Fate/In Glory Of (Worm)
- Thread starter Jefardi
- Start date
- Crossover Modern Superhero
Vote closing in 24 hours
[x] No
Zedman7054
Eternally 3rd
- Location
- United States
It certainly seems suspect that Taylor showed up, distracted Kage, then got attacked by a giant aiming to kill/capture her. Whether or not that's enough to say Taylor is a parahuman, that's a bit iffy. It might be that Kage is just taking the first hostage she found or she's planning on interrogating the suspected scout.
If Berserker shows up out of nowhere to fight her again, that solidifies a connection between him and Taylor, though it wouldn'tbe 100% proof. Not letting Herc attack gives Taylor enough wiggle room that she might be able to lie her way out of Kage's path.
If we manage to social our way out, then Kage gets the opportunity to tell the rest of ABB about Herc and Taylor and whatever her suspicions are at the time.
If Herc attacks, we'll likely have to give him orders as well...and there's possibilities for what Kage does. Not to mention we can always call up Herc to help us if the situation gets more dangerous or we get captured.
Let's see exactly where this is going.
[X] No
If Berserker shows up out of nowhere to fight her again, that solidifies a connection between him and Taylor, though it wouldn'tbe 100% proof. Not letting Herc attack gives Taylor enough wiggle room that she might be able to lie her way out of Kage's path.
If we manage to social our way out, then Kage gets the opportunity to tell the rest of ABB about Herc and Taylor and whatever her suspicions are at the time.
If Herc attacks, we'll likely have to give him orders as well...and there's possibilities for what Kage does. Not to mention we can always call up Herc to help us if the situation gets more dangerous or we get captured.
Let's see exactly where this is going.
[X] No
Vote closed
I feel bad for you mane.. You're gonna be so 😭disappointed lmao.. Most of the people here are stir-fried or something and just keep choosing the most obscenely not-smart decisions available.
So many [Yes] votes when even my chicken brain ass can detect that this will result in nothing but negatives.. She's on a bus incase you have forgotten.. A fucking fish could figure out that a cape battle IN A BUS is not a good idea.
I actually hope the QA lets bad decision-making result in long-term consequences.. There shouldn't be ANY handholding or ass-wiping when we've made THREE consecutive mistakes back to back..
Let us (And Taylor) be rightfully humbled..
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Arche 02.14.05
[X] No
That violence was denied.
Taylor kept a tight hold on the proverbial leash, even as the giant strained to manifest, it's hands wrapped around it's enemy.
Slowly, Kage drew the blade away from Taylor's chin.
Her breathing calmed.
Then, without a sound, sliced it towards Taylor's neck.
Fury.
A river of hate, a deluge of madness and violence flowed against her- her mind was a single speck, a ratty barrier holding back the flood of death-
The blade stopped against the sensitive flesh.
The river turned into a roar as it submerged her; all encompassing, all powerful. The feeling of nature proving that humanity was it's plaything in the end, that for all it had accomplished, it was found wanting in the face of its wrath. It was all Taylor could feel as she desperately tried to keep the giant from manifesting.
The cold metal giving the slightest press on her skin was a mere footnote by comparison.
A rage, the kind legends and myths are created around begged, pleaded, demanded to be let go, to defend home and hearth, to kill, murder, slaughter the filth in front of her, to atomize the assassin into a pink smear against the earth, to feed it to the carrion, to desecrate whatever was left until the enemy's family wept in absolution.
The giant would kill everyone in the bus if materialized, it would slaughter and kill to make sure she was safe and kill and kill and kill and kill and kill and kill and kill and kill and kill and kill and kill and killandkillandkillandkillandkillandkillandkillandkillandkillandkillandkillandkillandkillandkillKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILL-
Kage drew her blade away, flicking it to the side before sliding it back into it's sheath.
The feeling… diminished.
Taylor let out a shuddering breath, a hand clutching at her chest, the rapid ba-bump of her heart doing nothing to calm her down.
Her whole body ached, her head was a raging inferno of pain and emptiness, longing for that feeling that felt more real than anything she had felt in her life yet despairing at feeling the depths and width of that endless fury. Taylor's brain felt like someone had popped an over expanded balloon in her head.
Was… was that the giant?
That was a terrifying thought- she had surmised that he didn't have any real sentience to him and this raised so many uncomfortable questions for later.
Kage then bowed deeply, head nearly touching the seat. "My apologies for the scare child. I acted upon suspicion and I was wrong, please have a safe journey home and cherish your time with your family."
With that said, Kage stood straight and stepped back, disappearing from sight.
Taylor sagged against the window, rapid breathes escaping her as she tried and tried to get her racing heart under control. To stop the yawning emptiness from the absence of those feelings from enveloping her.
The stares didn't help either; everyone left on the bus was giving her furtive glances.
She hated it.
Last night had been… hard on Taylor.
Running into an ABB cape, having a sword swung at her, the emotional whiplash that came from… whatever it was that her power had done, tried to do?
Then there was the fact that, ignoring everything else, it brought into question how much she really knew about her power. She would have to re-evaluate what exactly she thought of him.
But. But!
She had an excellent way to put off any more thoughts on it, something that was stress free;
"Hey, Nikki?" The girl looked at her, her hand not faltering as she kept sketching. "Do you… want to hang out?" The blank stare continued, as Taylor continued on, "Outside of school. Again. This weekend?"
Internally, she was shaking her head at herself. She really sounded like a loser.
Nikki's arm slowed to a still, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Taylor, are you well? You're paler today, and your hair is not as groomed as it usually is."
"I'm fine."
Nikki's head tilted slightly, "Kage did not scare you?"
Green eyes widened, "How… PHO?"
Nikki merely nodded.
Taylor let out a muffled groan as her head rested against the cafeteria table. "...I didn't sleep last night."
Nikki nodded slowly. "I understand. I am free this weekend, yes. Perhaps we could meet my other friends? Or head out somewhere? However." Slowly Nikki started setting her stuff to the side and then took her backpack off her lap. "Would you like a hug, Taylor?" Nikki asked
Honestly, a hug sounded great. The last twenty four hours had been… taxing.
Taylor's arms twitched open slightly. That seemed to do it for Nikki, who went onto her feet and wrapped her arms around Taylor.
It was a tight hug, and Nikki gave no ground. But it remained comforting and nicely warm.
It had been… longer than Taylor could really remember since she had been hugged from anyone but her dad. Outside of gram, it might have been a full year?
She leaned into the hug.
This is nice.
Nikki's suggestions:
[] Meet her other friends? ...Nikki has other friends???
[] Become a Mallrat.
[] Acquire cheap food. Consume a hideous bob. From Fugly's.
[] Go to the boardwalk and window shop. Be a poor tourist.
Taylor's suggestions:
[] Hang out at Taylor's house.
[] Write-in
Author's Note: Peace won by one vote! 15 to 14! To be clear, violence would have resulted immediately and before Kage tried to fake her out.
If anyone can guess the crime that Kage committed off-screen, they will get… a reward. Of some kind. Except for KindredVoid. You already know.
I don't expect any write-in to win, but it will get added as one of her suggestions next time around if I like it enough.
That violence was denied.
Taylor kept a tight hold on the proverbial leash, even as the giant strained to manifest, it's hands wrapped around it's enemy.
Slowly, Kage drew the blade away from Taylor's chin.
Her breathing calmed.
Then, without a sound, sliced it towards Taylor's neck.
Fury.
A river of hate, a deluge of madness and violence flowed against her- her mind was a single speck, a ratty barrier holding back the flood of death-
The blade stopped against the sensitive flesh.
The river turned into a roar as it submerged her; all encompassing, all powerful. The feeling of nature proving that humanity was it's plaything in the end, that for all it had accomplished, it was found wanting in the face of its wrath. It was all Taylor could feel as she desperately tried to keep the giant from manifesting.
The cold metal giving the slightest press on her skin was a mere footnote by comparison.
A rage, the kind legends and myths are created around begged, pleaded, demanded to be let go, to defend home and hearth, to kill, murder, slaughter the filth in front of her, to atomize the assassin into a pink smear against the earth, to feed it to the carrion, to desecrate whatever was left until the enemy's family wept in absolution.
The giant would kill everyone in the bus if materialized, it would slaughter and kill to make sure she was safe and kill and kill and kill and kill and kill and kill and kill and kill and kill and kill and kill and killandkillandkillandkillandkillandkillandkillandkillandkillandkillandkillandkillandkillandkillKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILL-
Kage drew her blade away, flicking it to the side before sliding it back into it's sheath.
The feeling… diminished.
Taylor let out a shuddering breath, a hand clutching at her chest, the rapid ba-bump of her heart doing nothing to calm her down.
Her whole body ached, her head was a raging inferno of pain and emptiness, longing for that feeling that felt more real than anything she had felt in her life yet despairing at feeling the depths and width of that endless fury. Taylor's brain felt like someone had popped an over expanded balloon in her head.
Was… was that the giant?
That was a terrifying thought- she had surmised that he didn't have any real sentience to him and this raised so many uncomfortable questions for later.
Kage then bowed deeply, head nearly touching the seat. "My apologies for the scare child. I acted upon suspicion and I was wrong, please have a safe journey home and cherish your time with your family."
With that said, Kage stood straight and stepped back, disappearing from sight.
Taylor sagged against the window, rapid breathes escaping her as she tried and tried to get her racing heart under control. To stop the yawning emptiness from the absence of those feelings from enveloping her.
The stares didn't help either; everyone left on the bus was giving her furtive glances.
She hated it.
Last night had been… hard on Taylor.
Running into an ABB cape, having a sword swung at her, the emotional whiplash that came from… whatever it was that her power had done, tried to do?
Then there was the fact that, ignoring everything else, it brought into question how much she really knew about her power. She would have to re-evaluate what exactly she thought of him.
But. But!
She had an excellent way to put off any more thoughts on it, something that was stress free;
"Hey, Nikki?" The girl looked at her, her hand not faltering as she kept sketching. "Do you… want to hang out?" The blank stare continued, as Taylor continued on, "Outside of school. Again. This weekend?"
Internally, she was shaking her head at herself. She really sounded like a loser.
Nikki's arm slowed to a still, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Taylor, are you well? You're paler today, and your hair is not as groomed as it usually is."
"I'm fine."
Nikki's head tilted slightly, "Kage did not scare you?"
Green eyes widened, "How… PHO?"
Nikki merely nodded.
Taylor let out a muffled groan as her head rested against the cafeteria table. "...I didn't sleep last night."
Nikki nodded slowly. "I understand. I am free this weekend, yes. Perhaps we could meet my other friends? Or head out somewhere? However." Slowly Nikki started setting her stuff to the side and then took her backpack off her lap. "Would you like a hug, Taylor?" Nikki asked
Honestly, a hug sounded great. The last twenty four hours had been… taxing.
Taylor's arms twitched open slightly. That seemed to do it for Nikki, who went onto her feet and wrapped her arms around Taylor.
It was a tight hug, and Nikki gave no ground. But it remained comforting and nicely warm.
It had been… longer than Taylor could really remember since she had been hugged from anyone but her dad. Outside of gram, it might have been a full year?
She leaned into the hug.
This is nice.
Nikki's suggestions:
[] Meet her other friends? ...Nikki has other friends???
[] Become a Mallrat.
[] Acquire cheap food. Consume a hideous bob. From Fugly's.
[] Go to the boardwalk and window shop. Be a poor tourist.
Taylor's suggestions:
[] Hang out at Taylor's house.
[] Write-in
Author's Note: Peace won by one vote! 15 to 14! To be clear, violence would have resulted immediately and before Kage tried to fake her out.
If anyone can guess the crime that Kage committed off-screen, they will get… a reward. Of some kind. Except for KindredVoid. You already know.
I don't expect any write-in to win, but it will get added as one of her suggestions next time around if I like it enough.
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[x] Meet her other friends? ... Nikki has other friends???
Aaaah, the timing on that was impeccable. Right after I finally caught up too.
I think Taylor should try to get her mind off things.. Becoming familiar with more ppl is probably good for her.
Hopefully it will actually give her time to use the concrete slab between her ears before she heads outside trying to be a super-idiot..
From what I understand she went outside for no reason.. with no plan. WITH NO MASK.
And now she's now somewhat involved in cape-matters, suspected of being a cape by, at the very least, Kage (Who knows her face and depending on how PHO enforces Civvy Identity (Which is prolly not at all) she might know Taylor's name too.)
And in exchange? Taylor has gained nothing but Trauma.
The very LAST thing I expected to see was that goddamn (X No) at the top..
And Taylor NOT initiating a cape battle in public transport.. So I will at the very least say that it is a pleasant surprise.. Even if i think this coulda been avoided altogether.
Also we need to figure out how the hell everything ends up on PHO. Alexandria could quietly sneeze snot straight into her open palm, in the safety of her own home, but as long as she's in her cape identity people will find out.
Just for clarification.. Does that mean Zhe black man, would've reacted in time, even if Kage immediately went for the Kill against Taylor?
Bc that tap against the cheek shit was ominous as hell, and for a minute I deadass thought that was Alicia Keys.. I thought all doors led to Rome, we were fucked. 🤣
Aaaah, the timing on that was impeccable. Right after I finally caught up too.
I think Taylor should try to get her mind off things.. Becoming familiar with more ppl is probably good for her.
Hopefully it will actually give her time to use the concrete slab between her ears before she heads outside trying to be a super-idiot..
From what I understand she went outside for no reason.. with no plan. WITH NO MASK.
And now she's now somewhat involved in cape-matters, suspected of being a cape by, at the very least, Kage (Who knows her face and depending on how PHO enforces Civvy Identity (Which is prolly not at all) she might know Taylor's name too.)
And in exchange? Taylor has gained nothing but Trauma.
The very LAST thing I expected to see was that goddamn (X No) at the top..
And Taylor NOT initiating a cape battle in public transport.. So I will at the very least say that it is a pleasant surprise.. Even if i think this coulda been avoided altogether.
Also we need to figure out how the hell everything ends up on PHO. Alexandria could quietly sneeze snot straight into her open palm, in the safety of her own home, but as long as she's in her cape identity people will find out.
Just for clarification.. Does that mean Zhe black man, would've reacted in time, even if Kage immediately went for the Kill against Taylor?
Bc that tap against the cheek shit was ominous as hell, and for a minute I deadass thought that was Alicia Keys.. I thought all doors led to Rome, we were fucked. 🤣
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In this instance it's because people saw the second in command of the ABB appear in a bus and draw steel against a civvie before doing a really deep bow and disappearing. People mention that shit in the Kage sightings thread.
What would have happened is the giant would have sheared the bus in half to get to Kage before she could even draw her sword.
Somehow I missed the second voting part.. I am a certified twat..
[x] Write-in: Nothing.. Taylor stands there awkwardly and goes along with Nikki's suggestion.
Anyway, even nothing is preferable to bringing Nikki home. I do not want Nikki at Taylor's house..
Interactions between Taylor and Papa Dan in most stories is less interesting and more like a strange, awkward, predictable formality.. And it stresses me out for reasons unexplained.
Mm, but she already had it drawn before she entered.. Loophole..
But also, we don't have to worry about Taylor's own reaction-time when it comes to summoning her little groupies then, right? Depending on severity they can summon themselves?
Re: actually that doesn't make sense unless they can judge intent.. Wait they can, cant they?
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Yes, but for Nikki to know she specifically was involved? There'd have to be atleast a name mentioned in like a police report or smthn, or a recording so Taylor can be identified right?..
I was just assuming it was recorded via phone or camera.. Either way that shit is scary.. U playin with fire every time u pick ur nose or scratch your ass in public.. Might end up going viral.
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- Pronouns
- He
It's not a 2nd voting section to my understanding.
It's just what Taylor would prefer.
Deadweight Hero
I can't beat the demon lord help-
Okay yeah, I did not think this thoroughly. I thought Kage would go straight for the kill and not intimidation. Or that she already know Taylor have connection to Berserker.
[X] Meet her other friends? ...Nikki has other friends???
Taylor needs a downtime! And meet new people? I wanna go for the Taylor's House choice but I don't know if Danny will be there. Their interaction always feel so robotic and awkward, that'll be uncomfortable for Nikki.
Zedman7054
Eternally 3rd
- Location
- United States
[X] Meet her other friends? ...Nikki has other friends???
So about what i figured, Kage was just acting on the suspicious circumstances of Taylor's appearance. Something to keep in mind for the future. I suppose this was a risk of operating with a masked identity, it gave us deniability, but now Taylor and the giant are tied together, at least in Kage's mind. And potentially others.
So about what i figured, Kage was just acting on the suspicious circumstances of Taylor's appearance. Something to keep in mind for the future. I suppose this was a risk of operating with a masked identity, it gave us deniability, but now Taylor and the giant are tied together, at least in Kage's mind. And potentially others.
- Location
- Oklahoma
[x] Meet her other friends? ... Nikki has other friends???
[x] Meet her other friends? ... Nikki has other friends???
Okibruez
(Verified Mid-Boss)
- Location
- Dreams
Worth noting that, if 'Yes' had won, there would not have been a battle in the bus.
There would not have been enough bus left to have an 'inside'. Probably there wouldn't have been enough left of Kage to offer battle, either.
Which is not exactly the kind of first night out anyone wanting to keep a low profile would want to have. That's 'Battle To The Death With Lung Tomorrow' levels of escalation.
There would not have been enough bus left to have an 'inside'. Probably there wouldn't have been enough left of Kage to offer battle, either.
Which is not exactly the kind of first night out anyone wanting to keep a low profile would want to have. That's 'Battle To The Death With Lung Tomorrow' levels of escalation.
It's a toss up if Kage would have lived or not.
Aporia 03.01
[X] Meet her other friends? ...Nikki has other friends???
It had been a while since Taylor had last sat by the door, waiting.
Any minute now, Nikki would show up and they would go meet her friends.
Taylor had honestly no idea on what to expect. She had been certain that Nikki didn't have anyone else she really hung out- it had never come up in the past few weeks. In fact, she had thought that Nikki was rather lonely, if anything.
She could hear the car well before she saw it, as the eye-searing mismatch of car parts pulled up to the driveway quite smoothly.
...Taylor was rather glad her dad wasn't here to see it; she didn't think he would want her to ride in such a… uniquely designed vehicle.
SNAP
The sound of something giving could be heard as Taylor had been bookmarking what she was reading. Opening the front door, she found Nikki with her foot through the front step.
Nikki's head snapped up from looking at the hole her foot had made. "Icanfixit." She quickly said, pointing at the broken step. "I promise. It is very simple. I can even make it look like the other steps, and it won't take long." Each word was rushed, making Taylor have to actually process what she said.
It… almost sounded as if she were afraid of Taylor rejecting her for breaking the step.
"It's fine. Seriously. We've been meaning to replace it." That didn't seem to be doing a great deal to placate Nikki. "Really. I just need to tell my dad."
Nikki nodded, and yanked her foot upwards, the step broke further. Thankfully her jeans seemed to have stopped her foot from getting cut or snagged by the wood.
"Great! I am glad to know that this will not strain our friendship." Nikki smiled. "Now, shall we start heading out? It won't take long, they are waiting at the park." She told Taylor, smiling, almost fondly.
"Uh, just a sec. Need to call dad. Sorry." Taylor closed the door before making her way to the phone.
It took a few rings before he picked up.
"Hey dad."
"Something wrong, Taylor?" It wasn't hard to guess; she didn't usually call him at work.
"...you know the front step?"
A long sigh came through the phone. "Probably should have replaced it already. I'll take a look at it tonight."
"Okay." It had to happen eventually, just neither had really… wanted to deal with it. Honestly, it was more surprising it hadn't broken in the past few years. "Thanks."
"It's fine. Have fun with your friend."
"Thanks, dad."
With that done, she was ready to go, opening the door again. Nikki hadn't moved at all.
"I will help pay for it. I am partially to blame for it. But first, I got you a present, because you are my friend." Nikki said.
She paused. "...I… made an error and left it in the car, apologies."
Taylor blinked. "You… didn't have to?"
"No. But I wanted to." Nikki turned and started walking towards the car, heading to the passenger side of the front seat.
Assuming Taylor followed her, she opened the door and reached inside, pulling out a small box wrapped with machine-like precision, it even had a little bow.
A slightly bewildered smile tugged at her lips as she accepted the gift, and started to unwrap the small rectangular box...
...revealing a smartphone box.
Her brow furrowed.
What an odd thing to use as a gift box.
Then she looked at it again.
It was still in the plastic wrap.
She looked down at the phone then back to Nikki who was smiling, then back to the phone.
"What?"
"It is… a phone?' Nikki offered, her brows furrowing, but her smile not leaving. "You do not have one, right?"
"I don't." Taylor looked back at her and then the phone again. "Why?"
"So I got one for you." Nikki motioned to the phone, and shifted her weight to her left side. "Do… you not like it?"
Taylor's mouth opened but no words came out, at least immediately. "I… it just seems like a lot. Isn't it a smartphone? Those cost a lot."
"It was on sale." Nikki stated. "Besides, I acquire funds online by selling artwork. It is not steady cash. But it allows for nice things to be bought. Sometimes."
She motioned to the phone. "Also, it is safer to have a phone."
"But it had to cost a lot. Like. A couple hundred bucks."
"I charge an appropriate amount for the art commissioned." Nikki told her. "If you are worried about the price, do not be. Your friendship is worth more than any monetary value."
"...are you sure?" Taylor couldn't help but ask again.
Nikki nodded jerkily. "Yes. You are one of my most cherished friends."
"I-uh, don't know what to say."
"You do not need to say anything. Let us start the ride, you can start setting the phone up on the way there." Nikki told her.
"Really. Thank you." Taylor never knew what to say when getting a gift. She was always worried her thanks sounded false, forced or sarcastic, even when they were genuine.
Impulsively, She gave Nikki the briefest of hugs. It seemed like the only way she could make her gratitude clear.
Nikki froze as she was hugged, "Thank you." She replied. "Hugs are nice." She told Taylor before she entered the car, with Taylor entering the other side, slowly unwrapping the plastic wrap around the phone box.
Taylor looked around the mostly empty park.
They had parked a little ways away- the park wasn't the busiest of places in the throes of winter.
"Are we early?" She didn't see anyone else nearby. At least none that were heading towards them.
"No. They're always around here if they aren't somewhere else in the city." Nikki said as she started walking towards the center of the park.
Aside from a few people, who had already started to leave once they arrived, they were alone. Nikki brought her hands up to her mouth and made the most realistic bird call Taylor had ever heard.
Not a minute later, several birds began to land around them. On the bench, the light posts, the rim of the trash can, even on the ground near them.
Taylor was… starting to feel a bit weirded out as more and more black birds landed near them. They looked like… crows? She gave Nikki a concerned look.
Nikki smiled. "These are my friends. They are very smart, for birds." She held out her hand. "Come here, Nova."
One of the birds hopped over to Nikki before jumping and flying into her outstretched hand, making some caws as it looked curiously at her. "Crows and Ravens are some of the smartest birds in North America. They understand trade, family, grudges, and can communicate with one another. They will often tell family about threats or friends, and remember faces."
"Such as your face?" Taylor looked at the bird, Nova, "they're friendly?"
"Yes. They are friendly." Another bird flew up and landed on Nikki's palm and deposited a shiny bit of metal. Nikki held her hand up with the crow standing on it. Sitting on it? Taylor didn't know the correct term. "Thank you Peru, here, meet my friend, Taylor."
The bird turned to face Taylor, and cawed.
Taylor, hesitantly, raised her hand, going to brush along his head like she had seen handlers do at the zoo… and stopped as the crow looked at her. "How do you pet one? I've never gotten this close to one before."
"Hold out your hand, don't show your teeth and let him hop onto your hand. Then slowly apply scritches to the top of his head or back. Peru likes the scritches on the top of his head though, even if he gets nippy."
Taylor lowered her hand, placing her palm up, and very slowly moved said hand to be near the crow.
Peru stared at her for a moment, his head swiveling to get a better angle before he did an ungainly hop onto her hand. Taylor went still for a moment before bringing her other hand up to pet his head.
The crow made a crow sound, maybe it was happy, as Peru moved his head to try and get Taylor to give him more and better scritches.
Then he tried to bite her.
"Yes he is like a cat." Nikki stated, sounding very pleased with herself.
Taylor tried to ignore the nipping as she pet Peru, who was making some kind of noise that sounded vaguely content. "A cat that can fly."
"One that brings you shiny things instead of dead things." Nikki nodded as more birds started coming to land near them. "We need to go get them food. They'll start liking you more once you feed them. They know you're with me, but food always helps."
Taylor's hand pulled back for a moment as Peru made another attempt at her fingers before contently letting her pet his head. "What do you give them?"
"Depends. Sometimes it's bird seed, or the mealworms from a pet store. Sometimes I treat them with unsalted fries from a restaurant. Today would be a good day for the fries, make your visit special." Nikki explained as she stooped over and let Nova off her hand and onto the ground.
Taylor tried to mirror her, as she crouched down, trying to keep her palm level. The little bastard still nipped at her as he hopped off.
The rest of the day was being surrounded by a couple dozen birds.
It was certainly not what she was expecting- feeding them had endeared the corvids to her; turned out they were absolutely unrepentant beggars when it came to food. A few of them had gifted her a few shiny baubles, pieces of a keychain, spoke that looked like it was from a bike wheel, a bit of copper wire oddly enough, most likely to get more food. She sadly had none at that point.
As Nikki was playing fetch with a bunch of them using what looked like a cotton ball of all things, Taylor finally found herself not inundated with the little menaces.
"How'd you get into… this?" After all, this wasn't something most people commonly got into- if they wanted a pet they got a dog or a cat, or maybe kept a pet bird at home. Not flocks of wild ones.
"I saw other people doing it. Feeding the birds and the birds knowing to show up, who to show up for, and who to avoid. Saw them pulling the tails of other animals before jumping away. I got... curious and looked up information on them. Started feeding them." Nikki explained as 'Libby' hopped over to Nikki and dropped a cotton ball at her feet.
"Plenty of animals are very intelligent. Only short lifespans and a lack of communal behaviour prevent them from evolving more like humans did. Of course there are more variables than those two. But it's very interesting." Nikki paused after she threw the cotton ball.
"Do you think humanity would ever accept another apex predator? One as smart as they are, maybe smarter, to live amongst them?" she asked.
A chill went down Taylor's spine.
"Do you mean parahumans?" It was weird to think of herself as not exactly human anymore, even if it was technically true. "I don't think they are any smarter than us."
"Parahumans are simply humans with strange abilities. The difference is in an organ almost everyone has. It is likely one day, every human will be parahuman. So no, not what I mean." She motioned to the birds.
"What if a Tinker made them smarter? Human level of smart. A sense of self. Would humans try to live with that? Or would they be unable to handle the challenge of another apex predator fighting for resources, and remove them from existence?" Nikki gently petted Libby as the bird dropped the ball, as if to comfort it.
"I… maybe?" Taylor leaned back on the bench, as she looked up at the sky.
"Y'know, they're animals that can hold conversations with us. There was that gorilla, Koko, I think. She's still around." She shifted to look back at the birds around Nikki, like some kind of weirdly gothic-themed disney princess. "But. You mean not just a singular example or a few, but a whole set, right?"
Nikki nodded.
Taylor hummed in response.
"I don't think so. Maybe before the world started to go to hell." She rolled her shoulders in a gesture. "We live in a city where the government can't even enforce the law. Sure, maybe it's the exception. That's possible. But, this country is the exception, right? We're still functioning; Africa's turned into a series of parahuman warlords, Europe is on fire, China's regressed a century. Russia is…" she made a helpless gesture to Nikki. "If Libby or Nova went up to someone and started to talk, I don't think they'd be viewed with anything other than suspicion."
Nikki simply sat there while Taylor talked, gently stroking Kip. "I see. Would you, Taylor?" She asked, not looking up as she continued to stroke the crow.
"I don't know." Taylor shrugged. "I'll let you know when I find an apex predator species that wants to have tea time with me," she deadpanned back.
Kip was suddenly in front of Taylor's face.
"Caw-caw, tea time, caw-caw?" Nikki asked in a funny voice.
Taylor laughed.
Taylor had a fun day with Nikki. Now she has Sunday to do power things;
[] Patrol – Go search for trouble
[] Research Local – Find out what's going on with the cape scene in Brockton Bay
[] Power experimentation – Taylor is going to mess around with her power/prep for exciting part of cape life
[] Preparations – Taylor doing prep work for the boring part of being a cape
[] Cape social (Taylor doesn't know any capes yet) – Talk to another cape
Author's Note: Big chapter. I've decided to slightly give more explanation for what things are in the vote for powers. Then again, all the options except socials have been picked.
It had been a while since Taylor had last sat by the door, waiting.
Any minute now, Nikki would show up and they would go meet her friends.
Taylor had honestly no idea on what to expect. She had been certain that Nikki didn't have anyone else she really hung out- it had never come up in the past few weeks. In fact, she had thought that Nikki was rather lonely, if anything.
She could hear the car well before she saw it, as the eye-searing mismatch of car parts pulled up to the driveway quite smoothly.
...Taylor was rather glad her dad wasn't here to see it; she didn't think he would want her to ride in such a… uniquely designed vehicle.
SNAP
The sound of something giving could be heard as Taylor had been bookmarking what she was reading. Opening the front door, she found Nikki with her foot through the front step.
Nikki's head snapped up from looking at the hole her foot had made. "Icanfixit." She quickly said, pointing at the broken step. "I promise. It is very simple. I can even make it look like the other steps, and it won't take long." Each word was rushed, making Taylor have to actually process what she said.
It… almost sounded as if she were afraid of Taylor rejecting her for breaking the step.
"It's fine. Seriously. We've been meaning to replace it." That didn't seem to be doing a great deal to placate Nikki. "Really. I just need to tell my dad."
Nikki nodded, and yanked her foot upwards, the step broke further. Thankfully her jeans seemed to have stopped her foot from getting cut or snagged by the wood.
"Great! I am glad to know that this will not strain our friendship." Nikki smiled. "Now, shall we start heading out? It won't take long, they are waiting at the park." She told Taylor, smiling, almost fondly.
"Uh, just a sec. Need to call dad. Sorry." Taylor closed the door before making her way to the phone.
It took a few rings before he picked up.
"Hey dad."
"Something wrong, Taylor?" It wasn't hard to guess; she didn't usually call him at work.
"...you know the front step?"
A long sigh came through the phone. "Probably should have replaced it already. I'll take a look at it tonight."
"Okay." It had to happen eventually, just neither had really… wanted to deal with it. Honestly, it was more surprising it hadn't broken in the past few years. "Thanks."
"It's fine. Have fun with your friend."
"Thanks, dad."
With that done, she was ready to go, opening the door again. Nikki hadn't moved at all.
"I will help pay for it. I am partially to blame for it. But first, I got you a present, because you are my friend." Nikki said.
She paused. "...I… made an error and left it in the car, apologies."
Taylor blinked. "You… didn't have to?"
"No. But I wanted to." Nikki turned and started walking towards the car, heading to the passenger side of the front seat.
Assuming Taylor followed her, she opened the door and reached inside, pulling out a small box wrapped with machine-like precision, it even had a little bow.
A slightly bewildered smile tugged at her lips as she accepted the gift, and started to unwrap the small rectangular box...
...revealing a smartphone box.
Her brow furrowed.
What an odd thing to use as a gift box.
Then she looked at it again.
It was still in the plastic wrap.
She looked down at the phone then back to Nikki who was smiling, then back to the phone.
"What?"
"It is… a phone?' Nikki offered, her brows furrowing, but her smile not leaving. "You do not have one, right?"
"I don't." Taylor looked back at her and then the phone again. "Why?"
"So I got one for you." Nikki motioned to the phone, and shifted her weight to her left side. "Do… you not like it?"
Taylor's mouth opened but no words came out, at least immediately. "I… it just seems like a lot. Isn't it a smartphone? Those cost a lot."
"It was on sale." Nikki stated. "Besides, I acquire funds online by selling artwork. It is not steady cash. But it allows for nice things to be bought. Sometimes."
She motioned to the phone. "Also, it is safer to have a phone."
"But it had to cost a lot. Like. A couple hundred bucks."
"I charge an appropriate amount for the art commissioned." Nikki told her. "If you are worried about the price, do not be. Your friendship is worth more than any monetary value."
"...are you sure?" Taylor couldn't help but ask again.
Nikki nodded jerkily. "Yes. You are one of my most cherished friends."
"I-uh, don't know what to say."
"You do not need to say anything. Let us start the ride, you can start setting the phone up on the way there." Nikki told her.
"Really. Thank you." Taylor never knew what to say when getting a gift. She was always worried her thanks sounded false, forced or sarcastic, even when they were genuine.
Impulsively, She gave Nikki the briefest of hugs. It seemed like the only way she could make her gratitude clear.
Nikki froze as she was hugged, "Thank you." She replied. "Hugs are nice." She told Taylor before she entered the car, with Taylor entering the other side, slowly unwrapping the plastic wrap around the phone box.
Taylor looked around the mostly empty park.
They had parked a little ways away- the park wasn't the busiest of places in the throes of winter.
"Are we early?" She didn't see anyone else nearby. At least none that were heading towards them.
"No. They're always around here if they aren't somewhere else in the city." Nikki said as she started walking towards the center of the park.
Aside from a few people, who had already started to leave once they arrived, they were alone. Nikki brought her hands up to her mouth and made the most realistic bird call Taylor had ever heard.
Not a minute later, several birds began to land around them. On the bench, the light posts, the rim of the trash can, even on the ground near them.
Taylor was… starting to feel a bit weirded out as more and more black birds landed near them. They looked like… crows? She gave Nikki a concerned look.
Nikki smiled. "These are my friends. They are very smart, for birds." She held out her hand. "Come here, Nova."
One of the birds hopped over to Nikki before jumping and flying into her outstretched hand, making some caws as it looked curiously at her. "Crows and Ravens are some of the smartest birds in North America. They understand trade, family, grudges, and can communicate with one another. They will often tell family about threats or friends, and remember faces."
"Such as your face?" Taylor looked at the bird, Nova, "they're friendly?"
"Yes. They are friendly." Another bird flew up and landed on Nikki's palm and deposited a shiny bit of metal. Nikki held her hand up with the crow standing on it. Sitting on it? Taylor didn't know the correct term. "Thank you Peru, here, meet my friend, Taylor."
The bird turned to face Taylor, and cawed.
Taylor, hesitantly, raised her hand, going to brush along his head like she had seen handlers do at the zoo… and stopped as the crow looked at her. "How do you pet one? I've never gotten this close to one before."
"Hold out your hand, don't show your teeth and let him hop onto your hand. Then slowly apply scritches to the top of his head or back. Peru likes the scritches on the top of his head though, even if he gets nippy."
Taylor lowered her hand, placing her palm up, and very slowly moved said hand to be near the crow.
Peru stared at her for a moment, his head swiveling to get a better angle before he did an ungainly hop onto her hand. Taylor went still for a moment before bringing her other hand up to pet his head.
The crow made a crow sound, maybe it was happy, as Peru moved his head to try and get Taylor to give him more and better scritches.
Then he tried to bite her.
"Yes he is like a cat." Nikki stated, sounding very pleased with herself.
Taylor tried to ignore the nipping as she pet Peru, who was making some kind of noise that sounded vaguely content. "A cat that can fly."
"One that brings you shiny things instead of dead things." Nikki nodded as more birds started coming to land near them. "We need to go get them food. They'll start liking you more once you feed them. They know you're with me, but food always helps."
Taylor's hand pulled back for a moment as Peru made another attempt at her fingers before contently letting her pet his head. "What do you give them?"
"Depends. Sometimes it's bird seed, or the mealworms from a pet store. Sometimes I treat them with unsalted fries from a restaurant. Today would be a good day for the fries, make your visit special." Nikki explained as she stooped over and let Nova off her hand and onto the ground.
Taylor tried to mirror her, as she crouched down, trying to keep her palm level. The little bastard still nipped at her as he hopped off.
The rest of the day was being surrounded by a couple dozen birds.
It was certainly not what she was expecting- feeding them had endeared the corvids to her; turned out they were absolutely unrepentant beggars when it came to food. A few of them had gifted her a few shiny baubles, pieces of a keychain, spoke that looked like it was from a bike wheel, a bit of copper wire oddly enough, most likely to get more food. She sadly had none at that point.
As Nikki was playing fetch with a bunch of them using what looked like a cotton ball of all things, Taylor finally found herself not inundated with the little menaces.
"How'd you get into… this?" After all, this wasn't something most people commonly got into- if they wanted a pet they got a dog or a cat, or maybe kept a pet bird at home. Not flocks of wild ones.
"I saw other people doing it. Feeding the birds and the birds knowing to show up, who to show up for, and who to avoid. Saw them pulling the tails of other animals before jumping away. I got... curious and looked up information on them. Started feeding them." Nikki explained as 'Libby' hopped over to Nikki and dropped a cotton ball at her feet.
"Plenty of animals are very intelligent. Only short lifespans and a lack of communal behaviour prevent them from evolving more like humans did. Of course there are more variables than those two. But it's very interesting." Nikki paused after she threw the cotton ball.
"Do you think humanity would ever accept another apex predator? One as smart as they are, maybe smarter, to live amongst them?" she asked.
A chill went down Taylor's spine.
"Do you mean parahumans?" It was weird to think of herself as not exactly human anymore, even if it was technically true. "I don't think they are any smarter than us."
"Parahumans are simply humans with strange abilities. The difference is in an organ almost everyone has. It is likely one day, every human will be parahuman. So no, not what I mean." She motioned to the birds.
"What if a Tinker made them smarter? Human level of smart. A sense of self. Would humans try to live with that? Or would they be unable to handle the challenge of another apex predator fighting for resources, and remove them from existence?" Nikki gently petted Libby as the bird dropped the ball, as if to comfort it.
"I… maybe?" Taylor leaned back on the bench, as she looked up at the sky.
"Y'know, they're animals that can hold conversations with us. There was that gorilla, Koko, I think. She's still around." She shifted to look back at the birds around Nikki, like some kind of weirdly gothic-themed disney princess. "But. You mean not just a singular example or a few, but a whole set, right?"
Nikki nodded.
Taylor hummed in response.
"I don't think so. Maybe before the world started to go to hell." She rolled her shoulders in a gesture. "We live in a city where the government can't even enforce the law. Sure, maybe it's the exception. That's possible. But, this country is the exception, right? We're still functioning; Africa's turned into a series of parahuman warlords, Europe is on fire, China's regressed a century. Russia is…" she made a helpless gesture to Nikki. "If Libby or Nova went up to someone and started to talk, I don't think they'd be viewed with anything other than suspicion."
Nikki simply sat there while Taylor talked, gently stroking Kip. "I see. Would you, Taylor?" She asked, not looking up as she continued to stroke the crow.
"I don't know." Taylor shrugged. "I'll let you know when I find an apex predator species that wants to have tea time with me," she deadpanned back.
Kip was suddenly in front of Taylor's face.
"Caw-caw, tea time, caw-caw?" Nikki asked in a funny voice.
Taylor laughed.
Taylor had a fun day with Nikki. Now she has Sunday to do power things;
[] Patrol – Go search for trouble
[] Research Local – Find out what's going on with the cape scene in Brockton Bay
[] Power experimentation – Taylor is going to mess around with her power/prep for exciting part of cape life
[] Preparations – Taylor doing prep work for the boring part of being a cape
Author's Note: Big chapter. I've decided to slightly give more explanation for what things are in the vote for powers. Then again, all the options except socials have been picked.
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Nikki giving hints of... Something. I don't know Fate lore enough to be sure. Is she a supernatural being of some sort?
Deadweight Hero
I can't beat the demon lord help-
[X] Power experimentation – Taylor is going to mess around with her power/prep for exciting part of cape life
Need more info about our resident rage giant.
Need more info about our resident rage giant.
