Tommy stalls, one foot on the floor of the second level while the other foot remains uplifted on the last step of the stairs. The keys jingle softly in his hands, but they soon fall into stillness when Tommy stops moving. The room is darkened, so the sheen across the metallic surface of the keys is extremely noticeable. It draws the attention of the person blatantly sitting on Tommy's desk, their feet positioned in the seat of his rolling chair. They are hunched over Tommy's radio, fiddling with the knobs. They stop messing with it, leaving the radio to fill the silence with a static-covered country song Tommy doesn't know the name or lyrics of.

Tommy has been absent from the super-powered for a little over a week. No one has interacted with him over that interim except for Wilbur, and he doesn't technically count since it was Tommy's powers that forged their relationship (not friendship. They weren't friends). Tommy has heard news over the radio about the Syndicate, of course, but he hasn't gotten any house calls from any of their members. He hasn't heard anything about Salamander, not in person or the radio, and Tommy doubts the vigilante will get over himself to purchase a suit from Tommy.

Shadow Girl's appearance in his room is strange. It isn't alarming, no, Tommy is far too used to random villains appearing in the tailor shop. But strange definitely covers it. Shadow Girl has turned off all the lights, though she left the curtains open for natural light to pool into the room. She is sitting on his desk, her back to the lamp light. She fidgets where she sits, and Tommy's powers rise to the surface. Someone around him is in pain. Tommy understands what she's doing. She is purposefully putting herself in the light to dampen her abilities. It's a tactic to put Tommy at ease. It, unfortunately, does make Tommy feel slightly better. It evens the playing field, at least until Shadow Girl slides into the darkness of the room.

"I can't believe you made Nemesis' costume before mine," Shadow Girl tells him. She sets his radio back on the windowsill, and he hears a low hiss coming from her mouth. Tommy closes his eyes, forcibly pushing down his powers. If Shadow Girl wants to harm herself to help Tommy, she can do exactly that with no sympathy from him. He didn't ask her to come here.

And even if he did feel a little sympathy, it disappears as soon as that damned name comes from her mouth. Tommy feels his stomach drop. Bile climbs up his throat like a thousand spiders scurrying under a flashlight. Nemesis is the name Nymph chose for herself when she transitioned from a vigilante to a villain. While no one has confirmed that Nymph and Nemesis are the same person, Tommy's favorite radio host- the one who frequently talks about the super-power and political scenes- is sold on the theory that the two of them are the same. Tommy is half-tempted to call in the show to confirm the truth, but that would require him to actually say the truth out loud. Tommy wants to vomit at the thought of it, so saying it with his own mouth is not possible.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Tommy asks Shadow Girl, sizing her up. It would be easy to dismiss her since she's Phantasm's henchmen, a mere sidekick to one of the greats. Tommy cannot easily do that. Her powers alone give Tommy pause, making him want to flee in the opposite direction as quickly as possible. Her mastery with her powers is almost unrivaled. There is barely a hero or villain that outmatches her in sheer control. Shadow Girl could make Tommy's life a living nightmare, and Tommy rather likes existing in his unpleasant waking world.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Shadow Girl says with a soft giggle. She leans forward, putting her elbow on her bent knee. She is facing Tommy, but he cannot see her face in the darkness and the shadows that curl around her body naturally. "I want a new suit!"

"I'm not making suits anymore," Tommy rolls his eyes. He really should have known that's what she would be here for. He should think about making a sign for any future villains or vigilantes that come his way. The only person he's going to make a suit for if they ask is Salamander, but only because Tommy already offered. He isn't going to do it with anyone else, not even Shadow Girl.

"I'll pay," Shadow Girl chirps as if that is the problem.

"No means no," Tommy reiterates, narrowing his eyes at Shadow Girl. His disrespectful nature is going to get him killed one of these days.

"I guess it can't be helped," Shadow Girl sighs. She reaches for the radio behind her again. She places it in her lap. She starts fiddling with the edges. The shadows that usually coil around her hands flow away from her. They race across the radio. The pristine glow of the radio is covered up by the shadows.

Tommy has the strongest urge to fight her. She's messing with his stuff, contaminating it with her shadows. She is sitting on his desk, putting her feet in his chair. She's here to ask for a suit, completely forgetting that Tommy is angry at the organization she works for. Shadow Girl is the epitome of everything Tommy both fears and hates...

But Shadow Girl is nice despite her control over darkness. Even if she wasn't, Tommy isn't going to take his frustrations out on someone who doesn't deserve it. Tommy isn't even that angry with Shadow Girl. He's angry with Nymph- Nemesis- and without the source of his frustrations to vent to, Tommy is finding things in his life intolerable when he was able to pass through them without aggravation normally. Shadow Girl cannot help the actions of her organization or their new members. Shadow Girl had no reason to refuse the vigilante, and Tommy doubts she even had the internal power to do so, either.

"How are you?" Shadow Girl asks, lifting her eyes up from the radio. The shadows whip across her face, and Tommy swears he can see her eyes glowing deep within the onyx color. Tommy shakes his head. He is going to go insane if he continues staring into the abyss.

"Why would you want to know the answer to that?" Tommy asks. Since his desk and chair have been commandeered by the supervillain, Tommy resorts to sitting on a box filled with costumes that will be sent out to a local theater in a few days. Tommy knows that because he was the one that made most of the costumes and packaged them all up once he and the other tailors were finished.

"I care about your general wellbeing, but I will admit that it's Phantasm that cares about the answer. I couldn't tell you why, but he's taken a special interest in you. I'm not sure if it's because your intrigue him or he just really likes his new suit that much, but he's taken measures to ensure that he's one of the first people to know if you get captured or killed," Shadow Girl informs Tommy loosely, looking back down at her radio to avoid the eye contact Tommy literally cannot make with her because of her thick aura.

Tommy sucks in a tight breath. He looks down at his hands. Logically, he knows that Phantasm only cares because Tommy is a valuable healer. Phantasm cares because Tommy knows a couple of facts about Phantasm like who he contracted with, how he met Nemesis, and the weakness of his costume. These are all logical reasons why someone as powerful and influential as Phantasm would care about someone as weak and insignificant as Tommy.

His heart- the traitor- reminds Tommy of the expression Phantasm wore in the Hunter's submarine, or how Phantasm put his arm around Tommy's shoulders to help him calm down. It reminds him of the second before Phantasm left him the first time, with Phantasm's hand on Tommy's cheek. These unnaturally warm moments that make Tommy's heart fizzle with loneliness and temporary affection. Phantasm, his heart stubbornly whispers, must care about Tommy. It's bullshit, as is much of what his heart tells him, but the impertinent organ knows how to tether illogical thoughts in his brain until he tears himself up with contemplation.

"I'm fine," Tommy bites out, hoping his voice doesn't sound nearly as emotional as he feels. He hopes he doesn't sound as dishonest as he is.

"Do you feel betrayed?" Shadow Girl asks without a single sentence to soften the blow of the intrusive question. Tommy hesitates to answer, not because he doesn't know the answer but because he needs the weight of his expression to settle on Shadow Girl's shoulders. He doesn't know if it does, but the shadows around her body flicker faster like a burning flame. Tommy refuses to pay attention to Shadow Girl's tells because they won't be necessary after this exchange.

"No, I don't. I don't because that requires me to give a fuck about Nemesis, which I don't. She was a vigilante I was settling the score with. We weren't fucking friends," Tommy hisses. He looks down at his closed fists. He takes a heavy breath. He ignores the memories of hanging with Nymph. He ignores the memory of laughing beside her. He ignores the memory of her holding his hand on the rocking boat. He ignores them all. Those precious moments do not make a friendship. They make a fleeting connection like a spark in the wind. Tommy was stupid to think he could have any semblance of a healthy relationship with a vigilante, and he was even more foolish for thinking that he could trust anyone with superpowers. Every person with a power is out for themselves. Tommy is included in that statistic, despite his power's limitations of only being applicable to other people.

"I think you can be betrayed by people who aren't your friends. Bosses, family, strangers... You don't even need to trust the person, just trust that they will or won't do something," Shadow Girl explains. Tommy eyes her. Tommy is somewhat reminded of his theory about how powers came to be, but only because he starts to ask himself why Shadow Girl became a villain. Why did she start working for the Syndicate instead of being a solo act or joining a different villain group? What happened in her past that drove her to this point?

"I don't want to have this fucking talk with you," Tommy sneers when he remembers that he's talking about betrayal to a supervillain. One who would sell Tommy out to save herself or her allies. Tommy hopes Phantasm didn't tell Shadow Girl about Tommy's powers.

"That's fair," Shadow Girl nods, laughing sheepishly. She starts turning the radio over in her hands instead of messing with the individual pieces. She rolls her shoulders as she sits up from her hunched position. Tommy doesn't know where she's looking, but it seems like she's facing the ceiling above them. "I just don't want you to bottle up your feelings. It's unhealthy, is what I mean."

"This entire situation is so fucking stupid. You're as much a part of the Syndicate as Nemesis is!" Tommy tells Shadow Girl, waving his hand around to put emphasis on his words. Phantasm is a part of the Syndicate, too, and Tommy doesn't feel any more ill will towards him than what is natural between a civilian and a villain. No, it's with Nemesis specifically, and Tommy has a million different reasons why but none of them feel all that justifiable. Is it because Phantasm and Shadow Girl were already part of the Syndicate when Tommy met them? Is it because Tommy feels like he's the one that led Nymph to the Syndicate's front door? Is it because yet another villain knows his secret? Tommy isn't sure. All of these reasons feel true to Tommy, but they are part of the greater reason. If he has one. Tommy's mind is filled with contradictions and extremes, and all of this is making him dizzy with negativity and confusion.

"I get it," Shadow Girl answers, and her voice makes it sound like she really does understand what Tommy is trying to convey without being able to. While he can't be sure, Tommy feels like Shadow Girl is looking at him- actually looking at him. "The Syndicate are villains. While our goal is just, our means are... unsavory."

Tommy makes an aggravated noise, slamming his feet against the ground. A loud boom rattles the room as Tommy rises to his feet. Shadow Girl flinches back, and Tommy glares at what he hopes is her face. "This isn't about that! This about-"

Tommy cuts himself off with another groan. He doesn't know what any of this is about. He just knows that he never should have gotten himself involved with anyone from the superpowered world. It wasn't his place to interfere with a system that has nothing to do with him. He should have left Phantasm to bleed. He should have left Nymph to freeze to death. It would be much better for him to commit to his act of ignorance and avoidance.

Tommy sits back down. He sighs into his hands. But he is part of this world now. He healed both Phantasm and Nymph, and even though he acknowledges that this life would have been better if he hadn't, he knows that he would heal them both in a heartbeat. He doesn't regret the few good memories he has with them even though it makes his heart hurt. He doesn't know why he's upset over Nemesis switching sides, but he isn't going to search the depths of his mind for the answer if it doesn't present itself to him first.

"I'm sorry, Tommy. I didn't mean to upset you. But if you are angry, you can yell at me. I won't take offense no matter what you say. I know that sometimes it's easier to just yell a little. When you're done, maybe we can figure out why you feel the way you do about Nemesis," Shadow Girl inputs. Tommy looks up from his hands. Shadow Girl is kneeling a few feet away from him. Her hand is outstretched. Tommy would need to lean forward a little more to touch her hand. She's close enough to provide comfort without startling him. The light is still on her back, and the closer proximity urges Tommy's powers to the edges of his skin. He feels like an electrical storm is brewing inside his body, but he ignores it in favor of standing up. Shadow Girl's head tilts up, but she doesn't rise to her feet.

"I'm making you a suit," Tommy tells her with conviction in his tone. He balls his hands into fists. He stares at Shadow Girl as if daring her to challenge his decisions, but he's actually trying to peer through her shadowy aura to figure out what sort of costume would suit her best. He obviously needs dark materials that will help her blend in.

"Wait, Tommy, you don't need to do that if you don't want to," Shadow Girl shakes her head. She pushes her hand against her knee to help her stand up. She is shorter than Tommy, he thinks, but the aura around her really makes it difficult to discern much. Damn, she probably doesn't even need a secret charm... unless the secret charm somehow amplifies her powers, or at least coaxes them into her aura instead of trying to subtly manipulate other people's minds. It would be easier to use a person's pre-existing abilities instead of influencing the mind, after all.

"I'm making you a fucking suit, but you are going to pay me the exact amount Phantasm did, you're going to get me all the materials I will need- whatever they may be, and you have to save me if I'm ever taken," Tommy sets the terms of his deal. He's stuck in this world now whether he likes it or not. He might as well exchange this one favor. After Shadow Girl (and maybe Salamander), Tommy will call it quits. After.

"Deal," Shadow Girl agrees, and the breathiness in her voice sounds like joy. Tommy ignores the way her happiness makes him feel in favor of sitting at his desk. He brings out the sketchbook Phantasm gave him that has Nemesis' outfit in it. Tommy has hidden it in the bottom drawer of his desk, but he'll probably need to put it in a more secure place from here on out.

Shadow Girl leans over the back of Tommy's chair as he starts sketching. He starts with a sleeveless, fitted black top that continues into a pair of shorts. He adds a Netherite armor piece underneath her breasts that extends down her hips. There he places a belt over the pseudo-overalls Tommy put Shadow Girl in. A pair of gray leggings stretch underneath knee pads and Netherite booties that should be cushioned along the bottom to muffle footsteps. Tommy adds this gray coloring to Shadow Girl's arms. He designs curling shadows over the gray, darkening parts of it to make what resembles vines to Tommy. Since he likes that on the arms, he adds it to the leggings. Tommy covers the entire ensemble with a cloak and hood, making quick work a simple mask on her face. Or, he wants to make the mask simple. He ends up making it look wolf-like with some intricate detailing.

When Tommy is finished with the suit itself, he writes a list of materials he needs on a scrap of torn paper. He places it in Shadow Girl's hand. Her skin is surprisingly warm and solid. With how close they are, Tommy feels like he can see her smile in the darkness of her expression. She takes a step away from Tommy. She continues stepping away until she's completely out of the light. In the corner of the room, where very little light touches, Tommy hears, "Thank you!"

The next second, Tommy can no longer feel a heartbeat pressing against the back of his fingertips.