Dean was at one edge of the roof, in his shining armor, lights tracing the edges and making him seem bright even in the darkest shadow. He let the rain fall on him without protest or trying to cover up, and turned as he followed my descent.

I chose an open area, just to be safe, and came to a full stop a full foot above the ground, so I wouldn’t mess up and break the roof. I landed on the very far side of the rooftop. I could see Vista leaning against the railing, and the rain that came down above her was parted, leaving her utterly dry, even without an umbrella or shelter. Some people on the street took pictures and waved, and she waved back.

She didn’t wave at me.

“Vista,” I said. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“We’ve seen each other around,” she said. “Events.”

“I know. But we haven’t met.”

“Yeah,” she said. “Are you going to surprise us and turn out to be a bad guy?”

I made a face like I was considering it, then said, “Never a possibility.”

“Welcome to the side of the good guys then,” she said, without sounding very happy about it. No smile.

I guessed it wasn’t terribly fun to stand around in the rain, however dry she was, because Gallant and I were meeting.

“Thank you,” I told her. “You’re my senior, technically.”

“Barely.”

“You’ve still been at this longer than me. Already going out on patrols.”

“It’s a babysitter patrol. Gallant’s babysitting me, and Challenger is babysitting the both of us. She’s down in the bar below. The owner let us up onto the roof so you could… do whatever.”

I hoped Challenger wouldn’t interrupt. I felt antsy.

“Why didn’t you go straight to him?” Vista asked.

“Nervous,” I admitted. “I haven’t told my sister or my parents that I’m this nervous or freaked out.”

“If they have powers, they get it.”

“My sister doesn’t.”

“Wasn’t… laser girl?”

“Cousin.”

“Oh.”

“I thought I’d come say hi to you first. Respect to a fellow hero. Because if Dean and I get to talking, or if you get orders to leave, I might not get the chance after… and I don’t want to be rude.”

I saw her nod slowly. Down on the street, someone’s camera flashed.

The railing warped, going from a flat line to a circle, framing Vista. She grabbed the sides and leaned out.

“Careful!” Dean raised his voice.

“He thinks I’m helpless or something,” Vista said. She smiled, and I could see that one of her teeth was missing. Then she jumped off the roof.