“You have such silky hair,” remarked Night Watcher. She fondled a braid of cyan, then pinned it in place on Posy’s head.

“Is this really necessary?” asked Posy. She reached up to touch her hair, but the older woman swatted her hand away.

“Of course,” said Night Watcher, tugging at her scalp. “You have to give a good first impression. All the men will want to partner with you like this.”

“Why a man?” asked Posy. “Why can’t I just partner with… you? You and Argon are solo now, right? The whole point of this event is to find new partners, but there’s two of us right here.”

“Don’t be silly,” said Night Watcher. “A woman needs a man in this line of work. The bigger and handsomer the better. Be assured, I have one in mind for myself already.”

Posy wrinkled her nose at the casual rejection. “It’s not Libby Dubs is it?”

The purple haired woman grinned at her through the mirror. “You know me so well, darling Posy. Gee, if Liberty Warrior is like your hero dad, that would make me your hero mom, wouldn’t it?”

Posy shivered at the thought. Of course Liberty Warrior was not truly her father, but he and Silent Observer had mentored her, earning comments like that from the others on their team. “I preferred Obso,” she mumbled the reply to herself. If she had to make a familial analogy, Night Watcher was more like her crazy aunt.

“What was that?” asked Night Watcher. “You need to speak up.”

“Nothing.”

Night Watcher spun her so that she now saw herself in the mirror. Posy gasped. She looked so adult. “That’s so intricate,” she said. She hovered her finger over the network of braids.

“Look but don’t touch,” snapped Night Watcher.

“Thank you.” Posy stood and hugged the woman, then reached for her hoodie which hung from a hook. They were in the women’s costuming building in the hero HQ, a tidy facility that came with showers, a sauna, and dressing vanities.

Nightwatcher blocked her hand. “Not that. You’re not a teenager anymore. And besides, there’s no way you’re getting that thing over your head without ruining all my hard work.”

“Um. What should I wear then?” Posy looked downward at her camisole and shorts. 

“These.” From one hand, Night Watcher dangled a black, sheer button-up blouse, paired with a black pencil skirt and stockings. From the other, a set of black lingerie.

“That looks. Uh. Why?”

“Put it on,” growled Night Watcher.

Reluctantly, Posy donned the ensemble. She had to worm out of her camisole awkwardly, as the white article would have shown like a beacon through the transparent shirt. She changed into the provided “clothes.”

Finally she regarded herself in the mirror. Now she looked very adult. Too adult. It felt like she wasn’t even wearing a top. The black bra was uncomfortably visible against her pale skin. “I don’t really--”

“You look gorgeous,” cooed Night Watcher. “It’s just for the evening, darling. You can keep the outfit, if you like it.”

“Maybe I could--”

Night Watcher’s phone sang an obnoxious tune. “The driver is here. C’mon.”

Night Watcher dragged Posy by the wrist, out to the street. As they exited the HQ, two bodyguards wordlessly joined them. One of the guards helped Night Watcher into the sleek black limo, but Posy darted past them before they could extend a hand to her.

She leaned her face against the dark glass as they drove from one side of the HQ to the other. It was a large complex, granted, but everything just felt so unnecessary. The limo, the bodyguards, the clothes.

They stepped out in front of a large white building. Well, all of the buildings in the HQ were large and white, but this one was particularly large. There were no windows, and the walls were flat. Three lines of heroes extended out from several sets of double doors.

Night Watcher dragged her to the shortest, the “level 100 and up” line. The other two were divided between the over and under level 50. Lower level heroes gaped at them like they were celebrities, and some took pictures.

Posy shivered as they waited outside. A cool breeze blew through the streets, but fortunately they were processed quickly, and brought to a private upstairs room with the other high level heroes.

Even within this group there was a large divide. A fresh level 100 was still a small fish next to top heroes like Night Watcher. And, Posy supposed, herself. Her exact rank fluctuated day by day, but she currently hovered around 80th place. Not that she checked frequently or anything.

The room was wide, and columns divided it between a standing area, and a table area with food and seating.

A large shouldered man approached them, adjusting his too-tight suit. He spoke to Night Watcher. “This doesn’t look like a board meeting to me. I was wondering why you said to wear formal wear.”

“Glad to see you made it, Liberty Warrior.” Night Watcher pulled Posy close to herself, like an accessory, and smiled. “And I only tricked you because I care.”

Liberty Warrior eyed Posy. “I see she dragged you into this as well.” He pulled off his gray suit jacket and plopped it over Posy’s shoulders. Posy eagerly stuck her arms through the warm garment and folded it over her chest. It was way oversized, but she was grateful to have regained her decency. She gave him a nod, which he returned.

“So,” said Night Watcher. “They got drinks and things, wanna hit the bar? We teammates might as well stick together.”

Liberty Warrior shrugged. “Isn’t the point of this thing to meet new people? Might as well poke around. I think I see a few familiar faces.”

Before Night Watcher could protest, their leader was gone. She huffed and turned to Posy. “Take that off. Your prospective partners will wonder why you’re wearing another man’s jacket.”

“I think it’s pretty clear that it’s Liberty Warrior’s,” said Posy.

Night Watcher opened her mouth, but suddenly her gaze was drawn by something across the room. “Is that Argon talking with a woman? Ugh. You do whatever Posy, I have a soon-to-be ex-husband that needs to hear a few stern words.”

Night Watcher stormed to the bar, and Posy heard in the distance, “You bastard! We’re not divorced yet!”

Posy exhaled a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and sat at a table. Geeze what was she supposed to do now? She eyed the crowd of minglers. Fortunately much of the attention in the room was drawn by the spousal argument and the freely roaming Liberty Warrior.

Posy pulled out her phone, scrolled through her messages, and clicked on a one sided conversation.

Posy: Night Watcher dragged me to a partner mixer

Posy: Libby Dubs is here too

Posy: Come visit if you still want him

She waited a few moments. Predictably, Silent Observer did not reply. Nor had they replied to any of Posy’s questions about their whereabouts or about Hero Arbiter. Posy sighed.

“Not one for parties?”

Posy jolted her gaze away from her phone. A blond haired man in a white suit and top hat smiled at her. “Er, yeah,” she said. “I’m kind of just here because of my friend.”

“Where’s your friend?” he asked.

“Over there.” Posy pointed across the room to where Night Watcher and Argon were having a heated bicker.

“You’re Posy right? I’m Julius. Habbit, if you prefer hero names.”

“Habbit?” she asked.

“I made the name like 10 years ago when I was 16,” he said, chuckling. “Hat plus rabbit. Habbit.”

Posy smiled. “Nice to meet you, Habbit. Mage class?”

“Smart girl,” he grinned. “I don’t suppose you partnered with the number one, did you?” He gestured to the jacket.

“Oh, no. He just gave it to me because I underdressed,” she explained. “He’s really a nice guy under all that rough and toughness.”

“Must be cool being on a team with him,” said Habbit. “I bet you guys spend all your meeting time gaping at his splendor and his muscles.”

Posy covered her spurt of laughter with her hands. “Definitely not. Believe it or not, we’re all professional. Mostly.”

“Mostly? Do tell.”

“We have our share of drama. Not to point fingers, but.” Posy glanced again at Night Watcher and Argon. “That’s been a big one lately.”

“They say most opposite sex hero partners tend to result in romances. Guess not all of them go smoothly. Hey, you want to see a rabbit?”

“I’d love to!” Posy leaned in excitedly. His gaze drew downward, and she realized the front of the jacket had fallen open. She hastily covered herself, flushing slightly.

He plucked his hat from off his head and brought it in front of her with a flourish. Then he reached in and wiggled his arm about dramatically, as if searching for something inside. He pulled out a carrot. “Oops!”

He repeated the act, and pulled out another carrot. This one was covered in nibble marks. 

“Looks like we’re getting closer,” he said.

Finally he pulled a rabbit out by the ears. It squealed, and its eyes bulged from its head.

“I don’t think it likes that,” said Posy.

Habbit plunked the animal onto the table. “He’s fine. He’s a summon, not a real rabbit. See?” He suddenly slammed his fist down on the creature. Bang! It shrieked upon impact, then grew limp and poofed into smoke.

Posy flinched. He pulled another terrified rabbit from his hat. “You want to pet it?”

“Um. Sure.”

He dumped it into her lap. It stared at her with the whites of its eyes and gripped her legs awkwardly with long, overgrown claws. She stroked it with as little force as possible, barely brushing the tips of its hairs. “So can you… unsummon them?”

“Nah, they only go away when they run out of health. They don’t have a lot though, so they’re pretty easy to get rid of.”

“Ah.”

“I can make a bunch, they work like little shields on the battlefield. Aside from that, they’re stinkin’ adorable.”

“Right.” Posy eyed the quivering creature on her lap. “Adorable.”

“That one’s Rosie by the way. I gave them all names.”

“What would happen if you didn’t kill them?” asked Posy. “Would they stay summoned forever?”

Habbit shrugged. “I dunno. It’s a bit inconvenient to leave them around since they lower my max mana, so I just get rid of them when they’re not needed. You stopped petting her. Do you want me to take her away?”

“No! I mean--no.” Posy resumed her pets. Rosie shook like a leaf in a hurricane under her strokes. Gosh, what if the rabbit didn’t like being petted? Was she triggering her PTSD? Should she just let her go back into his summon pool?

“So what do you think?” asked Habbit. “It looks like you and Rosie are getting along.”

“She’s nice.”

He looked at her expectantly. Oh yeah. That.

“I’m not really looking for a partner right now,” said Posy. “I’m mainly here because of Night Watcher.”

“Oh.” He looked down dejectedly.

“B-but your ability is cool?”

He rolled his head limply to the side. “No, I get it. Rabbits ain’t all that useful on the battlefield. And they’re freaking wimp ass rabbits, too.”

“Um. That’s okay, you still have your class skills!” She gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

“It’s not a top hero ability. I’ll never get into the rankings.” He put his face into his hands and started trembling.

“O-Oh, uh. Well you don’t need to get into the rankings,” said Posy. “You can be a good hero either way.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Habbit moaned. “Everyone knows you’re the youngest hero in the Freedom Guardians, and have been since you were 15. I’m freaking 26. I should be in a team by now!”

He began to wail and cry loudly. Other heroes looked at them with disturbed expressions.

Posy hovered a hand over his shoulder indecisively. “Y-you don’t need to--”

“What’s going on here?” asked Liberty Warrior. He towered over them, casting an expansive shadow.

“Th-this is Habbit,” said Posy. “He’s feeling a bit sad right now.”

“Yeah!” bit Habbit. “Because the system is unfair!”

Liberty Warrior narrowed his eyes. “How so?”

“Everyone gets random abilities, but some are clearly better than others! How are weaklings like me supposed to compete against the lucky?”

“What’s my ability?” asked Liberty Warrior.

“I don’t know,” said Habbit. “Probably super fucking duper strength.”

“You don’t know because it’s so shitty that I never use it,” said Liberty Warrior. He pointed a thick, square tipped finger at the mage. “Don’t use stupid excuses to justify your lack of skill. Work on your base stats and train harder.”

Habbit sneered. “Whatever.” He snatched Rosie by the scruff and stomped out of the room.

“Are you okay?” asked Liberty Warrior. He extended a hand to Posy.

“Yeah.” Posy took it, and realized that she was shaking.

He tugged her up to her feet. “I think that it’s time we get going too.”

“I’m going to leave with Night Watcher,” she said.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

Posy nodded. “I don’t think she should be alone right now.”

“You’re a good kid, Posy.”

“I’m not a kid anymore,” she pouted. “I just turned 20.”

He chuckled. “You’ll always be a kid to me.” He placed a palm on her head and ruffled her hair, fraying and dislodging some of the carefully placed braids, then left.

Posy glanced across the room. Night Watcher was no longer in the same spot. She scanned the crowd, unable to locate her teammate. Gosh, where on earth had she gone?