23 days before arriving in the DR
This vignette takes place on the train to Barcelona in my pup's altered timeline. Kanda is fourteen and Daisya is twelve.
Froi Tiedoll stood at the aisle window of a train as he had many times before, in many different trains. Some of the windows were open and let in a warm breeze tinged with salt water. He lowered his sketch board and tucked the charcoal and pastels back into his chest pocket. He adjusted his glasses, leaving a new multicolored mark on his cheek. Smiling faintly at the peacefulness of the aisle, he turned around to open the door to a first-class cabin.
The usual squealing yells and bustling movement greeted him as he stepped inside. This time it was Daisya who seemed to be getting the better of Kanda, leaping nimbly back and forth between the bench seats while Kanda lunged at him and shouted an angry protest. Perhaps it was only fair, considering that Kanda had Daisya in an arm-lock earlier while threatening to smear him with the remains of the French pate. Froi shot them a mildly disapproving glance. “My sons, you’re going to miss this spectacular view of the Mediterranean…”
Daisya laughed triumphantly and zig-zagged past Tiedoll into the hallway. “Time to admire the scenery! You have to behave now Kandaaaaa, Master’s here!” Kanda sat heavily on one of the benches and scowled. He crossed his arms over his chest and indulged in a short pout. Daisya’s voice sing-songed from the hall. “Aww c’mon, cranky-pants! I think I see some sailboats on the pier. Maybe we can get Master to pay for a fishing trip!”
Tiedoll watched the darkly sullen expression of his older apprentice evaporate. He jumped up and ducked around Tiedoll to join Daisya at the window, examining the boats with interest. Kanda turned to shove Daisya’s shoulder, smiling. “You’ll take any excuse to stick us with eating more stupid fish! I can’t wait until we’re back in the mountains, at least we’ll have decent food again!”
Daisya recovered instantly from the shove and elbowed Kanda in the ribs with a grin. “Hah! You’re so in love with boats that you squealed like a little girl when Master told us we’d be crossing the English Channel! I bet you wet your pants, too…” Kanda shouted angrily and dove at Daisya, tripping him and slamming his body against the hallway carpet. He lunged for Daisya’s hair, leaving his entire right side exposed. Daisya immediately grabbed at Kanda’s ribs, rendering him helpless with tickling.
“Ahhh! You’re… not gonna… get away… this time!” Kanda grabbed Daisya’s offending hand and yanked it across his body hard, forcing him over onto his stomach. Daisya yelped in protest, trying to kick his way free. Kanda dropped his weight down onto the small of Daisya’s back, pinning him to the ground. He grinned and crossed his arms in triumph. “HA! How are you going to dodge now, Goofbell!”
Though he wished for an alternative, there was no practical way to avoid taking his apprentices on long train rides. They had gone completely stir-crazy within an hour of boarding. Tiedoll sighed softly. It was inevitable that the intense energy of their interaction would turn into something much more complicated, and very soon at that. Daisya had already begun teasing Kanda in uncomfortable ways, capitalizing on his growing confusion...
Tiedoll removed his glasses and carefully cleaned them with the corner of his handkerchief that was not stiff with dried paint. “My sons, we will disembark in about thirty minutes. You might spend some of that time cleaning up the chess pieces you left scattered on the floor in your cabin.” He smiled gently at the two of them, emphasizing the fact that he had just come as close as possible to giving a direct order.
Reluctantly, Kanda let Daisya free and pulled him up to a standing position. They walked back through the sliding door. Kanda flopped down on the bench seat in a pout. Daisya yanked the box down from the overhead compartment and scowled. It seemed that they had not come to an agreement about who should bear the blame for the broken rook.
Tiedoll was thankful yet again that their two cabins were the only ones in this car. He was probably the only person in the world who could sleep nearby when those two began to fight in earnest. He walked the few paces to his own cabin to pack up his remaining things, confident that they would work it out somehow by the time the train arrived in Barcelona.
Froi Tiedoll stood at the aisle window of a train as he had many times before, in many different trains. Some of the windows were open and let in a warm breeze tinged with salt water. He lowered his sketch board and tucked the charcoal and pastels back into his chest pocket. He adjusted his glasses, leaving a new multicolored mark on his cheek. Smiling faintly at the peacefulness of the aisle, he turned around to open the door to a first-class cabin.
The usual squealing yells and bustling movement greeted him as he stepped inside. This time it was Daisya who seemed to be getting the better of Kanda, leaping nimbly back and forth between the bench seats while Kanda lunged at him and shouted an angry protest. Perhaps it was only fair, considering that Kanda had Daisya in an arm-lock earlier while threatening to smear him with the remains of the French pate. Froi shot them a mildly disapproving glance. “My sons, you’re going to miss this spectacular view of the Mediterranean…”
Daisya laughed triumphantly and zig-zagged past Tiedoll into the hallway. “Time to admire the scenery! You have to behave now Kandaaaaa, Master’s here!” Kanda sat heavily on one of the benches and scowled. He crossed his arms over his chest and indulged in a short pout. Daisya’s voice sing-songed from the hall. “Aww c’mon, cranky-pants! I think I see some sailboats on the pier. Maybe we can get Master to pay for a fishing trip!”
Tiedoll watched the darkly sullen expression of his older apprentice evaporate. He jumped up and ducked around Tiedoll to join Daisya at the window, examining the boats with interest. Kanda turned to shove Daisya’s shoulder, smiling. “You’ll take any excuse to stick us with eating more stupid fish! I can’t wait until we’re back in the mountains, at least we’ll have decent food again!”
Daisya recovered instantly from the shove and elbowed Kanda in the ribs with a grin. “Hah! You’re so in love with boats that you squealed like a little girl when Master told us we’d be crossing the English Channel! I bet you wet your pants, too…” Kanda shouted angrily and dove at Daisya, tripping him and slamming his body against the hallway carpet. He lunged for Daisya’s hair, leaving his entire right side exposed. Daisya immediately grabbed at Kanda’s ribs, rendering him helpless with tickling.
“Ahhh! You’re… not gonna… get away… this time!” Kanda grabbed Daisya’s offending hand and yanked it across his body hard, forcing him over onto his stomach. Daisya yelped in protest, trying to kick his way free. Kanda dropped his weight down onto the small of Daisya’s back, pinning him to the ground. He grinned and crossed his arms in triumph. “HA! How are you going to dodge now, Goofbell!”
Though he wished for an alternative, there was no practical way to avoid taking his apprentices on long train rides. They had gone completely stir-crazy within an hour of boarding. Tiedoll sighed softly. It was inevitable that the intense energy of their interaction would turn into something much more complicated, and very soon at that. Daisya had already begun teasing Kanda in uncomfortable ways, capitalizing on his growing confusion...
Tiedoll removed his glasses and carefully cleaned them with the corner of his handkerchief that was not stiff with dried paint. “My sons, we will disembark in about thirty minutes. You might spend some of that time cleaning up the chess pieces you left scattered on the floor in your cabin.” He smiled gently at the two of them, emphasizing the fact that he had just come as close as possible to giving a direct order.
Reluctantly, Kanda let Daisya free and pulled him up to a standing position. They walked back through the sliding door. Kanda flopped down on the bench seat in a pout. Daisya yanked the box down from the overhead compartment and scowled. It seemed that they had not come to an agreement about who should bear the blame for the broken rook.
Tiedoll was thankful yet again that their two cabins were the only ones in this car. He was probably the only person in the world who could sleep nearby when those two began to fight in earnest. He walked the few paces to his own cabin to pack up his remaining things, confident that they would work it out somehow by the time the train arrived in Barcelona.