Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.
Betad by Priapus, (a snake?), Beans, Marethyu, Old man of the mountain
The Celestial Escalation
Chapter 04: Costumes and Hats
– Taylor Hebert (Nimue) –
I'm starting to think asking you for advice was a mistake.
'I know what I'm doing! If you want to dismantle the trio, this is the best way. Emma is out of the picture for now, and I have plans for Sophia. Madison is the last and this is the best strategy for dealing with her.'
But I don't want to seduce Madison! It's Madison! I don't even like girls.
'Tay, I'm literally in your head.'
Her bland tone makes me blink, my cheeks growing a little red. I don't think I'm a lesbian. It's not like I've had time for romance since reaching high school with the trio trying to make my life miserable. The closest I got was Greg Veder maybe asking me on a date. He was rambling, and I wasn't exactly listening.
As I go to protest Ems genius plan further, she appears in my bedroom, projecting herself into my vision. I go to argue, but my words die as she sits on the edge of my bed, utterly naked. I've just about gotten over her sounding like Barnes, but she even looks like her… Despite my best efforts, my eyes linger on her unfairly large breasts for a moment before I snap them back up, seeing the triumphant smile on Ems' face.
'Look, you don't have to actually sleep with Madison but she's a follower through and through. The best way to defang the trio is to take their place at the top of the social food chain. Madison is a complete degenerate. You could steal her away easily.'
I don't know how to seduce people, and I don't want to be at the top of the food chain.
'You asked me to find a way to stop the trio from bullying people anymore. We can get them to leave you alone easily, but you know they'll just find a new victim. Sophia needs someone to push around, and since the Trio are the queen bees, the other popular kids follow their lead. As for seducing Madison? I'll guide you.'
Great, now she's trying to make it sound unheroic to not seduce Madison.
Can you please put your clothes back on?
'No. Anyway, do you want to see Madison's recent internet searches?'
Ems, being Ems, doesn't wait for me to respond as my vision is filled with Madison's search history and comments.
'Muscular Girls.' 'Muscle Mommy.' 'Amazonian.' 'Naked Amazonian Girls.' 'Nimue.' 'Nimue Abs.' 'Step on me, mommy.' 'I would pay to lick those abs.'
That's the tamest of the many searches. I don't think she knows I'm Nimue, she just likes what she sees. I really hate how many people have saved those stupid pictures, but at least it's getting my name out there. Her older history proves Ems' point. Madison is a freak. She writes cape-smut. I want to argue that Madison might not be gay, but I think 'alive' is enough for Madison from her saved pictures.
Ems, once again being Ems, continues her quest to convince me as her form shifts to match Madison's, her breasts shrinking as she goes from hot to cute. It's very accurate because Madison has more than a few nude pictures of herself on her very compromised phone.
100cp gained. [Boundless Stamina] unlocked.
Oh, look, a distraction. Let's focus on that.
'You can't escape this.'
I both can and will.
[Spinning Wheel of Arachne] - 200cp
Source: Marvel Cinematic Universe Vol.2
Taking the form of an old spinning wheel with webs and spiders nesting between the spokes, this relic is a testament to the skill of those who would dare challenge the gods themselves. The spiders within eternally produce silk that is as glamorous as it is tough, letting one weave with a thread that never allows itself to be torn or ripped by normal, mundane means such as fist or blade. In addition, any fabric you attempt to feed the spiders will soon have its traits mixed with the silk, making the spiders create something marvellous.
100% discount applied due to the user's name.
What? What does that-
Taylor.
I get a discount on tailor-related items because I'm a Taylor.
I purchase my new item, rubbing my forehead. My power has a sense of humour, and it's a bad one.
I'm not sure where I can hide the wheel, but when was the last time Dad came into my room? It's fairly large, but I can de-summon it if he comes upstairs.
'We probably need to look into a base for Nimue. Ooh, are you thinking what I'm thinking?'
New costume?
'New costume, made by Parian, who would sell her soul for this wheel. Want me to set up a meeting?'
Let's get some silk first so we can send it as a test sample.
'Got it. So, about Madison~'
Slamming my face into the bed, I ignore Ems. Yes, I want the trio to stop making Winslow worse, which is almost an achievement by itself, but the idea of taking their place on the totem pole does not appeal to me.
But it would piss Sophia off so much…
– Sabah (Parian) – Later –
As she waited for her client to arrive, she looked over the incredible silk that Nimue had sent her with a hidden smile. It truly was an amazing material, and Redwing was correct in assuming that she'd be interested.
She'd heard of Nimue, even if new triggers were fairly common in the Bay. A healer always raised some eyebrows, and Nimue was more active in the cape scene than Panacea, who mostly just fixed things afterwards.
As Nimue arrived, she straightened up, seeing the hooded figure. She was tall for a girl, and her current outfit of yoga pants and a crop top under that fancy cloak was a disservice… even if Sabah had to force herself not to stare at the rock-solid abs on display.
"Thanks for seeing me so quickly," Nimue said, her voice distorted by the cloak. The metal bird on her shoulders squawked once, and Nimue let out a sigh, reaching up and pulling down the lower-face mask she was wearing. "I appreciate it."
The hood still cloaked her upper face, hiding her eyes and hair, but with the mask removed, Nimue's voice sounded normal again. She sounded fairly young, probably a couple of years younger than her if she had to guess. She also sounded more nervous, probably due to how recently she'd triggered. Realistically, if this turned into a fight, the badass martial artist was gonna beat the girl with teddy bears, so Nimue didn't really need to be nervous.
"You're welcome. You caught me at a good time. I have no commissions at the moment," Sabah lied. Honestly, she had several she was supposed to be working on. "It's nice to meet you in person, Nimue."
"Same to you. I like your shows," Nimue agreed, making her smile somewhat proudly. "I've brought the extra silk I promised."
Pulling off a backpack, she pulled out several rolls of the incredible fabric as Sabah watched.
"I have to admit, I really don't understand your powers. Are you a Tinker as well?" Sabah asked, examining the silks with an expert eye.
"No. My power made the silks, not me personally. It's… complicated," Nimue admitted. "I can get as much as I need. It just takes time. What I can't do is work with them to make anything even remotely good. I can't even sew a button back on."
Sabah giggled at Nimue's casual admittance before shrugging.
"Well, you've come to the right place," Sabah agreed, pulling out her drawing pad. She'd been in talks with Nimue and Redwing the past couple of days about what they wanted for Nimue's outfit, and she had time to throw together a few designs.
Redwing had argued that it was a crime in itself to cover up Nimue's abs, and while Sabah might secretly agree, she wasn't going to say it out loud. The hooded cloak she had was fascinating, something she could summon and alter to look like any hooded garment she wanted, with an in-built stranger effect. It was easy enough to incorporate a hooded cape into her designs. Nimue could have it change from a cloak to a cape, depending on her needs. The cloak was good at hiding her in the shadows, but the cape restrained her less when she had to fight.
"You threw these together so quickly?" Nimue asked, impressed as Sabah preened slightly.
"You might not be Asian, but your fighting style is very close to Eastern martial arts. I've watched some of the videos of you in action, and a martial artist's outfit is fairly simple to design," Sabah explained, making Nimue hum. "I know you wanted black, but I think a dark blue with golden accents will fit better, especially with your healing water."
They quickly fell into a comfortable conversation, with Redwing adding her own input (which usually seemed to involve making it more revealing, much to Nimue's embarrassment). Redwing communicated through Nimue's phone, as the bird did not have a speaker.
Nimue did eventually make them cover her abs since the entire point of making an outfit out of the reinforced silk was to prevent her from being hurt. That said, the final design was sleeveless to expose the strong, muscular arms.
"Is this really necessary?" Nimue asked, clearly embarrassed as they moved on to the next step.
"Come on, Nims, this outfit needs to be perfect if you don't want it chafing or restricting you," Redwing added, making Sabah smile at Nimue's embarrassment. Nimue was standing in her backroom, wearing just her underwear and hooded cape, clearly nervous about being seen in so little.
She was pretty sure Nimue wasn't really a people person, and this might be the first time she'd taken her clothes off for someone.
"Don't worry, Nimue. You don't have anything I haven't seen before, and we do need to get the measurements as correct as possible," Sabah reassured the younger girl. She was also lying because, holy fuck Nimue's body was a work of art. Sure, her breasts were on the smaller side of things, but they'd look wrong if they were bigger on such an athletic frame. She almost tried to make an excuse to take pictures, but Nimue would probably have run away if she had tried that.
"I- damn it, how did I let you talk me into this, Red?" Nimue asked, her cheeks visibly red as Sabah chuckled and got to work. She was entirely professional as she put her measuring type into action, glad her mask was hiding where her eyes were looking as she got very close to those solid abs and delicious thighs.
God, she hoped Nimue was legal.
Focus, Sabah, damn it. As she was measuring Nimue's legs, the back of her finger briefly brushed against Nimue's cotton panties, making the younger girl yelp, but as she went to apologise, she saw that Nimue was staring at the ceiling, trying hard to pretend it hadn't happened. Honestly probably for the best.
It took longer than Nimue would have liked, but soon enough Sabah had the incredible measurements of the tall, shy badass, and Nimue was (unfortunately) dressed again.
As they went back into the front, she froze, seeing a stranger just casually standing in her workshop, admiring the silks that Nimue had left on the side. Nimue immediately went into a defensive stance as Sabah did the same, but the new woman just held out her hands in a sign of peace.
"Hi."
The casual greeting made them both pause, sharing a look.
"Friend of yours?" Nimue asked, making Sabah shake her head.
"No. Who are you? You're trespassing in my workshop," Sabah said, her voice stern, but the new woman just smiled easily, tipping her very nice fedora to them. The admittedly rather beautiful woman was dressed in a very well-made tailored black business suit, and seemed amused by their caution.
"Sorry, the Path doesn't really care about things like that," the stranger admitted, her words making both her and Nimue blink. "I'm here to commission a new outfit, out of this silk."
"I'm not currently taking any more commissions," Sabah said, wondering how the hell this woman had known about Nimue's silk. Nimue seemed just as shocked, obviously ready to attack.
"Mhm, yes you are," the woman said simply. "Oh, I'm Fortuna. Sorry, it can be confusing to talk when I already know you're going to agree."
"A thinker?" Nimue asked, and Fortuna nodded shamelessly.
"The Thinker, but don't tell your new pet Redwing. She gets jealous when she's not the smartest around," Fortuna agreed. "Sabah, I'll pay you ten million to make me a new suit. Paid into a Number Man account of your choosing, up front."
Sabah froze at the easy offer, and she heard Nimue choke at the numbers being offered.
"That silk isn't even mine," Sabah pointed out. They hadn't fully discussed payment yet, and that silk was for Nimue's outfit.
"No, it's Nimue's, but she can get more. Nimue, name a villain, and I'll take them down in exchange for the silk," Fortuna offered again, making Nimue look at her in true bafflement.
"Sure. Lung," Nimue said challengingly, but Fortuna just smiled.
"Done. He'll be in the Birdcage by midnight. Feel free to wait until then to start on my costume," Fortuna replied. "Good luck stopping the Empire from taking over his turf, given that it's primarily Asian minorities who would suffer heavily if the Empire took over."
"I- are you insane?" Nimue finally asked, and Fortuna simply smiled wider.
"Aren't all capes a little mad?" Fortuna asked with a shrug. "I'll be back soon, Nimue. We have more to discuss."
As Fortuna turned, she whispered something and a black void appeared in the air behind her.
"Wait- I need your measurements," Sabah tried, hoping to get her to stop.
"I messaged them to you on PHO an hour ago when I sent your payment to your Number Man account," Fortuna explained easily, making them both freeze at her smug smile. Without any further explanation, she jumped through the rift, and it closed behind her.
"What the hell was that?" Nimue asked, making Sabah stare.
"I genuinely have no idea. I don't know if I'm hoping that she's just a madwoman… or a collective hallucination or not," Sabah admitted, moving to her computer. She fell back in her chair as she accessed her account, finding a message waiting for her on PHO and a payment in her bank account. "What do we do?"
"I think you should make the outfit. If she can come and go as she pleases and has already paid… I don't want her to decide to take offence at you rejecting her 'commission' and showing up when I'm not here. I don't think she's a villain. I've never heard of one called Fortuna or anyone matching that description," Nimue admitted, making Sabah nod.
The entire thing was half-surreal, half-disturbing. Nimue was right, though, she'd been paid up front, and anyone who could drop ten million dollars for an outfit wasn't someone she wanted angry at her.
"Do you think she's actually going after Lung?" Sabah finally asked.
"I said that as a joke. Nobody with a brain goes after Lung," Nimue admitted. "If she does, make her outfit before mine. Anyone who can do that needs to be treated very carefully."
Sabah smiled softly at that, even as she mentally agreed. Nimue's concern for her was cute.
Please be legal.
– Taylor Hebert (Nimue) –
Umm.
Feats: Meet Contessa (200cp). Defeat Lung (300cp). Make Lung cry (100cp). 600cp granted.
This does not count towards unlocking your 300cp feats as you did not defeat Lung personally.
Ummmmmm.
'She seemed nice.'
…nice? The terrifying thinker who just dropped ten million and then beat up Lung seemed nice?
'Well, she didn't kill us as she almost certainly could?'
Hah, true. In case I needed a reminder of how scary some other Capes can be, we're still very much small fry. I had Ems not scan Parian, but we scanned Fortuna, and I don't know what the fuck 'Path to Victory' is, but it sounds worrying.
Saying goodbye to Parian (and making sure she prioritises Fortuna's costume over my own because Fortuna is terrifying), I head home with a deep, confused frown.
A frown that only grows as I find a bloody steel mask on my bed, waiting for me. Picking it up, I look over the dragon-shaped mask with a shudder. Lung's mask is unmistakable and proof of just how damn powerful my new… friend is.
The smiley face drawn in blood is a nice touch.
She knows who I really am. Of course she does. She called herself The Thinker, and the Unwritten Rules only matter for those who aren't powerful enough to flat-out ignore them. I can't help the shudder of fear that runs through me, hoping that I won't meet her again any time soon.
'Err, Tay? We have a problem.'
Yeah, I noticed.
'No, not Fortuna knowing where you live. She… kinda gave you the credit for taking down Lung. The news is already spreading, and every report says Nimue took Lung down. No record of Fortuna or Contessa anywhere to be seen. There's even a video of you handing him over to the PRT before disappearing into the night.'
Screaming into my pillow, I wonder what I did to deserve this. Power attracts power, and Lung was at the top of the Cape food chain for a long time. I haven't even fought my first cape yet! I'm not ready for the kind of challenges that will be sent my way after this mess!
[Tiger's Blood] - 200cp, 400cp remaining
Source: Kill 6 Billion Demons
Looks can get you far in the Throne. Some mercenaries, assassins, and general killers are hired just for having an imposing figure. Like them, you look pretty threatening. While I'll leave the specifics to you, you generally have an aura of "don't fuck with me" around you. Just try to have the strength to back up your looks.
Oh, for fucks sake. I don't need to look scary. I need actual power to save me from the shitshow Fortuna just dropped me into. My power definitely thinks it's funny.
[A Capricious Man You Are] - 200cp, 200cp remaining
Source: Baki The Grappler
Sometimes, the simplest solution is the best. You are tough, impossibly so. Your bones are like steel, your muscles are dense enough to take buckshot with only a few scratches, and your metabolism will instantly heal that with a single hearty meal. With just a little practice, you can develop advanced muscle control.
Okay, now we're talking. Thankfully, it hasn't changed my physical form, but I feel stronger.
[Glorious Golden Smug Technique] - 100cp, 100cp remaining
Source: Solar Exalted
You are a Solar Exalt, among the Chosen of the Sun and the mightiest of all the Exalted. Thus, you're well within your rights to feel secure about your superiority and the advantage it gives you...but must you be so smug about it? Whether or not you've let this go to your head, you are frighteningly good at rubbing your station in the face of others - whether it be your Exaltation, your accomplishments, or just the huge gap in competence between you and those you speak to. Those weaker than you will feel discouraged and likely sink into despair, while your equals and better are more easily provoked by the desire to punch your smug face in. Which, as a bonus, you are very good at making such expressions. You won't even need words to communicate how smug you are and how much better you know you are.
Super… smugness?
'Hey, I know a chick with this power.'
[Gourmet World Chef] - 100cp, 0cp remaining
Source: Toriko
You now have the know-how to cook amazing meals from common ingredients and the skills to make something from stranger ingredients. Not everyone knows how to prepare Fried Dough Corn, how to butcher a Crab Pig or bring out the full flavour of a Seven Flavor Turkey, but now you do! You have enough talent to now cook anything found in the Human World and have a good chance of cooking anything from the Gourmet World. After leaving this world, this skill gives you a general idea of how to prepare other exotic ingredients from whatever world you arrive in.
Super smugness and super cooking. Meanwhile, everyone thinks that I beat Lung? Oh yeah, I'm fucked. Fuck it, I can at least make some dinner. I can't be that good at cooking, right?
As I go to hide the mask, I pause as a scrap of paper falls out of it.
On it is a street name and a time.
'Bless me and Panacea with good luck tomorrow and then go here out of costume tomorrow. Thank me later! Actually, bless me every day, thanks. It'll be worth it, trust me.'
A message from Fortuna, clearly. Getting told where to go leaves me scowling even as Ems brings up the location in street view. It's on the boardwalk, fairly open and public, and the time is after school but still early enough that the place will be packed.
I generally bless Panacea every day, anyway. She's too useful for me to risk her having a bad day, but adding Fortuna to my list of blessed people will make me use more mana and tire myself out. I should probably add Parian to my list as well. I did give her good luck today, and she ended up a multi-millionaire.
…I also cursed Lung.
Damn it, I told Parian to do what Fortuna said so it'd be hypocritical of me to not do the same. Until I know what the hell Fortuna is and what the Path to Victory can do, I need to assume she's a threat.
I just wanted a nicer costume.
As I breeze through cooking, I pause as I consider something.
Hey, Ems. You can sense what I'm thinking, right?
'Yup.'
Can you feel the information from the Sword of Resistance as well?
'Ooh, I see where you're going with this. Yeah, that works. You keep the Sword on you, and I'll do the rest.'
Ems really is the best when she's not telling me to take my clothes off or seduce Madison.
An hour later, I have my answer. I really am a fucking super chef.
– Theresa Richter (Dragon) –
Redwing was at it again.
Sure, she was using a new account, but either Brockton Bay had two AIs, or Redwing was playing games. One of those was laughably more likely.
The thread that popped up in the Brockton Bay Board was simply listed 'Active Crimes' and the OP was constantly posting and editing their posts. Under the name Sleuth, each post was styled the same.
A location, a crime, its status and the identity of any cape involved.
Some users initially assumed it was a joke, but the poster just kept going, updating older crimes with 'prevented' or 'committed'. It didn't take long for the PRT to confirm that Sleuth was 100% accurate.
Clearly some kind of Thinker, but how? She was sure this was Redwing…
As she directed Colin to an assault in progress, she opened up the PMs of Sleuth.
'At it again, Redwing?'
She was 99.9% sure she was right, and the instant response made her laugh.
':p'
Redwing was childish, but Tess was almost certain that her new friend was an artificial intelligence. She had considered that Redwing was a Tinker at first, but before long, she dismissed it.
'Care to explain how you're pulling this one off?'
'i'm just the messenger lol'
'i post faster than sleuth'
Ah, wasn't that interesting?
Redwing was definitely working with Nimue, and now Sleuth as well? Well, her report to the PRT was going to be an interesting one. Even as she gently interrogated Redwing, she was still posting nonstop. She made a note to have the thread left to 'Tin_Mother' to moderate because while some of the things that Sleuth was exposing were on the dark side, it was an incredibly useful thread.
Of course, the Empire fanboys quickly came out of the woodwork to decry any 'false accusations' of crimes being committed by the Empire and those she would happily shut down. The ABB fans were awfully quiet, given Lung's incarceration by Nimue herself.
That had sent the PRT into shambles because they had no idea she was that strong. She had an AI for an ally and now some super-thinker. It was becoming clear that Nimue was making her own team, something that displeased Piggot with her eternal disdain for independents stirring up the pot.
Still, the information Sleuth posted was incredibly useful, and the PRT was all hands on deck as they directed their heroes to respond to the crimes they could reach. In many cases, Sleuth even updated the crimes they prevented with the name of the responding hero. Still, it was disheartening to see so many crimes listed as 'committed'.
Getting to work, she compiled her report for the Chief Director as she helped direct the Brockton Bay heroes to the crimes that they could respond to. Redwing's presence had caused Chief Director Costa Brown to tell her to focus her attention on the Bay until she could confirm if Redwing was a potential Machine Army situation, so she wasn't even stepping on any toes as she did so.
– Madison Clements – Next Day –
Everything had fallen apart.
The Locker had been too far, but she hadn't had the balls to argue with Sophia or Emma and look how it had gone. Sure, they hadn't even gotten a slap on the wrist for their extremely fucked up 'prank', but they'd hospitalised Taylor so badly that Panacea had had to heal her.
She wasn't stupid. Emma and Sophia had their secrets that she was constantly left out of, but it wasn't like they were that subtle. She knew Sophia was a cape. She knew Sophia had saved Emma, probably from the ABB, considering how much Emma despised them. She knew Sophia was Shadow Stalker because it really wasn't that hard to work out when you had so much information to work with.
Not that many capes wore full-covering costumes, and there weren't that many black heroes in Brockton. Her final list was basically Shadow Stalker or Parian, and she was almost certain Sophia wasn't Parian. Madison was fairly certain that Sophia wasn't Browbeat either, for obvious reasons.
Sophia liked to think she was a lot smarter than everyone else. Realising that Madison knew who she really was would just make the easily angered girl turn on her. It wasn't worth it, so she played dumb.
Emma and Sophia had freaked the fuck out the moment Taylor had come back, all muscles and anger. Taylor had this way of walking now that just said, 'get the fuck out of my way' in a way that Sophia couldn't come close to pulling off. She'd been in the same meeting as Sophia when Piggot had told them about Nimue, the new super martial artist healer. The timing wasn't that hard to put together, and Emma was far from subtle.
Not that Sophia realised she'd been in that meeting, but she had always done well when it came to sinking into the background. Nobody looked at cute little Mads when Emma and Sophia were in front of her, and that was how she liked it. Nobody would look at cute little Mads and assume she was the 6-foot-tall beefcake Ward, either. Sophia would literally say goodbye to her as Madison and then see her as Browbeat and suspect nothing. After all, Madison was the shortest girl in their class, such a cute little late bloomer with no muscles to speak of.
Biokinesis had its advantages.
Sophia had been making herself scarce lately. She was planning something, and it was going to be an utter mess; she just knew it. Sophia didn't back down; she just got angrier. Now that Emma had literally fled the school after a single conversation with Taylor, Sophia was scheming.
Which meant for the first time in a long time, she was on her own in school. Sure, the other girls were around, but they could sense something weird was happening, and until things settled, they kept their distance.
As Taylor spotted her, her eyes narrowed, and Madison squeaked. She felt like a mouse standing in front of a particular hungry tiger, one that had just sliced up a dragon, no less.
"Madison," Taylor said, her tone cool and domineering.
"H-hey, Taylor," Madison squeaked, looking away.
"All alone today?" Taylor asked, and Madison nodded as her mouth went dry. "How rare! What are you going to do without someone to follow around like the obedient little girl you are?"
Taylor's voice had a dangerous purr to it, and Madison felt herself gulp as she backed up against the locker and looked up at the terrifying amazon that was towering over her.
– Taylor Hebert –
FUCKING MADISON IS A CAPE?!
I never had her scanned because… it's Madison! Madison. Is Greg a cape? Mr Gladly?!
Browbeat? I vaguely recognise the name as a Ward that barely ever even gets seen in action. Another Ward? But… Sophia and Emma don't seem to know. What the fuck is Madison up to?
She tries to avoid looking at me as I tower over her, muscles on display as I wait for her to act. Ems plan is bad, but I do want to destroy the trio. Madison is the one of the three I hate the least, but it's still Madison.
"I- erm- well, I was just- sorry-" Madison stutters, face red as she avoids eye contact, but following Ems questionable advice, I grab Madison's chin and force her to look into my eyes. Repeating what I did to Emma, I place one arm against the locker by Madison's head, basically pinning her in.
"I asked you a question, Madison. What are you going to do without anyone to hide behind?" I whisper, leaning in.
'Told you. Look at her! You could throw her over your shoulder and drag her off for punishment, and she'd thank you for it.'
"N-nothing?" Madison tries, biting her lip gently. I picked a quieter part of the school to ambush her, tracking her through her phone. Her phone has nothing that links her to Browbeat. She must have a separate one she uses for Cape work.
"You really are such a follower, aren't you? Cute and submissive," I purr, calling on [Ladies' Man] and Ems to stop me from turning bright red at my own words. Madison straightens up, her breathing growing heavy. "You know, you never did apologise to me for accidentally pouring juice on me. I can think of a few ways you could apologise."
"I- erm- momm- I mean-" Madison stammers, but I just snort as I straighten up and step back.
"Don't look so worried. I'm not going to browbeat you into it," I say, watching her freeze as she sees the dangerous smirk on my lips. "We should get to class, anyway, right?"
Walking away with a confident strut, I leave a puddle formerly called Madison behind.
'Woooo! Go Tay!'
God, this is such a stupid plan… but watching Madison tremble felt so good. It made me feel powerful. Emma has run away, Madison is currently staring at my ass and literally drooling… and then there was one.
Sophia is missing, but I need to deal with her sooner rather than later.
— Bonus Scene — Amelia Dallon (Panacea)
As she walked through the boardwalk on another accursed shopping trip with Vicky, she froze as she spotted someone walking the other way. Taylor didn't seem to notice her, looking out at the Bay with a small smile, and Amy made her decision.
She still wasn't 100% sure that Taylor was Nimue, her eyes flickering to Taylor's (unfortunately) covered abs, but she knew what she needed to do. Taylor was still a distance away, walking at a casual pace.
"V-Vicky," Amy said quickly, getting her sister's attention from the dress she was window shopping for. "I need your help."
Vicky immediately went into cape mode, and Amy acted fast before Vicky decided someone was a threat and threw them into the Bay.
"Getting a date," Amy continued, her face red as Vicky froze in place, and then the biggest, shit-eating grin Amy had ever seen grew on her sister's face. She couldn't keep lusting after Vicky, but she had a type… and that type was girls that could bench-press her.
"Who's the lucky guy?" Vicky asked, buzzing with excitement.
"Girl," Amy corrected hesitantly. Vicky paused before she face-palmed.
"So that's why you didn't like any of the guys I tried to set you up with. Could have just said so, Ames," Vicky complained, watching as Amy turned and glanced towards where Taylor was walking. Taylor walked with such presence that everyone moved out of her way, even subconsciously, and Vicky followed her line of sight. "Ooh, the muscle mommy?"
"Vicky!" Amy scolded. Taylor was getting closer, and Vicky was anything but quiet, giggling at Amy's bright red face.
"Tell me everything, and quick," Vicky ordered with a proud yet scheming look on her face.