Exalts in High School… isn't that a comedy show?
Morning, Sept. 10th, 2009
Arcadia Parking Lot/Front Entrance, Brockton Bay
"I don't see
why I have to wear this." Taylor pulled at the skirt's hem slightly. "I mean… why?"
The Lunar snickered as Lisa shook her head. "While I
don't really agree with Emma." Lisa turned a slight glare onto the unrepentant girl, then continued. "She's right. You do need to dress as the God Queen you are, and you're not ugly at all." The blonde Sidereal shrugged, waving her hand at Taylor's outfit: thigh high white socks fitting into Mary janes, a black colored A-line pleated skirt that was cut above the knees, and a long sleeved black turtleneck. "Plus, the outfit works on you."
Taylor shook her head. "But this makes me look like I'm…"
"No, it doesn't. It just means you take
pride in how you look." Emma cut her off, then continued. "And we're Exalted. We
have to put away any of our childhood that remains. We have more important things to do, and if you don't dress as a mature young woman, you won't be taken seriously by those that matter, enough so that you won't be able to get them to listen to you… and that's
your job."
Taylor looked over the other two. Shorter skirts,
heels, and tighter shirts with hints of cleavage showing. "... and yet you two…"
Emma brushed her hair back. "We're the distractions. You're the little dagger that slips in unseen." She sighed. "Sure, we're still underage by
mortal laws, not a question." Lisa nodded. "Nor are we interested in playing that game at all, but again, it's all making an impression."
Taylor's eyes narrowed as she looked at the Lunar. "But people should …"
"Listen, right?" Lisa snorted. "They might listen to your dad now, and they are scared of your mother… and they'll be too busy looking down at us, even if they don't mean to, and they'll overlook you, if you keep that style or similar. At least as someone they should feel
threatened by. Or consider brainless, or childish."
Taylor blew out her breath. "People are …. Ugh. Why can't it be easy?"
"Because it wouldn't need
Exalted if it was easy, would it?" Emma inquired amused.
Taylor raised a finger to respond, only to be cut off by a shout. "You!" Taylor's eyes snapped to the speaker, a blonde in a pretty sundress, who was clearly fuming.
"Yes?" Taylor blinked. The blond was the one that was in the department store. "Didn't you get healed by Corsair?"
The blonde gritted her teeth for a second, then nodded. Taking a deep breath she spoke. "Can you thank him for that… But… why are you here? Why aren't you in *jail*?"
Taylor blinked and turned to Emma. "Why would we be in jail?"
Emma facepalmed. "Vicky… your mother is a lawyer, like my dad. Why would we be in jail?"
"You
murdered people." The blonde hissed. "My mother would
never defend murderers!"
Taylor tilted her head. "Um, Emma? Didn't Uncle Alan say we aren't being charged because it's defense of self and others?" Emma nodded.
"That's what Dad said the DA stated on the various fights we were in." Emma shrugged. "They were using guns, and all that. We aren't bulletproof." Emma shook her head and shot at the older blonde. "
Stop that."
Taylor blinked, realizing she had felt her essence stir. "... what's she doing? Um…" Taylor paused and looked at the blonde. "... Who are you again?"
A brown haired girl who had walked up bent over laughing. Vicky fumed a bit more but seemed to gather herself and control her temper. "Victoria Dallon. Emma never mentioned me?" Taylor shook her head, but before any of the Exalts could speak, Victoria interrupted them. "Glory Girl. Heard of me now?"
Sarah had found a bag of popcorn and started munching instead of backing up Taylor or taking the social arena over. Emma looked at her, curious to what the Sidereal was up to, only to get a wave to stay quiet.
Taylor tilted her head. "... Not really?" Victoria's jaw dropped.
"But…" Emma had draped herself over Taylor while laughing her head off, and Sarah had started to choke on the popcorn, only to have the mousy brown haired girl help her and steal some of it from her bag.
Taylor pushed Emma off and shook her head. "I don't think it's
that funny." Victoria nodded, then spoke.
"Doesn't matter. You
killed people! They're saying you're 'heros'! What did you do, bribe the PRT?"
Taylor shook her head. "No, we were acting in defense. If you mean the Nazis… they came with guns and
Hookwolf."
"Who
didn't have a kill order!" Victoria raised her voice, then lowered it. "He shouldn't have died! Nor the rest of those you killed! They didn't have
kill orders on them! We aren't the law!"
"Hookwolf
won't kill anyone else." the brunette shot back, beginning to get irritated. "He sure as hell tried to
kill me. I didn't, and
don't have a kill order on
me. And the
law allows for self defense!"
Victoria Dallon drew a deep breath, released it. "We can't just kill people, even if it's self defense! Heroes
don't do that. Mom says you claim to be heroes!
If you are, heroes have to be
better than the villains so
people respect us and don't fear us." She paused for a second then nodded. "And what do you think
Villians will do if they know you'll go all out from the get go?"
Taylor rocked back on her heels. "... If they don't want us to go all out, not commit murder and kill people?
Heroes don't let innocents get attacked, hurt or killed!
At what point does mercy to the guilty become
cruelty to the innocent?"
Victoria paused, her eyes flashing, clearly remembering something. "... I can't argue that the guilty don't need punishment." She nodded once. "However…
what happens when you take the law into your own hands?" She looked firm. "I'll tell you, Villians will
hunt you down and kill you when you're not expecting it! They'll think they have nothing to lose. They wont' even
care about innocents or like. You
can't just run around killing people, because you become just as much of a problem, in a different way, as the
villains are. There' are
rules. Heroes enforce them, we
don't make them up. Otherwise
no one would trust us!
No Villain would surrender!"
Taylor paused, turned to Lisa, who was still munching popcorn, and got a slight shrug and even slighter nod in response. Vicky blinked as Taylor turned back to her and looked at her, opening her mouth, then closing it.
"And when villains kill? Keep escaping it again?" Taylor finally responded. "What then? I can… I see your point." Taylor wounded how many heroes would now not trust her to bring them together. "But if…"
The blonde cut her off knowing what the brunette would say. "No buts. Heroes are supposed to protect the system: The laws, the courts, the things people put their trust into." She nodded at Taylor who was about to speak. "Yeah, I'll give you Hookwolf should have had his kill order, and the courts hadn't caught up to it." The blonde heroine shook her head. "But if
we act as bad as the villains,
we become them. Heroes are
better than that. Are you a
hero? Are people going to trust you to do the
right thing?"
Emma stepped up only to be cut off with a
look from Sarah. The Sidereal was letting this go on for a reason.
Victoria Dallon
looked Taylor in the eye and stated, calmly, seriously and with full intent. "At the end of the day, when people look you in the eye, what do you want them to feel? Fear? Awe? Trust?
What do you want to give them? Because, I can tell you… way you're going? It'll be the first."
Taylor looked at the young woman in front of her, who clearly had come to some epiphany, while Taylor was thinking on what to say… but before the Solar could answer, the New Wave cape spoke.
"Yeah, I can guess what you're about to say. The system's broken. All parahumans do is fight…" Vicky's voice was soft. "Hell, I think this is the first time
I've admitted it." She looked into Taylor's eyes. "If
you want to change it, you have to have
people trust you. If
I want to change it… people need to trust me… If we work together… it'll be easier, if we trust each other, won't it?"
AN: Vote below. As noted, it's a
critical vote, several things can happen here, depending on how you vote, and it
will shape things and the story for a
very long time.
Also: Sorry it took so long, I have reasons, but I'm not going to make excuses.
Vote
wisely.
Vote: (This is a *critical* vote.)
[ ] Taylor
agrees with Vicky
[ ] Taylor doesn't agree with Vicky.
[ ] Taylor takes another tack to defend her circle and their actions.
[ ] Surprise Interjection (Write In)
