She figured that she wouldn’t get in trouble, not if big sis never caught her.

Laughing so loud that her voice carried across the entire street, Cheshire ran across a rooftop and then jumped off the edge. She turned into dark smoke, weightless but still moving. The next building over was a bit taller, so she phased back into reality and dug into the side of the wall with her onesie’s claws, then shot upwards with a ‘hup.’

She landed on the very edge of the roof, arms cartwheeling for balance before she righted herself and started running again. Her grin was so wide it hurt.

“I am the night!” she screamed as she jumped to the next roof and rolled to bleed off momentum.

She was about to start speeding up again when she saw something off to her side and came to a skidding halt.

Two girls were moving on the rooftops just down the block. One of them turning to shadows with every jump, just like her, but, in Cheshire’s professional opinion, with none of the grace and coolness. The other girl stepped from a second floor roof to a third, everything around her bending out of shape in a way that made Cheshire go cross eyed.

Pausing, she considered what to do for a moment. Big sis, she reasoned, would probably roll into a fetal position and cry. Crochet would probably walk off the side of the building, but she’d do it real prim-like.

Humming to herself, Cheshire decided to investigate.

She landed on the street, knees bending almost in two to take her weight. The few people in the street stared at her for the half second she spent there before running across to the other side.

A horn honked, brakes squealed and a few people screamed.

Cheshire turned to smoke and let the nondescript truck pass through her before she landed on the other side of the street and reformed. She glared at the white truck, taking note of the big sign on its side that read ‘Truck-Kun’s Disposal Services.’ She flipped it the bird then jumped straight up and made it to the next roof.

It took her a second to figure out where the other two had gone. As soon as she saw them a few roofs over, she ran off after them, feet pat-patting quietly on the rough gravel of the rooftop. She used an air conditioning unit as a stepping stool, then flew spread-eagle from one roof to the next, the tail of her onesie whipping out behind her.

“Parkour!” she whispered, because she was being sneaky.

The two capes stopped by the next rooftop, both of them looking down onto an alleyway where Cheshire could hear the sounds of a scuffle.

“I’m calling it in,” the shorter of the two said. She reached into her green armoured breastplate and pulled out a phone, but the cooler of the two put a hand on hers.

“Don’t. They’ll just tell us to piss off or interfere.”

“Of course they’ll tell us to interfere, they’re fighting. It’s our job to stop them,” shorty said. Cheshire had the impression that she was none too happy about the whole thing.

“Let’s wait a bit. See who’ll come out on top first. Let them fuck each other up a bit too. They’ll spend less time on the streets if they’re full of holes.”

Shorty scoffed then took a step back while pressing on the screen of her phone with a thumb. She replaced it while reaching to her ear with her other hand. “Console, this is Vista, reporting a fight in the alleyway between 6th and Main, the one near the old drug store.” The girl nodded twice before turning to her partner. “They want us to back off unless there’s a cape or civilian involved.”

“Tch,” the cool shadow-y cape said. “Bunch of cowards.”

“I know, right?” Cheshire said as she walked to the edge of the roof about two meters away from the other capes.

Both girls jumped a few feet into the air and spun around towards her in time to see her shit-eatingest grin appear.

“The fuck are you?”

“Shadow!” Vista said. She poked her partner in the ribs before turning her visored head towards Cheshire who was busy stretching her arms behind her head. “I’m sorry about her. You surprised us.”

“S’all good,” Cheshire said. “So, you two gonna do anything ‘bout that?” she gestured down into the alleyway. Eight guys were standing around, though a couple were using the walls to keep on their feet. Half of them were asian, the other half white and bald, all of them were armed, though mostly with bats and the occasional knife. “They look like they’re havin’ fun,” she said.

“Are you... with any of them?” Vista asked.

“Don’t be an idiot, twerp,” Shadow Stalker said. “She’s as black as me. None of them would want her.” Her emotionless mask fixed itself on Cheshire. “Hey kid, get out of here, would you. The big kids are working here.”

“Don’t look like y’er workin’ to me,” Cheshire said. “Looks like y’er lazin’ about while there’s fightin’ to be had.” Her sentence was punctuated by a piercing scream from below and she cursed for having missed the action. “Speakin’ of.”

With a step, she walked off the edge of the roof and fell towards the ground, the hood of her onesie flapping around her head before she turned ghostly and slowed down. Just before landing she phased back and aimed both feet down, heels first, towards the back of a bald guy’s head.

The man toppled forwards like a falling tree, Cheshire riding him down with a laugh until he crashed face first into the ground right in the middle of the brew fight.

All the gangsters paused to stare, so she grinned right back at them. “Heyya. Y’all ready ta get whipped?”