Ric saw her displeasure, though it didn't bother him much when it was because he moved his leg away. But he felt a tightening in his chest when she reacted the way she did to his question about her father. He sniffed a little, looking around to see if any one else was watching them. He didn't want her to be sad, and the fact that he cared, even a little bit, was new to him.
Slowly, he moved his hand over her head. He hesitated as it hovered over her crown, staring at it as if it had a mind of its own. His jaw clenched and he rested the palm of his hand over the top of her head in his attempt to comfort her. "If he in fact did say that he doesn't love you any more, then he truly is a bad man," he spoke softly, the vigilante in him beginning to swell with purpose.