I met Malcolm's Partner. He was right. Both Partner and children (he actually had two kids, not the one I had assumed) accepted me almost immediately. The Partner, whose name was Maxine, was a little wary (Understandably. I was an almost seven-foot shark lady) but when they saw their kids start shooting question after question at me (about my skin, my gills, what I did) they relaxed.
The kids were won over the moment I told them I was from another world and I was a professional hero. They wanted a story from home, so after a few days of telling them of some of my battles, I started telling them Deku's story. Because they were kids, and all kids needed hope that they could one day become a hero if they had the will.
Malcolm and Maxine both ended up enraptured in the story as well.
One day, while the kids were getting ready for bed, Amber (the daughter) looked to me and asked, "Do you think I could be a hero?"
I laughed and gave her a toothy grin, "Hell yes. You don't need some superpower to be a hero. Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, after all. You don't even need to do some grand action to be a hero. Like, I dunno, taking down an Archdemon. Sometimes, being a hero means just helping someone when they need it most. Like lending an ear when they seem down. Though do be careful. History has a habit of being cruel to its heroes. Just look at Andraste." The bitch got burned at the stake for aiding her people. Though in a way, I suppose it was harsh Karma. She did cheat on her husband. With a god, sure. But she still cheated. (Okay, so maybe her husband went a bit overboard on the retaliation. But still. I'd be pissed too if the person I loved cheated on me with a god, too.)
Amber stared at me for a moment before grinning cheekily and stating smugly, "Maybe I'll take on an archdemon, just to spite you." I rolled my eyes at her, "Please don't." (written on the margin of the page, clearly added sometime later, was: "That fucking brat went and jinxed herself. False Archdemon or not, that dragon is still an archdemon. She is so fucking grounded.")
The kids ended up asking me for hand to hand combat, and with the permission of their parents, I said yes.
It was how we discovered that Amber was a mage. She'd gotten frustrated because she kept messing up one of the Katas and sprouted lightning from her hands at me. I had dodged quickly and looked at her in surprise, as did her brother who stopped his katas to look at his sister.
Amber had been horrified, staring at me in shock, before she began to babble apologies.
I'd quickly put a stop to that, "Well. That was unexpected. I was expecting fire, not lightning. Though I suppose that makes more sense." She was a quick thinker, quick on her feet, and her temper was quick as well. Quick to ignite and quick to leave. "Though, don't expect to get out of training, just because you have magic. It's always good to have back up skills, just in case. Though I will be adding meditation and mind arts to help protect you from demons who wish you harm."
They'd told their parents, of course. They were worried about having to send her to a Circle before I'd reminded them of the fact that I had been a part-time teacher to kids with superhuman abilities.
After that, they were less worried about having to send her to a Circle and more worried about her being caught and taken. I told them I would not allow that to happen. They were all mine. Claimed by me. And that sharks were territorial as fuck.
I also told them I had read one of the law books they had as reading practice (hey, may as well kill two birds with one stone), it wasn't actually illegal to be an apostate. Just looked down upon. The Templars couldn't take Amber without it being considered kidnapping.
Considering that Amber was like lightning, she couldn't really sit still to save her life, so I had her do an active meditation. Which was primarily yoga, which seemed to work. I'd always held some belief in stone "magic" so I hunted down some Obsidian (for mental Protection and clarity) jewelry as soon as Malcolm paid me and gave it to Amber. Of course, you can't get one child something, without getting the other something, so I got Maxwell (the brother) an aquamarine (for courage and protection) necklace.
Amber told me that she thinks the stones worked because she had an easier time focusing on her mental world.
Do you know the whole Occulmens of Harry Potter? Or the Mind Palace of Sherlock Holmes? Yeah, not complete bullshit. It helps in the long run with memories and such. It helps me, and I saw no reason why it could not work for Amber. Maxwell, Maxine, and Malcolm all ended up joining in our mental practices and yoga, so it ended up a family thing.