"He's just had one bite Lia, allow him to eat a little bit longer."
"Oh," Lia said understanding her mistake, "sorry mister."
"Kruxe nodded at her as he chewed the food in his mouth, and when he was done he spoke,
"My name is Kruxe."
"Mister Kruxe" Lia quickly said after Kruxe spoke, happy to have gotten his name.
Kruxe was just about to correct her on her method of addressing, but remembering the various titles that would be included were he to be properly addressed, his mood dropped, and silently nodded to the grinning girl bending his head to eat.
Liara noticed Kruxe's depressed expression, and though she wanted to speak more, she found her head blank. She shook her head and was about to stand up from the bed when Kruxe spoke to her.
"You said one of my first voyages, how did you know that this is one of my first voyages?"
"Oh that," Liara said with a smile, "Look at your skin and hair, they're so tender and soft, there's no way you can be a sailor or one used to the sea"
"Your voice is soft, I bet you'll make a far better singer than me" Liara said with a chuckle.
"I'll make the best singer" Lia suddenly said jumping up and down in front of her mother.
"Of course honey you'll be the greatest," Liara said leaning down and showering her daughter with kisses, the little girl's vibrant laughter sounding throughout the room.
Watching the family, melancholy flashed in Kruxe's eyes and threatening to make them moist but he held firm this time.
Kruxe thought he would have to spend more time burying his emotions but the hunger pang that suddenly hit him had all the thoughts that weren't about food fading out of his mind.
Entering his own world, Kruxe went about shoving food into his mouth and down his throat, filling his hungry stomach till he heard Liara speak.
"Say Kruxe, just in case I'm wrong, are you a pirate."
With a frozen expression, Kruxe looked up from his meal, staring at the expectant mother and the curious daughter, hadn't they just established that this was his first sea voyage.
"No, "Kruxe said, shaking his head for clearer effect.
To his words, Liara's eyes instead narrowed, her gaze seeming to want to pierce through him, making Kruxe feel all nervous, and then suddenly everything went back to normal.
"I knew it, you're skin is too soft for you to be a pirate," Liara said chuckling as she reached out and began pulling Kruxe's left cheek, her actions freezing up Kruxe as he could only silently watch on.
"Mummy me, me" Lia suddenly began shouting while jumping, her hand raised as she wished to get her mother's attention, and it was this cry that made Liara remember what situation she was in.
"Oh sorry again" Liara quickly said, her face turning a bit red in embarrassment.
"And you stay quiet," Liara said, turning and pulling Lia's cheeks a little hard, making her let out a few ouches.
"Mean mummy," she said as she rubbed her slightly sore cheek looking at her mother with a glare.
To her daughter's words, Liara simply rolled her eyes and then turned back to Kruxe.
"Sorry about that and for scaring you with my earlier question, I just wanted to be very sure that you weren't lying and to make sure the Navy won't come and take you away."
Not putting any thought to Liara's treatment of his cheeks, Kruxe gave attention to her words and quickly asked his question when she was done talking.
"Why would the Navy come for me?"
"Well you just washed up ashore from nowhere, and nobody knows you, you could be anything, and a pirate is very likely one."
"What happens if I'm a pirate? "Kruxe asked.
"Well, the soldier would take you into custody and then you would suffer the punishment for piracy."
"Which is?" Kruxe asked with a bit of trepidation.
"Well ….." Liara drawled on to create suspension.
"You'll work in the mines till you die or be executed" Lia suddenly said and then without daring to linger bolted away knowing she had destroyed the tense situation which her mother was trying to create.
Lia laughed as she ran, her mother's unhappy gaze following her and it wasn't until a few seconds later that Liara began pursuing her daughter, the both of them running out of the room.
"What a jolly duo," Kruxe thought a wry smile coming to his face as he remembered his mother's habit of pulling him by the ear and him obediently following actively looking to make it easier for her.
Going down the lane of sadness was a very easy action, but thankfully Kruxe had a hungry stomach that didn't care about its owner's emotional state and went about screaming at him to eat.
With a sigh, Kruxe turned back to his food, digging in and filling his stomach.
Without a doubt, the food was delicious, its taste having Kruxe voraciously go at it, making many thanks to Liara for offering him the food and giving him a lot float in his head.
Kruxe was just about done eating when footsteps sounded and Liara came into the room, Lia also being with her, but this time she was hanging in the air as her mother held her up by the back of her dress.
Noticing Kruxe's gaze, Liara laughed and spoke.
"Don't worry she's okay, I will only let her go when she learns her lesson."
"I'm sorry, let me go" Lia immediately screamed, but all she earned from her mother was a snot and a poke of her jaw."
"Meanie, I also want to make suspense."
"Well create yours don't interfere in mine" Liara scolded.
"But I can't create mine ...."
Not saying a word, Kruxe looked away from the eccentric family and went back to clearing his dish, not leaving a single piece of food behind.
"You ate everything, good."
Kruxe suddenly heard a voice say just as he truly finished everything.
"You haven't eaten in days so we can't stuff your stomach too much, sleep for tonight, and then tomorrow you'll get something to eat," Liara said, no longer carrying Lia, the little girl now standing to the side.
"Thanks, you're quite hospitable," Kruxe said with a bit of doubt in his voice.
"Oh don't worry about that, we can talk about your bills later if there are any, just know the food is free, the clinic is empty most of the time so most of the funding we receive, we splurge on our cute and soft patients," Liara said unable to stop herself from pinching Kruxe's cheek and feeling his skin.
"Mommy likes you" Lia commented, only to get a light knock on her head that had her grumbling.
"I'll tell Daddy you don't like his tough skin," Lia said and then bolted off, her words making Liara's eyes widen.
"Ehhm I need to go Kruxe, but don't worry I'll see you in the morning, and you don't have to worry about having sleepless nights or nightmares, I added a bit of sleeping powder to your meal, so you'll sleep well. Goodnight."
With these words, Liara was out the door chasing after her mischievous daughter while Kruxe was left frozen.
Thankfully he hadn't developed a trauma, but the thought of sleeping drugs had him shiver as memories of the horrible night threatened to pop up.
Unable to do a thing about the sleeping drugs, Kruxe felt like returning to the balcony but then he felt too tired and changed his mind, deciding to rest on the bed.
Like this, Kruxe stared at the ceiling, his mind unable to conjure complete thoughts, and then soon he was gone, consumed by sleep.