"Eh..e-e-eh?" K'nahli whimpered in confusion, now turning to look past her father toward the motionless body that lay silently behind him.
The girl said nothing further for a few moments. Her pale, unsteady eyes were locked on the motionless form before her as she tried to analyze what her father had just said, trying to find an alternative meaning as she resided in complete determination that the literal meaning was false, impossible. A number of soft, muffled hums, emanating faintly from the depths of her throat could be heard. Failed attempts to find the words to begin speaking as her gaze failed to interpret the situation that lay blatantly before her.
A warm smile slowly cracked across the girl's face while tears slowly welled up across the surface of her pallid eyes. Her body trembled slightly, each one of her muscles submitting one by one to the churning conflict of emotion that tugged against and strained her stomach as she slowly lost control of her own stability.
"Wha-What are you talking about? He's right th-there! He's fine!"
The girl finally spoke. The crippled and disfigured form from moments ago had disappeared from her vision. All that she could see now was the slumbering form of her mentor, peaceful and quiet as he lay seemingly bathed in a faint beam of ethereal light, undisturbed upon the ragged bed much like the old days when she would find him sleeping late into the morning on the days he had promised to take her out early for practice. He was so close to her now, like a prince that lay dormant and needed only for her to reach out to him to awaken.
"K'yhaega..." her frail voice called out to him innocently, her smile unfading all the while.
"K'yhaega, I w-was looking all o-over for you.." she pleaded softly as her voice, slowly losing its new found composure and returning to its previously, crackled state, reached out desperately towards the lifeless tia.
K'yohko's embrace was unrelenting on his young daughter. In response to the girl's weak, yet growing efforts to try and slip free to escape his eternal bind, her father held on to her even more tightly, denying her any further movement beyond where she stood.
"P-P-Please, let me s-s-see him!" she stuttered with a false laugh as a thin, channel of moisture traversed quickly down across her face. Her gaze had turned back to her father now, staring down into his shoulder as she directed her request toward him. He was unmoving all the while; holding on to her as though she needed protection. Though she didn't understand. Everything was alright now. She had found him, he was here, alive and well.
"I n-n-need to wake him up! I need..." she cried against her father's defiant hold, her eyes slowly growing puffy and red in appearance. She pushed against him vehemently, yet at the same time, calmly, in attempt to coax him to release his grip on her.
"Please, dad... let me go" she cried again.
The few, salty tears that had slipped free from her eyes had dampened her cheeks, leaving a bitter taste across her chapped lips as she spoke.
Despite her tears, she kept smiling.
The girl said nothing further for a few moments. Her pale, unsteady eyes were locked on the motionless form before her as she tried to analyze what her father had just said, trying to find an alternative meaning as she resided in complete determination that the literal meaning was false, impossible. A number of soft, muffled hums, emanating faintly from the depths of her throat could be heard. Failed attempts to find the words to begin speaking as her gaze failed to interpret the situation that lay blatantly before her.
A warm smile slowly cracked across the girl's face while tears slowly welled up across the surface of her pallid eyes. Her body trembled slightly, each one of her muscles submitting one by one to the churning conflict of emotion that tugged against and strained her stomach as she slowly lost control of her own stability.
"Wha-What are you talking about? He's right th-there! He's fine!"
The girl finally spoke. The crippled and disfigured form from moments ago had disappeared from her vision. All that she could see now was the slumbering form of her mentor, peaceful and quiet as he lay seemingly bathed in a faint beam of ethereal light, undisturbed upon the ragged bed much like the old days when she would find him sleeping late into the morning on the days he had promised to take her out early for practice. He was so close to her now, like a prince that lay dormant and needed only for her to reach out to him to awaken.
"K'yhaega..." her frail voice called out to him innocently, her smile unfading all the while.
"K'yhaega, I w-was looking all o-over for you.." she pleaded softly as her voice, slowly losing its new found composure and returning to its previously, crackled state, reached out desperately towards the lifeless tia.
K'yohko's embrace was unrelenting on his young daughter. In response to the girl's weak, yet growing efforts to try and slip free to escape his eternal bind, her father held on to her even more tightly, denying her any further movement beyond where she stood.
"P-P-Please, let me s-s-see him!" she stuttered with a false laugh as a thin, channel of moisture traversed quickly down across her face. Her gaze had turned back to her father now, staring down into his shoulder as she directed her request toward him. He was unmoving all the while; holding on to her as though she needed protection. Though she didn't understand. Everything was alright now. She had found him, he was here, alive and well.
"I n-n-need to wake him up! I need..." she cried against her father's defiant hold, her eyes slowly growing puffy and red in appearance. She pushed against him vehemently, yet at the same time, calmly, in attempt to coax him to release his grip on her.
"Please, dad... let me go" she cried again.
The few, salty tears that had slipped free from her eyes had dampened her cheeks, leaving a bitter taste across her chapped lips as she spoke.
Despite her tears, she kept smiling.
![[Image: ecec20e41f.png]](https://puu.sh/xvMxb/ecec20e41f.png)
Characters: Andre Winter (Hy'ur) / K'nahli Yohko (Miqo'te)
