“I know you’re not doing anything to Vessel. Because I told you. It’s an order. One romance in the team was bad enough, but because it brought you on board, Whorl and I agreed to let it slide, especially when Gospel is as level-headed as she is. Vessel isn’t. She’s great, but I’m drawing the line.”

“Alright,” Victor said. His face gave away nothing. When he took enough from people, they lost a bit of it forever, and he kept a bit of it forever. He’d stolen stuff from people in the past and that included the ability to maintain a perfect poker face, among many, many other things.

“Scribe, I don’t want to hear you’ve been hanging out with the rookies.”

“I’m a rookie.”

“You might be new to us but you’ve been a cape for years. If you’re around them, I want chaperones. People I’d trust as part of the conversation. I don’t want them being part of your process.”

Yep. Overheard.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

She’d be stuck like this. A prison without walls, but still a prison with other people dictating her every move. No hope of advancement, no hope of more.

“Victor, can you go join Tribute at the front line? Keep an eye on those giants?”

“Of course. I really did want to reach out and see if Scribe was okay,” he said. He smiled, and he was good at smiling in a way he was good at a lot of things. It was the sort of thing that would be a bit chilling if Scribe didn’t know he was on her side.

“Scribe, walk with me,” Moonsong said.

Scribe fumed internally, but she walked. This was Victor’s fault.

“What you were saying about wanting to show where you’re at with actions instead of words, Scribe?” Moonsong asked.

Oh, she’d really overheard. “I don’t get any privacy, huh?”

“No. No you don’t. If you were on lists and if there were big red warning labels on your Parahumans Online page, then you get a ‘trust but verify’ treatment post-amnesty.”

“Doesn’t feel like the amnesty is helping me any.”

“It’s better than prison.”

“This is prison!” she snarled. “God.”

“Key point in that is trust. I don’t love a lot of how you were talking and what you were saying, what you weren’t saying. I’m still going to trust the intent is there. I’m going to give you the benefit of a doubt.”

“And keep me from socializing, keep me away from Victor.”

“Didn’t think you liked him.”

Scribe brought her staff around so it rested against her shoulders and the back of her neck, her gloved hands gripping either end. She shrugged, a little more dramatic with the staff where it was.