Current Energy: 15
Current Training: Monster Hunter (6/10) You can all thank Damian45 for this Omake Bonus!
Tuesday, February 1st, 2011
Hebert Household, Brockton Bay
When your Master says she 'has some ideas' on the topic of Fleur's ghost, you were kind of expecting a more reasoned response. Old books your Emulation has read lead you to believe that the best solution would have been to settle the ghosts lingering resentments somehow.
Your Master's solution? She spent the majority of her evening in an adhoc barrier trying to pump spiritual power into a loose slip of paper. A slip of paper that, you would like to add, came to life and attempted to kill her on multiple occasions. When you had asked her what the goal was she had replied with a slow blink and said;
"Well, if she has enough power she'll be more conscious and physical." With a look on her face like you had just asked an incredibly stupid question but that she would humour you anyway.
"Wasn't she... violent... though...?" You had asked, to which your Master had responded with the kind of creepy chuckle and too wide smile you might have expected from your first Emulation.
"Yeah but as long as she's there mentally I can just beat her up till she gets over it."
Now, you could... sort of... grasp that logic. In a way, it did make sense. After all, if you could reason with a ghost, you were already half way to calming it down. You just weren't sure how you felt about the natural end result when seventy percent of the paper slips your master had been experimenting with had grown human teeth and started trying to eat her alive. It was something decidedly outside your Emulation's personal experiences.
Which brings you to this morning. Your Master - apparently satisfied with screwing with you has deigned to meditate without laying in your lap. Less helpfully, you've found yourself inexplicably massaging her shoulders while she complains about things.
"I don't even know what I'm supposed to do with a 'Panda Gang'! Am I their leader? If they start doing illegal stuff is that my fault?" She mopes, while you use all of your aura enhanced strength to squeeze her shoulders. You aren't unfamiliar with this, having lived alone with your Aunt on a farm who frequently complained about strain like this - probably why you offered to do it in the first place. Still, Taylor's absurd durability is making it somewhat harder than you might like.
"I mean," You say, pausing to grunt as you come across a particularly bad knot "they did say the didn't want to be involved in any of that stuff. And you did warn him about it."
"Yeah but this is Brockton Bay, some guy with a gun could visit any one of them and they'll either do what he says or get shot thinking I can somehow protect them from the opposite side of the city!" She answers, tilting her head out of your way so you can keep working.
"If you're worried about them you could just say that." You point out with some amusement.
"I'm not- I don't like being responsible for a bunch of people I don't even know." She says.
[Notice, she hasn't actually stated that she won't be responsible for them.] Ozma points out.
You chuckle slightly in response.
"I heard that!" She grumbles. You shrug.
[If she is so concerned for their safety, we could train some of them to be Huntsmen. We do have a fairly large building with no one in it.] Ozma points out.
"I would use up too much power on the first few. We could never train that many to use Aura before I was gone." You reply, not immediately noticing how your Master stiffens slightly at your voice.
"What was that?" She asks you, with a mild glint in her eyes.
"Ozma thinks you should start a school and hand Aura out like candy. Obviously we shouldn't since-" You start to explain, assuming your Master will feel the same.
Then Taylor promptly reminds you that your first Emulation, and arguably the one that has best informed the kind of person she is today, probably couldn't have spelled restraint or subtlety let alone practiced them.
"It could work. I mean, I'd have to make sure they wouldn't do anything wrong with it. A curse maybe?" She begins to mutter to herself.
[If there is a way to ensure Aura is not misused then I would like to hear it.] Ozma notes smugly.
"Please be quiet voice in my head that keeps making my life harder." You strain to say, slowly lifting your hands away from your Master and backing away as she starts to lean away from you to grab a notepad - she keeps a lot of them around nowadays - and begins doodling designs on the pages you don't recognize. You get about a half foot away from her before one of her hands lashes out, and she does... something... with the rotation of her wrist that spins you around a causes you to fall in her lap, where she promptly lowers her arms and continues to doodle while occasionally reaching down to scratch your head.
You thought the other way around was bad. This is somehow so much worse. Still, after a couple of seconds of nervous fidgeting, you eventually find the position somewhat relaxing. Oscar understands the concept of skinship, or casual closeness, but as a Shard, up until now at least, the emotional content of most of your hugs has merely been 'this will make Taylor feel better'. You haven't personally derived all that much from the things. Right now though... you feel like you could just...
"Got it!" Your Master yells some indeterminate time later, shaking you awake from your impromptu and unasked for nap by virtue of both being quite loud, and also, jumping slightly as she yells, causing your head to bounce slightly.
"Wuh?" You blurt as you open your eyes just in time to see a familiar, if slightly brighter than normal, blue sheen flicker across your Master's form as her Aura settles into the place.
"Shit, sorry. I was thinking about the poem thing-"
[Resolution.] Ozma corrects in annoyance
"-and it just sort of happened." Taylor says, heedless of the voice she cannot actively hear.
"Oh... do you... feel different?" You ask curiously, not actually knowing how Aura and Spiritual Power will interface with each other.
"I guess... about the same?" She posits, hopping slightly from foot to foot.
"Oh. That's good then. Shouldn't we be getting ready for school?" You note, glancing at the clock and realizing you usually leave a bit earlier than this.
"I'll just take a Gap to the front gate. I still need to shower." Taylor dismisses, stretching and striding over to the stairs.
Once she returns, she plops down infront of you, brush in hand. You barely even think about it. You grab the brush and start well... brushing.
"So, got anything else for me?" She asks as you brush her freshly washed hair. You nearly don't reply, you're so distracted by the rhythmic motions of the brush and the relaxing, quiet, morning atmosphere.
"I could tell you about the Grimm." You say after Taylor nudges your leg with an elbow.
"You mentioned those before. What are they?" She asks, tilting her head backwards to look up at you.
"Monsters mostly. Imagine if tar grew to the size of a car, shaped itself into a beast, and then hunted by tracking and causing as much misery as possible." You scowl mildly. The Grimm aren't exactly well loved where your Emulation comes from. The people of Remnant have no concept of 'Hell' as an otherworldly place one goes to be punished. They don't need one. The entire planet outside their walled cities suffices.
Regardless, you shake off your mild temper at the thought of the Grimm and return to your explanation as you brush, describing in general the types of Grimm you can recall with occasional assistance from Ozma when you're memory fails you. Eventually however, you are done and Taylor rises, casually cleaving a Gap into the air next to the couch and stepping through it with a wave for you to follow.
Your Master, you realize, is the type of person to hyper fixate on things. She'll go from largely unassuming and kind of shy to disturbingly manic in the blink of an eye when something catches her interest. You aren't sure if this is your fault, or if she's just happy enough for what would have been her normal personality to come out, had she not spent much of her teen years being bullied.
[You do know that people with their Aura's unlocked are far less inhibited than normal people, yes?] Ozma points out to you. You aren't positive, but you think he might even sound a bit smug.
Then, you pale. Because if there was anything you could easily say about your Master before this, it was that there wasn't really much stopping her from doing the things she wanted in the first place.
Now, apparently, even less so.
Tuesday, February 1st, 2011
PRT Headquarters, Brockton Bay
Well, school didn't go all that poorly. Your Master didn't really act out of character or anything like that, which was a plus. You had to break up several fights, and warn at least one person that wearing a Panda Patch didn't mean he could use you as a threat, but overall things went mostly okay.
Of course, once school was done, Taylor decided that she wanted to check in with Dauntless, which was why you were once more standing in the PRT's lobby.
"Kind of weird that we've had to wait this long." You note, after having been in the lobby by the - increasingly nervous - secretary for the better part of the last fifteen minutes. You aren't complaining, it isn't as though you called ahead to warn them of your coming, but it's decidedly out of character for the PRT to let your Master stew for any length of time when they know how much they owe her.
"Might be that they're having problems? I heard the Wards got attacked the other day." Your Master answers with a worried shrug, eyeing the surrounding visitors who have been giving her a wide berth ever since she walked in. Not out of fear you don't think, but out of a weird kind of respect. It's kind of nice honestly.
"Nexus? The uh- the Director will see you now." A voice calls out to you from one of the nearby doors further into the building marked with 'Employee Only'. You and Taylor turn towards it to find a red faced Assault waving you over.
"So, you're tiny now huh?" Assault asks you a few minutes later, ruffling your hair and forcing you to swat his hand away indignantly.
"For now!" You complain.
"He's way cuter now." Your Master confirms, causing you to turn a betrayed look on her.
"Super fun to screw with too." Assault adds.
"You both suck." You complain, glowering at both of them. Silently, you swore that your next Emulation would be completely beyond reproach. Like a Dragon, or a Demon with a million heads or something.
"Yeah well. You're lucky I came to get you. All the other Adults in the building are either blowing a gasket or hiding." Assault says with a mild grimace that he turns into a strained smile when your Master lifts an eyebrow in his direction.
"I can come back later?" Your Master offers.
"Nah, Director wanted to see you anyway. Probably would have called you soon anyway." He answers with a wince. By this point, you have been lead to the Directors office, and the man mock salutes you before stepping away from the door for you to proceed inside.
What you find there is not an unfathomably fat bulldog of a woman. Instead, sitting at Piggot's desk is a woman with Piggot's general facial features, expression, and matching nametag on her outfit... but that is definitely not Director Emily Piggot of the Protectorate ENE.
Because she is a well toned looking woman who looks like she could fist fight Assault and come out the other end mostly unhurt.
"Are you satisfied?" She growls at you in particular, the palpable sensation of uncontained anger wafting off of her enough that you don't need a Parahuman power to sense it.
"Uh... yes?" You say after a second to process. It takes you a couple of seconds to register, but eventually you do recall your previous Emulation spending a significant amount of her time implying that Taylor would ruin the PRT if she didn't get herself healed. You just aren't sure why that healing apparently included a full body tune up. You also aren't sure you should point out that your current Emulation doesn't actually care if she gets healed or not. She could have just waited until Yukari was out of your system and been free of consequences.
You suspect she would take that statement of fact poorly.
"Good. Nexus." She bites out harshly, turning away from you to look at your Master who is apparently just as nonplussed by this entire show as you are.
"Yes?" Your Master asks carefully, sliding slowly into a seat across the table from the woman that you take up a position standing behind.
"We've had recent sightings of the Teeth near your location. We're asking that you don't attempt to fight the Butcher directly." The Director says, and you can actually see the physical pain it causes her to say 'asking'.
"So, just to clarify, you are simultaneously telling me that there's a gang moving in next to me, and also, to just leave them alone? Is that about right?" Your Master asks in annoyance.
The Director responds to this statement by taking a deep breath and closing her eyes for a second, tilting her head upward as though begging a higher power for strength.
"Nexus. I'm familiar with your apparent fighting capabilities. No one, not even I am questioning your ability to defeat the Butcher in combat. But you can guarantee, with absolute certainty, and no room for error, that at no point will the Butcher potentially die in your presence?" Piggot states, her tone even and precise.
Your Master, for what it's worth, considers it. True, she has her Contract cards, and true, she could probably subdue the Butcher without much issue, but to hear it told, the Butcher is certifiably insane. There's really no guarantee the madman or woman wouldn't bite their own tongue off out of pure spite at being captured. Which, in turn, would make your Master the most likely candidate to be the next Butcher.
You can see why the PRT might take issue with an even minuscule chance of that happening.
"...Not one hundred percent no." Your Master finally states, obviously having come to the same conclusion as you, and even more obviously, not particularly liking it regardless.
"Then please, allow me to have some of the Protectorate stationed at that base of yours." Piggot states, once more her voice turning craggy as she nearly stumbles over the not-order.
You can feel the annoyance radiating off your Master, even as her face becomes a carefully bla- actually no. Counter to your Master's usual blank face when under emotional duress, you find she is now instead smiling. It isn't a pleasant smile either. It isn't too wide or anything. There are no teeth showing. It's just a small, understated smile. And yet it is distinctly unsettling.
"Would a hero and a rotating schedule of Wards be acceptable?" She asks smoothly. It takes Piggot a few seconds to get over her obvious discomfort and speak.
"...Yes. I'll have Armsmaster and-"
"No. I'll decide who is most appropriate, and send you that information as soon as I can." Your Master says. She smiles. Piggot grimaces. There is silence for a moment. Then Piggot looks away.
"Fine. On the topic of that monstrosity, the Mayor wants to talk to you." Piggot announces spitefully.
"I'll look into it. Is there anything else? I'd like to follow up with Dauntless." Your Master answers smoothly. The undertone of polite disdain and annoyance is still present though.
"That will be all." Piggot grinds out.
"Thank you Director." Your Master answers, rising and leaving, her facing immediately falling into a scowl that second her back is turned.
[Diplomacy is best described as an agreement wherein neither side comes away entirely happy. I think that applies here.] Ozma notes as you stand. You purse your lips at the statement, unwilling to directly answer him while PRT cameras are pointed at you.
"So..." Assault says innocently, having apparently been waiting by the door for your Master to exit.
"Just take me to Dauntless before I say something I'll regret." Taylor growls at him. It never ceases to amaze you how the Director can aggravate her without actually doing anything that triggers an overt reprisal. It must almost be a skill the be that unlikable. Assault, having demonstrated himself to be a wise man as far back as your first meeting with him when he saved his team from short, painful deaths, largely at your hands, opts to lead Taylor away without comment.
"And I'm telling you the thing is too freaking tight! Take some shit out of it for gods sake! Why the hell do you even need half that crap?!" Dauntless yells at Armsmaster, pointing to a wall that holds what you assume is an iteration of the Tinker's armor that he has yet to field.
"Unlike some people, I have to use every available tool to make the most of my abilities." The man in question scowls back from where he appears to be working on a piece of circuitry jutting out of his wrist.
"So as you can see, Dauntless here got into Armsmaster's armor with him one time and they've been sort of insufferable ever since they relieved the tension." Assault jokes as he leads you into the room.
"Oh fuck you Assault! Hey, you brought me back right? I want my old powers back. Is that a thing you can do? The new ones suck." Dauntless says to Taylor without preamble the second Assault announces your presence. The well built man turns to peer at you and then turns back to Taylor, his expression not at all as vexed as his words would imply. In fact, he is smiling widely at your Master in a way that causes her to blush slightly, turning away from him.
Which is about when you realize he's wearing a skin tight black body suit and not much else.
"S-Shouldn't you have a mask on or something?" Your Master stutters out.
"Yes.""No.""Eh." Is the chorus of answers that follows.
"They aren't really trying that hard to keep the identities of people you bring back from you. Me and Militia already tried to visit your house to thank you but you uh... weren't there." Dauntless explains, either not noticing or caring about his obvious effect on your Master. You narrow your eyes at him but otherwise don't make a move to do anything.
"Y-yeah I've been staying in the- look can you put a shirt on or pants or something?" Your Master stutters out before taking a deep breath and demanding.
"To much work," Dauntless answers with a cheeky smile and a shrug, before perking up and adding, "I can do this though."
"Do not." Armsmaster states flatly, without looking up. Dauntless looks like he's about to argue the point, before shrugging.
Then he does it anyway, because he and Armsmaster apparently don't get along. You aren't sure how you feel about agreeing with Armsmaster on something. You think it might be causing you physical damage, but you aren't one hundred percent certain.
Regardless, between one moment and the next, Dauntless vanishes in a blast of lightning, and Armsmaster's currently worn suit of power armor... changes. It's not subtle either. the blue highlights begin to glow and flicker, like solid energy, and additional circuitry and armoring appears all along the device.
"Seriously? This one is even fucking worse. Why do you have three different blowtorches in this thing?" Dauntless voices loudly, coming from a speaker on Armsmaster's armor you assume.
"They work at differing temperatures and provide redundancy in case one part of the armor is damaged. Hello Taylor, how are you?" Dragon's voice replies, coming from somewhere above you - presumably a different set of speakers.
"I'm alright. Where did Dauntless go?" She asks, peering at Armsmaster suspiciously.
"We've found that Dauntless new ability appears to allow him to interface and 'possess' technology he gets near. Typically with an associated increase in performance. For the moment this mean's he is being partnered with Armsmaster indefinitely." Dragon explains kindly.
"Tinkertech sucks though. Feels like I'm locked in a shoebox." Dauntless complains again, this time accompanied by a stalk of liquid metal rising from Armsmaster's shoulder with a camera lens at it's tip to peer around.
"Huh. Well I can't really do anything about that. Are there any other side effects?" Your Master asks, ignoring the muffled guffaws Assault makes behind you as Armsmaster tries and fails to swat the camera away and then ultimately gives up and glumly returns to what he was working on.
"Haven't had to sleep yet, so I guess I'm in the same boat as Militia now. Other than that, not really." Dauntless says nonchalantly.
"It's actually very interesting what I've already learned from the mutable properties of any equipment Dauntless is inhabiting. He seems capable of powering Armsmaster's armor indefinitely, which is certainly a plus." Dragon cheers, causing Armsmaster to slump even more in his seat.
The rest of the meeting is fairly routine after that, and mostly consists of Armsmaster and Dauntless bickering while Dragon moderates. You find something off about the entire thing until you eventually realize that Dragon seems to be having fun with the entire ordeal. You suppose it makes sense. Being trapped inside all the time must be terribly lonely.
Still, the day apparently isn't done with you yet, because when you finally make it back to Taylor's room for the evening, there is an innocuous piece of paper sitting on her pillow that you might otherwise ignore if it wasn't so obviously placed. It isn't as though your Master doesn't tear through notebooks at a ridiculous pace, you assume some of that paper has to get lost.
Regardless, this note obviously isn't your Master's. Not just because it reads 'Found Teeth, Ferry station at 11' in an ugly script that your Master would never be able to manage on even her worst day, but because of who it is signed by.
Predator. Hess.