LOG: Chocolate Milk and School

[protective_logic]

Who: Delta Ai (Native), Theta Ai (Native)
What: Omega asked Delta to talk to Theta about school. This is that talk
Where: Theta and Omega's bedroom
When: Sunday Afternoon, 10/18
Warnings:

Sundays, the day of the week that is starting to become consistently Delta's favorite. Granted he had just gotten home from the latest of his driving sessions with Beta and that put his nerves on the absolute edge, but Sundays tended to be Delta's actual day off. The day where he had some responsibilities, but those being almost exclusively the usual groceries, and 'make sure the twins don't color over the walls.' But with the terrible twosome downstairs watching cartoons, Delta doesn't find it hard to come up and knock on the door of Theta and Omega's bedroom. Purple team country.

Good thing he's coming with a bribe. The twins are downstairs with a plate of apple slices and glasses of milk and orders to shout for Delta if anything falls over or goes wrong, but he doubts it will happen. For all that they're young, they are bright for their age. Just like all Ais. And that brightness comes with good common sense. Like Theta. He's going to recognize Delta's tray of chocolate milks and a plate of the cookies Florida sent home this week as an indication of serious talk. Or so Delta hopes. That's the goal after all.

Comments

[trustandfireworks]

Theta has done most of his homework. It's math, so it's not too bad, although there's a few doodles in the margin and these last few questions have him stumped. He's been rolling his pen up and down the page with his head on the desk, wondering if he'd be allowed to leave homework for a bit and come back to it later.

Then there's a knock at door and he quickly sits up, but knocks the pen onto the floor in his attempt to grab it. He hurries to pick it up and look like he's working hard as he calls out to let them in. At the sight of Delta, he smiles, but it quickly drops when he sees what he's brother is bringing with him. Uh oh.

[protective_logic]

"Yeah," Delta smiles at his younger brother's expression. "Bribe you with treats so the conversation isn't so bad. Bed or desk?"

He can get another chair easily.

[trustandfireworks]

Bed. He hops down from the desk and scurries over to the bed, sitting on the mattress and tugging the duvet up around him. Whatever this conversation is, he's probably not going to like it.

[protective_logic]

Delta waits until Theta is settled to pass over the milk and cookie.

"Omega and I are worried about school for you. He asked me to check in. Are you having problems?"

[trustandfireworks]

Theta takes the milk and cookie, officially binding himself to the conversation. School. Fun.

'Just the normal,' he mumbles, dunking a bit of his cookie in the milk.

[protective_logic]

"What about your classes?" Delta asks softly.

[trustandfireworks]

'Most of them are boring,' he says. 'I don't get English. Or the point of it.'

[protective_logic]

Oh, that Delta can help with. He smiles at his brother. "You have to learn the basics before you can learn the fun stuff. As for English, it isn't teaching you the words. It's teaching you how to think. How to be critical, how to question, how to reason and argue."

[trustandfireworks]

'But the basics are taking years,' he complains. 'And we hardly ever get to do that stuff, it's just reading old books and poems and talking about why the author made them say one thing instead of something else.'

[protective_logic]

Delta reaches up to smooth Theta's hair with one hand. But he knows how hard it is. He'd had trouble with it as well. At last his hand comes back down and he lets his fingers talk.

SO IT ISN'T EASY, I UNDERSTAND. BUT THEY HAVE TO TEACH EVERYONE THIS SO PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THEY LIKE.

[trustandfireworks]

He leans into the touch. It's always soothing when his older siblings comfort him like this. He sets his milk down on the bedside table and stuffs the rest of his cookie into his mouth so he can reply in the same way.

BUT I KNOW I DON'T LIKE IT NOW, SO WHEN CAN I STOP?

[protective_logic]

THAT ISN'T ACTUALLY HOW IT WORKS. I THOUGHT I LIKED ENGLISH GROWING UP. BUT SCHOOL IS THERE TO TEACH US THINGS WE DON'T KNOW.

Like how to be there for your family. Like how to keep going even when it seems hard.

[trustandfireworks]

He looks down, biting his lip.

THEY LIE THOUGH. If it's possible to speak quietly in sign language, Theta can do it.

[protective_logic]

SOMETIMES THEY LIE OR SIMPLIFY TO MAKE IT EASIER ON KIDS.

He hates that they do it. He smiles and reaches up to stroke Theta's hair again.

[trustandfireworks]

I WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH THOUGH, he protests. I DON'T LIKE LIES.

[protective_logic]

Omega had said something about history classes...

"I can make a deal with you," Delta offers quietly before signing again.

IF YOU HELP THE LITTLES WITH THEIR MATH AFTER SCHOOL, I CAN TEACH YOU HISTORY THAT IS TRUE.

[trustandfireworks]

He watches carefully, then looks down while he thinks.

MAYBE, he signs. I DON'T REALLY LIKE HISTORY, I JUST DON'T WANT THEM TO LIE. MAYBE, THOUGH.

[protective_logic]

I WANT TO TEACH YOU TO ENJOY IT JUST ENOUGH. COOL THINGS HAPPEN TOO. I MAY EVEN ASK MAINE TO HELP, HE LIKES HISTORY.

That might make Theta happy.

[trustandfireworks]

HE DOES? He perks up a bit. WELL, IF YOU TWO DID IT TOGETHER, I GUESS IT WOULD BE OKAY.

[protective_logic]

Delta nods and rubs his hair.

"You can also ask for help at school if you want."

[trustandfireworks]

BUT THEY HAVEN'T HELPED BEFORE, he points ou. THEY NEVER LISTEN.

[protective_logic]

NOT TEACHERS. THEY CAN GIVE YOU A TUTOR, AN OLDER KID AT SCHOOL GOOD AT SOMETHING. OR YOU COULD TALK TO ANY FRIENDS YOU HAVE THAT ARE GOOD AT IT.

Which is Delta's subtle way of asking if his brother has made new friends, as well as how he's doing with his old ones.

[trustandfireworks]

TUTOR, he repeats the unfamiliar sign. 'What does that mean?.'

'Most of them aren't in my class,' he says. 'And the others are busy.'

[protective_logic]

"Someone who takes time to help you learn the things you're having trouble with. Or help you learn things you're decent at better..."

Busy? Delta frowns at that and shifts to look straight at Theta. "What do you mean 'busy'?"

[trustandfireworks]

'Oh.' He tries the sign again, trying to get it in his memory. 'What's the word?'

He shrugs. 'I don't know, they just always say they're busy.'