[Dominic Weaver]

Surge The best part of “believe” is the “lie”. + Sunny Slater

Dominic did not like Melissa Slater. Sunny Slater wasn't exactly his favourite person in the world either, but her flaws were considerably more forgivable than Melissa's. Sunny was a product of her environment, a girl that had, from what he could tell, been put into show business when she turned six. He'd have thought that Melissa was just another pageant mom living life vicariously through her daughter, but then he'd met the woman. He still didn't like her, but he'd at least developed a grudging respect. She was shrewd, and good at what she did, even if what she did was lining her own pockets and pushing her own daughter into the public eye at the expense of the rest of the Program. He had a lot more time for Sunny, the girl was at times vapid and vacuous, too busy doing her nails to pull someone out of a burning skyscraper. She seemed to live for press opportunities and he was pretty sure she bathed in perfume. Despite all her faults however, there seemed to be a good heart beneath all of the pink and ruffles and lace. She did genuinely want to help people, and he couldn't really begrudge her the chance to do that. Even Alice seemed to like the girl, although Alice was naïve and seemed to like almost everyone. A public friendship between Paladin and Gravity Girl wouldn't be totally bad for the Program, it might even have a positive effect on Gravity Girl's abilities. Of course, the reason he was here in the building right now was because he wanted to talk to Gravity Girl about her abilities and her image, and he wanted to do it without Melissa Slater present. The only way to do so seemed to be to catch Sunny in between appointments. Every time he had tried to schedule a private meeting like this then Sunny had been accompanied by her mother. Clearly the woman kept her daughter on a tight leash. He jumped up as he saw the flash of pink through the window of his office, striding hurriedly to the door, he pushed it open just before Sunny got fully around the corner. "Sunny! How are you? Couldn't have a quick word could I?"

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[Sunny Slater]

"Uh oh, am I in trouble again?"

We're Best Friends Now!!

Sunny didn't visit the Hero Program headquarters building as much as she should do. Even she knew that. It was for a range of reasons, ranging from the fact that filling in reports was really boring to the fact that the Hero Program, more than anywhere else, seemed full of people that gave her funny looks. Most places, people loved Sunny, ran up to her for autographs or selfies, and excitedly smiled whenever she passed by. At the Hero Program, instead people seemed to roll their eyes, and sometimes even cough, as if she was wearing too much perfume or something. Ugh! So she only tended to stop by when she absolutely had to.

But today was just such an emergency. She was pretty sure she'd left one of her lip glosses in the building last time she was visiting, and while that usually wouldn't be important, as Sunny owned more than enough of them, it was that one shade that matched her special pink suit that she wore for blue screen interviews (different from green screen interviews, daytime appearances, nighttime appearances, interior and exterior shots, general daily wear, red carpet appearances and celebrity interview suits; all a subtly different shade of pink to best catch the cameras) and she needed it to make sure she bought the right shade next time. She couldn't believe it was her last one, but it showed how infrequently people used blue screen these days. Sunny had once enthusiastically suggested they should use pink screen, until the camera operator had pointed out that would mean she couldn't wear pink on set and she'd nearly freaked out.

However, she was slightly surprised when somebody rushed out to grab her, as if he'd been waiting for her. Maybe he'd found her lip gloss! She turned, smiling brightly, since he seemed happy to see her, and waved.
"Like, totally, of course. I'm great thanks, how are you?" she answered politely. "Ohhh, have you found my lip gloss? I've been looking everywhere for it!" she asked excitedly. And then she uttered what was probably the most redundant piece of information ever uttered within the Hero Program building; "It's pink!"


Dominic Weaver

"I didn't do it!"

ulla

[Dominic Weaver]

Surge The best part of “believe” is the “lie”. + Sunny Slater

"Lip gloss?" Dominic was almost struck dumb by the mundanity of Sunny's response. As if he would have cared about her lip gloss. Fortunately he was a little too professional to let that be shown in his face, so he just smiled politely, "Sorry, but no, I haven't seen your lip gloss. I'll keep an eye out for it thought." As if he didn't have enough to worry about. Stepping a little further out into the corridor, Dom gestured back through the open door of his office. "Please take a seat." Following her in, Dominic closed the door behind him. He was much taller than Sunny, and though she was slim, it was also apparent that he was in much better shape. It was a badly kept secret within the Hero Program that he had a past as a Hero himself, though only a handful knew that he had been surge. He'd stepped back from that part of the job a long time ago, knowing that people like Alice Morrow and Kathleen Howard would do far better than he could. Technically Sunny was part of that group as well, but while she had one of the most potent abilities he had seen, she didn't have the brain to use it properly. He sat behind the desk, then leaned forwards, a serious expression on his face. He had to take advantage of this opportunity while he still had it. He wouldn't be surprised if Sunny's mother was already downstairs and coming up to demand she be included in the meeting. "Why did you join the Program Sunny?"

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[Sunny Slater]

"Uh oh, am I in trouble again?"

We're Best Friends Now!!

Sunny's expression flickered with disappointment only for a second as Dominic said he hadn't found her lip gloss. That was a shame, but she could live with that. She could always buy another one.
"Oh, like, don't worry, I'm sure-" she began to say as she brought her hands down and she brushed something in one of the hidden compartments on her utility belt. "Oh wait! Never mind! Here it is!" she said proudly, pulling it out from a compartment on her utility belt. She hadn't thought to look there! "Like, that's the compartment I usually keep my Stardust lip gloss in, this is my Divine lip gloss," she 'explained', not bothering to tell him that those were different shades, because, like, who didn't know that, right? "Wait. So... where's my Stardust one? Uh oh... Have you seen THAT one?" she asked with a friendly smile, oblivious to the fact that if he hadn't seen one, he wouldn't have seen the other either.

After a moment though, he asked why she joined the Program, and Sunny paused for a moment, before answering simply;
"Oh, that's easy. 'cause, like, my Mom said I should. She said it was the best way to get to be a superhero, and like, I totally had the powers right? I mean, you can't really go independent, right? Not without it, like, being illegal or whatever. This way, I get to do my best superheroing!" she answered cheerfully.

[/font]Dominic Weaver


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"I didn't do it!"

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[Dominic Weaver]

Surge The best part of “believe” is the “lie”. + Sunny Slater

Dominic hadn't quite expected that response. Fame and fortune he'd expected, but just wanting to be a superhero? Not so much. After all, Sunny seemed much more focused on the fame and fortune parts of the job than anything else. For every crime she stopped there were three public appearances, and for every one of them there seemed to be a dozen tweets, Instagram posts and Facebook livestreams. Still, Alice seemed to like her, so there was at least a good heart in there somewhere, it just seemed to be smothered beneath pink and perfume. "To be a superhero? OK. It makes sense." He smiled easily, as he always did, finding the good humour settling his mood somewhat. It helped that Sunny seemed oblivious to his concerns. No doubt someone else might have become offended and defensive, but Sunny still seemed her normal self. That in itself could be exasperating though. After all, at what point did the ditsy blonde appearance separate itself from Sunny. He wasn't sure it did. He leaned back a little, resting one hand on the polished glass desk top. "But what is being a superhero to you?"

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[Sunny Slater]

"Uh oh, am I in trouble again?"

We're Best Friends Now!!

Sunny had to admit, she didn't usually like being called into the office, it was usually a sign that she was in trouble for something or due another lecture, but so far, these questions had been nice and easy to answer! She was enjoying this. If this was all it was, she could keep it up all day and she'd get through it without getting in trouble at all! That'd be so totally cool!

"Oh, that's easy! Like, we save people and help out n' stuff! Oh, and we get to wear TOTALLY cute costumes while we do it, but like, that's not the MAIN thing. It's just, like, a fun thing," she smiled. "The main bit is helpin' people and makin' sure they're alright. 'cause we've got powers and they haven't, and like, that's not fair, so they need us to look out for them," she explained, still with that bright, yes, 'sunny', smile.

"Ohhh, is this a test? Am I doing well? Did I pass?" she asked, beginning at least to comprehend why she might be getting asked these questions in a side office. Sunny, for all her flaws, did like helping others. She just also loved being in the spotlight. Give Sunny a choice between a perfect photo opportunity and somebody who needed her help, and Sunny would pick the person who needed help every time. But, give Sunny the chance to have both... and she'd definitely want that perfect photo opportunity too.

[/font]Dominic Weaver


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"I didn't do it!"

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ulla

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[Dominic Weaver]

Surge The best part of “believe” is the “lie”. + Sunny Slater

"No Sunny, this is not a test." Dominic smiled awkwardly; it was taking all of his self-control not to drum his fingers on the desk. Sunny was clearly a good kid, but there was evidently a reason the ditsy blonde stereotype existed, and he'd have been very surprised to find out that Sunny hadn't had a hand somewhere in the creation of that stereotype. She was like Elle Woods without all of the keen legal insight. "You're a great Hero Sunny, you put your life on the line to save lives and you have a powerful ability that sets you apart." It was true. Sunny did ultimately put her life on the line. She might have an ability that made her virtually indestructible, but that didn't mean she was untouchable. New metahumans were appearing every day. It was just a matter of time before one showed up that even Sunny's potent defences couldn't protect her against. The problem wasn't her quality as a Hero, it was how she focused on everything else. "There have just been some concerns about your… priorities recently Sunny. Do you know what I mean?"

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[Sunny Slater]

"Uh oh, am I in trouble again?"

Eeeeep...

Sunny's shoulders sagged with relief when Dominic confirmed it wasn't a test. She sighed and visibly relaxed for a moment.
"Oh em GEE! Like, whew! I am like, totally BAD at tests! Especially math! Like, what's three plus four? Who's gonna know THAT!? It's way too hard!" she said with a dramatic eye roll, obviously feeling that she was, at least for the moment, off the hook slightly. However, even if she wasn't currently enduring a test, there was still clearly was a reason that she was there. Maybe they needed to represent somebody from the Program on a talk show? That was right up Sunny's alley, she thought with excitement. She did lots of talk shows anyway, but she'd never done one officially for the Program, and thought it was about time their publicity department stepped it up a bit...

When he called her a great hero, she preened and smiled broadly, obviously proud.
"Like, thanks!" she beamed, delighted at the compliment. She WAS a good hero, wasn't she? She could fly and she looked GREAT on camera. Also, she saved people sometimes. That was important too! She tried hard and she wanted to help people, and yes, she was vain and liked looking good and LOVED being on camera, but what was wrong with that if she helped promote the Program all the while?

Her heart sank though when he started talking about 'concerns'. She wasn't sure what he meant, because of COURSE Sunny was oblivious, but she stood there, blinking for a moment in confusion.
"Um... like..." she wanted to answer so she didn't sound stupid, but she had no idea what he meant by 'priorities'. She was a great superhero, wasn't she? "Is this 'cause I went with the Gucci purse at the Legally Blonde 3 premiere instead of the Prada one, 'cause like, I know Prada offered like, a better marketing deal to my Mom, but the Gucci one was WAY cuter, so like, I just HAD to take it!" she guessed, because she supposed that was a time her Mom had said her priorities were wrong, but, well, it WAS a cuter purse so they couldn't blame her for that, could they?

[/quote][/font]Dominic Weaver


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"I didn't do it!"

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ulla

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[Dominic Weaver]

Surge The best part of “believe” is the “lie”. + Sunny Slater

It felt like bullying a puppy. No matter how delicately he tried to approach the situation, Sunny seemed to completely miss the point of what he was trying to communicate. If he didn't know any better he might have thought it was deliberate. Even so, there was no impression that there was a bad bone in Sunny's body, she was just focused on things other than the primary reason for the Hero Program. "No, Sunny, it's not about the Gucci Purse at the Legally Blonde 3 premiere. The brand sponsorships you take are down to you and your… mother…" He'd almost said agent, but Sunny's agent was her mother, and seemed to control almost every aspect of the young woman's life. "As you said, the main thing about being a Hero is saving people, and there have been some concerns raised that occasionally that doesn't seem to be your priority. Or, while it is your priority, you seem to place far too much value on looking good while doing it." He pulls up an image on his computer screen and swivels it on the desk so that Sunny can see. It's a picture of her captured by a newspaper photographer. It had done the rounds sometime earlier that year. The image is in full colour, and it shows Sunny, immaculately turned out as always, at the moment a car collides with her at full speed. Pieces of debris can be seen flying off from the wreckage. It had resulted in quite a lot of public damage, as well as the need to have the car scraped off the road and several of it's passengers had cost the state rather large bills in healthcare. The Program had reviewed the reports of what had happened and concluded that Sunny could certainly have handled the situation better. For example by preventing the criminals from getting into the car in the first place. "I'm talking about priorities like this Sunny."

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[Sunny Slater]

"Uh oh, am I in trouble again?"

Eeeeep...

Sunny paused as she tried to take in what Dominic was saying. He agreed, it seemed, with her principles in what made a hero, but thought her priorities were wrong? That she put too much emphasis on looking good? Well, like, that wasn't fair! Looking good WAS Sunny's favourite thing ever, and it was unrelated to the superheroing! She'd wanna look good whatever she was doing! Just because she knew it was doubly important while being a hero because there was more chance of her being photographed or in the news; what was wrong with wanting to look TOTALLY PERFECT if somebody was gonna take your photo, after all? Or, y'know, see you in public? Sunny hated the idea of not looking good, and she hated the idea of somebody SEEING her not looking good even more.

She peered at the photo. It was a good photo. A proper action shot, but she looked utterly flawless in it. It was the type of image that really showed off what Gravity Girl could do, while making sure she didn't have a hair out of place. She didn't really understand the problem though. She had stopped the bad guys AND got a really good photo doing it. What was wrong with that?

"Like, um, I don't get it," she said, looking at the picture. She frowned a little (not too much though; frowning wasn't pretty! She didn't want to do it too much), and peered at the photo, leaning in close. "I mean, like, I stopped the car and got a good photo! That's like, totally winning, right? I don't get what's wrong..." she said, her voice slightly sulky. She felt stupid again. She wished she understood what was happening, but all of this seemed to exist outside her sphere of understanding. She knew how to be a hero, or at least she thought she did, and she knew how to look great (that she definitely did know!). Outside of that, she wasn't much of an expert, and she found things like the politics and rules of the Hero Program confusing. It's why she usually let her Mom deal with such things. Her Mom understand the complicated things and left Sunny to just get on with the things she loved doing. Helping people and making sure she looked great!

[/quote][/font]Dominic Weaver


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"I didn't do it!"

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ulla

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[Dominic Weaver]

Surge The best part of “believe” is the “lie”. + Sunny Slater

Dominic sighed, this really was beginning to feel like picking on a puppy. He'd tried to hint and suggest as delicately as possible, but no matter what he did, Sunny just didn't quite seem to get the message. It wasn't that she was stupid, just, perhaps, naïve. The bubble her mother had clearly raised her in did not allow her to consider a world where people thought about things other than looking good for a photoshoot. "Yes Sunny, you stopped the car and you got a good photo." It had been a fantastic photo in fact, the photographer in question was up for an award, and it had even found it's way into certain promotional materials for the program. It had also cost several million in damages and the state was still paying the prison hospital fees. "The question is why you didn't stop them before they got in the car? They were armed yes, but bullets are no problem for you, and the bystanders were well clear of their escape route." He tapped the desk absent-mindedly as he looked down at the photo between them. "You even had plenty of time to get there, I've seen you fly, and there aren't many cars that can go faster than you, especially off the line." This was getting harder as he continued, he really needed to address the mistakes and risks that Sunny had made. "It's lucky that the police cordon was as wide as it was, if that car had been a hundred metre's further down the road then somebody might have been hit by debris." His face became sympathetic. "I know you blame yourself for what happened in New York, but that wasn't your fault. If someone had been hurt here," he taps the photo once more, "Would you ever have been able to forgive yourself?"

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[Sunny Slater]

"Uh oh, am I in trouble again?"

Eeeeep...

Sunny listened to Dominic's questions, but wore that same expression of innocent confusion that suggested what Dominic was proposing to her was an entirely alien concept. He asked why she didn't stop them before they got in the car, or even while it was accelerating, and Sunny replied with a slight laugh as if it was obvious.
"Well, like, if I stopped 'em before they got in the car, nobody would have taken the photo. I might not have been on the front page! Ohmigod, I might not have been in the news at all!" she gasped, before pausing, and suddenly her eyes went wide when he asked if she could have lived with herself if somebody got hurt. And suddenly, it all made sense. It was like a lightbulb had finally turned on behind Sunny's eyes. "Ohhhhhhhhh, I get it!" she said, suddenly shame-faced.

She hesitated, then looked back across at Dominic.
"I don't... I mean, like, I don't wanna hurt anybody to get a good photo or be in the news. I mean, I LIKE my photos and I like bein' famous and everybody loving me, but, like... I didn't mean to put anyone in danger for it. It's just, like, there's SO much to think about, and I can fly super fast and move quickly but I can't think very fast and everything is so confusing, my Mom is always telling me to stay in the spotlight and I love it and I want people to love me and know me and I wanna see the pictures of me but I wanna help people too and sometimes I can't decide what to do and then it's too late," Sunny explained in a ramble, still looking a little ashamed of herself.

"But I couldn't have stopped those criminals before they got in the car! They were way too fast! I mean, like, I saw 'em, but I was fixing my mascara before I stopped them," she explained. Surely he couldn't blame her for THAT. "And then when the car was driving away, I like, totally stopped to put on some more perfume. I was gonna make a public appearance! I wanted to make sure I was perfect, y'know?" she smiled, thinking that this was the perfect excuse. Even if, as ever, more perfume was the last thing Sunny needed.

[/font]Dominic Weaver


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"I didn't do it!"

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ulla

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