Mark knew that he would have to watch out for Jeanne in the future. She was too curious, and she was one of the people who could expose his lie if she tried hard enough. If Jeanne examined Arit, then there was a chance she would have noticed the metamorphosis that happened to Arit.
Mark didn't know if the QUEEN transformation was permanently gone or if it would ever come back, but he was not willing to risk it.
Mark walked through the doors as well and made his way down the building to leave. He was about to walk through the lobby doors when he noticed something in front of him.
Greg was kneeling in front of Talia and talking to her. Greg already changed into a new set of clothes, and he was holding Talia's shoulders kindly as he spoke to her in a low voice. The little girl was just staring up at Greg with wide eyes as she listened with rapt attention.
Mark didn't have to be a genius to know exactly what Greg was telling Talia, and Mark watched the look of shock on Talia's face change into disbelief and then finally grief.
"Waaaaahhhhh~!!!!"
Talia's cry was enough to make everyone in the lobby stop what they were doing as they turned to look at her. She was still holding onto her teddy bear with one hand, and she was using her other hand to clean the tears that wouldn't stop falling!
A great feeling of despair filled Talia as she tightened her hold on her teddy bear and cried into her hands! He couldn't be dead! Her grandfather couldn't be dead! He promised her that he was going to come back! He said he would take her out for dinner when he comes back! It was a lie!
Talia didn't even remember the last time she cried! She hasn't cried once ever since she got her powers and started living with her grandfather, but this time she couldn't stop the tears at all as she bawled her eyes out!
What Greg just said to her was enough to completely break the little girl's heart! Talia didn't even care that her grandfather saved the lives of three other superhumans! So what if he saved them, she wasn't close to any of them, and she didn't care! She just wanted her grandfather back!
A hand suddenly landed on top of Talia's head, and Talia turned around to see Mark crouching behind her! Her tears increased in intensity as she ran and hugged Mark tightly and began to cry into his chest!
Mark dropped Arit in a row of chairs and told her to wait for him once he saw Talia crying. He knew that he wasn't very close to Talia, but he couldn't just leave her when she was in this state. Mark could understand what it felt like to lose a parental figure, so he knew what she was going through.
"He's not dead! I know he is not dead! That baldy is just lying! Grandfather wouldn't leave me! He promised to take me for dinner!"
Greg ran a hand through his thinning hair, and he frowned in slight irritation at what Talia said before he sighed and stood up. Greg knew that she was just grieving, so he couldn't blame her for anything she would say right now. Greg decided that he would just allow her to grieve for some time before telling her what they would be doing next.
Since James asked Greg to take care of Talia, Greg saw it as his responsibility to make sure that Talia does not lack anything. Greg was already thinking of adopting Talia if he needed to.
Mark just held Talia kindly and allowed her to cry into his chest. Mark looked to the side, and he saw that Arit was now awake and she was looking at him and Talia curiously as she wondered what was happening. Arit never met Talia before, so she was surprised that Mark was this close to the little girl. Talia, meanwhile, just continued to deny the truth and cry that her grandfather was still alive.
People who were passing by all glanced at Talia with pitying gazes, and some of the women even teared up as they heard what she was saying. James was a very eccentric person, but that doesn't mean they hated him. His death was a big loss for the NSA.
But no matter how much Talia wished for it to be a lie, there was no denying that James was really dead. Mark saw the cliff that James fell from, and there was no Arcane Rank that could survive something like that! The fall was enough to kill a low-level calamity, so there was no chance of survival once James fell down there.
Talia just continued to cry on Mark until she eventually got tired and fell asleep while holding onto Mark tightly. Mark gently carried her, and he was about to hand her over to Greg, but she wouldn't let go of his shirt, and she just held on tighter. Something touched Mark on the leg, and he looked down to see that it was Talia's teddy bear that had come to life. When did she activate her power?
Or did it come to life immediately after she went to sleep as some sort of defense mechanism?
Mark wasn't sure what brought the teddy bear to life, but the teddy bear was not attacking Mark right now. The teddy bear was looking up at Mark with a strange kind stare as it held onto his trousers. Was it telling him to take Talia with him?
Greg saw how Talia was attached to Mark, and he spoke up tiredly.
"She needs a place to stay tonight. I don't want her to go back to her grandfather's place without anyone to take care of her. If you can take care of her tonight, then I'll come pick her up tomorrow. But I can just take her to my place if you don't want to look after her."
Mark stared at the sleeping Talia again before he just sighed and turned to walk over to Arit. They had an extra room in their house so he didn't mind leaving her there to rest for tonight. He wouldn't want her to stay in her grandfather's place alone either. Mark still remembers how things were for him when his parents died.
He lived in a large mansion with nothing but servants and butlers coming and going every day, and it almost drove him mad. Mark left that life behind for now because of how isolating it was, and he wouldn't want Talia going through that either. Mark would take care of her tonight and when she wakes up tomorrow, they will think of something else for her.
"Who's that? Is she coming home with us?"
Arit asked this curiously as she stared at the sleeping Talia, and Mark nodded and told Arit what happened with Talia. Arit's face fell sadly as she heard what happened, and she easily agreed that Talia should come home with them! There is no need for Talia to be alone since they have an extra room in the house anyway.
'She's going to take him away from us! She looks cute, and she is going to try and steal Mark from us! We can't trust her! Kill her!'
Arit's gaze narrowed for a moment as the voice in her head spoke to her again, and she glared at the sleeping Talia, but she was able to easily shake those thoughts away and smile at Mark once Mark told her to come along so they would go home. She stood up and followed behind Mark.