Aurelis had seen Rayzor less rattled in full-on battle situations.
"Rayzor, relax," he said, but his old friend didn't stop pacing. The healer sighed and decided it was only to be expected.
It wasn't every day you became an uncle.
"I am relaxed!" Rayzor said. "Look at me! I haven't killed anything - yet."
Aurelis felt a mischievous grin spread across his face.
"Well, that's an outright fib. That carpet is completely done for."
Rayzor stopped pacing, turned around, and glared at his friend. The fingers of his right hand curled into a fist.
"If I were on edge - "
Aurelis grinned. "Hahahah, Rayzor on edge -"
The first lieutenant of the guard visibly restrained himself from punching him.
"Yes. Thank you, Aurelis, I've never heard that one before-"
Just then, both of their names were called.
A few moments later, Rayzor was about to hold his niece for the very first time.
Aurelis had never seen his friend this nervous.
"What if I drop her?!" He hissed, and Aurelis sighed again.
"Look, Rayzor, I know you. You won't drop her."
Rayzor still seemed extremely uncertain.
"But what if I do?!"
Aurelis sighed again.
"I told you, you won't. You'll be fine. Here, I'll show you."
Aurelis took the baby from a fellow healer and showed Rayzor how he did it.
"See? It's easy. It's not like she's going to just decide to - to just jump out of your arms - I mean - maybe when she's two - but right now - she won't. So you'll be fine."
Rayzor was fine.
He didn't drop Beyris.
In fact, at the moment when he held her, the baby opened her eyes and seemed to like him very much.
That is, if putting a fist in his eye and gurgling in innocent delight at his expression counted.
But he rather thought it did.