Grim Cooperation

Worm/Dark Souls

1-1

The next day was a Sunday, and I was still smiling when I stumbled down the stairs for breakfast, and Dad noticed.

"You seem chipper, good nights sleep?" he asked with a small smile.

"Something like that" I responded with a grin, glad that he didn't seemed as stressed as normal, things had apparently been getting a little better with the dock workers, not much, but a couple of building projects or something that was providing jobs.

After breakfast I headed out to the main street, planning on checking out a few stores for anything that I could use to upgrade my costume.

Considering that I didn't really ever plan on being physically present in a fight, I didn't need much more than I had. In fact, flash stuff would be more of a detriment than a help, but I did wish I somehow had enough money to order some of the low profile Tinker-tech armor from someone for the chance that I would end up in a fight personally. Just a hoodie made from Tinker materials, or some concealed body armor of the same would go a long way to increase my durability.

Speaking of costumes, I thought back to my current one as I browsed the local military surplus store, one a -Try Here- had brought me to.

My meagre costume consisted of, at the moment, a bandana, a dark hoodie, baggy combats with plenty of pockets, and a sturdy belt with more of the same. The only significant part other than the multitude of pockets was the concealed kevlar vest, with similar quality ballistic plates sewn into the combats. The boots were nice too, motorcycle ones, but a brand modified for daily wear, so I could run in them. It didn't look like anything special and there was nothing saying, 'Heres a Hero', but with my powerset that was for the best, I could look like a slightly shady teenager, have plenty of space to store my gear and my Shades could stand in for me.

Of course, getting those protections had blown nearly all the money I had been making at the dog racing that took place slightly out of town, using my messages to win more than lose.

It had been difficult to gauge how much I should win without outing myself as a Thinker, so gaining money had been slow going, but it had also helped with training myself at recognizing what the orange messages meant, so it was easily worth my time.

And of course, it had paid for my costume and helped cover for the possessions of mine the trio had destroyed like my school books, which meant I didn't have to trouble Dad over it, which had helped, at least on my end, with the… strain, that had been between us. Made me feel a little less guilty about it all anyway, which had the same effect.

After looking around for awhile, I found a pair of finger-less gloves that were a decent quality,and within my price-range, so I bought them and walked out of the store with a grin on my face, another piece found, and another use of my powers had turned out well for me.

Little things like this had been improving my general mood since I had gotten them, just little reminders that I had something special, that something was looking out for me and that even if only I could see it, they were real.

And they were mine.

Though they were no help when it came to trying to decide what I was going to do about, well, everything.

Cape's didn't tend to last long on their own, at least not in Brockton Bay.

They were either press ganged into one of the established groups, or taken out of commission by an established Cape.

They didn't like new members of the community, it threw the balance of power off.

I wanted to join the Wards, but that would mean telling Dad. And to convince him that I would be able to care of myself, even without constant watch by my, hopefully, future teammates? I needed experience.

So things like last night were necessary for more reasons than the obvious.

They were to practice with my Shades, to be able to read and interpret the messages fast enough to match other Thinkers. I needed to practice before even trying to join the Wards, if that was where I wanted to go.

Its the one I felt the best about joining even with the issues I could see, since I obviously wasn't going to be a Villain, I wasn't going to let the trio drag me to their level.

There were problems with the Hero-side groups however.

I was a Thinker and a Master, I could not engage in actual combat without my Shades.

And given that… it seemed stupid and risky to let anyone know that I wasn't my Shades.

New Wave was out for that reason, disregarding the fact it was pretty much a family only group, they practiced the idea of Capes being known, no hidden identities.

That would require me to reveal that I existed, that there was nice squishy target behind the silent Shades, and that just seemed idiotic.

The Wards, I hoped, would see that and let me play the pretense of being a… I dont even know, a Brute with some Mover?

Technical term doesn't really matter. I wasn't certain that they would though, and that kept them down as a Maybe, the first choice yes, but not one I wanted to take just yet.

Aside from them, there was the option of going Rogue, like Parian, a Cape with power over cloth and threads, but my powers didn't have any real applications in that sort of area, and in any case, I wanted to be out there making a difference, not doing childrens entertainment.

That brought me to my final option, Faultlines Crew, a group of mercenaries that danced the line between all three of the options a Cape could take.

They were down as a option I couldn't ignore, but one that I was hesitant to take due to some of the rumors from PHO about the jobs they had taken in the past.

I was however, sure that they would help me continue the rouse of the Shades being Capes in their own right, which kept them on the list.

I shook my head, finding I had wandered up the Boardwalk in my contemplation.

I suppose I'll have lunch in a cafe before dropping by the library to drop those sowing books back in.