--OU WHOSE CLAWS ARE AS SHARP AS BAST'S SHA--
You blink, and in doing so find yourself outside of the ruins. There is no entrance, as if it never existed in the first place. You look around in confusion, because you clearly remember picking up that rough, old piece of... You look down, and can still feel the dust and fine sands that lingered on the claw piece, which stuck to the skin of your palm. It is still there.
"Raven?" Charles walks up from behind you. "I've been looking everywhere for you, this place is just some old houses that collapsed from bad architecture according to the locals. There's nothing to see here."
You turn to him and are about to ask, when you realize that the Charles who walked into the ruins with you had different eyes than your Charles. They were the eyes of a feline, yet for that moment, somehow, it escaped your notice until now.
Charles scowls. "What are you doing, fooling around? You know you'll get found out if you play around like that!"
He isn't looking into your eyes as he often does when speaking to you--being more shy than anything else when speaking with other ladies, it is a trait you notice immediately--but at the top of your head. You reach up, and feel two fluffy cat ears and a twitch... There are nerve endings there that you do not remember forming; a cat's tail wraps around your waist. Your tail. "I didn't do it," you blurt out.
"Oh, just stop fooling around and let's go to Cairo! I heard the bazaars there have all sorts of ancient trinkets," Charles runs off excitedly.
You don't remember how or when, but it seems like your base-form has gained cat ears and a cat tail. Best hide that for now, and thank your lucky stars you didn't completely turn into a cat or something...
Strangely, everything feels lighter, though you feel as if nothing has changed within you.
Weird.
---
"THE TEN COMMANDMENTS!"
"A PHOTOGRAPHIC WONDER!"
"THE PEAK OF BEAUTY!"
"AUDREY HEPBURN... WITTY AND MODERN NEFRETIRI!"
"RAVEN DARKHOLME'S BOMBASTIC SEPHORA... CHARMING FOR THE AGES!"
"Charlton Heston...? Meh, he's alright."
Released in the fall of 1955, it seemed as if praise was unanimous, though some critics say that you and Ms. Hepburn ought to have switched roles, and would have done just as well, probably. More offers for roles are coming in now, though nothing to interesting.
Total earnings you made from the initial showings is somewhere vaguely around $9,446,907.50. However, that seems to be the end of profits there, as Paramount Pictures and Motion Picture Associates do not seem to be willing to share anymore, and quickly used whatever legal loophole or something to cut you out of any more of the deal.
---
Stupid Sputnik.
Sigh.
"... I don't get it," Ike says not for the first time. "Too much mumble jumble, I'm not a rocket scientist, Raven."
"Well..." You find yourself in the uncomfortable position of having to discuss his policies with him, seeing as you're pretty much the only person in the Capitol not out for a piece of political power... much. Noticeably.
Well, you got better at acting like it anyway.
He runs his hand over his head. "So... nevertheless, I got advisers to tell me. I don't need to be a rocket scientist, but for this, I might as well need to be. You've been around those eggheads for a while now, Raven, what do you think?"
Well?
What did you think about establishing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1956?
[ ] Yeah. You would like to see America in space. Also, a billionaire boy genius named Nathaniel Richards wants to talk.
[ ] Nah. You could save that political capital for something else you want to pass, like the Civil Rights Movement.
---
"Hello?"
"Hi, Ms. Darkholme. It's me, Warren."
"You can call me Raven, you know?"
"Ah, but... it feels out of place. I'd rather stay more respectful. It's a... er..."
"... Well, alright. What would you like to talk to me about, Warren?"
"I hate textiles."
"What?"
"I mean, this is a good business, and we're making good returns," He stutters.
"Then what's the problem?"
"I... this industry is terrible and stagnant, and we might as well be exporting our labor to some overseas place like the Formosas."
"Ah, Taiwan."
"Right. I almost forgot how close you are to the President. What's he had to say about Formosa anyway?"
"Oh, you know, what everyone's saying. We're going to protect our friends from the dastardly communists! Anyway, have you given thought on what you want to do then?"
"I'm thinking about it, but I'll see this through first."
"... Have you thought about soft drinks? I work with Coke from time to time."
"... Huh. Now that's a thought..."
---
One thing led to another. Maybe you shouldn't have tried to do so many things at once, or maybe you shouldn't have tried to do it so quickly. Whatever the case, these are the consequences of your own actions, some of the present, and some from the past.
Somethings did come of it though.
You learned how to heal yourself, to close any wound, to pop out any foreign objects, and even to shape and reshape your cells each individually, to utterly defeat the chances of illness or disease. Where this power came from, you had no idea, but it didn't even really leave you tired or hungry, unless you were to... oh, try to regrow a limb from scratch or something.
Charles is... well, he's closer to you now. But it's utterly depressing to be around him, and the few attempts to use his power to connect left you utterly emotionally exhausted to do anything but pass out. Now he's even more... lonely than before. He's even forgone doing more research on genetics, because he says he isn't being fulfilled emotionally.
Sigh.
Romance doesn't seem to be for you. Yeah, maybe it's time you gals gave it a break. You've been spending a lot of time with Charles lately, does Emma need to know something about you two? What's this about connecting with him?
In the end, you agreed to break off for a while.
Looks like you'll need a new manager.
"I know why, but, Charles, why does it hurt so much?"
"... I don't know, Raven."
---
Winter 1955
Due to so many months and years of inactivity, Sophie and Maddie came and told you that they're also breaking off. Being your bandmates was good for publicity, in the beginning, but you aren't even in any of their acts anymore, and now Emma isn't even their manager! This band break-up is in the news for days, and it seems the news people are blaming Emma.
With your recent successes so great, it is no wonder how many people suddenly pay attention to your band breaking up. Well, not everyone thought it a bad thing; Coca Cola wondered if you were willing to do a new commercial, for the television. Why, they'll even give you some free reign on it, you could put in some music or the like...
Anyway, for the coming year, pick 4:
[ ] Register and attend university to study biology and manipulating microbiology.
[ ] Register and attend university to study ancient Egypt archeology and cats and stuff.
[ ] Find a personal trainer and work on athletics, self-defense, and weapons training.
[ ] Continue learning Russian or a new language, and travel to those new lands.
[ ] Do a Coca Cola commercial and advertisement using music or musical-stuff.
[ ] Work on your powers with Charles, or rather to see how the Serum has affected you.
[ ] Travel to Formosa as one of President Ike's helper/representative and see what's up.
[ ] Work with Howard on establishing Starkvalley, the Land of Tomorrow for all ages.
[ ] Communicate with Howard's people and integrate into the military industrial complex.
[ ] See what this Nathaniel Richards kid wants to do with his weird 'colonize the moon' idea.
[ ] Cameo in the film 'Around the World in 80 Days' as a saloon hostess.
[ ] Go to Warren Buffett and actually take time to learn the ins and outs, maybe invest further.
[ ] Socialize one person [write-in].
[Free Action] Manage your finances [write-in].