“Yes, ma’am. Absolutely.”

“We don’t do that for most capes your age because we can’t trust most capes your age to be level-headed, or to handle the responsibility of three to ten other lives. Teenagers act like teenagers, and I had really hoped you would be the exception to that.”

“Yes ma’am. I’m sorry, ma’am.”

“You knew the Red Queen?”

“Only in passing,” Vista said.

“See what Cinereal needs, and if she doesn’t require anything else, you can join us for the ongoing conversation with the Red Queen and Shin, or you can wait outside with the others on standby. Your decision. We’ll revisit this when we discuss team leadership after you turn eighteen.”

“Yes ma’am.”

I wanted to say something, but with Breakthrough’s current standing, I wasn’t sure I could get away with it, I felt like I’d hesitate to say anything with both of my therapists looking on, and the only things that came to mind were actively hostile. Because how fucking dare Narwhal dress down Vista in a public setting—

“Vista,” my mom said, as Vista escaped.

“Hm?” Vista turned. “Yes?”

“You just came back from patrol?”

“Not ‘just’, but recently.”

“These are the hours you’d be recuperating, showering, sleeping?”

“I don’t think anyone is sleeping or recuperating at a time like this,” Vista said, glancing at the screens. “Um. I was sleeping. Just… with him. Actually asleep. Nothing happened.”

“He’s recuperating? Better but not at his best?”

“I’m not interested in debate, Mrs. Dallon,” Narwhal said.

“I’m not interested in debate either,” my mother said. “Just asking and commenting.”

“And delaying us from getting to the matter at hand,” Narwhal said.

“I’ll be brief. You were with him, you were woken up, went to see Clockblocker and Kid Win at Valkyrie’s request, and then came straight here?”

“Yes,” Vista said.

“Did Byron go with you?”

“No. He’s still healing,” Vista said. She looked nervous, if only because it looked increasingly like she was stuck between Narwhal and my mom.

“An injured cape and a young woman fresh off her patrol taking the opportunity to sleep seems very sensible and healthy, and if you can look after each other in the process, then that’s even better,” my mom said. “I like Capricorn as a match for you. He’s an excellent cape with a great record as a hero, he had a fanbase, and Team Reach was very good about taking the money he earned them and reinvesting that money into his training as a cape. If you gave me the opportunity, I don’t think there are many I could suggest as a better match for you.”

“Yes ma’am,” Vista said, looking dangerously pleased with what my mom was saying, considering Narwhal was standing right there.

Vista ducked out, escaping the conversation. Narwhal gave my mom a look.