101st Trial of Vhalar during Arc 717
"Papa, I don't know what to do" Vega whispered and her eyes showed the confusion she felt. "I mean, he's my friend an' I want to help him, but he's hurting so badly an' he's tryin' not to show it." Jo'qan, Vega's father, looked at her and his eyes darkened. "Eva," he said, his voice deep even in his hushed tone, "you can't fix this."
Vega's frown was deep as she returned her father's gaze. "I'm not tryin' to fix it, Papa, I just wanna make him feel better"
Jo'qan smiled and shook his head. "He needs to feel this, Eva. You can not. There is nothing that you can do, except be there as best you can." Vega glowered at him and shook her head. "That might be true for other people, Papa, but it isn't right for me an' Arlo. We've been friends now a long time an', I should be able to make it better. I don't think I can fix it, but .." She sighed and looked at her father, long calloused fingers running through her hair as she looked over to the tent where he was finally sleeping. "She was a lovely woman, Pappa. It's not fair."
"No," Jo'qan said and he wrapped his arms around his daughter. Vega leaned against him and sighed deeply. The way that his voice reverberated in his chest as he spoke was like it had always been, all her life. "It is not fair, Eva, but it still is. You can not face death for him, you know that." She didn't answer, she didn't need to. He felt her nod her head against him and she sighed. He was right, she knew this but it changed nothing. Looking towards Arlo's tent, though, she knew that she needed to do more than she was. "Pappa, there must be more. I can't just sit around an' watch him be unhappy. I need to.. I dunno, do something. I'm useless."
She could neither see nor feel her father's fond smile, yet Vega knew it was there. She had always been like this, Jo'qan considered. Always wanting to run in and solve things. Never content to sit still and let things be. It simply wasn't her way. Tightening his arms around her, Jo'qan began to speak.
Vega's frown was deep as she returned her father's gaze. "I'm not tryin' to fix it, Papa, I just wanna make him feel better"
Jo'qan smiled and shook his head. "He needs to feel this, Eva. You can not. There is nothing that you can do, except be there as best you can." Vega glowered at him and shook her head. "That might be true for other people, Papa, but it isn't right for me an' Arlo. We've been friends now a long time an', I should be able to make it better. I don't think I can fix it, but .." She sighed and looked at her father, long calloused fingers running through her hair as she looked over to the tent where he was finally sleeping. "She was a lovely woman, Pappa. It's not fair."
"No," Jo'qan said and he wrapped his arms around his daughter. Vega leaned against him and sighed deeply. The way that his voice reverberated in his chest as he spoke was like it had always been, all her life. "It is not fair, Eva, but it still is. You can not face death for him, you know that." She didn't answer, she didn't need to. He felt her nod her head against him and she sighed. He was right, she knew this but it changed nothing. Looking towards Arlo's tent, though, she knew that she needed to do more than she was. "Pappa, there must be more. I can't just sit around an' watch him be unhappy. I need to.. I dunno, do something. I'm useless."
She could neither see nor feel her father's fond smile, yet Vega knew it was there. She had always been like this, Jo'qan considered. Always wanting to run in and solve things. Never content to sit still and let things be. It simply wasn't her way. Tightening his arms around her, Jo'qan began to speak.
