Brockton Bay Tactics

Summary: It wasn't the Queen Administrator, but the Queen Tactician, and so Taylor's power is completely different. Well, at least she's playing with a full party now.

1.4 Squire

We took advantage of the fact that we'd gone out and, instead of just returning home, we stopped by a few stores to buy the stuff necessary to make dinner with. Chemist confessed that she had no interest in cooking, and had never learned how, but she can follow a recipe, I'd guess. I can do the rest.

Dad would help, but dad is... Dad. He's liable to get distracted, especially with all the eyecandy that is distracting me, and I'm a straight girl to begin with. Also I kinda wanna do something nice for him since he's been so accepting and calm about this whole endeavor. More calm than I, anyway.

Admittedly, once I actually did it, holding back for an entire month on summoning did sound kinda silly - especially since it'd gone so well. Okay, so it could've resulted that I summoned some bloodthirsty lunatic, but hey, I didn't, so I've gotta make what I got count.

It seemed that they were in high spirits regardless of the pointless trip to the PRT HQ. With a bit of luck, we'd get a call from them soon and then we'd get to meet some heroes and become heroes ourselves. I know they don't care about meeting the Protectorate like I do, but well, I can't expect them to - for them, the stuff the heroes do probably isn't that big a deal, considering they're all capable of feats that would normally take parahuman powers to achieve.

As things were, though, I was excited, and I guess that's what's important.

I owe it to them, so might as well treat them to something nice. Lasagna counts as something nice, and I still remember how mom used to make it. We'd made it together more times than I can count, and while I was a dumb and ignorant child then, I have the power of google-fu to fill in the gaps of my knowledge, which makes it a whole lot easier.

Having a recipe to follow also made Chemist able to help me more directly. Contrary to what might seem like the obvious conclusion, just because she was good at mixing potions did not translate to being good in the kitchen, but it did help somewhat. Not as much here as it would if we were making stuff involving less solids and more liquids, less shaping and more mixing, but it does help.

I did need her help - I am not used to cooking for seven people. That is a lot of food, a pretty damn big lasagna. A very expensive lasagna. I think I overshot it a bit, they're all pretty slim, but it might be better to have abundant quantities and let some remain for later than make them go hungry. They're the ones who are going to be fighting out there, I need to do my part to keep them healthy and looked after when they're here.

Squire set the table, I didn't even have to ask, though I did have to give her direction, and dad was called from where he was watching TV with Archer, absent mindedly trading commentary on current world events with her as they watched a cartoon about the Triumvirate.

Monk came down from my room, and Knight came soon after. It seemed that they had been looking for a place to exercise, and my mostly empty room fit the bill. They were both covered in a light sheen of sweat, and I can tell they're gonna need a shower before bed.

...

I am an idiot.

I never thought this far, either. How and where are they going to sleep? We have a couch, but that's one Couch, and while I can see Knight and Monk roughing it, I really don't think that's going to go too well for Chemist.

As we all sat down, I decided might as well discuss the matter over dinner.

"Well, I was actually thinking of giving you guys my bed while I take the couch," Dad said. "At least for a few nights until we get the situation resolved. I'm sure the PRT would be able to get us accomodations that can help alleviate the issue. Maybe we can get them to help fund the refurbishing of the entire house," he joked.

Monk laughed. "I just need a wall to lean against, I can sleep on the ground," she offered. "The carpet here beats most of the beds I've ever slept on anyway," she said, giving dad a grin, "I wouldn't dream of kicking a man out of his bed, but I'm willing to... compromise," she said.

I frowned. "No flirting with dad when I'm within earshot," I ordered.

She pouted.

"That's final," I insisted.

She sighed. "Did you get jealous there Master? You know that you can just say the word and I'm a~ll yours!" she spoke, suddenly perking up and winking at me.

I could feel my blush.

"Drop it," Knight warned, "she's playing you," she added, looking at me. "And... if it's no problem, all I require is a chair. I can fall asleep on my feet if need be, but a chair would be more comfortable."

Archer snorted. "Miss Perfect asleep on the job?" she asked.

Knight blushed. "Guard duty is unbelievably boring," she said, turning her head to the side and disimulating her blush until she got herself back under control. "And I do agree, even relatively cheap modern day luxuries are miles ahead of what I am used to."

"Aren't you all nobles?" Dad asked, looking somewhat confused. "I'd think you guys would know luxuries beyond this house."

Dad's got a point. They're all surprisingly... humble regarding their highborn origins. "I'm curious, too. Why's that?"

"I last lived on my family's manor when I was a lass of... nine, I think, years old," Knight answered. "Since then, I have lived either in the Barracks, in a camp or on increasingly more uncomfortable allocations as war wore on and the funds allocated to our amenities were reduced. Even as a Knight of the Northern Sky, I was only afforded bare necessities."

That's... actually rather interesting. "Northern Sky?" I asked, tilting my head.

"It was the order of Knights I belonged to before," Knight said. "I wish I could say we were all virtuous and noble, but I've seen too much of my own Lord's treachery to believe myself if I said it," she admitted.

Archer snorted. "My family was never one for luxury. Father used our wealth to expand his land so he could indulge in his hobbies," she said, shrugging. "I can't complain, I shared many of them so it was fun. Still, I never had silk sheets or underthings, and I've worn more leather than cloth. I can sleep on a pile of leaves. Or socks."

I nodded. That did sound like something I'd expect from looking at her. I can't quite explain it, but she does give me the air of a hunter, more than a soldier.

Squire, however, was a bit more reluctant. "I... I can tough it out. At the Academy, we took lessons on how to survive in hostile situations," she said. Her conviction wasn't too strong, however.

I know why.

The conversation we'd been having on the way to PRT, about servants - it gave me a clue. Of all of my summons, she appears to be the one who comes from the wealthiest family. I've apparently summoned a rich nobleman's daughter or something.

"I'd rather have a bed, frankly," Chemist stated. "I've slept on rocks, but that doesn't mean I want to do it again."

I agree with her logic. It's not that she can't, it's that she'd rather not. I get what she is saying. Just because it is entirely possible, does not mean you should do it.

"I guess I can give one of you guys my bed, I can sleep on the floor and-"

Knight chuckled. "Don't be ridiculous, master," she said. "We would not be able to sleep on a bed knowing you are on the floor."

I frowned. "But you guys are going to need the rest more than I ever will," I explained, hoping she'd see reason.

"Maybe so," Monk said, "but we can take a little roughness, Master. We're soldiers, we're used to it," she said. "You're not. We can deal with a little stiffness in the morning."

I think I must have set a record for the strength of my frown. "That's not right," I said. "I'm your Master, I'm supposed to be looking after you, so-"

Knight smiled at me, and for some reason that got me to stop. I can tell she has something to say. "Master," she began, "while I am glad that you would show us such kindness, even accepting us into our home and giving us the utmost comfort you can provide," she continued, approval in her voice, "please do trust us when we say that we can deal with this."

"But it feels like I'm a bad master. This is the only thing I can do for you, since I can't fight at your side," I muttered, stabbing my portion of lasagna with a fork. What remains of it anyway.

"A bad master?" Chemist asked, seemingly surprised.

"Ah, no, Master is very good," Squire said, "certainly better than the Knight Captain that lead the academy squad. Sometimes he wouldn't even let us sleep."

Monk looked directly at me. "Master, stop blaming yourself for your inadequacies. At least Squire got the point about seeking self improvement instead of self recrimination. Mostly."

Squire nodded, looking pleased. snorted. "Besides, if we're talking about bad masters, we could talk about the Captain I served when I was in the Northern Sky," she muttered.

"You... were a Knight, as well?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No. I am, and was, an Archer, but I did serve in their order for a while," she said, looking proud of that fact. "Not a bad gig, I got out before the Lion War got rolling."

"You... were discharged?" Knight asked, carefully.

"No, I deserted. Like I said, the Captain was an asshole," Archer explained.

Knight looked upset. Looking at Archer, she gripped her knife a bit more tightly. "You deserted," she muttered.

"What, you're gonna judge me for it?" she challenged.

"No. Fighting," I ordered. "What do you mean deserted?" I asked, looking at Archer.

"What I said," she said. "Woke up one day, stuck an arrow in the Captain's eyesocket and then left. By the time they noticed I was gone and the Captain was dead, I was long gone and they couldn't spare an unit to chase me."

I wondered how I'm supposed to react. After all, I should try resolving the issue, right? It's the right thing to do, to help her, and also because the team's chemistry can be affected. In a way, I'm kind of glad this got out early so we can get it out of the way now, instead of letting it fester and become way more problematic later, when it might even be seen as an outright betrayal. "... Do you want to tell me the reason why?" I asked.

The last thing I want is to piss her off and have her become resentful, by forcing her to expose her secrets. Much as I would like to just have her come clean and solve the issue right now, it might bring more harm than good.

"Not particularly, no," she said, sounding indifferent.

"Do you at least think it's a compelling enough reason that it would get Knight to at least consider hearing you out?" I asked, now that I know that there is a reason, and it's probably something heavy given her unwillingness to mention it.

"Miss Righteous Bitch? No," she said, "I don't think anything will get her to back off," she said.

"Will this be a problem?" I asked, turning to face Knight, who shook her head.

"No," she admitted. "The fact that she is here means she accepts serving you of her own free will, and your control over us prevents her from rebellion or subversion. I cannot say I am comfortable working with a deserter, but I know I can trust her, if only because I can trust you, Master."

I blushed at her praise. I'm not that trustworthy, at least, not as much as she seems to imply she is. "Uhm, ah, thank you," I muttered.

I could feel a hand on my shoulder. I squeaked, not proud about that by the way, and looked up, seeing dad eyeing me. He almost towers behind me, as I look over my shoulder, kind of a cool image to have. What? I like my dad. "I'm not gonna sit here and claim to be the most knowledgeable person or even an expert in human resources," he admitted, "but I think I can give you a hand or two. Especially since we've got a few advantages with your power over them," he added, winking at me. "I'll have to give you some pointers on how to manage workers that don't quite get along sooner rather than later. For now, try to find out if there'll be anything else that would harm team dynamics."

"I don't think there's anything," Monk said. "I've got no problem working with Archer. At least she's not a turncoat."

Chemist smiled. "Same here. Can't be worse than working with foreign mercenaries."

Squire seemed a bit unsure. "I... I'll trust Miss Knight's judgment, and I'll trust Master," she explained, giving us a bright smile, almost as if she had chosen not to worry about it. Lucky girl.

When the wheel spun to Archer, metaphorically speaking, she scoffed. "I'm a sniper, I work support, so she's going to have to trust me to watch her back."

"And that's the issue, isn't it?" Knight asked. "Much as I know you've betrayed your country, you would not be here if you were incapable of loyalty. I know you would not stick an arrow to my back," she said, sounding somewhat smug for a moment, "which means that there must've been a very compelling reason for you to assault your captain and desert. I'll know what that is, some day, but for now, I know that you are all bark and no bite, regarding betrayal."

I could see Archer's eyes narrow.

"Oh?" she asked. "And what could be a reason you would accept as sufficient?"

"We'll see," Knight said. "I won't voice my suspicions or conclusions, you'll reveal what you want when you want to, but I know that you think that what you did was justified, and I know that it could not have been a light decision to make, so until then... Do as you must, I know that if nothing else, I can trust Master."

There was a palpable tension in the room. I almost expected them to come to blows.

"So... who's up for dessert?" dad asked.

We have something for dessert!?