Nina, though she may not look it, was a sensitive person with tender feelings... Feelings that were easily bruised. Of course, nobody has ever seen those sensitive feelings in action since she dealt with them in private (mostly in her secret hiding places). Only once had Corrin walked in on her by sheer accident as she was weeping, and even so, since she was good at getting out of sticky situations, she somehow convinced him she was trying to get a bug out of her eye... In a dark room... Surrounded by tissues...

So, as anybody would figure, a lonely and sensitive Nina was a deadly combination, especially in a gloomy place such as a dank prison. She'd been that darn cell for who knows how long, laying bored on the bed of hay in the corner. Luckily, she had managed to scavenge a small pebble on the floor; with it and a fistful of hay, she was able to put on a puppet show.

"Mr. Rock was a kind, but quiet soul; yes, he seems like the type. He may seem tough on the outside, but in all actuality, he was actually very fragile on the inside, much unlike his friend, Mr. Vase, who is always crying about something. Mr. Hay was fragile too, but he was very good at getting over things because he just get right back into shape! Mr. Rock was very jealous of Mr. Hay for being so laid back, and Mr. Hay was well aware of Mr. Rock's schemes. Mr. Hay had lots he wanted to discuss with Mr. Rock. The unfortunate thing was the fact that while Mr. Hay was lax and easy-going, he was also very shy and not too brave. Will Mr. Hay ever be able to convey his thoughts to the jealous Mr. Rock? Ooh, this is getting juicy..."

"I've heard better stories."

With a screech, as well as having her heart leap out of her throat, Nina whipped around to find her dinner behind her; holding it was none other than her father, Niles. Almost immediately, upon laying eyes on his white hair and dark eye-patch, she frowned, then turned her back to him again.

"Oh, there you are father." she grumbled, crossing her arms. "It's about time you decided to give your own daughter a visit. How long has it been? Four weeks?"

Niles, after giving the tray of food a quick glance, shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know." he said. "I figured you were the one scraping tallies on the wall."

"Sure, like I have anything to do that with."

"Don't see why you can't just use Mr. Rock the Jealous over there."

A flush spread across her face as her eyes darted down to the rock in her hand; it was a decent sized rock that would probably hurt if she threw it at someone. She was too embarrassed to plan anything around that, so she instead chucked it to the other side of the cell.

"What do you want, father? Come to harass me?"

"No. I just came to deliver your supper since the calendar has my shift written on this week." Niles replied, starting to slide the meal inside through the gap in the bars. "Better eat up while it's still lukewarm."

Nina gasped suddenly whirling around again; her jaw dropped.

"Wait... You only came here because it's your prison shift?" she pounced onto her feet, balling up her fists. "Not because you wanted to see me?"

Again, Niles shrugged, closing his only good eye.

"Sorry, Nina, I've been really busy lately. Haven't had much leisure time lately."

"That's the exact same crap you gave me in the Deeprealms!" she boomed. "What the hell have you been doing that makes you so busy all the time?"

"Mmm... Work."

"What kind of work? Corrin is the freaking leader of this army and has the time to entertain guests at his house!" she gripped her bars tensely, looking up to her father with an angered stare. "I'm sick of your crap, hardly visiting me and then getting mad when I don't act the way you want me to! If you don't like me, all you have to do is say it instead of making me guess all the time, father!"

She heard Niles chuckle, keeping his arms crossed coolly.

"Aw... Having daddy problems, Nina?"

"How about you answer that for yourself, blockhead; I've left enough clues."

"Alright, you win." he sighed. "I've never cared about you at all, only liked you when you were still a small child that was ready to listen and obey. The moment I saw you shifting into a young woman with a mind of her own, I was really turned off about having you. Heck, I even considered just leaving you in the Deeprealms all by yourself like an orphan." he shrugged. "There's your truth. Sorry. At least you get to stop wondering now."

Silence followed, his daughter giving him a stare that was... Foreign. It was a mix between shock and despair. It was a look he had never seen on her face too many times, the one time probably being when she saw him for the first time in a long while when she led a burglary in the estate of a corrupt rich man. It took him by surprise.

"Y... You're not joking?"

"Nope."

She stood still just a moment longer, pulling her weight off the bars before her; without a single word more, her feet slowly took her away, retreating into the darkness of the cell where he could no longer see her. He lingered anyway, softening his breath so that he may listen to even the slightest of sounds.

He heard a sniffle.

"Fine then." she said, hoarse. "Go. Don't waste your time... Being with someone... You don't... Like..."

What followed was a sound he had not heard in a long while; the sounds of weeping. She went on quietly, disregarding his presence completely. Surprised, Niles lingered, continuing to listen...and in his chest, he felt his heart sink.. He heaved a sigh while hanging his head.

Slowly, his hand reached behind him to take a ring of keys from his back pocket. A jingle echoed down the hall as he took them out, but the sound, to his surprise, did not seem to affect the weeping Nina, who remained in the dark. He applied the keys to the door of bars, which he gently slid open to allow himself inside the cell. As he drew closer into the dark, he could make out shapes much easier than he could from the outside; he found her there, squatting on the floor, her head pressed against a wall, her hands cupped over her face.

He stood over her, his hands stiff to his sides as he gazed down at her form; the frown in his face spread wider.

"You don't hate me after all." she continued to weep softly, ignoring him. He sighed. "Look, Nina... If it helps, it's not easy for me to say this... But you have every right to hate me. I made a mistake not being a part of your life while you were in the Deeprealms. I didn't visit you nearly as much as the others visited their children... For that, I feel I've done a horrible job as a father. I regret not using my free time to come see you... I regret thinking that you were fine out there with your caretaker... I regret forgetting that time passes faster in the Deeprealms than it does here." he looked to the side, his gaze somber. "I feel like I've missed so much of your life, Nina... I wasn't there when you took your first steps or said your first words. What I'd give to try again with you, to go back and give you more of my time... I'll understand if you don't believe me, seeing that my actions don't testify to my words, but... I love you, Nina. I'd give up everything to keep you safe, and I want to right my wrongs."

She remained still for a long time, sniffling every other minute. The longer Niles remained, the more he wondered if no response would come from her... Perhaps his words were too late. Suddenly, though, she rose, her hands wiping away tears in her face, sounding with on long, and loud, sniffle.

"So." she began, her voice cracking. "Now you finally decide to spend time with me... When it's convenient for you..." she turned around, leaping into his arms. She buried her face in his chest, embracing him tightly; she wept again, muffling her cries in his shirt. "I hate you so much, father. You're the absolute worst."

Though it was slight, a smile tugged at the corner of Niles' lips as he slowly returned the gesture, planting his lips gently on the crown of her head.

"I sure am... Aren't I..."