Lara stumbled into the kitchen by chance. She was clothed and ready to go, but her gaze was still a little lost.
«Have you seen Scarlet?» she moaned while stepping in.
When she saw the girl, relaxedly eating cookies with no worry in the world, she snorted and marched to her. Moreover, still in pyjama and her hair messy.
«You need to get ready, Scarlet! You can eat later!» she exclaimed before grabbing her from the chair.
«Hey,» Nate butted in.
He couldn't understand whether his mate was still sleepy or not. For sure, she did look like that.
«Sit down; have some coffee,» he continued. «Scarlet and I will get ready meanwhile. Take your time, Lara. We are not late.»
«No?» she said, surprised. She gazed at the clock but gave up on making a sense of it. She would think about it after the coffee.
Nate moved the chair for her, holding her hand while she sat down. He pecked her fingers before turning to Scarlet and winking at the girl.
«Let your mother have a breath,» he said.
The girl followed him in silence, and she pointed at the dress she wanted to wear. She opened her mouth to complain and say she would dress by herself when Nate found something to talk about to avoid her tantrum.
«How did you sleep?»
«Well.»
«And the wolf? How do you think he slept?»
Scarlet tilted her head, thinking hard.
«He slept well next to his mommy. He slept better than me.»
«Oh, but you did sleep well, Scarlet. The bed is comfortable, and you can turn all you want if you're alone.»
«My mommy is better than turning.»
«Also, only little kids sleep with their mother.»
«I will stay little forever, then,» Scarlet declared. What use was there in growing up if her mommy would neglect her?
«Ah... That would be nice, but, unfortunately, you'll grow up. You'll become a teenager, and then an adult and cause even more trouble than before. I prefer you little as well, but we can't decide.»
While talking, he helped her change her clothes. He showed her to sit on a chair to wear the socks, and he then took the brush to comb her hair. Every lock went in a different direction, and Lara had turned pale because of that. Maybe, it was the case to fix it a little.
Nate peeked at the mirror to check his own hair while he was at it. His mate liked tidy hair, apparently.
«My mommy always combs my hair,» Scarlet commented. «She knows everything, doesn't she?»
«I agree. But now, we need to figure it out on our own.»
«Why not ask mommy?»
«Because she's busy having breakfast. Do you want your mother to abandon her food just to come here and comb your hair?»
«Oh, no. You're right: we can figure it out.»
Nate tried with a single lock and was welcomed with a scream.
«Why?» Scarlet said before starting to sob. «What have I done wrong?»
«Did I hurt you?» Nate moaned, rolling his eyes at the extreme reaction.
«You want me to go bald,» she cried again, rubbing her eyes and hiding a painful grimace. As if he really had hurt her much.
«Sorry, Scarlet. I didn't do it on purpose...»
«I don't believe you!»
«I didn't know you girls were this delicate,» he sighed, crouching down. He stared at her, at a loss, for a while. How was one supposed to deal with a crying kid?
Part of him was inpanic. What would Lara say if she found out he made their daughter cry? She would blame him for sure, and she might distance herself because of that. She loved her children more than she loved him, after all.
«My mommy does it better,» Scarlet complained, rubbing salt on Nate's wounds. «She's better than you.»
«She is. But we need to figure it out,» he tried.
Then, he looked at his daughter's crying face. His heart sunk in desperation, and he opened his arms to hug her. Much to his surprise, she didn't push him away, even if he was the source of her pain.
«I'm sorry, Scarlet. I didn't do it on purpose,» he said while rubbing her back. «I'm no good... We really shall ask your mommy.»
«You didn't do it on purpose?» she repeated, dumbfounded. It had been enough to stop her nervous sobs. Tears still covered her face, but she wasn't desperately rubbing them away anymore.
She had calmed down a little, and she could look at Nate's face.
«No, of course not. I wouldn't hurt you on purpose, Scarlet. I didn't know that combing hair could be this... painful?»
«Don't ever comb my mommy,» she said.
«No, I won't.» Not after realising he would cause more trouble than be useful.
«You weren't punishing me? Nor picking on me because I'm cuter than you?»
«No, Scarlet. Where did you hear such things, by the way?»
«On the television,» she explained. It had happened in between two cartoons. While waiting for the advertisements to be over, she had changed channels and returned back a couple of times.
«Ah, right. I haven't set parental control on the TV here,» he remembered.
The one in his office was safe, but he didn't have the time nor could think about the other devices in the residence. Oh, but kids aren't supposed to watch TV on their own. His mother wouldn't allow it for sure.
It must have been a fleeting moment when Scarlet was alone. A series of coincidences... But he still would have fixed it.
How fast could his daughter be at learning what she shouldn't? Starting from the idea to lock Lara in a room to make her leave him...
«You look so harmless and cute, but you are no less dangerous than your brother,» he sighed.
«I'm the victim,» she reminded him. «Daddy hurt my hair, and now I'll become bald.»
«You won't become bald, Scarlet.»
«What about this?» she said, catching one of her hairs from her shirt.
«Hair falls, and it grows again.»
Instead of calming her worries, his words made her pout.. She had a reason less to be angry.
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