Aricia was dodging the rain anyway she could as she made her way up to the higher levels of the city, of the planet towards the senate buildings. She would run from overhang to overhang only a few drops of rain touching her head and dress as her shiny black shoes clicking against the durasteel platforms and she turns to quickly run up the steps to the Senate Building, pulling open one of the large glass doors as she moves into the large atrium, memories flooded her once more. They all go back to that day, that day that she first came, it had been raining like this and she had came into this place soaking wet and lost. This evening was different, she knew where she was going. She knew she would be accepted.

She moved towards the lifts and stepped inside of an empty one and as the doors slid shut she would look at her refection. It was so different from all of those years ago. She was more grown up, she wasn't wearing jeans with holes in them and a t-shirt. No this evening she wore a simple plum colored dress, it had a square neckline and landed just above her knee. She wore a simple black sweater over it, to cover her arms. Something she always did. She had no idea what her father had planned so she was dressed in the middle where she wouldn't stand out too much in most places he would go.

The lift would jerk to a stop as she steps out onto his floor and moves towards his office, bringing her hand up as she knocks on the door softly before peeking inside "Dad?"

“Aricia, do come in, please.” He waited till she had stepped fully into the office before speaking again. “Have a seat, please,” he said as he pushed the chair opposite himself out with a foot underneath the desk. He still did not raise the lights, perhaps from fear that she would see the anxiety on his face.

“I trust you've had a good day today?” He questioned all too aware that his voice was as stoic as if he were addressing the Senate; he would have to work on that with her. Perhaps, he reflected, that was the source of his troubles when dealing with women as well. Perhaps Aricia would aid him in learning how to show emotions. Then again he was very able to show passion when it was needed.

Awaiting her reply he opened the single drawer in the desk and fiddled with the flimplast therein before closing it again. He had been doing that all night.

“That’s fantastic,” he said absently with a grin that was only half-hearted. He was trying, but his mind had been terribly preoccupied since his visit with her. Had he realized that by acting the way he was towards her he was not making a good impression of ‘starting over’ he’d have stopped in a moment; but Carson, though an able politician and fairly intelligent (at least in his own mind) had never been great at the emotional game.

He considered her question. Was something wrong? Truthfully he thought that he could say that nothing was wrong…at least not with him. He was untroubled by any malady, he certainly did not suffer from a lack, and he was not imprisoned by substance abuse; he had his daughter back…what else could he want. But he did. He wanted to be able to help others.

She would not be able to see how meticulously the room had been cleaned; every surface polished to a brilliant sheen, the deep, plush carpeting groomed back to its original color, and the walls void of any hint of previous smudge. Even if she could have seen it she would not know that he had done it all himself. The inner office, his office, was the same way. Hours had been spent putting the room back the way he had found it, as if no one had ever used it.

His eyes flickered back to her, though she would see no more than the whites. “There is nothing wrong Aricia, nothing at all.” He stood, finally, and walked to her side of the desk offering his arm for her to stand. “So, your choice, my treat. Anything you would like, just name it and we will go,” he said, and this time his voice seemed happy to be spending time with her.

Aricia would look to him once more as he stood up and moved around the desk to her. She would smile, it was a bit forced but she would push her thoughts away as she moves to stand up, her arm gently resting against his, the carefully wrapped wounds would begin to bleed once more, the blood starting to seep through the clean white gauze she usually wrapped around them. The black cardigan would hold the bandages into place at the moment. "Umm...I don't know? There is a place a few levels down, it is known for its outer rim food...pretty good, its a bit upscale, but not too much." she would flash him a smile, it was a little forced. She was worried, worried she was trying all of nothing. That nothing would work out. It hadn't to this point. But shenoticed the change in his tone of voice, maybe it would. She hoped. She prayed.