Taylor's house was a rather run down place. It had plenty of history and personality, don't get her wrong, and honestly Marina kinda liked how it looked, but there was no denying that some maintenance on the place was overdue. The roof looked like it could be retiled and the walls definitely needed a good painting.

Unfortunately, she had other more pressing issues to deal with.

Marina quickly marched up the porch, stepped over the rotten step - because seriously wasn't that looking like a little death trap right there-, and slammed her finger into the doorbell. When all that came out was a sputter that would shame the Old Gods themselves Marina instead slammed her fist onto the door.

Eventually she could hear footsteps and a wiry and balding but very tall man would open the door.

"You must be Marina," the man said while looking at her suspiciously.

"And you must be her father," Marina said as she stomped past then and quickly surveyed the house. "Where's the fire I have to put out?"

"It's already gone. Small burn on the couch though."

"Marina!" Taylor rushed through a doorway and quickly ran up to her. "Your book is magic!"

Marina couldn't help but chuckle a little. Taylor could be excused for panicking but the way she stated the obvious like that… "It's fine. Just get that book and I'll explain everything to you."

As Taylor ran up the stairs Marina turned to look back at Taylor's father. "I'm assuming you're getting involved."

"I'm not letting my daughter get recruited by the Empire."

"Did you just assume- fuck no I'm not a Nazi! Hell, I've slept with as many girls as guys! Why would you think that!?"

The man actually had the decency to look a bit ashamed at that. "Sorry, I had to check. You're white, a Parahuman, and your store is close to Empire territory. It was just safe to assume."

"Still. Seriously? Fucking Empire?" She had lived through World War II ending. It was an absolute travesty that that particular ideology was still running strong today, though not entirely unexpected. The Olds Gods had good reason to fear the potential and destruction of humanity after all. "Anyway, what's your name? Never caught it."

"Danny. So if you're not Empire then how did Taylor end up getting powers?"

"It'll take a bit to explain," Marina gestured toward Taylor who had run down the stairs with a familiar book in her hand. "Probably best if we all take a seat somewhere."

Danny would lead them to a small dining table in the kitchen. Before Marina could speak though Taylor had gotten to the counter to get them some cheap looking crackers, and a cup of tea steeped in a rather beaten looking kettle.

"Sorry we don't have much else. Dad was supposed to go grocery shopping," Taylor replied.

Marina looked at the man, unimpressed. Seriously? Couldn't even make sure your child was fed. Even her own damn father had made sure of that back when she had been stuck in his household. "Busy with work I'm assuming?"

"There was a Parahuman fight near the Dockworkers Union. Stuck cleaning up after a fight between Hookwolf and Horizon," Danny explained.

"Horizon!" Taylor suddenly shot up in her seat. "Dad, why didn't you tell me about that!? Did you see her? Get an autograph?"

"Big fan?" Marina asked. She sorta kept up with Parahuman news, mostly so she had some knowledge as to how to counter them should it ever end up in a fight. A good number of them she could handle on her own, especially with preparation and territorial advantage, but it would be a problem if they ever caught her unawares outside her home.

"I mean Horizon's like the youngest independent Hero we have and she's still out there after three months!" Taylor explained.

"I thought she was an Independent Vigilante? Like Shadow Stalker," Danny said.

"And why is three months impressive?" Marina asked. There were a bunch of Independent Parahumans in Brockton Bay who had stuck around longer.t

"That's what the PRT calls anyone that isn't a part of the Protectorate. And besides Shadow Stalker is known for her excess force. Horizon on the other hand is much more professional, always trapping criminals long enough for the PRT or police to come along without any problems. Also three months is impressive because most Parahumans don't last a month or two after their first outing and she's like what 9 or 10? And with that blonde hair you know the Empire and everyone else is trying to recruit or capture her but she still keeps getting away. You know they've already rated her as a Shaker 9."

Danny coughed, interrupting Taylor's spiel. "That's interesting but I think we have other things to talk about?"

Taylor blushed. "Oh right."

"So." Danny turned to glare at Marina. "Why does my daughter have powers?"

"They're not Parahuman powers," Marina explained. "It's magic."

You could hear a pin drop at the resulting awkward silence. Marina wasn't going to take back what she said though, they needed to hear the full uncensored truth even if it did make her seem like a crazy woman.

"I'm sorry. Magic?" Danny asked.

"That… sorta sounds like the stuff in that journal," Taylor admitted. "But are you sure it isn't just some sort of power that you just happened to call Magic?"

Marina shook her head. "Magic, the occult, the supernatural. Usually a lot of Remnants of Old and New Gods are involved. You know that real witchy stuff you read about except it's actually real. And I know it's not a power cause you learned and I also learned it." She raised her palm upwards and released a small stream of flame for them all to see. "Last I checked no two powers are alike and they aren't something that can be taught or learned."

"Magic. Magic is real," Taylor began to whisper to herself. "I just cast a magic spell."

Danny on the other hand looked a bit more skeptical. "Are you sure you aren't like that wizard Hero in Chicago?"

"Honestly I'm not sure if Myrddin is actually a fellow occultist, insane, or is just fucking with everyone," Marina admitted. She had done what limited research she could of the man short of meeting him in person, mostly due to curiosity of what he claimed. There was no denying that what powers he did wield were certainly potent. "There's not a lot of us left. Parahumans kind of overtook everything and most of the world started replacing the Supernatural with them. Doesn't help that we have a history of being eclectic and secretive, so the art didn't really spread out that far. Then most of them got wiped out when the Bright Lady arrived at their headquarters in the Vatican."

"So, wait that was what you studied at the Vatican?" Taylor asked. "Magic. Occultism?"

"Yep. Also a lot of education about the Old and New Gods. Forbidden rituals. All that sort of stuff."

"And how did Taylor get involved with all this? Did you really start teaching your magic to a random girl that walked into your store."

"To be honest it was an accident," Marina admitted. "I lost track of my di- journal during the move here a couple of months ago. It was probably the least dangerous of my books in the basement so the only real threat was that fire there and some… personal things that happened to me in the past."

"So it was basically your autobiography…" Taylor looked sheepish as she held out Marina's journal. "Sorry you never put your name there so…"

"How far did you get?" Marina asked as she finally took the damn thing back.

"The first time you killed someone… even if they were crazy. It kinda got graphic from there so I stopped. I did try out that spell you used for the fun of it and well…"

"You've killed?" Danny asked.

"In self-defense. Or if someone was quite literally asking for it. I'm not going to cry over some random muggers that tried to rob, kill, or rape me. Honestly, I did the world a favor," Marina replied.

"I don't know how comfortable I am with someone being so casual about killing." Danny shook his head but otherwise didn't seem to debate after that. For all his flaws he at least seemed to understand the need for necessary force. "But I also know how bad things can get."

"Anyway, normally a person can't just pick a random spell and learn how to use it, even if the method was shown in the book," Marina admitted. "Kinda like a Rubik's cube. I can show you how it works and the result but that really doesn't help most people that don't put in the effort. You must have a real gift for magic and the occult."

"Annette was always interested in those sorts of things," Danny admitted. "And Taylor did take up some of her interests, but I didn't think that stuff was actually real."

"You'd be surprised by what is real and happy for the ignorance. Sometimes things are better left unknown," Marina replied. "Magic and interaction with the Gods is a dangerous thing. A practitioner is tested and tortured in their body, soul, and mind. There's a lot of suffering involved and a lot of things we did that would be very illegal today. Honestly it's best if you two just forgot about all of this."

"I want to learn magic."

Both Marina and Danny, in a rare moment of cooperation, turned toward Taylor who looked as if she just had the brightest idea ever. And if that expression was ever on a teenager, then it was bad.

"You said I had a gift for it. I want to learn more."

Danny looked at his daughter carefully. "Taylor are you su-"

"It's not like that Harry Potter crap," Marina interrupted him. "Don't get me wrong good books, but actually magic and learning it is not that pleasant. We're talking about old gods, old rituals, blood sacrifices. Stuff that would be considered morally gray and highly illegal today."

"It can't be that bad," Taylor argued. "I mean you're pretty cool."

"Remember those people I killed in self-defense? Well those bodies make good sacrifices for Old Groggy. He's the one who you'll be getting to know if you want some more destructive spells."

Marina noted their looks of horror but continued anyway. The path of an Occultist was an ugly terrible thing, something that she had learned in Termina and something that anyone who even thought of taking the path needed to know. If only so they could run and run fast.

"If you don't want to kill anyone you could always take up necromancy to bring back any fresh corpses you happen to walk on. Or you can do it the slowest and least obtainable way. Cut yourself, give him your blood and a lot of it. Not the most efficient method but you'll get something from it."

Taylor gulped before quickly composing herself. "Then I don't have to do any rituals for that God. I read in that journal you mention a bunch of Gods, a bunch of different spells, skills, and enhancements I could learn."

"Why are you so insistent on this?" Marina asked. "Just live a normal life."

"Because magic is cool."

"Did you not hear what I just told you?"

"Taylor listened to her. It's dangerous," Danny said.

"This town is dangerous. Marina keeps saying that I should have a way to defend myself. Learning magic is a way to do that," Taylor argued.

"Then get a taser, carry around a knife, learn some martial arts or something," Marina replied. "Getting brained in the head by a hammer works just as well as any magic spell."

"If you're really worried then I could drive you around. You don't have to walk where it's dangerous," Danny replied.

"Like you even have the time for me to do that," Taylor whispered. Not lightly enough that they couldn't hear her.

Ah.

Marina leaned back in her chair. Magic aside this definitely seemed like something the girl needed to get off her chest with her father. It was also a chance for Marina to observe how the man might react.

"Of course I'd make the time for you. Why would you think that?"

"You haven't made time for me ever since Mom died," Taylor bit back, and damn she bit back hard. That looked like it struck Danny to the core. "First you were too depressed or drunk to do anything. Then you were too busy at work. You weren't even the one who drove me back when I was lost in Marina's store, no you just sent Kurt and Lacey to do it! Am I their daughter or yours?"

If there was anyone to get a bowl of popcorn without looking like an inconsiderate dick then Marina would've done it. Still, this was great to watch. Taylor clearly needed to put her father in her place.

Marina simply sat and observed as the two began to argue with each other. As she listened she learned that Danny, though clearly depressed and misguided, wasn't the worst person in the world. She knew from personal experience that there were worse fathers out there. He clearly loved his daughter as difficult it was for him to show until Taylor had finally lost her patience and started shouting at them. Honestly the resemblance between was pretty clear once they had started screaming at each other.

Passion and a fiery temper was apparently something that the man had passed onto his daughter.

"Because if I wasn't weak then maybe Emma wouldn't have abandoned me!" Taylor shouted. Her eyes became progressively wetter as she continued to speak. "If I could have power then I wouldn't be so afraid of what's out there in my own home. Maybe I could do something to help, because things here have just been getting worse."

"That isn't your responsibility. You're a kid!" Danny shouted.

"I'm a teenager!"

"You're still young!"

"You and mom kept talking about how the Gangs were getting worse and that PRT wasn't doing anything. That so many people were getting killed by them or were recruited by them because they had no choice. Because Brockton Bay is falling apart. You get to spend all your time at the Dockworker's Union trying to make things better. Why can't I do the same!?"

"You know you could always just tag along with your dad while he works if you really do want to spend time with him and help out," Marina suggested.

"No, that isn't-" Taylor turned toward Marina. "I want to learn magic!"

"Why do you want to learn magic?" Danny said.

"Because it's cool. I know she's trying to scare me off but I know there are other Gods I could commune with. I read the journal, not everything there is that bad!"

"There are some… less objectionable Gods you could commune with," Marina admitted. The God of Fear and Hunger was one. To gain affinity with them was simply to understand and experience the very concept of Fear and Hunger. To truly and intimately understand the pangs of a desolate stomach and fear the known. It was these concepts that also drove humanity to progress in order to rise against its ever-present presence. It would also help a burgeoning Occultist by giving them a drive to advance their craft. And all for the cost of some personal suffering and introspection.

Wait… all that stuff about the multiple Gods wasn't until much later in her diary.

"How much did you read!?" Marina couldn't hide her blush as she now joined in the shouting.

"Too much!" Taylor shouted. "Did you really have to write down in explicit detail the time you-"

"Okay I am taking this back!" Marina snatched her diary out of the girl's hands. "And I am burning this damn thing when I get home."

"So will you teach me then?"

"Fine!" Marina conceded. Suddenly this wasn't as entertaining anymore. Turnabout was a bitch. "Get your father to agree at least."

"Taylor!" Danny shouted.

"Dad! Taylor shouted.

The two stared at each other with steel in their eyes. Neither seemed willing to back down.

"You keep me in the loop. With everything that she is going to teach you and what you've learned," Danny demanded.

"Ok."

"You are going to let me know anytime you go to her place and how long you'll be there. Call me, leave me a message, and leave me a note if you have to."

"Ok."

"No human sacrifices. Animal ones maybe if that works."

"Ok."

"And if you're going to get powers from magic then you need to join the Wards. They'll keep you safe."

"Yo. No!" Marina finally interjected. "Look I get you want to keep your daughter safe with the kiddie parade, got nothing against that, but there's a reason I'm not out there in cape and mask."

"You can always register as an independent," Taylor suggested.

"And broadcast myself to every gang in this city? Everyone's recruiting for powers, I don't want to deal with that either. And walking around in a cape and mask doesn't help out either, I'd still be putting myself at risk of being discovered in my civilian life."

"Then they don't have to know about you," Taylor replied.

"Then how do you explain to them how you learned magic?" Marina asked.

"My powers would just happen to be ones that grow slowly with training and time. Like Dauntless or a Tinker."

"Look, I know the government. They'll still keep track of your civilian life, and they'll eventually trace that back to me. Especially if you're constantly coming to me to get tutored, I'm pretty sure they can figure out the correlation between you getting stronger every time you visit a certain person and store."

"Do you know how many independent Parahumans get killed?" Danny asked.

"Because they're idiots gifted a bunch of weird power and no one to rely on but themselves. They end up going out halfcocked and getting themselves killed. They don't ever realize that there is strength in obscurity. For all anyone else knows Taylor's just my employee at a quirky yet interesting occultist store, when in reality I'll be spending my time teaching her."

"And if people attack your store again? Taylor told me you were having issues with muggers," Danny replied.

"My store is probably one of the most secure locations in the city. It's also where I'm at my strongest because of all the defenses and preparations I prepared."

"So like trying to attack a Tinker in their lab," Taylor commented.

"Yea sure," Marina replied. "But anyway she'll be perfectly safe there. Really the only danger is the walk between your home, my store, and whatever school she goes to, but the area is safe enough if she goes out during the day."

"How long will you be training her then?" Danny asked.

"As long as she needs and then some. She will only be able to go out if and when I feel that she is ready as an Independent. And by staying Independent we can be the ones to decide rather than the government trying to control everything for us."

"Um… will it take long?" Taylor asked.

Marina looked at her unamused. "Like I said. I'll decide when. You won't be able to help anyone if I let you out early and get you killed. Also-" she turned toward Danny. "Get the girl a damn cellphone."

The mood immediately changed and the two of them looked uncomfortable, but Marina pressed on anyway. "She needs it when she's out in that city, how else is she going to call us if she gets in trouble?"

"We don't need them," Danny replied and Taylo nodded. Apparently this was the one fricking thing that they could agree on!?

"Look we've all had a long night and I need to get home to scream into a pillow," Marina said as she got up. "But seriously get her a cell phone or I'll get one for her and stuff it somewhere she won't be able to lose it. Also I'm magic, so I can get very creative about where I put the damn thing. As for your first lesson, come by Wednesday morning. Will give me enough time to get things set up for you."

With her piece said Marina finally left the house and wandered through the night. The sky was empty, just how she liked it, as she didn't like going out when the full moon was out. It wasn't anything particularly harmful or deadly, but even now being under its rays disturbed her. It wasn't just the memories it brought back, being under the moon always made it feel like there was something inside her that was stirring. It moved just a little but it was still an ugly primal thing within her that she hoped would never get out.

Rher might be long gone but his moonlight was said to uncover the truth under human filth. It was a truth too much for a human mind to handle, because few could withstand those horrors that lay underneath. It was a truth that she would never be able to cope with.

This was but a small fraction of the world that she was bringing Taylor into. Was it the right thing to do? Marina wasn't sure, but in the end it was Taylor's choice and she wouldn't deny her of that.

Just as Marina had left Prehevil to study at the Vatican. Just as she had when she returned to Prehevil to finally cut all ties of the place she had been born in. In the end Taylor would have to make her own path in life.

And suffer the consequences of her choices.

A/N

People that aren't too familiar with Termina are probably wondering why Marina was so invested in Taylor telling off Danny.

Simply put, Marina has serious unresolved daddy issues and is living vicariously through Taylor as she deals with them.=