“You sure we should go? Eina’s a real asshole.” It was cute the way your little blowup doll liked to speak as if she had thoughts of her own. Frankly though, you couldn’t help but want to encourage it. It was starting to get a little lonely with just your toys. “You aren’t actually listening to a word I say are you?”

You smiled at the beauty which you’d chiseled out yourself from the lump that had been your classmate. “Of course not Cassie. But don’t worry, feel free to continue talking. I like to hear your voice.”

You liked the mixed look of anger at being so summarily dismissed, and desire from the fact that you’d complimented her even as you’d put her down. It looked good on her, even complimented the very ‘butch lesbian’ getup which you’d made her buy, almost opposite to her previous wardrobe. The dark green cargo pants and midriff cut tank top were fucking delicious on her. Especially with how those tight abs you’d given her rippled with every motion, and tensed with every touch.

Especially nice since you wanted most to show her off where ever you could go.

“Amy...” She spoke plaintively even as you both approached the building on the street, a place named ‘GB’s Tropical Grill’, then sighed. “We’re here I guess. I hope it’s as good as everyone I asked says it is.”

“It wouldn’t take much to be better than that hack house...” You grumble, soured on the very sound of Fugly Bob’s... the unofficial meeting place of the wards. Parahuman’s her age, fun fun. Victoria always thrived in that place, especially with Gallant at her side. You had little more than painful reminders of just why you couldn’t ever have her in your arms.

The place was nice, well cleaned, well furbished, and clearly more of a steakhouse than it was a burger joint. Clearly the kind of spot where you paid three times as much for a hunk of burned meat that tasted barely half again as good as somewhere a lot cheaper. You a bit surprised actually, for all that you’d heard it to be the best in town you had expected another little burger shack.

What’s more the entire restaurant was done up in a weird kind of mixed up tropical theme, somewhere between Caribbean and Hawaiian in look, as if the owner didn’t have a clue about the cultures of either side and decided to just toss together whatever they could find that reminded them of sun, sea, and golden sand.

“Hey, Taylor.” You spoke quietly into the air after reaching for an ant which sat strategically under your collar and jostling it in a circular motion before setting it back, an easy gesture to get your little bug-bitch to turn her direct attention to you. “Is the place clear? No special surprises or anything right?”

It took a moment, then from beside your ear three flies buzzed in unison to create a droning sound. “Clear…”

That particular trick, you’d learned, came from a particular frustration from not being able to communicate to you during the day. You smiled and nodded your head, letting whatever small creatures you’d let her deposit there transmit the motion back to her.

With that done she’d go back to what she’d been doing, keeping careful track of every parahuman in the city that she possibly could find. There were quite a few actually... not just the Protectorate, the major gangs, and your own family, but a lot of minor parahumans who would slip through the cracks, their powers low end or innocuous enough to be overlooked. Independents like Circus, and Browbeat came quickly to mind. Minors like Embargo and losers like Overdrive.

At over eighty capes in the actual roster there was quite a bit too actually look at. The list of independents Tattletale reviewed for you, even as Taylor kept her eyes out.

You’d even linked their nervous systems together such that you Skittering Bug Queen could send information directly to your analysis engine. You didn’t trust Tattletale enough to allow her any direct interaction with Taylor so you made sure that that interaction was all one way.

Still.

You couldn’t help but worry a bit otherwise. The main parahuman whom you’d been looking for however was completely and totally off of your radar. You’d learned last night of some of the most troubling news which you might have ever conceived. Thomas Calvert, a major consultant for the PRT was not only funding two different gangs, well one now... but also was a powerful Parahuman himself with an ability which you knew you would be hard pressed to defeat.

You’d been up half the night almost in cold sweats as you’d tried to think of what he might have done, or would do with the information about you. He had you at a severe disadvantage though ultimately it was a mutual one. You now held his information broker, and all the knowledge of his dirty dealings within the PRT.

But in turn, you knew that Tattletale had called him that night.

She’d warned him of the wolf in sheep’s clothing that you yourself were, that you were a danger to him and possibly to the world.

You couldn’t help but worry as to why you hadn’t been attacked by him as of yet.

But after two days, and not a sign of anyone making a move on you, you couldn’t help but decide to continue on as you had before. To sit on this information which he had about you, and nothing to come of it, nothing that you’d heard from your literal ‘bugging’ of every hero, villain, and independent in town… including the Darkness maker who’d gotten away and his entire family... you figured that either he was making his own specific preparations, or that he was content to leave this as is, a cold war between you both.

The implications of either made you frown.

Either way, you’d settle yourself with this little social curiosity to keep your mind away from the more disturbing possibilities. The inside of the restaurant was wide and spacious, and you could already see the pink hair of the girl who’d invited you there sat among several other heads, six guys and another two girls.

“Oh hey she actually came!” Eina jumped up from her seat as she spotted you, today’s getup a mini-skirt and knee high stockings with a ripped tee-shirt printed with a gold bordered image of a vagina being licked, and tacked on underneath that a witty logo of ‘Tongue Lashing’ printed in hot pink. “I almost thought you’d let your bitch here keep you away from the cool kids!”

“Wait who’re the cool kids?” A boy asked from next to her, dark skinned and laid back.

“We are I suppose…” Another of the boys answered as well, leaning lazily over the table, long brown hair covering his eyes as he flopped down.

“When did that happen?” The first body asked.

“Don’t know... never maybe?” A third answered, smaller than the rest with a curly head of hair also covering his eyes

“Geez... can’t any of you just let me have the spotlight for once?” Eina rolled her eyes.

“Nope.” Another girl, Asian looking answered promptly.

“You couldn’t be trusted with a spotlight. We all know the kinds of things you’d get up to.” The other girl, a skin a dark chocolate, and hair platted in long falling rivlets.

“Exactly who are you all?” You couldn’t help but ask, your eyes darting about. Every one of them looked to be pretty well dressed, trendy even, though you couldn’t place any of the faces.

“Well, this is my gang.” The pink haired girl flourished.

One of the boys rolled his eyes. “We’re a gang like a bunch of off-key kids in a garage are a band.”

“Hey, you all are my friends I get to call us whatever I want to.” She grinned.

“That didn’t answer her question.” Your ‘girlfriend’ interjected; her arm around you protectively as she did. A little annoying but at the same time you liked it. It felt like something Vicky might do, or at least you felt like it would be something she’d do.

It wasn’t a particularly important distinction.

“Don’t get your panties in a twist dipshit, I invited her not you.” Eina dismissed Connie with a sniff and a wave.

“Hey now... don’t be rude to the lady Ei, especially not when she came with one of your guests.” The dark skinned girl looked up and smiled. “And, you haven’t even introduced them yet. Who might they be?”

“Well if you must know I figured, since I hang out with the dregs of society, we could use a little pick me up from the doldrums of our mundane lives.” She grinned then threw herself back onto the table just infront of everyone else. “And so I managed though no small skill of my own to procure the presence of the one, and only Panacea!”

All eyes were suddenly and completely on you.

“Ah… yeah. Hi…?” You made a shy little wave, really you were better when people didn’t spring this sort of shit on you.

“Eina... I love you. You’re wonderful, and funny… but you’re also a dumb little shit when you’re ready.” The Asian girl spoke up, breaking the slight silence which had settled upon the group.

“Wait what? Come on what I do wrong now?” Eina complained and pouted.

“You’ve been putting down her girlfriend since she got here you idiot.” One of the boys hissed.

“What? It’s not a big deal. She wouldn’t be here if she minded. Right?” Eina whined.

“God dammit girl… do we HAVE to keep you under thumb just to make you work properly?” One boy spoke up rubbing his eyes with one hand. “You just asked Amy freaking Dallon to hang out with us and started insulting her friend.”

Beside you Connie sighed. “Look, I’m not offended. Me and Eina have a bit of a history.”

“Yeah... we gathered. You must be the girl she never shuts up about tormenting. I swear if we didn’t know her so well...”

“So what’s the actual deal with you all?” You decided to get out of the way once and for all.

“Look we’re just a bunch of kids here really. All of us are from different schools around the place; our mothers know each other so we hang out; Eina’s mom if an accountant with money to spare most time, so we mooch off her on a weekend.” The long haired boy spoke up.

“Apparently once upon a time our parents were all part of the Lustrum movement. They decided to stay in touch, and we managed to form a bit of a group bond.” The dark skinned boy spoke up with a smile. “