Tattletale turned her head at that. “I thought you’d be proud.”
Yeah, no, that’s not how Taylor functions. She considered the first Mannequin fight a draw at best because there were a couple people she failed to save.
I shook my head.
“I only heard secondhand, so I didn’t get the full story, but you stabbed Leviathan with Armsmaster’s weapon and distracted him from going after the civilians that were inside that shelter.”
That sounds like something that happened, yes.
“Don’t know how many I really saved. He had a good thirty seconds to a minute to unload everything he had on the people in there, and we all saw how much damage he did to some of our toughest capes.”
True.
Tattletale nodded.
“I dunno. I think of what happened back then, and I get this ugly feeling in my gut, like I did something wrong, or I didn’t try as hard as I could have because there was someone in that shelter who I sort of hate. Hated? I’m not sure if I should use past tense.”
Right. The mess with Mr. Gladly.
I still think Taylor’s hatred of him is harsher than is really justified, but that’s not unbelievable. Especially when he’s a person she already somewhat disliked in an environment soured by the Harpies.
“One of your bullies?” She asked.
“Teacher. I think that when I left the Undersiders, I guess I was thinking of considering becoming a hero or something. But with what happened at that shelter, I almost feel like it was the turning point. It was the first time I did anything that someone else could point to and call it heroic, and somehow I can’t find it in myself to be proud about it.
It’s not the only time that’s happened since, either.
And it’s like, that dream of being a hero that I always had just kind of faded away in the face of reality.”
Damn if that sentence isn’t a summary of Taylor’s entire arc so far.
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