2.4
-- Lisa Wilbourne Tattletale --
I spent a couple minutes trying to work out a way to rescue my plan to slack off for a while but ultimately had to admit defeat. Mainly because I really didn't want to give Taylor the idea she could bother me during a migraine because I might just be malingering. Time to face the music.
Well, not just yet. I grabbed a shower first, carefully not giving Taylor the impression it was because I'd touched her. That'd rather defeat the point of the gesture. It's not like it was anything about her in partic-- OK, that's a lie. I get you have bug powers, Taylor, but that doesn't mean you need to cover yourself in them! But what I meant was that it's hardly just her. My family had never been big on physical affection -- really, on affection in general, but that was a different issue -- and my power had made it a thousand times worse. Even clamping down on it as hard as I could, I knew it well enough that just feeling it chomping at the bit was enough to make me feel dirty.
I dried off and put together a casual outfit. I'd already done that this morning, but I could hardly put the same clothes back on. I did make myself throw them in the hamper, though. You know, I'd read a lot of discussion about superpowers, but all the extra laundry was an underrated downside. Not that I do my own laundry. Almost enough to make me feel bad for the heroes, who have to put up with all the same power side effects without even being rich.
I packed a bag with my costume and gun and called out to Taylor and we made our way out the back. I stopped and groaned.
"Bicycles? Really?"
"What were you expecting? Even if we had new cars brought in, the roads are clogged with all the dead ones."
OK, that was a pretty good point. Still...
"Motorcycles, maybe? It's too hot for exercise. Or Tanya could just come here instead."
"You need the cardio. You can ask Tanya if you want, but I think she'd agree--"
"OK! We'll ride! No need to say anything about this to Tanya, right?"
"Ah, Lisa. You're early."
Tanya was in fact sitting with a laptop, absorbed. I hesitated a little, but my curiosity got the better of me. I made my way behind her as I responded.
"There's variance. I got off especially lightly this time."
She was on a page discussing the pros and cons of incorporating in various states and nations. Huh. Well, I should have guessed she was being literal about that, even without my power. Did she really think they'd let her get away with that? Though they might, honestly. I'd strongly recommend it. There were much less agreeable ways she could be spending her time.
I flicked my eyes across the very full tab bar, letting out a trickle of my power to fill in the gaps. Bunch of PHO tabs: the locals, parahuman healing, Medhall, Marquis, the Birdcage, Dragon, the Guild, the Meisters, Gesellschaft, the Yàngbǎn, the Simurgh, Leviathan, Japan. Er, no, Japan then Leviathan. Interesting. About what I expected, otherwise. Some news articles, mainly on Echidna and Dauntless, though there was one about the Nine's attack. A list of outstanding bounties. A comparison of different language learning programs. FAA rules for fliers. How very Tanya. A few more pages on parahuman healing including some academic papers, which seemed odd until I noticed one was discussing the impossibility of resurrection. Oh. More papers on other topics in parahuman science. Several pages on history, all post Scion.
That made me pause. Well, there was no indication she had specific knowledge about Bet's future and Aleph hadn't had capes until we made contact. Maybe most worlds don't have capes, so the Aleph course of history is more standard, in some sense. But her world isn't standard, either; it had already diverged from shared history of Bet and Aleph and would presumably diverge further as magical science developed. Not sure what to make of that. Was her future knowledge from yet another world, somehow? I let up on my power a bit more.
Likely. Not surprised by existence of other worlds. No indication of ongoing precognition. Dimensional travel known possible; time travel unconfirmed. Magic can replicate some power effects.
Right, it wasn't necessarily future knowledge given that worlds could apparently run on different timescales. It fit.
Well, how would that work? Did she figure out a spell to scry on other dimensions? Somehow transfer knowledge from her dimensional alternate? She clearly wasn't actually from a modern Germany, given the chronic malnutrition. And I thought she'd have left that world had she been able to, at least before getting attached to her people. If--
"Good to hear," she interrupted my thoughts. She'd been willing to let me read over her shoulder for a bit, but I'd apparently been taking too long. "We need to pick up some things. Are you ready?"
Pick up what things, Tanya? No way had the bounties cleared yet. A pit formed in my stomach.
"You don't want to debrief, first?"
"We'll have to handle that later. I've got a busy day planned."
"... I'll need to change into my costume. Don't forget your mask."
She was just lounging in her uniform without it. That's not how you maintain a secret identity, but that wasn't a battle I wanted to pick.
"What?" She glanced back at me, evidently confused. "Why would you need to change into your costume? That'd just attract attention."
Well, looked like this battle was picking me.
"You really can't do cape stuff out of costume. You might get away with it a few times, especially with a subtle power like mine, but sooner or later someone will figure it out. And once you're outed, that never goes away. I don't have any family I care to protect, but I'd like to be able to go shopping without getting harassed."
She was frowning at me.
"... So you do go shopping out of costume, then?"
Yes? Obviously? Why would...
"Oh! Yes. You'll need to change, in that case. Not a lot of girls running around in uniform."
She grimaced but nodded, putting the laptop away and disappearing upstairs. I went looking for Taylor, who hadn't made it far. She was back to helping with cleanup, collecting broken cellphones while pretending to follow a bug arrow.
"Hey, Taylor. Shopping with me and Tanya?"
She stopped and looked over at me.
"Really? Your playbook is kind of limited, isn't it?"
I rolled my eyes.
"Her idea. She does need stuff."
"Well, OK. Give me a minute to finish up. Are you going to invite the others?"
"Better not. Brian might be alright, but it'd take forever to get here from his place, and we're apparently on a schedule. You realize you'll have to... introduce yourself?"
"Already did. Last night."
Called it.
I left her to it and went back inside just as Tanya came downstairs. On the plus side, she'd scrounged up an outfit that fit. Well, kind of. She wouldn't trip over the pant legs, at least. On the minus side, she had her rifle on her back and her knife at her waist.
"Tanya, you can't take all that."
"Why not? Plenty of people are armed around here."
"Around here. We're going to the Boardwalk. People there came off pretty much unscathed and they'll look askance at a girl carrying a rifle taller than she is." Actually, they'd look askance at that here, too. They just knew better than to ask questions. "Unless you want to bring the men? Maybe you can get away with it if it looks like a family thing."
She grimaced and shook her head. Huh. Worth using my power on? Probably not. If I investigated everything Tanya did that didn't make sense, I'd have another migraine by lunch.
She reluctantly set the rifle down and came towards me.
"Knife too. You took it off Jack very publicly."
She paused but ultimately did unfasten and drop the sheath. She even made it most of the way to the door before grinding to a halt. I watched in fascination. She reached into a pocket, presumably reassuring herself that she had her orb. Orbs? Yeah, she'd have taken all three. She took a deep breath and almost started walking again, but she couldn't quite manage it. She glanced over at where she left the rifle.
It was like watching a bug bounce off a window, reorient, and bounce right back off it again. Like the problem was unimaginable. Not surprising, unimaginable. She lacked the conceptual vocabulary to even articulate what was happening to her, let alone explain it. I wondered how long she'd be stuck like this if I left her to it. Well, not too long, probably. This was an especially stark case, but things like this must happen to her all the time. She'd push through on willpower or rationalize doing it another way, and she was only getting stuck now because the logic was very clear and she really didn't want to follow it.
But I really shouldn't wait around. The solution she'd settle on was essentially unpredictable. She'd decide Cherie was controlling her from beyond the grave before she came anywhere near the truth. She'd already decided Cherie had been following her around basically since she arrived, after all. And wasn't that something? Not because it was dumb as hell -- it was, but that wasn't what made it remarkable -- but because it implied that she realizes she has emotions and that they're in turmoil. Well, 'realizes' implies she was correct. Not that she doesn't have emotions, obviously, but I suspect she thinks the word means something else. Payout matrices, maybe? Or were those for multiple people? I really needed to brush up on my Economics.
And it implied not just that she thought she had tumultuous emotions but that she couldn't figure out why. Or maybe she just didn't want to admit that that was compromising her decisions? Right, she's insecure about her men's loyalty and probably believes they'd leave her if they thought she'd lost her touch. Sounds right. A drop of my power agreed.
I walked over to her, rummaging in my bag. Was she breathing too quickly? OK, worse than I'd realized. Fuck. A panic attack was the last thing we needed. How long had it been since she last went out without a weapon? Before the war? Actually, it might have been her time as a 'test pilot.' Her eyes snapped to me as I got close, which was good and bad. Good that she was paying attention to her surroundings at all, bad that I'd actually surprised her. She normally kept close track of exactly where everyone was around her. It'd be creepy, but Taylor did it better. Taylor wasn't also keeping track of all the most efficient ways to murder any or all of those people on an instant's notice, though.
I finally found my pistol and pulled it out, offering her the handle. She snatched it, immediately relaxing. Really? Like you weren't the most dangerous person in the state with just the orb? You can't feel comfortable unless you can efficiently kill at range, too? I sighed. I knew it didn't work that way. Actually, she'd probably be thinking that if she were a smidge more self aware. Shit! Had I spent so long trying to understand how she thinks that it rubbed off on me? Actually, that might explain some things about her men...
"Good thinking," she said. A little late, but her voice was perfectly even. "If there's trouble, I should be able to make better use of this than you."
Yeah, that was just obviously true. Not even going to pretend to be offended.
Though I did notice some clumsiness as she popped the magazine and checked the witness holes. Not actual clumsiness, but I'd never previously seen her handle a weapon with anything less than perfect fluidity. Well, that's just practice, right? She's never held a modern pistol before. She seemed to have a good idea how they worked, though, not that WWI pistols were that different. Satisfied, she reinserted the magazine and checked the chamber.
"Your spare magazine?" she asked, looking down the sights. The barrel was down and her finger was off the trigger.
"I don't have one."
She glanced at me.
"You want to fiddle with loose rounds in a firefight? Get one. Get three."
I didn't carry loose rounds, either, but I doubted she'd appreciate the correction. I nodded instead.
"Got a holster, at least?"
She was trying and failing to fit the gun in a pocket.
"No. You realize that's an illegal weapon, right? Filed serial number, unplugged magazine. You also don't have a carry license and aren't nearly old enough to get one. Keep it concealed unless you need it."
"... Right." She slipped it into her waistband, ensuring her too-big shirt would cover it. "Shouldn't that apply to the rifle, too?"
"It does. And it's one of the reasons that could have been a problem when we got to the part of the city where the law might actually be enforced."
She nodded.
"Well, let's go. I have other things planned for today."
I directed her toward the bike rack. Taylor was already there. Skitter had apparently let everyone go for an early lunch. Fortunate timing, that.
Tanya paused, looking at Taylor.
"You're coming?"
"I was planning on it. Is that an issue?"
"... No, I suppose not."
Taylor looked at me and I shrugged. Clearly not worth using my power.
Taylor and I grabbed bikes at random while Tanya looked through them more carefully. Well, fair enough. She wouldn't be able to reach the pedals on most of these. All of them, actually, except-- I bit my lip. Tanya realized it at the same time. Her expression! I bit my lip harder.
Then her eyes flicked to me and went dead. Her face fell slack. She just looked at me. I'd called her a reptile the day we met, hadn't I? Maybe I'd been too hasty to dismiss that thought. Something cold and predatory and not at all human. I swallowed and felt my palms start to sweat. I tried to cast my eyes down, but I couldn't bring myself to look away. She held me there, pinned by that glassy stare, for a couple long seconds.
Then she got on her sparkly pink bike, tore the tassels off the handlebars, and we set out.
Tanya scowled at the rack of dresses and then turned that scowl on me.
"What would you recommend?
OK, what the fuck was this?
Tanya hates dresses.
Thanks, Power, never could have worked that one out on my own. I glanced at Taylor and she shrugged. That was always going to be a long shot, I guess.
"... What are you going for?"
"You know. Something infantilizing. Cute. Make me seem harmless."
... Did she think a dress could do that? Was this some sort of fucked up loyalty test?
Yes. No.
OK...
"... For what occasion?"
She blinked, scowl faltering.
"Oh, didn't I say? The PRT hasn't made any official statement on us yet. Well, they've spoken on the Dauntless situation, but they didn't identify us. And now they probably won't say anything until they've confirmed the bounties. I thought we might introduce ourselves to the public on our terms."
"You want to fight the PRT on PR?" Taylor asked. "That's... very bold."
"We're in a good position. The first story a person hears about an event always has the biggest impact. And the facts look pretty good on their own; we shouldn't have to spin things too much. And when the PRT is forced to admit we did in fact effectively end the Slaughterhouse Nine, that'll drown out whatever else they decide to say."
"That... might actually work," I admitted. "But why the dress?"
"For the TV interview, of course."
Tanya, feeling humiliated and vulnerable while some media jackass asked probing questions about her past? That was a recipe for murder on live TV, not a PR coup!
"... Capes are expected to give interviews in costume. It would be inappropriate to appear in something else. And you don't want to look entirely harmless if you want to convince the world of your accomplishments."
"Oh." She expelled a breath, trying to hide how relieved she was. "Let's move on, then.
Where did that even come from? She's not exactly fashion-conscious.
Past experience.
...
You know, Tanya might not really believe Imperials are superhumanly brave, but I'm starting to.
Edit: Cleaned up some awkward phrasing and fixed a typo. No substantive changes