"He got away!"

He sure did, and in a spectacular fashion at that. Apparently, he was taken into custody unconscious, his morning star bagged as evidence. They placed him in a cell at the closest precinct. It was a reinforced cell, too, reserved for especially dangerous criminals. Clearly it was deemed more than sufficient. The threat was reported as contained.

They really should've waited for him to wake up before making an announcement. It would have been quite a different one, then.

"How could this happen!?"

He broke free. Arienne pictured it in painful details. He recovered, called his astra, which effortlessly bust through walls, used his spikes on unsuspecting guards, and got free in no time whatsoever. And who could stop him? Arienne vividly remembered her own helplessness. Others faired no better: an entire precinct reduced to rubble served as proof enough, and those were trained law enforcement officers on their home turf.

There was no word on how many people have been hurt. There was no word on how many people have been killed.

And now he wanted her. In no uncertain - and not flattering - terms.

"Maybe less screaming will be more helpful?" Argent finally glanced away from the screen. Remarkably, he sounded calm.

"Maybe not! He hurt people! He knows who I am!"

He jumped onto the back of the sofa and turned to face her. "Very well, I'll bite. How?"

Arienne threw her hands in the air. "What do you mean, how? I fought him, that's how!"

"Yes, a figure of light fought him. You? I don't think so."

"I was the only one there! It doesn't take a supergenius to make that leap!"

"Still a leap, though." Argent remained unconcerned.

"What does it matter!?"

"Plausible deniability. For once."

"We're not in court!"

Dismayed, she ran her fingers through her hair. Repeatedly.

"Which means there's no penalty for lying. Even better. Now please stop pulling your hair out, you're much too young for that image."

"Easy for you to say, since you didn't create a hostage crisis! Or left a violent psychopath on the loose!"

"Actually, if anything, this is my fault."

That stopped her dead in her tracks. "What?"

"I should have known they won’t be able to hold him. Astras are neither toys, nor common weapons, no ordinary prison can contain them." He hanged his head. "I should've seen it."

"Hey." She lifted him up and sat down on the sofa to curl around his warm form. "There was no time to think it through."

"Indeed, there wasn't."

They fell silent for a while.

She wanted to talk to Mom. It would be nice to hear her voice, or hug her… But Mom wasn't here. Another business trip, as had often been the case these days. Half a world away, she had no real way of helping. Besides, guessing her reaction didn't feel like a hard task. Arienne was an only child. Not long ago, scraping a knee could easily lead to a hospital visit and a brain scan for good measure.

Risking her life battling magically armed criminals? Out of the question, any powers notwithstanding. Chances are, the powers themselves would cause a major freak-out. No, keeping everything a secret seemed like her best bet. She must deal with this horrible mess by herself.

But even knowing all that, she wanted to talk to Mom so much…! Or just see her. Seeing her would be good, too.

Arienne fought down a sob, and was surprised to succeed. She couldn't afford to cry, not yet. She needed to be strong.

Argent wriggled out of her embrace, jumping on the coffee table before her.

"You have decided to go."

She nodded.

"You heard him; he wants me. And I beat him once already."

He gave her a grave look.

"Last time, he didn't expect anyone with magic and didn't know what you could do. He's going to be ready now."

She nodded again, rising to her feet. "So far we have a one-one score. He obviously fancies himself favorite in a decider match."

"You don't have to put yourself in danger if you don't want to. You don't have to play a savior. Your power comes without strings, if that's what you're concerned about. You don't have to fight that guy again."

"Yes, I do. It's my mess. I have to fix it." As though preparing to jump into cold water, Arienne took a deep breath, held it, and let it all out in one go. "Let's shine!"