Current Energy: 5
Current Training: Boundary Manipulation (7/10)
Tuesday, January 25th, 2011
The Heap, Brockton Bay
You are ready this time. Prepared. Able. Using your vastly superior planning ability, to determine the perfect time to wake up. Exactly six am. It's like a switch being flipped. The clock ticks over to six, and your Master's eyes pop open, exactly as she had for the last few days of peace. You can tell from experience that she is going to get out of bed and do something obnoxious like train for a few hours while everyone else yet sleeps. You detest this. You would much prefer if she would remain in her oversized sleeping bag with you. You tried to bring this up with her a few times, and each time she has merely pointed out that she isn't actually forcing you to wake up.
She clearly doesn't seem to grasp the point you are attempting to make, which is that half the fun of sleeping is using your Master like a large pillow. The other half, of course, is the sleeping.
So, when your Master attempts to shimmy out of her sleeping bag, you wrap one arm around her head and squeeze her to your chest, halting her movement and also muffling her voice when she tries to complain.
'Come on, I have stuff to do!' She complains using your mental link - a miscalculation on your part.
In response, you merely ignore her, pretending to still be asleep.
'You know I can just rip the bag open and get out that way right?' She asks you when you fail to respond, merely tightening your grip on her.
'...But you only have one sleeping bag.' You posit triumphantly.
'So? If you're already awake then why even stop me?' She asks you with a sigh, stopping her struggle. She was never struggling very hard in the first place of course. It isn't as though you're actually strong enough to restrain her if you wanted to.
'I warned you dear. I warned you that I don't like sleeping without a pillow. That there would be consequences.' You shoot back, humming lightly.
'But if you're going back to sleep I can just get up in a couple minutes anyway! Plus, you woke yourself up just to stop me, so you're already awake!' Taylor complains.
You pause. She... kind of has a point. You will obviously have to maintain consciousness in order to hold your Master tight - which precludes the possibility of falling asleep. In fact, the entire endeavour rather feels like work, which you abhor doing for no reason. So, with a pout, you release your grip on your Master and become intangible, allowing her more space to wriggle out of your shared sleeping bag.
"You wouldn't be so quick to flee your bed if you actually had a bed." You very pointedly say while not at all pouting. You are an ancient alien being that is masquerading as another ancient alien being, both capable of unfathomable power. You don't pout.
"I dunno, I kind of like waking up like this. Makes me feel like I'm really making progress." Taylor answers easily, finally standing to stretch out the kinks in her neck. As is your usual morning routine, you glide across the room to watch the entrance to the tiny room your Master has claimed as her 'bedroom', having allowed Aspirant the use of the main employee break room for his own uses. You think it must have once been a storage room of some kind if the empty shelves are anything to go by. Regardless, it is your solemn duty to ensure that no one comes to bother your Master while she is getting dressed for the day.
Which is why you are surprised to find Danny standing at the door when you ghost through it. He looks... well he doesn't look unwell per say, but he certainly doesn't look well either. His eyes are sunken and red, and the bags under his eyes look as though they are preparing to have children of their own to join them. He's so pale you feel the need to question whether or not he has been eating or going outside, and his facial hair has become an unruly mess. Still, most of what you could generously call his depression seems to have faded away at least, even if he appears to be sleeping only one or two hours a night in an attempt to stay atop things with his daughter while maintaining his job.
"She's changing." You say easily as you appear next to him. For what it's worth, he appears to have become completely accustomed to you simply appearing next to him, barely reacting at all to your sudden presence.
"Oh. Can you let her know I've gone through that contract and sent it off?" He says with a yawn, blinking the sleep from his eyes.
You spend a second examining the man in detail. More so you can give yourself a moment to think than because you actually need to. Then you nod to yourself.
"Tell her yourself. When was the last time you slept?" You say primly.
'You should probably heal your Father.' You tell your Master simultaneously.
'Is he hurt?!' She yelps at you, and the languid sounds of her puttering about behind the door swiftly speed up.
'No dear. Just stupid.' You answer with a roll of your eyes.
"Dad?" Taylor asks as she opens the door and steps out to greet him in her workout clothes - the same grey sweatpants and white t-shirt she's been rewashing in the sink and leaving out to dry every night.
"Hey, kiddo. I just wanted to let you know I revised that contract from the Fortress Construction guy and sent it back to them by courier. I was wondering if you needed help with anything. Maybe breakfast...?" He states a touch anxiously. The poor man. You'd be lying if you were to describe him as useless. In so much as your Masters Oathbound are an organization, Danny is functionally the only support staff you have available to you. The building you are in is technically his, and the water and electricity only really work because of the time he spent repairing things and phoning the relevant city services. It's the only thing he can do really. Taylor is all he has left, and while you're sure he's happy that she is functionally unkillable, the lingering sensation of being a potbellied balding man that does paperwork while your daughter learns to fight crime must certainly be getting to him. Hence, overworking himself.
"Sure. I was going to exercise but I can do that later too." Taylor says, perking up. You do your best not to smile as you fade into the background. Several weeks ago, the idea of spending any extended period of time near her Father would have likely given your Master an ulcer. Now, she was just happy he was there.
Although you suppose slaying a dragon for the man helped a tad with her priorities.
"Great. I'll start the car." Danny says with a smile.
"I get it!" Your Master blurts out suddenly, causing the diners on either side of the booth she is in with her father to jolt slightly and then grumble irately before returning to their own breakfasts. The diner you are in is small, and fairly close to Danny's office in the docks, bearing dingy windows that appear to have gone without washing in decades and a seventies aesthetic that hasn't aged well. You would have brought your obvious distaste for the place up, but Danny was quick to note that he came here frequently with his late wife, and Taylor was instantly besotted.
You don't resent the fact that you will likely find yourself here frequently from now on at all. Not one bit.
"Huh?" Danny grunts from across the table where he was happily watching his daughter eat three people's worth of food and sipping on a coffee.
"The space that isn't space! I get it!" She says, her hand reaching out to lift a butter knife and pointing it at her omelette of all things.
"I don't-" Danny starts when you drop into the seat next to him - pointedly hovering an inch off the actual upholstery, which is filthy.
"It's a magic thing Daniel. Just let her speak." You explain with a pat on his arm. A number of patrons note your sudden appearance, and make the connection between you and the unassuming father and daughter at the table you are sitting at. Phones begin to come out.
"It's like the space between the eggs and the cheese. There isn't any, because they're touching, but space must exist, because they havent bled together into a single cheese-egg substance. It's the 'space' that stops the universe from being soup!" Taylor declares proudly.
Then she pales.
"Oh god, you're teaching me how to manipulate the force that stops the universe from being soup." She mumbles under her breath.
"Very good. More than very good actually. I wouldn't have expected you to figure it out for some time." You say proudly, reaching across the table to ruffle her hair and snickering slightly when she swats your hand away.
"Should I be worried?" Danny asks, one eyebrow raised while he sips at his coffee.
"Yes""No." You and your Master say simultaneously, then look at each other. Your Master raises an eyebrow at you. Her father turns his already upturned eyebrow in your direction. The Heberts have very flexible facial muscles.
"Do you want to stop learning?" You ask in a saccharine tone, already knowing the answer.
"Nope." Your Master answers with a shrug.
"So... soup?" Danny asks for clarification.
He doesn't understand the answer any better than your Master did when you first tried explaining to her, which is probably for the best.
Tuesday, January 25th, 2011
PRT Headquarters, Brockton Bay
Your Master - after leaving a tired Danny behind at her home to begin the arduous process of cleaning the buildings exterior - decides to check in at the PRT. As might be expected, given her recent activities, they do not make her wait in the reception area for very long. In fact, if the Director's expression as your Master walks into her office for the third time is anything to go by, you suspect you could show up just about any time and find yourself with an audience.
How wise of them.
"What is it today Hebert? Kill Scion? Tamed Behemoth?" Piggot says with a scowl as she sees the two of you.
"Would you like us too?" You ask sweetly, your smile becoming just a bit wider than is generally considered 'friendly'.
"No. I'd probably have to do the paperwork. What do you want." Piggot says bluntly.
"Shouldn't you be more... I don't know... professional?" Taylor asks curiously as she takes a seat, seemingly more perplexed by Piggot's attitude than she is unhappy with the woman.
"Does it matter?" Piggot says again.
"...Sort of?" Taylor says, lifting an eyebrow in question. The Director narrows her eyes and examines your Master for a second before snorting.
"Thinker support says you prefer open distaste to fake friendship." She says perfunctorily.
"You had a Thinker waste time trying to figure out how to talk to me? And their advice was 'be yourself'?" Your Master asks incredulously, obviously suppressing some mirth.
"No. We had a group of Thinkers do it, and that was only after we had them confirm that Miss Militia is indeed the woman we currently have under lock and key in the basement. Now, what do you want?" The Director says again.
"Well as long as we're being blunt..." Your Master mutters under her breath, then louder; "I wanted to know why you keep stonewalling my bounty money."
"You misunderstand. What do you want for your... services... with Miss Militia." Piggot says obviously trying to muster the energy to intensify her scowl and failing.
"And what are you talking about? I cleared your Bounty the day you brought each Villain in." Piggot says, tapping away at her computer.
"Then why does the woman downstairs keep telling my Dad off when he comes to collect? It's been weeks." Your Master says, frowning. Piggot's scowl morphs into a frown, and she pokes about her computer for a few seconds before scowling again.
"There was an error - the request for funds never left the building. I'll pay it to you from the fund the PRT is setting up." Piggot says, her mood falling with each second she spends staring at her screen - which is a feat given her usual unpleasantness.
"A fund for what?" Your Master asks in confusion. You've already pieced together that the PRT is going to pay your Master an arm and a leg to continue bringing back their heroes. What you find amusing is that she hasn't, not because she isn't smart enough too, but because Taylor obviously never considered getting paid for doing it in the first place.
"Nexus. We lose hundreds of capes to Endbringers every year, not even including the number that fall to other S class threats like the Nine. Some of those capes have powers that are unbelievably useful. In fact, the running theory is that Endbringers specifically kill Capes that have the potential to hurt them. Once Watchdog cleared Miss Militia for us the Chief Director basically told me to get you on retainer or kill myself because that was all that was left for me if I failed. So we would like to pay you. Which brings me back to my original question. What do you want for each... ritual... and how often can you do it?" Piggot hisses at your Master. You can feel the distaste the woman has for this entire thing. Not even because she specifically has anything against your Master, so much as the unique treatment your Master gets. Truthfully, you suspect your Master could literally go on a killing spree and get away with it at this point.
Not that she would. Or that she even realizes the kind of leeway she now has. She's a sweet girl that way.
"How... I mean... I wasn't-" Your Master says, and intuiting what she is about to do, you cut her off.
"What price do you propose Director?" You say smoothly.
'Dear, if you say you'll do it for free they'll take advantage of you. Do you want to fight crime, or do you want to spend everyday in a dark room healing people?' You point out.
'...So I should... not help?' Your Master asks you incredulously.
'You'll still be helping. You'll just be discouraging people from trying to take advantage of you. Look at poor Panacea. Does she look happy?' You point out.
'No but she's kind of a bitch so-' Your Master tries to get in edgeways.
'Exactly! Because she heals all day and doesn't have a hobby!' You cut her off.
"I have been instructed to offer you nine hundred and seventy thousand dollars as a baseline, more if you are willing to be on call." Piggot says darkly. Your Master goes temporarily cross eyed at the amount.
'I can't accept that! That's... that's like a million dollars!' Taylor panic screams at you, distress emanating from her in waves.
'Let me negotiate dear.' You say easily, standing and floating to your Master, then placing both hands on her shoulders and gently kneading them.
"I suspect we would prefer not to be called in the middle of the night Director. Perhaps if you were to offer something more?" You say pleasantly, shushing your Master when she tries to speak.
"I'll have to speak to the Chief Director to go above that-" Piggot says dismissively, obviously assuming you want more money. You wouldn't mind that, but well. You also don't think you'll need it either.
"Oh, I don't know about that. Surely you can think of other things to offer? I hear Panacea has some free time recently." You prod.
"...I'll consider it." Piggot says through gritted teeth.
"I'm sure we wouldn't mind reducing the price in exchange?" You offer, and even though your Master likely has no idea what you are pushing Piggot to do, she nods frantically as you describe reducing the cost even if only fractionally.
"...I'll consider it." Piggot says again, turning the full force of her glare on you.
"That's all I can ask. Don't forget our bounty Director. We have mouths to feed after all." You say easily, nudging your Master to stand and leave before the Director can say something she'll regret.
On the way home, you explain your reasoning to your Master. Though you make sure to couch it as forcing the woman to get some medical help and to get over herself, rather than as a way to both be owed a favour and force someone you find amusing to interact with one of their greatest fears.
What? You've been bored.