This poem is spillover from the July 21, 2020 bonus fishbowl. It was inspired by an anoymous prompt. It also fills the "Separation & Reunion" square in my 2-1-19 "Romantic" card for the Valentines Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred , technoshaman , and mama_kestrel . It belongs to the Gentle Soul thread of the Polychrome Heroics series. WARNING: This poem contains heartbreaking material. HANKIE WARNING! Highlight to read the detailed warnings, some of which are spoilers and possibly also triggers. It includes crying men, family upheavals, genocide, 2 people left of a large family, and thus the end of the search, reference to Holocaust survivors as a possible resource for coping with family loss, insecurity, awkward family introductions, clinginess, reference to past deaths, arguing over new relationship dynamics, traumatic loss, heartache, and other challenges. However, the overall storyline brings people closer together. Please consider your tastes and headspace before deciding whether this is something you want to read. Because it features a major plot point, though, skipping it would leave a big gap. "A Hint of the Resurrection" [Wednesday, June 3, 2015] Aidan was sniffling by the time he made the call to Piotr. "I need ... I need your help," Aidan said. "Legal things, adoption, citizenship ..." "Okay, back up a bit," Piotr said gently. "What's the context for all this?" "Braxton found someone," said Aidan. "He's been turning Haiti upside down, and he managed to locate Saraphina's cousin Josué." "Wow, that's big news," Piotr said. "Congratulations!" Aidan sniffled. "We have a teleporter set to bring them here as soon as possible, but since the transfer is meant to be permanent, it's better to deal with some red tape before they leave." "Excellent, that will make my job much easier," Piotr said. "There can be no question of refugee status, of course, but filing the papers front and back is a lot more secure." "That's ... that's the point," Aidan said. "Piotr, this is the end. Between Josué and Braxton, they confirmed it. There's no one else to look for. Saraphina might have other genetic relatives somewhere, but nobody else that she knew, nobody who belonged to their extended family." "My God," Piotr breathed. "I thought that she had a pretty big family." "She did." Aidan choked off a sob. "There were forty-two people, Piotr, all murdered except for two survivors." "That's monstrous," Piotr said. Aidan burst into tears. Even without being able to sense it directly, the sheer enormity of the loss was overwhelming. On the other end of the phone, Piotr made soothing noises. Eventually Aidan managed to get control of himself again. "Listen, Aidan, I know this is a sensitive subject for you, but ... talk to the Jews," said Piotr. "What? Why?" Aidan said, struggling not to flinch at the reminder, even after decades had passed. "Because they know what it's like to lose a whole family except for one or two people," Piotr said. "They'll understand. Someone must have written about it; they'll have instructions for handling that kind of loss." "You're probably right," Aidan said. "I'll ask around and see whether I can find a counselor with relevant skills." "Ask Dr. G for that part, since he has professional connections," Piotr said. "You don't have to do all of this by yourself, Aidan." "Anyway, I'm going to offer Josué a place with us," Aidan said. "I hope for his sake and Saraphina's that he'll take me up on it, but I can only guess at how much damage he's carrying. He might not want the connection, but he's only fourteen, so I worry." "Put that right out of your head," Piotr said firmly. "Saraphina attaches like Maxitack, nobody who's part of her family could ever walk away from that." A bright jingle sounded outside. "They're here," Aidan said. "I need to go meet them." "Go on," said Piotr. "I'll step up the legal stuff here." Aidan hung up and then hurried to open the door. Braxton was tall and slim, dark glasses over dark skin hiding eyes that did not work due to his superpowers. He had apparently taken the time to change out of his scruffy undercover clothes into something more presentable. One hand rested on the shoulder of a black boy with sorrel skin, his pencil-thin dreadlocks dark with blond tips from a dye job. Several piercings decorated the teenager's face, and he wore a plain black T-shirt over blue jeans. "Hi, Aidan, this is Josué," said Braxton. "He's all clear to stay with you now." "Thank you," said Aidan. "Josué, welcome to America. You'll be safe here, and I'm happy to have you. My name is Aidan Spencer." Josué completely ignored him. "Where she?" the boy demanded in his lilting Haitian accent. "You can feel her," Aidan realized. "Saraphina is inside. Please, come in." As Josué darted past him, Aidan flicked out his power to beckon Drew into the living room. Braxton shook his head at the open door, saying, "This is a family time. I'll go find myself a nice hotel room. You and I can square up later on." "Thank you," Aidan said, and then closed the door quietly. Drew came out of the bedroom with Saraphina squirming like a greased pig while poor Drew struggled to keep ahold of her. "Josué!" Saraphina squealed as she wrapped herself around him. Aidan felt the quiescent bond between them flare up and pull them into a tight connection. Josué started crying, his face pressed into his cousin's hair, which at the moment was a cloud of curls because Drew had just started to put it into braids. Aidan steered them gently toward the couch. Drew supported them from the other side, and Aidan was grateful to have someone else with experience in emotional first aid. Saraphina's gift unwound itself a little, reaching out from Josué to curl around Drew and Aidan, drawing them into the family circle. Josué hiccupped a sob. "T'ought it was gone," he said. "Never t'ought dat I'd feel dis again." "Well, I try to help Saraphina contain her talent so it doesn't spill over," said Aidan. Growling, Josué twisted away from him. "Is what she is, what she does!" he said. "She our knitter." "She knits your family together," Aidan said. "That's fine; that is as it should be. I just don't want her to do that with random people." Josué shook his head. "Only family," he said. "When she came to America, Saraphina was alone," said Aidan. "So she did what any baby would do, she grabbed whoever she could." Josué burst into tears again. "Supposed to be safe," he wailed. "We put dem on boat, go'way safe!" "I'm so sorry that they didn't make it," Aidan said. "The Coast Guard found the boat coming from Cuba. They think Saraphina's father died from gunshots while her mother died from exposure. If you need more details ... later, please." He pointed with his chin at Saraphina. "Later, yeah," said Josué. "So glad to be here, wit her, but -- da ouch." "Every parting gives a foretaste of death, every reunion a hint of the resurrection," Aidan said softly. "Such is life." "If you need someone to talk to, we can help with that," Drew said. Aidan nodded. "Piotr suggested looking for Jewish resources." "Yeah, they must have all kinds of stuff about family tragedies," Drew said. "Good idea." "Maybe," said Josué, "but hard to talk." "That gets a little easier over time," Aidan said. "For now, you need a place to stay, and you're welcome here." Josué nodded, snuggling with Saraphina. "Yeah." "Since you're fourteen, the government will want someone to look after you," Aidan said. "I volunteer to stand as your new father." "No!" Josué snapped. "Papa mwen die two month --" He waved a hand over his shoulder. "Your father died only two months ago?" Aidan said, grief and guilt twisting together despite his efforts to shield himself. He couldn't shut out his own feelings, after all. Josué nodded. "They catch him. He say me run --" His voice cracked and broke. The man had probably sacrificed himself in hopes of saving his son. Aidan reached out with the barest wisp of his ability, touching the ragged edge of loss like testing a saw's edge with a fingertip. "I can help you come to terms with that, later, if you wish -- or help you find someone else who can," he said. Josué just shrugged. He probably wasn't used to any kind of counseling. "You still need someone to help you with the grownup things," Aidan said. "What about an uncle instead of a father? A person usually has only one father, but often has several different uncles." Josué counted on his fingers. "Eight?" Aidan said, watching him. "You had eight uncles before?" "Yeah," said Josué. "Could do one more uncle now." Aidan heaved a sigh of relief. "That's good," he said. "I'm so glad that you've joined our family here." Josué tucked his chin tighter against the top of Saraphina's head. Then he gave an enormous sneeze. "Sorry," said Drew. "I had just finished picking out her hair and started on the braids when you got here. The detangling spray is probably a bit much still." To Aidan, it smelled sweetly of marshmallow, but then he didn't have his face right in it. Josué wrinkled his nose at Drew. "No braid," he said. "Rope." "I heard that when Saraphina was found, she had her hair in twists, but I never saw them so I couldn't repeat the style," Aidan explained. "She likes trying all different things." "Oh, twists?" Drew said, brightening. "Show me?" Josué looked around. "Tie?" "I'll get the kit!" Drew said, bounding off the couch. Soon he came back with a wooden box that held hair ties, beads, barrettes, ribbons, and bandanas. Josué stared at Drew. Drew just chuckled. "Yeah, I know, I'm white Irish. But my best friend is black and I've been braiding her hair since we were little. Jaliya has hair a lot like Saraphina's, but longer." Josué poked gently at Saraphina until she sat up enough so that he could reach her hair to twist it. He fingered the strands, evidently finding them smooth enough to work with, because he started making the twists. Drew watched every move, even though Josué didn't try to explain the process. Aidan finally managed to smile. Despite the pain, his family was growing. * * * Notes: Braxton Allanmeyer -- He has milk chocolate skin, brown eyes, and nappy black hair that he typically shaves off. He is completely blind, and prefers to navigate with a cane. He is left-handed, but when undercover, he pretends to be right-handed ; it helps him seem a little clumsy and innocuous. His father is a lawyer and his mother is an executive; Braxton also has two younger sisters. His parents put him through college, where he earned a degree in criminal psychology. Braxton lives in a large accessible house shared with several other disabled soups including Syncope, Handspring, and the Saenz family. He has bedroom #4 upstairs, with its own covered balcony at the front of the house. His housemate Rei keeps the balcony stocked with plants that have pleasing textures and fragrances. Syncope has the second bedroom on the ground floor, with the Saenz family in the master suite downstairs. Handspring has the fifth bedroom on the upper floor, while Haru Kimura and Rei Moritomo share the master suite upstairs. The open design of the house leaves less for Braxton to bump into as he navigates from one area to another. As a hobby, he enjoys polishing things -- driftwood, seashells, bits of bone or antler, anything he can rub with a piece of sandstone until it is perfectly smooth. He likes to keep dishes of polished objects to play with, and he gives some of the larger pieces to Rei for garden decorations. In the field, Braxton uses his abilities rather like a private detective. Sometimes he searches for criminals, other times for missing persons. He can infiltrate an area and find out what is happening there. He consults for police departments, search-and-rescue operations, and SPOON. He doesn't hesitate to track down supervillains or even venture into bottom-ten countries. That can lead to long missions. His blindness actually helps him blend in because people tend to overlook anyone with a disability. Origin: Braxton was born with his superpowers, but it took a long time for anyone to realize that. His Invisibility impaired the development of his retinas. When it started flickering into active mode during his toddler years, sometimes people lost track of him, but he could always find his way back despite being unable to see. He learned to talk early and often picked up information that nobody had taught him. Suspecting something unusual, Braxton's parents took him to SPOON and a talent-reader revealed his abilities. After that it was much easier to train them -- although Braxton had difficulty understanding what "invisible" really meant. Uniform: On duty, Braxton dresses to blend in with his assignment, which often means scruffy clothes. Off duty, he prefers classy menswear, often with dark neutrals and rich blues or purples. Qualities: Master (+6) Patient, Expert (+4) Undercover Work, Good (+2) Criminal Psychology, Good (+2) Physically Fit, Good (+2) Polishing Things, Good (+2) Putting People at Ease Poor (-2) Allergic to Fur Powers: Good (+2) Invisibility, Good (+2) Metacognition Limitation: Braxton's Metacognition works primarily on people and events, not on objects or places. He can sense where someone is and what they're doing, but not the layout or furnishings of the site. His awareness is vague at a distance, then gets stronger and more detailed with proximity. Pushing beyond those limits requires intense concentration and effort: it's easier just to navigate with his cane. Motivation: To figure out the solutions that nobody else can see. Josué Dreux -- He has sorrel skin, brown eyes, and nappy black hair worn in dreadlocks to his shoulders. The ends of the longest strands are light brown instead of the natural black, from the most recent time he had to dye his hair in order to hide. He has piercings in his earlobes, right outer eyebrow, and right lower lip. He is 14 years old. Josué is the older paternal cousin of Saraphina Dreux. The two of them are the only survivors of their once-large family, everyone else having perished due to anti-soup persecution. Although not a soup himself, Josué has latent potential. He speaks Haitian Creole fluently, along with some French and English. He is found by Braxton on a search for Saraphina's family, and brought to Aidan for fostering. Qualities: Expert (+4) Survivor, Good (+2) Family Ties with Saraphina Dreux, Good (+2) Singer Poor (-2) PDSD * * * "Every parting gives a foretaste of death, every reunion a hint of the resurrection." -- Arthur Schopenhauer (These links are sad.) Genocide is the systematic destruction of a people and/or their culture, in whole or in part. It can have huge impact on young survivors . The book Recovering from Genocidal Trauma focuses on Holocaust survivors. Here are some ways you can fight genocide . (These links are intense.) Dire experiences can leave people with traumatic stress . This can cause a variety of conditions. Prolonged Duress Stress Disorder is similar to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder , but involves a long span of torment instead of a single brief incident. Developmental Trauma Disorder describes the effects on a developing psyche. Traumatic stress tends to have a profound negative impact on relationships and socializing. This encourages isolation, which can cause further problems . Understand how to cope with traumatic stress or help a friend with it . (So are these.) Trauma survivors often show worrisome symptoms of decompensation as the extreme stress overwhelms their coping skills. Trauma-informed care offers compassionate, effective ways to help survivors . Maxitack is a super-gizmotronic adhesive that will attach anything and only comes loose by using a matched super-gizmo to release the bonding field. The other way to separate things it has glued together is by tearing off the surface, which is unpleasant if it is skin. Compare Haitian Creole (derived from French ) with the range of Caribbean English dialects and creoles. From the sound of what English Josué uses, he learned it from a person or people speaking one of those African-influenced versions, not off the television with its international-standard style English. Both creoles and West African languages tend to drop "is" verbs and use fewer articles along with substituting "d" or "t" for "th." Aidan will likely ask whether Josué wants to focus on learning more of the English creole, switching to American standard English, leaning more on Haitian Creole as a family language, or what. Papa mwen -- my father -- English-Haitian Creole Translation Marshmallow and slippery elm are two of many ingredients used in detangling spray for curly to nappy hair. You can buy this or make your own . Hair twists come in various styles . Learn how to twist nappy hair . This is Saraphina's hair braiding kit , or at least, some of the decorations. A large basket provides a way to assemble a hair-braiding kit as needed. The smaller inserts make it possible to swap out types of hair ties, beads, etc. as desired without having to repackthe whole kit.