It'll Take Your Breath Away
Chapter. 7
“No.”
“Teacher, pleaaaase!!!” Meta and Arthur spoke, holding out the strips of paper.
While Gordon and Nonsurat already left for class, Bate was having a hard time leaving the house due to the pairs outrageous request. Reaching over, Bate grabbed one of the papers and saw something scribbled on it with red crayon.
“No, smoking….?”
“So they know not to get near you!” Meta held up more. “If we attach them to your wings, they’ll know to keep their distance. We can also pass them out when we go to the plaza!”
“You better believe I’ll be giving you both extra training if you decide to pass these out.” He spoke, holding out his hand.
“But Teacher….” Meta shook his head, not wanting to receive more lessons for being courteous and helping him. "How about a scarf, then? To cover your face? I think I saw one in the closet, I can get if for you if you want!"
“Meta.” Bate’s voice alone was enough for him to eventually give in. With a disappointed sigh, he placed the papers in his hand and watched as his mentor set them on the counter.
“The last thing I need is attention drawn to myself, so I expect you to behave when we go shopping today, okay? No shouting, no starting a scene, and especially no crying.”
“Yes, Teacher….” The agreed before Meta piped up not a second later. “But what about-“
“No, Gumball.” Bate didn’t bother letting him finish before moving his wings forward and pushing the pair out the door. “We’re already late for class, so let’s go.”
Arthur and Meta quietly shuffled near Bate’s side as they began walking towards the training grounds. From their home, it was about a 15 minute walk to the field. Meta and Arthur were familiar with the path they took and they usually run ahead or have a quick race while Bate strolled behind.
This time was different.
Bate looked at the two warriors quietly walking next to him. None spoke nor talked to one another like they usually do, and Bate had a hunch…-no, he KNEW it was because of the incident with Mends.
“Alright.” Bate piped up which got their attention rather quickly. “Why aren’t you two running off like usual. What did Mends tell you?”
Meta, who, clutched on the the end of Bate’s wing while walking, gave a terrible lie which couldn’t help but cause the elder to sigh.
“We wanted to walk with you today. It’s fun, isn’t it, Arthur.”
“Hm? Oh- Y-yeah! We get to appreciate looking at all the nature and stuff.” He weakly smiled, not as fond of walking while he can be racing. “It’s…ah…exciting.”
“Meta, Arthur…..” Bate’s voice dulled after hearing what they had to say. The pair shyly looked at each other before glancing up at the elder.
“We don’t want to leave you just in case.” Meta clutched on to his wings a bit tighter. “Dr. Mends said you can get sick if you run or over….over exr….”
“Overexert yourself.” Arthur finished once again.
“Hm!” Meta nodded. “So we’ll stay by your side for a bit to make sure that doesn’t happen!”
Bate had a feeling he didn't even know what that meant, so he decided to think of a way to get the pair to go on ahead without seeming mad or annoyed. Eventually, he hatched an idea.
“I see….” He hummed, “Well, that's a shame. After being bed bound since the incident, I was so eager to see who’d win the next race. I was going to reward the winner with an ice cream cone afterwards.”
That quickly caught their attention, and Arthur spared no time extending his wings and taking off to the training field.
“H-hey!!! No fair!!” Meta shouted once he noticed his comrade completely left them “You promised we’d walk with him today!!!"
“You better catch up to him Gumball. I’m sure you’ll be able to make it a tie.” He moved his wings forward to give him an encouraging push.
Meta took a step forward once Bate nudged him, but after a few moments he shook his head and held on to his wing again.
“It’s okay, Teacher. I think I’d rather walk with you instead.” He said, much to Bate’s surprise.
Unlike yesterday, or the events that happened when he woke up this morning, Bate’s response became more concerning than irate. He really didn’t think Meta would get so worked up to the point where he’d refuse a chance to get a free scoop of ice cream. Maybe this incident was more serious than he thought.
“Meta….” The tone of his voice was much softer than before. He continued walking with the little puff by his side and did his best to fill the role of Alba until she returns. “It…ah….must have been scary to see me like that, huh?”
Bate could feel the grip on his wing tighten. At this point, Bate truly didn’t know what to say to him. This wasn’t like talking to his friends. Gordon, Ramset, and even Atka can’t even compare to how Meta was behaving. They understood, and although they show worry or concern from time to time, they’ve never crossed a certain point where Bate had to tell them to stop. Gordon…perhaps on occasions, but it was still nothing like the little warrior next to him.
“Is…there anything I can do to make you less worried, Meta?” Bate then spoke. Maybe trying to figure out how to ease his nerves would be a first step.
“Papers….” Meta softly spoke, keeping his focus to the floor as he spoke.
“M-Meta…tying those on my wings won’t help me.” Bate REALLY hoped he’d understand.
Of course, he didn’t. As much as Bate hated the thought of attaching something as foolish as that to his wings, he didn’t want to be responsible for having his student worry all day. Giving a small groan, Bate decided to go through with it.
“Fine, I’ll wear them after class. But no passing them out, okay?”
Meta’s mood completely shifted, and Bate felt slightly relived he was acting like his old self.
“Ummm...can I still get an ice cream, though?”
“Only if you catch up to Arthur before I get there.” He said and watched Meta contemplate. In the end, he flew on ahead to meet Arthur. With a small smile, Bate gave a sigh of relief as he finished his quiet stroll by himself.
“Teacher, pleaaaase!!!” Meta and Arthur spoke, holding out the strips of paper.
While Gordon and Nonsurat already left for class, Bate was having a hard time leaving the house due to the pairs outrageous request. Reaching over, Bate grabbed one of the papers and saw something scribbled on it with red crayon.
“No, smoking….?”
“So they know not to get near you!” Meta held up more. “If we attach them to your wings, they’ll know to keep their distance. We can also pass them out when we go to the plaza!”
“You better believe I’ll be giving you both extra training if you decide to pass these out.” He spoke, holding out his hand.
“But Teacher….” Meta shook his head, not wanting to receive more lessons for being courteous and helping him. "How about a scarf, then? To cover your face? I think I saw one in the closet, I can get if for you if you want!"
“Meta.” Bate’s voice alone was enough for him to eventually give in. With a disappointed sigh, he placed the papers in his hand and watched as his mentor set them on the counter.
“The last thing I need is attention drawn to myself, so I expect you to behave when we go shopping today, okay? No shouting, no starting a scene, and especially no crying.”
“Yes, Teacher….” The agreed before Meta piped up not a second later. “But what about-“
“No, Gumball.” Bate didn’t bother letting him finish before moving his wings forward and pushing the pair out the door. “We’re already late for class, so let’s go.”
Arthur and Meta quietly shuffled near Bate’s side as they began walking towards the training grounds. From their home, it was about a 15 minute walk to the field. Meta and Arthur were familiar with the path they took and they usually run ahead or have a quick race while Bate strolled behind.
This time was different.
Bate looked at the two warriors quietly walking next to him. None spoke nor talked to one another like they usually do, and Bate had a hunch…-no, he KNEW it was because of the incident with Mends.
“Alright.” Bate piped up which got their attention rather quickly. “Why aren’t you two running off like usual. What did Mends tell you?”
Meta, who, clutched on the the end of Bate’s wing while walking, gave a terrible lie which couldn’t help but cause the elder to sigh.
“We wanted to walk with you today. It’s fun, isn’t it, Arthur.”
“Hm? Oh- Y-yeah! We get to appreciate looking at all the nature and stuff.” He weakly smiled, not as fond of walking while he can be racing. “It’s…ah…exciting.”
“Meta, Arthur…..” Bate’s voice dulled after hearing what they had to say. The pair shyly looked at each other before glancing up at the elder.
“We don’t want to leave you just in case.” Meta clutched on to his wings a bit tighter. “Dr. Mends said you can get sick if you run or over….over exr….”
“Overexert yourself.” Arthur finished once again.
“Hm!” Meta nodded. “So we’ll stay by your side for a bit to make sure that doesn’t happen!”
Bate had a feeling he didn't even know what that meant, so he decided to think of a way to get the pair to go on ahead without seeming mad or annoyed. Eventually, he hatched an idea.
“I see….” He hummed, “Well, that's a shame. After being bed bound since the incident, I was so eager to see who’d win the next race. I was going to reward the winner with an ice cream cone afterwards.”
That quickly caught their attention, and Arthur spared no time extending his wings and taking off to the training field.
“H-hey!!! No fair!!” Meta shouted once he noticed his comrade completely left them “You promised we’d walk with him today!!!"
“You better catch up to him Gumball. I’m sure you’ll be able to make it a tie.” He moved his wings forward to give him an encouraging push.
Meta took a step forward once Bate nudged him, but after a few moments he shook his head and held on to his wing again.
“It’s okay, Teacher. I think I’d rather walk with you instead.” He said, much to Bate’s surprise.
Unlike yesterday, or the events that happened when he woke up this morning, Bate’s response became more concerning than irate. He really didn’t think Meta would get so worked up to the point where he’d refuse a chance to get a free scoop of ice cream. Maybe this incident was more serious than he thought.
“Meta….” The tone of his voice was much softer than before. He continued walking with the little puff by his side and did his best to fill the role of Alba until she returns. “It…ah….must have been scary to see me like that, huh?”
Bate could feel the grip on his wing tighten. At this point, Bate truly didn’t know what to say to him. This wasn’t like talking to his friends. Gordon, Ramset, and even Atka can’t even compare to how Meta was behaving. They understood, and although they show worry or concern from time to time, they’ve never crossed a certain point where Bate had to tell them to stop. Gordon…perhaps on occasions, but it was still nothing like the little warrior next to him.
“Is…there anything I can do to make you less worried, Meta?” Bate then spoke. Maybe trying to figure out how to ease his nerves would be a first step.
“Papers….” Meta softly spoke, keeping his focus to the floor as he spoke.
“M-Meta…tying those on my wings won’t help me.” Bate REALLY hoped he’d understand.
Of course, he didn’t. As much as Bate hated the thought of attaching something as foolish as that to his wings, he didn’t want to be responsible for having his student worry all day. Giving a small groan, Bate decided to go through with it.
“Fine, I’ll wear them after class. But no passing them out, okay?”
Meta’s mood completely shifted, and Bate felt slightly relived he was acting like his old self.
“Ummm...can I still get an ice cream, though?”
“Only if you catch up to Arthur before I get there.” He said and watched Meta contemplate. In the end, he flew on ahead to meet Arthur. With a small smile, Bate gave a sigh of relief as he finished his quiet stroll by himself.
<< Chapter 6 | Chapter 8 >>
Artist Comment:
Date: --
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Date: --
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Species © Nintendo/ HAL Laboratory
Interpreted characters created from said species © Rhylem
Interpreted characters created from said species © Rhylem
