Enter the Uncle

[mitochondriaaya]

It was a day like most others; sunny and bright with the sound of children screaming on the school playground. Recess always had screaming, usually it was the playful kind. Today the only anomaly was the principal standing outside next to a strange man whose gaze was weighing each of the running children in turn. The principal was trying to be helpful of course, pointing in the direct of one of the mobs.

Said mob was currently devolving into a medieval war on the monkey bars. The self-proclaimed King Braig was holding the top of the span with his loyal Knights holding either side for the moment. The barbarians were numerous though...and seemingly impervious to pain given the scraped knees and elbows they were gaining.

The man nodded gratefully to the principal so that the man could head back indoors...and waited. He wanted to see how this little war played out. And how the kid interacted with the two friends he'd been told about.

Comments

[sliceitwithwind]

"I'm not going!" Dilan said, "Just Braig's work!"

"HuH? Oh..." Braig started eating again, although he was busy thinking at the same time.

[mitochondriaaya]

"You guys follow his work some times, like the science fair!" Where they had to go to state competition and stuff. "You could go to Kansas! How far away is Kansas anyway?"

"Thank you, Braig." He was going to watch the boys plate and refill it a little when it got low. Kids needed food and thinking kids might not remember to serve themselves.

[sliceitwithwind]

"Not all the way to Kansas! It's over one thousand five hundred miles, Aya. Way too far, we have school."

"Umhmm." Braig said, mechanically eating.

"The good news," said his father, "is that he'll keep eating as long as he has food on his plate."

[mitochondriaaya]

"What if they want to give you guys prizes for saving farms?" They'd go then right? They could fly there and come back before school! Generally, children's arguments didn't need a point.

Nevada cut up a steak and slid it onto Braig's plate. "How much is good for him?"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Then they have to wait for school to be out." Dilan said reasonably, "School is important."

"That," Elcy explained, "is Dilan's voice of OCD. Don't try to reason with it."

"About as much as a human child his age would eat. A little heavier on vegetables than human, not nearly as much as Dilan."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Fine. I still get to go then if you go." And shoot water balloons. WATER BALLOONS FOR WORLD HUNGER. Or JUSTICE. Or something. GO KANSAS?

Nevada blinked and looked up at Elcy and Yinsi, as they were being remarkably unhelpful. "I know to the pound how much a group of recruits require no matter the circumstances, none of those have been eleven year old boys though and I'm assuming the metabolism is a little different." He was adding vegetables just in case though.

[sliceitwithwind]

The adults looked at each other, then Yinsi shrugged and offered poundage per day for Braig. "Estimated. Some days he burns more than others."

[mitochondriaaya]

That was a lot more useful! "Thank you, I'll remember." It would help him estimate meals for the children and snack allowances! "And make adjustments if we end up running hard."

[sliceitwithwind]

"Dilan needs..." and then Aya's needs as well. "If you want more details on Dilan's needs we can get them from Lenna. She's got him to the ounce."

[mitochondriaaya]

He was nodding like a man who was taking mental notes...and possibly adjusting accordingly. He hadn't run screaming yet? He wasn't likely to either. After the details though he led the conversation off into other things for awhile. Adult conversation was nice.