endbringer, meet gun

[peterxy]

...Very unseasonable rains can be seen in the distance from the shores of Acapulco.

The Brockton Bay Protectorate starts organizing volunteers to be transported or teletransported in batches to it. Heroes, rogues, villains, anyone's assistance is appreciated. A rendez-vous point is set for non-Protectorate capes wishing to volunteer, and Protectorate capes are informed of the situation via communication devices.

Comments

[mxglam]

"What are you for?"

[alicornucopia]

"I'm part of the patrol support flock and perform generic colocation/attention expansion functions."

[mxglam]

"Fair enough."

Flying back home.

[alicornucopia]

Shoulderperching.

[msglam]

Eventually they switch to a black suit barely visible in the night and hover closer to the roofs so they won't be seen, until they land on a particular roof of a particularly small apartment building. They walk into a door there, go down a couple of flights of stairs - at some point they became a she, wearing normal clothing - and unlock the door to their/her apartment.

It is rather small, and doesn't have much in the way of decoration. She starts packing.

[alicornucopia]

The bot looks around curiously.

[peterxy]

It consists of two rooms: a small but comfortable bathroom and a main room with a bed, a desk, a chair, a kitchenette, and a wardrobe. Everything's clean if simple, and it doesn't take long for Glam to finish packing.

[alicornucopia]

The bot sits on their shoulder again for the flight home.

[mxglam]

Fly fly!

[alicornucopia]

Perch perch!

[mxglam]

They arrive.

"Still in fugue?" Glam asks.

[alicornucopia]

"You can catch her now if you want but she'll be annoyed if it isn't important. I can take a message," says the bot.

[mxglam]

"Nah, just curious."

They consider exploring a bit, now that this is technically their home - even if they haven't been properly announced - but decide against that, and just hover back to their new room.

[alicornucopia]

It is as it was left.

[mxglam]

Good!

"I think I'm going to crash, it's been a rather long day," they say wryly.

[alicornucopia]

"Good night," says the bot, and it flies away.

[msglam]

She locks her door and makes her suit go. She takes a shower, brushes her teeth, turns off the light and makes herself comfortable on her bed.

And she cries herself to sleep.

[mxglam]

Glam wakes up, brushes their teeth, and puts their suit on. They haven't met any other Wards yet and just showing up like that... Well, they probably need to ask Chevalier about being introduced formally or something either way.

They go looking for Branding.

[alicornucopia]

Branding's not hard to find. There's a sign on the door and it's also listed in the directory next to the elevators.

The Branding person is drinking coffee and playing Solitaire when Glam walks in.

[mxglam]

"Hello. I'm the new Ward."

[alicornucopia]

"Glam, yes, Chevalier told me about you. Do you want to bring any particular questions or concerns up first or shall we just get started?"

[mxglam]

"Yes, one particular concern. I, uh, don't really have a gender."

[alicornucopia]

"So that's the 'little challenge' he mentioned," snorts Branding Lady. The nameplate on her desk says she's called Phyllis Constance Yates. "I think this will cause a relatability problem. Sans you the Wards are gender balanced at the moment, but Windflower doesn't get much face time and Lorica doesn't exactly radiate femininity; given my druthers I'd tell everyone you're a girl. A butch one if you like."

[mxglam]

"Uh, yeah, but see, I'm not. At the moment. I'm very eager to cooperate with you in most things, but this is one where I'm pretty unlikely to budge. As for the relatability problem... well, I mean, look, I'm not the only nonbinary person in the country, and while you may not need to focus on the nonbinarity, I'm pretty sure having one such cape in the Protectorate would already do lots in that department for other enbies."

[alicornucopia]

"Other...?"