"There are a few lawyers that are known for working with parahumans, but most of the people that work with the Protectorate work exclusively for us. We have our own legal, branding, and marketing departments, with full-time employees. You'd have access to those for free if you joined up."

"I am willing to join up," she sighs. "But I am a valuable resource that would be wasted if you had me as a standard hero. Is there a non-patrol option?"

"The problem with opening an exception to you would be that other people would want exceptions as well, and even though patrolling heroes on average don't end up running into any trouble, sometimes they do, and the very fact that they patrol has a deterrence effect on crime."

"...there are fewer than you'd expect," Legend admits. "Parahumans tend to be very combative by nature. Many theorize that the fact that we all get our powers from traumatic experiences has much to do with this. And it doesn't help that most powers have very few non-combat uses, and tend to work better when being used in fights. No one knows why."

"Do you have zero capes that would be fantastic for things other than fighting people?"

"Not zero, we were just in a meeting with someone who uses their powers for non-fighting reasons, but you'd be surprised. And again, many powers noticeably work better when being used for fighting people, even Tinker powers."

"I meant in the Protectorate."

"A few, yes, but none of them has expressed a desire to do something other than fighting. Especially because, even with every hero of the Protectorate willing to fight, we're still hopelessly outnumbered and often outgunned. We'll use every hand we can, because we really need them."

"We can probably provide you with a mobile phone and help you find somewhere to live, with some of the relief fund for victims of Endbringer attacks, there's probably some technicality that will cover you."

Especially if she really is Mary O'Brien's projection, he does not say.

"All right. Thanks." Pause. "And if either of you have two minutes and a marker or something, I know how to draw at least one safe summoning circle, and we can see if we can summon anyone."

"We don't really have any appropriate writing implements here, but if you could summon more of your kind, why didn't you do that before?"

"I can't. Humans only. One of you would have to finish the circle and be the summoner."

"Ah."

"We can arrange that once we reach New York." Pause. "We didn't actually ask you, we're dropping Eidolon off in Houston and going to New York, but if you want to go anywhere else...?"

"New York's fine for me. I don't really need a jet to go anywhere in the world," she says dryly.

"Good point," chuckles Legend. "We can try to summon more daeva when we get there. Are they likely to be as... prosocial as you are?"

"We'll be attempting to summon a friend of mine," she explains. "I've worked with him before. He's a different type of daeva than I am - the kind that changes things. Nice guy, won't mind sticking around, will be as prosocial as I am. Don't freak out at his appearance, he likes looking like the rainbow man."

"We're pretty used to people who don't look like garden-variety humans. Hell, we fight each other in spandex."

Snort. "The spandex was what clued me in to not being on the Earth I knew. Terrifying monster causing destruction? Yeah okay, not impossible. Spandex?" She smiles, and shakes her head.

Legend laughs.

The jet slows down and Eidolon drops off.

"Well. It is customary, but that has more to do with... Earthly history... than anything. By the time parahumans started appearing, there existed cultural memes about superpowered people fighting in spandex, and that's the niche we started occupying. And most people have the masks and costumes to protect their civil identities, their loved ones, their jobs, et cetera."