Nebulossom Mars leaned against her motorbike, fiddling with the headset of her helmet. She had a magnificent red mohawk, pale and freckled skin, and irises that shone like stars in the night, a deep blue hue. She was outside Starkeeper Headquarters, located right inside Willis Tower. Not too far from the train station, in case they had a remote mission, and far above the skyline so they could deal with flying Malice; this was the ideal location for a Magical Warrior company like the Starkeepers.

"Nebulossom Gaia, what's the hold-up?" Mars called out to the rookie on her headset. She wasn't sure where the girl had gone, but they had a job to do. It didn't reflect well that she was late on her first day as a Starkeeper. "Gaia, repeat, please come in. Are you there?"

The radio crackled in silence, with no response from the other end. "Velvet Machine garbage… maybe my voice isn't getting through. Venus, are you there?" Mars continued to call out on her headset radio, hoping the fault lay in the technology, not their new coworker.

"Oh, I read you loud and clear, Mars. Your voice sounds especially nice today." Nebulossom Venus called out from her headset as it filtered out the noise of a budding crowd. "Excuse me, pardon! I'm coming through." Venus squeezed past a pile of enamored citizens calling out to get her autograph. She appreciated the attention, but now wasn't the time for pleasantries.

"Th, thanks," Mars muttered, fidgeting and adjusting her short red hair. "We need to get going, Gaia or not. I'm getting reports from all over town, nearly a dozen incursion points in Chicago alone. I'm not even counting the suburbs."

"Wait a little longer, hon. I'm sure she's on her way. You know how excited she is for her first day!" Venus seemed to have more faith in the recruit than Mars ever could.

"People are going to die!" Mars huffed. She was genuinely concerned for the well-being of her fans. What kind of impact would it have on album sales if they screwed up a massive invasion like this? New York was already being overrun.

"Oh, please. What does this look like, 2012? I already sent out a few honeybees to keep the Malice occupied. You know Stargarden tech has a sting to it." Venus seemed at ease as she strolled up next to the punk rocker. Her shapely body had a bit of heft and jiggle to it, well formed and not detracting from her combat potential in the slightest.

Maya Belmont wasn't just Nebulossom Venus; she was also a plus-size model and the heart of the Starkeepers. An elegant turquoise dress was draped over her body, shimmering and sparkling with her every move. Thick and curly black hair was tied into a sleek weave; she could work her way in and out of any social situation with a confident, fang-filled smile. Her hungry eyes greedily slid along Mars' body, and the rocker shuddered.

Unlike Maya, Mars was lean and muscular. Her magical girl uniform exposed plenty of her firm body, especially around her gut, where her jacket was cut low. She had to keep her body toned, following a strict diet and exercise regimen when she wasn't practicing for shows with her band. Mars had been permitted to work her short red hair into a mohawk, but nothing too spiky; she still had to don her artifacts when going into combat, and there wasn't exactly room in that helmet for a full head of hair.

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The greedy looks Venus sent her way did not go unnoticed by the skinnier magical girl. "You know I don't have that much. Meds take a long time to kick in." Mars coughed. She wasn't quite sure where Venus was headed with that look, but she was confident nothing good would come out of indulging her. That woman was incorrigible.

"Oh, your boobs will grow just fine with time and some good meals. You've been eating, right?" Venus gave Mars a few experimental pokes in her belly, and the rocker squeaked.

"H-hey! Back off! I'm not about to go on an eating binge like you, dummy!" Mars huffed. "I'm just doing what the doctor ordered. She said it'd be easy to gain weight if I'm not careful about it."

"But you need to gain weight to get curves. Take a look at me, for example…." Venus gestured slowly down her entire body, grinning widely at Mars. She was entertaining to put on a show for; how her face turned as red as her hair, and she had to swallow whatever drool was spilling into her throat? Observing her reactions was a priceless experience. "I'm just saying, consider it. You'll be much happier!"

"U-um, no. Not into being chubby; not gonna happen, even if it does mean bigger boobs. And if you suggest something like feeding me," Mars began before her words trailed off, and she saw that the newbie had arrived.

Standing behind her, a young woman observed the two of them cautiously. "Am I interrupting something?" Gaia stood between the two girls, trying to show confidence but shying from their gaze. She held a notebook and wore bookish, circular glasses. Her blue-green eyes and turquoise hair glittered in the sun and caught the attention of her teammates, both of which dusted themselves off and straightened up.

"No, nothing at all, honey! We do have to get going right away. The honeybees can't keep Malice distracted forever." Venus whistled, and a bike came roaring from the garage before pulling up next to the group. "Have you sorted out your bike?"

"Y, yeah. I was a little late because I couldn't figure out how to make it work." Gaia gestured to a Velvet Schwinn she'd been pushing along by her side. "I thought it would be more automatic… the pedals had a lot of resistance."

"Woah, they stuck you on a manual bike? That bites, newbie." Mars laughed, hopping back onto her motorcycle and clipping her helmet into place. "Try to keep up? I won't go too fast."

"Oh, shush, Mars. You can handle scouting for our unit. I'll show Gaia how to deal with Malice while you get to work. Everyone else is already doing their best." Venus gave Gaia a few questionably comforting rubs on her shoulders. "Let's just get going, okay?"

Gaia nodded and took a few quick notes in her composition book. If there was anything the training briefings insisted on, listening to your seniors was the best way to survive a Malice attack— and if the reports on the activity spikes were accurate, she'd need all the advice she could get.