Character Creation 1.3
Fugly Bob's is a terrible place to eat for a vegetarian. They technically have three or four meat-free items, but the premade salads all have bacon bits, the french fries are fried in beef grease or lard or SOMETHING, milkshakes aren't really food, and even after getting sued for exactly that reason, I had to specifically ask that they NOT soak my vegeburger in whatever bacon-dripping, beef grease, lard glop that covers everything there. Of course, what do you expect out a half-fast food, half-bar in a weathered building on the edge of Merchant's territory? The lunch rush just ended, fly-harried workers are mostly busy cleaning up leftovers, and a few rumpled men are half-consciously swaying over their beers in a corner.
Taylor's order is much easier, other than the fact they try to give us each other's orders. Twice. I swear, every time I eat out… I sometimes wonder if my sister started eating meat for the humor factor of my reaction to being offered chunks of dead animals by sexist waitstaff.
Eating the food is easy. Banging around in a locker for two hours is hungry work. We mostly just stuff our faces. Talking is tough. I'm not about to discuss powers in what is probably the most popular fast food place for Winslow students, even if the post-school rush won't show up until after school actually ends. Things are quiet for a few minutes before I try, "So... I thought you'd stopped using your locker...?"
"I was walking past and saw the door bulging. I almost thought Emma had filled it with something again but I heard banging."
I hope that didn't trigger a flashback or something. Last thing I need is her thinking about that trauma right now. "Nope. It was Sophia. And some Nazis. Maybe I should be proud. I got Nazis to work with a black chick..." I half-forced a smile. "Almost done?"
Looking over the rapidly-wilting lettuce on the last fourth of her burger, Taylor apparently decides she'd had enough. "So, I don't think you asked me here to talk about lockers..." she says leadingly.
"Actually, I did. Or more accurately, what I think happened in there." Okay, bad way to start the conversation. The glare is strong in this one. "Sorry, I know you don't want to talk about it, and it's really not something you should bring up - and I don't mean you-you, I mean a more general you, in this case me - I mean..." I stop for a second to end the babble. Deep breath. "The same thing happened to me right before I ended up in the locker. I think..." I trailed under her glare. I swear, for such a twiggy girl, Taylor has a downright intimidating stare. Even if I didn't know... think? I'm still not sure I know...
"What do you think happened?" Her quiet voice has the same knife-like intensity as her gaze.
Holy crap. I've never found an emotionless voice so scary. "I, uh, think I'm," I try not to be too obvious about glancing around the joint. Thankfully it's still mostly empty, so my absolute lack of subtlety is probably unnoticed. "A parahuman."
"Getting yourself out of a clean locker gave you powers? And what powers do you have?"
I don't know if Taylor has the best poker face ever, or if I'm just coming across as a lunatic. "No, it was the beating and threatened stabbing beforehand that did it. And I-"
"Who put you up to this?"
Wow. I thought she was scarily emotionless before. There's absolutely no inflection in her face or voice, but my every nerve is screaming that she's pissed. Even the flies around the garbage cans seem agitated.
[Due to realizing how badly you've put your foot in it, a new skill has been unlocked!]
[Sense Danger (Passive) Lvl 1 Exp 0.00%]
[A natural survival instinct. It allows the user to sense when a bad thing might happen. The higher the skill level, the sooner it can sense danger.]
Well, I wish that had shown up a few minutes ago. But if it's anything like in those Earth Aleph comics... I could use that.
Right as I'm about to completely fumble out denials in terror, I realize something. I'm not actually scared. I check Taylor. Still glaring. Still way more intimidating than a skinny white girl should ever be. And yet I'm just not... well, I'm still intimidated. But it's not controlling me.
"I triggered. At first it just seemed like a really crappy Thinker power - I can tell exactly how close to dying I am. And watching that tick closer while those punks beat me-"
"Stop. You're not even good at this. You aren't injured, not even bruised. Your clothes are barely ruffled."
Huh. I knew my health bar was back up to to 85/85 after a few minutes, but hadn't really noticed that I didn't have a mark on me. "That's the second thing I noticed - I seem to regenerate. Not too fast, but maybe nine or ten minutes from almost dead to perfectly fine." It cannot be healthy for a teenager to be able to hide their emotions so thoroughly for so long. It suddenly occurs to me that she's probably got a lot of practice dealing with Sophia, Emma, and Madison.
"That's... convenient." Dripping sarcasm finally betrays some emotion. "And why are you telling me this?"
"Well, it seems I also get some information about everyone I look at. Name. Threat level. And some extra information. Like 'unaffiliated parahuman'. And... I don't know. It just seemed like... you're a friend, and neither of us has many, and all things considered I thought I could tell you."
The flies stopped buzzing.
[Relationship with Taylor Hebert decreased!]
[Relationship with Taylor Hebert is now 'School mates']
I disguise closing the window as waving off a fly. Wonder what I did to make that drop...
"Friends?" she hissed. "You think we're friends? When did we become friends? Did you help out when I was being bullied? Did you get me out of the locker? Did you tell ANYONE who did that to me?"
"I tried-"
"Tried? What did you try?"
The flies had apparently gotten bored, and I was able to use swatting them away to take a moment to try and not put my foot in it. "Do you remember that… What about the time I… sonovacrap. I tried to let you out of the locker, but Madison tackled me. Broke my collarbone. But the weird strap set-up the doctor's had me on by the time you got back to school was probably covered by my backpack every time we bumped into each other in the hall. I've got no way of proving shit though."
Taylor just stared.
I waved off the increasingly persistent flies. I might be done eating, but it doesn't mean I okay with the flies finishing my meal in front of -
[Danger!]
"Huh?" I don't see any danger, but catch a glimpse of this one fly that's decided to just chill on my hand.
[Controlled Fly]
I stare at it.
[A skill has been created through a special act.]
[Through continuous observation, a skill to find the target's information, 'Observe', has been created.]
[Controlled Fly Lvl 1]
[HP: 1 MP: 0]
[A normal housefly controlled by a nearby parahuman. One fly is hardly a threat.]
I look up at Taylor's largely emotionless face. I look past her at the horde of flies swarming the trash cans. Every single one has a sign floating over it. They blend together into a huge blue blur. I still can guess what they all say.
[Controlled Fly]
"Shit."