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>>“My twin is none of your business. So. A daughter. Older or younger than her bro?”

"Younger and stronger" she grinned "And technically, the other Mr. Swartz is my business, since his is a mansion student just like you. But as far as I know, he had nothing to do with this case, so we'll leave him be, all right?"

There was a load of thing around the twins she could not quite grasp; Gemma made a mental note to do some research later. They did not seem to like each other all that much.

"Why did you turn a police into a lobster?" she asked out of sheer curiosity.

>>“In mind? Currently... Star Trek. The Next Generation. You a fan?”

"I couldn't say I was" she admitted, thanking the waiter for the lemonade "But my son used to watch it all the time. I think he still does. He's about the same age as you."

>>“They had this guy called Q. Mutant ability: ‘do anything.’ It was kind of boring, actually. But I guess you’ve kind of got the opposite going on. So how’s that working out for you?”

"Never a dull moment" she smiled "Not as diverse as shifting people into animals, but beats office work. Talking about shifting, how is that working out for you?" she smiled "Water tiger, huh. Let me guess. Blobfish?"

>>“O-Okay, I think I can do that. I mean, I know a little about gardening and no bugs should be bothering the plants while I’m around.”

Gemma smiled. The girl sounded like she meant it, the whole thing with the job and earning money. And she had a point, a bug queen in the garden, that could be useful; both for the plants, and for herself. She would get more practice out on the mansion grounds than in the danger room... maybe it was the kind of practice she needed.

"I'll get you signed up" she nodded with a smile "And talk to Sam too."

Agnes hugged her.

>> “Thank you! You know…for everything. I appreciate it.”

"You are most welcome" she smiled, hugging the girl back "YOu are always welcome here."

Letting her go, she smiled at Agnes once again.

"All right, if there is anything else you need, you know where to find me. As for the rest, you are all grown up, I think you'll handle it just fine."

Almost as an afterthought, she added as Agnes walked towards the door "If you need someone of... you know, your age to talk about the girl thing, talk to Maya. She'll know."

>>“Changing? Gemma, I’m over 40 years old. I’ve…never been able to do something like this before. How can…my mutation be changing after…SO long?”

Gemma held his hand and shook her head.

"I don't know... but one thing I know, mutations are all unique and hard to predict. I'll tell you what happens, okay? We wait a bit till you relax and warm up, and then I'll take you to Doc, he'll know more. As long as I am close, you can test your abilities anytime you want, my powers can apparently pull you back together." she sat next to him, rubbing his shoulders "So... how did it feel? Being... umm, I don't want to sound like I'm having fun or anything..." she smirked "... how did it feel like to be a puddle of water?..."

>>“I…I promise, Ms. Taylor. I’ll…talk. Um...t-there's something else. I...I dunno if you can help with it though. I...I feel like I need to start earning some...you know...money? Is there...anything you can do to help me get a job? Like...here? On the mansion grounds?"

Gemma thought about that for a while.

"I am sure we can find something for you to do" she nodded slowly "There should be a few openings, people come and go all the time. I think..." standing up, she walked to her desk and rummaged around the stacked papers and notes "... I think we are in need of a gardener, for one. I am sure there will be other possibilities soon, if you don't like this one. We don't pay much to students, but you could start earning money, and it's safer than going outside."

For her. For now.

The water on the floor moved. It was already human-shaped and almost fully colored by the time Gemma's brain caught up to what was happening. The puddle, apparently, was Jorge himself. In water form. And now her powers were pulling him back together...
It looked painful and messy, and Jorge looked panicked. Not like someone who had done this before.

"It's okay it's okay it's okay" she muttered, kneeling down and hugging him, to keep him close. She had no idea if he could maintain his solid form outside her aura, and she wanted to give him time to calm down. "I'm here, you're fine. It's okay. Calm down. Shhhh."

Lizzie was going crazy, but she did not pay any attention to the dog. Jorge was shivering (being soaked is one thing, being the soak is another).

"You're safe" she muttered. The clothes on the floor were strangely dry. Of course, the water in them was Jorge, kind of... He was in need of a banket.

"Can you stand?"

"Lizzie? What's wrong?"

Gemma looked around; nobody answered her call. She walked into the bedroon, the bathroom, the living room... Jorge was nowhere to be found. Finally, following the dog's nervous yips, she wandered into the kitchen, and promptly dropped her handbag and phone.

Jorge's clothes were there, soaked. Also, his phone. But nothing else. Nothing but...
Water.

"Oh my god..." Gemma whispered, walking closer, treading carefully around the clothes and the water. She looked around; no windows open. And the door had been closed too. She stood above the puddle and stared.

"What the..."