"No." She takes a step backward, toward the door.

"Hey, whoa," he says, raising both hands in a peace gesture. "I'm not gonna make you go through that. I... know what it can be like. It's not the best."

"...Okay." But she doesn't come any closer.

"...I know a guy who knows a gal, actually... She runs an orphanage, out in the Outlands. Usually small kids, and they really like her. That could be better than some random foster family?"

She shakes her head, tense as a wire - it's hard to tell whether she's about to bolt or not; most people would look, but she doesn't have to. "Doesn't - no."

"Okay. Okay. Like I said, I won't make you. The option's there if you ever want it, but it's just that, an option."

"Not... Not.... Not." She takes a deep breath, or tries to; it catches halfway through, and she winces.

...okay, he'll wait.

She calms down, just a little, over the course of a minute or so, and then tries again. "Not safe. Not... Not..." She sighs. "Don't, have words. But... not, doing that, again."

"Okay. I'm not—going to try to convince you that it's safe. I think—well, it can not be, but it can be—but. Alright. Do you—want a new name? I should make you an ID so the D.o.S. doesn't decide to take this out of our hands."

She looks confused.

"As in, a fake ID. I know a guy, I can get you something that's actually legit except for, you know, not coming directly from the official channels."

"...okay..."

"It'll stand up to some scrutiny, will probably register as you having run away from a foster home for maximum verisimilitude, they won't actually look too deeply into it, happens all the time, but ixnay on the dee-eye-ay, yeah?"

She is definitely still confused, but, shrugs. "Just, little, plastic card? Okay."

"It's mostly the record on the system, if you lost the card it'd be alright even. It's just that, if the D.o.S. starts looking into you after we prove this superpower they'll be more okay with 'import who ran away from home' than 'import who never actually went through any part of Orientation and might have cubism.'"

"Ahh."

"Not - easy for them, to catch me, but better not try, yeah."

"Yeah. So, like I said, what name should I get you? And maybe parents' name, too, they'd get that off you normally, and a birthday. You can just make those up if you want."

Nod. "Older, less... problem? Dunno, names."

"I don't think you can pass for an adult, but... Should I make up a name and last name and family history?"

Nod.

"...Denice Houston? Your parents are Clara and Mortimer Houston, you're... sixteen and a half, maybe? I don't think you can pass as older than that."

"Okay."

"Okay. So, uh, right, that other thing I asked, what exactly should I do to prove you have powers and such? I... have the impression you won't come if I bring other people."

"...yeah."

"Idea is, they, tell me a secret, from, far away, and I tell, you - something you... wouldn't know, without that. You tell them, they, know, you had some, way to learn it."