The base was quiet for the next few hours. Caden busied himself. His most important task was to work on memorizing the layout of his new home, but he took frequent breaks. He found himself researching his new teammates during one of these breaks.

  Slated Shroud was his first search. He didn't know much about her besides that she was on Deflector's team. Based on her behavior at dinner yesterday, she had a romantic relationship with Deflector. The evidence wasn't anything too overt, just the occasional “love” towards Deflector. The Internet knew less about this side of them than he did, though there were rumors. They had, after all, been partners in the field for longer than most partnerships last.

  Her public League file listed her main capabilities as “obscuration via shroud” and “limited invisibility”. Other known powers include “moderate strength telekinesis”. She first registered with the League of Heroes well over a decade ago.

  He looked at Sadie next. Information was hard to find on her too, but for a different reason: she hadn't taken a codename. He finally found her linked under the League's public file for Team QIB-12: Deflector's team.

  Sadie registered with the League a little over 4 years ago.

  “What the heck does she have that can't be put on a public page?” he said out loud.

  Though she was categorized as a healer, no capabilities were named. Instead, there was a note reading “See internal documentation.”

  Finally, he checked the web page he had read hundreds of times over the years: Deflector. The same terrifying man he had admired since the first grade. Powers both magnetic and electrical. Face masked in what he remembered more than saw to be “Deflector Blue,” a probably trademarked purple-tinted navy. Registered several years before Slated Shroud.

  "He’s been serving since before I even cared which hero was which," he thought. "Meanwhile, I make bowls that usually don’t explode in the kiln. Truly the same level of heroism.”

  Then, because something was nagging at him… he clicked the link for former members of QIB-12 and let it read until it got to “Vinegar”. He snorted. It sounded even more ridiculous in the TTS's monotone than it had in Sadie's mouth. He wondered briefly if Balsamic was already taken.

  The file was sparse. She registered several years ago, but she was marked as inactive less than two years ago. Like Deflector and most heroes, her face was masked. The eyes were obscured behind a pair of tinted lenses, though he knew by rumor they were green. The same green as Grace's eyes, Sadie had said. The powers listed were acid generation and manipulation.

  Was this Grace's sister? Were they truly "two lovely berries molded on one stem", as the Bard put it? He rewound the narration to the top of the webpage to listen one more time. He felt no closer to understanding Grace.

  He shut his laptop and grabbed his staff. Three barely-familiar vibrations let him know it was ready.

  Still restless, he decided to unpack and set up his mini pottery wheel in his room. The familiar hum comforted him as he turned it on to test. He hadn't quite finished arranging his tools when he heard the door open.

  He briefly considered staying in his room, but he knew he couldn't avoid them for long. Gabriel would want to dissect the training session last night. And Sadie… Sadie might remember the way their fingers had fit together.

  As he entered the common room, he briefly considered if the sunglasses still on his face read as him trying to be cool or if it gave away that he had not been resting.

  A low voice broke the silence. “Reed.”

  Caden angled his face towards the voice. “Yes, boss?”

  “We need to discuss yesterday's incident. Meet me in my office in 30 minutes. Take the time to figure out what you want to say; I won't be ready before then.”

  “Oof, homework. Got it, chief.”

  He lifted his phone to his mouth and whispered for a 30 minute timer. Across the room, a second timer beeped once from Gabriel’s wrist.

  “Does it bother you if Ryn is there?” Gabriel continued. “Any information relevant to her role as our strategist will be shared regardless.”

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  Caden flashed him a thumbs up in reply. Gabriel nodded and disappeared down the hallway.

  A different voice chimed in. Soft but self-assured. Ryn. “Don’t mind him. He needs a post-mission cooldown before he's ready for company. I'm going to get cleaned up. But I'll meet you and Gabriel in-” she paused to check the wall clock, “-twenty-eight minutes. Try not to worry. I’ll handle him.”

  Ryn, too, exited the common room, leaving Caden alone with Sadie.

  “Hey, Caden,” the healer finally ventured. “I- Uh. Good to see you awake. Sorry I wasn't there when you woke, though.”

  A stupid, bitter thought flared: She didn’t want to be there when he woke. He batted it away and smiled. “It's okay. You’re here now. I was just setting up my pottery wheel if you want to see it. It's just a mini one so don't expect anything too crazy. I could show you a piece I brought too. I left the rest of them with Tess (that's my sister) but I brought my favorites. Sorry, I'm rambling.”

  Sadie smiled. “That sounds nice.”

  He led her to his room, his fingers trailing the wall as he counted the doors. Third on the left.

  “Don't miscount,” he thought. “Fourth on the left is the boss's quarters.”

  “Behold," he spread his arms out dramatically. "My studio! Ignore the mess, the artist is notoriously disorganized.”

  Sadie let out a nervous laugh. “It is a bit messy. Are you still unpacking? Maybe I could help. Not tonight though, I have an assignment due.”

  “Like a mission report?”

  Sadie shook her head. “School actually. Nursing. League's paying for it. I'm in my final year.”

  “Sorry,” Caden looked away, embarrassed. “I should've asked if you had plans.”

  “No, no. I need a thirty minute cooldown too. And…” she paused. “I like your company.”

  “Of course you do. I'm a delight. Now…” he turned towards the pieces lined up on the small bookshelf. “Do you want to see my first mug or the bowl I made last week? I might have to ease you in with the mug so I don't break your brain with the brilliance of my more recent creations.”

  Sadie pretended to deliberate. “Bowl. I'm curious about what you've been selling.”

  “You remembered! I'm honored, Sadie, truly. Now then, the object of art is to give life a shape, and I have shaped my new life into a bowl. Suitable for keys, popcorn, or even soup.”

  He held it out dramatically and waited for her to take it. She took it carefully from his hands. Time seemed to stretch as she silently examined it.

  He had picked the glaze carefully, checking and double-checking the labels. He knew it rippled from orange at the base into a deep red, accentuated by brighter flashes that was meant to look as if fire had licked across the surface. If she tilted it, the light would catch faint golden specks beneath. Tess had confirmed it came out how he intended, but he still felt doubt now that she was holding it.

  “This is beautiful, Cade. Holy crap. I thought you were just-”

  “Just bragging? You wound me, healer,” Caden interrupted. “I won't be able to make pieces like that here without a kiln. It'll be back to air dry and baking. Made this after my interview with Deflector. You know, in honor of potential pyromancy. Now it's real pyromancy. Scary, isn't it?”

  Sadie looked away. “Yeah. It was scary… bringing your temp back up. I felt- felt like I messed up inviting you here.”

  “Hey, none of that. It was my choice. I did something stupid. It won't happen again.”

  “Promise?”

  “Promise. You can slap me if I do it again.”

  “What exactly is ‘it’?” she asked carefully.

  Caden sucked in a little breath and started the story.

  “So Deflector is getting ready to stop and there's been no sparks, no fire. All I've done is twirl my staff around and call it fighting. He was going so easy on me, I could tell. Probably for the best. I’d be dead if he hadn't. And maybe he wasn't even expecting anything day one but I panicked anyway and in my head I kept thinking about how I'm going to disappoint Deflector. I was scanning with my heat sense and I'm down to a few options: the staff, but my sister *just* made it for me and I didn't want to fry it, and body heat, aka me and Gabriel. I can't use Gabriel's body heat- obviously. So that leaves…”

  “Your body heat.” Her tone was unimpressed.

  Caden winced. “Please don't scold me, healer. I'm already about to get an earful from your uncle. Plus my sister already gave me a stern talking to as well. Speaking of… crap, I need to message her.”

  He pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened his chat with Tess on muscle memory. He sent a voice memo without listening to the most recent message. “Hey sis, sorry the call dropped earlier. I'm fine.”

  “Why voice messages?” Sadie asked. “I mean- sorry. I'm not judging. You don't have to answer if you don't want to.”

  Caden closed his eyes in thought. He considered his words carefully, weaving an answer that was technically true, but not the whole picture. “It's just easier. Faster. Conveys tone better. And sometimes I just have to get the message out immediately or I start editing it and it never gets sent. All kinds of benefits, Sadie. Do you use your phone with your voice much?”

  Sadie shook her head. “I feel too self conscious. I know it's stupid but I hate hearing myself talk sometimes. And what if someone is listening?”

  “What? Your voice is beautiful. I mean it. And trust me, nobody is paying as much attention as you think they are. Unless you're me. I attract attention but it's intentional, you know?”

  Sadie flushed, looking away. “...I like your voice too.”

  Caden felt his own face grow warm. He considered deflecting with his usual style, but something about her genuine tone stopped him. “Thanks, healer.”

  His phone timer buzzed in his pocket. He sighed dramatically. “That's my cue. Guess the universe hates sentimentality. See you later, Sadie. Good luck with your homework.”

  “Thanks. Good luck with Uncle Gabriel. Don't try to hide anything from him. Just be honest like you were with me.”

  “Easier said than done, but I'll try.”

  They stepped out of Caden's room together. Caden headed for Gabriel's office while Sadie headed the opposite direction towards her room.