Amelia, Ch 325- Crystal
"C'mon, cuz, he's perfect for you," Vicky insisted. "Smart, good looking, and the stick is only about halfway up his ass. So much better than Rory. Plus he's got the whole blaster-shaker thing, so the two of you have that in common. So think about all the fun you can have arguing with each other over which whether your future children got their powers from him or you."
I sighed. "Vicky, I don't-"
"Plus he already knows me," she interrupted. "Which means there's no chance of you getting into a massive blow up fight because he wouldn't stop ogling your younger, funner, and better looking cousin at the Christmas party."
"This is about that time you caught Dean flirting with me, isn't it?" I muttered.
"He wasn't flirting with you," she argued. "He was just being nice. He explained it to me later."
"Yeah, he explained it to you later," I continued. "After you broke up with him, literally threw him out of the house, and then spent the next three months moping about because he was dating that one girl. Whatever happened to her, anyway?"
"I think she transfered to Immaculata. Who cares?" Vicky sulked. "She was a bimbo anyway."
"I dunno, she seemed nice enough to me," I responded. It was nice to have Vicky on the ropes for once. With her boosted mental abilities and various extra senses, it was hard to get the upper hand against her in anything. And right now, I had that upper hand. "Sure, she was a little high strung, perhaps. But I'm pretty sure that was Dean's type. Remember back before you got your powers and he dated Amy for a couple wee-" Her smile vanished instantly, and I knew that I'd said something very, very wrong. "Oh, I'm sorry!"
"Don't worry about it, not your fault," she responded, shrugging dismissively. "Can't do anything to change the past."
And you've moved on to Chevalier, if you can call finding a new guy who's pretty much exactly like your old boyfriend 'moving on'.
"Okay," I agreed. "I retain the right to feel bad."
"You sound like Mom," she rolled her eyes. "Hey, speaking of moms, what's Aunt Sarah been up to? She seemed pretty dead set against staying on Avalon, last time I talked to her. Something about preferring to earn her own way."
"Oh, uh, she's moved to Boston," I informed. "Kinda doing the 'liaison' thing like you and I are. Working as part of their Protectorate, but doing it with a hand me down Radiant. Apparently she's now the de facto second in command for their Protectorate, and the functional head of their Wards." I tactfully neglected to mention that Taylor's father got a job in Boston as well. The longer it took Vicky to find out about that, the less annoying she'd be.
"Makes sense," Vicky responded. "Aunt Sarah's a badass, and she can use your suit even better than you can."
I tried to be mad, but it was true. Mom had the stronger shields, and my armor was built around harnessing its shielding. She was better able to use my armor than I was. "Yeah, you're right. Plus the Wards there love her. Clock sends his regards, by the way."
"That's where they sent him?" Vicky laughed. "Oh, man, he must be driving her up the wall with his pranks. Oh, I just thought of something! Do you remember the 'Photon Mom Sandwich'?"
"Yes, Vicky, I remember," I muttered.
"Roast beef with ketchup," she continued.
"Yes. Vicky," I growled. "I remember."
"It took me six weeks to get the joke!" She finished. "Speaking of which, one of us still has to beat the living piss out of him for that."
"Actually, from what Mom's been saying, he's turned over a new leaf lately," I informed her. "No more dumb pranks, none of the childish antics, and he's doing a very good job on the team. While rocking the whole quiet moody thing. Apparently he's like a less douchy Armsmaster. Half the girls and one of the guys on the team are blatantly flirting with him. Thus far, no one's won the prize."
"Really, your mom said all of that?"
"I may have paraphrased a little," I shrugged. "Okay, I may have paraphrased a lot. But seriously, turns out he shaped up nicely. Who woulda guessed?"
"Dean always said he had it in him," Vicky smiled sadly. "Pretty sure he didn't believe a word of it, but he did say it. Of course he also liked to say that Sophia was just misunderstood, and if everyone was patient with her, she'd open up to the team."
And he thought Amy would get over her 'little crush' on him. "For an empath, that boy just did not understand people," I sighed.
"He meant well," Vicky sighed. "Which is more than I can say for most people. And that brings us back to the guy I'm trying to hook you up with. Trust me, he's perfect for you. I know how much you like the artsy types, and he was a musician before he got powers."
"Vicky, are you trying to hook me up with some guy who's in a band?" I sighed. "Because I got over that years ago."
"Actually, he works on the other side of the screen," she responded. "You know those people that write the music that all those famous singers like to pretend are theirs, but everyone with the IQ of a dead fruit bat already knows better? He's one of those."
Huh. "That doesn't sound so bad, actually," I admitted. "So he has sonic powers? Like Dubs?"
"Not directly," Vicky shrugged. "It's more like destructive telekinesis. Kinda like Clotho's power, but without any fine control, like when she uses that tinker weapon of hers. He can make sound with it, but he can't actually control sound. Also flying, forcefields, and no Manton Limit. So should I call up Eric and let him know to have you shipped over here for a few hours? Or him shipped over there? Either works for me."
"Still not interested," I responded.
"Well, if he's not not your type, there's always Rime," Vicky suggested. "She's Chevalier's second in command, so-"
"Vicky, how many times do I have to explain that I'm not gay?"
"That's not what I heard," Vicky smirked. "Ames told me all about how you tried to steal her girlfriend."
"I'm hanging up now," I sighed.
"She even looks a little like Taylor," Vicky continued, heedless of my words. "With the whole supermodel skinny thing going on."
"Goodbye, Victoria," I turned off the phone. Why is it that the Dallon side of the family is completely fucking insane? I stood up and left my office.
"You okay?" GL asked.
"Not really," I admitted. "Just got done talking to Vicky. She was trying to cheer me up. She just sucks at it."
"Ah, Hurricane Victoria," I could imagine him nodding his head sagely, if only he had one. "She who Sveta worships as a god and may or may not be willing to go gay for. She who has more followers on her blog than most religions have at all. She who dumped actual shark bait on Shark."
I chuckled at that memory. The guy was a pompous windbag of a villain. Reminded me an awful lot of Kaiser. "She has her moments," I admitted.
"Hey, if you need someone to listen, you probably shouldn't go to the woman who never even listens to herself," he responded. The air rumbling with what I learned approximated GL's version of laughter. "I'm always willing to offer a metaphorical shoulder to cry on if you need it. May need to shop around a bit longer if you want something a bit more literal."
"Thanks," I smiled at the random nowhere. "I might take you up on that, some day. I've just been... after Paris."
"That was ugly," he agreed, his voice softening, as it did when he was busy focusing on his thoughts or emotions, instead of concentrating on using his power to speak. "It got to all of us."
"I need to talk with the others, don't I?" I asked. GL had, at some point, become my de facto second in command. "I just... I can't force myself to care anymore. It's like I want to fail, just so I don't have to keep fighting these battles we can't win."
"Minerva said-"
"Minerva's a lying bitch," I interrupted. "Trust me, I know her better than most. She says whatever's convenient for her and her goals. If it also happens to be true, that's barely a concern for her."
"So you don't think we're reaching the equilibrium?" he asked. "She's not wrong about the Endbringers getting weaker, and those of us fighting them getting stronger. New Endslayer combinations, new weapons that work against the monsters."
"It doesn't matter," I responded. "I used to be nothing. I didn't have to fight them because my powers didn't matter. The average housefly is more of a threat to Alexandria than I was to the Endbringers. Now I'm fighting alongside the Triumvirate and pulling my own weight. I just... before, if I messed up, it meant so little. Now one mistake, one moment of hesitation, and people die. Possibly thousands of them. Just because I was less than perfect just one time. I can't... I don't know how to live with that. Some days, I regret ever joining Pantheon."
"Wish I had answers for you," he responded. I felt a shifting as his power influenced my clothes, as best he could make it at least. A half attempt at a hug. "One of those things about responsibility, I guess. But I promise you none of us regret your choices. You've been a good leader and a great friend. None of us would be anywhere near as well off as we are now, without you. Don't worry about us, okay? We'll be here to help you any way you need."
"I just want it to be over," I sighed. "One way or the other."
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A/N- Sorry, Missy. There *are* other characters in this story.
