originally posted in:The New Dojo
"Mhmm....So! Happier things! I wonder where mo-I mean, I...uhh....f*ck....Wait! Sorry! I didn't mean to swear! I just...!"
Traci began to freak out, but just ends up sighing.
English
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Cannon shook his head, a small frown begining to form as he sighed. "It's fine." It clearly wasn't fine.
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"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! Umm! Uhh! Puppies! Who doesn't smile at puppies?! They're so adorable and furry and cute and adorable and furry...and cute....Hehehe...?" She nervously laughed at the end of her rambling, attempting to distract.
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His mood was already damaged, and for a second she could see his façade of happiness slip and show just how much pain he was in. And then it was gone, back to lying and saying he was fine.
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"Father....You're upset. Now look who's lying." She frowns and hugs him tightly again. "It's okay....It'll be alright. We'll be a big happy family again in no time!"
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He hugged back, taking a deep breath. "I really hope you're right, Traci. You have no idea how much this whole mess hurts..."
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Her father didn't notice it, but the last comment angered Traci greatly. She kept it hidden however and simply patted him on the back reassuringly. "Every little thing is gonna be alright, father."
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He smiled slightly. "You're right. I'm sure everything will turn out fine... Thanks for sticking by me, ad'ika."
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"Anything for you, father. I'm just happy you're not still upset. I can't bare to see people not smiling and being happy." She lets go and smiles back at him.
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"Well, it's hard to be upset with a daughter as awesome as you... How are you holding up with all this?" He asked, looking her in the eye to make sure she didn't lie to him.
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She sighs and looks down at the ground. "I just want to be a family again." A single tear runs gently down her cheek.
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This time it was his turn to comfort her, and he tightened the hug. "We will be, ad'ika. I promise." He hoped extremely hard that he could keep the promise.
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"You and mom are just...so unhappy now...." She sniffled and tried to fake a smile. "L-Lets try to be more happy."
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"You're right. Sorry I've been a downer recently." He attempted a joke.
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"Yeah, but that's not your fault." She grinned slightly and truthfully this time. "Mom has also been doing some rather...questionable things...."
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His smile disintegrated. "What do you mean?"
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"NO! You stopped smiling...." She sighed in defeat. "Well...she never takes her braids out, you know? And...well...now? Now she never keeps them in and she's weirdly way more mature looking and acts a bit more mature too. I want my normal mother back."
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Cannon didn't know all what this meant, but it felt like a punch to the gut. He slumped back with a heavy sigh, feeling more hurt and broken than he'd ever felt since he'd almost lost Iso to WM.
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"Father...? Father, why do you seem so hurt by that? Do you know something about why she's acting like this? It's so strange and and and...and...I dunno. She also seems to talk to a lot of guys now in what I presume is a flirty way, but she never seems happy doing it." Traci snickers a little. "She punched this one guy through a window that touched her and sent him so far that the guy landed in his convertible."
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"She's... Flirting?" He swallowed, muttering something incomprehensible in a language Traci had never heard.
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"Yeah, but she obviously means nothing by it. She never does anything beyond that and if a guy tries anything he usually ends up in the hospital." Traci tried to be cheerful to the best of her ability.
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That helped a little bit, bit he still felt like his heart had been torn out. "Does... Does she still have her ring?" He asked, though his voive was practically dead.
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"Yes! Yes she does!" Traci seemed more than ecstatic to have at least some good news. "It's on her night stand..." She quickly started to get upset again. "I saw her staring at it and crying one night while she was lying in bed...."
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He gave another sigh, his eyes squeezed shut for a moment. He wanted to be alone... No, he wanted his wife. He missed her so much...
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"I think she really misses you...." Traci hugged her father once again, burying her sad face into his chest. "I miss both of you together, trying to parent me and failing miserably." She joked, trying to lighten the mood.
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"Yeah..." He was about to cry at this point. "I miss that too... Manda I miss it so much..." A teat ran down his face, then another.