I knew the names and I knew where they were situated. No big surprises there. I nodded to myself. Marquis. So casually mentioned.

“How messy is it?” my dad asked, his voice softer.

“They’re young, some of them are kids, and I’m not positive they’re all going to survive the next two weeks,” I said. “And that’s not even—there’s enough other mess I could almost forget about that danger hanging over their heads.”

“You’ve taken them under your wing?”

“Yep. I’m going to at least point them in the right direction, I hope. I might be the wrong person for the job, but someone has to do it, right?”

“Wow,” my dad said, barely audible.

“What?”

He shook his head. “It’s hard to articulate.”

“I’m trying to play this slow, keep it calm. I know a lot and I’ve been down some of these roads. I’m hopeful I can at least keep things from getting out of control.”

“That may be a tall order,” Crystal said.

“Maybe,” I said. “If they absolutely insist on getting out there and mixing things up, I’ll point them in the direction of the asshole villains who are ramping up their activity and taking things over. The nascent Tattletales and Marquises. Kneecap them or their plans before they can get too big.”

“You really are your mother’s daughter,” my dad said.

My eyebrows went about as high up as they could as I turned my full attention toward him.

“What you said before, and what you said just now. Those words could have come from her mouth in a different time and place.”

“This isn’t winning points with me,” I said.

“I’m not here to win points,” he said. “I want to make sure you’re safe, sane, and healthy.”

I noticed the implication of what he was saying. That taking this course might not be one of those three things.

“What should I be doing different?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t think any of it is wrong, but I haven’t always been the best judge in the moment. I’d say CYA.”

“On what front?” I asked.

“Do you have counsel on call?”

“I wasn’t aware we even had a legal system yet.”

“We don’t, but it’s coming soon.”

Counsel on call. It was common for new teams of heroes to have a lawyer available, who they could call and outline the situation to before they took action. Covering their asses, making sure the arrests could stick, that there was a voice with the authority and knowledge to talk to the police and courts if and when the heroes’ actions were questioned in more depth.