Absolutely no time was wasted when he had been presented with that little data chip. Hurriedly, he pulled his PDA out from a pocket within the simple gray jacket he opted to wear and deftly slotted it into the relevant port. Once the device booted and he had quickly navigated through a few menu screens, both the screen and his eyes lit up. The former with the vivid color of good pictures and footage, the latter because he felt a strange mix of immense pride and sorrow.
He hadn't been there with her when all these memories were made. And it felt like that had cost him something he could never get back.
"She looks happy." While the words were rife with melancholy, it was the truth. And if nothing else he tried to let this fact serve as consolation. She was growing up the way a child ought to, surrounded by family and adored. Not an investment. The nuance of all this and the way her partner felt would not have been lost on Fiorella. Just like every other time before, his eyes said everything.
Once he'd reached the end of everything the chip held, he stared at the screen for a few seconds longer before putting the device on standby. "Can I keep the chip?" There was an aspect of insecurity behind the tone of the request, it wasn't shame, instead it seemed to come from a place of doubt and was centered around himself.
