Kazat looked at his old gun and sighed. No matter what he did, it didn't seem to become more usable. All the servicing and it was amounting to nothing… No matter how hard he tried, things weren't getting better.
All he wanted to do was protect his family, Qofaria and his little Mixik… but how could he with a gun like this? He was no good with it, but it was all he had. No other rifle would do, at least, none he could think up.
He missed Agniratha, missed being able to supply for his family without putting a gun in his hands. Without the Mechon threat looming over him all the time… He missed those days, he truly did. Now everything was falling apart, from his marriage to his confidence in himself.
What he wouldn't do to be able to go back to the good old days. To be able to let his child prosper instead of hide away. If only his people, in general, could be free of this oppressive air Egil left on them.
He looked out across the village, frowning at the sight of Menyx. A child so much like Egil that it took a lot for him to not see them as the same. Not helping was the fact they were indeed related to Egil… It felt like a slap in the face, the chief creating that child and letting them roam.
Turning back to his gun, his grip tightened. He had to keep trying, for the sake of his family. No one else would care for them like he did, not even their chief, so he had to keep trying.
Maybe one day he would be able to make the perfect rifle for himself, and things would turn around. He and Qofaria could patch things up with enough time, Mixik could live a life better than what she had right now, and things could be alright again.
Maybe not the same as Agniratha, but still better than this. He would help make this little village somewhere worth growing up in, instead of the only safe place on the arm. A place where kids could explore and play like kids used to on the Mechonis.
One day, he hoped they could even go back to Agniratha, even if it was much later. He would remind Mixik of all her favorite places and take her to her favorite areas to play at. Maybe refind some of the toys they had had to abandon in the evacuation to the arm…
Once again, he looked out at the villagers. He wondered if anyone else thought that way. If anyone else wanted nothing more than to protect their loved ones. He liked to think so, if nothing else. There was no reason like love to keep going for, after all.
But for now, that didn't matter. For now, he had to get this damn gun working correctly, even if just for a while longer. If he just cleaned this part...