Chapter 8: Is He Crying?

Dorl's house, slightly less damp than the rest, taller and the windows actually have glass, the ground here more firm. He reaches in for his doorknob, turning it as the door opens.

"Daddy!" A little girl's high pitched voice rushes right at Jorel's ears.

She hugs Dorl tightly.

"How was your stroll?" She opens her mouth at him with mucus coming out from her nose, Jorel seeing this moves back for safety from the mucus.

But asking just a moving corpse how was their day?

…

I think you have better chances with explaining puberty to a rock—

"How are you my little Tina?" Dorl pats her head, his voice sounding cheerful.

Did the kumikage switch at that point…

Or did his sha—

Jorel's eyes tighten.

"Let's go inside" Jorel carries the girl as turns back to look at him.

He has a child—A daughter?!

For her age…Dorl looks too old to be her father!

Or did he…with someone young…

A disturbing image flashes into Jorel's head, his stomach churns, body shudders at the thought.

Ugh…Commoners…

He takes off his boots at the front door and arranges them towards the side.

Even in a dump like this…

My manners and simple courtesy are all I need to distinguish between me and them.

Stepping into his house and the messy sight hurls right into Jorel's sockets. Clothes—Bright and small sized dresses everywhere, even a mix of big sized clothes. The peach coloured walls stained with lines that are graphite black.

The musty smell of damp and unwashed clothes join forces to attack his nose, his bare feet touching the ground, evading the clothes as he follow Dorl.

"Tina… I thought I told you to clean up after yourself." Dorl, saying it in such a soft voice.

"You did…? When…? hehehe." She chuckles and runs around the living room.

Dorl sighs, his back hunched.

"What I'm I even going to do with you?" He puts his hand on his face… moving it around up to his whitish hair.

Jorel watches them from up close but yet feels afar as his mind was piqued by questions.

The kid… wonder where her mother is…

Not that I do care—I'm just curious.

"Hey you are tallll stranger." She comes close to Jorel, causing him to move further back, dragging his feet against the cold floor.

CRACK!

"Ouchh!" His leg steps on some dried candle wax, immediately jumping up as he holds his leg—The under of his foot, slightly red.

"Hahahahaha." The little girl laughing at him

Hmm!

…The nerve…

Dorl looking in Jorel's direction and his face dawning a soft smile.

"So… Kumigara…" Jorel's mouth moves as he keeps his foot back on the ground.

"What did you want to discuss about?" Resting his hand on top of his sword.

Maybe he doesn't want to talk about anything… Maybe its all just a ruse.

The girl is probably here for me to let my guard down…

So he can strike when needed.

"Ahh yes… I'm sorry again…" He still smiles albeit more weaker now, gripping the paper tightly.

"Can we discuss it here?"

"I'm sure that the other rooms are like this place… if not worse."

"You know how kids are." He chuckles.

You're the one that doesn't know how to control you're own kid.

Jorel mumbles, air not even coming out from his mouth, just staring at him.

"Ohh daddy what's that in your hand?" She runs up to him—the energy kids have.

Was I like this when I was younger…

My mind races around as images of a young version of me flash around.

I was holding a wooden sword and practising in those green pastures as the wind slightly makes them wave.

…

"Its paper honey… something more like a letter." He turns towards her and pats her head.

"Awwnn paper? Can I draw on it?" She asks as she jumps around.

"No you can't…it's important." He moves the paper back away from her as he points his finger.

Her face squeezing as if her tongue just tasted a lemon for the first time, her eyes becoming watery, lips whimpering.

"Okay okay… you can go to my room…" Dorl waves his hands in the air around her.

"Check my drawer you'll see lots of paper there." He smiles as he lifts her up and turns around, gleefully laughs as her mucus is swirling around as well.

He then drops her and within a blink of an eye—she runs off but she stops by Jorel and looks. Her eyes, frowning. She sticks her tiny tongue out then she continues running off.

What the…

"Now… " Darl's head bent, the paper rustling more and more in his slow clenching fist.

"We can discuss about it right here." He raises his head up staring right at Jorel, the once sunny smile has been blocked by stormy clouds.

"So what exactly didn't you understand?" Jorel walking around the living room, evading the clothes on the ground.

"It's just that…"

"...I mean why?" Dorl's breath shutters.

"If you want to know why, I suggest take it up to my father." Jorel's teeth gleens as he points towards him.

"Especially since you said you know him personally."

Probably a lie just go gain favour…typical.

...But he did recognise my insignia…

"But we're just a mining town… what of the people within it—" His hand shakes.

" —That's even more reason why you should accept." Jorel's voice turning stone cold.

"Let's be frank here…"

"This town is a complete dump, you're house is a pig's sty." Waving his hand all over the place.

Don't care if he gets offended, it's just the plain truth.

Dorl's head down, his face as pale as chalk, his hands moving frantically as he recoils back onto a chair.

He breathes out roughly on his chair riddled with cloth and holes opening up the paper and looks at it again.

Jorel moves in closer to him, exactly right above him.

"Just sign the paper here and that's it." His finger points towards the bottom of the paper.

"But the people here… how would they fend for themselves?"

"My daughter?! How do you expect me to provide for her if there are no mines?!"

Dorl looks at me, his white face and sunken eyes.

That little girl…

She is too young to do anything by herself.

But that's why she has parents.

"That's not my problem—its yours and yours alone." Jorel wags his finger in the damp air.

Dorl's eyes seemed to sink even more, reclining his back to the chair, his breaths, broken.

"No…no..Jorel… how could you do this to me…" Muttering to himself, supporting his falling head by the temples.

"After everything…"

The floor beneath his head gets wet in small areas.

Is… he crying?

—The end of chapter 8—