"Hmm... and there's no way to, like, catch them while they're awake or not otherwise exercising their strong preferences?"

"Yeah, but if you do that they just refuse to answer questions. It's traditional for new vela to meet them all at some point before they're a century in, actually, but I've only met Barnacles. That's translated, by the way."

"...right. And they refuse and don't explain why, I presume. That would definitely drive me up the walls."

...Glam is not pleased by the implications of what she's just said. They don't let it show, anyway. "Yeah, I was planning on doing that. Maybe go big enough early enough that I'll be a fixture. But anyway, do vela get more powerful over time?"

"I'm not actually sure. Either we get more powerful or more knowledgeable and efficient. Either way, it's slow. That reminds me, vela mostly don't try to kill or permanently ruin each other, unless one of them crosses the line. I was surprised capes have the same kind of thing, but at least I'm used to it."

"Well, not all capes don't. The Slaughterhouse Nine care not a bit."

"And in return I will try my damnedest to kill them if they show up near me. I suspect I might be immune to a couple of them. Most capes, most villains even, don't approach Slaughterhouse Nine levels of deserving to suffer."

"Mmhm, yeah. Thank Scion they don't have Gray Boy anymore. Well, thank Glaistig Uaine, really."

"Don't think it is. But let's maybe change the subject," they say, not insensate to her reaction.

"Maybe we should spar. Someone's bound to have a picture of us talking by now, and the media will just be confused if the rogue and villain have a friendly chat. That won't do either of us any good."

"Yeah, fair enough. Maybe I'm trying to recruit you and vice-versa and it doesn't go well."

"That could work. If I lose I'm saying it's only because I was afraid of causing too much property damage or seriously hurting you. Which would be the truth on both counts, really."

"Hmm. I'd say something like that, but there's no way I'll lose. I'm invincible."

"I'll let you keep believing that. Let me finish the bridge, and try to keep the damage in those four blocks? Still have to fix em, so a little more blasting won't hurt anyone."

"I'm fine with that. Maybe we should act on some showdown, like you make a giant rock baseball bat appear and swat me with it, or I do something like that to you, and momentum just happens to carry whoever to said safe spot."

"Alright. I prefer hammers, though. I can move 'em from any angle, and all the weight at one end gives more leverage." The bridge looks mostly done, now. She's making the concrete slabs that will be asphalted over to become a road.

"Cool! You hit me or I hit you or something else?"

"You shout something dramatic about teaming up, I yell 'no' then hit you? I don't like fighting generally, but a spar where we try to minimize the damage is okay."

"Alright... Dramatic about teaming up... Hmmm... Suggestions?"

"The real villains will flee in terror before our powers combined?"

"Oh, I like that! Right now?"

"One sec." The last piece of concrete snaps into place on the bridge. She points at Glam and makes a frustrated gesture with the other hand. "Okay, now. This is just to make it look like we're arguing!"

Glam makes faces and various gestures. "So much arguing!" they say, snickering a bit. Their smiley-face does not reflect the snickering. And now some armor padding to deal with the impact, and a shouted: "The other villains will flee in terror before our powers combined!"