~*T*~

Harry flopped onto the Undersider's bloodstained white couch, and watched Luna and Alec play Gran Turismo for a few minutes. He twisted, throwing his feet over the back of the couch, and leaned his head off the seat, his hair streaming towards the floor. After a while it seemed that watching the other two drive the TV was no more interesting upside down than it was right side up, and she curled into a ball and went to sleep.

~*i*~

"Hey, pretty girl," Hermione brushed Harry's hair back.

She blinked up sleepily, "M a boy."

"Really?"

"Think so," he sat up, "How long was I out?"

"A few hours."

"Luna finally win her game?"

"By fifteen seconds."

~*i*~

"Welcome," Luna said, opening the door under the cloth banner that read "McFeely."

"You have an edifice," Hermione teased, "Do we need to watch for signs of an edifice complex?"

"I'm not going to be seducing, much less marrying, either of your parents, Amy," Luna teased back.

Harry laughed at them.

~*i*~

"Once more," Luna laughed, hitting the record button.

"You have reached McFeely's Taxi. For Pickup and Molestation," Hermione read.

"No, not molestation, Transportation!" Harry interrupted.

"Sorry, For Pickup and Transportation, please press One," Hermione finished, without laughing this time.

"Perfect," Luna said.

They listened to the whole first level of the call tree.

"Let's re-record number nine," Hermione said.

Luna poked the computer a moment, then noddod, "When you're ready."

"For complaints," Hermione read, "Press Nine to go to Helen Hunt."

"Got it."

Harry snickered.

~*i*~

"Hey," Miya said, awkward, dressed in a mid-calf-length black skirt, combat boots, and a short-sleeved blue blouse.

Parian looked her up and down, "What kinds of armament are you hiding? You're too calm to be as unarmed as you look."

"Yeah, a few knives and a short sword."

"Lazarus Long was right," Parian had a smile in her voice, "You can hide an armory under a kilt."

"Could you help me with that? Much shorter than this and Anne noticed I was carrying."

"You still have a roommate?"

"When I make an appointment, anyway."

"I can probably help you with your armory-hiding." Parian asked, "But I don't think that is what you came by for."

"Would you accompany me to a movie?"

Parian's head tilted to one side, and her shoulders slumped a bit, "I'm not the only lesbian in town."

"No, you're not, but I really enjoy your company, you're kinda awesome, you're way too pretty for me, and I'm really sorry my suckiness hurt you."

"I probably should have showed you my face before I agreed to a date out of costume," Parian said.

"I shoulda told you I ran with the Nazis until they got wiped out," Miya looked at the floor while she toed it with her boot.

"Why did you?"

"Tall blonde girl? Trying to fight her way out of her problems? Didn't think anyone else in town would help me with that."

Parian grabbed Miya's hand, and cuddled it to her bosom.

"Totally fucked up my vocabulary, particularly when I'm surprised. I'm really sorry."

"We can try a second date," Parian said, pulled Miya's hand up to the porcelain lips of her mask, "I'll buy dinner?"

"OK," Miya said, blinking, eyes shiny, "Thank you."

~*i*~

Hermione gave her Toyota a pat as she walked past, motor idling as the turbo cools, and walked up the driveway to the porch.

A young woman of about twenty five with a short brown bob answered at her knock, "Come in, we were waiting for you," she said. She closed the door behind Hermione, and followed her to the living room, "Ah've a fresh pot of coffee, would you like some?"

"Yes, please," Hermione answered, and took the indicated seat opposite the young black man on the other couch, "How are you doing, Laurence?"

"Quite well. I didn't realize just how much youth is wasted on the young until now."

Hermione laughs, "Indeed."

She sat and chatted with him and Myrtle for a couple cups of coffee.

"I really must be going, but I'm glad things seem to be working out for you so far."

"It's been really different," Laurence agreed, "Thank you, and feel free to come by again," he offered his hand to shake.

Hermione shook it, "It's been a pleasure."

"Ah hope to see you again soon," Myrtle offered her own hand.

Hermione shook it, too, "We'll see. I think it can be arranged, anyway."

~*i*~

"I've got some," Harry paused, "Oh, they called her the Butcher, so they're probably Teeth. Certainly dressed like it," she turned to Luna, "How do capes, particularly villains, get away with driving around on the interstates in costume?"

"I don't know? Luck? Or insufficient armament in the hands of the highway patrol?"

"That'd be a perfect reason to call out the Army. An Apache or two would totally deal with most of the villain groups," Hermione nodded.

"Where are they?"

"Sedated, in the parking lot of the strip mall on Conniption at I-95."

Harry and Luna pulled their Zorro masks on.

"Let's go," they took Harry's hands, and he apparated them to by the dumpster.

Hermione dialed as they walked. She didn't press the call button until she'd brushed her toes over all of the collapsed villains, "Hello, yeah, Amy Dallon again. We have ten parahumans dressed as Butcher and the Teeth, with four vehicles. Some idiot has a minigun modified for handheld use, and they have a number of other firearms. The strip mall at Conniption and I-95. We'll wait. Thank you."

~*i*~

"Are you looking at boys?" Sophia asked, her fingers clinching on Anne's arm hard enough to make her wince.

"Yup," Anne said, "We both look at girls, too," she said. She pulled Sophia's eyes to her own, "Just because I like looking doesn't mean I'm gonna touch, OK? I look at cats and flowers, too, y'know? Acknowledging that they're pretty doesn't mean I'm gonna cheat."

"Hmmph," Sophia bent her knees, and tucked her head, rather awkwardly, under Anne's chin, "Like your friend Miya, I suck sometimes."

"Only sometimes?" Anne asked, with a teasing lilt, "You suck every time I ask you to."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it."

"Miya's therapist seems to be helping her out a lot."

"Yeah, that's nice," Sophia smiled, "How's she doing with Sabah?"

"Friends again, I think."

~*T*~