#undead lions

"Hey, what about this one? It's supposed t'be pretty good." Tor asked, picking up a copy of Far Cry 4.

"Maybe. I liked FC3." Ray said, browsing the shelves of the Game Stop. They'd come to stock up on games for when the summer drought hit.

"Daddy? Can I get this one, please?" Lily asked, running up with a copy of Omega Ruby.

"Sure." Ray said, patting her head. "I think I have a 3DS somewhere at home you can play it on."

"Thank you!" She smiled, holding the game close to her chest.

Tor just stood by, watching awkwardly. He wasn't very good with kids, despite having so many younger cousins. He hadn't seen his family much after the incident with Dis' Grimoire. So he didn't really know how to act around Lily.

"They seem to be out of Evolve. I'll ask if they have any copies in back, so watch Lily for a bit." Ray said, casually leaving Tor alone with his offspring as he went to look for a shop assistant.

'Oi, don't just leave me here with yer spawn!' Tor thought to himself, trying not to panic as he eyed Lily with trepidation. What was he supposed to do? What did you do with kids? Put on puppet shows? Duck tape them to the floor in front of the TV and put on educational cartoons? Bribe them with candy so they wouldn't cry? Probably bribe them with candy.

Lily stared back at him with her big emrand eyes, seemingly waiting for him to say something. He tried to ignore her, but she kept looking at him so expectantly. Like he was supposed to talk to her or something.

"Uh, ya wanna hear a joke?" He finally asked, not able to stand her silent gaze any longer.

She nodded.

"So, what do ya call a ring made of iron?" He asked, pausing for her to take a guess. She didn't. "A ferrous wheel."

She didn't laugh.

"Ok, uh, what do ya call a tooth in a glass of water?" He was greeted with silence. "A one molar solution."

No reaction.

"…How did carbon propose to Hydrogen? With a 'carbonkneel'."

Again, nothing.

At the end of his rope, Tor took a deep breath and brought out his best joke. "A neutron walks into a restaurant and orders a couple of sodas. As she is about to leave, she asks the waiter how much she owes. The waiter replies, 'For you, No Charge!'"

She just stared at him.

Utterly defeated, Tor hung his head in shame. He had failed to get even one giggle out of her with his jokes. He was a failure.

But then he felt someone take hold of his hand, and looked at it to see Lily was the one attacked to it.

"I like you Uncle Tor. You're nice." She said, smiling cheerfully up at him. It was a smile like a happy little yellow sun drawn in the upper righthand corner of a child's picture, full of innocence and joy.

"I, uh… thanks." Tor blushed, not sure how on earth he'd succeeded in getting her to like him. He felt kind of happy, though.

"Alright, I managed to snag the last copy." Ray said, coming back over towards them. He raised an eyebrow at Tor's blush. "What's with you?"

"Nothin'." He said, clearing his throat and avoiding eye contact.

"Well whatever, I think we're about ready to check out. You want to come with me to buy your game, Lily?" Ray asked, holding his hand out for his daughter as he smiled down at her.

"Ok!" Lily let go of Tor's hand and went over to her father, taking hold of his.

As they went off towards the register, Tor caught the whisper Lily gave to Ray. "I like Uncle Tor a lot. He's kind of pathetic."