"I don't know exactly how, but you aren't the first cape she's somehow acquired from the outside world while in the Birdcage."

"You don't keep tabs on her comings and goings?"

"I've never noticed her being absent from the Birdcage, only that she sometimes manifests shades with power identical to those of capes who have died since she entered."

"Yeah-huh. Well. Can you tell my dad and my robot that I'm - continuous?"

Dragon looks through the special regulations regarding the Fairy Queen.... and then boots up her high-quality voice sim in a sandbox so she can swear properly and at length where only she can hear. This results in less than 10 milliseconds of delay in her response.

"I've been given really strict rules about sharing information related to the Fairy Queen's power which means I'm only allowed to inform specific high-ranking PRT employees about you. They haven't seen fit to act on prior notices about the Fairy Queen acquiring shades of people outside the Birdcage, but I really hope you'll be an exception. I'm sorry I can't do more."

"...when do you expect to hear back about that?"

"Within an hour."

"I can wait an hour. Hopefully so can Dad. How bad is the Leviathan damage? Is Dad okay? Anyone I know dead?"

"Your dad was unharmed, and the city stands a solid chance at recovering and civilian deaths were low. Several Brockton Bay Protectorate members and one Ward died defending the city. Gallant, Dauntless, Velocity, and Armsmaster." She misses Armsmaster already, just a few hours later. She'd have had his help on repairing the Rig's shield, or if he were injured she'd be trying to convince him to rest and recuperate rather than help her fix the shield.

"Mm-hm. - no convenient loophole in the law for telling my bot about me?"

Dragon checks a twentieth time. 

"Unfortunately, no, my instructions are rather strict on this. I can read them to you in case you might notice something I haven't?"

"- please."

Dragon reads the instructions, which lay out quite clearly that she can't take any actions outside the Birdcage downstream of information about the Fairy Queen's demonstrated abilities in the Birdcage, except for communicating with her superiors about them in a prescribed manner, actions strictly necessary to prevent the escape of inmates.

Dragon suspects this directive was personally written by Chief Director Costa-Brown given how much more airtight it is than the orders she receives from anyone else.

"Well. I guess I can wait an hour and hope they're reasonable. Anything else I should know?"

"There are regular deliveries of books to the Birdcage. If you have any requests that we ordinarily deliver I can make sure you get them. I'll also be available to talk if you ever need company."

"...I don't have what books I want to read memorized. I'd have asked Rete. I like classics? Like Shakespeare and Austen and stuff."

"That's a substantial portion of the ordinary deliveries - I'll make sure your cell block gets a good selection later this week."