I pulled on the plush black sweater with the hood, wet a paper towel to wash off a bit of dust from when it had hit the floor, and looked at myself in the mirror.

The braid’s a little messy, I thought. A few strands of hair escaped here and there. I fixed what I could, but I was resigned to looking imperfect, a bit below par. Fuck, it wasn’t like every other hero around here wasn’t already stretched thin and feeling worn out.

I ran into Anelace outside the showers. He’d rinsed off too, and he had a towel around his shoulders, a Gold Morning armband around his bicep, a knife in his hand, chin raised as he used the knife’s edge to shave. I was worried the surprise of seeing me would make him jump and slit his throat.

“Say what you will about Teacher,” he said, chin askew, still whisking away stubble without the benefit of more than touch, “Shitty guy, but he installs good showers.”

“He really does,” I said. I looked down the hall. The only other people nearby were well out of earshot. “You okay? We good?”

“I’m good,” he said, smiling, “I was going to take the ‘no strings’ to an extreme and interpret it as I shouldn’t bring it up until you do. Nice memory, nothing more.”

“That’s fair,” I said.

“Felt like not saying anything at all might be interpreted as rude, though. Thanks for bringing it up. Gives me a chance to say I’d do it again, on the same terms.”

“Dangerous game, that,” I said.

“Won’t deny that.”

“I’d say the same, but…”

He pressed both hands over his heart. “If the follow up to that isn’t ‘no strings attached’, my ego is going to take a beating.”

“No strings attached,” I said. “I’m just not ready for anything. Your ego is fine for the time being.”

He smiled, wiping his knife with a paper towel that had been jutting out of his pocket, capturing the tiny hairs. “Is this the point we make small talk, talk business and cape stuff, or—”

“—Or I bail. Check on my team. My lunatic sister.”

“Good luck,” he said. “We’re trial-running Ratcatcher again. Because, y’know, everything with the city isn’t stressful enough, we gotta give second chances to depraved, hilarious ex-villains with a thing for rodents. Have to pile on enough stuff that we’re all on the brink of second triggering, y’know? That’s the big secret plan.”

“Right, right. I’ll leave you to it. Good luck with your rat girl. Seemed like she had a good heart.”

“She does. I still don’t think it’s going to work out, but Teacher scuttled her first chance, and it won’t feel right until we give her another.”

“Why now?” I asked.