Vought Tower | Saturday Morning

[defenderofdesmoines]

Starlight was starting to feel like most of what she did here at the Tower was just wait around and take deep breaths outside of doors.

But here she was, at ten AM sharp, outside of Ms. Stillwell's office as instructed. The nameplate next to her door read Senior Vice President of Hero Management.

The boss. The boss's boss, really.

She took one last moment to straighten her skirt, then her cape, before lifting her hand to knock on the door.

Ashley	Ashley answered the door like she'd been waiting on the other side for the opportunity to open it. "Come on in."
Starlight	Starlight walked in slowly, taking in the image of Ms. Stillwell on a couch, seated across from three people she didn't recognize. "Ms. Stillwell, hello."
Madelyn Stillwell	"Please sit," Madelyn said warmly, gesturing to a chair. "Starlight, that video -- "
Starlight	"Ms. Stillwell, please -- " Starlight interrupted, already feeling like she might just combust from nerves.
Stillwell	"No, no." Madelyn held out a hand. "Let me finish. The date-rape girl? The victim? She saw that video on YouTube, and she came forward to thank you. She could not have been more effusive."
Starlight	Well...okay. "That's -- that's good, right?" Starlight asked carefully, because she still wasn't sure why these two men and this eccentric-looking woman were here.
Ashley	"It is fantastic," Ashley told her from across the room. "You're polling through the roof. You have a huge boost with men -- for the ass-kicking, of course -- but with women, too! They love the empowerment. Sixteen points with women eighteen to forty-nine, even in the liberal retreat jurisdictions like New York and San Francisco."
Starlight	Ashley's mood was such a change from last night that Starlight could hardly believe it. (Also she might need to, like, chill out a little? She seemed kind of high strung.) "I don't know what to say," Starlight admitted, smiling.
Stillwell	"You just have to enjoy it," Madelyn told her with a bright smile. "This is so good for you. And it's so great for us! Because it is a partnership, after all."
Ashley	"This is Seth and Evan, from Marketing," Ashley explained, gesturing to each of the men seated across from Ms. Stillwell in turn. "They have some brilliant ideas on how to capitalize on all the buzz. Gentlemen?"
Seth and Evan from Marketing	"Now," Seth began, eyes wide and hands splayed out before him, "small-town Iowa girl, unexpected child prodigy, is chosen for The Seven." "Destiny knocks on the girl next door's door," Evan continued in a dramatic voice, "and she answers, to fight for truth and justice side-by-side with her heroes." "The Big Apple is rough, tumble," Seth warned ominously, "it's got worms. Muggers and rapists and thieves, oh my. Dorothy is not in Kansas anymore." "Or Iowa!" Evan added helpfully. "Poor girl gets knocked around something fierce, kicked while she's down." "So what does she do?" asked Seth, as the thus-far-silent woman when over to a...draped figure in the corner that Starlight hadn't noticed. "Cry into her milk? Does she quit?" "No way!" proclaimed Evan. "She adapts!" "Transforms!" cried Seth. "Embraces her feminine strengths," encouraged Evan. "Goodbye, yellow brick road!" shouted Seth. "And hello Starlight." And with that, the woman yanked the cloth off of a dressform to reveal...a tiny, tiny bodysuit.
Starlight	Oh...no. No. It was cut down to -- No. "I can't wear that," Starlight said, flatly.
Stillwell	"What?" Madelyn asked, like maybe she'd misheard.
Ashley	"What? Why not? It's beautiful," Ashley replied intensely.
Starlight	It was skimpier than any swimsuit she'd ever worn? It looked like it would show every inch of her legs? She didn't show off that much cleavage unless she was at home with her boyfriend and even then? "It's just not me," she settled on.
The Charming Marketing Team	"I designed Homelander's suit," replied the woman standing next to this...new...Starlight outfit. "This isn't my first rodeo." "You're wrong," Seth added. "It's totally you. It's bold, it's brave, it's feminist."
Starlight	"How is that feminist?" Starlight really wanted to know.
Seth and Evan from Marketing	"Empowering," Evan told her. "It says that you're confident in your own skin, and you're not afraid to show it." "Most importantly," Seth added, "it tells the story. Of your transformation. Of what you're going through."
Starlight	"How exactly," Starlight asked, starting to get pretty irritated, here, "do you know what I'm going through, exactly?" And when no one replied -- they all just looked at her expectantly -- she sighed. "I'm sorry. I appreciate the effort, I really do, but I'm fine with my old outfit."
Stillwell	"We're not," Madelyn told her, now with an apologetic smile.
Starlight	Starlight...had not anticipated that response, and was a little stunned. "Excuse me?"
Stillwell	"Starlight, like I said before, this is a partnership. In a partnership, there is give, and there is take," Madelyn explained.
Starlight	"It's my body," Starlight said slowly, disbelievingly. "I have the right to choose how much of it I show." And after the whole -- after the other stuff that had happened to her, her body had suffered enough indignities for awhile, thank you. She had been objectified quite enough for now.
Stillwell	"That is true, you do," Madelyn agreed, still all smiles. "You just won't be doing it in The Seven, unless it is wrapped in that." She gestured to the bodysuit with wide, splayed hands.
Starlight	Starlight was starting to wonder how much she really did want to be in The Seven, if it was going to be...like this. Was it actually worth it? Not just the paycheck, but the supposed good she could do, but hadn't been able to? Was it worth this? And she hadn't even seen the boots yet.

[taken from The Boys 1.03, 'Get Some.' warning for reference to attempted rape, NFB/NFI/OOC welcome as always!]