Vol 2. Chapter 8: Meet the Argentos! (1)

“Papa!”

“Father…!”

Woah, not only did they call out to me at the same time, but they also turned towards me just as suddenly and in sync! And those eyes… my daughters look like they are about to pounce on me for surprising them with my little sister’s reveal… AH! THEY JUST DID! AND NOW THEY’RE SHAKING ME A LOT! OWOWOWOWOW! AND CELESIA IS NOW BITING MY HEAD! Well, more like nibbling, BUT STILL!! SHE’S GONNA GET DIZZY UP THERE!!

“Papa! Aunty Nata! Why didn’t you tell us about Aunty Nata! I want to meet Aunty Nata! I want to! I want to!”

OR NOT! SHE’S TOTALLY FINE AND EVEN TALKING BETWEEN NIBBLES!! WAY TO GO MY GREMLIN DRAGON DAUGHTER!

“Ilya too…! Ilya too…! Where is Aunty Nata…? Where is Aunty Nata…? Take us to visit her, Father…! Please! Please! Please!”

AND ILYA’S SHAKING OF YOURS TRULY JUST WENT INTO OVERDRIVE! WHO KNEW SHE HAD THIS SIDE OF HER?! I LOVE IT! I LOVE GETTING TO SEE NEW SIDES OF HER!

“Abababababa…!”

That said, I can’t even answer to anything they just asked me because of how much I’m being shaken and nibbled on by these two adorable, and super strong, daughters of mine! Heck, I bet I’m all blurry right now!! Someone…! Help meeeeee…! Wait, that voice coming out of the tv right now…

“Yeah, there you go, Nat. Keep it up. Just like you practiced. Keep that tempo.” Said the voice coming out of the tv, a very, VERY familiar voice, and thankfully… it’s also what got my daughters to stop as their attention was immediately drawn to it, like moths to a flame, and that’s despite being unable to understand it. Still…

“Everything… spinning… ahaha…” Spirals… my eyes are spirals… and not the ones who’ll pierce the heavens…

“Papa.”

“Father…”

“Yes, dearies…?” I blurted, everything still spinning before my eyes… Although at a slower pace…

“You sound funny.” They both said about teen me—WAIT, WHAT?!

“Aha-hah-ha… W-wh-what d-do you mean by that, sweethearts…?” I asked nervously, BECAUSE COME ON! OF COURSE I’D BE! THEY CAN’T EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT TEEN ME IS SAYING AND YET…!

“I don’t know, but that’s you, Papa. That’s you. And Papa sounds funny! Hihihi!” Said Celesia, laughing cheekily atop of my head… As for Ilya…

“Unn…! Ilya’s little sis is right… That is Father… Ilya knows it here and here.” She pointed at her heart and then her hand, the place where the crest of the pact that brought her to us in this form lies. “And Father sounds funny, hihihi…” Another cheeky laugh…

THESE TWO… SERIOUSLY…? I guess it makes sense in a way, what with them calling me father/papa from the very start, BUT STILL! I WANNA TICKLE THEM BOTH! But… with the kind of certainty they’re showing, there’s no point in beating around the bush…

“Yeah, yeah, laugh you little imps… I’m gonna tickle you both when you least expect it…” I declared, for word of payback comes first! “As for my voice sounding funny back then, it’s just that… well… I had a different form back then, so I sounded much, much different than how I sound now. Among other things. It’s also probably why you two call me Papa.”

“…”

Huh? Why are they looking at me as if I just said something really, really stupid?

“Father is Father.” Declared Ilya as if it was obvious.

“Mhm. Papa is Papa.” Celesia agreed with the same obviousness all over her face after flying back to Ilya’s side on the sofa.

Meanwhile, I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Heh…”

Of course it was obvious for them. It has been their truth from the very start. No ifs or buts. Just the unconditional love a loved child has towards their parent. I was, I am, their Father, their Papa, regardless of anything else like my form or voice, funny or not, heh. And that’s so precious. They’re so precious.

“You’re right. I guess all the shaking and nibbling made me say something dumb. That’s why… time for payback!” I exclaimed as I quickly reached out to them both and began tickling the heck out of them, surprising them and making them laugh lots and lots.

“Ah…! Hihihihihihi…!”

“Nuuuahahahahahaha…!”

Suffice to say, they weren’t able to escape me until I was satisfied. Then, I  hugged them from the side, paused the dvd, and proceeded to answer their questions.

“You asked me why I didn’t tell you about your auntie Nata and well…” I paused, my eyes turning at the tv where my little sister could be seen. Her eyes showed just how focused she was on what she was doing back then, but also on the goal she had set for herself ever since she was little. And I couldn’t be prouder of her as her brother. There was not a time when I wouldn’t sing praises of her. Yet, loath as I am to admit it—“I don’t know why… I suppose there was so much going on after I came here that I couldn’t find the occasion to tell you two about her…”

About the Argentos…

Maybe I wanted to protect you from the fact that we’re worlds apart from them… That you wouldn’t be able to meet them… Nat, Nana, Gramps… The Uncles and Aunties from Nana’s gang… Even… My parents… Maybe I wanted to protect myself from that fact too… but you deserve to know them. They’re your family too after all.

So I turned to them with a sorry smile and continued, “but I’m going to now. Ilya. Celesia. I’m sorry but we can’t meet your aunty Nata right now…”

“Why?” asked my daughters, sadness and disappointment painting their voice.

“Is it because she lives far, faaaaaaar away like you used to, Father…?” asked Ilya, a twinkling of hope peeking in her eyes. No. Not just hers. Celesia’s too. They probably think that maybe things are different, maybe Nat lives in another part of Arte, or maybe she’s just busy right now. But they’re smart girls. Deep down they know what I’m about to say. Doesn’t make it any less painful though, ahaha…

“Yeah, that’s it.” I answered as I patted their heads. “She lives far, faaaaaaaar away. And we can’t go there. At least not right now.” That last part, I know it’s a longshot, but there’s no need to make things so hopeless.

“Aww… But I wanted to meet her…” lamented my sweet Celesia as she reached out at the tv, at Nat, with her tiny hands, her eyes trembling, teary. “She looks so pretty dancing... I wanted to dance with her… To learn… To know her…”

Damn… that’s getting to me, I can already feel a knot in my throat forming…

“There, there, Little Sis…” Said Ilya as she comforted her sister with a hug, swallowing whatever feelings she too had about being unable to see Nat. No. Th-that’s not it. That twinkling of hope I saw, it’s still there. It’s bigger even. What are you thinking right now, my little light? “Father promised Ilya that we would go to that far away place one day. We will meet her. Ilya knows it.”

Ah! That’s right! I promised her that the other day! I was so fixated on my own feelings about this whole thing and theirs that I completely forgot about it. Still, she remembered. That’s my awesome Ilya for ya!

“Really?! Really?!!” And would you look at that, my dear Celesia no longer looks like she’s about to cry. On the contrary, she’s beaming with excitement while looking to me for confirmation.

“Yeah, I did. And when that happens you can be sure that we’ll go see her. After all, an Argento doesn’t go back on their promises. So don’t be sad, ok?”

“Ok…!” Celesia answered as she dried whatever tears remained and then showed me a big, teethy smile.

“That’s my girl.” I said as I ruffled her hair, my own emotions going back to normal. “And hey, I know it’s not the same, but if you really want to learn from her, there’s lots of these discs with her dancing. Some of them even show the classes she attended.”

“And I can watch them, Papa? Can I? Can I?” Asked Celesia, incredibly excited.

“Of course! You can watch them as many times as you want. Maybe you’ll even pick up some moves! Nah, not maybe. I’m sure you will, Celesia.”

“I will! I will!” Heh, she’s so fired up that she got off the sofa and went straight to the drawer where she found the DVD we’re watching.

Speaking of fire, there’s a certain volcano who hasn’t said anything for a bit and instead is simply looking at the paused vid, at Nat. While she may have seemed calmer and even comforted Celesia, I can still see it, that longing and… that sadness. Aaaand she noticed me looking at her.

“Father…” she said as she snuggled up to me.

“Yes, my little wisp?”

“You miss auntie Nata lots and lots, right…?” She asked… that…

“I…” I couldn’t answer, I could only wistfully nod…

“You know, Father… aunty Nata being far away made Ilya very sad… but then Ilya imagined Celesia being far, faaaaar away and Ilya felt really tight here…” she pointed at her heart. “It hurt… It made Ilya feel like Ilya was an incomplete puzzle… Missing something…”

“Oh sweetheart you—” Moved by her, I was about to hug her but then a certain someone got ahead of me without meaning to.

“Me? Far away? But I’m here! Here!” Celesia, who had returned with many of the aforementioned DVDs, immediately got on the sofa and hugged Ilya. “See, big sis? I’m here! Here!”

Ilya hugged her back with a happy, “hihihi… unn!”

Then she tugged on my shirt and smiled at me. “That’s why, Father… Even if Ilya is sad that Ilya can’t meet auntie Nata right now, Ilya will wait until we can.”

This daughter of mine… she’s an angel… Man, I can barely stop my emotions from spilling over. Seriously, what is it with this day? ‘Make Auros cry day’ or something like that? Was one emotional roller coaster not enough for you, non-existent author?

“But but… can you tell us more about auntie Nata?” Asked said angel.

“Of course, sweetie. There’s so much I can tell you about her. Like how she’s a bit of a slob when it comes to her room, yet anything that has to do with dance is perfectly orderly. Or how she used to be my testing dummy for how I do my braid bun in exchange for stuff. And how can I forget that she used to kick me in the shins whenever she threw a tantrum.” I said as nostalgia filled my every word and memories of such moments raced through my mind. Oh, right. “Don’t do that by the way. It hurts. A lot.”

“Hihihi… unn!” Ilya giggled and nodded at my painfully experienced warning.

Meanwhile, Celesia giggled and shook her head while saying, “I won’t, Papa! I won’t!”

“Heh, good.” I said with an affectionate smile. They’re good kids, so I know they won’t do it. But can you imagine a kick in the shins from them? Oof… “Now, what do you want to know about your aunty Nata?”

“Umm… how old is aunty Nata…?” Ilya asked.

“Right now? Eighteen. She probably just started her first year of college.” Especially since everything I had went to her when I died, including my savings so she probably isn’t doing anything else. Though, knowing her, she got herself a full ride scholarship. Either way, let’s leave that out. “That’s the type of school you two will go once you reach that age and you figured out what you want to be as grown-ups. So be sure to study and learn lots and lots. That way it’ll be easier for you to discover your path. If not, don’t worry, there’s plenty of other ways to reach that answer, ok?”

“Unn…!”

“Yes, Papa!”

I love it whenever they nod at the same time. Also, I really sounded like a dad just now, heh. I mean, I am a dad, but you know what I mean.

“Ah! Ah! Papa! Papa! A question! I have a question!” Said Celesia as she raised her hand.

“Let’s hear it.” I quickly replied while smiling.

“What is aunty Nata’s favorite color, Papa? And does she like spiders? Does she like them?” Oh dear, the first question is one thing, but the other… Well, I said I’d tell them all about her so… Here goes.

“She loves pink, but she also likes white, yellow, black, purple, and many others. To be honest, she’s always been a colorful girl. You’d never find her wearing just the one color unless it’s for dancing.”

“That means we can all match! Match!” Said Celesia as she probably imagined herself, her sister, and Nat wearing the same clothes.

“Oh yeah, knowing her, she’d go as far as doing matching hairstyles with you.” Yep, that big smile she just made says it all. She totally was thinking that. She’s so easy to read, hehe. “As for spiders… she’s scared of them, so much so that when your aunty Nata found a tiny spider in the bathroom, she screamed so loudly that she woke everyone up. Sorry, Celesia.”

“But why?! They’re so cute! Cute! And fuzzy! Fuzzy!” Exclaimed my darling daughter as she conjured her space attribute coloring book, [Spatiophagos], out of nowhere, opened it on a page with a doodle dubbed ‘Celesia’s baggie’, and pulled out one of her spider plushies from it before showing it to me as proof of just how cute spiders are. Yes, I’m melting from all of this, but let’s continue.

“I know, I know, sweetie. I think the same.” I petted the plushie before turning my gaze back to Celesia. “But hey, sometimes we can’t control what we fear. Look at me for example, my skin is pretty tough and yet I’m still scared of needles. That said, we can choose to not let that fear control us. And you can bet that your aunty Nata wouldn’t let her fear of spiders stop her from enjoying her time with you. She’s stubborn like that, hehe.” I said with confidence, because she wouldn’t have been able to pursue her dream if she wasn’t like that.

“Really?” Celesia asked.

“Really.” I answered sincerely, but rather than the full, beaming smile like she’s shown me before, my daughter showed me an anxious, worried smile before turning to the tv. And that worried me. “Hey dearie, what’s wrong?”

“And… dragons, Papa? Does aunty Nata like dragons?”

I see… Of course she’d be worried. Ever since that night when she asked us if there were other good dragons, I’ve gotten keenly aware of how conscious she’s become about the world’s general feeling towards dragons just from the books she’s read… That they’re evil. Villains. Monsters. All things that those threatening the world are.

But that can’t be every single dragon. It just makes no sense. So I’ve started looking into it, searching for others like us to show Celesia that we aren’t the only ones. That we’re not just exceptions. But it’s too early to have any results. I did ask Nerinne though. She only gave me a very goddess-y ‘all in due time’ with a smile that only a being beyond mortals can make, which was enough for me to know that I’m on the right path.

One day I’ll show my worried daughter that there are more good dragons in Arte, but today I can at least be happy that I can lift her up and tell her with naught a lie that—“your aunty Nata loves dragons. Actually, her very first plushie was a purple dragon named Pyro, and she’s taken good care of it ever since. She was even still sleeping with it last time I saw her, just like you do with your spider plushies. So there’s nothing for you to worry about, my violet jewel.”

“Is that true, Papa…? Is it?” Asked Celesia still anxious, still scared, her fear not wanting to let go of her. Because… it’s not just about dragons in general. So I bring my sweet, sweet daughter close to me and hug her.

“It is.” I said.

“Do you promise…?” She pulled back from the hug and showed me her pinky finger with teary eyes. “Do you promise, Papa…?”

I smiled and immediately locked my pinky finger with hers. “I promise, Celesia. So don’t let your fear come in the way of you looking forward to meeting your aunty. Remember what I just told you about fear. Sometimes we can’t control what we fear, but we can choose whether that fear control us or not.

“And let me tell you, your aunty Nata will love you so much that you wouldn’t know what to do with all that love, just like with your aunty Euphy. The same goes for all the family members you haven’t met. Because you’re family. Both of you. And that’s all that matters. But what do you want to choose, Celesia?”

She’s thinking. As for me, I could have just reassured and consoled her and left it at that, but with something as important as this, I wanted to give her a way to deal with this very genuine fear she feels before it takes root and torments her even further, especially at her age.

“I… don’t want to be scared of meeting my aunty, Papa.” Said my brave sweetheart, having made her choice. “I don’t want to be scared of her hating me! Nu! Nu! Nu! I want to meet her! I want to play and dance with her! I want to hug her! I want to show her all my bookies, and my plushies, and the potions I make with Miss Allegra, and lots and lots of things! I want that! I want that! I want that! I want that!”

I smiled. Proud of my daughter. “Good. Hold on to that choice and never let it go. Ok?”

“Ok!” she exclaimed before showing me a smile as big as mine. “Hehe!”

It was then that Ilya called out to me from my side. “Father… ”

“Yes, my cinnamon bun?” I replied while sitting Celesia on my lap.

“Does aunty Nata… like volcanoes?”

I chuckled, “funny you say that, she dressed as one when she was around your age. Back then, she had to learn a lot about them and the legends tied to them, and she’s loved volcanoes ever since.”

“Uwaa… That makes Ilya so happy… So happy… Ilya wants to see aunty Nata dressed as a volcano, Father… Can you show Ilya in the shiny shiny rectangle? Please?” Pleaded Ilya, who’s expression and hair had been growing brighter and brighter as I talked about my sister’s love of volcanoes. Some would say it’s unexpected. But she was six man, a time where everyone picks up random likings, even if they don’t fit the rest one’s image.

As for Ilya’s request… “Sadly, I don’t have any discs containing that moment, so I can’t show it to you that way. But there’s photos of it in the family room.”

To that, both Ilya and Celesia perked up like cats hearing the word ‘tuna’ and said, “family room?”

“Oh dear, I wasn’t supposed to mention that one until after I showed you my workshop, but I guess you two want to see it now, huh?”

The both nodded. A LOT.

“Heh.” I chuckled. “Ok, let’s go then. We can continue watching your aunty Nata dance later.”

“Unn!”

“Yes! Yes!”

And so, we got off the sofa and made our way to the third room I made in this secret nerd cave of mine. The room where they’ll get to meet the rest of the Argentos. The rest of my family. Their family.

To be continued… (cue illustrations of Ilya and Celesia going gremlin mode on Auros and baby Nat hugging a Spyro plushie)