A new mother figure

[sun_droplet]

Who: sun_droplet and mantarayhealer
What: Dinner time with Retsu, talking about Rapunzel's power, and Rapunzel finding a new mother-figure.
Where: House 9
When: Dinner time; right after this
Warnings: Cuteness?

Comments

[mantarayhealer]

It was only after turning off the PORTAL that Retsu realized she hadn't asked the young woman's name. Nonetheless, she supposed she would find out soon enough. Her dinner was standard fare: curry on rice, along with green tea and steamed dumplings.

She answered the door with a smile. "I am so glad you could come," she said warmly. She looked the girl over surreptitiously, both with her eyes, and with her inner senses. She was human, as far as Retsu could tell--a westerner, of course. But there was an odd feeling of power about her, one Retsu hadn't encountered before. The closest she had felt to it was the power of Orihime, the human girl who could heal. It confirmed her suspicions that this young woman's questions about healing were not simply theoretical.

As she motioned her in, she added, "I'm afraid I didn't catch your name earlier." She held her PORTAL in her hand, hoping it would handle the translation in face-to-face communications, just as it had earlier.

[mantarayhealer]

"Yes, she's fine, and things did not turn out so badly in the end." She looked at Rapunzel. She couldn't be much older than Inoue-san--so very young by shinigami standards. She had an odd blend of innocence and cynicism: childlike in some ways, yet expecting any healer to be kidnapped on sight.

"If I may ask, what are the nature of your powers?" She had little experience with forms of healing which weren't based on kidou, but she would do the best she could to help Rapunzel.

[sun_droplet]

"That's good." Rapunzel smiled softly at the news.

Rapunzel let go of her hair and let out a sigh. She was doing it more to gain the courage to actually show another person her power then anything else. Even though Retsu was perfectly nice, Rapunzel was still nervous.

"It'd be best if I just showed you." She closed her eyes and began to sing this song. Her hair glowed in its braid state, but affected nothing at the moment.

[mantarayhealer]

Retsu raised an eyebrow as Rapunzel's hair began to glow. She could feel the power around it, and it felt much more like Inoue's power than like any kido she had ever seen or used. And an incantation in song as the ritual, that was interesting. "It is connected to your hair in particular?"

[sun_droplet]

Rapunzel held onto her braid once again. "My hair won't react unless I sing the song. It's what my mother taught me." She looked down for a moment. "It's why my mother kept me in the tower. She was keeping me safe from all the thugs and ruffians that might've been after me for my hair. But, my hair doesn't work unless it is still connected to me, and once my hair is cut off, the rest stays brown."

[mantarayhealer]

"With most powers I'm familiar with, there's some kind of ritual or incantation that one uses to call out one's powers--in this case, a song. With experience, some people can summon it without saying the words out loud." She frowned slightly. "Your mother--how did she learn the song you use? Does she have the same powers?"

[sun_droplet]

"My mother doesn't have this power. It's only me. My mother likes it when we sit and she brushes my hair and I sing." Rapunzel smiles warmly. She missed those moments with her mother, and it only made her feel more guilty for betraying her in the first place. But she wasn't going to think about that now. She had to think about getting out of this place and staying safe while she was here.

[mantarayhealer]

She nodded thoughtfully. "That must be nice. You must miss her very much." She wondered if anyone was taking care of Rapunzel properly, particularly if she had never been on her own before. She poured a little more tea for herself and swirled it around in the cup thoughtfully.

[sun_droplet]

"I do. She protected me and cared for me." Rapunzel suddenly got very sad. "I just got back home to her too, and now I'm stuck here. The girl in the mirror seems to be keeping my mother happy though, so maybe she won't be mad when I get back." Rapunzel smiled softly. She was trying really hard to stay positive about this.

[mantarayhealer]

"If you need help--or simply someone to talk to--you are always welcome here." It wasn't the same as having her mother here, no doubt. Nonetheless, Retsu often took young people under her wing. One more would hardly be a burden, particularly since she didn't have her division duties.

[sun_droplet]

"Really? You wouldn't mind?" Rapunzel blushed. "I'm not really used to having a friend other than my mother and Pascal." She wasn't going to mention Flynn. He was nothing but a liar to her now and broke his promise. Now she was making friends here and making a life here. Hopefully her mother would be proud of her when she actually got back home, which she was going to make happen, like everyone else.

[mantarayhealer]

"Who's Pascal?" Apart from a Western scientist, of course; she was vaguely aware of a human scientist who had made some helpful discoveries a while back. "And of course I don't mind. As a healer, I often keep odd hours. And my fukutaichou--the young woman who works directly below me in my division--often has nightmares, so she sometimes comes to visit late at night until she can sleep again."

[sun_droplet]

"Pascal is my pet Chameleon. He is my best friend too. He is always there for me and supports me through everything. He even models the things I sew." Rapunzel got very happy when she spoke about Pascal. She missed him so much, but she was also happy that he was safe at home. She couldn't help but wonder about the other her. She wondered if the other her was taking care of Pascal, and if Pascal knew it wasn't the real her.

Rapunzel softly smiled when Retsu spoke of her friend. "That is very nice of you. I am sorry she had nightmares though. You must miss her too."

[mantarayhealer]

"I do miss her, and the others of my division. But I also know that they can take care of themselves in an emergency." Isane had a lot to learn, but sooner or later, everyone had to step up and find things out for themselves. "And part of learning to be an adult is learning what you do when you're on your own," she said gently.

[sun_droplet]

"Be on your own?" She wasn't really asking Retsu anything, she was mainly talking to herself. Her mother didn't want Rapunzel to be on her own. She had to stay in the tower, safe from everything.

"How many people do you have in you division?" She asked him.

[mantarayhealer]

"Three hundred and eighty--though my division oversees the health and supply of the entire organization, which contains just below five thousand people." It was a heavy burden at times, but it was also one which brought her a great deal of joy. It was good to be able to fix things, to make people healthy again, despite the pain of being unable to help everyone.