A.N. General disclaimer for all things copyright. I do not own the characters, setting, or lore utilized in the creation of this piece. My work is inspired by the creative thought of the original authors
Lisa arrived at the small cafe just past noon. It was an out of the way stop, a location for tourists and residents enjoying the Boardwalk to stop and refresh themselves. She stopped there, from time to time, after spending the occasional morning browsing several clothes outlets and the fresh food market. It was a popular location, already busy with the lunch crowd, dozens of people enjoying the relaxing atmosphere.
It was a good choice for a rendezvous, a place where two people could meet and discuss whatever they wanted, eating good food and relaxing to the somewhat upbeat music, lost in the crowd.
Such qualities, especially that last part, also made it a terrible place to discuss cape stuff.
Which was why she had pressured her contact to moving the location just slightly away, closer to a set of piers near the bay. They were originally set up for tourists to look out over the water, stationary telescopes dotting every other pier. After the tourism industry took a hit from the closing of the bay, a blow it never truly recovered from, fewer people took the time to come out and see the water, it being an uninteresting staple in the lives of the city residents.
Lisa parked the truck a couple blocks down from the cafe, finding a street corner that wasn't filled with cars. She got out and took the time to smooth out her dress, erasing the small wrinkles that had formed while driving. She ran a hand over her dark blonde hair, tied back into a bun, and sighed.
Hopefully this person would have more information than the last.
She shook her head, clearing her thought, and nodded to herself to get going. Dropping a few coins in a nearby meter she set off to the piers, eyes scanning for her contact's description.
It was a challenge, to say the least. There had to be over a hundred people walking around, meandering from store to store, taking their time to enjoy the midday sun. People from various backgrounds, wearing a variety of clothing, most from some paper pushing occupation, swarmed the road, forcing Lisa into a mental backstep as she reined in her power.
So many people, all with their own agendas and secrets, a subject that would normally entice her, left her wary.
No need to trigger a migraine on useless information.
She maneuvered through the crowds with nimble movements, weaving through people with a disarming smile she really didn't feel, eyes peeled for her contact.
It took her more than a few minutes to reach the piers, the salty smell of the bay washing over the shoreline. The piers themselves were in largely good condition, small cracks and some wear from the bay the obvious flaws. The wood was old, creaking with an age that surpassed most visitors, boards that had been bleached white by the sun. Couples and families doted the surrounding stops, children running along the piers or playing with the telescopes, their innocent joy bringing a light atmosphere. The bay was calm, gentle waves lapping against the shore, a pleasant day for any outing.
Shame she didn't feel it. Didn't feel much beyond shame and guilt after what she had seen.
Lisa sighed as she walked down a pier that was sparsely populated, her thoughts on the fight only a couple of weeks ago. It was a terrifying experience, one of the worst nights of her life. Many times she was sure of her demise or of some dark future that would be nothing short of hell. Such fears had only escalated after she had been split off from the others, her power leaving her woefully outmatched against so much.
Then the hunter came, in a flurry of singing steel and merciless strikes, saving her life from whatever dark end it could have taken. Lisa had been scared, petrified by the cape, a person who had the strength to take apart over a dozen men, mortally wounding so many without a care.
But the hunter had been some girl, not older than Lisa, out and about on her first night, trying to save people from the chaos that was ravaging the streets in Lung's wake.
A girl that had done everything to save Lisa's team, to stall Lung even as she was slowly being whittled away by fire and claws. She threw herself into the fight without a moment of hesitation, without care or concern for herself, merely stating a final request, a last desire before her warrior's death.
Lisa stopped at the end of the pier, arms coming to rest on the railing, her hands mindful of splinters, as she fought an internal battle.
That girl knew nothing of the Undersiders, probably didn't know about how villain life worked or how the cape community operated. She just wanted to do good, help people, and save her city from the conflict that was consuming it. A dream so strong she had pursued it to the end for the sake of a bunch of 'heroes' caught in a bad situation.
Lisa scoffed, lightly kicking the railing with a shoe, "Stupid girl."
The others didn't understand, couldn't for a variety of reasons. Bitch was too different, her mind twisted by her powers, to understand just what it all had meant. Regent was too close to a sociopath, not really caring if some 'wanna be' hero died in his stead. Grue, for the most part, was sympathetic, but he hadn't really been coherent through the events of the fight, just guided along.
No, only Lisa had talked to the girl, found out so little yet so much about her, and had been privy to her last words. Nobody would understand how terrible she felt, so overwhelmed with guilt that the hero had thrown herself to her death at a few manipulative words.
Lisa blinked away a few tears, eyes burning, and quickly went about dismissing those thoughts. They cut way to close to home.
"Don't be a beast, huh? Easier said than done.", she muttered, her words forlorn.
How could she honor that final request? She was just a Thinker, a comparably powerful one, by her estimate, but that was it. She was good at solving problems, getting information, and other covert acts. Open combat did not suit her power set, her abilities favoring tactics based around evasion and escape.
Which meant getting out of Coil's grasp was going to be next to impossible.
A heavy sigh fell from the girl as she watched the gentle water sway, the bay a deep blue, a darkness that belied its depth.
She never wanted to be a villain, never even wanted to be part of the whole cape community. Really, she just wanted to be left alone, to be free. She ran from home for that very reason, to prevent from being manipulated for her powers. Sure, her powers were cool, and she liked being a know-it-all, but there was a line that she acknowledged when it came to using her knowledge.
Which didn't matter to Coil, because he had her on a leash, of sorts. Sure, she was part of the Undersiders, just the resident Thinker for the team, but it wasn't really true. Their escapades, their goals; hell, even some of their minor hits were all bent around some greater purpose directed by the snake pulling the stringers.
She was being manipulated, again. They all were and only she knew. She could tell them, convince them to back her up, or even go to the PRT and turn herself in, citing a plea for asylum from the arch-villain.
It wouldn't matter. His connections were deep and vast, far more than she had been able to map so far. He would find them, find her.
It would only be a matter of time.
"Hey."
A soft voice cut through her thoughts, somewhat startling her in its suddenness. She straightened herself up, taking care smooth away her inner turmoil from her expression, and turned.
A girl, just slightly shorter than Lisa, stood a few feet away. She was pale, rail thin and tall with green eyes and long curly brown hair. She wore a pair of well used sneakers, some jeans that had seen too many wash cycles, and a faded brown hoody. Her face, partially covered by the hood, sported a pair of wide, green eyes and a wide, thin lipped mouth set in a somewhat wary expression. A pair of glasses settled just a little too far forward, like she was used to looking over the rims. Her hands rested in the front pocket of the hoody, her body slightly tense at their meeting.
Lisa slipped her hold on her powers for a moment, letting the information flow.
Contact: probable high school age. Clothes are well used, possible lower income. Possible slight eye correction, may only use them when necessary. Contact is hesitant, untrusting, suggestive of possible history of conflict with strangers or otherwise. Concealing clothes supports theory. Suggestive of desire to not be noticed.
Lisa smiled, a disarming turn of her lips, and held out her hand as she spoke, "Hey, I'm Lisa."
The girl looked at the extended hand, her body somewhat hunching in on itself for a moment before reaching with her right, giving the gesture a light shake.
"Taylor."
Lisa nodded, stepping to the side of the railing, an invitation to join her.
Taylor looked between the blond and the railing, debating if she should just leave now, forget about the meeting, and head home.
Really, this all started because she wanted some measure of proof that her actions had done a good, delivering more than just the justice deserved by the beasts of the city. She needed to see if the people she had saved, the civilians that she had run across, had mattered, needed to feel that satisfaction after hearing about the death toll.
She blinked hard, settling a vice over her emotions. She didn't need to think about that here, in front of this girl. She had to focus, think about what she was going to say, keep from giving away too much to early.
She'd go home and cry some more over the killing later.
Taylor stepped up to the railing, giving a glance toward the gently rolling bay, eyes drawn to the deeper parts just beyond the ship graveyard in the distance. She couldn't help but stop by the water edge on her morning runs, taking in the bay and the vast expansion of the ocean beyond.
Its depths were occlusive, a quality that hid all from the world of man and the world above. She felt a silent pull, a small tug, at the unknown, as if there was something more, some greater meaning that she could only barely grasp.
It made her very uncomfortable, considering it was similar to how she felt when at the workshop.
She tried not to think about it. She tried not to think about a lot of things lately, but it was getting harder not too, like she was being drawn into something she didn't understand.
Maybe that was the sleep deprivation talking.
Taylor turned to the blond, eyes cutting just above her glasses for a moment to take in the ever present smile directed her way, and spoke, her voice projecting her tired state, "So, I don't know how we're going to do this."
Contact is afflicted by an exhaustion. Possible sleepless night. Possibly overworked. Contact is wary of encounter, halfhearted in its resolution. Possibly wants to keep information secret. Possibly uncomfortable around others. Probably untrusting due to meeting topic.
Lisa gave a short nod, keeping a somewhat upbeat expression to counter the air the girl was giving off, and began, "Well, I guess it would make sense if I went first, seeing how I contacted you. I met the cape when my friends and I got attacked by some thugs. We were out to see a movie and got mugged coming back. She came in, did her thing, and zipped away after she was sure we'd be okay."
The girl looked at Lisa, an expression on her face that her powers had a hard time reading, before she nodded, hair bobbing in a breeze. It was about half a minute before she spoke, her voice somewhat soft, eyes watching the water's horizon.
"My dad and I were out getting some food when the ABB showed up. They threatened to hurt my dad and I tried to stop them. Someone hit me and then suddenly she was there, cutting them down like dogs. It was...disturbing. I've never seen that much blood before."
Her voice had dropped to a whisper at the end, the encounter clearly disturbing in its detail.
Lisa didn't focus on that. Wasn't thinking about how the girl looked somewhat lost as she watched the sea beyond the bay.
Instead, she listened to her powers, a ball of suspicion growing with every moment.
Contact is telling a half truth. Unclear which parts are real and fake. Intent behind the deception is unclear.
Lisa listened to her power ramble for a few seconds, listing varying entities that this girl could be a agent of, before dismissing most of them. This girl was too much of a shut in to be a viable spy, clearly someone who didn't really want to be here. Maybe some kind of civilian manipulated by a greater force?
If so, then what was the point? Why ask some civilian to respond to the forum she posted, asking to talk to anyone who had met the ill fated heroine? The cape had attracted a lot of attention, that was true, but hadn't been seen since that night, her fate left a mystery to all but the Undersiders. Not even Coil knew, his own interest seeming to slide toward manipulating the escalating gang conflict.
Lisa wanted to keep it that way. Nobody needed to know about her demise. The possibility of her presence in the city alone was starting to cause waves, forcing questions to be asked about how the PRT was handling the villain situation.
It was the least Lisa could do in the girl's memory.
None of that really helped with dealing with the current situation: a girl hiding things.
"Did you see her? Most that ran into her are saying that she was pretty open with people."
Taylor's brow furrowed, her mind racing for a good answer.
This was a bad idea. She didn't know what she was doing. She hadn't had a decent conversation with another girl her age after Emma turned traitor. She knew she couldn't rely on improvising, wouldn't have the social skills needed to run a totally fake conversation. She had a few pre-made statements, mostly just about her 'rescue' and how 'the gang was everywhere'. Really, she wanted to just cut the conversation and leave, her worry increasing steadily.
But she couldn't. The girl, Lisa, had dropped a very important detail that had stopped Taylor in her tracks, a single thought that froze everything.
The girl had been rescued with her friends.
Taylor knew the folks she came across, mostly just an elderly couple and a few young men caught up in the ABB operation. The exception had been a two young women who had been put against a wall, the thug talking in some kind of broken english about performing illicit acts as 'payment' for some deal.
She didn't feel bad about what she did to that beast. Animals that lost control had to be dealt with, after all.
Still, those girls had been of asian descent, not some pretty blond haired white girl. Nobody met that description coupled with 'friends' out for a late night venture.
Nobody, save one.
This was dangerous. Taylor knew enough about the cape community to know that finding out a cape's identity was a big problem. That girl, Tattletale, hadn't been a bad cape either, just some sort of hero caught up in a bad situation. She was a cape, sure, and possibly just an extension of the corruption flooding the city, but not everyone was a beast. Taylor may be the only cape willing to actively buck the status quo, to defend the city from the encroachment of the beast, but there had to be others that at least thought the same.
Was it too much to hope that maybe this girl was one of those few?
Probably. Taylor's life was too upside down for fortunate breaks.
She was also becoming quickly aware that she had failed to respond to the girl in a reasonable time, leaving the conversation to hang. Lisa was staring out her, her smile replaced with a confused sort of look, her head slightly tilted as if puzzling something out.
Damn. Why was she so spacey!? Yeah, she got lost in her thoughts, but it hadn't happened nearly as often before the workshop came into the picture. She was more scatter brained now that she couldn't sleep and felt like she was in some bizarre state of psychological exhaustion.
Taylor sighed, turning to the girl, looking away slightly as she regarded the bay and the water beyond, "Sorry, I get lost in my thoughts pretty easily. No, I don't remember seeing her. I got knocked out and when I came too she was gone. My dad told me that she stayed long enough for him to call the police."
Lisa's eyes narrowed minutely, ignoring her power for the moment.
That was the weakest explanation to date. Sure, some of the others had conflicting stories, but that usually due to embellishment. Her personal favorite was how the cape had swooned at some sort of reverse heroism by a civilian, his showboating going so far as to steal her first kiss.
It had been amusing, at the time, considering he had an equally disbelieving friend next to him.
This was different. This girl, Taylor, was clearly trying to downplay her interaction with the cape. Her powers all but confirmed it. Lisa began to frown as she came to a new conclusion.
This girl had never met the cape, never seen her. She was uncomfortable, not because she was socially awkward, but because she couldn't hold up a lie.
She was fishing for information, seeking something from Lisa that even she might not know. This wasn't a get together to discuss the mysterious heroin, like Lisa had wanted. It was gambit for intrigue.
Lisa took a deep breath, held in, then released, slowly, cooling her temper. Normally she would bite at the chance to turn a mind game on somebody, especially if it was some girl who thought she could pull a fast one. This time, however, she just couldn't find the energy to care. This was a topic that Lisa approached with care and consideration, something she really wanted to know for herself, not because her power grabbed it from whatever mind space it operated in. The cape had committed the ultimate act of heroism for her and her friends, driving Lisa to learn whatever she could about who the cape was, if only the honor the sacrifice.
If this girl wanted to play games then Lisa was having none of it.
"You never saw her."
Taylor's attention snapped back to the blonde, coming back to reality at the sound of the accusation. Her eyes went wide, mouth slightly parted, an expression recoiling from some shock.
Lisa scoffed to herself. This girl was really bad at keeping things hidden.
The girl started sputtering, her body taking a step back as if in defense, "W-What? What do you mean!? I was-"
"You were never there. You either didn't see her or you've seen some pictures. You only came to find out what I knew about the cape, searching on behalf of someone or for some strange perversion of your own."
Lisa's words were cold and harsh, her expression equally hard as she tore through the flimsy guise the girl had worn.
Taylor stood in shock, her mouth hanging, struggling to catch up to sudden assault.
Lisa wasn't going to give her the chance to respond.
"I don't appreciate being called out because someone wanted to investigate a cape. She hasn't been seen in days, not since Lung threw his fit and burned down a couple of blocks. She could be dead for all you know and your just exploiting others because your some 'fan'. Have some respect."
The blonde turned from the brunette, ignoring how the other girl had frozen up at her last words, and left, walking down the pier, now empty of visitors save them.
She cursed to herself, biting her lower lip in frustration. This was the last lead that she had ready access to, at least that would respond to her forum post. Sure, there were a lot of posts, but she had quickly separated them from those that 'probably' knew something. If she wanted more information she would have to do some deeper digging, hacking into some of the weaker PRT servers or maybe the E88 communications. The cape's involvement was largely an ABB matter, but Kaiser would likely want to know what had riled up his counterpart. Maybe there was some information to be had there.
Coil, of course, was a big negative. It was always possible that he already knew about the cape, but Lisa was determined to keep his attention away from the matter. She had a goal to achieve, a silent mission given to her as a last wish, and his interference would ruin everything.
Lisa had gone ten steps when she heard a soft voice echo out with words that stopped her cold.
"Did your friends get burned?"
Lisa's mind went into overdrive in an instant, a headache rising as she turned back to the girl, her eyes widening at the information pouring in.
No reason contact should be aware of Undersiders' presence at warehouse fire. Contact has knowledge outside the preview of what she should have. Identity of contact called into question. ABB? Unlikely. Not of asian descent. E88? Possibly, but with low margin. No evidence suggests E88 was aware of specific details surrounding Undersiders activities. Merchants? Unlikely. They have little concern over the events of ABB operation. Coil? Unlikely. Would utilize previous threat of lethal force to gather information, not a proxy. PRT/Protectorate? Highly unlikely. No knowledge of Tattletale's identity.
Lisa stared at the girl, this time her mouth hanging as she watched in disbelief as pieces started coming together, like a great puzzle. The girl turned to face her, a supremely tired expression on her face, her glasses hanging by the collar of her hoody.
The Thinker felt a chill run down her back as she noted a pair of familiar green eyes, intense in their stare.
Contact has information that is not available to public knowledge. Contact has information that is largely unavailable to the villain community. Contact has information that is specifically unavailable to anyone not part of the events surrounding ABB operation against the Undersiders. Contact has information that places her in proximity of the fight with Lung.
Lisa swallowed hard, the slight weight of her hidden taser not helping in the wake of her revelation.
It wouldn't matter anyway. If even Lung couldn't outmaneuver such speed then she was a lost case from the get go.
Contact has no need for eye correction. Likely fake, used to maintain appearance. Previous demeanor possible ploy used lower Tattletale's guard. Contact's physical profile is probable match against mystery cape. Theory is supported by contact's knowledge of events during ABB operation against Undersiders.
Lisa opened her mouth, her voice quiet and strained, "H-How-"
"Don't think about it."
The answer was swift and hard, a complete turn around from previously.
Easier said than done.
Cape unlikely to survive injuries through conventional means. Numerous lacerations were present at assumed time of death. Unknown number of structural breaks. Highly unlikely that Lung would allow the Cape to escape to seek medical aid. Unlikely Cape would survive without immediate medical attention. Regeneration? Low possibility. Would have activated during fight with Lung. Outside aid? Not possible. Lung was left alone to 'cooldown' after fight ended. PRT/Protectorate arrived to contain the fire, not combat Lung.
The pain was growing rapidly, her hands reaching up to grip her head as it throbbed and burned, like the start of a migraine. Her eyes clenched as she willed her power to stop, trying to chain it back from continuing, but she couldn't. It was a force, an acute desire to 'know' that came not just from her powers, but from her as well. She whimpered from the pain, stepping to the side to support herself against a railing.
The girl across from her stepped forward, her previous expression now one of worry, "Hey, are you ok?"
No viable survival method for cape found. Cape was vulnerable to all forms of damage. Cape showed no signs of regeneration. Cape showed no signs of fast escape power. Cape showed no signs of movement after final landing. Lung would never have let the Cape escape on her own. No clear method of survival can be found. Revival mechanism is highly likely.
Her eyes shot open, the brunette not five feet away, walking toward her with worry, her feet quick.
Lisa couldn't help but step back, an instinctive reaction to a threat she didn't fully realize, and tumbled to the wood planks. She felt a few splinters work their way into her forearms, but that didn't matter. The pain in her head, a rolling echo of some kind of roaring, didn't really matter either.
What did matter was the girl standing over her, a look of confusion at the blonde's failed retreat.
Revival mechanisms are largely unknown. Most popular revival mechanism is hosted by 'Butcher'. Revival mechanism triggers after death, the killer becoming the 'new' Butcher. Accumulated power sets from multiple deaths are transferred as well. Cape clearly does not share same revival mechanism. Unclear if revival mechanism is immediate or delayed, though evidence suggests the latter. Unclear of specific trigger details of revival mechanism. Likely that revival mechanism is tied to a secondary power, as body was never found. Unclear how revival mechanism affects Cape. Unclear if Cape is the same version of herself before revival mechanism triggered.
Lisa paled considerably, looking up at the girl with no small amount of fear, whispered words filling the void between the two, "What are you?"
Taylor looked down at the girl, her expression growing tired and grim, a deep frown marring her face. Her hands, once reaching out to help, retreated to their home in her hoody pocket, her entire body turning inward. She replied, words equally as silent, but so much more ominous.
"I don't know anymore."
Taylor lifted her spoon and sipped at the soup, a tangy mixture that did little to settle her nerves.
She hadn't known what to think when the girl collapsed, hadn't really known how to treat something so severe. Her medical kit had some pain killers, just some over the counter stuff, really only something she carried in case some civilian wound up bruised or whatever.
Migraines were another matter entirely.
It didn't help that the girl had looked at her with so much fear, so much fright, throwing herself off balance in her attempt to escape.
Taylor tried not to think about it. She already wondered if she was becoming a monster. She didn't need others thinking the same.
She had let the girl settle for a bit before helping her up with no small amount of force. She was careful about her strength, her control much better than when she first got her powers, and brow beat the blonde into coming to a small eatery that was out of the way from the crowds.
Said blonde, so wrapped up in whatever was going on with her head, wasn't really in a position to disagree.
Taylor was no stranger to the Boardwalk, the biggest tourist trap the city had. Even with the tourism industry mostly dead it was still one of the best places for someone to spend some time, largely safe from villains. She had spent no small amount of time there with her family, back when her mom was around, getting to know what shops were where and who had the best food. Even after her mom's death, and the subsequent divide between her father and herself, she spent time along the Boardwalk, visiting the same stores and shops, partially to hold onto those pleasant memories.
Her experiences served her well, giving her a place they could retreat to that would satisfy Lisa's desire to be sheltered away when talking about cape stuff. A small eatery, a place Taylor occasionally visited, particularly when she wanted to treat herself, sat huddled next to a clothing outlet and a sports store. It had a few chairs and tables outside, for patrons to enjoy the clear weather, like today, but Taylor had ignored such a tempting arrangement, half dragging the taller girl into the darkened interior.
Some part of her remembered that migraines caused photo-sensitivity. The knowledge gave her a sliver of pride, a small measure of comfort in the midst of her limited ability to help the suffering girl.
Settling them into one of the far booths she made couple of simple orders, frowning a bit at the cost. It wasn't that expensive, and she wasn't by any means broke, but money was pretty hard to come by in any case. Thankfully the messengers had provided her with the equipment she needed for her hunts, otherwise she'd probably be running around in some ragged clothes from a thrift store or in a suit she'd made herself.
She'd shaken her head at the last thought. Though she wasn't terrible at mending her clothes when needed, her skill with sewing wasn't that great, not to mention the cost of material.
The food arrived with surprising speed, an effect of the eatery not being very busy. Taylor ordered a soup she knew was good, something to settle her nerves, and something simple, a sandwich, for the struggling blonde, the girl having recovered enough to merely rest her elbows against table, hands pressing tightly against her temples.
Taylor reached out, pulling at a glass of water and taking a sizable swallow, watching the girl, the blonde's food untouched in the wake of the headache.
A few minutes after the food arrived, Lisa spoke, one eye cracking open, a lightly bloodshot thing that made Taylor blink.
"Did you know what was going to happen?"
The question was soft, a quiet tone that belied her pain. She reached over with her left hand, grabbing at her own water, and bringing it close, drawing a sip through the helpful straw.
Her eye never left Taylor's.
The brunette frowned, uncomfortable with the topic. It was clear what Lisa was talking about. It was something that unnerved the girl, causing no small amount of fear.
Taylor's frowned deepend, looking at the girl over the rim of her glasses, equally uncomfortable having to think about her own death. She replied, her words soft, "No, I didn't. Its happened before, when I started, but I thought that was a one off thing, a stroke of luck. I wasn't banking on a third chance."
Lisa groaned slightly, eye closing as her hand returned to her head, the limb retasked to more temple rubbing.
Taylor didn't know what to make of that act. Was the headache getting worse? She spoke, keeping her voice quite, remembering that the suffering girl might be noise sensitive, "Look, if its getting worse then we should probably get help. Maybe take you to the hospital or something."
The blonde quickly shook her head then immediately squeaked, stifling a shout of alarm at jarring her pain. She stilled for a few seconds, recovering from the misstep, before replying, her voice strained and her eyes closed, "No, we can't. No insurance and I'm not looking forward to that bill. It'll go away on its own, as long as I rest."
She opened her right eye, one that looked clearer, and continued, "It happens when I think too much, get it? I stress out things that shouldn't get stressed and wind up having to rest for a day or two. Its pretty annoying, and painful, but it usually takes time to get this bad, like hours."
She closed her eye, slumping forward slightly, an elbow nudging at her forgotten sandwich plate, and finished, "I start thinking about your case and suddenly everything goes wrong. I just can't help it, searching for answers that aren't really there or something. I dunno. You don't make any sense. Half of what I get is just speculation, the rest being emptiness, like some kind of dark space. Missing information that I can't identify."
Taylor frowned, glancing around to make sure they were relatively alone.
Right, clearly a Thinker. Her power has something to do with investigating and finding answers. That would explain why she'd been so easily cornered by those thugs, even if she had been able to run them around a few buildings, slightly to Taylor's chagrin.
She wasn't very good at roof hopping yet and was lucky no one had seen her that night. Her embarrassment would never have died.
Focusing her attention back to Lisa, she considered what she could do to help. Clearly overusing the Thinker power was causing problems, but what normally took the span of hours, possibly with constant use, to overload took only seconds with Taylor, something about her power set conflicting with the Thinker power.
What did that even mean? Was it an effect of the workshop? Maybe her use of the mark? Her physical abilities were pretty normal, by cape standards, so it couldn't be those.
She tried not to think about it too much and started advise the blonde to do the same.
Only to be shutdown and rebuked soon after.
"You don't understand how hard that is for me. Its a constant thing, like a light that's always on, searching for answers. I walk around in a crowd and find out things I really didn't want to know. Details behind families, work relationships; its like data just floating around, small details few would pick up on, and I can see it all. It takes concentration to hold it back and not think about that stuff, or just a really boring room."
She sipped from her water once again before continuing, "You, though, are an enigma. Something that's just hanging everything up and causing a lot of pain. You know how you feel when you really struggle with a problem, like on a test, and you just wrack your brain trying to figure it out but can't? Think along that scale, but then kick it up to 13. Now think about how that would feel if you had an obsessive, compulsive need to solve that problem. It a really hard thing to deal with."
Lisa went quiet for a few seconds and sighed, cracking an eye to look at the sympathetic brunette, "Look, I'm alright, for now. Its taking a lot of concentration to handle. Just don't do any overtly weird stuff around me while we're here."
Taylor nodded as the girl went back to rubbing her head.
The mark weighed heavily in her pants pocket, a constant mental reminder of how things had changed.
She pushed those thoughts away, focusing on what was important.
Right, no weird stuff. No talking about beasts, or how she hunted them, or how she went to some strange other world filled with graves and an animated doll whenever she slept.
She sighed, an exhaustion weighing over her. What part of her life wasn't 'weird'?
It was a depressing thought.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Lisa, having recovered enough to take a bite of her sandwich.
"Why did you agree to meet?"
Taylor blinked at the question, suddenly aware of how suspicious her situation appeared. She had sacrificed herself to save Tattletale and her friends, buying time for them to flee while fighting something that she couldn't have beaten. Now she had unknowingly arranged a meet up with the civilian persona of that same hero. It had unsettling connotations.
Taylor spoke, swiftly moving to kill that thought, "I didn't know it was going to be you. I mean, specifically you from before. I had no idea who I was talking to beyond the messages you sent me."
The blonde eyed her with a small smirk on her face, clearly amused by her flustered state.
Taylor slumped, playing with her soup spoon, her words tired, "You know what the news have been saying about me?"
Lisa nodded slightly, her smirk turning downward.
The brunette continued, "Its something that's bothered me. I mean, who wouldn't? Its not like I meant for that stuff to happen, other than the worst ones. There's just certain acts that you shouldn't tolerate, monstrous things like what was going on that night."
Taylor stopped, noticing the strange look Lisa was giving her, a mixture of anxiety and confusion. She clearly didn't know where this was going.
Taylor wilted slightly, realizing that she was slipping back into that 'weird' mentality again, continuing with a quiet voice, "I think there's something wrong with me. I don't think the same way anymore, see things the same way. I have this drive to help, which I've always had, but its so much more violent and final, like an obsessive goal. Its not that bad now, but when you saw me it was all I could think about."
She sighed and continued, "I don't like being this way, but I don't think I have a choice. I just wanted to meet someone who was helped as proof that I'm doing a good thing, that all that violence meant something to the betterment of everyone."
She went quiet, a dark thought running through her mind and out her lips in a hushed whisper.
"I'm afraid I'll lose myself."
Taylor could feel that change in herself, had felt it ever since she had used the mark the first time. That part of her that sought to cleanse the city of the beasts and vermin plaguing it, eating it from the inside, terrifying the civilians. Looking back, she knew that she had become far more sensitive to the blight of the city than ever. Even in the midst of her research on the cape community in the city and the dark conclusion she had come to hadn't brought as much disgust and anger as she felt now.
The mark had changed her in a way she didn't understand, shaping her thoughts into something both foreign and disturbingly familiar, like a hidden truth within herself that she hadn't seen before.
She felt a hand rest on hers, a soft thing meant to console.
Looking up she saw Lisa, bloodshot eyes filled with sympathy and no small amount of determination.
"I'll help you, anyway I can."
Taylor was taken aback by the girl's words, a conviction sounding through that she hadn't expected. She responded, her confusion, and silent hope, apparent, "What?"
The blonde continued, her expression never wavering, "You saved my life, the lives of my friends. I thought you were gone, that I would never be able to express how thankful I am. I was prepared to carry on your mission, to do what I could to see a brighter future for the city. With you here, I'll do whatever I need to do in order to help you."
She gave a meaningful squeeze to Taylor's hand, her words soft, "I could tell you were messed up when I first met you, but I didn't see how bad it was. Look, you have good intentions, but we all know what kind of road that leads down. I know about what's going on here, who's important, what the score is. If you go out there on your own it'll only be a matter of time before the entire system comes down on you. If you are worried about losing yourself, then you need someone to guide you, point you in a direction that's more or less safe. Let me help."
Taylor didn't know what to say, couldn't speak past the irritating lump in her throat. She hadn't saved Tattletale and the others for any reason other than that she had to, that she was the only one who could have handled a monster like Lung. She didn't expect gratitude, much less anything on this level.
She couldn't ignore how it pulled at feelings long dead and scarred, emotions tied to her former best friend.
The brunette looked down, seeing Lisa's hand over her own, and wondered if she really could trust the girl. Sure, she had saved the blonde's life, but it wasn't without exchange, technically. The circumstances of their presence at the scene was a bit suspicious and she knew so little of the girl across the table.
Still, the girl had, more or less, offered to be her friend and confidant, something Taylor knew she would desperately need if her changes continued.
An uncomfortable thought resonated through her as she pondered Lisa's last statement.
How different was she from the beasts she hunted? How much would that line blur as she continued?
She shook her head, clearing those disgusting thoughts. She focused on the blonde and gave a small smile, a forced thing spurned on by desperation against the inevitable.
"Sure."