Kevin returned home one Sunday afternoon, sighing his usual sigh as he stepped through the
threshold of his house.
Sundays were nice days. Sundays meant shorter work day, less irritating customers, and less
clean-up time. Sundays also meant a visit from his daughters, whom were usually too busy at
work or with their own lives. It was a little sad, but they were adults now (though in his opinion,
19 was NOT adult age just yet), and they knew what they were doing (hopefully).
He was about two-sevenths of the way though a newspaper article about some special group
within the Bureau called NSIS when he heard the front door clatter open. Was someone visiting
him early today? He lowered his paper to see a girl around his shoulder’s height, black hair and
red eyes. Once upon a time, she was known as Material-A, an entity similar to Material-S,
Material-D, and Material-L. And just like the latter three, Material-A ended up being adopted
by a particular man…
“Hey, dad,” she smiled at him, setting her shoes aside by the entrance. “I’m home!”
Kevin blinked, “Athena. I didn’t expect you to come today.”
“I know, and I’m sorry I haven’t been around lately,” she seemed genuinely sad about that. It
had been… what, a month since she last visited? In comparison to the frequency in which her
sisters came over, Athena seemed like she was completely out of touch. She accepted her
father’s hug gratefully, giving him a big squeeze.
“Well, I’m glad you came to visit,” Kevin said as they parted. “Will you be staying for dinner?”
“Is that too much?” she actually looked worried.
“Of course not. Though, you’re a little early.”
“That’s no problem,” she shrugged. “I could get some extra work done while I wait. Besides,
it’s relaxing to be home for once. What are you making?”
“Since you’re here… why not chateaubriand?”
Athena blinked. Wasn’t that really expensive? She remembered the first time she offhandedly
asked for that, with Wagyu beef. Further research revealed that particular cut’s price range,
and she was absolutely mortified at the hit it would make on the family’s budget. Even with the
supplementing funds from the child care system, it was terribly debilitating. She changed her
mind quickly after that embarrassment.
The cook just chuckled at the girl’s expression, “I know. It’s a pricy cut, but I got some
tenderloin cheap this week. If not chateaubriand, how about steak au poivre?”
Athena make an approving sound, “Do that voodoo you do, then.”
“Of course. You want some coffee? Tea?”
“Tea would be wonderful, thank you,” Athena took a seat by the kitchen table, placing her
workbag by her feet. The wooden chair creaked comfortably to her weight.
A kettle of water was heating up beforehand, and just now reached the right temperature. In a
warmed iron teapot, Kevin spooned in a good amount of small, shiny black pellets before
pouring the hot water in.
“Yuuno was kind enough to bring a shipment of gunpowder green tea in with him – half for me,
half for Lindy. It’s not the expensive stuff, but it’s not junk either.”
“He’s a great man. Shana, Lilia, and Diana are all really lucky to have him.”
“I’m not all too keen on the ‘lets all share Yuuno’ plan, but if that’s how they want it…” Kevin
shrugged, pouring the prepared tea into two cups. “Whatever happens will be theirs to deal with.
I’ll just be there if they need me…”
“And that’s why they think you are the greatest dad in the world.”
“What about you?” Kevin smirked handed his adopted daughter a cup.
“Thank you,” she accepted it gratefully, breathing in its scent. “What about me?”
“Am I the greatest dad in the world?”
“Hmm,” the clone looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding at her mental conclusion.
“You were the best choice given the situation.”
“I can’t tell if that’s a good thing or bad thing.”
She chuckled, “I’m kidding. I know I don’t say this or show it too often, but I’m very grateful
that you took me in. The life I have now would not have been possible had you not accepted me.
So…”
“Hey, no need to get nostalgic here,” Kevin placed a hand on her head and ruffled her long hair,
much to her squawk of protest. “I was just kidding too. I don’t need reaffirmation to feel proud.
You all have already given me plenty to be proud about.”
Athena just blushed from the contact, a hand reaching up to idly brush back strands of ruffled
hair.
“Now then. I think I’ll get started on some side dishes and dessert. Lilia would kill me if we
didn’t have dessert…”
--
Steak au poivre, or pepper steak, is a steak—traditionally a filet mignon—that is loosely coated
with cracked peppercorns. The steak is then seared on a high skillet to form a crust then cooked
to the desired doneness (medium rare for everyone, in this case. Today, the steak au poivre
would be served with a pan sauce of cognac, cream, butter, Dijon mustard, diced shallots, and
pan fond. Side dishes included roasted fingerling potatoes and grilled vegetables. For dessert…
hmm, raspberry sorbet sounded a good contrast to big meal like that. As Kevin went about
preparing and chopping the vegetables, Athena’s attention was on the number of documents and
photograph spread across the table.
At first, Kevin thought them to be mere profiles, possibly of known TSAB criminals, suspects,
or perhaps personnel reviews. In a moment of silence, however, he heard the girl mutter to
herself about certain things,
“Him… no, not high enough. Won’t get anywhere with him. Hyundai? Pretty good, but not
gonna let my surname be that.”
What the…
“Ooh, a general’s son. Ooh, a CEO. Oooh. This one IS a general…”
Ah. That’s what she’s doing.
“Athena.”
“Hmm?”
“Is something the matter? You’ve been rather closed up tonight.”
“It’s nothing for you to worry about,” the black-haired girl waved him off. “Just a little work,
that’s all.”
“Girl, I may not be blood-related, but I’ve been your father for these ten years. I know when
something is bothering you, especially if it’s about potential romance options.”
Inwardly, Athena cursed. She had almost forgotten how observant this man was. She had to
play it off somehow…
“Haha… ahh, you caught me,” she gave her father a half smile. “I guess I’ve been feeling a little
jealous of my sisters and friends. They’ve all got someone to hold on to, and I’m still by my
lonesome.”
Pff. She wasn’t getting off that easy, “Your criteria wouldn’t happen to include potential for
political advancement, would it?”
Hmm. She had underestimated him severely. Perhaps this was punishment for not staying in
touch.
“If there’s one thing that hasn’t changed about you, it’s your perchance to plan and plot for your
rapid climb through military and political ranks. You’ve gotten this far by skill and hard work
alone, and now you seek a shortcut through marriage.”
Athena let out a quiet sigh. Figures she couldn’t hide any of this from the man she called dad.
Smiling softly, she looked at Kevin, “You got it, even though I wasn’t trying very hard to hide it.”
“I’ve never asked much of you or your sisters. So long as you got good grades and did your
best effort, I was satisfied. I promised to let you all live the way you wanted, and I’ve done
that,” Kevin leaned up against the kitchen counter, vegetables still unfinished. “You’ve all
become beautiful, strong, and highly intelligent women. You could ask for the world, and they
would give it to you. That’s why I hope whichever you choose to spend the rest of your life with
is a decision you made with love, not greed.
“Please. Don’t marry someone because of position, power, or money. I know you want to
move up as quickly and as high as possible, but don’t sacrifice your heart for that. It’s not worth
it.”
Material-A, Athena, stared at the man before her. In some way, she regretted coming home, as
she would not have been questioned about her plans. Yet, in light of Kevin’s words, she felt
frustration, shame, and… relief? Her father did not approve of what she was doing, a rarity in of
itself. While his hands-off style of parenting allowed her unprecedented growth, when he did
speak up, it was always for a good reason. Ten minutes ago, Athena was completely into this
plan, to find a partner that could help her climb the political latter even faster. Now, she doubted
herself and everything she had done. And for some reason, she felt good about that.
Damn you, dad.
“…Okay. I’ll forget about all this,” was all she said.
“Thank you,” Kevin nodded and pushed off the counter.
“Chose with my heart, huh?” Athena said softly, looking over the piles of profiles and histories.
They were… unworthy. She looked back at her dad, “And what if I chose you?”
Kevin gave her a look, a short moment passing before he shook his head and went back to work.
“Don’t be ridiculous.”