Amelia, Ch 176
"No, I'm absolutely serious," I insisted to Vicky on the phone. "I was. Even got the dumbass to waive all their stupid 'tests'. And then I became their leader like five minutes later."
"You? Really?" Vicky laughed.
"Didn't really matter since they were all dead by then," I added. I felt a little bad, lying to her about Riley, but as much as I loved my sister I couldn't imagine her taking the news that I had quasi-adopted Bonesaw well. "But I earned leadership the official way."
"I'm so putting that in my autobiography," she teased.
FrustrationDisdain. I blinked and looked over at Taylor. Is she still jealous?
"Lisa's being a bitch again," she sighed.
Oh, of course she is. "Sorry, Vicky, can I have a sec?" I asked.
"Uh, sure," she responded.
"What is she doing this time?" I asked Taylor.
"Remember how they chased off that one Stranger? Dream Girl?"
"Yeah..." I recalled. It was terrifying to think that there was a stranger out there that could slip past both Taylor and Dinah, as well as Zach's natural defense against all things mind and body altering. Except possibly the Simurgh, he didn't respond by disintegrating when hit with her song. Then again, maybe she never bothered trying to target him. Fortunately we destroyed her before the time limit anyway.
"Turns out, Lisa's plan for making Zach feel better is, and I quote 'throw Emma at him'," she sighed. "And, apparently, Missy just found out."
I cringed. "Sorry, Victoria, I have to go. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Oh, okay," she sighed. "I should do my homework, anyway."
"Bye," I said, and turned off the phone, then sat up from my position laying on my bed. "Okay, let's go."
Missy looked pissed when we got to the living area. Taylor's modified bugs, the ones that don't get eaten by Yggdrasil, had taking position between her and Lisa.
"Alright, what the hell?" I asked.
"Lisa's being a bitch again," Missy started.
"What?" Lisa insisted. "It's a good idea. Emma won't mind in the slightest, and Zach will appreciate it, too. It's a win for everyone."
"It's toying with people's hearts," Missy growled. "It's not right to use people like that." I found myself agreeing with Missy on this one, and judging by the emotions in Taylor, she was on my side with that assessment.
"Lisa," Taylor sighed. "There are lines, and this crosses them. Zach's been through enough manipulative bullshit, and I know Emma's not exactly my favorite person, but seriously... she doesn't deserve to be treated like little more than a prostitute."
"Come on," Lisa insisted. "It's a perfect plan! They get back together, she stops moping about like a lost puppy, he stops desperately overcompensating for his feelings by pretending to be a complete fucking idiot, and we go back to worrying about things that actually matter."
"Maybe if you squinted, it would hold up for fifteen minutes, but in the end it'd just wind up hurting Emma," RealizationIncredulity. Taylor didn't elaborate, but I'm pretty sure Lisa and I, at least, figured out her surprise.
"They broke up for a reason," Missy countered. "If they get back together, then fine. But Zach's my friend and I won't let you treat him like this."
"Lisa... maybe you should just get a boyfriend," I finally suggested. Everyone stopped and looked at me.
"Doesn't work like that," Lisa replied. "Asexual, remember?"
"Then go hook up with another asexual," I suggested. "Weld's still in Boston, and he's a great guy. Bonus points for you since he's about as clean as anyone can possibly be. I'm sure he can be convinced. As long as you tone down the 'bitch' around him."
"I'm not interested in romance," Lisa insisted.
"Then why do all of your ideas lead in that direction?" I asked. "Your idea for helping Taylor? First you tried to hook her up with Brian." NostalgiaDisgustAnger. "And when that didn't work, you tried to hook her up with me."
"I did not try to hook the two of you up," Lisa insisted. "I recognized that the two of you were a lot alike, and encouraged you to be friends. That's all I ever thought would happen. I never intended for it to become romantic. I sure as fuck didn't intend for you to create an empathic link! How was I suppose to know that was even possible? A link that's the only reason you ever got romantically involved in the first place."
"And me and Theo," Missy added. We all looked toward her. WorryRegret. "What? I'm not stupid and I'm not a child," the thirteen year old insisted. "I knew what you were trying to pull the moment Aceso showed up with the flying horse. After that, I just rolled my eyes and played along."
"Sorry about that," I said sheepishly.
"Don't be," she replied. "I got an awesome best friend and an amazing boyfriend and I'm on a team that values my input. I got to kill an Endbriner. I got battle armor that's too badass to be described in words. Plus I have yet to be forced to go to some public event to be gawked at by people I wish I was allowed to punch. If you had just come out and offered that last line as your main selling point, I probably would have taken you up on the deal. That and being able to tell Miss Piggy to go to hell. I wanted to do that for years."
"See, it worked out great," Lisa insisted. "And this will, too."
"How about, instead, we support our friends the old fashioned way?" Taylor asked. "I mean this as a friend, Lisa, but you can't keep doing this. I know neither of them are really your friends. Really, past me and maybe-kinda Crystal, you don't have any friends here."
"I prefer keeping things professional," Lisa answered. "It's easier that way."
AnnoyanceRegret. "Yeah, I thought that way once," she sighed. "Lisa, maybe this started like that... but we're friends here. Most of us are, one way or another, a family. I have Amelia, and you, right?"
"Of course!" Lisa insisted. "Don't you dare doubt that."
"And Amelia has me and Crystal and Riley," she continued. "Crystal's a bit standoffish, and even she's pretty close to Zach and you. Which is weird, because you two are easily the hardest people in this group to get along with."
"She has years of experience dealing with me and Victoria," I reminded. "Plus Aunt Sarah's awesome with people, and Crystal takes after her mom."
"Then Riley's got Missy and Emma and even Theo and Zach a bit," Taylor continued. "Theo gets along pretty well with Zach despite them seeming almost nothing like each other at all."
"I have Theo and Riley, of course," Missy added. "And Chariot. Trevor's a great guy, if a bit of a loner. But that's how Tinkers are, y'know. He'll probably be a 'less a-hole' version of Armsmaster. Not the highest bar in the world to set, of course."
"The list goes on. Rey's the only one who's not really 'close' to any of us," Taylor concluded. "He treats this whole thing as a job. Which is fine, I'm not sure that there can be a non-creepy way for the thirty year old pothead to be friends with a bunch of teenagers. He's not causing any drama and has his own life outside of work to worry about. You, on the other hand... I know you've been in a slump, lately. I'd like to help you out of it, we all would."
"Umm..." Lisa frowned. "Are you holding an intervention, now?"
ShockAmusement. "Well, it didn't start that way, but I guess so," she agreed. "We just want you to start concerning yourself with how your actions actually impact people. We're more than cogs in a machine here, Lisa. And so are you. Please remember that."
She sighed. "You're right," she finally admitted.
"The 'Emma' plan wouldn't work anyway," another voice spoke up. Everyone except Taylor looked. Emma was standing in the doorway. "Don't get me wrong, I wish it would. But it won't. Thanks for looking out for my feelings, Missy." She smiled at Missy. "And thanks for the alert, Taylor."
Taylor shrugged. PleasedSad.
"What we need," I suggested. "Is a party. A group get together that has nothing to do with work. At all. Just having fun together. Last time we did anything like that was the fourth of July, and that doesn't count because it was a public gathering."
"That actually sounds like a really good idea," Taylor agreed. Everyone else looked around. "Now we just need an excuse. Something relatively innocent."
"I may have a suggestion," Emma volunteered.
================
A/N- And Missy didn't even get to punch anyone.