Ah, kids

[roughcutgem]

A place for vignettes and snippets from Niki's life!

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Changeling Challenge 1.0

[roughcutgem]

Gateway Arch National Park; also known in their personal circle as 'the park where the gate was'. It was funny the place actually bore the name to match their usual needs as it were. Even better there were a wide variety of activities and day camps that let children in the nearby city actually reach out and touch nature (and if they were good stop by the stables on the way home). Activities that ALL the children could attend no less, with Bantii meeting them at the green edge of the parking lot while they unloaded the kids for the day.

Not just theirs even! The twins, Nikki, and the just barely five year old pack and rodere kids. The Circus had graciously purchased a larger van that was more of a mini-bus, and she honestly almost thought she should get a license to drive busses after learning to handle the land boat! "Alright, everyone have their lunches? CHECK!? she parked and turned around to look the runts over, counting as each hand held up hefty metal lunch boxes.

Growing kids, especially active kids, needed hearty lunches. That meant hefty lunch boxes! "And welcome back Clay, what's the new rule?"

The little wolf-family boy huffed, "no hitting anyone with a lunchbox even if they're rude! Tell the teachers!"

"Exactly," she nodded. Sure, the kids thus far hadn't shifted, most were assuming they wouldn't, or wouldn't until after puberty, but that was no reason to allow things like casual violence! "Alright troops, littlest have your partners? Let's get you to Teacher Jenna! Olders, you're with teacher Lisa today!" Mainly the class for the younger kids were poking puddles and tadpoles today, and the older sets got a short hike and learning about local things!

The kids started to hop out of the van and she came out to lead the littles to the their rotund little teacher, a cheerful (in the closet) rat, and then bent to catch a hug from Nikki, "alright, I'll be back at five, you have the emergency buttons!" Not exactly phones, just 'something went wrong!' devices that the security business run by Rafael had developed after the Jason arrest fiasco. It pinged the adults of each child AND security!

"Buttons!" the older set (twins and Nikki) chimed obediently before Bantii snuck up to add to the chorus with "I have their buttons!"

"Good enough!" she laughed, ruffling heads. "And rules...?"

"No scaring the other kids," Iri smiled.

"Or running away from the group!" Kir added.

Nikki rocked on her heels a moment then shrugged, "no dancing on wet rocks again!"

Beryl chuckled, passing Bantii a lunchbox of his own to blend in with the others, "yes, please don't. You're lucky that wrist was only bruised kiddo." And Nat had nearly had a heart attack as they got X-rays done!

"We'll be good," Bantii smiled sweetly. "We promise!"

"Promise!" the rest chimed.

"Oh that's good to hear," Ms. Lisa hiked up cheerfully, several other children in tow already. "We're hitting a trail that leads to a small creek today before lunch let's go!" She passed Beryl the map every parent got, and nodded as she signed off on the list of names of each kid she was responsible for! World ran on paperwork after all!

* * *

Trees. Were. AWESOME.

Ms. Lisa knew the names of ALL the trees and all the best ways to walk so it was always a lot of fun when they got to have a class with her! Better it was a class outside with no homework! Nikki really liked that part, because really, moving was kind of what she DID. Her favorite name in regular school was 'wiggle worm' so far. Because she was always wiggling in her chair!

Lunch, per usual, was AWESOME! Only really interrupted by the fact that Garry wanted to trade his apple for her tangerine and that was not cool today.

Oh, and Ms. Lisa had to walk one of the others off to a tree while they ate because the new kid hadn't used the bathroom at the rest area! Bantii was in the middle of trading one of his tangerine slices for a chunk of apple to stop Garry from getting grumpy when Ms. Lisa came back, but she looked...weird. Weird nice? Nikki tilted her head, watching a moment, "did you change your hair?"

Ms. Lisa smiled "oh, yeah, my ponytail holder broke," she smiled, shooing the boy back to the group. "Since we're all sitting here do you want to hear a story about these woods?"

Iri flopped on the grass, staring up at the sky while she chewed on her last bit of bread, "is it a fun story?"

"It's a fairy tale," Ms. Lisa assured cheerfully.

Kir set his lunchbox on Iri's stomach since she was playing table then shrugged, "is it a good one?" They had kind of a high standard!

"I'll let you decide," Ms. Lisa smiled, and something about that expression now was...distracting. The kids all shifted slightly, definitely paying attention now! The twins stayed relaxed, but most the other children settled in a sloppy ring near their teacher.

Nikki's hand shot into the air, "I NEED TO WIGGLE!" It was a signal, one they'd agreed on when they had started in the program, she just needed to move sometimes, and they'd been holding still a lot for lunch! A need to wiggle meant she was going to hang out near the back and not be disruptive!

Ms. Lisa smiled in her direction, "are you sure dear? You might miss something..."

Nikki clipped her box closed then nodded, "gotta! I'll listen and I'll get notes if I miss something!"

Bantii tucked her box against his and the twins, nodding easily, "I'll pay attention," he agreed gently, "go ahead Miss?"

Their teacher pursed her lips a moment then nodded as Nikki stayed nearby, "well, this is a story passed down near here..."

Bantii settled in to listen, but details were just...hard to grasp. somehow they flowed like water as the adult's voice sang on.

Sang.

Oh.

He blinked, was that a...small harp in her hands? It took effort to turn his head and look at the others? The twins looked bored, Nikki was moving behind him but...in rhythm to the words somehow and the other children were...staring. Still and unblinking.

He tried to speak and the air felt like molasses against his lips, warm, uncaring heat that wanted him to just sit. Sit and listen. "....no." No. This was wrong. It wasn't the taint of shadow or dark, but it was WRONG. "Niiiikki?"

She didn't answer, just kept moving, though Kir shifted slightly to look at him? ...'what?' It wasn't a word that managed to be spoken, just lips moving, but he could understand what the boy meant. What indeed? It didn't feel like anything HE knew from his lessons with his family, so this was something normal, or at least local, to Earth?

He was wracking his brain to try to determine what was best to do when he heard a soft 'tap'. It repeated after a heartbeat or two.

Again.

He was able to turn to see the origin if he worked at it, and saw Nikki's foot managing to tap her lunchbox in her looping dance, a look of concentration on her face. That was...hope. Problems weren't always meant to be solved alone, no, Iri sat up to lean on Kir, hiding his reach for that metal container...

...and inside was...something on a plastic stick in a pink and blue wrapper? His fingers felt numb and thick until he managed to get his hands on the thing, and then the cool flow of his own power flowed through his mind. Oh. This was an instrument somehow. He lifted it to peer at the cellophane and read 'whistle pop' on it.

Oh, she'd brought him a toy.

Something to play with.

It wasn't meant to be a weapon...

...but that was any instrument in his hands. It was toy, tool, weapon, joy and sorrow as needed. The crunch of the wrapper made the sonorous voice pause a moment, but it continued after a moment, which bought him time to bring the sticky sweet pipe to his lips.

Sugar was NOT the ideal medium for a battle honestly, but only the kids here knew that it was going to be a fight. Surprise always helped! A slide flute, limited tones, HE COULD WORK WITH THIS. Especially since the twins moved easier from the moment his discordant practice notes slid out.

The story drew to a pause with a soft, velvet voiced hiss as he stood, Ms. Lisa glaring over the still enraptured audience to lock gazes with him, fingers stirring a new tune on her harp.

Oh hell no. That was a statement he had learned here and these were children. Kids that weren't all his friends but also not terrible and they were NOT up for grabs! He slowly played fingers over his new weapon now, the tones from his little flute becoming blades through the more mellow tones. This was some kind of charm and therefore it was NOT on the printed itinerary!

Kir stood as well, taking Iri's hand, "you're not Ms. Lisa!" Not at all.

"Bantii, Nikki? We can find our teacher and call help!" Iri added, looking over her shoulder, the sheer ability to look away making the harp music grow louder, "keep them safe?" Divide and conquer?

Bantii couldn't spare the time to speak but he nodded, and Nikki's pattern brought her hand to his shoulder, a jolt of Power running through him, little though she'd know that just yet.

"Hold," Kir agreed, growling, and he tugged Iri from the crowd and bolted. Emergency buttons pushed in tandem and then hunting where their real teacher had gone.

As for the battle for the rest, well, Nikki had started a pattern AROUND Bantii, an orbit like he was the only sun she'd ever see and she the only grace he'd ever known. He closed his eyes, concentrating, because harp music was complex, even a little lap harp, but this was HIS arena. His Power.

HIS CHILDREN.

He could feel the sugar of the reed shape melting and running down his chin, the slide growing brittle as he cut, and cut, and cut again through the sleepy, enchanting sounds...and then Nikki caught his elbow and tugged him into a spin, strength coating him like spiderwebs with each round she took him through. It was like....that machine he'd seen with them at a fair. The one that spun sugar onto a stick, cottony and airy, just bits of a different magic added to the thrum of his heart layer by layer. The candy was all liquid in his hand now, the stick nearly a mere reed...but one last shrill note and there was the harsh twinging snap of harp strings.

One.

Two...

...all of them in a rush of discordance.

He gasped a breath, trying not to choke on sugar as he slid his free hand down to take Nikki's, sugar binding their palms in a childish promise of forever.

The adversary across the sea of sitting children scowled and opened her mouth, but he snarled, "SILENCE!" It wasn't just a command, he wasn't asking, music, and at it's root, SOUND, belonged to him. This imposter would not sing.

Would not speak.

Would not even hear now.

Silence was to be her world, no matter how...breathtaking the woman under the sound was. With the source of charm snapped, the woman was taller, hair of spun gold pooling to the ground around her, ears pointed as knives and eyes of carved gemstone brilliance.

NOT THAT HE HAD ANY IDEA WHAT THAT MEANT BUT AT LEAST THEY'D BEEN RIGHT IT WASN'T MS. LISA!

"Ow," he sighed, sagging in Nikki's grip and unceremoniously tugging her to the ground as his legs buckled.

Ow.

"Ow," Nikki agreed, huffing for breath. "Let''s just sit. I might nap. Help is coming."

Ow.

Yup.

Bantii closed his eyes, settling into the grass as the children around them started to move restlessly, confused, "I want an adult," he agreed.