Japanifornia's gravity systems became too weak to hold Kay's enthusiasm. Badd stumbled backwards as Kay leaped onto him and climbed up his shoulders, staggering to hold the gleefully wiggling child getting tangled in his coat.
"You're going to love it, Uncle Badd! We can teach you everything!"
"It sounds great." His smile was only for Kay as she wrapped her arms around his neck and legs around his torso. Anything for you, little one.
More serious talk was put off until the end of the evening. Kay ordered in some 'exotic" local food. Badd was content to stay silent while she dropped a year's worth of giddy information on Novoc's head. (In Mando'a she was also conspiring to train Badd to be a proper mando'ade, though she could only draw upon her own limited experience as guidance for a sixty year old man's path to being one of the clan.) It was the happiest Badd had seen her since Byrne's death, the closest to the way she had been the day he died. He would convert to just about any crazy cultural structure if it meant hearing her laugh again.
He gave her an hour past her usual bedtime and then strongarmed her into her bedtime routine. Smiles the entire time, gentle little smiles, but he could feel Novoc's judging stare on his back. (Novoc may or may not have actually been giving him judging stares.)
He was...something, now. Whatever being mando'ade meant. And however a mando went about making his daughter clean her teeth and tucking her into bed he was probably doing it all wrong. When she was finally shut up in her bedroom he stole one of his stronger lollipops from the glass jar in his bedroom and went to wash the dishes, wondering what he was supposed to do now.
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"You're going to love it, Uncle Badd! We can teach you everything!"
"It sounds great." His smile was only for Kay as she wrapped her arms around his neck and legs around his torso. Anything for you, little one.
More serious talk was put off until the end of the evening. Kay ordered in some 'exotic" local food. Badd was content to stay silent while she dropped a year's worth of giddy information on Novoc's head. (In Mando'a she was also conspiring to train Badd to be a proper mando'ade, though she could only draw upon her own limited experience as guidance for a sixty year old man's path to being one of the clan.) It was the happiest Badd had seen her since Byrne's death, the closest to the way she had been the day he died. He would convert to just about any crazy cultural structure if it meant hearing her laugh again.
He gave her an hour past her usual bedtime and then strongarmed her into her bedtime routine. Smiles the entire time, gentle little smiles, but he could feel Novoc's judging stare on his back. (Novoc may or may not have actually been giving him judging stares.)
He was...something, now. Whatever being mando'ade meant. And however a mando went about making his daughter clean her teeth and tucking her into bed he was probably doing it all wrong. When she was finally shut up in her bedroom he stole one of his stronger lollipops from the glass jar in his bedroom and went to wash the dishes, wondering what he was supposed to do now.