february catch-all;

[amadaman]

WHO: Ken, Koromaru & YOU.
WHERE: wherever specified
WHEN: throughout February
WHAT: catch-all for the month!
WARNINGS: there we be talks about cannibalism at the very least.

Comments

[ursawhiner]

[Dipper's face visibly darkens at the mention of Fernando.]

Really not a fan of that guy.

[amadaman]

... What did he ever do to you?

[ursawhiner]

Nothing! [Boy, that was squeaky. Dipper clears his throat before continuing.]

Nothing. I just don't like him!

[amadaman]

Ah... okay.

[Note to self: cut back on how much he mentions spaghetti around spoon. Pronto.]

Come on. We're almost at the exhibit.

[ursawhiner]

I guess that explains all the kids.

[They've been dodging little kids for awhile now. Dipper frowns when one tries to budge between him and Ken and steps a little closer.]

[amadaman]

It's Sunday. They're probably here with family -- that's nice, huh?

[Ken steps closer to Dipper too to steer out of the way of a trio of tiny tots but he's chipper about it. Family outings! ]

[ursawhiner]

[Dipper is suddenly reminded that Ken probably hasn't had a lot of family outings like this.]

--Yeah. My parents always take me and Mabel to museums and stuff. ...Not the zoo, though.

[amadaman]

My mom took me to an aquarium once. And one time we went to the department store in the next town over to go on the rides on their rooftop. She was really busy... how often do you guys go?

[ursawhiner]

Not that often. My dad's pretty busy and me and Mabel have school and other stuff. They're more like special treats.

[Suddenly, Dipper remembers how long it's been since he and Mabel have seen their parents. He can't help but feel a pang of loneliness. Mabel's been here even longer, but she doesn't show any signs of missing their parents. Dipper resolves to ask her about it later.]

This uh, is different, though. Because I'm with you.

[amadaman]

... Are you having fun?

[Ken doesn't ask more about his parents. It's not that he doesn't care, but he has no doubts that the twins miss their mom and dad, and that's hard for him to think about. He'd never wish their family to stay apart, but that means..

He squeezes Dipper's hand a little tighter and walks faster toward the exhibit, standing on tiptoes to see over the heads of younger kids who really aren't that much shorter than him (darn it).]

I hope you are.

[ursawhiner]

Yeah! I always have fun with you.

[Ken's presence is always kind of... calming for Dipper. He get to be himself without any judgement or comparisons to Mabel. He just really, really likes Ken.]

...Maybe we should have come earlier, though.

[amadaman]

[It didn't even occur to Ken to compare the two. The two of them had always felt different to him no matter how close they were. He hums thoughtfully and looks around at the crowd, then shrugs with a small smile.]

I guess. But we can still see, and I'm happy as long as you're here.

[ursawhiner]

That's-- you say things like that so easily.

[Ken is always so honest with his feelings. Dipper's still getting used to it, and he feels that maybe he owes Ken the same in return.]

Next time we'll bring a stepstool.

[amadaman]

I wonder if it'll be allowed.

[His hand tightens, gently, around Dipper's.]

I just want to say what I want to say, whenever I can. That way, I won't ever miss the chance.

[ursawhiner]

..Yeah. We gotta take every chance we've got.

[It's a sobering reminder that eventually this will all end. Sometimes Dipper imagines growing up with Ken and Mabel here, and it's... nice. Really nice. But he still doesn't like to think about it too much. Better not to wish for things you can't have.]

Hey, I think they have a fossil digging thing set up. Wanna get a souvenir?

[amadaman]

[That this will end isn't the most tragic thought to Ken. His understanding of the cyclic nature of time, that all things end, comes to him as easily as breathing. Rather than lamenting it like he once did, he welcomes it and uses it as a means to appreciate what he has now. Dipper being at his side like this is as irreplaceable as his relationship with anybody else. He won't waste it.

So he smiles and nods, and steps close to nudge him in that direction.]

You bet I do. Are you good at stuff like this?

[ursawhiner]

[Dipper leads them toward what is essentially a giant sandbox, with various tools laid out nearby.]

I'm pretty good. I mean, this kind of thing doesn't take too much finesse. We're pretty much just dusting off rocks. Or trilobites.

[Despite his words, Dipper still looks pretty excited.]

[amadaman]

The only sand I ever played in was the sandbox at a nearby park, or the shrine.

[With the dog, and a little girl who dropped by there sometimes too.]

You know how to do this better than I do.

[ursawhiner]

I'll teach you, don't worry.

[He hands Ken a rake and motions at the sand.]

You kind of sweep through it, looking for rocks or whatever.

[amadaman]

So it really is like digging through sandbox...

[Ken crouches carefully by the sand as not to get his clothes dirty, and he'll sweep the rake gently over it. That's what you should do right? Be gentle??]

[ursawhiner]

[Dipper can't stop being reminded of the last time he cleaned the litter boxes, though he decides not to mention it. The rake turns up a couple dirt encrusted rocks, so Dipper scoops them up and brings them to a low table.]

Now we kind of brush off the dirt. Use the chisels on the tougher bits.

[amadaman]

[Ken follows, putting the rakes back where they came from.]

Are they going to look like actual fossils, or are they mostly rocks?

[ursawhiner]

Fossils technically are rocks. Just with imprints or bits inside. I've never done this museum's dig before, so I dunno what we'll get.

[Worse that happens is they get some dinosaur poop or something. Which is still pretty cool.]

[amadaman]

[Ken hums thoughtfully, but as they get to the table for brushing it's already mostly full of little kids taking their time and screaming at each other and their moms. No space for two tweens to squeeze in! At the most there's one space in a corner for one of them, where Ken guides Dipper without hesitation.]

Show me how it's done, then? I'll watch. [If you can handle Ken leaning his chin on your shoulder to watch from behind.]

[ursawhiner]

[Dipper stiffens for a second, not expecting Ken to suddenly be so close. He relaxes quickly though, and grabs one of the chisels.]

So uh... just gotta crack off the harder bits of dirt first. But you have to be gentle or you'll chip the fossil underneath