Work Text:
Between the rainy season and the dry season there were a few weeks of respite when the rain eased but the hot weather hadn’t yet taken over. It was a time to rest and reflect, to enjoy the untamed, raw beauty that this planet had to offer, all the more appreciated when Marla found that she had little to enjoy in life after the choices she had made. Khan proved to be a crueler man than her first impression led her to believe, but it was some small comfort to see that he seemed to have a bright-line rule against directing his rage at his two young children.
She heard the sound of footsteps and turned to see her young daughter rushing toward her with a look of distress on her face. Maya was only four years old but so well-spoken and perceptive for such a small child that Marla sometimes found it eerie the way her own young child spoke and acted so mature.
She knelt to be on Maya’s level and gently brushed a lock of hair out of her face. “Something’s wrong, isn’t it?”
Maya looked away before she answered. “Am I unintelligent?”
Marla gasped but otherwise tried not to let her shock and frustration show. “No, no of course not.” She took both of Maya’s hands and held them tight. “Where did you get an idea like that?:”
“From Father.”
Marla’s heart jumped and she found herself short of breath. In a way, that was the answer she expected, but to hear it spoken was a sudden shock. “Maya. He has a very different basis of comparison. It’s best not to take it personally, the things he says.” The blank look on Maya’s face suggested that even for a child with enhanced intelligence, this explanation was too complex. “He didn’t mean it to be unkind.”