Part 5
"Really? Thanks!" I'd been hoping for something like this. Taylor had actually had the time to finish her costume after all. Or at least I assumed such. She'd been active for one night, so maybe she improvised something?
Either way, she'd had more time then me to think on it. Following someone's lead was always the easier path to blazing your own trail, if somewhat less satisfying.
And Taylor was that guide. "Well... there are a few things you need to consider," she started. "The first is what you can make and maintain."
Simple enough, good advice.
"That complicated armor arrangement you wanted... can you throw something like that together regularly?" she asked me. "Or fix it I guess. Because it's probably going to get damaged a lot."
"I figured better it than me," I grumbled. I mean the final model might be a bit expensive, but that's why I was trying a few things.
"Yeah that's fine, that's smart," she praised. "Going with something practical is a good idea. I mean you want it to look a certain way yeah, but I agree with you entirely on the protection thing."
"So you think I should simplify a bit?" I questioned. "I could always look into online courses on blacksmithing."
"Why are you so dead set on the fullplate anyway?" she asked me.
"Cricket's favored weapons are kama," I began listing lifting up one finger to each name, "Kaiser makes fields of blades, Oni Lee uses both a knife along with his pistol. Alabaster and Victor have both been known to used blades. Even Lung, Frenja and Menja use edged attacks, though I doubt anything but tinkertech-" or enchanted kit, "-is going to be much use against a direct hit there." I waved the full hand at her holding the other three a little back to keep them in view. "Guns are more of a threat from basic gang members but plenty of them have knives, and a lot of villains like to go medieval on your ass."
"Yeah I get that, but why plate?" she asks again. "Wouldn't something like... chainmail be better?"
"Yeah but harder to make," I agreed. "Proper full plate is even harder, but I'm just talking a few plates on key areas. You know, something I could throw together at home?"
Then something clicked, "Ugh!"
"What?" she asked.
"I've been thinking on this wrong," I admitted. "I focused to much on what was traditionally built to counter each kind of attack and trying to combine them, and how established capes protect each other from capes. What I should have been doing is looking at the normal people who already obsess on how to protect themselves from that kind of thing."
Taylor looked at me in confusion.
"Nerds and survival nuts," I explained.
"What." was her elaborate and eloquent reply.
"Bad idea?" I questioned eyebrow raised.
"Just... not following your logic on this," she replied.
"Well, I'm working on a budget. I don't have the money or resources to make something actually good. So why not look at the people who make effective things out of everyday stuff?" I questioned.
"Effective things?" she sounded dubious of my prospects once more.
"Well, after a lot of research and testing to sort through all the junk yeah," I admitted rolling my eyes. "Of course a lot of it's going to be crap. But for every few pezz based ballistics knives out there, there are probably a few anarchist cook books. Some of it's got to be functional."
Name dropping the infamous text seemed to have brought her back onto my side with that, "That.. could work maybe."
"Though if you've got an suggestions on that..?" I raised an eyebrow at her.
"Uh... what I did might not work for you," she admitted.
I looked at her curiously.
She looked away.
"Well then... let's try almighty google, and see what it brings us," I offered gesturing to the computer.