Chapter Text
"So... About that '8 years old'..." Mr. Ashido sat back against the couch. "Talk to me."
Síat cleared his throat. "I was at Centra Saggart with my ma. It's like a convenience store, sure, but they also have an office that pays people in the asylum program, so they can buy things not covered by their stay at the hotel. You know, cigarettes, phone chargers, Tylenol..."
"Right. Makes sense."
"And there was a villain. If he had a quirk, he didn't use it, he just used a gun. We all had to get on the floor. But I was scared. I couldn't move. Ma pulled me down, and the villain didn't like that she moved..."
Mr. Ashido's knuckles paled in his clasped grip. "How many..."
"Six. He unloaded a full clip and missed half his shots. I guess he freaked out after the gun emptied, because he bolted.
Now Ma always told me not to use my quirk unless I was given permission. She wasn't... She wasn't... awake... to tell me I was allowed to use it to save her life. And nobody knew what I could do to tell me to. So I tried... I tried to stop the bleeding with my hands. But I only had two."
"And there were four other wounds..."
"Yeah... My da called me worthless for letting her die. Told me to get out. My sister... I don't even know if she knows why I'm not home anymore. I just... I fended for myself since."
Mr. Ashido looked down. "And you decided never to let anyone tell you you weren't allowed to save someone."
Síat swallowed. "Yeah. There's two types of people in this world, when you boil it all down."
Mr. Ashido looked back up at him, eyes shining. "You've got your talkers, and you've got your doers."
Síat nodded.
"That's why you chose those movies for Mina."
"Aye. I needed to know how she felt about my emotions, and about me comforting her through her own, but I also needed to know how she felt about my core values."
Mr. Ashido pursed his lips. "I'll make sure Kiki understands that when she watches it."
"But you've seen it?"
Mr Ashido's lip quirked up. "Oh yes. They're classic. 'CONNOR!!! Son...'"
Síat smirked, and joined in; "'Da's workin'.'"
Mina sat around the corner of the hallway, with her hand clamped over her mouth, trembling.