Kayden was beginning to get a bit nervous.

Normally, she didn't come out at night in her Cape persona. For one, her powers were weaker at night, but more importantly her power did not lend itself to stealth even during the day; at night there was no chance at all of going unnoticed, at least if she went anywhere outdoors and public. Even here on the roof of an office building she felt exposed. It was bitingly cold out, and even with her sweater and coat she would've been shivering if not for the warm glow of her power; The ice-cold steel of the ductwork she was sitting on probably didn't help either, but she'd been on her feet all day at work and couldn't risk the intensity it would take to hover in place like she usually did.

There were really only a few tall buildings in downtown Brockton Bay, and on a Friday they were as dark as tombstones. Most of them were distant enough that if anyone did see her they'd just assume she was a light-fixture or something. At least, that's what she'd been telling herself for the twenty minutes she'd been up here.

Where the hell was he?

Her relationship with Rorschach was... strange. Granted, every other cape she'd ever worked with had been in the Empire, so she didn't have much to compare to, but she couldn't help but feel a little unsettled by the masked hero. Oh, she was glad to finally have met another hero willing to work with her - even if he was a new trigger - but there was just something off about the man. Maybe it was his voice, or the way he talked. Maybe it was how violent he was; the night she'd met him had supposedly been his first night as a cape, and he'd been in the midst or beating five ABB street toughs unconscious.

She'd worked with plenty of violent men before - she was certainly capable of violence herself - but there was something... familiar in the energy he'd displayed attacking them. Hookwolf was like that, a kind of manic glee to be in amongst the fray. She'd yet to see his face, but Rorschach reminded her of that, just a bit. She could still remember the crackling of bone from that night.

When she recognized the crunching of ice and gravel as footsteps she shot up from her improvised seat in shock. There he was, stepping now into the dim light cast off by her power. Well, that settled it; he could teleport. There was only one set of stairs that led onto this roof, and it was in the opposite direction that Rorschach was coming from. She'd been wondering about that, and this relationship was too new to risk with nosy questions like that.

"Purity," He said in greeting, voice rough and deep like always, "you're looking nice."

For a moment she just stared at him in confusion at the compliment. What did he...

Oh crap!

Her power flared with the speed of though, putting the duct-work behind her into sharp relief as a second sun bloomed on the roof of Graine Technologies Inc. Rorschach didn't so much as flinch. She immediately began adjusting it to the point where she knew he couldn't see her face through the glow. Dammit, he'd seen her face! How could she be so reckless?! Scenarios immediately began running through her mind; she'd have to ensure his silence. Threaten him maybe? She might have to-

"Purity, I play by the rules. You have nothing to worry about." He said, interpreting her reaction.

She considered his words, gauging the truthfulness of them. Rorschach had been honest with her for the two weeks they'd been collaborating, but could she take the risk? She had to protect Aster.

"You will tell no one, swear it now." She demanded, saying it in such a way that 'or else' was implied; not everything she'd gotten from Max had been poisoned.

Rorschach dipped his head in obeisance, the shadow from the brim of his hat gliding over his mask like a wave coming to shore. "I swear it. I don't break faith with allies."

Well, OK. That was good to hear. Her thundering heart started to slow down, and she took care to reduce the glare from her power just a tad, conscious that she may have just given away their position. They'd need to make this quick.

"Was there anything at the warehouse?" She demanded, mentally flinching when her tone came out more combative than she intended.

Rorschach rolled his shoulders easily, apparently not offended by her tone, both hands stuffed into his pockets like always. "No," He finally answered, "couple of thugs, looks like they moved them a few days ago."

Damn, she'd been too slow. She'd only found out about that warehouse three nights ago, after a raid on a drug den in the ghetto. She hadn't pulled the info from anyone directly affiliated with the ABB, just some lowlife with five coats and track marks on the tops of his hands. Was the ABB always so quick on the uptake, or had it just been bad luck?

"Not your fault," Rorschach said, again interpreting her mood. "Might have picked up a lead; have to investigate further."

She tensed as he slowly pulled one of his hands from his pockets, carefully pinching a cellphone between index finger and thumb. He crouched down to set it on the ice-crusted gravel of the rooftop, backing away as soon as he had done so.

"Contact you when I find something, drop point is still the same."

Without waiting for a response he turned and walked back the way he'd come, which was the far end of the rooftop with no way down. For a moment she considered waiting around to see if he really could teleport, but when she stood back up from retrieving the burner he was already gone.

The cellphone felt light and cheap in her hands. She considered crushing it, then shook her head and dismissed the notion. If she ever decided she really needed to deal with Rorschach she'd need a way to set up a meeting.

For a moment she just stared off into thin air, still not happy about him seeing her face. Maybe he hadn't seen too much? And for only a second too, so he'd probably forget.

For now, she just wanted to get home to her baby girl.