>>5359913"I know these look bad..." Her voice snaps you from your musings. If anything, she looks even more fearful than before. "Dominik was my husband, and he couldn't quite control his powers. I don't know why these scars haven't went away..." She tells you, straightening herself up, and, while you do believe her about Boleski (as you've found that nearly all new mutants don't ever have a good grasp on their powers), it doesn't explain why the blood smells fresh.
Unless...
"Can I see the book?" Again, the woman interrupts your thoughts to point to the book in your hands, shutting the door enough to conceal herself from any curious onlookers.
"Yeah." You hand it to her, and this time she receives it without issue.
She doesn't seem to have much problem reading the book, as you expected from someone who likely grew up in your city's Polish enclave. Whatever's in that book must have been enough to bring the woman to tears because it's not long before her eyes are watering, streaks of wetness glistening beneath the porch light.
Her fingers slowly page through the book, seemingly lost in her own thoughts, but a high-pitched wailing makes her start. The wailing of a baby, to be more precise.
You'd felt the heartbeat the whole time you were here, but it had been more of an afterthought in the back of your mind. Now, with the final piece of the puzzle, everything is glaringly obvious.
"Your baby's a mutant, isn't he?" The words are more of a statement, rather than an accusation. In your mind, you can easily picture what such a mutant might look like, something akin to a tiny, green-winged cherub. However, thanks to your thoughtlessness with your words, the woman's eyes are filled with terror-- not for her own sake, but for her son's.
"Please, he's the last I have of Dom!" Her hands are clasped together as if in prayer. "If anything were to happen to him, I'd-- I'd die!" You suppose that a mother's love knows no bounds.
"Ma'am," You start, voice firm sure of yourself. "We'd never do anything to put you or your son in danger. We hate what FutureLabs has done to every mutant they've gotten their hands on, Boleski included."
"Call me Lilian," She tells you. Then she goes silent, dithering on something that's clearly on her mind. "Did Dominik... suffer?" Lilian seems to assume that you'd seen Boleski die.
"No," You shake your head. "He didn't die a painful death." And, technically-speaking, that's the truth.
"What a relief..." She responds, wiping at her eyes, and, in a sea of struggle and grief, this must be one of the happier consolations she's received.
"Lilian," You speak again, this time with more resolve. "Or would you prefer Mrs. Boleski?"
"Mrs. Boleski is fine." Lilian utters, not quite looking you in the eyes.
"We will make sure the world is a safe enough place for your son to live. For now, please hang tight." You words are promise, an oath to the scared mother standing before you.
>(2/3) 