[closed] in learning you will teach

[earthy]

who: Jonathan Kent (supersweet), Terra (earthy)
what: A talk at recess
when: Before the arrival of the fireflies, maybe April 19th
where: Riverview Elementary School
warnings: None

[It doesn't take the staff of Riverview Elementary School long to figure out that their new teacher's assistant is uniquely suited for some tasks... and completely, astonishingly useless for others. He's pretty much a dud when it comes to helping kids with their schoolwork, reviewing lessons with them and answering their questions. Turns out he only knows the basics of a couple subjects himself, his own schooling having revolved around far different material.

He excels at the supervising part of the job, though. He's a fair and friendly enforcer of the rules and manners besides.

And there's his magic.]

You've gotta be very brave now.

[Another day, another recess, another kid sitting on the playground with a minor injury, a pouty lip, and tears welling in the corners of their eyes. Terra crouches next to a little girl, one hand hovering over her lightly scraped knee.]

My magic requires bravery... [It doesn't, but these lines work wonders on the smaller kids.] If you're not brave enough, the spell will just fizzle out.

[Channeling magic without the Keyblade on-hand has always been a challenge for him, but the bumps and bruises kids collect at playtime really only require the weakest of healing spells to repair. Cure isn't too tough to cast empty-handed. He focuses a moment and a faint green light shimmers across the battered knee, patching it up in seconds. Terra wriggles his fingers for effect and checks out his handiwork. Yep, all better.]

Good as new! [He declares before standing and helping the student to their feet. He dispenses a quick hair ruffle.] That spell worked so well, I bet your heart's about as brave as they come.

[The girl scampers back to her friends with a giggle. Dusting off his hakama, Terra returns to his spot in the shade of the school building and resumes his watch. He notices the boy a few minutes later. Ten or so years old. One of the teachers pointed him out earlier. Another new arrival, they'd said.

Jonathan, Terra thinks his name is. Jon.

Strange that the portal would pick up a kid... Did he need a new home, too?

Terra wanders over, thumbs hooking in his pockets.]

Hey, how's it going? How are you settling in?

Comments

[supersweet]

[ Things to hit and dodge. His brow furrows. That sounded a lot like training equipment. Jon was familiar with that. He has met Batman and seen the Batcave, not to mention done a few training simulations of his own. ]

This is just for having fun, not training. Sometimes, you kinda need both.

[earthy]

We had some fun.

[Terra's protest comes with a hint of that pout from before.]

We could still play games... Don't want to brag, but I'm pretty good at hide-and-seek. And there were trees to climb and the mountains and castle to explore. And sparring can be fun!

[supersweet]

[ Jon grins, amused. ]

That sounds more like fun. The other stuff didn't sound like much. I was starting to worry.

[earthy]

[Terra just gives him a look and shakes his head again.]

All right, so what's wrong with the... handlebars? Afraid of heights?

[supersweet]

[ Jon scoffs, personally affronted by that idea. He's been on the moon. He's flown with his father. The idea of being afraid of heights is laughable.

Still, he had to come up with another excuse. ]

I'm not very good at them. I always end up falling.

[earthy]

[Not the best excuse to try using on this particular teacher's assistant.]

That's what practice is for. I bet those kids up there now have fallen off a bunch of times, too.

[supersweet]

Their dads wouldn't flip if they came back with some bruises.

[ Probably. Jon's dad, however, totally would. ]

[earthy]

[Hero dad is extra protective, duly noted.

Terra raises his right hand and a swirl of green light passes between his fingers.]

My magic works on bruises, too.

[All injuries, really. But not illness. Hopefully this world doesn't have a cold/flu season.]

[supersweet]

[ Jon zeroes in on the light with wide eyes. ]

Does it work on everyone?

[earthy]

[A nod.]

Yep. Or it's supposed to, anyway.

[supersweet]

[ Jon wonders if it'll work. His father has never been fond of magic. ]

Are there any exceptions or rules?

[earthy]

No, no rules with Cure spells. And the only exception is that the magic won't do much for you if you catch a bug...

[Or if an actual bug bites you and you have a bizarre emotional reaction, as he'll find out later.]

But it's got you covered if a monster roughs you up... or if you fall off something.

[supersweet]

[ Jon weighs his options. ]

. . . That's not the real reason.

[earthy]

Huh?

[Terra bends down some, searching Jon's expression.]

You mean... the reason why you don't want to play on the handlebars?

[supersweet]

Yeah. I'm . . . stronger than I look. If I slip and grab on the bars, I might accidentally bend them.

[ Or even break them. His powers have never been reliable on what they can do. ]

[earthy]

[The second the words are out of Jon's mouth, Terra's staring at him. He doesn't mean to but that's... not something he expected to hear. Not something he was in any way prepared to hear.]

... Accidentally.

[There's nothing skeptical there, in his look or his voice. He just seems and sounds sort of stunned.]

[supersweet]

[ Jon ducks his head, feeling a little self-conscious. This is the first time he's spilled the secret on his own terms. And he didn't say everything. Besides . . . Terra was nice. Jon doesn't feel like Terra would ever do anything to hurt him. ]

If you got something metal and strong you can spare, I can show you.

[earthy]

[Terra watches him a moment longer. As the shock begins to wear off, he's able to wrestle down all the unpleasant things surfacing in his heart and consider the situation clearly.

He doesn't need a demonstration. He's very sure Jon's telling the truth about this and he can imagine metal bending easily enough.

But that doesn't mean Jon shouldn't have the opportunity to show his power.

Terra pushes himself up onto his feet.]

Come on.

[He offers his hand.]

[supersweet]

[ Jon puts his snack away neatly before reaching for Terra's hand and looking up at him guilelessly. ]

Where are we going?

[earthy]

[Terra says nothing but heads straight for the handlebars.]

[supersweet]

[ Jon resists the urge to dig his heels in, panic quickly seeping in his expression. ]

H-Hey!

[earthy]

[He flinches slightly at that but keeps right on walking.]

If you don't trust yourself, trust me.

[Then he calls out ahead to the kids milling around the handlebars.]

Go find somewhere else to play for a while, huh? Jon and I want a turn.

[supersweet]

[ Some of his panic subsides at that, but he's still baffled. Thankfully, the younger kids don't notice, leaping off the handlebars and running off without a care. ]

What are we doing?

[earthy]

[Terra steps up to the deserted handlebars and checks the thing out. He runs a hand over one of the bars.]

Bending a couple of these.

[supersweet]

With . . . your magic?

[ Jon rests his right hand on the bar tentatively. ]