Magical Girl Escalation Taylor (Worm/Nanoha)

Alexandria talk with someone about her problems and receive good advice.
:o
Nanoha's influence is slowly but surely undermining Worm's foundation.
 
I suppose it's only expected that Legend knows all of Alexandria's weak points.
...Like dating. And the fact that she happens to be highly ticklish.
 
The words 'I'm fine' settled with familiar weight on her tongue, but she hesitated at the last second. No, she did not need any help of the variety he intended, but maybe he could provide something more useful. "Do you have time to be a sounding board? There's something I'd like a second opinion about."

He blinked, surprise written across his face in bold lettering. "Of course," he replied, his voice far more eager than she ever would have expected. Was he truly that excited to help? Or was it more that he had offered his help time and time again only to be rebuffed and so was overjoyed that she was finally accepting? "What's up?"

"I recently received a rather interesting report from Philadelphia. Dragon was discussing something with Calamity Witch, the same Tinker who sent us the document regarding the Simurgh's telepathy, and set up an appointment for Calamity Witch to get an MRI of her brain. From what I can read between the lines, there was some debate over whether or not her powers were actually magic."
Took you long enough to go over it.
*reads the rest*
... oh FFS, why must you be so stubborn? This isn't a parahuman Alexandria.
"There's just one problem with your theory," he told her. That comment received a curious look. Had he reached the same conclusion she had? She hoped not; that would get her nowhere. "Let's assume you're right. Six Tinkers, two of them with truly incredible powers and none of them anybody we've ever heard of, got together and collaborated to make a generator of some kind that would as good as turn anybody into a cape. They find somebody, scramble her corona, give her said generator and this bodyguard, and spend time teaching her how to use it.

"My question is simple. Why? What do they get out of it? She's an independent hero, right?" Rebecca nodded. "So it isn't that they're villains. If they were, she'd be committing crimes. If they're heroes or want to be heroes, they would have at least spoken to somebody with the Protectorate long before they found each other. If they're rogues and are trying to advertise their products, they wouldn't let her run around claiming she has powers of her own, and especially not that she's using magic of all things. Come to think of it, they wouldn't make just one," he added, rubbing his chin in thought. "After all the effort to design something like that, making more than one would be comparatively easy and would also give them more exposure. No matter how you look at this, none of it makes any sense."
Exactly!
"Yes, I'm aware," she grunted. "Why do you think it's been on my mind so much? I can't figure it out, and I keep coming to that conclusion, too. There is no way that series of events can come to pass, but I can't think of any other explanation."

"I can."

She looked up at his mirthful expression. He had another explanation? "What is it?"

"You're overthinking it. Just because we were part of a shadowy conspiracy doesn't mean there's one around every corner. We're missing some crucial piece of the puzzle, that's all." Tilting his head, he considered her thoughtfully. "What I find more interesting is how invested in this you are. I've never known you to get this riled up about any cape before. Any person before, honestly. What is it about her that has you so fixated?"

Because she's me from twenty years ago and looked at the me of today in disgust.
1. Took the words right out of my mouth Legend.
2. OK, we know that. What're you doing about that?
Not that she could really explain that, not in any way that would make sense to him. Some days, it did not even make sense to her. All she knew for sure was that after the uncomfortable revelations following the Simurgh fight, she could not go back to how she had previously done things. In a way, it was almost a relief; the methods she had previously chosen were all geared towards a goal that was no longer possible or relevant, so being forced to abandon them provided the clean break she had not realized she needed. For every bit of relief, however, there was three times as much anxiety about what she was going to do now. The Endbringers might not be quite as threatening as Scion, but they still had no clue how to defeat the monstrosities.

Not to mention, they could no longer just let the world spiral into chaos and start over with whatever pieces were left. They were stuck with this mess.

"Unless…." He chuckled. "If you're that interested in her, you could just ask her out like a normal person."

…What?

"What."
That... was not what I expected to wake up to.
"I mean, researching your crush inside and out until you know her better than she knows herself is definitely something you would do, but it's also a little creepy. You'll come off as less of a stalker if you actually talk to her."

With Herculean effort, she cast off the sheer befuddlement his words had caused and noticed the wide smile he was doing his best to hide. That… that…. "I know there is a way to hurt a rainbow," she hissed through her teeth, "and no matter how long it takes, mark my words. I will find it."
1. If Taylor wasn't a minor...
2.
3.
Michael finally let out the laugh he was holding back. "I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not. That opportunity was just too good to pass up. And you have to admit, it isn't like anyone has any clue what tickles your fancy. For all I know, overpowered coeds might actually be what turns you on."

"Keep talking, Michael. I dare you."
Too late 'Becca, his words are blood in the water for the shippers already...
All he did was grin, and soon enough she let the forced indignation fade away. "Not that it's any of your business, but I've always been too busy. Between D.C., L.A., and Cauldron, I didn't have the time to care for a cat, let alone a boyfriend. My cacti are about as much commitment as I can handle."

"I wish I found that harder to believe. I really do." Rolling her eyes, she pulled the paperwork towards her again in clear dismissal, not that he seemed to notice or care. "Don't take this the wrong way, but have you considered retiring?"

"What are you talking about?"

"When we started this project, there were two main reasons you wanted to be the one directing the non-cape side of things. One, integrating capes into the rest of society. I think that's been a success. It hasn't always been easy, and it's still not finished, but momentum is on our side. That's practically a done deal, and it doesn't need your personal attention anymore. Two, creating a foundation on which to rebuild society after Scion. Now that he's dead, it's irrelevant." He stared at her until she met his eyes. "You run yourself ragged taking care of two positions and leave no time for anything outside of it. Eidolon did the same, but we both know he half-wanted to die a heroic death while striking the killing blow against Scion. The big difference between you and him? He isn't unaging and indestructible. Eternity's a long time to spend all by yourself."

"If that was supposed to encourage me to focus on being Alexandria so I could have a life outside of work, it failed spectacularly."
I have to agree with Rebecca. She can't really desert either of her positions. Who's going to take over as head of the PRT or the Protectorate? By her running both organizations, things are kept smooth at the highest levels. How can we ensure her successors have that same stability?
Walking over, he laid his hand on her shoulder. "I don't mean to upset you. I just worry about you. Sometimes it's hard to reconcile how you are today with the bright-eyed girl you were when we all first met. We've all gotten older and wiser, but there were days…."

"There were days what?" He shook his head, but before he could deny anything, she pressed, "No, finish what you were going to say. There were days what?"

He looked away. "…There were days I worried your warmth and humanity wasn't protected from the ravages of time the same way your body is. That the reason you got better at making hard decisions wasn't because the world was becoming a harder place but because it was you becoming harder and colder. Finding out the truth about Cauldron didn't help matters."

As much as his words hurt, she could not refute them. Instead she reached over to lay her hand on top of his. "Maybe I was. That's part of why Calamity Witch interests me. She reminds me too much of myself from back then, and looking at us now, maybe I have lost something important. Something I don't know if I can ever get back," she finished in a whisper.

"I don't know about that," he replied. "You seem to be regaining some of it. Even a year ago, there's no way you would have trusted me with this. We haven't really trusted each other in a long while."

She gave his hand a pat and pulled away. "Well, that's something we can try to fix. Not today," she added with a glare at her work, "but soon. Grab Eidolon and spend some time together without fights or dark revelations. Just the three of us like we used to be."
That is so heartwarming.
But you still haven't buckled down and visited Taylor yet about all this!
I know its possible to get things through your thick, time-locked head, Manton did so before.
Alexandria talk with someone about her problems and receive good advice.
:o
Nanoha's influence is slowly but surely undermining Worm's foundation.
Speaking of Nanoha... We talked about Fate having some rather insightful comments for Taylor, but now I'm wondering about what Nnanoha, Fate, and maybe even Admiral Harlown would say to Rebecca...
 
Because she's me from twenty years ago and looked at the me of today in disgust.

...I always love seeing comparisons between Rebecca and Taylor. Mostly cuz they're true, but it's always interesting to see how Alexandria would react to it.

"If you're that interested in her, you could just ask her out like a normal person."

…What?

That would be like crushing on your younger self.

...So technically narcissism?
 
I have to agree with Rebecca. She can't really desert either of her positions. Who's going to take over as head of the PRT or the Protectorate? By her running both organizations, things are kept smooth at the highest levels. How can we ensure her successors have that same stability?
Alexandria doesn't run the Protectorate; Legend does. She just runs the L.A. team. It's part of why she doesn't care that someone might have seen him flying into or out of the Chief Director's office window. That's a common occurrence when the heads of those two agencies have a face-to-face meeting. As for who would take over, obviously she'd have to choose a successor who has a good track record of working with Legend/the Protectorate.
Speaking of Nanoha... We talked about Fate having some rather insightful comments for Taylor, but now I'm wondering about what Nnanoha, Fate, and maybe even Admiral Harlown would say to Rebecca...
Wait, what? When did this happen? I try to read all the comments, but apparently I missed some.
 
Alexandria doesn't run the Protectorate; Legend does. She just runs the L.A. team. It's part of why she doesn't care that someone might have seen him flying into or out of the Chief Director's office window. That's a common occurrence when the heads of those two agencies have a face-to-face meeting. As for who would take over, obviously she'd have to choose a successor who has a good track record of working with Legend/the Protectorate.
Ah. Silly me.:oops:
Wait, what? When did this happen? I try to read all the comments, but apparently I missed some.
Having done a brief bit of searching, I seem to have just misremembered. You're not missing anything.
 
For a second there I was confused on why Legend was suggesting a minor to Alexandria....

...Then I remembered Taylor is pretending Calamity Witch is an adult.

Legend needs to be there if her identity is ever revealed. Just to see what face he'd make :rofl:.
 
Ah. Silly me.:oops:

Having done a brief bit of searching, I seem to have just misremembered. You're not missing anything.

Were you maybe thinking of the non-quest MGLN/Worm crossover by Marsyas? It seems more likely given that Fate is actually part of the cast in that story.

---

On the actual interlude - I actually liked this a lot. Instead of having any sort of epiphany that leads to Rebecca slowly turning the corner, it looks like it's going to be a slow climb back upwards - which makes a hell of a lot more sense given her character.
 
"Unless…." He chuckled. "If you're that interested in her, you could just ask her out like a normal person."
Too late 'Becca, his words are blood in the water for the shippers already...
Too late indeed~


I strongly recommend it. It's one of the best fics I ever read.
Mind linking? I don't recall seeing it's name in any of the previous posts.

Lastly, can I just say how awesome it is to see a more humanised depiction of Alexandria? I know it's in large part thanks to circumstances exclusive to this fic (ie no Scion looming over the setting like a golden sword of damocles) but it's still really nice. And excellent ship fodder.

...

Or did you think I was kidding earlier in this post? :D
 
Emigration 4.16
[ ] Monstrous Menagerie, Part 2-ish? – Those Beasts that attacked the party had to come from somewhere. Question Miss Militia about what she knows about them, and demand some answers if she tries to hide the truth again.


Emigration 4.16
Tuesday, April 5


«Connection established.»

"Miss Militia."

«It's Calamity Witch,» you project, careful not to let your lips move. Everyone else has also tuned out Mrs. Kohle's lecture about the symbolism in The Great Gatsby, but there's no reason to let them know you're using that time to make a phone call. «I believe we still need to have a little chat.»

"Yes, I guess we do," she replies in a tired voice. "When can you come to the Protec—"

«This is a discussion we should probably have at a more neutral location, wouldn't you say?» And by neutral, you mean somewhere where Miss Militia doesn't feel like she has a home field advantage, not to mention somewhere you can send Samantha ahead of time so she can lie in wait and make sure no one tries to trap or bug the place.

Is it petty? Yes. Paranoid? Maybe a little. But petty and paranoid or not, your trust of the gunslinging heroine has taken a pretty big hit over the last couple of days. After weathering the glares and the 'I'm not mad, I'm disappointed' lectures from both Samantha and your dad, you dragged your Guardian Beast away so you could put your heads together. With this new data point, it's clear the warning your intuition gave you after the first encounter with the Beasts was a valid one. Miss Militia knew something was off about the crazed monstrosities, but she didn't tell you and instead lied that everything was perfectly fine. How long has she been hiding what's really going on? Has she been lying to you since right after the Simurgh attack when she called to persuade you to leave Boston? If she's been lying about this, what else has she been lying about?

You just don't know.

She is quiet a moment before letting out a quiet sigh. "I suppose it could be. How about the rooftop across from the jeweler's where you and Vista fought them? Maybe in an hour?"

English ends in forty-five minutes. It won't take you long to fly to that area of the city, not at the speeds you can reach, but you'll also have to shake off Kayleigh. The redhead was extra clingy yesterday, and you know she'll be the same way as soon as she finds you after class. You'll have to convince her to go to lunch without you, and since you might wind up skipping class for the rest of the day depending on how long the conversation takes, you'll have to give her a really good argument so she doesn't completely smother you tomorrow. «Ninety minutes would be better.»

"Fine. Ninety minutes. See you then."

The woman hangs up, and you ask, «You caught all that?»

«That I did,» Samantha answers. «Though I have to wonder. Do you truly think she might set a trap for you, or are you just being cautious?»

«You think it's too much, huh?»

The raccoon's laughter fills your mind. «Oh, not at all. Whatever information she withheld, it nearly got you killed the first time you found those creatures. Perhaps it was never her intention to put you in danger. Perhaps it was. Only she knows which, and until she reveals her goals, it is best that you watch her warily. No one ever died from being too careful.»

Not what you were expecting, but you'll take it. «I just thought you would tell me not to judge her based on one act or something along those lines.» Then again, your Guardian Beast has tried to get you to think before you act before now, so maybe she's just taking what she can get.

«I will not say you should never offer trust to those who have abused it once, but be sure you know and agree with their reasons why before you do so. Should similar circumstances crop up again, they will undoubtedly make the same choice.

«I will arrive at the rendezvous point soon. I'll see you when you get here.» The telepathy cuts out, leaving you alone in your own head and with nothing to do but watch the clock count down.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

You are still airborne when Miss Militia shows up. Not in transit, just floating; more precisely, you're leaning back against the empty air with the brim of your hat pulled down over your eyes. A single finger pushing from underneath slides it back to reveal your mask. "You made good time."

"I had an hour and a half. If it were late with that much time to prepare, it would be a problem." Looking around at the apparently empty rooftop, she drops her knife onto the gravel where it turns into a small cannon. It seems that the power to make 'any weapon' doesn't include improvised armaments like folding chairs, no matter what professional wrestlers want the world to believe. Still, she seems comfortable enough on her makeshift bench.

The silence turns stuffy until you finally cave. "What's really going on here, Miss Militia?"

"It's… complicated," she admits. "I think you've already figured it out, but these aren't Case 53s. There are too many, and they're all duplicates. At first, we thought we were dealing with a duplicator, maybe someone with a similar power set to Oni Lee but with a Brute aspect added in. Then the teleporters showed up. Self-duplication almost always prevents a cape from copying someone else, so that theory looked less likely. And now, with these healers? That theory is dead.

"Once you take clone-based powers out of the mix, the sheer number of enemies points to one big, scary alternative: a bio-Tinker. The problem with that is that Tinkers need time to establish themselves. Setting up a working lab, fine-tuning their abilities, learning the ins and outs of their powers; all that can take months or even years. The Brute-type would already be incredibly sophisticated for a fresh Tinker, but he's progressing too quickly for that to be the case. We're more likely dealing with somebody who is acting out a long-standing plan. We just don't know what he wants."

"And you couldn't just tell me that?" you demand. "You fed me that lie about Case 53s to lure me here instead? If you had just asked me, I would have happily given you a hand dealing with them."

She shakes her head sharply. "I didn't lie to you. When we talked in Boston, I told you what I knew about the situation. I wasn't briefed on the realities until I got here."

"Why keep it a secret? If there's a bio-Tinker who needs to be stopped before he builds some kind of mutant army, I'd think you'd want every hand on deck you can get!"

"Because the last time a Tinker built a 'mutant army', we built a wall around him," the American-themed heroine points out. "No one wants to turn a city of one and a half million people into a second Ellisburg, and that's what will happen should this information become public knowledge. Typhon, our current name for this villain, is moving slower than Nilbog did. We still have time to stop him. Until the situation gets entirely out of our hands, we don't want to cause a panic. Chevalier, Legend, Director Paulson, and Chief Director Costa-Brown talked the situation over, and it was finally decided to make the details classified outside the Protectorate and PRT with few exceptions. Chevalier wanted the information spread further so we could get more help," Miss Militia explains, raising her hands helplessly, "but his hands are tied. So long as we are mostly in control of the situation, he has to be careful in how he gets help."

…All right. You are still angry about the situation and the terrible decisions that went into it, but just maybe it isn't Miss Militia personally you should be mad at. Left unanswered is another question, one you would dearly like an explanation for. "What happened Friday? The Beasts were well away from where they should have been, and you and Chevalier were already on their tails."

"Like I told you, we had been on the hunt for most of the evening already," she says with a sigh. "We hoped that we could find a group and drive them back to their creator so we'd know where in the city we needed to focus our efforts, but instead of fleeing home they went on a rampage. The group we found somehow called in reinforcements – a lot of reinforcements, at that – and while we drove them off, we were afraid they would just find somewhere else to attack. Unfortunately, we were right, and they found your party. Sere was with us in the beginning, but his powers managed to kill some of the Brutes without letting them rot away like they normally do, so he had to stay behind and make sure they stayed intact while Chevalier and I continued the pursuit."

"Why was that so important?"

"Once we had intact specimens, Chevalier wanted them sent to Houston. If anyone can glean insight from another bio-Tinker's work, it's Bonesaw. I just hope it doesn't give her ideas," she adds, her voice soft with worry.

That makes some sense, you suppose. "And where were the Wards in all this?"

Miss Militia crosses her arms. "Shortly after you came back with Vista the night you ran into Cudejo, somebody called in the Youth Guard with some nonsense story about her being intentionally sent to arrest him. All the Wards are benched until they finish their investigation. For now, it's just Chevalier, Sere, and me, along with whatever independents want to help out."

"How long do you expect the investigation to take?"

"However long it takes for the pair of representatives to go through our records. Not that Chevalier or Director Paulson have anything to worry about; the Wards program here isn't nearly the mess it was in Brockton. If anyone had called them back there, Director Piggot would have been in a very sticky situation. Not that it matters anymore," she finishes with another sigh.

The silence this time is melancholy rather than stilted, your mind drifting back in time to Brockton Bay as well.

Thumps sound from a nearby heating vent, and Miss Militia jumps up, her cannon reforming into a heavy pistol. Not that she has anything to worry about. A few deep grunts come out, followed shortly by an unremarkable raccoon. "I told you you wouldn't be able to climb out of there in war form," you say.

The raccoon shoots you a glare before melting into Samantha. "If I needed to get out quickly, I would have just ripped through the metal. No need to damage anything now, though."

Miss Militia's own expression is indecipherable, though you have the feeling she recognizes the significance of you keeping your Guardian Beast in war form and hidden nearby.

"How is Vista doing?" you ask before your obvious distrust can make things too awkward. Not that asking about the thirteen-year-old you brought back critically injured isn't awkward all on its own, but sadly it's probably less so than the former.

The older heroine shakes her head. "She…. She's doing as well as can be expected, I suppose. She has been spending most of her time in her room, and she doesn't want to talk to anyone. In a way, the Youth Guard's timing couldn't have been better. Pushing to be let back on the field while she's still recovering would do her more harm than good. Much more."

"And there's no way I would be allowed to go over there and try to talk her out, is there?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but no, there isn't. No one outside the Protectorate has permission to see her right now. Any hope of her keeping her identity secret long-term is dead, but we will still protect it while it offers her even the slightest protection." Returning her knife to its sheathe, Miss Militia gives you an incline of her head, not even a nod, and says, "I need to get back to my patrol. You know how to reach me if you need me."

And with that curt dismissal, she walks away and climbs down the fire escape.

«That was certainly pleasant,» Samantha sarcastically thinks to you.

"Maybe, but I don't know how much of her frustration is really aimed at us." You pull off your wirework mask and rub the bridge of your nose. "It is nice to know what's really going on, though. I just wish it were better news."

"On that score, we'll just have to take what we can get." A second later, the raccoon leaps up onto you and climbs to your shoulder. «Onward. You still have just enough time to get back to school before your next class. We can grab something on the way.»

"And you're, what? Just going to hang around for three hours until school's out?"

«Maybe I will. You dragged me away before my soap started, so there's no point in catching just the last five minutes. I'll have to wait tomorrow to watch it online.»

You roll your eyes where Samantha has no chance of missing it. You really should have waited to find a cat. She'd be a whole lot easier to deal with.


Dimensional Transfer learned.

Vote, vote, what to vote on? Ah! Next chapter will be the big scene with Dragon. Is there anything in particular you want to talk about, either just with her or for you or her to say to the TSAB should you get ahold of them?

[ ] Write-in
 
Hmm. Well, now that we get to Dragon, we could ask if she got something which can help with the spell casting mathematics.

Also TSAB should be warned about giant pre-cog monster woman floating at orbit.
 
...Well that went about as well as expected. MM is irritated and tired of everyone's shit, and we didn't really help with that. Oh well.

...I think we should just leave the conversation to SW though. I trust that he won't make us flounder through the convo, and I can't think of anything specific to ask about.
 
Typhon, our current name for this villain, is moving slower than Nilbog did.
So, a name for our eventual target. I hope the Protectorate can work some magic here, as it were.

somebody called in the Youth Guard with some nonsense story about her being intentionally sent to arrest him. All the Wards are benched until they finish their investigation. For now, it's just Chevalier, Sere, and me, along with whatever independents want to help out."
3 PRT heroes and some unreliable Independents in a 1 million+ pop. city. That's not tenable, frankly.

And with that curt dismissal, she walks away and climbs down the fire escape.
That one omission is going to haunt us forever in terms of social interactions with the local PRT aligned personnel isn't it?

Also, I'm curious as to who was responsible for calling YG and if we should be worried about them nosing in further on down the line.
 
"Once we had intact specimens, Chevalier wanted them sent to Houston. If anyone can glean insight from another bio-Tinker's work, it's Bonesaw. I just hope it doesn't give her ideas," she adds, her voice soft with worry.
So Bonesaw's already doing PRT work, despite the distrust.
"Once you take clone-based powers out of the mix, the sheer number of enemies points to one big, scary alternative: a bio-Tinker. The problem with that is that Tinkers need time to establish themselves. Setting up a working lab, fine-tuning their abilities, learning the ins and outs of their powers; all that can take months or even years. The Brute-type would already be incredibly sophisticated for a fresh Tinker, but he's progressing too quickly for that to be the case. We're more likely dealing with somebody who is acting out a long-standing plan. We just don't know what he wants."
"Oh my plan is very straightforward."
That makes some sense, you suppose. "And where were the Wards in all this?"

Miss Militia crosses her arms. "Shortly after you came back with Vista the night you ran into Cudejo, somebody called in the Youth Guard with some nonsense story about her being intentionally sent to arrest him. All the Wards are benched until they finish their investigation. For now, it's just Chevalier, Sere, and me, along with whatever independents want to help out."
Clearly it was her parents. I mean, it's not like Noelle has PRT moles or anything like that.

[X]Talkpoints White
-[X]Dragon: Spell calculations, device production.
-[X]TSAB: Endbringers, the Simurgh, the TSAB getting to us.
We need magical boots on the ground. This lets us work through both angles: The TSAB and making more Earth-bet mages.
 
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