"Now I know you're a tsundere." Victoria shakes her head. I give her a quick look. She's calmed down and pulled herself together, apparently having decided something for herself. But what exactly? Most likely, seeing Lisa vulnerable and weak, she started perceiving her differently. After all, I initially wanted to beat her up too... right up until I realized she was asking for my help and was very afraid of Coil. Only then did I start perceiving her as human, because Lisa knows how to get on your nerves in such a way that you want to strangle her from the first meeting.
"I don't want to hear anything from a runaway." says Lisa: "and by the way, you'd better report your family problems to the PRT, or they'll put Tay-Tay on a wanted list as a Master. Your mom didn't tell anyone anything yesterday, hoped you'd come to your senses and return home, and even bring Amy-Taylor with you, but today she'll definitely call the PRT and say you were mastered. And she'll definitely ask for a Kill Order. Which is ironic, of course, because Tay-Tay is in a 'what is dead cannot die' situation."
"Damn it!" Victoria jumps up: "fucking sugar! Right! And she hasn't already...?"
"No," Tattletale shakes her head: "she's putting off the moment until the last second. You know how your mom hates airing dirty laundry."
"Damn, damn, damn..." Victoria hurriedly, hopping on one foot, pulls on her tight jeans, stumbles, but instead of falling - hangs in the air and cursing - fastens them.
"I should probably stay at Aunt Sarah's then. Otherwise mom will..." says Victoria, pulling on white sneakers while still hanging in the air: "I'd love to hang out at your base, Taylor, but then the whole PRT will think I was mastered. And by the way, can you let Amy come with me? It would be better if we both showed up at Aunt Sarah's and Uncle Neil's together. How is she?"
"Fine." I-Taylor nod: "take Amy. She's herself somewhere deep down, but last night..."
"Taylor!" Victoria throws a pillow at me: "enough! Forgotten! I'm already ashamed. She's my sister!"
"First of all, she's not your sister, Glorious Hole." Lisa sits on the couch and looks directly at Victoria: "can't you see it yourself? Look at your mom, your dad, yourself... then at her. Shape of cheekbones, nose, skull, eye color... your father has green eyes, your mom has blue ones, you have green ones. And Amy has brown eyes. Blue color, like green, is a recessive trait, while brown is dominant. Two parents with blue and green eyes cannot have a child with brown eyes."
"Wait... what?!"
"Is it so hard to open a genetics textbook and read?" Lisa raises an eyebrow: "you, by the way, are a natural blonde, unlike Fenja and Menja."
"Hmm..." I say, remembering the black triangle of hair in naked Fenja's groin as she lay in the bathtub with organic gel. Right, Kaiser's nieces are dyed blondes, actually not blonde Aryan beasts at all. Interesting, what if we did a genetic analysis? Probably all kinds of things mixed in there. However, Kaiser himself seemed like a quite reasonable person to me despite the wild rumors about him.
"Taylor!" Victoria turns to me, apparently looking for someone to deal with this venomous Tattletale: "is this true?!"
"About dominant traits - absolutely true." I answer: "well... she could be your mother's daughter from a first marriage, for example..."
"I'm the older sister!" Victoria soars into the air as she is - in jeans and with one white sneaker on her right foot.
"No, well there's another option that Amy is from a neighbor or a colleague of your mother's at the law firm. Alan Barnes, for example." Lisa squints and Victoria immediately throws her second sneaker, which she didn't manage to put on, at her head. I barely manage to catch the flying shoe in the air. Glory does have a heavy hand, she gave it quite an acceleration, and Lisa already has problems with her head...
"Lisa!" I say reproachfully: "you're deliberately provoking her! What's with your nasty tongue?!"
"Amy? Taylor! Does Amy know?" Victoria points her finger at me: "and... so she's adopted? Who's the father? Wait, who are her parents?! And why... I have so many questions! Chatterbox! You definitely know, you're the smartest in class, so answer!"
"I have a headache." declares the shameless Tattletale and demonstratively closes her eyes, rubbing her temples with her fingertips: "but I know for sure that your mother fears Amy will follow in her father's footsteps. That's why they adopted her back then - keep your friends close, and your enemies' children even closer. Just adopt them."
"Amy is a villain cape's daughter?!"
"And she always wanted to drag you into bed not because she's a pervert, but because your aura scrambled her brains." she opens one eye and looks at Victoria: "because you mastered her from the moment of her trigger. And... not only her. Your mother from the very beginning tried very hard to treat you both equally and not single anyone out, to raise you as equal sisters, so to speak, insurance against Amy-renegade. But your aura... at first you couldn't suppress it, remember?"
"At first I couldn't do it." Victoria admits: "but then I went to a psychologist and... wait, so mom too?!"
"Both mom and dad." Lisa nods and seeing the expression on Victoria's face - smirks quite smugly. Looking at her little smirk, I'm tempted to give her a slap on the back of the head, especially when Tattletale comes out of her at such moments. Sense of superiority and enjoyment of the situation... if I didn't know she could be normal - I wouldn't believe it.
"Lisa!" I say and the smirk slides off her face. She sighs.
"Oh calm down, Glorious Hole. Your mom and dad just love you very much. Nothing sexual... it's Amy's puberty and your aura that overlapped... that's what twisted the girl. So you don't need to be so scared..."
"You think that makes it easier?!" Victoria grabs her head: "I mastered my whole family... wait, what about you? You? The others?!"
"Your aura has a certain cumulative effect." Lisa answers: "your family got hit the most, especially in the first months after you gained abilities. The others - not so much. Everyone loves you, Vicky, don't they?" the smirk appears on Lisa's face again: "wonder why? Why does everyone love Glorious Girl so much? Just because she's Glorious? That would be... glorious..."
"Lisa!"
"Alright!" she rolls her eyes: "fine, Tay-Tay! Can't even joke anymore..."
"Lisa, you need a muzzle before being let out around people." I reply: "and why are you such a bitch? Can't you say the same thing without your subtle mockery? Poison is already dripping from the corners of your mouth."
"I do have an image to maintain." Lisa squints: "and this Glorious Girl was way too pleased with herself... let her eat a lemon. Like that nun from the joke."
"Lisa!"
"Okay, okay." she turns to Victoria: "no, you didn't master anyone except your own family. And your fan club, Glorious Fan-girls - were always crazy. By the way - one of the most toxic fan clubs, keep that in mind. They even have an initiation ritual there, and I won't tell you what it is, or you'll be ashamed."
"Damn... fucking sugar..." Victoria sits on the armrest of the chair and grabs her head: "why didn't you say anything?!"
"Well... if you haven't noticed, we're not exactly friends." Lisa glances at me, I secretly show her my fist and she restrains herself from her eternal smirk. She continues: "I mean, we sleep with the same girl, but that doesn't make us friends, ask Othello. It doesn't work that way..." you can see she's physically struggling not to smirk. I hesitate. A slap on the back of the head might break something in her head, so I lean forward, bend her forward slightly and slap her butt. Lightly, so as not to break anything, more to show I'm displeased.
"Ow!"
"That'll teach you. Quickly tell Vicky something nice." I say, putting my hands on my hips.
"That hurt..." she rubs the affected area and turns to Victoria: "well fine. Here's good news for you - your ex-boyfriend mastered you too."
"What?!"
"He controls emotions, right? Well... you come on a date and experience emotional uplift and joy, right? And when in bed... orgasm rays!"
"Bitch!!! How is this good news?!" Victoria flies into the air and the air around starts sparkling and crackling. I suddenly realize she's in one sneaker and jeans, and her perfect, sculptural breasts are on display, she's like a beautiful statue and... I shake my head...
"Vicky! Aura!" I turn away. Lisa still smirks with her eyes closed. She knew? Of course she knew. Show-off.
"Dean... substituted my emotions? Made me fall in love with him?! Bitch!" Victoria forgot about "fucking sugar" and is swearing freely: "what an asshole! I'll wrap his guts around his head! He..."
"Vicky!! AURA!!"
"Oh... sorry." she lands on the floor and the enchantment of the moment disappears, the air stops sparkling and crackling, in front of me is an ordinary girl, a pretty blonde topless in tight jeans and one white sneaker. She sits in the chair and somehow immediately deflates, hunches over and lowers her head.
"Sorry, Taylor." she says: "it's just... everything hit at once and..."
"Lisa, I'm going to tear your ears off now. Fix the situation." I say in a completely serious voice: "are you trying to fight with me? Why are you pushing Victoria?!"
"Okay, okay." Lisa raises her hands: "alright, I'm done. We'll fix everything now." she gets up from the couch and sits opposite the chair - right on the floor.
"Glory." she says: "sorry. Sometimes it just comes out of me. Just comes out and that's it. I... I'm not jealous, it's just that last night I could have used Taylor, I really needed a burst, I need it now too, but she says only once a day. And... when I needed her so much - you two broke my couch with her... yes, I got heated. Sorry. You didn't want to zombify anyone with your aura - it just happened. And your boyfriend didn't exactly do it on purpose either. He also does it unconsciously - look at Vista, the girl is twelve years old and she's pining for him, quite seriously. We're all parahumans, we all affect each other. You just do it with an aura, I do it with words. And Taylor can devour you."
"You too." Victoria mutters.
"Me too." Lisa easily agrees: "that's not the point. The thing is, Taylor can fix everything."
"How?"
"Panacea didn't work with brains. But Taylor doesn't have high moral principles. Tell her..." Lisa looks at me triumphantly.
"Uh... well yes." I scratch my head: "your ex-boyfriend hit Amy's body with his emotional depression ray at the hospital, I almost died right there... terrible thing. Learning from bitter experience - I made changes using Taylor's body to Amy's body and vice versa. So no one could so easily control my emotional state from the outside."
"You can do that too?!" Victoria straightens up: "will you cure mom and dad? Please!"
"Technically speaking they're not exactly sick and..." seeing her look I immediately give up: "okay. I'll cure them."
"Wait a minute." Victoria squints suspiciously: "but just now, when I accidentally let my aura out of control - you felt it? So you're actually susceptible to influence?"
"Well..."
"Ha!" Lisa jumps out: "she deliberately left such a possibility for your aura."
"LISA!!"
"What? But... why?" Victoria blinks.
"How why?" Lisa jumps to her feet and hides from me in the corner, pressing her butt to the wall: "she likes it when you... ow! That hurts!"
"She's lying about everything." I say firmly and decisively: "found someone to believe. Why would I like being hit by an aura? I don't like it at all. And she's a known liar, look, even ants are biting her butt."
"I think I'd better keep quiet." says Lisa, stroking the affected area: "I'll be safer."
"So you... like this?! Pervert." Victoria brands me: "first time I see such a thing. Aura of fear and..."
"For your enemies it's an aura of fear. For fans - an aura of admiration... and for Tay-Tay an aura of lust." Lisa immediately forgets her vow of silence: "and she likes that. Pervert."
"And... fine." I admit: "I'm a pervert. And you're a Chatterbox. And..." at this moment something buzzes and Victoria finds her phone in the pile of things on the floor.
"Aunt Sarah." she says, reading the message: "I have to go. So I'm taking Amy?"
"Of course." me-Amy get up and yawn widely: "just let me find some clothes."
"And... there's also something from the PRT." Victoria continues, scrolling through her phone feed: "they want to see you."
"Wonder why they're texting you?"
"So they know exactly where Glorious Girl spent the night." Lisa nods: "there's going to be fun at PHQ today! By the way, Taylor, it's morning, give me a burst. Please. Yesterday... you won't believe who wrote to me. I don't believe it myself, on the forum, imagine?! I brought my laptop, I'll open it on that page and prepare to type, and you'll add fuel to the fire, okay? Really need it, important information."
"Honestly I'd rather observe you some more. And your reactions. And whether you're becoming dependent on this..." I say, folding my arms across my chest. I don't mind the burst. One-time enhancement of the brain's cognitive abilities, redirecting all power to solve one problem - it's not that difficult for Amy-Panacea's abilities. And... so far everything seems fine with Lisa's brain. I was more bothered by her behavior, how she ran after the burst like a puppy after a bone. It unpleasantly reminded me of an addict or alcoholic's behavior at the sight of a dose or bottle.
"I don't want to hear this from someone who deliberately left herself the ability to get slightly high from Glory's aura." Lisa folds her arms across her chest in turn: "addict herself. And a slut, by the way."
"Ouch." I say. I scratch my head and yawn, almost dislocating my jaw: "really need it that badly?"
"Badly." she nods: "it's somehow connected to the next Endbringer battle. Tell me it's unimportant and I'm just trying to con you for sweets."
I look at her. She looks at me. I sigh. Endbringer battle - can't get more serious. And if we have any chance to learn more about them - we need to try.
"Fine." I give up: "you'll get your burst. Just not here, but at the base and in a regeneration capsule. Just in case. That way I can keep you there longer."
"Yes." Lisa nods: "exactly. If we remove all resources from breathing and life support and put everything into solving the problem..."
"But if you get worse I'll pull you out immediately." I warn her. She frowns.
"Just not right away." she says: "this is important."
"Yeah, I get it..."
"Amy! Get ready, we're flying to Aunt Sarah's." says Victoria: "Taylor, when you're in Amy's body I'll only call you that, so it doesn't slip out at Aunt Sarah's house."
"By the way!" says Lisa: "if Amy killed Taylor, and then Taylor in Amy's body raised her own body, does that mean last night in my apartment there was an act of group necrophilia and desecration of a corpse? Ow!"