Chapter Fifty-Six

“Mine needs to be cool,” Cheshire said.

“Yours will be merely adequate,” Pop shot right back, her flat delivery making the words sting all the more.

Cheshire huffed and spun around to walk backwards in front of Taylor. “Why can’t I be called something like... Ripper or Brutus.”

“Because,” Taylor said, for the fourth time. “Those names are more suspicious, not less.” The idea had come from Tattletail and, after some thought, Taylor agreed that it wasn’t all bad. The sisters had names that were more suited to capes than proper young women. That was fine so far, but it would raise some suspicions if someone saw them calling the young girl that looked a little like a local hero by that hero’s name in public. So they needed fake names.

It was probably a strange inversion of things, that a cape needed an ordinary name instead of a cape name.

What she didn’t tell them was that she was plotting to send them to school. Not because she wanted them to get an education (though that was something of a factor) but because she needed a damned break.

“What about Raven?” Cheshire, who had volunteered to go first, asked.

“Just because you’re black doesn’t mean you should name yourself after a black bird,” Tattletail said. “Also, you’re a cat-girl. It doesn’t make sense. Also, Raven is a stupid name.”

“I will find a dagger, and I will stab you with it.”

Taylor groaned. Maybe it was a bad idea after all. Still, they had another twenty minutes of walking to go before reaching the Boardwalk. “No stabbing or your name will be something awful, like... Sophia.”

“We could call her Tabby. Like the cat,” Remedy said.

“No,” Cheshire said. “That’s lame.”

“Artemis?” Alice tried. “Like the goddess of the hunt?”

Alice, as it turned out, was a font of esoteric knowledge.

Cheshire rolled that name around a bit, then grinned. “Yeah, I like that. I’m Artemis Hebert then.”

Taylor almost missed a step. Of course Cheshire would be a Hebert, she was her sister, it had just taken her by surprise to hear it so plainly put. “Do you really like it?” Taylor asked to be sure. When Cheshire nodded with a smug grin, Taylor pulled her closer and patted her head. “Good job then, Artemis.”

Taylor gave Cheshire her moment to preen and be as smug as a catgirl could be before turning to the others. There was some juggling to do with her sisters. She had to give them all their due or else one or the other might start feeling bad.

“Remedy, you’re next!” Taylor said. Remedy was one of her quietest sisters, but her quiet wasn’t always a welcome thing, more brooding than introversion.

Remedy jumped and looked her way. “Really? Ah, I mean, okay.” She nodded seriously.

“You come from Amy, you could share her name?” Taylor suggested.

Remedy made a face. “Urh, no. I want a pretty name. A beautiful one.” She hummed. “Can I be called Victoria?”

“I... guess?” Taylor said. “If it works for you.”

The newly dubbed Victoria shuffled closer to Taylor’s side for a new-name-commemorative headpat.

“My name will be Bunshin,” Pop said. She pushed Cheshire ahead and placed herself within patting range.

Taylor blinked. “Bunshin? Does that mean anything?”

“It means offshoot, or child,” Pop said.

“Well, I guess,” Taylor replied. She soon had both hands full patting the girls next to her. Then they reached a crosswalk and it was time to hold hands to cross.

There were only two sisters that needed new normal names, and one that needed a cape name. “Crochet, do you have any ideas?” Taylor asked.

“Um, I’m afraid not,” Crochet said.

“It’s knot always easy to find a name that fits.”

Taylor eyed Alice, then refocused on Crochet. “You could go for a nice thematic name. Something about what you love.“

“But you’re already called Taylor,” Crochet said.

Taylor turned away to hide her flush. “H-how about a princess-y name? Helen, or Penelope?”

“Penelope,” Crochet said. She beamed up at Taylor. “I like it!”

“It has pee in it,” Tattletail pointed out.

“Do you want your name to have pee in it too?” Taylor asked.

Tattletail shook her head in a hurry while Taylor got to patting Cheshire. “No no no. I’ve chosen my name already. I’m going to be Nancy. Nancy Drew Hebert.”

“Isn’t that a little on the nose?” Taylor asked.

“I have a tail and big fox ears,” Tattletail reminded her.

That was actually a good point. There was trying to keep things nice and subtle, then there was hiding the more obvious signs that her sisters were who they said they were.

“Can I get belly rubs instead of headpats?” Tattletail asked.

“In the middle of the street?”

“I am willing to accomodate,” Tattletail said primly.

Taylor sighed and kept on walking, one hand patting Tattletail on the head until her pout went away. Next, she had to find a nice name for Alice, one that would fit a cape career. Those were tricky at the best of times. “Did you think of a cool cape name yet, Alice?”

“I have,” Alice said. “How about Tic Tok, because it’s the sound a clock makes when it wants attention.”

“No,” Taylor said. “Something else. Please.”

“Maybe... Rewind?” Alice asked.

It was a pun again, but puns and cape names went together like little sisters and headpats. “I like it,” Taylor said as she reached over, then way down to Alice’s head. “It’s cute. It suits one of my little sisters.”

“Heck yeah, we’re cute as fuck,” Cheshire said with overwhelming pride.

Taylor chose not to comment. They had arrived along the edge of the Boardwalk were a group of enforcers were waiting around and watching over all the tourists, many of whom turned towards her sisters and whipped out their phones. “Ma’am,” One of the guards said. “Mister Anderson is in the security bureau, between the pizza shack and the lingerie store.”

“Thank you,” Taylor said.