high_seas | (no subject)

Yeah, I think I get it! So the candy was in your hand all along. But I didn't know that, so it didn't seem weird at all when you moved your arm around.

[Catching the lollipop, Asbel turns it in his hands, seeing if he can get it to fit in his child-sized fist without the sucker or the stick showing through his fingers.]

Kinda like the whole listening thing, then. How you can not see something because you're not looking for or at it?

[Asbel tries going through the steps. He isn't very good at being discreet; he keeps watching his hands to see what he's doing and whether the candy's still hidden. It'll definitely take some serious practice for the kid to master this trick, but he seems determined enough to manage it ~~eventually~~ at least.]

Hmmm...

[Gaius watches with amusement as Asbel tries to apply his quick lesson in sleight-of-hand. He grins as the boy makes the connection between both that and their other line of conversation.]

Yep, exactly. You catch on quick.

It's easier when people don't know you're interested. In your case, people might not think much of you because they figure you're just a kid. They kinda forget that kids are pretty smart. Use that to your advantage.

[Well. He's still trying and that's what counts. Fortunately the lesson was pretty basic, so there aren't a ton of directions for him to get all bogged down in and confused about. He's worked out how to make his motions smoother, but he still keeps watching his own hand.]

That actually happens a lot more than you'd think. [Asbel frowns a little.]

Half the time people won't even let me try to do things because they think I can't. Just because I'm a...child. [Asbel says "child" like it's a dirty word. He hates not being taken seriously. So it's nice to hear someone give kids credit for being "pretty smart" for a change. Even kids who aren't genius bookworms.]

[There was no need to make it complicated, so far as Gaius figures. It is a simple trick, it just needs correct application, but so long as the kid understands the main points, the thief's sure that Asbel will get it in no time.]

Remember, you don't wanna draw attention to your hand. Eventually, you'll be able to get a good feel for it that you won't need to look at what you're doing.

[He hums thoughtfully, nodding.]

Yeah...I know how that is. Been there before. Try not to let it get you down. I know half the time they mean well. They want to keep you safe, but when it's just because of your age, it's pretty upsetting.

[Removing what's left of his lollipop from his mouth, he pokes at the air with it as if punctuating what he's about to say.]

-but don't let that get to you enough that you take it into your head to prove them wrong. That's just inviting trouble too, and if you mess up, it just makes them say all the more that they were right. Just keep your head straight, pay attention, see what they don't. In your own way, you can show 'em exactly what you're capable of.

Huh? Oh. Right!

[He was doing that, wasn't he? If there's one thing about this kid, though, he's persistent. He'll keep on trying.]

[Asbel makes a face as Gaius continues his little speech. He might not seem too appreciative, but he is listening. It's always easier to pay attention to things like this when people aren't just pointing fingers and telling you that what you did was wrong.]

But he makes me so mad. I don't think he's ever going to change his mind about me.

[Asbel means his father.]

...I guess you have a point, though. He always yells when I do something that doesn't work out as planned. Sometimes even when it does work.

Edited 2014-03-05 22:19 (UTC)

[Whether the kid listens or not is up to him; Gaius isn't going to drill it into his head, and advice is always better taken when it's given under such casual circumstances.]

He?

[Not that he means to pry, but he can't help but ask, though he won't press for details if Asbel doesn't want to give them.]

Some people are just like that, I guess. Just gotta take it with a grain of salt, sometimes. ...or a spoonful of sugar.

Yeah, my father. He's gotta be the worst. He didn't even want me talking to the houseguest we had a while ago.

[The frustration's still there, but a few months away from home have quieted the child's anger. At least a little bit. As far as he's concerned he's just telling things the way they are.]

Just because he's a lord, he thinks he has the final say over what everyone else can and can't do.

[Oh, hey. He thinks he's almost got it. Slow and steady, eyes averted, and a flick of the wrist...! Whoops. Close.]

A grain of salt wouldn't taste too good. I think if I had a choice, I'd take the sugar. You would too, right?

Edited 2014-03-10 20:49 (UTC)

Harsh. He must have his reasons, though.

[Or his father's just a real jerk, but Gaius knows he's only hearing one side of the story. When he was a kid, there were a lot of things that happened that he didn't understand the reasons for.]

...that sort of power does tend to get to a person's head, though. Not everyone. I know some pretty good people that are nobility, and aside from just being a little ignorant of how things are outside of their shiny castles, they have a good heart.

-almost there, kid.

[The latter said as he watches Asbel try with the hand tricks again.]

Heh! 'course I would.

He's probably worried I'll disgrace him or something. [Although maybe by now even Asbel realizes a lot of it has to do with his fondness for mischief. Either way, he definitely doesn't regret what he did.]

But I guess that won't matter forever. Once I become a knight, the only person I'll have to answer to is the king himself. I've never actually met the guy, but I've never heard anything bad about him either. [And his son's definitely okay, but Asbel's trying not to talk too much about Richard, if it'll keep him safe.]

So how come you like candy so much anyway? Not that there's anything not to like about it, but you seem to like it even more than most people do.

A knight, huh. You're going to have to work hard, and teach yourself some discipline. From what I understand, it isn't an easy thing.

Got a friend back home who's pretty serious with the knight business. She even put me through some training a couple of times. Don't think being a knight's my thing.

[He leans back against the crate with a shrug.]

I dunno, I guess it's just my thing. You know how people just acquire this specific taste for things? Mine just happens to be sweets.

"She"? [Okay, so the girls on the ship have definitely proven themselves about a hundred times over, but Asbel still has some lingering, slightly immature issues about being saved by a girl. A knight who's a woman, huh... That's, uh, something!]

Yeah, I know. There's a lot of things you have to be good at besides fighting in order to be a worthy knight. Manners and strategy and how to think on your feet-- stuff like that. The capital actually has a training school for knights. Once Hubert and I get back, I'm hoping I can enter it somehow.

[He nods.] So your specific taste is sweets. Mine's definitely curry! --But only if it's mild curry.

Yep. Her name's Sully, and she's a tough one.

That makes sense though. I mean, if you're expected to be in battle, you'd better know how to think on your feet, improvise, that sorta thing. It isn't all about swinging a sword around. I'm no knight, but I didn't go to school to learn all the things I have, either. Best way to do that is by experience, sometimes. Well, not that I'm saying a training school's no good. I hope you can get in.

[Gaius grins.]

Curry, huh. I've had it a few times, probably on the mild side too. Not too bad- although I guess it was sweet curry.

Huh... I guess even girls have what it takes.

Yeah, me too. Everyone says that what I need is experience. [And here he frowns a little. People like throwing that word around a lot. "Experience". But to an eleven-year-old it's not so easy.]

I'll just have to work twice as hard so there's no chance of them leaving me in the dust! [Again.] And keep training until the academy accepts me as a student.

[Guh.]

Sweet curry? [He wonders how you even go about making it... It might be okay, it sounds good, but--] Please tell me it didn't have anything like lollipops and taffy in it.

[Lollipops and taffy are good! Just. Not in curry.]

You better believe it.

[Sully probably wouldn't be so kind if she heard Asbel say as much, however.]

Hey, if you want something really badly, you do whatever it takes. I think you got the right mindset. It's true that experience doesn't hurt, but how else do you get experience without going out and doing things?

[And then Gaius shakes his head about the curry. That just sounds a little disgusting, really.]

What? No- it's... Well, it's not overpoweringly sweet- that'd be just weird. It's just little hints. I think it had a little fruit mixed in, apple, maybe. I think I heard they put chocolate in too, sometimes.

Mm-hmm!! Well...the girls on the ship are pretty tough. And Sophie can break down doors. So, yeah. You might be right about that.

[Asbel's nose wrinkles a little at the mention of putting fruit in curry, but CHOCOLATE. Chocolate leads to an absolutely horrified expression. He has to take the lollipop out before he chokes on it.]

Chocolate?! In curry?

[Asbel shakes his head quickly.] No offense, but curry really needs to be limited to meat, potatoes, onions and carrots over rice. Anything else is, well...weird.

[Gaius seems a little insulted that the kid sounds so against the idea of chocolate in curry.]

Curry has a mix of flavors and spices to really bring it out, right? When I said chocolate I didn't mean it would be something overpowering! You'd use it like spice, a little touch of it. You'd be surprised what a bit of chocolate does. -and not all chocolate is sweet.

[Well, sorry, Gaius. Curry is totally serious business. But let's get one thing straight: this kid's never actually made curry before. Or any kind of food dish for that matter. He knows a mild sauce goes with curry, but he doesn't have a clue what ingredients are mixed into the roux.]

Yeah... [He nods slowly in agreement about the whole flavors thing, but his expression remains skeptical.]

So then, what does the chocolate do?

[Well sweets are totally serious business for him! Buuuut Gaius is kind of figuring that this kid isn't much of a chef. Still, at least he's made some sense to Asbel, and that's better than nothing.]

It can enhance flavors, make it a little more rich. Much as I like chocolate, I wouldn't put it in something like that to make it taste chocolatey- it'd be used to make the curry flavors come out more.

[It's too bad he's too little to have his Eleth Mixer. If used right, no one on the Shepherd would ever have to go hungry. Alas, continuity.]

Well, that doesn't sound quite as bad... As long as it's only a little chocolate. Still seems like an awfully unusual ingredient for curry, though. I wonder who came up with it?

Hey, you'd be surprised what people use in cooking, sometimes. Not sure who's idea it was, but so long as it works, who am I to complain?

Yeah, but what if you found out someone was putting worms or something in your soup? Even if you couldn't taste it, that'd still be pretty gross unless you were a bird.

.... Then I'd choose a different place to eat. Here's hoping no one thinks to put stuff like that in, but I'd hate to be paranoid about every little thing I eat.

[Fortunately, Asbel isn't so devious that he'd go and sabotage someone's food. He might would lie about putting weird things in it after taking a bite, but even that might be crossing a line.]

Yeah... But for the most part, I guess as long as it tastes good, it really doesn't matter so much what the ingredients are. Usually, anyway.

[Asbel heaves a sigh, poking the finished lollipop stick into his pocket and hopping down from the crates.]

Well, I'd better hurry and get the stuff on this list before they send out a search party. Thanks for the candy, Gaius! Oh, and the advice, too. I'll definitely try to keep my ears open while I'm in town.

Heh, good call. You do that.

[He smiles, nodding.]

Anytime. Stay sharp, Asbel.

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This is a canonical running gag. Sorry.

xD

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