Chapter 24: To fight the Betrayer
Taylor yawned as she entered the kitchen, absently scratching an itch under her eye-patch. The room was brightly lit, sunlight making it's way from grey skies through the kitchen window. But while day wasn't sunny as such, it was alive, adding to that the smell of fresh tea and her own shampoo made Taylor feel at home. Reaching the table she slumped into a seat. Sabah sat across from her, dressed in a blue hoodie with stars on it.
Sabah put her own cup of tea on the table and raised her eyes from the newspaper to Taylor.
"It's nearly eleven." Sabah said, not accusing but amused.
Taylor grumbled as she reached for her box of Alexandria-Os. 'A healthy meal that packs a punch', or so the box claimed.
"I heard a rooster, when did this neighborhood get roosters?" Taylor asked, knowing she had bed-hair and a slightly foul demeanor, she just got up, sue her.
Sabah smiled as she sipped her tea, spying Boco wandering into the kitchen through the back door.
"It doesn't but it has Boco." Sabah said as the giant bird rubbed his head against Taylor affectionately.
Taylor leaned over and put her arms around Boco's neck.
"You know roosters crow at dawn, right?" Taylor said, unable to really get mad at the Esper.
Boco warbled and sniffed. Taylor snorted in response.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm sure it's dawn somewhere in the world." Taylor groused, pouring milk into her bowl. She quickly devoured the cereal and sat back feeling satisfied. She'd been planning to go to school today, but with the incidents last night, and officially because her… Dad… was missing, she wasn't going. The school understood that some families felt unsafe about letting their kids go to school today.
Sabah closed the newspaper, which Taylor saw the headlines of before Sabah could fold it over.
"Bedlam in Brockton!"
"A bit of everything, you were mentioned a few times, me as well." Sabah said, answering Taylor before she could even ask as the older girl went to wash her cup. Taylor watched her move about with a smile.
The easy way with which Sabah had slipped into her home, made the old building feel welcoming to Taylor again.
Seeing towels hung in the bathroom, shoes near the front door, washed dishes drying out as she came home.
It was as if the house was coming out of a coma, slowly but surely.
"Good or bad?" Taylor asked as Sabah leant against the sink, one hand stroking Boco's feathers.
"Mostly good, a little bad, most of it overblown. I wouldn't worry about it, almost nothing in the news or forum boards is going to be accurate or good to read. Just know that we did good and come enjoy the day with me." Sabah said, moving out into the backyard.
Taylor slipped her shoes on and followed, leaving her bowl in the sink as she went past.
"Where's Mog?" Taylor asked as they moved outside.
Sabah blew out a sigh. Sitting down on the lawn and staring up at the cloudy sky. From out here Taylor realized it wasn't as overcast as she'd thought, some patches of blue peeking through. But seeing Sabah's expression as the Arabic girl looked up…. Taylor thought that her friend looked troubled.
Sabah didn't answer for a minute, still looking skyward.
"We're avoiding each other for now, he's in the garage with Ifrit." Sabah finally said, her voice strained.
Taylor sat next to her, nudging the shorter girl with an elbow.
"You're avoiding him, yet you know where he is?" Taylor asked amusedly.
Sabah scowled,angrily pulling up some grass before letting the wind carry it away.
"I… use the bond to check on him once in awhile. He does the same, I can feel it." Sabah explained.
Taylor nodded understandingly.
"I gotta ask… when you fought Lung, when you were ChocoKnight, you were deeply connected to Mog right?" Taylor asked, remembering her own fusion with Ifrit, how the demon's feelings had flowed through her and become her own. Taylor knew what the Esper felt was the truth and wondered if Sabah had experienced the same.
Sabah nodded slowly.
"I was. I can't ever forget being like that." Sabah admitted as Boco sat down next to her, letting her lean on him.
"Did you feel like Mog was using you, like he wanted to hurt you or like he didn't care for you?" Taylor asked softly.
Sabah sighed, her shoulders drooping.
"No… No it didn't. I felt a lot of things, he was so worried and so proud to help. God… Things used to be so simple Taylor. I was just a dressmaker and then things got weird." The Arabic girl said as if that was somehow amusing.
Taylor looked at her seriously.
"Would you change it? Never have met Mog, met Boco... met me?" Taylor asked and gulped.
Sabah sat up, a look of shock on her face as the older girl shook her head.
"Never. These last few months have been the best of my life. It's… I just need time to process it all Taylor. I have a magic space seed inside my heart and I'm some kind of magical zombie." Sabah said so matter of factly that Taylor snorted.
Taylor waved off Sabah's scowl and reached over, pressing her hand over Sabah's heart, feeling soft thumps beneath her palm.
"Feel's like it's working to me. So unless you think people with pacemakers are cyborg zombies, I think you're fine." Taylor told her friend dryly.
Sabah smiled, despite trying hard not to. Then she shoved Taylor, who fell back on the grass, a stupid grin plaster over the younger girl's face.
"I'm suppose to be the wise one here." Sabah complained good naturedly.
Taylor let herself get comfortable on the grass, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the breeze.
"Of course you are, I just hit things with my giant key and grunt." Taylor agreed with a smile.
Chuckling, Sabah lay down next to her.
"Damn right." Sabah muttered.
"You two are sickening." Ifrit said as he made his way over to them.
Taylor reached behind her and snagged the tiny demon before lifting him over and onto her stomach. She ignored his protests, one arm holding him down as the demon squirmed. As expected, he was warm like a hot water bottle.
After a few more seconds Ifrit snorted and settled in, resigned.
"In the good old days I burned down entire kingdoms when they slighted me, now I've been reduced to a pet..." The fire demon muttered.
Lazily, Sabah raised an arm and poked the furry monster.
"This kingdom has TV." Sabah reminded him.
Ifrit sighed dramatically.
"A saving grace of this world, no doubt. Still I came here to tell you that we should all rest for today." Ifrit decreed.
Taylor looked down at him.
"Usually you're the one wanting me to go forth and cause chaos. Why the change of heart?" Taylor asked suspiciously.
Ifrit scratched his head.
"Too much happened yesterday. You're growing at a phenomenal rate, but you need hone those skills before you're overloaded with too many options and too little experience. Plus, and take it from me, you need to cool down once in awhile, you fight for too long then it'll be all you'll ever know." Ifrit told her.
Sabah nodded and in her own words said the same thing.
"You need a hobby Taylor, one that gets you out the house more." Sabah agreed.
Taylor held out her hand and the Keyblade appeared with a golden light. Taylor thought about it.
School, hero, model and home.
What else did she do? Movies were fine once in awhile, she didn't exactly have a flute to practise with anymore, gardening just didn't appeal to her…
Cooking. She liked to cook.
Sabah loved it when she cooked but that wasn't exactly doable in her spare time, all the time. Reading was something she could do and would always do but she had a feeling Sabah wanted her to be more… active with her hobby.
Taylor shrugged and looked at Sabah for help.
"Panacea said she'd help set you up to let you heal at hospitals, right? I mean, it's still heroing work but it isn't dangerous." Sabah suggested.
Ifrit nodded thoughtfully.
"Your healing arts reached a new plateau of power last night. It was most impressive to jump to that level so soon when black magic has been your main focus." Ifrit praised.
Taylor blushed while summoning the Keyblade to examine it. Then with a simple twirl...
"Cura!" Taylor chanted and the flowers appeared over her and Sabah.
Tinkling bells rang out and glowing gold light fell from the flowers like pollen, making Taylor feel refreshed and Sabah gasped in delight at the flowers.
The grass below them perked up and lushed out with tiny daisies. Taylor blinked down at the field of tiny white flowers they now laid in. Picking one of the flowers up, she held it out to Sabah.
"See? You're still the smart one." Taylor grinned.
Sabah smiled softly in return, accepting the flower. The older girl twirled it, then sniffed the tiny blossom before putting it in her hair like a pin.
Ifrit picked up one of the flowers and then ate it.
"Bit bland but not bad." The tiny demon commented while chewing.
Sabah rolled her eyes and gathered a bunch of the daisies in her hand. She pulled out a piece of string and needle from her pocket, both glowed slightly and then came to life.
The string looped through the needle on it's own before the needle snaked through the daisies, making holes and leaving thread behind. As the needle finished it's loop the string tightened before knotting itself and then breaking away the loose end.
Grabbing her creation Sabah examined it before she gave a satisfied nod and put the daisy crown on Taylor's head, who looked up at it with a grin. Sabah looked at her friend with warm eyes.
"I think you like helping people, so it'll do you some good to let that heroic tendency out somewhere that dragons, metal wolves, and crazy espers won't be. I know Ingrid will push the Keynote medic doll if you do it." Sabah teased poking Taylor in the side playfully.
Taylor squirmed away, mock glaring as she adjusted her crown.
"Doctor Keynote, thank you very much." Taylor snootily and smiled as Sabah giggled.
Ifrit was still eating more flowers, sharing looks with Boco who was chewing a few of his own.
"Humans are crazy." Ifrit grumbled.
Taylor dropped the flower crown on Ifrit's horn.
"Whatever you say oh drama queen Ifrit." Taylor said and stood, spinning the Keyblade in a large circle.
"Cura!" She shouted and the garden burst into fields of white.
Then a red mushroom peaked out from near the fence as it grew to the size of an unfurled umbrella.
"Crap." Taylor cursed and went to chop the mushroom off before it grew under the fence.
Ifrit beat her to it and jumped on it.
"Life magic is usually harmless but remember that too much of it can give unexpected results. You might have bred the next generation of superbugs by letting them eat your flowers and…" Ifrit paused and jumped a few times on the mushroom which bobbed gentle, making for an impromptu bouncy castle.
"Fungi. I don't think you'll cause too much trouble but do remember that you're still using magic and magic has consequences." Ifrit reminded her.
Taylor nodded and cut the mushroom off at the stalk with a single swipe of her Keyblade.
"Taylor and her super bugs. I'm sure that would go over real well." Taylor said dryly.
Sabah wandered over wearing a flower crown of her own.
"I'm sure Panacea can fix anything that Taylor does wrong." The shorter girl reassured Ifrit.
The fire demon looked unconvinced.
"I think it would be best if I accompanied Taylor, if she wishes to spent her day healing the ill. I can at least act as an authority on magic to this 'Panacea'." Ifrit said, crossing his arms.
Sabah looked down at him, eyebrow raised.
"Shouldn't that be Mog?" Sabah asked dryly.
Ifrit sighed and stared at Sabah with a flat look.
"The ball of annoyance is sulking in his mini lab. I suggest that one of you bites the bullet and talks to the other. I find the whole ordeal bothersome. I swear I saw him toying with a black coat, the last thing we need is for the damn Moogle to slide back into his emo days. He's unbearable when he's like that." Ifrit said with a groan.
Sabah cocked her head.
"Emo?" The Arabic asked quietly but Ifrit didn't answer as Boco chittered.
Taylor looked at the chocobo.
"How bad is… Mog's poetry?" The younger girl asked alarmed.
Ifrit snorted, tiny embers shooting out.
"He managed to make Diablos look cheery." The demon muttered and walked towards the house.
"I shall await for you in the hallway, Boco, let's get ready to heal the lame." Ifrit commanded.
Taylor shook her head at his firm tone. Turning back to Sabah she took her friend's hand and squeezed it hard.
"You can do it, Mog is our friend. Just let him know… something." Taylor trailed off unsurely. Then she perked up.
"Tell him the attic needs organising, it's a mess, along with the basement. I'm sure he could find all sorts of things in them for his lab. You could help him." Taylor suggested.
Sabah touched the flowers in her hair and bit her lip.
"I'll ask but... no promises." Sabah warned.
Taylor hugged her.
"You'll be fine. You and Mog are good friends or this wouldn't be so hard." Taylor reminded her and dashed off.
She just had to call the Dallon household, meet with Amy and heal some people.
Taylor was trying to reassure herself but there was a slight flutter in her chest that told her that performing life saving magic on someone, was far more memorable than creating an ice wall.
However, if she messed this up…
No. No, she was going to kick ass and come home to find Sabah and Mog friends again.
If not, then she'd deal with it.
Being insecure about things, fretting over things that hadn't happened yet, planning for the worst and expecting worse...it was habits she found hard to break, but for Sabah and for herself, she would try.
"And try not to set anything on fire. They'll kick us out." Taylor warned Ifrit as Boco raced away back home after dropping them off at the Hospital. Leaving Taylor and Ifrit, who was sitting on her shoulder, standing in front of the giant white building.
People stared, some people just stopped moving while others had whipped their phones out.
Ifrit eyed them all and flexed.
"Heh, the public is hungry for their new celebrity." Ifrit preened.
Taylor shook her head and sighed before waving at a few of the cameras. Then she pulled Ifrit down and tucked him against her chest, ignoring his protests about his needy fans.
"You're a talking fire imp doll, people would take pictures regardless." Taylor said with another sigh.
Ifrit sulked.
Walking inside they entered the hospital lobby only for...
"Keynote?" A voice asked from her blind side.
Turning quickly, Taylor spotted Amy in full costume. She looked the other girl up and down, nodding in appreciation.
"Your costume looks really good." Taylor said, her tone genuine.
Amy ran a hand over the robe. The brown haired girl shrugged and tried to smile politely but it came out strained.
"Thanks it was made professionally. I assume Parian made yours?" Amy asked back, as if she feel obligated to make small talk.
Taylor nodded happily anyway.
"Yep, Parian does great work and Mog helped." Taylor confirmed.
Then Ifrit shimmied out of her grip and dropped to the floor and scuttled up to Amy, circling her with a hard a look in his eyes.
"This is the greatest healer on this side of the planet?" Ifrit asked with a hint of disbelief.
Amy took a step back and stared at the doll.
"What is that?" The white robed girl asked, sounding more than a little alarmed.
Taylor shot Ifrit a look.
"This is my friend, Ifrit, he's..." Taylor began but was cut of as Ifrit scrambled up Taylor's coat and back onto her shoulder.
Settling in, Ifrit preened.
"The great and powerful Esper of fire and ruin, Ifrit. You may call me Master Ifrit or just Master if you prefer." Master Ifrit declared.
People around them had stopped to watch Panacea and Keynote talk with a tiny demon in between them.
Amy frowned.
"I am not calling you that." Amy said instantly.
Ifrit fluffed himself up.
"I am an expert on human anatomy and healing techniques you have never even heard of. I do think a matter of respect is needed here." Ifrit said.
Taylor stared at him.
"You're only an expert because you watch all those documentaries. That doesn't make you a doctor." The cloaked girl reminded.
Ifrit snorted.
"Oh how little you know. I've put people together that had naught remaining but an ear." The demon said, sounding proud.
Taylor was about to retort when Amy leaned in, her eyes narrowed.
"Are you a cape? Another healer?" Amy asked, staring at Ifrit.
Ifrit shook his head.
"No. When you see so much life ended, you eventually see how to reverse it." Ifrit muttered and jumped down to the floor.
Amy appeared a little disturbed behind her red scarf before shaking her head. Taking a deep breath she seemed to pull herself together, standing up straighter.
"Keynote and, uh, Sir Ifrit. I wasn't really expecting you to call so soon so I'm a little rushed off my feet. You have a healing power, correct?" Amy asked. Then as a doctor moved in, the healer nodded to him and gestured to Keynote.
"Doctor Yharnam, this is Keynote. Keynote this is the head of the hospital, Doctor Yharnam. He's cleared his schedule for today to make sure everything here goes smoothly." Amy introduced.
The man held out a hand to Taylor, who shook it. She was surprised, Doctor Yharnam had a strong grip despite looking quite old with his gaunt face and long pale beard that was somewhat messy. Even his eyes looked old, crinkled with laugh lines and his hair obscuring them, drooping down over his brow as it was.
"A pleasure to see another young woman step up to the plate to help people. Even more so here." The Doctor said and when he smiled, his face suddenly looked a couple of decades younger.
Amy stood up a bit rigidly and spoke as Doctor Yharnam stepped back.
"We need to see how your healing works, make sure that it causes no complications or problems for the patient. So me and Doctor Yharnam agreed that it would be best to start as small as we can and on patients that it won't cause long term harm to." Amy explained, sounding somewhat weary.
Ifrit looked up at her.
"People who are going to die regardless." The demon clarified.
Amy flinched.
"I'll be moving in behind you, to clear up their illness but we a have a massive waiting list and by the time we get to people down the list, it's sometimes too late. So we want to start at the top, where the most critical cases are; these people have mere days to live if we don't help them." Amy said cooly, returning to her persona of the implacable healer.
Taylor watched Amy adjust her body language to appear smaller, lesser. Taylor recognized that body language. Not that it did anything. People still stared.
"Let's go then, to the room of exposed mortality rates. Keynote is here to heal, not feel bad about people dying from things she had no influence on." Ifrit said, pointing forward as if ordering an advance.
Amy looked down at him with alarm.
"You can't say that, these people are here because they need our help. This isn't a business but a moral obligation." Amy said to him, sounding quite angry.
Doctor Yharnam laid a hand on Amy's shoulder.
"The girl isn't a doctor nor a famous healer. She's just here to help and the… toy is right. If it works, then it will be great news, if not, then we thank her for trying anyway." The doctor said.
Amy nodded reluctantly.
The fire demon glared.
"Toy?" Ifrit grumbled.
Ignoring the esper Amy sighed before nodding with more certainty.
"Sure. I guess." The healer said.
Taylor winced at the other girls tone, not agreeing but backing off. She had used that tone far too often in her own life.
Annoyed at being ignored Ifrit interrupted again.
"Besides, she's not going to fail. Keynote is my student and my student kicks ass." Ifrit said calmly as they got into an elevator.
The lab coated doctor shot the little plush demon a look as he rode on Taylor's shoulder.
"I'd rather she didn't kick anyone while she's here but I appreciate the vote of confidence." Doctor Yharnam said.
Closing her eye as the doors closed Taylor took a deep breath and out. She was fine, it was okay. The elevator gave a lurch and the metal box began to move up. Nerves only made the claustrophobia worse and Taylor felt her throat tighten. She hated confined space and the thought of messing up, of hurting someone...
Breath in and out. This was going to be fine.
She was going to be fine.
"The patient, Henry Barr, has atelectasis, part of his lungs have collapsed. How are you feeling today Henry?" Doctor Yharnam asked clearly; friendly, but business like.
Henry made a so-so gesture with his hand.
Ifrit leered down at him from Taylor's shoulder.
"Sounds rough buddy, what was it, smoking?" The hellspawn asked.
The man's eyes went wide and then shook his head. Then the bed-ridden man croaked out a response, his voice weak.
"Peanut." Henry whispered.
Ifrit whistled but his response was cut off by the doctor.
"He also has lung cancer which weakened his lungs bad enough for them to collapse as Henry here swallowed a peanut the wrong way. The cancer has spread quite badly and it doesn't look good." Doctor Yharnam said, frowning as he examined the man's charts again.
Taylor moved forward, steeling her resolve.
"Hi, Mr. Barr. My name is Keynote and I was wondering if you would be okay if I tried healing you?" Taylor asked, trying to make sure her voice didn't quaver.
Henry looked really frail. He looked between her and Panacea, his expression unsure.
"If it doesn't work, Panacea here will fix you, no worries." Taylor promised sincerely.
The man relaxed then nodded.
"Yes." Henry said quietly.
Giving the man a tight smile Taylor held her hand out to the side and summoned the Keyblade. With a burst of white light and spectral roses Melody of the Lost appeared in her hand. She was going all out for this one.
Everyone that could took a step back in alarm.
Ifrit chuckled, bemused.
"Everytime." Ifrit murmured.
Taylor resolutely ignored her shoulder demon's commentary.
"You aren't going to be helpful, so maybe you should go hang out in the hall or something." Taylor said quietly.
Ifrit snorted.
"Please, I'm the esper of Fire and Ruin. Fire, heat, energy. I can at least give your magic the oomph to be aggressive enough to fight his disease." The demon said with a roll of his eyes and the bond between them twanged as energy flowed into Taylor in a slow and steady stream.
Tiny compared to any other time they had share energy, but welcome nevertheless.
Taking a deep breath, Taylor took the energy into herself, knowing that Ifrit wouldn't mess with her. Not now. He would help her succeed, if only to shove it in Amy's face. Ifrit was dependable like that.
Pushing thoughts of Ifrit's… endearing qualities aside, Taylor rested the Keyblade over Henry's chest. She gathered her energy, slightly warm with the addition of Ifrit's magic.
Heal only Henry, touch only Henry, nothing else.
Taylor repeated this in her mind, firmly and seriously. The magic built with a crescendo within her and Taylor felt it beginning to swell out of her body with pressure.
"Cura!" Taylor said with intent and the magic swirled around the man in the bed, the flower formed above him but unlike before, instead of the normal white lily, the flower that bloomed wes a bright fiery red. Then came the noise, a deeper, baser ringing bell than normal and the dust that fell was glowing orange, like it was falling from a furnace or a fractured star.
Amy put a hand on Henry arm and waited, her face lit up from the magic, it highlighted her tired face, wide eyes and shaking fingers. Henry gasp as the dust settled over him, sinking into him. Amy gasped as well, her hand now gripping Henry's wrist tightly.
There was odd popping noises coming from Henry and then he took a ragged breath before launching into a coughing fit as he struggled to breath around the tubing that must have been doing the breathing for him.
Amy pulled a tube out of Henry's mouth and the man took a deep gasping breath.
Taylor stood there, staring at the scene, her heart beating wildly.
Doctor Yharnam was checking Henry's chest with that thing doctors always seemed to have around their necks. Taylor knew what it was called but the name temporarily escaped her as her mind filled with panic.
"Is he okay?" Taylor asked out loud, voicing her worry.
Ifrit snorted. She looked sideways at him as the demon stared at the scene with a bored expression.
"If you had messed up, then the man would be doing a lot more than coughing. Life magic gone wrong? That's a horror story I'll have to tell you sometime." Ifrit said casually.
Taylor wasn't sure if he was serious but before she could ask Amy stepped back and let Doctor Yharnam settle Henry back into his bed.
She looked a little shell shocked, looking at Taylor but not looking at her. Taylor looked around and then directed Amy to a nearby chair.
She was muttering to herself, not as if she was trying to be quiet but more like she was struggling to remember how to speak up properly.
"It was… wasn't? He was dying then he was fine, how? Where did the mass come from? Where did that feeling come from? Keynote… She… I… It doesn't…" Amy trailed off, her lips now moving silently.
Taylor looked at Ifrit again.
"I broke Panacea!" Taylor said with a strained whisper.
Ifrit rolled his eyes before he leaped down into Amy's lap. Planting both paws on her chest the little demon peer up and examined the healer's face closely.
"I know how to fix this." Ifrit said with such confidence that Taylor felt a surge of relief flow through her.
Taking a hand off her chest… Ifrit leaned up and slapped Amy.
Taylor's mouth dropped open as Amy's head snapped up. Ifrit nodded as Amy looked around wildly and then down at Ifrit.
"You hit me." Amy said distantly.
Ifrit grinned and gave her a thumbs up.
"The super Ifrit-fix-it-all." Ifrit explained with glee.
Taylor picked up and shook him.
"Don't hit the famous healer!" She said, shaking him with each word.
Behind her Amy stood and then looked lost.
Ifrit tried to say something but Taylor just shook him harder.
There was a polite cough and Taylor turned to see Doctor Yharnam looking at them calmly.
"Mr. Barr is feeling better but I'd prefer to hear your diagnosis, Panacea?" The doctor said as if the scene before him was something he saw in every dying man's room.
Amy nodded, paused, then nodded again.
"Right, sorry I felt a bit dizzy." Amy played off her departure from reality and strode over to Henry who was looking much more perky.
He was taking deep breaths, as if was a novelty he had been denied all his life. Amy hesitated for a second before touching his arm.
She shivered but then nodded.
"Lung is in perfect condition, almost brand new. The cancer is… gone. It's like it was never there." The healer said with a bit of shock.
Taylor felt a burst of euphoria rush from her stomach up to her mouth where it formed a huge grin, visible despite the darkness flickering over her lips.
Taylor Hebert, the nobody, the victim, the loser, had just cured cancer.
Holy shit.
Like… Holy shit.
Ifrit patted her condescendingly.
"Mutated human cells, very scary." The hellspawn mocked.
Taylor hugged him anyway, ignoring his muffled protests. When he managed to jab her ribs though she pulled him back up to eye height.
"I just beat cancer, if… If I can heal brains, even just a little then I can really help people." Taylor told him, her eye growing cloudy…
Dad…
Ifrit nodded, then poked her nose despite the shadow of her hood, short circuiting her despair before it could even begin.
"This world is mostly sheltered from the worst of the things that exist in the universe, you should see what a Marlboro can do to someone. Cancer is not that bad in the grand scheme of things. Cure and it's ilk are good for fixing a body from something that just needs patching up, replacement work as such. Heh, it's even good for minor rejuvenation as you well know. But if you find someone here that's poisoned or missing a limb? That spell isn't going to cut it, so don't get too uppity. A cocky healer can do more damage than a madman with a sword." Ifrit said.
Taylor took a breath, then sighed, nodding. She should have known it was too good to be true.
Amy looked down at Ifrit oddly and Taylor could guess why.
Marlboro was a name that just seemed… ominous, and stating cancer was not exactly scary to Ifrit would come across as odd.
"The cigarette brand?" Amy asked confused.
Ifrit snorted, shooting orange sparks.
"Sure, if a cigarette was taller than six or seven humans and just as wide, made up of tentacles, eyes and teeth, with a deadly breath that has emptied cities. Then yeah, sure, a cigarette." Ifrit said snidely.
Amy's eyes narrowed and she turned away.
Taylor wanted to tell Ifrit off or tell Amy things were alright but she pause, because… Well… Ifrit was mostly right. Cancer was not the worst thing in the world. More though, she didn't have time to argue the point or discuss a monster most likely from another world.
She had healed one person after all, one out of hundreds in this hospital alone. There was so much to do and not a enough time in the day.
"So I can't heal poisons or infections?" Taylor clarified with Ifrit.
Amy turned back and looked interested, as if knowing Taylor's limits would make her feel better.
Ifrit shook a clawed finger at her.
"I said Cure couldn't." Ifrit repeated.
Taylor summoned the Keyblade again and looked down at it.
It had caused so much destruction… but now it could save people.
The Keyblade was a scary weapon and she was in charge of it. Sometimes it scared her to know just how much she could do with it.
Then she thought of the dogs she rescued, of Sabah in the flower field and the people cheering for her at the shop.
It made her glad that the Keyblade did choose her out of everyone on Earth-Bet.
There was a question that pinged in her mind at that thought but Amy touched her shoulder.
"Mr. Barr is going to live quite a bit longer now it seems. And Doctor Yharnam will keep him heavily monitored for the next few days in case something goes wrong, but personally… I think he's going to be okay." Amy said quietly.
Taylor smiled softly, then looked away awkwardly.
Amy looked away too and Taylor wondered if she was feeling the same. Embarrassed, glad, disappointed, elated, and slightly confused.
"Doctor Yharnam will be only a few more minutes and then we can move on." Amy said as she fiddled with a thread on her sleeve.
Ifrit padded around in a circle before settling down in the chair Amy had vacated.
"Sheesh, I thought it would be fun to annoy you or tease Key but you two are are literally sucking the enjoyment out of life right now." Ifrit said from his impromptu bed.
Taylor turned to tell him off but Amy beat her to it.
"No one asked for your opinion, you little gremlin." Amy said tartly.
Ifrit paused then his cotton mouth opened wide in a fang filled grin. Taylor was surprised at Amy's blunt tone, the other girl had tried so hard to be polite and distant with her and yet didn't hesitate to take her annoyance out on Ifrit.
Was it because he wasn't human?
Or because he slapped her?
Ifrit kneaded the seat beneath him.
"What's that princess? You got a bone to pick with the master?" Ifrit said and laughed, the sound at odds with the peaceful green walls and white sheets.
Amy huffed.
"My sister is the princess and you aren't a master, if anything you're the annoying toad that lives in the swamp in any story." The healer said and crossed her arms.
Ifrit touched his chest as if touched.
"Such sass, and here I was thinking you were a bore and a prude. Key, get a load of the princess here! She thinks she can make me feel sad with her prickly act." Ifrit said and smirked as Amy's eyes flicked to him.
Taylor tried not to sigh.
She failed.
"Ifrit, leave her alone. You're just trying to get a rise out of her." Taylor said with exasperation.
Ifrit shrugged unrepentantly.
"If the princess is so easily riled up…" The demon trailed off as Amy turned on him.
Eyes narrowed Amy looked at the demon.
"Don't call me that." Amy snapped.
Ifrit leaned in and stoked his chin.
"Nurse Panpan?" The little esper said.
Amy's hands curled into fists. Taylor imagined the other very much wished it was Ifrit's throat beneath her fingers instead of just air. Still, she needed to intervene before Amy did something she'd regret or Ifrit did something even more stupid.
"Ignore him, he feeds off attention. You drive him mad if you just pretend he's not there." Taylor said, putting a hand on Amy's shoulder.
Amy looked surprised to see Taylor so close but then relaxed, a smile hidden by her scarf but visible in the girl's eyes. Not forced or fixed, just a quirk of the cheeks before it vanished.
"Oh really? I'll have to remember that." Amy said to her and turned her back on Ifrit completely.
"Keynote, don't go spoiling my fun, dammit." Ifrit said with a growl but Taylor felt his amusement growing at the healer across their bond.
As they stood there waiting Taylor began to feel awkward again, so she tried to make conversation.
"So, how did my magic feel, when you were holding Henry?" Taylor asked.
Amy looked at her, surprised.
Taylor blushed. While she knew it was true the word 'magic' was still frowned upon in the cape community she would stand by what she knew she was doing dammit!
"Well… It felt like I was taking the best bath of my life. I just felt warm and alive. It's hard to explain but I felt every cell's response in Mr. Barr's body, every single one responding to your… magic. It was so strong that I just went with it, I let myself just enjoy it." Amy said and then she blinked, realising what she had just said.
Amy ducked her head and then looked away.
"That was really stupid." The healer muttered.
Taylor just leaned in and grinned.
"You felt every cell? That's really cool, what do they feel like? Bubbles?" She asked with interest.
Amy snorted and looked at the doctor gathering his things, all checks completed.
"Not like bubbles, more like… water balloons, but delicate." Amy mimed a squishy ball.
Taylor nodded, trying to imagine feeling billions of them at once.
"Are human cells the best ones or do you like to feel other cells, like plants or animals?" Taylor asked inquisitively.
Amy shook her head, actually looking amused.
"People ask me how it feels to save a life or create a heart and you ask me what cell feels the best? Bit of a weirdo aren't you?" Amy said, her voice not sounding tired for once.
Taylor shrugged, smiling despite herself. Then Doctor Yharnam walked past, gesturing for them to follow.
Following the Doctor and Amy, Taylor replied.
"I thought it was a cool question." Taylor said.
As Amy held the door open she looked at her fellow cape before replying.
"Plants feel like floating a bit, I like them a lot." Amy said and turned to lead her down the hall, following the doctor.
Taylor felt a million more questions appear in her head.
"What does your... magic feel like?" Amy said without turning around and Taylor smiled, Ifrit's warm bond pulsing in her head.
"Like I can fly."
The frame creaked for a moment and Jess paused. Then, hearing nothing change, no frigging angry footsteps or doors opening, she heaved herself in through the window.
Climbing into a second story window in jeans was a bit of a bugger but she could hardly knock on the front door.
Not with Bitch and her ruddy mutts downstairs. That's why she was just going to slip in, tap a few keys and get the hell out of dodge.
Jess was pretty sure she was suppose to be giving up the frigging breaking and entering gig after she did her heel-face turn by spitting in Coil's stupid face… but this was for a good cause.
Mainly giving Coil what was ruddy coming to him, but saving Lisa was a pretty frigging good cause as well.
Heroes saved damsels and ship after all, right?
Conscience neatly pacified, Jess padded over to the lone computer sitting neatly on a desk against the far wall and booted it up, fans whirring to life. Fishing out a crumpled piece of paper from her back pocket, she smoothed it out and squinted at the twenty digit password.
"..3...G…%...S .7.R AH...13.." Jess mumbled as she typed. She tried not to wince as she tapped each key, seriously, if she got that girl back they would have to have a fudging talk about going overboard with security.
Jess held her breath as the computer whirred loudly while it processed the password and… grinned as the laptop came to life, the screen displaying a brief welcome message.
Almost as soon as the log in finished a program booted up, multiple windows seeming to cascade over each other; some began to list very large numbers, bank account numbers and names; others displayed maps, locations and lines zipping between them. Tracing transactions? Cash flow?
Then the program began closing windows, condensing the information. A new window opened up dead center displaying a long list of names which it quickly began eliminating, removing lines from the two world maps near the bottom. As Jess watched the numbers spin and names trickle down she couldn't help being amazed at the fudging program's complexity. Well, that and all the yellow sticky notes stuck around the screen and across the side of the keyboard, and all of them written in code.
Waiting for the program to finish, Jess eyed the room, feeling a second set of eyes emerge from her shoulder.
"Bit of a mess for the blonde bombshell." Ultros muttered beside her, tentacles idly emerging from her arms to search drawers and under the bed.
Jess nodded in agreement. If she had to describe the room, the phrase that sprang to mind was 'ordered chaos'. Even though it was bright outside, Lisa had tried to darken her room as much as fudging possible. One window was painted over and the one she had come in through had some serious blackout curtains. Worse was the notes; they were literally everywhere. One wall was dominated by one of those boards you saw on crimes shows, with all the strings and notes and photos and shit. Other walls had more handwritten notes, newspaper cuttings... even the bed was covered in cuttings and a few typed pages probably waiting for their own place on the wall.
Jess decided it was official. Lisa's work hadn't been consuming her personal space, it had bloody devoured it.
As she looked Jess realized that the main cork board over the computer had a single name in the middle of the giant spiralling mess of strings. That all of this was not her gang's activities, but her own personal vendetta.
Heh. It was actually fucking hilarious how it all boiled down to that one name.
Coil.
Jess gave a low airy whistle in appreciation. Lisa wanted the bastard bad.
Not that Jess couldn't understand. Coil was a boil that needed lancing. Preferably with a bullet or twenty.
Turning back to the computer Jess saw that the program had narrowed down a single red line that bounced between America, Europe, Russia, South America, and then back to America.
The map zoomed in further….
The money trail from Coil's main account or one of them anyway.
When they'd planned this together, Lisa had been pretty frigging sure that there would be an account that was the least touched, the safest investment for Coil, his laundered cash. The girl had been sure the bastard would squirrel away to his civilian ID after Coil vanished. And Lisa had been almost certain that he would take her with him.
They hadn't had much time to plan but what Lisa had told her had impressed Jess.
Girl could ruin countries with the right fucking word at the right time.
Jess had to hand it to Lisa, the girl hadn't been wrong yet.
Now it seemed Lisa had somehow managed to track down Coil's safe account. Jess figured it was her little love bite from Taylor's key, just like the new power Jess herself had been given.
Magical infection of the best kind, starts with the queen bitch of all headache and ends with extra superpowers.
Jess got a lovesick knife and Lisa got super passwords or some shit. Kinda unfair really.
The knife was pretty sweet though, it cut watermelon like nothing else.
Shaking the errant thought away, Jess watched as the lines of numbers narrowed down to a single account, as the map zoomed in on Brockton Bay, and only one name was left on the list. There was a blip and a new screen popped up, a profile pulled from public records alongside a picture.
Jess stared at the man and mentally laid a tight skin suit over him. He was tall with a thin, gaunt frame, almost skeletal.
From Coil with love because bingo she had his fucking name-o.
Jess plugged in a USB and copied the file over to the device and unplugged it.
"Jeez, it's stuffy in there." Ultros said with a gasp, appearing out of her stomach, neatly ignoring the fact she had two layers of clothing between her skin and the open air.
Handy, Jess had zero desire to cut fucking holes in every outfit she owned to make Ultros at home.
"Shh… just a little friggin longer. We're almost out and if you get me caught I'm flushing you down the toilet." Jess hissed and turned the computer off, stopping long enough to look down and see a pair of sunglasses on the nightstand.
Biting her lip, Jess lifted them and put them on. Instantly she felt better.
It just wouldn't be right to break in and not steal something. It would frigging kill her.
With gentle motions, she climbed down the side of the building that the Undersiders had claimed as their base.
Home free Jess dusted herself off and stretched, mentally patting herself on the back for another job fucking well done.
"Uh… Babe?" Ultros said in a little voice catching Jess' attention.
The thief turned on the spot to see a man leaning against the building, he hadn't been there when she broke in, or climbed out for that matter.
Jess instantly put a hand on her hips, stuck out her lip and tilted her head.
The dumb broad act. Most men loosened up at it, at least a little.
As she examined the guy she started mentally cataloging him. He was in his late 30's to mid 40's. Khaki pants and a black t-shirt with the words 'Bare those guns!" written on it. The frame was muscular but not overly so.
Jess grimaced at the socks and sandals.
His red hair was receding, but not too far yet, and on his face he wore a smirk along with a pair of sunglasses.
"Sneaky, sneaky. What you doing skulking about?" The man asked and when he grinned at her, there was a flash of… familiarity.
Jess blinked and the man straightened up and took a few steps towards her.
She felt a sudden urge to back off and with a shock knew that it was Ultros that wanted to turn and flee.
"Squish? What the fuck?" Jess hissed.
Ultros appeared on her thumb as a tiny purple pimple and his voice was a squeak.
"Run! Get away, babe! This guy is bad news!" Ultros said and dived inside again.
The man slowed and tilted his head.
"I know that voice. Ultros, is that you, you ruffian?" The man said aloud, looking around as if Ultros would drop from the sky.
Again, the way he peered around, the way he looked suspiciously at things made Jess feel like she had the worst case of deja vu.
"Uh… Old timer? Got a fudging name or what?" Jess asked, deciding that anyone Ultros thought was bad news after watching him tackle Battery was someone she did not want to dick around with.
"Eh, what's that? A name? Well, forgive me, I have been rude!" The stranger said with a serious nod.
Suddenly he backflipped three times and landed in a squat before slowly rising and spinning in a circle, clapping his hands.
When turned fully and faced Jess, he spread his hands and a spear appeared between his palms.
"I AM," He spun the spear once over his head.
"THE GREAT," He threw the spear up in the air and flipped back once and caught it.
"GILGAMESH!" He proclaimed and pointed the spear at Jess, the weapon glowing yellow.
The light bulb in Jess's head clicked on and Sabah's tart words came back to her.
"Oh fuck." The thief muttered as Danny Hebert and the spirit of Gilgamesh stood there in socks and sandals, ready to kick the everloving crap out of her.
"Sorry Taylor…" Jess said and cartwheeled back as Ultros whispered in her ear as she moved.
Gilgamesh moved forward and Jess held up a hand.
"Halt! I have yet to do my introduction ritual." Jess lied her ass off and Gilgamesh stumbled, looking abashed.
"Ah, my apologies. I'll wait here." Gilgamesh said, sounding sincere and planted his spear into the ground.
He crossed his arms and nodded for her to continue. Jess's mind raced and Ultros smacked her ass to make her move.
"Just throw your body about and say random crap. Buy me some time." Ultros said and Jess swallowed as he vanished.
"Uh… I am… the beautiful…" Jess said in a bland tone and hopped once.
Gilgamesh nodded as she was doing something far more interesting.
Jess flailed her arms and spun in a circle.
"Amazing." Jess said with a fake woo.
Ultros reappeared and smacked her ass again.
"Put some effort into it!" The octopus hissed.
Jess rubbed her behind and glared down at him.
"Do that one more time." She warned and then flipped forward and before she landed a stool appeared under her feet. Jess balanced on it perfectly and jumped again. A chair appeared on the stool, leaning on the back legs, she then balanced on the stool.
Jess jumped again and small ladder appeared.. Jess strained to make the ladder stand absolutely perfectly on the forming tower of furniture and spun on her toes.
"I AM THE BEAUTIFUL, AMAZING, MYSTERIOUS SEXY-" her mind went blank, she wasn't circus anymore.
Fuck.
Jester? No she used that before…
Clown? No thank you.
Harlequin? She was out of slutty red leather…
Prankster? Too much effort.
Mime? She'd already ruined that one. Besides, she didn't want a harem…
Something in her head lit up and Jess wanted to smack herself. No… she wouldn't use it, she refused to use that name.
No. Don't you dare mouth.
"PUNSTER!" Jess screamed, the despair of her cry mostly real.
Fuck.
Gilgamesh applauded as he looked up at her.
"Punster? I do not think I have heard of you, fellow warrior." Gilgamesh said and Jess shrugged and saluted, the ladder beginning to fall backwards.
"You heard it here and let it be known that this is the day that you almost caught… ugh… Punster." Jess finished lamely and the the tower of furniture fell back, sending Jess rolling over the fence and back onto her legs coming up into a dead sprint.
There was a beat of silence, the only sound was her feet pounding on the concrete in the alley she'd ended up in.
There was an excited yell and Jess skidded to a stop as Gilgamesh landed in front of her.
"Forgive me! I did not know your performance was not over, bwhahahaha!" Gilgamesh threw his head back and bellowed loudly.
Jess took a step back and Gilgamesh pointed his spear at her.
"So… I guess you want to get to the 'point' of this fight?" Jess tried, sweating.
Gilgamesh looked at his spear and then laughed again.
"Oh Punster, you are something else!" The warrior said and thrust his weapon at her. Jess threw up her hands and a cutting board appeared in her grip. The spear pierced the board but got stuck halfway through.
Jess threw it aside and jumped forward, her foot extended at Gilgamesh's throat.
Her foot was easily caught in his spare hand and Gilgamesh swung and threw her back over the fence in one flowing move. Jess landed on her ass with a grunt.
"Ultros, the fuck should we do?" Jess cursed.
Ultros poked his head out.
"You blew the distraction part, so… fight?" The esper said in an unsure tone.
Jess bopped him on his shiny purple head.
"He's got a glowy stick!" She said and scrambled away as Gilgamesh landed where she'd been a second ago.
"And you have a glowy knife!" Ultros screamed.
Jess, in turn, screamed as Gilgamesh swiped at her. She rolled away, barely dodging the spear. As she came back to her feet Jess pulled her knife out of her bag. Quickly she glanced at her knife, then at Gilgamesh, then back at her knife, then back at Gilgamesh.
"We have a problem." Jess said with a sigh and threw the knife.
Gilgamesh knocked it aside and Jess recalled it and ran to the back of the building where a pretty boy was sunbathing, his top on the ground next to him.
"Uh… Well, hello there. Is it christmas already?" The boy said.
Jess looked down at him and then grabbed his foot.
The boy squawked.
"What the-" The topless boy began.
Jess yanked harder on his foot to shut him up.
"Ultros, help!" Jess screamed.
In response, two long tentacles shot out of her palm and threw the boy at Gilgamesh. The shirtless kid screamed as he sailed through the air until Gilgamesh caught him without any apparent effort.
"Ah, Alec! Fancy seeing you here." Gilgamesh said happily.
Alec looked between Jess and Gilgamesh.
"Uh… I feel naked and confused. Please, continue." Alec said with a smirk at end.
Gilgamesh put him down as Jess ran for the other fence but Ultros used his tentacles to yank her down just in time for the spear to sail over her now prone form. Jess looked as a sound between 'twang' and 'thwack' echoed out. The spear had lodged itself in the fence and was now vibrating.
"Dude, don't kill girls in our backyard." Alec said, sounding annoyed.
Gilgamesh just laughed.
"That spear is blunter than my personality." Gilgamesh assured Alec.
Jess stood and held out her hand. Her knife appeared in her grip with its usual flash. She rubbed her face and her light makeup smeared onto her sleeve.
"Being a fucking hero sucks! I get chased, possessed, chased again, and now I'm about to get killed by a man in socks and sandals. Fucking, Socks. And. Sandals." Jess growled.
Gilgamesh looked at her, spear appearing in his hands with it's own flash.
"You going to run again?" The warrior asked with a smirk, his sunglasses not even askew.
"No, I'm going to kick your ass, drag you back to Keynote and then, then, I'm fucking going to buy expensive shoes and fucking charge someone else for them." Jess hissed, threw her knife, and charged.
Gilgamesh swung his spear to knock the knife out of the air but Jess recalled it before he could connect making the man overextend himself just enough for her plan to work.
Jess screeched as she jumped on Gilgamesh, her legs wrapping around his neck. She then twisted herself around, flipped her body, and slammed him onto the lawn. She then quickly rolled away to inspect her handiwork…
Only to see Gilgamesh arc his back and kick himself back up onto his feet.
The warrior cracked his neck and grinned. Then took off his glasses and handed them to Alec.
"Kid, fetch me a drink." Gilgamesh said.
Alec put the glasses on and smirked.
"Brian, Bitch, you have to come see this." Alec called as he entered the building.
Jess raised her knife, holding it in a reverse grip.
"Come on big boy, care to show a girl a good time?" She taunted.
Gilgamesh looked at her, his eyes glowing red.
"I wasn't the one running little lady. Makes sense, you got that rogue, Ultros, with you. Doesn't speak highly of you honor." Gilgamesh said as a second spear appeared in his hands, now holding one in each.
Jess gulped and gripped her knife tighter.
"That's my fucking pal, don't speak shit about him unless you want me to plant this in your ass." Jess warned pointing her knife at him and Ultros popped out for a second before vanishing again.
Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow.
"Attached to him are you? I wonder how long that'll last... But enough, come! Show me your strength! Show me your moxy and show. Me. Your. Honor!" Gilgamesh roared and rushed her, swinging both spears.
Jess dodged to the left and bounced the closest spear back with her knife, both weapons glowing.
Gilgamesh swung the other spear with lightning speed, Jess couldn't move and watched the spear tip come closer before a purple tentacle snapped out, swatting the weapon aside before coiling around Gilgamesh's throat.
"Uhwehehee! Guess I got to cut the action short, hope you don't mind if I choke tightly and finish up!" Ultros cackled and the tentacle glowed red.
"Drainra!" The octopus cried and Gilgamesh's entire body glowed deep red and Jess felt something pulsing along Ultros limb.
Then it hit her.
Energy, so much of it that she felt her body becoming charged.
"Haste!" Ultros cried and Jess felt the familiar sensation of the world becoming… slow to her.
Jess rocketed her fist forward smacking Gilgamesh's chin and then proceeded to bury three or thirty, Jess wasn't sure, punches into his torso, almost lifting the man into the air.
Ultros swung Gilgamesh and flung him across the tiny yard where he rolled until he hit the fence and lay still.
Jess panted hard as the magic faded.
"Nice…" Jess managed to gasp between breathes.
Ultros's limb drooped and slid across the floor as Ultros sank back into Jess's body.
"The rest… is up to you babe. Magic just isn't easy on such a barren world." Ultros said in a voice thick with exhaustion as he faded back into her bag.
Sudden snarling made her look up to see Bitch and what must be Grue and Regent, or Alec she supposed.
Alec tapped a golden scepter that crackled with electricity at the end on the ground and held a beer in the other hand, three of the dogs were growing and Grue was leaking darkness out of, well, everywhere really.
"Well… Fuck me sideways." Jess said with a groan and there was a chuckling that didn't come from any of the teens.
Jess watched as Gilgamesh picked himself up, dusted himself off and looked at her while stuffing his hands in his pockets.
"You got guts. You even got Ultros to stay with you and you're clearly been spending time with Keynote, you've got Keyblade magic all over you. So… spill the beans kid, what are you doing here? I ain't gonna torture you but I'll keep you here, wait until you're feeling better, and then we can have round two, then three. I got all day and you've got some fire in you yet." Gilgamesh said, bouncing on one leg as he spoke.
Jess looked around and then sighed. Escape was wishful thinking at best right now, Gilgamesh had baited her hard.
"Lisa owes me fucking big time for this." Jess snapped and pulled out the USB.
"What do you know about the sack of shit that was your secret boss?" The thief asked the teens.
The trio of teenage villains paused. By some unspoken agreement Grue stepped forward, his dark skin was smooth and he looked like he knew how to throw a mean punch.
"What's it to you?" Grue asked quietly, tone guarded.
Jess tapped her foot.
"Because he kidnapped Lisa and tried to fucking kill me. His name is Coil and you're going to want to fucking kill him when I tell you what's been going on and..." Jess paused for effect.
"I know who and where he is." She gloated.
Gilgamesh pulled the spears out from where ever he kept them and pointed them at her,
"You know where my cheatbook is? Well little lady, you just made a new friend and his name is Gilgamesh! I've been looking for Walkthrough and I'd appreciate a chance to meet the man who thought he could swipe one of my minions and get away with it." Gilgamesh said in a rumbling voice thick with menace, the glow in his eyes flashing even brighter.
Jess smiled and walked forwards, ignoring the growing dogs and snatched the beer out of Alec's hand.
Downing it a few large gulps, she handed it back to a still smirking Alec.
Bitch growled at her but Jess ignored the girl, focusing on Grue and Gilgamesh.
"Let's talk about a man named Thomas Calvert."