But she just couldn't pardon them all, whatever their excuses were. It was particularly difficult to forgive them their trespasses when they were trespassing -- literally -- all over her.

"This is insanity!" Tegwen cried, clinging to Bushroot as if he were a flotation device. "People are rude, mean and grabby -- tearing at one another, tooth and claw!"

"Look who's talking," replied Bushroot, though not doing a thing to detach her from his arm.

Tegwen looked at him, both eyebrows raised. "Look who's talking about talking!"

"Now you're just not making any sense."

Suddenly Tegwen was practically ripped from Bushroot's arm as some careless, self-absorbed shopper walked right into her and kept going; no insincere apology, not even a batted eyelash. Instinctively, Tegwen went to pick a fight -- or get an apology, in the unlikely event -- but a cool leafy hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Tegwen, it's not worth it -- "

She glared at him but he could feel her muscles relax. "Oh, come on! You're a supervillain! If it happened to you -- "

"If it happened to me, I . . ." Bushroot paused, then his gaze dropped to the floor. "I would have let her walk right over me. That's the type person I am."

" . . . What?"

"Look, I've never really been the 'terrifying scourge of the city' sort. Well, outside of frightening people due to my appearance," Bushroot chuckled. "Except at Christmas time, when it seems everyone is too preoccupied to notice a mutant plant-duck among their ranks. Now the rest of the Fearsome Five, they're the types who would take out their aggression on an innocent -- if not rude -- person. But you're better than that, right?"

Tegwen opened her bill to respond, when a third voice joined their conversation. "That's a sweet little story you had there, Bushy! But if I remember, you did murder a couple of scientists just because they made fun of you, didn't you?"

"Megavolt!" Tegwen blurted. This intrusion made for his sixth interruption since she'd left the coffee shop, and her patience with him was growing thin. "For the last time, I told you Bushroot and I were going shopping alone! As in, without you."

"What, and let ol' Reggie here have all the fun?" Megavolt slipped an arm around Bushroot's neck, rustling the purple petals that adorned his head with his free hand and sending a little poof of pollen into the air. It would be a bonus if he gave someone's allergies a little flare up. "Oh, and I hate to break it to you, Bushroot, but Teggers here is as vicious as they come. She's going to take out all of St. Canard. Told me herself. Right Tegwen?"

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