Dimensional Descent

3133  Not Much

Leonel sipped at some tea, looking between father and daughter with a mischievous look in his eye. Honestly speaking, he should be more serious at a time like this. But seeing Miel’s reaction to finally seeing his daughter for the first time in a while, with a noticeable baby bump at that… well, his subterfuge couldn’t help but bubble up to the forefront. After all, he had had a bit of a feud with this father-in-law of his for a long while. Was it mature to take this as a victory for himself? Absolutely not. Did it feel good anyway? 100%, yes. Yes. And then yes again. He was laughing like a little child on the inside, then sparing some thoughts toward his curiosity about the baby’s gender, before he went back to sipping his tea. Miel’s eyes were flickering with all sorts of complex emotions, but ultimately, he was more than accepting of this. After all, in his eyes, Leonel and Aina were already married even if there was no ceremony. The vows that they had made to one another, and the level of trust they shared, was something that any father would dream of for their daughter. The binding of souls was something that existed beyond anything a little piece of paper or a ceremony for the eyes of others could possibly ever match. So that wasn’t his problem with the situation at all. It was only natural that a husband and wife have their first child. He was really only concerned about two things: the first being the timing of their choice, and the second being… well, the fact that he only learned of the situation so late into the process. As much as he understood why Aina would want to keep him at arm’s length, it didn’t change the fact that it hurt down to the depths of his soul. However… He took a deep breath and smiled a genuine smile. ”I’m going to be a grandfather?” Aina nodded with tears in her eyes, subconsciously grabbing at Leonel’s wrist for support despite the fact they were sitting. ”This is great news.” Aina nodded again, but the depths of her eyes seemed to be waiting for her father to say something else. However, Miel seemed to be willing the atmosphere to awkwardly fall into silence. He looked at his daughter, his mouth slightly opening before closing again. He didn’t know what he should say, or even if he was allowed to say it. Leonel was half content to let the man flounder, but then his mature side kicked in, before it quite literally kicked out, landing a solid blow on the man’s shin. Miel’s gaze flickered slightly, though he didn’t look at Leonel. He hesitated to open his mouth again, but as he was about to close it, a swifter, sharper kick came. This time, he barely stopped himself from wincing, and the words tumbled out. ”… But is this really the wisest choice right now? You’ll have to move and stay with me. The world is in chaos right now, and it’s not safe to have a little baby running around—.” He stopped himself as he was about to continue. But then he realized what he was saying and felt embarrassed. He didn’t want to say these words initially because he didn’t believe he had the right to say them. After everything that had happened, could he still be a father? This was why he had waited until after Aina found someone she could fully depend on to explain his past to her. When he sensed Aina was married to Leonel, there was nothing more to hold back. But now… The tears that Aina had been holding back fell in a rain, and Miel thought that he had well and truly done something wrong. Watching the man squirm, Leonel actually began to feel somewhat bad. ”Don’t worry, old man. Reprimand her more. If you didn’t know, your daughter’s a bit of a ma—.” There was a sudden mighty pinch to Leonel’s side, more powerful than any strength Aina had exhibited in the last several months. She seemed to have dug deep and unlocked her mom strength ahead of time, or else the pinching pain in his side wouldn’t be so great. In fact, Leonel even felt that she had twisted the blood in his side at the same time, enhancing the pain. Suddenly, both father and son-in-law were wincing in pain. ”I yield…” Leonel wheezed out. He really had almost gone a bit too far in teasing this father-in-law of his; maybe they should finally bury the hatchet. … ”I was jooooking! I was going to say magnet for punishment! You thought I was going to say masochist?! Get your head out of the gutter! Pervert!” Leonel half laughed and half groveled. He really wasn’t going to say masochist, but he knew that Aina would stop him even before he got out what he wanted to say, which made it even funnier to him. He would never say something like that in front of her father, no matter how much he wanted to torture him. Aina pouted and ignored him. Even though she knew he was telling the truth, she wanted him firmly placed in the doghouse for at least a business day. How dare he ruin such a good moment? And yet, the smile on her face seemed to paint a different tale entirely. Leonel had been right. She wanted her father to simply be a father, something that he rarely was. She didn’t care whether he agreed with her decision or not; that decision had already been made. Maybe only adults that had experienced so much life might one day miss the times their parents were hard on them… Even with the world collapsing around them, she was happy. Happier than she had been in a very long while. She wasn’t pining for anything, hoping or praying for anything… she was just… content. With her father looking after her safety, a baby in her belly, and her husband begging for her forgiveness… what better life could she hope for? At that moment, Leonel’s gaze sharpened as he swiped a hand out at the air, catching a sharp envelope of gold. It trembled in his hands and then burst apart. ’A summon from the old man, huh… seems I won’t have much time after all…’