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 Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2016 12:34 pm
There was no more hubbub that night, nor in the morning. Michael was busy already. Overnight he had righted the nursery and was currently checking the lights for burnt bulbs. He wasn't using switches, of course, but his own power. Toby emerged from the bedroom first, still a bit frazzled, and waved. Michael regarded him plainly and turned back to his work.
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2016 12:48 pm
The first thing that got Maia's attention that morning was the coloring page. It was a cat, colored like Peaches and signed by Alex. She felt awful. The poor baby... He'd been alone for so long. He'd undoubtedly been hoping for some affection. She carefully tucked it into her bag and went to look for Michael.
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2016 1:01 pm
Michael was standing semi-transparent in the kitchen, peering up at the light in the ceiling and making it glow. Hm. With all of that dramatic flaring, you'd think the lights would be blown-out. Apparently not, not that it meant much to him. It wasn't any of his business if the Bureau had to pay someone back for damage done.
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2016 1:05 pm
"Michael," Maia found him and walked over. "Are you alright?" He'd seemed to befriend Alexander, despite their arguments. She offered him her hand, in case he wanted the comfort of touch.
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2016 1:17 pm
Michael turned to face Maia and looked down at her hand, but did nothing with it. He looked her in the eye again.
"None of the bulbs are burnt out. There's some minor damage in the nursery, but that may have been there before we arrived."
He didn't want to talk about his feelings. He didn't want to talk about Alexander.
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2016 3:22 pm
Maia hadn't asked about damage. Instead of taking his hand, she wrapped her arms around him. "I asked if you were alright," She said.
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2016 3:26 pm
Michael gave a soft 'mmph' when Maia hugged him and went stiff. He wasn't really used to physical affection and he had been doing very well trying to not emotionally react over this case any more. It was unprofessional.
After a few moments, though, when she hadn't let go, he simply folded against her and hugged her back.
"I'm fine."
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2016 3:42 pm
"You're about as bad a liar as Toby is," Maia muttered, and kept hugging. She released him then. "I want to take you to the gardens again next week."
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2016 3:45 pm
Michael finally smiled. "I'd love to." He needed a little bit of the bright side of life after this.
"I'm sorry about the sudden intrusion earlier. I didn't want to risk him taking you over. In hindsight I don't think he was powerful enough." He looked back toward the light. He'd popped plenty of bulbs in his day, and Alexander hadn't damaged a one.
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2016 4:16 pm
"I appreciated the help," Maia said, and smiled at him. "Really. I thought he would, too. I'm really glad you we're able to help him, Michael. I was worried." She paused and took his hand. "Go to the lake with us sometime?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2016 4:21 pm
Michael smiled sadly and nodded. "He's in a better place now."
He considered the offer to go to the lake. When was the last time he'd gone swimming? He couldn't remember, but that really wasn't a surprise. Was Maia offering simply because she felt bad for him? He didn't want to impose.
"Perhaps some time I will."
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2016 5:35 pm
"He's with his family." The poor boy had searched for so long, she was sure he was happy now. "Great, I'll ask Toby when we can do that," Maia smiled and released his hand. "Ready to go home?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2016 5:37 pm
Michael shook his head.
"In this case, Dari will have to create a tape of evidence for the family. Nothing like what we have, of course, because those who didn't think it were fake would shriek about the immovable amount of proof it provides toward an afterlife."
In fact, Dari was already up doing that. Toby was making some tea for himself with a bag and mug he brought from home.
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2016 5:53 pm
"That's true. They'd say we were shoving religion down their throats or something," Maia nodded in understanding. She took his hand and squeezed it before letting it go. "I'll go talk to Toby," she said.
She headed over that way. "Good morning, love."
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2016 5:55 pm
"Pretty much every religion has ghosts," were Michael's parting words. He watched Maia go and then disappeared.
Toby smiled and waved. "Good morning. Crazy night, huh?"
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