"Of course."

"She said I'd have more time to coordinate with your powers or something. Which, well, is true."

"I mean, I coordinate with Dad fine and he's not a Ward, but it's probably slightly less awkward to have me issuing orders when I technically outrank you and in Dad's case they just pipe to his helmet so it looks less weird..."

"Yeah but you don't patrol together and there'll be a lot of training and patrol time with actual adult heroes instead of Wards when I graduate to the Protectorate proper."

"Yeah. It'll be different."

"But we needn't worry about that for another five and a half months."

"I mean, maybe it's worth a week or two of advance worrying."

"Worrying about what, though?"

"Coordinating across team boundaries," she shrugs.

"Well, in any actual engagements we'll still work together, and I don't think we'll actually forget how to in the five months you're still here and we're not on the same team. Assuming they release you immediately upon your birthday."

"I doubt it. They made me fucking captain. They might not keep me for six, but an extra one or two? Unless they have a next candidate in mind and want to give them a while."

"Who knows, though, Armsmaster even complimented you last week with Lung, maybe they'll want to make you a real hero quickly to use your skills more freely."

"Won't they be surprised."

"Honestly, you and I barely even go on the field anymore, you could keep helping the heroes remotely from your penthouse. I'm going to remain a hero, I could even conjure you-copies for public image purposes when we engage villains."

"I don't mind helping. If they let me I will happily maintain Dad's and Rewind's suits, have my bot coordinate copies and send real bots to check things out on an as-needed basis, and provide strategic advice. I will still show up to Endbringer fights. I just mind the command structure and the obligatory extracurriculars and not being in control of my budget and having to account for what I make."

"Tinkers do have it pretty bad, there."

"Ayep."

"Will you have to modify something about your bot to own its patent or something?"

"Protectorate doesn't own it, not the software. I'd have to redesign my suit and the drones if I wanted to go out without you as a proxy and they made a fuss, though. I've got that in the works in the background but I can't do enough work on it for them to claim anything while they've still got me."

"Awww but I like my shoulderbot, it's adorable."

"You'd have to take it up with the Protectorate if you want to keep the exact design and not a new model. Might slide because you're planning to stay."

"Yeah. Although you'd probably be able to make something likewise cute under the new design constraints."

"Yep."

"Will there be any functional changes?"

"Maybe. I can't work on this very much in advance, remember?"