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]

"Of course. She's got her own room here, we'll do whatever we can to help you out. Aya, of course, is our primary focus. We'll leave Jerrig to you, he doesn't seem to have room in him to make friends right now."

[mitochondriaaya]

"No, he doesn't." Luckily he had Nevada, who didn't just go away because he went weird. "I'll help move the rest of her things." He was...angry. The girls stuff had been in the livingroom. She slept on the couch. Not acceptable.

"I'd like to start taking the children out, as a trio at first then perhaps individually. Tomorrow I hope to take them off campus for recess since they seem to have more energy than the staff should be asked to deal with. I have papers that need to be signed if that's alright."

[sliceitwithwind]

"Thank you." Yinsi said, nodding and tilting his head, "I'll sign for Braig and get Lenna to sign for Dilan tonight. Just let us know where you plan on having them...and try to stick with Dilan's schedules. I can get you a copy of that as well. He doesn't do well with change, so if you want to do something out of the ordinary it's best to let him know a couple of days before it's supposed to happen."

[mitochondriaaya]

"I would appreciate copies, yes." Because then he could plan. "I'll be taking them to the exercise trail at the nearby park, back in time for recess to be over." Nevada glanced back at the pair building the scale weapon and nodded. "Other activities to be planned as we figure out what people enjoy."

[sliceitwithwind]

"The boys like anything related to the sciences, Braig enjoys history, and Dilan is fond of athletics. Aya really enjoys athletic things and is really fond of the beaches and anything to do with them. All three of them are perfectly happy to do whatever one of them wants to do."

The trebuchet launches a water balloon at the nearest tree and Dilan yips in pleasure, "Braig is usually the one at the forefront, or Aya. Dilan is happy to go along with their picks."

[mitochondriaaya]

"That gives me some place to start with activity planning, thank you." He nodded to Yinsi and pulled a small notebook out of his back pocket so he could note the things that had been mentioned. "They'll need some solo activities as well. Everyone needs to get out alone sometimes. I'll think on those."

Ah, water balloon catapult. Because yard warfare needed to be stepped up a notch? "Is that a project they're playing with?"

[sliceitwithwind]

"If you hunt, Dilan could use a teacher for that. I don't." Yinsi offered, he glanced over at Dilan and Aya, "...No, I think it's an attempt to get Aya interested in physics."

[mitochondriaaya]

"I do hunt." That had him thinking about ways to schedule proper hunting lessons. "And she's...six. Physics is less an area of research at that age and more something to blame when she falls." He chuckled, because, well, really?

"She may come around in time, but the boys may want to be informed they should expect it to be at least a few years."

[sliceitwithwind]

"The boys," Yinsi said in a matter of fact tone, "are two of the smartest people in the world right now. They adore Aya, but the fact of the matter is that they expect her to keep up with them as best she can. Dilan doesn't understand that people aren't as smart as he is, and my son is egotistical and somewhat selfish at times. They don't mock her when she can't understand the things that they did at her age, but they try to teach her anyway."

[mitochondriaaya]

"That...must be hard." And it might be something he'd have to move to temper. Challenges were good for kids as they grew up. Impossible tasks were less so. "I've no objection to teaching at all! I may warn them anyway just so they don't get frustrated down the road."

[sliceitwithwind]

"It is." Yinsi agrees, "And we try to keep the boys from being too hard on her, and we certainly tell her that she doesn't have to keep up with them all the time. She's a perfect Aya, she doesn't need to be a Dilan or a Braig."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Yes, she's had her fill of trying to be someone else I believe." Nevada agreed quietly. "And I will watch them all when we're together." Just in case learning got out of hand. That said he nodded to the grill. "How can I help tonight though?"

[sliceitwithwind]

The older man turned to look at the yard in general...and the muddy six year old in particular. "Help Dilan get Aya washed up. She's got spare clothing in her room, Dilan can help her into them."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Ah, a loading accident I would surmise." Nevada chuckled and unbuttoned his sleeves so he could roll them up. "Unreliable ammo, an unfortunate ending to a physics lesson." He waved Dilan and Aya over.

"Yes, yes, I"ll take a bath!" Aya was gruffing at Dilan.

[sliceitwithwind]

"I think it's the magnetic attraction between six year olds and mud." Yinsi mused before returning to his son and the dinner.

Dilan ruffled the only clean bit of her hair he could find, "Good, 'cause you don't get supper if you don't get clean."

[mitochondriaaya]

"It's not my fault! It was a bad balloon!" Aya huffed and dug the toes of her sneaker into the ground. "I should take my shoes off." They were muddy and she didn't want Dilan scrubbing the floor come dinner time.

Nevada, being the practical sort, simply scooped the six year old up, making sure to cradle the end of her shoes to catch drips, and nodded to Dilan. "The bathroom if you would?"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Up the stairs first door on the left." Dilan chirped, "Bubble bath is under the sink and bath toys are in the closet to the side of it. I'll get towels and clean clothing for you!"

[mitochondriaaya]

Bubble bath? Toys? He was much more the...hold the child by the nape of the neck and get them clean type. That way she was back to getting into trouble in the least amount of time! "Is it really necessary?" He asked the kid in his arms as he went up the stairs.

"Yes! Bubbles!"

"Ah." Um. Well then.

[sliceitwithwind]

"She's six." Dilan said, as though that explained things, "It's part of the ritual." He peeled off to grab towels. One for Aya, and one for Nevada because...well. Splashing.

[mitochondriaaya]

"Indeed." Six meant bubbles. Duly noted.

He had to set Aya down on the mat when they got into the bathroom so he could get to the bubbles an dread the directions. No need to end up with a bubble monster eating the house. "Clothing, there in the sink where it can drain properly."

"Okay!" Aya could do that! And it was a good idea, sinks were a lot easier to clean than floors!

[sliceitwithwind]

Dilan certainly approved when he got back. He hung the towels and said, "Two caps full into running water. Aya, do you want the ducky or the boat?"

[mitochondriaaya]

He had figured out that much from the faded instructions! He turned to get the water running, letting the children banter. A little hotter than lukewarm for a child yes? Hot enough to clean, not too hot to burn...these were important things to think about!

"Hmmm, I'll take the duck and you can have the boat and he can be Duckzilla against the Japanese navy!"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Okay." Dilan agreed, "But I don't need a bath so I'll sit on the edge while you get scrubbed down."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Okay, that's the shore then!" Where Duckzilla could rise to rampage at him! RAAaarrrrrr-squeakum!

Nevada was getting the six year old dunked into the bath then getting her hair soaped while she wiggled around and had her ducky rising from the suds.

[sliceitwithwind]

Dilan did his best to keep Aya entertained while Nevada washed her, fussing only a little when his hakama got splashed.

His jeans-hate was a life-long thing.