“For the record, it’s really, really jarring to hear you refer to your tits,” I said. “That tiny, small part of me still thinks about you as Vista the youngest Ward.”

“Fuck that. I earned my war wound, I get to bitch about it. I survived this long, I earned my right to swear and talk about tits and dicks, and how I just want to get my hands beneath one cute, unattainable guy’s heavy armor before I lose it.”

“Who? Golem?” Sveta asked, glancing to the side. Golem still had his hands to his ears.

“Once, kind of,” Vista said “But he’s been with his girlfriend since before he joined the Wardens. It’s a trend Victoria pointed out. Gallant, Golem, there was an old teammate who didn’t stick around. Your teammate, I met them…”

“Byron?” Sveta asked.

“Byron?” Vista asked.

“Capricorn,” I said.

“Is he the—” Vista made a gesture, inarticulate and random, distorting the air around her finger.

“I have no idea what that means,” I said. “But if you’re thinking of what I think you’re thinking of, you’re thinking of Tristan.”

“Then Byron is…”

“He has a girlfriend,” Sveta said. “But it’s a Romeo, Juliette thing, except situational, so they’re—”

“They’re not,” I cut in.

“What?” Sveta asked.

“Outside, just now,” I murmured. “They just broke off that undefined, waiting-for-each-other thing, I think. But we’re being mean to Weld and Anelace.”

“What’s he like?” Vista asked, while I motioned that Weld, Golem, and Anelace could put their hands down.

“Quiet,” Sveta said. “Thoughtful. He needs more people in his corner. Taking the high road, a lot of the time, it means you don’t have a corner.”

“And recently broken up,” I commented, under my breath.

Vista groaned.

“I overheard you talking high roads and no corner, and you’re reminding me of arguments I’ve had with Ava,” Golem commented.

“Don’t, no,” Vista pleaded. Her hand went to her breastplate. “You and her are so good together. Don’t spoil this.”

“We’re really good together,” Golem said, smiling. “Don’t worry. Arguments happen.”

Signal Fire cleared his throat.

Impatient. He was from Advance Guard, and Advance Guard seemed to hold to this pattern of wanting to go. He was also, if I remembered right, one of Lookout’s trainers when she’d had a summer of Ward training camps. There had been issues.

We had business to conduct.

Everyone was here; for all our differences, and the schism between the two groups of heroes, we were able to cooperate like this.

We’d started out wanting at least one witness, but it had felt weird, and there hadn’t been enough to it.

By their files, I knew their deeds.