Current Training: Half Devil Race Change (17/20) - (19/20)
Current Energy: 13
Friday, March 18th, 2011
Hebert Household, Brockton Bay
"A… field trip? To the castle… that you have a room in?" Your Master asks, befuddled by the piece of paper that Mem has politely deposited in front of her that morning.
"Yes. Each of us is to get signed permission from our legal guardians, allowing us to be brought to the Mall on opening day." Mem explains in her usual dull tone.
"Our teacher says it's cus it's a historical event and shit, but I bet she just wants an excuse to go to opening day and can't get the day off." Mun interjects from where she is waving her own copy of the permission slip in the air, as though it holds absolutely no value to her.
"But… your home address in the student registry is the Heap. Why do you need permission to go?" Taylor asks with steadily increasing amusement.
"Mrs.Lankshir was quick to tell our classmates that we are merely related to one of the many families of dockworkers living on the premises, and not at all Parahumans." Mem explains.
As far as covers go, that one was actually fairly reasonable. There was just one problem with it… it was an obvious lie.
"She gave us a big wink when she said it too. We're twelve, not six. We aren't stupid." Mun chimes in. Mem tilts her head towards her sort of sister in acknowledgement of the point, but otherwise continues to patiently wait in front of your Master with her hands folded in front of her.
"You guys realize you could just not go to school that day and spend the entire day with me at the mall." Taylor points out.
Again, it's not an unreasonable course of action. Certainly, it might be for the best to keep everyone together during the event in case something happens, and it could be a pretty fun time.
"Hah! Told you! I'm gonna text Aisha and Dinah to tell them to skip school on Monday so we can spend Mom's wizard cash on food and videogames!" Mun yells excitedly, throwing her own permission slip to the side and making to pull her cellphone out of her backpack, amidst a grumbling tirade about the distinct lack of pocket space in girl's pants.
Mem glances from Mun, to Taylor, to Mun and back again before speaking - seeming somewhat fidgety and uncomfortable.
"Would that not be… abnormal? All of our school friends will be with the Teacher, and we will miss valuable socialization time with-" she says hopefully, but doesn't get to finish her statement because Taylor rapidly waves a hand to call Mun's permission slip and a pen towards her.
"No! Come on! That's not fair!" Mun complains as your Master frantically signs the sheets and passes them back to the two children.
"No. Mem is right. I didn't make any friends in middle school and it really bit me back later. Just because you have powers doesn't make you better than your classmates. You have to follow the rules too, for your own good." She says firmly - although it sounds almost like she's talking more to herself than Mun.
"Aw man! Now she's projecting onto us! Can we at least have an allowance to fool around with?" Mun whines.
"I feel like every story that involves giving your kids anything they want just because they asked tends to end up with the kid growing up rotten…" Taylor muses.
And then something truly bizarre happens.
Mun starts to tear up, and then cries.
"That's not fair! Dinah got the new console and everything! That should be me! How come I never get to have what I want! I didn't even do anything wrong!" She wails, throwing your Master so completely off guard, that she is left dumbstruck as the dark haired girl transforms into a raven and flies up the stairs.
"I–I didn't say no! I was just-I mean, I didn't--" she splutters.
"I got this one." You volunteer, shrugging and turning to head up the stairs.
"Are you sure?" Taylor calls out behind you.
"Oh yeah. I'm sensitive as hell." You say with a smirk.
"Soooooo…" You say as you ghost through the door to Mem and Mun's bedroom - a room that was at one point an office for Danny, but that has been long since stripped down to make room for the girls.
"...Did it work?" Mun asks you and you have to glance around for a minute to locate exactly where her voice is coming from.
"Depends. How much of that was bull?" You respond, finally finding the tiny bird form of the girl, nestled beneath a pile of laundry in the corner at the foot of one of the beds. The room itself is split into two halves, not unlike a college dorm. Two beds, one to each side, two bedside tables, two small dressers, and a single shared closet. One side of the room is neat, tidy, and so clean it would be easy to assume no one actually used it.
The other looked like a particularly messy teenage girl lived in it.
"...'bout fifty percent." Mun says uncomfortably. You frown and walk over to the pile of clothes, gently parting them to pick the girl's small form up and depositing her on your shoulder, before sighing and starting to sort the clothes for the laundry.
"Are these clean or dirty? I can't tell." You say, momentarily sidestepping the topic.
"Jess washed them yesterday…" She mumbles.
"Then why were they on the floor?" You ask.
"So I could hide in them? Look, being a bird doesn't have all that many perks, but nests are cozy, okay?" She responds petulantly.
"Huh. So. Dinah?" You ask carefully, sitting on the floor with your legs crossed and leaning against the wall.
"I don't… hate her… I don't have anything against her, I mean. It's just–sometimes m- her Mom will come to get her from school and I forget that I'm not supposed to… you know… act like she's my Mom. Cus she's not. I know Taylor and Jess try, but…" She trails off sadly.
"Yeah… my--" You start to say.
"No wait, let me guess. No one dresses like this and has a well adjusted childhood. Half demon, right?" Mun cuts you off, thoroughly dashing your attempts at a sober and serious conversation.
"...yes?" You ask, curiously.
"Demons kill your Mom and Dad fucked off to space to fight God and died or something? Went to the demon corner store for demon cigarettes and never came back?" Mun presses expectantly.
"...you know, I hate that you put it like that." You say with a frown.
"Hah! That means I was close!" She crows, doing a little bird dance on your shoulder.
"Hey. Serious time kid. Do you need anything?" You say with a sigh, snapping your fingers in front of her to get her to calm down and pay attention again.
"No, I'm just trying to change the subject because I'm totally comfortable with this conversation." She says dryly.
"Yeah, well. Super rich parents, super powers and a magical castle to live in. Can't have it all." You respond.
"You know what'd really make me feel better?" Mun says in an entirely serious tone that has you perk up and start paying attention again.
"Hmm?"
"A pony." She says without even a hint of a joke in her tone.
"...I'll talk Taylor into losing the company credit card for a day. I take no responsibility for what happens after the pony gets here. I'd honestly suggest you just buy your body weight in ice cream instead."
"Hey, you don't gotta tell me how to eat my feelings, weirdo."
"Just saying. Diabetes is probably safer for you than secretly ordering a pony."
"I have heard you and will take your advice under consideration." The bird girl says haughtily.
Then the two of you break down into light snickering, followed by uproarious laughter.
Friday, March 18th, 2011
The Heap, Brockton Bay
"I'm telling you man, this thing does not transfer heat." Dennis says from where he is sitting in a folding chair in Trainwreck's workshop.
"And I'm telling you, that if the crap you use your power on lets you breathe through it, that there has to be some kinda transfer of forces going on." Trainwreck insists.
"Nah, it's powers. It doesn't have to make sense. Right Taylor?" He asks as you and your Master arrive at the Heap after school that day.
"Anything's possible I guess. Most of it does have an explanation and rules. They're just rules most people don't know." Your Master says, shrugging her backpack off and holding it out to her side before dropping it straight through a Gap. Dennis - he isn't in costume right now - eyes the floor where the portal just was with some suspicion.
"Okay, so what's the explanation for that, then?" He asks, pointing at the spot.
"Gaps are the totality of all the space between stuff. It's all the unspace that stops reality from being one singular jelly like substance–"
"No, I–okay, well, actually that's pretty cool, but… I meant the eyes, Tay. Why is the infinite space between spaces full of creepy eyes?" He asks. His question is punctuated by the sound of Trainwreck - who is presently doing everything in his power to apply any kind of force to a piece of paper currently hovering frozen in the air several feet away.
The sound of his fist slamming into it is decidedly quiet, given the amount of force probably involved, which Trainwreck makes note of by yelling; "It makes sound like if I punched a piece of paper! How's that work if it ain't even interacting properly with physics right now?! It shoulda sounded like I just punched a boulder!"
Taylor and Dennis ignore this loud declaration, of course.
"I- " Taylor pauses, clearly having never bothered to think about it before. You probably could have answered the question when you were still Yukari Yakumo - but you aren't anymore, and now you can't help but wonder if those things are naturally occurring, or a result of the power that controls the Gaps in the first place.
"Oh! They're so I can see. Duh." Taylor says, pivoting to the only explanation that makes sense to her.
Dennis stares blankly at her for a moment, before sighing and rubbing his temples.
"That doesn't explain where they come from though."
"Probably magic." Taylor answers.
"You can't just use magic as an excuse anytime you can't explain something." Dennis points out.
"Of course I can - it's not like anyone else can do it." She says with a grin.
"...Is that like a power thing, or…? I mean, if hypothetically you taught someone to do… uh… magic…" Dennis asks slowly.
"Why Dennis, you little ladies' man, you. That is a slick way to get a study date set up." You say, appearing behind your Master to give the boy a thumbs up.
He promptly sputters and blushes, looking anywhere but at your Master.
"I-I mean–like–we could grab dinner somewhere, and you could uh–I mean, I don't know how much magic you could–I mean, would I need a wand or something, or–" He begins to babble.
"No, but a notebook would probably be helpful. Assuming it's even possible. We can grab Fugly Bobs and give it a shot next time I'm free?" Taylor asks, having already turned her attention to Trainwreck's ongoing attempts to break Dennis' power.
"I–yes! Absolutely!" He blurts out, looking like a starving man who's just found food.
"Cool. I'll call you. I gotta get going, though - sort of a situation with a new recruit I have to deal with." Taylor says with a nod, referencing Madison's situation, and then waving and walking away.
"You know she has no idea you just asked her out on a date, right?" You say to Dennis once she is out of earshot.
"Just let me have this, man." is Dennis' forlorn response.
"Got everything you need?" You ask your Master as she limbers up in her costume, stretching this way and that to get comfortable.
"I can just come back if I forgot something. Besides, I've got my sword - what else could I need?" Taylor responds cheekily.
"Guns." You respond instantly. She pauses to eye Ebony and Ivory where they are holstered on you.
"I mean, if you can convince them to let me have a gun license, then sure." She finally answers with a shrug.
"Just call 'em magic. Works for everything else." You point out.
"I think that one is starting to wear a little thin." She admits, her expression taking on a look of intense concentration as she takes on an iaido stance.
You watch with an uncomfortable sense of familiarity as her blade quickly lashes out, cleaving open a portal back to Remnant - a world you haven't been on since your previous emulation.
"Eh. They let teenagers have guns where we're going, at least. You should buy one while we're there." You say with a shrug.
"Maybe. That 'bad guy to sharp stick transformation' thing you did to Uber - you think you could do that to alternate reality Satan?" She asks you, eyeing the portal which leads into an alleyway somewhere in the city of Vale.
"I'll do you one better," You say with a somewhat feral smile.
"You can."