Clouds blocking seventy-five percent of the sky, darkness of them subtly increasing, rain imminent.
"No shit." She clenches her fist, then unclenches it after hearing the click of the old metal door being opened.
Lack of steps, not walking, door opened naturally and not telekinetically, process of elimination implies Victoria.
"You okay? Been up here for an hour or so and the weather forecast said it would rain soon." Says the emotionally fragile brute. Honestly, if Vicky can break her with a held-back punch, she could do the same to Vicky with just a few choice words.
Conversation on her parenta-
No. Don't even think about what that slip had implied. Rory made a mistake, and I'm gonna help keep it buried.
She gives the lighter-haired blonde a dismissive half-shrug. "Mmm fine." Victoria snorts at her words in an unladylike faction.
"Press X to doubt." Victoria replies, leaning up against the railing beside her.
Gamer slang, not a local game term. Term picked up from Rory.
Lisa's power doesn't work on him, but it still works on everyone else around him. Not much he can do about that. Or more accurately, he hasn't tried to do much about it.
"That's just something people do, Vicky. I thought you would know that the only answer to that question is saying you're fine." Lisa rolls her eyes, not turning to face the girl beside her.
"Yeah, but you aren't people. You're Lisa, and Lisa loves talking and airing out her problems."
"I feel like you're asking me to make you cry here." She turns to give Vicky her attention. Victoria is tapping at the railing as she looks out at the dark clouds.
"I'd rather you not. Just… wanted to see what's on your mind. Not used to you being quiet." Vicky says without looking at her.
"Rory still asleep?"
"The horrifying monster is still watching him sleep, yes."
"Then you know what I'm feeling." She nods and goes back to looking at the clouds.
"No, I know how I'm feeling. I'm alarmed, and very confused." Vicky says with a shake of her head.
"That sums it up nicely." Lisa shrugs again in response, turning to face Victoria finally. Vicky herself is facing the approaching storm, her lip clenched between her teeth and her hands almost denting the railing.
Holding back, could crush it as easily as a juice box. Thinks she's in too deep, can't escape. Doesn't want to escape. Upset she didn't get a choice in the first place.
And now it's her turn to think that. Considering she's latched onto the fact her powers alive. Not something she had been happy to learn about. Something he had known well before their first meeting.
"Why do you think I keep trying to off myself?"
He had answered her, one offhand dig at how much he knew resulted in such a haunted look in his eyes. Haunted and annoyed. Not annoyed at her, he was annoyed at everything. Still, that was what cemented her desire to find out more. It was unintentional bait left out for a far too curious fish.
Her inability to let things be got her attached to a formerly suicidal prophet. Wonderful. A quiet humm from her side reminds her she shouldn't be getting lost in her thoughts right now. Actually… fuck it. Time to take a page from his book.
"You want to know what I feel?" She turns abruptly enough that Vicky has to back up a little. The other blonde just nods to her after a moment. "Fucking terrified, horrified, every word in between the two. Do you get it? We just saw and heard enough to turn the entire world on its head. Even if we wanted to leave now, we'd be dead or locked in a small white room within the week."
"It couldn't be that bad right?" Vicky asks with a wince.
She thinks the opposite, not trying to hide it. Wants to keep you talking.
Gee, thanks. Not like it wasn't fucking obvious.
After her little moment with her power, she gives a sardonic laugh in response to Vicky's query. "Rory wouldn't have mentioned Cauldron at all without the literal alien weapon on our side." Vicky's shoulders slump at that. "Which I should add, her being on our side here is entirely conditional. Who's to say she wouldn't fuck with us? We don't know nearly enough about the Simurgh to be assured we won't wake up with our heads in a jar or something one day. The whole situation is fucked, no two ways about it."
"I'm going to be having nightmares for a while. Did not need that mental image." Vicky shudders. "Still, I wouldn't have left even knowing I couldn't."
"I'm not gonna think about it, or anything to do with it until I absolutely need to." Lisa shrugs and leans against the railing again. "I'd rather just stay home and get fucked into a puddle." Vicky startles as if she were a cat getting thrown in water.
Unprepared for the vulgarity. Hands clenching, frustrated on this subject in particular.
"Jeez Lisa, don't just drop something like that on me." Vicky says with a shake of her head.
"What? You jealous?" A smirk comes to her face at Victoria's expense. Vicky herself, crosses her arms under her chest.
"Wasn't ready for it before, and last night didn't really go to plan." Vicky half-mumbles at the end there.
"I feel that is very much an understatement. But I get what you mean."
"I can't really do anything when he just decides to tell me my ex didn't trigger. And I only got the follow-up to that now." Vicky says with a rather bitter expression.
Well, that's getting too serious for my current state of mind. Time to emulate him again.
"Did Rory tell you he fucked my throat for three hours after you left yesterday?"
"You bitch. Legit, full bitch." Vicky scowls.
"I was full, yeah." Lisa nods. As she goes to add something else a drop of cold water hits her nose and she shivers. The two of them look up at the dark clouds above for a moment.
"I wanted to do… you know… stuff. The other night. Before he killed the mood." Victoria shakes her head. "It wasn't a bad night after that, we just watched a movie and cuddled. Dad said he tucked me in. Sweet stuff like that seems rather rare coming from Rory."
"It kinda is." She finds herself shrugging at Vicky's words. "He's a grabber, I'm constantly having to wiggle out of his grasp. Other than things like that and the rare surprise compliments he isn't really good at communicating affection. Then again, he's told me he has really bad commitment issues and I believe it."
"Might help if he told us more about himself. Not much on public record." Vicky sighs.
"You've looked?"
"You haven't?"
"Touché." She clicks her tongue and looks towards the churning waves below, crashing into the shoreline and rocky beach. A droplet of water suddenly lands on her hand she had on the rail.
"Head inside now?" Vicky asks.
"Yeah. As much as I want to avoid pale and scary, I also want my dog right now." Lisa nods in agreement. They head inside, closing the big metal door leaving the rain behind it and away from them. Heading down the stairs they pass her and Rory's room to go further down. Angel bitch is where they left her, staring at the sleeping Rory on the loveseat without moving or blinking. She shakes her head and walks over to the big chair, whistling as she does. Big Boy comes out from his place under the stairs and settles half laying on her lap with her on the hair. "Good boy."
"Most well-trained dog I've ever seen." Vicky floats over beside her.
"I have a co-worker who trains dogs as her main hobby."
"You have a job outside of being a cape?"
"No comment." They stay silent for a while. Watching the Endbringer that's so casually watching her their, sleeping boyfriend. And an odd situation, odd relationship to be in. All for the safety of her legs, being able to walk is worth another blonde or two. Rory has a type and he hasn't strayed far from it.
"He looks like he's in pain. Must be a nightmare. Should we wake him up?" Vicky asks after a while. Sure enough, Rory has his face scrunched in obvious pain.
"Designation Roar Ree is known as host species term 'Noctis Cape' and is in need of sleep after refraining from it for so long. Waking him is not a recommended course of action." The mostly human-looking alien weapon tells them before they can do anything.
"Are you serious?" Vicky squints.
"Query, what is the purpose of that question?"
"Really? Did he really go out of his way to hide that? And I, at least should have fucking seen it sooner." A growl of frustration follows her words.God damnit Rory, just talk to us already.Along with that she ignores the angel bitch as to avoid further head pain.
"Woof!" Lisa unclenches her hand, grabbing Big Boy's fur so roughly wasn't something she planned on.
"I'm so sorry buddy, I'll make sure you get a very nice dinner tonight in apology." She tells her dog, giving him lots of pats.
Unhurt, was just startled.
Thank god. For once, my power said something useful.
"He's honestly really talented at not telling anyone anything. Unless he's drunk." Vicky states, and Lisa finds herself chuckling ever so slightly.
"Complete blabbermouth, at least he's a funny one."
"Query, what is the purpose of that question?" The Simurgh's near-melodic voice startles them both. Vicky turns to her with a blink.
"I'm sorry what?" Vicky asks her.
"Query about the query on this unit being 'serious'. Insistence of a prompt response."
Is still waiting for an answer from the earlier question.
Gee, thanks a lot for the free head pain.
"You're kidding me? You're getting hung up on that?" a scowl comes to her face, beside her, Vicky just looks confused for a moment. And the angel bitch just stares at her with a blank face.
"I thought it was obvious? Doesn't she have thinker powers or something too?" Vicky asks.
"Deviant Vital {Administrator 1} {Growth 1} {Drone Command 1} is a source of irritation and limitations in this unit's abilities."
Ain't that the fucking truth. Didn't think I would ever agree with the power drone.
Drone inaccurate. Capable of independent thought.
I'm calling her a drone and that's final.
"Even now? I get a feeling that isn't normal. Constant power effects are something rarely ever done save for extreme cases." Vicky asks in reply.
Power nerd does her power nerding. Eye rolling should be fully expected here.
"Deviant is an accurate parameter. It interferes with anything attempting to gather [DATA] on Designation Roar Ree."
Interfering with an Endbringer, possibly able to control one. Links to the man named David mentioned earlier. Someone is controlling the Endbringers.
Excuse me what?!
Violent reaction at the mention of the name David. Violent action against me extremely probable. Mention of David will caus-
No, don't go down that train of thought. I need something that won't get my neck snapped. Rory's trigger, focus on that.
Triggered at an Endbringer battle, Rory saw David at his trigger, Rory wasn't surp-
She winces in pain as her brain blue screens. No direct thoughts on Rory, need to avoid that. But even she saw how he wasn't surprised that David was there, just that he seemed to have gained something from David. Presumably, David is a regular at Endbringer battles. Hopefully, that isn't too far of a leap for her power.
Regular combatant at an Endbringer battle. Only high-ranking members of the Protectorate apply.
Go from the top. And not Alexandria, as she's highly unlikely to be named David.
Legend, Eidolon, Chevalier, Armsmaster-
She snorts at that last one. No, definitely not him. Most likely one of the first three. Wait, if the person showing up is the one controlling the Endbringers, you would think they would be at every battle.
Process of elimination removes Chevalier and Legend. David is Eidolon. Eidolon controls the Endbringers.
"Fuck."
Lisa's proclamation at her discovery has one of such Endbringers, and her fellow blonde, both turn their heads to face her.
Interrupted their conversation. Curious.
She winces in the throbbing head pain pushing her power always gives. So she had gone so far deep into her power again that she had blurred the world around her. Not something new, just not something she does often either. "Ignore me, I'm just going to grab an Advil." She tries scooching the dog off her waist and he doesn't budge.
"You stay put, I'll just grab you one." Vicky floats off to do just that.
"Yeah yeah, thanks." She half mumbles as the other girl leaves. Leaving her alone with both sources of her headache. "Hey, quick question. Can I say something without you just instantly murdering me?"
"Statement, you already have." Lisa rolls her eyes at that response, for being an emotionless monster the Simurgh sure is a snarky bitch.
Not emotionless, subtle emotions. More pronounced with proper human biology.
Huh, Rory was right on that then. Which, asking The Simurgh this question really was an idiotic thing to do. Mission aborted, she'll ask Rory when he wakes up. Preferably not around a murder bot. Still, now she feels a need to fill the void of silence or she'll go even more insane than she already has. "What do you think he's dreaming about?" Then indicates Rory.
"Inconclusive."
Yeah, she should have expected that. No chance of a meaningful conversation with this bitch. Unless you're a power nerd apparently as It appeared Vicky was able to actually talk to her for a while.
"Here." Said girl comes back with the Advil and a cup of water.
"Thanks."
...
Leviathan wasn't the first time I've drowned. No, I was five years old at a large lake with my family and family friends. My sister and I had been floating in those small pool rings for kids. The adults stayed on the shore just talking, content to let the two kids do whatever.
It was fine until my sister showed me she didn't need her hands on the ring to stay swimming. In my utter genius, I tried copying her and immediately sank like a rock. I don't remember much of what happened next, save for seeing the bottom of the lake rather clearly and the worst pain I had ever experienced, for years to come even.
I think I passed out or something, but I'll never forget when I woke up. Coughing up water, my mum frantically tried to get me to breathe. She had been fully clothed when she went into the water to save me. The only reason that stuck out so much is because she was the only one who hadn't gone into the water before then and hadn't intended to.
That stuck with me for the rest of my life obviously, and it wasn't the last time my mother saved my life. I was a rather difficult child but she had never once made me or my siblings feel like a burden.
With all my issues I grew up fearing only one thing. Losing the people close to me, and specifically my mother. My greatest and only fear came true. And now every happy memory is a painful one. I'd much rather not deal with my problems at all than think about the past.
Waking up in a new life, one without any strings to hold me down, I tried taking it as a good thing. Using what little remained of my optimism to live a good life in honour of my family I wouldn't see again, and as something my mother had wanted.
My resolve was swept away by the waves. Now I recognized what my being here was. Having memories of some more successful mockery of my own life, no attachments or connections, a trapping sense of false freedom. I was only religious once in my life, raised as a Christian, a belief my mother had that she was fine when I decided not to share.
I believe in God now, or a god. I was baptized in the waves of a monster's creation, my lungs burnt as whatever flame of life I had left was snuffed out. Yes, I believe in God. I believe he's an asshole.
Thankfully, this world has a more well-known god. Not the one my mother believed in but I'm sure that asshole could be around somewhere.
And If I want to ever have a peaceful life, this world's god needs to die.