While I would like to say that dinner was a tense affair, it wasn't really.

Dad and I chitchatted about minor things, before I eventually brought up the visit from the Protectorate at the school and later at home.

He wasn't happy that they had approached me... given that the Wards did patrols and could end up in trouble. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

Still, I think that was when things changed. Or at least settled into a different pace.

Things slowly settled into a pattern, I went to school in the morning. Went to my classes, was polite to my classmates and they in turn were polite to me.

Even Sophia, who wouldn't say where she had been during the days she was absent, seemed to be willing to let things in the past be. And while I wasn't able to make much headway into any kind of friendly relationship with her or Emma, Madison seemed willing to slowly open up to me. At the least, she seemed willing to sit at the same table as I did during lunch in the cafeteria.

It would take work to truly make friends at school, but I was willing to put in the time and energy to do so.

I drifted about in school, as above the drama as a queen was above the words of commoners. All it took was a little bit of confidence from me and being open, and no one bothered me.

I had to smile at some of the rumors; Sophia had apparently been kidnapped by some gang and fought her way free. There was also the rumor that I was the leader of some gang that kidnapped Sophia and had kept her prisoner for a few days while having our way with her before she was rescued by one of the Wards.

There was also the stories I posted to the Parahumans Online creative writing subforum, the responses that I got there were amusing.

Some of the more harsh responses had me looking at the post just to make sure I was reading it right. Why would people consider my character in the Janus Caper a monster? To be true, that version of Rose Taylor wasn't exactly friendly or nice at the end of things, and had made... questionable choices, but she had in the end looped back in time with the help of a powerful parahuman to start the whole mystery plot by shooting the original Rose Taylor to stop the end of the world. That was a good thing, right?

It appeared that one couldn't please everyone.

Ah well, it wasn't as if I was writing to please everyone, just me. Still, as tempted as I was to write scathing responses that conveyed my full wrath, I didn't do so. I would be better than that. Instead, I replied politely and cordially. In what some might consider a passive aggressive manner. It was a technique that wouldn't get me in trouble with the mods.

While I went to school and wrote stuff in the days, it was the late afternoons and evenings that I had the most fun. Hanging out with the other Undersiders.

Naturally, I told the others about the presence of Dragon at the Protectorate and Ward visit to the school, that and the visit by the PRT man and Miss Militia to my home to talk to me.

"..." Rachel just looked at me as if unsure of what was going on. Only that it wasn't good.

"Seriously? You rated a visit from Dragon? Man, I don't even... I mean, I heard that only masters on the level of Heartbreaker rated a visit from Dragon, just what did you do?" Alec's look of disbelief was a good match for Brian's.

"Goddammit, Taylor," Lisa's wince as she rubbed the bridge of her nose spoke of how frustrated she was. "And you said you wrote a story about her?"

"Yeap, and also another story because I was inspired by the power of the PRT man," I chirped back with a smile and a nod.

"Wait... the time split story?" Lisa frowned now. "That was his power?"

"Yeah, it was kind of interesting," I nodded and thought about it once more. "It was like I could see into a mirror, where one side was doing one thing and the other side was doing another. Mind you, he was seeing both sides as well. He didn't like it that I had apparently worked out his power, so he canceled the timeline where I first wrote the Janus Caper."

"Huh... what's his name?" There was a considering look now on Lisa's face.

I didn't have a reason to deny Lisa this, thus I shrugged and spoke up. Even if this was against the unspoken rule, as long as no one made use of that information in an overt way, it shouldn't be too bad, right? "I think it was Thomas Calvert."

There was a nod from Lisa before she went to her laptop. The smirk on her face when she eventually spoke was... worrying. It wasn't her normal I know something you don't smile, no, it was the smirk of a huntress that had found the spoor of her prey. "Gotcha."

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Goblin Queen | Games can mean different things

Worm / Exalted