Had he had a mouth, James wouldn't have been able to keep a smile off his face.

The day had finally arrived. His children's first day of school.

He had adjusted the application schedule to have this moment and give it his full focus rather than try to multitask with one of his body doubles. He still did have one of his doubles in the office and planned on using it as an intermediary when he got back to work, but he knew he still struggled with "controlling" one and doing things himself at the same time. He had improved since the time he had accompanied Techlord to see Doctor Drake, but it still would distract him too much to live the moment.

But now wasn't the time for worries or plans related to Silhouette or Shades Of Penumbra. No. Now was the time to be a parent.

Sadly to keep his identities as James and Silhouettes distinct he couldn't form tentacles to handhold all of his children, his current form was simply that of a pitch-black featureless man wearing casual clothes. But he still had two hands, and Goliath and Blanche were more than happy to accept his offer when they left their home. Foudre walked alongside them, sprinting and stopping in a constant cycle as she observed everything around them. David for his part tried his best to look bored as he followed, Lucille on his figurative tail to make sure he didn't run or do something stupid.

James chuckled at their antics. He always made sure to make time for them when his work was done, but he had yet to find enough free time to take them on an outing yet, aside from the occasional visit to the park. He had allowed them to leave the apartment so long as they stayed together, warned him and Mischief beforehand, and didn't go too far, but he knew school would be a fresh experience that would fill in for those lonesome moments.

Perhaps he could have found more time if he sacrificed some of his time training with Mesker, but the hanging threat of the Hivines stopped that train of thought. He couldn't live worrying about every little thing, but unlike Wicked Witchcraft, the nature-based cult had yet to show they had given up.

He shook his head. No, now wasn't the time for these thoughts.

Goliath looked at him curiously, but a quick word of reassurance was enough to bring back a wide smile on his snout, his eyes boggling in joy - a particular trait of rats James had been unaware of before his time in Zalcien that still surprised him from time to time.

The ratlings had clothes, now. Not uniforms, they were going to a public school, but James figured being dressed would help them fit in a little better. Technically they didn't need them - they had fur against the cold and the laws regarding sapient and ascended animals stipulated they weren't mandatory as they were with humans - but James figured it would help differentiate them from pets or wild critters, particularly when dealing with other kids. Children were vicious.

Of course, finding clothes for relatively giant rats wasn't easy. As time passed and they grew closer to the size of normal children they had gotten slightly more humanoid, but they were still more rat than human. They still had short limbs and potato-shaped bodies, they had just adapted to better maintain a bipedal posture. Thanking about it, it might be fairer to say they had gotten closer to kangaroos rather than humans. Those changes didn't hinder their abilities or stop them from returning to their natural methods, as Foudre demonstrated each time she ran. Luckily for James, clothing stores in Zalcien did accommodate more unique builds, to the point they had entire sections for animal-compatible clothes. It was a smaller selection, but still better than some demographics got back on Earth.

Goliath happily wore a Captain Cyan shirt with red shorts. Well, shorts for a human, for a rat with stubby limbs they were full-on pants. He was surprisingly the one who adapted to the concept of clothes the fastest and loved wearing them, even at home. His wardrobe was essentially only composed of more Captain Cyan shirts, each one with the titular Hero in a different pose, and more shorts.

Foudre's style was a little odder. She wore a blue bandana as a scarf and had a leather belt around her waist, with a few of Goliath's most harmless gadgets attached to it or in its pouches. James had made sure that she only carried things that could be considered toys, not weapons. To complete the look she had a pair of aviator goggles and another bandana, this one tied to the middle of the tail, between the two kinks that gave it a lightning bolt shape.

Unsurprisingly, David's choice of attire was somewhat similar. Well, in a certain way. He only wore the bare minimum to please James, in his case a leather strap that went from over his right shoulder to under his left one. That was enough for him to feel uncomfortable, though, after a few days of getting used to it, he didn't try to claw it off as often. James did try to recommend a bandana instead if the leather felt too cumbersome, but the young rat had been vehemently opposed to the idea of wearing anything that could be compared to a collar.

Lucille's choice was a little strange at first but made sense when giving it more thought. One would expect her to go with something that was all about practicality, perhaps a body suit or sports clothes, but instead, she went for a sweater. James was afraid she'd get a little too hot wearing it, but she argued was her fur's semi-metallic nature had made it colder than normal. And that fur was the other big reason she wore a sweater: it helped cover a lot of it, preventing accidental contact and scraping.

And lastly, there was Blanche, the albino diva. Oh, James loved her, but he was well aware of her flaws. Which was why he had been confused by her preferred style at first. Rather than go for expensive clothes, jewelry, or frilly stuff, she had gone for a mostly transparent pinkish dress and red ribbons tied around her limbs in neat little bows with their length left to them to flutter in the wind. What James should have realized was that his fashion-focused daughter was a rat first and foremost, and the beauty of her fur and features took precedence over what silly clothes could do. Given said fur, he didn't mind the transparent dress too much.

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Finally, they reached their destination. The place that would become the ratlings' school. James had to give it credit, it looked much better than any place he ever learned at.

The building looked to be a two-story tall rectangle, with a central square tower with an extra floor and a large mechanical clock on each of its faces. Before the building proper could be reached though was a small park filled with flowers, with neat paths to traverse it to and fro the sidewalk. There were walls surrounding the school, with a large metal gate that was to welcome them, and given what could happen in a world of Supers, James had to admit he appreciated the extra security. The gate wasn't an ugly thing either, not some pair of cold iron slabs but rather a metal floral composition, with plenty of small holes and openings left to let in light. The walls were decorated too, with paintings of landscapes and people, though how much of that was intentional and how much was the work of graffers was a mystery.

Truth be told, this wasn't the first time James saw the place, and not just when he came to register his kids. While Marie had praised the place, He didn't just blindly trust her. He knew she meant well, but he also knew it was always better to check for yourself. He had looked into the place online and saw that it was clean. No big problems with bullying, strange classes, drug dealing, or creepy teachers. It wasn't the best school in Zalcien, but it was still a great public one.

James spared a look at fellow parents bringing in their children and kids descending from blue school buses before stopping, kneeling on the concrete pavement to be closer to eye level with the ratlings, still a short distance away from the school proper.

"Alright kids, one final check, some last pieces of advice, and then I'm giving you your bags and you're off. So, does everyone remember the emergency number?"

"Yes, father. I also made sure it can be called with a single press from each of our phones' respective contact lists."

"Good work, Lucille."

"Yes, thanks again, Lu. But it's not like we have different contacts, we just have dad and each other."

"That may be true for now Foudre, but you kids are about to make a lot of new friends. You're used to hanging out together all the time for now, but that won't always be the kids. I'm not sure people who get along with Goliath will like David, for instance."

The smallest rat scoffed but commented no further. David himself knew that anyone he could consider a friend would find his larger brother to be too much of a softie.

"Alright, the emergency number is good. You have mine as well. You all know the route back home just in case, but I should be here when you get out. If I'm not, call me before doing anything. Don't follow anyone unless I call you to tell you to."

"We know, Papa, we know. We will not be fooled by the free candy in the white van."

"I know you're smart kids Blanche, but you never know. And more often than not there are much subtler stunts than that. Someone pretending to fall or have a heart attack to drag you into a dark alley, for instance."

"If anyone tries anything like that with me, old man, they ain't getting back up."

"Good. Better them than you."

David's eyes widened at that, almost taking a step back. His siblings were equally surprised, even Lucille tilted her head.

"Don't get me wrong, I want you all to do your best to stay out of trouble. If trouble comes to you regardless? Make sure you make it out, no matter what."

The children didn't know what to say to that, so James just continued.

"Anyway, that's all that dealt with. Now, onto the last stuff. First off, be nice to your teacher. If you think they're acting strange report them to the director and tell me, don't act yourself. Pay attention in class and make trouble. Be nice to the other kids, too. They may struggle a bit at first since you're rats, but they'll get over it quickly enough. Foudre, you'll blend in with no trouble."

"Cool."

"Lucille, remember that you're a kid, not a soldier. Have fun. Play with others. Don't think about work all the time."

"As you command, father."

"Right, that still needs some work. Blanche, I want you to understand that rats and humans don't have the same beauty standards, so don't be too offended if no one compliments your dress. Don't criticize others' outfits either unless they're actively asking you to and make sure to be kind with your advice."

"Have no worry, Papa. I know the ruffians struggle to understand the intricacies of fashion and proper class. I will be merciful. Why, I can already picture how I'll help improve those who realize my greatness!"

"Yeah, that'll need some work too. Goliath, I'm sure you'll make tons of friends. But, if you feel anyone is a little pushy when playing or too mean, tell your siblings."

"Yes, Daddy!"

"And now, David."

James looked at his troublesome child as he took off the five bags that had been dangling from his shoulder since they left their apartment.

"Lucille, take the bags and the others to the gate. David and I will join you in a bit, we just need to talk alone for a moment."

"Your will be done, father."

The most responsible of James' kids distributed the bags to her two sisters and her larger brother before leading them away carrying both her bag and David's, barely sparing a glance at the conversation happening behind them.

After waiting a few seconds to make sure they'd be out of earshot with all the ambient noise and activity, James got even closer to his youngest and whispered.

"David. When I said no trouble, I meant it."

"Yeesh, I know."

"I mean it. I want no bullying. No fighting. No threats."

"I know, I know, play nice and all that. Seriously, was that all for that, old man?"

"When I say no trouble, I also mean it the other way."

"What?"

"If anyone starts getting rowdy with your siblings. If someone tries to tear Blanche's fur off. If someone tries to pull on Foudre's tail. If anyone has the smart idea to make any of you bleed. I don't want any of that."

"Are you... Are you giving me the okay to..."

"Kids can be vicious, David. I trust Lucille to handle things diplomatically and go through the proper system, but I also know sometimes the system fails. Stories of kids committing suicide after they were harassed aren't rare simply because the situation is uncommon, it's because it's hard to prove. Kids don't kill themselves over nothing. If any brat tries to pull any of that stuff with any of you, I want you to deal with it. No death, no maiming, nothing permanent, but enough to put the fear of the gods in them. If that isn't enough? Give me the names and I'll handle it myself."

"That's... That's uncharacteristically dark of you, old man."

"David. I got to be where I am today by killing people or corrupting their souls. I may not like doing it, but I do what I have to to give you a good life. I won't let anything ruin that. Besides, it shouldn't escalate to that point. Most bullies are cowards. Showing off your claws should be enough."

The relatively small rat slowly nodded, prompting James to get back up and return to a louder voice.

"Alright, let's meet back up with your siblings."

James' youngest looked pensive as he followed his father back to the others. James gave them all one big final group hug before letting them go, waving them goodbye after pointing out the school faculty member who would bring them up to speed and their class.

"Have fun kids!"

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