Staring with wide stricken eyes up at the small, bandaged, top hat wearing form about the same size as her infant body standing on the shoulder of another bandaged form - this one a good seven feet tall and also wearing a top hat - the newly (re)named Matryoshka "Poison" Von something German had only one train of thought coursing through her head.

It was a calm, if not an emotionally repressed reflection on the fact that her father was a cursed undead baby from an anime she used to watch.

No one had come to claim her during her internment and now she knew why - technically both her parents were legally fucking dead.

She had been lying there in her bed at the hospital idly watching the ceiling in boredom - life as an immobile child wasn't very interesting as she had found out halfway through her first year - when her gaze caught on the edges of a black hole forming in the middle of her room.

Bewildered she let out a startled bleat of a cry and turned to gawk and out of it came the two beings that now stood before her.

Blinking once she watched as the Bermuda Von something German who ran the most exclusive clique in the mafia world - the Varia would have to try a bit more before they could become as revered as the Vendice - reached out a hand and placed it softly against her rounded cheek.

Oddly enough he didn't kill her like she thought he would have but just as she assumed she would, Poison started to freak out at his proximity. But before she could properly work herself up past a few hollers, a cool kindling sensation started up in her stomach, spread out towards the rest of her limbs and made her head swoon.

And whatever he was doing - because surely this was his influence - was making her drowsy and despite how she would rather not fall asleep in the presence of these unfamiliar people - knowing them from off the pages of a manga didn't exactly count - she could feel her tiny body relax and begin to slide into slumber.

Apparently whatever freaky ass compulsion he put over her outweighed her fear and with a languid glide of her lashes her eyes swung shut.

Letting out a little shuffling snort as she felt something flare against her skin, she felt herself shift as whatever Bermuda was doing coaxed a response from the kindling inside in stomach. Giving a flicker, the ignition inside her fluttered until it was nothing but an afterthought but whatever had just happened seemed to be enough for the jailer.

Removing his hand the wronged Arcobaleno gave a considering hum and a tilt of his head and not a word was said as Poison was then lifted up and carried away.

She didn't bother crying out in hopes that someone would come see what was wrong because by the time she found the nerve to debate on it, she was already unconscious.

The realization that her surroundings had changed shot her into awareness like a catapult.

Glancing around at the far away walls Poison - as she decided to call herself because Matryoshka sounded too official - let out a breath, beyond relieved to not have daddy Bermuda and his right-hand man hovering over her like a bad omen.

She had just made her peace with her death and her new chance at life, she didn't need to work through any more bullshit at present. But just to clarify her acceptance wasn't to say that she wasn't mad at dying because she was- very much so, but there was no one other than herself she could blame. Besides, there was no way she could get back so why not make light of the situation?

Her death had been entirely her fault and she refused to expand on the subject any more than with a simple oh shit her bad.

Poison had taken her rebirth as an undeserved second chance - she hadn't exactly been a squeaky clean person - but after being faced with the fact that to her Vindicare was now Vindi-daycare, she had to take a moment and reevaluate.

Especially because as a kid who stayed in and out of juvie like clockwork, having a cop for a dad - even if all he did was police the mafia - was going to take some serious getting used to.

But she could manage.

Probably.

Poison knew she was definitely going to be the most well-protected person in all of the world - how couldn't she be with the Phantom police on her father's payroll? - and wouldn't ever have to get into a life threatening fight if she played her cards right so that was a win. But Bermuda didn't seem like the type to have a child of his be unable to defend herself and quite frankly, she didn't want to be useless. Especially not with all the things that would likely be headed her way.

Besides if she had the resources why not go for it? Especially if she inherited the flame Bermuda had, which she was sure she had. It was just laying dormant based on the budding sensation she felt when he had touched her face.

Poison just really hoped those chains of theirs had a 'baby on board' sticker pasted on somewhere. She suspected daddy Bermuda wouldn't be happy if his one and only spawn ended up ripped in half, especially if he went through all the trouble to have her when she knew it couldn't have been easy.

The man was a baby and a corpse - so yeah, there was definitely some weird shit involved with her birth.

Drawn from her thoughts at the sound of whooshing and jingling, Poison turned her head to view Bermuda and his right-hand man Jager phase into the room via night flame portal.

Silently watching them approach she could feel a slight chill set over her but didn't feel particularly afraid. Poison wasn't sure if it was her baby instincts tuning into the fact that he was a close blood relative and declaring him safe, or if it was some sort of charisma thing that made it possible for her to skip over being fearful and settle on wariness but she was thankful.

"Hello Matryoshka," Bermuda said in his squeaky voice that, against the laws of nature, sounded downright intimidating and she internally frowned at the use of her first name. "I am Bermuda Von Veckenschtein and I am your progenitor."

A bit stunned and confused on that fact that he seemed to know not to treat her like a mindless drooling infant - he could probably see the intelligence in her eyes - she did the only thing she could to show him that she was listening.

Poison flashed him a smile.

She didn't have enough strength, control, or coördination to give a nod or anything like that but it only took a few muscles to smile. Taking that as confirmation Bermuda nodded and a portal opened up next to him. Out from the dark abyss walked a woman with blonde hair and gray eyes who immediately came over to heft Poison out of her bed.

Looking towards the cursed man-turned-child - because who was this woman? She didn't think he'd just let anyone around his spawn - she saw him gesture towards the newcomer.

"This is Nataliya and she will be your wet nurse." He informed her promptly. "Nataliya will care for you in the way that infants need until you are out of these stages of codependency. From that point on I will be taking over to give credit to my fatherly duties."

Feeling relieved that she would have someone to watch over her while Bermuda was gone, Poison smiled at Nataliya and received one in return. It would be easier if she was kind to the woman who literally held her well-being in her hands.

"Are the terms we discussed to your satisfaction?" Bermuda said addressing the pale haired woman who gave a nod in response.

"Of course Lord Bermuda," She demurred with her eyes on the ground. "I will care for my lady Matryoshka until the time designated."

"Good." The leader of Vindicare said before another portal swirled into existence behind him. "See that you do, I will not tolerate any mistakes."

She fell into a light bow, arms fully supporting Poison's body and the reincarnation blinked.

"Of course not, my Lord Bermuda."

Without another glance, the duo walked into the vortex and disappeared.

"Come," Nataliya said as she smiled down at the child in her arms. "it is time for your feeding."

There were no doors in Vindicare seeing as everyone traveled by portal so whenever Nataliya needed to take Poison to one of the designated rooms she was to use for nursing her - which she needed to do frequently over the past weeks - she had to call for an officer.

Watching a yellow flame burst on the tip of her finger - she was a sun flame user, probably was picked on the notion that she could heal any wounds Poison might incur - she pressed it into a symbol on the wall and within seconds a bandaged figure stood in the room.

"Where may I take you?" He asked in a calm and low voice and Nataliya without a lick of fear told him to the bathing chambers.

Now while she might not be scared of Bermuda, his underlings still made her shiver so she had to hand it to the woman for holding her own. Going through a night flame portal felt odd but not bad, she had honestly been expecting a headache or to throw up but she was glad she wasn't doubling over in pain. It would have been extremely counter productive.

Staring out at the blue and vast bathroom she barely heard it when the officer excused himself and warped away.

Now despite the fact that she was being cleaned by another person, Poison enjoyed her bath times. For being out in the middle of a snow country they sure had some nice warm water and she knew that the officers didn't need to wash up so daddy Bermuda got it installed just for her.

She kind of enjoyed being a spoiled only child this time around.

Sitting docilely while Nataliya undressed and set her in her specialized baby bath that sat adjacent to the bigger bath - that was more like swimming pool - the young girl smiled at the warmth. Looking down into the water Poison tilted her head at the reflection she had seen many times before and internally shrugged a shoulder.

She looked weird no doubt about it.

With her mismatched dull blue eyes - that reminded her of a corpse - and her strange blonde curls paired with her luscious brown skin, she was a sight to see. And Poison was just a tad bit anime-ish but what was fine - if anything she had the visual makings of a protag and usually the protag didn't die so that was a plus.

Poison knew Bermuda had black hair in the manga - she remember how Akira drew him and she completely disapproved - so her coloring must have come from her mother who she knew nothing about and assumed was dead.

Well, thanks to the deceased woman for giving her main character hair.

Oh and for giving birth to her.

Closing her eyes when she felt Nataliya lather up her hands and slide them over her scalp - the no tears shampoo was a lie, it was lava searing into her cornea - she listened to the woman hum a quiet song in Russian.

There were many languages spoken around Vendicare - Spanish, Italian, Swahili were just the tip of the multicultural iceberg - but the two she was becoming the most acquainted with were Russian and German. English didn't count considering she knew that language by heart.

She knew that Bermuda was German given his last name and he was making it very obvious that he wanted her to learn his language.

And how did she know this?

Well, it was pretty easy to figure out when everyone instantly switched out of whatever dialect they were using to their boss' mother tongue whenever they got within thirty feet of her.

Poison wouldn't mind - really she wouldn't - if she would learn faster and actually know what they were saying.

Most of the time it was her staring at them in stern concentration as she tried to stop her mind from translating every word they said to blah blah blah.

The only real lessons she got was when Bermuda would travel to her room every night and have a slow conversation with her - and she actually enjoyed said conversations. For such a seemingly distant character he was by her side an awful lot.

But Russian was far easier since she heard it twenty-four seven.

Poison had a sneaking suspicion that her mysterious mother was Russian after all, who else would name their child Matryoshka?

Shuddering at the feeling of the air on her previously water covered skin Poison snuggled into the fluffy towel and closed her eyes.

She had a few hours to take a nap and Bermuda's talks didn't happen until it was time for her to eat again.

Edit: 4/1/17