The Deck, Sunday Morning

[bitchprince]

After spending a full day keeping Rhys busy (and running him through his swordcraft training, and dealing with his still-abominable tracking skills, which had also ended in a lesson, god help him) getting fifteen minutes to himself while the boy entertained himself elsewhere seemed like the greatest kind of luxury.

Not to say he wouldn't check on Rhys soon enough again, because Arthur was nothing if not dedicated. Right now, though, he would collapse in this seat on the deck with a glass of water and a small plate of cheeses and bless the silence.

Rhys could be out here any minute again. He was somewhat faster with his food as a result.

[[ open to all, including kidlets, woo ]]

Comments

[bratsforparents.livejournal.com]

Dani actually looked thoughtful for a moment. Well done, Arthur.

"A samurai can't waste time arguing with girls," he decided then, nodding. "A ninja can't, either."

[bitchprince]

Arthur was an awesome father figure. He learned from the best.

... Well, the worst. Which meant there really was nowhere for him to go but up, technically speaking. "Exactly," he said, "You just have to show her you're above it."

[bratsforparents.livejournal.com]

"She wanted to challenge me, though," Dani shared, going for one of the pudding cups next. "Dunno what she meant, but Mom said she couldn't, anyway."

[bitchprince]

"Of course not," Arthur said, in the interest of communicating stupidity chivalry to the next generation. "She's a woman. You don't want to put her in a situation where she could get hurt." Beat. "Unless she's already coming at you with a sword, although even then you should take care."

[bratsforparents.livejournal.com]

"I dunno, she said something about getting a-- Christknife?" Crysknife, Dani. "But I could totally take her on. I'm Ichiro the Great."

And smug about it, too.

[bitchprince]

"Be nice to her," Arthur told him. "They can't stand that. And don't let her goad you. That's the important thing. You don't have to take her on as long as you remember all that."

[bratsforparents.livejournal.com]

"But what if I don't wanna be nice to her? Mom's my mom."

Dani clearly had the Lambert gene for being possessive. And one from the Gregson side for being argumentative.

The whining was all him, though.

[bitchprince]

Arthur gave him a stern look. "Square your shoulders," he ordered, "And act like a man. If she's your mother, then know she is, and that will be enough. Don't let anyone catch you whining."

... Arthur, please try not to imprint too much of your own dysfunctionality on these kids. Please?

"Trust me. I know how the world works."

[bratsforparents.livejournal.com]

Yes, Arthur, please don't. Dani had had quite enough of that from his actual parents, already. Not to mention his maternal grandparents.

Basically, he'd been screwed up since the day he'd been born.

"'M not whining," he protested, weakly. But was he sitting up a little straighter? He totally was.

[bitchprince]

"That's better," Arthur decided. "Keep that up, and you will do fine."

[bratsforparents.livejournal.com]

Dani, not slouching is not an accomplishment. Stop looking so proud of yourself.

"Do you know any samurai?"

[bitchprince]

"No, but I know a great number of knights," Arthur told him, proudly. And knights were better. Seriously.

[bratsforparents.livejournal.com]

Dani wouldn't necessarily agree, but he was definitely interested.

"What kind of knights?"

Were they awesome? Samurai were awesome.

[bitchprince]

"Chivalric knights of Camelot," Arthur said, his own shoulders squared with every bit of self-possession he had. Which was a lot. "We embrace honour and nobility and valour in battle."

[bratsforparents.livejournal.com]

Dani looked rather awed, really.

"...Coool."

[bitchprince]

"Very," Arthur said, and gave him a considering look. "You can stay."

[bratsforparents.livejournal.com]

"Awesome," Dani decided, completely forgetting to be a brat about not needing Arthur's permission to be anywhere.

"Do you think I could become a knight someday too?"

... It was possible that in another universe, a Kate was going to be very confused about what had happened to her son's obsession with the samurai and the ninja.

[bitchprince]

"If you dedicate yourself to the arts of combat and chivalry," Arthur said, with weight, "and remember to hold yourself with pride."

... Poor, poor AU Kate.

[bratsforparents.livejournal.com]

"I can totally do that." For about two minutes, until his natural tendencies would kick in again. "And I already go to karate twice a week."