Naturally, the first thing she heard at school was, "You would tell me if you're a superhero, right!?"

"Um… Yes?"

Trick question, Arienne realized. Saying "no" implies she is, in fact, a superhero, while saying "yes" compels her to come clean about being one.

"Maybe…? I don't know?"

"Boo!" Mish came into view from behind, a look of exaggerated disappointment on her face.

As always, a ton of makeup made her appear not simply pretty (she didn't need any for that), but vibrant, as though she were the lone colored character in a black-and-white movie of high school. Arienne dearly wished she herself could pull off a similar feat, if only on special occasions. Alas, catchy has never been her thing, which was probably for the best, considering recent developments. Attracting attention suddenly jumped to number one top priority on her "no-no" list. Big red letters and lots of skulls and crossbones were involved.

"I'd tell you in a heartbeat so we can form the coolest awesomest team ever! You'd be all smart and sensible to my kicking ass and taking names! Woo-hoo…!" Mish did an exuberant twirl and almost fell down when one of her feet caught on the other. Seasoned by years of experience, Arienne stood ready, grabbing her in a hug. "Whoops. Thanks!"

"Any particular reason why superheroes are on your mind?"

Five minutes later Arienne found herself in cold sweat and eyeing the school doors in hopes of escape. None presented itself.

She'd made the news. There was footage. Sure, it was grainy and low-res, from every imaginable bad angle in existence, but you still could see her fight clear as day! The best bits now circled around the web, scoring easily a thousand hits a minute. Legit viral stuff, every teenager's dream. Arienne concentrated on breathing evenly, since fainting became a distinct possibility.

"Hey, you okay?" A shadow of concern overcast her friend's usual sunny demeanor.

No, she wasn't.

"Yes! Yes, it's just… I feel a touch light-headed. I'm gonna go splash water on my face, or something. See you in class!" Arienne patted the back of Mish's hand reassuringly, before slipping away at a brisk pace that might have been called a run under closer inspection.

Getting to the closest restroom, she promptly locked herself in a stall, dropped on the lid of the toilet seat and wrapped her arms around her legs, placing her forehead on her knees. Shivers rocked her body. She couldn't stop them.

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"What happened? It was kind of hard to follow the conversation from here."

She looked up and saw Argent poking his head out of her bag. He's kept quiet to the point she almost forgot he was there.

"I'm so done for!" she whispered. Gossiping in class made her an expert in covert exclamations.

"Please elaborate."

She picked up the bag, allowing him to slide out in a single fluid motion. He balanced on her knees effortlessly and waved his huge fluffy tail about before finding a comfortable position. Arienne frowned. Was he heavier now than while sitting inside…? That odd notion aside, he seemed as unflappable as a magical talking animal could.

Slightly calmed, Arienne nonetheless took out her comm, thumbed in a quick query, and showed him the video.

He cocked his head. "Well, this is new. What happened to papers?"

"Still there. Old people read them."

"You might not want to use exactly this same phrasing when speaking with actual old people."

"Sorry. You don't recognize comms?" She had troubles imagining such a world.

"Telephones were all the rage last time I was here. However, fascinating new inventions aside, it changes little. No one would be able to recognize a person from this. Even if someone could, you were wreathed in light head to toe, remember?"

She did. It made her feel better. Not too much, though.

"But I was there. People saw me!"

"People were running and panicking. They might have seen a young girl, but you specifically? Let's hang back from crossing that bridge for a while. If push comes to shove, yes, you were there, you were scared, and you blacked out. Next thing you know, you're back home. That," he pointed his nose at the comm, "is certainly not you."

"And what if…?"

He raised a paw, cutting her off. It looked fairly comical, and Arienne failed to stifle a laugh. Argent ignored it.

"Stop torturing yourself with 'what ifs'. So far there are just moving images of someone. No connection to you whatsoever. Could you maybe just not overthink it?"

"I suppose…"

"Then please do. Now," he looked past her, "help me up to that vent and go to class. I'll find you in a few hours."

Sure enough, there was a vent slightly to the side of the stall. Arienne probably could reach it. Not that it would matter.

"It's bolted shut. I don't have a screwdriver on me."

"So?"

"Oka-a-ay then."

She stood on the lid and lifted him up in her arms. Without as much as a pause he stepped from her palms right through the plastic grid. She immediately lost sight of him.

"Wow!"

Argent stuck his head out, perfectly unbothered by the bars still being in place.

"I'm not exactly flesh and blood. How else would I be able to hide in your light?"

Come to think of it, he had done that during her fight.

"Huh."

Confident she was alright, he disappeared once more. Finding herself alone, Arienne instantly felt a flash of panic.

"Wait! Don't leave me! What if everyone knows?" She was so not taking all of this well.

Sticking his head out again, Argent huffed.

"Arienne, please relax. Things are going to be fine. Even your friend couldn't tell it's you." He gave her a silvery cat-fox smile. "I like her, by the way. She seems very nice. And smells amazing! Go be with her."

And just like that, he was gone.

"Yeah, that's Mish. She's amazing all 'round." Arienne smiled, before willing herself to finally stop hiding in a restroom stall.