Ch. 38: Easy distractions
He gently held the watering can as he swept it back and forth over the flowers.
Gaster concentrated on making sure he didn't pull on any more magic as he levitated the watering can across the flower bed in front of him. The king walked beside him with another watering can, watching his progress as they went. Gaster was still only able to let go of about half of the magic that he could hold but he was becoming more comfortable with keeping it at that level, even with distractions. "Four times six."
'Twenty-four,' Gaster signed as he walked without looking away from what he was doing. They were combining two of his lessons today as they visited the garden, magic control and math problems to split his concentration. Gaster didn't mind it that much, especially since the king had promised him extra time for this visit in return for using some of it for the lessons.
"Seven times five."
Gaster responded after a moment, 'thirty-five.'
Gaster thought that this was a bit more of a practical use of less magic, the last time he had attempted to sneak a syringe out of Sidd's pocket it had cracked as soon as he had wrapped his magic around it. It had been very difficult for him to keep a straight face until they had parted ways after that. It was a bit frustrating, how his changing energy levels meant he had to relearn how much force he needed to use in order to do things he had been doing his whole life. He had more magic to draw on now but it still felt the same to him now as it had before when he used a certain amount of his ability. Half still felt like half and all still felt the same as it always had, even if all was so much more than it used to be.
That had always been what he had needed to do, he had needed to put everything he had into the simplest of actions to make sure he could do them and they didn't just fail. Picking things up and holding them in his hands, supporting their weight. Using his magic to summon bones or move things. Walking. How long had it been since a trot was the fastest that he was able to make himself move? The physical things were easier to adapt to because they were constantly there, the use of his magic would need more practice. Instinct was hard to fight, and being weak and nearly helpless was a difficult thing to unlearn.
"Three times nine."
'Twenty-seven.' Gaster responded as he tipped the watering can up more, the last of it's contents trickling out onto the ground.
"Very good my child," the king smiled as he offered Gaster his watering can, "here you take mine while I go refill yours."
Gaster gave the king a nod, slipping his magic around the king's watering can to lift it into the air as he moved his own empty one close for the king to take. Gaster started trickling water onto the flowers as the king made his way over to the water pump. Gaster wiggled his toes in his shoes, shifting his feet some in them to try to make them more comfortable.
It felt strange to wear shoes, not able to feel the ground with his feet as he walked. Gaster had to wear several pairs of socks to make sure they fit snugly enough that they wouldn't slide around his feet too much as he walked. Not many monsters wore shoes and the ones that the king had gotten him were shaped a little oddly, clearly meant for someone with longer feet than him.
Gaster swept the watering can to his side, fumbling it and nearly dropping it as he noticed Sidd standing right next to him. Gaster let out a frustrated huff as he calmed himself from the sudden startle, giving Sidd a displeased look. Sidd just stared back at him.
"Sixty-four times thirty-five."
Gaster raised his brow questioningly but Sidd only continued to stare at him. Gaster fidgeted with his hands for a moment before answering, 'don't know.' The king's pace with some of his lessons was a bit slow for Gaster's liking but this was a bit of a jump in difficulty.
Sidd tilted his head to the side slightly as he stared at Gaster, waiting a few more movements before he spoke again, "six times six."
'Thirty-six.'
Sidd gave a nod, waiting a few long moments before he spoke again. "Two times three times six."
Gaster hesitated a moment before answering. 'Thirty-six.'
Sidd gave another nod, speaking after a few seconds. "Two times three times three times two."
Gaster frowned slightly, trying to figure out what Sidd was getting at. 'Thirty-six.'
"Sixty-four times thirty-five."
Gaster frowned a bit more as he looked at Sidd, he thought he could understand what the other was trying to show him. If he broke the numbers down they might be easier to figure out. He started with the sixty-four, divided by two that would be thirty-two. Divided again that would make it sixteen. Gaster kept track of the number of times divided by two on his fingers as he divided it again to eight. Then to four and then to two. So there were six twos.
So if he multiplied thirty-five times two and then that answer by two until he had used up all of the twos he would have the same answer as sixty-four times thirty-five. Gaster's gazed slipped down as he thought, multiplying the numbers in his head and counting off the twos on his fingers as he used them.
It took him a little but Gaster looked up again after double checking his answer and going over the numbers again to make sure that he got the same answer. 'Two thousand two hundred forty?'
Sidd stared at him for a few long moments before giving a nod. "You dropped the can."
Gaster glanced to the side, he still held the watering can with his magic but he had allowed it to sink to the ground in his distraction. With a flick of his wrist he lifted it again, he had also pulled on a bit more magic than before but not by as much as he would have thought.
"Thirty times forty-eight."
Gaster slowly moved the watering can back and forth in front of him, directing it to sprinkle out water onto the flowers with one hand as he divided the numbers in his head and counted off twos on his other hand. After a little while Gaster looked up from staring at the flowers as he thought, his answer was more confident this time. 'One thousand four hundred forty.'
Sidd nodded after only a moment and Gaster grinned at the affirmation, math was a fun puzzle to work with if there was the right amount of a challenge to it. Not too easy but not too hard either.
Gaster turned slightly as the king returned, "here you are my child." The king offered the now full watering can for Gaster to take, which was traded for the half empty one he had been using.
"Twenty-seven times fifty-seven."
The king turned to Sidd as the other spoke, giving a slightly disapproving frown. "Sidd that is a bit above what I have been teaching him."
Gaster made a distracted motion toward the king as he thought, the watering can sunk a little as he held it with his magic but it remained in the air. They were both odd numbers so he would have to divide them by something other than two. It took him a bit longer to solve this problem out but eventually he pulled his gaze up to meet Sidd's again.
'One thousand five hundred thirty-nine.'
Sidd gave a nod.
The king gave Gaster a surprised look before turning to Sidd, "that is the answer?"
Sidd stared at the king for a few seconds before answering, "that is correct."
The king turned back to Gaster, the surprise still clear on his face. "How did you do that Wingdings?"
Gaster gave a small shrug, 'Sidd showed me.' You could solve any puzzle once you knew how the pieces fit together.
The king looked to Sidd again, giving the gingerbread monster a thoughtful look. "Sidd?"
Sidd continued to stare at the king, "yes?"
"How would you like to help me with some of Wingdings' lessons?"
Sidd cocked his head to the side as he looked at the king, his gaze moving to rest on Gaster for a short while. "Perhaps." Sidd walked away before the king could respond.
The king watched him go for a moment before turning to Gaster, "would you mind if I had Sidd help to teach you young one? He will know a good deal more about math and science than I do."
Gaster gave the king a smile, 'yes, I would like that.'
The king gave him a wide smile in return, "I will talk to him more about that later then." The king's grin widened even more with pride, "you never cease to surprise me with how clever you are my child."
Gaster ducked his head slightly as he smiled a bit more back.
"Come my child, let us finish watering the flowers."
Gaster followed the king as they walked around the garden, the king didn't ask him any more math questions but he continued to use his magic to hold the watering can as they went. Once they had finished and set the watering cans aside they moved to sit among the flowers that had been watered earlier where the ground was most dry.
The king closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, a content smile on his face as he sat in the warmth of a shaft of sunlight and took in the air of the garden. Gaster sat next to him, leaning into the king's side as he looked up at the light that slipped down from the rocky ceiling. He couldn't see the sun or the sky through the gaps in the roof of the cave, he could only see the faintly pulsing white wall of the barrier as it arced through air and the rock of the mountain alike.
Gaster looked over to Sidd and Cadis, who had settled into the flowers not too far away. Cadis was staring at Sidd intently as he attempted to 'win' a staring contest against the other. Gaster let out a soft laugh as he watched them and wondered what Sidd had done to draw Cadis' ire this time, it didn't take much sometimes.
Gaster and the king just sat in the flowers for a long time, eventually laying down as the rays of light slowly slid across the ground. Gaster curled against the king's side, the king's large arm wrapped around him and held him close as he curled his fingers into the kings robes and pressed the side of his face against the king's chest. He relaxed and listened to the strong steady beat of the king's soul as he idly watched motes of dust filter through the sunlight. There was a slight breeze as air slipped down from the tunnel that led up toward the surface. It carried faint foreign scents on fresh air that was just strong enough to be smelled over the scent of flowers. It would be so easy to just fall asleep lying here next to the king.
Gaster wondered what the surface was like, it must be nice if everyone wanted to get there. Clouds and weather, a moving sun and stars, plants and animals everywhere. These things were as equally unimaginable to him as snow and trees and houses and neighbors or anything else Cadis had described about his home or the rest of the underground. They seemed equally unobtainable to him, even if he knew that wasn't really true.
Gaster glanced up at the king's face, he wasn't sure if the king was asleep but he looked happy. Gaster forgot sometimes how old the king was, that he had lived long enough to have seen the surface hundreds of years ago. That made the king ancient to Gaster's eyes. Gaster knew that the king didn't age anymore but he definitely looked more weary some days than he did others. But Gaster supposed that he did too.
Gaster smiled a little more at the relaxed content smile on the king's face. The king made a lot of his days easier, he was glad to help with the king's days too.