Current Energy: 5
[Soul Engine] has budded for 5 Omake Points.
Friday, March 11th, 2011
Hebert Household, Brockton Bay
You awaken to the distinctly moist sensation of Nemesis gnawing on your shin. It doesn't really hurt, because she isn't putting much strength into it, but it's certainly a… novel experience.
As your mind comes fully awake under the slight duress, you glance about to find your Master already awake and sitting on the edge of the bed, stretching with one arm overhead.
"Good morning." You say blandly, sitting up and tapping Nemesis on the side of her head until she sleepily releases your shin from between her teeth.
"Morning." Taylor offers chipperly, rising to a standing position and wandering over to her dresser for her daily battle against its space warping properties in order to locate clothing she deems 'comfortable'.
She only wins one in every ten times, which you vaguely recall is by design, so you are unsurprised when she leans away from the thing with a defeated expression and a long pleated skirt in one hand.
"Mmmng. Up." Nemesis grumbles at you, a study in contrast as she both refuses to fully awaken, and demands you pick her up instead of rising from the bed herself. So saying, she lifts her arms overhead and waits.
Your arms get about halfway to the sword spirit when Taylor speaks up.
"You shouldn't spoil her. Come on, Dad and his totally not girlfriend are coming over for breakfast. I want to get an early start in the kitchen." Taylor says blithely, causing you to pause and Nemesis' eyes to snap open.
"That's not fair!" She complains, wriggling upward and depositing herself in your lap before you can otherwise move, then grabbing your extended arms and wrapping them around herself in a hug.
"Neither is having to kill an army of shadow things using only my feet while singing, but here we are." Taylor responds with sudden vehemence.
"That's training! This is cuddles! It's different!" Nemesis insists strongly.
"Emmy put her down and come help me." Taylor repeats.
"Nu uh, it's cold! Hugs!" Nemesis spits back.
Neither of them are actually looking at you, instead staring daggers at each other.
You glance back and forth between the two, pondering what exactly to do. Then you hit upon an option that frequently seems to work for Danny - and leave the situation entirely to the two women while pretending you haven't noticed what's going on.
You do this by smiling at both of them, nodding - and becoming intangible so as to drop through the bed and the floor, landing in the living room. Where you find Danny, Jess, and a woman you don't immediately recognize. Invisible as you are, they don't notice you, and thus you find yourself in the middle of a conversation.
"It's too cramped for all of us to sit on the couch at once." Jess politely points out to the other woman, who lifts an eyebrow at her and gestures at a nearby recliner.
"No, yeah, you're right. You should probably move." She says with a snicker.
Ah. It's Mouse Protector then. You suppose you just didn't recognize her without her trademark helmet. Perhaps she's finally warmed up to all of you not to bother with the thing anymore.
"I should probably be seeing if the girls are awake anyway so-" Danny offers, trying to get up only to be levered back down by both women, who turned frigid stares on him.
""No."" They say coldly, and with entirely false smiles on their faces before turning back to each other.
You feel an instant sense of brotherhood and sympathy for Danny at this, especially in light of the light scuffle you can sense occurring overhead in your Master's bedroom.
At this precise moment however - just as you are about to interject in order to help your brother in arms - a new variable introduces itself, in the form of Mem and Mun sedately making their way down the stairs.
"Good morning, everyone." Mem says politely, with a slight nod for all present.
"Dunno why you're here but you can't prove I did it." Mun says automatically before adding, "also, morning Grandma One and Grandma Two."
"What did you- nevermind. Please stop calling me Grandma One. I'm barely thirty." Jess sighs exasperatedly.
"How do you know you're Grandma One? Maybe it's me? I'd make a wicked Grandma! I'd help them buy liquor and hide their boyfriends from their Dad!" Mouse - Katherine, suggests easily.
"Wha- because I was here first! I literally drive them to school every day!" Jess barks out.
"Maybe this isn't the best place for-" Danny starts but is spoken over.
"I promise, school isn't the bargaining chip you think it is." Katherine laughs.
"It's not a negotiation!" Jess retorts.
"Let's not get hasty now…" Mun notes, dragging Mem along to sit opposite the adults so she can watch them like a saturday morning cartoon.
"I am very confused. Are they arguing over which of them gets to sleep with-" Mem queries curiously.
"Yes, but also, don't ruin this for me. I bet we can bargain our way up to a trip to Mardis Gras when we're eighteen if we play our cards right." Mun notes excitedly.
"I also do not know what that is." Mem responds flatly.
"Me neither, but my aunt used to talk about it alot." Mun responds.
The entire time this conversation has been ongoing, Jess and Katherine have been continuing to argue, slowly rising to yell at each other over Danny's head which has the awkward side effect of placing his face at roughly eye level with both their chests.
Somewhat admirably, Danny appears completely unaffected by this, silently sipping on a mug of coffee while ensuring his gaze is pinned to the opposite wall of the room.
It is into the middle of this that a Gap opens on the ceiling, disgorging both Taylor and Nemesis, who are pulling each other's hair and yelling at each other.
"-take that back! Pink is the best hair color!" Nemesis cries out.
"It's obnoxiously girly!" Taylor yells back.
"We're girls!" Nemesis returns with equal vehemence.
"Good morning dear." Danny says blandly into the chaos surrounding him. There is a momentary pause in the yelling filling the room as Taylor and Nemesis turn towards him and say - in perfect stereo;
""Morning Dad!"" Before lazily separating themselves and acting as if nothing had happened.
This is the moment you choose to manifest physically in the room, stretching a hand out to place it on a confused Danny's shoulder.
"I understand. I am here for you." Is all you say to him.
"So you're gonna buy the Ferry and the Trainyard then put guns on 'em?" Mun asks your Master curiously over breakfast.
"Sorta. I mean, it'd be a fun side project to do with Trainwreck. I super enjoyed making that sword for Aisha. But that's not really the point." Taylor explains, lifting her fork from a pancake to gesticulate with it.
"I feel like I shouldn't have to say this, but please don't build weapons of mass destruction in the city." Danny says in a pinched tone.
"I was actually thinking of making the Ferry into a combat school like Beacon, only it flies and stuff. But again - that's not the point." She repeats.
"Ah. Guns are useless. Missiles - better defense for a flying fortress." Mem pipes up. You would have to know her personally to be able to spot it, but she is clearly very excited about Taylor's proposal.
Everyone else in the room, hearing this from the typically passive and taciturn girl, stops to turn incredulous gazes on her.
"...Also, a fire suppressant system. In case of invasion by hostile forces." She adds, either ignorant of, or consciously ignoring, the looks everyone else is shooting her.
"...runes every ten feet that trigger upon unauthorized access and detonate intruders would also-" She continues when no one else immediately says anything.
"No death traps." Danny rattles off instantly.
"...but the other stuff is cool?" Mun mutters under her breath.
"A-ny-way!" Taylor enunciates loudly, drawing attention back to herself.
"It's sort of a two birds one stone kind of thing. Money into the economy, something fun to do with the boys later, and bait." Taylor states, decisively stabbing a fork into her breakfast - which is portioned roughly six times larger than anyone else's.
"Now, you know since I'm the cool one I automatically agree with this, but uh- bait?" Katherine asks, leaning to the left to throw one arm over Danny's shoulder for support and earning a dirty look from Jess.
"As the responsible one I can't help but point out that bait implies danger." Jess rebutts.
"As the 'your Father' one, I kind of agree with Jess." Danny states dryly, earning an embarrassed cessation of hostilities between the two women. You aren't even sure if Danny realizes he did it.
"Well you know about my uh… secret admirer problem right?" Taylor explains, slowly chewing her breakfast while pondering how best to get her intent across.
"Heard about it. Surprised I haven't heard any air raid sirens yet, to be honest." Katherine chirps. Taylor rolls her eyes at the accusation that she would cause such a scene - even though she doesn't verbally deny the possibility exists of it happening.
"No look - this person is obviously digging around in my life and getting into my business, so if I try to buy the Ferry and the Trainyard, it stands to reason that they'll start poking around anyone who could otherwise be involved in that. I just have to mark the right people ahead of time and set the birds on them. The Trainyard is the best option because I'm pretty sure it's owned by a business from up in Boston, and they'll try and gouge me for the price. The Ferry is more iffy, because it's owned by the city and they might just give it to me." Taylor explains patiently.
This time, it is her turn for everyone in the room to turn to stare at her.
"So… you're making an enormous gesture and spending an exorbitant amount of money to find one guy, so you can nuke him from orbit?" Katherine asks slowly, as though trying to wrap her head around the thought process involved in the decision.
"Pretty much." Taylor answers with a shrug.
Katherine stares blankly at her for a moment before turning to Jess and pointing at herself with a thumb.
"She takes after me, you know." She says conversationally.
Jess just groans.
"Ah, Taylor? Could I talk to you for a second? In private?" Jess asks sheepishly while everyone else is cleaning up breakfast and getting ready to depart for the day.
Your Master cocks her head to the side in question, but nods ascent to the request almost instantly.
"Sure. How private? Like, upstairs private, or pocket dimension private?" Taylor asks in an utterly open and serious tone that belies the ludicrous nature of the statement itself.
"U-upstairs should be fine." Jess states quickly, seemingly slightly put off by the offer for just a moment.
"'Kay." Taylor responds, lazily dropping her plate in the sink where Danny is washing all the dishes and then meandering up the stairs with Jess in tow.
"So…" She asks when they are out of easy earshot of everyone downstairs.
"Taylor, this is… really hard for me to ask. I know we don't talk all together that much, and it might be a little awkward at first but-" Jess begins to explain slowly, choosing her words seemingly very carefully.
"Ah, look. I already know what you're going to ask and the answer is - that's between you and him. I've seen enough television to know that getting involved in my Dad's relationships is what Vicky would call a 'bitch move'. I won't be mad if you propose to him." Taylor fires off instantly, earning a distressed and ashen look from Jess.
"...I was going to ask if you could help me find a job." She says in a strained tone.
"...Oh. Oooooooh." Taylor says, as realization dawns on her. "So you weren't-" she asks after a moment to ponder that.
"No! That's- it's too soon and- we haven't even- I mean I know we sleep together but-" Jess begins to babble.
"Let me stop you there before I need to work out how to erase memories." Taylor half shouts, quickly raising a hand to ward off the older blond woman.
"Right. Sorry." Jess mutters weakly back. Taylor pauses to examine her for a minute, looking her up and down, cocking her head from side to side, and then blinking once as if beset by sudden clarity.
"How good are you at making hot chocolate?" She asks, seemingly as a complete non-sequitur.
Friday, March 11th, 2011
City Hall, Brockton Bay
"A secretary." Jess states flatly, having met your Master here at City Hall once school was out, and she had finished performing her two required resurrections for the PRT for the week.
"For the hundredth time - yes." Taylor responds. "What did you think I was going to do, phone Alexandria up and get you a job as a Bank Manager? Do I look like I know people in accounting? I'm fifteen. It's not like I was going to pay you to hang around my Dad and pretend to be my Mom." Taylor points out in a somewhat annoyed tone.
"I'd do that for free." Jess says in a blissful tone that makes Taylor's eye twitch.
"Gonna forget you said that." She says plainly.
"Noted." Jess responds with some embarrassment.
"Anyway look, lots of people want to talk to me, but I don't want to talk to them, so the way I see it, I can set you up with an office to take all my calls, you can spend some time every day telling people to politely piss off, and I pay you… whatever a secretary normally gets paid. In fact, that's your first job, right after you order that deluxe hot chocolate making machine for me. Figure out how much I'm supposed to pay you." Taylor says blithely.
"...Taylor you're not supposed to let your employees set their own pay. You have no idea what I could charge you if-" Jess begins to argue, switching from somewhat put upon acquaintance to lecturing mother in a heartbeat.
"Jess, you sleep with my Dad. If you screw me, then I'm willing to bet I'll be the only one getting screwed." Taylor responds conversationally, causing Jess' mouth to clamp shut with a solid clicking noise.
"...Noted." She repeats after a minute of awkwardly readjusting her slacks and blouse - business casual - and fiddling with her cellphone to make a note of something.
The two then walk into the Mayor's office at a slow sedate pace that nonetheless has many orderlies and passersby immediately going into hiding.
You suppose that yesterday's rampage may have had a bit more impact than you would have expected.
"...Fuck."
They are your Master's first words upon exiting City Hall with Jess. Not just because she was - as predicted - unable to acquire the Trainyard, but because all the scenery outside the building is distinctly lacking in color, bystanders, or sound.
"Should I be worried? I feel like I should be worried." Jess adds, hurriedly withdrawing her phone and attempting to dial a number on it, then sighing and putting it away after a moment. "No connection."
"Sounds about right. One second." Taylor offers with a tired expression on her face.
"Hey idiots! I know you're in here somewhere! It didn't work the first time, and I'm pretty sure if I absolutely have to I can probably cut time so-" Taylor yells into the now seemingly empty streets nearby.
Only to be interrupted by music, as it floods the streets with sudden, nearly violently loud sound.
"I swear to god, if I could be positive it wouldn't damage the actual city I would destroy everything here." Taylor mutters in annoyance, drawing her sword and shooting a look at Jess.
"You can switch out, I'll dump your body in a Gap." She offers to the clearly nervous woman.
"I'd like it if you wouldn't refer to my body like unwanted luggage, Taylor." Jess sighs, though she does take a seat against the doors of city hall so that she can exit her body in her Shinigami form without leaving her physical body to fall over and injure itself.
"Sorry." Taylor apologizes, though she isn't looking at Jess as she does so, instead staring at two men as they emerge into the area from seemingly nowhere.
"Alright morons, I'm not as worried about the Grey Boy thing as last time. Get back on the bus and go back to wherever you've been hiding or I'm going to get mad." Taylor calls out to the two black clad men as they step into view.
"Can't do that Nexus! You see, we need to test something, and only you can match our Strength!" Uber declares, posing strangely as he speaks.
"Our Wits!" Leet fires off in a much less convincingly heroic tone, also posing.
""And our devilish good looks!"" The two declare, turning to pose with each other.
"...I don't miss this." Jess says as the three of you observe the prancing of the two idiots.
"Me neither. Hang on." Taylor says, before releasing her Spiritual Pressure in a wave that engulfs the entire area in a pulse of blue flickering light that - under normal circumstances - should have driven Uber and Leet to the ground in a matter of seconds.
Instead it causes something on their belts to light up, leaving both men standing tall and seemingly without difficulty.
"Yes! I fucking told you I could do it!" Leet croons at his partner.
"Holy shit we've got this man. Is the Snitch-" Uber turns to ask.
"Yeah, it's running, we're good." Leet responds easily.
"Hey idiots!" Taylor calls to them, interrupting their jovial conversation.
"I get that you made yourselves slightly more work to put down but-" She states blandly, before rocketing forward with a hand extended to make a grab for Leets neck.
Surprisingly, she somehow doesn't succeed, instead ending up with her hand deflected by a firm blow from Uber. She seems so flabbergasted by the man's ability to even respond to her that she barely has time to react to him punching her so hard that she flies backwards hard enough to create a Taylor shaped dent in the stairs of City Hall.
"...I have concerns." Jess says aloud.
"Witness greatness Nexus, for I, Leet, hold the key to defeating you! I f-created a metamaterial that specifically responds to what your PRT files calls 'Soul Based Bullshit'! Through my power and mine alone, I have found a way to turn your power against you! The longer I'm exposed to your bullshit powers the stronger I'll get!" Leet croons loudly before activating something on his belt.
"Hen-"
"-Shin!" The two idiots declare, posing again as a burst of color surrounds them, covering them in glowing blue and red armor respectively.
"...So let me get this straight." Taylor responds, pushing herself to her feet and blinking in surprise at being mildly injured.
"You guys made armor that makes you both immune to my Spiritual Pressure, and durable enough to fight me?" She asks in a casual tone of voice.
"T-Taylor?" Jess asks in a worried tone, stepping slightly away from your Master as she stands up.
"That's fucking right! Uber & Leet are back bitch! With this tech you don't have the monopoly on overwhelming force! How's it feel not to be the invincible one huh!? Are you scared yet!?" Leet yells.
"Bro. Tone it back." Uber mutters to him.
"No, no. Go on. I'm terrified." Your Master says in an entirely unconvincing, eerily calm tone of voice.
She is also, if you had to make a singular observation, smiling a far too wide and malicious smile.