Fluff Chapter Thirty-Nine - A Mouthful

Chapter Thirty-Nine - A Mouthful

Emily looked at the nu with eyes that weren’t quite focused. She wasn’t actually paying it any attention. Rather, she was focused on other things.

Most notable, was lanie’s offer.

Emily had to think of which potential path would lead to her and her summons seeming the least suspicious. That, and which path would take up the least ti. She already had a lot more on her plate than she expected to.

Her plans had been to lead a quiet college life, get a degree that could help her find a nice quiet job, and then live as a lone bachelorette with about eight very cuddly cats.

Those dreams had collapsed a while ago. Her quiet college life was in shambles. She hadn’t even done all the howork due in a few days!

Emily shifted her grip on the nu, then carefully turned the page. She kind of wished that she was looking at images of kittens instead of pasta and steak. Those would at least calm her beating heart.

She had to refocus.

lanie’s offer would put them in the spotlight. That... might not be the greatest thing there was, but it had potential. They could co out as heroes, then slink back out of the lilight. People would assu the pressure was too much or sothing.

Maybe they could do a few nice acts, cent themselves as good people in the community?

She nodded. That made sense.

The problem was joining a corporate team or anything like that would an placing themselves in a position where they’d be asked a whole lot of questions, so of them uncomfortable.

What were her other concerns?

Handshake’s... thing. He wanted her for sothing? Backup, maybe? So sort of intimidation thing when eting with Cent? That made so sense. She herself wasn’t very intimidating, but Teddy could be. Especially when she was in her bear form.

Was she strong enough to take on soone who could move cent around with his mind?

Emily would rather not find out. Even in the best case scenario Teddy would complain a lot if she got wet cent caught in her fur.

“Ma’am?” Emily jerked up to see that she was the centre of attention. A young waitress was staring at her, notepad in hand and a patient smile on. “Your order?”

“Oh, oh, uh, sorry, I’ll have... what she’s having,” Emily said with a finger pointing towards lanie.

“A second lobster and fillet mignon plate then,” she said.

Emily blanched. That sounded expensive. But then, lanie was the one footing the bill.

“And you, miss?” the waitress asked Teddy.

“Yeah, I’ll have the fishy sticks, but not if they look like bears.”

“Um, noted,” the woman said. She had a bit of a smile that she hid from Teddy by raising her notepad. “Anything else?”

“Yeah, I’ll have the train al too.” Teddy pointed to an image of a cardboard train with a chicken breast and fries and cheese.

“That’s a full al,” the waitress said.

Emily waved her arms to try and dispel the comnt. “It’s okay. She, uh, eats lots. Weird... tabolism?”

“Yeah, I got the best ta.”

The waitress nodded, “Of course, and to drink?”

“I’ll have a pint of vodka.”

Emily wanted to press her face into her hands.

“Um,” the waitress said. She looked over to Emily and lanie.

“It’s best when served really cold,” Teddy explained. “Maybe with so ice?”

“She’ll have juice. Any sort of juice,” Emily said.

The waitress nodded rapidly, and turned to Athena next. Fortunately, the owl-girl just ordered so chicken risotto with a glass of grape juice.

“So,” lanie asked when the waitress started to walk off. “Actually, wait, you never told about the new girl.”

Athena leaned forwards a bit so that she could better et lanie’s gaze. “I’m big sister Emily’s little sister,” she said.

“Ah, so she knows everything, right? Because I just assud back there.”

Emily nodded. “She knows, yeah.” She wasn’t going to admit that Athena had her own power, not when she herself wasn’t familiar with it yet. She had to rember to test that, actually.

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Bringing a notebook around with her was growing to be a priority, she had so many little things to rember all the ti that it was getting to be too much.

“Cool,” lanie said. “So, there’s this thing where the corps and the governnt grab all the newbies and jumble them together. It’s a semi-public thing. So no press, but plenty of press.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Teddy said.

“It kinda does,” lanie returned. “When we say that the press is sowhere, it usually ans that they’re there in force. Caras and reporters and all. Now they’re aware of the event, if you want to call it that, but they’re politely told not to show up. So lots of paparazzi hide around the planned routes and take ‘in action’ photos. They’re pretty big sellers. It makes the new heroes out to be pretty active and such.”

“Will we get to beat so other villains up?” Teddy asked.

Emily’s heart constricted at the ‘other’ but she realized that lanie would probably assu that Teddy ant ‘other than Homie.’

“Probably not,” lanie said. “Heroes are kinda awful at law enforcent.”

“Really?” Emily asked.

“Oh, don’t get wrong, they act as a decent counter balance to the police, but most don’t have training, and a lot of powers are a bit too lethal for proper policing. Even then, most police calls are simple things. Speeding tickets, the occasional accident, so dostic disputes. You don’t need soone in a cape to show up to every fender bender.”

“Then why’re you keeping the heroes around if they’re not helping the proletariat?” Teddy asked. Her eyes narrowed. “It’s so capitalist ploy, isn’t it?”

lanie snorted. “Pretty much. There’s a lot of money in marketing and such. Lots of donations and heroes make the politicians standing next to them look great. That, and there is a need for heroes. Endgas can’t and shouldn’t be tackled by normal folk, actual villains with strong powers are downright terrifying if you’re a normal person, and so heroes bring a lot of flexibility to situations that the police just can’t manage.”

“It sounds as if the world isn’t quite used to the idea of there being so who are just better at things,” Athena said.

Emily looked over to her little sister. That was a weird sentint, and one that certainly didn’t sh with what she’d been taught before.

“Sothing like that,” lanie said. “It’s a weird situation to be in, but it’s not like you can just tuck away every person with powers. So places have tried that, it doesn’t end well.”

Emily nodded. She had a few questions still, but the waitress returning with so drinks put paid to that. The girls each got a glass of juice, and then the waitress set down two very fancy glasses before her and lanie. She left without a word, leaving Emily staring at her drink.

It had a little umbrella, and crumbs around the rim, and the drink had a few colours still mixing within.

“Neat,” Teddy said.

“Um, what is it?” Emily asked.

“You’re over eighteen, right?” lanie asked.

“I... yes,” Emily said.

The woman shrugged, flicked the umbrella out of her drink, and took a sip. “Then enjoy.”

Emily hadn’t ever really tried drinking anything alcoholic before. Oh, maybe a sip from her dad’s beer when she was little, but that was so far back.

But then, she was already pushing way past her comfort zone, with acts of heroism, and fighting, and surrounding herself in the kinds of people she never expected to befriend before.

Maybe continuing to try new things wouldn’t be so bad? She’d certainly dread of being far, far braver than she was.

Carefully, she picked up the cup and brought it close to sniff at it. The drink slled sweet, and like alcohol.

Emily made up her mind.

She took a sip.

And then she almost gagged at the taste, while lanie broke out into uproarious laughter.

Maybe new things weren’t for her after all.

***