The metal of the knight’s boots clinked across the rooftops for a few steps, but as Jacqueline released her esper form, the sound changed to a light clicking sound. She was now a relatively unassuming business woman, suit and low-heeled shoes replacing her armor. Even though she felt physically much better, she always felt strange about changing forms after going through the wringer in her esper state. It was deeply mind-fuckery to [i]know[/i] she’d been injured in all those various ways, sometimes even feel the phantom pain of it, yet be perfectly fine as far as her body was concerned. But Mika had only ever met her like this, and there was no point in prolonging the change besides. Jacqueline slowly walked closer to the kneeling child. [color=a95c68][i]Again?[/i][/color] she wondered, but didn’t ask. Instead, she just quietly said, [color=a95c68]“Hey.”[/color] She stopped to stand by Mika’s side, and gazed at Su’s remains. They hadn’t known each other for long, but Jacqueline still felt melancholy about her death. It was…a terrible shame. As careful as Jacqueline was, Mika was startled by her voice. She was eyeing her mother’s remains. There wasn’t much left. The cars tshe had been smashed between melded together. All that remained of Su was an arm that stuck out of the wreck. Her fingers curled around Su’s hand. It was covered in crimson, but so was everyone else at this point. Not Jacqueline, as she had just reverted back to her normal form. Mika opened her other hand, and a cloud of spectral fireflies lit up the area. [color=tomato]“Jack-oh-line?”[/color] Her lower lip quivered. The agent looked down at the child. [color=a95c68]“Yes,”[/color] she answered, meeting the girl’s eyes, solemn expression in place. Then she glanced at Su’s arm. [color=a95c68]“Can you get that out or do you need help?”[/color] she asked. The question caused Mika to freeze in place. [color=tomato]“Get…[i]That[/i] out?”[/color] she looked back at the arm she was holding onto. Few people would refer to their mother as “that,” but she figured out what was being asked of her. Mika coiled her fingers around her mother’s elbow and pulled. [color=tomato]“Is this going to hurt her? She feels stuck.”[/color] Though once Mika had spoken, the arm popped free. It still had the sleeve of her uniform on it. It was still in one piece. A miracle, considering what happened. Once the arm was carefully extracted, Jacqueline stripped her suit’s jacket, and put the clothing item on the ground. [color=a95c68]“Let’s wrap it up for now,”[/color] she suggested. If she heard Jacqueline, she didn’t make any attempt to acknowledge her. She stood there, eyeing the stump where the rest of her mother should have been. There was no expression on her face. Just the dry tears on her cheeks and eyes that had lost their luster. Mentally sighing, Jacqueline picked herself up from her crouch, leaving the jacket on the floor. She looked at Mika, really taking her in. Cautiously, like approaching a spooked animal - even though this, a traumatized child, was so much worse - she extended her arms, then put her hands on the child’s shoulders. [color=a95c68]“Mika,”[/color] she called out to her, squeezing her shoulders once. [color=a95c68]“Are you still with me?”[/color] With a squeak, Mika’s eyes returned to Jacqueline. [color=tomato]“Uh-”[/color] With soft but insistent pressure, Jacqueline led Mika where she wanted, coaxing her to put the body piece on the discarded garment. The agent gently urged the girl, taking the smaller hands into her own. [color=a95c68]“Can you let go?”[/color] she murmured. But she grimaced almost as soon as she said it, because she realized that had quite the double meaning, and maybe Su’s child wasn’t ready to ‘let go’ yet – in either sense of the words. Her grip on her mother’s arm was firm, and it only got tighter once Jacqueline reached for her. But Mika was looking straight at Jacqueline now. It wasn’t clear if it was resignation or inner strength, but her grip loosened up on Su’s arm. Mika’s eyes drifted back to the arm as it slid into the agent’s hands. She wasn’t even half way through wrapping it up before Mika [i]seized[/i] her arm. [color=tomato]“What’s going to happen to her?”[/color] Jacqueline paused her work to look up. [color=a95c68]“We bury her. Or turn her remains to ashes, and put it in an urn. We hold a funeral to say our final goodbyes, and pay our respect to her. Then remember her. Pray for her, if you like.”[/color] Mika’s grip loosened up, and she allowed Jacqueline to finish wrapping up the arm. [color=tomato]“And then-”[/color] She sniffed. [color=tomato]“What’s going to happen to me?”[/color] Jacqueline busied herself with neatly bundling up the arm. She tied off the jacket sleeves around the macabre package, then stood up, keeping ahold of her finished work. [color=a95c68]“Well. If you want a normal life - as normal as you can get - then you’ll have to have someone adopt you. If you want to work as an esper…That, uh, an esper is basically a magical person, you probably noticed you’re a bit different now?”[/color] Mika nodded. Knowing she was breezing past the issue of Mika’s adoption, Jacqueline sheepishly carded her free hand through her hair. [color=a95c68]“So…if you want to get rid of monsters, like we did today with that large one you helped us with…You could come work for the government like we do, I suppose.”[/color] [color=tomato]“Fighting monsters was okay, I guess.”[/color] She squatted down beside the car and gave it a push. [color=tomato]“But mom died doing that. My first mom-”[/color] The words stuck in her throat. [color=tomato]“She, she didn’t have anything to do with monsters and some gang people got her.”[/color] She traced circles in the blood. [color=tomato]“I don’t think having a mom is for me. I don’t know if I should be fighting monsters though.”[/color] Jacqueline huffed wryly. [color=a95c68]“No, what you should be doing is being taken care of, going to school, playing and having fun, being with friends…That kind of thing.”[/color] The agent pursed her lips. [color=a95c68]“Mother or otherwise, you [i]do[/i] need someone willing to look after you. You’re not wrong that safety can be an issue, maybe-”[/color] She trailed off, paused for a moment, then continued. [color=a95c68]“Maybe something like a safehouse…or you and them stay at one of our agencies…or we look into getting you as far away as possible from all of this. But it’s never a sure thing, and if you do ever decide to do esper stuff, whether on your own or with us, there’ll always be a target on your back.”[/color] Jacqueline shrugged roughy. [color=a95c68]“Sorry I don’t have any good news, kid.”[/color] [color=tomato]“A safe house?”[/color] Mika balled her hands and stood up. [color=tomato]“I don’t think a safehouse is going to protect anyone if [i]this[/i] happens again.”[/color] [color=a95c68]“No, it won’t,”[/color] Jacqueline confirmed, smiling tightly. The glow of the fireflies wasn’t very bright, but even from that alone it was easy to see how utterly devastated the city was. The roof was covered in craters from the hail, and it wasn’t hard to picture all the buildings and vehicles with shattered windows. Let alone anyone unfortunate to be caught outside. Who knew how high the final death toll would end up being. [color=tomato]“Bad things happened to me outside this city too. I don’t think I can hide from them.”[/color] Mika changed back into her normal self. Though unlike Jacqueline, she did not look rejuvenated afterwards. While changing back could shield an esper from physical pain and sickness, the mind was shared between forms. The tears were gone, but the thousand yard stare remained. [color=tomato]“Last time we spoke, I said I wanted you and Su to be my mommy. But I don’t think that’s a good idea now.”[/color] Jacqueline did sigh this time. [color=a95c68]“It never would have been a good idea, simply because I’m not a family person, and can’t - won’t - be your or anyone else’s parent. If you want a teacher, friend, coworker…That, I can do.”[/color] [color=tomato]“I know.”[/color] The agent looked at the ruined city, and didn’t find it strange at all that belief in safety would be difficult, if not impossible, right now. [color=a95c68]“Yeah, bad things can happen anywhere, anytime. Some are lucky enough not to see any of it, ever. Some of us do what we can to prevent it.”[/color] She faced Mika. [color=a95c68]“Your mother died to protect you, and the city. She wouldn’t have wanted to leave you alone, but she took that risk, because she knew that if she didn’t, no one else would do it in her stead.”[/color] [color=tomato]“I know.”[/color] After a brief pause, Jacqueline added something approaching an apology, or maybe just an explanation. [color=a95c68]“She was killed because one of our enemies saw that she was strong, and clever…She was a danger to him, and stood in his way, so he took her out in that one moment when she was looking out for the rest of us.”[/color] [color=tomato]“I know, okay? Most people think I’m annoying. Mom was different. I know that.”[/color] Mika huffed. [color=tomato]“What I don’t know is what I’m going to do. Something’s broken. None of it works. This doesn’t work.”[/color] She stumbled forward. [color=tomato]“I don’t wanna hurt anyone. I don’t wanna be an ex- spare-o-ment.”[/color] With shaky legs, Mika marched up to Jacqueline and extended her arms. [color=tomato]“Let me hold mom.”[/color] Jacqueline handed over the wrapped arm. Once Mika took a hold of it, the agent carefully extended a hand, and gently let it rest on the child’s head. She was ready to withdraw her hand in case the girl didn’t want it, but Mika wasn’t making any motion to pull away. Jacqueline said nothing else, because she’d exhausted the list of things that seemed like they were the thing to be said. Mika hugged the arm against her chest. [color=tomato]“Thank you.”[/color] Her eyes fell to the floor. [color=tomato]“I want to be by myself, for a bit.”[/color] [color=a95c68]“Alright.”[/color] Jacqueline’s hand smoothed down Mika’s hair, came to rest on her shoulder, and after one last pat, she walked away. [color=a95c68]“I’ll be over there,”[/color] she motioned vaguely to the other side of the roof. It was far away enough that each could be considered to be by themselves, and Jacqueline faced away from Mika, giving the child the desired privacy.