Wake Up Call

[toomuchbull]

[After this]

Rider doesn't know how he makes it back to the Tohsaka household after his encounter with Saber. That he does at all is impressive, as is the fact that he manages to walk around the house without making a noise.

Well, up until he gets to Chiyo's room, nudges her once, then flops onto the floor elegantly. Damn whatever complaints she has about blood on the floor.

Comments

[toomuchbull]

Rider looks down at the head, then up to where it is supposed to go. "Are you adding things to it's face first? I have no problem with picking it up but--"

Well, he's not about to tell a child he's short. Rider knows that any kid would be offended at that, and he only needs one Tohsaka in a perpetual state of anger at him.

[eien_no_chou]

"Oh! Right," he picks up the stolen carrot and bluntly stabs it into the snowman's face, wriggling it about in the snow before it gets stuck fast. "Now we need stones for eyes..."

[toomuchbull]

"Hmmm." Rider casts a look around the backyard, then notices a little patch of exposed garden that's come through. There are stones there, and he walks over to see if any of those will do.

They're all pale yellows and bieges, probably covering up the dirt the plants use for nutrients. Such light colours won't show up in the snow, they need to be dak-- ah.

Rider picks up two medium sized stones, one pure black and the other pale grey. The black one is rough to the touch, the grey one run smooth like a river rock. He carries them back and holds them out to Satoshi for inspection. "Will these do?"

[eien_no_chou]

Satoshi takes them from his hands and turns them over, feeling the textures and examining the shapes. He holds them up against the snowman's face for size, and then nods with a satisfied air. "Yes, perfect!" he declares, digging them into the snow so they'd stay. With one finger, he draws an upturned line though the snowy face of the snowman, creating a wide smile. "It's ready!"

[toomuchbull]

There's no strength involved in picking up the snowman's head and lifting it onto the body. True, it is a bit off center, but Rider easily nudges it into place, then looks to Satoshi for approval. "More to the left or right, do you think?"

[eien_no_chou]

Satoshi strokes an imaginary beard, imagining he's some great architect building just one of many statues in a beautiful city. "Turn it a little so he's looking towards the door of the house." Then it'll surprise Shizuka when she comes out to scold him inevitably.

[toomuchbull]

Rider does so, carefully pivoting the head as to not loose too much snow. Still, he has to admit it looks like the head might fall off. He picks up a handful of snow and pats it around the head carefully, just to make sure that the support is there.

"Better?"

[eien_no_chou]

"Better," Satoshi grins all the way up to his cold-bitten ears. He steps back to admire his creation, hands on his hips and nodding with the satisfaction of a job well done. Grinning, he holds out his hand to Rider to shake. "Thanks!"

[toomuchbull]

Rider stoops down so that they're both on eye level, then takes Satoshi's hand in his. "Now, if you're smart, you'll head in before anyone catches you out here."

[eien_no_chou]

As much as Satoshi wants to believe he's smart, he doesn't want to go inside yet. He wants to go with Rider and show him the cool church that Risei showed him, and point out all the things he learned, and maybe introduce the priest to him and they could all go out to the ranch together on Risei's bike.

Shizuka's clattering in the kitchen brings him back to reality, and though he pouts and hangs his head, he mutters "okay..." and shuffles his way back through the snow to the house.

[toomuchbull]

Rider straightens up, getting an Idea in his head as he does so. "I'll race you around to the front, so no one'll know you were in the backyard. If they see anyone, it'll be me!"

[eien_no_chou]

Satoshi immediately spins on his heel, his smile restored, and sets off at a run without another word. He slips on some hidden ice a few times, but pretty soon he builds up to the top speed he can get with this sort of ground. He doesn't dare look to see if Rider is behind him, because if he does he'll almost certainly run into a tree.

[toomuchbull]

Rider is Rider. To say he has the advantage is an understatement, so he lets Satoshi have a good headstart, waiting until the boy has disappeared around the corner and then some. It's only then that he breaks into a very slow run, and in no time, he's caught up to the young boy.

"Come on, you can still beat me!" he laughs, daring to offer a hand to pull Satoshi along.

[eien_no_chou]

Rider must be a secret athlete, because he runs like there isn't any snow on the ground, or any air resistance around him. Physics forgets to apply itself. Laughing, Satoshi grabs his hand and lets himself be pulled along in that torrent of impossible energy, squealing with delight and managing to swing himself in front just before they reach the front door.

"That was fun!" he giggles breathlessly, sitting down with a thud on the steps. "Let's do it again!"

[toomuchbull]

"Hmmm," he says, considering. "How about we do it tomorrow? Do you have any free time where no one will be looking for you?"

[eien_no_chou]

Satoshi thinks on this. "Tomorrow is... Sunday..." he nods. "I'm not doing anything at all, I get free study and maybe go up to the stables." He gasps. "Can we go together? Okaa-san said she'd be busy, so we should go ourselves so we won't bother her!"

[toomuchbull]

He beams. "Can you ride?"

[eien_no_chou]

"Only the ponies, okaa-san says I'm too small for the big horses," he rolls his eyes like this is ridiculous, especially since he's nearly eleven now. Just one more month. "One day I'm going to ride Makuro."

[toomuchbull]

"Well," Rider says, drawing out the syllables. "Ponies or not, you might be able to keep up with me easier on horseback.

"What time works best?" The grin is utterly conspiratorial and delighted.

[eien_no_chou]

To match him, Satoshi also drops his voice to a whisper, leaning forward. "Let's go in the morning before okaa-san is awake enough to stop us!" It's terribly bad of him to do something behind her back, but the thrill of it makes him grin all the same.

[toomuchbull]

"Seven o'clock then?"

[eien_no_chou]

He salutes, straight backed and with fingers red from working with the snow. "Yes sir!"

[toomuchbull]

"I'll meet you at the car then."

And with that, he holds the front door open for Satoshi, certain that no one is looking for them. This violates the agreement with Chiyo about leaving her children out of the war, but then again, who is Rider to not encourage a person to have a bit of fun. Sitting around the stuffy Tohsaka household is one of the worst things he can imagine. Doing this, well, at least the boy will remember it in the future, after the war is done. That's a good enough legacy as any in this modern world.