Ninety-nine percent of the conversation was Kenzie talking about her new team, that she was updating her costume, Amias went to her school and she’d talked to him, and Aiden might, might, might be attending since the Undersiders weren’t in New Brockton anymore and he had to go somewhere and, and and…

“Don’t let Chicken Little name the team,” I said.

“He’s got good taste, Victoria!” Lookout protested. I couldn’t see her.

“He thinks you’re neat,” Ashley said. “Proof enough.”

“Aww, but it’s not just me. He likes a lot of us. Especially Rain, he really looks up to Rain—”

I met Ashley’s eyes, and she met mine at that same moment.

“I saw that! The ‘knowing mom’ look. I’m disappointed in you. Rain is badass!”

“He is badass,” I conceded.

Which led to Kenzie going off on another ramble, just happy to talk to Ashley. Ashley nursed her tea, elbows on the table, both hands around the cup, smiling slightly at the screen.

“—And my costume leggings, I was thinking something fancier, I have a hundred questions for you guys about what I should do, I—let me check. Two hundred and three questions, whoops. I was thinking something patterned, and I wanted to add more decoration. Something skintight, but more over it, and more room to carry stuff, and, oh! I can project some of my favorite ideas and show you, but I have to set that up, and we’re meeting in—”

“Eat,” Ashley said. “No skipping sleeping, eating, or hygiene to work on your things.”

“But—”

“Eat.”

There was something of a merciful silence on the other end. I saw Ashley put her cup down, flexing her wrist while her eyebrows drew slightly together.

“Problem?”

She twisted her wrist and pulled her hand free. The socket was black with oil and simultaneously red with blood, a rod sticking out of her arm. “Bad connection. Feels numb.”

“Have Rain look at it.”

“He’s with Erin this morning,” she said. “Then we’re busy.”

“After?”

“Maybe.”

“Oh!” Kenzie piped up. “Victoria! I did the mask thing you wanted! You’ll have to remind me, and we can see how it looks.”

What I’d had was purely utilitarian. I was due an update.

“Thank you,” I said. “I hope it wasn’t any trouble.”

“Nope. Took ten minutes. And another twenty because I looked up the images you gave me to reference and I made a few variations so you could try them all on and see what you liked best, in case you didn’t like the first one. But you’ll have to pay me, since I’m not officially on Breakthrough anymore.”

“Will do,” I said.

“And for me coming today.”

“Of course,” I said.