[letter to all Heroes + action]

[red_planet_blues]

[A letter delivered to all Heroes of Light:]

Seems like just about everyone recognized someone in crystal status when the new guys were brought in the other day. Even some of you new guys did. As someone who's been here since this whole mess started, I can tell you that this is the first time that that's happened. Same with your violent arrival.

I never much liked this whole deal, and I'm liking it less and less every day. Some used to think that the Crystal of Fire was just sort of doing this and no one knew why. If you ask me, this past week's been a big clue pointing to someone being behind this. Not only that, but all that weird doppleganger stuff, like the ones we've found in the Magitek complex or around town only make everything even weirder. Someone out there sure knows a lot about my home planet, at least, and now we know they know plenty about the rest of yours, too.

Whatever this is all about, it's got something to do with that Lady Kalki and the Emperor. That's about all I got out of those dang spies when I saw them in Trano Golsaucia last month. You know what I miss? When I had an entire planet as my jurisdiction, not just one city. Otherwise they'd all be sitting in jail right now.

What I'm trying to say is that we can't just sit around and hope all this stuff just starts making sense sometime soon. It ain't. We need to do it without waiting for anyone to slid in and solve these problems. First things first: find Kalki. That means heading into the Empire somehow. And that means a whole mess of danger.

So who's interested?

- Sparks Nevada
Marshal on Mars
Captain, Aqures Ixen Police
and one ornery Hero of Light

---

[B: action/moogle

When the Heroes had been told they could once again bring items from home by Jessie, what Sparks had asked for was his Marshal Station. Asking for a small, rocket-powered, AI-equipped building is a bit of a tall order, and when too many days pass with no word from Jessie, Sparks figures it for a loss.

However, his moogle Red gets word that there's a delivery for her charge today, surprised to find a book had been brought for him instead. And what a book! Titled, "We're From Earth: A Tale of Star-Crossing Lovers", the book is apparently about the marshal himself and written by his ex-girlfriend, the famous writer Rebecca Rose Rushmore. Sparks is more of someone who will talk about his past exploits than anything personal, despite Red's attempts. A sucker for juicy gossip, Red's hit the jackpot.

She does give an honest try in not reading it, since it's his mail and not hers, but she can't resist. After all, what will one little peek hurt? Just a page or two! Naturally, she gets completely sucked in. The book is full of all kinds of sordid details she wasn't expecting, and Sparks comes off as a total jerk. Instead of flying directly to Sparks's house, she can be found reading the book while ambling her way there, her face glued to the pages.]

No way! [She gasps quietly.] Sparks, how could you, kupo...!

[Seems she's so enraptured that she's not looking where she's going or how low she's flying, and she smacks right into you, book falling cover-up at your feet. She squeals in horror to not only have done that, but to be caught red-handed.]


[[ooc - If you want to answer both prompts, go for it, but it might be easier to do it in separate tags.]]

Comments

B

[umslay]

[This time, Ales is prepared. Instead of the wayward Moogle knocking him completely over, he's just knocked back a few steps, though still just as irritated.

Come on, keep a friendly demeanor.]

Could you watch where you're going? [Perfect.] I could've gotten hurt!

[As he walks towards Red, he notices the book lying right in front of him. "Star-Crossed Lovers?" Probably some dumb romance novel, though the fact that it mentions Earth is curious, so he picks it up anyway and flips through it.

Did he seriously just see Sparks Nevada's name in there?]

Some fan write this for Sparks or something? [Maybe he'll go to the first page for confirmation.]

[red_planet_blues]

O-Oh no! Sorry, kupo! But um, oh, uh... I need that back, okay?

[Part of Red wants someone to read it, and part of her wants it back because she's afraid of Sparks finding out, considering the book isn't kind. And indiscreet, to say the least.

That is indeed the marshal's name in there, and the first page confirms it to be an account of a relationship he had with the author, Rebecca Rose Rushmore. She even throws the words "emotionally unavailable" in the prologue.

She was pretty unhappy with him when the book was finalized.]

[umslay]

["Emotionally unavailable." That's an interesting way of putting it.]

Just a moment. Let me read a bit.

[He flips to a random page towards the end and begins. While romance novels isn't his thing, the writing is captivating enough to end up reading through pages of the end of their romantic relationship, which wasn't so much as a melodramatic explosion, but an embarrassing, slow mess that he couldn't peel his eyes from.

Sparks didn't break up with women, he just gradually stops having feelings for them and disappears.

And it was hilarious.]

This is all true?

[red_planet_blues]

[While he reads it over, Red's horror fades into interest as she watches Ales's reaction. Having someone to talk about it is way better. She dissolves into devious giggles.]

I know! Can you believe it, kupo? It's so awful! I have no idea why this book showed up here. I'm pretty sure Sparks didn't ask for it.

[umslay]

[Was he crying? Now, definitely not, he's just wiping his eyes because they hurt. From laughing.]

Wasn't there someone else from his world? Maybe she asked for that to get a good laugh! [And it worked.]

That was honestly the saddest way to end things with your girlfriend I have ever heard. I'd wager things weren't going so well even before then. [He opens the book to an earlier page.] How about we look at another page together?

[red_planet_blues]

Yeah, the Red Plains Rider! But Jessie said this had come in for Sparks, kupo. He'd asked for something else and I think this showed up instead. Talk about bad luck, kupo!

[Red looks around, wringing her hands a bit. She doesn't want to get caught with this. She wondered if Sparks even knew something like this existed. Either way, he wouldn't be happy about it. But, after a moment, she nods.

There was no sign of the marshal, though. Not yet, anyway. He was working, so chances were good he was busy somewhere else.]

Sure! I was only about halfway through it, kupo.

[umslay]

[Fortunately, they're both small and can easily hide in one of the alleys.]

Really? Is he really that "emotionally unavailable", as the writer put it? [Oh, this part looks good. A robot has just challenged Sparks to a standoff and he's debating whether to accept or not with Rebecca. Now, there's some action!]

Seems pretty standard hero-ish at this point. [But at least now he's sure that his world isn't the only one with robot baddies.]

[red_planet_blues]

Well, I mean, he is pretty, um... stoic? 'Emotionally unavailable' sounds so harsh to me! [Red's not even sure she full gets the meaning of the term. Could someone really be emotionally "unavailable"?]

But,if this book is true, and knowing how Sparks can be with people... H-Hey, there's noting wrong with being really dedicated to your job, right?! I'm really dedicated to my job...

[Says the moogle who is technically reading someone's mail. With someone else.]

And his job sounds tough sometimes. So many weird things happen! Now I know why he's never surprised by stuff that happens here, I guess.

[umslay]

Stoic's different. It means you hide your emotions, but you have them. This guy just doesn't have any that don't have to with his job!

[He reads a few more pages, then smiles at Red's retort.]

Good at his job? Look at this. [He hands the moogle the open book.] Gets shot at a standoff and loses his job, just like that. You really think he must have been that great of a law enforcer in his world? [But Mars sounds like an empty place. Maybe they didn't have a decent pool of applicants.]

[red_planet_blues]

Well, mistakes can happen, kupo... [Red takes the book, and quickly reads over the section. Really, Sparks? She had so much more faith in him than this. Her face droops.]

With all the stories he's told me, he always made it sound so adventurous and heroic, kupo.

[Of course he did. It's Sparks. Red was feeling awfully conflicted about this.]

No wonder someone wrote a book about him like this!

[umslay]

Eh, what can you say about these kinds of people? Always glossing over how terrible they are at anything apart from fighting and fooling around. [Which doesn't exactly describe Sparks, but whatever.] I guess this woman decided to take matters into her own hands and show the world what kind of man Sparks really is.

[He taps a finger to his nose a few times.] Wait, so then that whole thing about Sparks being too afraid to go back into town was because some robot stole his badge? That's it? [What a loser.] Go back to the beginning. Did the author mention he still wasn't the Marshall when she wrote this?

[If Sparks was lying to everyone that he was a law enforcer right before he arrived, Ales would get a good laugh out of that. If he did get his position back, well, all the more reason for Ales to ask him about that and embarrass him at the same time.]

sorry for the delay, i accidentally deleted the email >_>

[red_planet_blues]

[Red's getting pretty disappointed here. Was Sparks really full of so much hot air?

Though something dawns on her when Ales asks about him still being marshal or not.]

Oh! He's got to be marshal again, though, since he has the badge! He keeps it on him all the time. I asked him why, since it really doesn't mean anything here, but he only said "just in case".

[Red shrugged. Sparks kept it on him for a few reasons, but the main one being that it serves as a communicator and he sends out a distress signal with it. Sure, Crystallis is probably way far out of USSA airspace, but that doesn't mean he won't keep trying.]

No, that's fine!

[umslay]

Well! We know now why he's so attached to it, then. [The idea of a badge having any other use doesn't come to Ales.]

Hopefully no one steals it and takes his job! Or Crystal Jobs, if that's possible.

[This is awful of him but he can't help himself.]

[red_planet_blues]

I-I really don't think he'd let anyone do that, kupo! After all, he's police here too, he even made it to captain recently!

[That was something, right? In the face of all this disappointing news about her charge, there had to be something to be proud of. After all, while this was some good gossip, she didn't want the other moogles to pick on her for working with such a loser.]

[umslay]

Eh, I'm not saying he's bad at what he does, just that he's not good at keeping up the work. [Just like with his relationships.] I am a bit curious as to his other misadventures, but he'll be fine here as long as someone else protects him.

[But yes, juicy gossip is wonderful. This blackmail will come in handy one day.]

[red_planet_blues]

Oh, we can ask him! He's always glad to tell you stories about how he-- [About how awesome he is. But now little Red was wondering how true Sparks's stories were versus these.]

---Err, on second though, kupo, maybe we should ask the Red Plains Rider.

[umslay]

Oh, right. She's the one with the gun, right? [Ales thinks she's trustworthy. Then again, he has a tendency to be favorable towards women with long red hair, seeing that they resemble an old friend of his.]

I'd like to talk with her, too. We should visit her together, and keep it a secret from Sparks.