Private Father's Workshop

[Eloise Dinn]

There was a knock on the door to Arcturus’ workshop. “Daddy?” came a familiar voice. “Mom said to bring you some breakfast.”

On the other side of the door stood Eloise, still wearing her pajamas. She held a tray of food, fresh and hot judging by the steam rising from the plate.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

As he finished up his tattoo, shaped like the twin moons of Zaathru, a knock came on his workshop door. The kids were great about knocking before entering when it came to his workshop, or forge, or well anywhere that he tended to toil really.​

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"Come on in, Louise, I'm almost finished" he said, "And what, I get Daddy but Mommy's just mom?" He couldn't help but chuckle a little. Already he could smell the breakfast, and when his daughter entered he felt his stomach grumbling all the more.​

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"C'mere, love" he said, patting his lap as he set down the tattoo gun and peered down at his chest where the tattoo lay. He'd done it himself, tiny runes and all, with help of a microscopic mirror. It hadn't been easy, in fact he'd been up most of the night. And if Eloise was bringing him breakfast? Well, he must have stayed up past dawn.​

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"You're such a sweetheart, did you help Mommy make it?"​

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Eloise Dinn ​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Eloise wasn’t really sure how to articulate why she called her father Daddy and her mother Mom; it was just something she did. “You’re more like a daddy, and she’s more like a mom,” she eventually answered.

Stepping carefully into the room, she looked around the workshop. It was full of many things which would draw the attention of a child, but she knew well enough not to touch anything. Her roving gaze eventually settled on his chest. “You got a new tattoo,” she said, pointing to the twin moons. “Is that Dagda and Damara?” She’d been learning more about Zaathru and its moons ever since the family moved there, and she especially liked Damara, because it belonged to her.

“Yeah,” Eloise said, hopping up on his knee. “She made the hot stuff and I made the cold stuff. And she said to tell you that she missed you last night.”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

"Well, I can't argue with that logic, sweet-pea." He supposed it was up to each of the children to decide when that transition was made, one day he'd simply be Dad and while he'd miss being Daddy he knew it was just the way of things. ​

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She pointed out his new tattoo, and he grinned and nodded his head. "It is, yes. Which do you think is which?" One lay just a little higher than the other. He was curious which she'd want to be, given that she and Marcus were the embodiments of the moons.​

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With her soon on his knee, he glanced down at the tray of food she'd set to the side table and plucked a grape from a bowl of fruit. "You want some?" he asked, offering her some of the feast. Porridge and hot meats called his name especially, and soon he was thoroughly tucking in. "Mm, delicious. My compliments to the chefs."​

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He felt a twinge of guilt at knowing that sweet Rhiannon had missed him last night. Next time, he should probably do such a project during the daytime... It just hadn't panned out that way.​

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"What are you up to today, love?" he asked as he (or they) ate. "Wanna spend the day here with me?" It was very, very rare that the children were allowed in here much less encouraged to participate. Still they were growing, it was high time they learned some of his craft.​

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Eloise Dinn ​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

“Damara is higher than Dagda,” she answered confidently, pointing to each moon. Taking the grape, she popped it in her mouth, then went to town on the rest of the fruits. For an outside observer, watching the two of them eat was quite amusing. They were so much alike in mannerism and behavior that she almost seemed to be deliberately imitating him.

Eloise seemed reluctant to answer his next question. “Exploring, probably,” she finally muttered, in a tone that suggested she wasn’t enthusiastic about it. Back on Chaldea, she had a couple of friends she could play with. But here on Zaathru, all the native children were afraid of her. With the new baby on the way, Marcus was practically glued to Mom—and even if he wasn’t obsessing over his incoming baby brother, he wasn’t much fun as a playmate to begin with. Too bookish.

"Wanna spend the day here with me?"

“Yes,” she said, brightening up immediately. “Can I get a tattoo too?”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

"Oh, is that so?" he asked with a grin, "Someone's been listening to their lessons." Kissing her atop her head, he offered her another grape before tossing one into his own mouth. They sat like that for a moment, devouring the fruit and the rest of the meal in tandem, before an answer was given as to her plans for the day. ​

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"Exploring can be fun, even if you're alone," he said, "I know it must be difficult for you, Louise, but you will make friends here too, I promise. And in the meantime, I'm always here to play too. Very few projects are so time sensitive that I can't pause for half an hour or so."​

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More, likely, but he couldn't promise the world because there would be days when he could not come through on it. He had to keep things... measured. Easily achievable, lest he disappoint her.​

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"Absolutely not" he stated when she asked if she could have a tattoo of her own. "Whatever could you possibly want a tattoo for, or of for that matter?"​

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Eloise Dinn ​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Eloise smiled smugly. There was no actual difference in size or distance between the two moons; she just had to one-up her brother in even the pettiest of ways.

“With who?” she complained. “Everybody here is scared of us. We should live somewhere else.”

Complaining she may have been, but she was lonely. Arcturus would remember how she had suffered from homesickness after their arrival, missing her grandparents and schoolmates and the familiar old house. She cried every night for a week and begged to go back to Chaldea, until finally it sank in that this was her home now, whether she liked it or not.

Talking about the tattoo took her mind off these things. “I want a mermaid tattoo,” she said. “With a green tail and purple hair. I dunno where yet. Maybe on my back, like Mommy’s?” Mom slipped back into Mommy, possibly because she was trying to be cute to get what she wanted. “Please? Pretty pleeaasee?”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

"They won't always be afraid" he soothed, "We could go down to one of the villages, and find some way to help them... Maybe bring toys for the children, too? Small acts of kindness add up, Louise, and in time they may realize that you are capable of being their friend too. You are such a sweet, strong girl, and they'd be lucky to have you as a playmate."​

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He didn't wish to bring up the possibility of them moving between here and Eliad more freely in the coming months, did not want to get her hopes up unnecessarily, so for now this would have to do. "Maybe I could send for some children? Offer lessons here at the Palace, teach them Basic? What do you think, my little moon?"​

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At no point did any of his suggestions lean toward forcing friendships, because simply put that was impossible. More... providing opportunities for the children to interact. Deep down most children were without prejudices, and once the initial ice was broken it was very easy for them to find common ground, to play and enjoy each other's company. "I'm sorry things aren't perfect here for you, my love."​

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Thankfully the talk of tattoos brightened her spirits some, even if it left Arcturus in mock-exasperation. "Ellie-girl" he whined, the way he only did when he was pretending to be upset or defeated, "Your mother would murder me... and then what would we do, huh? Tell you what, how about... How about you give Daddy a tattoo instead? But, look at me - I mean it, Eloise, look at me for this - you have to be careful. Slow, and steady, and only Daddy, okay?" He did not need to say how things would be if she did not follow these guidelines, these rules. ​

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She was being given a speck of trust, this was her first real chance to prove herself responsible.​

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Eloise Dinn ​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Daddy had good ideas, as always. “Okay,” Eloise said, idly wiggling her toes.

"I'm sorry things aren't perfect here for you, my love."

“I thought perfection was impossible,” she muttered, repeating something she had heard or read. But the way he said it made her want to hug her father, so that’s what she did, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a peck on the cheek.

Her expression soured at being denied a tattoo, though her eyes grew big as saucers at the prospect of being allowed to tattoo him. “What do I do?” she asked. “What do you want me to draw? I don't know how to do it...”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

"Well, you are perfect" he countered to her cynical musings, as he too wrapped his arms around her and held her close, glowing from the kiss on his cheek. It was still surreal to him, that he had a family. One who loved him just as fiercely as he loved them.​

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Her many questions soon followed and he couldn't help but chuckle.​

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"First you figure out a design. Anything you want, love, but... remember, it's going to be stuck on Daddy's skin forever, okay?" He reached over to his desk and brought forth a sketchpad and a pen, then handed it off to her where she sat.​

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"On here first, then we'll get some transfer paper so it'll print onto my skin, alright?"​

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He sort of moved between watching whatever it was she drew and not putting that pressure on her by looking away.​

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Just what would she come up with exactly?​

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Eloise Dinn ​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

“Forever,” Eloise echoed, her eyes somehow opening even wider. She was so young she could barely comprehend the concept.

But she soon put that behind her and set to drawing. She had a few false starts—sloppy circles, ideas that didn’t pan out, and doodles she ultimately discarded in favor of the final design.

“This.”

It was a star with a smiley face inside. Two, actually—and one was smaller than the other.

“That’s you and that’s me.”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

He tried not to peek as she worked out the kinks in her design, simply there to facilitate a higher seating point for her as well as fresh pieces of paper whenever she scrunched one up. It would make for good fire kindling at least, waste not want not.​

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So when she unveiled the design for him he was genuine in his surprise, and a large grin formed over his lips. Two stars side by side, one smaller than the other, and both of them smiling.​

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Them, Eloise stated.​

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"Aww, bug" he cooed, leaning forward to press his lips into the back of her hair, "I love it. Now we just have to figure out where to put it. I had been thinking maybe my wrist, then I can see it wheneeeever I want to."​

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A quiet pause as he both considered that and allowed her time to consider it too. "Did you have anywhere in mind, Louise?"​

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Eloise Dinn ​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

"Who are you calling 'bug'?" Eloise sassed. "You're a bug, too."

She looked at his wrist in the spot he had indicated. Wow, Daddy had a lot of freckles. They sprinkled the pale skin on the back of his hand, forming patterns like stars in a constellation.

"I'll put it right here." She pointed to his outer wrist. "Okay, let's do it! Where's the transfer paper?"

Arcturus Dinn

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Okay, he laughed at that. "You mean you don't want to be a pretty little firefly, my fiery girl?" Perking a brow, he nodded his head, "Aye, a stink bug is what I am isn't it?"​

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He watched her little face scrunch in thought as she considered his wrist, then gestured to a point amidst his freckles.​

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"Right there?" he teased with a hum, "Not there, or there, or maybe there?" He shifted his finger around the various other freckles before grinning. "Alright Not-Bug, grab one of those," He pointed to a slither of what looked to be two pieces of tissue paper with a black layer in between. "Take off the top layer, place your paper over top of it...."​

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He continued his instructions until the prepared transfer paper was set upon his a wrist, which he'd gently shaved the hair from while she traced her lines. Patting it down gently, careful not to smear the design, he slowly pulled it back up and voila, the design was now on his skin.​

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"That was the easy part" he warned, "How steady's your hand? Here, lift one and show me..."​

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Eloise Dinn ​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

"Aye, a stink bug is what I am isn't it?"

“Yeah.”

His playing with the freckles got her grinning. “Those ones look like a bow and arrow.”

She followed the instructions he gave, tracing on the transfer paper. Then she watched in fascination as he stuck it to his wrist. “It’s like one of the temporary tattoos Marcus likes. The ones with superheroes on them.” She held up her right hand, steady as can be, then grabbed his. Her grip was strong and firm.

Arcturus Dinn

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

"Wow, strong as a Wookiee!" Her hand was steady, and that was a good thing. With the prep out of the way, it was time for the next step. "Okay, love. Do you want it coloured or black like the rest of them?" Once she'd made her decision, he set the correct colour out on the table before them, and then changed the needle out on the tattoo gun. Good practice was important, even if it was going to be used on his skin again.​

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"You see this little button?" he asked, tilting the device, "When you want to draw with it on skin, you press it okay?" He gave an example, and the thing whirred into life, the needle at the end hastily vibrating up and down. "Hold it like a pen, dip it into the ink, and then bring it over to my wrist where the transfer is. You need to be gentle when you touch it to my skin, okay? This thing is going to stab me a million times."​

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He offered it over to her, and in doing so entrusted her with his wrist.​

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Eloise Dinn ​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Eloise made a few imitation Wookiee growls and roars, giggling. "I want it drawn in black, and then colored yellow and orange. Is that okay?"

She eyed the tattoo pen, gingerly taking it from him. Pressing the button experimentally, she jumped a little at the vibration, but soon got used to it. "Sorry for stabbing you a million times," she said, grinning. "But it's just like a little pinprick, right? And it doesn't go all the way in..."

Sticking her tongue out in concentration (another habit she had inherited from her daddy) she dipped the pen in ink and gently pressed it to his skin. At first she didn't exert enough pressure, afraid of hurting him, but with a little guidance she would get it right.

From there it was relatively smooth sailing—apart from a tiny mistake. "Oops," she exclaimed, pointing to a spot where the orange ink had gone a little too far over the line. "How do I fix it?" Could she fix it, or was it a permanent mark now?

Arcturus Dinn

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

"Are you yellow, or are you orange?" he asked, with a soft nod of his head. "Of course it's okay, Lucie-Lou." He gave her all the time in the world to adjust to the feel and weight of the gun, especially once it began to vibrate, then chuckled at her apology.​

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"Just a pinprick" he promised, "It'll be well worth it."​

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That she had some of his little quirks was, quite frankly, adorable. While she worked, he flowed the Force through the ink being scribed into his wrist though he remained thoroughly alert and aware of what she was doing, giving advice and answering questions where needed. ​

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As for the mistake... "You can't, but it's okay. Try your best to stay in the lines, sweetheart, but mistakes happen, and frankly I'd say this gives it real character, wouldn't you? I love it all the more for this little blip of ink."​

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It would remind him of who had inked it, after all.​

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Eloise Dinn ​

 

[Eloise Dinn]

“Both. The rays will be orange, and the suns will be yellow,” she explained. He gave her yet another pet name, to which she responded in kind, “Okay, Daddy-O.”

Her tongue moved from one side of her mouth to the other as she worked. The mistake couldn’t be fixed, but Daddy liked her mistakes. He said it gave the tattoo character. She wasn’t entirely sure what that meant. Maybe she’d understand better when she was older?

She finished tracing the lines, then started in with the yellow ink. The two suns were colored in, then their rays were ensconced in orange. It gave a nice effect of emanating light.

“... Done!” Eloise exclaimed. “Yay, finally!”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

"Oo" he said when she explained her vision, "That sounds wonderful, love." Daddy-O... He wondered how far they could take this back and forth of silly names. For now though Eloise needed to focus, so he quieted down and sat still for her, admiring the way she worked and her focus.​

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It surprised him somewhat to know that she wasn't frustrated by the tiny colouring mistake; the moment he said it was fine, she carried on as though nothing had happened and it made his heart soar. Some people couldn't handle any level of failure, but Louise was clearly a very headstrong, self-sure little girl and he hoped ever so dearly that such would never change.​

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With her exclamation and declaration that she was done, Arcturus gently took the tattoo gun from her and disconnected it.​

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"Beautiful, buttercup, you did a great job." He kissed her curls, before reaching for a sanitizing spray and cloth. "Now we have to clean it, and cover it, so it can heal properly. You want to help or do you want me to do it?"​

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Eloise Dinn ​