Persona BLEACHED 3: Gaiden Pt. 3

Gaiden: The Long Summer Pt. 3
July 17, 2031
Amarillo, Texas. The largest city in the upper part of Texas' "panhandle", so-named after the yellow flowers that had once populated the area. 
It was early enough in the morning that the sun had yet to creep over the horizon, yet late enough that the crowing of the rooster felt imminent, indicating a start to the farm day.
This morning started much like any other for county sheriff Bud Stallings. The veteran officer woke up, brewed himself a cup of Folger's, sat on his recliner and welcomed the morning sun while his wife of 37 years, Sharon, slept in.
As he prepared to take his first sip, however, he overheard something. A noise, coming from his office. He hadn't had a dog in over seven years. And Sharon usually slept like a rock. Who or what could this have been?
He was not a man who took security lightly. His house was littered with hidden firearms. From beneath his recliner, he pulled out a revolver, and discreetly made his way over to his office. He cocked the gun. He waited by the side of the door, listening in. He picked his moment, and quickly jumped from the shadows, pointing his gun.
There was someone in his chair, sifting through his computer. A man in a black-and-blue hooded jacket. His arms were covered by black armor, as was his face, with the helmet's eye holes glowing blue. "Good morning, Sheriff Stallings. Hope you don't mind me perusing your files."
"Who the hell are you?!" the old officer demanded.
"You know who I am. And what I've done. I'd recommend you save your bullets." Max knocked on his armor. "I can assure you, no man-made weapon can pierce my armor. All you'd be doing is waking up Sharon, and you wouldn't want to do that, would you? Happy wife, happy life, as the saying goes."
"What do you want from me? Here to turn in a criminal?"
"Oh, no no no, Bud, far from it. Please, have a seat."
Stallings hesitated. Max grabbed a trophy from a nearby case. "'Officer of the Year, 2017'. Cute." He promptly squeezed the trophy, reducing it to pieces. He turned his gaze back to the nervous Stallings. "I said, have. A. Seat."
The officer reluctantly did so, sitting in front of the desk. "How do you know who I am?"
"I know everything, Bud. And one thing I *really* don't care for is people in positions of power using it for the exact wrong reasons. But I'm not here to talk about how you bribed your way to that badge. Or all that drug collateral you've been keeping from Sharon. No, I'm here for something much more serious."
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
Max turned the computer screen. "*This* is what the fuck I'm talking about."
Stallings turned away. "I...I've never seen that before in my life."
"Yeah, I'm sure you haven't. It just materialized in your computer, I guess. Or maybe Sharon's into younger gals. I mean, when she has to wake up next to you every morning..." 
"There a point to this?"
"Did you know this girl's 15, Bud? I mean, you must've, since you busted her for underage drinking." Max pushed a button on the keyboard. "How about her? She's only 16." He pushed another button. "And she's only 14. Oh, what would the old wife think if she saw this."
"This is ridiculous, I don't gotta sit there and take--"
Max raised his hand, charging energy into his palm and pointing it towards Stallings. "You're gonna sit there and take whatever the hell I give you, Bud. When you were running for Sheriff, you called yourself a man of justice. What's a man of justice doing with compromising pictures of himself with underage girls?"
"....."
"How do you look at yourself in the mirror, knowing what you've done? Doing things to these girls that their brains aren't mature enough to understand. If it wasn't gonna get all over the inside of my armor, I'd be puking right now. I know a girl who had to sell herself as a teenager just to stay afloat. Another girl whose mom had her when she was 16, because an older man charmed her into doing whatever he wanted. This sets me off like few other things do, Bud."
Stallings had heard enough. He got to his feet, pointing the gun at the computer.
"You're too late, Bud. I've already downloaded everything. It's being sent to the department--*your* department--as we speak. Blasting your monitor won't change a thing."
The frustrated cop tried hitting Max with the butt of the gun. The hooded man grabbed his hand, then delivered a blow to the back of his neck, knocking him to his knees. Max grabbed the gun off the floor, crushing it.
"Why are you doing this...? I ain't done nothing to you!" Stallings questioned.
"Oh, but you have, Bud. You embody three of the things that set me off the most. Three things I absolutely *hate*. Men misusing their power. Cops corrupting their badges. And older creeps taking advantage of young girls. It's time that dogs like you got put in the kennel where you belong."
Max put his hands on the old cop's shoulders. "Now, Bud...what am I gonna do with you?" He grabbed the back of his head, and shoved him into the desk.
Sharon, sound sleeper she was, never heard a thing.
---
Albuquerque, New Mexico. Morning.
"Heya, Ibuki! You sleep okay?" Natalia greeted.
Ibuki was seated in the hotel lobby, glancing at her phone. "Oh, uh, morning, Natty. Yeah, I slept alright. Much as you can when the ace is snoring. I don't know how Saku does it without waking up."
"After a while, you get used to your partner's quirks. Now I don't mind holding Kenny's hand up and down the stairs so much. Just what you've gotta adapt to. Whatcha reading?"
The article on Ibuki's phone was a breaking story from earlier that morning. The Phantom was being linked to a county sheriff from Amarillo, Texas, who had been turned in for indecent acts towards underage girls. He had readily confessed to everything, and in his mugshot sported numerous apparent bruises.
"Nothing much. Tabloid garbage." she lied. "So you guys find a breakfast joint yet?"
"Mmhmm. There's a diner a short walk down the road. Everyone's on their way already. I'm so amped to start exploring the city, it definitely isn't as noisy as Vegas was."
"Ditto on that. I'm down for more chill places after being in big cities up til now. Crazy to think all of this is the same country."
"That's what makes the adventure so exciting!" Natalia's stomach began to growl. "Aaaand the adventure'll have to wait until my tummy's full! Hehehe..."
Ibuki snickered. "Never stop being cute, Natty."
The girls met up with the rest of the group at the diner. "Morning, crazy peeps, how's it--ummm." Ibuki greeted.
"Remember to breathe in and out. In...and out. It's never as big a deal as it seems. In...and out." Barbara directed. She had her index fingers placed on either side of Kibō's head, gently massaging it. "Better?"
Kibō breathed out. He looked up. "Is it still there?"
"It's gonna be there for a long time, hon. Just gotta accept it. It's part of your charm."
"What's the crisis of the day this time?" Ibuki asked.
Kibō groaned. "It came back." He gestured upward. His ahoge had returned. "All that money I spent on hair gel, and it comes back anyway. I'm cursed."
"You ever try cutting it off and, I dunno, taping down the spot where it was?" Kat suggested.
"I did. Once." Kibō's expression darkened. "It multiplied."
"How on earth did it--" Carrie started.
"No no no, let's just...not." Kat intervened.
"So what's on the itinerary for today? Besides more organized chaos." Kenneth asked.
"Well, if I'm being honest...I wasn't planning on stopping here on the way home, so I didn't scout out things to do beforehand. My bad." Barbara replied.
"Luckily for you, I did. I asked my mother on the way here about what to do on a one-day stay." Sakuya replied.
"Another point to super agent Lily." Sahir added.
"First and foremost, we need to enjoy a lunch or dinner made using New Mexico's famed 'green chile'. Supposedly even major restaurant chains use it here."
"It's not too spicy, is it? I'm totally open to trying new things, but if it's too spicy, my gut might start crying." Natalia asked.
"Well if everyone in the state uses it, I'd imagine it's not Fallout levels of thermonuclear." Kat replied.
"As for one thing we should all do before we leave, she suggested the following. 'Unfortunately, it's the wrong time of year for the balloon festival, so if there was one experience you all should have, it's the tram up to Sandia Peak. It's the longest tram on the entire landmass, and the view of the mountains from the sky should be a sight to behold. The peak itself offers several sightseeing and hiking opportunities, so if you wanted to make a day of something, that's what I'd go with.' End quote." Sakuya dictated.
"Ooooh, a mountaintop excursion day sounds super fun. And maybe a bit romantic~." Barbara replied.
"I can blame any nosebleeds on the altitude." Kat said.
"You and Care would know a thing or three about being lovey-dovey on a mountain, eh?" Sahir teased.
Kat and Carrie both averted their eyes, blushing.
"If it's romance y'all are going for, I can sit it out down here. Don't wanna cramp anyone's private time." Ibuki said.
"Don't be ridiculous. This trip is about enjoying each other's company. Excluding you for something like that would feel wrong." Carrie replied.
"Tell me what I can do to make you feel okay, Bookie. I'd hate to leave you out of something." Kat added.
"Oh please don't, y'all are too cute! I was only kidding. Be as cuddly and adorable as you want, I'm not a party pooper." Ibuki replied.
"If you're suuuuure." Natalia cuddled up to Ibuki.
"N-not to me! Kenny, say something to her!"
Kenneth took a sip of coffee. "Embrace it." he responded simply.
"Not helping! I meant be cuddly with your BF, Natty!"
"I'm an equal opportunity cuddler, don't you know. Everyone gets a turn~." Natalia chimed.
"Ohemgee, I can't with the cuteness! Someone save meeeee!"
The rest of the group could only crack up at the scene in front of them.
---
10,000 feet up the Sandia Mountains sat the Ski Area. True to its name, it is a popular center for winter sports. During the summer months, however, the snowboards and thick winter coats were replaced with bicycles and hiking boots. The snow-covered landscape was instead a pristine, sprawling forest.
"Wondrous...truly wondrous." Kenneth looked out towards the mountainous landscape.
"Definitely aren't on Mt. Shirayuki anymore." Kibō commented.
"Certainly isn't. But this possesses its own serene beauty. To think that this was all forged by Mother Nature herself, bereft of any sort of interference...it's impossible not to feel inspired."
"Right now I'm only inspired to not stand so close to the ledge..."
Close by, Barbara and Natalia sat on a bench. "Kenny and his artist's eyes. He could see the aesthetic merits of an air fryer if he didn't know what it was." Barbara said.
"That's one of the things I love so much. He sees the beauty in everything. Doesn't even have to be physical beauty. Just something about a thing that strikes him as amazing. One morning I brewed him a cup of coffee, and he spent the next 10 minutes commenting on the texture." Natalia replied.
"The mind of an artist, Natty. Never a dull second. Oh! Speaking of artists, how's your friend Layla doing? I forgot to ask earlier."
"Layla's doing great! I was actually texting her a little while ago. She's really made a ton of progress, and her art's taken a jump thanks to it. Wanna see for yourself?"
"Absolutely! Let's see."
"Just letting you know beforehand..." Natalia took out her phone. "The summer after you left, Layla asked me if there was any way to connect with people about her art. She wanted to try something new, but didn't know where to start. So Kitty Kat comes to me with an idea. 'Why doesn't she try a convention? Tons of artists go to get their work out there and connect.' So I found an anime convention taking place a month from then. There was just one problem."
"Layla'd never watched an anime in her life?"
"You got it. But she wanted to do something different. So I asked Kitty Kat for recommendations and boy did she respond. Long story short..."
Natalia presented a picture on her phone, showing Layla standing in front of an artists' table filled with her ink drawings, wearing a green shirt bearing the stylized phrase "Believing in yourself is your magic~!" in blue writing. She had alternating green and blue boots, tall socks and pants, along with a snow cap. She was throwing up a peace sign.
"I gave her that shirt when we became friends for real. Turned out to be a pretty good icebreaker. She's like a whole new person now. All that gloom and self-doubt was replaced with bubbly cheer. Oh, this one's my favorite..."
"Oh my gosh, is that Shizuka? So that convention Kat took her to a couple months ago..." Barbara replied.
"Yep, Layla came over and had a table there."
The picture showed the young girl, in full costume, holding an ink picture of Jolyne Cujoh, with the message, "Yare yare dawa, to the birthday girl" written on the bottom along with Layla's signature.
"This is so cute, Natty! I'm happy that she's doing so good. You did a really good job helping her out."
"It's really all thanks to you guys. You helped me get my head in order to where I haven't had any intrusive thoughts in over a year. I truly love who I am and where I'm at in life. You all allowed me to live. So when the time came and Layla appeared to me, needing the same kind of help, I knew what I had to do. Now we talk almost every day and she tells me she's never been happier. None of this could've happened if you guys didn't pull me out from the darkness. So since I haven't gotten the chance to say it to you yet...thank you."
"Natty, oh God...you're gonna make me cry. I love how far you've come with your self-esteem. All I wanted for you was a life you could be happy with. Knowing you've helped someone out the same way..."
"It makes your heart all fluttery?"
Barbara giggled. "Well, yeah."
Natalia giggled in return. "Nice to see you're still the same. And y'know..." she continued, "Having someone around that sees the beauty in everything helps a lot, too. When Kenny first asked me to be his muse, I thought it was a little weird. But when he told me about his big ideas, and about why he wanted to sculpt me in the first place...it made me feel really special. That's what I really love about him. He makes me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world."
"Natalia?" Kenneth approached. "Apologies for interjecting, but would you mind standing over here for a moment? I may have something."
"Sure! Point me to where you need me." Natalia got up, walking over to a spot where the mountain range could be seen behind her. "How's this?"
"Just stand naturally. Yes, like that...let you and the mountains bring each other's beauty out..."
"Ahehe..." giggled an observing Barbara. "How come you can't be that effortlessly romantic, Keeb?"
Kibō was sitting next to her, drinking a shake. "Do you want me to stark talking in poems?"
"I mean, it'd be super cute! Try to sweep me off my feet a little."
Kibō finished off his shake. "Your wish is granted." He stood up, and bent down to pick her up.
"W-wait, not like that--"
Kibō hoisted her up. She started blushing. "Ohhhh, you know my weakness is the princess carry." 
"Hence why I'm doing it. I'm getting another shake."
"Well at least let me walk! You aren't gonna be carrying me around forever, you know!"
"I'll be carrying you until my face starts wrinkling. Or at least until you get your wings back."
"What wings?"
"Don't angels have wings?"
Barbara turned redder. "Okay, you can be suave when you want to..."
Natalia tried to hold back her laughter as she listened in.
Elsewhere in the vicinity was a climbing wall, with a mat underneath in case of a sudden fall. Sahir was currently halfway up. "See, this ain't so bad! It's all in the balance!"
"Both eyes and hands on the wall, Sahir-kun! The last thing we need is a nasty fall!" Sakuya called out.
"Don't worry about it! If I'm anything, it's balanced!" Sahir suddenly wobbled, before steadying himself.
"Famous words that don't need to be your last, dear!" Carrie called out.
Sahir returned his attention to the wall. After a few more minutes of careful maneuvering, he put his hand at the top. "Booyah! See, nothing to it!"
"Yep. Absolutely nothing to it."
Sahir looked to his left. Kat was staring back at him, casually holding onto the top with one hand. "You're such a slowpoke, Kicks."
"Aaaaaah!" Sahir nearly lost his balance, grabbing onto the ledge with both hands. "Where'd you come from?!"
"My mommy and daddy."
"I meant up here!"
"I've been waiting here for the last two minutes."
"I never saw you get on!"
"Then I did my job. Cat-like reflexes, and all that jazz."
"I bet it was so much easier to do it in those damn boots--" Sahir glanced downwards, only to realize that Kat didn't have her shoes on--only a pair of gray socks with pictures of a chibi Godzilla on them. "You did that without shoes?!"
"Well I couldn't just wear these Big G socks and not have anyone notice, could I?"
"Woman, you're outrageous! Sneaking up here without me noticing just to talk about your socks! I oughta--" Sahir promptly lost his grip, and fell. "GAAAAAH!"
"Timber."
He landed on the mat below. "Guuuuh..."
"Are you alright, Sahir-kun?" Sakuya asked.
"Oh yeah, everything's intact. Except for my pride."
"Maybe you shouldn't go for the element of surprise next time, my love." Carrie suggested.
"What kinda thief would I be if I loudly announced myself?" Kat questioned.
"It's not like you were stealing anything!" Sahir exclaimed.
"Sure about that?" Kat held up a wallet.
Sahir felt around his pockets. "What the--when did you--?!"
"You really should secure your things better, dude." Kat pulled herself onto the top of the wall, casually crossing her legs. "Now let's see what we've got here..."
"W-w-wait, you can't just dig through a man's wallet!"
Kat ignored his ongoing complaints and peered through his wallet. "Oh, dude, that is not endearing in the slightest." She pulled out his photo ID, which showed his face scrunched up.
"They got me when I was about to sneeze! Not my fault!"
"Well at least someone in your wallet's looking fab." Kat pulled out a headshot of Sakuya, looking ponderous. "Least you know you've got the man's heart, Maggie."
"I would hope so. If there was another girl's photo in there..." Sakuya responded.
"Don't even think that! I'm a one-woman dude, I swear!" Sahir proclaimed.
"Sure, sure. I mean, you've gotta know that this one would cut you to pieces if your eye ever wandered, right?" Kat asked.
Sahir felt a cold shiver down his spine. Almost as if someone behind him was staring right through him. 
"Heh. And now that I've sufficiently stirred the pot..." Kat hopped down from the wall, landing next to Sahir. "Here ya go." She handed him his wallet.
"Was that all necessary?" he asked.
"Now you've learned your lesson. Invest in pants with buttons over your pockets. Never know when that could come in handy." Kat walked over to Carrie, who handed over her boots. "Merci, mon ami. Let's get us a shake. I spotted the rest of the gang over by the café."
As they walked away, Sahir turned to Sakuya. "Y-you know I wouldn't dare cheat on you, right?"
She got up next to him. When he feared that he was about to receive a tongue-lashing, she put her arm around his. She put on a light smile. "I know the difference between teasing and an accusation. Stop looking like I'm about to stab you."
"Okay, phew. I thought for a second that I was a goner. I'd have to be real stupid to think about looking away from you. Here I am thinking I'd have to get you another plush seal..."
Sakuya's eyes intensified. "You mean to tell me I won't be getting a seal now?"
"D'oh."
The entire gang gathered at a pair of tables at the café. "OK. So, how's everyone liking the mountain air?" Barbara asked.
"Pristine and calming as you like. Getting away from the busyness of city life into somewhere more natural is a boon for any artist." Kenneth replied.
"It's like Mt. Shirayuki back home. Minus the lake and kooky flower lady." Ibuki added.
"I just enjoy seeing the world's natural splendor for myself. My parents lived and worked so that I would get to see sights such as this. I treasure these moments." Carrie replied.
"Ditto. And last I checked, Mt. Shirayuki doesn't have a fine dining place on top. Might have to swing by again for dinner." Kat said.
"Long as we get a taste of that famed green chile, I'm good." Sahir stated.
"I read that it comes in different levels of spicy. Should probably pick a place that doesn't go too overboard..." Natalia suggested.
"Nah, I can handle a bit of spice! Little heat in a diet never hurt anyone."
"Says the guy with fire powers." Ibuki retorted.
Sakuya took notice of Barbara, drinking her shake and looking puzzled. "Is there something wrong, Senpai?"
"Um...my shake is empty. I only took one sip from it..." Barbara replied.
"That's weird. Sure you didn't get shorted on the shake?" Kat asked.
"It felt pretty full when I got it. This is too weird..."
"Let me see something." Kibō picked up the cup, and shook it. Something rattled around inside. He popped it open. "Ep, there's your answer." He pulled a green pepper out of the cup.
"What the--?! How'd that get in there?!" Barbara grabbed the cup, looking inside. "No sign of a shake..."
"What in the world..." Kenneth pondered.
"Guess we're trying the chile earlier than we planned." Sahir added.
"I hear this is where they get their supply. If you leave a shake or a dish around too long it turns back into the pepper." Kibō explained.
"That makes no sense! I got the banana flavor! Why would it--huh?!" asked a confounded Barbara.
"I'm just telling you what I heard." Kibō gave his own a shake. "There, see what I mean?" He pulled another pepper out of his cup.
"I just saw you drinking from it!" Barbara put a hand over her mouth. "Am I losing it? Is this what happens at high elevation?"
"It's the mountain air that makes it happen. Scientists tried to study the air, but all their equipment turned into peppers. No one can figure out how it works."
"So what, do things just turn into peppers up here? How are people allowed up--ah!"
Barbara noticed that one of her feather-shaped earrings had turned into a pepper. "What is going on?!"
"See, you can't stay up here too long. Things start to get really crazy after a couple hours."
"Is no one else freaking out that everything's just turning into peppers?!"
Barbara's confusion only intensified when she saw that her friends were all trying to hold back laughter. "...why are you guys laughing?"
"No reason at all, dear...this is a query, to be sure..." Carrie replied.
"Yeah, it's a real head-scratcher..." Sahir added.
"None of us wanna pepper you with questions." Kat said with a straight face.
Kibō held something in front of Barbara's face: her missing earring. "A feather for your thoughts."
"Why, you--was this a setup?!" Barbara took the earring and put it back where it was.
Ibuki cackled, and clapped her hands. "Oh my God, you should've seen your face!"
"That's a look that says, 'I'm either going nuts, or I'm about to turn into a vegetable'." Natalia said.
"Barb, you really don't look so good. Might want to take some Advil." Kibō suggested.
"Yeah, you're right. Could help with this developing pain in my neck." Barbara opened her purse, taking out a bottle of the pain meds. She tried opening it, to no avail. "Darn new bottles. You'd think they were holding gold."
"Let me see." Kibō took the bottle. He opened the cap, and as soon as it came off, what emerged wasn't a pill. It was a blue balloon, inflating as it emerged.
"What. Is. Going. On?!"
"That's what you get for buying meds from the party store." Kat said.
"I know Walgreens has their Red Nose Day, but this is taking it a little far." Kibō took the balloon out, holding it with a ribbon.
Barbara was dumbfounded, resting her head against her hand. "Have I been in a madhouse this whole time?"
"You know who you associate with, Senpai." Sakuya replied.
"You wanna clue her in, Keebie?" Kat asked.
"Before she calls an asylum." Ibuki added.
"Alright. So, after you left, I needed something to keep my mind occupied. The thoughts going through my head...weren't great. So Kitty Kat gives me a book about, of all things, performing magic." Kibō replied.
"Which he actually read, unlike the first book I gave him." Kat added.
"It was a fun little way to get my morale back up. And it's always good to learn something new." Kibō handed Barbara the balloon. "Sorry for messing with you."
"Well, since I was the reason you took it up in the first place, it's only fair. I guess." Barbara replied.
"...is there a way you'll stop giving me the stink eye?"
"Get me another shake. That won't turn into a vegetable."
"Thy will be done." Kibō got up. He stopped next to Ibuki.
"See anything you like, Keebster?" she asked.
He plucked something out of her hair. His wallet. "Probably gonna need this." he walked away.
Ibuki brushed her hair, gauging if anything else was there. "And here's me thinking he was admiring my 'do." She blushed.
"Is this a regular thing with him now?" Barbara asked.
"One time he replaced one of Carrie's earrings with a potato chip." Natalia replied.
"I nearly knocked him senseless before it 'magically' reappeared." Carrie added.
"It kept his head on straight, at least. Emo Keebie was not something we needed." Kat said.
"Well thanks for looking after him. I was scared of what my time away would do to our relationship." Barbara replied.
"Rest assured, he's still your knight." Sakuya said.
"Even if he may be applying to wizarding school in the near future." Kenneth joked.
"Please, anything but that." Barbara sighed.
Her phone began to ring. "Oh, hold up. I've gotta take this." She walked away.
"So I'm guessing we won't be having anything with those peppers after all?" Sahir asked.
"Unless Ishimaru-kun replaces her entire suitcase with them." Sakuya replied.
Away from the group, Barbara answered her phone. "Hey, Mama."
"Hey there, Moonbeam. How's your day going?" her mother, Annette, asked.
"It's going really good. We're up in the Sandia Mountains right now. It's such a beautiful view from up here."
"I've heard as much. All your pals having a good time?"
"Yep. It's just as lively and crazy as it always was. It's like I never left."
"I'm happy to hear that. I just need to know what I'm in for this weekend. It'll be nice to have noise around the house again."
"That's what I'm hoping for. What's going on at work today? Anything crazy?"
"Same old same old. Got a new patient today for rehab. Amputee getting used to his new arm. Younger guy. A veteran, too. Every time I see one, I think of your uncle. Always breaks my heart."
"You wouldn't be doing this if you didn't want to help them. Never forget that it's good work you're doing."
"Oh no, I never forget that. Healing is what I live to do. I mean...there's only one person I couldn't help. No matter how much I tried drilling it into his brain."
"Mama..."
"Don't try to tell me otherwise, Moonbeam. What happened to your brother starts with me. If I hadn't stayed with your father as long as I did, you and Starbolt wouldn't have suffered, and he wouldn't have...done what he did. It happened because I was a weak mother."
"Don't say that, Mama! You're the best mom I could've begged for. Maxie feels the same. He did what he did because he wanted us to be okay. Nothing would've taken the 'hero complex' out of him. That's just who he is. And he wouldn't have gone as far as he did if you were a bad mother. You put up with what you did so we would be safe. You're an amazing mom. Never think that you aren't."
Annette paused. "I still miss him like crazy."
"I do too."
"And I miss you, too. I knew the day'd come where the nest would be empty, but the way it is now...it feels off. I know you're safe with Keeb. And wherever Starbolt is, he's taking care of himself. But you're my babies and not seeing you every day hurts. Especially when I don't know where he is."
"I know, Mama. That's why I'm making it a weekend with you. I know how much you need the company. It's gonna be fun. It always is with these guys."
"I know it won't be boring. Say, Moonbeam...that girl is with you, isn't she? Ibuki, I think it was?"
"Yeah, she's here."
"She's the one that Starbolt...y'know."
"Yeah..."
"I don't know if I can look the poor girl in the eye after that."
"It wasn't your fault, Mama. But I do want you and her to have a heart-to-heart. I think it would do you both a lot of good. You can tell her more about Maxie."
"I would've guessed she'd be furious. Why would she want to talk about him?"
"She's in love with him."
"She...what?"
"She was angry for a while. But I've felt for a while that she wants him back. She's seen the real Max. And she wants to keep moving forward...with him. Even after everything. Please promise me that you'll talk with her. I think you both have things to say that the other needs to hear."
"Moonbeam...OK. I'd love to talk to her. If she does feel that way about him, I want to hear why. We can help each other heal."
"That's all I want, Mama. I think you'll like her a lot. She's fiery and says whatever's on her mind. Brave with a big heart, too."
"So like Kyoko."
Barbara giggled. "She actually grew up idolizing Kyoko, so you're definitely not far off."
"Then I think we'll get along just fine. Alright, I've gotta finish up this sandwich and get back to work. I'll see you tomorrow. Call me when you get to the house."
"You got it. Good luck helping people. I love you, Mama."
"Love you too, Moonbeam. See you soon."
The call ended. Barbara turned back to the café.
"Keebie, I swear to God, man--" Kat griped, holding onto an onion.
"I can't tell you what happened, it just came like that..." Kibō denied.
Barbara walked back over. "Your man's fixing to get a smacking, Barbie." Ibuki said.
"I can see that." Barbara replied.
"Who was that you were chatting with?"
"My mom. Just laying out the plan for tomorrow. She's really happy to have you guys over."
"Can't wait to meet her. She's gotta be a great lady if she's where you came from."
"Awww."
"And to tell the truth...there's some things I wanna get off my chest. And I think she'd help a lot."
Barbara smiled. "Yeah...my thoughts exactly." she mumbled to herself.