The other kids were elsewhere, Aroa taking a break to phone her ‘cousins’, Darlene and Candy with Lookout.

She observed, studying her brother, and wondered if he seemed more at ease with her gone.

Lower expectations, maybe.

He’d rubbed at one of his cheekbones and wiped away the makeup that covered up the marking that Valkyrie had given him. He hadn’t realized it, either, and nobody mentioned it.

This was all so hard.

Her entire team, her subdivision of the broader Undersiders team, at least, consisted of capes who couldn’t fight Titans. The Heartbroken targeted people. Her own power affected humans, and even if she could move around without a Titan realizing she was there, too many of them were dangerous enough that they could kill her without even recognizing her existence.

Their best mind and their best set of eyes were out of commission for the time being.

Darlene, she realized, was in the computer room, with Kenzie’s partially unpacked workshop. How long had that been the case? Just Candy and Peep in the room, now.

She crossed the hallway, taking long strides up until she was near Tattletale’s door. She walked quietly past Tattletale’s door even though her power was active. Noise would disturb Tattletale, even if Tattletale didn’t register it or remember it had happened.

She checked in on the two girls.

They lay on a single cot, sharing a pillow, Little Lookout with her back to the wall.

“…tracking eye movements, duration of eye contact,” Lookout said. “Body temperature, heart rate. My camera kinda gets it all.”

It made some sense that a tinker would be comforted by talking tinker gibberish.

“I don’t know,” Candy said. She drew back a bit.

“I do know,” Lookout answered, and her voice was insistent. “So… I think it’s fine.”

“How about we have this conversation another time?”

“I’d really, really like to finish having it now,” Lookout’s tone was insistent.

“Then no,” Candy said. She shifted position and sat up, her back to Lookout.

“What?” Lookout laughed. Down part of a hallway and halfway into the conference room, Darlene looked over in alarm. “But—”

“But your cameras know better?”

“Kind of! I don’t think this is me being crazy.”

“I know what I feel better than your cameras do.”

Candy rose from her seat on the edge of the bed, and took a step back. It gave Aisha the first good look at the girl’s face.

Aisha used her power, appearing.

Both girls stopped, recognizing Aisha was there.

Again, that tension. That wild look in Lookout’s eyes.

But in Candy’s eyes, there was alarm, panic.

It had been a while since Aisha had seen that from Candy. The aftermath of Cradle butchering everyone hadn’t even brought her to this point.

“What are you talking about?” Aisha asked.

“A confession,” Lookout said. She rose to a sitting position. “And Candy isn’t being honest.”