Issue 1 Downtime

After disappearing with the demonic rat Nailah is gone for almost an hour. When she comes back she's not carrying the rat cage anymore and her face is a stoic mask. She knocks on the door to Persephone's room and steps inside to see if Sam is still around or whether the girl woke up while she was gone.

Samantha looked up as Nailah entered.

"Still out, love."

She nods, her face softening a little bit. "Is she going to be okay?"

"Too soon to tell, but she'll have a better chance than she would have."

"It could have been worse..." she sighs and sits down next to the bed. "I shouldn't have been so blind to their call for help, misguided as it's execution was..."

"Do you really think they would have listened to you?"

"I don't know but maybe two girls wouldn't be dead now if I had!" she bursts out.

She sighed.

"Love, I know this isn't easy. It shouldn't be. That doesn't mean you have to shoulder all of this."

"No? I could have seen this. Should have seen this if I'd bothered to take them seriously! And she had every reason to look for any help she could find!"

"And I could have done more than focus on what they did to you."

For a moment Nailah looks like she's about to set something on fire but eventually seems to find her center again.

"What's done is done. You... don't need to call Child Services anymore."

She quirked a brow.

"...what did you do?"

"Something you, as head-mistress of the school and figurehead of mutants around here, probably shouldn't know or condone. He'll never hurt her again and that's the end of it."

"You're asking a lot here, love."

"He's still alive and unharmed if that's what you're worried about. I trust you, but as far as I'm concerned this was a matter of divine justice. I owed her that much."

She seemed briefly distant as she considered this, her eyes unfocusing and refocusing as a faint shiver passed.

"...divine justice it is, then."

"Thanks..." she breathes out, visibly deflating a bit.

"We may just need to leave her for a bit. You need some rest."

"What I need is a break. And something to rip to shreds. Don't tell my shrink I said that."

She snorted.

"The latter is the sort of therapy I'd never begrudge you."

"I know." she smirks weakly. "Danger Room?"

"Gladly," she said as she stood.

"Does this make me the bad influence, or you?"

"Who is worse, the Goddess of War or the one who follows her Mediterranean cousin."

"Depends on the day," she smirked, making her way out of the room.