Chapter 9.5
(Part 6)
***
Even if you plan on returning immediately to your Safe Place with Prayer in tow, Lord Grasp insists upon shifting back down to his car-sized proportions and returning to Cauldron's base with you.
"Just because I am a fortified emplacement does not mean I am slothful, Warden."
You appreciate the gesture, and are surprised when he reveals that his carriage actually can fit more than just you; even if the veil-enclosed space appears to be less than four feet long, three feet wide, and four feet high…
"I am the pinnacle of battlefront housing and transport! Shelter for an entire Circle of the Exalted Host! I am not a 'clown car,' whatever that is!"
You nod in understanding as he rants about your observation while the three of you pass through the portal. Judging by the stone-faced blinks from Doctor Mother and Contessa they only hear the last half of his complaint, but remain silent until both you and Taylor have re-emerged from Lord Grasp's carriage.
Doctor Mother adjusts her glasses and looks to Taylor with a raised eyebrow, then slides the stack of three thick portfolios across the table to her. "Any concerns?"
"Some, but they can wait," she nods, absently smoothing out the wrinkles in her grey - spidersilk, you realize now - jumpsuit with one hand, while absorbing the three manilla folders with the other. When done with both, she starts walking around the table towards the far wall near Contessa; turning her head to look again at the professionally-suited woman, she raises an eyebrow. "It's been ten hours. Any difference from before?"
"A linear increase in fatigue generation, an exponential increase in effectiveness," Contessa nods curtly, her eyes remaining fixed on the wall where the last portal was opened. "Withdraw it at 11:43 AM."
Taylor hums, a thoughtful expression on her face before she nods in return before turning to watch where Contessa is looking.
Frowning in thought yourself, you try to make sense of-... wait.
"You have Taylor's Thinker boost?"
Contessa nods but doesn't look your way, while Taylor herself winces and meets your concerned gaze.
"It was the cost of getting this meeting together."
Blinking, you turn to look at Contessa again. Yes, Taylor's explanation mentioned that Cauldron needed Taylor's boost to help them plan around all the problems that essence is introducing into their plans against Scion, but…
Well, it means that when Contessa was talking to you earlier, her power - whatever it is - was being
multiplied. You've seen with the other Wards that some powers benefit far more than others - Vista and Kid Win got huge boosts, Broadcast and Clockblocker not nearly as much, for example. Sakura and you barely got any boost, just a little increase in the speed and capacity of your transport.
If Cauldron is willing to let Taylor arrange secret meetings in their base with their multi-dimensional teleport tech in exchange for only half a day's worth of her boost...
Does Taylor look so calm because she realizes you probably don't even have a
chance in a fight if Cauldron actually wanted you dead? She'd mentioned that Cauldron probably thinks that Autochthon is actually another Entity…
Rather than panic, you fall back into your newest strategy: who would be best here? Pyrrhia from
Flames of Passion? No, too punchy. Kendra from
A Slave To Lust? Mmm… you're not comfortable acting like a too-sly slave around Cauldron, for some reason. Actually, this feels like a good time to act like Loom! She and Prayer are friends, right?
The version from that Loom/Chevalier lemon-fic
Fate of My Heart, that is; you don't know the real-life version well enough to mimic her in a situation
this serious.
Just as you start to set your shoulders back and adopt the body language of a "gracious, effortless, wise beauty, with a vision of the future as bountiful as her chest" (it got better later on when the writer found an editor), the rectangular portal slides open silently on the wall in front of you.
Out of the corner of your eye, you notice that Contessa steps just outside of the portal's field of view as it opens - leaving only you and Taylor immediately in front of it.
In her moderately-furnished guest room, First Prayer of Perfection snaps her head up in alarm and assumes a defensive posture with arms extended - her armor now only a thin layer of crystal on her body, instead of the huge, smooth slabs you've seen her encased within before. From the portal's positioning… it almost looks like it opened in place of a doorway? Did Contessa open the portal just as she was heading into the bathroom?
Better than opening it
in the bathroom, at least. That would be rude.
"It's alright, Prayer, it's me," Taylor hastily explains, holding up her hands in calming gesture. "We don't have much time, and this is part of why I told you that I had things I needed to explain to you in private."
Prayer's normally-stoic expression is showing far more uncertainty than you've seen before, but when she looks at you, you can tell whatever thoughts she was forming come to a halt.
Is that… a good thing? Maybe you should say something? Loom is supposed to be enigmatic and mysterious, so…
"Clarity," you breathe, smiling as if you have just imparted the secret wisdom of the world.
…
Everyone's looking at you strangely now. Too much?
"Warden," you hear Contessa whisper, just loud enough for you to hear. "Kimiko from
Two Sizes Too Big."
… that is… just plain unfair. You haven't even told anyone what you're doing yet! And Kimiko is basically just you but prettier-... oh.
"A-ah," you stutter, crossing your arms and sulking while giving Contessa the stink-eye. You can even
feel the Clarity draining away as shame starts to bubble up into your mind.
"Sorry. I… thought that would work."
Taylor leans slightly away from you in order to look at you fully with an incredulous expression. "What was- what did you just do?"
"I…" you draw out, glancing nervously at Taylor and Prayer, "... may have been... trying to act like people from stories I've read? Since they're better at this than me?"
A flicker of confusion is quickly overcome by paling horror as her glowing blood dims almost completely. "Saki. No. Please no."
Contessa, blank-faced, gives you a thumbs-up from the sideline.
"I saw that! No!" Taylor spins around, pointing and glaring at the overly-serious woman. Contessa gives her a look that plainly communicates that she expected her to.
"I am convinced," Prayer nods, then ducks through the portal while sighing. "What is the reason for-"
As she stands up fully within the room, Prayer freezes - her eyes going wide as they flicker from Contessa at her side to Doctor Mother just a few feet away at the table. Behind her, the portal slides closed silently.
"Wait!" Taylor blurts out again, all semblance of humor falling away as she steps up to the massive cerulean woman and puts a black gauntlet on her upper right arm. "I know this looks bad! Just let me-"
Background Charm, activate!
The world around the three of you slides into a blurry greyscale - like in movies and TV shows when they try to show that time is moving slowly - obscuring the forms of the Cauldron capes just enough to be disorienting. Your charm doesn't actually slow time, and you can practically
feel Contessa and Doctor Mother both flinch and look around warily, but you're more focused on how Prayer immediately stops looking like she's about to throw Taylor aside and start beating answers out of the older black woman.
"Safe Space!" you whisper hurriedly in Old Realm, poking both Taylor and Prayer in their arms.
"Meeting!"
Both of them blink, though Taylor is far quicker on the uptake and nods emphatically while motioning Prayer towards the silently-observing Lord Grasp by your side.
"R-Right! Lord Grasp, can you make room for all three of us?"
The opulent mecha-scorpion waves aside the carriage veil with a flourish of his large, golden-sheathed claw, then bows to the side to present easier access for Prayer to climb inside.
"But of course, Administrator," he fawns, then winks with a glint of his eight eyes.
"First Prayer of Perfection, do not be afraid; I am more than capable of handling your size."
As the large blue woman stares down your companion incredulously, you nod sagely and bring a hand to your mouth to hide your smile.
"Oh, yes. He's got plenty of equipment to handle all three of us."
… aaand in she goes, quickly enough that you almost miss the darkening blue of her blush. Taylor's own glowing blush is much easier to make out as she scrambles inside immediately afterwards, groaning in dismay as she shoots you an offended glare.
Just as you start to climb inside yourself, you dismiss your Background Charm and notice Doctor Mother giving you a flat expression before she takes her glasses off to clean them. Contessa just blinks at you, uncomprehending. It's almost like...
"You need boyfriends," you realize out loud.
Ignoring their frozen expressions, you nod to yourself as it suddenly all makes sense. Waving absently to them, you duck into Lord Grasp's carriage to be greeted by even more blank stares as the two other Alchemicals sit awkwardly on the mess of pillows arranged before you.
"What?" you mutter, while shattering reality to plunge your group into your private dimension.
"Maker give me strength," Prayer mutters closing her eyes and folding her hands in silent contemplation.
***
