The Broken Citadel

Two

There was really only two things present in this world that gave Michael the energy to continue existing in this life: Coffee, and the desirable feeling of being able to sleep where he wanted when he wanted with no one to question him or his actions. Well, that and his wife and six year old daughter, but that was a different type of motivation. After being awoken from his somehow incredibly comfortable position at his desk that morning, had it been up to his still somewhat exhausted self, he would have laid his head right back down on the countertop in front of him and drifted back off into unconsciousness yet again without so much as a thought to spare over the matter, yet much like victors inability to gain a moment of peace to himself, such a privilege was clearly unavailable to him considering the fact that just as he was about to do as planned, mere moments after Damien had stepped out the front entrance to make his rushed commute to work, the apartment door was rather forcibly kicked open, causing it to slam against the wall to the left, and causing Michael to jolt back up into an upright position after his head had just about met with its temporary pillow. Blinking in evident surprise, the sleep deprived man had been prepared to reach over and grab his coffee mug to use as his first object of defence considering his first thought of explanation for the sudden disturbance was that his fate had come to kick him in the teeth and Coltons soldiers had decided to show their ugly mechanical faces, but he was entirely wrong. wide eyed and ready for a heated altercation, Michael was met with the calming sight of none other than his marital partner Catherine, who had used her foot to open the front door due to her arms being heavily occupied with the required living supplies for the week. The seated male allowed himself to relax at what his eyes were met with, wearily pulling himself to his feet in preparation to assist his wife with the gathered boxes of materials, only to have her stop him, the red headed female setting down what she was carrying onto the floorboards beneath her feet and turning to her oh so tired husband with quite the irritated expression creased into her pretty features, although why she looked so furiously pissed off was a mystery to Michael. Or at least it was for a few, short and sweet moments where he remained blissfully unaware of what he had done to cause such an angered state of mind. "I wouldn't bother. it's all done. Even though you were supposed to do it yesterday." The female then snarked, and the realization almost immediately hit Michael like a brick to the face. It had been his turn to venture out of the back alleyways to collect what was needed for the inhabitants of the residential area, but he had been so caught up in his current working project that the thought had completely slipped out of his mind, and it had quickly been lost from his thoughts altogether. he cringed, raising a hand to his mouth to offer an awkward clear of his throat, about to present his significant other with the sincerest apology he could possibly muster, which wouldn't have been that endearing, when out of the corner of his eye, his attention was beckoned to something else.

"Hey, easy there, let me help.."

Michael was met with the sight of Cassie, his still incredibly young offspring, struggling to make her way up the apartment steps with a reasonably oversized box clutched in-between her tiny arms, gently trying to blow her mouse brown, shoulder length hair out of her face with each step she took so she could properly see where she was going, yet to no avail. in Michael breaking her concentration, Cassie looked upwards, quite visibly in an irritated state of frustration over her current situation, only for her face to break out into a widened smile at the sight of her father, who had already leaned downwards in order to take a hold of the what she was carrying in order to pull it into his own grip with minimal effort. he had to admit, she took after him, despite her not being his biological child. Although the fact that Cassie was a rescued child who had been pulled from a dire situation out over on the far reaches of the citadel didn't mean that Michael cared for her any less than he would have if she had been his own. Because none of that mattered. Family was family around here, regardless of where anyone had originated from.