“Listen,” Tattletale said. “That’s the way it’s supposed to be. I say black, you say white, I say let’s literally nail Teacher’s ass to a wall, and you’re supposed to say that’s wrong, I’m a bad person for using cruel and unusual punishment.”

“Do you want her to leave?” the nurse asked me.

“I’m really tempted.”

“Except you went and came up with a punishment way worse than putting a tire around someone’s neck and setting it on fire.”

“You never did that.”

“Exactly my point! You’re making me look too good, with your indefinite, jury-less detention, and now I hear you were apparently planning on mass murder?”

The nurse gave me a look, and it wasn’t her checking if I wanted Tattletale to leave. One line from Tattletale, and the nurse was wary, not entirely on my side anymore.

“Can you give us a minute?” I asked.

The doctor and nurse made their exit.

In the background, I heard someone grunting and screaming. There was a clatter.

“It’s more than just that,” I told Tattletale. “Cryptid gave a pretty trite, one-line explanation. There were contingencies, plans, post-plans.”

“Oh I know,” Tattletale said. “Which is part of the reason I’m here, checking. You had teammates going along with it, including a goody-two-shoes like Sveta and a kid who’s got a lot to redeem himself over. The Wardens were entertaining it, despite the fact you’re not in their good books.”

“I’m okay in their good books, I think.”

“You’re not in their best books.”

“Conceded,” I grunted.

“So there’s more to it,” Tattletale said.

“It was a last-ditch effort. Riley, Bonesaw, thought it would work. So did Cryptid. We send capes to fight Endbringers knowing that a good proportion will die. We have to send a certain number or they win and we lose something fundamental.”

“Sure,” Tattletale said.

“Now we’ve got forces worse and stronger than a single Endbringer lined up. It requires us to commit more, with a higher proportion of death.”

“One hundred percent.”

“Maybe,” I said. I used flight to get to a sitting position, holding the paper dress in front of me and the bandage to my shoulder. “Does it matter? We don’t have what we need. The Simurgh got out ahead of us.”

“It matters to me,” Tattletale said. “I’ve tolerated a lot, spending time with you, helping out your teammate…”

I laughed, one note, then winced with pain.

“…but I have to draw the line here,” Tattletale said. “I lost someone important to me because she wanted to make a stupid, grand gesture at the end. She made the gesture without communicating with anyone… except your sister. Then she carried it out. You, I hate to break it to you, aren’t important to me.”

“Good. I’m glad.”

“But I have no tolerance for this shit. Zero.”

“The Wardens knew. My teammates knew. Lookout excepted. The plan was to ask every single cape out there if they’d oblige us. Maybe we’d force the problem elements. The ones we’d sign off on executing anyway, I mean.”