AN: Sorry if this is so short. I know where I wanna go but like a lot of things, it's how to get there. Ragh, anyway..
The point of problem of this was that while it's possible for a pet to become a 'citizen' it means a multitude of things. For one, the pet must relinquish any lingering notions of suing a past owner for abuse. Which utterly means many unresolved cases and the Pets that have reclaimed their 'citizenship' only to have no recourse in that matter.
Which goes without saying, Kaldur couldn't legally do anything about his own mistreatment at the hands of past owners and to some extent pets as well.
However the Atlantean Prince could live without that. It only means that now, if something happens to him as a citizen, then he would be able to sue without any hindrance to his person. Granted, of course, if he had the money to do so.
But none of that means anything if he can't read English at all or write. He wasn't illiterate- far from it. He's even told Bruce that he used to compose ballads on his free time to the glory of the heroes from Atlantis's past.
"They were honorable men and women." Kaldur had said to him looking over the letters that Alfred set up. "Their battles should be praised."
"I see. So do you sing?"
"No." Kaldur shakes his head, "I have never been vocally inclined to such things."
Don't know about that, Bruce thought. Pretty vocal last night. "Then are you interested in any of that?"
Kaldur hesitates for a moment before nodding, "I am. If nothing else, the music on land is very diverse as one pod from another."
Bruce considers this for a moment, "We'll see what we can do about that. Just finish your lessons here. We'll be gauging other subjects later."
"I see." He pauses and glances at Bruce curiously, "Why are you helping me?"
"Helping you, helps me." He says before leaving to finish his own work.
Kaldur sits for a while, idly pondering what this could mean. "Does this mean I cannot stay with him?" He wonders out loud to himself.
"He won't be that easily lured."
"Give it time. Soon enough, the Ocean calls for all that were born here- even him."
"I see."
Right now, Kaldur's sitting across from Dick who doesn't really seem all to happy to be there helping him with his English. Honestly, Kaldur himself was a little nervous about this mostly because he thinks that Dick doesn't like him very much.
Ever since that incident with Wally and Conner, Dick has taken to avoiding him making Wally, as a result, also avoid him.
Leaving him alone for most of the day with occasionally Alfred for company until Bruce got home. Even then, Kaldur could feel the distance that's shaping up around him as the days had gone by when he decided not to be a pet any longer.
Which is why, he's wondering what was wrong with the black haired boy.
"If there is something the matter." He says finally, getting fed up with this strained tension, "Then address it properly. Giving me the 'silent treatment' only shows childishness."
Dick looks at him, weighing his words before saying, "I don't like you."
"I see. Is there anything else?"
"I don't like the fact that..." He purses his lips for a moment as if he doesn't like admitting this, " that you were right about Wally or monopolizing Bruce."
Honestly, Kaldur hadn't expected that. Really, he was prepared for the young boy to threaten him, or something else but this..?
"Excuse me?" He blinks slowly. "Monopolize Bruce?"
Dick looks away, "Before you, he used to spend more time with us." He looks at the paper, "And you spelled this wrong."
"Hm?" He looks over, "What do you mean? "
"Here, it's 'z' not 's'. They'll take points off for that."
"Oh."
"Anyway, it's just...Never mind. It's also weird to.."
Kaldur tilts his head, "Treat me like something that's not a pet? Human?"
"Something like that."
He turns this over in his head for a while before saying, "Wally's...strange. I do not understand him or his-any of those that volunteer for this- desire to belong to someone else."
"There's lots of reasons for it." Dick glances over a few more words, "Mostly, I think people don't want to be alone."
"And they need to own others?"
"Didn't say it had to make sense." Dick glances at him, "A pet can't inherit your money unless you specifically will it to them. Even then it's regulated to someone else to over see the whole financial thing. People think pets are safer then their own family." He pauses for a moment thinking, "That it's easier."
"I do not understand." Kaldur frowns at this."I also do not understand the use of this word. Galumphs? How is that a true word?"
"Don't ask." Dick said looking it over, "There are a lot of words in American English that's just plain weird."
AN: And yes, Galumphs is a word. It means to move clumsily or heavily. *The more you know~.*
