“Not great,” Lookout said. “But I don’t think anyone’s surprised. We stepped back to handle our shit, the unpowered went to handle their stuff. A lot of people died, or got sick from lack of food, or got desperate. We gave help where they needed it, but…”

“But they got to do it on their own, with just the help they wanted.”

“Yes,” Lookout said, turning her overly-bright eyes toward Riley. “We’re working on stopping the Machine Army, getting things secured in the city. Stopping some of the big bad guys.”

“Good,” Riley said. Her fingers knit together. She wished she had her tools. She could while away days if she had her tools and herself to work on. “Remember to keep your voice down.”

“Yes, yep, thank you,” Lookout said, her voice a mite quieter. She glanced back toward the door. “My team is good at distractions and being a pain in the ass.”

“Beautiful costumes,” Riley said, closing her eyes, leaning her head back against the wall. “I used to think of myself as an artist. I couldn’t let that pass without comment.”

“Thank you. You, um, you’re definitely a legend. Wow. And you were a huge help with the world ending. If you’re stuck here, you know, I could go talk to people, we could call in favors…”

“I’m not stuck.”

Stuck would imply that she had anywhere to go. What was a mouse in a glue trap if that glue trap was the entirety of its world?

Lookout fidgeted, smoothing down the skirt of her costume. “Am I bothering you?”

Riley shook her head, with some emphasis.

Lookout nodded, still anxious. Anxious, but not…

“You’re not scared of me?”

“I spend a lot of time around villains and stuff. My team is pretty scary.”

“Breakthrough, or—”

“The Tenders. Breakthrough is done. Too many retirements or people moving teams. Um, but I’m still in touch with them!”

“Ashley Stillons was on your team.”

The name seemed to rock Lookout. The girl seemed shocked at first, then smiled. “Yes. But she died.”

“I know. Are you in contact with Damsel?”

“I am! I gave her my card and left her alone, and she hired me, and we exchanged only three words for the entire job, but still, it was three words! Voluntary! And she suggested she’d hire me again!”

“Volume,” Riley reminded the girl.

The girl nodded, energetic, lips pressed together.

“I liked Swansong,” Riley said, her eyes closing again.

“If you ever want company for tea, if you can have company for tea, you could say hi.”

Riley smiled. “I’ll do that. If I can have company for tea.”

Lookout took a seat on the floor, her legs crossed, her knees almost touching Riley’s. She turned her head, pressed a finger to her lips, and then began to turn invisible, the sparkles and distorted squares dancing over her body and erasing everything they touched.