Two days after the chaos downtown, the Heroes Counsel was convened, with the Rangers invited (required) to attend. The meeting was set for 4pm, and school let out at 3pm. The girls planned to meet up and head over immediately after classes let out. As Masuyo got up to leave, she overheard Daniel stop Thea.
"Tea, do you have some time to talk today?" He then leaned in and whispered a bit more. Thea being close to him bothered Masuyo.
"I'm sorry, but today I have somewhere to get to."
"That's fine. I can walk you there. I don't have anything planned."
"Sorry, but no. It's umm... personal, and I-I don't… I…"
Masuyo could see her struggling, and watching her squirm was mildly entertaining, especially since she was typically stoic and cold publicly. But right now, there were two problems; one, they were on a timetable, and two, she didn't want her staying around Daniel. Before Masuyo could get involved, Ruttus, a large muscle-bound classmate with brown hair and a rich dad, grabbed Daniel by the shoulder, and pulled him back.
"Can't you see she doesn't want you around, weakling? Not only would you damage the Student Counsel President's rep by being around her, but I wouldn't be surprised if she was just afraid of catching your weakness." He laughed, and his group of friends joined in. "Stick to your own pathetic friend, Loser."
Masuyo used the opportunity to grab Thea's arm and lead her away. "We have to go. We're on a schedule here."
"That's not true…"
Daniel will be okay. I'm sure. Masuyo thought.
Leaving the room, Masuyo noticed a second-year girl where the boys were still laughing. As they passed, the girl looked over at them. She only looked for a second, but Masuyo could swear she scowled before looking back.
After meeting up, all six girls hurried off campus. They found a spot to transform and flew to the 'Tower of Heroes', the giant tacky building where the council met. Upon arrival, they found they were not the only ones summoned. The White Knights, Un-man, and most of the members of Divinus were present as well. They all shared short greetings and wellbeing updates, but the waiting room felt more the like a prison, each of them prisoners awaiting their sentencing.
After about a half hour of waiting, Divinus and Un-man were led into the council chamber. As they entered, a thunderous applause came from the room, making Kai and the female White Knight jump. After ten more minutes, they could hear the footsteps of a large crowd of people leaving the hall. A while after the footsteps quieted down, everyone else was called into the chamber.
UC hadn't been in the chamber in years, but it looked exactly the same as she remembered. The chamber has about a 200-foot diameter, with two-thirds dedicated to seating for viewers, those meeting the counsel, and other purposes. The remaining third was for the ten heroes of the counsel, who's chairs sat in a stadium style with desks of four of them, then three, two and the top being the head councilman, looking like a pyramid. Un-man and the members of Divinus were all sitting at the tables closet to the counsel's side, facing the counsel and already looking pissed. UC looked at the counsel and saw that all ten were present. She recognized Piston, sitting on one of the low desks, with a sling over his shoulder, holding his arm.
Is that still from the fight? UC thought to herself. If it hasn't healed yet, it must have been extremely bad.
As the new group of heroes approached the others already sitting, UC noticed a small round object in front of Chic Fighter. Then she saw the same thing on Angelic's lapel. Whimsy was holding one in her hand rolling it around, seeming to decide what to do with it, and Un-man had already decided, as there was a crumpled one in front of him.
"They're medals." Whimsy said, noticing the girls looking. "Council gave them to us in a big event in front of the press for, and I quote," then in a mocking tone she continued, "'Bravery in the face of extreme danger, and a swift selfless response in assistance to first responders and those in need after the terrible tragedy that occurred in our city.'"
There was a cough from one of the council members voicing their annoyance at Whimsy's attitude.
Over the next few hours, each hero would recount the details of the mission and their encounter with The Grey Knight. To UC it definitely sounded like the accounts given by Un-man and the members of Divinus seemed to carry much more weight than her team's or the White Knight's. A bit of Gus' story held their attention, but besides that, most of the other heroes' reports on the fight seemed 'half listened' to at best. A few recounts seemed flat out ignored. Frosty was the last one to go, and not even a quarter of the way through, she was interrupted.
"Miss Dragon, do you have anything to add that we haven't already been told a dozen times?" One of the council women from the higher spots asked, sounding rather impatient.
Frosty, pretty nervous already, quietly though on it for a second. "I don't believe so ma'am."
"Then you may sit back down." She dismissed Frosty who walked over to the others and quietly sat.
"Unless anyone has anything to add, we will discuss this in private." The member at the top declared, before moving her arms, causing the council area to close from the rest of the room. A silence hung in the room, as no sound came from the divided off area while the council deliberated. Then, after no more than fifteen minutes, the area opened back up. The member from the top floated up from her seat to the divide for the room, looked down on the heroes and spoke.
"We, the Council of Heroes, have come to a decision that in light of this incident, punishment is to be given to some of those involved. By a margin of nine votes for and one against, the hero Fae, commonly known as 'Gus', of the Magical Ranger Girls, will hereby be suspended from her duties as a hero for two weeks, with no compensation, then placed under probationary duties for an additional two weeks, so the council may be assured of her understanding of the circumstances of her suspension."
Nix rubbed Gus' back. Gus looked over a bit downtrodden, but cracked a small smile, "It could be worse. I did mess up."
UC was getting ready to stand, and the other heroes around her seemed to have the same idea. The council woman spoke again, freezing them in their place.
"Secondly, due to the catastrophic loss of life, even as the public has been assured of its lack of connection to those responsible, this council would be remised in our duty to not give consequences to those responsible, even due to the nature of those involved, and outside forces." Gus got very tense, and the other members of MRG looked concerned. "The hero Fae's actions are considered a reflection of the leadership she is under. So, in a vote of seven for and two against, with one abstaining, it has been decided, the hero Phoenix, will be suspended from any and all hero duties for six weeks without compensation, and then kept under probation for an additional twelve weeks."
The room was dead silent for a minute. Piston wasn't even trying to hide his irritation, and a few other council members looked concerned as the ruling came out. UC could see Whimsy and Piston exchanging looks, then Piston shaking his head and intentionally not looking at the others in the room.
After that sank in, the councilor continued. "Finally, in a ruling of 6 for and three against, with one abstaining, it has been decided that Phoenix is to be demoted from her 'leader' roll of the Magical Ranger Girls, effective immediately."
The air drained from the room. Kai stood up to say something, but Nix grabbed her hand.
"That's bullshit!" Everyone in the room looked over to see Chic had yelled that out and was standing and looking irate at the council. "That woman prevented many deaths with her quick actions. She is an amazing leader! You can't do that!"
"We are quite allowed to, Chic fighter." One of the other members of the council on the higher levels said. "And do not let your connection with one of our council members go to your head. You are just as punishable as the next hero, and such outbursts are not tolerated."
Chic sat down, and Un-man stood up. "It's the council's decision to punish a leader for a subordinated mistake. That is your choice. But this punishment seems too severe for the crime of a single misjudgment."
"Your objection is noted. While you may feel that it is the Council's job to decide these things. Are there any more objections?"
"With all due respect," Shiro stood, "That seems like a long sentence for an 'incident' the Grey Knight caused. The only mishandling from the sentenced was an attempt to send a scout, then leaving the building when ordered to. If I recall, the train accident caused by the Six Super Sentai, simply got some members of the team suspended for a week. Six people died in that, and none were known villain."
The member of the council floating above gave a harsh look to Shiro, "Shiro, leader of the White Knights, do you need to be reminded of the taboo on speaking the name of the 'vigilante', you just blatantly spoke about? Furthermore, and more immediate, are you saying you believe one life carries more worth than another? May I remind everyone that 112 lives, VILLAIN OR NOT, were lost in this 'mishandling'. Though," what seemed to be a slightly malicious smirk crossed her face, "The council does have an alternative to possibly shorten her punishment and maybe even retain her place as leader. We are willing to supplement her suspension with… 'Reeducation'." She let the last word linger in the air.
Nix's eye widened and she shot up to her feet "N-no! I accept the council's decision!"
Reeducation… Basically, when heroes break big rules (revealing someone's identity, murder, willful neglect, and a few others), they are sent to what pretty much amounts to publicly approved brainwashing and torture, labeled as training. 80% of heroes sent either immediately retire after getting out, or never 'graduate'. Of the 20% that continue to be heroes after reeducation, none have ever been sent back to reeducation, though they never seem to be as strong as they were. Also, if the public finds out a hero was sent to reeducation, they never view them favorably again, so it's kind of social suicide.
Content with her threat, the councilwoman returned to her seat.
"This is not an objection, but I have a question:" Angelic said standing as well, "Who will be leading their group, if you're demoting their leader?"
"The hero Ice Dragon, also known as 'Frosty' will be made immediate, interim leader, until further notice. PR will be tasked to decide at a later date, based off merit, skill, and marketability. As for the accolades presented to the members of Divinus and Un-man publicly; the recipients will be allowed to retain them, if they want," she looked at the crumpled item in front of Un-man, "as a gesture of understanding from the council. In regards to the change in leadership, and suspension of the two heroes today; official reports will list each of the two as taking 'personal time', and 'mental health time', and it will be noted that the council wishes them well and they will be welcomed back when they are 'rested and ready to return'." One of the councils was holding an official looking paper to show the others the documentation. "Any contradictions, or leaks of anything counter to this official report will result in disciplinary actions against any found to be involved. This applies to all persons present." She looked at Piston and Whimsy. "Is this understood by all present?"
"Understood!" Everyone, including all the council members, responded.
"Then this meeting is adjourned. Councilman Alister, will you tell the two of the conditions of their suspension?" The woman looked at one of the lower councilmen and then walked off.
The councilman walked over the Nix and Gus. He looked to be in his mid 30's, and wore a slightly gaudy wizard's robe, with a bandana covering one of his eyes. "Phoenix? Fae? You will receive a summons at the end of each of your respective suspensions. During this summon you will be given the criteria of your probationary hero work. While suspended, being publicly seen in your uniforms is prohibited. You have special permission today to continue wearing it as a means to hid your identity from the public, but if you are found to violate or misuse this granted permission, or if you are found doing any hero work before your suspension is ended, you will be considered a 'vigilante' and treated as such." He then added at the end, "Don't worry too much. Take this time to reflect and sort out your non-hero lives. You have all been heroes for years. Use this as an opportunity to improve you." Though his comforting fell on deaf ears.
Nix was already a mess. Frosty, Hooves, and Gus were consoling her as most of the council members left the room. Angelic left, following one of the councilwomen. Whimsy walked over to Nix, got to eye level with her, and wiped her tears.
"It's not right." Shiro muttered to UC. His voice trembled a bit with anger, but stayed quiet enough only UC could hear him. "She helped save my whole team when we ran in like idiots. She even helped us when the building almost collapsed on us all." He spoke a little louder. "It makes me wonder if I'd be in her shoes if I'd taken the lead."
"Shiro," the female knight stood next to him, "it's useless to ponder on such things, and I fear your prattling may be viewed as insulting to Unicorn."
"It fine." UC said, "I'm sorry they did that to her. But when they threatened 'reeducation', I knew we were lucky this was all she got." She looked at the two beside her, it was hard to tell their expressions with their masks on, but they were probably worried about her. "She is strong. She'll make it through this. I'll make sure."
"She is lucky to have a teammate and friend like you." The female knight handed her a piece of paper. "If your team needs any assistance, please don't hesitate to call upon my services, Unicorn. My leader and I owe you at least that much."
"Thank you. Oh, you can call me 'UC' by the way. Those close to me do."
"Then you may either call me 'B' or Blanc, whichever suits you." She couldn't see it, but she could tell Blanc was smiling.
Piston, being the only person left on the council's side of the room, jumped over his desk, and made his way over.
"Rangers!"
He walked over to Nix and the other. "I'm sorry for the council's decision. Due to my involvement, I was forced to abstain for most votes." He then kneeled next to Nix who'd collapsed into a seat, hands completely covering her face. "Nix, he said gently, "If your team needs support, Chic, Angelic, and Whimsy are at your disposal. I am going to be out for a bit with this," he pointed to his sling, "but I'm certain they will be more than willing to help you girls."
"Tas mawt mh chis." Nix cried behind her hands.
"Um… What?"
"It's not MY choice!" She shouted clearly this time. "It isn't my team anymore! Ask HER!" she pointed at Frosty, then stormed out of the room. She was mumbling something about 'deserving this', but UC couldn't understand it.
"Pr…Nix!" Frosty said flustered, "Don't be… I'm sorry! I-I…!" But Nix had already left the room before she could form her sentence or get the words out.
Piston sighed deeply. "Frosty, take this." He handed her a small white cylinder with a blue button on top. "It's a communication device set to the frequency we use. If you have any questions? Ask. Need help? Tell us and we'll come asap."
"Okay."
Un-man put his massive hand on UC's shoulder as the White Knights left. "You all look like a tight group." His growls sounded almost gentle, "I have a feeling you know each other outside the costumed life. So, my advice to you, if you want it, is to keep an eye on her and make sure she's okay. She looks like she handled it well enough, but the next week especially may be tough on her."
"I plan on it." UC responded, determined.
"Then she has nothing to worry about."
Soon after that, the remaining Magical Ranger Girls left, going their separate ways. Frosty and Hooves took Gus home. Kai looked to still be at a loss for what had happened but then left by herself. Alone, UC stood in front of the tower for a few minutes before deciding to head to Thea's house.
Having transformed back, Masuyo walked, what was a familiar path, to her friend Thea's house. Not sure what to expect, she braced herself for a harsh time. She approached the two-story wooden house with a slightly worn fence around the grounds. Noticing neither of Thea's parents were home, she let herself walk in and walked straight to her friend's room. Thea called out as Masuyo was about to knock. "Don't bother knocking. You walk like an ape. Just come on in, you dork."
Masuyo entered, noticing a cluttered mess in her usually neat room. Thea was at her desk with her face in some books and notes Masuyo recognized from when she was helping go through the workload for the upcoming dance. She didn't acknowledge her friend once Masuyo entered the room and just kept on working.
"What's up 'Yo-Yo'?" She finally said, not even looking up, but in a somewhat chipper tone.
"Is everything, um, okay enough?"
"Sure, just catching up on student council work. The dance for next month is gonna take some effort, so best to start now."
"That's not what I…"
"I know you were asking about something else, but I'm focusing right now."
"But..."
"If that's all, you don't need to stay here and babysit me. Maybe go see Nephele."
"I'm not going anywhere, Prez."
"Suit yourself then but keep it down. I need to do my work."
"No. We need to talk about what happened."
Thea's pen stopped. "What's there to talk about? I'm benched with Nephele, and Eda's the leader now. That about sums it up." She went to continue.
Masuyo was fed up with her friend and grabbed her by the shoulder, turning her so they were face to face. Her irritation instantly vanished as she saw tears streaming down Thea's face. She pulled her in for a hug, trying to comfort her friend.
"This isn't fair. It wasn't your fault."
"Please stop it." Thea pleaded. "No. I accepted Gus going up… I am… was, the leader, and I accept my roll."
"But suspending you that long? And stripping you of your leadership role was way too far. You've been our leader and an amazing hero for years. It wasn't your fault the building collapsed. It wasn't your fault the Grey Knight showed up. It's..."
Thea shoved Masuyo off her.
"JUST SHUT UP!" Her shout caused all the birds on the nearby trees to scatter. "Leave me alone! I don't need to be told it wasn't my fault. I KNOW! Doesn't change the outcome. Please! Get out of here and go back to your happy little life where everything is nice and fair… Oh wait, it isn't! Why don't you go and ask out that beloved boy you liked for so long? Right! He's your brother now! Accept it! Don't lecture me about fairness when you can't even accept you own problems! Just go be a hero and forget about me!"
Tears welled in Masuyo's eyes and began to fall. Thea had been her best friend for years, and this hit her right where it hurt the most. Daniel was her stepbrother now, but Thea knew she'd had a crush on him long before their parents married. They'd both admitted to liking him. But Thea barely spoke to him anymore from what Masuyo had seen. Why is she bringing this up now?
"I really care about you, 'Prez'," she earnestly replied, "but that crossed the line. I'm leaving, but…"
"But what? You'll, 'rescue me if I need you to?'. Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Bye."
Wiping the tears away, Masuyo left without another word.
+++
As the sun had begun to set, Lailah and Eda escorted Nephele home. She was a mess. Eda hadn't seen her friend in such a state before. After leaving the others, they sat at the park for a while to allow Nephele to collect herself. Eventually, the tears stopped, the streaks it had left in her make-up along with her puffy red eyes made gave no doubt to her distress. Though she seemed stable, they didn't trust that she would remain so, if they let her go. Any students walking the path gave a wide berth, not asking questions, and presumably, making their own theories as to Nephele's situation. They all remained silent, the girls and passersby alike, until a familiar voice from in front of them came forward.
"Hi Eda, Lailah, Neph…" Daniel was stopped in front of them., and upon seeing Nephele, seemed to be confused and concerned "Nephele? Are you okay?"
"Just a rough day." She put on a fake smile to beam to Daniel.
Eda had known Daniel for as long as any of the other girls in her group. While she knew Thea and Masuyo had feelings for him, she could never look past how weak he was. He was always kind and considerate to all of them, which was the only reason she tolerated such a cretin. To her, he was just something in the way that distracted two of her friends and could eventually lead to problems. In middle school, it seemed like it may be 'puppy love' between himself and Thea, but for some reason they never even dated, then Masuyo fell for him, and could never talk to him about it. Alessia, was actually the only one in the group to publicly asked him out. It was in middle school, and the dunce was respectfully shot down, but Eda could at least give her praise for actually doing something. When they'd started high school and were advised to avoid him, Eda was fully on board. She even helped convince Thea and the others when it seemed like they may ignore the advice.
It wasn't that Eda hated boys, or that she wanted to stop her friends from dating, she'd dated a few guys before and got confessed to a ton of times. She knew Nephele, Lailah and somehow Alessia had all had boyfriends before and that didn't bother her at all. It was Daniel specifically. She couldn't deny that he was better at the academic parts of school than she was, but that didn't matter one bit. Power is status. He's pathetic. Him stringing them both along also pissed her off. If they just wanted him for his body or something, she wouldn't care at all, though there are definitely boys at the school with better physiques.
What makes him so freaking special…
"Umm… are you okay?" Daniel had now turned his attention to Eds, who was accidentally glaring at him.
She quickly stopped glaring, but still sounded a bit cold as answered. "I'm fine."
"Can I help at all?"
"Oh!" She put on her 'best' happy voice, "No, no. It's nothing. We should get Nephele home, though so excuse up please."
"I'm sorry to bother you all." Daniel exclaimed as he moved out of the way to let the girls through. As they passed to tried to assure Nephele "I'm sure things will get better."
"Thanks" she responded despondent.
After they'd left Daniel behind, Lailah leaned into the other two.
"Geez, he's too freaking nice sometimes. Gonna get him in a mess one day, I swear."
"Be nice." Nephele chuckled softly. "He's just being polite."
"I do wish he'd have ignored us." Eda responded coldly. "He said he'd do so at the beginning of high school and still made such causal conversation."
"I mean, I don't really mind." Lailah said. "It was 'only at school' that we asked, and I kinda miss when we all hung out. He's alright."
Eda pulled Nephele a little faster, forcing Lailah, and Nephele to speed up to keep pace with her. She felt the call button Piston had given her as a petty and bitter thought crossed her mind.
Since I'm in charge of the Rangers, maybe we need a few changes.
+++
Daniel soon made it home but found that Masuyo was still out. She ended up coming home later that evening in a rather unhappy mood. Masuyo looked like she wanted to say something to him, but instead made a sour face, clicked her tongue and continued on. Did they all fight or something? Daniel didn't know, and with what he'd seen of Masuyo, it seemed dangerous to ask her tonight. A while later as he was sitting in his bed, Daniel's phone buzzed. A text from Thea: [Come over now. Please. I can't be alone right now.].
Concerned about her, Daniel immediately headed out. Thea didn't live too far, so he was able to get there quickly. Her parents weren't home. Maybe they were on a 'vacation' or some other trip again.
[Come in] her text said.
He turned the knob, and the door opened. It was unlocked? He thought as he entered.
"Tea?!"
"Up here!" Her voice, sounding 'off' a bit, echoed from the stairway.
Something definitely didn't seem right, and the house was completely dark. Daniel made his way up to the stairway and at the top of the stairs could hear running water coming from the room to his left.
"I'm en 'ere." Thea called out, slurring her words.
"Umm…" He paused at the door. "This is the bathroom." He was barely able to read the sign on the door in the darkness.
"Come in. I'm covered." She said dryly.
Steam from the room hit Daniel as he walked in. Thea was in the tub, water up to her collarbone, with her arms above the water. She was moving a finger back and forth to magically light and extinguish candle, the sole light Daniel had seen in the house so far. That wasn't the concerning part, though. She was fully clothed in her school uniform, completely soaked. Her face had a gloomy, almost scary look, he'd only ever seen a few times before.
"Tea?" He almost asked, 'are you okay?', but this whole scenario was already screaming 'NO!', so he decided to keep quiet.
She looked over at him, a tad confused at first, then a small smile cracked on the side of her mouth.
"You came."
"What happened?" He stepped towards her, and as the light flickered a bit, He could see the tears streaming down her flush cheeks. He moved right next to her and held her hand.
"You should get out of there." Daniel calmly said.
"Why?" She responded very blankly.
"You'll catch a cold, or… or you might make a mess of your school clothes.'
"Huh?" she looked down, "Oh yea, I am wearing those."
Her breath hit him.
"Have you been drinking?"
The crack of a smile on her face took the whole thing over and soon she was beaming at him.
"Maaybe." She tightly held his hand.
"Tea, this isn't like you. Let's get you out of there."
He began to stand to help her up, but instead she yanked his arm, catching him off guard, and pulling him into the water. He quickly surfaced, fully soaked looking at her big smile.
"I got you!" She declared triumphantly.
Trying not to get mad at the situation he didn't understand, he gave a smile back. "You did."
Her smile faded quickly, and she leaned against him.
"I'm sorry" she cried.
"It's fine. I just have to dry off and I'll be all good." He assured her.
"No. Not for that. For… the other night. I knew you didn't want to do it, but I also knew you couldn't stop me." He could feel her arms wrapping more tightly around him as her chest pressing into his. "I'm so sorry. You should hate me. WHY DID YOU COME!?" She yelled. "I abused you. A-assaulted you... But you still showed up. W-why?" She almost couldn't finish her last words as the tears rained down again.
Why? He paused to think about it.
"Because you are someone I care for. A close friend. And if my friend makes a mistake, I'll still be there when they are in need. We're… we're both a bit broken and that's part of what connects us. So, I don't think I could ever hate you." He held her head to his. Forehead to forehead
Fool
It didn't matter to him. He'd stand by Thea as long as he was able. Daniel lifted her chin to look her in the eyes.
"So, please tell me what's wrong?"
She looked between his eyes and lips, sighed, then off to the side.
"The job I have, um had, I got suspended for 6 weeks, because of a big mistake I made."
Thea's job was a mystery to him. She was always so vague about it, but it took almost every afternoon she had (the others were typically spent with Masuyo and their friends). Respecting her privacy, he'd never pressed on figuring out what it was. Now, however, after they'd hurt her like this, a small part of him really wanted to find out it was and burn it to the ground.
Thea sobbed for a few minutes, then he could see her eyes flutter, then droop, as her cheeks had gotten much redder.
"We really should get out." He suggested. "The water is starting to get cold."
"Y-yeah…" she slumped back into him.
"Tea? Come on. Let's get up." Daniel lightly shook her.
She didn't respond, so Daniel picked her up out of the bath. She started to shiver almost immediately, so he grabbed a towel and tightly wrapped it around her as he took her to her room. He dressed Thea in dry pajamas then tucked her in her bed. Leaning in, he went to kiss her forehead, but stopped, right before, unable to do it.
Looking around the room, even in the dark, he noticed multiple cans scattered around her room, which was also filled with a ton of papers. Despite still being soaked from the bath, he cleaned and organized things up for her. While tidying up, Daniel noticed the pin Thea always wore, a quill, composed of diamonds discarded on the floor next to the trash. The moment he touched it, a stabbing pain went through his whole body, starting with the lower back and shooting into the head. Two images flashed through his brain in that moment. The first was five other pieces of jewelry he knew Thea's friends, including Masuyo, wore every day, and the other was a bird wreathed in flames. A Phoenix…
No way…