Current Energy: 8
Current Training: Divinity B (9/10)
Taylor Anne Hebert / Nexus
Friday, February 18th, 2011
The Heap, Brockton Bay
She really didn't want to, but when she tried to think of people she trusted to look after Mem, only one name really came to mind. Oh, she trusted Trainwreck, just not with children. She was certain that if she left Mem with the older Tinker for any stretch of time, she would return to something horrific. Likewise, Aspirant was a good guy, but he was so dedicated to kung fu that she doubted the Shikigami would be able to get anything done while her friend was doing his best impression of Yoda. Parian might be responsible enough, but she was running a business now, and was busy enough that Taylor barely saw her.
She made a mental note to look in on her later, then glanced up the hall after Emmy and Mem as they set off to start the small girls workshop. Then she sighed, pulled out her cellphone, and called her Dad.
"H-hello?" He answered awkwardly. She'd forced him to get a cellphone after he'd vanished for three days earlier in the month, something Jess had helped greatly with just by pestering him over it when Taylor wasn't around. But he still wasn't comfortable with the device. Everyone who knew him knew him as someone who refused to use a cellphone, and this led to a situation where the only time her Dad actually expected to get a phone call was when something was wrong.
"Hey Dad. Are you busy?" She asked tentatively.
"Just out looking for an Apartment with- for Jess. She's being... very picky." He replied, mild annoyance passing through his tone. Taylor tried to find a way to formulate a response to that. On the one hand, of course Jess didn't want her own apartment - she got to live with Danny. On the other, if the woman couldn't just spit it out, then Taylor wasn't going to get involved. Well. Partially. She felt entitled to a certain amount of meddling and interference.
"What's wrong with the Heap?" She asked innocently.
"It's a giant castle. Not great for someone trying to stay under the radar." Her Dad pointed out. Taylor shrugged - not that he could see it.
"I was actually going to ask if you could stay at the Heap for a while too." She offered.
"Why?" Her Dad asked with honest curiosity.
"Ask Jess if that makes a difference to her or not first." She stated dryly, rolling her eyes and waiting the requisite few moments for her Dad to cover the receiver and turn to his companion.
"What do you want?" Jess's voice came out of the phone in an urgent but suspicious tone.
"I don't know what you're talking about." She answered smoothly, her face falling into a blank smile.
"Your Dad isn't in the room. What do you want?" Jess asked again. Taylor's smile widened a fraction.
"I accidentally made myself a kid. I need Dad not to freak out over it, and I need someone to babysit." She said in a business like tone. This was, after all, a negotiation.
"You... accidentally... made yourself a kid. Like... the normal way that happens by accident or-" Jess asked, her voice now equal parts confused and serious. Taylor tried not to be mildly insulted at the insinuation that she didn't do anything normally.
"No! I- It was Magic okay? She's like twelve." She responded sourly.
"And you can't just magic up a babysitter?" Jess continued.
"I dunno, can you magic up an excuse to keep living with my Dad?" She snipped back.
"I'll talk to him." Was the succinct answer she got back. A few moments later her Dad was back on the phone.
"What did you do?" He asked her suspiciously.
"Nothing, thanksforlookingaftermynewkidloveyoubye." She blurted out.
"Wha-" Came out of the phone, just before she hung up.
Well. That was one problem solved. Sort of. Shaking her head, she set off to check on Aspirant.
[Multiversal Emulator] / Emmy
Saturday, February 19th, 2011
Hebert Household, Brockton Bay
"Master is there a... reason you are making me dress in your father's clothes?" You ask as Taylor bustles about the kitchen. You pick gently at the slacks and dress shirt draped over you, afraid of damaging them, as they are most certainly not designed for use by any level of brute.
"Well, I'm just hanging out normally this weekend, so I thought that having you be in 'costume' the whole time would be awkward." She admits, poking her head into the living room to shoot you an approving look before vanishing again.
"Also, cus you're basically our boyfriend." Nemesis added happily, from where she was sitting in your lap, demanding you feed her. Your hand which was slowly moving to place a spoonful of cereal to her lips pauses as you take a second to parse that statement. Then you dismiss it as more of the sword spirits strange possessive behavior. You don't find it entirely unfamiliar after all.
"Nemesis!" Taylor shouts in dismay appearing from the kitchen in her jeans and a black sweater, her glasses perched on the tip of her nose, and her ever present sun hat tilted backwards from the speed she's moved at.
"What? We're single, he's hot, I don't see what the-" Nemesis points out, before suddenly vanishing from your lap.
You turn to your Master, who is smiling beatifically at you.
"We're going to pick up Vicky and Amy at their house later. I'll talk with Brandish while I'm there." She says conversationally. You nod along to this, tilting your head as you consider.
"What about afterward?" You ask, considering things. Having spent a fair portion of yesterday with Mem, you actually find you don't mind her company. She is a tad overly serious, but her heart is in the right place - that being, supporting your Master in any way possible. The kinship you feel with the once Wizard Staff is such that you find yourself worrying about the girl, despite having not been away from her for very long.
Knowing this, and knowing that your Master is, for all intents and purposes, unassailable by anything or anyone left in the city, you wonder if perhaps you can find the time to check in on Mem. At least while Taylor is off entertaining her guests.
You don't voice any of this, but you keep it in mind, at least.
Your Master ponders that for a moment, then shrugs.
"I don't know. Watch a movie?" She asks hesitantly, squirming slightly.
"You are just going to do whatever Victoria wants because you don't know what else to do." You realize, causing your Master to look away from you and step back into the kitchen.
"I made pancakes. Tell me about the cyborg god thing." She instead says, coming out of the kitchen with a plate of pancakes stacked two feet tall. You glance dubiously at the unstable tower.
"But-" you try to interject, still curious about your Masters reaction.
Then Taylor gives you a look and your jaw clicks shut. Your current emulation has not always been the best at social interaction. However, as an adult man, he had learned a few things. One of those things was thus:
If a woman doesn't want to talk about something, don't.
His wife had made that very, very, clear.
She had also preferred he simply not interact with other women, but that was an entirely different problem.
You think.
"The Greek gods, yes. I told you that beings with Divinity are essentially Gaia's organs?" You state, changing the topic immediately and relaxing when your Master's smile slips into a more naturally curious stare. You would describe her mein as 'eager' more than anything else. It does not escape your notice that she has been reading through some of her mothers books on ancient mythology recently.
"Yeah, but that doesn't explain much." She says, digging into her breakfast with abandon. You have seen orcs eat with more dignity.
"Imagine Gaia as... a Shaker." You attempt to explain, shifting to terminology that makes more sense for this world. Your Master nods along with the explanation , her mouth too full of pancake to respond verbally.
"Now imagine, the Earth and everything that happens on it, as the Shaker power. The weather, the oceans, the animals. The rules of reality as you know them, all her power." You continue, causing your Master to start to choke.
You stare at her worriedly until she manages to take a gulp of water from her glass to clear the blockage, and glare at you.
"So, God then." She says sarcastically. You quirk an eyebrow.
"Well, the topic of conversation is divinity." You point out. Taylor grumbles but concedes the point, allowing you to continue.
"Ehem. What was I...? Right. When a sufficient amount of belief is placed in something, It becomes intrinsically linked to it, and Gaia grants it Divinity. Sometimes, a new being is born to represent that Divinity. Other times however, an existing being can be elevated. Either way, in exchange for power, that being becomes inherently linked to Gaia. It must protect her, that it too may prosper. This is what happened to the Greek gods. They were originally starships that landed in Atlantis, and were deified by belief there." You explain.
Taylor stares at you. Opens her mouth. Then closes it again, removing her glasses so she can rub at the bridge of her nose.
"...Spaceships." she says tiredly.
"Yes," you answer.
"That became gods." She continues in annoyance.
"For the most part, yes." You repeat.
"Zeus was a space ship. So... aliens are real." She mutters.
You take extra care not to respond directly to that statement in any outward manner.
You are after all, an alien yourself.
"So, Divinity is really the planets version of a police badge?" She finally puts forth. This time, it is your turn to stare blankly at her. You suppose that her statement is not... inaccurate...
You move your hand in a so so gesture.
"When granted directly by Gaia, and the belief of others, this is partially true. My own Divinity, less so. It is more... transient. I have no Divine Right, no domain to call my own. However, my inherited, diluted Divinity makes me of more interest to Gaia. Like a favourite student." You finally admit, considering the statement.
When put into words like that, it doesn't sound all that different to your own relationship with your Master.
"Sounds... unfair." Your Master states with a look of consternation on her face.
"How so?" You ask curiously.
"If what you're saying is true, then on this guys world, there are people that literally matter more than everyone else. That flies in the face of alot of human philosophy and morality. I... kind of don't like it." She explains herself.
You hadn't thought of it that way, but she's not wrong really.
"Do not be concerned Master. If you use your abilities to benefit others, then does it really matter?" You ask, squaring your shoulders and lifting your head high. You are, after all, a Hero.
Your Master still looks troubled, but that does seem to put her more at ease.
Taylor Anne Hebert / Nexus
Saturday, February 19th, 2011
Dallon Household, Brockton Bay
She really hoped Brandish was more reasonable than Amy made her seem.
Taylor was standing on the small path that led up to Vicky's home. The first time she had come here, she had been somewhat irked by the general appearance of the place. Compared to her own families meager home, it was practically a mansion. There was a well trimmed hedge, the garage looked like it saw regular maintenance, the car in the driveway looked almost brand new - the entire place stunk of 'upper middle class' to her. In some respects, it still did.
Not that she was one to talk. At this point, if she were to explain to anyone that she used to need to spend the allowance her grandma sent her to afford textbooks and new clothes they probably wouldn't believe her. Still, she didn't feel wealthy. Probably because she didn't spend any of her money on herself, and in general, tended to consider it her teams money more than anything.
She made a mental note to send Grandma some money and a thank you letter. Maybe she could visit later this year? Her Dad and her Mom's family barely tolerated each other, so she hadn't exactly had many opportunities to visit recently.
'You're distracting yourself.' Emmy pointed out to her across their shared link, forcing her to acknowledge that she had been standing on the Dallons front lawn for perhaps a tad longer than was socially appropriate. She tried very hard not to look directly at him, walking to the left of her in one of her Dad's old work outfits, and somehow managing to look fashionably disheveled in that way male models tended to, instead of like he was wearing hand me downs.
She had no romantic feelings towards Emmy. They were, in a sense, more or less married, but that was largely in the form of platonic life partners than anything else. That notion did absolutely nothing to stop her from looking at the man, because even she could appreciate art.
[You are distracting yourself from the fact that you were distracting yourself.] Ozma chided her, the elderly man somehow having established himself as a combination personal assistant and tutor in the time since taking up residency in her skull.
"...Fine. Let's get this over with." She grumbled, finally walking up to the front door of the house and knocking.
When the door opened a few minutes later, it was to reveal Carol Dallon, looking both strained and tired in equal measure. Despite being in her own home at the moment, she was fully dressed in a charcoal grey pant suit, and the look she sent towards Taylor once she registered who was at her door was curt and dismissive. Carols eyes briefly stopped on Emmy behind her, to which Taylor had to suppress an urge to snort in amusement, before returning firmly to make eye contact with her.
"Hello Taylor. What-" She started to say coldly, before another voice called out behind her.
"Tay! Does your Castle have indoor heating or is it like, drafty? Should I bring a blanket?" Vicky yelled in her usual bubbly tone, drifting into view coming down the stairs.
"Victoria. No flying in the house." Carol snapped automatically turning around to glare at the other blond.
"Oops. Sorry." She replied immediately. Taylor recognized that particular 'sorry'. It said 'sorry' but read in full, was 'sorry that you noticed'. Vicky used it often.
"What's this about the Castle?" Carol continued on in a dour tone, ignoring the apology.
"Mom, I told you last week that I was going to stay over the weekend with Amy." Vicky pointed out, her voice sounding exasperated.
"I'm not sure that's wise right now." Carol replied slowly, glancing askance at Taylor even as she stepped back to allow her into the house.
"Mom!" Vicky whined in response looking suddenly aghast.
"I'm very busy right now Vicky. I don't know if it's a good idea for you to be out sight." She repeated stubbornly.
Taylor could read the writing on the wall here. However much sympathy Carol might have originally had for her, it was now firmly used up. Even more so than that, Carol was clearly still holding a slight grudge over her refusal to join hands with her on the whole... Alexandria thing.
She honestly tried not to think too hard about that particular revelation. She wanted to think that her childhood hero had a good reason for what she did - Vicky had already long since convinced herself that such was the case - but still, the entire situation bothered her.
"Mrs.Dallon. I believe my Master wished to speak privately with you about your previous discussion." Emmy interjected before the Mother - Daughter pair could start arguing in earnest. The pair of Dallon women turned to look at Emmy at precisely the same moment, and - proving they were in fact related, showed the exact same intense scrutiny followed by obvious guilt on their faces. She turned to eyeball her friend herself, wondering if he was doing that on purpose, or not, only to find him blithely observing the ongoing interaction with the same look of mild curiosity he seemed to hold towards just about everything nowadays. The complete inability to grasp his effect on other people was about as amusingly cute as it was annoying in Taylor's opinion, but she rarely bothered to comment on it. She had to figure it was willful ignorance at this point. Emmy wasn't so stupid as to be completely incapable of deducing what was going on here.
Right?
She raised an eyebrow in question at Emmy, and got another mostly confused look in return.
Carol was the first to move past the momentary cessation of tension that caused, turning to look at Vicky who had managed to tear her eyes away from Emmy long enough to move back towards the stairs.
"I'll go grab my stuff." She said cheerily, and, Taylor noted, with the clear intention of insinuating that she was still definitely going to be staying at the Heap this weekend. Carol watched her daughter vanish up the stairs with a frown before turning back to Taylor, gesturing for her to follow as she moved further into the house, eventually leading her and Emmy to a small room that looked like it was probably a home office. She found herself seated at the desk in the rooms center, across from Carol in a situation that was giving her mild feelings of Deja Vu. For a moment - just for a moment mind - she considered directing Emmy to stand behind her, so that he could distract the older woman while they talked.
Then she dismissed the idea, allowing Emmy to take up a polite position just outside the door. Silence filled the room after a few moments, when it became obvious that Carol was waiting for her to speak her piece.
"So... I talked to Alexandria." She stated before the silence could become oppressive.
"I see. And how did that go?" Carol answered crisply, her gaze turning sharp at the other woman's name.
"She's going to step down as Director after she trains her replacement. They'll probably announce it soon." She confirmed with a light shrug, noticing the flash of distaste and anger that passed over Carol's face as she did so.
"The bare minimum. Was there anything else?" She eventually asked dismissively. Taylor considered her next words carefully. Carol wasn't best known for being reasonable apparently. That wasn't really a fact she had internalized from talking to Vicky until recently.
"I - please try to understand that I'm being genuine when I ask this - can you tell me what exactly you hope to achieve?" She finally asked, just deciding to lay her cards out on the table. Ultimately, this wasn't really a high stakes negotiation for her. She was just talking to her friends Mom because she was angry about something. That was about it. Carol - possibly because she had been half way expecting such a question, and possibly because she actually wanted to be understood - shot Taylor a pensive look before furrowing her brow in thought. Taylor let the older woman think.
"Do you know what separates us from the rest of the world, in terms of capes?" Carol finally asked.
"We have the Triumvirate and the PRT." She answered immediately, having had to learn most of this in school.
"Partially. But that's less important than the social contract they enforce. North America is one of the only places who's major governing bodies haven't suffered massive upheavel since Parahumans came about. Why do you think that is?" She asked rhetorically.
"The Triumvirate would-" She answered automatically, once again regurgitating some of the only information they taught about Cape history in schools.
"The Triumvirate can't be everywhere at once. If they could, the city wouldn't be the way it is. The answer, is that here, a Parahuman is no more or less than a normal human. In the CUI, they are less than people. In Africa, parahumans are all dictators, tyrants, and in some cases, treated like gods. In Europe, the Blasphemies regularly topple governments for no real reason. In America, if you commit a murder, you go to jail. You're accountable. It doesn't always work, and it's not always effective. But it's what we have. It's what the people on the street think. It's what most Parahumans think. It's what New Wave stands for. So Taylor, what happens when the most powerful Parahuman-"
She could hear Emmy snort through the door.
"-in the country, effectively breaks the law to hold one of the highest positions in the country - and gets away with it?" Carol posed to her causing her to consider the point for a moment, it's pros and cons. She could understand what Carol was trying to get across, but the woman wasn't taking into account the deterrent Alexandria was to the type of chaos she was implying just by casually existing. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down - and usually that hammer was the Triumvirate. They couldn't be everywhere at once, true, but they could handle the problems they came across with enough fanfare that it would discourage future attempts.
She really missed when she didn't have to apply that type of social maneuvering to her mental math.
"So you're going to try and get her criminally charged?" She asked dubiously. Technically, the rule that a Parahuman couldn't be in the PRT wasn't a law, it was a regulation. The absolute limit of what anyone could possibly hope to levy against Alexandria was a fine. A fine the heroine could probably easily pay using the take from all the merchandise with her face on it.
"No, that would be foolish. And impossible." Carol answered with a look of mild irritation on her face.
"Wait what? I thought that was the whole reason you were so-" Taylor started, then cut herself off just short of outright telling Carol Dallon that she had been kind of a bitch lately.
"-tired?" she finished lamely.
"I'm working with some others to put together a lawsuit against the PRT on the basis that Alexandria could only have held that position for so long if they were complicit, or seriously negligent in their practices." Carol explained waspishly.
"...Won't they just swamp you in lawyers or something?" She asked curiously. She was very well aware of how the legal system could be stalled out almost indefinitely if someone wanted to. That was half the reason so many boats in the Boat Graveyard were still there instead of torn apart for scrap. They all belonged to someone, but no one could agree on who.
"No. It would be cheaper and better for their reputation to settle out of court, have someone apologize for it on the news, then install new procedures and rules to make sure it doesn't happen again." Carol shot back.
Taylor stared at her. Hard.
"That is easily the most petty possible way you could express your distaste over this." She finally said once she had fully grasped what Carol was saying. The woman was, essentially, performing the legal equivalent of sending a strongly worded letter to head office.
"It's how the American legal system works. Challenge something, force people to acknowledge it, and it will usually be changed so it can't be challenged again. Most of what I do as a Lawyer is like this." Carol explained tiredly. Taylor frowned. This still felt a bit off though. Carol had seemed like she was going to do something... stupid when last they had spoken on this topic. This reasoned response felt a bit too different to her originally raging outburst. She said as much, albeit in much politer verbiage, and got a light snort in response.
"I was angry." She finally espouses, eyes slight turned away from her.
[She likely believed you were overly forgiving of the woman for reasons of nostalgia or worship, rather than the largely practical explanation you provided.] Ozma noted.
'But... I literally explained why I thought it was pointless!' She complained.
[And? You yourself have already noted that Victoria appears to have let the matter pass for almost the exact reasons I just mentioned.] He continues.
That actually... made sense. It was annoying, but made sense.
'She's not actually goingto apologize for being a bitch, is she?' She asked when silence once more started to stretch out between them.
[It seems unlikely.] Ozma admitted. Taylor sighed. Sometimes it felt like she was the only adult in any given room, which was ridiculous, because she was 15.
"Listen Mrs.Dallon, don't have anything against what you're doing. If you need help - money or something I guess - give me a call. I didn't think you had a plan before -" 'Because you didn't' she barely restrained herself from saying, "- so I thought it would be better to just talk to the Protectorate directly."
Carol twitched slightly - probably hearing the part she hadn't said aloud - and then settled into a calm neutral expression.
"Thank you. I think Vicky is waiting for you?" She eventually prompted. Again, the woman seemed unwilling to outright say 'we're cool, you can see my daughter' but she supposed this was close enough.
As she stood to leave the small office, Taylor couldn't help but contemplate Carol Dallon. She was rigid and uncompromising. In another lifetime she might have respected that. However, she couldn't help but think about the fact that Jess had effectively been cut off from the New Wave adults. How quickly she has been prepared to throw away family. They may be able to agree with each other. But they would never be friends.
Really, she just couldn't bring herself to like the woman anymore.
Stepping out into the living room, she found Vicky and Amy waiting for her, bags packed for the weekend. She had pointed out that they could technically come back here at anytime through a Gap and didnt really need to pack but had been summarily ignored.
As she entered the room, Vicky did the same guilty fidget as before towards Emmy, who had fallen in behind her again, and Amy shot a suspicious, tension filled look of worry back the way she had come. Taylor almost had to do a double take when she realized that Amy had barely spared Emmy a second look.
What was this power? Could she acquire it for herself?
"Ready to go?" She asked, shaking the feeling off.
"Is Carol okay with it?" Amy asked dryly.
"Ames come on, it's just a sleep over. We're not ten." Vicky chided, rolling her eyes.
"Tell that to all the stuffed animals in your room." The brunette snorted in response.
"How dare you! I'll have you know that Mr.Paws was knighted when I was twelve. Being be my side is his duty!" Vicky countered in faux outrage.
"Yeah, let's go before she starts demanding tribute or something." Amy continued, ignoring her sisters commentary.
"I have no idea how you two get along so well." Taylor finally spoke up, having been watching the interaction from the side. She acknowledged Amy's request by pulling out her sword and quickly cleaving a Gap into the air beside herself.
"Cus we compliment eachother!" Vicky cheered, wrapping an arm around Amy's shoulders in a hug before releasing them and slipping through the gap. Amy blushed slightly but her facial expression didn't change in the slightest.
"And the Grinch's heart grew three sizes that day." Taylor intoned, deepening her voice to mimic a narrator from a childrens movie.
Amy took the jab like she usually did.
By snapping back.
"Keep talking. Summers coming, it wouldn't be that hard to convince Vicky that swimsuits are worth looking at." She hissed, causing both introverted girls to shiver mildly before stepping through the Gap after her sister.
"And your little dog too." Taylor mumbled under her breath before following quickly after them.
She had no idea why her relationship with Amy had turned out this way. It was like they got along by being mean to eachother. It was the exact opposite of what she would describe as friendship. And yet, here she was.
She didn't hate it.
Taylor Anne Hebert / Nexus
Saturday, February 19th, 2011
The Heap, Brockton Bay
Thirty minutes, some arguing over room placement, and several complaints about the adhoc nature of the decor later, the trio of girls found themselves sitting in the kitchen talking.
"So what do you do for fun around here anyway?" Vicky asked curiously, zipping around the kitchen and opening basically every cupboars she could reach.
Taylor paused, drawing a blank.
"Sparring is fun sometimes? I've been teaching Wreck wrestling moves and-" Taylor began.
"That's practice, not fun. Tay, come on. You have a whole magic castle. It doesn't have like, a movie theatre or something in it?" Vicky asked exasperated. The blond had what her Dad would describe as a good 'work-life balance'. Out of all the people she knew, Vicky was the most (she was beginning to hate this word) 'normal'.
"They aren't finished renovating the other half of it to put the mall in so-" Taylor started, then froze as Vicky spun around to stare at her agog. She turned to Amy for an explanation and got a snort in return.
"You fucked up. Suffer." She mouthed before returning to her cup of coffee.
"They're making your Castle a mall!?" Vicky shrieked, flying into Taylor and grabbing her shoulders with bonecrushing force. Vicky rarely withheld her strength around Taylor, knowing she could take it.
"Just half of it-" she tried to explain. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Oliver walk into the kitchen, get temporarily bludgeoned over the head by Vicky's aura - which she herself no longer felt after gaining Aura - and then promptly back out of the room.
'Coward!' She complained mentally at him.
"Do you have a list of stores yet!? Are you going to give boardwalk vendors a discount so that all your favourite places can be in one spot!? You're going to live in a mall!" Vicky continued to squeal at her.
She shot a pleading look at Amy at this, unsure of how to handle this much Vicky all at once.
She immediately regretted that decision when Amy smirked at her.
"Calm down Vicky. Its still just an empty building. The only shop open is Parian's." She noted aloud. It was so fake and canned sounding Taylor wondered if Vicky would even notice, but of course, the second Amy said 'Parian' Vicky froze again.
"I can't believe I forgot!" She yelped shooting into the air and nearly banging her head on the ceiling.
Taylor gingerly pried herself free of the blondes grip and stepped back onto the empty air over the table.
"She should be opening soon? We could...
Go see her?" She offered tentatively.
She was a brute, but the sound Vicky made at that moment nearly brought her to her knees.
Sabah's store was perhaps the only building on the grounds that didn't look like it was forged from rough bronze. She had taken the time to cover it in long streaming banners, their colors bright and pleasant. Each banner loudly proclaimed from any direction you could care to look at that this was Parian's Boutique, and were arranged so the rare peak at the bronze beneath caused by the wind only accentuated to look instead of detracting from it.
They had caught Parian just as they she had been headed to open the building. She turned to them, expression hidden by her mask as she waved at the door, causing a bundle of fibers to unfurl from inside the locking mechanism.
"Taylor! How are you? Do you need me to replace your costume again?" She asked pleasantly. Sabah and Taylor had an... odd... relationship. Sabah was very happy with her current lot in life, and was nothing if not thankful to Taylor for it - but she was also somewhat like a doting older sister. A vaguely annoying one. Taylor appreciated the concern, but it was still awkward when Sabah shifted from her usual kind demeanor to badgering her about her diet.
"No! I mean... I don't think so." She answered immediately, pausing to consider. Had she actually been hurt recently? She knew she herself could suffer attacks well in excess of what her costume could survive, but it felt like that hadn't been a problem as of late.
"Vicky wanted to come see your store, and I know you open around now so..." She continued with a shrug. It didn't escape her notice that Amy had managed to place herself and Vicky between Parian and herself, making her nearly invisible to the cloth weaving cape.
"Ah. Well, if you don't mind helping me out a bit I wouldn't mind parting with some things from the showroom?" Sabah asked carefully.
"I mean, I don't know if-" She started hesitantly.
"We'll do it!" Vicky interjected immediately.
"Great! I've actually been considering hiring some help. It's getting hard to watch the floor and work on commissions at once. I've started to fall a bit behind." Parian replied, clapping her hands together once and opening the door to head inside.
"Well, have fun with that. I'll just be in the room-" Amy called out immediately, only for Vicky to scoop her up and float inside with her.
"Do you have uniforms? Should we be in uniforms?" Vicky asked, ignoring her struggling sister.
"Just... grab something that fits from one of the mannequins." Parian answered with a shrug and a half gesture towards the rest of the room. It was obvious Trainwreck had come through at some point, because the walls were lined with wracking moved about the room as though on a conveyor belt, and all of the various mannequins in the room were clearly fashioned from scrap metal bent into shape by the Tinker and polished afterward. The clothing in the store was mostly dresses - Parian had always held more interest towards high fashion than simply towards the sale of clothing - but there was a smattering of other styles of dress. In particular, what looked like a corner taken up entirely by black Band t-shirts with 'Oathbound' scrawled across the front in blocky bronze letters. Overall the area held the distinct appearance of a warehouse that had been converted into a storefront.
Taylor left Vicky and Amy to it while following Sabah into the back.
"So... how have you been?" She asked curiously.
"Busy. Several people have commented on the relative durability of your own outfit, and I've been forced to deflect away from the fact that it's only bulletproof because of your Aura. I've been rejecting anyone requesting my 'special tinker cloth'." She replied dryly, continuing onward until she made it to a room that had yet more of Trainwreck's mark on it. It's walls were entirely obscured by massive spools of thread, held aloft by a series of interlocking pipes that allowed them to be spun freely.
"You could just say only I can make it?" She offered curiously, watching as her friend took a seat in the center of the room, then waved her out of the way as hundreds of individual threads exploded off the walls to begin weaving themselves together. Parian snorted, acting as though the exertion she was undergoing was barely worth noting.
"I did. You don't answer PHO messages. They started bothering me again." She answered with some amusement.
"Sorry. I don't really like using PHO. I tried a few days ago and so many of the messages were..." She paused trying to find a way to phrase this.
"Asking you inappropriate questions?" Parian answered sagely.
"...Yeah. That." She answered sullenly.
"Hm. Don't worry about it. I'm used to it. Oh! Do you think I could borrow Emmy for a bit while you're working? Just make sure nobody steals anything - the prices are all on the clothes." Parian asked slyly.
Taylor blinked once at the sudden change in topic, then turned slightly to check Emmy's reaction - the projection having been standing quietly behind her the whole time.
She spent the rest of the day mostly fooling around with Vicky and Amy in the shop while fending off the small army of people that showed up once it became known they were all there.