Miss Wood gives Bronwyn a flat, unamused expression. "Mr. Williams is being punished for his earlier actions involving Mr. Miyamoto. I'll be addressing his insensitive statements, rest assured, Miss Pascal. I'm taking this very seriously, but I'm making sure this is fair to all parties. Now, as I said, you can return to class."
Shayera stares at the floor as she starts to leave the offices, avoiding the looks of the boys.
"I'll be writing up testimony of myself, Shayera, Kaoru and anyone else who saw what happened, including that you refused to listen to secondary accounts from anyone when offered." She took out her phone and began to stream. "You have been told that a student with a record of similar behavior pinned down and stripped a girl of her clothing against her will. Can you explain why you are refusing to hear from witnesses who contradict his laughable claim that he knocked her to the ground and stripped her by accident?"
***
She turned the volume on her phone down, just a notch above where it would have been completely inaudible and set it down next to her to listen, her papá's words seeping out from the speaker. Kaoru's explanation of the thick sorrow that left the strong, staccato voice she knew so well choked and halting.
"Sé que no oirás esto, pero tuve que llamar de todos modos. Te quiero Bronwyn. Ruego a Dios que la sabiduría los ayude y la fortaleza para mantenerlos en el camino correcto. Siento mucho no saber cómo llevarte a casa. ¿Soy un tonto? Te veo en la iglesia y sé que no has abandonado a Dios en tu corazón. Pero, ¿cómo puede mi hermosa niña ser homosexual? Muéstrame el camino de regreso a ti; Lo caminaré. Ayúdame a mantenerte a salvo. Dios bendiga a Nora por ayudarte, mi testaruda hija. El Padre Rotoli dice que sus no son una elección, pero ¿son estos impulsos mayores que su amor por su familia? No entiendo. Dios, ayúdame a entender." "To replay this message, press one, to delete pre-"
"It wasn't worse. At least he didn't call me a tortillera again." Tears were falling freely down Bronwyn's cheeks. "He just 'loves' me too much to stand aside while I'm... Am I wrong for not going home? How are we ever going to do this if we don't talk?!"
"Sorry. I don't know what I thought he was going to say. If he really wanted to say it he would have said it so I could hear it." She rubbed her eyes aggressively. "Ice cream sounds great, but I think I just need to run for a while. I'll see you tomorrow. Wouldn't want you to get in trouble for sneaking a girl into your house either. Believe me, that can escalate."
Cassie shrugged. "It wasn't that bad actually. It was,... weird. She was actually kind've friendly although she did point out that I've put on weight.... She said I was interesting. She's never said anything like that before. I think maybe I had the same vision, or whatever it was. I was,.. someone else but still me? My name was Creirwy and I could see my mother - Ceridwen. She'd,... done something. I don't know what, to Bendigeidfran. That's Bran isn't it? It looked like him,.. you,.. whatever. She was going to,..."
She lapsed into silence, and swallowed, her hand going to her chest as if she was checking something, or maybe looking for something that wasn't there.
Yeah. it is a little funny. she closes her eyes a moment. But... I'm not sure my powers even work on myself... would explain a lot, if my families powers didn't work on ourselves...meaning we're stuck with normal human introspection.
Envy, more than resentment. I used to think "if this is how far I've gone without powers, Imagine how much I could do with. she says, sipping the tea. and now.. well, I have a not unimpressive set. I'm hyper-intuitive, my power, like, streamlines my body or something. I know when you turn it off, I feel weak and clumsy. I bet even the creepy "stare into your soul" thing we do is some low level unease effect., but that's pure speculation.[b] she breathes, [b]and yeah, it hurts a little, knowing how little of it I earned. And... dad always had a theory that powers gave personality feedback, pushed superheroes into personalities that suited the powers. I wonder if He's right... if what the power pushes me to is why I am Who I am... gods, it's so stupid. I was born with them, there was no "me", pre-powers, but... still, it's a paradigm shift
don't think i didn't notice that you glossed over the trust thing... but I'll allow you silence on that front...
"I'll be writing up testimony of myself, Shayera, Kaoru and anyone else who saw what happened, including that you refused to listen to secondary accounts from anyone when offered." She took out her phone and began to stream. "You have been told that a student with a record of similar behavior pinned down and stripped a girl of her clothing against her will. Can you explain why you are refusing to hear from witnesses who contradict his laughable claim that he knocked her to the ground and stripped her by accident?"
Miss Wood appears uncowed by the phone in her face. Her eyes narrow. "Put that phone away. I can't speak on an investigation involving students. Cut it off. Now, or I'll confiscate it."
She folds her arms and waits for Bronwyn to end the live stream.
When the phone is off, Miss Wood says, "It's called bias, Miss Pascal. The only witnesses are you, the 'girlfriend' of the one involved, and who already has a history of assaulting Mr. Williams. Do I need to remind you that you almost broke his jaw? And your other witness is Mr. Miyamoto, who was already involved in an earlier altercation?"
Shayera calls sullenly from the doorway to the hall. "Bron, come on. Give it up."
Whippoorwill gives a noncommittal shrug. "I have no frame of reference. If you want my advice, don't focus on whether you have their trust, but what it'll take for you to earn it."
"I hit him because he and two other bullies had already given their target a concussion and were still kicking him while he was on the ground. I'll happily explain that incident to the principal, the school board, the police again, whatever it takes if you're concerned about bias. But the idea that the targets of his bullying and violence are inappropriate witnesses when his pattern repeats is absurd.
"Do you have a better reason? Why is the safety of your students so unimportant to you?"
She kept the camera on Miss Wood for another couple of seconds.
***
"Puh-leeeze. Like you couldn't walk right out of Rustside and onto a catwalk. She's just trying to make you feel self-conscious. But yeah, Bendigeidfran is Bran's name in his own language. That must've been right before she..." Bronwyn waved her hand vaguely, but kept concerned eyes focused on Cassie. "I"m so sorry you have to remember that."
She shook her head in bemusement. "It's weird, I'd kinda figured that Circe and Ceridwen must be the same person. And that if Bran knew who Ceridwen was they must've fought, but... I didn't really think about if Bran had met any of your... half-sisters. You don't have any other siblings right? That you've met, I mean...
"Do you know anything about Creirwy? I've done a little reading with... Okay. I feel completely ridiculous referring to them as an Acolyte, but they don't really want everyone I team up with to know who they are? So umm... just know that I know silly I sound. So my acolyte and I dug in once you showed up, but most of Ceridwen's myths have her as more shadowy than evil, so I kinda figured she'd done some PR in the intervening centuries before any of this was written down. I know Creirwy was supposed to be a goddess of rebirth, and the chaos of new beginnings. Kind of an opposite of Bran who was supposed to guard things as they came to their end, bridge life and death, your standard psychopomp duties with a heaping dose of serving as a tutelary writ giant. But... do you know anything beyond book-stuff?"
"You may go to class now, Bronwyn," Miss Wood says testily, signifying their conversation was now over.
Meanwhile, out in the hallway, Shayera mutters, "Aw, hell."
'Ms. Ravencrest' walks into the office suite just behind Shayera. "Oh, good. Miss Pascal's here, too. I have to discuss a few matters with them. The conference room will work fine," she says, gesturing towards a half-open door leading into a darkened room. Shayera folds her arms and goes in, dropping into one of the chairs and not bothering to turn the lights on.
"I-- okay," the vice-principal relents, eyeing Ms. Ravencrest suspiciously. The disguised Defender didn't wait for her permission, however, and already was holding the door open for Bronwyn.
When the door closes, Whippoorwill looms over Shayera slumped in her seat. "Do you know how much I hate having to come to school to find you? I should be grateful that you're at least here."
"Sorry," Shayera mutters, not looking up at her.
Bronwyn let her camera drop once it became clear that annoyed silence was the only response she would get.
"Rethink this. You can still do the right thing."
In the room with 'Ms. Ravencrest,' Bronwyn gave her a careful, measuring look as she slid into a seat next to Shayera, reaching out to squeeze her hand.
Kaoru hesitantly placed one hand on Bronwyn shoulder. She chose her words carefully, trying to pick her way through the partial picture she had and avoid making too many assumptions about what was going on. "I don't think there's a 'right' or a 'wrong' in this situation. And unfortunately, you don't get to choose when someone else is ready to talk about something. Sometimes you just have to be patient, even though the waiting sucks. Time may seem to be moving painfully slow now, but when you reflect back on it, it won't seem nearly as long. Plus, you can always set a deadline for yourself: keep on track for x more weeks and if things still aren't going the way you want, re-evaluate your strategy. Running a race where you don't know where the finish line is or if it even exists is demoralizing. But if you have a concrete target, it's a lot easier to push yourself to reach it, right?"
"In the meantime, just remember you don't have to do everything by yourself. There's no glory in carrying the weight of the world solo, and a burden shared is a burden halved. Besides," she smirked slightly before taking a deep breath and softly singing in a light tenor, "Ask it shall be given unto you/Seek and ye shall find/Knock and the door shall be opened unto you/Allelu, alleluia."
She handed Bronwyn's phone back to her and put her computer away, but remained seated on the bench. "If running will make you feel better, go run. But if you ever wanna talk, you have my number. I can't really do insightful advice or anything, but I can listen. And I have enough common sense not to go blabbing about whatever we talk about to every Tom, Dick, or Harry."
*****
Kaoru had to admit, Bronwyn was ballsy. It was definitely not the sort of thing she had expected from her. But it was pretty freaking cool to watch. She automatically tensed up when a familiar disguised figure showed up. She wasn't sure why she was here or if she should be hoping for getting another mission or not. Luckily, it appeared she was just interested in Bronwyn and Shayera, so she started slowly edging away, intent upon heading back to class without being noticed.
There was a loud crash as she went tumbling to the floor. She hastily picked herself up, shooting a glare at Daniel as he pulled his leg back. Barely holding back a smile, he gave her a fake contrite look, "Sorry. Didn't see you."
She plastered an equally fake smile on her lips as she responded with a quiet. "That's ok." She wanted to add in a subtle jibe or threat in there. But knowing her luck, Miss Woods would only be intent-blind to the golden boys. And Whippoorwill would certainly pick up her double meaning, and she didn't particularly want the Defender deciding that it merited keeping a closer eye on her. More careful of her footwork, she continued her escape back to class.
The sound of someone falling outside catches Whippoorwill's attention and she pauses at the door. She gives everyone an evaluative stare, gives a pointed glance at Miss Wood who blanches, then shuts the door.
She stays standing in her trim business suit as she processes what had been occurring right before she arrives and then compartmentalizes it. She focuses on Shayera, who hadn't returned Bronwyn's gesture.
She pulls out a small tablet, thumbs it on and brings up a picture of a stylized tiger mask and slides it in front of Shayera. "Over the past few weeks, I've heard rumors of attacks on various villainous organizations by people wearing this kind of mask."
Shayera looks at the image, but doesn't say anything. "These groups are less than forthcoming, but the few who talked to me said there were anywhere from three to eight of them, melting into the shadows, avoiding combat if possible, but being brutally effective if necessary. And they're most likely female."
Whippoorwill glances in Bronwyn's direction before focusing back on Shayera. "Ms. Pascal mentioned that three Chinese students arrived a couple weeks ago here at this school. Students that you knew. Students that you met while in China." Shayera takes a quick look at Bronwyn but retreats before they make eye contact. She doesn't move otherwise, her posture closed off.
Whippoorwill leans in closer. "Last night, I encountered them. I got a pretty good head count. There were four."
Cassie smiled at Bron's comment and shot her a grateful smile. "She's always been,.. controlling and protective of how I look - my diet, making sure I exercised. You know, tennis lessons, swimming lessons, gymnastics... I always thought that meant she wanted the best for me and that maybe she really,... loved me, you know - deep down, but she didn't really know how to show it. I never considered that it might just be that she wanted a 'perfect' body to move into.... Maybe I should just let myself go, put on heaps of weight, get a tattoo or something. Then she'd leave me alone." she sighed and then smiled without humour. "It'd sure piss her off anyways."
"I don't know whether 'remembering' is the right word - it was kind've more than that, but less too. Kind've like a dream really. I don't know about any other children Circe might've had over the years - I know I don't have any brothers or sisters - unless she's been hiding them or something?.. No-one seems to know how she actually does it - the whole bodysnatching deal - The Coterie seem to think it should be impossible,.. unless there's something,.. special,... about her 'vessels', on like some kind've 'spiritual' level. I do know that some of the women they think she might've been had more than one kid though - Boys as well as girls."
"I don't know anything about Creirwy - apart from that 'vision' thing." she gave a bitter laugh. "but, yeah,... goddess of rebirth. I guess you could call what Circe is kind've 'rebirth',.. in a really f&!!ed up way... I mean, if Creirwy was Ceridwen's, Circe's vessel, then Creirwy was also Circe,.. eventually anyway." she paused, thinking.
"After it happened I did some quick maths. If she's been doing this since the Trojan war then that's something like 100 different 'vessels' she's had over the years. 100 times that she's,.... killed her own daughter and cheated death. That, maybe, seems like something that someone who's job is all about guiding spirits to the afterlife might be a bit pissed off by?..
You said that Bran and and Branwen talked like there had been other Brans? What do you think they meant? Maybe kind've like there've been 'other' Circe's, or just other people kind've like Bran? Maybe Gae-Dearg belonged to one of the 'other' Brans? I guess you and your, um, 'acolytes' have done some research into that too? How does the whole Bran thing work, anyway - when you're him its just you inside, or do you feel like there's a bit of him too? Maybe I should,... read you when you're Bran? See if there's anything different?"
I should probably figure out how to apologize without getting all defensive...
Tiger masks? You and Wing up to anything fun? Alexandra asks.
Alexandra sits beside Kay, nodding to him You look... off. Everything alright? She asks
Alexandra actually arrives to this meeting on time, thus breaking the 2nd seal on the end times.
Whippoorwill suddenly gets very guarded when Alexandra asks the question. She takes a couple measured breaths and finally shakes her head. "I'm not sure what we're up to. And I'm afraid it's not going to be fun."
Shayera didn't respond, not getting baited by the prolonged silence.
Whippoorwill finally speaks again. "All right, follow along. Four girls in Chinese masks become active in Halcyon City. At the same time, three Chinese girls arrive at Halcyon High. A fourth Chinese girl -- you -- also went to China and came back, apparently having met these other three while you were there. You know I don't believe in coincidences."
She studies her protege. The girl looked tired, and like she didn't sleep much, if at all, last night, and certainly not in a bed. Part of her heart broke for her; she looked like she was being pushed to the brink. But this mystery about the Chinese masks was so utterly out of Shayera's character that she could scarcely believe it, even though her instincts were screaming at her that she was involved. Instincts she had honed and cultivated, so she'd be a fool to ignore them now, even though she desperately wanted to.
Shayera still hadn't spoken, though, to be fair, Whippoorwill hadn't asked a direct question. Fine. Time to start. Making sure her voice sounded less accusatory, she asks, "Shayera, do you remember when you promised no more secrets?"
She looks up at her for the first time, making eye contact. "Yes."
"Are you keeping anything from me?"
Shayera deflates a bit, but maintains the eye contact. "Yes." She looks down at her lap. "I masturbated in front of Bronwyn the other night."
Whippoorwill's mouth drops open, stunned. She reels back, rubbing her eyes. "I did not need to know that," she says reflexively.
Wingblade looks back up, eyes blazing. "Oh? That wasn't a secret? Don't you have to know everything?"
Whippoorwill leans on the back of a chair, shaking her head. "That's, that's private. What I want to know is your relationship with those girls."
Shayera sneers. "It's private."
As soon as the darkly-colored hound catches sight of Whippoorwill, it comes to a rest on the side of the skyscraper, all four legs carefully planted on a window pane. Its gaze is fixed on her, red-tinted eyes unblinking and canine features showing no expression. It does not react otherwise to the heroine's presence, remaining largely still. That is, apart from its long, rope-like tail, which slowly uncurls and poises upwards like a scorpion.
- - -
Shaun reels slightly as 'Kilt' recognizes him. "What?! No, waitaminute! Hang on I did not-!"
A thought occurs to him. "Ta' first night at ta' apartment..." He holds up his hand in a stop gesture, briefly checking his phone for confirmation before groaning quietly. "Look, uh, Kilt, just hang on. Do ya'...do yah' know if I was sober? Because a few days ago I got f~~#in' sloshed n' I have no clue what I did that night. But...if I..."
The realization of the situation finally hits as Shaun facepalms. "Oh my God...I did this ta' my own damn self...!"
"Are you really surprised you failed lad? You don't know what you're doing."
A long, beleaguered sigh escapes him as the Scotsman returns his attention to the wrestler and his handler. "Okay, uh...yea', can we go somewhere private f'a sec? This is...uh GOD this is so f%&#ed..."
He holds his face in his hand. "GOD, if my team finds out about this I'm gonna be a joke till ta' end of time...!"
- - -
<(Meet up tomorrow?)
(how early r u willing 2 get 2 school?)>
(i was going in early 4 some1 else)>
(we could meet b4hand)>
(that good?)>
"A burden shared is halved, but to whom much is given, much will be required... Nothing's getting easier about not living at home, but maybe this shouldn't be easy? Maybe it's just what I have to endure to show how serious I am... Things would be much easier if I weren't on the team though. Helping you guys out, and making gear is expensive. My parents are pretty open-handed for anything extracurricular, or anything I'm passionate about. Basically anything that might show up on a college application. And as long as I was their perfect straight-A track-star daughter, they'd back me on the rest. It's been almost two weeks though. That really is kind of a long time not to be able to go home... I'm sorry, I'm rambling. I will call if I need help." She grinned, " I kinda proved that tonight, right? I just need to clear my head."
***
"Whippoorwill, could you give us the room please."
***
"Well it's not just like Circe... Bran dies. From what they said, it's usually a few times actually. I haven't really had time to research who else he might've been though. I mean... It'd be kind of a bummer if Goliath was a Bran..." She shook her head and refocused. Umm... Well, it's me driving. And I didn't get any weird knowledge or anything... Actually, there's a couple languages I speak that I've never learned, and I recognized your magic as being like Ceridwen's, or Circe's, I guess... Maybe you should read me. "[/b]
Another flash, and Bran was there.
Whippoorwill's silence had been full of venom. But she retained her composure, since she didn't need to retaliate. In allowing herself to be outmaneuvered, she had put Shayera at a complete disadvantage against Bronwyn. "Certainly," she says as she straightens. She gives her protege one more disappointed look, then steps outside and closes the door behind her.
Shayera felt tears begin to form, but she fights them back. Her emotions begin to rise, but she walls herself off from feeling the deep regret threatening to fill her heart.
She stares at the image of the tiger mask on the tablet. She couldn't-- she wouldn't -- lie to Bronwyn. She wouldn't be able to deflect or evade the questions, so she decides not to try. In a small voice, she mutters, "Dad said you'd all freak out."
"You do realize Whippoorwill said your girlfriend's supposed to be bankrolling the team, right? I can understand not wanting to take her money for personal things, but if you're refusing to take her money for team stuff when she's supposed to be paying for it, you're just being pointlessly stubborn. She's probably just going to be reimbursed for it by the Defenders." Kaoru picked up her bag and started heading home, giving Bronwyn a slight wave goodbye. "Have a good run."
*****
Kaoru blinked, looking up from her computer. "What? Oh, yeah. Late night followed by early morning. Bronwyn wanted me to look into some stuff about her phone last night and for whatever reason didn't want to wait. I see you got my package." She added, nodding towards the small bundle of rice balls. "If you don't like Japanese food, you don't have to eat it, but if it comes up, you're also one of my taste-testers. Unfortunately, Japanese cuisine is really the only thing I know how to cook. Oh, and pancakes."
Bronwyn said she should tell Alexandra how she felt. She wasn't entirely sure what that meant. She wanted her to ramble at Alexandra like she had rambled at Bronwyn? Recount tales Alexandra had been there for? She wasn't sure she had gotten enough sleep for that. She wasn't sure any amount of sleep was enough sleep. Though why exactly she found the prospect mildly terrifying was beyond her. I guess...I don't want to say the wrong thing? But she also didn't want to just say what she thought Alexandra wanted to hear. It was confusing; she didn't want to say the wrong thing, but she also didn't want to say the right thing?
People always said you should talk about stuff. What they never mentioned was how to actually start those kinds of conversations. She could just casually comment that Bronwyn thought she had a crush on Alexandra. Except she didn't know how to answer the obvious follow up. It was frustrating because she knew what she felt for Alexandra. She just...didn't know what the correct words or labels were. Or what her feelings implied in the grander scheme of things. It was like someone had put a blockade in her brain between where her emotions lived and where her verbal skills were. She did ok with the basic emotions, like happy, sad, or angry, but she had always struggled with anything even slightly more complicated.
She returned her gaze to her computer screen, gnawing on her lower lip before speaking up again. "I don't think I said it, but I'm glad you came and talked to me yesterday. That you told me what you did. It sounded like it was hard for you, so I appreciate the fact that you took the effort. I'm not...always great at knowing the exact right thing to say to comfort someone or make them feel better, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to. I just..." She paused, eyes glazing over as she tried to piece together what she wanted to say. "You make me feel safe and happy and like I could take on anything, and I want to do everything in my power to make you feel that way too. I want to support you and for you to feel like you can talk to me about anything. Whether it's big stuff or just...how your day went. Because I want to hear about it. And if it's bad stuff, I can provide a sympathetic ear or give you hugs or distract you games or movie or..." She gave a vague gesture, "...whatever."
"I think you're incredible. And a badass. And if you're worried that that's changed since yesterday, it hasn't. I'm glad I got dinner with you that first day of school. And I'm glad I decided to meet you up on that rooftop. A lot of Halcyon has been...suboptimal. But I'm glad that coming here has given me a chance to meet and get to know you, and I wouldn't want to change that."
She then proceeded to take a large bite out of her own onigiri lunch. It would hopefully mask how uncomfortable she felt.
Alexandra tries to smile as Kaoru says nice things... but...I'm glad you think I'm... that way, but why does it feel like there's a "But" here? Alexandra asks
Because,I really like hanging out with you too, and its been fun, talking and going on excursions with you. and now I'm thinking...did I freak you out somehow?
Gillian texts back
>Can be there early.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gillian is there, smirking and smiling, hot drink in hand. Hey, Shaun.
So, I heard something interesting last night. Dad's pissed about the sh*tshow in the park. Says one more incident like that,and he offers The team to sub me in for her. she says
Thought you might support that change. So... we just need to get her to f@&$ up in a high profile, but low stakes situation. something to piss dad off enough. She smiles
and, While I bet Wing or Hex migth accept dad, Xan's little girlfriend sure as hell won't... So we either need to get him out of the lead... or break them up. might know some stuff to do that, if you wanna
Kaoru frowned as she slowly chewed her food. Was there a 'but'? God, why did this have to be so complicated? A part of her wondered if it'd be easier to just throw Bronwyn at Alexandra and see if she could explain whatever it was she was supposed to be doing.
She swallowed. "I'm not sure there's a 'but'?" She shrugged awkwardly. "Bronwyn kept asking about you last night. I dunno. I said some stuff. Not about what you told me yesterday." She quickly added. "But...Bronwyn seemed to think I should tell you how I feel? Or, how you make me feel? I was kinda rambling, and she wasn't really being super clear. And I'm not really good at feelings."
She put her computer down, so she could pull her legs up and rest her chin on her knees as she stared off into space. "I...I told you that I hurt someone before, right? And I'm..." She tilted her head down slightly, so her words came out as muffled torrent against her legs. "I'm scared if I don't understand my feelings, that I'm going to hurt you like that, and I really don't want to hurt you. I want to do anything other than hurt you 'cause I don't want anything to hurt you, so I want to understand what my feelings are which is why I was talking to Bronwyn, and she was saying stuff about her and Shayera that only kinda made sense but kinda made it sound like I might be broken so then I was talking about how I was scared of hurting you and how nice and amazing you are and Bronwyn said I should tell you how I feel just like I said to her except I don't think I'm doing it right because now you think you've done something wrong and you haven't." She sucked in a deep breath after her very long run-on sentence.
She turned her head to rest her cheek on her knees and watch her companion. "The only 'but' is that I don't know what I'm doing, and I don't know how to figure it out. I'm not...freaked out. I'm confused. I just...wanna make you happy. And if you tell me how to do that, I'll do that because right now, I don't think I'm doing it right. You look...not happy." She sat up, lightly placing her hand on Alexandra's forearm as her voice took on a gentler tone. "I didn't mean to...worry you or whatever. I was just trying to tell you how I feel. But I guess all I accomplished was making you as confused with my ramblings as I feel?" Her lips twitched upwards in a humorless smile. "Arguably, this would be a lot easier if you just had telepathy. But I can just keep quiet from now on if it's easier or better than me fumbling around things I don't fully understand."
Cassie looked up at Bran. This is going to take some getting used to.” she said, ”Knowing that you’re really Bron inside there.” Taking a seat on the ground, she pulled out her familiar notebook and began muttering to herself. ”Junkyard is Metal for sure, but lots of rust so Time and Fire,… The time’s,.. OK, and. Hmmm. Male or Female?” she looked up at Bran. ”Well, I guess I’ll do it as if I didn’t know, so Male and we’ll see if that works – nothing much can go wrong with just a reading – only if I try to use it to enhance a spell. “
For a minute, she scribbled in her notebook. ”OK, so I’ve got the questions but,.. So this might be a bit tricky. What we’re trying to do is get your immediate, instinctive responses. Usually that’s not too much of a problem, but if Bran’s in there somewhere, and he’s being, umm,.. overridden? By Bron, then it’s a bit trickier. You need to make sure you don’t think about the questions, OK? It’d be much easier if,…. Um,.. Do you know if you’re affected by alcohol when you’re like this? I think it’d help a lot if you were a bit,.. tipsy?”
"Either way, we can't keep this gimmick up anymore, not after that match. Don't worry Sean, we'll find you something better for the next promotion." Salvitori forces Shaun to take his money, curling his fingers around it. "I don't welch on my deals. You did the work, you get the money. And if you need to earn more sometime, I always got room for you - once you train better. Can't have actual injuries in the ring."
Alexis texted Cassie to meet him outside of school for the lunch hour. He stood by the tree out in front, trying to both look casual and not out of place. Being a tall, dark and handsome stranger, that was much harder than when he was a girl. He just hoped she would show up and he could count on her help with his plan to get back into school.
Though part of the plan needed Kaoru's help as well. He hoped that he would feel up to it. Alexis didn't want him to think he was only his friend to use his skills.
Cassie sat through classes on Monday morning, bored with the stuff they were having to learn. She hadn't expected Maths class to be hard, not when she was fairly proficient with charting 9-dimensional temperamental geometries, but she hadn't expected it to be so,.. lifeless. She kept wanting to take account of the etherial and emotional environment - it wouldn't change the answer, but without them it seemed,... incomplete.
At the break, Cassie made her way to the rendezvous with Alexis - she wasn't sure what he wanted, and she was still a bit uncomfortable when he looked at her, but Bron's revelation from the day before had, sort of, helped her understand a bit about what it might be like for Alexis - It's be interesting to read him again - would the result be just the same as before, or was he really a different person?
When she appeared, Cassie was dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt, and, as usual, a short skirt, plaid today, and worn over black stockings and heeled knee-length boots. New though was a long dark-green sleeveless jacket. Despite her appearance, she drew little more than glances from the other students due, once again, to the charm that she wore around her neck.
"So, hi." she greeted Alexis, automatically assessing his sartorial choice with approval, "What's up? Do you need anything, or is this just, like, a friendly visit?"
Taking her stunned silence as consent to continue, he rolls out what he'd figured out. "Of everyone, we share the most similar features. I can be your brother, or if you think that is too close, then a first cousin. I am going to ask Kaoru to help make the school records have my transfer paperwork. I can even keep the name Alexis, though I will go by Helious now. If that is all right with you."
He paused for a moment. This was the part that he hadn't even told Shayera. "...I am also not comfortable living with Wingblade anymore. She says her penthouse is the safest place in the city. But my team knows about it. If they know about it, they're studying it, and they will have a plan. So I need somewhere else to stay for a while. Since we would be playing family..."
He looks at her expectantly, hoping that Cassie would agree to this. Because he would hate to have to start living on the street with his new fancy clothes.
Cassie gaped at Alexis. She didn't know what she'd been expecting but this was waaaay out of left-field!
What the _? Sister? Live with me?.. No,.. it'd be too weird - wehere would he even stay? There's not enough room!..... On the other hand.. Where her first thoughts, then another internal voice - the manipulative self-interested one that felt eerily like her mother broke in..
He's probably the strongest person on the team. You couldn't chose a better bodyguard and Mom's 'people' sure wouldn't be expecting him,...."
All of that raced through her mind as she blinked in surprise. "Umm,.. I guess I could ask Gabrielle if you could stay but,.. really? You want to pretend to be my brother. I mean,... I guess that could work but, it'd be weird, especially after,... you know."
"I want to feel safe living with Shayera, but there are other things besides my old team that make it hard to live there right now. It will be fun. You can introduce me to all of your friends outside of the team as your brother and I can start to feel normal again," He told her with a brilliant smile. "I would also like to meet Gabrielle. I think that I have not met her before. Unless I did and I forgot."
Feeling satisfied and glad that Cassie was willing to help, he gathered her up in a gentle but vise like hug. One which everyone in the immediate area would certainly notice if her charm wasn't working right now. "Thank you. Do you think that maybe you could also help me tell Shayera? She already is worried for Bronwyn, so I want her to feel that this is best for me."
What Kaoru said made a lot of sense on one level, but I can't. I won't let her ever feel like if she didn't have His money, that I'd be hurt. He has too much of a hold on her already...[/ooc]
***
Bronwyn looked a little pale herself, but she replied in a quiet, firm voice. "Shayera, I'm not freaking out, but I am hurt. I'm hurt by a lot of... Okay, Whippoorwill said you'd been attacking villainous organizations. Can I ask, why didn't you want to stop them with your team? Or with me?"
***
Bronwyn was jogging over to join the rest of her team when the bottom fell out of her stomach. Gabby? What the heck is she doing here?
"Oh good. Coach here was telling me you've been missing practice? What's that all abo- Never mind, you're missing this one too."
Coach was glaring at her, and she wanted to just shrink up into nothingness. "I can't say I'm surprised to hear you've been going through some troubles, Bronwyn, but I didn't think it was this bad." She grimaced, her leathery face and thin lips meaning that her mouth basically became a slash of disappointment. "Even the equipment fee... Damnit Bronwyn. You've got so much potential, but you keep acting the fool. Why wouldn't you tell me what was going on?!" She shook her head, nostrils flaring. "Go on. Go with your sister. You can come back when you're actually ready to compete."
***
Kaoru (Phone Savior): I'll think about it.
Bronwyn: Hey
Bronwyn: Umm i know htis is super bad timing boot I'm know going to make it to
.
.
.
Bronwyn: The meeting. Sorry. Pockets.
Bronwyn: Sister's trying to save the day. Don't know how long it'll take. Giving it a shot.
Bronwyn: Oh, and I liked A's crispiness, but I neeeeds B's protein... So A for fun, B for fuel?
Shayera lifts one shoulder in a tiny shrug. She keeps her eyes on the tiger mask until the screen go black. Finally, in a small voice, she replies, "'Cause we were going in, getting intel, tech, files, that sort of thing. Stealth missions. We weren't stopping them, so much as hurting them. Right where they live, right under their noses. The team, Bran, they're a lot of things, but they're not subtle."
"In truth I do not- Gaaahhhh! Habit! I haven't ever had a drink as Bran. Or as Bronwyn since I got powers actually. I'm uh, pretty big though? We could try it if you think it'd help?"
***
Okay. This was ssooo not subtle. But I bet Kaoru's got a drone or something out there... I'll just point that out next time we're thinking about meeting on school grounds.
It took a good bit of ducking, and was far more easily accomplished by turning sideways, but Bran arrived for the meeting right on Alexandra's heels. "Greetings. I hope that this day finds you as well as can be hoped?"
Bronwyn's eyes flashed with anger. "Sure. How would someone like The Silver Shadow, or K be of any help with that. How could it be useful to have heavy hitters on call if something did go wrong. And not that it's what's important here, but when I rescued you from that lab? That was after a pretty successful infiltration."
She breathed out her nose, and continued, "So, I'd like a... more 'complete' answer there, but also, this umm... tech, files, that kind of thing. Was your- What were you doing with it afterwards?"
Shayera's expression sours. Her posture becomes even more closed off as she hunches her shoulders with her arms crossed. "We gave it to our employer. He gave us the jobs, we executed them. Acquired the target, got out. Boom."
She gives Bron a defiant glance. "And before you ask, yes. Dad's the client. But he explained it to me. It's all a game of whack-a-mole, what the heroes do. We stop a heroin production house, three more pop up. He's taking them down using their own networks. He's helping."
"Shayera, you just told me: you're not taking them down. You're only taking what He wants from them. So where do Ying, Zi, and Hiu come from? Were they... Do they come from somewhere like you and Scythe? Does He call them his daughters too?"
There's a flash of irritation on her face. She shakes her head. "No, they're not-- of course not! I'm his only daughter!"
She turns her body to face Bronwyn. "But they are my sisters now. It's... complicated."
"Okay. We've got time. Tell me about your sisters."
Shayera looks weary. She meets Bronwyn's eyes, her own red-rimmed and hesitant. She glances through the door's frosted glass where Whippoorwill's shape is busy pacing back and forth.
She stares at the tablet again. "It was when we went to China. Dad got me a spot in some big competition. Around eighty girls from all across the continent were to compete in this big fighting tournament. You had to be Chinese. You had to have a sponsor, and Dad was mine. Some of the girls had powers. All had skills. And I couldn't use my wings.
"Anyway, I did pretty good. I mean, well, I won. It wasn't easy, since a few of the girls were good. The first few matches were really easy. I mean, they were good fighters, but they couldn't hurt me enough to counter my healing and my own skill. But then it got tough. There was this one who had monofilament whips. After she sliced a couple arms off of her opponents, there were a lot of forfeits against her. I beat her by letting the cords get around my arms but I closed the distance before she could snap them taught. It was painful, but once I was up close I was able to nerve strike her and knock her unconscious.
"Then I had to fight a girl with super strength. She was a wrestler, and if she got her hands on me, she'd be able to pin me and that would be it. It was tricky. Really tricky, dancing in and out like that.
"The final match was against a girl who was pretty much invulnerable. Heh. How do I beat a girl who I can't hurt? I mean, I started out, I tried everything. Nerve strikes, throws, reversals, nothing I did hurt her. But as we fought, I noticed she was wearing out faster than I was. So I kept baiting her. If I could outlast her, I'd beat her by just exhausting her." She smirks. "It worked."
She manages to look proud. "So, I won the tournament. Dad hadn't told me what the big prize was. I thought it'd be, like, a big trophy or something. But it was better. Waaay better."
She taps the black screen. "I became one of the Daughters of the Tiger. They -- Shu Zi, Yu Hiu, and Yin Ying -- all became my sisters, and I became one of theirs. It was a whole big ritual, linking me to the mask."
Bronwyn's eyes were filled with hurt. How could you keep something this important to you from me?
"So what does it mean that you're their sister? And who's the Tiger?"
And do I need to ram my spear through that mask?
Shayera flinches from the hurt in Bronwyn's eyes. She looks away. "Well, it's like, they're my family now. We put on the masks, and we're one. We're linked."
She makes eye contact with Bronwyn, her eyes wide and full of emotion. "It's incredible. We think as one, we share our powers, we move in perfect coordination. I wish you could experience it.
"The Tiger was the Chinese empress Xiaomucheng. The Daughters were her honor guard. There used to be, like, a lot more. But over the years, the masks were destroyed. There's only four left."
"Well it might, so let's give it a go." Cassie replied, rummaging in her satchel and pulling out a some small metal vials. "Fortunately, alcohol is good for lots of spells, so i happen to have a some - Since we're not casting a spell, it doesn't matter which we go for so its up to you - wine's probably not strong enough but maybe whiskey or gin,.. I'd avoid the ethanol though."
Once Bran has taken a drink (or a couple) of drinks, Cassie began her questions...
”First question; When's your birthday? Date, year and time if you know it? And where were you born?
Second; What’s your earliest memory?
Third; Have you got a hobby? What is it?
Fourth; What are your height and weight?
Fifth; A science lab is on fire and you can save either an old man who is expected to die within the next few hours, or research that could save thousands. You can’t save both…. What do you do?
Sixth; What would you name your first child if it was a boy? What if it was a girl?
Seventh; What, physically, do you notice first about girls or guys, whichever you're in to?
Eighth; What’s the scariest dream you’ve ever had?
Last one; Do you like poetry? What’s your favourite poem?”
______________________________________________
Cassie was surprised, again, by Alexis' sudden embrace, which was noticed by a number ion the students in the area - they couldn't help noticing the somewhat strangely dressed but gorgeous boy hugging,.. what was her name again?... Carrie? Candy? Cathy? - Something like that anyway.
Once Cassie had extracted herself from the hug, and smoothed her clothes down, she sighed. "I can't guarantee anything." she said, "I'll have to ask Gabrielle - you haven't met her - and see what she says... it might be a bit hard to explain, you have to decide how much you're OK with her knowing,... and i'm not sure where you'd sleep, there's not a lot of space, its not like Shayera's, its just a small appartment." And you sure aren't sharing my room! "but I'll see what I can do. I mean, she'd have to sign on as your guardian or something, wouldn't she? But, yeah, I'll ask, and I'll help tell Shayera if you want, but I don't think it'll be a big deal. As for my friends... I don't really have any outside the team. Not any more- I can't contact anyone from my old school and this stupid charm makes it difficult to make new ones, so you'll have to find some 'normal' friends through someone else."
_______________________________
Cassie arrived a little late greeting the others with a smile as she entered and finding herself a chair at the table. She wasn't wearing her charm, having removed it just before entering, but was dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt, and, as usual, a short skirt, plaid today, and worn over black stockings and heeled knee-length boots. New though was a knee-length dark-green sleeveless jacket.
The new jacket is a very fashionable cut, but you don't recognise the designer - it looks well-made though....
The new jacket is a very fashionable cut, but you don't recognise the designer - it looks well-made though. You think, maybe that there might be hidden pockets inside it, based on way it settles when she sits down
Kaoru nodded absently when Alexis walked in, putting the final adjustments to her computer/projector set up. That done, she picked up one of the packets of paper and dropped it in front of Alexis just as Alexandra started to walk in. "Here. These are instructions to finish your registration as a new student. You're pretty much all setup with a bogus history, so all you really need to do is log in to the school's site and pick out your classes. I added one English Lit class, but wasn't sure what else you wanted to take." The instructions are incredibly easy to follow and seem to include screen shots of the school website with the relevant parts of the UI annotated. The one English class already added to Alexis' class schedule appears to be specifically studying the Bard. Anyone familiar with the school would recognize the teacher as a generally well-liked woman known for her irrepressible enthusiasm for teaching.
When Bran walks in, Kaoru retrieves a similar packet for him, however, his contains detailed instructions on how to add contacts, text, and call people with the dumb phone Kaoru purchased for him. She then manually walks him through each of the steps herself with the phone in question, making sure he understands each part before finally handing the phone over. If Bran were indeed just a warrior from ages old, it probably would have been quite useful. With Bronwyn's modern knowledge, the instructions are a little too basic; she probably could have figured everything out herself.
As the rest of the group started trickling in, Kaoru took each person's communicator to upgrade them one at a time. Even the ones she had previously upgraded.
"So what happens if one of you disagrees, or can that even happen? What happens if... He's worked with the Triakosia before, right? What happens if He decides to send Alexis back? If He's your client, how do you all get paid?! Why do you want this? I know it feels amazing, but why would you let them tamper with your mind, your soul like that?
"What's missing?"
He had a slight smile on his lips that wouldn't fade away, but he was still steady on his feet as Cassie began her questions.
”First question; When's your birthday? Date, year and time if you know it? And where were you born?" "June 28, 12:15*, Halcyon"[/b]
"Second; What’s your earliest memory?" "My brother Gabe moving a magnet on the fridge. It's a race car that's supposed to circle a... a chart with each of the letters on it. It shows what letters I've learned."
"Third; Have you got a hobby? What is it?" "Only dreams and callings."
"Fourth; What are your height and weight?" "At least 8'; at least a quarter ton. I think I've grown since I measured myself."
"Fifth; A science lab is on fire and you can save either an old man who is expected to die within the next few hours, or research that could save thousands. You can’t save both…. What do you do?" "Save the research and sit vigil over the dying man."
"Sixth; What would you name your first child if it was a boy? What if it was a girl?" "Caradog... and uh, Summer."
"Seventh; What, physically, do you notice first about girls or guys, whichever you're in to?" "I don't- Eyes."
"Eighth; What’s the scariest dream you’ve ever had?" "The Hunt Eternal."
Last one; Do you like poetry? What’s your favorite poem?” "Abundance has been given
To the men of earth.
As it has been gathered,
It has been scattered.
Joyful the bards of baptism
Yet whilst thy life continues.
There is a greater joy."
***
Bran went through the instructions with Kaoru, though he offered a mild protest, "In truth, the workings of these machines is not wholly beyond me. Nor are horseless chariots and flameless lanterns still marvels."
When he realized the purpose of Alexis's packet though, his brow creased in concern. "As Bronwyn had explained it to me, Alexis by virtue of his birth is heir to an education here. Is trickery needed?"
"My old team must know I go to school here," Alexis tells Bran, frowning at all the work Kaoru has already put into this student packet. "Do you think you can change my last name to Helious instead?" He asks Kaoru. "I want people to think I am Cassie's brother or cousin. I think it will help hide me from the team."
He gestures for Cassie to come and sit down next to him, waiting for everyone else to show up. "Bran? I was wondering if you could help me and Cassie with talking to Shayera. I...I am going to stay with Cassie for a few days. Just until I am sure that the team will not attack."
Shayera looks incredulous. "My soul--? What? I'm--!" She huffs and folds her arms again. "See? This is why I didn't want to tell you. You think it's bad. You're expecting the worst."
She turns, heated, towards Bronwyn. "There's nothing 'missing.' I've got sisters now. If anything, something I'd been missing is now there."
She shakes her head, sounding tired of this same argument. "And Dad's not going to give Alexis back to the Triakosia. He worked on the memory patch system that originally fixed her. Him. But he's done with them. He even had us go raid their facility to get some crucial data so he can fix him again. So the Triakosia would probably kill him if he tried to back."
Kaoru raised an eyebrow at Bran. "What, does Halcyon have a special provision for students who die and then come back looking completely different?"
"Shayera, I'm not saying it is bad. I'm asking why you would agree to it before you knew what it would be like. I'm asking what was missing that made you feel like you had to. I just... I want to know why you didn't talk to me about something this huge. I'm trying to understand. And I don't like brain stuff, you know that. You promised me you wouldn't do something like this, so I'm just... I don't understand, Shayera!
"And instead of answering my questions - questions I don't think are out of line if you find out your girlfriend has been hiding that she invited three other people into the relationship without telling you?? You keep getting mad at me! You still haven't told me the real reason you didn't want to do this with your team, or why you didn't want to invite your sisters to join the team. You're just finding the first thing you can get upset about and keep trying to use it to deflect off of what you're really doing! And it's not... sharing the same mind isn't a family, Shayera! I don't know what you have with them, but... The idea of you not being able to think for yourself scares me. You know there are people who want to use people like you, who have used you as a weapon when they've been able to do things to warp your mind. Even if you don't want to admit that's what He did, you know He worked for and helped the others who tortured you until you would kill for them! I don't get it, Shayera. Why is your first answer to something in your life not being how you expect it to let people play with your brain?! And always in secret!
"I love you Shayera. Why don't you trust me?"
"In truth I would not be unduly shocked if there were such preparations in a city of such plentiful wonders, but I believe that Bronwyn spoke of the rights to which Alexis currently possesses, rather than any that need be a link to his previous frame. Is this truly the only path?"
Kaoru turned to look at Bran, voice soft and flat. "Well then Bran, if you care so much about this, why don't you present Alexis with the steps you took over the weekend to get him back in school. Then he can decide which method he'll use to attend classes tomorrow."
Shayera's emotions start to rise, but she closes her eyes and reigns herself in. Measuring her breathing, she says insistently, "I did not go to China planning on this. The prize was secret; I broke rules telling you as much as I have."
She opens her eyes and looks straight at Bronwyn. "I didn't have a chance to ask your permission. I won, and the ceremony happened immediately afterwards. I didn't get the particulars until everything was done. I half thought it was all ceremonial because Dad and I flew back to Halcyon right after!"
She deflates, wiping away a tear before it fell. "I just... I knew you'd freak. And while they were in China, I thought I might not have to tell you at all. Or, later. When things were calmer. All this team stuff happened with Alexis and Kaoru and Shaun... so I sort of put it out of my mind.
"Then they showed up. I didn't want to, not at first. I mean, I experienced it in China at the ceremony, but it wasn't like going on a mission."
She brightens, her eyes growing distant as she remembers. "It's soo great. The unity, the different powers, the--" She focuses back on Bron, eyes flashing. "It's not 'brain stuff.' It's ancient, powerful magic that links us. It's like I've got four bodies instead of one, that I can control just like my own."
She sits back, folding her arms again. "I just... didn't know how to tell you. You, Whip, you're going to make me choose, I just know it."
She looks away, wiping another tear. "And I don't know what I'm going to choose."
Boy, boys! Alexandra says, stepping between her two favorite teammates. No need to be at each others throats. Unless Kay kinds out about the other night
Kay did a lot of good work for 'Lex. and Bran's not wrong, saying that we probably could just explain this to the school. It all depends on whether 'Lex wants to disclose her status as an active superhero to the school.
She turns on Alexis. And once again, I must remind you that our HQ is basically the second most secure location in the city. and there are 5 heavy-duty superheroes within 3 minutes run of it. My dad respects everyone on the defenders, I'm not sure if you know how high a bar that is. Cassie's house... has what? you, Cassie, a bunch of innocents to take hostage or injure. Yeah, good place to hole up in She pokes the boys forehead. Ignore the scared, emotional part of your brain, and use the smart, worthwhile part of your brain. See if Cassie will make you one of her irritating, anti-psychic charms. if they block me, they'll probably block most Triakosia. and keep shacking with Wing.