Solo Twenty Questions

[Alyra]

Alyra placed her pencil into the groove in front of her, then looked to Tasi to make sure he was doing the same. He was not. "Tasival," She sighed, feeling slightly exasperated. "Please focus."The boy slumped in his chair, obviously disappointed with the response he had gotten from her. "I don't want to." Tasi groaned. Alyra understood where he was coming from. After all, they were both going through the same thing: learning to write. Alyra figured that it would be best to start with something small, yet essential. Tasival & Shayru was only three years old, so too much at one time would confuse him. She hadn't thought that learning to write one's name would be too much, but, apparently, it was. "Why not?" Alyra placed her pencil down on the table, then turned to the Akalak. He had that dopey, puppy-eyed look on his face. Alyra sighed once again; she was a sucker for pouting. "It's boring." Tasi groaned as he looked down. Below him, his feet swung back and forth anxiously. Alyra nodded. She sometimes forgot that not everyone shared her love for learning. The Eth was eager to become literate; it seemed like a right of passage to her. Apparently, that same thought didn't occur to the toddler beside her. "I know." Alyra gently rubbed the boy's shoulder as she spoke. "I know, but we have to do it." "Why?" Pale eyes turned to meet Alyra. Alyra's face twisted a little. He hadn't been trying to stump her, and yet, he had. Why? Alyra repeated the question in her head as she tried to think of the appropriate answer. Kavala hadn't asked that her son be taught how to write, and Tasi sure didn't ask for Alyra to teach him. Alyra knew he'd eventually be taught at the Valkalah Academy. As time ticked by, Alyra realized she had no real reason to give for forcing this on the boy other than "Because I said so." "Alright," Alyra began as she sat back. She would avoid his question, but she would do so elegantly and sneakily. "How about this? If you write your name once, then we can go play." "I don't want to play." Tasi responded quickly, then gave a decisive nod. Alyra didn't know the boy that well, but she did know that he was stubborn when he put his mind to something; if he didn't want to play, he wouldn't. "Okay..." Alyra sighed. She was now getting that sighing was going to be a big part of this job. "What do you want to do, then?" Tasi perked up, eagerly turning to her. "Learn." What?! Alyra gave a mental groan. You just said . . . Syna give me strength. "Okay. Put your pencil in the--" Tasi shook his head, interrupting her before she could finish her instructions. "No, not that." Alyra was slowly losing patience with the boy. She had heard that he was a mischievous one, but she hadn't expected him to start being difficult this early on. "Tasi..." She said slowly, her voice issuing a warning. If he continued to be bull-headed, she'd have to reprimand him. She was about to voice this when he dropped his pencil and leaned closer to her. "What's that on your head?"

[Alyra]

Alyra froze. Had he snuck something onto her head while she wasn't watching? Some kind of ferocious bug? Something slimy? Something that would make her scream, run away, and let him go back to whatever it was he was doing before she forced him to learn? The possibilities were endless, and they all zoomed through her mind as she raised her hand to check for something. She let out yet another sigh as she found nothing irregular. She smiled. "There's nothing there, silly." Alyra chuckled as she stood. She turned away from Tasi, then crossed the room to check on the babies. As she lifted Ia'del into her arms, she began to talk for the sake of talking. "You scared me for a tick there. I thought there was something weird on my head...a bug, a bird, something like that. That would have been weird, hmm?" Alyra slowly bounced back and forth with Ia. "Right, Ia'del? Isn't that funny?" "No." Tasival said from his spot behind her. Alyra laughed lightly; she tried not to let him offend her, often laughing his seemingly pessimistic attitude off. She turned, reading herself to retort when she saw Tasi standing atop the table. "That." He said, pointing at Alyra.

[Alyra]

"What are you doing?!" Alyra moved over to the table. "We don't stand on tables, Tasi. You know that."She switched to carrying Ia'del with one arm as she reached out for the boy with the other. As she neared, though, he grabbed her horns with both hands. "These." Alyra froze, her grip on Ia tightening. He wouldn't be able to damage her horns, but that didn't mean he couldn't accidentally hurt Ia'del while playing with them. The young Akalak pulled on her horns, and Alyra allowed. She moved closer, then tilted her head. Tasi squinted, then brought his face close to her head in order to further examine her horns. He let go of one of them, then began running both hands over the glassy surface of the other. Alyra grinned as the boy let a gasp of amazement out. "Alright, down." Alyra said gently, wrapping her free arm around the boy's middle before lifting him off of the table. He giggled lightly as he hung from her arms. Alyra grunted as she carried him; she often forgot how hardy the boy was, and, in turn, how heavy he was. "What are they? He asked in between two giggles. "My horns." Alyra replied simply. She spun in a circle, and a short burst of laughter erupted from the boy. Hearing the child's laughter, Alyra laughed herself before placing him back on the floor. "Why do you have them? He crossed back to his chair. He lifted himself back onto it, then knelt on it. His arms hung lazily over the back of the chair as he watched Alyra curiously. "Why don't I have them?" Alyra returned to rocking Ia as Tasi watched her."Well, because you aren't the same as me." He looked at her with disappointed, indignant about his lack of horns. "Okay, you know how you're blue?" He nodded. "That's how you were born, right?" Another nod. "I was born with horns. You were born blue, I was born with horns." Alyra watched as Tasi thought about this deeply. "But why? Alyra moved across the room, then sat back in her chair. Ia'del, who was upset because of the sudden stillness, threatened to cry. Alyra lifted her free hand and offered it to the child; Ia happily grabbed at Alyra's fingers. "We have different parents." Well, sort of. Alyra knew she was technically lying to the boy, but she wasn't about to try to explain the Ulkalas and her fall to a three-year-old boy. She had met full-grown adults who still couldn't grasp that concept, and she didn't think that Tasi would be able get it now. "Does your mom have horns?" Alyra nodded, figuring that Syna could, theoretically, have horns. "My mom isn't blue." Tasi astutely pointed out as he turned to face her. He plopped into his seat. "But your dad is." The boy shrugged in response. Alyra got the feeling that he didn't quite understand what she was saying, so she decided to explain further. "Your mom doesn't have to be blue if your dad is. That's just how it works." The vague explanation clearly flew above the boy's head. He stared at her blankly for a few ticks. Then, after deciding that what she had just said hadn't made any kind of sense to him, Tasi furrowed his eyebrows and puckered his lips in confusion. "I don't get it." Tasival said in exasperation, shrugging as he finally gave up on thinking about it. He picked up a nearby pencil, then flung it around in front of him in boredom. Alyra frowned, gently grabbing his hand. "Your sister isn't blue, either." Tasi looked at his pale sister. His lips pursed together. This obviously only made the boy more perplexed. Alyra frowned, then continued. "She looks like your mom. You look like your dad." Alyra wasn't sure whether or not she was lying; she had never met the boy's father. She didn't want to risk further confusing him, though, so she spoke definitively. Tasival nodded as he spoke. "Do you look like your mom?" Alyra nodded in response. Tasi nodded with her, thinking through things slowly. For a few ticks, the two just sat there nodding in unison. It was like their own little dance, thoughtful and silent.