You send Snowflake away and concoct a fake hero to watch Bella Donna (surely they'll be trustworthy?)

For the moment, you decide, you cannot afford to be at odds with ALL of the (uncaptured) members of your team. So you have decided that you will use a clumsy historical metaphor, and consider Snowflake the 'Stalin' to Red Balloon's Hitler: an utterly distasteful yet indispensable ally against a greater evil. So you should show her some degree of kindness.

Not that she makes it easy. While you're on your way to drop off boiler-plate appeals against the name-related legal challenges with Collatrix, the super-powered file clerk (who is currently in a smug mood and taking every chance to pat herself on the back for insisting that the League find room in its budget for bomb-proof filing cabinets), Snowflake manages to pick a fight with "Mr. E", another political crank hero, when she overheard him referring to the mobs looting storefronts and vandalizing superhero-related businesses as 'scum that need to be put down'.

The hero she's shouting at only has a white trenchcoat and an expressionless metallic mask for his costume. He has no powers and only goes after minor street-level hoods, but like Snowflake, never passes up an opportunity to pontificate at length about morality. Snowflake is screaming at him that he's a bigoted troglodyte and that the only reason those people are running rampant over the city is because they've been so historically disadvantaged and due to police brutality.

"Snowflake... I'm pretty sure those are just supervillain fans," you try to say, but she ignores you. Red Balloon screws her face up (she does that a lot) and peers at you. "Supervillain fans? What ARE you talking about?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. Jeez, wasn't your dad a villain or something? Why do you think villains put on costumes and wear trademarks? Polls say that about 15 to 20 percent of the population sides with them. People with dead-end jobs, people who're jealous, frustrated, or just nihilistic. That's why they never have a hard time finding henchmen no matter how badly they treat them. Pfft... this is why heroines should get a proper undergraduate education about superhuman history before jumping into an organization like this."

Snowflake keeps raising her voice higher and higher, making a scene. Not only that but she is physically getting in Mr. E's face... grabbing him by his shoulders and pushing her shapely breasts up against his chest. To his credit, he seems completely unfazed, and doesn't try to use **** against her; either he's some kind of anachronistic gentleman, or just saw Snowflake's 'snowperson' golems in action on the news and realizes she could easily kick his ass.

"Hey, time out for a second." you mute them both. "Now that I have time let me just say this: Snowflake. You have proven yourself to be a very capable heroi..." you catch yourself before you say 'heroine'. "-heroic individual. But I don't want you to overheat and melt." The tall, white haired 'nonbinary' raises an eyebrow and looks frustrated that you interrupted.

"That is to say, you took quite a beating today and did the heaviest lifting with your powers. I can tell using them like that is tiring. You need some rest and relaxation, at least until the early morning hours when the real villains come out. Besides... aren't you still a college student? You don't want to fall too behind, if only to safeguard your identity."

Snowflake blinks at you and looks a little sheepish. "Well... yeah, I am in college, for another year or so at least. How did you know that?"

With heroic effort, you keep almost all trace of sarcasm out of your voice. "Oh, just a lucky guess, I suppose. Now, off you go. Keep your communicator on." As Snowflake nods and starts walking away, Mr. E begins following after her. "Where do you think you're going?" he walks briskly after her. "I'm not going to stand idly by while a person who sympathizes with objectively evil actions claims to represent an institution of justice. I need to see that you have understood the self-evident facts I'm presenting you with or I'll have to take this to the highest..."

"I know we're not done! I can walk and argue at the same time! Come on!" She grabs his arm to pull him after her. As they go, he keeps brushing off her grasp and putting his finger in her face, and she keeps finding excuses to 'angrily' push, grab, and bump up against him. You can't help but crack a smile. Knowing that guy, he's way too dense to realize that this is Snowflake's way of being flirtatious, and that this is his chance to stop being such an angry virgin. Well. whatever. Whether it stays as a shouting match or ends up in the bedsheets, it'll distract her from fretting over Griffinwhatever and keep her from causing YOU problems.

You look over your shoulder. Both Red Balloon and the supervillainess being led around in handcuffs are glowering at you. It is a credit to Bella Donna's intelligence that she quickly figured out that you were muting her speech for everyone but her, and she is settling for staring daggers at you instead. Considering that she relies on gadgets for her villainy (and a costume that shows as much skin as hers leaves VERY little room to conceal weapons), you aren't so worried about her - other things are weighing more heavily in your mind, things that need to be addressed immediately. "Balloon, I'm going to go get us a ringer. Wait here."

Your efforts to find another hero to take custody off your hands proves very difficult. At first you'd assumed that low-ranked guy heroes would be easy marks when you pointed out Bella Donna to them from a distance. She is certainly easy on the eyes in that outfit. However, that seems to be exactly the problem; a lot of these guys may be prone to thinking with their dicks, but at least they were self-aware of it, and tactfully refused to put themselves in a position where they might get vamped on in such a dangerous situation. And every lost minute is costing you.

But then, you see a familiar face from your ignominious time working as an NCP security guard after you lost the Nightingale title. A humble custodian NCP by the name of Andrew. In contrast to virtually all of your other male co-workers, he'd been a perfect gentleman and never harassed or hit on you in the slightest, yet always went out of his way to do nice things for you and the other guards... bringing coffee, offering rides to those whose cars were in the shop, and so on. A hard, thankless and overlooked job, and far from a safe one, in a place like this. It was enough that, in the brief time that you'd known him, you hadn't the heart to tell him that his ambitions of becoming a hero himself were hopeless for a multitude of reasons (having a lame power, being almost 40, lack of a strong jawline) when he showed you his tacky homemade costume. He smiles, nods and gives you a thumbs-up as usual.

...well. Isn't Maiden America fond of saying that the average American working hard every day and fulfilling his or her civic duty is 'the real hero?' "Hello there Mr. Dembski. I know you're working really hard what with this bomb disaster and all..."

"Nah, nah, the extra help you heroes have brought in is making quick work of it. We'll have the old HQ ship-shape in no time." he says with a nod.

"Oooooh," you say, smiling and grabbing his hand. "That's perfect then, because I need your help with a special favor..." you lower your voice to a whisper only he can hear. "Do you think you can get your 'Ajax the Great' costume? I think he's needed...."