The Nepleslian looked down at the pint-sized girl who came so eagerly to his table and smiled. "Hello, little lady. How are you today?"
"Good! Mommy's busy today but she says that I'm big enough to visit my aunties! But I've never seen you before! You have funny stuff on your face, is that make-up?" The little girl asked in a bright bubbly voice as she looked up at the man curiously.
"Well, my young lady, this is called a beard. Any man can grow them if they wait for a while." Davis laughed softly, brushing his beard with his glove to show it to her. "How old are you, my lady?"
"Oooooh okay! I am...7 next month! Is it itchy?" The little girl beamed again with a soft giggle.
"It's only itchy if you don't groom it," the Nepleslian said. "But anyway, where are your parents? Isn't it dangerous to travel by yourself?"
The Nepleslian felt his own paternal instinct kick in for the girl. It was not so long that his own son was the same age.
"Mommy's de....plowed?" She paused for a moment trying to remember if this was the correct word. "My aunties are looking after me since Daddy is with Miss Chiharu!" She didn't seem bothered by this fact, just a mix of what could've been lonely and proud.
The true meaning of those words wasn't lost on the Nepleslian, who kept his smile warm although he felt a small pang of hurt in his chest. "Well, well, everyone must be very proud of your mommy. She's doing a very important job for you and everyone else on this station."
"Yeah! She's a doc! I'm not alone though, Mr. Bubbles and Auntie Kaylee keep me company! You're clothes look funny, you are from another place?" The little girl beamed brightly still, smiling as she toyed with the fabric of her dress for a moment as she stared up into the man's face. He did have the look on his face that her mommy did when she was looking at a picture of daddy.
The elder Nepleslian looked down at his clothing, puffing out his vest with his fingers playfully. "They do, don't they? You're very smart to notice, little lady. I'm from very far away, a planet called Nepleslia."
"Ne-pa-ulll-eeesia?" She said the word oddly, unsure if she had heard of the place. "Is it pretty there? Do you eat cookies there? Are there puppies and flowers?"
"Well, it's beautiful in its own way, young lady. We have very tall buildings and lots of pretty lights and many many people. We eat cookies and many other delicious foods and have puppies and flowers too, just not as many as other places."
"Ooh! It must be pretty around bedtime! Do you miss Nepulleasia?" She asked again, lightly rocking on her heels.
"I always miss my home when I am away from it, young lady," Davis said. "Don't you miss your home when you go on trips?"
Her smiled softened a little and her eyes got big. "I do.... the bad Mashu took it away and now everyone is so sad these days! But mommy says that home is where we are, so the mashu bad doddyheads can't take it away." she looked like she was about to cry despite her herself and her half smile.
The Nepleslian saw what was about to happen and bent over, taking the little girl gently by the shoulder and looking into her eyes with a serious expression. "Now now. Little ladies don't cry because their tears make everyone sad. The big bad Misshu did what they did to make you cry. They want to make you cry because that's the only way they are happy." His eyes softened as well.
"But if you ...don't cry, because you're a big, brave girl, they get scared because they know you can fight back. And Misshu don't like people who can fight back because they know they aren't scared of them. A lady as pretty as you must be very tough, right?"
The little girl gently bit her lower lip as she nodded, staring back at Davis with large teary blue eyes. "Are they fighting you too?"
"They're fighting everyone, my lady, but they will soon find out that they can't win if they have no friends." Davis smiled at the girl's bravery. "Now now, do you want a special Nepleslian gift?"
Her eyes lit up. "A gift, realllly?" She jumped up and clapped her hands at this notion. Her tears were suddenly forgotten for the moment.
"Yes, a super special gift, something that only very special people get to wear," Davis said as he removed his cap, carefully removed the markings and placed the cap on her head. "But because you're so pretty, you can wear it too."
The removal of the cap revealed his balding head, with hair receding well behind his forehead, but the Nepleslian didn't mind the extra bit of cold that nipped at his top.
The little girl let out a little squeal of excited glee at the gift of the cap. "Ar...arigatou, Otousan!" She jumped up and threw her arms around the man's torso to give him a warm hug.
The aging man made an 'oomph' noise when the girl latched onto him, but soon returned the hug with his own pat on her back. "It's nothing, my young lady. Please take good care of it, ok?"
She turned her head and kissed the man's bearded cheek when he as low enough for her to accomplish the feat. "You bet! I’ll keep it forever!" She let go of him, nodding furiously and almost knocked it off her head. She carefully put her hands up to keep her new treasure on her head. "I'm Ami!"
"I'm Robert Davis. Nice to meet you, Ami." The Nepleslian's heart melted a little with the kiss, bringing a new warmth to his chest not felt for quite some time. "Thank you."
"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Davis," Ami looked at him curiously, unsure of why she was being thanked but like a polite little girl she simply replied, "You're very welcome!" With a bright, warm smile. "Are you visiting a friend here, Otousan?"
"Yes, I'm talking to the very nice lady you call Motoyoshi Taisho. She's the one who's on the media all the time and says the good things to keep you happy."
He cleared his throat. "Unfortunately, she had to leave on business so I'm waiting for her here."
"OOH! Motoyoshi-sama! I'm sure she'll come back for you..." Ami stopped as she made a face. "Shoot! Auntie Kaylee is calling me! I gotta go now, Otousan! Thank you for the pretty hat!" She bowed deeply, her left hand sitting on top of the over sized cap to keep it on her head. "Maybe you can tell me more stories about Nepleaslua if you're still visiting, Motoyoshi-sama!"
"Of course," Davis said, a light chuckle escaping his lips. "You take care of yourself now and keep on being a strong young lady." He returned the bow.