Current Energy: 13

Saturday, January 8th, 2011

Hebert Household, Brockton Bay

You reform in the middle of the Hebert Household sometime later in the middle of the night. You have a lot you would like to say. You might not have been 'alive' for the entire duration of Taylor's misadventures, but you were present. Unwritten Rules? Stupid. Handing Lung over to that idiot Armsmaster to take back home on his clownmobile? Stupid. Agreeing to go back to the PRT to make another statement? Stupid.

Okay well. They sort of forced your Master's hand on that last one. The waiting list to see Panacea is kind of long, and the only way the PRT was going to advocate to get her Father seen to in any reasonable period of time was if she acquiesced to their demands. You wouldn't have known any of that off the top of your head if your Master hadn't already inferred it while you were down for the count. Your current Emulation sort of has experience with causing a ruckus and then being press-ganged into service, and you recognize all the signs.

But that's all besides the point, because the first thing you actually say upon spawning into existence in the middle of your Master's kitchen, while both she and her Father talk quietly at the table while nursing cups of coffee is thus;

"Oh my god, his Cape was stupid! And the way he twirled it!" You cackle, stumbling over to the table and plopping down into the empty seat nearby.

"Emmy!" Taylor gasps, jumping up from her seat with a start and nearly spilling her drink in her rush to run around the table to hug you.

"Yeah, yeah." You say, still chuckling over the cape thing. Lifting one arm to pat your Master companionably on the back and sensing the looming tension draining from her shoulders.

"You're not... mad?" She asks eventually, leaning away from you to make eye contact but maintaining the hug.

"You know I'm not." You chide her with a roll of your eyes towards Danny, who is actually looking at you with concern for some reason.

"Seriously? You too?" You ask incredulously.

"Emmy you died!" Taylor barks at you, the dim lighting of the kitchen making the bags under her eyes seem ten times bigger than they are. The puffy redness of her eyes themselves - from what was obviously a great deal of crying - is almost ghoulish looking on her.

"Yeah but... nah?" You explain, then scramble to completely explain your thoughts on the matter when your Master narrows her eyes at you in that way she does when she's really pissed.

"I can't really die ya know? I couldn't think of a better way to take out the big guy without killin' 'im, so I just sorta took him with me." You say, and feel a sudden tightening of your Master's hands on your brand new Haori, apparently having generated a new one when you reformed.

"Emmy I don't care if you think it's okay to sacrifice yourself like that! If I ever give you an order that's going to kill you just... tell me! Or find another way! Or retreat!" Taylor growls at you.

"That isn't really-" You try.

"Promise!" She demands, glaring at you. You stare at her unblinkingly for a second while you contemplate that order.

"Just go with it. She's like her Mother that way. Can't really change her mind once she gets going." Daniel chimes in, raising his mug to you in salute.

"And what's with you being all chummy all of a sudden huh?" You ask, rounding on the man and avoiding answering Taylor.

"You beat up Lung for my daughter. Doesn't get more committed than that." He says with an awkward shrug.

"Emmy..!" Your Master says again, causing you to wince when you can hear her teeth grinding together.

"Fine! I promise! Damn, you're worse than-" You say before abruptly clamping your mouth shut, images of pink hair dancing in the corners of your vision.

"Is everything all right?" Taylor asks, immediately transitioning from menacing task master to worried parent.

"Just ah, been getting some feedback from this Emulation. Think I've been the guy for a little too long." You explain carefully.

"I thought you said dying wouldn't hurt you!" Taylor accuses.

"It don't. Like I said. I've just been this guy for a bit too long. You were starting to remind me of his... daughter I think?" You say petulantly. For some reason you don't like admitting that your memories are fake. It just bothers you somehow, which is strange. Actually, this entire cycle has been strange. You don't recall ever being this attached to your Host. You're not sure how to feel about that.

"But you can't change right? Am I not... training enough?" Your Master asks with an obvious look of strangled distress on her face.

"Nah it's... ah... don't worry about it. " You say with a sigh. Your Master just came from a high traumatizing experience that even now is eating away at her. You doubt she wants to hear that she isn't getting into enough conflict right now. You'll just have to bear with the discomfort for the moment.

"I could order you to tell me you know." Your Master says matter of factly.

"You could." You answer, staring back at her.

The silence stretches for an indefinable period of time and then breaks when your Master sighs and looks away first.

"You suck." She says petulantly, returning to her seat in a huff. Huh, you kind of miss the hug.

"Right, well. Taylor and I were just discussing her... options... going forward." Danny interjects, clearly seeing that this leg of the conversation is done.

"Right!" You perk up instantly. "So next has gotta be swords!" You exclaim happily.

"...We were more talking about joining a team, Emmy. I... don't like it. I guess in my head Taylor would get powers and just... not use them. But with Kaiser knowing about us..." Danny trails off, peering into his mug, and pointedly not at his bandaged hand, and missing finger.

"I don't want to join the Protectorate," Taylor says immediately.

"Taylor please I-" Danny splutters.

"Dad no. The Nazi's had to rescue you for god's sake!" Taylor retorts, cutting him off.

The debate lasts well into the morning.