THE MOMENT
"Ladies and gentlemen of the U.N., I thank you for your time," Dana Sharp addressed the group with a confident smile. "I am pleased to announce that Sharp Development has decided to accept your application. The Pineapple Cup will take place at the end of next week and you've had sufficient time to withdraw. Now, you'll have one week to finalize your bet. You'll all be provided with team dossiers to inform your decisions." The crowd murmured with excitement as she spoke.
"Up until now, Earth: Pineapple has enjoyed provisional trading as a probationary member of the multiverse. Making your first bet as a unified Earth will enable full access to all of Sharp Development's business and support services. Though, it's important to make something clear. Sharp Development operates as a neutral party; we show no favoritism. We only ensure the smooth operation of multiverse-scale transactions. Should you find yourselves on the bad end of a deal, we'll only step in if obvious cheating was involved. We will not help you recover anything that was lost fairly due to your own misunderstandings of some aspect. I suggest you request a Sharp Development employee present when making any wagers to avoid that particular outcome." The room grew quieter as she gave them fair warning.
"My wife will inform you all of the finer details," Dana Sharp gestured to one of the two women behind her. Melody, the shorter one she indicated, wore a crisp black suit that complemented Ms. Sharp's white one. Victoria, the other woman, wore a long, white leather duster with violet hair flowing down her shoulders. She held her white cowboy hat in her hand since they were indoors. "I'd like to formally welcome Earth: Pineapple to the multiverse at large. While it's true we don't show favoritism, I do have a bit of insider advice to give the hosts of the Pineapple Cup. You might be tempted to bet on the team we've sponsored for the tournament. Don't. I'm not telling you to bet against them either of course. But the important part is...," she said. As she wrapped up her announcement, a strange thing happened. An unexpected woman appeared in the center of the room with a loud noise.
"...CHOOO!" The sudden noise quieted everything as Ms. Sharp completed her thought.
"...the S.D. Valkyries will not be winning the Pineapple Cup."
"Huh?" The stranger looked around. Her eyes shot wide and her hand flew into her pocket. "Nononono!" she pulled something out; but, by that time Victoria was close enough to grab her wrist.
"IT'S JUST PEPPER!" the woman screamed and she opened her hand to reveal small white pepper packets. "I didn't hear anything! Don't worry!" the woman shook her head. "I don't even like sports! I don't even know what sport the Valkyries play!"
"I'm sorry," Ms. Sharp shook her head. "It seems you've heard enough to be troublesome," she said.
"I TELEPORT WHEN I SNEEZE!" the woman pleaded. "It was an accident, let me show you!"
"It's an unfortunate shame...," Ms. Sharp said from the podium. "...that this was the last use you got out of that ability."