Eighteen: In Which Klaus Trains His Adorable Gaggle Of Children To Be Ruthless Hunters

[myblimpisbigger]

[Later in the afternoon on Easter Sunday, after family time is over (whether that's church or just loafing around with chocolate bunnies), residents may notice a group of very tiny people scuttling frantically around Mayfield's park (which is where everything seems to happen, I mean, really). This is Klaus's kindergarten class, or at least, the

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[worstvikingever]

[He has just finished hiding the eggs and now he's standing, watching the kids, a couple of them hanging onto his legs. He's trying to stay balanced with his one fake leg.]

I can't believe I'm doing this.

[myblimpisbigger]

[Aw, but Hiccup, the kids love you so! You're so ~cool~ and ~mature~ and easy to beat at tag! Also, unlike your dad, your legs are skinny enough that they can get a really good grip on them.]

Oh? And what do you find so unbelievable about it?

[worstvikingever]

[He'd be constantly humiliated by the fact that he can't win at tag except the kids are just so darn cute he can't possibly be angry. Hiccup shrugs.]

I dunno, I just... hiding chocolate eggs? How is that a tradition?

[myblimpisbigger]

To be very honest? I myself am not sure. But the children insisted.

[And he just couldn't say no. How could you expect him to say no?!

One of the children clinging to Hiccup's legs (the one who is in possession of the normal one) flumps down into a sitting position atop Hiccup's foot and proclaims himself an irremovable tumor.

Klaus, what have you been teaching these children.]

[hontobakabaka]

[Ruri stands near the edge of the perimeter, peering around a bit]

"Hrm...."

[myblimpisbigger]

[Hey, Ruri! Have a little drone girl with pigtails and freckles scampering up to you, apparently intent on showing you the eggs she has thus far collected.]

Heya, Ruri! Look what I've got!

[There is all of one tiny foil-wrapped egg in her basket. SHE IS SO PROUD. Wat do?]

[hontobakabaka]

[She nods]

"Try looking under that bush there, and given the ambient light, at the base of the tree over there."

[She tilts her head and peers over the field again]

[myblimpisbigger]

Can do!

[And off she scampers, pigtails bouncing, basket swinging. You know, for soulless hellspawn, drone kids are kind of sweet. And for an over-seven-foot tall half-insane tyrant, their teacher is pretty okay too.]

Helping out, I see.

[flameyedhunter]

[Shana watches this with wry amusement.]

[myblimpisbigger]

[Oh! It's the girl he met the night before. Clearly she has come to be impressed by his mighty hunters.]

Hello. Shana, was it?

[One of the younger, shyer children is hiding behind his leg and peering at Shana curiously. This is new person and therefore intriguing!]

[flameyedhunter]

That's me, yeah.

[She looks at the drone kid curiously]

Who are these kids?

[myblimpisbigger]

These children are my charges -- I have been assigned the job of kindergarten teacher by the town, in yet another display of its love for irony.

[Really, Klaus. When you liken running your country to running a kindergarten, you should really expect this sort of thing to happen.]

[infinitemars]

[This is something different, so Kira's found her way down to sketch. She hasn't noticed Hiccup yet, though she knows him, and is just sitting at a bench drawing the kids egg-hunt. Either is more than welcome to bother her.]

[myblimpisbigger]

[It may be difficult to sketch the kids' egg-hunt, considering they are all tiny children hopped up on sugar and the promise of even more later. It's hard to draw what you can probably barely see.]

Very impressive. Do you take lessons?

[infinitemars]

[Yet she's managing. She's drawn motorcycles at full racing speeds, too. It's one of her strange knacks. She blinks and looks at Klaus before smiling.]

Mostly self-trained, though my Father-in-law is paying for my college.

[myblimpisbigger]

[That is a pretty cool skill, not gonna lie.]

If this is what you can do while being 'mostly self trained', I see why he feels paying for your further education is worth it.

[One of his drone kids has the same knack for drawing. When she draws a house, he can actually tell it's a house! Amazing.]

[ooeeooahah]

[ Taking the long way home from church, Ilsa stops to watch the children in the park, and is only slightly suspicious of the HULKING HUGE MAN LOOMING OVER THEM... ]

[ Oh, hey - the kid she met from the other day is there, and seems to be okay with the Very Intimidating Gentleman who is... benevolently smiling over the children's activity? ]

[myblimpisbigger]

[Oh, come on now. Not every big scary man looming over tiny children has Terrible Intentions. This one is perfectly benevolent, okay?]

Mister Wulfenbach, look! I found another one!

May I point out that that one was already in your basket, Janice, and cannot be 're-found'.

[The tiny drone girl seems utterly unfazed.]

Oh! I didn't know that was part of the rules...

Unfortunately, yes, it is. Might I suggest you look under that bench over there instead?

[See? TOTALLY BENEVOLENT. TOTALLY.]

[ooeeooahah]

[ The interaction is noted and filed away, and her alarm signals regarding him fade marginally. ]

[ She turns her attention to tracking so many children. Her societal rules nag her as she tries to count how many adults are watching out for them. ]

[ When the little girl finally finds the egg under the bench, she coughs quietly and murmurs, ]

Look in the daffodils.

[ She's still keeping an eye on you, Mr Wulfenbach. ]

[myblimpisbigger]

[When the adult doing the watching is Klaus, you really only need one. And a half, if you count Hiccup, who is being a Very Helpful Son today.

The moment the drone girl finds the egg hidden amongst the daffodils, she skips over to Klaus, tugging on the hem of his coat and pointing towards Ilsa.]

Guess what! That nice lady helped me and now I have-- [She checks her basket quickly] -- three eggs!

Oh, did she?

[Don't mind him sizing you up, Ilsa. These are his kids, okay. He is very protective of them.]