Considering the locker hasn't even happened I can say with a certain amount of surety that you have no idea what you are talking about.
Constellations (Worm/Okami)
- Thread starter UnwelcomeStorm
- Start date
I don't want to alarm anyone... But what are the chances pray tell that our fluffy dog goddess is mastering us as we read?
I for one accept our goddess and her human.
I for one accept our goddess and her human.
Vindictus
XENO
- Location
- Texas
Vanishingly slim and rapidly approaching zero.
+1. I think they even didn't something very harmful for her. Just ask clean up the mess what she done. And maybe little bit hit through the kidney. For memory stimulation it's very good. Every time when you visit toilet - you remember.
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GilliamYaeger
M'crazy.
Ammy doesn't need that Mastering nonsense, just like Mister Rogers didn't.
Now, this might just be my anti PRT/Protectorate bias speaking, but they know the "Painter" can restore multiple buildings to a good state, relatively easily. Anybody here with the experience to guess what it would cost to fix up say, two warehouses and twelve houses from "run down" to "good as new"? And given that, does anybody think that if Taylor was given the option to join the Wards and chose not to so her choice would be accepted?
chocolote12
A Penguin Flailing Against The Keyboard Of Life.
They'd have to accept it, because forcing an unwilling person into a highly public role when the public's perception of them is that they've committed no crimes goes something along the lines of 'Thank you for this interview, Mr news reporter. Oh, by the way, I was forced into the wards against my will. I didn't want to join them at all, but they refused to take no for an answer. And I don't mean that in the eventually-I-caved way, I mean that in the We've-signed-your-papers-for-you way.'
It'd be suicide. Figuratively or Literally.
- Location
- West Michigan
Let me tell you about Firebird...
I mean, I agree with you on this, but there is precedent.
Yeah, cause that one turned out well in the end.
- Location
- West Michigan
Precedent for them trying it and not facing the entirely predictable blowback, at least.
chocolote12
A Penguin Flailing Against The Keyboard Of Life.
...You forgot to tell me about Firebird.
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Are you referring to a fanfic? Cause those DON'T count.
If she hasn't done anything illegal? Yes.
chocolote12
A Penguin Flailing Against The Keyboard Of Life.
Not even that. If nobody presses charges. Which is to say, even if they have a magically grimderp technicality that makes what she did a crime, the person deemed to be the victim would have to want to take her to court.
Potential Spoiler Alert: They wouldn't.
- Location
- Lost amidst hungry sheep
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Except in theory her planting trees and err... kind of tagging... would have the city as the victim so the PRT could easily arrange for charges.
It'd be stupid and remove all the goodwill of a possibly nice parahuman, but they could.
chocolote12
A Penguin Flailing Against The Keyboard Of Life.
Even then, they still don't have anything.
People have pointed it out before, but after being taken to court, they then would have to actually win their case against her. Meanwhile, her lawyer is doing this pro bono because this is such a stupidly easy win, and her bail is really low because this is literally illegal community service.
Or, to put it another way, there really isn't any reason why they make a deal for a place in the Wards in exchange for leniency, and I say this 'knowing' that Danny is part of the freaking Protectorate, because threatening to arrest his daughter for community service is so ridiculous that smacking them down in court is the only rational response; anything else would set a terrible precedent concerning how he allows people to treat not only his daughter, but all benign capes.
I probably 'sound' angry. This is because the mental hoops they'd have to jump through to try this with a serious belief that they could win are so numerous that they'd have to be literal lawyer demons. The kind that Ammy beats up.
So they wouldn't press charges because the only ones who would were already exorcised by Ammy.
Sun Wolf wins, even in court.
of course Sun wolf wins, she's best dog and there is no winning against best dog.
.... the two of them together would be... the opposite of a cataclysm and is a terrifying thought process.
... I'm sorry, my brain's a little fuzzy right now. Oh, hey. What's this... I'm sorry, my brain's a little fuzzy right now. Oh, hey. What's this... I'm sorry, my brain's a little fuzzy right now. Oh, hey. What's this...
Chapter 10
UnwelcomeStorm
BARK! BARK! BARK!
- Location
- United States
10
Haru stopped by the shrine over the weekend, with a small jug of rice wine in hand and a ball of anxiety resting behind his ribs. He hadn't stood up for the confrontation in the cafeteria, but he'd been there to see it. Souta hadn't done more than have some words with the redhead, but the girl had started shrieking at the top of her lungs, which brought down the teachers. Souta was probably gong to get suspended again; Haru hoped he hadn't had enough strikes to get expelled. Then again, Souta probably wasn't worried about that.
Either way, there wasn't much Haru could do about it now, but a quick offering for good luck wouldn't hurt.
He rang the bell like he was supposed to, then put the sake next to someone else's offering that was already there. When he turned to leave, he spotted Taylor in the grassy area next to the unused kaguraden. His footsteps slowed— even from here, he could see the dark stain on her face from the ink. He turned and headed towards her instead of the exit.
"Uh, hello?"
"Oh, hi." She looked up, gave the briefest of nods, then hid behind her hair again, her fingers running along the edges of the open book in her lap.
"Sorry... should I not? Uh, be here, I mean."
"It's fine."
Well this was going swimmingly. Haru scratched the back of his neck. They'd never spoken in school that he could remember, though he'd had a few classes with her. Friday hadn't been the first time he'd seen the redhead go after her, not by a long shot, and she wasn't the only one. Haru had even laughed along sometimes, when the skinny girl got riled up or someone pulled a fast one on her when the teachers weren't looking, spitballs and passed notes and knocking her books and things around. Harmless fun, as far as he'd been concerned. As far as anyone had been concerned. After all, it was only Taylor.
Which, looking back, now that she had a name and a face and a very scary patron, had been pretty shitty of him. That it took the threat of angering Oni Lee to actually make him look at her, and see what happened instead of merely watching... well, that was pretty shitty too.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?" She didn't look up.
"Uh... everything, I guess?" That got her attention. "We've, uh, had classes together since last year. And I never, y'know, said anything. About those girls. And that's really not cool of me, so... I'm sorry, for what it's worth." He shrugged, and looked down at his shoes.
"...thanks. For what it's worth." What was it about girls being able to say 'fuck you' in the most innocuous of words?
"Uh— yeah. Well, I figured you should know, um... we're gonna all try and make sure that doesn't happen anymore." Oh. Wait, was he supposed to say that? The sudden intensity of her gaze on him did nothing to quell his nerves.
"And what does that mean?" It was no wonder the Oni was fond of her. There was probably iron running through this girl's blood. "Why don't you sit down. I'll make tea."
Haru talked.
* * *
When the boy had left, Taylor returned to the little office building near the edge of the shrine's grounds, to rinse out her tea set and to find an actual chair to sit in, so she could think. It didn't come as a surprise that people might associate her with the ABB, exactly, but it wasn't a fact that Taylor liked to dwell upon. She hadn't started coming to the shrine with any thought for the gang in mind outside of a healthy touch of fear; certainly not with any designs on joining, if that were even possible. She just... wanted to keep the shrine from being neglected again. As she'd realized the first time Sunshine had led her here: someone had loved this place, and the work to build it couldn't have been easy, if her repairs were any indication. Someone had loved it, and whether they were still here or not surely it was painful to see something like that fall to ruin. Did it really have to be more complicated than that?
Taylor sighed, feeling a headache building. Maybe if it was just the ABB, as they had been for the past couple of months— helpful at times, but mostly just keeping their distance— she could have handled it. And now even that fragile peace was in danger of being Emma'd. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that. Maybe it would even get better? Maybe people would back off if they saw other kids standing up for her— literally, apparently. She just had to make sure it didn't get back to her dad somehow.
Taylor couldn't deny it felt nice to know that someone at school had her back, even a little. And saving her bike had been beyond their call of duty, as far as she could see— she'd told the Haru boy as much. She'd given him some paintings she'd done over the summer, in thanks, with instructions to hand one over each to the other two teens he'd been acting with.
There was a slight clattering sound outside, and Taylor reluctantly left the shade of the office to go look. Sunshine had made her way back to the shrine, and was now going over the day's offerings. Specifically, she was fumbling with the cap on the sake, and as soon as she got it off the wolf grabbed the neck of the small jug in her teeth and tilted her head skyward. Taylor could hear the guzzling sounds from here.
"Really, Sunny? It's not even five o'clock." The wolf just wuffed'at her, then padded over to the rope-circled tree and flopped down onto the grass. Taylor followed, and settled down nearby. At an unsatisfactory distance, as it turned out, because Sunny wagged her tail and wriggled on her back until the motion inched her close enough for Taylor to rub her tummy. "Busy day, I take it?"
Wuff.
Sunny contented herself with Taylor's attentions for a bit, then rolled back onto her stomach and laid down, muzzle on her paws. Taylor scooted a bit closer and laid down in the grass with her, head pillowed on the wolf's flank, and the pair of them settled into silence to watch the clouds go by. At least this wasn't complicated.
* * *
"Ōkami. Miko."
Taylor blinked out of her nap, then jolted rather more awake when she registered the scowling mask of Oni Lee looking down at her. Beside her, Sunny yawned.
"I bring news." The assassin paused, in that way he always seemed to between sentences, as though he had to process the thought first. "May we speak?" He asked. Asked, as if Taylor could possibly say no. She nodded, and sat up. Oni Lee sat down in front of her.
"Okay. What's going on?"
"Lung has asked about you. He has asked about the trees, and the shrine, among other things." Sunny's ears perked to listen a little more intently. Taylor put one hand back behind her, to grip the wolf's fur as an anchor. "He will meet with you."
Said in the same tone as 'the sky is blue.' Lung's will was like gravity: a law of the universe, not to be denied. "What should I do?"
"I am... still thinking about that."
"Can I just... not show up?" Ever again, most likely.
"No. You are not ABB, you are not under his authority; you are here. He must come to you, and already that angers him. To refuse him would be worse." Taylor buried her face in her hands. Sunny whined, and licked at her knuckles. After a moment, Oni Lee continued, almost hesitant. "I... will try to find a solution. It— it is difficult for me."
"Because he's your boss."
"No," the assassin said. Taylor looked at him. "I am... diminished, Miko. Much of me is lost. The Ōkami has aided me in ways I cannot express. I owe a debt that cannot be repaid. If I can aid you, I will."
Behind Taylor, Sunshine got to her feet, and padded over to the masked cape. Oni Lee held very still as Sunny leaned close enough to leave a nose-print on his mask, then turned and lowered her head to his side. She nipped at something, then stood back a step. Taylor saw Oni Lee's mask tilt towards her a little, hoping for a translation.
"I think she wants those things?" Taylor pointed at the cape's belt. After a moment, Oni Lee untied the short, beaded cord that helped fasten his short sword to his waist. Ojime were usually meant to hold small containers of other objects, but a blade was all Oni Lee ever needed. He held the beads out on his palm and Sunny took them gently in her teeth, with a wuff of thanks. The wolf immediately turned and trotted over to the main body of the shrine. Taylor frowned, and got up to follow. She heard Oni Lee get to his feet behind her, and do the same.
Sunshine walked into the unlit interior of the shrine, her fur helping to keep things visible. On the floor was the box Old Mr. Henrick had made. It lacked hinges, but other than that it was a faithful reproduction, and Taylor had spent a few hours on Saturday painting the lines and characters over the lid as the drawing had directed. Sunny pushed the lid away with her nose, then carefully deposited the ojime into one of the cubbies. The wolf nosed at the lid until she managed to put it more or less back in place, then stared down at the box with contented eyes.
"Okay. I... guess it really was a jewelry box. Huh." Taylor pushed a hand through her hair. "I copied the characters like she wanted, but I don't really know what they mean... but if I had to guess, something about sparkles."
Oni Lee stared at her for a moment, then turned back to the box. "No. Those characters represent animals. It is the Chinese zodiac, with the addition of the cat."
"...oh."
"The box is redrawn on the lid, to show which characters go where. It does not seem to be in any order," the assassin helpfully clarified.
"That... probably makes more sense. Somehow." Taylor sighed. If she understood everything Sunshine did, she'd probably drink before five o'clock, too. "Which one did she put your beads in?"
"Nezumi, the rat."
Haru stopped by the shrine over the weekend, with a small jug of rice wine in hand and a ball of anxiety resting behind his ribs. He hadn't stood up for the confrontation in the cafeteria, but he'd been there to see it. Souta hadn't done more than have some words with the redhead, but the girl had started shrieking at the top of her lungs, which brought down the teachers. Souta was probably gong to get suspended again; Haru hoped he hadn't had enough strikes to get expelled. Then again, Souta probably wasn't worried about that.
Either way, there wasn't much Haru could do about it now, but a quick offering for good luck wouldn't hurt.
He rang the bell like he was supposed to, then put the sake next to someone else's offering that was already there. When he turned to leave, he spotted Taylor in the grassy area next to the unused kaguraden. His footsteps slowed— even from here, he could see the dark stain on her face from the ink. He turned and headed towards her instead of the exit.
"Uh, hello?"
"Oh, hi." She looked up, gave the briefest of nods, then hid behind her hair again, her fingers running along the edges of the open book in her lap.
"Sorry... should I not? Uh, be here, I mean."
"It's fine."
Well this was going swimmingly. Haru scratched the back of his neck. They'd never spoken in school that he could remember, though he'd had a few classes with her. Friday hadn't been the first time he'd seen the redhead go after her, not by a long shot, and she wasn't the only one. Haru had even laughed along sometimes, when the skinny girl got riled up or someone pulled a fast one on her when the teachers weren't looking, spitballs and passed notes and knocking her books and things around. Harmless fun, as far as he'd been concerned. As far as anyone had been concerned. After all, it was only Taylor.
Which, looking back, now that she had a name and a face and a very scary patron, had been pretty shitty of him. That it took the threat of angering Oni Lee to actually make him look at her, and see what happened instead of merely watching... well, that was pretty shitty too.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?" She didn't look up.
"Uh... everything, I guess?" That got her attention. "We've, uh, had classes together since last year. And I never, y'know, said anything. About those girls. And that's really not cool of me, so... I'm sorry, for what it's worth." He shrugged, and looked down at his shoes.
"...thanks. For what it's worth." What was it about girls being able to say 'fuck you' in the most innocuous of words?
"Uh— yeah. Well, I figured you should know, um... we're gonna all try and make sure that doesn't happen anymore." Oh. Wait, was he supposed to say that? The sudden intensity of her gaze on him did nothing to quell his nerves.
"And what does that mean?" It was no wonder the Oni was fond of her. There was probably iron running through this girl's blood. "Why don't you sit down. I'll make tea."
Haru talked.
* * *
When the boy had left, Taylor returned to the little office building near the edge of the shrine's grounds, to rinse out her tea set and to find an actual chair to sit in, so she could think. It didn't come as a surprise that people might associate her with the ABB, exactly, but it wasn't a fact that Taylor liked to dwell upon. She hadn't started coming to the shrine with any thought for the gang in mind outside of a healthy touch of fear; certainly not with any designs on joining, if that were even possible. She just... wanted to keep the shrine from being neglected again. As she'd realized the first time Sunshine had led her here: someone had loved this place, and the work to build it couldn't have been easy, if her repairs were any indication. Someone had loved it, and whether they were still here or not surely it was painful to see something like that fall to ruin. Did it really have to be more complicated than that?
Taylor sighed, feeling a headache building. Maybe if it was just the ABB, as they had been for the past couple of months— helpful at times, but mostly just keeping their distance— she could have handled it. And now even that fragile peace was in danger of being Emma'd. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that. Maybe it would even get better? Maybe people would back off if they saw other kids standing up for her— literally, apparently. She just had to make sure it didn't get back to her dad somehow.
Taylor couldn't deny it felt nice to know that someone at school had her back, even a little. And saving her bike had been beyond their call of duty, as far as she could see— she'd told the Haru boy as much. She'd given him some paintings she'd done over the summer, in thanks, with instructions to hand one over each to the other two teens he'd been acting with.
There was a slight clattering sound outside, and Taylor reluctantly left the shade of the office to go look. Sunshine had made her way back to the shrine, and was now going over the day's offerings. Specifically, she was fumbling with the cap on the sake, and as soon as she got it off the wolf grabbed the neck of the small jug in her teeth and tilted her head skyward. Taylor could hear the guzzling sounds from here.
"Really, Sunny? It's not even five o'clock." The wolf just wuffed'at her, then padded over to the rope-circled tree and flopped down onto the grass. Taylor followed, and settled down nearby. At an unsatisfactory distance, as it turned out, because Sunny wagged her tail and wriggled on her back until the motion inched her close enough for Taylor to rub her tummy. "Busy day, I take it?"
Wuff.
Sunny contented herself with Taylor's attentions for a bit, then rolled back onto her stomach and laid down, muzzle on her paws. Taylor scooted a bit closer and laid down in the grass with her, head pillowed on the wolf's flank, and the pair of them settled into silence to watch the clouds go by. At least this wasn't complicated.
* * *
"Ōkami. Miko."
Taylor blinked out of her nap, then jolted rather more awake when she registered the scowling mask of Oni Lee looking down at her. Beside her, Sunny yawned.
"I bring news." The assassin paused, in that way he always seemed to between sentences, as though he had to process the thought first. "May we speak?" He asked. Asked, as if Taylor could possibly say no. She nodded, and sat up. Oni Lee sat down in front of her.
"Okay. What's going on?"
"Lung has asked about you. He has asked about the trees, and the shrine, among other things." Sunny's ears perked to listen a little more intently. Taylor put one hand back behind her, to grip the wolf's fur as an anchor. "He will meet with you."
Said in the same tone as 'the sky is blue.' Lung's will was like gravity: a law of the universe, not to be denied. "What should I do?"
"I am... still thinking about that."
"Can I just... not show up?" Ever again, most likely.
"No. You are not ABB, you are not under his authority; you are here. He must come to you, and already that angers him. To refuse him would be worse." Taylor buried her face in her hands. Sunny whined, and licked at her knuckles. After a moment, Oni Lee continued, almost hesitant. "I... will try to find a solution. It— it is difficult for me."
"Because he's your boss."
"No," the assassin said. Taylor looked at him. "I am... diminished, Miko. Much of me is lost. The Ōkami has aided me in ways I cannot express. I owe a debt that cannot be repaid. If I can aid you, I will."
Behind Taylor, Sunshine got to her feet, and padded over to the masked cape. Oni Lee held very still as Sunny leaned close enough to leave a nose-print on his mask, then turned and lowered her head to his side. She nipped at something, then stood back a step. Taylor saw Oni Lee's mask tilt towards her a little, hoping for a translation.
"I think she wants those things?" Taylor pointed at the cape's belt. After a moment, Oni Lee untied the short, beaded cord that helped fasten his short sword to his waist. Ojime were usually meant to hold small containers of other objects, but a blade was all Oni Lee ever needed. He held the beads out on his palm and Sunny took them gently in her teeth, with a wuff of thanks. The wolf immediately turned and trotted over to the main body of the shrine. Taylor frowned, and got up to follow. She heard Oni Lee get to his feet behind her, and do the same.
Sunshine walked into the unlit interior of the shrine, her fur helping to keep things visible. On the floor was the box Old Mr. Henrick had made. It lacked hinges, but other than that it was a faithful reproduction, and Taylor had spent a few hours on Saturday painting the lines and characters over the lid as the drawing had directed. Sunny pushed the lid away with her nose, then carefully deposited the ojime into one of the cubbies. The wolf nosed at the lid until she managed to put it more or less back in place, then stared down at the box with contented eyes.
"Okay. I... guess it really was a jewelry box. Huh." Taylor pushed a hand through her hair. "I copied the characters like she wanted, but I don't really know what they mean... but if I had to guess, something about sparkles."
Oni Lee stared at her for a moment, then turned back to the box. "No. Those characters represent animals. It is the Chinese zodiac, with the addition of the cat."
"...oh."
"The box is redrawn on the lid, to show which characters go where. It does not seem to be in any order," the assassin helpfully clarified.
"That... probably makes more sense. Somehow." Taylor sighed. If she understood everything Sunshine did, she'd probably drink before five o'clock, too. "Which one did she put your beads in?"
"Nezumi, the rat."
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I wanna hug you so badly right now. Thank you so much Unwelcome. So we have Taylor getting some support from the ABB at school, not friends but it's safety with them. Then we got Ammy doing something and Oni Lee with invitation to meet Lung. That means more confrontation and then we have the constellations with nezumi aka Tachigami. And I'm sohappyandiwannahugyou.
Deep breaths. Deep breaths. No hyperventilation. No hyperventilation.
Let's convert Lung to the sun goddess!
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- Location
- From the moon
Oh great now I'm also thinking Greg is like Susanoo thanks for giving me that image. why does it fit so well!
Dark Mage
Sanity is really overrated...
- Location
- Out of My Mind
No, it's copper. Taylor's secretly a Vulcan. I worry about his education.
You two stop it! I don't need that image.
InfiniteDaze
Too lazy to leave the house
- Location
- I wish I could stay
'The fuck is up with my dog how the hell does it know that how the hell does it know anything?! howhowhohwohowhwohowhowhwohwohwohwohwohwohwowhowhowhowhwohwohwowhowhowhwohwowhowhowhwohwohwohwowhowhow-'
Because it doesn't really. Susanno is secretly competent... somehow.