Welcome to Gaia! ::

Dragging Merroth anywhere, even places he wanted to go, was never easy, and Edward John was having a time of it today. Merroth had not had the most ideal math lesson, and in punishment the lesson had ended fifteen minutes early, so even though Merroth wanted to go home and play on the beach with Nerys, he had thrown a tantrum for the principle of it and was now doing his very best to keep Edward John from taking him home. Presently, his hands were closed tightly around the legs of a chair in the hallway outside someone's office. Presumably there was no one inside that particular office at the moment, else they would surely have come out to see about the ruckus.

"Mer-roth," pleaded Edward John, trying to simultaneously pull on Merroth's legs and pry open his fingers. "Let go. We're going home." At the very least, thoguht Edward John, it was good there was no one else around. He hated to make a scene.

He was wrong.

Edward John was totally mortified, of course, but Merroth suffered no such trials of social conscience. Merroth let go of the chair so fast he sent Edward John tumbling back halfway across the hallway and then Merroth was up, demanding angrily, "Hey! Goathead!" His face bore the ugly contortion of an emotional bully, since it was doubtful Merroth could have physically bullied Irelia given the considerable difference in their size. (He was a scrawny bilge rat, Generys Anne was fond of saying. Ate well enough to get a little bit pudgy, but still scrawny.)

"Smelly Goathead," Merroth taunted her, pinching his nose. "Blech! s**t yer pants?"

"Mer-roth!" chided Edward John, managing to get to his feet and making a grab for the boy, but Merroth was a little too quick and sidestepped. Mortification was beginning to set in. "I am so sorry! Merroth!" He hissed at the boy, hoping to cow Merroth into behaving a shade more appropriately.

Merroth grabbed his pants (and by extension Littler Merroth) with one hand and pointed his other at Irelia. "I'll wet you!" he proclaimed giddily, sticking out his tongue like Gene Simmons.

Edward John had been going to tackle Merroth, going to reprimand him and maybe even put a belt to his bottom for the vulgarity, but with Irelia now in the way-- "I say," he said hotly, "unhand my son!" He stuck his arm in between them, just intending to try and get the girl off.

It turned out to be a fortuitous move, as Merroth, who had been trying to bite Irelia, bit Edward John instead. His guardian gave a cry of upset alarm, but it hardly mattered. Irelia was a child, Merroth was a toddler, and Edward John was a much bigger and much stronger adult, so he could elbow the two youngsters apart whether they wanted him to or not.

Edward John grabbed ahold of Merroth's shoulder, keeping between Merroth and Irelia, and began to say: "I am so sor--"

He had made a large mistake by taking his eyes off Merroth for just a moment to offer the apology. There was a splashing noise. It was unmistakable to anyone who had previously heard it, and that number included Edward John, for whom there could be no doubt about its origins. No doubt whatsoever. The warming sensation on his stocking was disappointingly familiar.

Merroth, hands on his trousers, merely stuck his tongue out and made a rude noise. Any doubt as to the sincerity of his threat earlier was erased completely, though with Edward John in the way he hadn't quite made it all the way to Irelia. Maybe with practice.

Irelia needn't have worried that Edward John would say anything about this to anyone. The sheer shame of it would withstand all torture. In fact, with a little luck and a very big bottle of very strong alcohol, there was a good chance Edward John would never remember it, God willing.

Edward John mumbled something which might have been "No apology necessary" and scooped up Merroth over an angry yell and fled just as fast as his legs would carry him, mortified at ever having been seen by another parent. Merroth shouted over Edward John's shoulder: "Suck that!" and blew a raspberry at Irelia, shamelessly not caring if he was witnessed.

The only things left behind were the little yellow puddle and a short trail of yellow shoeprints.