Energy: 11
Current Training: Onmyodo (5/10) - (7/10), 3 Energy to Complete
Thursday, January 20th, 2011
PRT Headquarters, Brockton Bay
The day is hectic. With the majority of their manpower returned to them, the PRT has launched into gear with a certain degree of ruthlessness to them. Like a wounded beast, it seems the organization as a whole has decided to strike back at their attackers, in as quick and brutal a way as possible. You can see why. The Empire Eighty-Eight hasn't just made them look bad. It's taken from them. Taken lives. Taken territory. Taken reputation.
Regardless of whichever reason the PRT chooses to use as motivation, there is a noticeable lack of morale in PRT building. With rare exception, the troopers are dour when you see them moving about. Their conversation short and terse, even with each other. The heroes aren't much better. Assault, for all his usual friendliness, falls into an unnatural quiet whenever no one is around him. The Protectorate speedster, Velocity, moves about the city tirelessly, scouting out locations and bringing back the information on them, using a darker than normal suit that lacks his usual colors, and blends into the background of the city. The Wards aren't much better. All of them save Gallant seeming to be alternating between forlornly staring into space and desperately scrambling to find something to do.
It goes somewhat without saying, but the Director forbid them from involving themselves in the coming operation against the Empire.
They were not pleased by this fact.
Despite the begrudging respect the woman seems to have for your Master, the Director herself was very firm in requesting your Master cooperate with the PRT for the duration of the situation going forward. Your Master would usually take issue with this, you think, but it's hard to begrudge them their revenge - even if that's not why the Director made the request.
Simple understanding of how organizations like this work is more than enough for you to surmise her true reasons for the request. The Director needs the PRT to finish this conflict. Your Master can help, but the ultimate headline must not be 'Nexus Saves City'. Public image is too important to the Director for that. After all, if there is a Parahuman in the bay that invalidates her organization - then who would join that organization?
And so, you find yourself spending something of a peaceful morning with your Master, who is sitting in the Gym while Aspirant and Trainwreck do... whatever it is they do when no one is around. Trainwreck doesn't fit in most of the building, so you know he's been largely in the Garage with a stack of defunct parts the PRT gave him to amuse himself with. You've no doubt that they've been recording every moment of his Tinkering. Aspirant though... the last time you checked on him he was just sitting in front of a computer with one hand hanging in the air to the left of his seat, it's shape and texture fluctuating as he read.
"Emmy, are you Asian?" Your Master asks you suddenly, looking up from the horrible rendition of a single Japanese character she is inflicting on the card stock that was brought to her upon request. There are no tables in the Gym, but at a time like this, there aren't many other occupants either, which means it will serve just fine for your purposes. As such, your Master is sitting in a corner with her back against the wall, with all of her (many) failures splayed out around her on the ground.
"Not as such, no. Why?" You ask curiously, slightly taken aback by the question. You're pretty sure the closest thing your species has to the human concept of ethnicity is whether you were a Thinker or Warrior shard, and even that was somewhat nebulous given the fact that you were frequently traded between the two.
"You were a Japanese guy who taught me to use a katana. Then you were a Chinese guy who taught me martial arts. And now you've got me learning Japanese so that I can understand the magic you use. Which is, by the way, very obviously Asian." She points out, gesturing towards where you are floating lazily in the air with her pen.
You stare at her for a second, somewhat lost for words. You want to say it's purely a coincidence but she's not... wrong really...
"Where do the Godai originate?" You ask her instead, changing the topics suddenly and distracted from the point by directing your Master back towards her training.
"Miyamoto Musashi. Also, Asian." Your Master says pointedly. The fact that you can't refute her without explaining a lot more about your true nature than you are allowed to causes you to sweat slightly, as you try to think of an appropriate response.
"...Are you arguing with your Power?" An almost exasperated sounding voice calls out to you from the other end of the Gym.
"Clockblocker dear, women don't generally like it when you question them like that." You say, leaping on the topic change and turning to face the ginger boy in shorts and a t-shirt currently working his way through a pitiful workout that he obviously sorely needs. The simple domino mask he is wearing doesn't do much to obscure his identity, but you suppose appearances must be kept after all.
"I mean, women don't like an ignorant man either. No better way to learn than asking." He says with a shrug, returning to his work out on the machine, pumping his arms up and down slowly and methodically.
"Besides... none of us... really get... how you work..." He grunts slowly as he goes. You turn to your Master but she just rolls her eyes at you and returns to what she was doing, although you get the definite sense that this isn't over.
"It's very simple dear. Simpler even than you I dare say." You say dryly. "I turn into people. I can teach Taylor how to use their powers. Then I turn into someone else."
Clockblocker looks at you slightly askance as you explain, seemingly unhappy with the explanation, then replaces his weight on the rack and exhales sharply.
"Yeah but... most powers have a 'shtick'. A theme. A thing. I can kind of see yours from what she was saying, but it's kind of nebulous." Clockblocker explains, reaching for a water bottle and taking a pull from it.
"That's me. Nebulous~" You say, returning to floating half awake above your Master as she works. You notice out of the corner of your eye, the boy examining you pensively as you do so, before rising to leave the area. If you weren't positive they were recording your Master's ongoing adventures in bad calligraphy you'd almost think the boy was fishing for information. You suppose you would just have to look out for him. It did seem to be a universal constant that the whimsical ones were the most dangerous.
You would know, after all.
"You really don't have to do this," Sabah says stiffly as your Master trails along next to her, wearing a pair of grey PRT sweats. It is seriously beginning to irk you that she doesn't appear to own any actually proper clothes.
"I - no offence but the Empire are still kind of on a tear right now Sabah. I'd just feel a lot better if I could make sure you got home okay." Your Master says, looking pointedly at the dark-skinned girl, who is wearing similar clothes to herself. She bites her lip, clearly wanting to say something in response but choosing not to.
"Besides I um, wanted to ask you something..." Your Master says blushing. You raise a single eyebrow at the gesture.
Sabah has an entirely different reaction, one that is much more energetic than your own.
"You're really young! And I have family problems so it'sjustnotagoodtimeto-" She begins to say, slurring her words together as she speeds up. She seems genuinely panicked for some reason, which you find highly amusing.
"How exactly do you know Parian?" Your Master asks, embarrassed.
"I - wuh?" Sabah answers, her skin darkening in embarrassment.
"Back at the PRT you sort of made it seem like you knew Parian pretty well. A-and you were captured together with her so I thought that maybe..." You Master trails off.
"She - I mean, I go to the same school as her. You know how she rents space at the College for some of her work? I uh, met her there. A few times. She's... nice?" Sabah adds lamely.
You know, you really should get around to explaining to your Master that she is currently speaking to Parian, but the obvious disconnect and the girls clearly terrible ability to lie are just to amusing to allow to pass. It's not often you get this kind of benign amusement without having to set it up personally.
"I didn't know that. That she worked out of the College I mean." Your Master says pensively.
"Why did you want to know?" Sabah asks finally, apparently having found her equilibrium. You get the impression she would usually be much better at hiding her identity, but was slightly thrown by the fact that your Master hadn't already connected the dots and simply didn't know what to do about it.
"I wanted to see if she needed any healing. You were pretty hurt when we got to you, and when I asked Vicky she said Amy hasn't healed anyone that could be Parian." Taylor explains, concentrating for a second and allowing her hand to glow faintly in the evening light to illustrate her point.
"Huh. If she joined you, would she have to go out on patrols or anything? Maybe... fight the Empire?" Sabah asks hesitantly, her eyes darting left and right as she walks next to your Master, who's relative tallness makes them look more like two college girls walking home instead of a college girl and a high schooler.
"I thought Parian didn't fight though?" Your Master asks, somewhat perplexed.
"I - She doesn't, but isn't that why you wanted to recruit her?" Sabah asks apprehensively.
"Not really. I wanted to band together with other Parahumans so we could protect each other. My Dad was kidnapped right after I got my powers and it made me think. 'How many Parahumans were forced into the gangs, just like this?', and you know, I realized that we could stop this. All of this. If Parahumans didn't have to join a gang for protection, they probably wouldn't. Most of them, I mean. So if a bunch of us got together, and said 'If something happens to your family, we'll all be there to help' - wouldn't that go a long way to fixing things?" Your Master explains, becoming more animated as she speaks until she is flailing her arms about and pointing at nothing to punctuate her statements.
"I... see." Sabah says pensively, seemingly considering something and then blinking as she registers her surroundings.
"My Parents house is just on the corner there. I'll be fine from here." She says, stepping slightly away from your Master and gesturing.
"Oh, sure. Um. Have a good one?" Your Master states awkwardly, obviously not being accustomed to friendly separations like this.
"Good night Taylor." Sabah answers, turning and beginning to walk away.
Your Master stares after her for a few seconds, likely because she wants to avoid the 'talk' Piggot requested of her that morning, but eventually sighs and turns around to head back to PRT building at a sedate pace.
Then she stops and frowns, thinking.
"Did I ever tell her I wanted to recruit Parian?" Your Master asks suddenly.
It is at this point that you break out into cacophonous laughter, that only your Master can hear.