Emma is indeed on the To-Do list.
AND THE CHART HAS NEW HOPE!
*cracks knuckles* Okay, let's catch up on things, starting with THIS!
....
...okay, seriously, though. Does anyone else see US' new avatar in their dreams? You know, briefly? Right before you wake up screaming and clawing at your eyes?
...just me then? Well, that's good to know.
It started out simply enough.
Constellations, summed up.
Taylor had gone over her To-Do list a few times,
Again, a list that, per WoG, has Emma on it. Just noting that for the record.
She was, after all, intending to use the honor system in Brockton Bay of all places… and she was actually feeling assured that it would be fine.
Brockton Bay. The place where if they see someone having a seizure in a bathtub... they throw in their laundry.
There was always scrap wood kept for student projects, and while it was kind of unlikely Winslow would just let her have it, any home improvement store that sold lumber would have scrap of its own that she could get cheaply,
Yes. Very cheaply, I'm sure.
"Hi, I'm the girl who pals around with Lung? I was wondering if you could sell me some old scrap wood for cheap?"
"TAKE ANYTHING YOU WANT!"
"...thanks?"
It was something to save for next spring,
Don't say that around Sunny! SHE'LL DIG ANOTHER ONE.
The subsequent Leaf Fight delayed progress for a while, but it was worth the laughter.
<obligatory disparaging comment RE: Toronto Leafs>
but cleaning and re-varnishing the floors were simple enough things in execution that Taylor was pretty sure she could handle it.
Okay, Taylor... this is IMPORTANT: Do
NOT skimp on the polyurethane. You want many, many coats. Slather that stuff on. (And then BUFF it. It's hilarious to watch dogs run on a well-polished wood floor.)
she was going to have to stretch the bounty money pretty far if she wanted to build something from the ground up.
Orrrr.... get MORE bounty money! (Jack Slash: "How... how did we get in this prison cell again? I'm very confused.")
An electrician and a plumber to check the utilities were a given, but not needing roofers on top of that was a godsend.
*coughs*
Taylor made a mental note to cover up the cheerful graffiti she'd spread around
GOT IT IN ONE, TAYLOR!
A cafe or restaurant meant food, after all, and Taylor had no doubts about Sunny's ability to beg.
"You're feeding her right now."
"SON OF A BITCH!"
"...you are making a bath house?" He asked, and after a moment turned to follow her back to the abandoned foundations.
"Mhm. I mean really, what else do you do with a hot spring?"
*coff*hotspringepisode*coff*
"I was kind of thinking… maybe I could have a half-size third pool, as well. For capes."
That's... gonna be awkward, given certain traditions for use of an onsen.
Instead, he asked, "What is your reasoning?"
She's a teenaged girl and most capes are... you know... fit?
And I thought that… if the capes were going to help keep neutrality for the shrine, they should get to enjoy that neutrality too, right?
Plus, it'd probably help them sort things out without violence. Because it's REALLY hard for people to fight when mostly naked. (I mean, Assault wouldn't have a problem, but other than HIM....)
So… hot spring. For people with masks on.
Um... exactly WHAT KIND of clientèle are you looking for here, again?
Lung sighed, and reached a hand under his mask to rub at his eyes. He longed for the days without headaches.
Well, that's what happens when you hit someone's Miko, jackass. Sunny HOLDS A GRUDGE.
"Ah-ha…" Lung breathed. The Miko's intentions quickly fell into place.
Taylor: "My what? Sunny, since when did I have intentions?!"
instead she turns her attention towards a wider scope.
Taylor: "I did WHAT?!"
"She intends a second Lord's Market." Lung said,
Taylor: "I
WHAT?!"
any who thieved in the new market would be effectively stealing from Lung, a prospect only the most foolish would ever consider.
Oh, so THAT'S how Sunny's going to get the Undersiders! Because we all know Coil IS that foolish.
As long as he kept to the Miko's stipulations of a paper trail, and his subjects organized to enjoy the benefits of his beneficence, then the return on his investments would be manifold.
And your debt to Taylor will just keep getting bigger and bigger! It's a two-fer!
"Lee. Arrange a meeting of the lieutenants, and tell them to take a census of their men. I want them listed by trade skills, and by holdings. We will keep a defensive line against the Empire's peasants, but I want the most useful of ours ready to be reassigned."
This is where I would normally make a joke about Lung's skill at running a criminal gang and how it translates to him being able to run a union, but... well. Perfectly Legitimate Businessmen tend not to like those remarks.
But the miko cape's carefully-implied plans…
Taylor: "Again, my
WHAT now?!"
God dammit. He was never getting away from the Ōkami.
Surrender, Lung! Sunny has decided that you're part of HER hoard, now!
Ah, I see. I need to play Shadowrun.
Yes, you do, chummer
This is silly. You are silly.
You need a fourth one, so you can divide the capes by gender.
Duh.
On the OTHER hand... I bet the capes who visited would be MUCH more open to... working together.
Fliers?
She has to worry about Armsmaster's surveillance cameras!
And Dragon suddenly has new hope that Colin is FINALLY going through puberty! (...and then she realizes he's studying the male side just as intently and has a new WORRY, too.)
.
