After Peri leaves the classroom, she finds someone falling into step beside her - Sanderson, the scientist. The one no one seems to much like.

He walks quietly beside her for a time before saying anything.

“You mind if we talk? I don’t normally involve myself in personal issues of the school. In this case, I think I may have something relevant to you in particular l”

Peri

She didn’t mind him, really. She suspected that most of the dislike came from those whose identities were tied up with what they could do - people like Lamar. But for her, having powers was a new development that she was still getting used to.

On a personal level, he was maybe a bit awkward, not terribly social, and kept to himself, but all of those things could describe her just as well. In her case it was because all attention was bad attention. Sit at the back of class. Don’t speak. Do what homework you can so you don’t do badly enough to concern the teacher. Go as quickly and as quietly from class to class. Don’t get noticed by the other kids. If you do, you’ll be a target. Don’t get noticed by the teacher. If you do, they might send in social services, and if they did that then who would take care of Dad?

Being awkward and not social is a great way to make people no want to be around you, which was the point.

When he said he had something to talk to her about, she wasn’t surprised. He wasn’t the small talk type.

“Yeah?”

Eric:

“There isn’t much of a subtle way to bring this up, and if there was I’m not good at it. To some degree, at least, I think I am responsible for your father, your mother, and your current situation. At least tangentially.”

Peri

She opened her mouth, then closed it again quickly. She’d learned not to speak her mind too openly.

She didn’t remember her mother at all. And her father made his own choices every day.

“Hmm?”

“So Peri - do you know the story behind your parents? Behind how you arrived where you are?”

Peri

“What I knew before - Mom died when I was a baby. Dad couldn’t live without her, and chose to kill himself in slow motion”

She glanced away for a moment.

“What I’ve learned here. Both had powers. Dad thought some supers were responsible for her death, and decided revenge was the answer. Except it didn’t help. He had a hit list. Half the names were crossed off it, but it didn’t give him any peace. Least not for long. He just got worse, and cared less about living.”

A deep breath that was very nearly a sigh escaped her.

“Revenge is stupid. It doesn’t make anything better, it just spreads more pain around, and makes you rotten inside.”

She half-chuckled, the slightly nasal huff that comes when someone thinks of something ironic rather than something actually funny.

“For what it’s worth, he didn’t blame you. I saw his hit list the day he was arrested. You weren’t on it.”

ERic nods.

"He wouldn't. Let me fill in the rest of the background for you, the missing parts. Your father was originally a hero, codename of Conduit. He could absorb and redirect the powers of others. He had a solid and notable career, although much of what he did was not public. During one of his missions he met your mother, Laputa, the daughter of the Villain known as Phobos. For whatever reasons love comes out and doesn't ask its participants if they want it or not, they fell in love. He turned her, and she was acting as a double agent against her father, feeding information to him. Unfortunately, the other members of his team - the names on that list - did not know about this arrangement, and when a rather large skirmish broke out with Phobos's forces, your mother, who had had you in secret not to much earlier, was killed in the crossfire. You were retrieved, and your father faded into anonymous retirement. Or at least that is what we thought. Obviously, he bore a grudge that turned into vengeance. As to where I come into this, there was one member of that team who was not on that list of yours. Namely, me. I was not so much a field agent but instead support, but I managed to find out about the little arrangement anyhow - it doesn't really matter how - but I neglected to tell anyone, I thought I was doing him a favor, not exposing what many would consider a risky gamble. Obviously my silence was the wrong decision and had consequences both broadly, and specifically for you. And for that, Peri, I am sorry."

Peri

There was a flash of anger as she listened, but it wasn't toward Eric.

"So what you're saying is, he decided to use my mother for information, placing her in danger from her father's side if they discovered what she was doing, and placing her in danger from your side since the others didn't know. He knew she was pregnant. He knew she had me. And he still chose to put her in danger."

A laugh bubbled up from deep within her - the sort of laugh where there's no real mirth, just bitter irony.

"And then - and then," another laugh, "He decided to blame everyone but himself for his own idiotic choices. It all makes sense. It all makes sense now. Everything that's happened since then. He's just... he's not capable of taking responsibility for his own choices. He lashes out. He drinks so he doesn't have to think about his own guilt. And he leaves everyone else to pick up the pieces."

She shook her head.

"It's not on you, not even a little. It's on him."

The last bit was as much said to herself as it was to Eric.

Eric:

“I’m glad you feel that way. Personally, I can’t help but feel at least a bit responsible. I just wanted to let you know fully what was going on, and if I could, answer questions for you. It has to be rough not knowing, even if knowing also sucks. One thing I do know is that even if there is debate on any responsibility I might have, you have none - and you have more than discharged any duty you might have owed due to family. You are much stronger than he ever was, I think.”