8. Chapter 8

AN: Lot of new names popping up in the reviews. We're really glad you guys are enjoying this story, it's a lot of fun to write, but more than anything its nice to see how many people are giving this thing a chance.

bennet001: Its exaggeration for comedic effect :). But even though it is localized to a relatively small area, the whole freezing people in place is problematic, hence why magical girls have designated changing areas in public. Leni typically doesn't need to change in public because unlike most magical girls in anime and whatnot, she doesn't have a secret identity, being a magical girl is her actual job. So she normally changes at home before she goes out for the day, just like in that chapter. And in public, she would be obligated to find herself a designated changing area except in the most dire of circumstances, so its unlikely that she'd be giving anyone a free show. Aside from Lincoln, obviously...

Dressed in a fresh set of his traditional orange polo and jeans, Lincoln quickly descended the stairs of the Loud house. At the bottom he was met by a smiling Leni, a travel mug clutched in each of her hands. Leni handed one to Lincoln and began walking towards the front door, motioning for him to follow her. The mug was cool to the touch. Lincoln popped the top and took a sniff of the contents: a distinct hint of banana and strawberries. Some kind of breakfast smoothie then. As he followed his big sister, he took a quick sip of the drink, confirming his suspicions.

It was delicious.

"You're not wearing the cape I made you." Leni observed, closing the door behind them. She then began to make her way towards the curb, Lincoln quickly falling into step alongside her.

"No." Lincoln affirmed, somewhat unnecessarily. "But that's more of a Lori thing, isn't it? Didn't seem right to wear it on our day together.

"That's true." Leni replied, not breaking her stride. She began to chew her lip thoughtfully. "Maybe I should make you a Leni thing. Something that would coordinate with my outfit." Lincoln blanched, only narrowly avoiding choking on his smoothie. That was something he could do without.

"So..." He drawled as they stopped at the curb, hoping to change the subject. "How are we going to—"

"Hold onto me." Leni instructed. It was an odd request, Lincoln was fairly certain that Leni couldn't fly or anything, but he acquiesced, encircling his big sister's slender waist with his arms and holding her tightly.

"Is..." Lincoln prompted, several minutes later. "Is something supposed to happen?"

"No." Leni leaned down and pulled Lincoln into a one-armed embrace. "I just wanted another hug."

"Leni!" Lincoln protested, red faced even as he returned the hug. He didn't actually mind, Leni was great at hugs, but that didn't make it any less embarrassing.

"It's fine, Linky." The older girl reassured him as she straightened back up. "Watch." Leni stuck two fingers into her mouth and let out a loud, shrill whistle. Once the ringing in his ears subsided, Lincoln opened his mouth, intending to ask the blonde what the purpose of that was.

"Wow!" He exclaimed instead, as a limousine sped down the street and pulled up alongside them. Normally he would have chalked up its appearance to sheer happenstance, but the sea foam-green paint job seemed like a pretty clear indicator of whom the vehicle was meant for.

"Good morning, Miss Leni!" Lincoln's attention was drawn to the portly, black-clad chauffeur who exited the vehicle and quickly made his way street side so he could open the passenger side door for them.

"Morning, Chaz." Leni responded cheerfully as he went about his duties. She gestured towards the pale haired boy. "This is my little brother, Lincoln."

"I suspected as much." Chaz replied with a small chuckle, extending a friendly arm to the younger boy. "Your sister talks about you all the time. Good to finally meet you, Lincoln."

"Likewise." Lincoln replied, only slightly unnerved at the thought of being so easily recognized by someone he'd never met before. Still, he returned the gesture, giving the driver a nice, firm handshake, just like Lori had taught him. Leni jerked her head towards the car, indicating he should get in first. Lincoln did so, somewhat hesitantly at first, but the second his skin touched the plush interior seating, his concerns quickly melted away. Getting to fly with Lori had been an amazing experience, but more mundane forms of travel certainly had their perks.

"To the mall, then?" Chaz asked as Leni climbed in after Lincoln. Despite the wealth of seating room available to the pair, she sat down right next to Lincoln, close enough that the pleasure addled boy was able to pick up the distinct scent of her perfume. The still functioning part of his brain wondered if that came with the costume change, or if that was just Leni's natural scent.

"Ya huh." The blonde nodded. "And step on it please, Linky and I have a big day ahead of us."

Chaz tipped his cap to Leni in respectful acknowledgement, then shut the door. A few moments later, the limo sped off, squealing tires and the honking of angry drivers announcing its departure. Had Lincoln been in a more alert state, he might have been terrified, but he was just so comfy. He didn't even have it in him to react when something even softer than the seats began to press against him.

"I still kind of wish you'd worn the cape." Leni opined as she pulled Lincoln close, nuzzling against him. "You just look so cute in it."

"Sorry." Lincoln uttered, trying to push through the fog of comfort that was clouding his mind. "Just didn't seem right. Capes are for hero stuff. Right?"

"True." Leni nodded. "That's why Lori gets to wear one."

Lori's eyes instinctively began to glow as the shambling, human-shaped monstrosity lurched closer. However, just as she was about to blast the thing to oblivion, she remembered herself. Taking a calming breath, she relaxed her eyes, allowing the pent up energy to harmlessly dissipate within her. Then she stepped forward and rammed her fist through the creatures chest, effortlessly puncturing its withered hide. The Husk flailed helplessly, let out one final groan, and began to dissolve. Moments later, all that remained of the creature was a small pile of ash...and a spiffy looking top hat. Lori grimaced as she tried to shake off the ash still clinging to her glove and quickly looked around at the horde of creatures still advancing on her. One down, entirely too many remaining.

"Remind me again, why are we literally doing this in the slowest, and most tedious way possible?" She called to her partner, glancing over her shoulder.

A short distance away Carol squared off against three Husks, a rather large and ornate looking broadsword held in both hands. The Amazon's body tensed for the briefest of moments and she charged the group. Carol circled the group, inhumanly fast and graceful, her blade lashing out in rhythms best measured between heartbeats. Now on the other side of the group, Carol gave her sword a little flourish, and struck a pose, laying the blade to rest against her back as the monstrous trio each spasmed once, then dissolved to ash. A beret, a trilby, and a chapeau, gracefully drifted down and came to rest, one on each pile.

"It's the terms of the job, Lori." Said Carol, grabbing a nearby Husk by the arm with her free hand and effortlessly hoisting it up into the air. "Get rid of the Soulless, save the hats." She gave the suspended creature a little twirl to build up momentum, then flung it into a nearby group of Husks, the impact causing the entire group to terminate simultaneously, leaving only ash and a small hail of hats in their wake.

Lori groaned as she delivered a punishing backfist to another Husk that had been creeping up on her, pulverizing it in an instant. It wasn't even noon yet, and still she desperately wished she could crawl back into bed and write this day off as a mulligan. Her day of super heroics had started with a photo op, which quickly transitioned into a second photo op, this time with the mayor (who would undoubtedly receive a nice PR bump once the taxpayer-funded photo of him posing with the two bombshells made the rounds). She'd gotten a bit of her enthusiasm back when a distress call had come in, specifically calling for the skills of two high profile heroines like Lori and her fellow blonde, but that had quickly waned once it had become apparent that the task was not to defeat the Soulless as it was to protect the warehouse they'd infested, and the precious cargo contained within. Which was apparently...hats. Nothing but fancy, undoubtedly over priced...hats. The fact that the interlopers had somehow managed to adorn themselves with the goods in question, despite lacking any sort of measurable sapience, seemed like little more than spite on the universe's behalf, as now the duo was forced to cull the herd in a manner that was agonizingly slow.

Lori let out a low groan of frustration as she took in the seemingly endless horde of hatted Soulless that still filled the warehouse. "I meant..."She growled, as she delivered a wide-arching roundhouse kick to the next group of Husks that shambled into range. She frowned in annoyance as the kick only managed to decapitate two of the creatures, a third having inadvertently swayed out of the way, spoiling her aim. Noting that her companion's attention was elsewhere, she surreptitiously leaned forward and flicked the remaining Husk's head with her index finger, sending it flying across the room and crashing into the wall. That made three.

"I meant, why are we saving these stupid hats? Instead of, like, actual people? The kind who might need saving."

Carol shrugged, somehow working the motion into another swing of her sword. Five more bodies hit the ground and subsequently turned to ash. "It's just how these things tend to go." With a flick of her wrist, Carol sent her sword flying, cleanly decapitating each and every Husk that was unfortunate to be standing between it, and the wall in which it eventually landed point first.

"These hats are undoubtedly owned by someone who has an in with the city." Carol continued, picking up a Husk in each hand. She gave the pair of monstrosities a quick jerk upwards, sending their hats flying safely up into the air, then slammed the creatures together, stepping back just in time to avoid being caught in the resulting cloud of ash. "They get their product protected on the city's dime, the mayor gets to brag to the electorate about the lengths he'll go through to ensure their safety, and once these babies hit the shelves, consumers get the opportunity to hand over fists full of cash for overpriced, tacky hats."

"That's stupid!" Lori growled, punctuating her statement by uppercutting another Husk into the air. "I became a hero so I could help people!"

"That's life." Carol retorted, seemingly unbothered by the outburst. "Sophisticated information networks don't run themselves. Are you confident that you'd be able to find each and every person in need without that kind of support?"

"W-well..." Lori faltered, very nearly falling into the grasping arms of another Husk. She rallied, taking a short hop backwards. Spying some debris on the floor, Lori snatched it up and began flicking it at the encroaching horde of Soulless, the force from her super-powered fingers sending the innocuous projectiles hurtling forward at speeds normally reserved for bullets. Another flurry of hats rained from the sky as their previous occupants exploded into ash.

"Do you pay for the collateral damage your fights cause?" Carol looked towards her sword, still stuck into the far end of the warehouse, a veritable sea of Husks standing between her and her ancestral weapon. "How about the medical care needed by those people you rescue? The legal fees needed to put away those super villains you bust?"

"The city pays for all of that." She continued, knowing a response wasn't forthcoming. "And getting the city's support means that sometimes you need to play the stupid game."

Taking a running start, Carol launched herself into the air, aiming for a wall just off to the side, taking the opportunity to deliver a passing kick to any Husk unlucky enough to be within her trajectory. Upon reaching her destination she reoriented herself and pushed off that wall without losing any of her altitude. It wasn't long before she'd managed to traverse the length of the building and reach her sword, leaving a long, jagged trail of ash and hats in her wake.

"You used to beg me to let you come along on these kinds of jobs." Retrieving her blade, Carol began to make her way back towards Lori, swinging her sword with lazy, but efficient strikes to ward off any Husks that got too close. "You couldn't fly, or shoot lasers, or..." Carol paused briefly, chewing her lip thoughtfully. "Bake cakes? You've got a lot of powers now. Some of them weirder than others."

"So I've been told." Lori muttered, wincing at the reminder. She didn't like thinking about Young Lori. There were a lot of bad memories associated with that period of her life.

"The point is, back then all you had was a dream, a killer costume, and a decent right hook. And you were desperate to get yourself out there. To make yourself known." Carol gestured around the ash and hat littered warehouse. "This is where that recognition comes from. Sometimes we need to get our hands a little dirty so we can have the opportunities to do the work that actually matters."

"Cheer up, Lori." The Amazon closed the remaining distance between her and her friend, and gave he fellow blonde a companionable pat on the back. "We're almost done. Won't be too long till we're out of here, and then we can get some real hero work done."

"I-I guess." Lori replied softly, still frowning, shades of memories coming forth unbidden. Screams, people trapped by fire and debris, Husks as far as the eye could see, shambling towards their helpless victims to be in slow, halting, but disturbingly persistent strides. And through it all, a wide-eyed little boy looking up at her, hair the color of freshly fallen snow.

"Please, Lori!" He begged, clinging to her leg with strength borne from terror. "You can save them, right? You're a hero, aren't you?"

"Lori!" The eldest Loud sibling jerked suddenly, blinking in surprise as the spell was broken. No fire, no screaming. Just a warehouse full of Husks...and stupid hats."

"You okay, girl?" Carol asked, concern evident on her face. "You were kind of spacing out there."

"Sorry." She replied, repositioning herself so that she and Carol were back to back, squaring off against the remains of the Soulless horde. "You're right. Let's wrap this up."

Both girls settled into combat stances, blade and fists brought to bear, waiting for the shambling monstrosities to come within range of their impending, hat-friendly dooms. Apparently, they'd miscalculated the timing of their dramatic moment, the Husks were moving considerably slower than anticipated.

"So..." Carol ventured as they watched the horde shuffle forward, their movements agonizingly slow. "I know Lincoln likes to keep up to date on hero news. Does he ever...talk about...me?"

"Ah-CHOO!"

"Bless you, Linky."