KOR MEETS APHID / ESCAPE FROM GRELOD PART 6
It was early in the morning a week later when Kor would witness the first dose of Grelod's wrath.
At least a wrath far worse in his eyes than the stinging smacks she had punctuated his first night with.
And just when everything between that night and this wrathful morning had been going well.
Well…
Well enough for a boy who was still fresh from losing everything.
But it had felt well, even to him.
Aphid had made him feel so safe and watched over that Kor had even managed to find a hearty laugh from himself during one of the playtimes.
And the atmosphere of that week had lent its hand in easing Kor, as even Grelod herself had been rather relaxed ever since that meeting with the Jarl.
Aphid had said she did get that money, which was evident when she met up with them in the market that day and allowed Aphid to convince her to let him buy fabrics to make the children's clothes with, as the boy is apparently good with tailoring, and this on top of buying already made clothing to hold the kids wardrobe over for now.
She even let him buy a few new books for schooling and bedtime.
She had been rather allowing all that week and didn't raise even one finger towards the kids, aside from some stern pointing at Bark, who did receive a few scolds from her.
But there had been no yelling, and there had been no hitting.
Kor had just started to think that maybe the unfortunate anger he had met Grelod with was perhaps a rarity.
He'd been unfortunately wrong.
It was about an hour after breakfast when it happened.
The kids were in the main room doing their general morning cleaning routine, though mostly playing as they supposedly worked, while Aphid was sat at the cleared off dining table and working on a dress for Eydis.
He had just finished taking her measurements a little bit ago. A task she didn't make that easy for him, as she kept spinning and hopping about, insisting he was trying to tickle her.
Admittedly, he actually did get her a couple times just to make her honest, but she did make the process take a good solid few irksome minutes longer than necessary.
Not that Aphid seemed irked at all, but his relieved sigh to be done with it spoke of the ordeal enough.
With those measurements done, he sat down at the table to choose which fabrics he wanted for the dress and what pattern he had crafted up to use. He also was thumbing around in Grelod's sewing box for all the rest of necessary supplies he'd need for this hand craft.
Grelod was in the utility room behind him, sorting the pots and pans and reorganizing the shelving.
It was a task that she would have delegated to Aphid at any other time, but she left him to his tailoring and decided to do this herself.
She didn't at all seem to be in a bad mood. In fact, Aphid could hear, just ever so faintly, a hum emitting from her.
He at first thought she had been repeatedly trying to clear her throat, but he eventually realized there was a musical rhythm to it.
What constituted as musical for her anyway.
But that jolliness would abruptly come to an end when the old woman accidentally knocked a pot down while moving a tray. The pot bounced and clanged about, but there was an extra clanging sound within it.
It rattled erratically as the pot bounced and rolled to a stop.
Aphid had turned to the initial noise, but that rattling instantly paled him as the memory of what was within hit him.
The children in the main room had looked towards the banging too, but they noticed Aphid's reaction more, as the pale older boy slowly turned back around in his seat and stared wide eyed at the table top.
Had he realized the kids were looking at him, he would have hid his trepidation, but in truth, he was distracted with quickly trying to calculate the battle plan for the wrath he knew was coming.
How he was going to explain himself, how he was going to steel himself, how he was going to keep her from going after the other kids t—
He had just enough time to scoop the sewing box out of the way before--
WHAM!
The side of his face hit the tabletop as Grelod had slammed his head down upon it.
"What is this?!" she demanded of him, holding that stashed away knife in his line of sight.
Though his sight was slightly dazed from that clunk his head took to the table, but the children scrambling to hide behind beds caught his attention more than the gleaming blade near his face.
His hesitancy earned him a yank upwards by his hair, as Grelod reeled him upright, stabbed that knife into the table, and slapped Aphid a hard three times on the cheek of his face.
Having got his attention now, she yanked that knife back into view and demanded again, "WHAT IS THIS?!"
"A kn-knife, Miss Grelod," Aphid replied with a small shake of his voice. He didn't mean either the shake or the--what he was sure would be misinterpreted--response to come out of his mouth. Her smacks always were like fire to the skin, but he was usually much more braced for her than this.
However, the incredibly relaxed week and then the instant change of from that to this, had him slow to the draw.
At least his quick realization of his poor choice of words was on the mark, as Grelod certainly assumed it was a smart alecky jab and stabbed that knife down again so as to slap him harshly on the mouth this time.
"Don't smart off to me, boy!" she reprimanded and yet again slapped him on that already well printed cheek, "Don't you DARE smart off to me with this! WHAT IS IT DOING OUT HERE, APHID!"
"I-I'm sorry!" Aphid responded, a trickle of blood forming on the corner of his mouth, "I forg--"
She didn't even let him finish before she yanked him fully out of his seat by his hair. He would have fallen straight onto his behind, if it wasn't for the fact that she had ahold of him like so.
Before he knew it, his back was slammed against the wall and Grelod's snarling face was in his as she berated him viciously.
"You forgot!?" she roared as Aphid felt her left hand sting him on the side of his arm. He then felt it again as she continued, "You forgot?!"
She then proceeded to keep slapping him: his arm, the side of his leg, the side of his head, his arm again, as she furiously scolded.
"We shouldn't even be leaving the FORKS out after what that DAMN brat pulled! You FORGET that too?! And then YOU go and leave this DAMN thing--"
She halted.
The reason being, she had gone to hit him with her right hand… Which she only now realized had that knife back within it…
She had absent mindedly yanked it back out of the wood when she pulled Aphid from the table.
She was just about to strike him with it, thankfully the butt end of it, but Aphid's sudden reaction -- a reaction of genuine fright -- and her simultaneous realization that she hadn't even realized she held it…
There was an awkward pause.
Her sudden silence allowed the sniveling sounds of the other children to be heard, though she wasn't the one hearing them.
She seemed frozen in that moment. Her only movement was the incredibly slow lowering of her arm that held the knife, though her gaze remained transfixed on Aphid. However, if there was any remorse behind that gaze, it wasn't visible in the slightest.
Only when Aphid began to speak something to the frightened children did Grelod finally snap from her frozen state.
"Turn around," she ordered Aphid with a calmer, but cold, sternness as she stepped back and set that knife down upon the table.
She had then unbuckled and slid the leather belt from her dress coat and looped it in hand.
"Hands on the wall," she added.
There was only the tiniest bit of hesitancy from Aphid before he nodded with a small "yes, ma'am" and complied.
She was just going to whip him and be done with it. That'd be the end of this.
But when she wound up to lay that first lash, she paused.
A thought crossed her mind and gave her question.
"Why…," she asked, "was it hidden?"
Aphid looked over his shoulder.
"…Ma'am?"
"Why was the knife hidden away in that pot?"
Aphid sensed a suspicion rising.
"It wasn't hidden, Miss Grelod," he tried to explain, "I mean, not exactly. I used it last week for dicing the apples for porridge, and when you came for breakfast at the table, I hurriedly stashed it there so you—"
"Uh huh. Likely story," Grelod cut him off as her suspicions overtook the situation now.
She looked towards the children in the main room, each one peeking up from behind a bed.
"Who's all been in that pantry, huh?!" she demanded of them.
Aphid whirled off that wall in a heart beat.
"None of them, ma'am! I'm the only one—"
Grelod turned on him fast with a stern fingers to his chest.
"Who's been there with you?" she asked insistently, "Those ugly little ducklings follow you everywhere, so I know they've had their thieving little mittens in there too."
She turned back to the kids.
"Who was it? Who took the knife?" she ordered an answer and shifted her eyes to her perceived most likely culprit, "…Bark!"
Bark squeaked in fright and all he could manage to say was a high pitched "NO!"
Aphid hopped in front of Grelod and tried again to defuse this situation.
"No, Miss Grelod! He didn't," he said, "None of them did. They don't even know where they are stashed within the pantry. I took the knife. I do it all the time! I know you know I do it! I did it this morning too! I just forgot about THAT one!"
"Then why'd you hide it, hm?"
"I—Because you still—I wasn't think--"
"Uh huh."
"Miss Grelod, it really was me!"
She stared at him for moment.
Maybe debating on knocking him out the way or maybe conceding to his insistence, but it wouldn't be known, as Jaren's little peep piped up.
"Kor was in there," the little voice outed.
"Jaren!" Aphid spat.
"He was," Jaren twiddled, "Yesterday—"
"Jaren! Quiet—"
Grelod pushed Aphid aside and started towards Kor, who looked utterly terrified and ignorant as to what he should do.
He had taken shelter behind the side Aphid's bed, but upon hearing his name rattled out and now noticing the frightful crone heading towards him, he backed himself into the wall between the space of Aphid's bed and his.
His subtle twitching towards one side of the other was indicative of his thoughts about either running over Aphid's bed to escape or diving underneath his own to hide, but instead, he merely cornered himself as the boney witch approached with belt in hand.
Her approach, however, was suddenly interrupted by Aphid grabbing her by the arm in an attempt to halt and reason with her, but his negotiation couldn't even begin to form before she whirled around and cracked that belt across his side.
"DON'T YOU DARE," Grelod's gravelly voice roared, "GRAB ME!"
"Ow-Ma'am," Aphid spoke quickly, "He only stepped in there because I knocked a cheese wheel on my face and he wanted to make sure I was--"
She snatched ahold of the hair at the side of his head and yanked him in closely.
"Enough. You impede me again," she threatened, "and you can go cut yourself a switch."
His silence to that she took as defeat and released him, but as soon as she turned back towards Kor, Aphid was on her heels again, though being mindful not to touch her.
"M-Miss Grelod—"
"Enough!" she ordered and fished Kor out by his ankle from the hiding place he took under his bed.
"Get out here, you spotted yellow rat," she growled, and in what seemed like almost one seamless motion, she sat herself upon his bed and had the boy over her lap in blink.
"Miss Grelod--!" Aphid called again but Grelod again cut it off.
"I said enough, damn it!" she demanded and pinned in place that squirming, already sobbing, boy on her lap, "You're still getting yours, Aphid, don't you worry about that. You all are--"
"All—Why??" Aphid brazenly questioned her, "They didn't do anything! None of them did!"
Grelod gave him that burn through your skull glare for a moment before speaking.
"To remind you guttersnipes to mind what I say," she nearly gritted through clenched teeth, "that when I say something is off limits, it's off limits!"
"Miss Grelod--," Aphid had began to intercept as he was worried she was going to emphasize her points by striking Kor, but surprisingly she hadn't done so yet. Not even when she paused to tell him, "Quit your whining, boy. I haven't so much as tapped you yet."
She did however point that belt towards Aphid.
"You ungrateful gangly runt," she hissed at him, "I let one thing slide and you turn it into an avalanche."
"Me?" Aphid replied, and he did his utmost not to sound sarcastic or impertinent, "Miss Grelod, ma'am. R-Respectfully, I'm not the one that… I didn't… snowball this--"
"YOU," Grelod snapped back, "left a knife out, or let one of these little cut purses sneak it out from under your nose. You want to be the one to cradle one of them in your arms, desperately trying to tell them, as the color fades from their skin and the life from their eyes, that they'll be alright as they bleed out from a gut wound from playing swords?"
Aphid's face drained of color at the thought, but despite it, he replied, "They're smarter than that, Miss Grelod. Kor's even helped me dice vegetables—"
"Children are dumb, Aphid," Grelod retorted, "And no. No, it's not their fault. We lowly creatures are just born ignorant. And we're hard to learn. But children must learn if they are to not die fast and ignorant. And trust me, children can find a way to die in a blink of an eye. So we gotta teach 'em quick. And the only thing I see them learn quickly from, is pain. Whether that be surviving a gut wound, or just simply never forgetting what was said during a thorough hiding— I said stop that whining, boy. Save your breath for the wailing you're about to do."
"Miss Grelod, please," Aphid calmly pleaded, "I'm the dumb kid…"
At least it appeared calm to anyone but Grelod. She could always see what was behind his eyes. Something she usually used against him.
But for whatever reason, this time, she relented.
She suddenly pushed Kor from her lap, which caused the boy to land a bit hard on his palms and knees, but at least that meant he didn't plop right on his belly and chin. And it meant his behind had been spared.
Aphid attempted to reach for him to comfort, but Grelod prevented that by slapping Aphid's reach with that belt.
Seems she was only partially relenting.
She stood and nudged Kor away with a couple lights kicks to his behind. The boy didn't hesitate to scramble up and off at that; he sought shelter hunkering down next to Bark, despite Jaren being the closest directly across -- Kor wasn't about to be near the tattletale right then, though maybe he just wanted to be nearer someone closer to his size.
And he was further away from Grelod , though peeking back towards Aphid, the little boy felt he just left the older boy to the fire.
He saw Grelod take Aphid by the arm, turn him towards his own bed, and shove him at it. Aphid nearly tripped into it, but seemed to know exactly what was expected and laid himself over the side of it.
Grelod swung up that belt…
And Kor quickly tucked his face into the side of Bark's bed as he heard that leather crack down upon Aphid.
Again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
Kor peeked towards the side, at Bark beside him, to see the other boy sat with his eyes screwed shut and his hands covering is ears.
Kor thought about covering his own ears too, but he realized he wasn't hearing a peep out of Aphid.
He braved peeking towards the scene and witnessed the last few lashes. Kor felt his stomach flip with an icy coldness upon seeing Aphid as he was.
That brave older boy wasn't making a sound, no, not that Kor could hear with Aphid's head down upon the bed and face turned from view, but Kor could see how tightly Aphid was gripping the bed cover.
The little one almost found the bravery to shout at Grelod to stop, but she finally did anyway.
She laid that last lash on Aphid, threaded her belt back on, and headed towards the dining area again. Kor quickly tucked his face back upon Bark's bed, and it honestly took everything in him not to slide beneath that bed in fear the crone was coming after him again, but he didn't, and she didn't.
She took an immediate turn towards the foyer and called back as she disappeared further towards the front door, "I'm heading out. Clean up this mess. Watch the brats."
"…Yes, ma'am," Aphid replied flatly, though ever slightly irritated, but not that any tone was heard by the hag, as that front door slammed in unison with Aphid's reply.
There was a silence after that, as no one dared to want to move, seemingly not even Aphid.
But after a worriedly tense moment, he finally turned his face in view and pushed himself up.
He sat up on the edge of his bed and gave a sigh before almost startling at Kor's rush to him.
"Oh, honey," Aphid immediately reached out and cradled Kor's chin in hand and wiped at the tears on the boy's face, "Are you alright, polka dots? I know that was quite scary. I'm sorry—"
"A-Are you alright?" Kor asked him instead.
Aphid almost looked surprised at that question, but he smiled his gentle smile and replied.
"Oh, sweet kid, I'm fine," he said and even joked, "I ain't got much behind to whoop, so there ain't much to hurt, eh?"
Kor didn't look convinced of that, or he possibly hadn't even heard it, as he stared frightfully upon Aphid's face.
The skin of Aphid's cheeks were… painfully red.
Welts in the shape of long boney fingers were clearly visible on the side Grelod had struck the most, and the other side only faired slightly better without the welts, but a searing splotch of red still burned brightly.
His lips were slightly swollen, and the blood that had trickled earlier had dried to the corner of his mouth.
Kor's stare grew increasingly frightened at the sight, prompting Aphid to softly cup the boy's face in his hands, which seemed to prompt Kor's tears to steadily fall…
Aphid caught those droplets with his thumbs and gently, soothingly, wiped them away.
"I know, baby brother," the older brother consoled, "It's scary. I'm sorry you had to see that. Have to see this. But I'm most sorry of all that you were nearly dragged into it…All of you. I'm sorry--"
Aphid, though, had suddenly snapped to a sternness as his eyes darted to the side.
"Jaren, though," he said with warning, "Little boy, we're gonna have a mighty big talk in a moment, you hear?"
But even with that heated warning, Aphid softened his tone and affirmed the little tattletale was alright.
"Are you okay, though, little peep?" he asked and again addressed the room, "Are you all alright?"
Kor simply slipped through Aphid's hands and hugged to him at that, while Aphid felt Eydis leap up on the bed behind him and similarly hug up against his back.
Jaren, however, simply stayed where he was at and idly picked at his sleeves -- probably anticipating the trouble he was in with the big brother -- while Bark seemed to be stomping towards Aphid in frustration.
It was definitely in anger, for as soon as Bark got close enough, he slugged Aphid right on the side of his bicep.
"Eh-Bark!" Aphid reacted, "Boy, what are you—"
"You almost got us all whipped, Aphid!" Bark blamed.
Aphid's stern expression quickly evaporated at that, and he sighed and nodded.
"I'm sorry, little pup," he said, "It was my fault, wasn't it—"
"No it wasn't!" Eydis argued and hopped up to point an accusing finger towards the small Redguard over yonder, "Jaren tattled!"
"Aphid started it!" Bark argued back and grabbed a pillow off Aphid's bed, "Jaren just tipped her over the edge!"
Bark flung that pillow at the Redguard and thwapped him hard enough to knock him on his behind.
"Barakväll!" Aphid began to scold, but Bark turned his snippiness back on him.
"She was doing just fine lately!" the green eyed boy vented, "And you go and ruin it!"
"Bark, I certainly didn't mean to, but I am sorry I--"
"He stopped her!" Kor suddenly snapped as he released his cling around the big brother to turn and defend him, "He's the one that got hurt—"
"He's the one that caused it, Kor!" Bark reiterated to him and suddenly stormed away, "So good!"
"That's just mean, Bark!" Kor shouted after him, but Aphid tugged gently at his arm.
"He's just a little rightfully mad at me, polka dots," Aphid said, "No arguing now. It's alright. I can take it...But just me, Bark, you hear?"
"Whatever!" Bark snapped back as he slammed the drawer of his night stand shut and tossed the tankard that had been sitting on top into the dining area, which clanged loudly as it missed just shy of the table and hit the floor.
"Bark…," Aphid sighed.
The big brother really didn't feel like getting on to these kids so soon after that whole mess with Grelod…
"How about," he suggested, "you and Kor go set up the ring toss out in the yard? We could do with some fun and fresh air quite soon."
"Aphid," Bark replied impatiently, "It's one ring and one peg. What exactly do I need help with?"
"One of you could carry the ring," Aphid retorted, "and the other the peg."
He blew a raspberry with his tongue to emphasize his teasing, which Bark only rolled his eyes at.
"Eydis can supervise," Aphid added and gave both she and Kor little soft pinching nudges on their sides to get them moving, "…Y'all go on now. It's a lot of work. Better get to it. And start on our daily stretches too."
"Ooooh," Bark realized, "I see what you're doing. You just want us out so you can really light into Jaren. 'Bout time!"
The green eyed scamp looked to that Redguard and warned the little fella.
"Jaren, he's about to whoop your little blabbin' butt!"
"No I'm not, Bark," Aphid immediately shot down, "And I mean, really? Goodness. Have I ever whooped any of you?"
"Yeah, me!" Bark immediately shot back, and shot back as if the older brother had completely forgot about some unforgettable event.
"That. was. one. swaaaat."
"It's. the. same. thiiiiing—"
"Get on!" Aphid stood, clapped, and shooed, "The three of ya. Git on out of here now. Go on. Get the ring toss and git."
Eydis and Kor giggled as they scurried off from this feigned anger, but Bark still had a bone to pick, even as he did as he was told.
"Brace yourself, Jaren," he said as he headed out with the other two after fetching the two pieces of the toy, "He probably won't hit you. Instead, he'll probably just hit you."
"Quit yer pickin'! Git!" Aphid ordered.
He spat it playfully, but his accent thickening could also be an indicator of his thinning patience, which was certainly worn as much as his hide in that moment.
Thankfully, Bark scurried along with the other two and went out the side door.
Aphid only shouted to them one more time instructing that the door remain open, but then set his attention on that tattletale.
"Jaren. Now I need your little tail to listen to me and listen to me good…"
As Aphid had that sit down with Jaren inside, Bark Eydis, and Kor set up that, quite overly simple, ring toss game outside.
Bark stomped the peg down half way in the ground at the farthest end of the yard while Kor looked over that worn wooden ring.
It looked like it had once been in a decent shape perhaps long long ago, and possibly part of a set. The remnants of what must have used to been light blue paint had clung on in splotches, boldly fighting the forces as not to be chipped out of existence. There was hints of two red lines on one side, probably marking its size or number within whatever set it used to belong to.
Kor was remembering the game of horseshoes he played at home. This looked quite a good deal simpler.
Especially the one and only rule Eydis rang in his ear about the one and only task for such a lonely ring.
"You gotta ring the peg!" she chirped and Bark sarcastically answered.
"Nooo really, Eydis?" he said, "I bet he thought it was to catch in our teeth like a dog."
"Shut up, Bark!" she snipped back – a stern call of her name came from inside from Aphid but was ignored – "I bet he hasn't played it!"
Bark sarcastically quipped again.
"Probably not this one."
Kor answered them both before the quips and snips turned too hostile, as he's already come to learn how fast these two could get at each other's throats.
"Not this one, no," Kor said, "Not ring toss. We played horseshoes."
"Horseshoes?" the cousins both replied with question.
"The hell is that?" Bark added on which prompted a stern shout of his name from inside too but was also ignored.
"It's like ring toss," Kor explained, "I guess. Except more rules? And more pieces. And it's played with horseshoes."
Before Bark could sarcastically quip that obvious remark, Eydis chimed in with more questions.
"Horses have shoes?" she asked, confused, "Oh, is that what those things are? The black thing on their feet?"
"Their hooves??" Bark asked, dumbfounded by her observation, "He's talking about the metal thing on the bottom of their hooves. Are you really that du—"
"Yeah, the metal thing," Kor intercepted, "It's under their foot and shaped like this."
He shaped his hand like a 'U' for Eydis to see.
"You toss it at the peg."
Eydis only seemed more confused.
"You toss the horse's feet at it?"
"No," Kor chuckled, " just the shoe."
"How does it go over the peg if it's not a ring?" the girl questioned on.
Bark sighed.
"Don't bother explaining to her," he advised Kor, "She'll never get it."
"Don't call me dumb, Bark!" Eydis stomped.
"Did I say that?" Bark taunted, "I just said you wouldn't get it—"
"Aphid!" Eydis hollered, "Bark's calling me stupid!"
"No I didn't, you liar!" Bark hollered back at her, "And why you tattling?! He's already getting on to one of you for it!"
"Play nice!" Aphid's voice was heard, "We'll be out in a moment, alright? But until then, play nice! All of you!"
"…yes, sir!" Kor answered, the only one of the three to not completely ignore the big brother's calls.
"Why are you even answering?" Bark remarked to the other boy, "You haven't done nothing."
"I'm just being respectful," Kor said, "I don't want to be in trouble…or be a trouble…"
"You calling me trouble?" Bark tilted his head.
"What-no," Kor replied, "I didn't mean it like—I just meant—"
He was trying to formulate what should have been the simple words to say he just didn't understand why the kids were so at each other's throats when they already had Grelod looming over them, and why they were so bratty with Aphid when he was the one always trying to be nice, but suddenly nothing was coming out right.
"You're mean," was all that fumbled out for some reason, which made the green eyed boy's head jerk back as if Kor had hit him.
"Mean?!" Bark repeated in disbelief. He looked, for a split moment, genuinely hurt by the remark before his anger snapped in.
"You just met with Grelod's belt and I'M MEAN?!"
"No-no-no," Kor shook his head, "That's not what I meant—"
"That's it," Bark growled. He was an impulsive child for certain.
"Everyone thinks I'm bad," he gritted quietly through his teeth before snapping, "I'll show you mean then!"
He went to lunge at Kor, but in a flash, there was a barrier between them that was Aphid having dashed out to intercept.
The older boy had lunged himself onto a knee between the two others and had each hand outstretched to both of them—Bark having connected his chest to one when he had made a go at Kor.
"Ah-ah! Nope!" Aphid stated firmly.
Admittedly, his tone had lost its patience. He, himself, as well.
"None of that," he ordered, "None of that, or I'll be the mean one and sit your tails facing the wall over there while the rest of us play. What'd I say about the arguing, huh?"
"I-I'm sorry, Aphid," Kor apologized, "I d-didn't mean to argue. I was just—"
"He called me mean!" Bark huffed.
"Well," Aphid said as he lowered his hands and stood.
He took a took a breath to reign himself before his temper reigned the boys.
"Whatever you were about to do," he said to Bark, "wasn't going to convince him much otherwise, was it?"
"I didn't mean to call him mean," Kor tried to explain his behalf, "I was trying to say—"
But Bark was rattling off at the same time.
"Everyone thinks I'm just trouble, so why should I try being anything el—"
"Boys. Boys," Aphid brought his hands back up to try and corral the word rush now before it became a garbled stampede, "Shh, shh. Shh, now. Come here. Come sit over here."
"Wha-no!" Bark protested, thinking it meant time-out, "We're just talking now—"
"Hey, hey. No. No, not for that," Aphid said having regained his calm fully now, "No, pup. Just to simmer down and we'll all talk. All of us. C'mon, y'all. Eydis, you too. Jaren! Come on out. Over here."
He led the kids to a slab of rock that sat underneath the windows that peeked into the foyer and sat straight across from the door that led back inside the center room.
"Sit," he said to the four of them.
Bark, Kor, and Jaren were able to fit seated on that rock, but Eydis sat to the side of it as she idly twirled and rolled the ring piece she now held when Kor dropped it.
Aphid stood in front of them all, arms folded, and weight on one hip.
"Now," he spoke, "Listen to me, kids…"
Their anticipation read that they still felt a scold coming, so Aphid unfolded his arms and sat on his knees to not seem so towering and stern. He really wasn't trying to make them feel so boxed in and on egg shells.
But Mara's mercy.
Even he had to admit there were times they made it a little hard to find a balance between his discipline and …
Well, no. It wasn't hard to make the choice NOT to be her.
He was in a little bit of ill temper because of her, yes, but he always made the decision – and always was his point to make the decision – not to take it out on the littler ones.
"I just want y'all to hear me, alright?" he said calmly, though his eye twitched. Whether it was from irritation or the welt laid too close to it wasn't exactly discernable.
"I know we've had a rough dip this morning, but let's not keep digging it deeper with being mad and mean at each other--"
"I wasn't being mean!" Bark snapped.
"Bark, now, don't interrupt me yet," Aphid addressed, "Just listen, alright?"
Aphid noticed, however, Kor raising his hand slightly and nervously looking for Aphid to address him.
"Yes, Kor?" the older boy answered the silent beckon.
"Can I…," Kor seemed to be carefully thinking his words, "…Can I explain what I meant to say? To Bark earlier?"
Aphid was well versed in children attempting to cover their tracks or attempting to amend their words enough to skirt trouble with their ill made remarks, but he hadn't known Kor to do such yet.
Given, it's only been a week and the week graciously hadn't given the boy much reasons to do so, but… Aphid didn't think Kor that type.
No, he was sure the boy was being genuine in his insistence that he was misunderstood.
And besides, even if what he had said was meant the way Bark had perceived it, it wasn't like it was untrue. Bark could be bitey.
Aphid wasn't sure why the remark had riled the scamp so.
"Alright, go ahead," Aphid allowed Kor to explain himself.
Kor looked to Bark.
"I didn't mean to say that you're mean," the blond said to the brunette, "I just wonder why you…why you act mean."
"What?" Bark asked in confusion.
"That just means the same thing!" he then stated in confusion.
"No, no," Aphid intercepted, "It makes sense. I get what he means."
Bark clearly did not with the irritation quickly spreading across every fiber of his being.
"What he's saying is," Aphid explained more clearly, "He doesn't think you're a mean person, Bark, but that you ACT mean. You know, like how some people pretend they're tougher than they really are?"
Still Bark did not look too much like be understood.
In fact, he certainly didn't with his remark, "I am tough."
"Listen," Aphid tried again, "Just listen. You know how Fjora seems all hard and brooding and uncaring and stand-offish?"
"Mean?" Bark summarized.
"…yeah," Aphid half nodded, "…Well, she's not. She's just … afraid--DON'T…tell her I said any of this."
"Afraid?"
"Yes, like…," the big brother thought about his words and explanation carefully, "…afraid to let anyone know that she's NOT those things. Because to her, mean means tough."
"No, I mean," Bark said, "Are you afraid of her?"
Aphid shut his eyes.
"Okay," he sighed, "You're not gonna get it. That's alri—"
Eydis suddenly muttered in on that.
"Who never gets it now?" she slyly uttered.
"Shut it, Eydis!" Bark snipped and the girl taunted with a blow of her tongue.
"AY!" Aphid snapped himself. His voice giving all the kids a jump.
"…Hey…," he said lighter but sternly, "Enough. Please just hear me on this…"
He cleared the crack from his voice that the authoritative boom gave.
"We are all we have here," he said, "We're the only family we have left at this moment in our lives. Bark and Eydis, though. You two are a little bit luckier than we three. You are cousins. You come from the same family. Have memories you can share with each other—"
"Of what?" Bark countered, "Our family killing each other??"
Aphid grimaced but nodded.
"Okay, that's a fair point," he said, "I'm sorry, pup. Button nose… But my first point still stands. We are all we have right now. We need to be nicer to each other—"
Bark interrupted again.
"Because Grelod doesn't ACT mean, she IS mean?"
Aphid did a slow nod and then nodded fully.
"Yyyes. Yes," he said, "Yeah. She's mean enough for all of us, so let's counter that with not being mean to each other? Does that sound doable? Good?"
Bark twisted his lips to one side before letting out a tiny blow.
"Okay, fine," he said, "…I wasn't being mean though…"
Before Aphid could even groan in aggravation, Jaren peeped up with a tattle.
"Eydis whispered he's dumb," the Redguard outed.
"I did not!" the girl lied, "Kor did!"
Kor first shot her a look of disbelief before looking to Aphid, about to clear his name, but he saw Aphid give an exhausted smile, an even more drained chuckle, and pinch the bridge of his nose.
"You guys, and girl, just," the big brother instructed, "…start on your stretches."
He stood and stretched a little himself.
"I'm gonna step inside for just a few moments, alright? I gotta clean up the table and then I'll be right out and we'll play ring toss."
"Do you need help?" Kor asked as the other kids hopped up and started running around rather than stretching—as Bark had opted to snatch the ring from Eydis and play keep away instead.
"Oh, nah, sweetheart," Aphid replied and playfully knuckled the top of the boy's head, "Thank you for the offer though. Go on and play. Be nice about it though, alright?"
"…yes, sir," Kor nodded despite looking a bit hesitant to follow in with the other kids.
He started, instead, doing the stretches Aphid usually had them all do at the start of the day.
Aphid headed back inside to clear off the table from the work he hadn't even gotten to start on, but as soon as he turned into the dining area, out of sight of the kids, he vigorously rubbed at his face.
"mmmrgh," he growled low.
His cheeks were smarting something fierce. All of them really, but those marks on his face still felt like fire to the skin, and his lip was throbbing.
"…alright," he whispered, "had your moment. clean up."
As he did so though, he noticed one very particular item was missing.
The one of which that caused all the real mess.
He scanned the table and floor twice over, but didn't see it.
He even checked the foyer and glanced over the center room and once more scanned the dining area.
Huh.
Grelod must have scooped it up on her way out.
Right?