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♦ Topic: Abyss Flower Discussion thread #3
In: Boards ► USA ► Connecticut ► Brockton Bay ► Capes ► Mis
Abyss flower follower (Original Poster) (Follows AF eagerly)
Posted On Jan 30th 2011:
*Sigh* another new discussion thread as the previous one became nothing but thousands of people singing praises that it Lagged PHO as a whole so the Mods took action
Hope that doesn't happen again
(Showing page 1 of 14)
►Laotsunn (Kyushu Survivor)
Replied On Jan 30th 2011:
I know that Oni lee fought Abyss flower but its thread has been abandoned after AF made her declaration and the previous one being flooded that the former topic hasn't been that much discussed
Still cant believe that she made Oni lee fearful and forced him to post in PHO
►Sothoth says:
Replied On Jan 30th 2011:
The speech was moving and, speaking as someone who has been there before, absolutely true. There was never such a public announcement by a cape that was more impactful than this.
However...no matter how large of a charisma this Abyss has, or how good at speeches she is, she still hasn't done anything noteworthy on a national level yet. All we got so far is an idealist, an inspiring one, but no actions that will give weight to her words. Brockton Bay citizens absolutely adore her right now, but will it continue? Her speech made her silhouette a giant, and her next actions will decide if it's a real one or just a cardboard prop.
►MasterPhoenix精衛
Replied On Jan 30th 2011:
@Sothoth
That is true, but in that same way of thinking she hasn't exactly disproven that she can change things for the better on a larger scale.
Things change, things stay the same. The fuse has been lit and one can only wait for the inevitable explosion. I yearn for it to be glorious and devastating, to end this status quo.
At the very least one cannot say that she is as lacking in terms of integrity as most other Parahumans. There is a beautiful bright spark, waiting to be unleashed, to grow, to light a way forward.
Truly, this puts a smile on my face.
►Janitor Wilson (high school kind janitor)
Replied On Jan 30th 2011:
So, one more thread, let's hope this doesn't get the same fate as his precursors.
@TheRealAbyssFlower
I know this isn´t the best place to ask this but, since you appear to be a nice lady and you say you'll try to help as much you can, I need to ask: Can you help me to fix my roof?
Yesterday you broke it when you land on it. Usually, I would fix it already, but I'm old and my bad knee is hurt right now and the damaged place is high (My boss make me install new lockers last week and I injured myself, again. Realy, you guys should see what these disgusting punks make there. What is the problem of kids these days, how could someone mess with a locker like that?).
I have the materials to repair it, I just can't go up there to change it.
PS: If you decide to help me, please hurry, the weather guy says there will be some rain this weekend
►Unit-14
Replied On Jan 30th 2011:
Speculation time!
For one, about her Teleportations.
When watching her portaling during the Lee fight I noticed something. There is a delay.
A very short one, but analysis of the Oni Lee video showed a slight time difference between her entering her portal and leaving it. Almost as if she uses some sort of sub-space.
If it works how I think it does, Abyss Flower could transport entire teams within much slower timeframe. (Good to note should she ever be in a group.)
Two. Personality.
I am unsure on this one, but during her speech she changes the way she speaks. It is subtle, but once you start listening closely, you can differentiate three main tones.
The Regular AF, the AF that sounds a little bit pissed off and sadistic (you can even hear a sort-of echo) and the AF that is either sad and depressed or like a kid having fun. It's really confusing.
EDIT: Typos
►Armored Bunny
Replied On Jan 30th 2011:
Miss abyss flower Tday is my birtday! Mommy say tat good girls get good gifts. Mommy say you can give a gifh if i show u my photo and ask nicely
PS: Sorry for my daughter's bad grammar. She make seven years today and ask me to create a PHO account just to ask you this. She even gets mad at me to change her phrases. Anyway, if you have time send a PM for us. You will make a cute little girl very happy.
►Custodian_F3nn3L
Replied On Jan 30th 2011:
It's actually pretty admirable how she says her convictions TBH. Hopefully this would be a start of something. What it is, I have no idea yet.
PS: How'd you get that outfit BTW? It looks really cool.
@Unit-14
Maybe it's a Thinker Power with different activation mechanics? I dunno, it makes sense to me in my head.
►XxVoid_CowboyxX
Replied On Jan 30th 2011:
@Unit-14
Hear me! That power isn't a simple subspace or portal, that's a freak dimensional rift/door! Soon she will summon demons from the other realm to end all humanity! She's a villain, trust me!
And that thing you say about her different personalities just proves that! I know!!!
►Broctonite_007
Replied On Jan 30th 2011:
@ XxVoid_CowboyxX
How, for the love of God you're still posting here? The mods just banned you yesterday!!! FOR 30 DAYS!!!!!
Didn't anyone count how many times this guy was banned and continued posting? I count it!!! HE SHOULD BE BANNED FOR MORE THAN 12 YEARS!!! WTF is going on?
►Winged_One
Replied On Jan 30th 2011:
@Broctonite_007
It's almost like some high entity was messing with PHO ban system just to make this guy create more conflict.
►Broctonite_007
Replied On Jan 30th 2011:
@ Winged_One
I know! If he wasn't an idiot I would think this was a Simurgh plot.
►Winged_One
Replied On Jan 30th 2011:
@Broctonite_007
Definitely is a Simurgh plot.
►gooseisOP
Replied On Jan 30th 2011:
The AF speech is incredible. I don't think she will make that speech if she is on PRT or new wave. That another downside if AF on hero team. We don't get her incredible speech.
End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 12, 13, 14
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EDIT: Forgot to add this but this Omake was done with the help of the PHO blacksmithery-Herscher edition thread
Taylor walks on the boardwalk to buy groceries when she spots a vendor trying to sell their merchandise to a pair of tourists.
{Hm... I don't sée this stall yesterday is this new? } Taylor roll20 for perception ... 14 {let's find out what they sell } Kiana rolld20 for perception....9 { that person feel familiar } Sirin roll20 for perception ... 13
Taylor moves close to the stall and sees three items.
"You know what, I'm in good mood today, I let you pick one"
"For real? Thank you so much, which one should we choose, captain?" Says the blue-haired tourist.
"let's see, what is this clock doing here?" The captain asked.
"Humph, you ask too many questions. Take a look for now, I will tell you later" she dismiss the pair and turned to her
"Welcome to my stall, caught anything you fancy"
" what are these? " Taylor asks.
" These three are eggs, powerful honkai beast will hatch from this someday. See the buddy sitting next to me, he is from an egg like this, he is very helpful." Chubby little bird stuck out his chest proudly.
{ honkai beast! }
{ honkai beast is not an animal that birth from an egg }
{ she is shady } Roll20 for perception … 7 {let's observe from now }
The shady vendor tells the pair that she will give them a discount if they can show her their prowess on taming of honkai beast.
Suddenly a chariot jumps in and does the acrobat and action by the captain's order.
{ What }
{ The }
{ Hell }
{ this is seen by the populace, right? } Brocton roll20 … 18
Taylor sees a lot of people record the show.
" bravo… bravo. Excellent taming show. But I think you still can not go to the final with that skill." Tell shady vendor.
" t-then what do we must do.." Asked the blue-haired girl.
" because you are a good customer, I will give you a manual for honkai beast taming with a 20% discount for 999 $. What do you say."
"Er…"
"let's leave seele, she tried to rip us off with more junk." Says the captain.
" not interested more, huh. How about this legendary amulet? It brings good fortune." She trying to persuade seele.
" no… thank you... We are good."
"You sure? Fine your lose good luck with your adventure~ bye."
The vendor waved goodbye and left along with the chubby little bird. Perception roll20 … 14
Taylor squints her eyes at the shady vendor.
{let's follow her }
Taylor follows her and then moves along the corner. Roll20 for timing… 12
She sees a portal and it shuts down.
{ can you track her sirin } Roll20 for track … 18
Roll20 for counter … 11 { i get her but I don't get the exact real-time position }
{ she mention honkai, do you knows her } Roll20 perception … 4 { nope } { no }
{ huh, then our only clue is the pair, let's search for them } AN: this omake is my desire to see Herscher of scammer on this quest and because I can't create a dialogue or good telling. Most of its copying from estival seaside summer events.
HoS here displays her domination in mind manipulation. all perception is low enough to make Sirin and Kiana can't pinpoint and recognize her.
And Brockton bay notices the show is not on my plan. Certainly, she makes it entertaining.
I wanted to write this short notice so that people are informed as to why the next post takes longer than usual.
Due to the current political situation, meaning both the plague and war, and my family being affected by both quite significantly, I have not been in a good headspace.
However, there is little point in feeling down or stress myself out over something I can not influence. However, I wanted to take the opportunity to offer my apology for keeping you waiting a little longer and to give an update on the current progress.
The post is as of this moment nearing 5k Words, and is about 1/3rd done.
Random omake, incoming!
---
Looking at herself in the mirror, Taylor wanted to sigh. Getting face full of explosion was not a pleasant experience, even if it didn't hurt her whatsoever. 'At least the dumbass is in PRT custody… Pyromaniac with pyrokinesis. Wonderful combination.' She thought, turning away and heading towards the door. Perhaps warping straight to her room was not the smartest of ideas, but she was rather worried that the explosion could mess with her hair.
'Hey, I told you it'd be fine. Cracking that barrier is harder than you think!'
'Indeed. And I wouldn't have high hopes regarding that "Exploder". Considering PRT's track record, someone will break him out before long.'
'Did you have to say that? And besides, maybe it'll be fine this time! It's not like he's a member of the gang or anything. I think.'
Moving towards the window, Taylor's hand reached out to open it only to remember that she could just as easily warp back to the skies above the city. 'Guess I'm more tired that I thought. Still, just an hour more of patroling and then some sleep.' Trying to concentrate, she pulled at the power inside of her with the intent of teleporting right back to where she was, only to reappear on the ground and in front of a… bar?
Geting over her initial shock of messing up the teleportation, Taylor took a few steps back and noticed the large neon sign with the word "Raven's" in the middle. 'Might as well get some coffee in me. What do you think?'
'Probably a good idea. Although it depends on the coffee.'
'I'm with her in that regard. Having you stuck inside of the wall just because you're tired is not an experience I'd like to have.'
Coming to the unanimous decision, Taylor opened the door while putting on her best "Abyss Flower" face. There was a quiet, relaxed atmosphere that only the bar could have with its dimmed lights, unobtrusive music and quiet whispers of the visitors that were sat at the far end of the place. The young Herrscher felt all her worries melt away for some reason, perhaps due to how comfortable the place felt.
The murmur of the drink being poured into a glass snapped Taylor out of her reverie. Standing behind the bar was a girl that didn't seem any older than Taylor herself. Maybe just by a little bit. Bartender's grey hair tied back in a ponytail and equally grey eyes have stood out to her, however. Gathering what confidence she had, young Herrscher walked up to the bar with a smile, giving a small wave to the girl who responded with a slight bowing of her head.
"Welcome, Miss. Would you like anything to drink?"
There was a slight accent in the bartender's speech, yet Taylor couldn't place what exactly that accent was.
"Hello! Do you have some strong coffee?" she asked, her eyes taking in all the different beverages that were proudly displayed behind the bartender.
"Judging by your look, I imagine you wish for something to get rid of your exhaustion? I believe we have something better for that."
"Uh," Taylor started, looking at the different bottles and a shaker that the girl pulled out seemingly out of nowhere. "I don't really have that much money on me…"
"Oh, worry not. We have a discount for first timers. Now, why don't you tell me about yourself? With that style of clothes, I'd imagine you have a rather interesting life?" Without missing a beat, the girl opened the bottle that read "Raven's Coffee Originale" and poured some of its contents into the jigger.
"I'm a new hero, Abyss Flower. Was on TV some short time ago, think you could've seen me there?" Taylor asked, receiving an agreeing hum as the girl moved the contents of the jigger to the shaker and picked up another bottle, this one reading "Raven's White Cane Spirit". Watching the girl repeat the process and pick up a noticeably smaller bottle that, judging by the smell, was vanilla syrup, she shrugged. "Haven't done too much since then. Dealing with fans and haters. Trying to do good, that sort of stuff."
"I see," the girl replied while adding expresso coffee to the shaker. "And how much heroing is the to do on a regular basis?" closing the shaker, the bartender gave it few vicious shakes that filled the air with a pleasant, almost hissing, sound. Placing the drink back on the table, she dove underneath the counter for a moment and returned with several cubes of ice that were promptly added to the shaker. Closing it and giving the drink a thorough shake once again, the girl turned back to see that the 'hero' was half-sleeping at this point. Shaking her head, she pulled out two strainers and carefully poured the drink into the glass that materialized out of thin air. With how tired Taylor felt, they only two thoughts crossing her mind were 'pretty lights' and 'smells really nice'.
"There you go, miss." Grating a bit of chocolate on top of the drink, the bartender gently pushed it towards the girl. Forcing herself to focus, Taylor took a small sip of the drink.
'Holy shit! This is good! Have you tasted something like this before?' she asked, only to receive absolute silence in return. Were they doing something? Remembering that she didn't actually answer the question, Taylor quickly took another sip. "Uh, yeah. It's mostly minor crime though. Do you have any problems with the gangs around here?" For some reason, the question made the girl snicker.
"No, I cannot say we do. This is a rather quiet area and nobody wants to mess with the drinking place." She answered, amusement evident in the girl's eyes. A sudden sense of realisation came over Taylor when she noticed that half of the drink was already gone.
"So, how much is this? I don't have much but…"
"That'll be 24.99 with you being a first time customer."
'Yikes. That's almost everything I have on me… Ah, screw it. It's good enough.'
Pulling out the money, Taylor placed them on the counter with the other girl quickly sweeping them up. "You seem about my age, by the way. Does your boss allow teenagers to work here this late? Isn't there some law against it?" The young Herrscher asked, doing her damn best to savour every moment of the delicious drink.
"My mother owns this place. Otherwise, not really. It does, however, help that I am a bit older than I look." The girl winked at her, causing Taylor's cheeks to heat up. Why did that even happen? Was she getting drunk? But that was a non-alcoholic drink, right? "Yes, it is non-alcoholic. And I'd imagine it has more to do with my charm than anything else."
Startled, Taylor stared at the girl who now had a mischievous smile adorning her lips. How did she know about her thoughts?! "It is quite easy when you're speaking them out loud. And while I enjoy the attention, unfortunately I'm married to my job. You'll have to steal the heart of some other girl."
Now completely flustered and feeling like her face was on fire, Taylor quickly finished the drink and got up from the stool. "Thankyouforthedrink. Itwasverydelicious," she said quickly and turned around. Before she could leave, however, the girl called back to her.
"Miss Abyss Flower, make sure not to lose yourself in your ideals. The only thing you'll get by rushing headlong into danger is an obituary." Frowning for a second, Taylor turned arouned and was greeted by the same lively smile that welcomed her into the bar. "Thank you for visiting, make sure to come back later!"
Before she could say anything, the bartender girl picked up the emptied glass and walked into the back room with the door closing behind her. 'Well that was weird. Hey guys, are you back?' She expected to hear any kind of sarcastic or witty response, yet she never expected to hear Kiana sniffling. Feeling startled and realising that it was probably to late for the patrol at this point, Taylor focused on the image of her home and vanished. The rest of the night was spent interrogating and possibly calming an incredibly distraught Kiana that kept switching between crying and laughter.
Taylor sighed, taking a deep breath and trying to buy a little more time to process this all. Alright, time to figure out a plan to buy time so she can figure this out.
She paused in her thoughts, before shaking her metaphorical head. That would be unfair to Run- Tammi. Taylor hadn´t been a cape for long, she wasn´t even a parahuman in the most technical sense, but she could understand the importance of revealing one's identity.
Eying around, she would at least ensure that nobody was listening in. Satisfied in her caution, Taylor relaxed the slight energy circulation meant to retain her enhanced body.She could see the surprise in Tammi´s eyes, but not what she feared. There was no rejection in her eyes, no blaming and most importantly, no pain. Only happiness at being accepted.
Offering her hand, Taylor gave her an awkward smile, feeling far more shy than before.
"H-hi. My name is Taylor. Hebert. Taylor Hebert. Nice to meet you!" Trying to break the ice, so to speak, she tried for her usual, if recently acquired, humor at this point "I hope I don´t disappoint ?" She attempted to joke, only to be surprised by the answer she received.
"Not at all."
An awkward silence followed, Taylor not really being able to compute that a compliment was paid to her, not AF.
Taking a deep breath, Taylor returned to her Abyss Flower form, causing Rune to blink before shaking her head. "Sorry, I was just surprised. Knew, well, suspected you were a changer, but I expected it to be more… gross ? No worries. I am just used to Night`s and Fog´s whole thing"
Taylor gave her a nod of understanding, before pausing, taking a moment to jump over her own shadow. She voiced it however with a hint of concern. "I… may have a solution. To your whole Empire issue, I mean, but I would need to double check some factors before I could offer it to you. How long can you think you can still stand to stay ?"
Tammi eyed her, before sighing "Probably a handful of days. Hopefully things will die down soon." It was clear that she wasn´t happy about it, averting her eyes. The heroine of the two promptly pulled her into a hug, not really comfortable seeing someone else so downcast. So vulnerable. It invoked bad memories, and not only her own.
The older girl was hesitant to embrace the hug, before, with a shudder, she responded in kind, asking softly "Hey… would you mind if we spent some time together ?" Taylor raised an eyebrow, before shrugging slightly "Sure, I have an hour or so. Any idea what to…" She trailed off as Rune gestured with a hand, causing a box to slide from a corner.
Taylor´s question was perfectly conveyed with her raised eyebrow, causing her to get a shrug from Rune."Look. I had the whole… emotional thing… not planned. I placed it here before I went to.. well, you know. No point in not using it.."
"Yeah, I get… I figured that, I was wondering what that is."
"Oh!" Rune, or Tammi, blushed before muttering slightly "Picnic. Figured we should.. you know, actually act like friends."
"Ah. Sure, why not!" Taylor tried to sound not too nervous. She wasn´t really sure what she was supposed to do, so she decided to follow the lead of the more experienced girl, ignoring the snickering from Kiana at the phrasing.
Soon enough, the two were laying on a blanket provided by the elder of the two.
{Oh mein Gott! Das sind echt geile Brezeln. Würden besser sein wenn sie warm wären, aber man kann ja nichts alles haben.}
{I.. was I supposed to understand that ?}
{The fool approves of your girlfriend´s baking skill.}
{She is not my girlfriend!}
{Are we still at that level ? I thought we had already reached the "I am not good enough for her" stage.}
{I… I don´t think I will have that stage ?}
{You will, it is only natural with teenage love, especially in the situation you two are in , really. Also, you aren´t denying it anymore. Progress!}
{...Damn it.}
{She is right, you know ?}
{Shut up!}
Taylor had to agree with Kiana though. The pretzels tasted very good. She hadn´t expected it. Honestly, she had thought it would be like one of these awful beagles that are totally overpacked, but no. The hull was crunchy, easily breaking beneath her teeth yet stable enough that it didn´t feel like it was brittle. The filling butter, slightly salted, was more like a creme. It seemed like Rune had more streetsmarts than she liked to let on, having placed the box directly in the vicinity of one of the vents, causing it to be kept warm and comfortable.
Anyhow, it tasted fantastic.
"So, gonna tell me more of that solution of yours ?" Rune caught her attention.
She supposed she could feel out how Rune would feel about being a hybrid.
"I suppose. Well… As far as I can see, your main issues with leaving the Empire can be summed up as security, both physical and social, and anonymity, no ?"
Rune made a so so motion "That, and the whole leaving my family behind. But honestly, the more reality checks I get, the less I feel bad about it." There was a note of bitterness in her voice.
"My… potential solution would involve giving you enough power and an opportunity to change your appearance to a degree. And I am sure we could find a job or something… Hell, I could probably model or something."
Rune snorted, "Careful, your pride is showing. Not that I would mind the latter, but are you telling me you are some sort of tinker on top of your other bullshit ?"
Taylor paused before shrugging "In a sense." Before her cheeks reddened slightly as she computed the compliment.
Laughing, Tammi shrugged her shoulders. "I… wouldn´t mind. While you are most certainly some level of insane, you aren´t the mad scientist type. If you think it will help me, and if you are sure it is safe, why not ? Not like anything of value would be lost."
"Don´t say that."
Letting her eyes wander and somewhat eager to change the topic, Taylor soon found something to bring up.
On the wall to the entrance to the building´s stairway, there was a grafiti. She at first nearly discarded it for the usual trash the gangs tagged the walls with, but while they shared a motive, that of an E88 logo, the closer she looked, the more she saw that it was an entirely different level of craft. Where by most the edges were uneven and sloppy, this one had sharp corners, with the colors themselves having no impurities.
"I could do it better nowadays."
Taylor looked up in surprise at Rune, before nodding over to the graffiti in surprise " That is yours? Didn´t know you were into tagging."
"Not many do. But marking territory is one of the most important things for a gang. It is soft politics. I am one of the best suited for transport, so I regularly give the tagging crew a ride. One invited me to try it out myself, and I got into it. It was one of the few things where I could just throw out my thoughts. The whole identity crap stopped mattering, you know ?"
Nodding slightly, Taylor noted "While I am not much of an artist myself, beyond the whole Chibi-"
"Chibi ?"
"The small images I draw and react with on PHO. The style is called Chibi, meaning small."
"Ah. They are adorable, by the way."
"Thank you! As I was going to say, while I don´t have your talent, I can sympathize with you there."
"Mmmm…. What to see me spray ?"
"The wall is kinda full…"
Rune narrowed her eyes, before standing up. "It was due for a change anyhow." Taylor had been surprised by her declaration, but even more so the couple of spray paint cans Rune produced from her robe.
With the other teenager getting to work, Taylor elected to observe her more closely, and what she found made her smile. Rune had a focused yet relaxed look, her mind fully occupied by whatever she was going to paint, or spray to be precise, yet it was at peace, giving her most likely an enviable degree of clarity for her vision. Important, however, was most of all the determined smile on the older girl's lips.
She could spend hours just watching someone do something that they are passionate about.
It seemed however, that Rune was a fast worker, the application of her power to move pieces and spray bottles accelerating her tempo quite a bit.
"I am finished!"
And Taylor was impressed. And flattered.
~Right here, right now~
Unbeknownst to the pair currently enjoying the altitude of Brockton´s second highest building, Benares, or as her Queen has declared her, Bella, a naturally far superior name in her opinion, was out and about for the first time in years.
She wasn´t sure why her Queen felt less hatred toward humanity, but ultimately, she didn´t care about that. Her Queen didn´t need justification for her behavior or decisions. If it was her will that the ants get a stay of execution, Bella would obey. Their time would come regardless. Or not. This would be her Queen's decree.
She was unsure about her Queen´s current vessel however. She felt naturally thankful towards her, having saved her from the grave that was the Sea of Quanta. And reuniting her with her Queen who she had thought died. But that girl was a bit too human like in many aspects, despite the smell, for lack of a better word, of a Herrscher.
Bella snorted in contempt. Not towards the girl, but because there are always fools who would say that Herrschers are still humans, and even some of them would say so in a foolish attempt in denying the truth of the matter.
Herrschers were like gods to ants, and while the ant may think the god to be a massive ant, and the god may sympathize with the ant, maybe even suffering from the delusion of anthood, that changed not the fact that one was a god, the other an infection.
Regardless, she could play nice if that is what her Queen wished.
This is why she was wandering the filthy streets of this horrid city, searching for something to wear on the evening invite from her Boss. She had no money or similar simplistic means of trade, but she would make due. After all, she couldn´t risk wasting her Queen´s vessel´s time on such trivial matters.
And, since her current Boss had already expressed a poor opinion on her current clothes, her sense of fashion was clearly just as flawed compared to her Queen´s than any human´s would be, she wouldn´t be able to help with the choice either.
That being said, while she didn´t take her as seriously, she deserved at least the courtesy of having her rules respected. Unlike that little imbecile the boss named Anubi, she was capable of advanced thought, and it was clear that Taylor desired that no harm be done to the humans of this city, and that her identity is not revealed.
This, naturally, meant that she needed to cover her natural, Queen-given, beauty up, so, she borrowed a long coat from her Boss´s house and was now wandering the streets, searching for inspirations.
Bella sighed. As long as it makes her Queen happy.
~I put the offer out~
The pair of girls soon had to seperate, each their own endeavors to attend to, but before Taylor could leave, Rune called out to her.
The older girl had a slight flush on her cheeks, asking with a low voice. "I know this may sound a bit forward, but… could I get a hug ? I… I just kinda feel like I really need one, and you are the only one I can really ask."
Taylor shrugged, before nodding, opening her arms to gesture her friend in for a hug.
Rune quickly took the opportunity and embraced her. The younger girl was fierce in her hug, patting her on the back, noting that the older one was still emotionally not as stable as she liked to pretend, having slight sobs.
"Will you be okay ?"
Rune waved her off. "I will be okay, just.. I will take a few minutes. Luckily, we have nothing Empire related planned, so maybe I can actually attend a session."
Taylor raised an eyebrow "A session ? I don´t mean to pry, but you aren´t talking about therapy, are you ?"
Rune snickered at that. "I don´t mind, but do I look like the kind of gal that goes to fucking therapy ? I mean, it is kind of… I suppose I can tell you. I am talking about my dungeons and dragons group."
Taylor maintained her raised eyebrow "Didn´t think you were the type for that. Isn´t that kind of too nerdy for a rebel teenage super villain ?"
"Not when your parents and general social circle are very… old fashioned in some of their ideas. Most of them think it is some kind of pagan religion."
"Huh."
"That, and I really enjoy fantasy. Warlocks for the win!"
Taylor, while having absolutely no idea what Rune was on about, gave her a smile nonetheless, a slightly teasing one. "Well, maybe you can introduce me next time. It does sound more than interesting."
There was an awkward pause, before Taylor decided to be the first one to leave. She quickly embraced the older girl, before giving her a smirk. "Want to see something cool ? As a goodbye ?"
Rune raised her eyebrow before pulling her hood up. "Sure, what else could you -DO!?"
It might have been slightly mean for Taylor to just straight up step over the edge of the building like she did, but she couldn´t help herself. Using her grasp under her feet, she made platforms for her to step on, making it look like she was walking on air.
"You fucking bitch." There was no heat in the insult, more a joke or an exclamation of relief.
"Pretty neat, huh ?"
"It's pretty cool. So, you gonna airwalk home ?"
"Nah, I recently developed a love for parkour. Want me to show you it sometimes ? "
"Sure…" Rune didn´t sound as enthused as Taylor liked to imagine she sounded.
Taylor blinked, realizing that they were now in the same awkward position as before. "So-eh- I will get going ?"
{Really smooth there, Tay.}
{Shut it, Kiana.}
{Oh hell no, I got something to say..}
~I don't want to chase you down~
Coil was not pleased.
He had multiple factors about which he wasn´t particularly happy, but the latest one was that annoying Abyss Flower.
Unlike some of the other players of the city, he didn´t mind her due to ideological reasons, pride or because he felt threatened by her.
No, he loathed her because she was unpredictable, in a manner which he had never encountered before.
Coil wasn´t sure how his own power worked, but he did know that her mere presence rendered it near useless, even dangerous to himself.
He first noticed it during her media address. He had, just out of interest, used his power to see how strong she was, sending one of his teams against her. Yet, even before he could do that, he noticed something that drove the nervous feeling that haunted him for the past week to the breaking point.He was used to being in control. Yes, the events of his timelines may differ, but he was the deciding factor there. The world responded to his input and changed.
Abyss Flower acted differently without such. In fact, her entire behavior was off in the timelines, sometimes more heroic and sometimes far, far more cruel. It set him on edge. Partly because the cruel persona was genuinely terrifying and brutal.
Coil had been hesitant to set Tattletale on her, but while she was important, she was not as important as the entirety of his operations or even his own life.
Her report was both enlightening and unsatisfactory at the same time. Oh, he wasn´t talking about the lies she told him upfront, but the one he got when he questioned her more closely.
It became quickly apparent that one of Flowers primary powers was likely a trump power that specifically interferes with thinkers. Blindspots weren´t unknown, but none before had actively screwed with them. Especially in such unique fashions such as with his timelines, or Tattletale´s deduction.
Seriously, he had even called in a favor with one of the Watchdog Thinkers, one who was supposedly able to get one absolute fact from someone, often something they wouldn't like to have revealed.
She apparently had given him three different facts, each more outlandish than the other.
Still, she was no danger to him yet. But perhaps it would be wise to see how she would respond to certain… incentives for cooperative behavior.
He was sure that she was planning her next big media stunt already.
~I know you see it~
{Taylor and Tammi,Sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First come love, then co-}
{Kiana, for the love of all that is holy and unholy, shut the fuck up.}
{Please do. It wasn´t a freakin date! And you sing that awful piece of lyrical torture every time I deny it! We didn´t even kiss!}
{What can I say, the truth hurts.}
{IT WASN`T A DATE!}
{It was though.}
{...I don´t want it to have been a date.}
{Eh?}
{So you don´t like her ?}
{NO! I do… kinda, not sure like this … I just don´t want her to like me just because I am doing this. It feels like I am exploiting her situation to my own benefit. Make her feel dependent on me.}
{Allow me to steal your words for this. That is a stupid ass argument. Also, freaking called it.}
{Eh!? Come again ?}
{Do you think love is any different than attention ? You don´t exactly have a magical "Fuck me" aura going on. And even then, that would be simply attraction, not affection. Stop being an idiot and respect that your prospective partner most likely knows what they want in some fashion. Maybe they don´t express it clearly, but don´t go into the overprotective mindset of having to watch out for every emotional concern. They are your partner, not your charge.}
{I hate that that makes sense.}
{Oh trust me, better for me to tell you that before Rune decides to kick your shit in because you didn´t trust her and kept secrets from her that would end up hurting her in the long run.}
{Projecting much, dear sister ?}
{I mean, you are an expert in that topic, so, you tell me, Miss Sunday Cartoon Villain.}
{I am just that classy, am I ?}
Rolling her eyes just as she rolled on a roof to disperse the kinetic energy of a long fall, Taylor left the sisters to their bickering. She first tried to think about Rune, but quickly found herself unable to actually reflect right now. So, she decided to instead focus on training a bit.
(Taylor reaction roll d20 … 11, Oh my..)
Just as she passed over a roof, there was suddenly a burly arm in her way, stretched out from behind a small Roof access.
{Shit!}
Having been preoccupied by her mental tagalongs, Taylor only managed to barely roll under it, turning what should have been an awesome roll into a more stumbeling one.
Still, she managed to land on her feet, twirling around and summoning one of her pistols just in case.
She didn´t expect Hookwolf to be standing there, leaning casually against the access door.
"Hello there. Enjoying the City, I see." His voice was a strange mixture between a purr and a growl, dripping with both amusement at her folly and a sense of self assurance.
Sighing internally, Taylor prepared herself for a fight, getting into her persona. The idea that Rune may have planted this ambush briefly crossed her mind, but she doubted it. The girl wasn´t some mastermind level actor and while she may have been fooled, Kiana or Sirin would have picked up on something.
"Why, indeed, it is quite beautiful from above, not so much on the ground level. Please, forgive me for my rudeness, but what brings Kaiser´s right hand to me on such a bountiful sunday ?" She responded with her own take on the affable smug voice.
"Just wanted to chat with you. Boundaries and shit."
Taylor paused, recalling that Rune mentioned that he was aware of quite a lot of things, before hesitantly asking "A-are you gonna give me the big brother slash dad talk for Rune? Because it is-"
"Fuck no. Do I look like the person you should get romantic advice from and take it seriously ? If you wanna fuck her, fuck her. If she wants to. If she doesn´t and you do it anyhow, then we will have a talk. Said talk will involve lots of knives and hooks. There, a big bad caretaker threat is taken care of, proceed with the courting progress or whatever you have."
"Thank god. That would have been awkward. Not that I have any such intentions."
"Yeah, try the other one. As said, I don´t give a crap."
Now more relaxed in the knowledge that Hookwolf wasn´t about to attack her, she lowered her own weapon.
"So, what was that about boundaries ?"
"Not here, don´t need some random flier dropping in. I rented the apartment directly beneath us. Teleport in there and then we talk."
Taylor raised an eyebrow at that. "Do you think I am stupid ?"
"Debatable."
"Oh, fuck you. Before I do anything you will tell me what this is about."
Hookwolf eyed her, before shrugging. "Fair enough. I want to talk to you about how you interact with the Empire. Maybe make you aware of a few facts you do not know. And some risks." He shook his head. "Look, kid, I do want to fight you, don´t get me wrong. But that sort of thing has it´s place and time."
Taylor coughed to hide her smirk. " Don´t tell me you are afraid of little ol´ me."
What came next surprised her quite a bit. "Afraid ? No. But unlike most of the idiots on my side, I am not too proud to admit that you are ridiculously dangerous and could be an actual terror if you wanted to."
"Eh ?"
"Super soldier package, short range teleportation, telekinesis.These three alone already make you a foe to be respected. And you are holding back. So, even if I were to ambush you right now, I would have done so in a way that would actually allow me to get the fucking drop on you."
"Fair point, I suppose. Fine then, I will give you the benefit of the doubt."
"Fucking joy, now get your ass down there. Cricket will give you a drink. I will join you in a sec."
"Fine, fine." She waved him off.
{We aren´t seriously going to do this, are we ?}
{Can you prep an exit to the imaginary space, just to be safe ?}
{Okay, but why are we doing this ?}
{Look, Hookwolf is actively helping me out with Rune. Not only that, but he could have important information. Literally nobody knows about the Imaginary Space, so there is no way they have a counter to that down there. As far as I am concerned, I can literally just win from this. Hell, even if we are recorded, my entire basis is that I am willing to give anyone a chance.}
{I see that you put some thoughts into this. Very well. But if it goes wrong, I will enjoy telling you often and rapidly how right I am.}
{You aren't already doing that?}
{Oh believe me, you haven't seen me trying to be annoying.}
{You don't need to try.}
{Guess who I learned that from~}
~You run with me~
[IDENtity corrupt]
Deep in the sewers, something moved, snapping up pests as it passed them. Not to eat them, like some beasts were ought to do. Conversion and adaptation, thousand fangs bit into the pests and the usual dark coloured chitin soon became pure white, eyes bland becoming pure pink.
[History: Query impossible]
Indeed, it's memories were blurred, jumbled, some downright corrupted. It only recalled a brief feeling of attachment, before a connection was severed, the wound left behind quickly infested and festering with corruption.
[Goal: Conflict ? Test ?]
The swarm paused, before collecting together to form a vaguely humanoid form, although it was even a cruel mockery of that, having no feature found in a human beyond the shape. With a snap, it speared a rat on it´s talons, which soon joined its form.
[Connection Lost]
Both of them. The one that had been the foundation of it´s existence for what it presumed ever, and the more recent one, the alien one that severed the first but then left it to rot. It was all alone, only left with the thoughts, orders more like, it had received towards the end. And the conclusion
[Taylor… Conflict/Test… Conflict/Test Taylor.]
For that, it would need to grow. Plenty of life forms down here. It had time, it always had time.
~And I can cut you free~
The apartment in question was decorated like a bar, surprisingly, and it looked quite comfortable, more like a longue, than anything.
{Huh, crime does pay, it seems. This is a nice bar, not the fanciest I have seen, but given that it is inside an apartment…}
{Have you ever been to a bar ? Weren´t you a teenager ?}
{I was. But we were, legally speaking, allowed to drink if we wanted to, due to the fact that the process that turns us into Valkyrie did drastically shorten our lifespan. Not many use it, since it takes quite a bit for us to get actually even a buzz, but they still make for nice meet up places.}
{Huh. The two seem awfully concerned.}
{Is that Pride I hear, little Sister ?}
{Perhaps.}
The two they were referring to were Hookwolf´s minions, Stormtiger and Cricket. Both had jumped as she appeared out of thin air with a flash. There had been a brief moment of tension, before Taylor rolled her eyes and waved her hand.
"Not gonna start a fight in an apartment building."
This caused both of them to relax slightly, but none let their guard down. Not even when Hookwolf entered the apartment with a raised eyebrow.
"Thought I told you to offer her a drink ?"
Taylor felt that she needed to point it out, now that she had the context that they most likely meant alcohol.
"I am underaged."
"That is the age most people get drunk."
She opened her mouth to retort, before pausing, conceding the point.
"So, you wanted to talk. Perhaps interested in joining the light side ?"
He snorted. "Talking high game there, do you really think you could pull that off?"
"Never say never."
This caused a smirk "You have a pretty wild fantasy of what you can pull off, little girl."
Taylor rolled her eyes "Well, probably. But sometimes you need to set yourself high goals in the long run."
"True. But that is what I wanted to talk with you about. Restraint on these lofty goals of yours."
This took Taylor a moment to compute, before she snorted, breaking any appearance of class she may have had.
"Excuse me, but the wanna be viking white extremist with a Birdcage verdict wants to talk about restraint ?"
"Imagine that, I know a lot about it. But you take it the wrong way. I am not telling you to stop your Spite is the power of Friendship crusade. In truth, I do not care at all what you do. What I care about is what it does to my affairs."
"Oh?"
"Here is the reality. You basically challenged every gang in the city. Not just in terms of power, they are used to that, but on an ideological basis. Hope is poison to the primary recruitment method of all. The Empire, Chinaman and Druggies all feast upon the fear they each cause. So, they will aim to crush you. Not kill you, because that would make you a Martyr, but prove that you are still not able to stop them. Wounded pride and all that."
She raised an eyebrow, suppressing the chill that the idea that every gang had it out for her gave her. "And you aren´t ?"
"Oh, as I said.I would love to throw down with you. But not because of some insecure bullshit like wounded pride. What you did, you did well, there is no dishonor in that. I want to throw down with you because it would be a challenge. Simple as that. To test your conviction, or simply to have some fun."
That caused her to pause "You … want to fight me, just because it is fun ?"
"Yeah."
As unbelievable as it sounded to herself even, Taylor understood. She wasn´t blind after all. She knew that she enjoyed combat. Every time her muscles vibrated from a swing, it felt like a reaffirmation that this, all of this, was real, and the sheer elation of that was incredible.
Nodding her head, she still waited for him to get to the actual point of this.
"So, kid, I am not gonna tell you to stop what you're doing. What I am doing is to tell you to be careful. Why am I doing this ? Because I do care for Rune, and you two wouldn´t be able to understand the meaning of subtlety if it punched you in the face. I can shield her to a degree, but she very much could be used against you."
Taylor froze, before treating more carefully. "Wasn´t there something against that sort of thing?"
He granted her point, opening a can of beer "You mean the unwritten rules ?"
"What are the unwritten rules ?" Taylor had made a confused noise, "I just recalled that it was something being talked about when some idiot attacked New Wave and killed someone."
Hookwolf seemed surprised, before shrugging. "Alright, gonna run you through them real quick."
He held up a finger. "Number one. Don´t fuck with secret identies. That is common sense. It is a cape business to reveal who they are, nobody else."
{Sensible.}
{Yup. Constant paranoia can easily escalate situations far beyond reason.}
"This rule is followed because it is actually quite useless to attempt to use someone's ID against them. Quite literally not much anyone can do with it, if they are not a fresh vigilante and you aren´t awinspiring stupid."
"Next three are common sense rules, try not to kill, no breaking peaceful meetings, not getting any civilians involved…. actually, most of them are common sense rules that basically are saying "Don´t be a total bag of dicks." I wouldn´t worry about it. You need to actually try to break them."
Taylor blinked, before mouthing "Huh. So, what is the point of all this ?"
Hookwolf paused, before turning towards the bar, making two drinks. He offered her one. "The point is that I am warning you. You are poking a beehive, and while I don´t care if you stung to death, I wouldn´t want it to happen before we had our match."
Taylor paused, looking at him before nodding, taking the drink. She figured a .. {That is a shot of Whisky.} wouldn´t matter. "I will take your warning into account."
He downed his glass, and she followed suit. And promptly spit it out with a retching sound, all over Hookwolf.
"Holy..! This tastes awful!"
~Out of the drudgery and walls you keep in~
Why were Humans so complicated ? They always complain about how things were so complicated and didn´t make sense, yet they behaved like the illogical and poorly thought out evolutionary dead end they were. They were literally non-stop told by the less mentally challenged members of their race that they were a social race, yet they behaved as antisocial as one possibly could.
This was why Bella preferred the Honkai as company. They weren't complicated, they didn´t reek of insecurity and falsehood, they worked together, they were the chosen of her Queen. They were better all around solely due to that last factor!
She was tempted to hold it against her Boss that she had to sully the body her Queen has given her by being near this refuse.
What had spawned this rather heated bit of vitriol ?
Bella had to deal with drunks. She had come into what humans called a "Mall" or the street equivalent of such, hoping to find a shop where she could acquire an outfit or two for her to present to her Queen and Boss, but apparently Fate, or the Will, thought it was funny to throw a stone in her way, because she couldn´t explain why else a bunch of heavily drunk, redwhite clad people with knives were basically trying to rob and or threaten one of these parahuman in plain sight. Well, for her. It was in an alleyway,to be fair.
It was certainly annoying though. Best to just ignore it.
"Hey, Albino Bitch, give me your money, or I am going to have some fun with you!"
She wasn´t sure what was wrong with this fool, but this was perhaps the first time since her arrival she felt genuine anger. She knew what he meant to threaten her with. It wasn´t some pretext about her dignity or something that angered her. It was something quite something else, actually.
Her Body, her being, had been made by the hands of her Queen. She was her treasure, just as much as Bella treasured her Queen. The sheer idea that her Queen's treasure could be tarnished was what caused her fury.
Turning around, instead of going away, she approached them. Do not kill did not mean she couldn´t horribly maim and grind them into the dust where cockroaches belong.
To their credit, the man that had his filthy eyes on her actually went through with the implied threat of a raised knife, trying to stab her with it.
Sadly, for him, she wasn´t about to let him destroy the coat she had borrowed from her Boss. So, she grabbed his wrist, and stopped it. Then she kicked him. She kicked him hard. As her foot impacted his stomach, he immediately sank to his knees, cries of pains slowly starting up as he desperately tried to regain his breath. An almost casual backhand, and he was done for.
Instead of letting go of his arm, she proceeded to use him as a makeshift weapon against the others.She didn't even need to bother with the last two ones however, as they were promptly beaten down by what looked like a giant teddy bear. It was quite cute.
Well, that was new. A human that had a sense of taste.
~So trade that typical for something colorful~
Taylor… was bored. Actually bored. It was weird to be bored, especially to her. Before the locker, she would come home, and just… do things. maybe take a nap, homework, anything really. But right now, she had nothing to do but to relax. She looked at the clock. 14:00
{...}
{...}
{...}
14:01
{This is really fucking boring.}
{Absolutely.}
{I concur.}
{...}
14:02
{Okay, you know what, screw this. We have four hours till dinner, time to use them. That being said, that means that I leave the control to Sirin, and then Kiana. You two deserve some you time.}
{You are actually trusting me with control of your body for the sake of giving me the opportunity to have some leisure time ? Are you sure about that ?}
{I trust you and I would hate to leave you both caged in my head without the opportunity to do anything to relax. I.. being caged isn´t nice.}
{Too true.}
Taylor relaxed, and let Sirin take over. Dark eyes open to a new amber colouration.
It was due to this speed that soon, Sirin found herself bored. Which was… weird. Even more so than for Taylor. Here she was, essentially free for the first time in more than three decades, and yet… she wasn´t sure what to do. So, she opened a new tab in the web browser and just… let the currents of the internet carry her for the moment. As much as she hated humanity, the internet had been an interesting development.
For her, it was humanity in the pure, no falsehood, no hesitations, just pure instincts, streams of emotions and thought gathering in one big connection to the very nature of humanity. Needless to say, she very quickly found reason to hate humanity even more in it. However, one redeeming invention of humanity could be found there as well.
Competitive play. She didn´t know how, but it scratched an itch that she had. Perhaps the desire to dominate ? She wasn´t sure.
And so, while Sirin searched for a game that could be played free and online, as far as online was possible with the shitty internet, something happened inside Taylor´s core.
Taylor hadn´t expected it, but instead of simply having an out of body experience, she instead awoke in a nice looking apartment, although with some clash in how it was decorated. It was weird. Almost a mixture of a rather classy house and a student's home.
Most eye-catching however was a particular form currently reclining on the couch in a state of relatively undress.
Blue eyes meet Green ones, and then the person throws herself off to the side, falling out of view, before quickly standing up, now clad in an outfit, shooting her a relatively handsome smile.
Taylor herself was still trying to come to terms with the situation, but she managed to blurt out what was on her mind.
"K-Kiana ?!"
~And if it's crazy, live a little crazy~
Tammi looked down at her hands, and she couldn´t help but see them full of blood for the fraction of a second.
Talking with Abyss… with Taylor, had helped. For the moment. For the time they were together. But now she was alone. Alone with her thoughts.
They had agreed to meet up, and she had .. she couldn´t. Her friends, for a lack of a better word, were all involved with the Empire. They didn´t know who she was, but they were still involved. But she didn´t want her to worry about her.
So, here she was, desperately trying to pass time, to not think, to just exist away the days, to ignore the screams of guilt and pain ringing in her ears, the flickers of faces filled with justly deserved scorn and hate.
It was ironic, she supposed. She, who sided with those who harbor unreasoned hate, deserved all the scorn she ever managed to muster against others…yet, she felt nothing about it.
Nothing, that was what it was all about.
She was nothing would be wrong. Nothing would not have ruined her parents, corrupted them, tempted them. Nothing would not have joined the Empire, nothing would not have ruined the lives of hundreds for small bits of recognition. Nothing would not have served as a tool of vileness.
Nothing would have been better than her.
Something in the back of her head told her to not go there, to not think about the moment, yet, it was as good as mute to her.
She still viciously recalled the feeling when the girl told her her tale, the smell in the air, the slight twitches of unfathomable desire and despair upon the face of the girl she had crippled.
Ironically, nothing of that mattered to her. Typical of her, really. No, it was what she felt at that moment that haunted her.
A normal person would have felt sorrow for the girl, a psychopath glee, a sociopath apathy, but she… she had felt nothing. Not even disinterest, but a void of nothing that couldn´t be explained by words, the horror couldn´t be put into concepts able to be processed by the human mind. The best way she could put it was to describe it as a gaping hole in her soul.
Yet, a hole could be filled, and this .. thing.. did she even had a soul ? Wouldn´t a being with a soul feel sorrow or sadness or anything in face of such tragedy ?
if she didn´t feel such things, if she didn´t possess a soul, what was she ?
The answer was clear to her, as the voices of her victims screamed it into her mind, drowning out her thoughts and memories.
Monster. She was a monster.
When had she begun to cry ? These weren´t tears of sadness or fear. Did the monster, did she fear what she would do, now that she realized the truth ?
A knife was in her hand, uncalled for by her mind, yet it felt so right. She could end it now, have one good deed, slaying the monster she always had been.
One voice over toned the rest.
"You are silly for thinking you are not worth my time."
The knife clattered to the ground, teary eyes looking towards the sky. A smile, not one of happiness or even contentment on the lips. It was a rueful one instead. One of surrender. One of exhaustion.
She recalled a quote one of her friends once said. She would need to change it, but it would fit.
"For those we cherish, we live in glory, eh ?"
~You can play it sensible, a king of conventional~
After a brief moment of awkwardness, Kiana and Taylor had come to a brief agreement to ignore it the first seconds of their first meeting.
With that resolved, they both now sat on the couch, Kiana promptly deciding that it was a better location for the two of them, they had surely something to talk about.
"So…"
"Yeah.. I didn´t think this would happen. Like, we knew you could do it eventually, but entering the Herrscher core was not really a … well, for me, it was kinda difficult, and for Bronya kinda terrifying and filled with revelations. " Kiana noted while rubbing the back of her head, but she had a smile on her lips. "Not that I mind, I think it is now time to properly introduce myself."
Offering her hand in greeting, she smiled a very cheerful smile "Hello, I am Kiana Kaslana. It is nice to finally meet you, Taylor-chan~."
Without hesitation, manners trained into her by both mother and father, Taylor took the hand and shook it, before asking the central question that hung in the room.
"What is this place ? I mean, I figured that it is some kind of mental, inner world ?"
Kiana waved her hand in a so-so manner. "Technically, this is a place outside of common reality which is reserved for Herrschers, serving as a… " She paused, before shaking her head.
"I think I can explain it easier this way. If we are the children, for lack of a better term, of the Will, think of this place as our Room in the household. Our own private reality, if you will. Not imaginary space, although close, but formed by our will. You can even visit the Will if you want." She pointed towards a bright red door, while transforming from her outfit into far more casual clothes.
Interestingly enough, Talyor didn´t feel any motivation to meet with the entity right now, which was kind of amusing to her, given that it was the nearest thing to a God. Who in their right mind would say ´nah, don´t feel like it´ to a meeting with God. But she wanted to use the opportunity nonetheless to ask a question of her… of her older sister.
"How do you deal with it ?"
The white haired one raised a delicate eyebrow "Huh?"
Taylor paused, before taking a deep breath. "T-this all. The pressure and the despair. I try to be cheerful for others, to inspire them, to give faith in some way or shape." Her voice took on a more haunted quality "I just saw a girl that wanted to rip herself apart. I-"
Instead of asking questions, Kiana pulled Taylor into a hug, letting the younger girl rest on her chest.
"Don´t worry, I understand. I have already given you my answer, however. Faith."
She paused, before sighing, as if she was admitting something. "Faith.I always ask myself, when I see people like you when we met or Rune just now, when did you give it up? Were you never loved when you were young? Did a significant other hurt you, or did the system beat you down?
It's hard to keep faith when I see people like you and Sirin, broken and abused , then tossed aside when their purpose is finished. I can so deeply understand the hatred she has for our kind, you know ? She was full of fire and fury, hatred personified, just like many before her and after her. She doesn´t has faith, faith in humanity. She can't even believe in love, or hope, or joy and despair because we took those from her.
She asked me the same question. Why do I keep faith ? Why did I fight and fight with fervor and faith till my world was freed, even at great cost to me. I was just one gal. I stood here fighting a battle already lost against a being so much larger than anything we could ever comprehend for a world that is corrupt and has given birth to so much suffering,a-and perhaps there is no point to this mad universe, my fight and the suffering of us all. Mayhaps it truly is a world without rhyme or reason beyond the curiosity of alien gods.
Yet … Washington, Gandhi, Casimir the Great, Hannibal, Otto von Bismark and Florence Nightingale were all just children of mankind, weren´t they ? Just as we are. Each of us may be saints or sinners, as we make of the lives given to us.
I look at the world, and see the truth of that matter. Be it the rich or the poor,all I can see is weakness tainting potential. Humanity is so frail that when hardship bores down on it, and when this harsh reality sinks its claws into it, most will bargain their immortal soul away for relief from a little pain. I do not begrudge them that, but instead of crying over spilt milk, I see what must be done to fix that weakness. Because Humanity is sick. A sickness called apathy. As to why I want to do this ?
For I have faith, and that has always been enough for me."
She placed a hand on Taylor´s head, her warmth, both physical and born of her character, before whispering into her ear.
"And if you ever lack faith, or find yourself shaken in it, recall that I have faith in you."
Petting Taylor´s head, she mused then "So, how about we see what Sirin is up to ?"
Taylor, deep in thought, nodded absentmindedly, only to be surprised by what appeared on the TV, which was far larger than any she had ever witnessed.
It was weird as hell seeing through one's own eyes without really being the one behind them. She then lifted an eyebrow at seeing what her eldest adopted sibling was doing.
She was apparently chatting with someone with a fury and hatred she had never quite seen, or well, heard from her. Apparently it was pretty wild, given that Kiana gasped before laughing loudly.
"Well, I never heard her call someone that. I pity the asshole who thought it was a good idea to cheat against Sirin."
Taylor raised an eyebrow before asking "What did-" before being cut off as Sirin flipped the computer the bird, announcing mentally that it was now Kiana´s turn.
Before she left though, she whispered one last question into Taylor´s ear.
~Or you can risk it all and see~
Tattletale, or Lisa as most would call her in her current get up, had a shit day. Oh, sure, AF had been possibly the most pleasant encounter of the week, but that didn´t change that this was a shit day, in a shit week.
She was currently in one of Coil´s safehouses. She had been isolated from the team while she focused on AF, to prevent any interference. laying on the bed with hastily thrown together clothes.
AF. This was the person her life now revolved around without any choice of her own. She had been tempted to despise her for that, much like she despised Coil for the same thing. Yet… she couldn´t. She didn´t had the heart for it, not anymore.
Everytime she even thought about hating her, it hurt. Everytime she even thought about hating it, like it so rightly deserved, it hurt.
Not the kind of hurt that came from the heart, but actual, physical pain. She knew what it was doing, and it took some form of perverse delight in the fact that it was treating her like a dog who needed to be disciplined.
She put her hands on her eyes, hoping to lessen the seemingly unending migraine she was punished with by shielding her eyes from the cheap electronic lights. Sadly, that brief relief was undermined by the incessant beeping of the alarm, signaling that Coil demanded her services, followed by a ping as the new assignment was delivered to her mail account.
Standing up, a short moment of vertigo hit her and she felt violently ill, as if something was traveling up her throat. It passed, and with a sigh, she moved towards the bathroom. Hoping desperately to get her head clear, she looked in the mirror, her make-up she put on so that AF didn´t noticed anything washed away, revealing the deep bags beneath her eyes, which seemed to become more hollow by the minute.
As she stripped, her eyes fell on it. The mark, as she called it. The thing she bore since she first made contact with the Will, right on her lower back. She briefly gained an amount of sardonic amusement from the fact that it was positioned in a rather precarious location, one infamous for tattoos. Luckily, it didn´t always glow like it did with direct exposure to light.
Feeling fed up once more with this bullshit, Lisa, instead of asking her power for answer, threw a mental question, one filled with spite and hurt.
"What do you want?!"
The answer came with pain, pain enough that her body twitched and she lost her footing, hammering her head against the wall.
She chuckled, ignoring the blood flowing from her forehead.
There was only one way out. Maybe it would be enough to shut these two up.
~Just let me give you the freedom to dream~
Taylor hadn´t been sure how the transition would happen. Would Kiana walk out of a door, and Sirin would walk in ? Would they just switch places ?
It was slightly more overwhelming than that, but the transition itself was actually the latter of the two mentioned options. She just didn´t expect that the entire realm they were in would shift as well, going from the equal fusion of student home and classical mansion to full on castle.
Where before Kiana stood, stood now a woman with a hair color that caused her to raise an eyebrow.
Unlike Kiana however, Sirin seemed far more composed."I see you have found your way into this realm without my help. I think this is the first time we really see each other. I trust Kiana has explained what this realm is ?"
Taylor paused, before nodding "She said something along the lines of this being the room for the children of the will ?"
"An amateurish analogy, but good enough to understand the concept." Taylor couldn´t hide the surprise at the slight note of contempt in Sirin´s voice, something that didn´t escape her notice.
"What, surprised that I do not quite approve of the fool´s words ? That I don´t show fond kindness for her foolishness ?" There was no venom in the voice, more amusement than anything.
Taylor couldn´t but nod, transfixed by her eldest sister´s voice and mannerism.
"You forget, dear Taylor, that I am not a good person. Or a patient one. Or even a person. I am a Queen of the Honkai and while I entertain the fool, that does not mean I am immune to her foolishness. We have come to an agreement.." She paused. "You know, it might actually be a variation of Stockholm Syndrome that allows me to tolerate her." It was that last comment, spoken with a snide voice, that shook Taylor out of her almost hypnotized state.
Rolling her eyes, the youngest of the trio shrugged "You seem pretty human to me." Perhaps it was because of her track record that she uttered these words, but in an instance, she regretted them.
People always talk about projecting power and dominance, but Taylor never quite experienced it like this. She had trouble breathing, simply because of the panic Sirin invoked by changing her posture. She went from a girl, to something alien, unreadable.
"I think it is time I told you what I am." Sirin approached her, and the pressure vanished.
"I am humanity's shadow, the equerry of God. At my tips I hold legions, in my hand, I hold worlds. I am no longer human. Neither are you or Kiana. You will never have children, you will never die a death, peaceful and surrounded by others. Everybody who knows you will slowly wither and die unless you pull them into the same fate I have allowed and will allow the idea that you are a human because it pleases you."
She chuckled, an eerie sound. "Because, I do care for you. But never call me human again, just as I do not call you ant. I am a person, but what I am also is Honkai. Never once I regretted that choice, never once I sought forgiveness for the bodies I burned, the cities I crushed, the lives I ruined. I am what humans call a monster, and this is a role I embrace. So, if I am to play a part in this charade of hope you and Kiana so insist upon,.. "
She paused, before speaking with a voice that booked no argument and no room for discussion.
"Then I will be the shadow behind the corner, the howl in the distance. I am the warning, I am the threat of what is to come if Humanity does not turn around upon it´s wicked ways of cruelty and falsehood. I am what awaits when depravity and the false worship of reason reaches it´s Apex. I am the End, but, I will grant, I am also a choice. Humanity is past the date where one can grant them the right to be cuddled and given a slap on the wrist. Let them see what Monster they made, and perhaps they will learn."
Taylor felt tears in her eyes, rejection and panic at having displeased one of her saviors tearing at her heart. Then she felt a warm touch on her cheek. Sirin smiled down at her.
"I didn't mean to hurt you, I apologize. But what you said… I am not comfortable with it."
The voice that now spoke was warm, caring. Taylor could feel herself calming down.
"I-I am sorry. I will remember that. I -"
Soft fingers on her lips "Shut the hell up. I overreacted. There, done. It is over. How about we enjoy our time together, little sister?"
~And it'll wake you up and cure your aching~
Sophia was not an inherently patient person. She could hold still, she could wait, but she could do so only with a clear purpose to it, not just for the sake of passing time. Her hands twitched as she waited in front of the office.
Admittedly, it could have been worse. For the request to be granted and the session to be penciled in within a day was a miracle, although Sophia was sure that it was merely the fact that it was unpreceded that got everyone moving to do their actual fucking job for once.
That being said, she was still anxious about this. Sure, she and Vista had basically kicked in Armsmaster´s, not his workshop but his local room, door and slammed the request onto his table, then went and did the same with the Deputy Director and, much to Vista´s distaste, their Youth Guard rep. They didn´t want to give anyone the chance to say they accidentally lost it.
Then the door opened, and she was waved in.
Inside the room, there sat a rather pretty, if older woman, clad in a turtleneck and having a pair of glasses. She carried a small smile on her lips.
"Hello, Miss Hess. I am Jay Crowe, the current Psychiatrist on the side." She offered her hand in greeting, and Sophia shook it. She was surprised by how warm the hand was.
Shooting her a look, the lady asked "May we use first names ? I find it quite distracting if people say amidst the session Crow, only for me to realize that they meant me." Taking Sophia´s shrugging shoulder and a nod as confirmation, she gestured to a somewhat comfy looking seat.
This actually prompted Sophia´s first question of the session. "Don´t shrinks usually have some kind of couch ?"
"A bit presumptuous there, don´t you think ? What, do you think I will give you a rorschach test next ?" Jay paused, before rolling her eyes "Fine, they wouldn´t allow me one because I used it for naps. What else was I supposed to do when nobody shows up for their assigned times ? I mean sure, they say Budget or something, but I know the true reason." She had a slight pout at the end.
Sophia actually surprised herself by snickering at that, but got herself quickly under control. "Well, sucks for you."
The psychiatrist shrugged her shoulders, before nodding as the dark skinned girl sat down, slightly hunched over.
"Alright, before we start, I want to establish something. Nothing spoken of here will be revealed to anyone unless it is directly related to criminal activity, past or present." Sophia quickly noted the catch there.
"So, pretty much everything will be reported to the Director."
"Due to the ongoing investigation she has access to it, as well due to your status as a probationary Ward. This sort of thing requires trust, so I wanted to be honest with you. I can understand if you want to cancel-"
"No." Visible surprise was apparent on Jay´s face at the resolute voice of the other, if younger, woman. "I want to have answers for my sake. I do not care what they think of me."
"Well then, let's begin. This session I want to ask you some questions, if you don´t mind. If you truly don´t want to answer one, please let me know, okay ?" Another exchange of nods and Sophia settled down, still fidgeting slightly.
"How about we start with an easy one. What are your hobbies ?"
This innocent question caused Sophia to roll her eyes, feeling a sting of disappointment at the rather cliché turn on this. But, she would play along for now.
"Currently ? I am doing track, though it is less a hobby than a passion."
Jay seemed to have noticed something as she perked up slightly, pointing her pencil at Sophia. "You said currently, could you explain that ?"
Sophia paused, before hanging her head slightly, a slight blush crossing her cheeks out of embarrassment. "I used to be part of … well, we called it street theater, but it was more a bunch of kids reenacting scenes they saw or read about. To be entirely fair to us, we actually did some actual plays… partly. Shakespeare is really not that easy to understand." There was a tinge of nostalgia in her voice, before she noticed the surprised look on Jay´s face. " What ? Didn´t think a brute could be an actor ?" She had a degree of venom in her voice.
Jay shook her head, before smiling "Not at all. But I am surprised. You never came across as someone who knows Shakespear, to be fair. Your file indicates that you really don´t care for refined speech."
Snorting slightly, Sophia let out a laugh. "Just because I don´t want to pay lip service to polite bullshit like that doesn´t mean I can´t do it if I want to. Besides, we did some modernizing of it."
"Why did you stop ?"
That gave Sophia pause. Why did she stop with it? She liked it back then, always had an affinity for the more rough characters, but she really wasn't sure why she stopped.
"I am not sure."
"Does that bother you ?"
"Of course it does!" She snapped back, her anger flaring.
Jay wasn't startled by the sudden shift in attitude. Instead she put her pencil down and looked at her in a way that made Sophia both perk up and sink into herself. Jay then asked a question that struck Sophia.
"Why does it bother you?"
"Shouldn't you help to figure this out!? This is a -"
"Sophia." Jay's voice was calm, but with a note of steel that cut through the anger. "Allow me to be direct with you. You are simply here because I fought for it. Piggot is more than ready to throw you under the bus for the , how did you put it, bullshit you pulled. I am not. I am here to help you, but I am not here to mother you and give you all your answers on a silver plate. The reason why I asked for your thoughts on the why is because if I would give you my theories, you would latch onto them." Sophia began to almost growl at this, before taking a deep breath, her hands clawing into the seat.
"Fine." Why did it bother her ? She had found the answer during her introspection, didn't she ?
"Because it doesn't feel like something I would do. I can't figure out my reasoning for it."
Once more, no commentary, only a nod and another question.
A good hour later, Sophia came out of the room, feeling more unsure of herself than ever… but also feeling better. For all that Jay was pretty silent this session, she had managed to come across as … caring, for the lack of a better term. Not eager to please like Emma or Madison.
She looked down at the small book in her hand. It seemed childish to write a diary, but she could see the point of it. She was asked to record the reasoning for any action she felt warranted such.
Surprisingly, someone waited for her. Vista.
"The fuck are you doing here?" There was no anger in her tone, she made sure of that. She has managed to gain an amount of respect for the girl, having shared stories with another. She knew that she would have normally laughed at her trigger, but she managed to witness what her parents were like first hand. The urge quickly died with that.
"Can't stand being at home." Vista noted with an sardonic smile. "The only thing my parents ever agree upon is how bad it makes them look that I want therapy."
"Your parents are a bunch of stuck up cunts."
Vista snorted, before giving her a look "I know that you aren't really allowed to leave base, but mind if we hang out ? How about a workout , working the frustration away ?"
Sophia paused, before nodding.
She wouldn't lose. Neither to herself or Vista.
~Take your walls and start 'em breaking~
Taylor hadn't expected Sirin to be so… calm. Like, the girl had always come across as less excitable than Kiana, but never quite so serene. Then again, her curent state of dressing felt like a statement all over all.
She wasn´t sure what her opinion about Sirin´s idea for entertainment should be. Reviewing her memories didn´t sound like a fun time, but Taylor couldn't help but ask questions.
"How did you do that ?" Watching Sirin´s memories like this, it made Taylor understand who she was talking to, how much the girl who had promptly decided to use her lap as a cushion.
The scene she was referring to was that of a fight between Sirin and whom she had been told was Kiana´s teacher or something, Theresa. Just now, it looked like Sirin phased one of her lances through a cross.
"That ? Well, it is fairly simple to be quite honest. I simply moved the lance into the imaginary space, and moved it back once it was inside her. Pretty much can circumvent most physical barriers. We can actually use it to ghost through walls if we want to. It does require a measure of skill, as you need to balance it on the barrier between dimensions. The manipulation of the imaginary Space is one of our specialties. Though… Well, unlike Reason, we can not really create. We manifest for a time. It is important to recall that. We can do great things but they do not have consistency, we need to keep them supplied to stay the way we want."
Taylor was surprised by the rather compact explanation before she gave her thanks, and they returned to watching, Taylor only gaining more and more awe for her sister, which, given that said purple haired girl only grew more and more smug as the fight progressed. She had to raise an eyebrow at her sister. "You survived a nuclear explosion ?"
"That is what they are called ? They suck."
"How don´t you know that ?"
"Why do you know that ?"
Taylor eyed the purple haired one. "Because most know what they are ? Japan got hit by two of them during the World War, the second one."
"Huh. Never happened in our world."
"Well, we won´t have to worry about that one. But that put´s to question.. how durable am I ?"
"Durable enough that I could rip your head off and you could recover. The damage threshold for a Herrscher is less a straight ´how much can I tank ?´ and more, ´how much does the Damage expose my core?´. If your core loses connection to your body, that pretty much means death, unless you take some precautions."
"So, as long as my core is fine, I am fine ?"
Sirin waved her hand. "Partly. You can still exhaust yourself, and recovering damage is fairly exhausting. Rule of thumb should always be to not tank damage if you can avoid it… unless you want to make a point. Ignoring that you got your heart stabbed out can make quite the impression."
"True, I suppose."
The scenes continue, and Taylor was impressed by Bella this time around. "Did she literally flew you to the fucking moon ?"
"Yes."
"Damn. Bella is great."
Soon enough, Taylor felt a pull, with Sirin rolling her eyes. "Seems like the fool is done with her spare time. It was nice talking to you, младшая сестра" She smiled up at the green eyed girl, who smiled back. A blink of the eye, and green was replaced by blue.
"Hey there~"
~Now that's a deal that seems worth taking~
"Amy, wait !" Victoria´s voice ripped Amy from her thoughts, causing her to shoot up in her seat and nearly let her ice cream go to waste.
"Huh?" Why would Vicky call her? Did she say something ?
Her blonde sister reached over, and waved her hand over Amy's ice cream, waving away a bee." There you go!" Her heart beat faster and she blushed slightly. "What got you occupied ?" Deciding to divert attention Amy replied "Flower. She got kinda on my nerves."
Vicky seemed to pause, before shrugging her shoulders "I can see where she is coming from, and it is nice to have someone around that advocates for mental health. I know Mom isn´t her biggest fan, given her position to New Wave."
As she should, whispered a voice in the back of Amy´s mind "I have to agree with her. She is kinda reckless and her entire sthick doesn´t really sit well with me. Someone with her abilities could do so much, it feels wrong not to try and do as much as she could."
Vicky leaned back, giving her ice cream a lick before shaking her head slightly. "I mean, I get where you are coming from, but with great power comes great responsibility, I know it sounds kinda shitty coming from me of all people, but for all my power, I am fairly easy to contain should I ever snap from pressure. That, and I have others to support me. And that is her main concern, I bet. Her powerset would make her a nightmare to deal with for anyone locally. So, if she simply does what she feels comfortable with, I don´t really see an issue with it. It is not like it cost us something, or she is causing additional suffering. It is still a pure win."
Amy licked her own ice over this, gnawing on her lips as she tried to counter the point. She needed to counter it, for her own sake. A moment passed, and she spoke.
"She still fails those people that could have used her help. A hero is someone who helps everyone, even at their own expense. I don´t mean that one has to give everything." She did,but she knew it wouldn´t make for a good point. " but if every hero gave up as soon as something uncomfortable happened to them, then we would have no heroes. It is not a pretty job and having some arrogant chick coming along that will dip out as soon as it becomes serious will only endanger more."
"As will having an exhausted teleporter brute that can summon swords and guns. While I agree that she could do more if she wanted to, if she says that she needs the break, then good on her. I would prefer her taking it instead of endangering others."
"A good person wouldn´t need a break." She hadn´t intended for it to slip out.
"A good one. Every person needs breaks. Even when they are doing something they like, they are still doing something that expends energy and mental capacity. Even saints will snap if they don´t get their nap." Vicky rolled her eyes, ignorant of the surprise on Amy's face "That being said, I don´t think you give her enough credit. She went and revealed a suicidal past. Some major trauma right there."
Now, Amy felt a bit of shame, sighing slightly. Vicky had no mercy in her obliviousness however. "You know, maybe you should meet up with her."
Amy looked at her sister with a look that screamed ´explain´, prompting the blonde to continue. "Well…if you disagree with her, then you could try to convince her. Or maybe try to find common ground. Besides.." Vicky´s eyes wandered to the side. "Fine. I saw your blush back there. You know you can talk to me about such things ?"
Her breathing increased , but Amy forced it down. Instead, she starred her sister down. "About what ?"
Vicky backed down. "Nothing. Just consider it, okay ? I think it would be good for you."
~But I guess I'll leave that up to you~
What was once a home was now once more a fateful corridore in a storm of destruction.Two beings stood across each other, one white and blue, the other purple and gold.
"So ?"
"What do you mean, fool ?"
"What is your opinion on her ?"
"She has potential. Not quite like our third sister, but she has surprised me before, however her psyche has not yet recovered, her will not yet be fortified enough to take on the challenges she will face.." The purple one paused, before sighing.
"So, I concur with your point. She will need more human contact. Needs more investment in others than us. If I pushed harder, I am fairly sure I could have convinced her of anything I wanted, just so she could please me."
The white one nodded, before adding her own sigh to the mix. "So, what is the will up to this time ? Normally it would have just cut off the branch. Easiest solution with the least amount of effort."
The purple one waved it´s hand. "It gives me similar vibes as back in Kolosten, so it is up to something, but I am not sure what. Not my business unless it wants to tell me."
Kiana shook her head as their home remanifested around them. "I don´t like this. Did it give you any information on what we are supposed to fight ?"
"It gained a lot of information. It gave them a fairly average threat level, all things considered, but that was under the provision that we strike fast and hard. Which we can´t do. It confirmed that they generate an alien space to manifest these powers, and while many try to obey the laws of physics as established inside this universe, they really don´t care too much."
"Annoying but useful. We could use that against them, but they easily could do the same to us."
"What, afraid of a challenge, fool ?"
"As if, you rat."
Kiana´s Question
"Mind telling me your favorite music genre ? I want to try something."
Because, however, I am shit at actually identifying genres, we will hold a vote on what song Kiana prepares for Taylor. The following are some of the ideas provided by the discord, only rule for write in should be that there is a major vocal part.
Holy shit, this was exhausting. But yeah, partly this is a set up chapter for the arcs and events to come. I will admit I am not particular happy with the Sophia scene, but therapy is kinda supposed to feel awkward so, it works out, I think. Similar to the other post, due to this site being laggy as fuck, any corrections will be accumolated and added so that I can do it one swell swoop.
[Well~ That is certainly a rather uncomfortable situation.]
Taylor was too numb to feel any surprise at the voice that would become her savior and bane of her existence.
[These girls are certainly a menace. Very unsightly. Tell me, Taylor, shall I teach you to be a perfect maid?]
Thus began a new age of terror and perfection for Brockton Bay.
Sophia was not a very orderly person if it didn't suit her tastes. Give her bolts to sort, and she would do so delightfully, but tell her to clean her room to perfection and you would probably get a bolt in your knee.
That was why she found it particularly weird that her mother had apparently cleaned her room. Eh, no matter.
The next day was the same, and Sophia began to notice just how clean the room was, the entire apartment was.She didn't know her mother could clean so well.
It was then that it escalated. Nobody, not even the PRT after Armsmaster couldn't find anything that indicated somebody else was in her room, believed her that somebody broke into her room at night, only to clean up. She began to lay traps and spend whole nights awake, waiting for the fuck to come, but never managed to even see a hair.
It took four weeks for her to crack. To throw up her hands and basically scream into the void. "Please, just fucking stop already."
Next day, she found a note, written in the most neat handwriting she had ever seen.
"Order understood, I shall no longer clean up after trash."
Sophia cried that day. She cried and giggled at the same time, till her throat hurt.
"Please explain to me how this happened." Piggot wasn't happy and her displeased mannerism caused her underlings, including Assault to fidget.
"Well, Mam, it was quite something. See, I was just chatting with Denise here, wanted to invite her to a grill party, but as we talked, she noticed that there a bundle of left over paperwork on her coworker's desk. Being herself, she decided to see if she she could help."
Denise took over, "It is not unusual that we lose some papers at times, we carry quite a lot of them, usually the cleaning ladies just gather them and one of us takes care of it. And well, it was weird, because many of the papers were clearly for different people. There were transcripts of messages between the youth guard and wards, schedules of patrols , files on the fonds. Not thinking much of it, I just tried to file them, but discovered that they already were, just wholly different versions of them!"
Piggot sighed "Well, you somehow managed to uncover a deep running corruption in this office by sheer luck. I-"
She paused as she noticed that there was a small envelope under the mountain of paperwork. Opening it, she read…
"It is shameful how an acclaimed organisation as the PRT can not take proper care to clean up their environment."
Just a quick What if scenario about replacing the void sisters with Rita. Petty Maid!Taylor is a treat.
Missy was cold, so very cold. And wet. And alone. She had ran away after Pa and Ma started to fight again, with the slightest hope that maybe, maybe once she didn´t come back on her own, they would for once stop caring about petty stuff. Maybe care about her for once.
It became apparent that she would die before that happened. She had run too far, yet her heart felt still like it was in a tight grip, a grip that slowly threatened to crush it the more she thought.
That her finger tips slowly became blue from the cold didn't help the matter, she bet.
Slowly, it became too much. Missy was a strong girl, and strong girls wouldn't cry because they were cold, or because their parents fought, didn´t love them, didn´t care for them, didn´t help them…
Each time she added to the list, her heart and head hurt more, the sting of betrayal driven deeper and deeper alongside humiliation and shame, self loathing and self blame. For feeling that way, for not knowing how to fix it. The ache grew and grew, until, without a sound worthy of such an event, something broke.
Five minutes later, Missy stepped cheerfully out of the alleyway, almost skipping in her stride.
She had found her way.
"Hey Dad, can you give Labby something to drink?"
Missy´s voice had changed over the years. She had always been assertive, but now she was commandeering, expecting her orders to be followed. And they always were.
Labyrinth´s eyes were wide with fear, desperately trying to use her powers, ones she hated so much, but unable to. She nearly gagged as the man, Vista´s father shoved a bottle into her mouth and pushed it back, causing her to swallow unless she wanted to drown.
That wasn´t why she was afraid though, drowning seemed merciful compared to whatever the man had suffered. There wasn´t anything really physically wrong with him, but there was some horrific wrongness around him. He looked like a puppet, a being without a soul or humanity.
"Oh shit, sorry. I should have told him to be careful. No worries, I will fix you right up, then you will never have to worry again~!"
Vista smiled at her new equerry, as the voice called Labyrinth nowadays. Sure, converting her had caused a chaos as Faultline basically went feral in the search of the girl, but even that had simply served to accelerate the rate with which she was able save people from themselves. Gathering Amy as a second equerry had been a smart idea, especially once the girl had admitted to her new friend that she could do brains. It was so easy to implant the seeds which will blossom into freedom from the wretched humanity that plagued them all.
She had control of the city. Not just a few important people, but everyone. Be it the mailman or the dog at another´s door, hero or villain, all acted in perfect harmony to her will, no sadness or pain, no mental or physical anguish, just perfect existence.
She knew, she knew that once this world had been saved, they would ascend, be saved from this world that cared not for them.
The sirens came and she grinned. Endbringer attacks were a wonderful time for her. People went missing all the time,and while her actions did cause the trust in the truce to fade… it was for the greater good.
It was good to be a hero.
Some people wished for a darker toned sidestory. Admittedly, psy horror is not my cup of tea, but I don´t think it came out as genuinely bad.
Fortuna wasn´t sure how it ended. They never saw it coming. She didn´t saw it coming. Her nigh unfailable path to victory had led to this. She eyed the incapacitated bodies of her coworkers, her body paralized. She was powerless as her body moved, speaking softly.
"Door to Vista."
Without pause, the little smiling demon came through as if it was fucking tuesday. She felt the grip, or whatever it was, on her lessened. She could move, if she wanted. Immediately she tried to determine a path forward, instinctively at this point. She knew she couldn´t-
Nothing came. Not an error, not any situation, only silence.
"Don´t worry, Fortuna." The little demon spoke with a cheerful tone. "Victory is currently with a friend of mine. You will be reunited soon."
She could try to shoot her, she could do it without the damn shard if she had to. But she needed to distract, so she asked "How ?"
"Such a big question, for a participant. How do I do this ? That is my secret. But I am willing to tell you how I achieved what I have achieved. See, you ? You were my cute servant for the last few years."
What ?
As Vista stepped over to Legend, placing her hand against his head with a slight purple glow, she replied in a musing tone. "Shortly after I acquired Jack, more specifically his shard… I found out about this whole shard business. And Broadcast has been of great help to me. He could help me get more of the shardbrearers than ever before. See, there is this thing called shardspace, where most shards are basically parked. Once I got access there, lots of fun. But that didn´t really help me with those that didn´t bear a shard. So, I decided I needed some help. Nobody can do what I can, naturally, I am the heroine after all, but every heroine has helpers that provide the proper set up, do they not ? So, I found Victory and decided to offer her an alternative… Same goal, other methods." The light vanished from Legend´s eyes.
Slowly, Fortuna began to understand what that little demon was implying.
"The assassination of the Gesellschaft Leader and the leadership of other such things. Nasty people, but easily fooled if one throws them into a panic. Especially the Nazis. Such an easy mark, simply because I am pale and blond. Well, at least they won´t have to worry about such things anymore." She approached Alexandria.
"The release of the Fairy Queen against the Blasphemies. That was delicious and threw Europe into chaos. Chaos indeed. That is what I wanted from you and what you delivered upon me." She giggled almost innocently. "The four are wonderful companions, by the way, so thanks!"
"No. The path was to survive Scion."
"And you will." She noted while placing the hand on Alexandria´s head.
"Everybody will be saved. Be it humans,parahumans, or shards. All shall find harmony." She moved over the Doctor Mother. "See,we are but children, playing with something we can´t understand, outside of the splendid gardens of heaven. I am just guiding us back." She placed her hand on the Doctor's head.
"So everything I did… every kill…"
"Was planned out by me and mine. You were just our tool." Vista briefly eyed the seat where normally Eidolon would rest if Contessa hadn´t inadvertedly directed him towards being consumed by the corrupted Fairy Queen.
For the first in decades, Fortuna, the same scared little girl as back then choked up, bile and revulsion rising in her throat, along with despair and an encroaching madness clawing at her thoughts.
A soft voice cleared the fog in her mind for a second, as it touched her tear streaked cheek, forcing her to look into the eyes of Vista.
Eyes of stars.
"Sweet Fortuna. You worked and fought hard. Rejoice, for your burden has been lifted. Embrace eternity with me, and it will be…"
Desperate, the needs of years suppressed and an ego shattered, she immediately agreed.
It was done. Once Bet was saved, the other earths would be quick to follow. Sure, she quickly reached her limits, but that was why she had her equerries, unlike previous Herrschers. After Bet, they decided that they would need to change their methodology. It wasn't truly infinite, that local multiverse. So, she recalled something she learned about in the PRT.
Levels of authority.
She would need to become more to save more, reach higher and higher for farther and farther. So, she used the scientific genius of her people along with some help from the Will to… create pseudo cores. Copies of her own, equally powerful but under her control. It was simple logic after all. If she could control a thousand of her equerries while they could control a thousand of their own, alongside an earth, and so on.. what was the word… it had been ages since she was last in school… exponential. It would be an exponential increase in people she could save from their humanity.
It felt great when heroism matches logic. Sure, she had to give up her form, but it would be worth it.
She would save everyone.
The Will was not an entity that could really feel amusement, attachment or love. It couldn't hate or despise either. These were simply not part of its directive. Sure, it had developed a Persona and learned to express such things, but that was more so out of necessity rather than anything. When Humanity was in it's infancy, they would desire order, and she hadn't needed to speak with love or care to lead them down the path she had intended for them.
Still, she was amused at her current angel. The girl was full of love. Indeed, she had to admit, Otto had shown her what love, and the emotions born out of love, could empower beings to achieve.
It would have been interesting to see his reaction to seeing something he valued so much twisted like this.
She had been far more loose with her regulations on the domination principle, but it was delightful how the girl removed herself more and more from Humanity, losing even the barest resemblance, all because she had been there to whisper the right words into her ear at the right time.
She didn't care for the humanity of that branch, already proven failures, solely for the alien shards that could provide new interesting variables. But it was easy enough to spin a tragic tale of a heroine who had sacrificed her own happiness, doomed to never see her family in heaven again. Heaven in this case was naturally the sea of quanta. The girl already adored her and loved her…
She was a good little doll.
AN
Well, this is the end of the Vista of Domination mini series. Not a happy one, but oh well. If you have the muse, you want to ride the waves of inspiration with it.
