[They leave!] * Rei paces a little, her tail twitching. "Um. I'm not really sure how to start, but..." She takes a deep breath. "Okay." Take your time. Okay. Today, I was referred to by this bat guy I really hate as a 'project'. Which... actually, confirmed some suspicions I've been harboring for the past four years. He also mentioned that the vampire... um, Kaira. Maybe my mom. He mentioned that she'd want to protect her daughter as soon as she found out she had one, which means I wasn't natural-born. * Mia nods. * Rei stops. "Do you have records on the people who crashed Smorfilia last? The one with the death and all?" * Mia winces. "Not... not really, but I remember that day." You were there? * Rei bites her lip, for only a moment. "My dad was there, too." * Mia nods. Well... It does sound like Kaira. She used to run the orphanage, you know? And she was the only one of us who ever knew how to fight. * Rei nods again. "That's what the records say." She considers, then plunges into the story. If she had a daughter, I would expect her to be protective. His name's Shigeru Ueda. I grew up, with him and Mom and my two brothers, but when I was fourteen I found out that I'm not- not Mei-Yin's child. I was found, and the genetics matched up to Dad, but not Mom. * Rei glances around the room before managing to get her eyes to settle back on Mia. "Dad was... he was engineered, too. As a weapon." * Mia listens. They might've crossed Kaira... my biological mother? The only Smorfy who could really fight, with my dad in the hopes of getting something better. I- I'm not, really, I can't fight or anything, just astrally project, so now it looks like they're going to use it to blackmail my father into doing... whatever they want him to. * Rei looks down at the ground, her eyes watering. "I dunno what to do. Snap of the fingers, and I'm helpless." It would make sense if Kaira built the lab under the orphanage, too... And... If she really is this vampire, I'm sure she's working on some way to help you even now. It's like her. Have you spoken with your father? * Rei nods, a tear trailing its way down her cheek. "Not yet. I just got my body back today. I'm gonna- I wanna call him as soon as I can, though." Something I don't understand, though. If they crossed you with Kaira and your father in the hopes of getting something better, why would they still be concentrating on him, and not you? I- I- * Rei takes a deep breath. "Dad... he can do something horrible. And all accounts say they haven't been able to duplicate it... exactly." ( All accounts from 20 years ago :P ) (Do we *have* any more recent accounts?) ( Nope! ^^ ) (See!) So that would be why. I mean, the information is twenty years old, so maybe they would be able to, but... yeah. * Rei wipes at her face with the back of her hand. Well, if the problem is with your body... I don't think anyone on the island can help, but do you know anyone? I don't know much about life outside of Smorfilia, I'm afraid. I... um, I guess... I could ask my parents, but they've got this friend of the family's that might be able to help. Maybe. She found me, I think. * Mia nods. "Ask her, then." Okay. I will. * Rei hesitates, then says, "I guess that this means I'm your biological niece. You don't mind, right?" * Mia smiles. "Not at all. I've already got three others anyhow." ( And they're all screwed up in the head! Aieeeee! ) Really? Cool. (Insanity runs in the family.) ( Heh. Nah. Miyuki's perfectly sane and gentle. :P ) Maybe I can meet them sometime. I mean, I have family I never knew I had, but I'd better get used to it, probably. * Mia smiles. "Maybe you will." ( If they don't get themselves killed first :P ) * Rei smiles shakily back. "So... I'll get the others. Oh! One more thing. What do you think of the prof?" * Mia blinks. "The older man with you? He seems nice enough. Why?" ( I wanna marry him! ) ( Oh? Ok. You're married. ) ( We have very nice marriage laws on this island. :P ) Well, he's never had a girlfriend or anything ever. He's pretty cool... don't tell him I said that, just stuffy and things, and you're a really nice person and awfully cool, too - not just because you're my aunt, even - so I was wondering if you could get him to loosen up. Um... Loosen up? * Rei huffs and looks up at a corner of the room. "'Cause man, does he need loosening up." Yeah! Or you can sit and read books all day. He'd like that. All day? I like books, but... See, that's the thing! Anything along those lines would be loosening up. And I can't do it, 'cause he just looks at me like I'm insane. (Which I am, but that really isn't the point here.) Um... I guess... Just think about it, okay? It's not like he's an ugly troll or anything. * Mia raises an eyebrow. "What does that have to do with anything?" * Rei holds up a finger and says, sagely, "Appearances might not be everything, but they do help." * Mia just looks confused. So, yeah. Thanks for listening to me, and... I'm really sorry about this whole mess, okay? I know it's not exactly my fault, but I'm neck-deep in it, so I'm sorry anyway. Want me to get the others now? And... uhm, is it okay if I give you a hug? * Mia nods. "It's okay." * Rei breaks into a brief, brilliant smile as she darts in and hugs Mia. "Thank you." * Mia hugs back. * Mia is so sweet =^_^= (She is!) * Rei lets go. "I'll go get them." She goes to do that. * Mia nods.