[PRP] Family Banter (Foliegh and Aleda)

[Cajmera]

Foleigh
~~~

For a long moment, Foliegh remained silent, starting at his daughter with a solemn, somber expression. However, beneath that somber exterior, his thoughts were racing a mile a minute. He knew Aleda loved him dearly, just as he loved her. He also knew she would never intentionally cause him pain. Yet here she was, rather bluntly telling him that his reasons for living his life as he did were wrong, and that he was cheating himself out of a positive experience because of a minor fear of rejection!

If only she knew how far from 'minor' that fear was. He had never been good at truly expressing himself, never been much for demonstrative behavior of any sort. He had often wondered in the weeks following Nigalya's departure if that lack of emotion had been the final straw for his former mate; if he had perhaps shown her more often how deeply he cared for her, then maybe she wouldn't have left him. After the first raw shock and sense of loss had faded, however, he realized that while their different emotional states might have played some role in their split, at the end of the day they were simply too different from one another in all respects. Nig had wanted to travel, to see the world and the multitude of Soquili that lived in it; Foleigh had wanted to stay in one place, settled in their own little routine of quiet domesticity.

But just because he had come to understand the reasons behind the split didn't make dealing with the fallout any easier. He hadn't wanted to trouble his children with worry, so he had acted as thought everything was fine, even later in the same day as Nigalya's departure. In the rare moments that he felt as though he would be overcome with emotion, he simply made excuses to leave their company, claiming delicate reasons. Even then, when he had every reason to believe he was alone, he would only allow himself a few minutes to express his grief before bottling everything back up. The effort had nearly broken him on multiple occasions, but he had somehow managed to struggle through.

It had been years now since Nigalya had left, but all it took to reopen those old wounds was to think about her. And now Aleda was proposing that he put himself out there again, risk starting the vicious cycle all over and once again expose himself to the pain of loss? Yes, she had no idea how much everything had hurt him; if he had his way, she never would. But just because she didn't know the extent of the hurt she was causing didn't mean he didn't still feel it! And he didn't know how to respond to her words without exposing that hurt.  

[Cajmera]

Aleda
~~~

Bluntness was Aleda's thing, and always had been. Growing up with two brothers, she had to learn to be tough or get used to tears; she had decided to go with the side of 'tough.' And while she'd never learned how to be physically tough, she'd cultivated a blunt, no-nonsense exterior that told things as they were and accepted things as they happened. It was a demeanor that had served her well throughout the years; her maturation in adulthood and the subsequent departure of her brothers had done nothing to change that. Sometimes, she knew it was rough on her gentle father; times like right now. But as she'd come to realize when it was just the two of them, someone in the family needed to be tough once in a while. If she left it to Foliegh, well...a marshmallow would be the toughest thing around!

Still, just because she knew that her bluntness was for the best didn't mean that she was without feeling. As the seconds dragged into minutes and Foleigh remained silent, Aleda realized that the time for bluntness had passed. Her expression softening, she wiggled her way up next to her father's side and gave him a nuzzle. "I've sorry to dredge up any sad memories, Daddy, but surely the fact there are sad memories means the experience wasn't all bad? I know things didn't work out for you last time, but you're a really great guy and I know you'd make another mare really happy. Goodness knows I can vouch for your credits as a father," she said with an affectionate smile. "You're a champion parent by now, have raised the three of us into the fine, upstanding individuals we are."

The weak smile Foleigh sent Aleda's way then was encouraging, so she continued on in the same soothing tone of voice. "I know you've been comfortable with things the way they are, Daddy, but surely being comfortable isn't the same as being truly happy? I don't want you to settle when there is so much more life could give you. I don't want you to be afraid of change because it's different, or to be left behind when things do, inevitably, start to change. Because they are going to change, Daddy." Giving him another nuzzle, she felt herself starting to feel a little self-conscious. This was a lot of bossing she was doing, even for her! But she had put a lot of thought into this meeting, so there was no way she was going to quit before she'd gotten her father's firm commitment.

Though it was hard to say to her father what she wanted to say next. Looking away from Foliegh, she repeated herself softly, "Things are going to change. Because much as I love you, Daddy, I don't want things to stay the same. You're wonderful, but I want more for myself than being a just a daughter."  

[Cajmera]

Foleigh
~~~

Once again, Foleigh was struck speechless. This time, though, it wasn't purely due to the audacity of Aleda's words. She was sharper than he gave her credit for, this little girl of his, and she had apparently seen a lot of things that he hadn't meant to be seen. Though he had started out wary of Aleda's motives and confused as to why she wanted to shake up their perfectly good status quo, the more she talked, and the more he allowed himself to truly listen, the more overwhelmed he became. As he now looked at his daughter, his eyes were slightly moist; she was still his little girl, but she'd clearly grown into something much greater. He had to clear his throat several times before he could actually respond to anything she'd said, and when he did, his voice was slightly husky. "Whatever else you might be, Aleda, you'll never be 'just' anything. But you'll always, always be my daughter, my special girl."

Smiling weakly, he returned the nuzzle. "And I know that you mean well, and you truly want us both to be happy. I guess I'm just an overly cautious fellow after what happened with your mother....but maybe it's time for me to risk a little more. Maybe it's time for both you and I to risk more." Sure, the idea terrified him; the idea of change always had. Sure, he as nervous about getting hurt again; wasn't that a perfectly reasonable sensation, considering what he'd been through? And wasn't he worried about Aleda getting hurt? Sure, because he was a caring parent who hated the thought of any harm, physical or emotional, coming to any of his children. But maybe it was time to stop being ruled by paranoia. "So, what was it you were proposing, exactly?"  

[Cajmera]

Aleda
~~~

Well, this had gotten emotional a lot quicker than Aleda had expected; she had been much better suited to handle the situation when things were goofy! Serious talk was something completely else, and when Foleigh started waxing sentimental, Aleda could feel her own eyes start to moisten as well. Hidebound or not, there really were no other daddies out there who could be even one half as sweet as hers! But there was no time like the present for actually getting to the meat of her idea, so she rapidly set to work blinking the offending tears away. "You really are the sweetest thing, Daddy; though I have to wonder if you're trying to disarm my logic with sentiment when you go doing things like that," she managed with a small chuckle. She was jesting, of course; it simply wasn't in Foleigh's nature to do anything remotely sneaky or stealthy. Indeed, she doubted he even knew what those words meant, he was so honest and straight-forward!

Honest and straight-forward when he wasn't trying to smother his emotions, anyway, but that was something totally different. Right now was a classic example of Foleigh being open; he was actually listening to her, encouraging her, and, for the moment, seemed willing to give serious thought to her proposal. Clearly, it was time for her to talk! "Daddy, I think we both need a change. I think we need to go on a journey, or rather, on two separate journeys, and actually seek out and meet new Usdia. I think we've been stuck in our own little routines for way too long, and we need to shake things up. And I think that while we're out meeting new people, we should both make a serious, concerted effort to find life partners for ourselves."

There, she'd said it. The bomb had been dropped; she'd gotten what she needed to say off of her chest. Letting out a big sigh of relief, Aleda peeped sideways at her father through her shaggy bangs. On the one hand, she was almost afraid to see his reaction; after all, she'd only hinted previously at wanting to have a lifemate, and be a mother. Her speech had left nothing to conjecture, which was exactly what she'd intended. But how was he going to handle that bluntness? Just because he had seemed interested in listening didn't necessarily mean he was going to like what she had to say...and suddenly, she found herself wishing very much that he agreed with her.

There was only so far her powers of persuasion could go, even with someone who loved her as much as her father!

However, the expression on Foleigh's face was encouraging. He wasn't exactly bursting out with a grin or nodding up a storm, but his expression was thoughtful and calm. Knowing her father, that meant that he was 'considering', which meant he had actually listened, just as she promised. Letting out another breath she hadn't realized she was holding, Aleda gave him a hopeful look. "Well, speak up, Daddy; what do you think?"