"This is silly," Cecilia huffed, crossing her arms as her little legs swayed in the chair she was sitting in. she watched her guardian leaf through several book and look up, exasperated as she blew a strand of dark hair from her face.
"It's not silly, you have a lot to learn... you little monster," Vanhi replied, mumbling that last part under her breath.
"Well I don't need to learn my ABCs, I know that already," Cece said and nodded a bit to confirm this. It was true, in language she excelled but she had no idea how to add, subtract, or even count past ten, and morality was another big issue.
"Math," Vanhi stated and was answered with an uninterested shrug. letting out a sigh and lowering her head a bit she tried to think of how to make the little girl. "You can't count past ten."
"Well... How am I supposed to know eleven and twelve go in between there and the teens! It doesn't make sense. It should be one-teen and two-teen."
"And you need to know how to add and subtract."
"Why?"
"So you can learn to divide and multiply."
"Why?"
"So..." Vanhi stopped the interrogation and bit her lip, thinking. "So that when we go shopping you don't get ripped off."
Cecilia suddenly perked up, her interest piqued. So maybe all this number mumbo jumbo was useful after all. "Okay, so... counting and stuff."
"Just remember it's eleven and twelve after ten and you'll be fine," Vanhi said, holding out a small velvet bag and dumping out several small valued, foreign coins onto the table. Cece suddenly said up straight, staring at the varying metals of all shapes and sizes and colors. "Okay, adding," Vanhi said, dealing out five coins in a row in front of Cecilia and giving her a moment to count them. "How many do you have right now?"
"Five."
"Good. Now if I give you two more..." She said, sliding too more coins and adding them to the row, giving her another second to count.
"I have 7!"
"Good," Vanhi said, giving a rare, warm smile that her little spawn was actually learning something. "Now subtracting's a little different. If I tak three coins from your seven, then--"
"Gimme back my money!" Cecilia suddenly shrieked as Vanhi started sliding coins away.
"Wait-- OW!" The poor guardian barely had time to explain before the girl's hammer slammed down on her fingers. "I thought I hid that!"
"Ouh oh..." Cece said, pursing her lips as she looked at the angry woman's face and suddenly took off down the hallway, hammer firmly in hand.
"Get back here!" Vanhi shouted, chasing after her. Maybe subtraction should wait for another day.
"It's not silly, you have a lot to learn... you little monster," Vanhi replied, mumbling that last part under her breath.
"Well I don't need to learn my ABCs, I know that already," Cece said and nodded a bit to confirm this. It was true, in language she excelled but she had no idea how to add, subtract, or even count past ten, and morality was another big issue.
"Math," Vanhi stated and was answered with an uninterested shrug. letting out a sigh and lowering her head a bit she tried to think of how to make the little girl. "You can't count past ten."
"Well... How am I supposed to know eleven and twelve go in between there and the teens! It doesn't make sense. It should be one-teen and two-teen."
"And you need to know how to add and subtract."
"Why?"
"So you can learn to divide and multiply."
"Why?"
"So..." Vanhi stopped the interrogation and bit her lip, thinking. "So that when we go shopping you don't get ripped off."
Cecilia suddenly perked up, her interest piqued. So maybe all this number mumbo jumbo was useful after all. "Okay, so... counting and stuff."
"Just remember it's eleven and twelve after ten and you'll be fine," Vanhi said, holding out a small velvet bag and dumping out several small valued, foreign coins onto the table. Cece suddenly said up straight, staring at the varying metals of all shapes and sizes and colors. "Okay, adding," Vanhi said, dealing out five coins in a row in front of Cecilia and giving her a moment to count them. "How many do you have right now?"
"Five."
"Good. Now if I give you two more..." She said, sliding too more coins and adding them to the row, giving her another second to count.
"I have 7!"
"Good," Vanhi said, giving a rare, warm smile that her little spawn was actually learning something. "Now subtracting's a little different. If I tak three coins from your seven, then--"
"Gimme back my money!" Cecilia suddenly shrieked as Vanhi started sliding coins away.
"Wait-- OW!" The poor guardian barely had time to explain before the girl's hammer slammed down on her fingers. "I thought I hid that!"
"Ouh oh..." Cece said, pursing her lips as she looked at the angry woman's face and suddenly took off down the hallway, hammer firmly in hand.
"Get back here!" Vanhi shouted, chasing after her. Maybe subtraction should wait for another day.