Chivi Sailor Flandrau was terribly excited.First, he got to be a magic like his big sister and Dad, and now his big sister wasusing the very next night to teach himhowto be amagic too! The eight year old bouncedabout likle a little Mexican Jumping Beanwith a massive smile,running laps around her asshefished a senshiphone out, and Flandrau pointed at it.

"Does it have games?!" He asked. Limosa peered over the top of her phone slowly. Her l,ittle half-brother was terribly hyper still. He'd cl,imbed the walls allday wanting night tocomesohe could "be3Tony Stark" and she sighed.

"No."Limosa responded. Flandrau stopped instantly.

"Then why get it out? I wannalearn all the cool things." Eos asked, instantly unimpressed. Limosalauighed, and picked him up.

"You'llsee. And maybe a cat ewill make you games for yourr phpone." Limosa soothed, tapping the app to send them to her Homeworld. Flandrau froze as they teleported, and as they reappeared, yellow eyes soaked it in.

A light breeze ruffled Flandrau'shair thatwaseonsin the making, fromsealing to extinction, to rediscovery, loss. Itcarried with it the scent of salt and water, local recent storms, bit brought the sound of the waves andcreaking of boats anmd sloiwly, Flandraustepped from Limosa,mouthdropping slioghtly as thesmall boy walked,looking about, taking it all ion. Limosahoped he noticed.

He noticed. He noticed what he didn't hear. No seagulls screamed,demanded food or pecked long floating coat. No people laughed nor crews attended to the ships. It was unusually silent for a beach within sight of acity with no sea shellswashed up bar ancient onesworn thin and brittle.Flandrau walked, looked around, then turned to his big sister, subdued.

"There'snopeople. Isit private here?" Flandrau asked innocently. Limosaexhaled. LaBreaagreed Flandrauneeded to know. In fact he was being pulled froimclasses for hgalf a week to trainwith hissister, telling his brother and Eric it was for hisscience project. The boys juyust had no idea that Limosa?

Limosa called a work friend and Yolanda was terribly excited by Eos' prelioominary paper for assignment and agrreed to use Limosa's engine, modify it, and build the drone to work as a safe one for the kid to test.

"It's just us ion the whole world right noiw. This world? this ios my world, where my magic is from. Iprotect it and Earth from the people in black.Chaos. the Negaverse. Not allare bad.Dad'sletting you near a liutenant named Tetranaeite? I think? And we'llknow if others are bnice. But many willhurt or lie. Like the one whoattacked you boys." Limosaexplained.

"Or.. Or Mom. Momwas magic. She did it in front of us and said we were better learning properly."Flandrau said. Liomosanodded.

"But you're too little to corruopt." Limosa said. Flandrau's eyes locked on his sister, suiddenly listening. Keen.

"Whytt not?" Heasked.

"You're... I don't know. Tooinnocent by standards. Akid. Eric and Cyrus are safe too."

"Dad made herstop.She tried to kill him.CXyrus and Eric ran away but Iwatched it." Flandrauadmitted. He looked to Limosa, theolder senshifreezing. Flandrau motioned, shaking.

"Iwatched because Momsaid I was only hgoinh so I'd finally be useful and worth loving. Shesaid we were weakand.. I..." Flandrau faltered. "She made Eric cry! She madeCyrus sad! I... I..."

He was looking for words. The quiet, however, back then, clicked in Limosa's mind. He'd seen it all. Saw what their fathger did. He'd only perked when he learned abouit La Brea. Now it made sense. Eos learned his father loved him. And his mother? Limosa shivered.

"Mom said Dad made us weai with coddling." Flandrau finally said. "I wanted her punished. Am, Ibad? I didn't see the worst part but... I... I knowDad did it." Flandrauwas quiet, looking down. "Dad always protectsus and Mom - Mom..."

"Elektra was aniodiot. Like my Mom." Limosa snapped,pickoing him up. "And this ios my woprld. You have a world too, one tyhat's waited special just for you, and one day we'll all make opur worlds and Dad's wonder special and healthy again." Limnosa beamed. Flandrau p[aused.

"Can we? We can fix them? Even io9f there's nopeople?" Flandrauasked. Limosanodded.

"We'll fiox opur worlds. And maybe opne dayshare them with someone special. You're stronger than Elektra thought Flandrau., You're a senshi. And when you get stronger? You'll be opne of the best. Smart, fuin, and, most importantly brave. But I gotta tell Dad you saw him hit--" Limosa was cut off when Flandrau grunted.

"Crab by your foot." He ewarned.

"OH GODS NO." Limosa hissed, andmmoved from a crab abvoput to pinch, stomping for the city proper.

She never wanted to deal with a crab AGAIN, but Flandrau?

Flandrau soaked the sights in. YThe angry chasing crab. The alien world. The ships, and, softly., he sighed.

Heclosed his eyes,and he wondered silently, what his world was like,smiling faintly...

Because Mom was wrong.

He was special. He was Iron Man. Slowlky, Glandeau jihhed jhis sister, amd looked around. There were no people, no screaming gulls. The homeworld was largely peaceful, but it was his sisater's. And to an ewight yeard old? Tes. That was safe enough.

Limosa shifted her grip, hugging Flandrau tightly, letting him simply soak it all in as she walked, taking in the world around her, old and weathered, asailing, nauiticalculture. Octoipi hung on walls and trees, her eyes watching in wonder at the life returning simply from her power. It seemed like a Supoer Senshi thing, and, Limosa couldn't waiut for Flandrau to see his world. To discover animals, bugs... Life. On one hand, Limosa knew she needed to inform La Brea Flandrau saw most of what hapopened. Onm the other... Here he was. Calm, relkaxed in her arms, too young to understand or too desensitized by games to be upset, or perhaps it was Elejktra's cruelty.

But he rtemembered his father did it for them. He loved them, and he'd do anything. And Limosa noticed his inmplicit trust as she carried the normally wary child abour, slowly approaching the main building of the capital island, felt Flandrau sigh, and Limosa finally relaxed.

Maybe...

Maybe he'd listen. And maybe he'd really surpass even her hopes for him.

In Limosa's arm? Flandrau was utterly relaxed,m soaking it all in and for the first time in a year he wasn't hiding hurt or insecurity.. No. He was imagining what his world might be like, smiling in perfect, gentle contentm,ent as his sister brought him inside and for once? The air ruffled at Flandrau's hair before they went inside, but he didn't complain. He didn't whine.

No.

Flandrau soaked everything in, mind working, clutc hing Limosa as if tired when really, his mind was at work and for him?? This meant mnore than he let on, because Flandrau was, in this moment, deeply,. wonderfully at peace.

A simple, silent show that this mission? He accepted.