"We. Will. Figure. It. Out. Later."

That was the current answer for everything. Gawain's, anyway. It got him out of the Jet, and out of the debriefing, and out of the planning session about refugees and diplomatic incidents and whatnot. Well, that, and the gash in his side that was severe enough that it needed DocProf's attention. The mirrorwalker left the jet on his own legs as soon as they docked it, but he moved sluggishly between the bandages and the painkillers.
Not to mention the stowaway.

They took Kalos home with them. Gawain could not have handled leaving the kid on Atlantis, and she did not seem eager to stay either. Besides, he argued, she was a witness to the conditions on the island, and since there was no guarantee that things would not go back to the way they had been before, she needed protection for the time being. And what better place than a mutant school?

Gawain had peeled Kalos out of the seatbelts, and she had been following him ever since. He glanced at her as he moved down the hallway towards the Infirmary.

"Are you doing okay, kid?"

The heroes all had different words to say to one another about the gorgon child, many of the words, Kalos did not understand. She decided they were made up or a part of a new language that everyone spoke now. Something about legal, so a legal language. No one bothered to ask Kalos much beyond the initial 'do you want to go back?'. They were adults. And demigods. Of course it wouldn't occur to them that she might have more to contribute to this conversation she only half understood.

She did, at least, get to assert that her parents were dead.

They hadn't had time to verify that Kalos' parents had moved on to the afterlife, but she insisted vehemently that she had seen it. If they weren't dead, it was something worse for them. So for their sake, she wished them a happier life beyond the veil.

After that it was a matter of trying to remain small and out of the way. These demigods were all upgraded to heroes or maybe even titans in her mind since they had worked together to bring down a god. She didn't want them to be gods. They were clearly better than the fallen god king.

On the trip away from Atlantis, Kalos scraped her palms across her face in order to get rid of the tear tracks. She would sob and cry and hit all day if she could, but these last moments of Gawain's life should be filled with something better. It was just so tragic that her hero would die too. He had tried to reassure her, but Kalos had seen too many gorgon die of similar wounds. The other heroes seemed rattled, but no one else seemed as worried as she was. Maybe they were distancing themselves so that it would hurt less when he passed.

And somehow it was Gawain who freed her from thexjet's clutches. They should teach their bird better manners. And these rest of the heroes were too... upset? She was glad that Gawain had remembered her despite her attempts to remain small and out of the way. It was why he would forever he her hero.

> "Are you doing okay, kid?"

She had followed Gawain out of necessity. No one else had remembered or stuck up for her. Gawain was her best, most safest option in this new place. If she could at least accompany him to his funeral pyre, then maybe she would bother to learn these people's ways. Until then, she would watch him to be sure his body was properly cared for so that he could move on to the afterlife.

"When you die... would you have a try to find my mother?"

She squished the ground beneath her feet. It was clean. But squishy. She would have to investigate after Gawain had moved on.

Kalos kept pace with him as he walked down the hallway towards the infirmary. Half of Gawain's mind was already occupied with what he was going to tell DocProf, and what kind of a meager excuse he could conjure up to explain the scene the healer was going to see once he began his work. Sorry, I ran into a sword, but it was really necessary at the time.
Ouch.

He turned his attention to the little girl quietly padding along. He hoped she was fine. She looked fine. Well, dirty, underfed, and confused, but... fine?

>>"When you die... would you have a try to find my mother?"

"Wha..." Gawain almost ran straight into the Infirmary door from shock as she said the words, so simply as if they completely made sense. He braced himself with one hand on the door and stared at the girl. Somehow every single thing that managed to get out of Kalos' mouth was heartbreaking. At least so far.

"Kalos, I'm not dying. We have a healer..."

"Just because you have a healer that does not mean you are not friggin' dying, Morris" came DocProf's grumble as the door opened outward, pushing the mirrorwalker back and revealing the healer's mixed expression of annoyance and concern. He took in Gawain's blood-soaked uniform with a frown "Just what sort of a new concept for diplomacy did you implement this time, hm?... And who is this?"

"Her name is Kalos. She is... uh. A witness. I kinda rescued her, and she is staying with us for a while." Gawain grumbled, shuffling over to an empty bed and lying down "Check her first. Kalos, this is DocProf. He is a healer, and he is actually a very nice person. Just sounds grumpy all the time."

They had a healer? Those were most coveted by the mad king. Kalos had never seen one before. She had also never seen old before. Not that old, anyway. She stared for longer than was polite before she remembered her manners and abased herself with a bow down low with her face pressed onto the squishy ground. Oh. Huh. This close to it she was able to see that it was many strands of cloth, almost like moss grew, but a sort-of wine color. It certainly felt nicer than the muck she was used to bowing down atop of.

"This Kalos is not dying, most esteemed sir healer Dogproff." She reported with her knees and eyes on the ground. "Please attend my hero so he does not friggin die, as you say. I promise I will keep. He may not and I have no coins to close his eyes so that he can pay the ferryman."

There had been many, old (but not Dogproff old!) and young alike, that she closed their eyes with pretty shells or pieces of her coral. She liked to think that the ferryman took them across because those things had been valuable to her.

DocProf seemed amused. That was better than angry. "Get up, child. Let's bring both your hero and yourself in for a look, shall we?"

A bit of sandwich had fallen out of the folds of her makeshift covering. Kalos snatched the morsel back up and stood as the healer commanded. The last thing she wanted was for him to decide not to heal Gawain.

"Can I-?" the word help died on her lips as she saw the interior of the medical room. Everything was white and so smooth. White was uncommon enough. So was paper that was so thin like the paper she saw stretched over padded benches. Maybe Gawain would not die. Kalos was ready to bear witness to Dogproff's wonders.

Gawain stared blankly as Kalos prostrated herself on the floor to greet DocProf. His stunned expression was matched by the healer's. This was definitely a first.

>>"This Kalos is not dying, most esteemed sir healer Dogproff. Please attend my hero so he does not friggin die, as you say. I promise I will keep. He may not and I have no coins to close his eyes so that he can pay the ferryman."

Gawain shook with laughter he was trying to hold back, which made his wound hurt a lot worse, so he decided to lie back down on the bed. The corners of DocProf's mouth twitched dangerously too. Apparently, Gawain was now a hero, Dogproff was never gonna wash that name down, and Kalos had a whole lot to learn about the modern world, since she was circa twenty-five hundred years behind on how a person was supposed to behave.
This was bound to get fun...

>>"Get up, child. Let's bring both your hero and yourself in for a look, shall we?"

"She's from Atlantis" Gawain explained, completely unnecessarily, as Doc turned to examine his stab wound, frowning. Apparently it was bad enough that it needed actual healing, which he got to immediately, placing his hands on the wound. Gawain relaxed and closed his eyes, letting the familiar feeling wash over him as DocProf's hands glowed, and he got a glimpse into how he had acquired the wound. From his expression, it was obvious he had an opinion about it, but for once, he did not comment. Once the wound closed and faded, Gawain sighed and opened his eyes, looking over at Kalos.

"See? Good as new. Nothing to worry about."

DocProf, for his part, grumbled something, and moved over to check on Kalos.

She was trapped between what she knew was polite (staying prostrate on the squishy thread ground) and obeying the healer's command (get up and go inside). In the end, Kalos decided that a person must always obey the healer's command. It might be the difference between life and death.

Kalos stood, her more textural coral growths scratched and caught at the carpet, but she was able to regain her feet and enter the healer's domain.

Everything was white, absolutely clean and shining. It was no wonder the hero of mirrors liked this reflective place.

"I am from the Atlantis ocean, yes." She confirmed what her hero said, daring to step in close enough to watch the healer at work. The bleeding stopped. Muscle folded back together. Kalos was half expecting that the shirt would re-knit itself after hero Gawain's skin became smooth and perfect as a demigod's should. There would not even be a scar, would there? Kalos started to reach out toward what once was a wound when hero Gawain insisted he was as good as new. She jumped, feeling guilty that she might have touched him without thinking. That would have been impolitic.

"You have a very powerful healing ability, most esteemed sir Dogproff."

She started to bow her thanks, but he, again, insisted that she did not. Instead, it was her turn to be seen to. Like... like she mattered.

A few little scrapes from her panicked fall were all restored to normal and Kalos tried her best to keep the pooling tears from falling from her eyes by opening them wide.

"Underfed" was one of the healer's most common grumbles as he checked her over in a manner she was more used to: like that of a surveyor looking over a horse he might buy. He used an object connected to his ears to hear something in her back, even! Strange were the ways of landfolk.

"How old are you, child?"

"I have 10 years." She replied dutifully.

"You must be hungry, but-!" DocProf held up a finger to command Kalos' attention. "Do not eat too much, too fast. Don't eat anything too rich right away. Those things might make your tummy feel sick. Gawain? Are you responsible for her?"

The wound was healed. Not even a scar. That must have meant DocProf was impressed with his latest adventure, or maybe he just wanted to show a nicer face to the child; he tended to leave scars as reminders of some of Mirror's bad choices. But not this one. Looking at the awestruck Kalos as she watched his skin, Gawain was sure that this one had not been a bad choice at all.

He sat up, dangling his legs from the bed as he watched Doc check Kalos over. She was not hurt. Good. Underfed, sure. Duh. And, apparently, ten years old. That alone made Gawain want to go back and punch the general's face in again.

>>"You must be hungry, but-! Do not eat too much, too fast. Don't eat anything too rich right away. Those things might make your tummy feel sick. Gawain? Are you responsible for her?"

"Iiii... am" Gawain yawned in the middle of his sentence, which reminded him that it was close to his shifting time. Darn time zone differences. He stretched, popping his shoulders. "Until further notice, anyhow. We can go find some food... and clothes... and a bed for her." he blinked, looking down at the girl "Do you eat like... normal food? Is there something you like more? Like... fish?..."

Uh... what did corals eat?...

He said he was responsible for her! A flush of satisfaction ran from her crown to her toes. Kalos would get to stay with Gawain. But... What was a tummy? She looked between Dogproff and Gawain, but neither was tripped up by the word. Was that short for something? Kalos' hero yawned. He must have been tired after being almost dead. She would have to tuck him in.

"I had a soft bread sandwich on thexjet. I-is that acceptable?"

Dogproff smiled at her by way of reply. It seemed that her sandwich would not kill her. That was good because she still had some tucked away on her person just in case there were no more sandwiches.

> "Do you eat like... normal food?"

"I prefer food, yes, but I can eat scraps too if that is all that is left." The demigods would all eat first, she was sure. "Fish is acceptable."

"Oh no. No no no. He's asking what foods you enjoy."

"I like to eat." She agreed. "I enjoy eating." Dogproff seemed upset, somehow. Was she answering wrongly?

"A preference? Is there one food you like better than others?"

At that, Kalos had to stop and think. The squishy bread had been like something from a memory. A celebration food. "Cake."

The question of preferred foods went way over Kalos' little head, to DocProf's endless frustration. She seemed to like the sandwiches. Gawain could definitely make those. He was not exactly a talent in the kitchen, but feeding a kid was not supposed to be that hard, was it?... He only had experience with a baby, and that had not exactly gone well either. As long as Kalos did not eat like, special raw marine food or plankton or some s...

>>"Cake."

Okay, then.

"Well, let's see what's in the kitchen" Gawain concluded, hopping off the bed and nodding to DocProf "Thank you. I'll take it from here."

Gawain led Kalos out of the Infirmary, and down the hallway to the kitchen. It was likely that the place had been recently raided by late-night snack people and hungry returning X-men, but it was usually well stocked enough to have plenty of food left.

"I'll make you some sandwiches, how's that?" he suggested, looking down at Kalos "And... dunno, milk? Do you drink milk?"

Hero Gawain did not promise her cake, Kalos noticed. She did not expect to receive cake, but they had asked for her favorite and that was it. Cake. Fluffy and sweet and with berries on top. She could almost remember how it tasted, or maybe she was making it up. Either way, cake had to be the best. It just had to be.

It was not a long walk from the healer's domain to a palatial kitchen. Kalos was somewhat familiar with kitchens. Many scraps came directly from them and they sometimes had to fetch the scraps which was good, really. Gorgon took better care of the little food they received when it came directly to one of them. The demigods had a tendency to dump it all out into the recycling heap, as if the gorgon would let food that wasn't yet touched by rot go to waste.

"More sandwich?" Fresh? Just for her? "Yes. More sandwich is alright. Thank you."

Kalos knew better than to touch anything. She found a little spot to stand what was out of the way, beside a large box that radiated coldness when the front doors were open and the many, many cabinets.

"Yes. I drink milk. Thank you, Hero Gawain. You should not have to wait on me." Where were the servants? How dare they let him do this for her?

She watched his every move and was amazed by the things she saw. Some things he opened had lights that turned on. There was more of that almost invisible film on the bread. That must be why it was so very soft. It was not long before Kalos had a fresh sandwich and a glass of the whitest milk. Just for her. She took a sip of the milk and immediately spat it back out. "I think your goats are sick! It's... sweet!"

>>"Yes. I drink milk. Thank you, Hero Gawain. You should not have to wait on me."

Gawain chuckled as she looked both enthusiastic and wary about the whole prospect of getting dinner. It would have been heartbreaking, in a way (in fact, it was), except Kalos was so full of complete innocence that she made the horrible place she had come from seem like it was just another way to live. Which is probably exactly what she thought. The mirrorwalker had to admit that the girl's weird reactions and out-of-the-blue comments were growing on him.

"I'm not waiting on you, I'm making you dinner. You deserve it. It's been a long day."

He made a neat sandwich, and one for himself; he also poured a glass of milk. Milk was good for growing kids, right?...

... apparently not.

>>"I think your goats are sick! It's... sweet!"

Gawain blinked, his own sandwich halfway to his mouth.

"Umm... it's... not goat milk. It comes from a cow." or at least something that was marketed as a cow, anyway. "Uh... would you like to drink something else instead?..." he walked over to the fridge to look "We have water... coke... orange juice... soy milk... Orange juice might be good if you don't really like sweet?"

At least hero Gawain got himself a sandwich as well. If he had only made a sandwich for Kalos and then asked her to sit at the table WITH him, she might have died of embarrassment. As it was, she was already flushing purple for her outburst about the milk.

"No. NO! Please sit. I can find a way to clean this and I will not waste what you provided."

If she scraped her fingers against the table, she could recover a few drops of this milk from a cow into her cup. From there she stood on her chair in order to use the rag of her clothing to wipe the little bit that was left. Kalos raised her glass and tried to show hero Gawain that she could drink this strange milk so she sat down in her chair and chugged until she had drunk every last drop.

See? No problem.

"Sweet is not bad. It's just... different. Everything is different. Your bread is squishy. Your meat is thin. Your ground is covered in threads. You have so much... air." After so much milk from a cow, Kalos wasn't the most hungry, but she did her best to not give offense. She was hoping to hide more sandwich away for later. They were generous with the food, but it would be foolish not to keep some just in case.

>>"No. NO! Please sit. I can find a way to clean this and I will not waste what you provided."

Gawain stared at the girl, once again blindsided by her reaction to something that was completely normal to him. She seemed so eager to please, to be good... No wonder, after what she had been through. And yet, Gawain had no idea what to do to make her relax, and stop trying to fulfill expectations that were not even there anymore.

>>"Sweet is not bad. It's just... different. Everything is different. Your bread is squishy. Your meat is thin. Your ground is covered in threads. You have so much... air."

Gawain sighed as he sat back down, finishing her sandwich. It was not something trivial, like being from a different country, or being a kid without parents... it was something fundamentally different, something she could not have even imagined before she left Atlantis. He had his work cut out for him...

"This all must be very strange for you" he noted, watching her drink the milk and eat the sandwich "From what I saw from Atlantis, everything is very different there." And not all in a good way, either, or the X-men would not have wrecked the royal palace instead of negotiations. Gawain paused, looking at the girl. "Here is the thing, Kalos: I promise you, that you staying here does not depend on how you behave. Or what you eat. Or not eat. You are here because you deserve to live a good place. Just... You're safe here." he finished a little awkwardly, not sure what else to say to break through the culture shock.

Oh no. She had complained. Kalos should not have complained. She felt a flush of purple wash over her skin again as she struggled with her embarrassment and confusion. Her hero was so accommodating that she had let her mouth run and now he was mad and sighing with disgust and—

> "This all must be very strange for you."

She stopped eating immediately. It felt as if a ball of lead had settled in her stomach. He was going to send her back, she realized. He thought she was not adjusting well, but he hadn't really given her a chance to! Her heart sank fast. She needed to hide what was left of her sandwich now. He looked at her with honest concern in his eyes. Did he really think that sending her back would be better for her? After all the arguments he'd made on the plane?

She looked away. She couldn't bear to hear it.

> "Here is the thing, Kalos: I promise you, that you staying here does not depend on how you behave. Or what you eat. Or not eat. You are here because you deserve to live a good place. Just... You're safe here."

Wh-what? She blinked and tears spilled out onto her cheeks. She wiped them away, but they just kept coming out. Kalos looked down to her lap where she had a portion of sandwich left in her hands.

"So... I can stay?" Her voice was watery and sounded to her ears like the so many times after she'd been hit. Only this time, she'd been hit with kindness.

She could? Couldn't she? Whether it was safe or not, she couldn't say. They had a healer. So the people here cared if the people here lived. There was a terrible jumble of things in her head and they were all just making her cry more.

Good job, Gawain. You made the coral child cry. DocProf will now murder you for sure.

The mirrorwalker looked alarmed as tears spilled over from Kalos' large eyes. She looked scared at first, when he started talking and then confused, and now she was crying. It seemed that no one had been nice to her like this for a very long time... Gawain made a mental note to punch in some noble Atlantean faces later on for good measure. They definitely deserved it. Gawain felt like his heart could not take much more moments like this with Kalos.

>>"So... I can stay?"

He stood up, moving over to where she was sitting.

"Yeah. Yeah, you can stay. I promise." he smiled a little, hoping that it was what she needed to hear. His hand hovered over her shoulder, not sure what to do. Picking up messed up street kids was Rupert's forte, not his. "Um... would you like a hug?"