“We’re curious what’s going on, the Hill is a mess, and we’re wondering if these are greener pastures than Greenwich.”

Tristan said, “If others are going to show interest, we want to drop a hint. Something that makes them wonder. You could mention sponsorship and a reshuffling of jurisdictions.”

“There’s talk of war,” Sveta interjected. “I know someone who’s having to spend time away, and they’re bringing people in from other teams to fill holes.”

“I heard about that,” Houndstooth said.

“You could use that. It happened with villain communities in the past. A void appears, villains rush to fill it, there’s upheaval, and then things settle.”

She looked at me as she said that last bit.

I’d said something like that at the group therapy meeting, hadn’t I?

“If Moose challenges us, I’ll say something like that.”

“There’s also a woman that’s collecting protection money right now. Bluestocking. From the brainiac clique.”

“These guys are so lame, I love it,” Houndstooth’s subordinate said.

“There’s something to keep in mind,” I said. “These guys congregated here. If something happens, and I don’t know if Moose would let it unless you forced the issue, then you’ll have a lot more in your hair. They’re banding together and as lame as any individual might be, they’re finding a lot of people who match up with them. Thematically or in style.”

“We’re seeing that more in general,” Houndstooth said. “Lots of capes condensed into a relatively tight geographic area.”

“You’re going to see it in effect here. Two clairvoyants are keeping an eye on the area. One of them is a clairaudient, so they’ll have an ear on the area too. I could go into detail, but I think it’s better and easier to just say that once you enter Cedar Point they’re going to be fully aware of everything you say or do. Be careful what you say, and be aware we can’t communicate with you unless it’s an emergency.”

“That also means no mockery or jokes,” Houndstooth said, his voice quieter, like he didn’t have his mouth near the phone. “And as far as we’re concerned, your team doesn’t exist.”

“It would mean a ton if you could be especially careful about that,” Tristan said.

“We’ll be careful,” Houndstooth said. “I trust my guys. Give us a couple of minutes, and we’ll move through, make our faces known. I want to plan what we do if we run into the guys you talked about.”

“Call us again when it’s time,” Tristan said.

“Will do. I like this a lot, good briefing, great intelligence. This is great stuff, guys.”

The call ended.

Tristan huffed out a breath, glancing at Ashley.