usual, sour, cranky demeanor. Considering his taste in women, one would think he would have a much easier time imitating the qualities that seem to pull him in like a magnet. His angular features were softened by the makeup and contoured away into a visage of femininity, but their best hope still was to "hide" him as best as they could, and have Selan and the others do more of the work. The moment he opened his mouth, they'd be done for.

“I think it would be helpful to learn a few tips. Selan?” Marcus asked.

"Mm. Alright, pay attention the three of you." Selan addressed Marcus, Lucien, and Dylan. "Lisette, you should too."

"Ah, I'm okay Miss Selan," Lisette mumbled from the ground, where she was sitting and hugging her knees. Her pigtailed hair was brushed and re-tied, but she was still wearing the same clothes from before. "I don't think I'd be so good at, um, all that stuff." She felt mousy and awkward, especially upon finding out that Marcus was prettier than her both as a boy and as a girl.

Following Aria's lead, Selan instructed them on several things that would hopefully make them appear more convincingly female. She taught them how to walk with feminine purpose, taking shorter strides, swinging their hips, and placing one foot in front of the other. She taught them to skillfully deflect any personal questions by complimenting, flirting, or lightly touching the other person's arm. She taught them to part their lips just so, and showed them how to sit like a lady. She even gave a lesson on how to make laughing sound more attractive. By the time they were ready to leave, their heads were filled with so many do's and don'ts that she simply reiterated Xan's advice not to get themselves into a situation they can't get out of.

Interestingly, in the short period of time that they were discovering their femininity, they somehow developed their own unique personas. "Marcy" had the easiest time adjusting, and possessed an understated, charismatic sex appeal. "Diane" was a bit more demure, but had a foolproof, flirtatious way of looking up from beneath her bangs and smiling. And "Lucy" was the wilder and more overt of the two, biting her lips and making direct eye contact. Lucien was second to Thunderhawk in terms of who made Selan the most nervous, but in a way, the gestures were distracting enough to take attention away from other details. With her, Xandra, Aria, and the four men, they were quite a variety of beauties, indeed.



The Grande Diamond: Front Entrance

As though the gods were smiling upon their ridiculous plan, they managed to get inside with relative ease. Selan paid no mind to the security cameras watching their every move, as she didn't understand what they could possibly be. Had Lisette joined them, she would have immediately recognized the foreign devices. Normally, Selan would have been struck in awe at the brilliant white and gold rooms ahead of them, but she was consumed with a sickening feeling the further they went into the building. Carefully hidden behind her smiling lips, she wondered if they would spot any of the missing women casually working and tending to patrons. That would be too easy, wouldn't it? Instead, they were led into an empty conference-like room, where they were to wait for "Miss Lady Vasco" to see them.

And there they sat, their painted lips pursed in silence. Selan didn't understand the concept of security cameras, but it was entirely possible that someone could be listening in via some other method. It was particularly worrying that they were to be interviewed by a woman; Selan assumed they would only have to deal with men, and feared a fellow female would see through their disguises immediately.

"What kind of questions do you think we'll be asked...?" she asked, looking around at the others. Thunderhawk seemed to be having an especially difficult time just sitting still, wanting to stretch out his arms and legs and rip off the damn wig and pull the false eyelashes off his face. Instead he settled for folding his arms beneath his padded chest, his knuckles slowly turning white.