"All right, it shouldn't be too much further to the Snowshroud Ruins. Let's keep going, everyone!"
As usual, Malik had to shake his head a little at Pascal's perkiness. Even with everything that had happened the Amarcian woman remained a shining beacon of hopefulness. Even still, the Captain couldn't bring himself to say something on the matter. He knew they needed that hopefulness to keep them going. Sophie was counting on them to find a way to help her. At that thought, Malik cast his gaze in Asbel's direction and frowned just a little. The young redhead had been carrying Sophie for much longer than anyone else in the group, and in Malik's opinion he looked as if he was getting tired. Perhaps it was time to have someone else carry her.
"Asbel, hang on a moment." Malik said. The rest of the group looked his way, but they didn't say anything. They seemed to be anticipating him finishing his thought, and so he cleared his throat a little before deciding to continue. "You've been carrying Sophie for quite a while now. I can take her from here."
"Are you sure, Captain?" Asbel asked. Rather than answering, Malik gave a curt nod and stepped forward to where the young redhead and Sophie were. He observed how fragile Sophie appeared and felt his brow crease with concern. They didn't have time to be standing around deciding whether or not he was sure of anything. They needed to keep moving as quickly as possible. Malik proceeded to pick Sophie up as though she were a small child, and effortlessly shifted her position so that she was on his back with her arms draped around his neck. He held his arms beneath her tiny frame and looked to Asbel again. It was no surprise to Malik that Asbel appeared the tiniest bit relieved to have Sophie be carried by someone else.
"Don't worry about me, Asbel. You just concentrate on keeping monsters at bay." Malik said. This seemed to appease the rest of the group, and before long they were on their way again. For Malik, the silence that followed their trek was a bit unsettling. Having it broken by the raspy breaths of the purple-haired child on his back didn't make it any more bearable. It shouldn't be much further. Just hang on a while longer, Sophie.
"…Captain…?"
Malik glanced back at the sound of the smaller voice. He could see Sophie had opened her eyes a little since being put on his back, a fact that relieved the older man, and that she was trying to look around. It must have been an odd feeling for Sophie to be higher up than usual. Asbel was around her height, so she wasn't typically as high up as Malik had her. Somehow, the idea seemed to amuse Malik. He wondered what Sophie must have thought about the situation she found herself in.
"It's all right, Sophie. I've got you." Malik told her. He had no intention of letting go of her, either. Not until someone else decided to take over for carrying her. In truth, Malik had grown rather fond of the youngest member of their party. She was like the daughter he had never had, and he treasured the moments they had together. Carrying her just felt… natural, he guessed. It was a feeling he didn't really want to end. "How are you feeling?" Malik asked.
"A little… better. The cool air feels nice from up here." Sophie replied. A warm smile graced Malik's features at her response. In a way, he supposed it might have felt cooler since he was taller and had her a bit higher up. He had to laugh just a little at that notion. What must it have felt like to be higher up than one was used to, and yet moving at the same time? "It… almost feels like I'm… flying." Sophie said.
"Does it, now?" Malik asked. If she were feeling like herself, he probably would have taken the opportunity to truly make her believe she could fly. As it was, though, he merely opted to adjust the way he was holding her just a little and laughed softly. "Perhaps there is an advantage to having this happen, after all," he murmured.
"Captain?"
Malik could hear the confusion in Sophie's tone, which indicated she had heard what he said. That really didn't surprise Malik, though. She had her head on his shoulder in such a way that it didn't seem out of the question for her to be able to hear him clearly. At length, Malik decided to answer. He couldn't leave her confused about what he meant.
"I simply meant that we wouldn't be able to do this sort of thing if you hadn't gotten hurt. In a way, I'm glad." Malik explained. He really was glad to have the opportunity to help Sophie. She had done so much for their group; it was only fair that he try to return the favor. Having the opportunity to act in a sort of fatherly manner didn't hurt, either. "I wouldn't be able to do this for you otherwise." Malik said.
"Oh. …I guess I'm glad too, Captain." Sophie said. Her voice seemed to be growing softer, if such a thing was possible, which seemed to indicate to Malik that she needed to rest more. "Are you… happy being able to do this, Captain?" she asked. There was no denying her voice seemed to be sounding sleepier. However, Malik couldn't ignore her question. It didn't need to be answered immediately, but he felt that if he didn't then he wouldn't get another chance to.
"I suppose you could say that. You work so hard to help us, after all. It only seems fair that I should have a chance to help you. I want to keep you safe just as much as everyone else." Malik said. The reasoning seemed simple enough; all he really wanted to do was keep her safe as a father would. As he let his answer sink in, Malik glanced back again to see how Sophie was doing. She was beginning to nod off by that point, but it seemed as though she had heard him. There was the faintest of smiles on her face as she adjusted the way her head was resting against him. Malik found himself smiling again before adjusting his hold on her. Perhaps, in her own Sophie-ish sort of way, she was accepting his desire to keep her safe. That was all he needed.
"Captain, come on! We're almost there!"
The sound of Pascal's voice calling to him snapped Malik out of his thoughts. He looked away from Sophie and over to where Pascal stood, only to realize that the Amarcian woman was correct. Not even a stone's throw away from where they stood was what they had been looking for: the Snowshroud Ruins. Soon enough they would be able to fix the problem with the Fendel canon and they would be on their way to find Sophie the help she needed. That didn't mean he wanted to lose his opportunity to protect Sophie, though.
"You all lead the way. I'll hang on to Sophie." Malik said. The others didn't seem to want to object to Malik's offer, and so he followed them inside without another word. Even if it was only for a little while longer, Malik would cherish the opportunity to act as a sort of fatherly figure to Sophie. Soon enough, he knew he would have to let someone take over for carrying her. Until that time, though, Malik was content to act as a father would. For Sophie's sake.