"Going to fangirl some more at your idol?" Tattletale's teasing remark jolted Starburst out of musings, causing her to quickly snap her eyes to the smirking teen.
"No!" Starburst unsucessfully fought down her rising blush as she sputtered her denials. "I was kind of wondering about something." She started, with a quick glance at Alexandria who was discussing something with Armsmaster on the other side of the observation room.
At Tattletale's questioning look, Starburst continued. "Alexandria's eye. I've always wondered why it didn't heal." she gestured lightly, indicating on her face the place where one of Alexandria's eye was gouged out. It was difficult to see the signs, but a part of Starburst had noticed the scarring on one of the Alexandria's facial cheeks under the visor plate when they had talked and faced near each other earlier (Alexandria was taller than her, so she had glimpsed a little under the fore-mentioned visor plate.). That same part of Starburst also noticed how Alexandria's observed body language and reactions was subtly favoring one side of her vision of view. All that combined with a half-remembered news article about the Triumvirate's battle (Alexandria, Eidolon, Legend and Hero were referred as the Protectorate at that time.) against the Siberian clued Starburst in on the still present injury on Alexandria.
Tattletale glanced at the fore-mentioned heroine and shrugged. "Kind of the same thing that's fucking over our patient here. Her powers."
Starburst blinked at the response. "Her powers? Alexandria's powers were working wrong?"
Tattletale turned her body to face Starburst, putting down the reports on a conveniently nearby table. "No. No. Noelle's power is working wrong. Alexandria's was working right, up to a point." She answered, with a slight smugly tone. "Her brute powers basically made her mostly invulnerable, but also biologically 'stuck' at her prime, which is why her body hardly changes despite a few decades as a top-tier active cape. She still eats and breaths and heals normally, but time-wise she's still the same as she was twenty years ago."
Tattletale took a breath. "But, those same Brute powers means stuff like Panacea's powers can't affect her. So, if she got hit with something big enough to overwhelm her invulnerability and injure her, like when the Siberian of the Slaughterhouse Nine did, she's shit out of luck in regards to parahuman healing. Her own power blocks her from it, else someone like Panacea would have gotten it fixed years ago."
Tattletale now gestures towards Noelle through the observation window, where Starburst could see Panacea holding Noelle's hand and Glory Girl hovering protectively nearby her sister. "Noelle here, on the other hand, her own power fucks her body up in a different way that Panacea can't help, at least permanently." She picks up the report again. "Even if we take the easy way and have Panacea cut away the monster flesh and regrow Noelle a new pair of working legs, Noelle's power would regenerate the monster parts quickly and we'll be right where we started. And even if she can affect the brain, Noelle's Corona Pollentia and Gemma were like a censored out black box to Panacea." She continued in a slightly frustrated tone. Tattletale had spent a bit time interrogating the prickly healer regarding what her powers had perceived. The repeated vague answers regarding the Corolla Potentia and Genma feeling to Panacea's power as 'malformed' and 'missing pieces' weren't helpful (though at least Forecast can confirm the prognosis.).
Starburst's brow furrowed. "So, if we want to fix Noelle, we'll have to 'patch' her powers somehow?"
Tattletale nodded. "Either that or remove her powers entirely. No guarantee that Noelle won't stay like this even if her powers are whole and working right. Case 53s do exist, after all." she pointed out, referring to the amnesic 'Monster Capes' like Weld of the Boston Wards.
Starburst frowned as she thinks furiously. Maybe she can ask for a healing power that works with powers...
Tattletale looked at Starburst. "Look, if we want to give it a shot, I think we have to ask your power for something." she agreed. "But, we have to be clear what we're asking for. Otherwise, like you told me before, we'll waste your time and have your power come up with something nonsensical, like that power that lets you walk on clouds."
Starburst hummed. "Maybe we'd better start brainstorming on paper on what the power request will be." Luckily, she just had nothing 'in queue' right now and the 'anti-pyrokinetic' field variant matrix was already given to Armsmaster.
Tattletale nodded. "I'll get Panacea and Forecast in here. Their input on this souped up healing power that could patch up, works with and/or bypass around powers could be useful." She paused as something just occurred to her. "Maybe run the final request by the grown-ups, just in case."
**************************
Starburst sighed in relief as she felt the familiar mental rummaging. "Yes! It started working!" she said to the expectant faces of Tattletale and Forecast. Panacea and Glory Girl had wandered away from the group.
Tattletale sagged in relief. "Oh, good. After what you said on your limitations, I was worried." she admitted. "With luck, we'll get something that will help Noelle in the way we hope it will." A thoughtful look came over her. "Depending on what you get, you might be able to help out Case 53s that are more... physically disadvantaged with this power."
Forecast beamed. "89.65% the power will be ready in no more than three days!" she chimed in.
Starburst smiled at that. Using Forecast's power at least took out some of the guesswork involved in Starburst's Trump power, including how long it'll take to 'make' a new one. "Good. At least we-"
[QUEEN ADMINISTRATOR: INVOKING ADMINISTRATOR PRIVILEGES: DATA REQUESTED!]
"-don't have to wait forever...?" she started, before trailing off uncertainly at Tattletale's sudden perplexed look at her. No, it wasn't at her, but behind her....
Puzzled, Starburst turned around to see what has Tattletale's attention. They had moved to a far corner of the room before making the verbal request. She didn't see anything peculiar that would warrant Tattletale's reaction. Near the observation window, Alexandria was talking to Armsmaster while rubbing her temples in irritation. Through the window, Starburst can see Noelle cradling her head and hear Paige McAbee's singing that had started being piped in through the cell room's voicepipe (from what she heard, Paige's power doesn't work through electronics).
Her brow furrowed in confusion, Starburst turned back to Tattletale. "What's wrong?" she asked a still staring Tattletale.
Tattletale blinked and shook herself out of her minor trance. "Do you feel- No, nothing. I'm fine. It's nothing." she reassured Starburst.
Starburst skeptically looked at the ex-villainness for a moment before mentally shrugging off her thoughts. Maybe it is nothing.