Please forgive my absence and the shitty formating for the next few chapters. My laptop had an unfortunate run in with a rather full mug of coffee and neither survived the experience. I have not replaced it just yet so I'm making do with a copy paste method from my phone to email to FFdotnet. So far this seems to be my only work around. On with the chapter.
Interlude Missy/Vista
Missy sat with Lisa watching Taylor and Lily going through hand to hand training with Hanna and Jamie. "I don't get it." She blurted out to the blonde next to her.
Lisa cocked an eyebrow at her. "Get what?"
Missy decided to push forward. "You and Taylor? You know?"
"I do know Taylor." Lisa smiled. "She's actually my girlfriend."
Missy made an impatient face. "That's not what I meant."
"It's what you asked."
Missy took a calming breath. "Your relationship, it's different than most."
Lisa cocked her head a bit at that. "You know it doesn't have to be a boy and a girl for-"
"I know, I know!" Missy snapped. "I meant that you two don't act like your girlfriends."
"How do girlfriends act?" Lisa asked.
Missy pushed her annoyance back down. "I don't know, just different. You and Taylor hold hands sometimes and always sit together on the couch but you don't, you know..." she trailed off slightly embarrassed.
"Know what." Lisa asked teasingly.
"Kiss and stuff." Missy said, barely audible.
Lisa just about burst out laughing. "What would you know about 'kissing and stuff'?"
"I'm not stupid." Missy defended.
"Not saying you are." Lisa returned. "Just too young."
"I'm not a little kid." Missy snapped.
"You're twelve." Lisa rolled her eyes.
"Almost thirteen." Missy corrected.
Lisa widened her eyes and over exaggerated. "Woah."
"I'm so going to kick your ass when it's our turn." Missy growled.
"So long as you don't bite my ankles."
They both winced when Lily threw Taylor over her shoulder and brought her down to the mat.
"So you and Taylor?" Missy persisted.
Lisa sighed. "My issues work with her issues."
"What?" Missy deadpanned.
"Listen, all capes have their problems right?" Lisa led.
"Yyyeahh."
"Both mine and Taylor's can be broken down to interpersonal relationships." Lisa tried to give it as broad a scope as she could. "Our issues just so happen to match the others' personality so it works."
"Sounds more like friends than girlfriends." Missy said.
Lisa shrugged. "Yes and no. Taylor's still hesitant for anything beyond the occasional PDA and I'm okay with letting her set the pace. Even if I think she needs a bit of stress relief.""
"Why?" Missy pressed.
"Because despite hormones egging her on she doesn't believe anyone can find her attractive and she loses confidence." Lisa shook her head. "That's as much as I'll say." She got up. "I've said too much already."
Missy looked over to the mat to see Lily had Taylor pinned face down with one hand pulled up behind her back.
"Don't be mad when you lose." Missy smirked at Lisa.
"Whatever." Lisa scoffed.
PAGEBREAK
Vista pulled at the fabric of her costume. "I wish they would let me update my costume."
"What's wrong with it?" Clockblocker drawled lazily. They were waiting for their turn in the next exercise.
"Makes me look like a little kid." She grumbled.
"You a-"
"I'll be thirteen next month!" She snapped. "So don't you call me a little kid."
Clockblocker shrugged. "So go up to PR with Militia and change it."
"I tried." She groused. "They said I had to wait so they could line up my costume change with marketing."
"That's stupid."
"It is!" Vista agreed.
"What did you want instead?" He asked.
Vista tilted her head in thought. "I don't know something between this and stuff like the PRT wears."
Clockblocker looked down at her. "Going for child soldier? No wonder they told you to wait."
"I'm no-"
The buzzer sounded overhead indicating their turn.
"The usual?" He gestured at the training room.
"It ain't broke." Vista said scanning the training room layout.
"Don't fix it, yeah yeah." Clockblocker stretched out his legs. "You realize that if Wisp is on the other team we are pretty much screwed right?"
Vista huffed. "Hardly. She still holds back cause she is afraid she is going to hurt someone again."
"After what she did to Stalker I can appreciate that." He hummed.
"Not if it gets her or us in trouble in the field." Vista grabbed the space of her target and pulled it closer so they could just step forward onto her chosen vantage point.
"She'll learn." Clock stepped back from the edge and knelt down into a sprinters crouch.
"Hopefully not the hard way. I see them." Vista reported. "Looks like Flechette and Weld."
"They're in for a surprise." He positioned his feet. "Ready."
"I'm going to twist you around behind them." Vista cautioned.
"Ugh I hate when you don't use straight lines." He complained. "Whatever let's do it."
Vista reached out with her power and pulled and twisted at the space until she had a "tunnel" that covered the full length of the space with only a relative distance of a few steps. She gave Clockblocker a hand signal and he sprinted full force through the "tunnel" and out just paces behind the opposing pair.
Flechette tried to spin, but it was over in a moment as soon as he tagged them both.
Overhead the buzzer sounded.
Too easy.
PAGEBREAK
"So when did you know you were a lesbian?"
Taylor choked on her bottle of water and it spilled all down her front as she fought for a proper breath of air. "What?" She gasped.
"When did you," Missy waved at Lisa arguing with Jamie about the weights on a machine. "Know you were into girls?"
Taylor's face flushed. "It's not so simple."
Missy blew out an exasperated breath. "I'm not some dumb kid I know what sex is and stuff."
Taylor sputtered again looking wildly around as if she was afraid anyone would overhear. "No I mean I'm not into girls, or I guess I mean I'm not only into girls," she pursed her lips in thought. "I don't know. It's more like I'm attracted to the person and the body just comes along with it you know?"
Missy shook her head. "Not really."
Taylor looked a bit flustered. "Um, Uh, oh well what if you met a girl who was exactly like Dean in every way even looked similar just had different, uh, physical attributes. Would you still be crushing on them?"
Missy's heart twisted at the thought of Dean, still in a coma at the hospital. "I don't think so?"
"So you like Dean because he is a boy?" Taylor asked.
"It helps." Missy defended.
Taylor held up her hands. "I'm not judging I'm just pointing out that, for me, boy or girl doesn't matter. Lisa and I? We just kinda work. I, well I don't do well with social stuff, like expressing myself or put what I'm thinking into words. I'm too caught up in what other people think or want. Lisa can read through all that, read through everything really. And I'm okay with that."
Missy shook her head. "I don't think that I would like that."
"Most people don't." Taylor confirmed. "It's been really hard on Lisa because she has needs and problems of her own that push people away. Well that and her brutal honesty that come with her obsession with the truth."
"Power stuff?" Missy asked.
Taylor shrugged. "Probably some of it but also probably just as much personal issues. You would have to ask her about it."
"You haven't?" Missy questioned.
Taylor shook her head. "I trust her and she trusts me even with our issues we click and that's good enough for me."
Across the room Lisa looked at Taylor and rolled her eyes while she hooked a thumb at Jamie.
Taylor smiled back.
Missy huffed, She didn't get it at all.
End Chapter
Okay, hopefully you read the top bit and are not too frustrated with me by this point.
Huge ThankYou to those of you who have given this story a fav/follow and that goes double to you all whom have left reviews or sent kind messages of encouragement during my absence.
Much Love,
K. Raiden