"Are you sure it'll be alright, Marie?"

"I assure you, James, it will all go well. There's no reason for things to go wrong."

"I know, it's just..."

"I know. I'm a parent too, I know how it goes. But trust me, there's no use worrying now. The kids will pass the sapience test with no issue and after that, the following tests will let us know how to best fashion their education. There's absolutely nothing that can go wrong."

"Alright. I'll try and relax. Nothing I can do at this point, right?"

"That's the spirit! With everything we went over last time, there's nothing left for you to work on. Once your appointment at the city hall is through, you can live a normal life."

"Until the next mess."

"James, if we had to live every day fearing the sky would fall, we wouldn't be living."

"Sorry, sorry. A lot of change all at once followed by trouble just made me a bit of a worrywart."

"Trouble?"

"Everything's handled now, don't worry."

"So long as everything's fine, that's all I need to know. Don't hesitate to call me if you need help, or just for a quick chat. Having friends who experienced parenthood to give us pointers was a godsend. I know you skipped some steps and won't have to worry about diapers, but the point stands."

"Thanks, Marie. For everything."

"It's no bother, James. Just remember to take of yourself, not just of them."

Though it happened less and less with each passing day, James once more found himself wishing he had a mouth of sorts to smile. Well, he could form one, but the effect was greatly diminished when no one could discern the lips from his face and he couldn't even satisfy himself due to how different shapeshifting was from using good old human muscles. Either way, it didn't matter. This was a phone conversation anyway.

They exchanged a few more pleasantries before finally hanging up, something that turned out to be a common fact between all worlds. After that, he let himself fall back on the couch he had installed in the living room of their new apartment. Tying up loose ends was taxing, but now, as the suburban mom had said, everything was ready. The kids would pass the sapience test, child services would drop by and see James was a good enough dad, and they'd all get to live happily ever after with the kids going to school and James managing his small business as Silhouette.

Yes. There would be no issue whatsoever.

James pushed his senses to the limit to check on any catastrophe that might come this way. He got his fair share of living in Zalcien to know something would be happening soon.

Right on time, a knock came at the door. On the one hand, James felt validated in his paranoid pessimism. On the other hand, he wished he'd been wrong.

Currently in his clothed civilian form, he just sent a small discreet shadow ahead to check on whoever would be ruining his day this time. Thankfully it wasn't a murderous monster, violent gangster, or weird alien eldritch tax collector. No, the somewhat nervous man waiting on the other side seemed delightfully mundane, and the worry in his eyes wasn't the tenseness of someone in a life-or-death situation but rather that of someone who just wanted to ask people to lower the sound at their midnight party in the middle of the week yet had none of the confidence such an act required.

In other words, this would hopefully just be some normal thing, like a parking spot dispute or something.

James knew his luck's track record wasn't so merciful.

He opened his door, and though the man did slightly twitch when he realized the reason why he couldn't James' face was not because of a lack of light but rather a lack of said face, he was polite enough not to bring it up.

"Hey, howdy neighbor. I live in the building on the other side of the street. I'm sorry to be a bother, but do you have the time for a quick chat? A few minutes at most."

"This better not be some door-to-door religious trick."

"No, no, nothing like that. I, uh, the other day we saw some weird stuff in the street at night."

"Weird stuff?"

"Yeah, and I decided to call an exterminator, just to be safe."

And here was the urgency of the week. The neighbor could have seen any number of things, but James had the intuition that what he saw wasn't a grumpy raccoon but instead something much more bothersome for him. With his luck, it might even be the small robots the Empress controlled patrolling. He had effortlessly dealt with one of those in his early days - the machine had just killed the children's biological parents - but a swarm of them might be a different story. There had to be a good reason why she was the city's greatest technology-focused Villain, and he had heard stories back in the slums. Bad stories. People were as likely to be whisked away by her Harvesters as the Patcher's abominations, and no one got out of these abductions unscathed.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"What did you see?"

James made sure to let out some fear in his voice, but not quite what he felt. Here he sounded more like a worried civilian just told an earthquake was coming than a shadowy mastermind worried about potential competitors.

"Oh, oh! Don't worry, it wasn't anything too bad. I think. It looked like rats, but the exterminator told me it'd be better to stay safe and avoid them since they could have some bizarre ability."

Drats, he saw rats. It could have been mundane ones, but he knew from the context clues the man hadn't seen the usual grey rodents. The most likely answer was that Mischief was spotted, which in itself was worrisome. This wasn't a scout or hunter but a regular guy, if he saw them here on the surface then other people likely did too. James had expected the infused mammals' stealth to diminish without the support of other infused materials and the general disrepair of the slums and the Sunken City, but so soon? It looked like whoever was in charge here may be getting sloppy. He'd give Polisson a call to give the local rats a stern talking to.

Now, while Mischief was the most likely option despite their relative sneakiness due to the size of their operations, there was another group of rodents the man might have spotted. Some rodents who in all honesty couldn't have been outside without his direct supervision given the fact he spent all his time here and kept track of them with his senses, but logic made way for worry. After all, even if the ratlings hadn't been the ones noticed, they likely left enough evidence of their presence for a professional to realize they were around.

"Oh. Uh, did just drop by to warn us then?"

"Uh, not just that. I hired Brutazap, he should drop by sometime tomorrow. He plans on doing a round of investigation before anything else, so I wanted to let you know, in case he decides to knock at your door. Just so you know it's the real deal and not an impostor if he asks to take a quick look inside. Just because I'm the one who saw them doesn't mean the rats made their nest close to my home, you know?"

"Yes, I get the idea. Anything else?"

"Well, if there is an intervention required, it will likely cost a pretty penny. I wanted to ask if you'd be willing to chime in since it'd be doing a service to everyone around. Not just you, though! I'm asking everyone in the neighborhood."

"Sure, no problem. I'll need to see the bill, though."

"Of course. If you have the time, could you warn your neighbors? So far, you're the only apartment in this building that opened your door."

This time James wasn't worried. He had gone out of his way to have infused occupy rent every other place available, and the few apartments that had been occupied before he settled down had been paid by a visit by a friendly Silhouette who essentially bribed them to move. They had taken the money and the landlord had no reason to complain since rent was still coming in. The plan, in the long run, was to buy the entire building altogether and house more employees here, not only to muddy the water and make it harder to connect his two identities but also as a nice gift to dangle for potential recruits.

"Oh, sure. I don't see them much, but I'll leave some notes."

"Great! Sorry for bothering again, but I felt this was important."

"Of course. You said you called... Brutazap, was it? Don't forget to ask for multiple copies of the bill. I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd want to check before pitching in."

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind. Good day!"

"Good day to you too."

James closed the door and watched with a shadow to make sure the neighbor was leaving. While he kept track of the man's movements, a tendril formed to fetch back his phone and do a quick search online for whoever the exterminator he supposedly hired was. Worried as James was, this could very well be a scam of sorts, with the man lowering people's guards with a friendly visit before his accomplice knocked them out and robbed the place blind.

Hell, at this point, James hoped this was just another violent stunt the city sent his way. At least then he could solve the issue with magic and powers. If he had to deal with a legitimate exterminator, however? A man who was simply a professional doing his legal job? James had no idea how to deal with that. Would the ratlings be considered vermin since they hadn't passed a sapience test yet? And what about Mischief?

He could cover for the kids and pretend they were pets, but the black rodents couldn't be swept ignored. A swarm of monstrous mammals roaming the streets at night would be much harder to hide. Even if James had them lay low for a while, there'd still be evidence they were here in the first place. If this Brutazap was somewhat diligent in doing his work, he'd investigate even if the rats weren't there anymore. And, well, James couldn't just go ahead and kill him. Defending himself from thugs and horrors was one thing, but here? That was just someone doing their job.

First and foremost, though he hated to call back so soon, he knew he needed to call Marie back. She would know how to best handle the children's situation. Then, he and Polisson had to have a serious talk.

Well, at least this time he'd been warned about the trouble to come in advance. That was a nice change of pace.

----------------------------------------

"Tell me, sister, has the honorable Biflora shared any new directive regarding the dark creature?"

"Yes, brother. The enlightened one wishes for us to approach this Silhouette, and to tell our truth."

"What if he is not receptive?"

"Our shepherd only spoke of words, not actions. Patience is a virtue, brother. The mighty oak did not grow in a night."

"Of course, sister. I am well aware a spaling needs time. All the same, we should be mindful. It would be a shame for the flower to wilt before it had the chance to bloom."

"I understand your woes, brother, but I fear we may drown our cactus if we try to water the seed of its spirituality."

"A valid point, sister. Time shall tell if our charge is an ephemeral fly or a dragon fated to live through eons."

"And it shall be our duty to prune him all the same. Should he prove too thick-headed, perhaps we might try a different approach."

"What is a stag without its herd, indeed?"

"Indeed. Now, how should we approach a being most at ease in the black of a moonless night?"

"We should first approach with our robes. The truth would make him more trusting."

"Yes, I agree. What of the face, then, brother? Shall the human form's plainness prove adequate?"

"Perhaps. I could see a creature such as him seeing it as weak, and therefore a non-threat."

"On the flip side, a body as twisted as his own might serve as a better conversationalist. A mirror might appear as a better interlocutor. Who to trust but one well aware of our sorrows?"

"I see your point, sister. However, I disagree. He might not see an equal, but a mockery of his nature."

"A fair point. Perhaps an in-between? Something human enough to seem weak, but distorted enough to be ostracized."

"Mutants. Ones pathetic enough to catch his attention without drawing too much ridicule."

"Indeed."

"I'm happy we're of the same mind, sister."

"How could we not be, when we're of the same flesh?"