Sonya sat up groggily, rubbing her eyes and trying to remember where she’d been. Everythi like a blur. Her regression, the opening of Pandora’s Box, her powers both new and old, and the many times she’d used the Broker ability. She opened her phone for the huh time and looked at her bank at. She still couldn’t believe that she had a smidgeon over seven million dolrs to her name, just like that. All she’d had to do was shake a man’s hand twice. It horic feeling, but she k had limitations.
She picked up her notepad and read it over, “I ’t lie anymore, all of my deals have to be made without overt deception. I don’t have to fully expierms, though, such as sileng someone,” She began, “In the case of sileng someone I don’t have to have an ability that do that as a product, rather since just not saying anything is within reasonable boundaries I just make it happen. However, it seems like if I want to do something more miraculous I need a produ pce that achieve the goal.”
She moved down to the line, “If it’s aension of an already established agreement, I don’t have to provide additional payment or vice versa, probably. I didn’t have to offer Niything in exge for his silence si art of his father’s deal. I guess that means I offer my services freely if I want. That could e in handy, probably,” She mused and moved to the line.
“I only appraise someone once, and when I do I get their ability as a product that I use as my own or as part of my deals. I haven’t tried giving one of my products to someone, and I don’t know if that will make me lose it or not. Probably. I’ll have to be careful there. Maybe I try it with Light Step,” She murmured thoughtfully. “Doesn’t seem like one I really need.”
“I don’t know if I take the ability from a person when I appraise it, I doubt that,” She tinued and scribbled down a few more notes, “ I awaken the ability in someohe potential is there. Try it on Marta if she’s willing,” She muttered and read over the notes again. She felt like she already had a pretty good handle on what Broker could do, but it was still early. The most important thing now was tinuing to test its limits.
“Most importantly,” Sonya said quietly, thinking back to when she arrived at the hotel, a small flush ing to her face, “It won’t activate uhey take my hand willingly…”
Sonya had snatched the hand of one of the hotel staff to shake it vigorously as thanks for the room. It had been a positively humiliating experie it was one of the only ways she could think of to test that particur limitation. She let out a breath and tore the sheet off the top of the notepad, her thoughts collected. She drew Firestorm out of her warehouse and with a flex of thought, ied the paper. She couldn’t leave any evidence behind of her ability, even a scrap of paper in the garbage.
She slipped off the bed and got dressed, eyeing herself in the mirror. Her white hair had beeg for numerous reasons, against her pale skin and the glow to her eyes, she seemed like some kind of otherworldly creature. The Hotel Staff had gaped at her for the first few minutes of her attempts to get a room, her ID card looked nothing like her now, she’d have to get a new one. Fortunately she looked enough like herself that they shrugged it off as a rather dramatic bleach job.
She snorted and threw on a shirt and some scks, and frowned, “Maybe some new clothes are in order, not like I ’t afford it.”
No, Sonya! She chastised herself, First, you need somewhere to live!
She thought about Marta as well, “And I o take care of her, too, I won’t lose her again.”
“Alright!” She o herself, “A good financial foundation, a pce to live, Marta’s prote, and after that, I o figure out how exactly I’m going to keep my promise.”
Her expression fell, the words she swore when she’d reopened Pandora’s Box to let hope out. That she’d fix things, make things right, even if it meant being the worst. She set her hands on the ter and stared at herself in the mirror. But how? What did that even mean?
She rubbed her temples and groaned again, this was way too much thinking without junk food at her disposal. She wanted a burger and an ice cold soda. There was so much to do though! Not enough time to get a good burger. She threw a brief tantrum over the huge list of things to do before rec when her ph, a chipper christmas bells ringtohat she’d set for one person and one alone in her prior blindness. She snatched it up, “M-Marta?”
–
Sonya opehe door to Marta’s hospital room and found the woman sitting aloh a rge vase of flowers o her. She was looking out the window and eyeing the street outside. Sihe first appearanohere hadn’t been as of further activity. Sonya knew why, of course, the beasts would be appearing in packs at first and then in other ways. Soon, dungeons would start appearing that would have to be raided before the monsters over poputed them and started swarming out into the civilized world beyond.
For now, things were calm.
“Marta,” Sonya said, “I’m so gd you’re awake.”
Marta turned and looked at Sonya, casting a radiant smile her way, “You came!”
“Of course I would!” Sonya insisted, moving to sit dowo her caretaker, “I owe you my life, you’ve taken care of me for so long, you’re like a mother to me, Marta.”
Marta looked down at Sonya’s hands and then up at her, “You’re so sweet, oh, look at your eyes, they’re so pretty now that I get a good look at you, and your hair!” She gasped, reag out to take a strand of Sonya’s hair in her fingers, “It’s a good look, holy.”
Sonya cracked out a ugh, “After everything, my hair?”
Marta chuckled a go of Sonya’s hair, “Sonya…”
Sonya felt a lump form ihroat and an uneasiness wash over her, “Yes?”
“It was you, that made me strong, then, wasn’t it?” She asked, looking again at Sonya’s hand, “When you held my hand, you did something. It didn’t st long, though, I feel it still there, but it’s like it’s been turned off.”
That firms ohing, Sonya thought as she swallowed, she gnced over her shoulder just in case a doctor had slipped into the room without her notig. They were alone. She let out a sigh a her hands in her p, “I did.”
“ you do it again?” Marta asked.
“What? Why?” Sonya blurted, “You don’t- I mean-” She stammered, “Why would you want that?”
Marta looked down at her hands, they were worn from years of hard work. There was a faint crease beh her eyes, she’d aged just a little more retly, the stress of Pandora’s Light. Many people would gh the same thing, premature aging caused by the ihat ged the world. Marta’s brown hair fell around her face for a moment, “I was assigo take care of you, Sonya, a long time ago. We practically live together. It’s been the most rewarding job I’ve ever had, but,” She looked up at Sonya with a shog level of fieress in her eyes, “What I was able to do for you that day, it felt right. I was finally able to really protect you. You’re like a daughter to me, Sonya, and I was never able to…”
Sonya felt that lump ihroat again, “Marta… you don’t have to do that,” Sonya urged her, You died for me once already, that’s enough.
“My husba,” Marta said, “I told him about what happened, what I had to do, I didn’t tell him how it happened, so he thinks I just have that strength now, like the other people that ged,” Tears formed in her eyes, “He just walked out the door.”
Sonya hung her head, “Marta I’m so-”
“If he couldn’t stand with me after this ge,” Marta croaked, “He isn’t worth being sorry over.”
You don’t mean that, Sonya thought, seeing the pain on her dear friends face. Sonya didn’t know whether or not Marta wao be strong because she felt vulnerable now, or if she really wa in a genuine way. But Sonya realized it wasn’t really her pce to judge that, Marta had made a request and Sonya was not about to turn her friend down.
“Okay,” Sonya said and stood up, holding her hand out to Marta. Marta reached out and gripped it. “Then I want you to stay with me from now on,” Sonya said.
“It would be my pleasure, Miss Sonya.”
