Taylor wasn't sure why she had decided to listen to the transfer student, named Yamazaki Tatsuo, but in the end she had decided to accept his invitation and had gone to him at the end of the school. Which had a nice side effect of not having to deal with the bitch trio and ended up with her and Tatsuo sitting at a Japanese cafe. Something she didn't know Brockton Bay had.
"I would like a cup of green tea and a dango plate." He said and the waitress took note before leaving them.
"Are you sure that you didn't want anything?"
"No, I want to know your plan to 'make things better'." Taylor said with a flat gaze, she was here for that; not for snacks. And also, she had almost no idea what any of those things on the menu were so she didn't want to take risks.
"Quite impatient aren't you." He said with a raised eyebrow as their waitress brought his order and left with a smile.
"Oh well, might as well do it." He said with a sigh before he tapped the table and some sort of green glow came out of where he tapped, making Taylor's eyes widen.
"There, now no one will be able to hear us."
"You are-!"
"A cape? Yup. But please do calm down, really don't want to deal with people trying to figure out what we're talking about." He said with a shrug, making her gape at him. He was a cape, and didn't do anything to hide his identity! This was throwing practically everything she knew about capes out of the window, straight to the trash can.
"Anyway, we aren't here to talk about me. We are here to talk about how to make things better for you." He said before taking a sip from his tea.
"Before that, there is one thing I need to know though." He said before his gaze met hers and she realized, she couldn't look away.
"Do you want them to simply leave you alone, or to have revenge?"
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She looked confused with my question. No, what she was confused about was the fact that she couldn't answer me immediately.
Taylor Hebert, no matter how much she had to deal with, wanted to be a hero. Wanted to do good. Yet she was confused now that she was presented with a decision to whether to do what was right… and what she really wanted.
She could try to justify herself as much as she wanted, to believe that when the time came she would act as a hero should. But the truth was, she did want revenge. It was clear in her eyes.
"I… I want it to end. I want them to be unable to do what they did to me to anyone again. I… I want to hurt them back." She said, tears leaking from her eyes as she fully admitted the truth, to herself as much as to me.
"Then we can continue." I said with a smile as I gave her a napkin to wipe her eyes.
"Now Taylor, I will tell you about my powers and I need you to listen to me as calmly as possible." I said as I gazed into her eyes, my Love Spot and Alluring Whisper lures working in tandem to keep her focus on me.
"I have several powers, but the ones that I need you to know about are what you people would classify as master powers." I said and mentally sighed as I saw her flinch.
"Before you freak out, no you are not mastered. The way I master people isn't something that you would miss." If someone could miss me enveloping them with a shroud of flames then the problem was with them.
"So, what? Are you saying you can master Sophia and others? Is that it?" She asked, looking a calmer than I had expected her to.
"That is something I might do but it isn't the true solution to your problems. No, the real solution is for me to master you." I said, which made Taylor's eyes widen before she snorted and glared at me.
"How can getting mastered be a solution? Why would I even accept being mastered?" She asked, her voice harsh as she brought up very good points.
"Limited immortality and super powers for starters." I said with a smile.
"…you're shitting me." Heh.
"No, the ones I have mastered have a limited immortality where they do not age and are immune to diseases. It also has a very nice side effect of unlocking the powers of potential capes without trigger events." I said, my smile still on my face as I watched Taylor have a little mental crisis.
"I have potential to be a cape?" She asked, a certain amount of hope in her voice.
"Yes, probably after a rather traumatizing trigger event at the hands of your current tormentors." I said and took another sip from my tea.
My offer was working, the more she listened to me the more she found the offer to be the best possible solution to her life. She just needed one last push."
"I don't want to push you Taylor, you are free to walk away right now. It is a life altering choice after all. Just remember, if you do walk away, your life will stay the same. Tomorrow and the day after, it will be the same torment at the hands of the trio. Without even knowing who the school doesn't help you." At that, she frowned.
"I know why they don't, they don't want to deal with Emma's father."
"Wrong." I said with steel in my voice, making Taylor lean back with wide eyes.
"One lawyer is nothing. He might be an extra that might make them wary but the real reason they don't go against those three is Sophia. They don't want to lose their privileges as a school with a Ward attending." And then I could see something dark enter Taylor's eyes as she breathed out.
"What?"
"Sophia Hess is a Ward, she is the Shadow Stalker." I said, mentally smiling as I could feel her anger. And there I knew.
"Do it."
I had her.