The Taste of Peaches (Worm AU)

It was one thing after another with this city. Riots, corruption, literal Nazis, a man who turned into a twenty-foot-tall regenerating dragon when you stood up to him. Recently those issues had shifted slightly to an open Ward, which would have played hell on their staffing issues if not for the extra men she'd managed to wrangle from head office.

Now if only Emily Piggot thought she could do it a second time.

The overweight woman folded her hands in her lap as she looked over her desk at the gathering of her subordinates. Deputy Director Renick was standing to her left while Glenn was seated alongside their current psychologist for the Wards, Doctor Bryce Woods, facing her desk. Armsmaster was standing next to them in armour and technically, Glenn wasn't her subordinate. His position was one that did technically place him under the authority of whichever Director he was working with at the time unless Chief Director Costa-Brown gave overriding orders.

They were waiting for one more person before starting the meeting. Fortunately, it didn't take long before Miss Militia entered the room. She took the folder off the chair beside Glenn, and then sat down.

"Sorry, I'm late. Traffic held me up," Miss Militia said. She had just come off a thankfully uneventful patrol.

"We weren't waiting long," Emily said before directing her gaze across the room, "Let's get started with the elephant in the room. Sophia Hess. Renick, what do we know?"

Her Deputy removed a folder from under his arm and opened it. "Sophia Hess, african-american, born June 9th, 1995 to Margerie Hess. Her father is listed as unknown. She has one living half-sibling, three-year-old Marjorie Hess and one deceased older brother, Terry Hess. We have yet to receive any information on her grades from Winslow High School. We do, however, know that she was involved in quite a bit of bullying over the last year. The target of some of these actions has been our recent star Ward, Taylor Hebert. Last weekend there was a confrontation between her and Ms. Hebert, though we are not fully aware of the details, she apparently passed out."

Renick paused to clear his throat before continuing, "She was taken home by the Barnes family sometime in the early evening of July 24th before being involved in an incident three days ago on July 27th. It is believed that she is also the vigilante Shadow Stalker and is possibly connected to several incidents of gang members being pinned to walls with a crossbow. These are currently unconfirmed suspicions, but she is a person of interest in them. Finally, if she is Shadow Stalker then she can theoretically enter a breaker state that enables her to pass through walls. Observations of her in the field suggest that electricity can force her out of this state while inflicting substantial pain. Also, as a result of the incident on the 27th, she seems to have developed the ears and tails of a cat along with a teal colouration of all her hair. This is the extent of our current knowledge concerning Ms. Hess." He closed the folder with a snap.

"She seems to be rather photogenic, much like our other animal-eared girl," Glenn said, looking over his own folder, "But I recall Saturday. Introducing Sophia Hess to the local Wards team would be a bad idea so long as Ms. Hebert is on the team. She'd be better off assigned to another department."

"While I agree in principle, we can't do that," Emily said, opening her own folder, "As you can see her mother, Margerie Hess, was brought in for questioning concerning what we believed to be a Master/Stranger incident. While Ms. Hess has been proven to not be an imposter, her mother's behaviour raised several red flags. She is currently undergoing a psychiatric evaluation while Child Protective Services conducts an investigation of its own."

"So Ms. Hess is a ward of the state for the moment I take it? That could pose a problem if her mother is found competent and decides to withdraw her from the program. Not to mention the Youth Guard complaining about conflicts of interest and overriding parental rights," Glenn said with a frown, "This could cause quite the issue."

"Ms. Hess was not approached as part of a recruitment attempt," Armsmaster said before Emily could speak, "Sergeant Howle and I spoke to her about her encounter with an unknown parahuman assailant on the 27th. She brought up possibly joining the Wards as we were leaving. Such a request is uncharacteristic of the personality profile for Shadow Stalker."

"Which should be a warning sign," Renick said, "Are we certain that this isn't an attempt to infiltrate the local Wards program?"

"Even if it is, we can't decline her on those grounds. Not without very good evidence," Miss Militia said.

"It is unlikely to be an infiltration attempt," Armsmaster said, crossing his arms, "Furthermore Ms. Hess explained her reasoning. Whatever events occurred during the weekend seem to have left an impression on her. A positive one given that her previous psychological profile indicated extreme violent tendencies."

"If I may?" Dr. Woods asked, tapping the folder in his hands against his thigh. Emily waved for him to go ahead. "While there are certain limits in what I can say, my impression from our brief first visit was of someone who recently had their views challenged and long-held truths thrown into question. Uncharacteristic behaviour is to be expected as she tries to find her place again."

"Yet her behaviour recently still shows signs of extreme violent tendencies," Renick said, gesturing to the folder, "She recently killed a living being over a cat."

"One that would have been killed by us in the same situation," Armsmaster said, "The force utilized was acceptable for the situation."

Emily rapped a finger against her desk. "As per the policies of the PRT and Protectorate," she said, cutting off further back and forth, "We are required to accept any youth with powers who wishes to join the Wards so long as they don't have a criminal record. You all know how loosely that last requirement is treated." It grated at her every time they were forced by the higher office or the courts to accept a criminal into the program. More Parahumans with shoddy moral compasses weren't what they needed…

Well, needed anywhere but Brockton Bay. This town was fucked enough that Emily would take what manpower she could get. Even if it was barely deserving of being called such.

"We should be happy she came to us before she did something that can't be undone," Glenn said, his tone one of agreement, "That said, why do we need to keep her here? It will cause issues with the local team."

"1996, Reighlinger v. United States," Renick said, "As ruled by the Supreme Court a Ward cannot be removed from the same city as their parent without their signed permission. Barring a court order, or the child being officially and permanently removed from their custody."

Glenn pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'd forgotten about that. It comes up so rarely," He said with a sigh, "Which means until either CPS concludes that her mother isn't fit to raise children, or the psychological assessment results in her being committed… Sophia is in limbo."

"Essentially," Renick replied.

It wasn't Emily's preferred result either, but they'd simply have to deal with it. Dealing with shit she hated was what she was used to doing. "Which means if she's a Ward then she'll be a Ward here," She said, giving a firm look about the room, "Now, unless anyone has anything else they'd like to raise about Ms. Hess, I believe she meets the requirements of the program." Murmurs of agreement circled the room.

"I've only got one issue myself," Glenn said, tapping the files in his lap, "She's put in a request to be an open Ward, like Corentine. I'm not entirely certain whether we can agree to that without her mother's approval."

"It'll cause issues with security as well," Renick noted, "Trying to cover two Wards in separate locations publicly? That's a serious issue even with the extra manpower we received."

"I doubt I can pry more men free of Costa-Brown. Send it to legal. See what they say," Emily added, "For now she'll be housed in the PRT Building. We have the space unless there's a relative in town she can stay with?"

"None listed in our records," Renick said after glancing at the paperwork.

"The Youth Guard won't like that," Miss Militia noted.

Emily couldn't restrain the snort that bubbled up at that. "The local Youth Guard don't even want the Wards to look at a stun gun let alone use one," she scoffed, "They can complain all they wish. There are no other options at this time." It was ridiculous. She couldn't even arm the Wards appropriately compared to other departments due to the obsessive nature of the local Youth Guard. Some Wards managed to get away with driving literal armoured vehicles in other cities. Here? If someone so much as suggested a stun gun for Vista the Youth Guard would fill her inbox with a solid foot of paperwork.

She'd made sure to measure it last time.

If she had to work with underage unstable brats the least they could do is let her arm them well enough to not die.

Emily looked about the room and nodded. "Sophia Hess will be accepted into the program. Extend our standard Wards contract and get her into power testing. I want to know what we're working with," she said, "Now, Glenn, if you wouldn't mind leaving we have something else to discuss."

"Actually, before I go, I'd like to raise several issues that have come up since Corentine's debut," Glen said as he folded up the folder and pulled out a tablet.

Of course, he did. "What has the girl caused now?" Emily asked dryly.

"Oh this is more on my team than her, I'm afraid," Glenn said with a frown, "First, we somehow dropped the ball on several points concerning her powerset. We've seen a lot of conversations relating her to several fox-related myths of the Far East. The Kitsune of Japan, the Gumiho of Korea, and the Huli Jing of China in particular. Of concern is the Gumiho who were reputed man-eaters-"

"Get to the point, Glenn," Emily snapped.

"Right. The point is we've seen questions about food preferences. Tofu or Liver in particular," Glenn said, "Gumiho are said to eat men's livers for their vital essence while the Kitsune of Japan are said to accept Tofu as offerings to appease them. The short story is Corentine has been unintentionally confusing the Asian community by professing a liking for both."

Emily ignored the slap of a hand meeting face to her side. "Fairly minor all told," she said dryly, "Is that all Glenn?"

"Erm… Well, other than some people drawing unfortunate conclusions about our Ward's food preferences, there've been a lot of comparisons between Corentine and Quarantine," he said, "Several jokes connecting her to the containment zones have begun to gain some unfortunate traction. We may want to consider a rapid renaming. It's less of a chore to do so since she's an open cape and thus a lot of people are just using her real name."

"From that same logic the name she wears as a Ward is less important in the first place," Miss Militia said, earning a nod from Emily. Still, this was Glenn's area of expertise.

"Come up with a list that Ms. Hebert approves of. We'll discuss it afterwards," She told him, "Is that all?"

Glenn stood up. "It should be," he said, "See you all later then." With that, the horrifically dressed man walked out the door. He was followed after a moment by Dr. Woods who gave his own parting words before closing the door behind them.

Emily let out a sigh. "That man," she grumbled before fixing Armsmaster with a look, "What do we have on this monster cape that Shadow Stalker dealt with?"

"Based on her description as well as evidence at the scene I believe it unlikely to have been a Cape itself," Armsmaster said promptly, "A master's projection or a biotinker's creation are both more likely possibilities."

A muscle spasmed in Emily's cheek, making her entire face twitch. Biotinker. Just what they needed, their own Blasto… Or god forbid their own Nilbog. They didn't need another of those monsters. "And the source?" she demanded.

"Unknown. It appears to have been assembled from seaweed, seashells and various bits of detritus scavenged from the beach. We have yet to place where it might have been created or summoned," Armsmaster said clinically, "Its first appearance was on CCTV killing five men. Furthermore, it seemed to refer to a group. To Vathý, which seems to translate from Greek into 'The Deep'. Possibly a foreign criminal organization or a new parahuman group. Perhaps focused on Greeks and Italians akin to the ABB. We lack enough information to say anything of certainty."

"Ratings?" Emily asked as she found a twitch in her cheek. She didn't need an unknown master or biotinker running about causing hell and havoc. God forbid they have a group of psychos backing them up.

"It has exhibited powers of its own that are quite dangerous. Creation of rotting sea flora. Creation and manipulation of bone. Its voice is a clear shaker effect that disorients and actively harms those who hear it. It also made the area seem pitch black. The maximum range of these abilities is unknown, but we estimate at least a Shaker 4. It has substantial strength and durability. Brute 4 at a minimum. Possibly as high as a 6 or 7. Mover 1, possibly 2 as well. It exhibited greater than normal speed and agility, but nothing a highly trained human couldn't have possibly accomplished. No real data exists on its jumping height, however. Presumably, its aquatic nature means it would be able to move swiftly in water, but again, we have no data."

Her fingers drummed the desk with irritation. "Find the source. The last thing we need is another Nilbog," she snapped. Armsmaster merely nodded. Emily leaned back in her chair. "Anything else?" she asked.

"At present, no," Armsmaster said to agreement from Miss Militia.

"Then dismissed. Keep me apprised on your investigation, Armsmaster," Emily ordered, waving her hand in dismissal. Both Protectorate heroes filed out. The moment the door shut she sagged against her desk.

Fucking Parahumans.

"Are you alright, Emily?" Renick asked with concern.

She waved him off. "Tired… Biotinkers. Why is it always fucking biotinkers?" she asked him, "The last thing we need is some psychopath playing god. It would destabilize everything at best. At worst… At worst, we have another containment zone." She ignored the hand that patted her consolingly on the shoulder.

Fuck her useless body. She needed a drink.


The sun shone down on the backyard of the Hebert house. It refracted off the water as it flowed out of the hose and danced through the air. Through one stream of water than another, off the glistening leaves and back through the physics-defying display that filled the entire yard. Taylor floated at its center, eyes closed as her tails twitched and swayed with the swirls of water. She breathed slowly in and out as she added more and more complexity to the array of water streams surrounding her. The more water flowed from the hose the more water she added to the pattern.

"Good, you're up to a hundred and three streamers now," Inari said from the lounge chair halfway across the yard, "Why don't you try and add a couple more?"

Taylor's lips tightened with focus. She reached out to the water and called it to her. She was aware of every streamer surrounding her and though it was hardly a swimming pool it was several times more complicated a pattern than she had attempted during power testing. She brought the new streamer of water under the edge of the storm and pulled it up and around the center bundle before arcing it over her head and down through the center bundle of the other side.

It snapped easily together with the stream of water from the hose and Taylor mentally 'snipped' them apart. The water from the hose started flowing further up and to the side as the new streamer stabilized.

"One hundred and four," Inari said.

Right, she could do a hundred and five.

The water rippled and the new streamer splattered to the ground as Taylor control wavered for a moment. After a few seconds, the water from the hose began to rise against, shaking in time with her breaths. A few inches at a time it rose, it slipped through the nest of water Taylor had made for herself it shakily curved around the side at hip level before-

The loud Brrrriiiing of her Ward's phone shattered the young Goddess' concentration. A kiddy pool's worth of water splashed down on and around her.

"Ack," she winced as the cold water instantly soaked her. Grumbling, she floated swiftly over to where her leather jacket was hanging off the back of a lawn chair. She fished out the phone and flipped it open as she clipped a wireless heart-shaped headset to her damp ear. "Taylor here," she grumbled, giving her wet tails a look. It took a moment to muster the will to pull the water from her clothes and hair.

"Hey, Tay-tay, I hope I haven't caught you at a bad time," came the obnoxious voice of Dennis.

"Don't call me Tay-tay, seriously," she grumbled as she took a seat at the end of the lounge chair. Inari snickered from her seat and received the ball of removed water straight to the face. Taylor stuck her tongue out at the fox spirit as she sputtered.

"... So Tay-tay-"

"I'll make sure the only thing in the entire kitchenette is ghost pepper hot pockets, for a month," she said, cutting him off.

There were a few moments of silence. "Gee, you really know how to make a guy feel wanted," He said dryly, "Anyway, being serious I'm calling from the console. Deputy Director Renick is calling all Wards in. Apparently, there's an announcement that can't be made over public communications or something."

"Really? How often does this happen?" she asked, floating off her seat back toward her jacket.

"Eh, it happens? Usually, it's some sort of exercise or something that's being talked about. A couple of times it's been an operation we've done some side work for. But the last time was when you were joining," Dennis replied.

Now that she was dry Taylor floated over to her jacket and tossed it over her shoulders. "When does the Deputy Director want us in?" she asked.

"This afternoon. Around three o'clock," Dennis said, "See you then. I still need to call Missy. Oh boy is she not going to be happy." There was a click as the call ended.

Taylor gave her phone a look before hanging up herself and plucking the headset off. Once the phone and headset were placed back into her pocket, she turned back to Inari and gestured. The water in the fox's fur sluiced off onto the ground.

Inari shook herself out. "That was rude," she complained.

"So is laughing," Taylor replied, sticking out her tongue before stretching. It was nice not to have her clothing feel like it was an inch from exploding when she did anything beyond standing there. A small stream of water wrapped about the valve of the hose and turned it off before splashing to the ground. "Enough of that for now. I'm tired of getting soaked through again and again. Do you have any idea what time it is, Inari?"

"Doesn't that fancy phone of yours have a clock?" Inari asked.

The foxgirl blinked and fished out the alien device. It did indeed. "Nearly lunch. We need to be down at the PRT before 3. So let's get something to eat then do something less… Wet," she said, shooting a look at the grass.

"Most sea gods like getting wet," Inari muttered as she glared down at the wet ground before reluctantly taking to the air.

Taylor rolled her eyes before walking to the backdoor and letting herself into the house. She shut the door after Inari floated through. As she turned her thoughts to what she wanted for lunch her cell phone rang again. "What now?" she asked exasperatedly as she answered, "This is Taylor."

"Hey, Tay-uuuh," Dennis trailed off as though realizing he was about to step on a landmine, "Sooo, I might, just possibly, have slightly, only slightly mind you, forgot to mention something."

"Hello Clock, what did you forget?" Taylor asked with exasperation.

"You've been booked for a Sunday PR patrol down the boardwalk with Gallant and Triumph," Dennis said hurriedly, "Gotta go, bye." And he was gone before she could ask for more details. She stared at the phone for a moment before sighing and pocketing it. She'd just have to get the details from the patrol schedule later.

"We've got a PR Patrol on Sunday," she said to the curious fox at her feet as she resumed her journey to the kitchen. There was some leftover chicken breast from the night before. With a little work it would make a great sandwich.

Possibly two.

Maybe three if she felt like stretching it.

…

Perhaps she should cook some bacon as well.


Taylor set down just before the rear entrance of the PRT Building. Inari settled onto her shoulders as they were processed through security. After lunch, Inari had begun teaching her about more direct principles of magic and the powers of the divine. Specifically, she said she wanted to teach Taylor the Art of Imbuement. It was the art of creating items of power. Everything from legendary swords to enchanted shoelaces or a much more practical communication and scrying mirror.

She still wasn't entirely certain why you'd want to enchant shoelaces. Now a lightsaber of her own like what Sophia had somehow gotten ahold of? That would be neat… What had happened to that sword anyway? Inari might know, she'd have to ask her.

She set that question aside as they stepped through the door of the Ward's rec room. Unlike the last time, it seemed she was the last to arrive. Missy was in one of the chairs again, watching with bored eyes as the boys, minus Kid Win, were all engaged in Mario Kart. The tinker looked up from where he was making a snack at the kitchenette.

"Oh, hey Taylor," he said, waving. He was dressed in costume, though his helmet was on the counter beside a bowl of potato chips. In his hands was a bowl of something orangish he was stirring with a spoon.

"Hey Kid," she said, waving back before walking over to the couch, "Hey guys. Who's winning?" She leaned against the couch.

"Carlos is," Missy said, she promptly squeaked as Inari hopped into her lap.

"I demand pets," The fox said bluntly. With a bemused look, Missy started petting the fox.

"Hey Taylor," Carlos said, not removing his eyes from the four-way split-screen. The other three echoed him absently. She rolled her eyes at their fixation on the screen before turning back to Kid with a flick of her tails that 'accidentally' brushed all four boys across the back of the head.

"Oi!
"Hey!"
"What the- damn it!"

"YES!" Dennis punched the air as his cart slipped by Carlos' cart as it drove into a wall and took first place. "I expect payment tomorrow Carlos!"

"Foul! There was interference!" The brute replied, waving his controller at Taylor who glanced back with a false surprised expression.

"You were betting?" she asked, trying to stop the corner of her lip from twitching. Over in Missy's lap, Inari was snickering.

"Six bags of Cheetos to the winner, which is me," Dennis said, popping up to his feet and sketching a dramatic bow toward her.

"Rematch! Best of five!" Carlos protested.

"Give it up, Carlos," Triumph chuckled. Like Kid Win, their leader was wearing his full costume.

"Chipotle Ranch or French Onion?" Kid Win asked her, drawing her away from the dramatics.

"What?" she asked only to realize he had a second bowl he was filling with chips and another one of dip that was a slight beige.

"For the chips. Which do you prefer?" Kid asked.

"Uuuh," Taylor stepped over and looked at them. "Mind if I…?" she grabbed a chip and gestured to the dips.

"Go for it. They're for eating," he replied, dipping one in the French onion himself.

After a taste test of each, she pointed to the chipotle. "I'll take that one," she said.

"Hey, why does she get her own bowl of dip?" Dennis squawked, "Give the winner something nice too."

"Because she didn't volunteer me to get snacks ready," Kid Win said, handing her the bowl and one of the bowls of chips. Dean chuckled.

"He's got you there, Dennis," Dean said. With a grumble, the other boy dropped back into his seat.

"I'm not going to eat the entire thing myself," she protested, heading for the chair next to Carlos. From what she recalled he liked hot things too. She set the dip and chips on the side table between them and gestured at him to take one as she set into the chips herself.

"Thanks," he said, seemingly forgetting the little tail to the back of the head.

"So, any hint of Renick yet?" she asked as they started up another round of Mario Kart.

"Nothing so far. Still got a few more minutes though," Carlos said before turning back to the game. "And I'm not betting anything this time!"

"Hey I already won, so what do I care?" Dennis laughed.

Taylor nibbled on her snack as she watched the boys play their game. Her tails flicked back and forth around her feet. This was… more relaxing than she expected.

It was just as the second lap of the race was starting when the door of the rec room opened to admit a man she wasn't yet familiar with along with Miss Militia. He had a touch of grey in his bangs and a severe frown. Under one arm was a folder. "Pause the game, boys," he said even as Carlos hit the button himself.

"Deputy Director Renick, Miss Militia, welcome," Triumph said, standing quickly.

"Triumph, everyone, good afternoon," the now identified Deputy Director Renick nodded to Triumph, "I bring… Mixed news."

Taylor sat up even as her ears turned away low. Mixed news meant there was a downside to whatever he had to tell them.

"Mixed how, sir?" Triumph asked as Miss Militia took up a spot to Renick's right.

"You're getting another member, however, they have a history with someone already here. Not good history either," He said bluntly. Confusion crossed everyone's faces.

She didn't know what the other's backgrounds were like for people with 'history' but with her, that could mean… Well, it could mean a lot of people. Had Emma triggered after her mental break? Was one of her hangers-on joining the team?

He sighed. "I'll be upfront. If we had a choice with this, we'd be sending her to another city to preserve team cohesion since you all seem to be getting on well. Our hands are tied, unfortunately, which means that you'll soon be joined by a rebranded Shadow Stalker," He said.

"Sophia is joining the team?" Taylor blurted out incredulously. Her tails lashed angrily against the chair, rocking it a little with each smack. She couldn't believe it. Why would she join the Wards?

"Wait, isn't Shadow Stalker that lunatic vigilante with the crossbow?" Dennis asked with some confusion, "The one who called Kid a wimp last time we ran into her?"

"She insulted my weapons," Kid said with a scowl of his own.

"She's a bitch," Missy said bluntly.

"Missy, language," Miss Militia said, earning a roll of the eyes from the young girl.

Taylor turned an incredulous look at the rest. Apparently, Sophia had a reputation with the Wards.

The Deputy Director sighed and gestured for everyone to settle down. "I am aware of the… less than stellar reputation Miss Hess has managed to accrue herself with you. One which doesn't even include her encounters in school with Ms. Hebert." Everyone turned to Taylor and she shrunk in on herself a little. Her ears laid low again and her tails curled.

"She's a bully at Winslow," Taylor said, glancing away from everyone. She didn't want to say more about Winslow… and Emma… and- She started as Carlos laid a hand on her shoulder by levitating high enough to reach.

"Sir, do we really have to take her? If she's been involved in bullying one of our own," Carlos said, "It doesn't seem like a good idea."

"What kind of hero is also a bully at school anyway?" Missy chimed in, crossing her arms. Sounds of agreement echoed from everyone but Triumph who seemed to be carved from granite for all the emotion he was showing.

Taylor's lip twitched and her tails uncurled a bit.

"Unfortunately, the Wards charter does not include bullying as grounds for refusal. The Wards are, after all, intended to help young Parahumans learn to use their powers productively and safely," Renick said, shaking his head, "This includes guiding them away from bullying or other behaviours that might lead them to choose villainy in the future."

Okay when put like that, it almost sounded like the Wards were made for trying to rehabilitate people like Sophia. "And if she gets out of hand?" Taylor asked, not even trying to hide her displeasure.

"Then file a complaint with the current Wards leader and they'll pass it on up to either myself or Director Piggot," Renick said before opening his file, "Miss Hess has been preliminarily accepted into the program barring her mother abruptly passing her psychological screening and removing her from the program. I would, however, be remiss if I didn't point out that Miss Hess requested to join the Wards of her own volition. She will not be a probationary member despite her… questionable history of cooperation."

He removed a picture from the folder and held it out upside down to Taylor. "She has, however, undergone a few changes recently," he said.

She took the photo and flipped it over. She stared as the others crowded around her chair. Even Inari got in on it, floating over Dennis' head. Then the white fox started laughing.

"She's teal!" Inari howled, slowly spinning in the air as she laughed.

"She's a catgirl," Dennis said, an incredulous tone in his voice, "Who the heck did she tick off to get this?" Missy fell over laughing and clutching her stomach.

"Classified for now," Renick said, his frown twitching slightly, "You can ask her yourselves when you meet her on Tuesday." He took the photo from Taylor's hands.

She stared after it with incredulity. "Did I do that to her?" she blurted out. She couldn't think of anything else that might have done it. There'd been that thing with Vicky after all.

"We currently do not believe so," Renick said, "Despite the altercation last Saturday we do not believe that your powers are at work here. We have reason to believe an unknown parahuman was involved. Again, anything further is classified due to an ongoing investigation. She may tell you if she wants. Triumph, we'll have the results of her power testing in your hands by Monday. For now, see what you can think up with her current threat assessment."

"Yes, sir," Triumph said, nodding seriously once. In stark contrast Missy was still rolling on the ground, though her laughter had taken on a gasping tone that suggested she was having issues breathing through it.

Renick looked them over. "Well, this isn't the sort of news you were all hoping for. In fact, I imagine this is probably the opposite of what you'd like. However, do at least give her a chance. She approached us and seems to have a sincere desire to chart a different course from the one she was following before now. Give her that chance," he said, before nodding to Triumph one last time, "Enjoy the rest of your afternoon. You're free to leave whenever." With that he turned and left with Miss Militia.

The moment he was out the door Taylor had to restrain the urge to put her fist through the back of the chair. As it was, her punch left a dent that didn't seem to be going away in the cushion. Not quickly, at least.

"Hey, relax Taylor," Carlos said soothingly, "We've all had run-ins with Shadow Stalker before. We know the kind of…" He paused as though searching for a word.

"The kind of bitch she is," Dennis said bluntly, "Somehow it isn't that surprising that she's a bully. Every time we run into her she's waving that crossbow around like it's a divine mandate to shoot a gangster."

"Or us. She nearly hit me the month before last," Kid Win said, "And my armour can't do anything about bolts phasing through it."

"We- heee- Teal!" Missy blurted out from the floor, "Heeee!"

Dean looked down at Missy. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yea-yeaheee-" Missy tried to speak, but only managed a sound not dissimilar to a deflating balloon before convulsing with laughter again.

Taylor summoned a spark to the end of one tail and poked Missy in the leg with it. There was a crack and the younger girl yelped.

"Ow! Jesus- fuck- Ow!" Missy said as she flinched away. She rubbed the spot as her breathing started to stabilize. "That hurt!" Dennis snorted.

"You sounded like you were having trouble breathing," Taylor replied.

Missy let out a groan and leaned back against the ground. "My lungs hurt," she said after a moment. She snerked and giggled, only to yelp as Taylor raised a sparking tail. "I'm good! Not laughing more… No matter how funny this is. She's teal."

"Yeah, what the hell," Carlos shook his head, "And she has a tail."

"And cat ears," Kid Win said, grinning.

"Makes you wonder if she purrs now," Triumph said as he dropped the stiff pose he'd been in. He earned a few chuckles. "We can help keep an eye on her if you'd like, Taylor, but we also need to give her a chance. As much as that probably sounds horrible to you, the Deputy Director is right, if she came to us then she deserves at least that much."

Taylor looked away, scowling, before nodding once and sighing. She'd basically dared the other girl to be better. She just hadn't thought she'd take that as a challenge to join the Wards. Her posture relaxed marginally as she sagged into the back of the chair. Inari dropped into her lap and stretched.

"This'll be just fine," Inari said, "Trust me."

Taylor glanced down at her. "That just makes me more worried," she snarked, getting a snort from Dennis.

Inari clutched her chest and toppled over backwards. "Oh, the betrayal. The dagger of distrust, it hurts so much," she cried with the worst fake sobs Taylor had ever heard. It brought a small smile to her face.

"You're a silly fox, you know that?" she told Inari, reaching down to scratch her behind the ear.

"Wha- oooh, I knew you'd come around," Inari's tongue lolled out of the corner of her mouth as she became boneless in Taylor's lap.

Taylor sighed. "Thanks guys, I wasn't expecting this," she said to the others. She'd figured that the previous weekend would be the last time she'd have to deal with Sophia except for maybe an encounter in 'costume'.

"Hey, it's fine. We've all got stuff that sucks," Dennis said, folding his hands behind his head, "Comes with the powers." That got winces all around.

Taylor ran her hand through Inari's fur. "... I guess I should probably explain a bit more though. If you're about to be in the middle of my 'stuff'," she said, moving four tails to mime quotations, "I didn't know about a bunch of this myself until last week, but it started around a year ago in an alleyway…"


Taylor was quiet as she and Inari took to the air heading for home an hour later. She was feeling emotionally wrung out again after recapping the nonsense to her teammates. They'd promised to help keep an eye on Sophia but that didn't stop her from feeling wary. She hoped the other girl was trying to be better. It was just rather hard to believe it after the last year.

"Still dwelling on it I see," Inari said as they lazily banked around a skyscraper toward the suburbs.

"Hmm." A dark ear flicked irritably.

"I don't think you have much to worry about," Inari continued, speeding up a little to get ahead of her. The fox flipped onto her back as she flew and gave her a look. "You did render a revelation on her last time. Such things tend to have lingering side effects."

"You mean I mastered her," Taylor said flatly. Lovely. Just what she needed on her record.

"No. That's not how revelations work," Inari said, shaking her head, "A revelation doesn't force a compulsion upon the target. If it does then it's a geas, not a revelation or a judgement."

That was a slight relief. She really didn't want a reputation as a human master. "Then why is she joining the Wards? It really isn't like her," she asked.

"Because she wants to be better. You heard her. All she wanted was to be a hero and at some point lost sight of what that meant. You showed her," Inari said, slowing down just enough that she could poke Taylor's head with a forepaw.

They came to a stop between several high rises. Taylor's tails spread out to obscure the view of them. "Showed her what though? I only got a few glimpses and… I'll admit she's broken. Something terrible happened to her and…" Taylor chewed her lip, "And she never moved on. Just like Emma."

Inari hummed her agreement.

"That doesn't mean I want to be on the same team as her though!" She said, crossing her arms under her chest, "Sure, she can have another shot at being a hero, but does she have to do it in the Wards? I know it isn't rational but I'm worried…" She trailed off. It was stupid.

"About?" Inari asked gently.

Taylor was silent for a moment as the breeze ruffled her tails, hair and ears. "It's just… After what happened with Emma… I've barely started to get to know the rest of the team but I think we're becoming friends. I don't want to lose that again. Not to her." She hugged herself and looked away.

"That isn't going to happen, Taylor," Inari said, patting her gently on the shoulder.

"... Yeah, Emma was…" Taylor trailed off, her ears twitching upward. What was that? She felt something for a moment. Something… foul. She turned scanning the ground below.

"Taylor?" Inari asked, concerned.

"I-" Her ears twitched to the left and she turned quickly. She shuddered. "There's something here," she said. She couldn't say what, but something inside her was screaming that there was something wrong.

"What sort of thing?" Inari asked, turning to look around herself.

"I don't know. It feels rotten, dank, and mouldy… Slimy even," she said. It was like rotten seaweed running across her hand only deeper inside. She shuddered again

"Strange. I can't recall encountering something like that bef-" A high pitched shriek filled the air, causing both of them to grab at their ears as something dived at them from above.

Taylor grabbed Inari with a tail and zipped backward reflexively as the thing dived through where she had been. It felt weaker but wrong in the same way as the other thing she was sensing. She tracked it by the feeling as two more blips of the same wrongness dived from other directions. She spun, her tail smacking one out of the sky as she grabbed another with her hand.

She almost let go reflexively as her hand tightened on a slime-covered body out of disgust. The slime was the sort of thing you'd find on rotting meat. She managed to hold off her disgust even as she shuddered.

The thing in her hand was about the size of a beagle, though that was where the resemblance to a terrestrial animal ended. It had large bat-like wings, a wide mouth like a frog lined with serrated teeth, it had two hindlegs shaped like those of a frog and its skin resembled that of an amphibian. It shrieked at her as it struggled to escape.

"Inari, what is this?" she shouted.

"I don't know," the fox replied, "But it's definitely supernatural. I can feel the magic in it." The critter tried to twist and bite her hand but she held it fast in place. It helped that it didn't have much of a neck.

Her other hand slipped into her jacket and pulled out her PRT phone as she spun in place and kicked the original critter. It disappeared from her senses as it sailed away from her into the city.

Taylor's ears twisted, searching for more sounds of the critters. She wasn't- There. Flapping.

She dropped six feet down as a small swarm of the things flashed through her position. The one in her hand was writhing to escape as Taylor released Inari. "Can you stay safe?" she asked.

"I can do that," Inari replied.

Lightning danced along Taylor's tails as swirls of water began to spin out of the humid air. She hit the speed dial for the PRT alert line on her phone. She spun a web of swirling water about herself. The swarm tried to dive through it, only for most of it to be turned aside or knocked from the air. She only had to avoid a pair that ducked through the gaps, and they fell easily to the electrically charged tails.

"This is PRT Dispatch to Corentine. We're reading an alert from you," A man's voice said through her phone as the call went through.

"I'm being attacked by a bunch of weird animals," Taylor shouted as she maneuvered out of the way of another attack.

"I'm dispatching assistance to your phone's location. Can you describe them?" the man asked. She didn't recognize him.

"Some sort of amphibian bat. They smell terrible and they feel worse than tinkertech does," she said. Tinkertech just felt like someone had put it together wrong. These things felt like they were an actual violation of herself. Or perhaps… perhaps a violation of her domain. That felt more accurate.

"If you're flying, see if you can get lower down so the troopers can assist when they get there," Dispatch said.

The swarm arced up and came back down toward her. With a thought, Taylor spread the web of water out into a plain and launched it up into them. She dived backwards as she turned the water to ice the moment it soaked them. They fell another twenty feet before she managed to arrest their momentum through their icy prisons.

She looked around. "About that… I think I got them, as in I've got them trapped in some ice," she said, "There's something else out here as well but I can't get eyes on it. I can just… Feel it."

"Get down to the street with them. A PRT van will be with you soon. Can you describe the feeling?" The PRT Dispatcher asked. She could hear the clacking of a keyboard from the other side just audible through the incessant racket of the critter in her hand. She fidgeted with the hold and managed to mostly force its jaw shut turning a shriek into a mangled hiss as ice bound its wings to its side.

"Uh… Foul. Slimy… Unnatural. Kinda like rotting seaweed actually," she said as she started to descend. Inari kept pace with her, tail fluttering behind her.

"... Rotting seaweed, understood. Three squads are inbound for your location along with Armsmaster," the dispatcher said, "Do you have the ability to link to the radio at present?"

"I don't have my headset," Taylor said as she scanned the ground. There was one more thing she was feeling. The original one. That way but… She scowled. It was growing faint really quickly. "And the other thing I was sensing is getting away."

"Hold position. Let it go for now," the dispatcher said, "It should only be a few minutes."

She ground her teeth. "Understood," she sighed after a moment. These things were probably being controlled by something, or at least directed. She turned to Inari and whispered, "It's getting away."

"Let it go," the fox whispered back, "If it's aligned against you then it'll try again. Hopefully, you'll be more prepared then."

She frowned but continued her slow descent. People on the sidewalk gasped as she floated down into view. Cameras flashed as she hovered just over the crowd. The critters wriggled in their bindings as she drew more water up and carefully bound their wings and forced their mouths mostly shut. It cut down on the pain in her ears.

A few questions were shouted her way as she waited, but she kept her silence until three PRT vans and a much larger armoured truck turned the corner, sirens wailing off the sides of buildings. Armsmaster following behind them on his motorcycle. Taylor floated down to the ground with her captured critters as the troopers swarmed out and forced the crowd back.

"Armsmaster," Taylor said, nodding to him as he stepped off his motorcycle. His halberd and something in his armour were clearly not supposed to work the way they did, but she pushed the thought away before she could do something silly. Like trying to disassemble the halberd.

"What happened?" he demanded, looking from her to the critters.

"These things attacked me. I managed to restrain them for the moment, but I'm not sure what the ice might do to them," she said. Not that she'd be upset if they died. They just felt wrong on a fundamental level.

He nodded once. "Put them in the back of the truck," he told her, "It has containment for tinker animals." She nodded and walked them over. She kept her peace on what Inari had said. People didn't believe in magic or gods. That didn't mean she couldn't leave him with some sort of warning.

"Sir," She said, "These things feel worse than tinkertech does to me." He grunted and a moment later took a few steps away from her. Yeah, he probably didn't like to think about her accidentally undoing his work just by standing there. "There's something not right about them."

"Hrm…" He was staring at the critters as she laid them out across the cage in the back of the truck.

"Sir?"

He half-turned his head to her, then went back to the critters. "I believe these are the same things that Miss Hess encountered a few days ago," he said.

"Sophia? What do you mean by encountered? This is the first I've heard of these things," she said with a frown.

"The Wards were set to be informed tomorrow after my report was finished," he replied, "They engaged an unknown tinker animal or possible changer in a running battle that Miss Hess intervened in after another larger creature got involved. They dissolved into rotting detritus from the sea when killed. Kelp, seashells, other forms of seaweed and some rotting driftwood. Your restraint means that we actually have samples to study."

"Oh. You're welcome," she said, earning another nod.

"You'll need to come back in as well for a debriefing," he said, provoking a wince.

"Yes, sir," she muttered. Damn it. She just wanted to go home!


The steel door slapped shut behind Tammi as she entered the dimly lit warehouse. It was just another of the many similar properties the Empire maintained throughout their territory. Nearby a trio of gangsters were leaning or sitting on a pile of crates. One of them was flipping a butterfly knife between their fingers with clear practice. All three of them glanced away as they realized she was looking their way.

A small smirk danced on her lips as she walked past them deeper into the dim room. It always amused her when full-grown men got nervous about her. It was the costume. Her red and black robes screamed 'cape' to the average superstitious idiot on the streets. There were a depressing number of idiots in the E88.

Others stepped aside as she circled the warehouse looking for the man she'd been sent to 'aid'. Piles of boxes were stacked haphazardly creating little alleyways, streets and cul-de-sacs throughout which men were at work sorting and documenting the contents. At least, she assumed they were. If they weren't then someone was going to be angry when they found out they'd been poking through sealed crates.

She passed a small folding table with a stack of raven feathers and a cup full of multi-coloured beads surrounded by candles that were burning a teal blue. Other strange sights were scattered here and there.

Runes painted on boxes.

Little totems swinging from low-hanging lights.

More tables with creepy items on display.

A skeleton of a man examining what looked like a human skull the colour of obsidian.

She paused and stepped back to peer through the gap in the crates to find a small group of tables set up almost like a workstation around a man in a rough black hand-spun linen robe. She had met Victor before. He was handsome and she'd admit to being a little jealous of Othala… now though? Whatever that fox-bitch had done had removed all traces of the handsome man, leaving only a creepy gaunt figure.

"Jesus, you look like shit Vic- Prometheus," She said as she squeezed through the boxes into the workshop. She nearly knocked a teal-blue candle over. She stumbled over his name, unused to the new one that Max had told her to use.

Prometheus turned from his examination of the obsidian skull. "Rune, how nice of you to join me," he said, his thin lips pulling back to reveal his teeth in what might have been generously termed a 'smile'. "A strange trove of items to find in the possession of one so opposed to the occult, is it not?" He turned the obsidian skull over in his hands before tossing it over his shoulder.

Tammi flinched as it shattered on the concrete floor.

"Alas, a fake," Prometheus said in the tone of one unsurprised, "Most things in here are or were so poorly treated as to be useless to anyone. I've used what little I could find to attempt to conceal our work here from prying eyes, but such things are new to me. I can only hope I haven't drawn the gazes of worse things to us instead."

The younger parahuman swallowed nervously. She hadn't thought Max was serious when he said Vic- Prometheus was a few sticks short of a bird's nest, but now? There was something strange in his eyes.

"Oh don't be like that Rune," he tutted as he lifted a candle from the table and held it up by her head. He peered at her through unusually bright and aware eyes. "Hrmph, a good choice for once… I think. Hard to say without more practice, but with luck, we can verify it." He set the candle back down on the table and scribbled something into a notebook with a pen. "Tell me, Rune, what brings you here?"

"I'm… I'm here to help you. Kaiser asked for volunteers and I stepped forward," she replied instantly as she slowly circled on the far side of the tables from him. There was just enough room for her to fit between the tables and the walls of the 'workshop'.

He hummed as he wrote something into the notebook before looking back at her. "I've stolen many skills over the last few years, but I never needed to when it came to someone lying to me, did you know that Rune?" he asked. She shook her head quickly. "Yes, well, I don't tend to advertise it. It lets people think they can lie and sometimes I find their lies more convenient to our goals than the truth… What I'm saying, Rune, is that I hear your lie but I care not one wit. Max can assign whomever he wishes to keep an eye on me and these… trinkets. Just do not do so thinking I am blind and foolish."

"Understood," she said hastily, earning a thin-lipped smile. She nearly bit her tongue, keeping an angry retort off her lips. She hated being forced into shit. Absolutely fucking despised it.

"I'm sure you do, but if it's any consolation, I'd have likely requested you had we crossed paths sometime in the near future," Prometheus said. He closed the notebook he had been writing in. "Our dear leader sends me the superstitious, the foolish, the easily misled and those blinded by ambition without the ability to achieve it. Do you know how frustrating that is? To be surrounded by clear incompetence but knowing that unless I provide something more concrete and consistent it is likely all I shall receive?" Before she could reply he shook his head. "No, I don't suppose you would. But now? Well, I can use someone like you."

"For what?" she asked, squaring off across the table from him. "You better not decide to sacrifice me for some strange ritual." For a moment the gaunt man looked taken aback before he laughed. It was a deep full laugh as at odds with his appearance as his smooth movements were.

"Ah, no that shall not happen. No, I think you would be the last such person I would consider from those assigned to me… besides, rituals built on sacrifice are so easily subverted," he said, waving a hand in dismissal.

How he knew that she really didn't want to know. She cleared her throat. "So… where do we start?" she asked, hoping to change the topic. The twitch of his lip told her he had noticed.

Prometheus picked up the notebook he'd been writing in and tucked it under an arm. "We begin right here," he said. He gestured, picked up a trio of notebooks and a pencil from the table and held them out. "I knew our good leader would assign someone important to keep an eye on me. I felt it best to have prepared material. You'll find the one on top filled with preparatory material and the other two blank. I suggest reading it sooner rather than later."

Tammi took the notebook with some apprehension. Was he planning on teaching her 'magic'? If he was then she really hoped none of the heroes found out. She was already sick and tired of the fucks calling her 'Sabrina the Teenage Nazi'. Bitch, she was better than some Saturday morning cartoon character! Especially one like her.

As if he could read her thoughts he chuckled and held out a hand. "Støkkva," he uttered and a gnarled walking stick leaped from where it leaned against the tables into his hand. As his fingers closed around it small runes lit up down its length. Some runes were dim, others bright, and others unlit. He admired it for a second before glancing her way. "My first work. I spent all of yesterday carving the runes. Unfortunately, my hand was not as precise as needed for everything I wished, but it shall do for the moment."

"I see," she said, not understanding what he meant. Maybe the notebook had something on that.

"No you don't," he said before he raised the hood of his robe, turned and led the way out of the workshop down a wider path than the entrance she had found, the clack of his walking stick echoing with each step. "This way," he called back. She followed quickly. Two men by the entrance looked positively worried as Prometheus passed them. "Gentlemen, relax. Being worried won't help you at all," he said in passing. If anything it seemed to make their nerves worse.

"Your work with me shall be threefold," he said softly as he slowed enough for her to walk beside him, "First, you shall be a messenger, retrieving items and finishing agreements I need someone important to attend to. Second, you shall report on these dealings to Max as he expects." He paused to examine a circle of runes painted precisely onto the side of a support pillar. He tisked. "I'll have to redo this one. The power has already drained from it."

He opened his notebook and began scrawling some notes. Tammi waited a few moments before glancing around at the nervous gangsters finding reasons to be elsewhere. Feeling a touch nervous herself, Tammi cleared her throat. "And the third one?" she asked.

He paused in his scribbling and glanced over at her. "Isn't it obvious?" he asked.

"I wouldn't be asking if it was," she said. Actually, she would be, because doing shit because you thought it was obvious was the sort of thing that got you in trouble when you misread it.

He chuckled. "Rune, why else would I have given you that book? You shall be my apprentice," he said before closing the notebook with a clack, "Come, this way."

"Apprentice?" she hissed as she hurried after him. He was walking swiftly now. Far faster than his decrepit body suggested he'd be able to. It was the speed of his old self.

He refused to elaborate as they weaved between stacks of boxes and open crates. He casually brushed aside a man who would have been larger than him even before the incident. The man scrambled out of her way as he hurriedly made a few symbols to ward away evil toward Prometheus. When she spotted a few others doing the same she repressed a sigh. Did they seriously think that was going to do anything?

Idiots.

Soon they reached a small door along the back wall. Prometheus opened the door then stepped aside. "After you," he said graciously.

A touch cautiously Tammi stepped into the room. It was dark but the lights snapped on a moment after she entered with a 'thunk'. She jumped and looked back to find Prometheus' hand on a light switch by the door. She turned back to the room. To the right was a simple desk, likely from Ikea, sat on the right surrounded by empty bookshelves and a normal enough looking office chair. On her left was a cot and a kitchenette with a small TV hanging from the wall above the mini-fridge. The only other door in the room was marked with a toilet and a shower.

"This is yours," Prometheus said, "I am aware that you have been… drifting between safe houses. For your duration as my apprentice, you shall stay here. Where you can easily be called upon as my assistant, and where I can instruct you."

She stared. It wasn't a lot but… Well, it was better than crashing at the eternally crappy accommodations that characterized most Empire safe houses… Assuming she didn't get sacrificed to a dark god in her sleep or something.

"I'll need to get my things," she said. He waved her off.

"I have already sent Othala to retrieve them. She'll bring them here," he said with a shake of his head, "Now, your first task as my assistant is simple."

"Oh?" Was he going to have her take inventory?

"Read the notebook," He said, making her stare at him. Did he seriously just give her homework? "You won't be of any use to me if you can't understand what you're working with or looking for."

"Fine," she ground out, eyebrow twitching. The motherfucker just gave her homework. In August. Not even useful homework either. This entire thing was going to be a waste of her time.


Taylor ultimately was brought home by her father a few hours later than planned. She'd had to deal with the debriefing, then Danny had shown up to chew out someone over her being attacked on the way home. By the time they made it home, she was rather hungry, irritable, and generally in a poor mood. So when she received a phone call shortly after dinner -- pizza -- she was faintly relieved to hear a friendly voice on the other end, and resigned as well.

"Tay-Tay~ How're you doing?" Vicky cheerfully greeted her after she said hello.

"Please tell me you haven't been talking to Dennis," Taylor groaned as her friend giggled.

"I think it's cute, but seriously, how are you? Dean said things got a bit awkward today," Vicky said, her voice growing concerned.

'Awkward'. Taylor snorted. "Dean has a talent for understatement," she observed, "Sophia decided to join the Wards. I know I told her to do better but…"

"Tay, no one who knows her would think Shadow Stalker would try to join the Wards," Vicky said, "I've run into her a few times and every single time I was left wondering how the heck she was a hero."

"Well she signed up for the Wards and they can't tell her to go away," Taylor groaned. Her right ear flicked irritably as her tails swept the floor behind her. "So I'm going to have to deal with her."

"You break it, you buy it," her friend deadpanned.

"I didn't break her!" she replied, putting her head in the palm of her hand. She winced as Vicky let out a laugh.

"Tay, you're wonderful, but you ripped into her so bad she had a panic attack and passed out," Vicky said, "Then she went and signed on for the Wards. The vigilante I know wouldn't do that willingly."

Taylor groaned again. "Did you call me just to give me a hard time over doing this to myself?" she asked with a sigh.

"No, I'm worried about how you're handling this. She bullied you for an entire year," Vicky's amusement faded away to be replaced once more by concern.

"I just feel… I was getting away from her and Emma and now one of them is joining me," she said after a few moments.

"And it's the one who acted as a herald for all of your previous friendships going down in flames," Vicky said.

"Yeah," Taylor's ears drooped, "I know it's stupid. None of the others like her at all and I doubt she'd join just to mess with me but…"

"Hey, we all get worried about things. Doesn't make it stupid," Vicky replied, "But yeah, I doubt she's joining to mess with you… Oh, by the way," her tone grew mischievous, "Is it true she's some sort of anime catgirl now?"

Taylor snorted with laughter. "Bright teal hair, ears and tail," she confirmed, a smile twitching on her lips. It was rather hilarious. Sophia's dark and serious style had been completely undermined with the addition of bright colours straight out of a cartoon.

Vicky howled with laughter. "Hey Ames! Heeheehee, it's true! Yeah, Shadow Stalker's a catgirl now!" Taylor listened with a smile as the other foxgirl broke down laughing. Her eyes flicked from staring off into space toward Inari as the white fox padded into the kitchen. The fox looked curious, but didn't say anything as she jumped up onto the counter by Taylor.

"Aah, I needed that," Vicky giggled as she calmed down, "So do you think that was like me, or something else?"

"It better be something else," Taylor said, shooting a glance at Inari and mouthing 'Sophia' at her. Her advisor nodded. "And Rennick said something about another parahuman being involved."

"... Do I need to worry about changing my species from 'Foxgirl' to 'Catgirl' sometime soon?" Vicky asked half seriously.

"Maybe? They didn't tell us much. Just that we could ask her on Tuesday," Taylor sighed, "But I'm sure they'll do everything they can to catch the 'Catgirl bandit' before they have to replace all the troopers' armour," she finished with a deadpan. She smiled as Vicky snerked.

"Hilarious thought, Tay," Vicky giggled, "So Dean also mentioned a patrol- What was that Mum?" Whatever thought Vicky had to add was interrupted by her mother's distant voice. "I'm on the phone with Tay! Ugh. Fine!" Vicky sighed, "Sorry, need to run."

"Thanks for calling Vicky, I needed this," Taylor said with a smile.

"No problem. Don't be afraid to call~ Bye~" Vicky sang cheerfully.

"Bye bye," Taylor replied before they both hung up. She sighed and glanced at Inari. "Looking for something?" she asked.

"I think we should have that chat now, about the creatures from earlier," Inari said seriously, "Up in your room."

Taylor followed Inari upstairs and flopped down on the covers. "So what were they?" She asked as Inari settled herself beside Taylor.

"Creations of magic. Haemonculi possibly, but undoubtedly something foul and unnatural in source," Inari said, "That they've hunted you down specifically suggests a connection of some sort. Armsmaster mentioned that they turn to sea-based detritus. It would explain why you can sense them. At the end of the day, no matter how twisted, they are still within your domain."

"So… spirits then," Taylor said. The term 'Haemonculi' sounded a little familiar.

Inari shook her head. "No, not spirits. They're made from magic, but they are physical beings. Truthfully, they're more physical than you are now."

"Explain," Taylor said flatly.

Inari sighed. "A god is a living amalgamation of belief, magic, and a lot of metaphysics you haven't learned yet, all held together by a concrete sense of self. You are only as physical as you wish to be," she said, "In essence, the only thing that makes you physical is the fact that this is how you grew up. Do not try and change this without me there, otherwise I won't be on hand to talk you through turning back, and that could take decades, otherwise." Taylor winced at the look she got.

"I won't," she promised, though she stared at her hand as though expecting it to fade from sight.

"Don't worry, you're not about to turn ethereal or anything like that. It's one of the harder things to control for gods and most spend their entire lives as physical beings because they have no reason to learn to control it," Inari said, patting her on the arm, "Back to the topic at hand though. Something, likely an actual spirit or spirit-like creature, created them. That something is likely hostile to you and not likely to be a Parahuman."

Taylor wrenched her eyes from her still very real hands and nodded. "But what were they? Specifically," she said.

Her fox made a little shrugging motion. "If I knew that I wouldn't be speculating. While I had a lot of domains, the ocean was not one of them… I think," she paused, staring at the wall in thought, "If it was I didn't pay much attention to it and by the time I came about the oceans had long been tamed of their worst elements by other gods. I'm sure you're familiar with quite a few myths of creatures from the deep." Taylor nodded. "Many more creatures far worse than those known to the mortal world once tormented the seas. If one of those things has begun to return? They'll likely try and kill you to prevent you from doing what your predecessors did."

"Sealing them away, you mean?" Taylor asked.

"Or killing them. Some things don't stay dead forever, even when killed by a God," Inari said grimly.

Well that was a morbid thought. Taylor stared up at the ceiling and crossed one leg over the other as she leaned back into her pillow. Her right ear twitched as a car honked somewhere outside. "So something is gunning for me then," she said.

"Possibly. Possibly, going for you," Inari corrected, "We have no way to know their goals without more information. We know they're somehow connected to what happened to Sophia."

"Then we'll have to ask her questions when we see her," Taylor said, her lips pressing into a thin line. That meant they were spinning their wheels until Tuesday unless she sought out Sophia.

"Something for later. For now, perhaps we should focus on some useful new skills," Inari said, clambering up onto Taylor's stomach and peering over her chest at her face.

"Oh? What are you thinking?" Taylor asked, "We've been working hard on my ocean and storm domains."

"Yes, but those should be more than enough for now. If you're going to be dealing with things unspoken, then it might be a good idea to create some items capable of warding them off. For the sake of family and friends," Inari replied.

"You mean like a silver cross or something?" Taylor asked.

"Or something," Inari said, "They'll need to be made from something symbolic of you specifically. Your birth stone perhaps, or one of your emblems as Corantine."

"Some sort of enchantment thing then?" she asked.

"Imbuing, actually. Enchantment refers to the art of weaving illusions around the senses of others. We'll get to it eventually, but this will let us make a few things to aid you and the PRT," Inari said, "Mortals are usually at a disadvantage against monsters without divine backing of some sort. For the moment that means you."

Taylor nodded, thinking it over. "So… would this be related to all those magical things in the Divine Realm?" She asked. Inari nodded.

"Imbuement can be used to create complicated wonders of Divine magic. That entire city was built on layers of Imbuement," Inari said, "And one thing I think we should try to do is make something that will let you keep your costume on hand at all times. Maybe even enhance it a little."

That would be… rather useful. What was the point of a costume if she was going to get jumped outside of her hours anyway? "Alright. How do we start this?" Taylor asked.

"We'll need to make a quick jump back to the Divine Realm to pick up some materials, but we should be able to get started tonight if you wish," Inari said, hopping off Taylor onto the floor.

The young Goddess sat up and stretched. "Let's do that then," she said. It would help get her mind off today.


A/N:

Grounders10: *hums happily while making a few final edits wearing a hardhat* Everything look good on your end Gekkou?

Gekkou_Yoko: Ahh, just let me.. There we go.

Grounders10: … Did you just typo correct my name?

Gekkou_Yoko:Yup.

Grounders10: *awkward cough* right, I think this is ready then. Hi everyone! Enjoy the words!

Gekkou_Yoko: Praise be thy Holy Script!

Grounders10: *pulls lever dropping Gekkou into a pile of books*

Gekkou_Yoko: *teleports Grounders under her so as to have a soft landing*

Grounders10: Oof. *blinks in surprise, shrugs, then pulls a cord attached to the correct lever*

Gekkou_Yoko: *cuddles Grounders* Feed me more.

Grounders10: *Cuddles Gekkou as the chapter is released into the wild*