“The best capes, fighting the worst capes,” I told him. To balance my answer, I added, “I can’t think of any non-capes I really dislike, let alone qualify as the ‘worst’, and I can think of a lot I love.”

“And here I hoped I was getting a refreshing bit of honesty from you all,” Gary said. “Too bad. It’s interesting, though. The ‘best’.”

Fuck me, he was really seizing on that.

“I think the sorts of people who have fought Endbringers a dozen times, dedicating their lives to helping others, they deserve the title of ‘hero’, or of ‘best’, just as much as any soldier who fights for our country, Bet or Gimel,” I told Gary. I took a page from Tristan’s book. “The therapists who kept them sane through it, Patrol leaders, lawyers, I know them and I consider them among the ‘best’ too.”

“PRT directors who keep an eye out for those who need help,” Ashley said.

“Friends,” Rain said, barely audible, certainly not audible to Gary.

“The people you’ve listed off are all cape-related,” Gary said.

“It’s the life I’ve lived,” I answered. “I was a cape from the beginning.”

“And it consumes everything,” Gary said. He stared at me, his eyes level, not even wavering. “I’m here because I don’t want it to consume us.”

His arm swept out to incorporate the crowd.

Rain had his thesis. This was Gary’s.

Rain shifted position, like he was about to speak, and then stopped. Maybe nervousness.

I tried to fill in for him. “We don’t want it either, and believe me, we’ve seen and survived some of the worst of what’s out there.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Gary said.

“I’ve pulled an actual human baby out of my throat after someone tried to implant it in there. I’ve seen people cut into fist-sized cubes and have to live through it. Some of my teammates got similar treatment.”

Rain touched my arm, and I thought at first it was support or solidarity. Then I felt the fingers of the small arm that gripped me down by the elbow tighten.

“I grew up with the bad, all-consuming stuff too,” Rain said. “The isolated scary stuff is bad, but there’s good stuff too. Good people. People who are trying to help and fighting on the exact same side, for the same things you’re fighting for. I don’t think that’s ridiculous.”

Right, we’re not trying to scare them. That’s why he stopped me.

“I said you’re being ridiculous because you talk about surviving the worst when you represent it,” Gary said.

What the fuck, Gary?