Despite their best efforts to keep an eye on him, it isn't rare that the Skeelz lose sight of their youngest 'student'. Well, I say student, but it seems that the last thing they want to do is teach him anything that could allow his powers to grow stronger than they already are. They could be the reason why he manages to survive the streets long enough to the places he wanders off to.
And this is the first time I've ever seen him on Mount Glatz.
My first instinct is to just ignore him since that's what I've learnt to do regarding my own clan's kids, but the more I watch him the more I take notice of him.
He takes a single jump into the snow, giggling with glee as the flecks of snow gently fall onto his stuffed, bear-like companion; looking at his own footprints behind him after the second jump, he's still enjoying himself. However, it seems he should have looked before he leapt, as on the third jump he immediately sinks into the deep, white pile as if never to be seen again.
I don't usually care for kids but I can't help but sigh with relief when his little head suddenly pops out from the snow, giggling once more when he notices the little, cold flakes resting on his nose. I'm tempted to reveal myself and help him out of the snow, but it seems I've been demoted to simply saying hi when he shakes himself free of the sludgy, white trap. Probably for the best...who knows what he could do to me?
"Well, zdravstvuj, little one...I mean, hello."
"…..."
….ah, I should have expected nothing else. Even adults feel intimidated sometimes when I began speaking, especially when I'm trying to be nice, so with kids it's almost certain they'll suddenly turn shy. As he hides behind his teddy bear, I'm tempted to 'use' said teddy to try and bring back the laughter he had in the snow, but I feel I'll incur some sort of temper tantrum as I lay as much as a fingertip on his furry friend.
"Look, I know the big old mountainside can seem scary to a six year old-"
"I'm actually seven," he interrupts, sounding rather insulted that I mistook him for being younger; much different to Tiwi, who tries to seem younger than he is so the little Momma's Boy has an excuse for being babied. "My name's Andy. I'm seven years old and I'm very powerful."
Despite his best attempts to sound threatening, the sight of this small child with his hands positioned as if he's about to zap me with some kind of magic...I find this very comical indeed.
"I'm sure that you are very powerful, Andy, and I'm sure that you'd like to prove it."
"Though the old man at the magic school took a lot of my powers away, so I won't be very good," Andy suddenly explains, looking ashamed and scared as if he thinks I'm going to judge him. Hey, it's not like every kid knows how to make inanimate objects start moving at will.
"I'd still like to see," I say, gently bending down to his level. "It's just yourself and myself on this mountain and no one else."
Eyes closed, he mutters a few words under his breath before opening them wide; his green pupils seeming a lot brighter and alert, it isn't long before there's this weird, purple aura-like energy shifting from his hands into the bear. Just two seconds later, the bear begins to hoist itself up as if it has a life of it's own, but Andy's control from the purple aura is still very powerful.
There's no word in the English, Russian or Yeti language to describe what the heck just happened, but as I find my head slightly nodding by itself it seems Andy's picked this up as a positive thing.
"It doesn't freak you out?" He asks, eyes wide in pleasant surprise as the brightness in his eyes fades due to resting his powers. "A lot of the adults at the magic school are scared of me and I don't understand why. I'm just being me, and my powers make me me. Is that really so wrong?"
Oh jeez. When a kid's about to cry I feel like shaking them and telling them to quit that infernal racket until they stop, so it seems a lie is in order to calm him down. I'm not the easiest person in the city to scare, but seeing immense power from such a tender age is actually beginning to disturb me; though it seems I'm not the only one when I notice a familiar, blue body of fur from the corner of my eye, cautiously approaching us. Despite our imminent size difference, I know better than to try and tangle with Tiwi, even for a laugh- though to be fair, when it's for a laugh, I'm usually a little too drunk on the liquor and such.
He's no match for Andy though, who seems to have cheered up at the sight of a potential, new friend.
"He's so furry I'm gonna die!" The human youngster yells, suddenly wrapping his arms around Tiwi's waist and hugging him close. Heh, not sure about Andy dying, but if that blue yeti doesn't find a way to escape the tightness and quickly, he'll be the one en route to the kingdom in the sky.
"Mikaal, get him off meeee!" Tiwi whines, rather loudly as he frantically flails around in a failed attempt to avoid being crushed. Yeah, I know I should help a fellow Frozn, but I'm too busy enjoying the show to put a stop to it right this second.
"Furry, furry, furry, FURRY!"
"OFF!"
"Would this be him, Greem?"
"MOMMA!" Tiwi suddenly yells, sounding relieved and ecstatic upon noticing Kalindra and escaping Andy's grip; rushing up to her and softly zipping up her back, he nuzzles his nose against her own as he takes his usual place on her shoulder. Ugh. You'd call it sweet, I call it sickening.
"Momma, that little boy tried to strangle me!"
"Nonsense," she responds, immediately giving his tummy a quick tickle, yet his giggles prove no distraction when she notices said little boy who's suddenly grabbed onto my leg upon the sight of strangers.
"Ah, Mikaal," she says, signalling myself to the thin, grey woman standing beside her. "It seems you've found young Andy for us."
Giving me a single nod, he immediately rushes towards the Skeelz elder and almost knocks her over with a tight glomp; though to be fair, she looks like she'd be snapped in two by a simple gust of wind.
"Greem, can Mr. Mikaal come and visit us sometime at the magic school? Please?"
He seems so excitable it's almost unreal, but what shocks me most is that his 'mother' has taken one look at me and not immediately labelled me as a creep. Or a psycho. Or both.
"Well, it seems he's really taken a shine to you," Kalindra says, though it was something I was expecting Greem to say. "Shame you can't be so nice and level-headed with our own clan's children."
She's pretending to be annoyed but it's all in good faith, and to be honest it's not what my clan has to say that I'm worried about; turning to face the Skeelz female, I cant help but feel a sense of relief when she nods and smiles to Andy's request. It makes me feel like a much loved uncle in a way.
"Perhaps Mikaal could be your Student Guest?"
"Student what now?"
"With all the relations and prospects that our students have within the city, Caelus became aware that members of other clans weren't always paying a visit to the Academy to pick a fight. Especially when the likes of Zlatar are taking their niece away to some do every other weekend. So each student has one guest, and everyone else gets shown the way out."
"But...what about the woman who left him at the Academy?" Kalindra asks, seeming as if she was hesitant to ask.
Glancing left and right as if she doesn't really want to talk about it at that moment, Greem bends down to Andy's level and gently covers his ears with her hands.
"She made it very clear that she wouldn't be coming back," she calmly explains, slightly tightening her 'grip' when she notices the young lad's curious expression. "Plus it was Caelus who hung onto her every word. I didn't trust her. But I trust him, Kalindra. Please, Mikaal. Andy really seems keen on the idea and it isn't often he warms up to strangers as quickly as that."
It isn't so often that I warm up to anyone as quickly as that; even to this day, I'm somewhat suspicious of even Kalindra. But potential parenthood does things to a guy- especially a guy like me; noticing Andy's hopeful expression, I realised I haven't actually given my answer yet as I feel a smile form upon my face. I honestly thought he believed visits from me would mean the opportunity to almost hug Tiwi to death once more, but it seems it's truly, madly and deeply just me that he's taken a shine to.
Bending down to his level once again and stretching my arms out, he immediately gets the message and rushes over to give me the tightest hug his own, little arms are capable of; with his own eyes closed, one of mine opens itself due to habit, but there's truly no need. I think the last thing Andy wants to do is smash a snowball in my face when I least expect it.
Titsouk on the other hand...well, let's not think about it...