Child's Play - A Hermitcraft 8 AU

April Prompt List - Day 5: Kite - Etho

(Author's Note: I'm basing a child's ability to handle anger and emotions based on my 7-year-old sister. I have reference sources, just so you know. Kids do have an emotional range of a teaspoon, in case you didn't realize. 

Also, for this being so short, I had a ton of fun using this prompt to create small amounts of chaos. This little challenge has been so fun!

Anyway, that being said, here's the direction I took the prompt "kite".) 

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Flying a kite felt... rather meaningless.

That could've been the fact that there were so many other things in the day that could be accomplished. So maybe the point of kite flying was to be pointless.

Maybe Etho was thinking too hard about it?

Either way, this was what Beef suggested for an activity when Doc said the NHO needed to properly meet up again. And in "perfect" timing for this, Bdubs died to a prank between the Big Eyes and Boatem. But even after being much younger, Bdubs begged to join them, saying that he could take care of himself and he wouldn't be annoying (at least, any more bothersome than usual).

At least the group wasn't doing a caving trip or going through the grind to set up for a redstone farm. Bdubs getting hurt or overworked wasn't a possibility.

But getting annoyed with kites was.

"It. Won't. Work!" Said person threw the kite against the ground with such force that the spool rolled out a ways, and all the line got tangled up.

"Not the way you're doing it, it won't," Beef said with a laugh, successfully getting the kite to fly, mind you.

"Well how's it supposed to fly Mr. Amazing Kite Flier Expert?"

Etho barely managed to stifle a laugh, not wanting to anger the child further. "Yeah, Beefers. How's it work?" (Note that Etho also hadn't gotten the kite to fly, but really didn't care.)

"You could run with it," Doc suggested, a quiet laugh in his voice, apparently expecting said method to not work.

And before anyone could stop Bdubs—before there was any warning that he could trip or that the line wasn't properly wrapped around the spool—he was off, running across the plains. As expected, the kite just topled to the ground, resulting in Bdubs overreacting once more, with a stomp in his step.

"I thought you said that would work." Surprisingly, Bdubs didn't say such thing in a raised voice, instead possibly a growl behind it all.

"Sorry, Bdubs," Doc said, a bit of amusement still in his voice. "I thought that was one way to do it. Maybe you just didn't do it right."

Bdubs turned his back to Doc, sitting right on the ground, kite thrown off a ways so that it was further than arm's reach.

"Well look what you've done, Doc. Now you've made him mad," Beef said, in a sort of condescending yet totally not threatening way. Maybe a more "I'm disappointed in you" voice, yet again, it wasn't a guilt-tripping voice.

But because of this statement, Doc had to defend himself, which meant the two were distracted from the "problem". Which, by extension, meant Etho had to be responsible.

And here's the thing– Etho didn't exactly like being responsible. Sure he could do it, but did he want to? Absolutely not.

But alas, he was the one placed in this situation and he was more than capable of handling it.

"You know, 'dubs, I can't do it either." Etho crouched down to his level, looking at Bdubs until Bdubs decided to meet his eyes too. "But I betcha there are other better things we could do than hang with these suckers."

And at that, Bdubs looked up, obviously still trying to stay mad (hence the extra effort to slightly growl) but fighting laughter too.

"We could whip their butts in a horse race. With all that practice we've had we could put them to shame."

And when Bdubs nodded, still fighting a smile, Etho scooped him up best he could (surprisingly, short people were heavy) and flew off at high speeds to the horse course. From below, Etho could hear the other two call to them, before a few seconds later going after them.

"Race you!" Etho called back to Doc and Beef (completely aware that they didn't know where they were racing to) before releasing even more rockets.

And yes, this was much more fun than struggling to fly a pathetic kite.