AN: Life is still keeping me a bit busy and stuff, but this story is still being worked on of course! So here is the next chapter! Warning: May contain feels. The messy kind.
Enjoy~
Chapter 10
Inviting the two heroes into my house was a part calculation and a part because it would be less humiliating without airing my dirty laundry out in the streets. The longer we were outside, the more attention we would and were attracting after all.
That was not necessarily a bad thing, but the more scrutiny my home and Dad would be under, the less likely I was to play nice with said onlookers. I knew myself good enough for that.
So I let both of them in, after quickly checking if Dad wanted to object. He seemed to be more or less fine with me taking charge like that, so that's just what I did.
Inviting two actual heroes into the very lived-in house so to speak, was sadly a completely different sort of anxiety.
Making sure that I was not only talking to Miss Militia was important though.
Why? Well, because she was from the government, Glory Girl was not. Having more than one hero group knowledgeable about what I was about to share was important, so they could not press gang me into anything with false claims. At least not as easily.
Winslow had made sure that I trusted Authority not even as far as I could throw them – before I got my super strength.
Both of them did not comment about my unease with having them in my childhood home, but they were definitely observing everything they could get into contact with. But they were being professional about it. The other teen acting older than she had outside. Once they and my Dad had been seated at the kitchen table, I gave the go ahead for them to start questioning.
I myself was making me some real tea, both to give my hands something to do and to make the familiar ritual calm me down. Also, I had missed the beverage.
"So, what exactly do you need to know?" Need, not want, a distinction I am sure both adults and the younger heroine made note of.
They asked for a recapitulation of what had happened to me, which was not surprising.
"So to clarify: Instead of entering the school, you instead appeared in an unfamiliar room. Which was a mistake on Vegas part. You were stuck in some sort of hostile temporal anomaly and worked together to break it and get you back here. That is the reason why it took you time to get here and why you are older than you should be.
And as an apology for the whole mess, Vega gifted you with this Suit."
Miss Militia was hard to read, she gave no sign if she believed my story or not.
I nodded.
"Yes, that is pretty much it."
I had not told them about the bullying, obviously. For two reasons: Firstly, I did not trust them to cover the whole stuff up, like Winslow did. Even if they believed me, I had no proof. That was not a battle I could win and I did not want to hurt Dad in this way.
The second reason?
You simply don't tell a hero you always admired that you were a bullied loser in school. I was not only ashamed about that whole thing, I – no, I was mostly ashamed, I can admit that much.
Glory Girl being here did not help too much either in that situation, I did not admire her, but I wanted to be her, if that makes sense?
She was the stereotype for the classic hero girl: Pretty, awesome powers, friendly, outgoing, confident… I could go on.
So no, I did not tell them about the bullying, or the demons, how we broke the loop exactly, that Vega was not at fault for creating the loop in the first place, or that I absorbed some sort of unknown substance, that was most definitely some sort of evil-soul-soup-dish.
Or that I owned a portal-creating fortress in space. Honestly, I kind of didn't tell them anything at all, if I think about it like that.
My Dad had been quiet, giving me silent support but not saying anything. I had nearly forgotten that he was here too.
I was a horrible daughter.
But now he got our combined attention, because he suddenly started to speak: "I can not speak about what happened to you over… there", he gesticulated with his hands, not sure how to name the place I had ended up in (I obviously did not say that it was literally Hell). "But there is some more light I can shine on things. I was sure I was missing something, but now I have an idea what exactly."
That was a weird sentence, what was he talking about?
I could see a similar question on Glory Gi-, no, on Vicky's face. Right, she had wanted me to call her that.
Miss Militia in contrast was patiently waiting for my father to gather his thoughts.
"I spoke to Blackwell – the principal of Winslow High, where Taylor disappeared." That was for the others benefit, I obviously knew the bitch. "I questioned her on obvious lies, she nonetheless held strong to. Something which had made no sense for me then; a woman like her risking most of her existence to obviously cover up something."
Now Miss Militia was frowning and gave a quick glance to me. I had removed my Helmet some time ago, to drink my tea, but I still met her eyes without flinching. I still did not like where this could be going though.
"Didn't Taylor say that she did not actually enter the school that day?"
My Dad gave a quick nod. "She lied."
That stab of betrayal… it was unexpected and hurt much more because of it. On whose side was he on?! Why would he-
"She arrived, only to be violently confronted with a bio-hazard in her ruined locker. I do not know how exactly or what happened after of course, but...", he took out a familiar book, that derailed the anger and betrayal I was feeling, but not in a good way.
Instead I felt myself swallowed by horror. How had he gotten his hands on that? I was mentally blue-screening, unable to stop what was happening. Like watching a train-wreck in slow motion.
"After all, she had been bullied since attending the school for the first time, without me knowing about it. Her diary is pretty clear on that." He gave me a apologetic look for a moment, partly sad, partly hurt, but then he pushed on without mercy.
"Maybe she will hate me for this, after getting over her shock, but that is a trade I am willing to make in this case. I am sure that these three bullies have some sort of parahuman assistance or hold over the school. Maybe the Principal is getting blackmailed, maybe she is in on it for other reasons, I do not know."
Miss Militia was frowning heavily now, she had grabbed my diary, but it was still closed. Glory Girl was watching me with worried eyes, unsure what to do in this situation but wanting to help me.
I just felt numb. This was worse than the worst case scenario, this was a scenario I had not even thought about. If I was still outside with them, would Dad have done this anyways? Could I have prevented it? The biggest part of my brain was not keeping itself distracted with what-ifs, instead it was a constant loop of 'Dad knows Dad knows Dad knows'.
And he was telling them!
"Why do you suspect parahuman influence?"
"It's the missing part of the puzzle that fits the most, simply put. It makes no sense for Blackwell to try and cover up a bio-hazard otherwise. I have proof about that by the way, if you request the information from the police department."
She was now skimming the sites that held my personal thoughts, hopes and dreams. This humiliation was… unpleasant. Meaning I fucking hated it and was close to screaming – if in rage or shame, I do not know – but there was no way to escape the situation. There were tears in my eyes, but they did not fall.
Until a flying heroine turned up next to me and pulled me in a tight hug. She was strong enough that I nearly did not even feel the suit between us.
I held it in, until she made soft soothing sounds and started rocking me slightly. I probably looked like a big crybaby, but that last gesture was the tipping point.
It reminded me of Mom.
I returned the embrace, held on tightly and shook with quiet sobs. My father was talking to Miss Militia, answering questions, but I did not truly hear them, any way to pay attention and my composure truly shot.
Time blurred for me.
I was very embarrassed afterwards of course – I had cried on Glory Girls shoulder, literally. I had probably ruined her pretty outfit too! But I felt a bit better also. Drained too of course, but that had been cathartic in a way that was simply different from blowing up demons or talking with Vega.
It seems like there is nothing like close contact with another human, in the end.
I also felt anxiety, that was hard to suppress. If I had given Emma this sort of ammunition to use against me... It would not be pretty.
The adults had tried to ignore my meltdown, even vacated the area to the living room to give me some space. Talking more, my Dad probably detailing what exactly he knew. He was good at speaking to others, trained in it by his work.
When I had calmed down, I noticed for the first time that Miss Militia was, in simple turns, furious. She was trying to hide it of course, and she was probably not doing a bad job. But I was a bit of an expert myself, regarding anger at least. So I can say with certainty, that she was fuming. This was a new development and had nothing to do with my little crisis, I was sure. She had seen way worse in her career, so losing her temper because of such things, because a girl broke down crying?
No, there was something else.
Maybe my Dad's (kind of outlandish) theory had some merit? A Parahuman blackmailing a school was reason for concern. Winslow High was not Arcadia though, which was the school for the upper class, so to speak (and yes, Vickto- Vicky was of course enrolled there). But if something worked for Winslow, maybe the culprit would move on to Arcadia?
No matter the exact reason, she asked me curt questions to clarify different things about my diary, trying to end this particular topic quickly. That could have been for my benefit too, I do not know for sure.
The questions ranged from asking about any exaggeration on my part (which was not the case, I had made this diary as evidence after all, even if I never truly planned to use it) to the identity of the culprits. Were there any others? Was I sure about who the three ringleaders were? (Yes of course, I was never more sure about anything else in my life.
Vicky did not let go of me for the whole discussion, something that shocked and confused me on an abstract level. She did not know me at all and yet she was here, trying to give me comfort, not judging Just silently being there for me. I had always liked her hero-persona of course, but this whole situation gave me a newfound respect for the heroine.
She truly cared, even for crybaby Taylor.
Hell, I was probably older than the girl now (but not by much), after the whole time-loop shenanigans, but it did not matter to her.
Before leaving us to go 'investigate', the older hero asked me if she could keep the diary for now. Something I was not very keen on at all, I did not trust her or her superior to not 'misplace' the pesky evidence. My father told me to allow it though, quoting that he had given Miss Militia 'a good reason to be thorough'.
I was still feeling betrayed by him, and I would talk with him once we were alone again, but I still trusted him to have my best interest at heart. And he seemed to know more than me about this topic too, so I trusted his judgment.
If they tried to fuck me over, I would simply burn down their headquarters. Or rather, I would sink their giant refitted oil rig that was in the ocean beyond the coast. It was shielded with Tinkertech and everything, but I would find a way.
Then Glory Girl explained to me something she called the 'Unwritten Rules', something which made me scoff at first. But Miss Militia did not call the other girl out for talking bullshit, so those guidelines or whatever were actually kind of a thing then?
They narrowed down to 'do not go after civilian identities and do not try to to kill your opponents'. And to not use powers during meetings with multiple factions. Another aspect was the 'Truce' that was mostly in effect when the Endbringers attacked, which is why everybody knew it as the 'Endbringer Truce': Everybody that comes to help will not get attacked, no matter previous grudges or alignment, until the attack was over.
That second set made sense and I had kind of known about it – the Endbringers were the enemy of humanity after all – but the first part? I could not wrap my head around it.
"If these rules exist, then why are Hookwolf and Lung still running around, for example? Why does nobody else except for New Wave unmask? You can't tell me that the villains actually allow their actions to be dictated by those rules. They are villains.", I complained. And that this was the reason why Fleur got killed in her civilian identity when New Wave unmasked. Not that I said that out loud.
"That is true, as we had to painfully learn. But they at least need to look like they follow the rules. There have been cases where villains turned on other villains that broke the rules multiple times.", Vicky told me.
I crossed my arms. "Thank you for telling me, but I have no desire to hide myself." The Suit had become very important to me, I would not lock it away. There was no point now anymore anyways. "If they come for my Dad, I will kill them all.", I stated.
At that three pairs of eyes snapped to me, but I did not back down. "I am willing do not go after the civilian identities. And maybe I will not kill the villains either, unless they are asking for it. But if they come after Dad, the gloves come off."
Vicky- no, Glory Girl was looking at me with calculation, but did not speak up against me. That was a point in her favor. Miss Militia in comparison did not stay silent.
"We have a three strike system before we the parahuman in question gets sent to the Birdcage for a reason. Intentional murder will overrule that system.", she warned me. "If you 'pull the gloves off', so will not only we, but the other villains too in dealing with you."
That was something I would have to deal with then.
"I see. That does not change my stance on protecting my family though. You can tell your superiors that. I will not go looking to start trouble like that, but I will finish it."
She gave me a nod, the warmth her covered face had somehow given off previously strongly diminished. "I have warned you, the rest is up to you."
With everything else done for now, the heroes left my humble home, Vicky making sure to give me her personal number, with orders to call her and 'not leave her waiting'. It meant she accepted my claim over using lethal force or was willing to try and change it. It was also a show of concern and an offer for an actual friendship.
I had not had one of those in quite some time.
I was wary, but she had been good, for now. The future would tell if she would try to use my emotional damage against me, for example.
And then we were alone again. Now I allowed my mixed feelings considering my remaining family to bubble to the surface, without any sort of filters. I was very glad to be back, but I still hurt from how he had just shared deep secrets to others, that I had not even shared with him, without my permission.
"Dad, we need to talk.", I stated quietly. He seemed resigned to it and gave a tired nod.
Time for the second unpleasant chat of the day.
I hated to give in, but his arguments made sense. He had obviously been prepared for this talk, more than me at least. He apologized for betraying my trust, for going through my stuff in the first place, but he would do anything to have a chance at getting me back.
Just as I would do anything for his safety.
He told me about how he and one of his old friends, now a police officer, had been putting pressure on the school and mobilizing the rest of the Dockworkers to search for any hint of me. ("I did not ask them to, but they all offered.")
He detailed how the Empire 88 had offered him assistance, and how tempted he had been to accept that. ("They are Nazi-Scum, but to maybe save your life it would have been worth it. I had set me a deadline for next week, the end of the month, before I would have accepted.")
He explained why he had the idea of parahuman influence, why it made sense. ("Why else would Blackwell not stop a threat to her cushy life?")
And he also told me, why telling the heroes about my diary like this had been important. Not only was it evidence, it made the case a lot more important the moment parahuman-influence was mentioned. And he had wanted to see their reactions to it.
"It is good that Glory Girl was here too, not only because she can represent New Wave.", he explained. "She is still young and has less of a poker face in some situations."
At first I did not understand what he meant, but he told me that Glory Girl had reacted to the names of the bullies, something Vega confirmed. "Are you trying to tell me that Glory Girl knows my bullies personally?" If so, that would question the whole friendship deal she had offered me, would sour the whole meeting.
Before I could feel the sting of betrayal again though, the adults (well, the adult and the AI) calmed me down. No judging without the full picture.
I was still upset with my father, but it was something that would pass. An emotional, hypocritical reaction (after all, I myself hid the bullying from him in the first place). What stopped my temper from running away from me was not only the fear of my power, but also how old Dad looked in that very moment.
My declaration to literally kill for him did not help there, but it was the simple truth.
He was still in shock about everything too, something I could not fault him for. The time-loop had not been his fault of course. It had not been Vegas fault either, as we told him, now that the heroes were gone. But he had still missed a big part of my personal growth. Not only the age difference (I was now around maybe 17?), which meant he had missed around 2 years of my life, but also the hardships I had faced in that time period.
Here on Earth Bet? Not even two months had passed. It felt surreal – a month here more than a year for me – but had hard was this for my Dad? He had not time to get used to gradual changes, I had dropped out as a 15 year old and returned two to three years older.
I did not care about my specific age to be honest, but that did not change reality.
We hugged it out on the couch for at least an hour. I had even dropped my suit, so we could actually cuddle. But nothing lasts forever, and the world doesn't wait for you, and all that crap. So we separated after a while.
Dad would call his buddy's to inform them of my return and whatever else he had to talk about with them. I, for my part, wanted to have a family dinner with him. I refused his offer for take-out though.
"Dad, the fridge is completely empty anyways. I will go shopping and then we make something together afterwards, alright? I need to go clear my head anyways."
He was reluctant, but I promised him to not go looking for trouble. Accepting some money that he gave me, I made a quick shopping list, before I readied myself.
Then I headed out.
Some people would call going groceries shopping with power armor overkill or unnecessary.
Those people could fuck off.
The Suit not only gave me a feeling of safety and protection; I was simply used to wearing it. Without the armor, I felt naked and vulnerable. No matter what I was actually clothed in. The Praetor Suit had become a symbol of empowerment for me, I was aware of that.
But I did not really see it as a problem.
Some actions became harder with armored gloves instead of uncovered hands, but it's not like I had to do very delicate work or anything. Also, discreetly talking to Vega without armor or at least my helmet would be difficult, if not impossible. Or at least an annoying hassle.
I refused to just walk around with only the helmet, that would just be silly.
There was one big drawback to all of this of course: Everybody was staring. I did not care about that, used to being the (unpleasant) center of attention from Winslow, but the line was not progressing because they all forgot about it.
"I would like to be done next year with this purchase.", my tone was very dry, but the other customers did not see to catch the hint.
Would just walking out with my items be more or less of a hassle compared to waiting in line some more? I was tempted.
Luckily the cashier seemed to regain his wits faster than the rest (he was probably used to seeing weird shit on duty, this was Brockton Bay), and after ten more minutes I walked out of the small store, with less money but everything on the short list I had made beforehand.
Nothing special, just enough to fill our fridge for two days and for the meal today. I could have grabbed a lot more, without feeling it, but I simply did not have enough money. And I would not get a strike for stealing groceries.
Outside, my gaze swept over a curious sight: There were quite a lot of pedestrians around, all trying to appear casual and failing. Right, cape geeks. Another negative for going shopping in armor. They did not crowd me though, all keeping a respectful distance.
Probably not sure how I would react.
I saw them snapping quick pictures from the corner of my eye anyways, but that was alright. Vega had made my visor reflecting again, so my face would not be on any of the pictures. I was just not used to have some sort of fans? Admires? No, that were not the right words. They were not interested in me after all, they were curious about the new cape with power armor.
Of course the (relative) peace did not last.
I noticed that something was wrong, when the civilians all started to scatter, scared away by something or somebody. Of course, even a quick glance made it easier to identify the reason.
I was not too knowledgeable about the exact looks of the Brockton Bay Capes, but the metal snarling wolf mask was a bit of a give-away. The masked man next to him I could not identify so easily, but that he even had a mask meant that he was a cape too. They had been a lot faster than I expected.
Bolder too, it was early evening at the most. I had only wanted to buy some fucking groceries.
The big man mustered me for a moment, then gave me a wide grin.
"Hello there hotshot! I have an offer for you!"
His excitement caught me of guard. I had thought Hookwolf would sound more…. Unrefined? Beastly? He was a known killer after all. But he just sounded enthusiastic in that moment. That did not change my answer of course.
"Not interested.", turning away after that, I started to walk back to my house. Was it stupid to turn my back on one of the Lieutenants of the Empire 88?
Maybe.
But would they really just attack me out of the blue? They were trying to recruit me after all, so did they not have to play nice? Also, a good way to test how much these 'Unwritten Rules' were worth it. Well, I was wearing my armor, so that was maybe a bit unfair to complain about.
The shirtless man dropped down in front of me before I had made more than half a dozen steps.
"Now now, don't be hasty! The good people need to stick together, right? Just listen to my offer!"
Was he for real? Everything I knew about the shapeshifter pointed to him simply being a violent murderer that was in the Empire out of convenience, not because he believed their shit. Not that it would be better if he was a 'believer'.
"You are a Nazi", I hissed back. "The good people need to stick together to lock you and the other degenerates of your little club up. You are certainly not one of the good guys?!"
His smile dimmed somewhat, but it was still there.
"But think about the perks girl! Don't judge like that from the outside if you have never tried it!", he paused for a moment. "Also, insult me as a degenerate again and I will flog you with your own entrails."
I scoffed. "Yeah, sure. The answer is still no. Now get out of my fucking way."
I had no intention of starting a fight for nothing. The Empire had a lot of capes and Hookwolf himself was nothing to sneeze at. He was what, a Brute 6? 7? I should refresh my knowledge on the capes some more, now that I was back again.
Point is, he was nearly strong enough to warrant the use of missiles and other large scale ammunition as a general response. And he had at least that one other cape as backup.
Also, I had promised Dad to not go looking for trouble, and I was trying to keep that promise.
The blonde bristled, his long unkempt hair starting to move out of its own volition, but before he could retort, the other cape spoke up from behind me.
"You really should think more about it. Not everyone is as nice as us. And you made your… familiar relations public knowledge with your method of arrival."
Did that spineless fuck just threaten my Dad?
I spun around, ignoring Hookwolf. "Did you just threaten my Dad? Say that again to my face, asshole."
He shrugged. "Well, you blurred the lines with going to your home in that getup.", he waved his hand vaguely at my armor. "What did you expect would happen?"
"So you are saying if I don't join, my Dad would be targeted? And you think me being in a Nazi villain group would make things even slightly more safe for him?"
Were all Nazis this fucking retarded?
"Well, accidents do happen, but the Empire 88 takes the protection of it's members very seriously."
That was such bullshit. If they cared even a little bit, they would not accost me on a public street. I was sure that we were being watched from some windows or cameras and other things. By civilians and others alike.
No this was a power play, trying to corner me and force a decision in this very moment.
"So you are threatening my Dad. In a roundabout way.", I nodded.
"If you want to see it that shortsighted way. We are just concerned citizens."
'Just concerned' my ass. Before I could tell him exactly where he could shove his 'concern', Hookwolf spoke up again, now with an audible growl in his voice.
"Listen girl, you can either fight us on this and join, or just join without the hassle. Stop being stupid."
Alright, that was it. Holding up a finger to signal a short pause, I walked the few steps back to the grocery store. Giving him my bag, I asked the cashier; "Could you please keep a hold of that for a minute? I will be right back."
Ignoring his sputtering, I walked back out onto the street. The two capes had not moved, either out of bafflement or because they actually had some manners.
Didn't know, didn't care.
"Alright, I guess I should be a bit firmer with my answer, so there are no further misunderstandings."
With a quick, pavement cracking step I was right beside the murder wolf. He had reacted instantly, but my speed had caught him off guard.
Grabbing his head firmly, I rammed him face first into the wall two times. And two more times, just for good measure.
"You. Do. Not. Threaten-"
Before I could get really going though, the head in my hand shifted, blades and hooks replacing the skin. Letting go with a curse, as something resembling a bear-trap tried to snap shut around my hand, I instead hit my opponent with a hard uppercut.
Another hard punch threw the now giant metal wolf down the street, the other cape barely dodging his fellow gang member.
Said wolf just shook itself once, and gave a metallic screeching roar. Then he charged at me, like a directed wave of blades. Drawing my trusty heavy cannon, I fired right into the alien meat grinder, before I had to roll away.
The construct was a lot more nimble than I had expected, and turned on a dime before coming for me again. Doing a hasty retreat, I kept firing on it.
Why was this so close? Was Hookwolf so much faster than the demons? No, it did not seem like it. And yet, I felt sluggish in comparison.
Another lunge, another dodge, some more bullets fired at my target.
"Taylor, you are getting slower, what is going on?!" Vega piped up as a hook nearly pulled me into the devouring mass of weapons.
I was getting slower? But that did not make any sense, why would I-… A realization stopped my train of thought. The other cape had not moved to attack me even once in this brutal slugfest.
My reasoning had been that he did not want to get caught in his allies attacks, and I am sure that was part of it. But maybe he didn't need to, to be effective?
"I am gonna break every bone in your pitiful body Victor!" My snarl of anger was not only me making my intentions clear, it was also a test.
The other cape reacted to the threat with a mocking bow, which confirmed both his identify and his role in the fight. That fucking asshole was stealing my combat experience.
Dodging (barely) away from another charge of the metal doggy, I swapped targets. The high caliber bullets did not find their mark, my target had thrown himself instantly into a nearby alley with a curse.
Had he thought I would not use lethal ammunition against him? I had probably more blood on my hands than anybody else in this fucking town. And he had threatened my Dad.
The moment he was out of sight, I instantly felt a shift in me, my movement becoming more efficient and instinctual. Now keeping up easily with the metal monster, I closed in on him, meeting his leap head on.
There was a loud crash, my movement abruptly stopped as we met in midair. But I won the contest of strength. Falling down, on top of Hookwolf, I pushed him onto the ground.
Then I rammed the Doomblade as deep into him as I could. The pained squeal that blocked out any other sound was music to my ears.
He struggled against me. The constantly shifting body made it not only difficult to hold him but also dangerous. I ignored the sharp pain that told me he had drown blood, carving through the metal shell with as much force as I could muster.
Before I could do more than that though, my head snapped back hard enough to make me dizzy for a moment. That was enough for the wolf to throw me off instantly and bound down the street.
Instead of chasing the quadruple beast that had picked up a lot of speed in a few seconds, I instead turned and fired at the sniper that had made the escape possible.
A pained scream told me that I had hit my mark.
Easily getting onto the top of the building two streets over, my movement assisted by both my thrusters and my strength, I came face to face with a very pale Victor. He was busy trying to stem the flow of blood leaving his body, the quick flash of his eyes the only thing that told me had was aware of me.
Crouching down next to him, I was surprised to not feel more strongly about his predicament. He was a human after all, not a demon.
They still bled the same when you shot off their arm at the elbow.
"I am sure you stole the skills of enough doctors that you will be able to make you survive this until Othala can heal you." I said conversationally, no waver in my voice whatsoever, no matter the bloody mess. "So I will just give you a quick message that you can not only give your buddies in the Empire, but the other villains too."
He did not react to my words, his face contorted in a pained grimace. So I pulled his hand away from the stump it was working on. That got his attention real quick, his head snapping towards me. That did not count as torture yet, right? I just wanted to make sure he was listening.
"Ye- Yes, I am paying attention!"
He was not too stupid then, good for him. Letting go of his arm, I gave a cheerful nod.
"Good! The message is as follows: You can send every one of your members after me. I won't even always kill them. Probably. Go after my Dad, and I will wipe out your entire fucking worthless bloodline. Got it?", my casual tone was of course at odds with my message, but I was simply stating what I would do.
I was also busy holding myself back from finishing the job.
"Got it.", came my answer from between gritted teeth.
With a pleased hum, I stood up and left the rooftop via jumping. Now I just had to get my groceries back and return to my Dad. I hoped the message would stick, but they were criminals, so I had no idea. Maybe I would need to reinforce it later on.
Still, all in all, quite the productive shopping trip.
AN: Until next time!
