Charm Learning Shard (Worm/Exalted) (COMPLETED)

Wasn't it just yesterday that you were contemplating how well everything was going? Shouldn't you have learned not to jinx yourself like that by now? Those are rhetorical questions, btw.

"Get the hell out," Hookwolf tells you.

"What?"

"You're not welcome here. This place is for people who want to learn."

"I'm learning!"

He doesn't even deign to respond to that. He just stares at you. You stare back, full of defiance and indignation. Having the truth on your side really helps you pull it off. Just because you're not learning martial arts doesn't mean you aren't studying your pants off in here.

Unfortunately Hookwolf has figured out that the winning move here is not to play. Rather than argue further, he strikes you. It's a casual, half-hearted affair, more a slap than a punch. If you had paid any attention whatsoever to his lessons you could probably have avoided it easily. But you didn't, so you don't. Just before it hits, his arms splits open to reveal whirling blades.

They hit you high in the chest and gouge uneven furrows towards your left shoulder. Motherfucker! Does he have any idea how long it will take to repair your costume?

"Stop!" he barks at Othala, who was hurrying over to assist you. "Your healing is for fighters only."

"You can't do this to me!" you scream declare firmly.

"I own this place!"

"Kaiser - your boss - told me to go here until I knew how to fight."

"Fine. You know who decides that? Me. Congratulations, you just graduated. You know how to fight."

"That's a lie and you know it!"

"Get. Out."

Rather than initiate another staring contest, and risk further damage to your costume, you pull out your phone and call ops. "Low Key here. Me and Hookwolf need to see Kaiser."

"Why you little-"

---

Kaiser, having heard the testimony of both parties, leans forward in his chair and steeples his fingers.

"Self defense training is a right as well as a duty," he declares. "If her worst crime is being a slow learner, you have no call to refuse her."

Hookwolf grumbles under his breath, but inclines his head.

"And for god's sake, get Othala to fix that!" He gestures at your shoulder. You stopped bleeding as soon as was remotely plausible, but it still looks pretty grisly. "She goes on patrol tomorrow!"

"Thank you, sir." You really weren't looking forward to trying to hide that from your dad. Not to mention trying to shapeshift around it, should you be kept away from Othala over the weekend.

Hookwolf grumbles some more. Ah, sweet vindication. You have nothing to fear, when justice is on your side. Even if you did waste most of the evening waiting for Kaiser to deign to hear your case.

...though it occurs to you that if you had tried to get justice against a corrupt official in the regular court system, it would have taken months. Not to mention tens of thousands of dollars in attorney fees. Yes, you know that democracy is the only good system of government, you've been taught that your entire life. But this kind of... micro-empire? Autocratic sub-city state? It has its points.

Wait. If you've been taught your whole life that the government you live under is the only acceptable way to run things, doesn't that mean you've been indoctrinated? You're pretty sure that's the definition.

---

You meet up with Vista as planned the next day. Then things go off script before you can even finish greeting each other: Aegis comes flying around the corner, in costume, bearing down on you at full speed.

"Vista!" he calls out.

"Crap, it's the fun police!" you say. "Quick, hop on!"

Vista obeys without thinking, and Fenrir takes off. With him and Vista on the same side, it's not even a contest. It takes less than a minute for them to leave Aegis hopelessly far behind.

"I shouldn't have done that," Vista says afterwards, biting her lip. "I'm in for it now."

You rest a hand on her shoulder in quiet solidarity. Yes, you did deliberately push her to act without thinking, and she did regret it afterwards. You're still quite pleased that she, in that unthinking moment, chose you over her boss.

"Did you know he was tailing you?" you ask.

"No. Yes. I don't know." She takes a deep breath. "I saw him around a couple of times."

Really? Damn. You didn't notice at all. You've gotten sloppy, relaxing too much around her. This is why you don't trust people!

"He didn't approach then. I though he was just being overprotective as usual. Why do it now?"

When she puts it like that, you do in fact have a suspicion as to what may have changed since the last time you met. "I probably have paper on me now," you admit.

"What?" Vista flinches back, throwing your hand off. "What did you do?"

"I prevented a rape. And punished the offenders. Due to an unfortunate skin color mismatch, that's a hate crime."

"Oh." Obeying your subtle gesture, Fenrir nuzzles her comfortingly. Maintaining physical contact, so that she can't use her powers effectively should she turn hostile. She absently pats him in return, clearly at a loss as to what to do next.

"You still want to hang out tonight?" you prompt her. It would suck to lose access to her now, when you're so close to understanding her power.

She shrugs listlessly. "I guess. I already burned that bridge."

You take a step forward and place your hand on her shoulder again. "I'm sorry," you lie.

She looks up at you. "Tell me about it?"

You do, casually spilling details that Kaiser really would rather that you didn't share.

"Rune is a bitch," Vista observes when the subject turns to your patrol partner.

"She is," you agree. "The secret is to have her inside the friendship tent, pissing out."

She snorts, some of her good humor returning. "I'll take your word for it."

---

You're out even longer than usual. Vista is reluctant to part ways, knowing that her scheme to save you from the Empire has failed, and that the next time you meet it will be as enemies. You do nothing to mitigate the somber mood, at least not until her power is secure. Once that's accomplished, you give her a hug and wish her luck in apprehending a subset of villains that does not include you or your personal friends. She smiles a bit at that, at least.

Phew, she's finally gone. It's really hard, acting properly downcast when you're practically bubbling over with glee. When people talk about the most powerful capes in the city, they say 'Lung, Labyrinth, Vista(, future-Dauntless)'. Of those, you now have two down, one in the kitty. Never mind that the dumb dragon doesn't work properly. You'll figure it out one of these days.

You try not to visibly bounce with eagerness as dad drives you home. You do feel a bit bad about how little sleep he's been getting. Everyone would be happier if he was a slightly worse parent and just let you run around unsupervised at all hours. You shake your head. 'I wish my dad was more neglectful' goes on the list of things you never expected to think before you got your powers, along with 'losing a thousand dollars wouldn't particularly hurt' and 'Lung is a big pussycat'.

You rush down the stairs to your room. Time to test your power! Let's try... shortening the distance between the bed and the nightstand? You mentally reach out-

With a flash of light, your alarm clock goes flying across the room as if shot from a cannon. It passes through the dematerialized Fenrir and shatters agains the wall.

That power... mutated a bit more than you expected. Less battlefield control, more direct weapon? Let's-

"Taylor? Are you okay? What happened?" Your dad comes rushing down the stairs.

Oh. Of course he heard that. "Just an accident."

He looks at the plastic fragments scattered across the floor. "An accident?"

"Yes. I accidentally threw my alarm clock at the wall as hard as I could."

"Um. So. About you getting enough sleep..."

You roll your eyes. "Yes, dad. You're right about everything. I'll buy a new one tomorrow. Later today."

"You know you can tell me anything, right? If there's anything bothering you..."

"Yes dad. Go to bed dad." He does, thankfully.

Okay. Interruption dealt with, let's try this again. Carefully, very carefully, try to move one of the fragments ever so slightly.

A tendril of white light appears, coming out from the center of your chest and stretching to the piece of plastic on the floor. Said piece rises to hover a few feet off the ground, leaving a trail of ripples in the air as it moves - no, not the air. It leaves a trail of ripples in space itself.

Huh. It's still a warping power, that's for sure. A bit obvious who's doing it, though - Vista doesn't get the glowing tether pointing back to herself when she warps space. You bring the fragment up to your face for a closer look. Wait, you did what? Oh. You swish it back and forth in the air for a bit. Now that you know what you're doing, you can move things with your mind as easily as with your hands.

You mentally reach out for another fragment, and another mind-hand appears to pick it up. Neat. A third hand grabs a third piece without issue, but when you try for a fourth the first mind-hand flickers and disappears, dropping its burden. That's fine. Three extra hands are plenty.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, mind-hands turn out to be considerably more dextrous than regular hands. Speed of thought, and all that. No inefficient nerves or muscles involved. Your three hands can easily juggle six objects - probably more, but you don't want to cause any more accidents tonight. You just enjoy the sight of glowing tendrils weaving around each other to catch and throw various knick-knacks.

You're not sure how long your 'mind-arms' are, beyond 'longer than the entire width of your basement'. A trip to the boat graveyard is in order, for further research. All in all, an excellent Shaker power.

The tendrils aren't bright enough to cast shadows in a lit room, but with the lights off they provide enough light to read by, if only just. A book-holding hand that never tires, that comes with its own night light? Sorry sorcerer's sight, you might have a new favorite power.

You get ready for bed, using your mind-hands to get undressed and put on your PJs. There is no awkwardness, reflexes and familiar motions translating cleanly to your new appendages. But when you try to use them to deposit your clothes across the room, they bump into Fenrir. Fenrir, who hasn't materialized yet.

Your mind-hands can pet immaterial doggies! Best. Power. Ever.

===

Spoiler: Updated status

Charms:
Taylor: All-Encompassing Sorcerer’s Sight, ???
Tattletale: Know the Soul's Price
Bitch: Spirit-Tied Pet
Aegis: Ox-Body Technique
Browbeat: Shaping the Ideal Form
Dragon: Implicit Construction Methodology
Kid Win: Industry and Forge Wisdom
Lung: ???
Vista: Mind-Hand Manipulation