Fiona frowned. "Do you think we should tell everyone right now? Even though it will probably ruin the mood..."

Ozzy smiled and said, "I've been a bit busy painting the rest of the house and such to worry too much about our room. Not to mention other stuff."

He then grinned and said, "Still, thanks. They will definitely look nice! Anything you guys want brought back from the Netherlands, by the by? Megs apparently bought us a honeymoon trip to there."

  Meg nodded, and said "I will pass the word right now.  We may get called out in our heroic identities o save someone."  {{Guys, there's an anti-parahuman rally tomorrow, downtown.  I know we want to all pay our respects to Mirage by attending her funeral, so let's be alert and prepared.}}

{{Was planning on showing up 'in uniform' anyway. Wait, downtown... I think Mom said to stay away from there tomorrow last time I visited.}}

He frowned and let go of Jeff and Candy, putting them back on the ground gently, before plodding off to find his mother. Once he'd found her, he asked, "Hey, Mom... didn't you say that we ought to avoid downtown tomorrow?"

Gina nodded, "Err, yes... your father has been talking about a rally for a while now. They were supposed to be having it downtown, near the mayor's office."

Ozzy nodded and said, "Hmm. Let's just hope they don't catch wind of Mirage's funeral. They might decide to change the location, the pricks."

  Clarissa said quietly "We're not going to skip paying our respects to Mirage at the funeral because there's a group of intolerant people who want to be obnoxious about it.  She's one of the folks who made Weston a better place before she died, and she died DOING that job.  So that other people didn't have to be as afraid for their lives and livelihoods."  Clearly, she had always had respect for the superheroes of Weston, but had only just become what could BE one now.

Ozzy chuckled, "I was more worried about them than us. They're a bunch of normies shouting hateful things. We're a bunch of paras during some highly emotional times. Let's just say I'll need some help keeping my temper in check if they show up."

  She leaned around, and asked "Am I gonna have to make sure I have your leash well in hand, love?  Or should we hope Megs can snag us a nice long chain one early in the morning?"  She had both eyebrows arched, and clearly was not planning to let him get cranky on the idiots.

Ozzy grinned and said, "Just keep my leash in hand, love. I'll try not to get *too* angry. I'll do my best to not smash anyone, though I may do some shouting."

  She grinned, and kissed him, then said softly "Bargain then.  Shout back all you want, but no smashing unless they smash you or one of us first."  She had shifted to be delicately standing on his hand, trusting him all the while to hold her (to him miniscule) weight as she moved, her bare feet silky soft against his skin, and her claws delicately prickling without puncturing him.  He could have launched her like a falcon from a falconer's glove, if she wanted to take to the air, but she didn't want to do that, just look him in the eyes while she talked.  And kissed him.  {{You are still everything I will ever want, Ozzy.  You always will be.  Even with glow in the dark eyes!}}

"No problemo about the short notice, Ozzy," Jeff said, standing close to Candy.

Then it seemed the mood soured slightly with the announcement that Mirage had been killed.

"I just hope those anti-Para guys don't try anything stupid."

Fiona gave Meg an odd look when she just stayed seated, instead of going to everyone to pass the word around. "Um... do you want me to help spread the word?"

  Meg blinked, and said "Sorry, I forgot to explain.  MOST of us have mindworms.  Those who haven't got them will need to be told.  That would be Iris, and the adults, and maybe Rodger, if he's here.  The mindworms let us communicate at the speed of thought, and it's essentially telepathy.  Feels really bizarre to get one though."

Fiona blinked. "Wow. It's like a cellphone that you can never lose... is it always on, or can you turn it off when you don't want to be disturbed?"

  Meg smiled, and said "Well, we can choose not to answer, and we have to try to send with them, but other than that, it's really all sort of, well, automatic?"

"I mean, when you're in the middle of something that requires your entire concentration... can you choose to tune it out, so you don't get thrown off if someone starts, um, thinking at you?"

  Meg nodded, and said "Yeah, you can ignore mindworm messages, if you want."

"Alright then... just curious. I don't have to get one if I want to hang out here, do I?" Frankly, the thought of putting a creature into her brain gave Fiona the creeps.

  Meg chuckled, and said "They're not mandatory, not even all of the team has them."

"Good, good." Fiona nodded, looking somewhat relieved. "You do keep people updated if there's something important coming in on the Brainwave News Network, right?"

  Meg nodded, and said "Yes we do.  If you want a normal commset, you talk to Iris, she makes them for us.  She's sort of our own gadgeteer, in addition to being faster than a blue streak, and she leaves rainbow doppler trails."

Ozzy snarked, "Right, 'cause hategroups are known so well for their heightened senses of respect and self-preservation. Still, so long as none of them tries anything physical, I'll try not to smash any of them into gory smears."

{{And you're more than I ever dreamed of, love. I never imagined I'd be so lucky as to have someone like you.}}

  She smiled, and kissed him deeply as she said {{Well, Ozzy my love, I am ALL YOURS.  Legally, for ever and ever and ever yours.}}  She was adorable, perching there on his hand, and clearly wanted him to know she was totally his.  And she'd ALWAYS stand by his side.  Or on his shoulder if he preferred.

Ozzy kissed her back with a grin, wrapping his free arm around her as he let her stand on his hand. {{Good. Just the way I want it. MINE, and no one else's. Anyone who wants to say otherwise can talk to the fist.}}

  She grinned, and leaned in, wrapping her arms around his neck and smiling as she cuddled close.  Her wings arched up, then around, and cuddled around him, the soft, downy feathers on the insides tickly against his own.  He had his own little angel.

"Rainbow... what?" Fiona asked, once again sounding a bit confused. Once again, it was becoming clear how many things people around here treated as normal that she found rather bizarre. Even if she thought she was adjusting rather quickly - she still had her two fox tails, but was hardly noticing them anymore.