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POSTED ON Mar 18, 2022 9:34:33 GMT

Liore had made a new friend, a completely foreign concept now to her father. When did he lose that ability to just talk to anyone in the middle of the street?

Callan walked back into the children's park, the smell of a finished cigarette lingered barely on his body. Fortree was humid most of the time, with constant rains, it smelled strongly of the forest, which thankfully stuck to his skin, and masked the menthol ash from his body. Even if his daughter was accustomed to the smell of smoke, it was a reminder to him for why he only got custody over the weekends. He didn't like it when she winced at the smell, it justified his wife leaving him.

In the warm light of a sunset, Callan watched as his daughter candidly pushed her newfound friend on a swing. Her hair was deep brown in braids, and she had pastel blue eyes, like her mother's. But her voice was loud and raucous, like his, in youth. Her clothes were clean, pressed, and it looked like The Sandman had bought her a new set of sneakers. Today was going to be the last day he could see her, at least until the next weekend. He tried to burn an image into his head, it seemed like with each passing week, she grew taller, and more like Jen.

He pursed his lips, then for once, decided to introduce himself, as parents do. "I hope she and I aren't stopping you two from heading home." He did not look much like one, save the subtle growth of crow's feet and darkening red rings under his eyes. His hair was slicked unevenly with cheap gel. The father wore a white tee, and held a black leather jacket in his arms. His ears pierced with rings against the ridge, and his arms and fingers were bound with accessories and bands. His red irises fell on hers, and he felt the reflex of a smile on the corner of his lips.

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sagira mosse

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sage

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POSTED ON Mar 20, 2022 1:44:18 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","rigid"]

[attr="class","rigidw"]
she knew she herself was to blame for her daughter’s lack of social skills. no school, and they didn’t go to the local playgrounds, typically. there was great fear of being found by the wrong person. it was too obvious a place for them to be. this, and sagira had scarcely made any friends herself since moving to hoenn, and none with children. [break][break]

unlike liore, delta was quiet as she was pushed in the swing. sagira watched on. the surprise she felt was not enough to pierce through the tired look on her face. the other girl, about delta’s age, was loud and seemed to be obviously enjoying herself. delta, however, was always a mystery. [break][break]

”hm?”[break][break]

she looked up at his voice. the other little girl’s parent. he looked a bit like a greaser, out of an old unovan movie. he smelled like cigarettes, but so did a lot of people. [break][break]

her head shook.[break][break]

”no, no. that’s okay.” she looked back to the kids. ”she’s actually never made a friend on the playground before. it’s a little surprising.”[break][break]

[attr="class","rigidtag"]Callan Young

[attr="class","rigidpokes"] leaf guard / grass knot, bind, energy ball, jungle healing, power whip, hammer arm (t)

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POSTED ON Mar 20, 2022 3:39:41 GMT

Oh yeah, he certainly looked greasy. She, on the other hand, looked gorgeous. Green long locks that were slightly untidy, grey eyes that cut through the park like it was staring into an abyssal zone. Pale skin marred slightly by the major cut on the lower jaw. Something burned most of her away long ago, his empathy told him. Already the back of his mind was devising a two bar riff and a set of lyrics to mark the encounter, but he pushed that away to focus on the present.

Callan watched as Liore gently pushed his new friend's daughter in half time. She could mutter endlessly about nothing, and everything at the same time. Listening to her talk was like an endless flow of subjects that lead to another one, until all track of conversation stopped. In contrast, the green welkin's daughter silently abated the talk as she was pushed. Callan wasn't sure if she was enjoying herself or not, it unnerved him slightly. She hasn't had many happy memories in her brief existence. He silently thought.

"She and I have something in common then." He grinned, turning his attention from the two girls to the mother. "I'm Callan, by the way, nice to meet you." He introduced himself, "It sounds like it's been rough on you." Like a personal failing. Empathy chimed. Like sins corrupting the younger version of her.

⚰︎ --
sagira mosse

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sage

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POSTED ON Mar 20, 2022 5:30:17 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","rigid"]

[attr="class","rigidw"]
if she was gorgeous, it was not for having made an effort. her scarred face was bare. the sleeplessness had settled under her eyes. her posture was relaxed, not radiating so much of the power with which she carried herself at times. [break][break]

she gave a weak line of a smile at his grin. her right hand came out of the pouch of an off-gray hoodie towards him, accustomed to shakes.[break][break]

”sagira. likewise.”[break][break]

the edges of her smile then faltered slightly at his concern. she wasn’t the type to take pity, or mean to imply a reason for it. the look on her face wasn’t so much discomfort, as it was distaste for the feeling that she’d been slighted by fate in any way. even worse, that people could see it. whether or not he'd shaken it, her hand returned to her pocket, eyes back to the girls.[break][break]

”i wouldn’t say it’s been rough. she’s just the way she is.” she shrugged.

[attr="class","rigidtag"]Callan Young

[attr="class","rigidpokes"] leaf guard / grass knot, bind, energy ball, jungle healing, power whip, hammer arm (t)

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POSTED ON Mar 20, 2022 7:35:01 GMT

Callan's eyebrow raised as his smile faltered slightly as he watched her. What was it? He thought, his eyes flickered across her features. Her scars were not natural, her eyes were far away, even if focused on her daughter. He took her hand and shook it, his grip was firm, but he couldn't help but feel the callouses on her fingers, real, or imagined.

"Just the way she is?" Callan replied, turning towards her daughter, Liore was still babbling on. She swung on the park like she was still adjusting to the feel of gravity. Callan watched his child, the joy that emanated from her face just from the most innocuous of activities, the way her eyes lit up when he cooked her an unhealthy ragu or played Pokemon Smash with her. Then he turned towards Sagira's daughter, then his eyes worked back to her. It seemed rather callous. Or, she's saying it's none of your business.

"Sorry, I don't mean to impose." Callan spoke, "It feels like," he paused, "like you're teetering on the brink of snapping." Perhaps, a tad too soon to judge? His mind shot back almost immediately, but the words were out there already. He raised his palms out, in anticipation for a retort "I'm just a stranger on a bench," his eyes studied her as Liore quieted down to observe her dad for a brief moment. "But maybe that's something your daughter's picking up on."

⚰︎ --
sagira mosse

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POSTED ON Mar 21, 2022 23:30:21 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","rigid"]

[attr="class","rigidw"]
the callouses were real. she worked with her hands. she lifted weights. she climbed trees, and over rocks to get to the highest points she could find. the only freedom she could locate required a capacity for the outdoors, and a willingness to get one’s hands dirty.[break][break]

the way delta was... ”yeah, i mean, she’s just quiet.” there was nothing wrong with that, sagira told herself, although it got more and more difficult to believe as the years passed. especially now, that she’d heard delta’s voice. knew she could speak. she’d spent weeks, now, running through evaluations in her head. all of the possible explanations she’d compiled from innumerable second-opinions in the few years she’d been attempting to understand her daughter. nothing had ever been as it had seemed, after all. [break][break]

however inaccurate, now, sagira simply reasoned that her daughter hated her, and figured that was about fair. [break][break]

teetering on the brink of snapping? her levelheadedness and cool demeanor had always been notable traits, and had served her well in the military. lately, though, her need for revenge had been chipping away at her stoic exterior. she looked over, a good deal of surprise in her pale eyes at his bold assessment. as liore stopped pushing the swing to look, delta also turned to stare curiously.[break][break]

sage blinked. ”hm... i think you might be reading me wrong.” with a sigh, she made eye contact with her daughter, still addressing callan, ”but sure, i’ll bite: what makes you say that?”

[attr="class","rigidtag"]Callan Young

[attr="class","rigidpokes"] leaf guard / grass knot, bind, energy ball, jungle healing, power whip, hammer arm (t)

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POSTED ON Mar 22, 2022 17:17:12 GMT

"I could be wrong." He replied, smiling at his daughter, she was more perceptive than she let on. And she began to push Delta again. Callan's fingers twitched, instinctively going for a cigarette now that they might be getting into heavy conversation territory.

"I don't know, it seems like you're cutting a part of yourself out to deal with something on your mind. But that could just be me projecting."

⚰︎ --
sagira mosse

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POSTED ON Mar 23, 2022 9:56:35 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","rigid"]

[attr="class","rigidw"]
but he could be right.[break][break]

sage wasn’t really sure what to say. as liore started pushing again, delta’s attention lingered on her mother. she didn’t see her interact with many people these days, and the few times they’d been here, she’d spoken to no one. [break][break]

”maybe it’s just my face.” she’d been told she looked pretty intense sometimes, after all.[break][break]

the scent of unburned tobacco was pungent without having to look. she didn’t care for the smell of cigarettes, really, but the military had desensitized her to them. [break][break]

she looked back over to callan.[break][break]

”delta’s been like this forever. it’s not just today, or even a year.” her stony face struggled to pinch in a small frown. ”i’ve only ever heard her say one word.”

[attr="class","rigidtag"]Callan Young

[attr="class","rigidpokes"] leaf guard / grass knot, bind, energy ball, jungle healing, power whip, hammer arm (t)

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POSTED ON Mar 23, 2022 13:22:58 GMT

"Oh..." came Callan's reply, his voice betrayed a touch of concern. Callan's hands gently ran an edge against his pocket, unfurling a cigarette from it. "I'm going to smoke a little, if you don't mind." He replied, a twinge of discomfort rose in him. Drawing a lighter from his pocket, the small ember danced on the cheap, gaslit chamber as he pulled the smoke into his lungs, feeling the hot, smooth gas sink into his lungs, exhaling out of his nose.

"That seems difficult, and painful." He replied, his eyes briefly turned towards Delta, then back to Sagira. The sun had begun to melt down into the forest, leaving a deep blue hue in the sky above. "What was the word that she said, if I can ask?"

⚰︎ --
sagira mosse

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POSTED ON Mar 24, 2022 0:24:30 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","rigid"]

[attr="class","rigidw"]
sagira shrugged. ”go ahead.”[break][break]

this was why she didn’t talk about it much. why she had stopped seeking the advice of doctors and friends alike months ago, around the time they’d moved to hoenn. desperation had run out and faded into tired acceptance. what good did expressing her grievances with fate do? clearly (at least to her) what she was facing was only karma.[break][break]

a sigh escaped her. ”i guess it can be,” she confessed, if only to sate his prying about her feelings. [break][break]

the word? she supposed she should have seen that question coming.[break][break]

”dad.” and wasn’t that some shit? [break][break]

her face was flat as she looked at him, at the smoke as it carried on by, and then back to her daughter. where he betrayed concern, she betrayed very little of anything but general disenchantment.

[attr="class","rigidtag"]Callan Young

[attr="class","rigidpokes"] leaf guard / grass knot, bind, energy ball, jungle healing, power whip, hammer arm (t)

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POSTED ON Mar 24, 2022 13:28:41 GMT

The cinders of his cigarette lit bright as day turned to night. Callan ashed it against the floor, a slow column of wind blew in the air and carried the smoke west. With it, Callan felt the subtle start of a chill. "Damn." He smiled bitterly, "I hope she doesn't grow up with daddy issues." He replied, before ashing his cigarette and dropping it into the ashtray atop the nearby can.

"I figure it's time to head back to the city for my daughter and I. Would you two like to join us?" As he spoke, he rose up and waved to Liore, who muttered something, and grabbed Delta's hand, running forwards towards the both of them. "Hey, don't just grab another person's hand Liore." He reprimanded, gently.

⚰︎ --
sagira mosse

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sage

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POSTED ON Mar 25, 2022 2:29:48 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","rigid"]

[attr="class","rigidw"]
daddy issues. the skin on her nose pinched. was it supposed to be a joke? her eyes didn’t find him again for a long moment. sagira had grown up without a father, and she’d turned out alright. [break][break]

she realized too late that she was almost glaring, eyes still settled on her confused looking daughter. her face softened. ”she’ll be fine.” [break][break]

delta, surprisingly, didn’t pull away or seem to mind when liore grabbed her hand. she went along with it, keeping up easily. sagira watched, considering the options. delta had made a friend. they didn’t have to be in bed early. it felt wrong to make her say goodbye yet.[break][break]

”sure. we can stay out a little bit later.”

[attr="class","rigidtag"]Callan Young

[attr="class","rigidpokes"] leaf guard / grass knot, bind, energy ball, jungle healing, power whip, hammer arm (t)

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POSTED ON Mar 26, 2022 18:21:49 GMT

Where does a responsible parent go when their kids need to play, but they don't exactly have a pad to live in the nearby city? The answer was simple, a McPoke's, ideally, with a playground. Liore had been spying on one prior to him arriving. He got both kids a happy meal, a new toy figurine set came out with a Fuecoco plastic toy. Next week was Quaxly, apparently.

He bought himself a cheeseburger, watching the kids play in the pen, safely stowed away from what was probably going to be a messy conversation he had no intention of letting his daughter hear. "You ever feel like no matter how hard you try, you're not really an adult?" He asked.

"Every time I look at my daughter, I'm thinking to myself how much she's growing. And at what point is she going to see my ex-wife's new husband as her father, while I become a memory? A memory of a sad, alcoholic, poor father. It's terrifying, and I only have two out of seven days to work with. What year is it, when she's gonna replace time with dad with her boyfriend?" He winced.

"I live in Slateport, but if you ever need any help, lemme know. Maybe we can have our kids catch up sometime, it'd be nice to have Liore be around Fortree anyway."

⚰︎ --
sagira mosse

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POSTED ON Mar 31, 2022 1:17:09 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","rigid"]

[attr="class","rigidw"]
sagira had followed along, not mentioning the fact that this was not something they’d ever done before. delta wouldn’t mention it either, surely. [break][break]

she passed on the food, but did get a small coffee. it would be a long walk back, once their companions decided to leave for home. little did they know that this was their last stop. she might’ve invited them over for dinner, had she known. [break][break]

delta had picked at her food, mostly, before sagira had sent her off to play. she was clearly accustomed to other things.[break][break]

callan seemed to wear his heart on his sleeve. it was not something that sagira found particularly comfortable, but she found that she could relate to him in some degree at least. she, too, struggled to atone for her mistakes.[break][break]

”i’ve always felt like an adult,” she stated plainly. she had been taking care of herself for as long as she could remember, short of keeping the roof over her own head before her first early job. [break][break]

his particular position as a father wishing to see more of his daughter pulled at an area of guilt within her which she did not wish to acknowledge. pinched a nerve, but it wasn’t apparent on her face.[break][break]

”part of adulthood is overcoming your insecurities for the people who depend on you. doing the best you can, and accepting what is and isn’t in store for your life.” her gaze shifted from the kids’ pen to land on him again. ”my advice is to make the best of your two days. don’t waste your time regretting that you have so little of it.”[break][break]

the discovery that he lived in slateport threw her for a loop. she really should have just invited them back.[break][break]

”sure. we actually live outside of fortree, not here in the city. i just figured a walk wouldn’t hurt us for new friends.” she pulled out a phone. ”should we exchange numbers?”

[attr="class","rigidtag"]Callan Young

[attr="class","rigidpokes"] leaf guard / grass knot, bind, energy ball, jungle healing, power whip, hammer arm (t)

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POSTED ON Apr 3, 2022 3:59:35 GMT

Callan pursed his lips as she gave advice. "Yeah, I guess so." He replied, snubbing the cigarette on his ash tray as he finished up the rest of his burger. Callan took out his phone, "Just outside? Like in the forest?" He asked in genuine surprise. As he swiped open his phone's details, he passed his phone over to Sagira, "Here, ring me up if you have any problems."

Though, he wasn't really able to do much, but if by chance she needed someone to babysit while it wasn't on the weekends, he could probably do it, now that the semester was over. "I suppose it's almost time to head off. It's getting late, I should be getting Liore into bed soon." He turned briefly towards the two, Liore really didn't mind the fact that Delta hadn't spoken a word. "We should have them play again sometime, I'm sure Liore would love it."

⚰︎ --
sagira mosse