"I fully expect her to try and drag you down with her." Hal responded.

"...however... um... well... let's just say you have someone very powerful willing to testify on your behalf." he told her, clearing his throat a little. "It's hard to contest the word of a retired God." he said further.

"...yes, I refer to Hephaestus." he then clarified.

"Seems he's left a way for Lady Remmington to contact him if need be. And yes, it's extremely limited use." he added, rolling his eyes.

"Regardless, your body and soul were disconnected. That is protection enough in Council and Triad court cases, and you know it." he then reminded her. "Have a little faith." he said.

"Nobody blames you for all of this, you shouldn't either."

"I won't deny that." Hal responded.

"However, 'you should have known that a mana shock from a weapon in a hidden armoury would lead to bloodshed down the road' is... kind of a flimsy defense." he then told her.

"Hold yourself accountable if you want, but I am 99% certain the law won't." he continued.

"And I'M not, either." he said further.

"If you want to go down THAT road, the rest of us should have realised something may have been up, too." he then reasoned.

"So if you're to blame for this, we ALL are as well."

Hal just shook his head again.

"Look, if it's insisted that something be levied against you, I'll see if it's nothing more than a temporary suspension from your work." he told her. "That's all." he said further.

"And yes, Peyton WILL be all right. And that toxic bigoted xenophobe will never darken our doorstep again." he assured her.

"I just need to find a NEW head for the Media Department." he then muttered.

"Regardless, overall, how are you feeling?" he asked her.

"Physically, mentally, and emotionally."

Hal made grumbling noises in response.

"Trust me, I know it's going to be a task and a half." he said.

"But I could NOT keep her here. Not after this. This was just TOO damn much." he snarled, before he calmed himself down and looked at her again.

"I'm sorry you went through that." he told her.

"That had to have been miserable and harrowing." he said further.

"And you have Izea to thank for finding out that you were trapped in there as well." he added.

"Yes, it." Hal responded.

"It had a vague sentience, but... well, it was not a soul. More like an aspect of one, I suppose." he muttered.

"And your apology is accepted." he told her.

"For now, we just need to keep moving forward." he reasoned. "Dwelling on the past is a good way to lose sight of the present, and the future." he went on.

"Still... you are, even if barely, a descendant of Hephaestus." he then commented.

"NEVER would have guessed that."

"Well, it's there." Hal chuckled.

"Anyway, if you want to continue to hang around the medical wing, the staff there will understand." he told her.

"Peyton will be wanting to see you when she wakes up, I'm sure." he went on.

"And Mira?" he then addressed her.

"Don't be TOO hard on yourself." he said.

"All right?"

Hal sighed.

"...fair." he said.

"I suppose that's all I can ask from you at this point." he reasoned.

"Regardless, I'm glad we got you back." he then said.

"...nobody would have forgiven themselves if you had been lost to us." he went on.

"We can't picture this place without you."

Hal paused for a moment, as what she said clicked in his mind.

"...I hadn't thought of that..." he said.

"I can most certainly try." he told her.

"And by that, I mean I'll make the position known." he went on. He then stopped again and thought about it, before looking at her again.

"Are there any specifics?" he asked.

"Are you looking for someone already well-established and trained, or is someone looking for an apprenticeship acceptable?"

"Duly noted." Hal responded.

"And keep my name out of it." Mira then said. "I want people that genuinely want to work with weaponry, and have a passion for it... NOT someone that wants to pal around with 'the woman that discovered Aegis', because they think it'll look good on their resume." she stated.

"...another very good point." Hal admitted.

"Done, then." he said.

"Thank you." Mira responded.

"I'll keep you updated on applicants." Hal told her.

"I do." Hal lamented.

"Go on. Take care of yourself. And make sure Peyton is doing good." he told her with a smile.

Sure enough, a couple of days later, Peyton had woken up and wanted to see Mira first thing. It was clear that things would be all right between the two of them, as Peyton didn't blame her at all for this... and Mira couldn't bring herself to keep up the self-pity with Peyton back in her life. Some minor news was brought up about legal proceedings, and Mira would be required to testify at a future date, telling them exactly what happened. But as far as she knew, nothing more was going to come of it.

She was making her way back to her office, when she noticed the door was very slightly ajar. On guard, she defensively opened the door more fully... but she saw nothing was different in there.

Other than a plain white envelope on her desk that hadn't been there before.