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Scylla was still shaking- could still hear the cries and the sound of screams in her ears. The fog still lingered on her skin, thick as oil and burning hot. The rage still lurked there, under her thin veneer, the rage and the hurt. She still wanted to cry, and shriek, wanted to rend the mirror wraith limb from limb, for how did it dare. What allowed such a disgusting creature to get in her own head, to try and use her weakness against her? to use Hope against her.

She had longed to obey the little girl. Longed to destroy them all, as it asked her, a face that could have been from her dreams. Her very wishes and wants. A wraithlike face that held in its hand a box that- how had it known? How had it- Some corner of her mind still identified the wraith as hers. The madness that lurked in her mind as the thing had leaned in, and called her mama. And for a moment, she would have done anything it asked, if it could have given her back Hope.

Her thoughts were still scattered from the madness that Acubens had pulled from her. Her limbs still shook with the effort, and the redness on her skin told her her insanity had been real. The scrapes on knees and palms as she had tried to get to the monster posing itself to her as her child.

As she walked side by side with Ara, she stared blankly ahead, barely registering one foot in front of the other. She tripped over a root and hit the ground hard on wounded limbs, before tilting her head up for a moment, staring up, up through the leaves to the stars over their heads. Her home, out there in the star-filled blackness. Her inhale was ragged. Sharp.

The smaller hand slipping through her own quickly got Scylla's attention, and the Senshi of the Kraken peered down at her much younger peer, slowing to let the girl have a moment as they moved.

"Your daddy sounds like a pretty smart guy, Ara." sometimes bottling it up did make her tummy feel funny. And not that long ago, she had chosen to speak to her favorite bottles of alcohol. It was a habit that once again teased her.

She wanted to be able to open up, but what she had seen wasn't... Something she could easily explain. "I bet you are a good listener," she said after a moment, squeezing Ara's hand. "I saw you were very brave back there. You did good, fighting the wraith. You were careful. You kept an eye out for danger."

Scylla couldn't stop her smile as the younger senshi gave a happy gush about her mother. "Mommies can be pretty much the smartest. Daddies are stronger, usually, so mommies have to be just a little bit smarter, I guess." Would Hope have thought her mommy was very smart? Probably not. Most the time, Jada didn't think she was very smart either.

"You did just fine watching my back, kiddo." she didn't reach out to touch the little girl's head; instead, she somehow managed to pull further in on herself, the madness tickling at the back of her throat, the back of her mind. "I don't usually give you very much to work with, Ara. I'm supposed to be helping keep you safe, too."

The powering down of Ara to a familiar little girl was a shock for Jada- and one that suddenly made a few horrifying possibilities kick into place. Still, that could be later; she swallowed, and shook her head. "Good to see you, Lucia," she said with a smile, and powered down to Jada. Lucia would recognize her from playing at Giulia's house, perhaps; Jada certainly recognized her.

Every kid thought their mother was amazing, and the fact Ara thought the same was adorable. Jada had thought the same, once. She had believed that her mother was the cleverest, most special person in the world, and then... and then her mother had shown her true colors. Lucia's mother was a doctor of some sort- enough that their family was moderately well off, but that was all Jada had learned about them.

No visible ties to the twins' father, and beyond that, what they did was their business.

"Giulia doesn't know anything about magical people, last I heard." Jada raised a brow. "And when I go out, she is supposed to think it is to work, or I make sure to be back before she wakes up." If Giulia's involvement with the senshi was changing-- that would explain a lot, actually, scary as the idea was."Like I said, though. There isn't much more you could have done. If you get yourself hurt trying to prevent one thing, that doesn't mean it won't still happen, but then you'll be hurt when it matters."

Ara was very insistent on getting stronger, and Jada could see far too much of herself in the younger woman. Too many hospital trips, too many fights with her parents, unable to explain why she refused to vacate the city. Just old enough to refuse, too young to do much about it if they had tried to force their way. If Lucia wasn't careful... no parent worth the title would encourage their child in this. She should inform the parents immediately. Get Lucia out before she was injured, or worse.

"It isn't your job to protect everyone else right now," she said firmly. "You're still a senshi in training, even if you're strong." that was what 'chibis' had been once. Students. But now they were over-eager warriors trying to take up a mantle they may not yet be ready for, emotionally, physically, or magically. But Jada- god.

She pressed two fingers to her nose at the young woman's confession. "Thank you for protecting Giulia," she said first. "And thank you for telling her to stay out of danger. But neither of you thought about the danger of having a little girl as your sidekick?"

Jada looked maternally disappointed. "You're magical, which makes you stronger and hardier. If Giulia had been here? She wouldn't be walking out of that like you and me. Homeworlds are one thing, Ara, if you're careful, I'll let you two keep going. But you can't let her out with you at night when you're patrolling, Ara. If an agent comes along, she would hold you back, and one of you two could get badly hurt. Do you understand?"

"Lucia," Jada's voice was very gentle, and she dropped to her knees to put herself closer to the other senshi. "I'm not angry, I'm scared. Like your mommy would be, if she found out you were doing this."

She reached out, offering the other girl a hug. "I don't mind you letting Giulia be parts of some of it. Adventures are fun. But I want you to promise me that when she's with you, you won't fight, or you will call me or another senshi for backup. You need to run, because she isn't magic, like you are. And like the bad enemies we fought today, sometimes bad guys are really strong."

The thought of Giulia being hurt, her child so small and slim and narrow and breakable, unprotected by magical healing or extra speed, or... "I just want you to look me in the eye and promise you'll put her welfare over being brave, and not let her be silly. You know she'll try and protect you, and she's not strong like us."

Lucia took the hug, and Jada wrapped her arms around the younger woman gently, holding her for a moment before letting go so Lucia could pull away when she was ready.

"Thank you, Ara," she said firmly. "Being careful is the most important thing I could ask for." Asking her to cut her friend out, when Jada knew how much it hurt... it was too much to ask a child, and Giulia's heart would shatter. "I'll let you two keep the world for yourselves if you want. The visions are memories, and they'll get easier."

Jada smiled, and held out her hand to the younger woman. Soft cries still echoed in her ears, and the voice of a little girl still whispered, but she pushed it away, trying to stay on top of the emotion that roiled in her gut. "Now, I think it is time to get you home, don't you think? Was there anyplace you wanted to go first?"