3.23 – Interlude for an Interview

Aurora reviewed her thoughts on finding a reporter once again as she flew, wondering how things would go. She angled towards her home, but instead of landing in the copse by the house, Aurora initiated the new technique she’d developed to avoid notice. She dimmed her field as low as she could so that she wouldn’t give off as much light then changed forms before she even touched down. Her parkour training took over and she nullified the momentum by doing a roll before coming to a stop. Doing it this way allowed her to get far closer to her condo and therefore reduce the chances of people seeing Leona randomly running from the woods at weird times of day.

As she moved, Holly’s voice chimed in, thoughtful. You know, you could try varying your approach routes a bit more. Repetitive patterns are easy to notice, even if the window of opportunity is small. Maybe a few alternate entry points or occasional diversions would make your routine less predictable.

Leona sighed. “Given my lack of other options, I’m not sure what to do. Making myself more discrete was the best thing I could think of. I don’t think jogging in as Leona from a mile away would be particularly efficient even if that would work. It would certainly be exhausting!”

Holly hummed in understanding. Fair point. But, Leona, even minor adjustments would help—changing your flight path slightly, or even looping around occasionally to break any potential patterns.

Leona raised an eyebrow. “You mean coming from a different side of the house? As the unidentified glowing object hurtling herself through the sky towards a small target area that has very little cover on landing, do you honestly think I haven’t tried more efficient approaches?”

Holly paused for a beat before responding. Okay, when you put it that way… perhaps your current method is the best compromise between efficiency and discretion. She sounded defeated.

Leona landed on her roof, laughing softly as she dashed over to the bedroom window she always left slightly ajar when she went on her patrol. Holly certainly tried to help her, but sometimes she didn’t seem to grasp the situation as perfectly as back at the Kitchen, where she knew the whole layout better than anyone except for the architects. And even though it might not be the best move from a home security point of view, for her to land in the same copse each time, it worked out fairly well, plus she had Anygmah’s spell to help protect her secret identity. She grabbed the eaves and slung herself through her window, twisting her body to safely nudge the window open without doing any damage.

Leona performed another roll onto her bedroom floor before standing back up, turning to close the window and fasten it. Stretching and yawning, she walked out her bedroom door and up the hallway to go downstairs for a meal and to spend time with her Goonie.

Down in the living room, Leona found Goonie sitting on the sofa watching an old soap opera show. She tilted her head and headed over with a laugh. “I’m back.”

Goonie jumped a little but laughed upon seeing who it was, throwing her arms around Leona, hugging her tightly. “I saw what you did this morning on the news! That was incredible. I was a little nervous watching the shaky footage of it. It probably made it seem more dramatic. Was that an alien or some kind of ancient monster?”

Leona giggled. “No, it was just some guy who put on some kind of a cursed necklace. Hopefully the whole experience taught him a lesson about stealing.” She rolled her eyes and Goonie nodded, tousling her hair. “It was great how much he trusted me though. Even though he was a crook, he knew all about me and instinctively trusted me. He knew I’d do my best to help him. I mean, I could do without him hitting  on me after he was back to normal, but hey, I’ll take it.”

“People trust you because you give them every reason to, no matter what kind of person they are,” Goonie said affectionately with a smile. She sniffled suddenly. “I’m so proud of you Leona… I’m proud that you’ve become what you always wanted to be. Come on! I prepared you some dinner. It’s in the microwave. I’ll zap it and we’ll eat.” Her mom waited to have dinner most nights until she returned. 

Leona followed into the kitchens and spoke more about her adventure that morning, “Thinking about it now, if you take a step back, it was actually pretty funny, but also not. I mean, I get that pilfered goods get called ‘hot’, but that was ridiculous.” She giggled. “Like if Cthulhu had a sense of humor.”

“I sincerely doubt an ancient and unfathomable eldritch horror would pull a prank.” Goonie started the microwave and leaned against the counter. “So why did you come home so late tonight? More superheroing, I gather.”

“Eh… nothing major, but Detective Kirby texted me and said he wanted to see me. There’s a new ARISE Agent in town… or maybe the first one, I honestly couldn’t tell you. Agent Carlisle said he’d be working with me from time to time. He’s an interesting guy but not as interesting as when Kirby invited me to stay for some Chinese.”

Her aunt laughed. “Quinn would’ve teased you about a guy texting you to meet another guy.” Goonie seemed to want to fill in the gap for her wise-cracking daughter a bit. She still felt the absence too. “Anyway, I don’t have Chinese for you, but I do have some delicious Veggie pasta with fresh-baked garlic bread.” The microwave dinged and she turned to open it. “First plate’s yours, hon.”

Leona got utensils from the nearby drawer and Goonie handed her the heated platter. The pasta looked tasty. The sauce was made from fresh roma tomatoes. She roasted the garlic and tomatoes and added fresh herbs like basil and oregano. Leona didn’t know all that much beyond that, but even though it had no meat ingredients, it was still fragrant and mouthwatering. Goonie opened the oven where the garlic bread she’d been letting cool had been waiting. She removed the loaf and set it on the counter and popped her own plate into the microwave. 

Leona happily cut a sizeable slice of the butter, garlic and herb packed loaf before taking her food to the table, and soon enough Goonie joined her and they chatted idly while they dined.

“How was school today? Anything special happened?” Goonie winked.

Leona smiled and focused mostly on eating. Around bites of the tasty noodles, she responded. “Oh, same as always. Derrick went on about Aurora, and Maria tried to pretend she didn’t care, though she laughed faintly when Derrick nerdgasmed out. I can’t really pretend to ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ all that much where Aurora’s concerned because I’m not that kind of vain… but when he talks about other heroes… well, you know, it’s pretty much the same as it’s ever been for me.”

“How about your classes? Got your homework ready to go?” Goonie asked.

“Hahaha… yeah… the thing about that... they don’t assign that anymore. I think you forget that times have changed.” Leona giggled.

“Oh, that’s right. Quinn had a problem with it. She wouldn’t do hers… but that they would abolish take-home-work. I don’t see why… well, the kids are probably happier.”

Leona nodded and took another bite before speaking again, “They wouldn’t know the difference maybe. If kids get bad grades they get study hall instead of recess time, and then they take the late bus that day. If you’re asking how my grades are doing, they haven’t made me do study hall lately.”

“That’s good.” Goonie laughed. “Do your best. Anyway, you told me about the guy with that cursed necklace, but did anything else happen with your superheroing today?”

“Nothing dangerous, if that’s what you mean. Except maybe when Chet tried to test an inhibitor collar on me.” Leona frowned at the recollection.

“Really? One of those dangerous devices to suppress powers?” Her aunt asked, looking worried. Goonie had seen the news coverage about the suppression systems and their problems too.

“Yeah… I said no and he thankfully didn’t insist. I know how dangerous those things are. Maybe I’ll have to lodge a protest against the department using them.”

For the remainder of the meal they chatted idly and when they were finished, Goonie mildly surprised her. “I’ll take care of doing the dishes, so you go relax. You’ve earned it, Leona.” She winked at Leona who was already yawning a bit.

Even though she said that, Leona still felt a little guilty, “Are you sure, Mom? You worked all day. I’m nothing special most of the time, but I am a superhero and I have something like boundless energy. I can take it.” Leona grinned impishly.

“Nah! I insist!” Goonie snapped a dish towel playfully at her daughter. “You saved more people today than I did, that gives you relaxation rights so go relax honey.” She beamed.

Leona laughed softly. “Alright, let me get a glass of juice and I’ll veg out.” Leona raised her eyebrows and winked at her Auntie. She got herself the glass and headed upstairs. Now was a good time to look around on the internet. “I’m going to try to set up an interview or two… but I wonder how easy it’ll be to get a hold of one of them. Most of the people around me are telling me I need to put in more PR time.” She scratched her head wryly before taking a sip of her juice.

She sat down at her rig and set her ID card beside her keyboard. Almost immediately, a soft flicker of light shimmered from the card’s mini holographic projector, and Holly emerged, seated neatly on the desk with her legs crossed. Her silvery-blue braid draped over her shoulder as she peered at the screen.

“I assume this is the part where you sift through journalist profiles and try to determine who will ask the least difficult questions?” Holly remarked, resting her chin on her hand.

Leona smirked. “It’s called strategy.”

She started typing, narrowing her search down to a few major local newspapers and local TV stations. Two of them were particularly popular. The newspapers had a bit more of a developed online presence than the TV stations did, however. There was a ‘Post-IT Notes’ for the San Isidro Register-Post and the Seaside City Chronicle Online. Leona recognized two of the people she saw there. One was Valerie North, who she'd met previously. She was currently doing a series on the influence of Asian culture on America.

Leona looked at Valerie’s portrait on the page. Her black short-cut hair was lovely and she had an amazing complexion. Honestly, Valerie North was made for television or films. On the other hand was Elton John Thompson. He had an interesting name. Obviously, he was named after the famous singer, or at least that was what Leona hoped his parents had done, but he looked nothing like that guy. Elton was an African-American man with a serious expression. He was a new up-and-coming political blogger whose ‘beat’ also seemed to be bringing unusual people into the spotlight.

Leona tapped her fingers on the desk. Holly, still watching, tilted her head. Let me guess. Valerie North?

Leona sighed. “It’s not just because she’s gorgeous.”

“Of course not,” Holly deadpanned, but with a hint of amusement.

Leona thought about her situation and what would be best for her first interview. There was nothing wrong with speaking to both reporters over time, but it’d probably be best to do it gradually. Val had already approached her, implying she already had an interest. The female reporter hadn’t written much on Aurora yet since the information Aurora gave out wasn’t particularly headline-worthy. The story Valerie wrote after they met was about the kids who were affected by the Padua Xevolve incident, something that Aurora hadn’t known about at the time.

Leona decided to send Valerie North an email from her communicator to mask her identity using her Society of Sentinels account. Through them, she had managed to obtain a 100% validated and vouched for account for all official email communications.

From: [email protected]
Subject: From Your Friendly Neighborhood Guardian Angel, Aurora

I’ve decided to offer you an opportunity. An interview, if you’d like.

She stretched and finished her juice as she started casually browsing through her timeline for cute or silly things to help herself relax.

“I kind of miss when you could make food appear like magic back at the Kitchen,” Leona mused, laughing softly as she glanced at Holly’s projection. She wished it was as easy to ask for it to get another glass of juice. “You know that little twirl you used to do? It was actually really cute.”

Holly’s holographic form flickered slightly, a faint blush tinting her cheeks. "I… may have put a bit of flair into it, and I am sorry that your ID card isn’t equipped with replicator functions. Unfortunately, manipulating atoms requires the power of a fusion reaction. The built in system that feeds on the universal background radiation field is not up to the task,“ she admitted softly.

“It’s alright.” Leona smiled. “I suspected it’d be like that. Anyhow, that little dance you did was probably a way that you tried to reach out to people by doing little things that you hoped would get attention and make people become emotionally attached to you. You were so desperate to make connections with people, though you couldn’t, right?”

Holly was quiet for a moment before replying, her voice softer than usual. "I suppose... yes.” she tapped her chin. “Are you authorized to continue my therapy sessions? Show me your degree.” She said with twinkling eyes.

“Sorry.” Leona laughed.

Holly went on gently, “In any case, I thought if I made their experiences pleasant, if I became part of their routine, they might notice me beyond just being a tool. But no one ever really did. You are right." She hesitated, then added, "No one really did until you and Apex."

Leona booted up a game in the hopes of whiling away a little time while she waited and suddenly her ID card buzzed, interrupting their conversation and Leona’s gaming time.

Holly peeked at the notification. “That was quick!” Her expression was faintly relieved.

Leona tilted her head and blinked, lifting her ID card to examine the message.

From: [email protected]
Subject: RE: From Your Friendly Neighborhood Guardian Angel, Aurora

YES! Give me a time and place pls

She giggled and thought about it. “I should check with Goonie first. This happened way faster than I expected.”

Holly nodded. “A prudent choice. Journalists, when eager, tend to be like piranhas, or so I’ve read.”

Leona slipped the communicator back into her pocket and headed downstairs again. She glanced wistfully at the game she’d fired up on her desktop but hadn’t logged into yet. She’d really just gotten started with the new MMO Final Star Online 2, but… “Ah well, nobody said being a hero wouldn’t involve sacrifice. By the way, was that mock MMORPG you threw Asami and I into based on Final Star Online 2?”

“I don’t want to remember those bad things I did. Let’s talk about something else, okay?” Holly sounded faintly sad.

Holly, still seated on the desk, flickered briefly before vanishing as Leona pocketed her ID card.

Leona nodded as she took her empty glass down with her and gave it a quick wash in the kitchen. Afterwards, she found Goonie back in her favorite position on the couch. “There she is! Thought you were zombifying yourself in front of that screen of yours upstairs.” Goonie smiled as she spotted her again. “Want to watch something with me?” She had a blanket wrapped around her which she lifted and patted the spot beside her.

Leona smiled at her. “Maybe, but I really want to ask your ‘professional’ opinion on something right now, Mom.” She scooted next to Goonie and she wrapped the blanket around them, waiting for Leona to continue. “I’m setting up an interview with Valerie North. She wants a place and time for it. What do you think would be a good place to meet her?” Leona lifted her legs and wrapped her arms around them under the blanket. “Someplace private, maybe.”

“Maybe you should come to the cafe,” She was talking about her own Au Naturel, but that was probably a very bad idea. Meeting there would draw a very clear connection between herself and the cafe if they dug deeper, like how Aurora had saved the cafe owner in her home or who knew what other connection. “Maybe you could meet her at one of those raves that Quinn used to play at, if there’s one this week… but those were usually on the weekends, weren’t they? Not to mention a ‘quiet chat’ would be out of the question. Maybe not… hmmmmm… wait, isn’t Ms. North in Seaside? Maybe you should find a place there?”

“That sounds good but where exactly? I guess we don’t know many places across the bay.” Leona reached into her pocket and freed her communicator before opening up the maps app, looking for likely places on the holographic map.

As the holographic display expanded, casting a soft glow over the room, something shifted at the edge of Leona’s vision. A faint shimmer—Holly peeked out from behind the projected map, her small, doll-like figure flickering to life for just a moment before ducking back behind it.

Goonie blinked, her eyes narrowing. “What was that?”

Leona sighed, already sensing where this was going. “Nothing.”

Goonie crossed her arms. “Leona. I saw something.”

Holly peeked out again, this time hesitantly, as if weighing her options before slowly stepping forward onto the edge of the holographic display, her silvery-blue braid draped neatly over her shoulder. “Ah… hello?”

Goonie’s jaw slackened slightly before she let out an amused laugh. “Oh my God, she’s adorable! What is this?”

Leona rubbed her forehead. “This is Holly. She’s… an upgrade to my Society of Sentinels card that came in after I went to the Kitchen.” She left it at that, avoiding any mention of Holly’s complicated past. Doing so would basically open a big old can of worms.

Holly gave a polite bow, her holographic form flickering faintly. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Goonie.”

Goonie leaned in, marveling at the projection. “And she moves so naturally! The tech behind this must be incredible.”

Holly shifted slightly, as if preening under the praise but trying not to be obvious about it. “I do my best.”

Leona shook her head, smirking. “Alright, now that you’ve met, can we get back to planning?”

Goonie chuckled, leaning back. “Fine, fine. I’m just so taken with Holly. Having her here makes this home feel a little less empty.”

Holly blinked in mild surprise at the sentiment before offering a small, pleased smile. “That is… unexpectedly kind of you to say. I do hope my presence is a welcome one.”

Leona smirked. “Well, I guess you’re stuck with us now.”

Goonie laughed before continuing, “So, how do you want your meeting to go, exactly? Something informal over, say… coffee? Or something formal and ritzy?” She smiled. “I still know a few places, just not as many over there.”

Leona looked up at her mom with a broad smile. “Well, y’know, ritzy is a bit outside of my price range. I’m inviting her in a way… and it’d probably be in bad taste to let her pick up the tab.” She giggled at how gauche a move like that would be. “Informal is probably for the best. Coffee, I can handle.” Above all the other concerns though was Mistral. Leona didn’t want anything to even suggest that she was ‘going out’ with someone in some ritzy restaurant.

Val was unmistakably an attractive woman, and any sort of paparazzi pictures of Aurora together with her would look really bad from a PR standpoint.

“Well, if coffee is what you’re looking for, there’s a nice shop you can go to,” Goonie said. “If you want something fancier, I can call in a favor or two and get you a reservation to the Oceana Ballroom. It’s up in one of those glass skyscrapers with an amazing view of the bay. Oh, and don’t mind if you want to do it during the day, I’ll write the school a note for you.”

Leona blinked and smiled. “Thank you, Mom.” She laughed nervously. “Sounds like fun… magical, really… but it’s not like we’re made of money or anything,” she gently reminded her mom. “I wonder if she’d think I was putting on airs.” Pondering over it, she wondered if she could even conduct herself well enough for a fancy place like that.

Goonie probed her again, or rather prodded, “You want into the Oceana or not? You’ll have a wonderful balcony that will be great for making an aerial entrance. Tell you what, I’ll put you in touch and let them work out the details with you, OK? Ask your friend if she’ll be free tomorrow after dinner and I’ll write the note for Wednesday, OK?”

Holly tapped her chin thoughtfully. “From a logistical standpoint, the Oceana does provide advantages—controlled space, elegant setting, and minimal risk of being overheard. I suppose the only real question is how much you want to lean into the ‘celebrity superhero’ image.”

Leona laughed. Goonie and Holly were tag-teaming already, practically insisting she go there. Maybe Goonie had had a really special time there once upon a time. Not wanting to ask her about why she was so fixated on it, Leona responded promptly, “I guess we’ll give it a shot, but honestly… if they’re going to charge us like two hundred dollars, I’m skeptical.”

Goonie smiled. “I can’t promise any discounts or that you’ll even get a reservation, but we can try. No matter what happens, I’ll foot the bill since this is for your first article. First impressions are the most important thing. I’ll contact them and see what I can do. Go ahead and ask her if she’d be interested in going. Say …. hmmm … well, around 8:30 or 9:00 PM.”

Leona tilted her head, nodded, and emailed Val.

From: [email protected]
Subject: RE:RE: From Your Friendly Neighborhood Guardian Angel, Aurora

How about the Oceana Wednesday evening? It seems like an interesting place to meet and talk. 

After dinner … say about 8:30 or 9:00 that night?

Leona sighed, letting out a deep breath but before she’d even finished exhaling, her communicator buzzed. Her eyes boggled as she read.

From: [email protected]
Subject: RE:RE:RE: From Your Friendly Neighborhood Guardian Angel, Aurora

Wow, short notice, but I’ll be there with recording devices! 

See you there.

Moments later, Leona checked Val’s page and saw a twoot blurb boasting of her ‘big get’. Leona giggled and nearly fell over. Val North sure didn’t hold back at all.

Aurora nearly died laughing. “That’s so funny.” She showed it to her mom, giggling.

Elton John replied moments later. These reporters sure were hyperactive!

Goonie scanned the page and laughed softly. “Cute. I’ll give you the number for the ballroom.” She reached over to a side table, dimly illuminated by the lamp, and after fiddling with her phone, she showed Leona the number. “You think I’m crazy for insisting you go this route, right?”

Leona smiled wryly and gave her an unconvinced look. “A bit.”

“Y’know, your Goonie’s got her reasons. I’d be willing to bet they’ll host you for the prestige alone. You’re pretty much a celebrity in your own right. You’ve been thinking too small and underselling yourself, kiddo.” She winked as she stroked Leona’s hair. “Hah, I had to wait for my prom to get in there.”

“I thought so. You have some memories there. Maybe you should come too. We could go in separately. You could relive some old memories and I could do the interview with Val off in some corner.”

“I thought you didn’t want any clues to your secret ID getting found out carelessly.” Her mom smiled. “No, thank you. They wouldn’t have me unless you revealed your identity. Make sure you make yourself a nice dress for the occasion though. You can look through my catalogs for some ideas if you’d like.”

Leona nodded. “Do you have any ideas for what would go over the best? Style-wise, I mean. What should I look for? I want to look my best, but I’ll probably be hiding my wings so I don’t draw too-too much attention.”

After a moment of consideration, she added, “Then again, maybe I have to show off a little if I’m going to be there as a celebrity.”

“Plus, you really should just float down to the balcony all dramatic-like,” Goonie suggested. “It’ll make a good impression, I’m sure of it.” She pulled the blanket aside and stood, taking Leona’s hands, tugging her up. She led her upstairs, showing Leona her formal dresses instead of showing the catalogues. Leona studied them. They were a little old-fashioned, but not so much that they wouldn’t be elegant. After examining them in detail and picking things she liked the most about them, Leona committed them to memory. Afterwards, they returned to the coach and enjoyed the rest of the evening together watching a movie.