Oh, no.

We don't oppress kids. 

We had to learn it the hard way, but we have learned it.

Cause then one day the kids, or their friends, come back with a strength of a small army and cunning of an enraged evil genius.

And those who would protect us might side with them.

We don't oppress kids.

There have been burning cities. Crucified bodies. Horrific fates.

Teacher, leave the kids alone. Lest you get thrashed within inches of your life. 

Well, Jean isn't a vindictive terrorist, but as an effective representative of the Kid Faction, Jean figures he might have to make the life of some adults slightly harder.

But for now;

"Hi! (Arabic) Hi! (Farsi) Hi! (Kurdish) Hi! (Pashto)"

"Eep! In Allah's name, what are you? (Farsi)"

Farsi it is, then.

"Name's Jean. Sorry for startling you."

Aliyeh has so many questions that they all cancel out into nothing. She just stares at him blankly, without remembering to avert her gaze.

"I'm not gonna hurt you or bust you or whatever, relax! Hell, I think I'm going to help you with whatever you clearly need help with!"

"I don't... need help. Leave me alone."

(she needs help) 

"A lowest quartile baseline wouldn't believe that one. Come on, let's get us real food, and then we'll figure out what to do with whoever did that to you."

She just escaped, vainly and with no plan. And that's why Allah is sending her this thing to punish her for it and tempt her futher. Yep.

"Deliver yourself from me, shaitan."

"Oh, come on. I'm not a shaitan, or any other kind of a religious figure!" says the naked abnormally colored abnormally beautiful abnormally fast boy carrying a stinking corpse of a jackal. "I'm just Jean. I study international relations and apparently get into awful trouble with portals."

Yeah she's got absolutely no clue what the second part means.

"You're... naked," she says, finally averting her gaze, "and white and weird and carrying this unclean thing around. What kind of shaitan are you?"

"Okay, again, I'm not any sort of a religious thing. Just a Miracle!"

"Okay, so I am figuring out someone told you some awful lies about Miracles, like we are all evil or something. That's not true - look at me, I'm not at all hurting you, and intending to do the opposite. If you really want me to go away, I'll go away, but I worry for you!"

"I've heard of miracles, of course. Miracles are acts of Allah, not people, though!"

You know, if he were a demon or the Devil himself, it'd be a bad idea to just keep talking to him, but, like, baseline kids, you know? And he's not so it's not.

"Um. Transhumans? People with powers and better bodies? Huxley Flu survivors?"

"What are you talking about, I don't understand."

"Did they lock you up in the attic for your whole life or something?!"

"Um, no? I worked in a brick farm with a whole bunch of people, before escaping just now."

Brick farm.

Clients. Logistics. A whole village, with a road to it, and a power line.

TV. Radio. Commerce. Maps. Intermingling. Protection. Warlords. Relief efforts. Vaccine shipments. Association of Transhuman-Baseline Cooperation.

Nothing adds up.

Oh no.