TUE MAR 1
Vicky had gone straight home before her afternoon class at the college, to pick up a spare phone. This reminded me to finally check my phone on my way back to class, to find three texts from Kara, spaced a few minutes apart. 'Everything's fine' 'All clear so far' and 'At least she's trying ' which had me wondering if something had happened, of the awkward or embarrassing sort, rather than dangerous like I'd been worried about. I didn't remember her or Cass having any large flares of shame or embarrassment, but that doesn't mean a faux-pas didn't happen.
I didn't want to walk to Parian's given the rain today, so I decided to take the bus to the Boardwalk. I even saw Vicky and Amy heading off in the car to drop her off at the hospital, so they wouldn't be out flying in it. Did Vicky's field keep the rain off her while she was flying? I knew it wouldn't help Amy, but now I was curious. I sent off a text asking about it when I made it under the large awning bolted to the school's fence for exactly weather like this. Hard to cram dozens of teenagers into a normal covered bus stop.
It thankfully took until I was nearly to my stop for her to reply, which meant she'd likely just dropped Amy off, and was texting before heading out again. The message essentially saying 'If it's worth calling rain, yes. Fog always gets through, drizzles are iffy, rain yes.' which was interesting.
The few blocks between the stop and Parian's were mostly covered by awnings, so I was damp when I got there, but didn't feel a pressing need to wring my hoodie out. I readjusted my backpack, and headed for the counter, where one of the store's girls was sitting at the counter and reading a magazine while waiting for the after-school rush. She glanced up at me when I didn't peel off to the racks, so I dropped my hood and cut in before she could tell me to ditch my bag. "Hi, I had a custom order that should be done? I think Parian's expecting me. Taylor Hebert?"
"Uhh," The young woman hummed, reaching down to grab a clipboard and check it. "Just a second." She flagged down the girl on the floor to keep an eye on me during her half-dash to the stairs. I turned and gave her a nervous smile while watching the first duck into Parian's workroom to ask about me. She was back less than half a minute after her departure. "Right this way."
Parian was up by the door when we got there, welcoming me in and shutting it after me, rather obviously flipping the lock and waiting. I used the extended moment of silence to set my bag against the wall. When her minion took that first step onto the stairs, she turned back to me, smiling under her mask. "Well then, how have you been?"
I was a bit startled from my thoughts at that, having been wondering if she'd laced the hallway carpet with her power as an eavesdropping prevention measure. "I'm doing good. I've been pretty busy with school and team stuff. Oh! Speaking of, I know you don't do armor, but I was looking up trauma plates and armor inserts, and I was wondering... if some of our squishier teammates needed costumes, would you be willing to add internal sleeves for things like that? Assuming we sourced and installed them after taking them home?"
She swallowed as her nerves built up. "I... would need to think on it. It's technically abiding the letter, but disrespecting the spirit of not arming or armoring anyone."
That was disappointing, but not unexpected. It didn't stop me from pouting about it, though. "That's fair. Let me know what you decide, but we'd probably come to you anyway even if you won't."
Her stress flared, before her nerves started to abate. Outwardly, she nodded. "Thank you." She turned back, heading to her storeroom. "Now, I do have your outfit done, buuut..." She felt nervous, anxious, even biting her lip as she grabbed the carrying bag. I'm not proud to say the drawn-out word had me glancing down at her frills and imagining the shape I could feel with my senses.
"But?" I prompted, pushing down my blush before she could see it.
"I would like you to try it on, before you go." She sat the bag down on her desk, zipping it open and pulling out the thin frame the clothes were hung on.
"That makes sense." Making sure everything fit right before I took it home was only prudent, after all. I made my way over and took it from her. "So, uh...?"
I could feel her blush, her heart picking up, veins tightening. She was ashamed and frustrated. "If you'd rather change in private, I could get you a screen?"
"Well, I've never worn anything like this..." On the one hand, I was embarrassed, too. But there was a chance I'd need help, and exposure therapy was a thing, right? I'm sure both of us could do with a bit less shame in our lives. "No screen's fine." Besides, she'd already seen me as close to naked as I'd be getting to try this on.
"Alright." She nodded, her heartrate spiking again.
I handed the hanger back before turning away and pulling my damp hoodie off. I set that off to the side and hooked my toes over the back of my shoes to pull them off. That was so much easier when I could use the soles. My shirt and pants followed in their own little piles. Parian handed me the top, which I slipped on but didn't button, taking a moment to pull my hair from beneath it before she gave me the skirt. It had a little zipper hidden inside, so I pulled that and turned back, taking another second to figure out where my hands should be to get the weird hip-buttons. "Alright, pockets." I slid my hand around the insides of the suit jacket, and it occurred to me then that it was a jacket... but my shirt was a bit wide and baggy, and wouldn't be a good judge of the fit once it was buttoned up. I gave a tiny nod at the perfectly reasonable rationalization for my shirtlessness. "So, buttons..." I tugged the hem, sliding my hands up along the trim. "Just these?" I asked when my fingers brushed over them, near my sternum.
"Yup." Her voice was a bit higher than normal. I gave her a look, and she blushed a little harder.
I took a deep breath, slowly released it, and dutifully ignored the thought that I might have been wrong about this being a 'sheltered upbringing' thing, with her. Buttons fastened. Sleeves, too. Step away a bit, not tripping over my shoes as I went, and give a slow twirl so Parian could inspect her work. "So... mirror?"
She gave a little start at my question, and shook herself back to attention. "Right, of course." She waved her hands up, and a pair of screens floated over to us, turning to arrange their mirrored other sides toward me. "What do you think?"
I felt oddly dissociated at first. It had my face, but it didn't look like me. I ran my hands along my thighs, my hips, my sides, my stomach... it helped reassert the reality of what I was seeing. I looked... important. I hardly thought I looked attractive, but that felt like it had less weight than usual. Many of the flaws I saw every day- my negligent bust, lack of an hourglass waist, thin shoulders and spindly limbs- looked intentional, rather than happenstance. I still wasn't happy with the way I failed to fill the skirt out, but I still had a couple years to grow into proper mom-like hips. It struck me then, that I felt unfinished. It certainly wasn't a work of art, but to use an art analogy... my body looked like a work in progress, worth putting time and effort into if only to practice the skills to create better works in the future; instead of an aborted failure that wasn't worth the effort of completing.
A moment later, the feelings of glorying in hope and pride faded, and I was just gangly Taylor in a fancy suit. A plain girl made of piecemeal parts that each could be attractive on a different girl, but... I couldn't find it in me to hate it. I didn't feel ugly. Not pretty, but not ugly either. I guess that was good enough.
"It's very good work." I stated when I found my voice again. I reached down and popped the lower buttons out of the skirt, giving my thighs a bit more breathing room, and slowly stretched each of my muscle groups to find the clothing's limits. To my pleasant surprise, I had a much better range of motion than I'd expected. "Huh. It looks good, feels good, I could probably fight in it if I had to..." I redid the buttons holding the side-slit closed, and tested again. I didn't think I'd ever sprint in it, and running was out with the buttons done. Still, it wasn't bad for something I really shouldn't be fighting in. "Better than expected. Is, uh... is there an outstanding tab, or...?"
She shook her head. "Already paid for, don't worry about it."
I hummed, not sure what else to say. Was I supposed to bring up the deal I'm sure Gram had offered? That sounded a lot like trying to pressure her into it. This wasn't like pushing Tracy yesterday, since I doubted Parian needed to be forced to lean on her support network more for her own good. She was an established cape and a business owner, and didn't need anything I could offer her. "I guess... I should go, then?"
"Well, I'm not going to chase you out, if you're worried about that." She motioned to a line of disembodied torsoes, and the half-finished blouses on each started slowly sewing themselves together. "But if we've nothing important to discuss, I should at least get back to work while we chat."
Hmm. I think she was still a bit put-off by me trying to push her boundaries earlier. Nothing to do but give her some time, then. "I should probably head out, anyway." I gave myself another few long looks in the mirrors, before undoing all the buttons. The jacket tugged itself from my hand once I'd removed it, and I let it float under her control while I took off the skirt and started throwing on my clothes. "So, cleaning instructions?"
She'd slowed her sewing while her attention was split, and didn't answer until she had the outfit reassembled on the hanger, skirt clipped to the bottom under the jacket. "I would highly advise dry-cleaning, though I wouldn't complain if you had to replace it sooner due to machine washing." The amusement I could feel from her after her little business-sass joke quickly found itself replaced by a cautious curiosity. "Actually... given your powers..." I nodded for her to continue. It's not like I minded, given she already knew. "It shouldn't be difficult for you to handle it yourself. There are guides online for washing dry-clean clothes at home, and it basically amounts to hand-washing them with less caustic soaps or dryer cycles with powdered cleaners. Your suit's fine with hand washing, for instance. Soak them with soap flakes, gently agitate with water control, then pull the water out when they're clean. There's some materials like silk that can't be washed in water, but the vast majority of things in stores don't need it."
That didn't sound hard. I could probably do that while I took care of homework. "Shit." I muttered, palming my face. "I can't use dry-cleaning as a reason I can't buy any of those stupid tissue-paper blouses, now." I slumped and groaned piteously. "Vicky is going to eat me alive and murder my clothes budget." Then again, I hadn't checked my accounts lately. Given how little Gram had cared for my wardrobe, I wouldn't be surprised if I found an extra digit if I looked now.
I could feel Sabah's lips pursed behind her mask, as she tried not to smile or chuckle at my expense. "It hardly sounds that bad…"
I tried to level my best deadpan stare her way, though I think I might've still been glowering. "You're a fashionista. You'd probably burn all my clothes if I ever invited you over."
She tittered, then ruined the posh image with a snort. "Ahh, probably…" She trailed off in thought, and I could feel anxiety warring with curiosity and courage. "…it sounds like a good time though, if you're offering."
That brought my thoughts crashing to a halt. It took a couple seconds to percolate my thoughts into words once they'd rebooted. "Wait, you'd want to hang out? I… kinda' thought I'd just be some kid, or just a client, or…" You know, I wouldn't be opposed to it, if it meant more friends and a chance I could talk her into the team.
Sabah scoffed. "I'm not that old, and you're more mature than some of my peers." I could feel her blush and mutter something. "Anyway, it might be… nice, having someone I can talk cape with, without the masks."
"Well, you've got my number, right? Or was that my cape phone?" It didn't really matter, we exchanged numbers anyway just to be sure. "So, uh. Keep me updated on what the college life is like, I suppose?" I accepted the suit bag from her, slipped the roll of trash bags out of my backpack, and took the hook into my mouth to free my hands up to unfurl and tear off a bag.
"What… are you doing?" She asked instead of answering my prompt.
"Hmm?" I freed up my mouth and held a bag in each hand. "I have errands off in an iffy part of town to get to, but if I just run around with a suit bag, people will think I'm rich or pretty or something. Worth mugging, or worse." I used the hand full of trash bag to flip my hood up. "But if I stick it in a trash bag, I'm just another homeless boy that tarped their bindle for the rain." I nodded to the windows. The blinds were drawn and most of our view of them had changing screens in the way, but that was where the sound of rain against the building was loudest.
She gave a curious hum, and I continued my work bagging up the bag. "Still, if it's an 'iffy' part of town..."
"It really doesn't narrow things down, and... that's kind of on purpose. Secret cape stuff, sorry." I pulled my backpack over by the canteen packed in the bottom, and slipped it on. "But, I'll be fine. If my martial arts aren't enough, I'm a hydrokinetic and it's raining." I chuckled, trying to put her more at ease. Some of the tension faded from her, and I gave her a soft smile. "Thanks for worrying, though. I appreciate it." It felt a little weird to just leave on that note, so I started musing out loud. "You're only here early in the week, right? Vicky and I might swing by Thursday, if we wind up shopping at the Boardwalk."
She shook her head with a little chuckle of her own. "Parian only works early in the week. Sabah works the rest of the week."
I knew she worked here in both identities, but I didn't think she worked every day. "Well, remember to give yourself some days off when you can, so you don't burn out, alright? I worry about you, too." She blushed under her mask and nodded, feeling embarrassed and a little giddy. I slung the black bag over my shoulder, futzing with it until it covered most of my backpack. "I'll text you Thursday, to tell you if we're heading your way or not, okay?"
"Alright, I'll talk to you later, Taylor." She focused back on her work, and I headed downstairs, waving to the floor girls on my way out.
The rain hadn't let up while I'd been inside, the sky still dark enough that the street lights had come on, and visibility rapidly declining more than two blocks out. My hood soaked through in less than a minute, and my front side followed by the time I caught the next bus. That let me off a few blocks from Sue's, and I started that way. About a minute later, my cape phone started ringing.
"Hi?" I hesitantly asked.
"Terraform? This is Aegis, do you have a minute?"
I blinked, then glanced around. I didn't see any fliers, and didn't sense anyone looking. Still, I didn't want to stand around like a target in this part of town. "Gimme a sec?" He gave an assenting noise, and I beelined for the nearest alley.
A quick glance to confirm what I'd sensed, and I leapt up the wall. Globs of hardened rainwater congealed against the surface for my feet to push off of, and I skip-ran up two stories to the roof. Another glance around for fliers within visible range, and I brought the phone back to my ear. "Okay, had to get off the street. What's up?"
"Couple things. Schedules were finalized, and I brought up your request. Took a bit to pass around all the requests for approval between directors, advisers, and parents, but if you're still interested in that patrol with Vista, she's agreed to it. Next opportunity is Thursday."
"Can you narrow the time down a bit? I had plans that day, but I might be able to fit in both." I doubt Vicky would mind not having the whole day to dress me up. Hell, she'd probably ask to come along, if I told her about the patrol.
Aegis took a couple seconds to respond, either thinking or checking something. "It's a couple hours right after school, mostly to catch the teen crowd while they're shopping I think."
So, a couple hours of patrolling, a couple hours shopping with Vicky, then dinner and whatever else that day. Probably more shopping into the evening, honestly. "Yeah, I can make that work. Are you going to call me with a place and time to meet then, or...?"
He chuckled. "You can just meet us at the PRT building as soon as convenient for you. We can hold the patrol a bit, maybe half an hour or so. If you're really late, they can tell you where to meet us at."
Despite knowing he couldn't see it, I still gave in to the urge to shrug. "That sounds fine, shouldn't take me long to get there."
"Also, since I had plans to call you anyway, they passed along a message for you. City Hall wants to know if you're going to be doing that show of yours again, and if you're willing to schedule them."
"Wait, what?" My voice nearly cracked through my shock and mild panic. "I didn't think I was breaking any rules, and I asked permission, too!"
Aegis actually laughed. "No, no. They want you to do it more if you can. Those sorts of nonviolent spectacles are good for tourism."
"Huh. That's... surprising." It wasn't that flashy events draw crowds, or that it might be good for tourism. That I'd already figured out. What surprised me was the fact that they called the PRT to call me about it. I couldn't be sure if it was a case of casual opportunism, or if the city really was desperate enough, even at the level staffed by upper-class citizens, that they'd try to pressure me into indirectly boosting the economy. "I was actually planning on approaching the Mayor's office and City Hall about construction projects and other things, soon. I could talk to them, then, if you'd pass that along?"
"Construction projects?"
Hmm. Might be a good chance to practice my pitch. "Well, there's a lot of condemned buildings in the city, that aren't doing the economy any good, mostly made with brick or cement walls. My Earth powers would let me bring them down quickly and safely, and it's not like I'd be taking jobs from people, because no one's being hired to do it. The money or interest just isn't there. I could give the city a big 'recovery effort' discount, tear buildings down, I'm pretty sure I can use water and earth to pour concrete perfectly to jumpstart new buildings, and Armsmaster seemed pretty happy with how I used earth and fire to fix roads. If I can boost the economy even a little, anyone I 'take' jobs from now should see a lot more business in a few months or years."
The silence hung long enough that I started to worry I'd said something wrong. "You've… given a lot of thought to this, huh?"
I chuckled as the tension that'd been building quickly faded. "There are people whose only good use for their powers are punching criminals. I don't really want to take their jobs, either." I shook my head at the external musing, blowing a wet clump of hair strands out of my face. "I want to do the most good and the least harm, and that means I probably need my hands in a lot of pots. Talking to the Mayor and the City Council is a good step forward on a lot of those."
"Huh." He took a few moments to think. "Well, I can put in a note to pass along that you're looking to get in touch with them?"
I took a moment to think back on dad's planning, and the talk I still wanted to have with Lady Photon. "Sure. I don't think I'm quite ready to debate all of those points in detail yet, but I can at least call and make an appointment. That's a thing, right?"
"If you wanted to talk to the Mayor or anyone in particular, yeah. I think you can just drop in on city council meetings for most things, open sessions and all." Dad and the unions did a lot of their lobbying there. Trying to get the north docks cleared of the boats, or get funds to reopen the ferry, or get higher priority fixing roads and utilities for the poorer parts of the city. Things that would make doing their jobs easier. The plumbers, electricians, garbage and sanitation workers, all of them relied on the infrastructure for at least part of their jobs. It always sucked to have an appointment made a couple days out, then have to tell a family you couldn't fix their electrical issues because something knocked down a power line yesterday and it might be another day or two before they could even tell what bits of wiring in their home weren't working properly.
When I was younger, I'd thought it odd that a city like Brockton would bother with open sessions at all, given the gangs. It did keep those people that cared about it happier with the administration though, and there was always a police and PRT presence, plus one or two Protectorate capes in the building, if not sitting in for the meeting itself. They were about as safe as anything got, in this city.
I shook myself free of my musings. "Yeah, I think I'll want to check in with the Mayor first. Call his office today or tomorrow, PRT building ASAP after school Thursday... was there anything else?"
"Nope! That was it. Unless you had something you wanted to bring up?"
A moment's humming thought had me shaking my head. "Can't think of anything right now." I wanted to have the other options on hand before talking to the Protectorate about their Affiliated Teams program, and how broad the benefits of signing up actually were. "I'll see you Thursday?"
Notes:
Work has been tiring, politics has been stressful, and depression is a bitch.
Not writing nearly as much as I want to, these days.
Ehh, anyway, took me a while to notice that I had this done. Realized it'd probably be another month or two before the next scene is done, so I finally checked to see how much *both* of these scenes came out to, and was surprised it was a respectable 4K words. So, update ahoy. Now I can rest easier with how long the next scene is going to take, knowing it hasn't been like three or four months since the last update. DX