Promise's laptop keeps time! Between that and the mortal world's regular day cycle (her current home is typically sunrise) she almost has a schedule. This time is fine with her. She is there then.

"I...first of all, thank you. Without your help I'd probably be in the Birdcage now."

"You're welcome. I really don't like that they send people there. For accidental harm in particular - well."

"Believe me, I don't either. I always thought it was the worst of the worst, and people they can't hold any other way, not just anyone with a power they're afraid of."

"Well, if you ever get in more legal trouble try to do it in New Jersey."

"Why, what's in New Jersey?"

"Me-friendly laws about imprisoned parahumans. They wanted Nilbog locked up badly enough to do it my way."

"They locked up Nilbog? You locked up Nilbog?"

"They had his name. I didn't get all of his creatures, though, so I had to be a little delicate to get him out more-or-less willingly. He doesn't know he's locked up and thinks he isn't using his powers because it would be impolite to do so on a diplomatic detachment. ...I cannot directly affect beliefs. He was just crazy."

"It's been ten years. Longer than most capes' careers, he's just been there."

"Okay. For future reference I'm not very good at judging mortals' ages. And while I don't exactly forget that you are a species that has children, I don't have a good sense of the ways in which that is relevant to mortal adults."

"Oh. He's been taken for granted as part of the background but scarier, is what I meant."

"That makes perfect sense."

"I think so. Nobody says recordings sound different from my voice."

"If you're not sure and can find someone who wants it tested on them I'll allow the test, and if you don't work through recordings you can make recordings with appropriate precautions. Otherwise... the only person you can sing to without affecting them is me. Which I don't object to as long as no one else is around... and I'd let you sing when you're alone... but you'd need to be sure there was no one else there, so we'd need to come up with a wording for how you'd have to go about making sure. I suppose I could relax it a little if you can only compel potentially regrettable behavior by... phrasing things as imperatives? What's the actual dividing line?"

"Someone objected, or we would probably never have met. If you can find somebody who's willing to be a test subject, we can figure out the details of what has to happen to have unpleasant consequences, and then you should come up with a way to make really, really sure that absolutely everyone in earshot of a show wants to be there, and then I can revise the orders. But I'm sure you realize that there would be ramifications if people thought I didn't have a clear and absolute guarantee of safety for anyone I'm taking responsibility for."

"Oh, you don't have to take responsibility for me now. They acquitted me, it's not like I committed a crime and they're using orders instead of a prison."

"I have a spotty understanding of the mortal justice system and don't think you currently qualify as a disinterested explainer. Also, I have non-legal reasons to want to be careful."

"If that's what it takes to convince you, I'm sure I can find someone to test it."

"I didn't pick it to be difficult. I don't mind you holding concerts as long as everyone is fine with the background-level effect of the power and there's a way to be sure there won't be any more accidents."