voidtreckernet | Following that other one... [video]

Sometimes incidents like this are what help make it all so clear where priorities should be placed. He didn't always give her time to the people who deserved it the most. Pepper knew that more than anyone and it was something he regretted. Now that they were in middle of a big mess, he could only think of the girl he cared about the most.

"We should make sure you get your braids more often," he suggested. He could make this small commitment, couldn't he? It wasn't sure a huge portion of his time and would give them one more nice reason to always be checking in with each other. As he gently brushed her hair, he asked, "Do you want pigtails or one braid?"

Whichever she wished, he accepted easily and went right to work. He had to keep reminding himself not to go too fast though. This was supposed to be a bonding time, not just a rush to get her hair fixed. "We haven't touched base in a while. If we ignore tonight, how have things been for you lately? Are you okay?"

Madoka is such a terrible liar. It's evidenced once more just now by the way she's quiet for a moment after he asks that last question. It's a telltale sign that she has to think about what to answer to that, and it's not just that she has to think since she's not sure of her mood. It's more her trying to determine what the best thing would be to say here, considering how little Madoka wants to bother other people. Even her own dad. There are so many things she kept secret even to her parents back home, after all.

"I've been okay.." She then answers. It's not a total lie, since it's not like she's miserable, but there are quite a few worrisome things that have been on her mind. "It was a little weird though that all of a sudden we weren't able to talk to each other earlier this week, right..?" Back when the translator function on the train started malfunctioning. "Do you think something like that could happen again, dad?"

He feels the guilt the moment she has to think. He's sure some of it is about her considering her emotions but he knows the reason for the rest of it too. She was too kind and too considerate for her own good. It made him want to drag her right into a hug.

However, he wants to hear what she has to say. It's important- she's important. Besides, he was pretty good at hearing what wasn't being said. "It was. It was a good thing I'd taken some classes with Feanor on how to speak Quenya." He thought about it for a moment and shrugged. "It's always possible, but I think what we proved was we'd be okay if it did happen again. There's enough of us that can speak at least one other language that almost everyone had someone they could communicate with. For those who didn't.. well, they might want to start learning now that we can talk to each other."

"What about you? Was there any of the languages you would've liked to have known?"

"Hmm.." She says, just a small sound of agreement that sounds a little thoughtful at the same time. "I was really glad that you could speak Japanese, dad. I would have felt really bad if we wouldn't have been able to talk.." See, admitting to a hypothetical scenario where she would've felt bad is okay enough for her to manage to actually do it. Because it's just hypothetical, then he won't have to worry about it! Admitting to things she does actually feel bad about is much harder.

".. and my English is so bad," she also admits. With a hint of shame. "A lot of people on the train seem to speak it though, right? Maybe it would be good if I learned some more of it, just in case..?"

He meticulously divided her hair with his fingers till he had three sections. With practiced skill, he folded them slowly into a braid. He wanted to make it tight enough to hold well but not so tight her face looked like a washed up Kardashian.

And because he can, he switches to speaking in Japanese with her. "It's hard learning a language when you have no need to use it. I'd be happy to work with you though. We can add it to your school lessons. I'll have more time when my project is done too."

There's no protest, so apparently Madoka doesn't mind the idea of learning more about it from him at all. After all, she's now very much seen the use of learning it. And though she's a little worried in her ability to pick it up very well, she wants to do her best.

But rather than saying anything about it, she's more distracted by the last part of what he mentions. If she wasn't trying so hard to sit still to make sure braiding her hair is easier for him, she would've looked at him.

"What are you working on right now, dad?"

Tony paused at her question. He'd been sworn to secrecy but his daughter also deserved a better answer than 'mind your own business' that he would've told most people.

"One of the passengers is sick and I'm trying to find a serum that will help him recover from it," he explained, gently going back to braiding. She was going to look real cute with the braid, though even as he was doing this, he knew he was going to miss her cute, puffy pigtails.

"Aw.. It's so sweet of you to help them out, dad." It feels a little weird to say that without looking at him, but Madoka is trying really hard to be good and not move her head too much! She knows it'd just make his job a lot harder...

And hey, at least Madoka is polite enough to not dig for details. She feels that if Tony wanted to share them that freely, he would just have mentioned it. So instead it's - of course, as always with Madoka - compassion that kicks in first.

"It must be so tough for them.. It's already probably pretty strange for them to be away from home and having to fight and all, but then they're also sick on top of it all.."

"There, I think that does it." He picked up a mirror he borrowed and offered it to her. "And yes, it's an additional challenge for this person, but they have a lot of friends here. It helps a lot. You're a little angel for caring so much about them."

Just for that, he tugged her closer to him to give her a hug from behind. "It makes me very proud to be your father."

Madoka takes the mirror, ready to look at her new braid, but then there's suddenly that hug. And those sweet words. She gasps a little in surprise, but then smiles a moment after.

"I-- I'm just saying what anyone would say!" Or so Madoka thinks, anyway. Wouldn't anyone be concerned about a fellow passenger who's sick? She feels like it's just the normal reaction to that kind of thing..

"But.. thank you anyway, dad." She pulls out of the hug, just so she can turn around and look at him. "I'm glad to hear it."

Madoka moves the mirror so she can actually see the braid now, and that just makes her look even more pleased.

"And the braid is so cute..! It's true, you really are good at this."

Following that other one... [video]

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