“A costumed arrest? We don’t know for sure if they’re going to allow those with the new legal system. I’d rather lean on something tidier that we can be fairly sure will carry forward.”

I leaned back in my seat. “That’s a lot more conservative than I anticipated. Operating as if capes aren’t a thing?”

“I think capes are going to be a thing,” Natalie said. “But we have reason to believe they’re going to be a thing people are going to want to handle in a different, more careful way, now.”

I packed up my sandwich and pitched it into a nearby trash can.

“No good?” Natalie asked.

“Bagel was flavorless and textureless. It looked great and tasted… not like it looked.”

“They got popular, so they started freezing excess bagels and defrosting them to serve.”

I made a face.

“We’re making strides, Victoria, but I think we’re in for a culture shock when people realize that as much as they’ve been waiting eagerly for things to get closer to normal, we’re not going to get a lot of the old normal we’re eager for, and we’re going to get some of the less pleasant parts.”

“You’re talking about the law?”

Natalie shrugged. She was holding her plastic thing of salad, spearing some with a plastic fork. Before popping it into her mouth, she said, “Lots of stuff.”

My laptop was taking up some of her table real-estate, so I closed it and pulled it closer to me.

“Expectations,” she said, once she was done swallowing. “If I’m working with you, I need to know what yours are.”

“That’s a simple question with an answer that could take me a day to get through.”

“Your mom wanted me to ask you if you were still looking for work,” Natalie said.

I tensed a little.

“I was asked to ask the question and pass on the response if you gave it.”

“When we pay you, it’s not for you to be a messenger between me and my mom. If I want to talk to her I can call her.”

“Okay,” Natalie said. “She had something else to pass on.”

“And I’m not interested,” I said, my voice firmer. “Thank you. I will get up and walk away.”

“Please don’t. Really, please don’t. There are a lot of things I want to talk about sooner than later,” she said. “During our last meeting, I know it was brief, but I wanted the lay of the land. I was hoping this meeting would be a chance to get a more comprehensive sense of what you wanted to do, and what I’m doing for you. Both of your mother’s questions tie into that.”

“Did you talk to her about our meeting?”