Cody learns to live

Chapter 13

  Jaster loved his bu'ade. He really did. But doing math homework with Kix and Jesse reminded him of how much he used to hate helping Jango with his schoolwork. In theory, teaching children shouldn't be hard, Jaster knew how to multiply fractions just fine. But explaining it to a couple of children who were paying no attention and really just wanted to go to play was a different thing entirely.

  "I hate math," Jesse said. Again. Jaster didn't know how many times exactly he's heard that in the last five minutes, he lost count somewhere around the seventh time. And Jesse was rather good at math as far as Jaster could tell. But at the same time, he was just a nine years old ad who had to pause his game because his annoying ba'buir asked about homework. Kix, who was ironically the one who didn't really understand the lecture, was much more focused on the task but Jaster could tell that his other bu'ad would much rather do something else too. Jaster would too but he was trying to help Kote here. Letting the ad'ike play and then let Kote handle all the work wouldn't help him at all.

  "I know, cyar'ika, but you need to do your homework."

  "Can't we just do it later?" Jesse groaned dramatically. They would be done already if he didn't ask that after every single math problem they solved. Jaster agreed that the worksheet the teacher had given to them was rather long but not that long.

  "What do you say we look at two more problems then we take a short break?"

  Jesse sighed dramatically. "Okay."

  Jaster watched Kix and Jesse work on their papers. He was surprised when they first told him they went to the same class, Jesse was almost a year older than Kix and pretty smart, Jaster didn't see any reason why he shouldn't be in fourth grade rather than third. He had to ask Kote about it later.

  His gaze mindlessly wandered to the twins. They were shuffling around toy cars, plastic figures of animals and some doll with fairy wings. He asked them previously about their training. The ade told him Kote didn't train them, Kix and Jesse only knew how to fight from school and Fives and Echo only knew what their ori'vode taught them. Jaster guessed he shouldn't be surprised. Kote, as it seemed, didn't live a very mando life. Not that Jaster blamed him, Jango apparently never really taught Kote how to be a mando'ad, never took Kot'ika to complete his verd'goten. In many ways, Kote turned out to be a better mando'ad than Jango. Jaster still wished that he could've been there to raise his bu'ade into traditional haat'ade. He could still do that, if Kote let him. Fox was around the age when most ade took their verd'goten. Jaster could start with him. Only if Fox'ika felt up to it, of course.

  "Ba'buir, can we take the break now?" Jesse asked impatiently, ripping Jaster out of his thoughts.

  Jaster glanced at Jesse's worksheet. He finished the two math problems he was supposed to. "Alright, but just a short one and then we'll finish the paper."

  "Can we have a snack?"

  "Of course you can." Jaster should probably ask Kote about what he allowed the kids to eat but wasn't it a ba'buir's job to spoil their bu'ade? "You don't have any allergies, right?"

  "No." Kix shook his head. 

  "But Omega and Boba can't eat a lot of foods because they're babies," Echo informed him.

  Jaster chuckled. He knew, of course. Every mando'ad knew how at least the basics of how to take care of a baby. But Echo the way Echo felt the need to remind him because he was a good ori'vod was incredibly cute. "I know, Echo."