Chapter 4
Kaldur raised an eyebrow at his stepson. "Obi-wan Kenobi. Really." Amistad was nodding eagerly.
"You totally are! You're strong with the Force, Dad - even when everyone else is clueless, you know exactly what to do! And your hair's practically the same color as his in A New Hope, too!"
"...I suppose I will have take that as a compliment. Have you given thought to who anyone else might be?"
"Of course I have." The fifteen year old looked affronted at the idea he would only compare one person to their perfect Star Wars character. "Conner and Megan Kent are Anakin and Padme Skywalker, because Mom says they used to be grumpiness and sunshine personified, while Wally and Artemis West are Han Solo and Princess Leia-"
"Ah, due to the strength of their old arguments, yes?"
"Exactly. Oh, and Dick and Zatanna Grayson are R2D2 and C3PO." That gave Kaldur pause.
"...Dare I ask why?"
"Because he's a troublemaker who's almost as smart as you, and she's the one who gets the most fed up when anyone's being an obtuse idiot."
"...I see."
"The only one I'm having trouble with is Mom-"
"Oh, honey!" Raquel laughed from the kitchen doorway, startling both the room's occupants, neither of whom had heard her there in the last few minutes. "I'm more inclined to say that I'm the one who's Obi-wan, and your dad is Yoda. Both impressive, but still on different levels of wisdom."
Amistad mulled it over for a moment. "Okay. I guess I could see that."
"I still want to know where all this came from." Kaldur sighed, getting the teen to smirk.
"Lian and I were talking it over yesterday, when she said her dad was Boba Fett."
"I can see that." Raquel said idly as she walked over. "Kal, it's almost five. The Kents are gonna be expecting you to come pick up Tabitha in a few minutes."
"Right as usual, love. I'll see you both later." He left the pair to their debates over who else they knew could be compared to a Star Wars figure, internally laughing at the notion that anyone would call him a Jedi Master. Kaldur wasn't much of a dedicated fan to the franchise - he'd seen the original movies and read a few of the comics, but beyond that wasn't well versed with the goings on of those stories. Now, Lord of the Rings on the other hand, he would be highly tempted to see who fit best with what character...
Still mulling over that idea on the walk over to the Kent residence, it wasn't until the man had reached the front porch that he heard the deep-voiced yelling from inside the house. More than a little alarmed, because Conner had never raised his voice to his wife or children before, Kaldur swiftly rang the doorbell.
The yells were still coming even as Calvin and Tabitha opened the door up wide, their looks of astonishment and fear prompting Kaldur to enter and seek out the grown Kents.
"How can you defend this?!" Conner was finishing his tirade as the other man found him in the dining room. Megan had her arms crossed and was glaring up at her husband as their younger son, four year old Kenneth, looked morosely at the floor. All around the walls of the finely furnished room, colored drawings blanketed the plaster in a band about three feet high. Pirates, aliens, superheroes and robots all put in appearances - some fighting in great battles, while others were merely travelling aboard various ships - all done in Crayola marker and crayon.
"Oh, my..." Kaldur said weakly, getting the instant attention of the trio in the room.
"Kaldur!" Megan exclaimed, hurrying forward to greet him. "We weren't, um, expecting you just yet."
"Sorry about the mess," Conner added, prompting his younger son to look even more dejected. "Someone decided to do an art project without our permission."
"Enough, Conner." His wife warned him. Afraid that further arguing might start up, Kaldur decided to help ease the tension, gently taking hold of Megan's arm and gesturing for Conner to follow them.
"Tabitha, would you and Calvin mind waiting in here for a few minutes?" As soon as the adults were separated from the children, Kaldur carefully set about cooling their tempers. "It's not like he set fire to the room."
The humor, at least, got the pair to both snort. "He knows better, though." Conner couldn't help but say. "He's colored on some of the walls before, and even though I tell him not to, Megan always says they're very well-done before painting back over them."
"So, you're saying this is my fault." The petite woman said flatly.
"No, that's not- look, what I'm saying is that we haven't properly punished him in the past, which is why he keeps doing it, and now we have that- that mural covering the dining room walls!"
"Does he have nothing else to draw on?" Kaldur broke in, recognizing the harsh look in Megan's eyes as a very bad indicator of where Conner would be sleeping that night.
"Of course he does. We've gotten both the boys several coloring books and pads of paper."
"But, nothing as big as what the blank canvas of the walls offers Kenneth." That got the parents to pause in consideration. "And, perhaps he determined that if he were to create something large and impressive enough, you wouldn't cover it over as you have his other works of art."
Conner let out a disgruntled noise. "Why would he decide that?"
Kaldur could only shrug. "Children's minds work in mysterious ways, my friend. If I may suggest, take photographs of the 'mural' that you can print out and place around the house - no guarantee, but it may curb his desire to create further works of art upon the walls."
"...That could work."
A/N: I couldn't resist the Star Wars comparisons. I might make later reference to any LotR ones I (or people who leave comments) come up with. Oh, and Happy Halloween folks! I hope everyone enjoys whatever traditions they have for the holiday. I myself will be putting on my Viking costume, participating in a gathering of geek board and card gamers, before spending a large amount of time munching on treats as I write to my heart's content.
-Triscribe
