Channels Jeanne as a neutral party

Attention turned back in her direction, and there was something…different about her. Not visually. She looked the same. It was something…else. Something in the way she held herself, in her posture, some subtle thing that Hannah couldn’t quite put her finger on.

“First and foremost, Director, I would like to ask, what will happen to Tattletale?”

Piggot frowned and didn’t reply immediately. “…You’re using your power, aren’t you?”

Hannah flinched and looked closer, but there was no sign of transformation, none of the telltale indications of her power. There wasn’t even the slightest flicker of gold from her most basic Breaker ability.

“I’m doing exactly as you implied I should, Director Piggot.”

“I never said for you to run away and let others fight your battles,” Piggot countered.

“I’m not,” Taylor said firmly. “I’m relying upon the wisdom of those far older, wiser, and more experienced than me. After all, that is your primary argument for why I need the PRT and the Wards, isn’t it?”

“You’re letting Khepri —”

“No, because you did have something of a point, Director,” Taylor cut across her. Piggot’s eyes went wide as her nostrils flared. “Allowing Khepri to influence my decision is not necessarily the wrong choice, but she is biased. Jeanne has no connection to either side; all she does is allow me to profess my concerns and present my own arguments more clearly and concisely.”

Jeanne? Hannah’s mind raced to identify heroes who had that name, but the only one that immediately jumped out was —

“Joan of Arc,” Armsmaster muttered.

“You say that…Jeanne doesn’t influence you, but that isn’t what I’m seeing, Taylor,” said Piggot, as though he hadn’t spoken. “Your posture. Your diction. The way you’re talking, the way you’re looking me directly in the eye — the only thing that hasn’t changed about you is your physical appearance.”

“And yet, she has no opinion for or against the PRT,” Taylor rebutted. “She has no baggage regarding this situation. She has no connection to you, to anyone in this room, or to your rules and regulations. Her thoughts and feelings aren’t affecting my judgement in the slightest. She is, quite literally, the definition of a neutral party.”

Then, a slight smile. “In form and function, my utilizing Jeanne to help me articulate my issues is no different from Armsmaster using the lie detector he has hidden in his helmet.”