Leroy
Leroy slammed his fist down on the table.
"I cannot believe you people! I know you've put children in appropriate foster families faster than this! But it has been over two weeks and you still haven't gotten a place for Tate. I know there aren't many alien families to choose from. How hard can it be?"
"Tate is a pathic shifter -"
"No kidding!"
"- and surely you of all people can understand the difficulties of living with one! Tate is not... we can't just slip her in anywhere we want. We have to make sure she goes to a family capable of raising her without negatively influencing her. There's a much higher level of risk here than just about every other power."
"And yet she ended up with a human family."
"Actually, we did that on purpose."
"What?"
"We thought that if she were with people who didn't know her true nature, then they couldn't... how to say... well, you know what I mean. They would just think and feel what they naturally would, and not intensionally inflict -"
"You decided that unconscious or subconscious ideas would be better than conscious ones?"
"Exactly."
"Well, I'll have you know that putting her in that family was -"
"Look, we checked them out thoroughly. Empaths, Telepths. Our best. And they didn't pick that they would influence Tate like that."
"That's why it's important that she's with an alien family. A family that can learn to be on their guard."
"I agree. And that's why it's taking so long. Now we have families where there are one or two people who can be trusted. But then there are the other members. I've been taken a good look at my family, but I'll be honest Leroy, I know we're not capable of looking after a pathic shifter. There's only one person I know who can."
Leroy was silent.
"Me," he said finally.
"You know all about them."
"I'm always mobile."
"You're taking care of your nephew."
"Yes. A teenage boy."
"You've trained others. You can train him."
"It's been over twenty years -"
"- so? What does that change? You learnt as a boy yourself."
Leroy glared.
"And how is it you know so much anyway?"
"It's my job."
"I doubt it," then Leroy sighed. "Fine, fine. But on one condition."
"Which is?"
"If I feel that I find a family capable of taking care of her, I have the right to allow them custody."
"Agreed."