Tai didn't know what to do, the sound of his fingers rapping against the surface of his table a subconscious reflection of the anxiety surrounding him. As a father, he knew that he needed to be there for his children, but he had nothing he could say to make everything magically better for Ruby. That was something Summer was good at, and just the thought of her plagued his mind with another bout of sadness.
Time ticked away from seconds to minutes and yet he didn't so much as shift his position, the complexion of his face taking on an unhealthy pallor made worse when he noticed Yang starring at him.
She was attempting to hide at the corner of the room behind the couches, but there was no way an experienced Huntsman like himself could fail to detect her stiff movements. She was still wrapped in bandages that surrounded her chest and right arm but her vitality made it so that Tai wouldn't have to worry about her recovery. Crouched on the ground, the nervousness surrounding her was unable to be hidden from him.
Presently, he could understand why she had come to him instead of staying in her room to recuperate. The sounds of Ruby sobbing weren't loud, yet they were piercing to Tai and even more so for Yang who felt responsible for her careless comment.
Unable to sit still, her guilt had festered within her until it was unbearable. Naturally, she did the only thing a child could do.
She was seven, only two years older than Ruby, and when met with a problem she couldn't possibly solve, daddy and mommy become her only solution.
She was staring at him in distress, her teeth nibbling on her lips while her eyes seemed to be on the verge of crying.
If not for the fact that his current appearance didn't inspire much confidence, Yang may have already run into his arms and started babbling her grievances.
Damn it, Tai. You can't keep doing this!
His hands clenched into fists, his eyes shutting hard before he opened them and abruptly stood up from his hunched position over the table.
"Yang," he called out, startling his daughter who tentatively approached, not knowing what to say. It made it all the more apparent to Tai of his shortcomings since Summer's disappearance and why Qrow had to straighten him out before he realized.
Father's must not show their weakness to their children in times of hardship because through Ruby and Yang's eyes, he was the last of two pillars supporting them. One was gone, suddenly vanishing, and then here he was, the final pillar steadily crumbling away, cracks forming into fissures before his daughters' eyes.
It was not the job of a daughter to console the father. It was the other way around.
Moreover, if he had stayed with his daughters rather than gone out madly searching, then would he have ever allowed Yang and Ruby to venture off on their own?
The thought itself was the final nail in the coffin. He was done. It was over.
He knew Summer better than anyone else. She loved Yang and Ruby just as much as himself, and he'd only make her regret if something happened to them. Therefore, he'd leave it to Qrow and keep his family together, such that when Summer came back, he could say to her with confidence,
"Welcome home."
He took a shuddering breath, taking his girl into his arms and pressing her face to the crook of his shoulder, bobbing her up and down while feeling his shirt quickly dampen as Yang clung to him tightly.
"Where's my strong little girl?" He coaxed gently. "Papa's here, h-he'll fix things."
Listening to himself, even he couldn't find much confidence in his voice, but it was more than enough for Yang. She held him tighter before blubbering out and apologizing for her mistakes, for making Ruby cry.
YOU ARE READING
The Huntsman of Red V2
AbenteuerGuardian, Protector, Hero, and perhaps something more, that was what he had always meant to her, but to others he was simply known as the Huntsman of Red, Remnant's final hope. This story is not mine, it belongs to Parcasious
