07-30-2010, 10:41 AM
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Sorry for the delay!
As he neared, things became apparently. She was thin. Her body looked ragged, as if it had been worn down by her travels. The girl was not the same daughter he remembered. Yet her voice was as he recalled it and his face broke into a broad smile that turned him years younger. Without hesitation he moved forward and embraced her in an awkward doggish hug, rubbing his face against her as it to try and prove to himself she was real. After all the family he had lost, he needed to be reassured.
The scent of her was distinct because his own scent was in it. She was his daughter and always would be. “Shhh,” he said quietly, his normally gruff voice softening (as it only did for her). “I’m fine, Tal, I’m fine. Got a few more scars, but I’m fine.” The bare places on his face still ached, but it was a small price to pay for what could have been. Gabriel was certain Haku would have killed him (or that he almost had), but he did not need to share such details with his daughter just yet. “You’re always going to be welcome here, don’t forget that.”
Then he drew back, tail wagging behind him. “You look tired. How about you spend the night with me? I’ll try and round up some food for you too.” He was speaking quickly, doing his best to dissuade her from questioning anything else. She did not need to return to the horrors Inferni had seen since her departure. Not after everything she had been through.
As he neared, things became apparently. She was thin. Her body looked ragged, as if it had been worn down by her travels. The girl was not the same daughter he remembered. Yet her voice was as he recalled it and his face broke into a broad smile that turned him years younger. Without hesitation he moved forward and embraced her in an awkward doggish hug, rubbing his face against her as it to try and prove to himself she was real. After all the family he had lost, he needed to be reassured.
The scent of her was distinct because his own scent was in it. She was his daughter and always would be. “Shhh,” he said quietly, his normally gruff voice softening (as it only did for her). “I’m fine, Tal, I’m fine. Got a few more scars, but I’m fine.” The bare places on his face still ached, but it was a small price to pay for what could have been. Gabriel was certain Haku would have killed him (or that he almost had), but he did not need to share such details with his daughter just yet. “You’re always going to be welcome here, don’t forget that.”
Then he drew back, tail wagging behind him. “You look tired. How about you spend the night with me? I’ll try and round up some food for you too.” He was speaking quickly, doing his best to dissuade her from questioning anything else. She did not need to return to the horrors Inferni had seen since her departure. Not after everything she had been through.