[b]Foxpearl![/b]

“That is [i]exactly[/i] what your mother would say!” Joshua says as he dives out of the room after the lion-puppy, which is the worst possible timing, because you can’t exactly have a convincing argument with someone out in the cafe from back here, and because, woof, that’s a hell of a thing to say, right?

“Y’llrr nhhhth,” the Princess says, looking incredibly awkward, but in a different way than she was just a minute ago. Like she’s feeling awkward on your behalf, which is the least that anybody should be feeling about you. “Uhh’ nnnhh y’hhrrr jjhhffft rryh’ngh tuh [i]hllllfffh[/i].” Is that said with an implicit <3? Maybe. Or maybe you’re reading into the inherent (captive) nobility of the city’s superhero’s sidekick.

Which one of those is more important, Foxpearl? An Adult telling you that you’re like your mother (who definitely goes more in for vice, whenever she’s unmasked— though she might say that to have her way, the virtuous must be restrained, admittedly), or your teammate and bastion of respectability telling you (probably) that you’re just trying to help as she dangles from the ceiling?

[hr]

[b]Shifu![/b]

“shifU NO—“

He says, but you are joyous and free and unleashed in the pursuit of fox virtue. Running rings around people is, like, your specialty.

Izi is in the middle of exploding some sort of imaginary demon lord using the power of lots of math, numbers in bright colors popping up on her screen, and mumbling into her microphone with the sort of intensity and speed that suggest she might have the secret superpower of No Breath which would allow her to never need to breathe as long as she keeps speaking but only wise hermit masters know that so maybe she’s secretly a wise hermit master? That sort of thing happens all the time in Heaven.

Wise hermit masters are definitely into dying the ends of their pigtails purple and going for a “casual goth” vibe, complete with not-so-casual buckled knee-high boots with secret height mysteries built into the bottoms. All the time. Where you don’t see them, because they’re in disguise, probably.

[hr]

[b]Rain![/b]

“Nah,” Bai says, with an expressive shrug. “Doc’s locked herself in the office. Tonight’s not… look, I’m glad you happened to be here. We should get her breakfast tomorrow. Bring it in. Make sure she’s slept. None of this is her fault, but creeps like Li? They don’t give a shit about that. Finding somebody to blame’s easier. He’ll probably blame that hot vigilante, too.”

Is she? She’s capable of keeping a very straight face. It’s one of her many ordinary superpowers. She bites into her sandwich like it wasn’t, but that would just be on purpose if it was. So maybe she’s guessing? Maybe it’s a flirt? Maybe it’s not but she’d be into you anyway? Maybe if you blurt something out she’ll march right up to Huan’s office and rat you out?

(Outside, the lights of the police aerial are garish, violent red and blue as it begins to make its way across the city, between the many towers you call home.)