Loose Ends and Open Doors

Starlight watched as Gale methodically took control of the situation, keeping her eyes down, never meeting hers. That was fine. Starlight wasn’t in the mood for a heart-to-heart anyway.

She leaned against the bar, arms crossed, watching as Gale cleaned the drunk up, secured her to the chair, and went through the motions of dealing with a situation she clearly wanted no part of.

Cate, meanwhile, was already halfway tuned out.

This was not her problem.

Her problem had been Gale nearly losing her mind and electrocuting the entire building. That? Handled.

This?

This was just sad.

Then the handcuffs hit the floor.

Cate lifted an eyebrow.

“Geez, what kind of kinky shit is this woman into?” Gale muttered, securing Timberly to the chair.

Cate let out a quiet, sharp exhale. “Don’t ask questions you don’t want answers to.”

Gale didn’t respond—probably too busy dealing with the growing horror of realizing she was covered in piss.

Cate and Starlight both watched in silence as Gale proceeded to go through a full existential crisis while stripping off her socks, ditching her shoes, and finally cutting the bottom half of her pants off.

Cate turned slightly to Starlight.

“Are we just letting this play out?”

Starlight didn’t even blink. “I’ve been doing this too long to step in now.”

A few seconds later, the bartender and the bouncer noped out of the situation completely, leaving the three of them alone.

Starlight sighed. Cate just smirked.

Then—Gale turned.

“So um… what would you like to um… drink?”

Cate blinked.

Starlight just… stared.

Gale’s voice was shaky, her nerves barely held together, and that alone made Cate bite back a laugh.

She tilted her head, giving Gale an incredulous once-over.

“Are you offering us a drink?” Cate’s lips twitched. “Because last I checked, we weren’t the ones who just got pissed on.”

Starlight sighed, rubbing her temple. “Jesus Christ, Cate.”

Cate just shrugged, reaching for a chair and sitting down. “I mean, if you’re buying…”

Starlight exhaled slowly, then turned to Gale. “Whiskey. No ice.”

Cate smirked, resting her chin in her palm. “Same for me. But make mine expensive.”

Because if she was going to deal with this mess any longer, she was at least going to enjoy herself.

Assuming Gale followed through with the drinks, the silence wouldn’t last long.

Cate took the first sip, rolling the whiskey across her tongue before swirling her drink, watching the amber liquid catch the light.

Then she glanced at Gale, half-lidded, knowing, unbothered.

“So,” Cate said, casual, lazy, but laced with something sharper. “Tell me something.” She set the glass down with a soft clink.

“You clearly hate Supes. You just spent the last five minutes ranting about how we’re all abominations, how we need to be wiped out.”

Cate’s gaze lifted, locking onto Gale’s.

“But you’re sitting here, drinking with two of us.”

Her lips curled.

“Which means either you’re a massive hypocrite…” She tapped her fingers against her glass. “Or you’re starting to realize that maybe—just maybe—you’re not as different as you want to be.”

The weight of her words hung between them, an open door, an invitation—or a provocation.

Either way, Gale had something to answer for.