Citizen 1101 Ryaki

The house was warm and welcoming, everything Ryaki could hope for in a home. It was in a lively neighbourhood nestled between a market street and an artisan square, packed with yellow stone houses shingled in red clay. The streets were lined with greenery to keep the people cheerfully chatting from their porches cool. Compared to Canto's, situated in the temple district, it felt homey and personal. The people that walked these streets lived on them. The temple district's only residents were those of Canto's house and the priests; any others  that walked its streets were visitors.

Accompanying the light chatter and sweet birdsong from outside was the gentle clink and rattle of cooking dishes being moved about just beyond the curtain separating the den from the kitchen. Cassan was puttering and letting Ryaki lounge in the main room by herself, presumably giving her space to come to terms with this new place. He had been trying his absolute best to welcome his new child into his home, and Ryaki has been doing her best to be welcomed. But it was strange to go from living with everyone with Canto to being an only child, and she could tell Cassan had noticed her unease.

What did he want a daughter for? Was she here to be loved or to be a point of pride? Was she a desire to give back to the community in living breathing form or simply the little bundle of joy he was never able to create on his own? What was he expecting of her? Her worries chased each other around her head like a pack of wolves, each one being followed by the next worse step; if she were here to be a point of pride, what if she didn’t succeed, what if she never amounted to something to be prideful of? 

Sitting in the den, picking at the tasseled end of a blanket wasn’t going to change anything; if she was inadequate in some way, maybe it would be better to find out soon? What was Cassan up to, maybe she could help and show him her good qualities? Ryaki had finally worked up the courage to rise from the pile of pillows she had retreated into when footsteps approached the curtain, and she shrunk back again as her worries grew louder.

Ryaki peered out at her new father over the edge of her blanket to see a gentle smile on his face. He was just as bad at hiding his uncertainties as she was. His stormy purple eyes held sadness or grief, maybe even pain, as he looked upon her shrinking form - but he was trying, so she had to try too. Ryaki’s smile was tremulous and she didn’t quite manage to release the blanket she was clutching as she sat up but Cassan’s grin grew brighter as he beheld her.

“Is it okay if I join you? I made us a little treat.” Cassan folded his legs beneath him to bring himself to her level and present his gift. It was a plate piled with glistening pastry, honey dripping off soft dough in tantalizing slow motion right before Ryaki’s bright eyes.

She glanced up at his soft periwinkle eyes and her face split into the first unrestrained grin of the day. Happiness bubbled up within her and inspired her to throw out a teasing comment, “Dessert before dinner?”

“Promise you won’t tell?”

The pair giggled and each grabbed a treat from the tray. Cassan delicately suspended his between two large claws, while Ryaki’s small hand clumsily grasped it within her fist. They both took a bite at the same moment, and they both expressed sounds of deep delight as the sweet honey coated their tongues. The flavour was unlike anything Ryaki had ever tasted: lightly spiced and floral, a mix of exotic flavours, and the taste of home. After a long moment of savouring the delicious treat, their eyes met, both dancing in joy. That was when Ryaki knew, staring into those eyes full of love and delight: she was going to love being this man’s daughter.

The loukoumades were devoured one after one, disappearing altogether too fast, and Ryaki promptly found herself a sticky mess. Honey clumped her fur together from her hands to her face. 

“Ahh, that looks a little sticky. Here, give me a minute to get my hands clean, and then we'll get you cleaned up. I forgot how sticky it would be for your fur.” He dipped into another room, and returned with clean hands surprisingly fast; though Ryaki supposed it must not be as hard with armoured hands.

“Let me get your hair out of the way first.” With slow deliberate movements, Cassan carefully threaded his claws through Ryaki’s long locks, pulling it away from her face and the dangerous honey. He took his time, carefully tugging and pausing to check his work as he braided his daughter’s hair up, starting at her shoulders. He worked his way towards her ears, and finally tied the ends into a big bow right at the top. As Ryaki snuck a peek at her reflection in the polished brass hanging on the wall, she wondered how long he had wanted to do that for, if he had practiced with rope or twine to be confident in what he was doing for this exact moment.

With her hair safely secured, Cassan fetched a towel soaked in water and started scrubbing her face, handing Ryaki her own towel so she could clean her own hands. 

“There you go little one, spick and span, just like new.”

“Better than new,” Ryaki replied shyly as she reached her hands up to feel her new hairdo, carefully poking and prodding so she doesn’t undo all of Cassan’s hard work.

Cassan reached up and pulled down the circular piece of polished brass that hung behind him, without even needing to look to find it. He held it up to her with gentle care. “Do you like it?”

“Yes!” she exclaimed, maybe a tad more forcefully than she needed to. Her whole body rocked forward with her emphatic agreement.

Cassan chuckled and set his hand carefully on her head, not disturbing a single hair. “I can do this for you every day if you want. I'm sure I will get better with more practice, too.”

Ryaki gazed up at him with little tears in her eyes, she could hear the question in his voice, she could hear his doubt. “You are going to be the best in the world, because I am going to put you in charge of my hair until I’m thirty!”