!!!!

"How are you doing that!"

"Magic."

"...magic is not supposed to be real. The nuns said so."

"I guess the rocks must not be floating. Nuns are never wrong."

"I could show you something written and you'd be able to read it."

"I didn't say they weren't floating! Only that the nuns said magic didn't exist. I suppose they were wrong, or lying, or you're tricking me somehow - but I don't think you are tricking me. Can I learn magic?"

"I am just pulling your leg. I mean, about the nuns. Magic is real, and yes you can learn it. Our family is magic too."

"Then - are we going to go to America by magic? That is much better than an airplane."

"Yes, by magic. It will be a couple of hours driving."

Tintin considers.

"That's still better than an airplane, I think, because it's less cramped and we don't have to sit with strangers. And I will get to meet all my brothers sooner."

"It has that going for it, yes. Do you want a hug?"

"I would love a hug!"

Tintin unbuckles his seat belt and clambers over the divider between the back and the front of the car, and wraps his arms around his new uncle.

Aww. Hug.

She joins the hug, assuming Tintin is okay with it.

Tintin is very okay with this.

After a few seconds, he wriggles out and back into his seat. "Let's go! I want to meet my brothers!"

"We will. There are some other news, that are not as bright. I would've taken you in just because of you being an orphanage. But the reason we are looking for distant relatives is that we needed to find them."

"...is there a curse on our family?" Tintin asks.

"Not really. A long time ago our ancestors created a place to store magical powers that the...  assigned males of our bloodline could use if they knew how. And it was stable if it were enough users around. But about fifteen years ago most our family died during a magical accident at a family reunion. The vault is now unstable, every so often it creates monsters we have to fight."

Tintin does not seem to know how to feel about this!

"I will fight the monsters," he says eventually. "Can I get the powers? What do you mean by 'assigned'?"

"You won't be able to use the vault, is what I mean with assigned. I am sorry. And you can have powers, your strength is one."

Neither visible reacts on his statement on fighting monsters.

"The vault thinks I am a girl too. Stupid thing."

He raises his arms.

"Yes, magic isn't smart on itself. And the vault is very, very stupid. It was meant to be used by us, but instead we have to keep it under control."

"Well. I can still fight the monsters. I am very strong. May I have a gun to shoot the monsters with, also?"

"We can train you to fight monsters, just like how my boys train to too. Guns hurt the monsters, but the vault - and the monsters - are connected to the woods. If we kill one it will cause an area to die off and that would call too much unwanted attention. And hurt the wilderness."