Sinestro had found the book Raven had given him very interesting. It talked about the various ways a kitten needed to be treated, going into depth about how to raise one. Just what Sinestro had needed. It mentioned at several different times that kittens needed to keep stimulated- they needed to play to practice their hunting and sharpen their skills. Since little Sora didn’t have another kitten to play with, she would have to settle on some small toys that Sinestro had found for her. She seemed to enjoy them, a small purple bean bag in the shape of a duck being one of her favorites. She liked to take it in her little mouth and toss it around, running after it like it had come to life and escaped her. For the most part, Sinestro enjoyed watching her play with it. The only time he got involved was when the kitten seemed to lose track of the toy, at which point he used his ring to lifted it slightly and shift it around. The swirling of small beans inside the plush always seemed enough to regain her attention.

He let her do her own thing as he worked on his various projects, digging up information on the item they had been sent to find while also looking into the various ‘hero’ groups to see what the two dimensions had been up to since their joining. Though he knew Soranik had been trying to get in contact with him, he was disinterested in returning her communications. Perhaps he was just more interested in his own work and looking after the kitten, or maybe he was still annoyed with her. Either way, his mind was not invested in the idea of seeing her any time soon.

After finishing a bit of research, Sinestro got to his feet, taking a moment to work some of the kinks from his back. It was starting to seem like he was getting too old for this kind of thing. Eh, he just didn’t like sitting down so long.

He would go with that.

Looking at his kitten, he moved to join her, sitting down on the floor as she continued to play with her toy. Much to his surprise, she stopped her assault on the plush and looked at him, the duck dangling from her little mouth. She moved over to her owner, dropping the toy nearby. Sinestro, arching an eyebrow, picked the toy up with his hand and not his ring, gently tossing it away from the both of them. The kitten scrambled to pick it up, playing with it for several seconds before she once again collected it in her jaws and brought it back over to Sinestro. Smiling, the red alien plucked the toy from her mouth again, watching her bound senselessly around for it without a care in the world. He tossed it again, and she went to catch it once more. This time, however, she over shot her destination and tripped on the toy she had been hunting, rolling paws over head before landing on her soft white tummy.

Sinestro actually laughed.

He didn’t seem to notice the small alerts on one of his many computer screens, or the fact that someone had entered his base. His yellow eyes were on the kitten, who seemed to have gotten distracted from her toy with her own tail.

“What a silly thing you are,” Sinestro said faintly to the small animal, though he knew she could not understand him. Even his ring could not translate his voice into something the kitten would be able to comprehend. He watched the kitten roll about on her back, swatting at his fingers as he wiggled them just above her. Her tiny claws, even as they caught his skin, could do nothing to harm him, much too soft and underdeveloped to be painful to someone like Sinestro. He smiled gently, his expression softer than anyone would have been able to claim seeing from him since his time with Arin. It had been years since he had seemed anything other than emotionless, and even he knew it. But there was something about a small, innocent kitten that made it feel alright to just relax for thirty seconds. Not worry about appearances. Who was she going to tell?

Apparently, she didn’t need to tell anyone- they could see it for themselves.

Sinestro finally picked up on the presence of another, his ears flicking slightly as he turned his head towards the entryway. Much to his surprise, and secretly to his horror, he saw his daughter leaning in the doorway. He couldn’t believe she had shown up in the one minute he had decided to play with his kitten. The whole rest of the day would have been fine- how could he have not seen her come in? His eyes shot to the computer screens, which were displaying as clear as day that someone was in the building. Well damn, it seemed he only had himself to blame.

Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet, leaving his kitten to bound around senselessly on the floor, oblivious to the strange awkwardness filling the room. “I did not know you were there,” he pointed out, “you could have been a bit louder about your presence over there.” He wanted to sound angry, like it was her fault, but he was too embarrassed to get the tone out right. In the end, he just sounded flustered.

“What are you doing here, Soranik?”

The kitten, perking up at hearing her name tucked in within all those other words, mewed happily and wandered over to her master, flopping against his foot in a failed attempt to rub his leg.

Right. Her messages. So not only was it his own fault that she had managed to slip in without him noticing it, it was also his fault that she had appeared there at all. It was really annoying knowing he was the only one he could blame for the strange turn of events. Sighing lowly, trying to take a moment to compose himself, he watched as Soranik picked up the cat and gave her a quick examination. The two Soras were both right there in front of him, and suddenly he felt very far away.

Little Sora didn’t seem to mind being in big Soranik’s hands, purring contently as she pawed at her hair, fingers and just about anything else she could get her tiny paws on. She seemed to sense something about her that reminded her of her master. Still, she was all wiggles before too long, wanting out of her grasp just so she could go and play. Sinestro watched as his daughter handed him the kitten, frowning somewhat.

He had embarrassed himself enough by the small beast, and was hesitant to take the creature from her. Regardless, he accepted the kitten, if only for a moment. Kneeling, he put the kitten on the ground, letting her scamper off to play with her little duck again. The kitten took it in her mouth and brought it over to her owner. Sadly, her own did not throw it this time, as he was too busy looking at her namesake to play.

“And what do we need to talk about?” He demanded, taking a step away from both versions of Soranik as he moved over to his computer, “you could have just sent me whatever you may have discovered. There’s no reason for a meeting.” He was uncomfortable, and his tone reflected it. It was the first time in a conversation where he didn’t feel in control- he didn’t have that commanding, sarcastic nature to his voice that normally accompanied every sharp word. Now, he was unsure of himself. Just what was she thinking? That he was losing his edge? Getting weak? He certainly thought those things about himself.

Maybe she just found the whole thing amusing.

He looked at the nearest computer screen, the old information displayed there nothing of importance to him. He had already looked over the research, before getting distracted by the cat, and hadn’t brought up anything new. Still, he looked at it, if only because he didn’t know where else to take his eyes. Slowly, he moved his hands behind his back, straightening himself so he could fall back into his old habits.

"If you have something important to tell me, then by all means, fire away, dear daughter," he said lowly. He was expecting her to get on his case at that point. Tell him that he was not fooling anyone with his 'antics' or something.

Sinestro frowned, saying nothing for the time being. It was an interesting question, and one he could take a few ways. If he was cruel about it, things could go back to the way they were supposed to be rather easily. It wouldn’t be impossible to make her hate him. But why would he want to do that? Things had gotten so convoluted. Honestly, he wasn’t sure he had a half-decent answer for her.

“It seemed easier,” Sinestro told her lowly, “the nature of our relationship is a curious one. With you so keen on loathing me for the acts of my past, I didn’t feel it necessary to exacerbate the problem by trying to make you think differently. Besides- you brought me a bit of… perspective. You were never wrong about me. You were always my reminder.” He sighed again. Was he making any kind of sense?

“In any case, keeping you safe has not changed. Even if we are on the same team now, my enemies still remain. It will always be better to be at a distance.” That seemed like a less dizzying answer. Maybe the one she was looking to hear, he had no idea. It was difficult for him to explain what was really going on inside of his head.

Turning his head, he looked at his daughter, frowning thoughtfully as he observed her. She looked much more like her mother than she did him. A different skin color, perhaps, but she had her features, most noticeably her eyes. The stubbornness she got from him, but the rest of her traits… she was so much like her mother. And for the better- it seemed like she didn’t need any of his genes. Tilting his head, he took a deep breath, looking back at the useless screen. “I wonder why you ask me such a thing now,” he added with no indication towards what he was feeling, “you are not the most open when it comes to being near me, you know. You don’t exactly pull when I push you away.”

Sinestro felt it- he could feel his emotions stirring with in him, in a way he hadn’t suspected them to in a very long time. He felt… sorrow. Guilt. It burdened him that she was upset, and it hurt even more thinking he had something to do with it. Though he had been happy to believe she had never cared about how he treated her, because she had already decided he would never be a father to her, it seemed their shared blood transcended any of their best attempts to hide. She did care. Maybe not as much as he cared for her, but clearly the situation between them had some kind of an effect. As he watched her, he could see she was unhappy. Almost like she was about to cry. Because he hadn’t given her the answer she had been wanting to hear?

What had she wanted him to say?

He didn’t heed her request, not bothering to begin any kind of download of the information on his computers to his ring. Instead, he moved towards her, his steps almost cautious and he brought himself in front of his much shorter daughter. Watching her, not bringing himself to touch her, he frowned.

“I never wanted it to be like this,” he told her, “I agreed to give you up because I thought it would be the best way to keep you safe. I knew what I was going to do would not be popular, but I had believed it best for the planet. All the same, I had never wanted you… or Arin… to suffer because of me. But I couldn’t let you go completely. I could never. Even now… I know it would be safer to cut ties from you completely… but I can’t do it. Despite my best efforts, you are my daughter, and a part of me will always want to be by your side. Protect you.” He sighed softly, moving away from her.

“I remember one day, when you were still very young, you were with your new parents, heading up a steep path to a small park outside of Korugar City. You wandered away from them as they stopped to talk to some friends, and you got too close to the edge of the cliff. I watched, hidden under a robe, as you ventured out of their sight and sought a small flying bug, reaching out over the cliff to try and grab it. I ended up doing the same in that moment. Before I even realized it, before anyone even had a chance to scream out your name, I had sprang over the edge to grab hold of you, shielding you with my body. I had been in such a rush I hadn’t even thought to use my ring. We had fallen, but I took the brunt of the damage while you were clinging to me. As I lied on the ground, I remember thinking how happy I was to be able to hold you again. But then I had to let you go, before anyone could see me.” He shook his head. He hadn’t turned to face her since he had started his story, looking away from her at an undecorated wall.

“It was always so much easier to protect you when you were little. When you didn’t know who I was. Now… everything has become so clouded. It seems difficult to know which way to go. And usually I’m pretty good with decisions.”

Sinestro could hear her crying- even though she was doing her best to keep it silent, he could hear her. For a moment, he didn’t know what he should do. Normally, when people cried in front of him, it was because he had frightened them to hell and they were sobbing for their lives. He had never found anything wrong with that. But this… this wasn’t because she feared him. Was it because she had actually heard him? That she understood him, for the first time? Slowly, he looked over his shoulder, watching his daughter, who seemed to be struggling in the doorway. Swallowing a knot in his throat, he turned towards her, slowly making his way over.

These emotions… he didn’t know how to deal with this kind of thing. Was he supposed to try and cheer her up? He wasn’t much in that department.

Awkwardly, he placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to offer what comfort he could. Though he really had no idea what he was doing, he knew he needed to do something. “Soranik… I… I’m sorry.” He frowned, watching her still. “I… if I could change how things had happened…” He had never really thought that way before- he had never thought he would change what he had done if he had half a chance to. He had always thought he had made the right choice, and that he would do it again to help his home world. But… that was not so true, when he was looking at Soranik. When he could actually see the pain it had caused her. Would he feel so differently if any other Korugaran had been in front of him?

Sighing, he turned from her again, unable to deal with the large scale of emotions he suddenly found himself dealing with. If he let things continue, he might end up doing something along the same lines as his daughter.

“Perhaps you should go,” he said after a moment, his voice faint, “we… don’t have to talk about everything right now. Slow, perhaps, is better with this kind of thing. You need time. I do, too.” He wasn’t looking at her, again, kneeling down at pick up his kitten. Sora had been hovering around them, wondering what the heck was going on. Sinestro pet her, slightly comforted by her purrs.

“You know where to find me if you feel ready to speak again,” he added.

Sinestro could not remember wanting to hold onto someone and comfort them. Not since her mother had he ever considered dropping his strong façade and showing that he really could be a nice man. He wanted to hug her- he wanted to hold onto her as he had done so long in the past, whispering to her that things would be alright. She had been comforted then, clinging to him and not even crying about having fallen from a cliff.

He watched her as she agreed with him, nodding slowly and getting herself to her feet. It seemed like she was really struggling with her emotions. He didn’t blame her- though he managed to keep himself together in front of her, within he was having quite a tumultuous emotional roller coaster of his own.

Hearing her call him dad hadn’t helped calm the sea of his feelings.

His eyes widened as he watched her move to leave, his shock great enough to show on his face. Again the urge to hug her had surfaced, and he could no longer keep it at bay. Shooting forward, he grabbed hold of her arm, pulling her towards him as he wrapped his arms around her, holding his close against him. Even though he knew she was a fully grown korugaran lady, it still felt like he was hugging a child. Perhaps it had something to do with being a foot taller than her, or maybe he just wanted to believe it. Either way, he didn’t feel uncomfortable as he held her, though he still only allowed it to linger for a short time.

Sighing softly, he pulled away, turning from her and allowing her to leave without a word. Suddenly, he felt like he needed to get some air as well. Maybe fight some crime. Something to settle him back into a sense of normalcy. He didn’t do well with feelings. Along with pleasure came all the guilty feelings of realizing how much he had made her suffer over the years. It was all much more than someone who had spent the greater portion of his life pushing away his emotions was willing to deal with.

Sora trotted over to him, the Green Lantern picking her up gently. Scratching her head with one finger, he frowned, hoping to keep himself together even once his daughter was gone. Within the silence of his compound, he still felt like it was inappropriate to cry.