429 The Mold

Raina offered a confident smile to put her father at ease, and yet there was a slight unease to it. He didn't seem to be too sure what to say in regards to her new passtime. The skills she had learned from Mordakai about how to school her features sure came in handy now. From the outside she looked sure of herself but within, she was a duck on a pond her feet going a mile a minute.

"Raina, why would you take up a sword? You are perfect the way you are, why does it seem like you are trying to fit into a mold?" Clovis asked deciding to try to understand rather than pretend that he did. He knew she was logical, or at least she had a firm grasp on the seven year old logic, as peculiar as it may seem. Raina sighed deeply, and looked down at her little hands, calluses forming on her soft palms. There was a sense of sadness in her eyes that made him feel as though he had just asked a very cruel question on his baby girl.

"I didn't take up a sword, or the etiquette lessons to fit into some mold, father. These were both my choice, just as the Zither and medicine were. Though I know you prefer I stick to making medicine, it wasn't what I wanted." Raina replied her voice was carefully controlled and showed a bit of maturity that he hadn't expected from her. To be honest, it was a lot for her to say at one time to begin with.

"I am not saying you are wrong, but I do not understand. I am not telling you that you can not continue what you are doing. I simply want to understand it, Raina." Clovis realized his daughter was getting a touch defensive from the look in her eyes.

"Raina, what your father is trying to say is this doesn't seem like you. We both want to make sure your not doing this for the wrong reasons. The life of a Warrioress is not for the faint of heart, if you want it then we will support you but at the same time its best to have this conversation before you get too far in." Kyera tried to help explain Clovis' concerns. She knew how it felt to be on that side of the table explaining her choices. Raina nodded and smiled softly.

Before the first tear had time to reach the floor, Raina found herself wrapped in a pair of warm arms. Her father's familiar scent enveloping her in warmth. The sense of safety was back in the span of a moment. "You have always been enough." Clovis whispered into his daughter's ear as he held her close. He hid the tears in his eyes over her shoulder. Kyera watched, sadness in her eyes.