Silver Fox and Glamazon both turned to stare at a bored-looking Teddy. The bear girl had her hoodie up, Emily noticed. Her ears were safe. That was only a small blessing because the girl took one glance at the situation and her entire face scrunched up.

“Who’re these people?” she asked.

“Hello, little miss,” Silver Fox said. “We were just asking your . . . Boss here some questions.”

“What kind of questions?” Teddy asked. Her eyes narrowed and she stepped closer to Emily’s side.

“Hey, kid, c’mon, the adults are talking. Do you want to see a light show?” Glamazon asked. Her hands sparkled as little motes of light flashed around her fingers.

Teddy stared for all of a second before dismissing her and looking up to Emily. “Who are these weirdos?”

“They’re Heroes,” Emily said. “Just . . . asking me some questions. It’s nothing.”

“Yeah, I can read,” Teddy said with a gesture over their heads. “Are they making trouble for you?”

“N-no, it’s okay,” she said. Wiggling her hand a little to tell Teddy to stand down somehow backfired and ended up with the girl reaching up and holding on to her hand. Emily squeezed it and tried to meet Silver Fox’s visor. “This is Teddy, she’s a bit . . . uh . . .”

“It’s fine,” he said. “We were just on our way off, anyway . . . Here!” He reached into one of the pouches on the hip of his silver costume and pulled out a little card that he handed to her, and a second that he gave to a confused Teddy. “Have a good day, you two, and keep up the good work!”

Emily waved them goodbye and hoped they didn’t notice the glare Teddy gave them as they left.

The instant the Heroes were around the corner, Emily thought she might faint. All the stress and anxiety—or at least, a lot of it—leaked out of her like a pierced balloon.

She stepped to the side, and, heedless of how dirty it might be, leaned against the nearest dumpster. She read the little card she’d received. On one half there was the Silver Fox logo. On the other, a tear-off coupon for some men’s shampoo.

Teddy was glaring at her own coupon. “Wait, they were capitalists?” she asked.

Emily didn’t even bother answering. She needed a moment. She needed a few moments. Maybe some moments spent lying down on her bed, face buried in her pillow, while screaming. But not screaming too loud, or else the people in the neighboring rooms would hear.

“That was certainly stressful!”

Emily jumped up and whipped around to see the top half of an unwelcome face poking around the back of the dumpster.

The words above his head were gone, but there was no mistaking Alea Iacta’s mask and costume.

“Who’s this one?” Teddy asked.

“Just a friendly neighborhood ruffian,” the man said. “So . . . the men in tights are gone?”