Well, shit. That sure wasn’t the reaction Taylor was expecting, nor I for that matter. An innocent question about origin stories, and the Undersiders are acting like Taylor dropped a bombshell... eh? eh? nevermind.

Wildbow’s streak continues - I really liked this chapter. Lisa is always a hoot, even in serious discussions, and the way she’s reaching out to Taylor, wanting to support her against the Harpies, and more generally trying to help her out of her shell is a very welcome development.

And the ending? This is how you do a cliffhanger. I’m very much looking forward to the next chapter and seeing what the Undersiders will all be willing to say.

I shrugged.  I’d been resigned to being broomstick thin and flat as a board pretty much from the point I’d started puberty.  I just had to look at the genetics on either side of my family to know what I was in for.

Don’t worry, Taylor: a) you can still look great like that, and b) even if you don’t, looking great isn’t actually as important as it might seem.

“And my condolences about your mom.  I didn’t know.”

...well now she does. Heh.

“Appreciated.”  I sighed. “I’m vetoing the shirt.”

“Fine, you’re allowed, but we’re keeping the jeans.  They show off your figure.”

“The figure of a thirteen year old boy,” I groused.

“You’re taller than a thirteen year old boy, don’t be silly.

Pfft.

Besides, whatever you look like, whatever your body type, there’s bound to be someone out there who thinks you’re the hottest fucking person they’ve ever seen.”

...

okay then

I guess that isn’t “kind of standard”

That or all of them have less than happy feelings about their own origin stories.

A connection between traumatic events and gaining powers isn’t unprecedented in the story. We have Taylor, after all. Although we (I) don’t actually know if the winter event happened as a result of gaining the power, or vice versa, if there’s causation at all. Correlation does not imply causation, and in this case we don’t even know which way that causation would go.

Anyway, my point is, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if traumatic events are one of the main causes of developing powers, or perhaps... unleashing them. Considering we know heredity can affect the likelihood of “developing powers”, it’s possible that even those without paraparents are born with their powers, but the powers lay latent until something (a particular stimulus, a trauma) causes them to activate.

Lisa turned away, for once without a smile on her face.  Brian and Alec gave me strange looks, not saying anything.

“What?” I asked.  I double checked there was nobody in earshot.  “What did I say?”

This might actually be the best thing Taylor could say in this scenario. It clearly indicates that if she offended or hurt them somehow, it wasn’t on purpose, and shows a willingness to learn.

*scrolls down*

“My dad will wonder where I got them,” I protested, as she folded a pair of blouses over one of my arms.

Taylor does raise a valid point there, but on the other hand, he knows she has friends now. “My friend bought them for me” would easily solve that particular excuse.

“You borrowed them from me.  Or they don’t fit me anymore and I gave them to you.  Or you can keep them at our place and leave him none the wiser.”

Those also work.

“I don’t like lying to my dad.”

She ushered me into a curtained off area that served as a change room.  Through the curtain, she told me, “I envy you that.  But if he hasn’t figured out the reason your wardrobe has shrunk so much, chances are he’s not going to notice if you have some new clothes.”

The reason... okay yeah, I think she’s definitely talking about the Harpy hasslings now.

I was halfway through pulling off my shirt when that sunk in, “What are you talking about?”

“Come on, Taylor.  I’d suspect you had some problems going on even without, you know… a little bird whispering in my ear.”

“I know it’s kind of cliche, but when people with powers get together, isn’t it kind of standard to share origin stories?”

Oooooh this could get interesting!

*chants* BACK-STO-RIES BACK-STO-RIES BACK-STO-RIES

Oh man, I just realized this is likely to include Taylor’s origin story too

“Would you let them, if the tables were turned?”

“Hell naw,” she laughed.

“That’s what I thought.”

I love these dorks. :p

“But about our earlier conversation… last I’ll say on the subject tonight, promise.  If you ever decide you do want me to directly interfere in any of your personal stuff, just say the word.”

That’s fair. “I realize you don’t want my help, but if you change your mind, I’m here.”

It’s a pretty similar situation to the one between Danny and Taylor, really.

I frowned, ready to be annoyed, but I relented.  It was a fair offer, not pushing anything.  “Okay.  Thank you, but I’m fine.”

“Then that’s settled.  Let’s go eat.”

Looks like Taylor’s leaning towards the latter.

I struggled to do up the top button of the jeans, which wasn’t made any easier by my agitation.

No, Taylor, that’s the wrong arc!

It took thirty seconds to get the button done up, and I swore under my breath the entire time.  Where in the world had Lisa found jeans that were this tight on me?  When I had them on, I opened the curtain and confronted her face to face.

The whole knowing things... thing was bullshit, this is Lisa’s real superpower: Finding tight jeans.

“Having me try on clothes is fine,” I told her, doing my level best to keep my voice calm, “But you interfere directly in my problems, and I’m gone.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that,” I said, “I’m sorry.”

Clear as day. Granted, it’s not clear whether they mean the same thing by “interfere directly”.

She looked a little hurt, “Fine.”  Pouting a little, she waved a hand in the general direction of my clothes, “What do you think?”

I tried to adjust the collar.  I liked the abstract design on the right side of the shirt, but the v-neck collar came to a point near where my ribcage ended and my stomach began. “Top is cut too low, jeans are too tight.”

Damn, that’s a really deep cut. Better get Panacea on the case.

“You need to get used to showing some cleavage.  Like I said, be bold in your fashion choices.”

“I’d be fine with showing some cleavage if I had anything to show,” I pointed out.

Showing some cleavage! I’m no expert on women’s clothing, nor am I going to judge anyone who does like to dress like this, but a V-neck down to the bottom of her ribcage seems dangerously close to showing all of the cleavage. All of it.

That would certainly be bold, at least.

“You’re a late bloomer?” she tried.

“My mom was a B-cup, and not always then, depending on the brand of bra.  And that was after she went up a partial size being pregnant with me.”