14

Chapter Text

FRI FEB 18

After the last time we went anywhere together, Vicky made sure she grabbed the car on her way back to Arcadia to pick us up. The ride was quiet, but nice. The radio stayed off, Amy only occasionally pecking away at her phone, Vicky started humming once and I could feel her aura creeping out, but she realized it herself and pulled it back when she suddenly went quiet again. Most of the ride was, at least to me, comfortable silence.

We parked in one of the lots near the market, which used to house buildings, before being destroyed by the gangs or otherwise declared derelict and torn down. This part of the city was nice enough to actually have demolitions work done, but not nice enough for people to bother with rebuilding. The ones on the outskirts of the market proper were marked off with parking spaces, while the few inside were crammed with tents and booths. Even from here I could spy some of the little stands set up on the sidewalks outside the proper stores. Booths and tents paying the shops they're in front of to camp there and hopefully feed off each others' business. The city either didn't see anything wrong with it, or didn't care enough to punish the violations. There was usually just enough space to get by without wandering into the street, but a lot of people just walked in the bike lanes on Lord's Street, ignoring that they were inches from a main through road.

"Oh! I know!" Vicky said as we got out. "We should get food. Start the trip off right."

Amy scoffed. "You just want to get tacos again."

Vicky fisted her hands in front of her wide grin and excitedly whispered, "Tacos..."

The scene was absurd enough to get a chuckle out of me, and I could feel the Dallons cheering up, at having broken through my mood. I didn't mind Mexican, so I just followed along, taking in the sights. Vicky called me a heathen when I ordered a burrito.

The Lord's Street Market was the largest shopping center in the city, though all of them claimed they were. The market won, not by volume or foot traffic, but in sheer density. It had the most 'shops' of any of them, packed into half the space of the Boardwalk. I couldn't remember its proper name because I never went there, but the shopping center near the Towers was the biggest by volume. It really only served the local whites though, being deep in Empire territory. The Boardwalk had the others beat hands-down in foot traffic, though. Being the neutral, non-gang territory, high quality, enforced-by-hired-bouncers tourist-friendly experience that it was.

The Market was technically in Merchant territory, though no one seemed to care. Some of the shops hired a handful of the Boardwalk's Enforcers and security guards to keep the peace, but most of the work was done by police stationed in the area.

Some of the stands looked like you'd combined a garage sale with a farmer's market. People selling off anything they could to get by, or get out. Most of the stands had themes; bags, trinkets, soaps, food... anything that could be made from home. The restaurants in the area had mostly been driven out by the convenience of the food stands dotting the sidewalk; There was Vicky's taco stand, a hotdog vendor, what looked like Italian noodles, and a couple Asian stands, from what I could see where we'd stopped to eat. I could feel more of them a ways down out of sight, and past the curve in the road to match the waterfront, but couldn't tell exactly what they served from just that.

After food, we wandered a bit. Amy and I followed Vicky mostly. Pausing to peruse trinkets or sniff beauty products, heading in to the occasional thrift store. I actually found a few things I liked in a second-hand clothing store. I found the stand Amy had bought my masks at, mostly a few tables full of ceramic utensils like bowls and plates, with the occasional flower vase or urn. One of the walls was hung with masks though, and I could feel spare stock under the tables. For what looked like some guy making things in his basement to sell, the quality was surprising. I rather deliberately had us not stop in there, though. No need to connect myself and Amy, if he recognized her.

The real gem though, was a stand selling stereotypically 'oriental' nick-knacks. Paper wall scrolls, some candles, jars of loose tea, a few rolled up wooden mats...

And fans.

They were cheap things, just wood and paper with some words or drawings on, but I saw them and something clicked. I remembered the airbenders in my dreams, and knew it didn't matter how long they'd last if I just got a box of the things, expecting them to break. So I bought ten of them. Enough to practice with, maybe use in a fight, prove to myself that they worked, and whether I should look into better ones.

The rest of the time proceeded the same. I was mostly stuck in burnt-out autopilot along for the ride, unless something caught my attention, or the sisters did something else to pry a reaction out of me, or Vicky's aura slipped. It was a nice trip, with the two of them taking the brunt of the social callings and letting me just... be, outside in my own little bubble for a few hours. We stopped for food again a couple hours after dark, some Greek wrap stand at the other end of the market. Then we meandered back to the car, pleasantly full and cheerful enough that I actually chimed in a couple times without being prompted to, which the Dallons were happy about.

It was half past nine when they dropped me off at home. I was in a better mood, but still exhausted. So I skipped homework- I had the whole weekend after all- and went straight for a shower and my bed.

---

SAT FEB 19

I got up around my normal time, despite getting to bed earlier than usual. Now that I thought about it, it was a little weird that I'd been doing fine on six or seven hours every night, when I used to sleep at least ten if I was allowed to. Then I remembered some capes didn't need to sleep at all thanks to their powers, and shrugging my sleep habits off with 'Powers did it' stopped seeming so far-fetched.

Light exercise this morning since I didn't want to need a shower, or show up smelling at Dinah's, then I called to let them know I was on the way over. Dad was already up, so he dropped me off at the Alcott's. He promised to stop for breakfast somewhere before stopping by work to put out any fires there, then he was planning to hang out with some of the guys. It was nice to see dad excited about socializing, again.

So, I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Cheryl answered again, inviting me in excitedly. Dinah was already at the table when we got there, along with her father. "Dinah, Taylor's here!" She said, happily. Once we were seated, she continued. "Tell her how your classes have been."

Dinah looked slightly mortified to be put on the spot, but the shy girl coughed and fidgeted her way to speaking. "I've... um. Been having a lot less headaches." She fidgeted again, picking at her food. "Been studying easier without the headaches. Catching up."

I waited half a beat to tell if she was going to keep talking before I said, "That's great, Dinah!"

She blushed and hunched a bit, curling to hide. Her mother happily chimed in, in her place. "It's so nice seeing her enjoy life more, without it affecting her studies." Her husband grunted his agreement.

Honestly I was starting to feel... really awkward, sitting here in the middle of this. All the happy gushing and implied praise felt... wrong. I hadn't helped that much, after all. "That's great. I'm happy for her." I wasn't sure what else I could say, but apparently that was enough.

Dinah started talking about her specific classes at her mother's prodding, which filled the silence until mr Alcott had to leave for work. We were shuffled off to Dinah's room as soon as we finished eating.

I watched Dinah fidget for a second before I plopped down on her bed. "So, your headaches are better?"

She perked up, almost startled. "Yes! Thank you."

I shrugged. "What'd I do?"

"98% chance meeting Taylor led to my headaches getting better." Dinah said, suddenly and a touch mechanically. "95% chance Taylor had something to do with my headaches getting better."

"...huh." That was actually somewhat frightening. What the hell happened? "I don't... think I actually did anything?" I thought for a second. "I know I didn't mean to do anything." Now that sounded bad... "I mean, I didn't think I could do anything!"

"It's... fine." Dinah said, affecting a shy smile. "I'm just happy my head's better."

I slowly nodded. "And nothing else has changed? Nothing you're worried about?"

She shook her head, then paused. "No, but I'm not getting decimal places anymore." She pondered in a several second pause before continuing. "Like, uhh, a question that used to give 78.984% just gives 75% now."

So, less accurate? It still sounded incredibly useful, though. "And the headaches are gone?"

Dinah shook her head again. She wasn't looking at me, and I wondered if that helped her anxiety. "No, it just takes a lot more questions for them to start. Like, before I'd get to six or seven questions and my head would start to hurt. More than a dozen and I'd need to come home from school. Too many more, and I'd have headaches for days." That was terrible. I know I'd never get through a day without at least that many percentile questions asked at me. She must have been more miserable than I'd thought... "Now I can get fifty questions, easily. More if they're simple ones."

"That's great!" I was honestly happy for her. That sounded much better for surviving a school day.

She nodded happily. "I know. Now I can be useful to your team."

My smile froze, and dropped. "Hey, you know I didn't care about that. I just wanted to help."

"87% chance you're being honest." She said with a nod. "I just... want to be useful." She curled up on herself a bit.

I got up and hugged her to my side with an arm while she stayed sitting. She flinched a bit from the contact, but I persisted, and she relaxed into the embrace. "You're already the whole reason I'm starting a team. It wouldn't be happening without you."

"55% chance you're just trying to make me feel better."

Dear god this was going to get annoying quick, if she kept doing that. "Is it working?"

She rubbed at her eyes. "A little, yeah."

"Just because I said it to make you feel better, doesn't mean it isn't true." And now to nip a habit in the bud... "And you should avoid second-guessing people with your powers out loud, you don't want to get used to it, then slip and start doing it at school or something."

"84% ch-er..." She shyly curled up under my arm. "...you're right."

I lifted the arm from her shoulder to pat her head. She squirmed a little, but didn't protest further. Then I went back to sitting. "Now I just need to find more capes for the team..."

"90% chance we'll have three members by the end of next week." Dinah said, not looking up from her desk. "25% chance we'll have four members by the end of the month. 77% chance we'll have four in two weeks."

Wait, "Seriously?" She nodded. "Huh. That's... really surprising."

"It shouldn't be." She said, more firmly than anything she'd said today. "40% chance even the gangs want the city to be better."

A bit of a sobering thought, that. But it made sense for the Empire, at least. Better city proves having them around is a 'good' thing. More money in the city might make the ABB racketeering more profitable, too. Really the only gang that relied on the city being a shithole were the Merchants.

I sighed. "I hope you're right."

She finally looked up from her desk at that, to give me an incredulous look that said 'Of course I am, my powers said so.' and had me giggling at how cute she looked when confused.

"It's fine, it's okay." I said through the dying chuckles. "We should probably get started on schoolwork, though."

After that, we got started on schoolwork, spending a little time brainstorming how to use her power to help with studying and getting answers, because why wouldn't we, since it was an option now? A quick lunch was had, before we got back to work for another couple hours, during which I made sure I had Dinah's personal number, and that it was okay for me to check on her now and then. After that, though?

"You're leaving?" Cheryl asked, sounding a touch disappointed.

I shrugged. "Dinah's catching up just fine, now. There wasn't as much to work on this week." Which was actually true. "If you still want me to come by in a week or two, we're going to need to start working on getting her ahead in classes, just for something to do."

She hummed thoughtfully. "That would be rather nice, actually. She was already being tutored to get ahead before all this started... maybe the stress was getting to her?" She wondered out loud. She shook her head. "Oh well, it's fine. Here you go, dear." I was offered a pair of crisp bills, the same amount as last time despite 'working' fewer hours. "Do call if next weekend doesn't work for whatever reason."

I agreed and headed off, detouring north a bit to Captain's Hill on the way home. It was a nice enough day, and I felt like taking the walk. I'd seen the view of the city from the hill dozens of times, but it was nice to visit once in a while.

After basking in the Bay's lopsided skyline for a few minutes, I kept heading north, to the edge of the park where I could find some bus stops. To my surprise, there seemed to be a small crowd milling about near the road. As I got closer I noticed two bright spots of color at its center.

Assault and Battery.

What the hell? First Militia and Velocity, then Militia and Triumph, then Dauntless and Armsmaster -though they hardly counted, since I was masked at the time- but now Assault and Battery? If I walked over now, I could honestly tell dad and Amy I'd met the city's entire Protectorate roster.

In a fit of whimsy, I decided I really should.

I made my way over. There were just a couple dozen people, mostly park-goers, but also the odd business type from one of the nearby offices, or people who stopped their cars nearby to meet the heroes. Most of them had the two sign something, and then backed off, but enough were crowding nearby that it was a tad intimidating. Still, I soldiered on, making my way into their path, rather than trying to push into the throng. A few minutes later, they'd started moving again, and came to where I was standing.

"Hello, there!" Assault said, moving ahead to engage me directly while Battery was waylaid by a pair of girls who looked younger than me. "Did you have something you wanted signed, too?"

I froze, digging around in my pockets for a second. The only things I really had on me were my wallet, the money in it, my phone, pepper spray, and...

The man actually snorted when I pulled the baton Jake had given me from my pocket and held it up.

He uncapped a silver gel marker, scribbled his name on the handle, and nudged Battery. She took one look at the thing and failed to completely stifle a groan. Still, she took the marker and baton, and scribbled her name down, too. "Some sense of humor you've got there, kid." Assault said as he handed the baton back.

I hardly wanted to be called 'kid' anymore, so... "Taylor." I said, holding out my hand.

He raised his, paused partway, and gave me a quick curious look over. "...Hebert?"

What the actual fuck?

I drew my hand back. "Yeeees?" I asked nervously.

Battery sighed, slapped her partner upside the head, and moved so she was the closer of the two. "Sorry about him, some paperwork crossed through our department recently, and you were mentioned." While that gave me a reason I was recognized, it still didn't stop the panic and anxiety welling up from it. At least she just felt honestly exasperated, instead of any number of more worrying internal tells. "You don't have to worry, you're hardly in trouble or anything."

I relaxed a bit when my senses couldn't detect any falsehood. Still, no Wards pitch? Maybe they didn't know who I was. ...or maybe there were too many people around, I decided after a quick glance around. Still, no sense offending them. I shook her offered hand, and Assault's after. I felt like I had more of their attention than anyone else in the crowd, even after they'd told me to have a nice day and started on their way. I stood there, not sure what to think or do, as they steadily increased the distance between us.

I heaved in a calming breath. Not much I could do, if they knew more than I wanted them to. Still, kinda' weird they're so far from the boardwalk. As I thought about it on the way to the bus stop, I glanced around. We were only a few blocks away from territory disputed by the gangs, so I suppose it made sense they'd patrol here, on the nicer Empire side of it, if only to show they were around.

The bus and walk home were quiet. The house was empty, but that wasn't unexpected. I gathered up some gear, most importantly the fans, along with my masks, both ceramic and domino. All kitted up in nondescript baggy clothes and double-masked, I made my way up to the Trainyard far faster on foot than I'd manage with the bus.

The first thing I did was experiment with the fans. I could tell using them improved my airbending quite a bit for gusts and bursts, but not so much with trying to slash. After breaking two of them with my experimenting, I decided I really did need better ones.

After that, I went back to training earthbending for the next few hours.

---

I was cooking dinner when a car came by, and dad got out, followed by someone familiar. The car was, too, now that I thought about it. Still, wasn't odd enough to make me stop when they let themselves in and came into the kitchen.

"That smells great, honey." Dad said as he came to check on me.

"Mr Dallon?" I asked, recognizing the man who'd followed dad in.

"Mark, please, Taylor." He insisted as he took a seat at the table with dad.

I almost jumped straight to questions, but propriety must. "Anything to drink? I can have tea or coffee going, and we've got some milk and juice."

He hummed. "Tea would be nice, actually."

I could tell dad was slightly tipsy, so after starting the kettle, I grabbed him a glass of water. "So, what's going on?"

Mark chuckled. "Well, your father invited me out to drinks with some of his co-workers, and I decided to go." He shrugged. "I don't drink, so I offered to drive."

"Usually handle that." Dad said. "Nice change of pace." There was silence for a beat before he chuckled. "Still can't believe how long it took anyone to recognize you."

Mark snickered a bit, too. "Well, you did just introduce me as 'Mark, your daughter's friend's dad'. I'm not too surprised."

They kept chatting about things that'd happened while they were out, ostensibly to inform me, but not really pulling me into the conversation. I was fine with it, while I waited for the water to boil and checked the food. Tea was had, even though dad didn't drink much of his. Mark talked about being surprised at having to break up a couple bar fights, while dad remarked on how few that was, compared to usual. Eventually dinner was almost ready, and I offered Mark some, if he wanted to stay.

He declined, saying he could be getting home. So dad and I ate, and I told him about having met all of the Protectorate capes in the city. He thought the story was more funny than worrying, but I chalked that up to the lingering booze.

After homework, I turned in early. I had a meeting tomorrow morning, after all.