"Okay. The secret identities thing isn't really demon-safe, you know."

"Yes, but demons weren't a possibility before you showed up. I'm not sure there is a way to make them demon-safe."

"Probably not. I won't look, anyway, unless someone's really awful."

"It... might not be a good idea to look even then."

"Why not?"

"Part of the reason behind the secret identities is that it serves as a line capes do not cross. It's an unspoken rule."

"We could find out most villains' secret identities, if we wanted, but the same is true of them. If we cross that line and go after their personal lives, they do the same to us and to our loved ones, and it escalates. And when it comes to people who could, quite frankly, level buildings with a thought," and he inclines his head at Legend, "escalation is the last thing we want."

"Furthermore, we count even on villains to help with the... bigger threats. Threats like Behemoth."

"That's a - weird system. But okay."

"There are exceptions—but the exceptions are always the capes who do violate the unspoken rules, like Glaistig Uaine. Not that we expect her to even still have a secret identity anymore."

"Why are people villains? What is it they want that they can't get without - going around scaring people and stealing stuff?"

"Money, usually. Power, status, control."

"Can we offer them a better way to get that stuff? Especially money, I can pay people not to be villains if that'd work -"

"Some, but not all. Some get a thrill out of it, out of being more powerful or smarter than the government or having underlings or using their powers..."

"I mean, I get a thrill out of using my powers! And being more powerful than anyone else! I think everyone does, probably. Being powerful is really really nice. It doesn't mean you have to hurt people."

"I think it's a different kind of powerful, though. Here what I mean is having power over other people—is being able to tell them to do things and not be questioned."

"Oh. Yeah, I can't - think of an easy way to cheat so everyone gets what they want, there -"

"Besides, just giving everyone money wouldn't work—you'd do more good giving poorer people money rather than villains, and if you give everyone money all that does is make money worth less."

"I can give everybody stuff. Fancy future stuff. But that still doesn't solve people wanting to boss other people around."

"Or hurt them, or control territory, or merely use their powers for fun without caring who they hurt."

"Well, that last one we could make a rule that the Moon's only for people who are durable or easy to resurrect. Or something. And there's enough territory for everyone. Hurting people, not as much, though."

"I'm not sure there's such thing as 'enough.' This is the kind of person whose next move once they get the territory they want is to covet their neighbor's."

"Stuff's complicated," Hero summarizes.

"Yeah. Ugh." Food!

Food!

The cafeteria has a couple dozen people, most of them Wards, most of them unmasked. They're divided in a few groups of typically four to six people each, although Nathan (Chevalier) and Hannah (Miss Militia) are off by themselves and Sadde's all alone with a book.