Enchanted Aquatica---the Prom [WIDE OPEN Y'ALL]

[starbolts]

The day had finally arrived for her big event, and Starfire couldn't be happier---or more nervous, actually. She was certainly not an expert on the inner workings of a prom, but it couldn't be too terribly complicated, right? As long as the people could eat, dance, and talk, it should be a reasonable success.

With that in mind, her decorations sprung from her mind into the large dome all around her, transforming a grey Sensorium into a beautiful underwater world, one with clear waters and free from the possibility of a shark attack.

The first change was the scent of the air, shifting into the comforting salty scent of the seas. Then the ground beneath her feet became a hardened sandstone, maintaining the gritty texture while remaining easy to walk upon---except for the smooth dance floor, of course. The grey dome transformed into a flowing bluish-green, rippling all around with fish of all colors passing in the background. Some of the 'sky' faded into a violet tone over the dance floor, lit by glowing circular lights in every color. Suspended in midair, they almost looked like motionless fireflies, though they sometimes swayed in tune with songs.

Tables arose from coral in all colors, rising from the ground and twisting to provide a flattened surface on the very top---rounded ones for guests, and long tables off to the side containing shell-bowls of food. Chairs were large floating clam shells with well cushioned interiors, some large enough to hold two people. More comfortable spongy places to sit were also littered across the area, notably by the large shell-shaped enclosure that was the promised swimming pool. It too was lit by the floating lights, providing what she hoped was a romantic atmosphere.

Finally, the glowing stage above the dance floor couldn't help but attract attention with its chairs. Six royal thrones and one plush chair of all colors directly in the middle rested in the back of the stage, leaving the front open for announcements. Just off to the side of the stage stood the DJ's table, with even that machine painted to match the soft underwater glow of the scenery.

Everything finally seemed pleasing to Starfire. With one last change, dressing herself in the formal attire of the prom, she sent out the signal to everyone and waited. She hoped they would have a wonderful time.

Comments

[burnedbrighter.livejournal.com]

That earned Mindf**k an unimpressed look of disbelief, "Even if one of them were to ask I have no interest in bringing any more attention to myself then I have to."

Not to mention it was taking every spare ounce of willpower she had not to look up at the ceiling. She knew the water wasn't real...but she also knew that if she dared to glance at it the strain on her hydrophobia might be too much to handle. She had avoided the pool for the same reason.

"And don't begin to think I can't dance. As a member of the royal court I'm an excellent dancer." She added trying to head off what she believed the next logical step in the conversation would be.

[piggyback-ride.livejournal.com]

She laughed; the sound a light, high-pitched noise that floated into Azula's mind. "Really? Simply showing up was enough to draw some attention to yourself, but maybe the ah...'powers that be' will think that you're just trying to fit in. Rather smart move on your part, in such a case (that's hardly a compliment worth going to your head, by the by)."

It was a good thing that Azula was having problems of her own, because it was taking some sort of god tier levels of focus to avoid her jumping up and power walking from this party to somewhere far more secluded. Like the deepest depths of the Bleed.

Still, she hadn't quite gotten to the point where she didn't appear as some neurotic spaz. It was well enough, though. She imagined that the princess would be displeased to know that her presence was actually aiding her at the current moment in time.

"No, no, I would never question that you had such skills (sarcasm), only your presence if you didn't plan to socialize, dance, attempt to enjoy yourself or excessively gossip about what everyone is wearing (ignoring the egregiously obvious pot/kettle scenario, here)."

[burnedbrighter.livejournal.com]

She had a point...as much as Azula hated to admit it. Why had she come here? Was it really just to make an appearance?

She gave herself a moment to muse over this and scanned the crowd again for familiar faces. Of which there were only a few and none she would consider friendly.

"It felt like the thing to do." An odd justification considering how Azula preferred logic to her emotions. Luckily she saved it with, "Given my options I thought this was the best chance to enjoy myself simply by showing up."

Her mere presence WOULD be enough to ruin the night if her brother was about trying to enjoy himself after all...or Hiccup.

[piggyback-ride.livejournal.com]

She was silent for a moment; a flaxen eyebrow rising up ever-so-slightly in obvious skepticism.

"Masochist," she commented, repeating what the girl had said to her earlier.

Mindf**k rested her hands on her lap, though she was still nervously picking at the hem of her cocktail dress. The flush on her cheeks had faded out, but her eyebrows still furrowed every once in awhile in what seemed like worry.

"And oh, how you seem like you're enjoying yourself. Though really, I'm honored that out of the entire room full of people who you would willingly choose to ignore, you decided that you could speak with me. Made my day (no sarcasm here, despite what it sounds like)."

[burnedbrighter.livejournal.com]

Azula gave her an appraising look, as if trying to decide if Mindf**k had somehow managed to lie for a change before she accepted it. "You've proven interesting, more then most the rabble." She confessed in what was maybe half a compliment.

"It must be hard though, emotions are running very hot through here tonight. Excitement, nerves..."

She was interrupted by a pirate ship and loud commotion off to the side by some party crasher pirates who were inspiring all sorts of laughter and noise.

"...fools." Azula dismissed.

[piggyback-ride.livejournal.com]

"A thinly-veiled compliment hidden behind indifference? Oh my, you shouldn't have!" she said, rather pleased with herself. "But yes, it's a lot (as in, a lot more difficult than I'm (poorly) making it out to seem. Being aboard this disturbingly motherly ship itself, is a headache and a half, though."

She too, was distracted by the pirate ship and watched the commotion and scene play out before turning her attention back to Azula.

"Fools, if only for the reasoning that their ah, 'pirating' seemed to lack focus (and was fairly half-assed)."

[burnedbrighter.livejournal.com]

"I can't stand her voice." Azula noted in reference to Stacy's "Motherly" ways. "We may owe her our lives but I still think she's clearly more insane then I ever may have been thought to be."

"I've met real pirates, they aren't even dressed nearly appropriately."

[piggyback-ride.livejournal.com]

"I think we finally agree on something! I highly doubt she's doing all of this out of the kindness of her (presumably) techno-organic heart. Of course, we'll be left in the dark about this until the true intentions rise, at which point we'll most certainly be (f**ked), anyways," she casually said, waving a hand.

"Excuse the paranoia, but I have little love for artificial intelligence, pseudo-lifeforms and kludges (just to name a few)."

[burnedbrighter.livejournal.com]

"Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean you're wrong." Azula remarked dismissing the apology.

"Have you dealt with many beings like her?"

[piggyback-ride.livejournal.com]

"Yes, though it wasn't always the most pleasant of experiences (always meaning never). You see, other than maintaining the portals, the space station and being the resident creeper, I also had another job while I was a part of the Superhomeys (past-tense for world destruction)."

She tapped a slender finger next to her forehead, a displeased smile curving down on her lips. "It was to go into the (often filthy) minds of the depraved, psychotic 'enemy' and find answers. Why they committed such atrocities, where I could find the solution to their sick plans. As much as I (really, really loathed it, it was worse when I couldn't get in. Very difficult to nigh-impossible to get into the minds of those that I listed.

[burnedbrighter.livejournal.com]

"How utterly inappropriate." Azula noted with veiled interest, "That someone as powerful and intelligent would willingly subjugate herself to people who would use, abuse and take advantage of her without so much as a nod of gratitude." At least that was the impression Azula had taken from her meetings with MindF**K.

[piggyback-ride.livejournal.com]

"I find it imperative to mention that the idea behind a superhero is that you become such so that you may help people. Gratitude, fame, gifts (et cetera, et cetera) come second to your duty and aren't necessarily anything you will receive from the public," she explained.

Of course that whole bit about the idea behind a superhero didn't hold true for many of the superheroes and most of her own team. Azula didn't need to know that, though.

"Even moreso with a position like my own. I very rarely engaged in physical missions, especially with all the time aboard the D10. That places me even further from the (supposed) adoration of the public."

[burnedbrighter.livejournal.com]

"And what great failure in your mind makes you feel as though you should tolerate such thankless work? Do you really hate yourself that much?" Azula had learned a thing or two about self loathing in the past few months after all.

[piggyback-ride.livejournal.com]

Oh, this was an easy one. An answer that Azula already unwittingly knew the answer to.

"Because I refuse to become a (psi)psychopathic lunatic like my brother. Though really," she continued, her expression lightening. "If you think every good deed deserves a personally addressed thank you letter, complete with a boxed gift, then you're (really, really) pushing privileged, aren't you?"

[burnedbrighter.livejournal.com]

"Seeking what you deserve is different then being selfish." Azula countered "But I can see where you'd allow your fear to control you." The last part was not her being kind and understanding.

[piggyback-ride.livejournal.com]

Her eyebrows furrowed and a frown spread across her pale face. Was she really going to need to explain what a 'good deed', meant? Honestly, she was only a 'good girl' due to severe manipulation of behavioral patterns and certain traits, but that was beside the point.

"Well yes, but that's true for (almost) everyone, isn't it? Even you're controlling yourself due to fear of expeditious and brutal punishment for what would otherwise be hostile actions taken against your enemies."

[burnedbrighter.livejournal.com]

"You're wrong." Azula argued pointing a elegant finger at her to make her point, "I do not fear the punishment I know will be brought down upon me. It's an inconvenience, but it is nothing to fear."

Not like death. That was different.

[piggyback-ride.livejournal.com]

"Am I? Then what, pray tell, is exactly holding you back from using your abilities to get the justice you 'so rightly deserve'? It can't be that it's only a tiny," she held up her thumb and pointer finger, barely an inch apart, as an example. "(quote, unquote) inconvenience that's stopping you. That would be just silly."

Mindf**k leaned against the table and crossed one leg over the other. "I was afraid of what I'd become, which is something that's on its own level. I didn't do good deeds because I felt like I had to redeem myself, or I feared that If I didn't, I'd become a (mental) slave to uncontrollable desires. I did it because it was the right thing to do, but I'm (positive) you won't understand what that means."

[burnedbrighter.livejournal.com]

"What is right is decided by those who make the rules." She smiled mischievously, "And those with the most power make the rules." She was of coarse well aware that technically Mindf**k was possibly one of the most powerful figures here.

[piggyback-ride.livejournal.com]

"Oh, on the contrary, my (megalomaniac) friend. Those who make the rules are (arguably) the first ones to break them. Then they easily turn a blind eye to their own misdeeds while they would punish those for the same transgression." She paused and straightened herself up, her hands moving while she 'spoke', even though it was mentally.

"You see, what's 'good' and 'bad' aren't just limited by the rules made up by a certain kingdom. Morals are universal (speaking on an 'earth' scale, as opposed to one that encompasses our tangible universe, including theoretical multi-verses). 'Those with the most power' who 'make rules' but don't hold themselves or their followers to them aren't making rules. They're making demands."

[burnedbrighter.livejournal.com]

"But they aren't." Azula countered seeming for the first time in a long time relaxed despite the nature of the discussion. "One person's morals aren't always the same as another persons. So the standard needs to be set in laws decided by a ruling power. Foolishly on this ship the laws are decided by a ruling power that was chosen by the masses. The unwashed, uneducated masses deciding for any number of reasons and likely not the right reasons as to who they "trust" or who they "Like" to lead them to their deaths.

[piggyback-ride.livejournal.com]

A wry smile rose to her pale face and she raised a skeptical brow. "Oh, but they are (to an extent, of course). There may be some small discongruity from tribe to tribe and person to person, but there are just a few things that most people (who have 'laws') agree are worthy of imprisonment, punishment or death. Theft and murder are two of the most common.

Now, don't take my (highly educated) word for it, but throughout history there are very few rulers who allowed both theft and murder to happen unchecked and with no punishments, and still managed to keep a tight leash on their people. The ruler in question could indulge whenever they pleased, and their men could do it during wartime (or because they were on the royal family's payroll, so to speak). But your average person? Nope! The belief that an action or actions are wrong is a moral, if from an ethical standpoint or for no other reason than to keep your people in line through fear."

Though she was happy enough tossing herself into a debate, her knowledge on the councilmen and women on the ship was a smidge lower than it should have been.

"Ah, you simply think it's a popularity contest, (which it very well might be) then? But what do you suggest? That we choose who should govern over the ship by who holds the most raw power? I'd be (delighted!) to hear your thoughts on this."

[burnedbrighter.livejournal.com]

"Proof. More then words. Tests, challenges, battles, debates. If we absolutely must bow to commoners who have risen to the top then at least let them be the strongest, smartest best among us."

She had already seen a few that she would rather be at the front of this doomed ship of fools.

"Though, I suppose if there will be fools on the front lines I'd rather them be people I don't like. I simply resent that they are in charge of MY fate."

[piggyback-ride.livejournal.com]

"You have an excellent point (about proving oneself, at least!) ," she commented, resting her arm against the table. "Considering we have no basis of what to judge the councilmen and women on other than our personal (completely subjective) view of them. Granted, they were all in office before I arrived, so I really couldn't comment on how or why they were chosen."

"I do question whether or not they rotate the positions, considering it was a democratic choice. But, now that you're one of use regular, old common folk, I suppose you'll get to see the other side of the fence, so to speak (though it most certainly isn't green in any manner)."

[burnedbrighter.livejournal.com]

"How cruel." There was an odd playful lilt in her voice, "You should be able to tell by now, there is nothing common about me." She smirked pleased with the comment of self praise. Even if MindF**k's opinions were counteractive to her own, this was the most she'd spoken with anyone in some time.