They were part way to the kitchen when Penny pulled her aside. Nora was pretty focused on the task at hand, but once she glimpsed the look on Penny's face, they promptly diverted to chat somewhere private.
Nora didn't interrupt Penny except to lay a comforting hand on the girl's arm, rubbing it gently. Nora grew up surrounded by a loving family, even if they fought, they were still close knit. Being a teenager was hard enough, but being without parents at Penny's age would have been impossible. Add on the pressure of sparking supernatural abilities and Nora would have lost her mind.
"It's okay, come here," she said, and offered to give Penny a hug. There was little else that she could say in that moment, especially after the sting of the Atharim subtext.
Nora didn't interrupt Penny except to lay a comforting hand on the girl's arm, rubbing it gently. Nora grew up surrounded by a loving family, even if they fought, they were still close knit. Being a teenager was hard enough, but being without parents at Penny's age would have been impossible. Add on the pressure of sparking supernatural abilities and Nora would have lost her mind.
"It's okay, come here," she said, and offered to give Penny a hug. There was little else that she could say in that moment, especially after the sting of the Atharim subtext.
![[Image: Shield-removebg-preview.png]](https://thefirstage.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Shield-removebg-preview.png)