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Small Town Minnesotan Girl; {{Open}}
Topic Started: Apr 20 2008, 04:37 AM (368 Views)
Beacon
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Time of day: Noon
Place in the time-line: April 10th, 1 day after Ari was attacked


After countless miles and countless restless nights spent at countless cheap motels Tallulah had finally arrived in New York. After looking both ways she accelerated on past the stop sign she had paused at to take a look at the directions she had scribbled down on a thin piece of paper. Finding Xavier's was proving to be a little difficult.

"Well... goddamnit." She swore, feeling frustration starting to mount up within her. God. Leave it to her to come all the way from freakin' Minnesota and then get lost this close to her destination. Sometimes she wondered if there was some kind of force out there that took pleasure in throwing kinks into her day to day life. It was certainly starting to seem that way, and it would take some real convincing to get her to think otherwise at this point.

Pulling over on the side of the road she shut off the car's engine and proceeded to rub her fingers in her eyes. That last motel she'd spent the night at had the worst mattress ever. She could feel her poor neck and back aching right this very moment, and her mind was yelling at her for letting herself get this way. With a sigh she leaned over and rolled down the driver's side window, feeling the cool air hit her face and instantly give her the calm she really needed right about now.

Then, she got an idea. "Time to bust out my ace..." She murmured, shutting her eyes and leaning back in her seat. After a moment's concentration the familiar feeling of being immersed in a thick sea of data began to wash over her. She then began to search amidst them for anything that stood out. And that's when she saw it, glowing white hot. Taking a deep breath she clamped down on it, hissing at the intense burning sensation in her mind. Yep, no doubt about it. This had to be coming from Xavier's. It's level of encryption was out of this world. Opening her eyes she broke the connection as the world faded back into view, starting up her car and pulling back onto the road with a direction now in mind.

About thirty minutes later she found herself pulling up at the massive front gates of the school, shifting her car into park as she leaned forward to peer through them. She couldn't see any buildings right away, which clued her in on how secluded things must be around here. Not that she minded, of course. It kept the crazies at bay. Flicking her eyes away from the gate her blue orbs soon focused on the small intercom just an arm's length away from where she was.

"Here goes nothing.." Reaching out she pressed the shiny red button, and waited for a response from the other side.
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Cyclops
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"No use pushing the button," a man's voice sounded on the other side of the gate, "I'm the only one who ever answers the intercom." Peering at her through the gates was a tall man, brunette, eyes hidden behind red glasses. He wore a brace on one leg, but the sweat in his brown hair, and the gym pants, and t-shirt he wore suggested he'd been running. He reached through the gate and punched a code into the intercom, so that the gate swung open, but he took a few limping steps out of the property rather than inviting her in.

"Excuse my appearance, I'm just trying to get back up to shape since my accident," he said, tapping on his brace, "Got to get back up on the horse, right?" He wiped his forehead on the terrycloth wristband he wore and said, "I'm Scott Grey-Summers, one of the staff here. Can I help you with something, Miss?"

He was pleasant enough, not overly warm, but not overly abrupt, just sort of businesslike, as if he was in a three piece suit and tie, instead of sweaty workout clothes. And though he was walking with a bit of a limp, and had obviously been pushing himself a little hard, there was very little trace of heavy breath or even tiredness. He was in good physical shape, that was clear, and even though his eyes were hidden behind the opaque red glasses, it was clear that he was carefully scrutinizing her.
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Beacon
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"No use pushing the button," a man's voice sounded on the other side of the gate, "I'm the only one who ever answers the intercom."

Tallulah jumped, hitting her knee up against the underside of the dashboard. Biting her tongue to hold back a curse she grimaced, letting a hand go down to rub over the now sore spot. Looking up through the car's windshield she could see a man standing behind the gates. Ah, so that's where the voice came from. Her cheeks turned a little red, embarrassed that she let herself be so easily startled... and of course that the man probably seen her jump. Although, he probably didn't care, so whatever.

Swinging open the car door she stepped out, running a hand through her hair. It was a habit of hers that came out when she was faced with new people and surroundings. Her mother found it cute and often took the time to point that fact out in front of strangers to her utter dismay. Tallulah often griped about it afterwards, which only seemed to fuel her mother further. Moms were so weird like that.

"Excuse my appearance, I'm just trying to get back up to shape since my accident," he said, tapping on his brace, "Got to get back up on the horse, right?"

The brunette blinked, looking down at his leg for a split second before focusing back on his face. Nice shades. They looked pretty fancy, which meant they also had a high price tag to accompany them. With a small grin she shifted from one foot to the other, nodding slowly in response to his question, "Oh, yeah, totally." To say she was a little subdued would be an understatement. Most of it was because she could feel his gaze on her, even though his eyes were hidden behind the ruby-colored shades. Nothing made her more standoffish than someone analyzing her. It just felt odd.

"I'm Scott Grey-Summers, one of the staff here. Can I help you with something, Miss?"

"Well, I'm Tallulah... Gosh. Tallulah Gosh. And urm, I'm a new student? Arrangements were made earlier..." Her mother had handled the details, so there was no doubt that she'd be somewhere in the school's files. If this place didn't have super level encryption she would've did a bit of snooping to double check.
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Cyclops
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Scott noticed her jump, but he had the good manners to pretend that he didn't. She got out of her car, and he looked her over as she introduced herself. "Well, I'm Tallulah... Gosh. Tallulah Gosh. And urm, I'm a new student? Arrangements were made earlier..."

Tallulah Gosh, yes, he was the one who had made the arrangements. There was so much on his mind at the moment what with the Sentinels (there were five now in New York alone, and no fewer than twelve others scattered throughout the greater United States), the rise of mutant hate crimes, his restructuring of the school. But, he was organized enough to remember the facts and files of the newcomers as they arrived. He was making a point of it since the Headmistress had been so... busy.... as of late. He reconciled the description of her that her mother had given him with the girl before him. She was a little... less confident than he had expected, and he wasn't exactly sure why. But, then, he was used to being considered intimidating, even when he was in his grubbies. He rarely meant to be.

"Miss Gosh," Scott said, "Ah, yes, I'm the one your mother spoke to. I was under the impression you were arriving tomorrow. I apologize. Please, come in. Take the driveway straight through pass that bank of trees. You'll see the house when you've gotten past them. Park in the round for now, and I'll assign you a parking slot in the garage as soon as possible. Go on in, if you like, and I'll meet you in the foyer. Feel free to look around, but don't wander off too far. I'm not really up to chasing you around," he said, a slight attempt at a joke.

He waited for her to get in her car and drive through the gates before he broke into a jog after her. He was pushing his healing, exercising a little more strenuously than Jean would like, but with the way things were in the world, he was not about to be hobbling around like an arthritic grandfather.

::Jean, honey,:: he thought as he jogged, ::Our new student has arrived. I'll be getting her registered and assigned a room. No... no... my jog went just fine, a little slow, and little sore, but it's a good pain. Yes... yes, I am certain. But, if it makes you happy, you can set my cane out in the umbrella stand by the front door. I'll pick it up when I get in. Thanks, sweetie, I love you.::
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Beacon
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"Miss Gosh," Scott said, "Ah, yes, I'm the one your mother spoke to. I was under the impression you were arriving tomorrow. I apologize. Please, come in."

Tallulah listened to him intently as he explained the way to the main building. The last thing she wanted to do was screw up something so simple and end up lost right there on the damn grounds. Mr. Grey-Summers would probably mark down her difficulty in following directions in her school file or something. She really wanted to start off fresh here, and cringed at the thought of her old school file full of disciplinary notes. Most of the time she'd gotten into fights it was because some idiot jock was teasing someone who couldn't fight back. And 9 times out of 10 they got off on some sort of bullshit technicality while she got detention or some other form of punishment. Either way it sucked and made her mom ground her countless times.

Getting back into her car she shifted it into gear and cruised on past the now open gates. She let her eyes wander around the immaculate estate, whistling lowly, "Whoever owns this must be pretty loaded." She jokingly began to look for hedges clipped to resemble dollar signs, shaking her head slightly. Finally she came upon a huge building that was no doubt the school, marveling at its size and craftsmanship. Her car rolled to a stop, and this time she shut the engine off. She then got out and took this time to get a nice stretch in, feeling her joints pop into place agreeably. Then spotting the front door she made her way up the stone steps and proceeded inside like told.

Ok. This was the foyer? It could damn well double as a second living room it was so big! Tallulah tried not to let her mouth fall open as she carefully explored the room, making sure not to get close to any of the expensive looking vases and knick knacks positioned about. There was no way in hell she'd have to money to pay for anything she broke in here.
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Rosie
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Rosie was on her way through the hallway adjacent to the foyer when she heard the car pull up outside. She'd been heading to the kitchen for some lunch -- hopefully some peanut utter and jelly...yum... -- and toting Mandark the toy duck in her arms, but this seemed much more interesting.

Curious, she peered around the edge of the door frame, mismatched eyes squinting so that she could see better. There was a new person, but that didn't bother her too much. There were always new people in the mansion, always new kids with new awesome powers. Because of it, there was never a boring day around the mansion.

"Hiya!" Rosie chirped finally, stepping into the foyer. She noticed the older girl was moving like she herself usually did, careful not to touch the knicknacks scattered around the room. "Are ya new? I'm Rosie!" The four-year-old shifted Mandark in her arms as she looked Tallulah over, beaming.

"It's real kewl here." She finally began again, flinging her arms out to show that she meant beyond the confines of the foyer. "Mama an' Papa keep us safe from bad people." This last was said in a quite serious voice, for a child who had just turned four. Like anyone else at the mansion, she knew the dangers that lay beyond the gates, though her knowledge of it was spotty at best (and for good reason). The knowledge of the horrors was a burden that a four-year-old need not have.

Her introduction made, Rosie plopped down on the floor, still clutching Mandark happily.
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Beacon
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"Hiya!"

This time, thankfully, Tallulah didn't jump. Instead she craned her neck over in the direction of the chipper voice, narrowing it down to the adorable little girl who stood in the nearby doorway. A smile began to work its way onto her face. What were the odds of her running into one of her few weaknesses right off the bat? Yes, the brunette had a soft spot for children. For awhile she even worked as a regular babysitter for a nice family that lived down the street from her. Many hours were spent doing everything from wrestling to playing flashlight tag in the backyard. She'd greatly enjoyed that job... but unfortunately the family moved away, and since then she really didn't bother finding a new babysitting job.

"Are ya new? I'm Rosie!" The four-year-old shifted Mandark in her arms as she looked Tallulah over, beaming.

"Yep. I'm the newest recruit I guess... Nice to meet you, Rosie. I'm Tallulah. That's a cute duck you have there. What's his name?" As if on autopilot she moved closer to the younger girl, intent on chatting her up a bit.

"It's real kewl here." She finally began again, flinging her arms out to show that she meant beyond the confines of the foyer. "Mama an' Papa keep us safe from bad people."

The brunette raised a brow at this, "Oh? Well, I suppose that's a good thing, yeah?" Good thing indeed. Anti-mutant sentiments had been on the rise, and New York seemed to be at the center of it all. Many times she thought about her decision to come here while on the road. Thoughts of going back to Minnesota where she could live in obscurity were running rampant through her head, but eventually she decided to push on.

"How old are you Rosie?" Tallulah questioned, crouching down so that she could easily converse with the sitting child.
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Scott checked his watch as he reached the school. Five minutes forty-two seconds from the gates to the front stoop. Not too bad for a cripple, he thought with dark amusement. His normal time, before his accident was just over three minutes, but he'd get up to speed soon. His knee was protesting his rough treatment, but he ignored it for the most part. Jean could minister to it later and give him a little pampering, which he would not mind in the slightest. She had put his cane right where he asked her too, so, as he came into the school, he unsheathed the glass cane that had been his constant companion lately, and tried not to sigh in relief as it took the weight for his exhausted limb.

Miss Gosh had done as he asked and that was a good thing. He'd so often had to contend with young students who couldn't follow simple orders or contain their curiosity enough to stay out of trouble when left alone for five minutes. She was crouched on the ground with Rosie, who was proudly showing of her duck Mandark. Where had that name come from?

"Hey, Rosebud, no hug for Papa?" Scott said, as he came over to the pair. "I know, he's a sweaty mess. I wouldn't want to hug me either." He looked over at Tallulah, "Miss Gosh, this is my daughter Rosie. Rosie, this is Tallulah, one of our new students. You want to tag along with her and Papa to get her set up and assigned a room, rather than sitting on the floor of the foyer and getting dirty? Who's supposed to be watching you today while Mama is busy?"
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Rosie
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"Tallulah." Rosie repeated thoughtfully, rolling the name around on her tongue. It was a good name, she decided. Sounded like a flower. "I likes it." She nodded, cuddling Mandark and beaming at the older girl. After all, it wasn't often that people didn't treat her like a baby.

"This," Rosie shoved Mandark forward, holding him by his wings so that Tallulah could see, "Is Mandark. Like that guy from Dexter's, 'cause he sounds like 'im." She was about to demonstrate, too, when her papa showed up. She was used to seeing him all sweaty and all, so it didn't bother her at all when he was a mess.

Yet despite him being sweaty, Rosie still scrambled from the floor to wrap herself around his good leg. She'd grown taller in the past month, several inches, and now it wasn't as easy as it had been. "Papa!"

You want to tag along with her and Papa to get her set up and assigned a room, rather than sitting on the floor of the foyer and getting dirty? Who's supposed to be watching you today while Mama is busy?"

Rosie nodded enthusiastically, reaching for Tallulah's hand -- she'd decided that Tallulah was good, as opposed to scary or weird. "I dunno." She shrugged. Why ask her? She was four, and could barely reach the sink, much less make arrangements for a babysitter. The little girl conjured up a name from thin air. "Um...Kraven, mebbe. Not Ari. She's not here."

Rubbing at her nose, the little girl hopping a little in place. "Why's Mama an' you busy?" She asked, unable to keep a slight whine out of her voice as she held onto Tallulah. "What're you doin'?"
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Tallulah grinned when Rosie proclaimed her name to be agreeable. Little kids always liked to say it. It just rolled off the tongue so well. In fact, it was the kids she regularly babysat who came up with the nickname 'Lulu'. From then on it just kind of stuck, and she hadn't really bothered trying to get rid of it.

"Mandark huh? I know that show you're talking about." Indeed she did. When the kids she babysat weren't running around the house giggling they were parked in front of the television watching cartoons. And Dexter's Lab just so happened to be one of their favorites. She had to admit that the show was pretty amusing at times and appealed to more than just kids.

"Hey, Rosebud, no hug for Papa?" Scott said, as he came over to the pair. "I know, he's a sweaty mess. I wouldn't want to hug me either." He looked over at Tallulah, "Miss Gosh, this is my daughter Rosie."

Lulu turned to look at Mr. Grey-Summers, wondering how he managed to slip in without her noticing. She was also proud of herself when she didn't jump at his sudden arrival. His intimidating nature was slowly beginning to wane for her, and she was more than happy for that. The revelation that Rosie was his daughter then caused her to blink, standing back up as the little girl rushed over to him. The scene before her warmed her heart and brought a smile back to her face. He certainly seemed to fit the role of a father, and she could see how much Rosie adored him.

When Rosie reached for her hand she gladly took it, giving it a little squeeze, "Coming to help your dad, eh?"
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Rosie embraced his leg, and Scott was glad to see she was back to her hugging phase after her trauma at her birth parents' home. He rested his hand on her head as she tried to remember who was supposed to be watching her. She was a lucky little girl to live in the school, where there was no end of people who would love her and care for her. She really didn't need a babysitter to lock her in her room. Wherever she went someone was sure to be near, as long as it was inside the school, and with a telepathic mama, there was little chance of her getting lost. "Um...Kraven, mebbe. Not Ari. She's not here."

Scott didn't know how to address Rosie's comment about Ari, not wishing to frighten the little girl. Miss Boyd's attack was not sitting well with Scott for obvious reasons and he and Jean were going to be bringing her home as soon as it was decided she was stable. They weren't going to leave her in the care of humanity if it was humans who had done this to her. So, keeping his voice free of negative emotion, he joked lightly with his little girl, "It is most certainly not Kraven. Well, no matter, I'll let Mama know you are coming with me, ok?" He reached out through their rapport, and said, ::Jean, Rosie's going to tag along with me for awhile. I image she'll get bored in a bit and then I'll send her your way.::

That done, he turned to Tallulah, "I'll try to make this quick since I'm hardly good company in my sweatsuit. Follow me to my office, Miss Gosh, and we'll get the paperwork arranged. So, tell me a little about yourself," he said, as he lead the young woman towards his office, "I can hear Minnesota in your voice. We were neighbors. I was raised in Nebraska during my formative years. My father was stationed at Offut AFB outside of Omaha when I was just a bit older than Rosie here."

Rosie whined a little about he and Jean being busy then and Scott scolded lightly, "No whining, please, Rosebud. You know Mama and Papa are working to keep us all safe. It's a full time job, but when we are finished, we'll have all the time to play with you." How do you explain the dangers of the world to a four year old who had already seen more than her share of misery?
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"Mandark huh? I know that show you're talking about."

Rosie turned and gaped up at Tallulah, not having imagined that she would know what she was talking about. "You know Dexter?" She asked, her tone almost comical. The awe was short-lived, though, and she bounced along beside the older girl.

"I always help." She informed Tallulah proudly, sticking out her small chest in the way most small children do. "'less I'm too little." And even then, she would try. Her mama and papa sometimes called her their little helper, a title she bore with pride.

The little girl slowed down a little to listen to her father joke, and she mentally furrowed an eyebrow. Come to think of it, where was Ari? She knew that the older girl wasn't with Warren anymore, but that wasn't a big deal, right? Because Ari still had her to play with. Still pondering it, Rosie looked up just as Scott scolded her lightly for whining, and she had the presence to color slightly.

"Okay, Papa." She murmured, hating to think that he might be disappointed in her. "No whining..." But it was awfully hard for her not to whine, when she didn't even get to play with her parents, and Ari wasn't around.

Just slightly sullen, Rosie hung onto Tallulah's hand as they walked, wondering why it took so much to keep them all safe. After all, they were good people, so no one should hurt them.

Right?
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Beacon
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As they started to make their way to Scott's office Tallulah listened, a little surprised when he easily picked up on her accent and narrowed its origin to Minnesota. Honestly she didn't think she had that much of accent to begin with. Though in truth she kind of did, and it was distinct enough for people like him to pick up no problem. She'd never been out of Minnesota before, believe it or not. Heck, she had barely been out of Eveleth itself. Small Town Minnesotan Girl fit her perfectly, and it showed especially with how she was taken aback by the mansion's elegant size and contents. She hated to be perceived as something of a hick, and reassured herself that she would try her best not to come off as such.

"Yeah... Minnesota born and bred." She chuckled, "It might not seem like much to some people... but it's home... And hey, we have the biggest shopping mall in the country... So that has to account for something, right?" She did not know why she felt the need to passively defend her home state. It hadn't even been attacked or anything of the sort. Either way the feeling was foreign to her and not exactly welcome, so instead she quickly decided to make some inquiries about the school.

"What exactly do students do here? I mean, other than attend classes, of course. Do we uh... train?" Using the word 'train' made it sound like the school had a military edge to it, and she immediately regretted unintentionally giving it that stigma, "Er, I mean, I'm just curious..." Looking down at Rosie she smiled. No... this place was nothing of the sort. The presence of the little girl whose hand she was currently holding assured that to be false. Xavier's was something entirely different...
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"Okay, Papa." [Rosie] murmured, hating to think that he might be disappointed in her. "No whining..."


Scott sighed, not liking the sullenness in his little one. He sometimes was not the nurturer that Jean was. His father, while a good and loving father, was also absent for long periods of time because he was a military man. After his death, Scott had no real father figure until the Professor took him in, and while Charles was a good mentor and teacher, demonstrative towards his young student, he was not. Some men may have natural tendencies towards fatherhood, but Scott had been forced to develop them when this tiny girl had turned his entire life upside down.

Sometimes, he needed to be reminded that she was not one of his teen students, and not one of his X-Men.

"Come on, Rosebud," he said, scooping her up, to prop her on his left hip. He had not been able to pick her up for a long time after his injury, but his balance had begun to adjust and his knee was getting stronger, so as long as she was on his good side, he was able to carry her for short distances. "You can spend the whole rest of the day with Papa. Will that make you happy?" He kissed her on the tip of her nose, "It'll make me happy."

Tallulah started to defend her home state and Scott smiled, "Oh, you don't need to prove anything to me, Miss Gosh. I was born in a small town, still have a cabin in the Alaskan woods. If I hadn't opened my eyes one day and found myself a mutant, I would probably be living in the peace and quiet far from New York, quite contentedly. We're secluded enough here and Westchester itself is nice and calm, normally. I imagine that your giant shopping mall would dumbfound some of those who haven't ever ventured into the city."

He might have reassured her, or maybe she was just afraid of being scene as a complainer, because she changed the subject to the purpose behind the school and he said, "Basically, Miss Gosh, we are a school. I'm not sure where you are at in your education, but if you need to get your high school diploma or even a college degree, we can handle that here, and first and foremost, that is our priority. But, there is no escaping the fact that this is a school for mutants, and every single person under this roof is gifted with mutations that range from merely cosmetic differences to devastatingly powerful and dangerous abilities in need of training. Rosie, for example, is a telekinetic. She's been training to use her 'whooshes' as she calls them from the time she has arrived, not for us to send a four year old into battle, but to make her better able to keep herself and others safe. She has been working very hard at it and I am very proud of her."

Glancing at Tallulah, he said, "The students work on their powers. We'll evaluate your abilities and help you with whatever it is you help with so that your powers are where you want them to be. But, don't worry. I'm the only one around here who is working himself to death. There's plenty of extracurriculars to keep you occupied."
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Rosie
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As the older girl and her papa talked, Rosie tried to concentrate hard on the good things. It was hard, though; she was too little to completely understand what was going on. Just why were people after them? Why did her mama and papa have to stay up way late every night, and not play with her?

But she was with her papa now, and for this Rosie smiled. She snuggled into his side when he picked her up, careful to be very still in case his leg gave out any, and nodded enthusiastically when he suggested that they spend the day together. It was a treat nowadays.

The little girl's thoughts turned back to the conversation. She didn't quite know where Minnesota was, but Rosie figured that it must be far away, otherwise why would people talk differently? Unhappily, her mind turned back to her biological parents; they had spoken different, if just barely. Maybe it was like that.

"My whooshes are good now." Rosie nodded in agreement, resting her head on her father's shoulder. She could move things better with her mind now, without hurling them across the room or busting them or something. Proudly, the little girl grinned, showing off pearly-white baby teeth. "What're your powers?" She wanted to know, looking at Tallulah in both curiosity and eagerness.
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