Grant doesn't recognize the kid, at first - just, a child crying on a bench, and that's reason enough to approach, tapping briefly at Chip's shoulder to make sure they know he's changing course. It's only when he gets closer that he gets an inkling that said kid looks familiar.
"Hey-- you okay?" Suspicion is already nagging at him as he goes to squat down near the bench. Near it, a couple feet off, not right by it; if that suspicion is right, and Felix is anything now like he is as an adult, getting too close too fast might be, uh... dangerous.
Chip, meanwhile, trails behind Grant with furrowed brows and a frown. They hold Espie close as they look the other child over--the color of his clothes is familiar, sure, but that's not quite enough for them to make that connection. All they see is a sad kid with a worried Palien, and while they might usually want to try and help, Grant is...
Felix raises his head with a sudden sniffle, not having realized he wasn't alone; his eyes are red-rimmed, tear-filled, and slightly widened, but unmistakably the same as his adult self's.
He glances back and forth between this huge man and the kid standing over there, fear plain on his face. He seems to shrink back a little from the stranger.
Oh shit. Yeah. Either that's Felix or he has another brother he didn't mention.
Grant stays where he is, not daring to move closer, or... stand up straight and just tower over the poor kid. "That's good to hear... my name's Grant. This is Chip, my kid." He nods toward them over his shoulder, and... takes a moment to study their expression. They don't look too thrilled... he can't just drop the issue of the boy crying in front of them both, but he'll definitely have to check in with Chip later.
Again they don't say much, simply shuffling a bit closer to Grant and grabbing onto his shirt. They're not...well, they're not not glaring at Felix, but their expression isn't outright hostile. Espie squirms a bit in their arms and reaches up with all four little arms to pat at Chip's face with a worried trill, which seems to calm them a bit as they switch to comforting her in return.
"...hi." A bit belated, but it's a response at least.
Oh no. Grant... suppresses a wince, immediately envisioning this going so bad so fast. He sets a hand on Chip's shoulder and glances down at them - partly to address them softly, partly just to check if their reaction has progressed beyond that initial discomfort. "Hey - you alright?"
Chip, predicably, puffs up indignantly when Felix tells them off and snaps right back at him. "Yeah? What're you gonna stop me?"
Grant's hand on their shoulder makes them jump a little, their gaze snapping up to him (fearful for a bare half-second) before they grimace and shuffle further behind Grant and hold tightly onto his shirt.
Felix gets up from the bench, glaring and resting one hand on the hilt of the sword he carries at his hip - apparently, even at twelve years old he was already in the habit.
"I didn't even do anything to you. You just look like you hate me for no reason. So duel me, and we'll see who's looking at who then."
"Hey, hey--" Grant gives Chip's shoulder a squeeze and holds a hand out placatingly toward Felix. "I don't think Chip actually wants a fight, they just have trouble with new people sometimes. There's no dueling necessary, okay?"
His tone is gentle, but pretty firm. That's a little easier to maintain when Felix is twelve, he has to admit.
The only reason Grant isn't a liar right now is that he's here and speaking, quite frankly. Chip had been just about to level a punch at Felix's face when he squeezed, and they jerk their gaze up to him before a guilty look falls over them. They shuffle around to Grant's back, still clinging tightly and burying their face against him.
Felix has trouble with new people, too, but at twelve years old he's far from self-aware. His posture does relax a little, as he removes his hand from his sword and fails to be inconspicuous about wiping tears away from his eyes.
"That doesn't even make any sense. You're the one who hated me before you even met me. That's stupid." He folds his arms in a huff. "Do you even know how to fight? Picking fights when you don't know how is going to get you hurt. That's even stupider. I've been studying swordplay since I was little. You're not even armed. Even my friend Sylvain knows to always carry a weapon, even if he doesn't like fighting."
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"Hey-- you okay?" Suspicion is already nagging at him as he goes to squat down near the bench. Near it, a couple feet off, not right by it; if that suspicion is right, and Felix is anything now like he is as an adult, getting too close too fast might be, uh... dangerous.
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...
...well, he has it handled, anyway.
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He glances back and forth between this huge man and the kid standing over there, fear plain on his face. He seems to shrink back a little from the stranger.
"I'm...fine...who are you?"
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Grant stays where he is, not daring to move closer, or... stand up straight and just tower over the poor kid. "That's good to hear... my name's Grant. This is Chip, my kid." He nods toward them over his shoulder, and... takes a moment to study their expression. They don't look too thrilled... he can't just drop the issue of the boy crying in front of them both, but he'll definitely have to check in with Chip later.
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"...hi." A bit belated, but it's a response at least.
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"I don't like the way you're looking at me. Stop it."
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Grant's hand on their shoulder makes them jump a little, their gaze snapping up to him (fearful for a bare half-second) before they grimace and shuffle further behind Grant and hold tightly onto his shirt.
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"I didn't even do anything to you. You just look like you hate me for no reason. So duel me, and we'll see who's looking at who then."
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"Hey, hey--" Grant gives Chip's shoulder a squeeze and holds a hand out placatingly toward Felix. "I don't think Chip actually wants a fight, they just have trouble with new people sometimes. There's no dueling necessary, okay?"
His tone is gentle, but pretty firm. That's a little easier to maintain when Felix is twelve, he has to admit.
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"...stupid..."
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"That doesn't even make any sense. You're the one who hated me before you even met me. That's stupid." He folds his arms in a huff. "Do you even know how to fight? Picking fights when you don't know how is going to get you hurt. That's even stupider. I've been studying swordplay since I was little. You're not even armed. Even my friend Sylvain knows to always carry a weapon, even if he doesn't like fighting."