"That's a good Cradle," Izime smiled as a familiar weight returned to his shoulder, silently reforming and landing on his shoulder as quietly as an owl.

  The raven now reflected the same unease he had poured into the bond, though that emotion was twinging with an odd irritability Izime didn't exactly feel. He was certainly more nervous than angry at the alien, Izime hoping bringing Cradle in hadn't been the wrong move as the raven's anger rose.

  "There's the other one." Psyis hoped she sounded confident, finally finding some words to fill the air with.

  Her powers were wasted on flailing at that void, it avoided her mental grasp as it entered entirely. Finally taking an actual physical form on the larger thing's shoulder, Psyis recognized the two forms that she'd seen last night. The same black bird that had been there during her fight with Crusher, that same yellow that she had seen across the field of tanks.

  Both of them had decided to get involved and now she wanted answers.

  Psyis ran red eyes over the bird as she reached out with her powers, cold eyes probing her own in return. The little psychic shield she had prepared to stop a firearm doing nothing against the electronics sweep that would have made Dark Squire blush. Psyis sneered a bit and sent another pulse at the man instead, wanting to see if she got the same electronic response.

  The words that came out of the bird's mouth at her action stopped her powers cold.

  "Stupid Purple." Cradle swung its head glaring at the alien with its other eye, hoping from Izime's shoulder to the counter. Posturing, clacking and hopping in warning it tried to ward off the unwanted attention, the alien no suitor.

  If she wanted attention she'd get it, Izime not wanting to engage with the pushy alien who couldn't take a no.

  Raising its wings Cradle leapt down wanting to threaten the larger purple alien directly in Izime's stead. Clacking its beak like a machine gun to scan her back, it was returning little beyond basic biometrics and the fluctuations in her probing of Izime. Still, Cradle cycled the scans as fast as it could, returning the same rudeness she was giving.

  The two doing little more than silently screaming at each other but Cradle knew it was louder!

  Raising its head to give a mighty caw, Cradle was a bit surprised that it wasn't the thessian who'd move towards it. Instead rolling a bit and pulling gently with both talon and beak at the yellow sleeves that quickly plucked it from the counter.

  Cradle dodged and rolled as it kept clacking at the thessian wanting to keep their contest going, anything to keep its grubby little powers off of Izime. It'd even part with some of its hoard if the annoying woman would just leave so its bond could eat!

  "I'dshit'godfugindamnit Cradle." Izime quickly swatted at Cradle, purely out of survival instinct as the bird addressed the woman directly by their name for the thessian, "Don't call her that to her face!"

  Psyis blinked for a moment as her mind started back up, needing to ask a question after hearing the man-in-yellow's words. Recalling how she'd been similarly addressed last night and now hearing that it was possibly a regular thing.

  It might be a bit of a personal thing, but she liked to keep track of all the little names that had sprung up around her, so it was best to clarify this one.

  "I'm sorry..." Psyis turned to regard the two of them fully, taking a slow breath as she tried to calm her nerves. She'd need to add it to the list, so it was best for it to come clean, "Stupid what now?"

  There had been a few names, all the way from Centropolis Alienating Alien to The Mind's Angel which was a bit embarrassing. A few villains had some clever zingers, others just settled for blue whore or something similar like Crusher had. However, the look the bird had given her left no mistake, she had just been called Stupid Purple.

  Being insulted by a bird, was new. Sure, it was a weird odd-looking metal digital-mechanized bird but still.

  A bird had just called her stupid, and purple. A whole new creature, a whole new insult, the thessian was not sure if she was impressed yet. The particular level of irritation she was now feeling was new as well, red eyes blinking blankly as the thing apologized.

  Psyis quickly decided the answer was yes, she was impressed, at its sheer gods-damned audacity.

  "I'd like to apologize for my friend's racist and or species'ist tendencies which it certainly didn't get from me." Izime tried to keep his cool as he felt the pissed radiating off the Centropolis celebrity, attempting a feeble apology at the rude nickname.

  Looking over at Cradle he tried to correct the wrong assumptions he'd given the raven, "Cradle Thessians aren't just purple, they have a blue mottling that darkens with their sleep cycle or threat response, that is Miss Psyis."

  "No Purple?" Cradle tilted its head at Izime, wanting to make sure it was insulting the alien the right way. Black head turned between the two as its brain worked away at the problem. It knew her name was Miss Psyis, it wasn't going to just call her that though as it'd already decided on a name for the alien.

  "No purple," Izime confirmed, giving Cradle a little scratch before proudly smiling at Miss Psyis, only to nearly fall off his stool when Cradle proved it hadn't learned a thing.

  The bird cawing out, loudly enough that it was painfully obvious its partner hadn't been the intended recipient of its words.

  "Just Stupid." Cradle nodded before turning to see if the alien was smart enough to realize it was still being insulted, she was. Cradle cawing again as Miss Psyis sent another wave of that soft power at Izime. A few of its own feathers rattled in warning as the female ran the risk of ruining its bond's meal.

  Something Izime desperately needed judging by Cradle's own monitoring.

  Psyis was ready to make her move to defend herself when the one in the yellow coat reached out again. She wasn't sure how the mechanical bird's feathers had floated away, Psyis simply knew if they came at her she probably couldn't stop them easily.

  Watching as two very human-looking hands carefully reached out avoided the edges and palmed the bird onto his lap. Those blades rotated and floated harmlessly against his palms as he tried to coax the bird to calm.

  "NO! Bad Cradle." Izime pulled the raven back, carefully cupping the loose feathered blades and putting the raven back in the spot that had earned its name. Pulling the bird in close he started gently rocking the dangerous bird against his chest, "Come on now, we don't start fights."

  "No pets!" Cradle tried to flap in protest as another ripple of psychic energy came in their direction, instead finding its wings tucked back into the comfy confines of Izime's arms. Pouring its irritation through to its bond instead it looked up demanding an explanation on why he'd let himself be molested so.

  She pets! she pets! she pets! She pets! she pets! she pets!

  Sshhh.

  Cradle felt as its complaints were muffled under the more powerful flow of thoughts. Finally resorting to clacking back its own sensor-laden blast as Izime was just going to unknowingly let himself be preened. The psychic's powers felt much more personal than the electronics Cradle could use. Finally souring enough to bury its beak in protest as its bond just didn't understand.

  Quietly if irritably Cradle allowed Izime to rock it as it knew it wasn't going to be allowed to intervene.

  "Hey please stop," Izime pulled his coat between the two, at least wanting to stop Cradle's visual instincts if it changed its mind. Finally turning to look at the voice he had recognized from TV broadcasts where she was detailing how many she'd saved or the depths of villainy the villain had tried to commit. Izime warned the heroine now as well, "Both of you."

  "What are you?" Psyis asked watching as the man-looking thing was trying to calm the raven as if it was a real bird. Not even bothering to apologize for the second more focused sweep that had just blasted her in the face. Admonishing both of them as if they were both children who had started fussing for no reason.

  "Hungry." Izime snarked on instinct, smiling as the stupid joke crossed his mind before shaking his head, the alien wasn't going to share in his humor. Izime giving an actual answer with the utmost confidence this time, "I'm a human."

  The alien watched the human expression, that very human smile faltered under her gaze. The lines that were etched onto a face that couldn't be much older than hers loosened as his face fell a bit.

  Did he think some tired ass joke was going to get him out of this?

  Psyis grew a bit more irritated as this thing was not treating her like the threat she deserved to be seen as.

  "No, you're not." Psyis shook her head in denial. She knew humans, she could read humans, and feel them with her powers. This thing was a blank, a gap in everything she recognized.

  "Yes. I am." Izime rolled his eyes a bit insulted, sure there was some give and take there. To those that mattered though he was human enough, even aside from the few mushed bits that had been replaced or upgraded, "Even got the proper fear of mind-reading aliens to prove it."

  "I can't read your mind." Psyis pointed, accusing the man with the most damning evidence she had. If it was a human, she wasn't half the psychic the entire world thought she was. Taking a seat the thessian prepared to debate her points. Strength in that same belief worked its way into her voice as she refuted him, "You can't be human."

  "And let's both be thankful for that," Izime gave a nod past the hand towards the purple and blue mottled chin that was poking out from under the hood as he explained why the thessian should be thankful, "No one wants to hear this constant chatter trust me. Be glad I'm polite enough to shut that door."

  "Loud." A croak came from behind the yellow coat, the raven unable to stop itself from contributing. The bond was amazing, but it'd taken them a bit to learn how to manage their shared communications. The times Cradle had been caught snacking and Izime knew because of his satisfying hunger, or the times Cradle had been startled because of Izime's nightmares.

  "Shush you." Izime poked at the one that was actually keeping his mental connections occupied, teal eyes gently gazing down at the two irritated lenses that looked back up at him.

  The bond acted like two landlines connecting, confident in their ability to keep that connection from getting tapped. The psychic was even unable to join and force a party call despite her strength. It was surprisingly handy at times, but it wasn't foolproof. Izime still wanted to be safe and stuck to the no psychics rule, had stuck to it until two days ago.

  Now look where that had gotten him; he already knew this wasn't going to end with just a simple talk in a noodle shop.

  "Why can't I read your mind or sense you." Psyis narrowed her eyes as she tried to reason out just how this man could actually be a man and resist her. Even Zexxian's like Radiation Man had to struggle to keep her at bay. Here this thing was stopping her as casually as he was sitting there, just effortlessly halting her best attempts.

  Izime leaned back a bit at the idea that the woman was just allowed to know him, or anyone just because she felt like it. Looking at the woman in her gray hoodie, Izime now felt a bit irate himself. That was a place he'd been, and it wasn't right. Miss Psyis felt like she could just invade his privacy because she felt like it, that wasn't what heroes did.

  Izime knew you needed a reason, a damned good one, to begin the process of accusing people of thought crimes or even looking for them. One he'd had that certainly didn't exist here.

  "Miss Psyis I don't want to sound rude but what right do you have to invite yourself into my mind of all places, or to track me, or even legally search me?" Izime shook his head trying to at least be professional with the hero who stood solidly on the wrong side of his gray code as he set her straight, "I'm going to have to agree with Cradle on this if you are doing any of these, stop. I'm not involving myself with a psychic let alone you just because you're out looking for a fight."

  "Aside from last night?" Psyis pulled her hood back her white hair spilling out as she wanted him to look at the person he had interfered with the night before. Psyis was unsure if she'd wanted him to feel guilty for interrupting her fight or stopping the villains, just knowing he'd need to see her face to understand just how upset she was about the whole thing in general.

  Fine, she was looking for a fight, but if it hadn't done things she'd never known to look for it at all! So, this was its fault!

  "That was... business." Izime tried to ignore the accusatory glare that was coming from those red eyes, lips pulling tight as the alien knew she had a point. The oddly off-human bone structure gave her a very elegant face, maybe a bit gaunt but hey so was he.

  So maybe she had a point, he had interfered which was just another broken rule, it wasn't like he'd been asking for this but there was a reason he'd had those rules in the first place. Izime looked past her, that uncomfortable feeling growing further as he examined her.

  Not that she was ugly or because he was checking the alien beauty out. it was just a bit embarrassing to be caught so easily. A bit uncomfortable already being hit with such facts, let alone having a staring contest while being so accused.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Nothing but a natural level of uncomfortable that came from dealing with a literal mind reader that had caught you with your hand in the cookie jar. So what, he hadn't wanted people to get hurt, and that inherently meant she couldn't get hurt those couple of times that was all. He'd solved two problems at most for Voltham, there was no need to take it so personally.

  Still judging by her reaction his arrival, just as he figured, hadn't been taken well. Izime regretted ever so slightly not sticking to his rules.

  Noodles please!

  He even sent a silent prayer skyward that the cook hurried. Though it was obvious from the man's shaking hands he was working as fast as his fear allowed. Understandable of course seeing as the actual from Centropolis Miss Psyis was here and seemed to be pissed at one of his customers. Izime could sympathize with the insurance claim the man was likely imagining at this moment.

  "So, you'll do business with around psychic, eat with one around, but not have a chat with one?" Psyis tilted her head, asking for an explanation and a name. Giving a look towards the same cook that had the man's attention, she continued probing with no answers easily available, " Make it make sense Mr?"

  The silence stretched on while the smell of chilies and beef filled the room. The chair under the psychic creaked as the answers obviously weren't coming.

  "I'm Miss Psyis and you are?" Psyis felt her brows nearly touching as this absolute nothing just glanced at her and went back to waiting without a word, stone-walling every attempt she made to be at least conversational.

  Even Stellar the Devourer had a bit of gods' be-damned respect and faced her directly. Yet here Mister... Mister...

  The thessian tried to keep from screaming aloud.

  Maybe she should just resort to physically strangling the damned thing, Psyis struggled to manage her indignation at being ignored. Psychic abilities and pride be damned! Psyis cursed in her mind, thessian emotions translated to physical strength and this stain was about to find out just how upset she could get.

  Her mood snapped for a second, a thin leg kicking at the stool under her, imagining the metal bar as the man's head. A sudden snap and crackle came from the side of the counter that didn't have the wok, teal eyes looking over worriedly.

  "I uh, don't do the whole naming thing," Izime rolled his eyes as the woman stomped her foot, the rest under her stool creaking in protest before it sheered away. Izime eyeing the cracked tiles that formed under the chair warily, "My business wasn't with you, but you are welcome for the Crusher disposal."

  "I... I-I'm welcome?" Psyis actually felt her brain lock up at the very idea, gesturing at the man's wild getup accusingly. He had disposed of crusher for her, did he expect her to fall at his feet? She gestured towards his get-up while mocking him, "Well, thaaank you Mr. nobody!"

  Turning as she tried to keep her cool, breathing heavily as she looked at the most irritating person she'd met today.

  This jerk was a thousand times worse than Steven when it came to ego!

  OK, she'd made a few assumptions but what else could she do when both then and especially now the idiot refused to spare her a single minute?

  Stupid brown hair and stupid coat and that absolutely idiotic notion that she'd needed any help at all. It's pet had insulted her, he'd had refused to be any sort of human or even acknowledge her. Couldn't even manage something as simple as talking while being a shred of decent and still dared to claim he'd helped her?!

  Mouth opening and closing, just as undecided as the thessian's colors as she rotated through her two shades, absolutely enraged. Thoughts of Dark Night's warnings forgotten and her thessian instincts buried under the desire to kick this prick's ego down a notch. She knew what he was under that void, an asshole!

  "Um... noodles?" A quiet and timid voice came from the other side of the counter, the owner counting the floor tiles between glances at the two, holding out a bag. The shop owner careful to not glance at the one having a color fit, taking issue with the homeless man.

  He wasn't sure what it was, but it certainly sounded like they both needed to leave his shop.

  Peacefully mind you, especially after hearing the woman say the man had brought down Crusher on her behalf and obviously not appreciated it. The shop owner having seen a few turf wars and could tell she was upset, as if he'd gotten in her way.

  The noodle chef wanted no part of anything that involved two people that could bring down the Voltham villain let alone some super-woman who felt like she'd been overstepped and had come to settle the score.

  He'd heard that bit about her powers and seen that damned buzzsaw of a buzzard and wanted them both out as quickly and quietly as possible.

  "Thank you," Izime carefully tucked Cradle under his arm and went to the register. Waving the cook over, he tapped his card quickly and turned to leave. Casually giving the Centropolis powerhouse the peace sign Izime turned towards the exit. Unaware of just how far he had pushed the psychic already.

  "Sorry, you're staying." Psyis arched her eyebrow raising a hand, sealing even the air out with a mental force field that even Radiation Man would need a tan to break.

  Turning the lock for extra dramatic effect, Psyis flashed a small smirk. Finishing the locking motion by making the same peace sign it had given her. The sharp snort that followed wasn't the exact response she expected, the man turning back his look saying he'd tired of her.

  Izime gave the alien his full attention, tugging his guitar up a bit further with his free hand. Careful to reach upwards and not lift the bottom of the soft case, not wanting to look like he was reaching. Still, no thought of surrendering to the psychic crossed his mind, he certainly didn't plan on giving her a valid excuse.

  Refusing to relinquish dinner in the face of the hero, he simply gestured towards the sign though it was backward on the door.

  "I really can't, it's not allowed unless you're taking over this shop." Izime rolled his eyes, a bit depressed he was using his homeless status in this way. Still, talk-fu was one of the best tactics out there when it was your livelihood at stake, and you couldn't really afford to fight.

  Psyis tilted her head trying to read the sign though the 'gniretiol on\sselemoh on' wasn't making a whole lot of sense to her. Glancing between the shop owner whose mind was blanked out with fear and the man she couldn't read. There was no shortcut to an answer available, white mohawk swishing as she looked back towards the window trying to spell it out properly.

  "N-n-n-noo its f-f-fine." The shop owner stuttered, quickly realizing what the man was indicating. The stenciled 'no homeless/no loitering' was still plainly there in bright red regardless of how fiercely he tried to wave them away.

  Psyis stopped her efforts as she read the reason from the cook's mind, along with the twinge of happiness that the homeless man was still leaving regardless of the owners offer to let him stay. The hero bit her lip as she'd been used to kick a homeless man out, it was more than just some average person but still.

  It wasn't a comfortable feeling to be the convenient reason someone was kicked out into the cold.

  Psyis anger chilling just a bit as she began to replay just who had done what in the store. The man was obviously hungry and had only come to eat and she'd...

  Psyis looked back out the window as she tried to avoid her self-reflection. He was right, she had come in looking for a fight, even excited about finding it and having that chance to get some action. Still, he was also wrong, she hadn't needed his help and what's more the damned man's attitude was unacceptable.

  Red eyes avoided their own reflections as Psyis refused to relinquish all of her anger.

  "Chill man, I'm not fighting anyone." Izime patted the air, looking at the owner while the psychic still struggled to read backward. "And Cradle needs to work off whatever happened to it so I'm not planning on staying anyway."

  Finally turning towards the psychic who was still fuming, not quite as cross as she had been before. Though Izime figured that excuse would only last as long as she felt like it should, which would be maybe five seconds at best.

  Making the most of that time Izime tried to clear away any bad blood while explaining his reasoning in plain words.

  "I stopped Crusher because I thought I needed to Miss Psyis. Fine, I didn't help you but I wasn't running the risk with everything else going on, so I made my move. Here's a bigger point, I didn't hurt anyone innocent and stopped Crusher, all that during the shit-show last night?" Izime rescinded his 'help' instead of just shouldering his actions as his own, giving a tired sigh before he continued.

  Swallowing and taking a breath as stupid purple made him break another rule: no taking sides.

  "That's saying something." Izime was well aware that painting himself as assisting the heroes was putting one foot solidly on their turf. Psyis wasn't the first hero he'd been directly involved with, but he hadn't shown up on business.

  Dropping in at some 'rented' apartment with an idea to hock toxin or popping by N.Y.C. with a blueprint for some broken down gizmo web-boy could whip up for him.

  "There's no reason to hold me against my will and what I assume is mentally assault Cradle and myself in some fashion. The whys don't just belong to you because you're used to taking them from everyone else without a question." Izime didn't bother trying to force the door, instead carefully curling his free arm under his upset companion so he had his runic hand free.

  "I don't know you so leave me alone." Giving a final nod Izime snapped, leaving the famous psychic standing there still trying to find her words.

  Psyis blinked as the man she had intended to restrain was instead replaced with a few lingering sparks. The thoughts she'd had about her actions disappeared as she looked over towards the door she'd wasted her power on. Her efforts at locking and sealing the area had been laughable, no wonder he snorted, what use was a locked door against a magician.

  The man simply snapped out in a small shower of sparked reality after giving her a dressing down. He'd paid and sassed her one final time without even bothering to tip!

  Psyis looking back to the still as a statue shop owner both of them blinking for a moment before looking down at the receipt in his hands.

  "I..." The shop owner simply shrugged not sure what kind of Villain he might be making an enemy of. Simply not wanting to give a reason for the remaining half of the problem to level his family's shop.

  Holding out the paper the cook wondered how the noodle business got so damned dangerous. "Hell, you can read minds what's the use lady."

  Simply glad that handing the receipt to Centropolis' Angel brought a smile to her face instead of that cold look that made it seem like he would be moving shops unwillingly. The man quickly moved to start bagging the second set of three boxes as fast as he could, glad now that she'd ordered the same thing and he'd been able to cook it all at once.

  If he was fast enough then maybe she'd be outside before she realized!

  "I'm glad someone in here has some respect." Psyis reached out and carefully read over the information presented on the paper. Turning it in a few different directions before realizing the little clumps of printed zeros made a raven's head mid-caw.

  "Haaaaah." Psyis tried to keep her calm though it was slipping further, the inside of her lip peeling a bit as the mocking little head slowly crinkled under her grasp.

  "Y-your noodles?" The cook held up another bag shakily, that tell-tale sigh of a woman's scorn reaching its peak, the siren signaling that he'd been just a bit too slow. Whatever the man had done, that bird being a snarky shit to a super-powered woman was probably the worst idea yet.

  That weird bird had just earned a noise the cook had only heard twice, each time from his wife, and neither time had ended well. A sound he remembered hauntingly as each of those sighs had come from a different wife and after..well, he was currently on his third marriage.

  Hopefully the poor guy was better at arguing than he'd been, that sigh meant their little talk certainly wasn't over. That or he'd at least make it a good distance away before being chased down by the otherworldly woman

  Red eyes looked towards the ceiling as Psyis turned back the cook's shaky voice reminding her not only had she just lost her target. The smile she was giving was razor-thin as she politely took the bag, before snatching her receipt. She had lost the target, and it had cost her...

  OK, that wasn't so bad, the combo bowl did sound good. Maybe not three sets good, but the pepper and beef lo mein was a solid choice.

  "Thank you." Psyis took the offered bag and paid the still trembling man, walking outside and watching a few cars pass before promptly chucking the bag into the trash outside. Her tongue ran across her teeth angrily as she recalled the sarcastic little peace sign he'd given. Cursing at the street as she formed a plan, "Fuck that asshole's tastes this is not over, stupid purple my left gill."

  Tensing her legs Psyis let out a thessian curse, wrapping her powers around herself and growling in frustration she glanced skywards.The extra oxygen she'd exhaled passed through her clothes as an alien body flushed its system with fresh oxygen in preparation for a fight.

  Psyis huffing so hard that her hoodie did flare a bit because of those gills.

  Voltham can bill me for the crater.

  Psyis thought, not caring how quickly she got over the city. Just knowing she couldn't scan at full power here, not at ground level. It would be an issue to accidentally level a block when she swept the entirety of Voltham at once for this fucker and his stupid bird. She leaped toward the sky, flying through the smog and leaving the bright lights of the shops below.

  The wind whistled by loud enough that it drowned out the car alarms almost immediately as she rapidly climbed in altitude. Looking down as the buildings shrunk, city blocks now the size of the cartons she'd just thrown away; Psyis stopped her ascent.

  "Alright bird boy," Psyis held one hand against her temple and held the palm of the other towards the city. "Let's see who's stupid now."

  Red eyes went wide as her anger poured in, cheeks tinged magenta in effort as a dense purple half-shell blasted down.

  Widening to land across the city in an invisible but surprisingly powerful pulse. Psyis bit her lips as she realized she may have just overdone things a bit. The air had clearly distorted as her sweep crashed down over the entire miles wide spread of Voltham.The faint chorus of thousands of car alarms activating at once reaching her even up here in the clouds.

  A symphony that told of incoming regret, its lyrics understood by her and that asshole alone. The rest of the city was likely in a slight panic wondering what had just happened and which villain was to blame.

  "Dark Night's going to be flipping his cowl." Psyis pulled out her phone wanting to get ahead of the problem, giving a hasty glance towards Caulder Corp’s Tower in the distance.

  Wondering exactly where she should begin, but knowing she certainly wasn't going to start with her jumping the gun. The change in plans maybe? The update in information? Two targets that were separate and while not exactly hostile they were very rude. Certainly, suspicious after last night as well, and if they moved quickly?

  They could even catch him before he'd run away again!

  Pulling out her phone she decided to send a quick text to Stan Caulder's private line reserved for missions and emergencies. Condensing the mental list of traits into seven words she typed.

  {[Found it, tracking difficult sorry big pulse coming again.]}

  Pressing send Psyis quickly prepared her powers once more though this time a bit more reasonably as she focused on certain areas. Her powers touched down like a spotted carpet across the city this time. Thinking it might follow it on the same odd random jumping pattern it had taken last night Psyis released another more detailed pulse.

  Comparing the patterns of Voltham she had memorized from the earlier one against this newest, looking for the hole in the mental picture. Psyis stopped her ideas in their tracks as there was no need for a third pulse or any pattern at all.

  The void had simply moved to a dead-end alley not far from the noodle shop and wasn't leaving. Not a great place to be in Voltham and certainly not the prime location for an evening meal.

  A decent place to box yourself in for a fight though he didn't appear to be preparing for a fight. The thessian felt the void, sitting down instead with his takeout, the chance clearly there to run between pulses.

  He hadn't run away even given the gap as she'd texted, instead, it seemed he was finally starting the meal she'd interrupted. The difference in what she'd expected once again made Psyis take a step back from the situation and put herself in his shoes, filthy as they were. He made her angry sure but looking at it now, maybe he did have a point about her reasoning, even admitted he hadn't actually helped.

  Psyis held the phone a bit tighter as she looked down and considered her options now. Dark Night was already aware she'd found it let alone the trouble she'd caused here in Voltham.

  The man in yellow had a point too, at least from his point of view

  She had been the one to burst in, the man had not even complained about the ruined chance of a warm meal indoors. Psyis bit her lip as she remembered that was wrong, he couldn't have eaten in there anyway. The shop owner had clearly not wanted him there, though he'd been willing to lie over it to keep the peace; not like Dark Night would care who had come to attack who though.

  Psyis recalled how the noodle chef had intended to separate them even before they'd started talking. The idiot, he'd already known the owner wanted him well away and even told her he'd had to leave. The sign was clearly and plainly written, he probably went through a few questions just to order that meal in the first place.

  The only real requests he'd made were that she refrain from using her pulses to irritate his bird and to leave him alone general. He'd even chastised the bird over the little show of powers so reminding her to not invade his right to privacy without a reason was reasonable. Now she'd ignored his last request entirely and planned to drag two other heroes in to bug him.

  Not much of a surprise he'd vanished in the shop, having to deal with that. Now with her pulses and texting Dark Squire and Dark Night as well?

  What kind of hero went and ruined a homeless man's meal and fought with his pet bird? Chasing him off only to do it all over a second time?

  Psyis rubbed at her temples, not sure if it was the sudden use of her full strength or the moral whiplash that was giving her a headache. Only sure she was going to head back down there and finish having this 'introduction' out, properly this time. Psyis knew she had to get something to hand over to Dark Night to excuse that level of power use.

  At least she might be able to get a name as technically he hadn't done anything wrong by her own standards, even her hero standards.

  Maybe tampering with evidence at best but that was purely civilian which the man in yellow obviously wasn't.

  He'd taken down Crusher at least, which definitely outweighed the issue with taking FearForm's trap and showed some skill.

  Though there was the body they had found at the processing plant, there had been quite a few bodies though. That one's death just hadn't been caused by a comrade's toxin-induced friendly fire, so it was odd. Psyis had ended a few lives as well though both human and alien, and no one had chased her down.

  Certainly not something that deserved a trio of supers chasing him down. Psyis didn't hold herself to Dark Night's unreasonable moral code.

  The math behind the gloomy capes quote was stupid in its own right and wouldn't pass a logic check.

  Psyis pulled out her phone a second time as she realized there would soon be a party of upper-level supers crashing a dumpster dinner. Typing as she slowly descended, she sent another quick message to Stan. She hoped the two took their time at least, knowing that Steven was likely going to completely ignore the implications that she had in hand. It was only a matter of time until at least one of them showed up.

  {[Going to talk. Will contact for backup if need]}.

  She was dead set on having at least some form of communication with the idiot below before that happened, dropping further and a bit faster.

  The wind passed by much slower as she finally lowered herself to a nearby roof, looking down to observe the man a bit further. Touching down to catch a bit of the conversation drifting up from below, the man still chastising the raven for its own instigation.

  She couldn't help but frown a bit as she recalled her earlier thoughts, though it did soften a bit as she heard the two interact.

  It hadn't been entirely the raven's fault and he was still chastising it. The nature of their relationship was obviously very close. Even if one was an impossible machine and the other a possible human. Brushing away the long white hair that was blown in her way by the rooftop breeze she glanced below to watch quietly as a yellow figure sidestepped a raven.

  His finger wagged in disappointment as he poked the killer machine; the Absolute Idiot that he was; Psyis felt her lips curl; she could make names up too.