Shinra, Celty, Natasha and Sophia were sitting in Shinra's living room, with the latter apologizing profusely to the former.
"I'm so sorry Shinra-san. I really didn't mean to! It's something that just happens!"
"It's okay, Sophie-chan. It really is. Your dad ends up doing a lot more damage than this anyway," said Shinra, consoling the poor child as Celty wrapped a bandage around his right hand.
"You know my Daddy? Really?"
Celty, unable to contain her curiosity any longer, finally typed out,"Shinra, Shizuo has a child? And he never even told us? And who is that lady sitting over there? Shizuo's lover? Wife? You really need to go beyond that explanation."
Shinra looked at Natasha, gesturing Celty's PDA to her.
"Sophia," she called out to her daughter, "Shinra-san has some games on his play station. Would you like to play on them?
"No. I wanna hear about Daddy! You never talk about him! You only say he's really strong, and then you never say anything!" said Sophia, close to tears.
"Sophie-chan," said Shinra gently, understanding Natasha's predicament, "Your Mama and your Daddy can't be together right now ,but I'm sure your Mama will explain it some day. Just not today. Look at how tired she is! Let her rest for a while! You rested in your taxi ride and in the flight, didn't you?"
"Yeah…" said Sophie, relenting.
After Shinra set up the play station for Sophie, he sat down on the sofa next to Celty and in front of Natasha. Celty was surprised at his maturity. Normally he would behave like a child and demand things be explained right away, but judging by his expression, it wasn't a thing to be taken lightly.
Before Shinra could start, Natasha spoke, "You aren't human." She said this to Celty. It wasn't a question, nor an exclamation. She stated it simply, with the ghost of a smile on her face.
Celty paused for a while, and turned towards Shinra. Shinra adjusted his glasses with his uninjured hand and said, "Sharp as ever, Tasha-chan. You figured it out right away!" Celty was taken aback at Shinra's nonchalance. He looked at her reassuringly, and she figured that is she was someone who had a relationship with Shizuo, and Shinra's trust, then she should enough faith in the woman not to run away if she showed her what lay under her helmet.
She lifted her helmet, as Natasha's eyes widened slightly on realizing that there was nothing underneath except black smoke. Sophie's eyes were glued to the screen, with her back to them, so she wasn't concerned about her reaction. She waited with bated breath for the mother's reaction.
"A Dullahan." She said with a hint of surprise in her voice. "I knew Shinra was a bit weird, considering his father's antics and his own profession, but never did I imagine that he'd be living with a dullahan!"
"You know about my kind?" asked Celty, surprised.
"I'm Irish. I was raised with tales of your kind. There was no way I wouldn't recognize one," said Natasha, her eyes still a bit wide.
"But you understood I wasn't human. How?"
"I'm not sure, but somehow I felt a connection to you, as though we were the same. I'm not exactly human either, you know."
"What do you mean?
"I think it'll be easier if I just showed you."
And saying that, the helmet in Celty's hands just rose into the air. There was no support from beneath, nothing. It was levitating in free air.
Celty pulled her hands back in fear, and all her smoke back to herself, hoping it was an illusion. But it wasn't. Her helmet was floating in air.
"A-Are you a-an Alien?"
"No no no!" said Natasha, shaking her head vehemently, red hair swishing back and forth. "Not at all! I'm a mutant. A telekinetic, to be precise." she said reassuringly.