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**Knock, knock, knock.**
Queen Maeve knocked on the door in front of her, forcefully yet cautiously.
Roger and Kimiko stood beside her, with Kimiko clinging tightly to Roger.
"Is this the 'safe place' you mentioned?" Roger asked Maeve, looking at the apartment that anyone could enter.
Maeve explained, "Elena and I haven't seen each other in years. The company won't trace anything back to her."
"Is that so?" Roger glanced at the security cameras inside the apartment.
Maeve followed his gaze and said, "The cameras here have been broken for ages. Elena tried to get the local security to fix them, but they never did."
"You should still get them fixed. Otherwise, your friend isn't safe," Roger remarked, shifting his gaze from the cameras.
Maeve gave Roger a scrutinizing look and said, "It seems you really aren't Homelander."
"You're just realizing that now?"
"No, I was just confirming it."
**Knock, knock, knock.**
Maeve knocked on the door a few more times, but no one answered.
After waiting for a while, Roger asked, "I hate to be a downer, but I don't hear any movement inside. If you don't mind, can I..."
"No need. No one's home," Maeve interrupted, stopping Roger from using his x-ray vision to check inside. She sighed and said, "And I just realized, I shouldn't have come here. I shouldn't trouble Elena, especially… with you."
"Oh, should I step aside then?" Roger, half-joking, asked, sensing the situation from Maeve's expression.
Maeve shook her head and changed the subject. "...Elena isn't here. We need to think of another plan…"
"Maeve?" A slightly dark-skinned African-American woman stood at the apartment entrance, looking surprised to see Maeve, Homelander, and Kimiko.
Roger observed the woman, noting that she wasn't purely African-American. Her skin was more like a tanned Caucasian's. Overall, she was pleasant to look at..
Facing Maeve and her unexpected companions at her door, Elena was unsure what to do. She glanced at Roger, who was disguised, and Kimiko beside him, then said, "Come in first, and we'll talk."
…
Inside Elena's home, Roger and Kimiko sat side by side on the couch. Maeve and Elena went to another room to talk.
Roger understood they had personal matters to discuss, so he stayed out of it, waiting for them to finish.
Despite not wanting to eavesdrop, Roger's super hearing inevitably picked up the heated argument between Elena and Maeve.
"After all these years, the first thing you bring me is this trouble?"
"Elena, I… I didn't want to, but I have no one else I can trust…"
"So where's Homelander? Why don't you ask him?"
"It's a long story, Elena. I don't want to argue. Can we just be patient?"
"How can I be patient? Who left without a word back then? And now, who comes back without notice? Maeve, what am I to you? Your secret lover?"
"Elena…"
The argument grew intense, and Roger, feeling awkward, turned to Kimiko and said, "Ahem, let's watch some TV. It looks like they'll be a while."
Kimiko didn't understand Roger's words but recognized the word 'TV.' She nodded and focused on the television.
After an unknown amount of time, Maeve and Elena emerged from the room. Elena's anger was still evident, but seeing Roger and Kimiko watching TV calmed her somewhat. She asked, "Is this the girl you mentioned?"
Maeve replied, "Yes, she's a foreign girl who was trafficked here. She doesn't have a suitable place to go, so I'm asking you to look after her for a while."
"Why not take her to the police?"
"If we do, she'll be dead."
"What?"
Elena stared at Maeve in shock.
Maeve pressed her lips together and said, "Her identity… is connected to Vought. She can't be exposed to the public right now."
"So, what kind of trouble am I getting into?"
"..."
Maeve looked at Elena and said, "I shouldn't have involved you… I'm sorry, Elena. I shouldn't have disturbed you. Roger, let's go."
Maeve suddenly changed her mind, and Roger, agreeing that leaving Kimiko with a regular person was unsafe, didn't object.
But then Elena said, "Wait, Maeve."
"..."
"You've already involved me. Whether you like it or not, I know about this girl now. And you probably have no one else to rely on, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't have come to me."
Elena sighed, her anger subsiding, and looked kindly at Kimiko. "She can stay with me, but not for long. In the meantime, you should find a permanent place for her."
"Elena…"
"Stop it, Maeve. Don't look at me like that. I'm not doing this for you, understand? I'm doing it for myself."
Elena said bluntly.
Maeve nodded, indicating she understood Elena's point.
Roger, realizing the matter was settled, patted Kimiko's head and, using gestures, told her, "You'll stay here for a few days. Be good and don't hurt anyone, okay?"
Kimiko, though not fully understanding Roger's words, sensed the goodwill from him and the others. She nodded, indicating she would behave.
Roger gave her a thumbs-up, then turned to Elena and said, "Miss Elena, this child doesn't speak English. Could you teach her some basic phrases? And… thank you. You're a hero, Miss Elena."
"I'm not a hero," Elena quickly denied and glanced at Maeve, adding, "Neither is she."
…
Kimiko was temporarily placed in Elena's home. Maeve and Roger chose to walk back to Vought Tower.
Roger initially wanted to fly Maeve back, but she refused, wanting some quiet time.
Since Maeve had done him a big favor, Roger agreed to her small request. He chose a less traveled path, and they walked together back to Vought.
"Elena… is my ex-girlfriend," Maeve suddenly said to Roger along the way.
Roger wasn't surprised and replied, "Ahem, I heard. Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but your voices were a bit…"
"It's okay. I didn't intend to hide it from you," Maeve said with a forced smile.
Roger noticed and asked, "So, how did you two break up?"
"Because of you."
"?"
"More accurately, because of Homelander. You know what I mean."
From Maeve's words, Roger understood that this was yet another mess left by his predecessor.
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