For Tomorrow
The day was brilliant and clear; a soft breeze blew gently through the open doors of the Tavetaan. The sound of rushing water from the falls was a soothing music, blending harmoniously with the rise and fall of voices. Most of them were angara, but there were a smattering of the Milky Way races dotted about, like the spice that enhanced the flavor of the dish it was added to while also changing it in subtle ways.
Evfra de Tershaav sat alone, his hand resting against a partially full glass, his posture relaxed but gaze sharp. It was his day off, which meant he would sit and nurse a drink for an hour, enjoying the atmosphere of the bustling city before inevitably returning to his office at Resistance Headquarters. Evil didn't take time off to rest and neither did he.
In the handful of years since the Archon's defeat, the plight of the angara had greatly improved. Food and resources were more plentiful than ever, and with fewer casualties and abductions there was an upswing in the population. New settlements and farming communities were now scattered across numerous planets. Optimism among his people was at an all time high.
Hope. It was a fragile and precious commodity, and one that Evfra had lived without for a long time. With each victory the Resistance and its allies realized, a small part of him...unclenched. He wasn't fool enough to ever believe there would be complete peace, but if there were less suffering than before, with fewer families torn apart or destroyed, it was enough. It was more than enough.
The carefree laughter of a child sounded nearby and Evfra tilted his head to listen, eyes already locked onto the stairwell when a small girl came into view, hopping down each stair with great enjoyment. He had seen one or two human children on Aya before, the offspring of some of the Initiative members, but never a female. Her hair was the palest color he had ever seen among her kind, almost white, and hung in messy curls to her shoulders. There was a pronounced roundness to her face and her cheeks were a delicate pink.
She spun in a circle, giggling and flapping her hands against the fabric of her dress in the unabashed abandon of childhood; it seemed some things were universal. Evfra couldn't stop the small smile that rose to his lips at the sight.
As though he called to her, she whipped her head toward where he was seated, another giggle spilling out of her before she ran to him and clambered up onto his lap. He helped her up automatically, the surprise of the situation rendering him momentarily speechless, yet he cradled her gently in his arms.
When she was settled against him to her satisfaction, she turned to regard him with wide blue eyes and the frank curiosity that came naturally to young ones. "You look like father," she told him in Shelesh, further surprising him, her voice high and sweet. She traced a finger down the scar that ran down his cheek and through his lip.
"From kett bastards?" She questioned, making him cough to cover the involuntary laugh that almost broke through at her frank inquiry.
Recovering quickly, he nodded. "Yes, little one, that is from kett."
"What's your name?"
He shifted her more comfortably in his lap. "I am Evfra. And what is your name?"
She brushed a curl out of her eyes and smiled. "Hope Sjefa. Can I be your bond-mate when I grow up? My true mother says I can't be father's because he's my father." She frowned, clearly disgruntled by her mother's edict. "But I like you, so can I?"
His brows rose in surprise. "I think you have many other things you will do in your life before you need to be concerned about that."
She nodded and patted his cheek with her small hand again. "Alright, but don't forget. My cousin told me no angara would ever want me because I'm an ugly human. Do you think I'm ugly?"
He shook his head, charmed in spite of himself by the openness of the little girl. "I think you are the loveliest little human female I have ever seen. You should not believe your cousin's words, no doubt he only said them to hurt you."
She sighed and looked at him guiltily. "I punched him in the face. My true mother said I shouldn't do that, but father said he deserved it. What do you think?"
Evfra chuckled and reached out finally to pat her curls, surprised by the softness of human hair. "I think I agree with your father. And just what is your father's name?"
A loud shout came from the direction of the market. "Hope! Hope!"
She jerked in his lap, reaching forward with both hands to pull Evfra's forehead against hers briefly, then scrambled off his lap. "Bye Evfra! I have to go now!"
Curious, he stood and followed the path she had taken back up the steps, stopping in his tracks when he saw who was holding the child.
Akksul?
Evfra bit down on the laugh that tried to force its way out and frowned, turning to walk back to Resistance Headquarters. The universe had a strange sense of humor to change a former alien-hater enough to become the adopted father of a human child. But if there were any miracle workers who could bring about the seemingly impossible, it was definitely the humans, as he had witnessed many times.
Hope.
Hadn't he just been thinking earlier how much Heleus needed hope? The barest hint of a smile softened the harshness of his face, his steps just a little lighter as he returned to work.
~o~