Chapter 20: Chapter 19: Teething problems

"Watching teething babies is like watching over a thermonuclear reactor - it is best done in shifts, by well-rested people."

Anthony Doerr

Turns out I'm having teething problems in more ways than one.

First off my teeth are coming in and boy is it painful. I'm actually leveling my Pain Tolerance off of this.

Second, they have nothing to chew on here to help with the pain, frustration, and general annoyance that new teeth are.

Third and most importantly I made a mistake and I am now being watched not quite in shifts, but by several more people now.

I thought it would be fun to sing along with my mother a little. I'm six months old now so talking is within the realms of possibility. Even if I still don't fully understand what it is I am saying when singing along I thought it would be nice to sing along with her and my sister.

I always loved the idea that before a child talks they sing, before they write they draw, and as soon as they stand they dance. That ultimately art is an intrinsic part of human expression and the first to be expressed. After all, everything real had to be imagined first.

Thought it would be a lovely line in my legend.

A mini Mozart in the making.

And it was . . .

for all of a day.

My mother laughed and sang all the more, my sister joined in more often and we even had an impromptu concert for when father came home.

All was well.

I was proud of showing off some of my skills, even if I have a long way to go before I can call myself Pavarotti.

However, pride cometh before a fall.

It seems that the Grandparents found out. Suddenly we have been seeing a lot more of them. I am being watched a little closer and I don't think it is because of my teething problems.

They always popped around once a week on average before now. But generally, I was napping or pretending to nap when they have visited so they never seemed to pay much attention to me other than seeming to enjoy the fact that they have a grandchild they don't have to spend all their time looking after.

Now though, they are interested.

I am prodded awake if I'm pretending to be napping when they visit.

And kept awake if I try to fall asleep while they are here.

They are suddenly taking an interest in how far I can walk and all the other baby milestones. Like whether or not I can run which I was still hiding from them.

Most of all though they are encouraging me to sing.

Through all manner of methods.

Though it seems to vary between the two sets of grandparents.

My father's wealthier parents seem happy to offer sweets for singing and I have had my first ever taste of sugar in this world. I've never had a sweet tooth and I'm sure that sugar can't be too good for my brand new baby teeth so I'm not overly impressed but the message is obvious singing equals sweets from them.

However, my mother's father has taken the opposite approach, and whenever he visits I have to sing for my supper. As in crying for food is no longer acceptable I have to sing for my suckling.

He will actively hold back my mother from acting until he has got me to sing. This is a different and rather significant change in behaviour even if I am a little unsure what it means. He certainly seems like a harsher grandparent to please. Also, I'm getting a little hungry.

I've added the skill onto my false status to help explain the ability if anyone is checking. But no one seems to have looked or commented on it yet. And how would I know if they had? The language is still that step beyond my complete understanding.

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I think it is about high time I started talking even if only to demand food and no poking. I have a growing understanding of the lexicon and looking forward to their expressions for Mama, Dada.

But most importantly I'm looking forward to saying NO!

. . . to my maternal grandfather when he next demands I sing.

I am not a monkey.

I've also leveled up my fake stats to reflect a little closer to the actual stats I have. It is a work in progress and will take time to get there but perhaps I will work towards having them at a third of my true levels? Who knows. Where is a baby and mum group when you need one to compare yourself to others?

Name: Kai
Level: 3 Experience: (600/800)
Health: 220/220 Stamina: 147/147 Mana: 110/110

Vitality: 22
Endurances:11
Strength: 11
Dexterity: 11
Senses: 13
Mind: 14
Clarity: 12
Magic: 12

Free Points: 20
Skills: Humming (Lv 5) Swimming (Lv 4) Singing (Lv 1)
Skill experience: 500

My swimming skill has continued to improve and I am now only drowning around a quarter of the time. Not quite sure what my father's insistence with learning this is but happy to go along with it. I always enjoyed swimming although I think he would have killed a less robust baby. Seriously doubt they would have the stamina or health for his methods of teaching which is still to simply throw me in.

I've gotten him back once or twice by taking a rather large breath and simply sank to the bottom. It was fairly fun to watch him panic before he had to go all the way under to pull me back up. Surprisingly enough I don't think he mentioned that one to my mother.

The one positive from all the interest that my grandparents seem to be taking in me is that my mother is being encouraged to let me out and about. Either with them or with my sister.

So I am finally going to see a little bit more of 'Lake Town'. No one has called it by any name that I have noticed yet. But beginning to understand more and more so any day now.

Not that there is a lot to see compared to my old world but it is far more exciting to look at than the same old four walls that I have been looking at for the last 6 months.

How easily we become bored. Or rather how quickly I forget what it was like to be completely alone in the womb. There is so much more to do out here. But I still want to do more, to move more, and to see more.

Communication will be key.

I need to be able to say more than Mama, Dada, Yes, and No.

I need to be able to ask what and why and understand their responses in return.

True Status

Level: 9
Name: Kai
Experience: 39,000/ 102,400
Age: 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 12 hr 10 min
Health: 1020/1020 Stamina: 433/433 Mana: 340/340

Trait: Long-lived

Vitality: 102
Endurance: 17
Strength: 17
Dexterity: 17
Senses: 42
Mind: 97
Clarity: 29
Magic: 34

Free Points: 10

Skills: Time sense (LV 15) Listening (LV 14) Meditation (LV 14) Sense Mana (LV 14) Swimming (LV 14) Eavesdrop (LV 14) Memorisation (LV 14) Echolocation (LV 14) Recall (Lv14) Composition (Lv 14) Mind fortress (Lv 14) Expel Mana (Lv 14) Absorb Mana (Lv 14) Mana Drain (Lv 6) Pain tolerance (Lv 5) Humming (Lv 14) Sneak (Lv 10) Whistling (Lv 14) Singing (Lv 14) and Drumming (Lv 14) Piano (Lv 14), Violin (Lv 14), Trombone (Lv 14), Saxophone (Lv 14) Running (Lv 1)

Skill experience: 14,300
Origin experience: 10,000
Combat experience: 0
Crafting experience: 90

Shall I try talking next?

 

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