This overlaps with Monster 4.4 and 4.5.
Again, some formatting has been lost compared to the Sufficient Velocity version, though only a little in this case.
Chapter 11: ... Comes Back to Confuse You
When I wake up, it's to Taylor angsting about something. Really? Come on, Taylor.
... oh hey, she hasn't noticed me waking up, 99% sure. Heh. "Whatcha thinking about that's got you so moody, boss?" Ha! Yes, totally got her.
Taylor takes a good few seconds to compose herself. Surprisingly, she didn't get mad. Huh. That's... really weird. Why not? I scared the piss out of her (Metaphorically), and she normally gets mad about basically anything I do that is even slightly unpleasant on her end. And lots of other things besides. Man, why am I running into these snags all of a sudden? Okay, admittedly I never found her that predictable, but we've hung out for a pretty darn long time, and I thought I was getting a decent sense of how she behaves...
Taylor interrupts my musing. "I'm frustrated because I want to kill Kaiser before we skip town and I don't know how I could find him on short notice."
Oh what is this dumb dumbness. I make a great big show of getting into position to cock a thumb back at myself and, ya know, do that. Cock an eyebrow while I'm at it. You're being ridiculous, Taylor. Of course I can handle this for you.
Then Taylor is being all reluctant and still angsty and uuuugh. "Look, I know you found me, somehow, but I don't want to kill him in his home or the like and anyway you, what, recognized my signature as having been in Toronto when Heartbreaker died? I don't see-"
Wait, what? "Actually, I helped you kill him." Wooow Taylor, I thought you figured this out on your own by now. Like... with all the paranoia and all? I helped kill Daddy, so of course I'm an untrustworthy backstabber and stuff, right? And just... I'm pretty darn sure I've alluded to this. I know I said I hated the man, come on. And I've got city-wide awareness. At minimum you should've figured out I knew and didn't try to stop you.
But it gets better, because Taylor just sort of stares at me, all confused and quizzical, eyes wide as an owl's. She never clued in at all! Holy shit, I can't- this is too funny. She's not stupid, I know she's not, but... jeez, that's just amazing. Eventually I manage to choke out, through the laughter, "S-so, you really -ehehe- you really really didn't recognize me at all? Heh." Taylor just makes some vague nuuuu noise. She's still so confused it's amazing. "Pffff. Hehehe. Oh man Boss, really? Boss, it was me. The other girl, the one that was talking? Rather than pretending to be a human scarf?"
Holy shit she just keeps staring how did she not already put this together this is amazing!
Okay, fine, blunter still. Do the voice, Cherie! The dumb teenager Daddy would never attribute cunning to voice! "Like ohmahgawd Daddy." Nailed it! Still perfect at it, you go Cherie, you're awesome.
"Holy shit." Taylor is even more gobsmacked, but sounds like she finally got it. Only took... way too much hinting... and explicitly spelling out... I... wow, this is hilarious. Then she petulantly 'points out', "You left." Yeah, like that matters with me. I'm me. We've established this, Taylor.
This memory is going to be good for a laugh for a loooong time. "I guided him. I was taking him to downtown initially. Felt you, felt your reactions. Took a bit, but I pieced together that you were here for dear old Daddy-" Huh. That creeps her out for some reason? Not sure why. "-and you were unhappy when you realized where we were going so I picked a different girl, different part of town, would've found an excuse to pick someone else if you'd been unhappy with how that was going. I could tell you weren't patient, guessed you were worried about missing your opportunity or something like that. I wanted him dead, so I helped make it happen."
Taylor just sort of blinks at me, still clearly confused. Come on, it's all been spelled out- "I thought you said he sensed emotions."
What? I didn't say- oh. I did compare, though, didn't I? Something like... "No, I said he and I have similar-but-different powers." Pretty sure that's what I said. Mostly. Eh, it's not like Taylor has photographic memory. Clearly. "He had control, I have sensing with less precise control."
Aaaand now Taylor's soundscape is shifting all around, lots of stuff clicking in her head I guess? Okay, not sure why this is some big revelation to her, wait, is that some trust I se- uuuh why is horror and revulsion and violent hatred disgust oh god what Taylor why I didn't fucking do anything why are you so scary mad holy shit. Fuck, uh, do I start edging it off, or would she notice and -words! I can totally use my words! "No no no don't hate me-"
"I wish the man was alive so I could kill him again," Taylor says in a dead monotone, a very slight smile on her face.
Uh.
Uh, that is.
Uh.
Okay, that's.
And then she hugs me?
Like, she turns into the deathblob doing it, but it's definitely intended to be a hug, and I just.
... wait, is she hitting on me? Have I been bang on with this 'murder as intimate act' thing and she's hitting on me all of a sudden after getting all mad last night when I laughed at the idea that she's a strict heterosexual? That... is not exactly sane thinking, but it's Taylor so aaaaah I can't throw it out as a theory!
Or wait no there was... all that horror, too. So she was... not... wait... uuuuh... okay, I revealed I killed Daddy, she got angry and horrified and I thought she was, like, mad at the patricide, like family was that important to her maybe or something? But apparently she was mad at Daddy anew. But. Why? He's dead. What did I say that got her all mad at him again?
Argh I can't untangle this what is Taylor thinking why is she all calm and soothing now. I mean. She's the murderblob, that's part of it, but she's also just... maternal, I guess? All squishily protective and vaguely pleased. So she... okay, so probably not hitting on me? I think? Or. Maybe I'm just misunderstanding something about what she's experiencing. Hell, maybe the murderblob isn't so much resistant to what I do as it's just... weird enough I'm getting inaccurate feedback WHICH HAS ALREADY BEEN FUCKING PROVEN GODDAMMIT I'M AN IDIOT.
So okay back up mentally less power-based thinking and more... words. We talked, I told her I helped her kill Daddy, she got mad and horrified, like, even with the facial expressions and everything, and then she told me she wished Daddy was alive so she could kill him again. And then hugged me. To... be... reassuring?...
...
Wait, she's wanting to protect me from Daddy? Uuuuuuh what. How do you... where do you extract that from? I don't need your damn protection, I got him offed! I handled it myself, if admittedly through you. So... I... I'm still stuck on WHAT IS SHE THINKING GODDAMMIT IT.
Eventually Taylor breaks the hug. And... uh... stares at my clea- no, that's too high. I have a pretty nice neck. And jawline. Wait, she's frowning? Why would she be frowning while ogling- a finger hits water.
Holy shit I'm crying again? WHY AM I CRYING AGAIN?
No, done, out.
I back away, off I go, around behind a wall to get some privacy to think without Taylor right there having me all confused.
More confused.
(Absently, I work on cleaning myself up)
I... have to be missing something. Or misunderstanding something. I can't make sense of what just happened. I think Taylor is... trying to be sweet?... she, uh. She... fuck, if that's her idea of 'sweet', uh. Damn. Uh. Okay, murder as intimate act, right? There was that theory. I've sort of... not dismissed it, but had it as like this background idea of could-be-true-probably-isn't, right? But hey, if it is true, then her wanting to make Daddy double-dead out of... some... kind of concern?... I really don't get that part. Skipping right on past! If that theory is true, then Taylor has basically... uh... jeez. I'm having trouble making a comparison. Poooossibly due to my own skewed experiences.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that if we were most people that would've been a marriage proposal.
...
IT MIGHT'VE BEEN DAAAAAAAH
Okay, Taylor is being all angsty and angry- I really hope that wasn't intended as a marriage proposal. I really really hope she's not stewing in the background, thinking I've totally rejected her coming onto me and finding some dumb excuse to, I dunno, make it about her being unworthy scum incapable of getting a date due to their inherent worthlessness or something superdumb like that. I really hope her anger and angst is about... about... uh... I... I, I can't think of a guess. Why would she be doing this after I left other than feeling rejected?
I...
Okay, new angle. Ignore the whole maybe-murderous-marriage-proposal thing. The. Uh. That... is kind of hard to ignore... no no no. Okay, okay, meta... stuff. I'm thrown because... well, because that was me being shocked and amused Taylor didn't realize I totally maneuvered things intentionally for Daddy's death, and then me basically gloating over my awesomeness (Because I am totally awesome, obviously), and then things went sideways and I still have no idea why. Okay. Not... useful thoughts, but. Uh. But... eeeerrrrrr...
(After I'm done cleaning up, I hem and haw a bit and start pulling on my Pride costume. I don't think we're liable to have me fly around in the Dragonslayer suit)
... reviewing things helps me a little. Like, I'm feeling blindsided because, seriously, double-you-tee-eff Taylor. It's not obvious in retrospect, there wasn't something leading up to it I somehow didn't attach significance to, it really did just come out of NOWHERE. And that's... not sure how to feel about that. Still not sure what the hell Taylor is thinking, what all that was about, but this was, uh, only briefly scary, and I'm pretty sure my fear there was unfounded. Mostly sure. So. Definitely different from all those times I was suddenly legit worried Taylor was going to rip my guts out and make a lei of them. And... also different in that I really truly have no idea what she's thinking.
Ugh, she's still brooding. And I really have no idea if she's going to be all relieved if I go in there and be all 'hey girl I got your memo let's make out' or go back to the angry faces and not-completely-unserious death threats. Or hell, both. So do I... uh... man, I honestly haven't even been thinking of her that way. Mostly. Okay, on and off, but no more than I do with basically anyone. Less, really, 'cause if we're just going by physical attraction? Taylor is pretty darn low on my list. Anyway, point is... if that was a... a... thing. Let's go with that. If that was a thing, would I even want to?
...
This is a much harder question to answer than it should be.
Uh, maybe? It's not like I actually care about body type much, and it's certainly a novel relationship possibility given I can't just twist her when I get bored. And... we kiiinda actually seem to get along mostly? I mean, honestly, I was never close to anyone in the fam. (Except apparently Jean-Paul why what is this why is the only one I cared about at all the one I killed?) Or anyone outside it. And... there were a whole lotta reasons for that, but one of the bigger ones was just... 'dance puppet, dance' doesn't make a great foundation? I can't remember the last time I really bothered to ask a target what they were interested in. Understanding them didn't really matter when I could cheat. They were toys, not peers.
So... put like that, could I even really have a relationship with someone without them being a parahuman whose power protects them from my power?
...
I think that's a tentative 'yes', if only as a test run. If this doesn't work out, whether because that's not what's going on with Taylor or, hey, she dies, totes possible, then at least I learned some stuff for round two, right?
...
Wait.
Holy shit, I think I just defined me a long-term goal of my own!
Hahaha holy shit I might be okay!
Okay, so, I still don't really know what the fuck just happened, but I can roll with this. I have a plan (Roughly) for how to handle this thing whatever it is, I know loosely what I'll do if things go sideways with Taylor, I'm out from under the crushing weight of existential dread. I still have issues to work through, like, obviously, but hahaha this is better.
...
So weird.
Okay, Taylor is starting to get antsy rather than just broody and all. I should probably get out there before she comes in here. I think I'm just going to stick with the Pride costume. I have no idea what Taylor is expecting me to feel, and muting my body language and facial expressions neatly sidesteps that whole thing. So yeah. Sticking with the costume, and out I go.
Alright, "So!" Okay, good start- then I hiccup. Dammit. Nope, ignore it! "Something about finding Kaiser, right?" Hiccup again. Okay seriously. I thump myself in the chest, try to get the hiccups under control. I didn't have them earlier what is this garbage?
Fortunately, aside the look she gives me, Taylor seems willing to roll with me glossing over the, uh, emotional whatsit earlier. "Yes. I would, ideally, like for us to be gone within the next forty-eight hours, with Kaiser dead. But he almost never comes out to a fight, certainly not on any predictable schedule, and when he does he's always got bodyguards. I'm not convinced we can find him, and I'm uncertain of my ability to kill him in a straight fight. Though I'm no longer sure whether I should respect the... gentleman's agreement of capes. The PRT apparently doesn't care to extend me that courtesy. My impression is that it cuts both ways."
... huh. Huh! That... I would be perfectly happy to stop worrying that Taylor will any second now realize my existence botches her crazy dumb 'gentlemen's agreement' bullshit and freak out. Cool! "Well, we're not exactly gentle or men, are we?" I joke, but honestly I'm trying to give a better excuse for why I'm cheery in response to what she's saying. JUST A JOKE, TAYLOR, READ NOTHING MAJOR INTO IT. In fact, let's tack on something. "Weelll, you're gentle-"
"Yes yes, sexual teasing."
Perfect. Completely dismissing my chirpy words as trivial nonsense and thus totally ignoring my sudden good mood. I am a friggin' social ninja, heck yeah.
...
Wait, this is Taylor. Sneaking social shit by her is like... sneaking past retarded gradeschoolers. Blind retarded gradeschoolers.
Oh, whatever. Mission accomplished regardless.
Uh. I kinda need an excuse for my downer mood- oh, duh. "Oh fine." I AM TOTALLY JUST BUMMED OUT BY YOUR DISMISSAL OF MY FUNNINESS, NOTHING TO SEE HERE, MOVE ALONG. And she takes it hook, line, and sinker. (Wait, why would you want the sinker taken by a fish? No, don't get distracted) "Finding Kaiser is easy. Ish." Taylor makes a dismissive gesture or something. Bit hard to tell her intention. I'll just keep going. "Not that you've used me-"
Aaaand suddenly she's mad. Uh?
"Cherie, you have no chance in hell. You have less than no chance in hell if you don't stop being quote-unquote 'cute' with me."
Uh. Hm. Okay, plan: fake joke might be backfiring. Hrm. Redirect, or play to her expectations? Though, honestly, it would be legit disappointing to stop with poking her on this topic. She can be really funny. Like the totes heterosexual thing ohmygod. Ya know what, let's just stay the course. Though I suppose this suggests she wasn't hitting on me earlier?... or maybe she's mad I didn't reciprocate when she was expressing interest? Ugh, never mind. Okay, exaggerated slump, aaaand, go. "But that's half the fun of hanging with you!" Okay, that came out a bit whinier than intend-
"Cherie." That is some cold rage right there. "I know you were raised by a rapist-" Holy shit that is the worst murderspike yet and it's aimed at me. Uh, shit, do I- "-and your power makes it easy to casually rape people-" -like try to edge it down carefully or would that set her off worse or- "-and I know you're not trying to be a rape-y asshole-" -god I'm actually kind of surprised she hasn't stabbed me already- "-but pressuring me like a date rapist instead of respecting my wishes is, and I tell you this for your own good, likely to end in your death." That's. Uh. That's the most calm, dead serious she's ever been in threatening me. P-pretty sure she's not joking.
Then she leans forward and smiles at me, false cheer filling her voice. "So Cherie, what were you saying before you tried to sneak innuendo past me?"
Looking up at her, abruptly realizing I ended up on the floor at some point, arms around my knees, I'm back to wondering if I should cut and run. Like. Today. Hell, I'm past the existential crisis stuff now, right? So it really is an option open to me, not, like, technically available but holy fuck no.
Of course, I need to get through the here and now regardless first. But I am very strongly considering the flee plan. 'cause this? Wee bit terrifying.
I go into a bit of a monologue, still thinking. It should be safe to make it obvious I break her dumb 'gentleman's agreement' nonsense by existing... "I've already let you know that I can detect people, constantly, passively, farther than Brockton Bay's city limits. You maybe didn't realize, but I keep track of it all. Effortlessly. I've got the likely parahumans narrowed down to a pretty small number of people, in part by identifying the Protectorate capes and guessing that most anyone they go after and treat as a serious threat is probably also a parahuman. I can't tell you which is which, but we wouldn't have to dig through the entire city. Just a few dozen people."
Like, yeah, I'd be a bit disappointed to have this whole thing cut short, but hey, it would be cut short if I died too!... still really want to see Taylor grow into being a proper Batman figure. She did the creepy leaning in and smiling thing. She's a natural at this. How much better would she be with refinement? That'd be so cool to see in action. (Hey, maybe that's why Robin puts up with his jerk butt!)
Speaking of, she walks over, crouches next to me, and pats me on the shoulder, still with the rictus grin going. "So you'd know if, say, Empire Eighty-Eight routinely meets for reasons like letting Kaiser make a big hatespeech, and be able to take me straight to the next one." Seriously, I'm not sure she's trying to be disturbing.
"I haven't been in Brockton Bay long enough to have that kind of pattern worked out for-sure." Only... 25% lying? It's really more that I've been more interested in stuff like Cavedude and the Jean-palsfuck I still can't think his name without a hitch. No, focus. Point is I don't really know what E88 as an organization is like. And I don't think E88 has ever pulled together all its capes in one place for a big speech or whatever anyway.
"But the possibility, yes?" Taylor's doing false cheer. Oh. Oh. She's... forcing this. To punish me? Uuuh. Well, that's what Daddy would be trying to do, but I've spent the last hour unable to make sense of what's going through Taylor's skull. I'm seriously missing something, and it's almost as upsetting as the actual death threat bullshit.
Honestly, I'd rather we do something else... "... yes."
"And really, we just need to look at the men... Actually, never mind that."
...
Wait, Taylor thinks I can just straight up poll someone's gender with my power? Did she really not pick up on how several of the people we found while looking for Uber and Leet were male/female couples? Is... I... cannot parse Taylor's thinking here. Does she really think gender matters that much? Wait, is that why she's so upset about me hitting on her? And trying to insist she's heterosexual?
...
Keeping that theory in mind.
Anyway, let's correct that misconception. "Emotional profiles for gender are only trends, anyway. I get it right more often than I get it wrong, but-" Okay, let's use an example and hit her right in her damn assumptions if the recently-generated theory is correct. And hope this doesn't provoke death threats. Or actual death. "Iactuallythoughtyouwereaguyuntilyoucalledme."
...
Okay, Taylor doesn't like hearing that, but she's not pissed. That... tells me something, but I'm not sure what. It doesn't bust the theory, because she might just be aware she's not exactly a flower of femininity and thus is more defensive about the whole thing except for acknowledging she's not really that girlishly attractive and all. Or maybe it's because the theory is a bust and I'm misunderstanding what pissed her off earlier. Not sure. It's a data point, anyway.
...
Okay, you know what, fuckit, let's just keep pushing. The worst thing that can happen is she kills me hahaha that's not a joke why are you laughing.
Casual, conversational. Totally just an idle question with no ulterior motives whatsoever. Please ignore how I was Very Sad and stuff like half a second ago. Girls, our moods just shift about for no reason, right?... it's sad that I believe Taylor might actually believe that. "So. How were you planning on getting a boyfriend, anyway?"
Taylor's sort of thrown, then once she cottons on she's really dismissive. "The usual way." Pffffff. Yeah, sure. The usual way. Like that's the thing you should be saying to the girl you know hooks up with people via power shenanigans. But sure, let's ignore that (for now) and just keep up this angle of inquiry. I seriously want to know what the hell she's thinking.
Okay, I kinda know what I'm driving at, but I'm not sure how to say this. So... it kinda comes out slow and awkward... "Boss, don't take this the wrong way-" ie the stabbing me to death way "-but you're not, um, traditional. As a girl." It is goddamn weird than I'm the one doing this explanation. I'm not fucking traditional!
Taylor gets all defensive. "I'm a teenager, the acne will pass. And my proportions will smooth out... and hopefully my chest will fill out."
...
Her idea of traditional girlishness is being physically attractive.
I.
What.
...
I am offended on behalf of women everywhere, Taylor you stupid fuck.
Let's... gloss over that for now. Because I don't want to touch that with a five hundred foot pole. Not right now. Jeez. "That's... not what I meant. You, um. You don't wear makeup. Or frilly clothes. Or, um, walk the walk? Or, um, the way you hold yourself, the way you feel. You're, er, not inviting."
Taylor gets that cold anger again arghfuckdammit. "Cherie-"
No you stupid fuck I'm not talking about me right now! No no no, don't let the anger through, I am so glad I'm wearing the mask right now. "No no no not to me Boss I, I-" Sell it! Theatrical cringe, visible even through the costume! "-I really really don't mean it that way please don't hurt me!" Then, uh. Hunch down and shake a little? Like I'm afraid for my life? I mean, compared to earlier I'm not, but I'm not sure Taylor realizes my fear response is more about freezing in place than about shaking in terror. Aaaand, yes, she buys it. So, keep talking. "I mean you don't, um, you don't send a 'come hither' message."
Taylor is completely mystified. "Why would I."
...
Aaaahhh shit. She thinks being a girl means being beautiful. And if you're pretty enough, you don't need to send signals. 'If you build it, they will come', and all that. So she's never thought about any of this shit, has she? Goddammit, I'm having to do Teenage Romance As Explained To Idiots, this is fucking stupid.
"Gender roles!" Argh, came out angrier than intended. Uh. Also technically inaccurate, back up slightly, deliver the correction without the venom. "Gender expectations." Better. "I mean, I'm probably not the best person to be talking about this because, uh, I-" Wait bad plan bad plan! "-actually let's not talk about what I've done just take my word that I'm, um, non-traditional, but you're, um." Christ, it just occurred to me how easy it is to plug Taylor into this framework in the male role when looking at, you know, the murder. "Pursued and pursuer, okay? That's a thing, and, um, traditionally girls are the pursued. And you don't fit that." At all. Jeeeeez, this has layers to it.
Taylor doesn't even say anything. She just sort of looks and sounds unimpressed. I. Really?
Okay, fine. "You're also not taking the role of the pursuer." Response! She doesn't like that, actually cottoning on to my point fucking finally. "So, uh, 'the usual way' isn't anything you're doing. Like, at all." Where 'usual way' means 'non-Vasil weirdos who bother to do talking and shit'. It's actually sort of fascinating to people-watch, because you can see how some people still totally do what I do and just pick a target and get to work on them, while other people do this more complicated negotiation thing, trying to find a middle ground to meet at. It took me a bit to actually think about how other people might approach relationships, actually. I basically assumed everyone was that direct -okay, not as direct as Pauline that shouldn't have fucking worked goddammit- and then realized they didn't have a Vasil power and that was a blue screen of death.
Hence the people-watching.
Also, Taylor's really not happy with what I'm saying. Not... murderously unhappy, but angry enough she's audibly snappish and all. "I don't want a relationship until the world is a better place anyway!" Yeah, sure. Totally not a plausibly defensible excuse. Honest.
And-
What the.
What is Aunt Cordelia doing in my range? I mean, okay, it's not, like, the most implausible thing ever, but it's still pretty damn unlikely. She was... one of the more devoted girls of Daddy's. Frankly, I'm a bit shocked she's not dead. No roaring rampage of revenge that fails horribly because she's just a normal human girl? Bizarre. I'm missing something.
"Cherie?" Oh right, Taylor is here. Whatever, this is seriously weird. Coincidence is on the table of course, but- "Cherie, what are you doing?"
Siiiigh. Okay, fine Taylor, lemme just... narrate... "One of daddy's girls just entered my range." Anyway, where was I? "Coincidence? Wait. Jean-Paul is here, so maybe he offered her a place to stay?..." Ya know. Before Oni Lee gutted him. Because I'm a terrible sister. Okay grit teeth and don't let Taylor see the grief. And... actually, that seems unlikely anyway. "No, Little Jean isn't expecting anyone." Wasn't, but- wait, does Taylor know who he is? Have I mentioned that? She's not seeming particularly confused. I must've mentioned it. Right? I know I haven't mentioned planning on killing him, let alone actually doing it, but surely he came up at some point? Uuuuh you know what never mind, keep focusing on Cordelia. "I guess she might've figured out it was him, but that's such a stretch." Mostly because Aunt Cordelia has all the wit of a particularly unimpressive rock. "But her being here for me is even more unlikely..." Nobody should know I'm here! I haven't been on camera, and... hm. Wait, didn't the PRT take photos of me in costume? It's... possible she saw me on their website and recognized me or something?...
Taylor forcibly reminds me of her presence with a (Fairly forcible, ow) poke in the shoulder and a, "Cherie. What are you doing."
Huh. Okay, maybe I haven't mentioned J- argh think it you stupid fucker it's not that hard Jean. Jean. Paul. Anyway, Taylor. She's more mad than confused, feels like. Mad at being left out of the loop? But she is confused... Anyway, salute! Just to, uh, signal respect? Bossiness? Whatever, I think it makes sense. "Aunt Cordelia-" Oh wait she might not realize I don't mean an aunt in the way normies mean an aunt. "-uh, one of Daddy's girls, she's here and that... makes no sense." Wait, still being too vague, argh, I'm off my game today, why. "Uh, by 'here' I mean she's coming into Brockton Bay." But seriously, what is up with Aunt Cordelia- "Wait a sec', she's not coming in by road." The fuck. Aunt Cordelia would never just... walk. But.. "She's walking. In from the woods?..." This makes no sense!
"Does she have powers?" Uh, what, Taylor? Why do you care? Whatever, fine.
"What? Uh, no. Daddy didn't like going for girls with powers. Too much risk, I think." Except for the stupid Narwhal thing. Though he didn't go through with it, admittedly. So 'too much risk' is a fitting theory. Or maybe he was that FUCKING LAZY- calm, calm. Fortunately, Taylor is distracted thinking about whatever she's thinking about, so I don't think she caught me starting to rage about Daddy again.
...
Oh wow I just completely derailed Teenage Dating 101 with this Aunt Cordelia bullshit. Uh. Should I try to bring the conversation back there? That seemed to be kind of working. Kind of. Though Taylor was getting a bit twitchy, so-
"Think you could find whoever all makes up the biggest concentration of capes in Brockton Bay? Like, capes who are friends with other capes. That's probably the Empire. Easier than checking each person manually, probably faster. The gangs are mostly racist, so it's not particularly likely that, I dunno, Oni Lee and Purity are friends in their civilian identities. Should be reliable." Oh. Right, that whole... Kaiser-killing thing. That I interrupted. I guess Taylor doesn't care about Aunt Cordelia's mystery anymore. That's... weird. You don't care, Taylor? This doesn't sit under your skin, itching at you with its wrongness? She doesn't have a power, so you've dismissed her? Now I'm back to feeling like I'm missing something about Taylor.
Okay, uh. I hadn't considered that particular angle for thinking about the organizational stuff, so it takes me a moment to go over what I know and see if it kind of fits. And also seriously Taylor isn't bothered by Aunt Cordelia being here? It's really weird! It's confusing! It's a bit alarming! Fine, whatever. Talk, Cherie. "Uh, yeah, definitely Boss." SHOW NO WEAKNESS. "I mean, they're at their day jobs right now I think, the ones who have one anyway." 'cause it's... uuh... what time is it? How late did I sleep in, anyway? Oh gosh, I just realized this is the first night I've slept properly in ages. Oh wow, it could be past noon for all I know. "I assume these are day jobs? I mean, a few of them are... probably fighting?" One of them is wolf-mask-guy. Should I mention that? I'm not sure if I should mention that. I'm still not clear where Taylor is drawing this line at. Or if she's still drawing it. "But it's blood sport crap, I think? There's a crowd, all enthused, anyway. But most of the probable capes are moving around with a bunch of people who aren't reacting to them like they're a cape sort of big deal and they're feeling very, um, ordinary? Like your usual office drone loser sort of person sort of feelings, being irritated by coworkers who don't refill the coffee pot or worried their boss will catch them at something they shouldn't be doing at work or whatever all."
Cheating a little, since I've actually got all the ABB capes (All... two of them...) identified, and I know who all is Protectorate, more or less, got the Jean-pals dammit stop choking identified, and I'm just kinda... assuming most of the Obviously Powered People who I don't have a slot for are Empire. Which is probably wrong, but whatevs.
"Cherie, you'd be able to find the Protectorate capes in their civilian guise, wouldn't you?"
Wait what the fuck she does know? WHERE HAS SHE BEEN DRAWING THIS LINE? Also, "Wait, are you talking retaliat-"
"Just answer the question, Cherie."
Seriously, Taylor? Why can't you answer my question? And are you going to just stab me and abandon me in a ditch if I reveal I totally already know all this shit, because I've violated your precious 'gentlemen's agreement' by existing? Fuckit, hedging. It's not actually a lie, and I need to test the waters. "Uh. Sort of?"
Taylor is very noticeably puzzled, and a bit... outraged? "What do you mean sort of?"
Ooookay. She... seems to have been expecting me to have been able to give a clean answer, and is outraged at being denied that? That... seems to suggest she's not asking me to try to get me to incriminate myself and so justify her righteous murderstabbing of me. I'm... going to keep hedging, though... "Well, a lot of them, as far as I can tell, just bunk at the Rig. Like, I think one of them has an actual house?" And I'm not actually entirely sure it is Armsmaster's house, given that whole 'ambush Taylor thing'. I thought it was a bit funny he seemed to live right across from her, but now I'm not so sure. "And it's possible some of them are just PRT agents. I'm not actually totally sure whether those guys patrol or not, I might be mistaking an agent for a cape. So we could maybe run down one of the capes? Maybe?" If we're lucky. "I mean, if you're talking the Wards, they sleep in actual houses, but I don't take you for the child-murdering type." Pretty sure. Mostly sure. I don't really understand her criterion for appropriate killings, but I haven't seen anything suggesting she'd happily throw children into the 'murder because they're bad' pile.
"Oh." Taylor sounds really put out. I sort of stare at her (Still trying to make sense of Aunt Cordelia in the background. She's not even hitchhiking!), and after a long pause suddenly gets all vaguely angry and defensive and stuff. "I'm not going to kill Heroes, Cherie. I'm making the world a better place. This isn't about my personal... stuff."
Pfff. I like how it took her, what, five or ten full seconds to think to claim she totally won't kill heroes? Yeah, very believable defense there. Noooot. "If you're not going to tell me what you plan on doing, I'm going to fill in as best as I can." See, Taylor? You should've answered my question earlier. Totally brought this on yourself. "I mean, duh." Learned your lesson, Taylor?...
"Could you tell me where all the capes who were in the fight last night are at?" Okay I'm thinking that's a 'no'. Bleh. Fine, whatever. I am too confused to push this.
Gotta keep being a bit vague, though. "Most of them are on the Rig. Two of them are in the probably-blood-sport place, though neither is in a fight." Anymore. "One of them is... holding court, I think?" It seems logical for Lung to be holding court. Buuuut I need to give a plausible excuse for my guess. "They're surrounded by people who fear and respect them. Mostly fear, honestly." Which, hey, it's Lung. Not surprising. But can't say that. Probably. "Last one is holed up somewhere, their emotions are wonky." Hmmm. I think I might recognize this? "I think they're on drugs. And in pain?" Not so sure about that last one. Difficult to be sure at the best of times, and someone on drugs often has weird pain response inconsistency and the like. They were in the fight last night and are holed up alone though, so it's a fairly reasonable guess. Kinda annoyed I slept through a lot of that fight, actually. I'd have a better idea what they were thinking and why they're alone and all.
Actually, headcount. Okay, aaand... somebody's missing. Oh, and Taylor noticed me reacting. So now I need to explain my reaction. Fiiine. "One of the combatants died, I think. I can't find them in the city, anyway." Which could just mean they left the city. I just really doubt it. "I only realized it because they spend a lot of time with the druggie loner, and the druggie loner is feeling very, very alone right now. A lot like you at school, actually." Huh. Given what I know about Taylor's schooltime, that's... interesting, how closely the emotional patterns parallel. Was druggie loner bullied? Or maybe betrayed by someone they thought cared about them? Both? Some other factor is the actual similarity? Hmm.
Taylor... gets sort of annoyed at the comparison? But doesn't acknowledge it explicitly. Okay, whatever. "So we have a cape who's alone, isolated from support, and injured. Probably a villain." Uuuuh so are you saying you want us to kill them, or?... "Let's table the Kaiser search and check on this individual." So is 'check on' a euphemism for 'determine the murderability of'? "In our civilian guises." She says this last bit all weirdly and gives me a look as best she can. Oh. I guess we aren't checking their murderability? Or maybe Taylor just doesn't want the PRT on our case. Though the way she's saying it really makes me think 'no we are not killing them, shut up'.
I'm down with that, sure. It's a great excuse to dress up Taylor in something that isn't her usual shit taste. Thus, I announce, "I'll get the clothes ready!" and zip off to do exactly that.
Okay, for me, I obviously need to cover my hair. The red streak is cool, but distinctive, and my earliest run as Pride had it on display, and of course if anything is going to be pointed out by the fam and get the PRT recognizing me, it'll be the red streak. So, scarf. Hmm, let's go with sunglasses as well, just because it's really not my style normally. Separate the us that will be checking on this cape from our usual selves and our usual cape selves. Use makeup to suggest different lines, and let's go super pale. I'm pale, but not that pale, and critically if I make up Taylor as really pale too it'll contrast against her usual skin tone pretty strongly. She's the one liable to be recognized about town and it create problems. I mean, I can keep Shadow Stalker away from us easy peasy because I know where she is and I'm awesome bullshit, but Taylor's probably got school peers I've completely forgotten about, or am technically aware of but don't know of some prior history between them and Taylor, or whatever.
Anyway, gonna make us both pale, and I'm going to go for more of a dressing-down thing than my usual. I've been show-offy basically constantly here, I should probably dress in darker colors, clothes that move less... I've got some of that. Not a ton, but some of it. Jeans? Nope, I don't have jeans- BRAIN PANTS ARE NOT MY BROTHER QUIT HITCHING THEY'RE NOT EVEN PRONOUNCED THE SAME.
G-goddammit. Need to get that under control. Fuck, I have no idea how to go about that. Let's ignore it. That works for now.
Clothes, Taylor, me. Right, anyway, finish up my makeup. Gonna make Taylor stand out in contrast to me, make her pop. Nobody will connect her to spooky, creepy Monster or to quiet, scared Taylor, and yet they'll focus on her over me.
Stealth goal: get Taylor to see her dumbass bizarre mental space is dumbass and bizarre. Without her thinking that's the goal. Make it seem completely natural and logical that I shoved her into the position of being a sexy girl whose clothing choices signal interest, absolutely no attempt to make any kind of point hahaha why would you think that girl?
Of course, I don't think she's going to just sit there and take it, so I need to pick out... let's go with three outfits. One outrageous one (Oooh, an excuse to break out the basically-a-bikini one!), one obviously dubious one, and one that fits my criteria while seeming waaaay more reasonable than the others. I mean, if she wants to put on the dubious one, hey, that works too... well, kinda. I really hope she doesn't, because an outfit really showing off her bod is an outfit showing off how it's not so hot. So I want something that actually occludes her true body shape and makes her seem more shapely than she actually is. Hell, I'd break out heels if I thought she had a chance of going for it, just so she'd do The Walk. Hmmm, though some of my shoes have that heel-y effect going on a bit more subtly... she probably won't notice if I stick to those and just don't offer actual flats. It'll be weak, but it'll put her into the vicinity, and thinking on it, that might be more effective than putting her in actual high heels.
...
Especially since she probably has no idea how to walk in high heels. It's Taylor. Fucking duh, Cherie. Flailing and falling is not The Sexy Walk. So yeah, definitely going with the slight heel-shoes...
Okay, so that's the plan settled, details are...
... "I grabbed three outfits, I'm thinking we set you up as a sexy lady on the town so the Protectorate won't connect them to mousy, moody Taylor, I've got some spare makeup so we can pretty up your face a bit..."
Taylor's horror confuses me, but I ignore it. Clothes! Dress-up! Getting Taylor to Be Sexy without realizing it, to get her thinking! These are the priorities, not whatever bizarre thing is going on with Taylor. It's not like there's somebody behind me. This isn't a horror movie, come on. Well. Not for me, anyway. Heh.
Of course, once we get into the swing of things it becomes clear Taylor was horrified because there's no really great reflective surfaces in this warehouse. Especially with the iffy lighting. So she has to strip and try on the outfits while I'm watching. Okay, that's... hm. Dangit, it's not points for or against the 'proposal' theory. Maybe she's horrified because she thinks I'm going to take the opportunity to hit on her a lot. Maybe she's horrified because she's... uh... shy? Hell, maybe she is. So maybe having someone she actually does like seeing her almost naked is this big horror moment because she likes me.
God, it's ridiculous that I can't just trust my power as to whether she's into me or not. Stupid power being unreliable about reporting information on her. And Taylor being so weird in some ways I'm starting to suspect she'd be throwing me on some topics even if her power wasn't running active interference. She hasn't been lusty at me, but with how rarely it's cropped up and prior established issues, it's possible it's another weird power interference thing. Maybe she's really into me and I'm just getting nothing, or super-little, because of her damn power.
Naturally, Taylor rejects the outrageous outfit out of hand. The funny thing is, she doesn't give me weird looks or act like I'm clearly hoping to get some eyecandy. She just looks at it, recoils, and tells me no. She's not mad, not even really paying attention to me. Got some other reason for rejecting it, seems like. Interesting.
She actually tries on the dubious outfit, gets a look at herself via one of the truck's side-mirrors, and rejects it after awkwardly tugging at the hotpants. This time I get a Look suggesting she's suspicious of me (And the actual stab of suspicion to go with it, thanks power), but honestly I'm pretty sure her big issue is that the hotpants are outright uncomfortable for her. Probably because she's got longer legs than me. Because she's taller. Bah.
Thankfully, she doesn't seem to really question the last outfit. A jacket to frame her breasts just so, sleeveless sports shirt underneath that I was totally going to claim was so she'd be comfortable running but she never asked so okay then, and... pants that are relatively adjustable that I actually picked primarily because I was worried the whole hotpant issue would crop up and be bad.
Then it's time for makeup!... which for some reason she's quietly pleased about how I handle that?
Oh, and I do up her hair. She refuses to have it cut (Like, duh) and also forbids dye. Okay, it would've been nice to have that as an option, but frankly it would've probably taken too long and given her power I'm not sure it wouldn't be a waste of time. Maybe she'd go back to black the instant I looked away from her. And it's really difficult to make dyed hair look natural and I've never worked with black hair before anyway, and I don't want people noticing the fakeness. That's risking raising red flags in people's minds, come on. Still, I give a bit of a pout just to vindicate Taylor's totally incorrect suspicions. Make her feel more in control of the situation, less like she needs to threaten to kill me if I don't play along with what she wants.
I am an artist if I do say so myself, which I do. Taylor looks basically unrecognizable. I doubt her father would realize it was her, so long as she didn't talk.
... no idea why she checks her makeup on the stupid tinkertech computer's monitor.
I especially like the bright red lipstick on the pale face. Very striking, and while it's fake-looking it's the normal sort of fake-looking teens do just because they're trying to dress up, not the sort of fake-looking that looks like people disguising themselves. So it'll grab people's eyes, and from there they'll look at the complete picture, and hopefully go 'hubba hubba'.
... without any help on my part, ideally. I'd very much like to be completely truthful in saying I didn't use my power if she asks when this stuff happens.
It is an act of will to not rub my hands together gleefully. I'm really looking forward to this, and it's a struggle to not show it.
... of course then Taylor ruins it by doing her weird, hesitant thing of looking down, obviously skittish, and just waiting for me to drag her along after grabbing my hand.
I still don't get Taylor.
...
This better not be the running theme of today.
Oh god it totally is going to be isn't it, fuck my life.
