"Playing the long game, huh," you ask, more to yourself than either of your compatriots. You grumble and scrunch your face, "I'm not keen on being a kid and going through all that crap again but..."
"But Joe... Kali, is right," states Frank as he finishes your thought.
You sigh, "Yeah. I really hate admitting it but this is something where I should take her advice on, I think."
"Some times the sign of good leadership is knowing when to defer to your advisors," Kali says, smiling warmly.
You grunt at that, the Chelsea part of you would never want to defer to Kendra or Gloria, but you nod as well as you do realize that she's right. "We want to take the path that'll allow us to take over the Stellae while keeping us as safe as possible and if that's the safest path..." You shift a bit, Chelsea is so used to getting what she wants when she wants it and not having to wait but you'll have to learn temper that impatience, "Plus, like she said that's probably the easiest path to get this Malaika girl under our control and if she's the one who's taking over then we really can't afford to take chances."
"There is one problem, however," Kali says as she crosses her arms. You half-wonder if she's doing it for the feel of her chest resting on them. "All new recruits stay with me for initial training before taking more advanced or specialized training under other members who would be able to help refine their understanding of their prodigies and their role in the Stellae. The girl you become, she would most likely not see her family again for years. There is the very distinct possibility she would never see them again."
"If recruits are found as kids, then how do you grab them from their families," you ask.
"Many have no families," Kali states, "That or they are in situations where it is easy to get them to come. Frank and myself, well the Joseph part of myself, were orphans. Malaika came from a poor family in Ethiopia. She is a very pretty girl, as is befitting someone with Perelandra as an ousiarch, so it was a matter of telling her family that she would get work modeling with money she could send back to support her family."
You chew on your bottom lip, a nervous tick. "We would need to come up with a convincing cover story then," you state.
"Well if anyone could come up with a good one it's Kali," Frank says albeit a bit begrudgingly, "She's a very trustworthy person."
"It is Perelandra. Not only does it help maintain my looks," and you note the pride, and desire, in her voice, "but it is the planet of muses. Of art and creativity. It allows me to create not just interior designs but to craft ideas and stories as well.
"If you say so, then, but there's still the problem of who I'd be," state, shifting a bit, "Because I really don't know any kids outside of Robert and I don't really want to involve him. That and he never seemed to really know any girls anyway." You look from Frank, to Kali and back to Frank, "What about you two? Did you know anyone at Eastman who would?"
"I can not say that we specifically knew any kids but..." Kali snaps her fingers, "We do not have anyone playing Jonathan at the moment. Frank, would you go put his mask on? He might know people who would be able to get us Chelsea's new identity." Once Frank leaves, she takes notice of you. "You do not seem too enthused."
"It's like I said before," you reply, crossing your arms and leaning back, "I'm not too hyped about being a kid again even if it's the best option. School, lack of freedom, lack of, well, this..." you gesture at your body.
Kali lets out a small laugh and places a comforting hand on your shoulder. "I imagine most anyone would be loathe to give that body up. Chelsea Cooper is indeed a very beautiful young woman. However I am sure who you become shall also grow into a beauty, whether that's who you take now or if you should take Malaika at a later date." She then gives your shoulder a squeeze, "Besides, you will still have your youth. I envy that."
You look at her with a bit of surprise, "How old is Kali Valentine? There's a difference between taking care of yourself and, well, what I'm seeing," you say.
Kali smiles, "Kali Valentine is old enough," she states, "She does take good care of herself but it is the power of Perelandra as well which keeps her youth, enhances her beauty and gives her an almost unearthly elegance."
"Was Frank right," you ask, "Were you actually hot to get under her skin?"
She pulls her hand back and looks at you, a very Joe expression on her face. "Kali trained and taught me. She was, is, gorgeous but also something of a... chaste individual. That beauty combined with the unobtainable becoming obtainable... I will not lie," she then hugs herself tightly, "it was enticing."
It's another awkward few minutes before Frank, now dressed as Jonathan Straussler, re-enters the kitchen. The pair of you turn your heads to him and you especially look at him rather expectantly. "Well," you ask impatiently.
"Well what," he asks in return.
You feel yourself getting frustrated. "Does Straussler have any kind bead on anyone who could get me someone younger," you shoot back, the frustration in your voice very apparent.
Jonathan chuckles to himself, "Yeah," he replies with a nod, "There's a few. He's got a teammate, guy named Jordan Reynolds. Reynolds is dating Hannah Chamberlain, the captain of the girls' team. Hannah's got a younger sister named Amanda who's eleven. If you want to be someone closer to Malaika's age then she'd be the route to take."
"Great," you exclaim.
"There's a catch though," he interjects, "Reynolds and Hannah's relationship is... think of it like sailing on the sea. There are times where it's calm and during those periods it's relaxing, you don't have to worry. But some times a storm hits and you have to hang on. Right now they're in the storm phase." He notices you grumble at that and works to reassure you, "That's not to say it'd be impossible to get Amanda. There's just a chance it might be harder; Hannah's a drama queen."
"What about any others," asks Kali, "You said that there is a few."
"Right, the other option is Jonathan's teammate Timothy Johnson. He's got a thirteen-year-old sister named Jade if you want to be older. She's moody but I don't know if 'moody' is a good enough substitute for troubled."
Kali gets a thoughtful expression, "Perhaps we can get a mask of her. I could put it on and with my ousiarch knowledge I would be able to tell if she'd be a good enough fit for an older Eldibrian. If she is not or if it is not enough to appease Chelsea, then perhaps she would know someone who would be a better fit." She then turns to you, a warm expression on your face, "It would, of course, be your choice entirely."
You lean back in the chair once more, unsure of what to do. Being a kid is not the most enticing option for you, but it might be the easiest route as you would simply be a new recruit not unlike any other one and would be closer to Malaika. You like the idea of being a few years older but getting Jade sounds much more complicated and you think back to what Kali said, about how Eldibrians found around her age are seen as troubled and more closely monitored.
You definitely want the puberty and school out of the way quicker but is two years a big enough difference?
un: 
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