Esteem Loudly

Author's Note: Thanks again to nightmaster000 for the inspiration. This is an AU of the first Daria episode, 'Esteemers' and a cross-over of MTV's Daria and Nickelodeon's The Loud House. The characters and settings therein are owned by those entities and certainly not by your humble, bumbling author.

This fic continues my "The Loud Cynic" crossover. To summarize: Lisa Loud is actually Daria Morgendorffer adopted into the Loud family as an infant. Lisa discovered this on her own and none of the Loud family have told her except her older sister, Lucy.

Shaggs here is usually tagged 'Shaggy' in Daria fanon. He never speaks in the show. He is shown with Daria and Quinn as a new student in the first episode but also spotted in Lawndale High in a flashback detailing events a year prior to the Morgendorffer's arrival. Bob is another unspeaking backgrounder in Daria. His name is from fans' careful analysis of Mr. O'Neill's seating charts, and a tip o' the hat to them.

I watched Dad's head swivel and bob as he navigated the boat of our massive new SUV through the still unfamiliar streets of Lawndale, MD. I had mixed hopes and desires that he and his passengers were headed in the right direction or that he would give up and we could all go home for another day. I could get back to my experiments; Lily to her art, Lana to mapping out the local water supply and discharge and Lola to her perpetual preening. He turned a corner and we all stirred as Lawndale High School hove into view.

"There it is, girls!" My Dad, Lynn Loud, Sr. enthused earnestly. "Lawndale High. Lily, I can drop off your sisters on time and get you to Howard Lane Middle School before the first bell."

"Thrilling, Daddy," Lily, the only Loud member I could call 'kid sister', looked up from her art magazine. How she could scan the printed page and not feel car sick considering the swaying, lurching massive hulk Dad was driving was beyond the ken of my delicate tummy and inner ears.

"Yes, it is!" Dad said merrily, missing Lily's lack of enthusiasm. "A new state, a new town, new schools. My new business. Look out Lawndale! We did okay in Royal Woods, Michigan; the Louds are going to rule Lawndale, Maryland!"

Sisters Lana and Lola rolled their eyes but smiled and nodded politely. I simply gazed at the looming building where I would be spending another three years of inevitable high school boredom and my attempts to convince teachers that I had no need of their instruction having mastered their disciplines and moved on to greater knowledge years before.

"Umm, girls," My Dad, Mr. Loud began. "I know some of you may have a harder time than others, well, adjusting to a new environment, town, friends, school, food, teachers…"

I disregarded safety and unbuckled my seat belt; leapt forward from the middle row to push a few buttons to start the CD of Curtis Roads' electronica with which I had primed the battleship the evening before. Sweet strains of clicking, popping and undefinable sounds wafted through the car. I could hear Lily give a sad sigh and almost detect Lola gritting her teeth. Lana, my cohort in appreciation of 'Point, Line, Cloud', attempted to bop her head in time to the nearly imaginary beat.

"Sorry, Father dear," I yelled. "Can't hear you back here."

Front-seated Lola slammed her hand on the audio off button. Dad shook his head in confusion and resignation causing me to almost regret my action. He brought the behemoth to a smooth halt at the top of the turn-around.

Lola got out first carefully and casually adjusting her pink mini-skirt of just the right length before somehow being drawn to a small group of three girls whom I knew without looking were her kindred spirits. Lana adjusted her cap, smiled and nodded at me before disembarking. She gravitated to a couple boys which included one long-hair galoot who looked like Shaggy from Scooby Doo and another with a nose ring and attached chain, of all the unhygienic accoutrements possible. Like her identical twin Lola, Lana had found her kinship group. I could almost smell the grease under their fingernails.

I got out hefting my Filson backpack.

"Father, I will do my best to make their adjustment smooth sailing," I carefully enunciated my promise to Dad.

"That's my girl!"

"Just a sec, Daddy," Lily commanded.

Lily got out and wrapped me in a gentle hug, ignoring my automatic cringe.

"Big sis," she whispered. "It's just a few hours. You can do it. Just remember, people do the best they can and not everyone is as smart as you."

"Your very last statement I can heartily agree with," I managed to hug back sort of sideways. That should be everyone's preferred hug position if one must insist on hugging. "If you were here, Lily, the cumulative IQ, talent and quality of the school would be raised considerably."

I leaned into the front window. "Um, Dad, thanks for driving. We can walk tomorrow I'm sure, despite however much Her Highness Lola may beg for a ride."

Dad muttered a few further earnest encouragements and lurched off after Lily got into the coveted front passenger seat.

And then the event I had been waiting for, nigh unto dreading, happened. A blue Lexus SUV stopped near the top of the key.

"Bye Daddy," the girl getting out sounded happily.

"Out of my way, geek," the flame-haired one said next as she unnecessarily attempted to walk through the solid object that was myself, Lisa Loud. I stood aside to get a better look at the Lexus' pilot.

Jake Morgendorffer smiled after his daughter before putting the car in gear and taking off, no reason to glance at yours truly, his unknown-to-him, one and only oldest daughter, the Daria Victoria Morgendorffer better known as the aforementioned Lisa Loud.

"Quinn Morgendorffer." I heard over my shoulder.

"Cool name! Quinn, meet, like, Lola Loud, you two are, like, most welcome additions to the fashion conscious set of Lawndale High and hereby granted membership in the Fashion Club of which I Sandi Griffin am the President."

I moved toward the group being careful not to get too close. Sisters Lola and Quinn, or however I should designate the two, were regarding each other warily but happily.

Quinn looked at me more directly and asked, "Lola, honey-child, you know this person?"

"You can take the girl out of Texas but," I thought before Lana answered.

"Ah, it's just my kid sister, Lisa. You don't have to pay any attention to her. Half the time we don't know if she's got her head in the clouds or up her own butt. Hey, Lisa, say something for us. How about, 'The thixth theik's thixth theep'th thick.'"

The group caught on as fast as my face burned. They all laughed heartily except Sandi Griffin who chuckled a bit and looked like she wanted to be above it all.

I scratched my nose with extended left middle finger as I contemplated devastating comebacks.

The now five members of what apparently was the 'Fashion Club' laughed on but Lola stopped abruptly as we both heard the boot steps of Lola's older-by-two-minutes twin.

"Sis, you be nice to Lisa, you know she's way smarter than this whole f- school put together." My seventeen year old sister Lana said at my side.

"And," Lana emphasized by cracking her knuckles and straightening her cap. "I know where and when and how deeply you sleep. Lola. Consider. That."

The twins glared at each other. Lola let herself get swept up with the Clubbies and Lana turned to me.

"Leese, hey, meet some cool guys. This is Shaggs. He showed me pics of his awesome carpentry! And this is Bob the soft spoken. Shaggs says Bob don't say much but his sweet motors do all the talkin' needed."

"Guys," Lana draped a well-muscled arm around my shoulders. "Lisa here ain't much good with her hands unless they hold a calculator or test tube, but she's unsurpassed in the brains department. She's helped me design lotsa kickass stuff!"

I extended my hand politely in deference to the two likely best friends who would soon be, like so many before them, tearing their friendship asunder competing for the attentions of the innocent and nearly oblivious Lana.

"Must remember for Lily and me to have a talk with Lana tonight."

"Pleathed to meet you guyth." I said and my face burned again.

"Dammit. Cursed lateral lisp, okay, Lisa, take it easy. Remember what the speech therapist taught you. Be aware of the tongue! You can say a good hard 't', use it! And don't be nervous."

Shaggs and Quiet Bob took no notice, each shaking my hand while sneaking glances at Lana or Bob was admiring my sister anyway. Shaggs seemed to be intrigued by the macadam. Lana was now picking her teeth delicately with her jack knife.

"Lana, let's not let you get caught again and have to give up your favorite pocket knife for a day," I inclined my head to the barely disguised metal detectors as we approached the front doors. The detectors flanked a bored looking guard.

"Oh yeah, Leese, can you put this in your hidey-hole bag?" She folded her blade and gave it to me.

I smiled and secured her tool in my invention, a bag which rendered itself and contents invisible to every known scanner in every airport, courtroom or secure building in the world. As Lana's own carpenter's tool belt repurposed as a backpack usually drew suspicion from security personnel, I stowed the contraband in my Filson.

"Steve," Shaggs and Bob greeted the guard pleasantly.

Steve nodded, "Have a good, safe, secure day, boys."

We foursome stopped at an intersection of hallways. Lana, Lola and I were to wait for the principal with other new students. Shaggs and Bob, of course, had their home rooms to get to.

Lana was paying more attention than I expected to metal-nosed Bob. I looked up into what I could see of Shaggs' deep blue eyes through his thick brown hair. His round glasses were nearly a match in thickness to my own.

"Um," He cleared his throat and pointed at the pendant hanging between the open vest and low mounds on my butterscotch pull-over sweater. "That's a nice necklace thing, Lisa. Quartz?"

I collected myself to speak carefully, "Yes, quartz. I found it myself years ago, a clean unmarred piece. Just a little something I've been wearing. New longer chain this year as I have shot up in height a whole one inch."

Shaggs kept looking at my pendant, at least I think he was looking in the general direction of my crystal. For the third time that day I felt my face burn and I have to admit it was not entirely unpleasant. For some reason, I restrained myself from covering my pendant with my arms.

He nodded and rubbed the back of his head. "Sweet. Um, hey, I'm kind of a rock hound myself. I know some great spots around here. Even find some indigenous people's scrapers and projectile points."

"It's fun; I'm part Choctaw," He continued with something of a non sequitur.

"That would be a most pleathant way to thpend an early morning, Thaggs. Eeep."

Shaggs gave me a lopsided smile. "I got Lan's number. I'll call you, Lisa. And you can call me Derek."

"Derek," I smiled. "Good for me to say, I mean know."

"Leese," Lana turned aside from having a conversation with the apparently not always so-silent Bob to address me.

"Bob says let's hang with them at lunch, Leese. They'll introduce us to a cool chick who drives one of Bob's souped up jalopies in teen races around here."

"Yeah, we call her 'Burnout Girl'," Bob said in a slow pleasant rumble. "But Jenny don't do drugs; she just likes to lay rubber in parking lots."

The boys ambled off giving us shy backwards glances. We saw a small horde of students approaching headed by an Asian women in a crisp grey-blue business suit. Lola Loud and Quinn Morgendorffer were chattering to each other in the forefront.

Lana leaned in, "See, Leese? Shaggs digs you. You should always let Lily dress you. That skirt's long and kind of plain but it shows off your killer boots. And that vest and sweater's not slutty but it sure caught Shaggs' eye. Okay, tomorrow, you really show off your gams, girl. Lily and I will see to that!"

I was about to protest that Derek was interested in my jewelry only and tomorrow's forecast called for cold wind and rain but our fellow new students gathered around us. I noticed Derek hovering around the fringes of our little group of tyros. He caught my eye and gave me a tiny lopsided smile.

The Asian woman began in a crisp and smarmy tone, "Fellow students newly of Lawndale High. I am your principal, Ms. Angela Li. As you can see, our Lawndale High students take great pride in their school. That's why you'll each be taking a small psychological exam with our highly-trained counselor to spot any little clouds on the horizon as you sail the student seas of Lawndale High."

I resolved to give Derek something to smile about.

I smirked, "S.O.S., girl overboard."

The tall beanstalk of a girl next to me snickered loudly then covered her mouth as Ms. Li glared at her. Derek's eyes, what I could see of his cerulean orbs through his hair, widened in amusement.

I was a little surprised that Quinn beat Lola to the objection, "Nobody told me about any test!"

Lola put in, "Yeah, no fair. At least let us study for overnight and make a crib sheet."

"Don't worry." I comforted them. "It's a psychological test. Popular, stylish people are automatically exempt."

That mollified the two nascent Fashion Clubbers. Lana still appeared a bit uneasy. If Li's hired psychological gun scarred my big sister, I resolved to humiliate the beast and then to have a talk with Lana that night with the loving Lily for primary comfort.

In Royal Woods Lana had had a bad experience with a counselor attempting to make a name for herself by convincing Lana she would be happier if she dressed in chiffon, crinoline, lace or whatever little girls are made of. The quack also tried to persuade Lola to be more 'butch'—cannot believe she used the term—but Lola was impervious to anything but what could help her win more pageants and popularity.

Ms. Li saw Derek and scowled, "Mr. Alden, while it is admirable to want to help our new students acclimate to Lawndale High, I am more than up to the task. Your presence is neither required nor desired. Please proceed to your homeroom and subsequent learning this fine day."

Mr. Derek Alden loped off but not without giving me a sly backwards glance.