242 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
24 Years
Female
Bandit-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Marceline Labelle on Jan 17, 2021 9:02:49 GMT -4
With her Casino already under construction, Marceline was just trying to make an effort to make sure the wheels remained greased and ready to go. There were a few key factors she was keeping in mind. The criminal groups who may try to harass her for protection money or a cut of her profits, the council and laws that may be preventing her from specific building plans, and of course, making sure that when it opened she'd definitely have business ready to roll in. She could do a cold open and invite some high end clientel with some perks offered, but she'd much rather increase her potential income than potentially lose out by sucking up to some fat cats. Plus... why ever go for one angle when you could go for two? Some of the bigger heroes with names in commercial trades or the limelight, like modelling or acting, had started to dissapear and return to their old careers. They'd be expensive to hire for a commercial opportunity and offer less of a 'moral high ground' now that they were no longer heroes. Marceline had been doing some research, and while some existing students could probably make for good candidates, the fact they weren't adults would make it rather sketchy if she had them advertise a Casino... there was however a perfect candidate on her list. Mina Isayama, otherwise known as Pandora, was an up and coming commercial hero. There'd been some whispers about her. After the actor and model heroes abandoned their hero careers there was some rumbling about how a hero shouldn't really try to balance such careers, which had seemed to leave the woman in a rough state in terms of opportunities. Marceline hoped to change that. She wouldn't open with the Casino, that seemed a little too risky, but if she could get the woman on board with opportunities that pleased her? Well...~ "Pull up here, if you would.~" "Yes Ma'am." Her driver pulled up to the pavement outside an apartment building, Marceline stepping out and fluffing her hair out behind her, she'd actually lined herself up with an alleyway beside the building incase she decided last minute to change her attire... would it be best to approach as a CEO, or a lackey? She was feeling... lackey.~ Knocking on her driver's window, she leaned over once it opened. "Feel free to take a break." She rifled in her wallet and pulled out a few hundred yen, enough for a decent lunch and maybe a desert if you pick a nice cafe. "Go grab lunch, I'll call you when I'm on my way out." She'd give the driver a wave off and wait for them to round the corner before dipping into the alleyway. With the typical flick of her wrist, her halo formed above her head. She considered for a soft moment... she'd been using Cat a lot lately, and her spunky blonde disguise felt a bit too 'street' for a business meeting. She thought on some women she'd examined closely in the past for her disguises, running through them in her mind, and finally letting her halo flow down her body. The disguise was a little similar to a known heroine, but with some mild alterations she shouldn't be too recognizeable. Some people just had dopplegangers out there.~ She hesitated for a moment, the face more mature for a moment, but with another pass of the halo she made it look more youthful and innocent than the actual heroine herself. It should help not cause any questions of similarity. Plus some well informed, hapless little business worker may have the woman lower her guard, and it would make Marceline herself seem all the more serious in comparison. With a deep breath, she practiced her voice a few times over, making sure to make it sound more cute and innocent, and putting on an accent more akin to someone who grew up in Japan rather than her own french origins. It wasn't perfect, but it was enough. With that, she made sure her files were in order and walked over to approach the apartment building, hitting the buzzer and leaning forward into the speaker once she was given the prompt to speak. "Hello? Is this Miss Isayama? I'm a representative of the Labelle corporation? We know this is a little out of the blue but we'd like to talk to you about an opportunity? If at all possible of course..." The fact she was playing a fresh face may have made this a bit more believable that she had just forgotten to organize a proper appointment. Maybe she was working on a deadline and had let things pile on top of her a bit? She wasn't about to overthink it, but it was always good to have some lies ready. |
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13 Posts
EP
EXP
Total
30 Years
Female
"Pandora"
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Post by Mina Isayama on Jan 18, 2021 1:13:35 GMT -4
Despite it being late in the morning Mina’s apartment was dark, shades closed to block out almost all light. Not like the hero was asleep though. The raven-haired woman sat in a large executive style chair; her legs folded up against her form as she typed on the computer in front of her. While the design was rather fancy it seemed old and worn. Much older than Mina was, most likely a hand-me-down or a lucky find a thrift store. The desk much to her dismay was much simpler design, looking like it was an online order of a stock wooden desk. On one side of the test was a monitor and keyboard for her computer, the tower hidden under her desk. Scattered on top however were a mess of paperwork stamped with the logo of U.A.; Mina started her new career at the school and it’s rise to fame was definitely key or launching hers to were she could only dream to be as of now. But that didn’t stop the absolute pile of paperwork she had to fill out! She had been able to get into the school to teach easily enough, but this was something else. She was sure she signed less papers when she officially became a hero. Chewing on the end of her pen her eyes would break away from the endless pages, looking around the darken apartment at the picture on the wall. All of her on different shoots, wearing clothes worth more than she makes in a year, sitting in fancy spots cars holding a can of whatever coffee she was shilling for that commercial. She was so close she could taste it. But something was keeping her from her dream.
But she was snapped out of her stupor with the shrill ring of the doorbell. A voice coming over the intercom. A representative of the Labelle corporation? Confusion hung on Mina’s face as she dug out her appointment book and checked her email. She didn’t have meeting today. Out of the blue was right. Getting up out of her chair she would walk to the intercom after about a minute or two, hitting the speaker button. “Normally I would say make an appointment but… come on up, I’ll be with you in a moment.” She would then buzz the mystery woman in before heading to her room to get changed. While this was a bit sketchy, she could handle herself. Quickly just grabbing her hero costume she would slide it on, while she did own some proper suits and blouses, without knowing exactly what this woman wants she may as well dress for her normal job. But after about 10 minutes, the raven-haired hero would be done up enough to consider herself presentable, heading to the main door and opening it up. “I apologize for the wait, come on in.”
Her eyes would be locked on the woman who would walk in. She seemed young, maybe she was new? The red-haired woman was dressed to impress though, Mina feeling a twinge of jealousy. Yet the stranger held her attention, perhaps that is why she was hired. “Well miss…” Mina would motion for the woman to give her name. “I am usually very busy and don’t take walk ins at my home office. But you caught me in a calm time right now and a good mood.” Making herself more important that she was. One of Mina’s tricks that worked well so far. “I can’t say as of right now I am familiar with… Labelle corporation was it? What do they want to offer?”
Resting most of her weight on one leg, her hand would rest on her waist. Her eyes locked onto the stranger. Unlike the currently state of her office, the rest of her house was rather tidy. Also, rather barren. There was a couch and a coffee table in front of a tv, with a few more pictures of her on the job or her with her parents. Some paintings where on the wall but they looked like big box store paintings that where no more than 20 bucks. “But let’s not just stand out here, my office is over there. Would you like some coffee?”
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242 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
24 Years
Female
Bandit-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Marceline Labelle on Jan 19, 2021 11:48:17 GMT -4
Marcie was more than thankful when she was given quick entrance to the apartment building. While Mina seemed to at least need some more time to get fully ready it at least gave Marcie a chance to get out of the cold. Wearing her skinsuits did of course offer an obvious layer of insulation, but it was far from perfect, and she was more than happy to take an excuse to get inside and out of the cold, idly taking the time she had alone to rub against her arms and warm herself up. Even with no clear cameras in view however along the stairwell or some of the halls, she didn't drop the subtleties of her act. You never knew what slight tick or trick could tip someone off afterall.
When she was finally greeted by Mina, she had to say she was the one who felt somewhat jealous. While it was easier to 'fit' her slender figure into curvier disguises, Marceline could get a little envious of those who seemed to dominate her true figure in that department. Mina definitely did just that, filling out her outfit quite nicely and her hero costume not leaving her to think on too much as to what padding may be helping her. This woman definitely had a killer figure alright but... well, she was here for business, and while she did allow herself a moment to simply 'take in' this heroine, she didn't allow herself to stare, putting on a bit of a blush when she was prompted for her name.
"O-oh I'm-" Well this disguise is a bit oblivious... what's- ah!~ That will do.~ "Kidzu. Miss Kidzu, I mean. It's a pleasure to meet a heroine such as yourself." She'd cautiously bow her head before offering her hand for a more 'equal' greeting, but wouldn't at all be insulted if it wasn't taken. She was meant to be a lowly subordinate right now afterall, and a ditzy one at that. "As for the labelle corporation... well w-we can get down to the business of yourself in a moment, but we offer the public a wide selection of locations primarily as a cafe chain. Miss Labelle herself is looking to expand however which is part of why she wanted me to approach you-" She paused before tipping her head innocently, a finger against her chin. "Have we truly not reached your ears? We're those french themed cafes. A lot of green in our color scheme?" She hummed with some genuine annoyance. She really had to work more with her PR team.
Regardless-
"Ah, I'd love some thank you.~" She chimed with a bright smile. Normally she'd have the tact to not force the person who's home she just invaded to make her coffee but such was the role she was playing. As she reached the office she sat on the non-dominant side of Mina's desk, and started opening up her folder. Mina seemed to be playing herself as a bit of a queen on the scene so to speak, but by the look of her apartment it was keenly for show... she shouldn't start too big but something told her if she gave the woman the means to back up her own act with some actual figures in her bank account and some serious opportunities on the public stage? Well, she may not try to seem too 'easy' but Marceline felt certain she could offer some temptation. When Mina set down the coffee, Miss Kidzu eagerly bowed her head in thanks and began simply.
"So, just to assure we're not wasting eachother's time, our PR department did some research. It's our belief that, even as a heroine, you've been looking for, or are perhaps open to, some... shall we say erm... " She snapped her fingers rhythmically, pretending to forget the term to use. "Er... l-lets call them 'engaging media opportunities', would this be correct?"
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13 Posts
EP
EXP
Total
30 Years
Female
"Pandora"
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Post by Mina Isayama on Jan 20, 2021 19:18:33 GMT -4
“Miss… Kidzu…” Mina would repeat slowly after she introduced herself. Sounding almost doubtful at first. But in the end, she would just reach out and sake the hapless girls hand. “I can’t say I have been much for cafes so I may have just missed it. But the color scheme is probably striking enough where if I saw it, I probably could identify it.” But waving the girl to her office, she would walk over to her kitchen, pulling out a mug from her cabinets she would prepare a cup of coffee, putting it on the tray with some sugar and cream if she wanted. But Mina would walk the tray over to her office and set it down.
“I apologize for the mess; I wasn’t expecting anyone here today.” The raven-haired hero would mention, stacking up the papers for U.A. before sticking them in a drawer. Sitting down in her hand-me-down executive chair, she would place her elbow on the arm. Leaning so her weight was on that side of the chair she would rest her hand in the palm of her hand and crossing her legs. The more this girl spoke, the more Mina’s mind wondered if she were just some random off the street who looked pretty, and the company thought her looks could make negotiations run more smoothly. Well, they were partly right, even with her limited experience with all of this she could tell this woman was green. Reaching over she would grab her own cup of coffee and drink deeply from it.
“You make it sound what you are planning to ask me is illicit.” She would comment eventually after a short silence. “But yes, I am open to employment outside of my hero work, granted that everything is legal and on the up and up. And forgive me if I sound skeptical. But what does this Ms. Labelle have to offer me for whatever it is she want me to do.” Despite still being unsure of what was wanted for her, Mina was trying hard to hide her excitement! It had been a while before anyone knew had tried to scout her. The companies she had been working had started to show that it was as high as she could get with them. But even then, Mina couldn’t just agree to whatever. Not only was she unsure what was wanted of her, playing hard to get could only really end up in a larger paycheck for her in the end.
“And as a rule of thumb, I am not interested in anything X rated. I have been hounded by those people since day one. I am a hero first and foremost. I am representative of the people who hire me and that is not a good look. Not that I expect that from what I have heard of your company so far. But I need to cover all my bases.” Mina would readjust her position, so she sat properly on her chair. “So now that I am done beating around the bush, what do you have for me?”
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242 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
24 Years
Female
Bandit-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Marceline Labelle on Jan 20, 2021 19:51:02 GMT -4
When asked if what she was offering was something Illicit, Marceline genuinely blushed for a moment through her disguise but decided to make sure it stuck regardless, quickly raising her hands in defense and shaking her head quite quickly. No good little hapless employee like Kidzu would want to be giving that impression now would they? So she certainly got on the nervous and defensive side of her act. "N-n-no! Not at all! W-we just-" She took a slow breath and calmed herself down, opening up her file she'd brought with her and pulling out a specific page to show, turning it around on the desk. It was simply a collection of tweets on a page from various threads and online commentors. "With the way so many big 'media' heroes suddenly left hero work it's caused a bit of a stir about how they never should have been heroes to begin with. Now, of course this may not be the majority, but I'd imagine the government higher ups may have suggested other heroes not take similar side jobs for a while? We can't know for certain of course, but I just didn't want to seem rude or insulting as we made the offer." That, and she didn't wanna lay all her cards on the table too soon, though it seemed like that was exactly what Mina was looking for right now.
Giving herself some moments to think, she took the time to prep her coffee. She practically drowned it in sugar and some milk ontop. While she did work in a coffee business and was very proud of it, she very much did not enjoy the bitterness of the drink itself. She took a cautious sip, making sure the sugar had well and truly drowned out the flavor before taking a more hearty drink and placing it down, toying with her file as she cleared her throat,taking a slip of paper from it subtly behind the file, and laying it on her lap under the desk, her deft hands hiding the act entirely.
"Well, Miss Labelle would like to ask you to do some commercial work for us. To start, at least. Now-" She began, using the hand still on the desk to present some files, mostly facts and figures displayed using graphs, showing upticks in business figures when heroes did such work in the past and how those businesses own public image tended to improve. "We're a foreign themed company, ran by a foreigner, in a country that tends to have a lot of traditional values. While business is secure Miss Labelle was hoping to get a local hero working with us on a regular basis. Now, I don't have the power to offer a contract as of yet, but I can personally assure you, on record, that Miss Labelle assures that if results are as we predict, we'd love to do more work with you in the future, especially for upcoming projects."
Of course, she was stepping around the current offer a little. Under the desk, her halo formed around her wrist, and flowed down it. Excess paper was burned off the sheet she held, and a fine, clear set of printing done on what remained. Shifting her hands as if she pulled it directly from the file rather than were she was hiding it, she now presented a cheque for 75'000 yen, fully filled out, clear enough to be legal and cashed in with no issue. The average payment for a single commercial shoot tended to be about 50'000 yen for comparison.
"Now, for the key offer. Miss Labelle would like to work with you in a... 'classy' commercial spot for the Labelle cafe chain. Consider what is in front of you an offer of half your payment upfront. Should you take the deal Miss Labelle would have no issue with paying you this now, with no formal, written guarantee, and paying you the same again when you arrive on set, on a day comfortable for both parties once scripts have been agreed upon and looked over. The concept is still in production so the filming date could be weeks away, but Miss Labella, knowing you are a hero, and likely a busy one, wanted to secure your interest and show a sense of generosity in heavy advance... I..."
The hapless looking assistant sighed.
"My apologies, I know none of this seems like proper business. Miss Labelle is rather... she would say charitable but others would say eccentric. Myself included-" She muttered, criticizing herself well. "B-but I promise you this is a genuine offer. It would be a simple minute to two minute commercial spot aired on Japanese airwaves. Total pay for shooting, including this down payment for your time would be 150'000 yen, and you would of course recieve royalties everytime we air the commercial, which, if we use it for a few months, could be a potential additional revenue of 150'000 yen, or, if we decide to air it nationally, an additional 1.25 million Yen..."
She paused, fiddling with her hands, looking very uncertain, as if she'd only been able to rattle off those numbers from repeating them to herself constantly so she didn't forget, pretending not to have a proper idea of what those numbers could really mean in the long run. She swallowed, her fake nerves 'showing'.
"O-of course... if it does work out for us, a-and you... we could also invite you to work with us again in the future..."
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13 Posts
EP
EXP
Total
30 Years
Female
"Pandora"
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Post by Mina Isayama on Jan 23, 2021 23:25:00 GMT -4
Mina would pick up the paper that Miss. Kidzu would put in front of her, reading it over and what was said on it. But with how she reacted, Mina toyed with the idea of pressing on with it. But no, she would need to be the responsible one here it seemed. While she was nice enough this Ms. Kidzu was a bit of the airheaded side. “I am familiar with some of these comments. I have been on the receiving end. But I don’t have as much pull as these heroes that are mentioned on this paper.” She would murmur, half to her guest, half to herself. “But your assumption has been correctly, no official order was put in, but a memo was sent out asking up to withhold from extracurriculars so to speak. Although as of now there is nothing that they can officially do to prevent it.”
What was a throwaway line for Mina probably would be quite insightful for the disguised villain. “So if your boss is really interested in me doing commercial work for her it can be arranged.” Placing the paper down, the raven-haired woman would return her attention to her guest as she started per spiel about the company and it’s plans. They wanted a hero who would consistently come up to bat for them? Done. It was already a better gig then any she had up to this point, and it seemed like it would lead into some consistent work. But it would be best if she didn’t play her hand right away. “You want someone local to get people in the doors because you are struggling to a consistent local base and the vacationer market is too finnicky?” Mina would simplify, trying to make herself still seem uninterested, but her eyes would be glued to the file that was thrown in front of her, her eyes only moving as her guest moved to pull something from under the file. Producing a check and holding it out to her.
It was also instinctually with how fast the hero grabbed and examined the check. It was quite a bit more then what she got normally. The eagle-eyed hero had to force herself to put the check back down and regain composure and clearing her throat. “While I appreciate Ms. Labelle’s forwardness and charity, I am afraid I can not accept any money without a contract in place. If she wishes to make a down payment of sorts, she is free to donate that amount of money to a local charity or food kitchen.” Mina would say, a bit forced and practiced. “But I am interested in working with Ms. Labelle from everything I have seen.”
While Mina wasn’t keen on calling this whole thing… unprofessional, it was a bit. This lovely young lady was probably a new hire and was being forced to deal with heroes. Even for names who weren’t as big as they would like, much like herself. It was still probably a bit daunting approaching a hero with non-hero related tasks. But picking up her coffee she would sip it as the woman went on. All things considered, it covered her shock a bit and would hopefully make her seem a bit uninterest. But either way this seems like it could be more fruitful in the long run A good starting gig as well. Perhaps she could frame it that it was under her usual rates, but she would do it regardless? Maybe get more money to start or for the next one. Although as the 1.25 million yen number was dropped it could cause her to choke on her coffee a bit. “International? Well, that would be a treat.” The raven-haired hero would try to divert that the choking was cause of the amount. She thought she would be quite a bit away from getting that much from a single advertisement. “Well Ms. Kidzu, you will have nothing but good news to report to your boss. I already stated I was interested, but even if this doesn’t work out you can tell Ms. Labelle that my doors will always be open to her.” Pausing for a moment she would continue after another sip of coffee. “For business of course.”
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242 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
24 Years
Female
Bandit-Rank Quirk:
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Post by Marceline Labelle on Jan 24, 2021 18:36:50 GMT -4
While her fake persona may have missed the way the woman before her was constantly shocked and surprised by the numbers, Marceline beneath it was just enjoying it with a hidden smile here or there when she knew the woman before her wasn't focusing on her expressions. She couldn't help it, she was almost giddy at how easy it was to win someone like this over with just money. She hoped when the two met more personally her personality may be able to win her over a bit too, keep her on her good side if the money every became an issue or, more likely, became outweighed by some sort of moral obligation.
Still, she kept her cool, and the positive responses she was getting had her fake persona getting a little giddy in her own way, just smiling brightly and bouncing in her seat every so briefly. "O-oh! So you're interested without the cheque? Miss Labelle will love to hear that.~ A-and don't worry, your overall pay will remain the same a-and if you want we can even put out a press release that you wanted that initial down payment offer donated to charity. I-I mean.. maybe I shouldn't promise that without consulting anyone b-but I'm sure I could sell it as good PR for both of us. M-Miss Labelle can be very charitable anyway.~"
Not wanting to overstay her welcome, she at least tried to come away with at least some sense of preparedness for Marceline meeting this woman herself, from the file she'd been carrying she pulled out a spare notepad that had a pen slipped into its rings, retrieving it and a spare blank page to start taking notes. "W-well if you want a contract I should at least get some notes on that before I return to Miss Labelle. I can assume the pay is important, of course, but for the initial contract is there anything we should focus on? I-I mean you're basically already a celebrity so even things like specific food on set wouldn't be unexpected I imagine.~" She chuckled a little, feeling more at ease in her fake persona knowing she'd be able to bring herself back some good news and looking at the other woman expectantly. She didn't actually think she'd ask for much on the spot, but it'd be good to know what she might expect of a contract
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13 Posts
EP
EXP
Total
30 Years
Female
"Pandora"
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Post by Mina Isayama on Jan 25, 2021 18:11:18 GMT -4
To the raven-haired hero, she was currently obvious to any webs that would have been laid. Sadly, she was to distracted at the prospective cash being thrown towards her to think of much else. An unfortunate weakness she had developed rather recently. “Of course, Ms. Kidzu. I would be remiss in my duty as a hero if I didn’t put some of what was offered to me towards causes that can help people in ways I personally can’t.” While it sounded good-natured, Mina was honestly pining a bit for the check herself. But appearances had to be maintained. Besides if this turns out to be as fruitful and it sounded, that check would just be a drop in the bucket.
“But I will never turn down some good PR, especially if it boosts multiple people.” *She would state simply, starting to stand up. “Please Ms. Kidzu, if Ms. Labelle puts up any fuss about donating the forward check, just let her know that I would be beholden to her if she did. And I would take it as a sign that she takes working with me very seriously.” May as well give this hapless assistant an inch that she can bring to her boss. Not that Mina intended to let her keep it, but it seemed like the right move to make to grow her standing with this company. Her primary goal at this point was to make this consistent after all.
Although before Mina could usher the girl out the door, the question of any requests was dropped, causing her to pause. The hero wondered what was too much. Could she set up a charity thing for each shoot? That would possibly be good for her. Yeah, that sounded good. “Oh, I won’t go around calling myself a celebrity. But I am liking the idea of setting up a charitable donation for each shoot if possible. Other then that I can’t think of much else.” Mina hoped that this Miss Labelle would have a good taste for catering for this shoot regardless. But the dark-haired woman probably should be asking for to much. “But if Miss Labelle is nervous on doing that, I would perfectly understand. She is a business owner after all and they need to worry about profits first and foremost.”
Motioning towards the door, the hero would walk the captivating young assistant towards the door once she got up. “But please be sure to tell Miss Labelle she is free to drop by any time before hand if she directly wants to meet me. Or if she wants to make a meeting I’ll be sure to leave time open for her.”
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214 Posts
EP
EXP
Total
26 Years
Male
"Your Favorite Nightmare"
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Post by Dauwz on Jan 27, 2021 13:14:54 GMT -4
Yo! Marceline Labelle has gained 54 EXP; Current EXP 67 > 121; Total EXP 4917 > 4971; Mina Isayama has gained 69 EXP; Current EXP 50 > 119; Total EXP 500 > 569; Happy threading! |
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