As she sensed a familiar car pulling up nearby, Sirin felt Sarah nudge her in the side, making her look up at her friend questioningly. As annoyed as Alan might end up being with them for leaving the house, hiding was definitely pointless now. With all the camera flashes she'd seen whilst getting people out of the shelter, he'd know they'd been here as soon as he watched the news.
"What?"
"We need to talk to New Wave before reporters get to them. Spin the narrative," Sarah explained. She jerked her head towards the heroes, still busy with the rescued shelter residents. Sirin nodded in understanding after a few moments of thinking, letting go of her friend's hand to make sure her scarf fully covered her lower face.
"Okay? Lead the way, I guess?"
The two of them moved towards Lady Photon, who was still talking to a police officer. Noticing their approach, the woman excused herself and stepped towards them, while the policeman left in the opposite direction.
"Did you need anything else?" Lady Photon asked. Sirin noted Sarah hesitating for a moment, before steeling herself and meeting the heroine's gaze.
"Actually, we have a suggestion. And a question," she said.
"A question and a suggestion, huh?" Lady Photon asked, tapping her chin. "What would they be?"
"What if we help put the story out on our terms, rather than letting it slip out during an interview?"
"Well, I guess that would be a nice change of pace," Lady Photon considered, "but what kind of story would you want to tell?"
"Tell them that Sirin is a friendly parahuman that New Wave was in contact with. She came to help during the shelter fire and was instrumental in helping put it out. Paint her as a heroic cape that's going to be helping to keep Brockton Bay safe, but doesn't want any personal attention. And… And that she might be joining New Wave!" Sarah took a moment to get the first few words out, but once she did it they all came out in a rush.
Sirin struggled to keep any surprise off her face. This was moving much faster than they'd talked about.
"That's… certainly an idea," Lady Photon admitted after a long moment of silence. "Would that be alright with you, Sirin? This isn't a decision that should be made lightly. New Wave is an open group, but we're a family based one too. We'd have to discuss the possibility of membership before confirming anything officially."
"That would be fine with me," Sirin nodded, checking again to make sure her face was covered by the scarf. "We only need to make it seem like I'm open to it, right?"
"I see. If that is your angle, I'm willing to help," Lady Photon nodded. Sirin heard Sarah let out a quiet sigh and for a moment wondered why. The purple-haired girl decided she could ask about it later. "But if you want to sell the illusion, I suggest you leave now. Make it seem that you are not affiliated with anyone aside from us."
Sirin glanced towards Alan, who was pushing through the crowd, before nodding.
"Alright. But I'm coming back tomorrow. I want to check how everyone's doing," Sirin nodded, glancing at Sarah. The blonde shrugged.
"Yeah. We will come back to check on everyone," she agreed. Lady Photon nodded, glancing at the shelter.
"Very well. I will inform the media that you are our associate. We already have cameras on us, so you'd better head home. And I'll talk to Alan as well."
Sirin nodded, taking Sarah's hand and quickly pulling her away. A dark pink portal swirled into existence in front of them, immediately drawing the attention of the reporters and, undoubtedly, Alan. The abrupt source of color made many of those holding microphones change direction towards them, clearly wanting to ask questions. Instead, Sarah and Sirin stepped quickly through, before the portal closed behind them.
The two girls ended up in Sarah's room, the blonde dropping onto her bed with a sigh, Sirin taking a seat beside her, a question on the tip of her tongue.
"Sarah?"
"Mhm?"
"Why do we have to lie?" Sirin asked. Sarah raised an eyebrow.
"We don't want people to know that we're living with Alan, not yet at least," the blonde explained with a sigh. "Besides, Alan's probably going to ground us for sneaking out. If people know that we live with him, there's a good chance that they'll bother him because of us. At least this way we have a bit of leeway."
Sirin blinked, opening her mouth to answer, only to close it and tilt her head.
"I… okay. But aren't we going back to the shelter tomorrow?"
Sarah nodded, pursing her lips.
"Yeah. So?"
"So won't Alan know we left again?" Sirin asked. Sarah blinked, before letting out a groan and hiding her face in her hands.
"Fuck."
"No cursing."
The two girls sat on the couch, listening to the sounds of the world going on outside the window.
"I'm not looking forward to it," Sarah muttered. Sirin frowned, before taking the blonde's hand and giving it a tight squeeze.
"I'll take the blame. Say you were worried about me," the purple-haired girl offered. Sarah opened her mouth to object, but Sirin shook her head.
"I was the one that suggested going there. I'll say you came to help me, but that you didn't do anything dangerous, and that I wouldn't have let you. Alan will be angry with me, not you."
"That… no," Sarah shook her head. Sirin frowned.
"No?"
"No," the blonde repeated. "We're not doing that. He'll be mad at both of us."
"Sarah-"
"No."
"I'm going to do it anyway."
"Sirin, I swear-"
"The reporters should be interviewing Lady Photon and Alan about now, right? Let's go watch it," Sirin said. She hopped off of the bed, smoothly changing topic and grabbing Sarah's hand. The blonde resisted for a moment, but ultimately let out a defeated sigh and allowed Sirin to pull her up.
"Fine. But we're talking about this."
"Sure," Sirin nodded.
"We will talk about it," Sarah insisted, getting up from the bed.
"Alright." The purple-haired girl rolled her eyes before glancing at Sarah, only to blink at the sight of a small smile on the blonde's lips.
"You're rolling your eyes, aren't you?"
"Of course not."
"Uh-huh. Let's go," Sarah pulled Sirin towards the door, the purple-haired girl following her into the hallway.
"Do we have popcorn?" Sirin asked as they passed the kitchen, prompting Sarah to snort.
"Sure. And if not, what's stopping us from popping into the nearby supermarket? I still have some money."
Sirin grinned, pulling her scarf off her face and following her friend.
As they made it into the living room and started watching the news, Sarah felt Sirin shift on the couch, turning to look at her.
"Sarah?"
"Hm?" the blonde raised an eyebrow, glancing at Sirin. The purple-haired girl had a small smile on her lips.
"Thanks for helping."
"I… sure. Anytime," Sarah smiled.
Sirin opened her eyes, wincing at the feeling of stiffness in her limbs. She didn't even remember falling asleep on the couch, but judging by the blanket and the fact that Alan was sleeping in the armchair, it wasn't too much of a surprise. She glanced towards the TV, but it was turned off, Alan had probably done that before he fell asleep.
Sirin sat up, careful not to wake Sarah, and stretched, letting out a quiet hiss at the sensation of her muscles complaining about being put in a bad position for too long. She considered getting up, glancing towards Alan.
He hadn't been happy yesterday, of course. He'd been worried sick when he'd heard the details of what had happened, and disappointed in them as well. Of course, his anger and disappointment faded rather quickly, the man sighing and admitting that Sirin had saved a lot of lives, but the girls had to promise to never sneak out like that again. Sirin had volunteered to take the blame, but Alan wouldn't hear of it, deciding to scold the girls equally.
Which he'd probably have to reconsider. Sirin was fairly certain that Sarah hadn't actually done much at the shelter, aside from talking to people. She'd been the one who got everyone to safety and opened the portal for firefighters. Well, Sarah also worked out how she could help the firefighters, but wasn't like Alan knew that.
It felt nice, though. Doing good. Helping people when she couldn't before. Making people happy, instead of upset or angry. She hadn't done anything special, but… she was still helping, wasn't she? Even if it wasn't all that much. Sirin was still making a difference in people's lives, and not-
She wasn't angry. She wasn't going to be a monster, Sirin promised herself.
The purple-haired girl glanced towards Sarah, debating waking the blonde up, before dismissing the idea. She'll wake her up later, for breakfast. Or Alan could do it. For now, though…
Sirin stretched once more, glancing towards the windows, where the rising sun was painting the skyline pink.
Maybe today wouldn't be too bad?
Sirin made a frustrated sound, tilting her head to examine what was in front of her. Alan put the pancake batter down, turning around to face the two girls sitting at the counter.
"Is everything alright?" he asked. She ignored him, struggling with the piece of fabric in front of her. While some of the sewing basics came to her easily, Sirin's attempts at properly creating sleeves were failing miserably, the piece of cloth crumpling and twisting under her fingers. She let out a frustrated hiss, before finally dropping it onto the table and glaring at Alan, making him chuckle.
"Problems with the sweater?"
"Sleeves suck. Why did nobody tell me that?" Sirin grumbled. Sarah snorted, taking a bite of her pancakes.
"They don't. You just suck at sleeves," she helpfully supplied. Sirin glared at her, and the blonde raised her hands up placatingly.
"Alright, alright. If you can't handle a simple sleeve, maybe we should get you something else. Something simpler?"
"But I wanted to make this."
"Well, I'm not seeing that happening anytime soon," Sarah shook her head. Alan took a sip of his coffee, glancing towards the television, still showing the news.
"Well, if you're struggling with sleeves, maybe you should practice a bit. Get some experience," he suggested. Sirin frowned, tilting her head. Alan cleared his throat, glancing towards Sarah. The blonde shrugged.
"It's been what... ten hours since the fire, and we don't have reporters asking for Sirin to answer questions at the door. It won't be a problem if we pop out to pick something up. Some more fabric, new needles. Maybe a sewing machine," the blonde listed off. Sirin blinked, picking at her failed sleeves. "Though we should probably hurry. I don't think reporters will have much difficulty realizing that a purple-haired girl you've got custody of and a new purple-haired parahuman are likely related."
"That… yes. Good thinking," Alan nodded, picking up the mixing bowl again and starting on the next set of pancakes. Sirin glanced at Sarah, who simply shrugged and focused on her food. Alan measured out four more pancakes to the pan, then turned back to face them.
"Are you sure you're fine, going out by yourselves?" He asked. Sarah struggled to hide a flinch, before forcing a smile.
"I can't exactly hide from the world forever, right? And Sirin is with me. We'll be fine, Alan. I think I'm ready," Sarah said, glancing at Sirin. The purple-haired girl considered that, before nodding.
"Alright," Alan said, turning back to the pancakes. "If you two can clean the dishes after breakfast, you can go out together. You will, of course, call me if you get into trouble, right?"
"I still have your number saved, Alan," Sarah nodded, a faint smirk tugging at her lips.
"Right," the man chuckled.
"Though there was something we were supposed to talk about, right? Yesterday, after we got back?" Sirin spoke up, glancing at Sarah. The blonde froze mid-bite, before lowering her fork back to the place and swallowing. Alan took a moment to flip the last of four cooking pancakes, then looked between the two girls.
"Oh?"
"Yes," Sirin nodded. She couldn't quite tell what emotion flashed on Sarah's face, but she didn't stop. This needed to be said.
"What did you need to talk about, girls?" Alan asked. Sirin could hear Sarah gulp, but the blonde steeled herself and met their guardian's gaze.
"Alan? We might've asked Lady Photon to lie to the reporters yesterday, to protect your privacy. I… that's why we left without telling you. We figured we should make sure reporters had no reason to talk to you apart from as the owner of the shelter. To sell the illusion, Sirin was going to come to and from the shelter with portals and Lady Photon-"
"Told the reporters that Sirin is a cape currently affiliated with and interested in joining New Wave," Alan said. Sarah went very still for a moment, then slumped forward onto the counter. She only just missed her plate of half-finished pancakes.
"Oh," she groaned. "She told you."
Alan chuckled. "She did. And whilst I wish you'd run it past me, I understand why you didn't at the time. I'd feel much better if you could talk to me about things like this beforehand in the future, but I I know that might not always be possible."
Sarah somehow found a way to slump down even further onto the table, only for Sirin to reach over and pat her friend gently on the head. She looked up balefully, glaring in a way that Sirin knew wasn't entirely true. It made her smile.
"I feel like an idiot," her friend whined plaintively. "How did I not realize that?"
"Don't worry about it," Alan said. He flipped the last of the pancakes onto the covered stack next to him, and brought them over to the table. Setting them down there, he took a moment to pat Sarah comfortingly on the shoulder. "Now, let's have breakfast."
Sirin nodded, struggling not to laugh as Sarah pulled herself back up to a sitting position.
Maybe today really wasn't so bad.
Sirin grinned victoriously as she carefully cut the thread holding the sleeves on the sweater, tying it off. She set the scissors and thread aside and then stood, spreading the fabric to see how it would look on a person.
Alan was right. Practice did do wonders.
Sarah glanced towards the purple-haired girl from her computer, where she was searching for various supplies Sirin was going to need. Sirin coughed, glancing at Sarah.
"How does it look?"
"Hm? Oh. Pretty good," the blonde nodded, turning around to properly look at the sweater. Sirin grinned again as Sarah nodded, turning her focus back to the computer.
"Yep. You've really improved," she added. "It almost looks like something wearable."
Sirin pouted, throwing the sweater at Sarah. The blonde blinked, fumbling with it for a moment, before shaking her head and returning to the screen.
"Hey. Don't pout. It's not my fault it looked like trash at the beginning. At least now I wouldn't mind wearing it."
"You're mean," Sirin announced. Sarah glanced at the purple-haired girl, the corners of her lips twitching upwards as the girl folded her arms, the blonde clearly fighting off the urge to roll her eyes. Sarah was doing that a lot recently, especially when Sirin was whining about her sewing, and it was always so obvious the girl was suppressing the desire to respond to the purple-haired girl in some other way. She wondered why that was.
"Whatever you say." Sarah finally nodded, returning to her search. Sirin packed her supplies away, before moving over to the couch and picking up the remote.
Alan wasn't home, but the television was still on. Sirin flipped through the channels, before eventually settling on the news and dropping onto the couch. She watched them for a few minutes, the news showing a bunch of footage from yesterday, before Sarah spoke up.
"We need to decide what cape name we are going to give you. You did want to go visit the shelter today, right? Unless you want to stay 'the phasing girl'?"
"Mhm. What names did you have in mind?" Sirin asked. Sarah turned her chair, leaning against the table to close her laptop, glancing at the TV.
"Nothing great. Portalling girl?" Sarah suggested. Sirin wrinkled her nose. "Portal parahuman... Phasing girl?" The blonde wiggled her eyebrows.
"No." Sirin shook her head. Sarah chuckled.
"We'll figure something out. Maybe Alan or someone in New Wave will come up with a good one? There's still time," the blonde said, a smug smile on her face. Sirin nodded.
"Do you… do you really think they'll help?"
Sarah nodded.
"Yeah. We'll get there," the blonde declared. Sirin felt the corners of her lips twitch, before both of the girls fell silent. They sat watching the news for a little while, before Sarah tapped her fingers against the table, glancing towards Sirin.
"Are we… Are we sure we want to visit the shelter again today? Not because you helped them," the blonde quickly corrected herself. "Because you did, and they'll be very thankful for it. But maybe it would be better if we waited? Let reporters move onto another topic?"
"I've promised. I won't just not show up," Sirin shook her head, earning a nod from Sarah.
"Alright. That's… That's fine," the blonde sighed. Sirin bit her lip, glancing towards the TV, where people were currently showing some sort of interview.
"-ay that you owe your life to that girl?"
"She helped us get out when no one else could. Who knows how many of us would have died if it wasn't for her," the woman being interviewed shook her head. "It's a miracle that girl showed up when she did, really." Sirin felt a small smile spread on her lips, as Sarah hummed quietly.
"Miracle, huh... How about that? Miracle?" the blonde glanced towards Sirin. The purple-haired girl scrunched her nose, glancing at the television and blinking at the image of a young boy, the one she remembered carrying out.
"-ave you heard her name?" a reporter asked. Sirin tensed. The boy shook his head.
"But she had cool hair!"
Sirin blinked before preening a little. She was proud of her hair, and having someone compliment it felt nice. Sarah, on the other hand, slowly turned towards her with a grin on her lips.
"No. Don't even think about suggesting that," Sirin pointed a finger at her friend. The blonde burst out laughing, leaning against the table. The purple-haired girl felt her own lips pull into a small smile. Yeah. Not that one.
She could wait a little to have her cape name, anyways.
"So, anything else you want to do before heading out?" Sarah asked, looking up from her laptop as Sirin passed her. The purple-haired girl frowned for a moment, before shrugging.
"Maybe more sewing?" she offered, sitting down at the kitchen table and poking her pancake with a fork. "Or some knitting. Or crocheting." Sarah shook her head with a fond sigh, before focusing back on her computer.
"Anything interesting on the web?" the purple-haired girl asked. Sara pursed her lips for a moment, before turning the laptop towards Sirin. The girl leaned closer, raising an eyebrow at the sight of a website that was apparently created by a fan of superheroes, featuring a long list of… capes? Sirin glanced at Sarah, the blonde simply gesturing at the screen.
"Look through it," she offered, spinning the laptop so that Sirin had easier access to the keyboard, before starting to type something herself. Sirin looked at the screen, frowning and taking a bite of her breakfast, as she started scrolling down the page. There was name after name, some accompanied by brief descriptions and photos, and Sirin slowly finished her breakfast, as she went through the list, until-
Sirin blinked, scrolling back up. She narrowed her eyes at the photo of a man on the screen, before clicking on the button offering her the detailed information about-
"Lung?"
Sarah turned towards Sirin, a questioning look on her face.
"Why did he call himself after a body part?"
Sarah blinked, before letting out a quiet giggle, earning a frown from Sirin. The blonde quickly raised her hands.
"Alright, alright. From what I know, it's Chinese for 'Dragon'."
Sirin blinked, slowly nodding. That made sense. And was much cooler than naming yourself after a body part. Sirin nodded.
"Did you find anyone you liked?" Sarah asked a few moments later. "Get any inspiration for a cape name?"
"It's a terrible name," Sirin shook her head. Sarah shrugged with a fond smile, and the purple-haired girl focused back on the computer. "But maybe." She bit her lip, scrolling the page a little. There were capes that had names related to light, and Sirin felt her lips twitch. Sarah leaned over, looking at the list.
"Sun, Moon… Star? Huh. What about it?"
"Sunstar?" Sirin suggested. Sarah paused for a moment, before smirking.
"Sounds like a band from the 80s. But we can work with it. I like the star."
Sirin blinked, scrolling the page a little further and glancing at her friend. Then she smiled and typed 'Miracle Star' into the search box.
There wasn't a single cape going by that name.
She could work with that.
Sarah had ended up choosing to stay home and wait for her before they both went shopping. Sirin had pulled on the same clothes as yesterday, except this time her hat was winter themed. It still had cute ears, though. Alan had already left to talk with the insurance company, and both of the girls knew he'd be busy with that for a while.
With that done, Sirin simply created a portal and stepped out beside the shelter.
"What the-!"
"Holy-!"
"The fuck!?"
"How-?"
"That's so cool!"
"Language!"
Sirin winced at the sudden shouts, looking around at all the people staring at her, shifting from foot to foot. It was notably louder than yesterday, but there didn't seem to be any reporters around. Sirin glanced towards the shelter, or what remained of it. Most of the rubble had been cleared away, leaving behind a charred mess. There'd been people working inside of the burnt-out shell of a build, but most of them were milling about the street now, watching her.
"Hey! Thank you!" One of the children called. Sirin raised a hand and waved to them. Several of them returned the gesture, while some others started pointing at her hair, whispering to each other. Sirin fought off the urge to hide and walked forward towards the portal. The people inside froze at the sight of her, silence falling before a woman took a step closer.
She recognized the woman as one of those she helped lead out of the building.
"Uhm… Hello," the purple-haired girl cleared her throat, waving again. She hoped that would stop feeling so strange soon.
"Hello dear." The woman gave Sirin a warm smile, extending a hand towards the girl. Sirin stared at it for a moment, before blushing and reaching out to shake it. "My name is Christina. Thank you for yesterday."
"N-no problem. My name is- is Miracle Star," the purple-haired girl blurted out, before biting her tongue. The woman took a moment, then chuckled.
"Thank you for yesterday, Miracle Star. As you can see, we're trying to salvage whatever survived the fire. Do you think you could help us a little? If you don't have anything else planned, of course," the woman asked. Sirin took a moment to look around, before shaking her head.
"I have time," the purple-haired girl offered. Christina nodded, before turning back to the rest of the people. Many of them waved to Sirin before going back to their tasks. Not wanting to waste much time, Sirin quickly joined in helping some of the men and women with sifting through the debris, trying to find anything that managed to survive the fire.
Sirin was in the middle of moving a heavy beam, when she heard someone clearing their throat behind her. Sirin spun, letting the beam drop in a crash as she faced the source of sound. The purple-haired girl froze as she took in the sight of a camera. The man behind it shifted back quickly, though he regained his manner quickly.
"Hello, young lady," he said genially. "Are you the new parahuman that helped out at the shelter last night?"
"I-" Sirin broke off, struggling to respond in the moment. Fortunately, Christina appeared from between the piles of rubble. Probably in response to the crash she'd made dropping the structural beam.
"Oh. Good morning, Mister." Her eyes flicked over to Sirin, making sure she was alright. "Is anything the matter?"
"Oh, yes. Good morning ma'am," the man nodded. "I heard that yesterday's heroine was spotted around here and hoped to have a quick word with her. My name is Jeff," the man extended his hand towards the woman, who glanced at Sirin. The purple-haired girl nodded nervously, clasping her hands behind her back. Christina took it carefully, shaking once.
"Mister Jeff, then. I hope you're not going to bother the residents?" She asked. Sirin took the opportunity to step out through the wall and, after looking around, made a portal to the second floor. Peeking down through the hole in the floor, she saw Jeff shake his head.
"Of course not. I'm only here to get an interview with Brockton Bay's new hero. I'd hate to miss an opportunity at being the first one to do so."
"Well, if it was about interviews, she certainly could do with some exposure. But the girl helped our people get out yesterday, and she's helping us today. It would be a shame to take her away and waste the time better spent doing something useful. If you don't have any more questions, then-" Christina explained, gently putting a hand on Jeff's shoulder and starting to guide the man towards the street.
Sirin bit her lip, waiting for the man to leave the shelter, before creating another portal and quickly reappearing at the first floor. Christina blinked, turning to look at Sirin and furrowing her brows at the girl.
"Sorry," the purple-haired girl cleared her throat. The woman blinked, before shaking her head with a chuckle.
"No. Don't apologize. But if you don't want to deal with people like that, I think it's best you leave for now and try not to show up on the streets if you visit again," she suggested. Sirin bit her lip, looking around at the people cleaning up the shelter.
"Can... can I return when there aren't that many people anymore? To help again?" Sirin asked.
"We certainly won't turn down help," the woman told her gently. "The quicker we find anything of use, the quicker we can start finding a new place for people to stay. Many relied on this shelter to survive the winter, and now..."
Sirin nodded, wringing her hands. "I can bring stuff if you need? Clothes, blankets… food?" the purple-haired girl quickly suggested. Christina blinked, before tilting her head.
"That
would be nice, but where would you get them?" Sirin frowned, thinking. There was a lot she could do with her portals, but also a lot she probably shouldn't. Maybe she could talk to Alan?
"I'll think of something? I could get some blankets at least," the purple-haired girl said firmly. "And... And what about the people? Who were here before, I mean? Where are they going to stay now? Another shelter nearby?"
"That's going to be more difficult. It'll depend on what Alan's insurance covers, I expect," Christina sighed. It was a difficult question for the woman, and Sirin shrank back a little, before creating a portal to her room.
"I'll- I'll try to find some blankets," she said. Then quickly ducked into the portal before Christina could say anything, closing it as soon as she was through. Sarah must have heard her coming through, as her friend was at the door by the time she looked round to it.
"Why are you covered in soot?" the blonde asked.
"Was helping," Sirin shrugged, her mind still occupied with what Christina had said. "Is it... Would it be a bad idea to try and collect stuff for them?"
"Stuff for... For the people from the shelter?" the blonde asked. Sirin hummed a yes and the blonde crossed her arms, chewing at nail. "Well, no, it's not. I'm pretty sure Alan would agree to help. The insurance should be big, right? Do you want me to call him and add a few things to the shopping list?"
"I…do you think he'd mind?" She asked, going over to her dresser to get a change of clothes. Sarah stood at the door as she changed, tapping her chain as she murmured through ideas.
"Warm clothes, blankets, non-perishable foods. Those'll be critical. Maybe some toys for the kids? There were kids there, you brought some of them out. We can have a look whilst we're out getting you more material for your clothing attempts. Maybe check a cape merch store to get you a mask!"
"I…I kind of like the scarf," Sirin murmured, blushing despite herself. Sarah paused, before letting out a chuckle and ruffling the girl's hair.
"Well, maybe get one just for emergencies? You can think about it. I'll call Alan and tell him about the list," the blonde chirped. She bustled off to get her phone, leaving Sirin standing there with a blush on her cheeks and a little smile on her face.
Maybe today could actually be good.
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Merry Christmas!
This chapter was only possible due to the one and only
Miracle☆Snow! who was kind enough to beta it!