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Who: Professional Science Leopard Vanessa Goldpaw & any unaffiliated superheroes
Where: Anywhere around the city – and perhaps beyond.
When: Any time mid February to early March, pretty much
What: Apparently being a celebrity science genius and running a hugely successful business is no longer enough for Ms Goldpaw: she's looking to pick up unaffiliated heroes to run her own team.
Warnings: None yet.

Goldpaw Industries hasn't been up to much significant business lately. Vanessa has been busy enough – she always is – but she hasn't been working on anything terrifically interesting. Which is probably why she's been planning a personal project.

So far no one else is on it. But she's hoping that soon they will be...

Over the next few weeks Vanessa will be snooping around after unaffiliated superheroes. Generally competent ones are ideal, but what she's looking for above all else is 'undiscovered talent' – she's looking for lesser-known heroes to pick up and make big by cramming them into her GOLDPAW-BACKED COOL SUPERHERO TEAM.

Despite being a shapeshifter, she has been choosing to do her snooping in her usual leopard woman guise – even for top secret projects like this, she never uses her powers. She has probably been wearing a wide brimmed hat and high necked coat, though. Sooo surreptitious.

Feel free to either have your character notice she's been surreptitiously following them around or repeatedly lurking in the background while they do hero stuff and thus confront her or specifically attempt... to hide... lmao, or just be going about their business with whatever degree of obliviousness is appropriate while she approaches them! This is open to any unaffiliated superfolk, even if you think they would make terrible team members or you plan to have them refuse an offer – PM me or hit me up on plurk or AIM if you want to work any specifics out.

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After the UCLA sinkhole incident, Neku has been much more relaxed about his powers. He's even been training a little bit, getting a better feel for his telekinesis.

Today he's out in the field, hiding out in one of the many back alleys that he tends to frequent, practicing his shockwaves against a propped up old couch.

This is the first time Vanessa's come across this particular superpowered teen, but a quick check of some of the footage on her phone, as she lurks, watching, from the end of the alley – as a cat, of course, she is light on her feet and good at sneaking – confirms that it's one of the people who was caught on camera at the sinkhole.

She thinks about keeping an eye on him for longer, coming back another time, but all considered the circumstances really couldn't be more ideal. Nobody else is around, and he's busy with practicing rather than anything more serious or urgent...

"Hello there," she calls, her voice friendly, "Don't worry, I'm not a supervillain or anything..."

Lately, Milly really feels like she's been getting out there with her superheroics. Not just with Teddy -- although teaming up with him so far has worked out spectacularly -- but she just feels like she's really been putting herself out there -- getting exposure, so to speak. Of course, that's not why she does it -- punching bad guys comes with its own satisfaction -- but Milly's pretty sure she's noticed someone following her lately. At first she thinks she might have a fan -- that's so exciting! -- but then it occurs to her that there could be other reasons why someone might want to follow her. Other, less positive reasons. It makes Milly a little apprehensive, but she decides not to worry too much about it -- after all, CONDOR doesn't seem to be in the habit of arresting vigilantes as long as they're not stepping out of line, and Milly's never done anything wrong. She figures that if anything comes up, she'll deal with it.

Today she's just finished helping rescue some civilians from the wreckage of a nasty car accident on a nearby bridge. Nothing supervillainous about it, but Milly certainly couldn't ignore the cries of helpless people in mashed up cars that were threatening to drop right off the side of the bridge! By now the medics have shown up to take care of any injured people, and Milly's work here is done. Probably time to get going, too, before she has to answer too many questions -- but she touches down on the bridge's surface with a little flutter of her costume, just so she can catch a glimpse of the medics and make sure everything's really all right.

Startled by the sudden appearance of... well, anyone sneaking up like that would probably shock him pretty efficiently, but someone showing up suddenly and asserting that they were most definitely not a super-villain right off the bat was highly suspect as far as he was concerned.

He stops what he's doing and turns around in the direction of the voice, freezing defensively. "....That's exactly what a super-villain would say." probably. He was clearly attentively listening, nonetheless.

Vanessa laughs. "I suppose it is," she says, stepping out of the shadows. "I'm not one, though! I promise. I just caught sight of you practicing and, well, I've been keeping an eye out for superpowered talent lately... I wanted to make you an offer."

"Nice work," says Vanessa earnestly, from a few feet down the bridge. She recorded the whole thing on her phone. "It's Starbreaker, isn't it?"

Okay, so he's a little bit startled at first by the fact that he's apparently being approached by what appears to be an anthropomorphic cat, mainly because he just wasn't expecting that, but he gets over it pretty quickly. Not like he hasn't seen weirder stuff in this city. He feels like maybe he's heard of some prominent scientist or something with such a condition before, but lets face it, he kind of lives under a rock.

A quick scan doesn't reveal any sort of ominous vibe or intent, but he maintains an outward appearance of cautious skepticism anyway. "What kind of offer...?"

Aha! So maybe she is a fan.

She's...certainly distinctive-looking. Wait a minute! Milly's pretty sure she recognizes this woman -- is't she one of her father's competitors-slash-professional colleagues? Maybe this isn't a fan type of deal after all. If she knows Milly's civilian identity...

But she called her Starbreaker. It must be a coincidence, right? Milly decides to give Vanessa her hero smile, hands on hips, nodding confidently. "That's right! And you're...aren't you the president of Goldpaw Technologies?"

"I'm interested in putting together a superhero team," she explains. "And I'm looking for undiscovered talent – any age or experience level." She smiles. "I'd want to know more about your powers and a little more about you, but if you were interested... besides getting to work on a team you'd get technical support, a uniform, healthcare..."

Vanessa beams. "I am," she says, holding out a paw to shake as she walks towards her. "But I'm actually not here on behalf of my business right now. I'm looking for new names in the superhero scene to support as a new team, and I was wondering if that's something you'd be interested in."

Well color Milly totally fucking starstruck. She's not even sure she heard Vanessa right at first. Someone wants Milly -- for a superhero team?

This is basically her dream come true.

"Oh -- oh my gosh! Wait -- really?" Milly exclaims in a girlish squeal, her hands going to her face. Is this superhero behavior? Who cares. "You want me?"

Fantastic – this is exactly the kind of reaction Vanessa's been hoping for.

"That's right. I'm interested in bringing together and funding a new superhero team, and you'd be one of my top picks."

Top picks? This is a dream or something. It has to be! There's no way someone like Vanessa Goldpaw would consider Starbreaker, of all the heroes flying around in L.A., as one of her top picks for her personally groomed superhero team. Milly almost wants to pinch herself to be sure, but she doesn't want to look foolish in front of Vanessa.

But before she manages to respond, a thought strikes her. Goldpaw Technologies is one of her father's biggest and most direct competitors. Would it be some kind of conflict of interest for her to work for Vanessa, even in a superhero capacity? Would her father get upset if he knew? Worse than that -- would this put her in some kind of danger, compromise her or her father's security? She's not all that invested in doing what she's told these days, but even so, there are other considerations that have stopped Milly from acting in a more official hero capacity.

"I'm not registered, though... That's not a problem is it? I mean -- do I have to be?"

Eusine can't shake the feeling that he's being watched.

It starts nagging him somewhere between muggers #1 and #2 -both dispatched with classics such as "having the guy run face first into an invisible glass pane" and "smoke bombs 101" because the Mysticalman is in no way a goddamn cartoon character [citation needed]- and only goes downhill from there. By mugger #3, he's even managed to get a glimpse of a mysterious figure in a hat. He was already big on dramatic entrances before, but knowing he has an audience somehow amps that up to eleven: from then on, he makes sure to stay in sight of his secret admirer, as he's unaware of what kind of powers they may or may not have. He is an entertainer, after all, and what kind of entertainer leaves his audience in the dust?

Besides, you can't exactly keep an eye on a mysterious pursuer without being somewhat close to them. He's far from being paranoid but he's curious.

When mugger #4 has been neutralized (poor chap with a knife, will go on to forswear alcohol forever because he could swear he got arrested by a goddamn peacock that one time, for real), he lingers on the crime scene just a little longer than usual...

"No, not at all. We might decide to opt for registration if that seems like it would be best, but it'll depend on the preferences of the members..." Vanessa waves a dismissive paw. "We all know registration is more of a formality than anything else, and I'll be providing the support and financial backing that the registration office would usually deal with." She smiles. "I'm more than equipped to handle any legal trouble we might run into, in any case."

That's something of a comfort to Milly -- sort of -- but she still has concerns. A few reservations...ones she hope will be dismissed as no problem at all, because she has never wanted anything as badly as she wants this. She'd finally be a part of something -- have a place she really belongs.

"But you'd still need to know our civilian identities, right?" Would Vanessa even still want Milly on the team once she found out Starbreaker was actually the daughter of one of her biggest competitors? Or would that be even extra incentive? Milly's not sure which worries her more.

"Potentially helpful, but not strictly necessary if keeping it a secret is important," says Vanessa. "I respect my employees' privacy. Of course, you have my word that anything you tell me won’t go any further.”

“Bravo!” Vanessa calls, dropping out of the shadows to – well, she doesn’t clap, because her paw pads aren’t very good for that. Small sacrifices. But she looks and sounds impressed, is the thing. “You’ve really got a flair for this.”

Milly smiles uncertainly. It's really Vanessa's reaction she's the most worried about. But it's a relief to know she doesn't have to tell her, at least not right away.

"Well, consider me interested then," she says. "Maybe we can sit down and, you know, talk more about this sometime? Maybe you can tell me who else you're considering for the team -- if that's not top-secret -- and...you know, what your plans are!"

Milly knows she's interested -- she can't not be -- it just comes down to whether or not it's worth it to be working directly for her dad's top competitor.

"I know," he says with the tone of someone for whom modesty is some kind of disease that only happens to other people. "How delusional the evildoers, if they think they can defeat the Mysticalman!"

He throws his cape back for good measure. It's very dramatic, and the tiny glass particles floating around him seem to glimmer in approbation. The fact he hasn't ever defeated any "evildoer" stronger than petty thieves and the odd aqua or magma team grunt doesn't seem to bother him, really.

And now that he can take a good look at his mysterious admirer... his face lights up in recognition. He's a gadget aficionado; a lot of the technology he uses both in and outside of costume is from Goldpaw Technologies, and there is no way that woman isn't its founder. There really aren't that many anthropomorphic leopards around.

"And you..." A short pause, for extra dramatic effect, "are Vanessa Goldpaw, are you not!"

He completely fails his suaveness check on that last sentence. He just sounds excited.

Superhero team? She's gotta be joking. He tilts his head curiously, face hiding behind his cowl slightly. "Sounds like a generous offer, but.... I'm not exactly what you would call the world's best team player. And I don't generally make a habit of trusting strangers right off the bat," he says carefully, doing his best not to sound rude. Not that he doesn't want to be rude, in fact that's his initial instinct, but he's at least trying to change his people habits a little bit.

"Oh, of course – this sort of commitment definitely isn't a decision to be made lightly, and if you have any concerns I'd be happy to talk them out with you." She flashes a winning smile, and produces a business card – black, with her pawprint logo on one side, in gold, and a phone number on the other. She hands it over. "Call me."

Oh, she likes this guy. He's certainly a character. Not that she didn't know that already, but she's pretty impressed by his commitment to being so ... intense.

"That's me." It's always nice to be recognised – she is more often than not, of course, but when someone's this enthusiastic about it it's hard not to smile. "I take it you're a fan of my products?"

Milly is totally and completely starstruck. She still has reservations -- concerns -- but right now, they're overwhelmed with excitement and even still with shock that Vanessa had even approached her. Milly clasps the card in both hands, grateful that the domino mask obscures some of how totally excited she is.

"Oh! Yes!! I absolutely will!" Milly promises in earnest. "Thank you so much, Ms. Goldpaw, we'll be in touch!"

"Oh, of course," says Vanessa, breezing past those protests, "you must not know who I am. Sorry, when you've got a distinctive appearance you start to assume everybody recognises you! I'm Vanessa Goldpaw," she holds out a hand, "I run Goldpaw Tech; the team I'm looking to build would be related to but not a part of my company, and would receive my personal financial backing and be supported by my technological innovations."

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