Another Day On The Streets

[Evania Charr]

"My name is Evania, and I'm ten," she replied, glancing over at him. She was still trying to figure out what was making him feel so bad. She wondered if maybe it was her fault. Maybe he felt responsible for her being attacked in the warehouse after she had run from him? She sighed and looked up at him again. "It's not your fault I got hurt Mister. I live in the old warehouse. No one usually bothers me because when I get scared weird things happen, but that man that attacked me was new there. He wasn't scare of me yet. It's not your fault, he didn't know any better..." [member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Evania Charr"]

"Evania... she picked a beautiful name..." He smiled as he looked at her after finishing the information best that he could do. "Come on, lets get that hand fixed up... ill explain to you why i feel the way i do after, ok?" He owed her so much more than an explination but there was no time in this world or in his next life to be able to find the words to say just how sorry he was that she had to suffer through so much. Only on the way to the room would he ask his next question about her mother, unable to stop himself. "How was she... before she died that is. Was she happy at all..."

 

[Evania Charr]

"She was happy enough most of the time... But I think she was sad that she couldn't take very good care of me. I spent most of my time taking care of her. She got to the point where she couldn't work anymore, so I started finding ways to make money so we could afford her medicine... The month she died I hadn't been able to get enough money for her medicine... If I had done a better job maybe she'd still be alive," Evania replied, still in the same apathetic tone. She hopped up onto the exam table and waited patiently for the doctor to arrive. At last a tall Togrutan woman walked into the room. She unwrapped the cloth from Evania's hand and examined the bloody burn that covered her palm. There was a small amount of rubble caked into it from climbing down the building.

"That's a nasty looking burn. What happened to you, kiddo?" The doctor asked as she retrieved a pair of tweezers to pull the larger chunks of debris out of the wound.

"I got a little too close to a campfire one night... and I tore it open again this morning climbing around some old buildings," the girl lied so easily it was almost terrifying. The doctor nodded and finished cleaning the wound. The Togruta put some bacta on it and bandaged it up again with an actual bandage this time.

"Make sure she doesn't take the bandage off. It should be fine in a day or two," the doctor explained to Solan before allowing them to leave. [member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Evania Charr"]

"I wont, you don't have to worry about that happening..." When the woman was gone solan's hands came to his lap as he looked at Evania and smiled as he thought of something else. "Would you like something to eat Evania, i was going to go get something to eat when you ran into me so why don't you come to. I promise it will be something worth eating..." He smiled to her and held out his hand to her in waiting to see if she would take it. He still wasn't sure what to say or how to say that he was her father but he would find a way in the time that they were now together. He had to find a way seeing as he owed her mother that much atleast.

 

[Evania Charr]

Evania nodded and took his hand again. She didn't really understand why he felt the need to hold onto her. It wasn't like she had anything better to do, and she had lost her small bag of credits when that psycho had attacked her. If he was offering food, there was no way she was going to say. It might be the only meal she'd get for the next week after all. The poor little girl was extremely skinny. You could see her ribs through some of the tears in her dress. [member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Evania Charr"]

He stopped and turned his head to look at her before sighing and bending down to speak to her once they were outside. "First though... lets get you something clean to wear...would you be ok with that..." He had no idea how he would make any of what happened up but he would try, that much could be said and it was simply his last chance at making up for his abandoning her mother all those years ago. "I also have something to tell you... but lets wait until after you have eaten, ok?"

 

[Evania Charr]

Evania nodded and let him drag her into a small shop they happened to be walking past. The young girl glanced around, catching site of a dress near the front of the store. It was a simple, pale blue short sleeve dress with a skirt that would fall to her knees. It had white around the collar and hem, a white sash that tied in a bow in the back. She walked up to it and stared at it. She loved blue, and the dress was really pretty. She looked back at Solan, an unspoken question on her face. [member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Evania Charr"]

He nodded and without hesitation moved over to it, his hands making sure that the size would fit her before nodding and taking it to the woman who owned the store. It was a quick procedure, his hand giving her the credits it costed for the dress before asking to use one of the changing rooms. "I hope you can put it on yourself Evania..." He said as he bent down to give her the dress while they stood outside the changing rooms of the store. "Because to tell you the truth, i am no help in this area of clothing.

 

[Evania Charr]

Evania laughed for the first time in a long time as he said that. She took the dress and disappeared into the changing room. She came back out a few minutes later, tying the sash behind her back. The child caught site of herself in the mirror and paused. A bath would do her some good. Her messy red hair was tangled and dirty, and so was the rest of her, but with the dress on she looked a little better. She ran her fingers through her hair a few times so it looked like it had at least been brushed before untying her sash again. She gather her hair up in a ponytail and looped the sash around it a few times before tying it tight. With her hair up, and the change in clothing she looked much better. Though after he fed her, she'd have to find somewhere to wash herself off. [member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Evania Charr"]

He smiled, speaking words that he didn't mean to say. "You look so much like your mother... minus your eyes. Those are definitely not hers." She had had amber eyes, like his own but hers were not from a darkside corrupted lifestyle. Hers were amber gold and beautiful by some natural occurrence he would probably never be able to explain. "Evania... i have something to tell you but first lets go outside." He couldn't stand it anymore, holding anything else from this girl was cruel and with a sad smile he held out her hand to bring outside once more.

 

[Evania Charr]

Evania nodded, glancing at him curiously as she let him lead her outside. He had admitted to knowing her mother, so the comment about looking like her wasn't unusual. She knew her eyes were different from her mothers. In fact, they were the same color as Solan's, but that could simply be a coincidence. Evania wasn't stupid. She had realized long ago that her father would likely never come back for them. Whether because he was dead or he simply didn't care was a matter for debate, but either way she didn't have any hope of meeting the man. The young girl wasn't sure what she would even do if he suddenly turned up. [member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Evania Charr"]

"Well... you see... i met her long ago and we had a... budding relationship. What i mean is that well... you know the necklace that you have? Well, i am the one that gave it to your mother Evania..." He looked at the ground as he knelt down onto the ground to look at her in the face. "Im uh..." He wasn't sure how to say it past being as blunt as a three hundred year old knife. What do you say to a daughter you just now learned you had and defended just thirty minutes before. There was absolutely nothing that he could say to right his wrongs.

 

[Evania Charr]

Evania froze when she realized what he was saying, and for the first time in several years, she finally showed an emotion other than fear. She glared at him.

"You're lying! And even if you're not, why bother coming now?! My mother is dead! If you loved her so much why did you abandon her?! Did you even know about me?! Would you even have cared if you did?!" Evania began screaming at him. She had so much anger and frustration bottled up inside her from the many years she had spent taking care of herself and her mother. She tried to calm herself down, but it wasn't working. Something nearby caught on fire and she just stood there, trying to calm her breathing and regain control. [member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Evania Charr"]

He listened, and he felt. Every emotion that came from her hit him and he only sighed as he looked off to the side with a saddened look. When she finished though he didn't hesitate but lean forward as he knelt there and try to hug her as his eyes remained shut tight. His words came out choked and confused, unable to really think of what to say. "I... im sorry... for everything... i did love her and i had no idea that you were born. If i had known i would have come back, i would have come back and brought you two somewhere where things could be... better. Im sorry."

 

[Evania Charr]

Evania froze as she felt his arms go around her. The angry part of her mind wanted to push him away, but something stopped her from doing that. She whimpered softly as a few tears escaped from her eyes. The poor little girl wasn't used to feeling things so strongly and was beginning to break down. She bit her lip to keep from sobbing and focused on breathing deeply to calm herself. After a few minutes she calmed down and hugged him back.

"Why did you leave?" she whispered as she returned his hug. If he had a good reason for leaving, maybe she could forgive him. [member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Evania Charr"]

"I... don't know... I don't. I have no good reason even if i could sit here and think for days. I don't know." He hated that he couldn't think of a reason, he just simply hadn't come back, hadn't even thought about trying to come back over all that time as a mercenary in his early years. "I promise, ill make it up to you, to your mother, the both of you. Im sorry..." He hadn't once let go or opened his eyes. He didn't want to as he was worried, scared even that Evania might just run from him because of what he had doen to her and her mom by simply not being there.

 

[Evania Charr]

Evania stayed silent. She couldn't think of anything to say. He had no reason for leaving? None at all? She didn't know what to say. The little girl was trying so hard to wrap her mind around it. He seemed so sincere in wanting to make it up to her. She would feel terrible if she threw that back in his face. After a few moments she let go of him and sighed. "If you want to make it up to me, I guess taking me to the doctor and buying me clothes was a good start. If you still wanna feed me I'll go with you, though after that I'm not sure what I'll do." [member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Evania Charr"]

He nodded, she would atleast stay here a small while longer. That was all he wanted and he smiled wide at being with her. "I promise you, i will find a way to make it up to you and your mother... im sorry i ever left." He sighed and sat back on his knees, already trying to think of ways to show he was as sorry as he was. For now though she was right, they needed something to eat and her especially as he smiled and reached out to touch her shoulders gingerly. "Lets go get something to eat... ever have a nerf steak before?"

 

[Evania Charr]

Evania shook her head. She didn't eat well to say the least. Whatever food she could afford was never the most nutritious thing on earth. It was mostly cheap food from cantinas. The girl had always wondered what real food was like, but sure had just assumed she'd never get the luxury of finding out. The Chiss woman at the new cantina told her that any time she was hungry she could go to the Smuggler's Den and eat for free, but Evania didn't want to mooch off of her. [member="Solan Charr"]

 

[Aithne Charr]

[member="Evania Charr"]

"Come on then..." He held out his hand to her with his body rising up and looking down at her with a smile. His eyes had their illusion fade till they became a golden amber color from his corruption but for once he didn't much care that they shone like they did. He didn't want to hide anything from his daughter. Once she would or would not take her hand, he had a new question for her. "How long have you been able to do what you did with that fire? I assume you can't control it too well, can you?" He looked at the hand that was outstretched to her, knowing what his own hands looked like. He needed to get those scars fixed on his own body some time.