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[04_after]

The ten-year-old boy who walks into the bar has been here before; his blond hair is mussed from crawling under a tight space, and his blue dress shirt (pants merely khaki dress trousers, today) is a bit dusty.

He blinks at the Bar, irritated expression disappearing into mildly pleased curiousity. This is a way better place to hide from his father than the attic.

Comments

[3nanashi]

Trowa was on Earth, at this age, and couldn't really comprehend a life that didn't involve war.

However: in a few years, Quatre will learn that Trowa is nearly impossible to offend with bad manners! So he just nods in matter-of-fact comprehension.

"Sometimes Earth people think that about the colonies too."

"It's stupid. But sometimes people find it easier to be ill-informed."

Trowa has Standards.

[mm_tl]

Quatre's mouth pulls flat at this. "I guess," he says, having doubts about whether being ill-informed is easier. He feels ill-informed about the situation, and it just makes him more frustrated.

Then his expression clears a bit, as he realizes something. "Maybe they think-- knowing about it would hurt them."

He still doesn't understand ignoring it, but he understands the desire to not have your heart hurt.

[3nanashi]

The difference, tiny Quatre, is that you're not an idiot.

Says Trowa, the non-judgmental and unbiased.

"Some of them probably do," he agrees.

It's a stupid reason, but people have a wide variety of stupid reasons for the things they do!

[mm_tl]

Quatre nods.

He hesitates slightly then asks, neutral: "Would you consider yourself well-informed?"

The circus travels a lot, he knows. And he wants to learn.

[3nanashi]

Trowa considers that seriously.

(Also considers the likelihood of being asked again to explain his thoughts on How To Stop War by Quatre Raberba Winner, Aged Probably Ten-ish.)

"About some things," he answers, which is truthful anyway.

"Not everything."

[mm_tl]

Quatre still has the uncomfortable feeling that Trowa is not telling him everything, or that he knows more than he wants to say.

Then things click, and his eyes widen very slightly -- the travelling, the knowledge that exceeds what he's willing to share. A spy.

For and on who isn't clear, but -- as the universe assures him, deep in his bones, that Trowa is trustworthy (but he doubts Trowa has any way of knowing Quatre is trustworthy -- and yes, Quatre believes himself capable of knowing what to do with state secrets at age 10) it's probably best to just leave that line of questioning alone.

He smiles instead, sincerely interested but perhaps a shade too late. "What sort of things?"

[3nanashi]

Trowa would be amused if he knew what Quatre had concluded. Especially since it's not entirely wrong; just necessarily incomplete.

However, he doesn't, not for sure. He can tell that Quatre's come to some conclusion, and he has some idea what kind of conclusion it might be if Quatre's so hastily allowing the subject to be changed.

(Some years later, Quatre will be a lot better at discreet conversational steering.)

He shrugs a little.

"The circus, of course. And I'm the main mechanic for our equipment, so I try to stay informed about developments there. Politics where I can, but there's a lot to keep track of."

And the physical sciences, but talking about that means keeping track of what was new in AC 190; and a whole lot of political developments that haven't happened for Quatre yet; and tactics and strategy and mobile suit piloting, but, well.

[mm_tl]

"Being a mechanic sounds fun," Quatre says, expression brightening. "Mostly, my father lets me go see what the engineers are doing, when we visit -- asteroid outposts, for mining and agriculture."

He finds mining suits fascinating, and hydroponics, and basically everything.

(He is very, very interested in programming.)

[3nanashi]

"Asteroid outposts," Trowa supplies.

Every conversation can be a language lesson!

"Do they let you observe hands-on?"

Trowa has doubts about the usefulnees of any other method of learning this kind of thing. But his upbringing and early education was very, very different from Quatre's.

[mm_tl]

Quatre nods, quickly, at Trowa's offered English replacement.

"Not right away," he says, "but after a little while."

A bit defensive: "I learn really fast by watching, though."

(He doesn't think watching is as good as hands on, either, but it takes ages for anyone to trust him enough to actually work on things, it seems like.)

[3nanashi]

Trowa nods.

"Bar can probably give you some parts to examine sometime, if you want. And there's a garage downstairs."

"Watching's useful too, though."

[mm_tl]

"What sort of things does the garage have?" he asks, curiousity piqued.

The Bar could give interesting parts, but -- well, he doesn't know how to ask for things he's not already familiar with.

[3nanashi]

"Lots of vehicles from different worlds."

"I've seen motorcycles, cars, trucks, and hovercraft. And some construction equipment."

And mobile suits.

"Some of it's pretty historic."

[mm_tl]

He looks around. Milliways is fairly busy, but not by any means full -- and not really a big enough space that even if half of everyone drove here, the garage would count as lots of vehicles.

"Are they a collection?" he says, interested but also somewhat dubious. Collections are heavy. And-- probably a collection owner wouldn't let him look at it.

[3nanashi]

Trowa shrugs.

"I guess."

"No one seems to know whose they are, if so. But it's open for general use."

[mm_tl]

"Do you -- do you think we could go look at it?"

Quatre is trying not to sound entirely enchanted about the idea, and pretty much failing.

[3nanashi]

"Sure."

Trowa was IN NO WAY setting things up for this distraction from philosophical questions!

With another kid, he might be more hesitant to encourage wandering off into mysterious garages with strange adults. (Not that Trowa himself wouldn't have done that confidently at age ten, but he's aware that most people's childhoods feature more nurturing and less weaponry.) But he knows Quatre turns out all right.

He rises. There's an elevator across the bar over there.

"Want me to grab a toolkit?"

He knows the answer, of course.

[mm_tl]

Quatre stands, quickly.

"If you'd like to," he says, which is stand-in for yes, please.

[3nanashi]

It seems like it'd be useful.

(Also: Quatre at this age is really obvious when eager. And, in certain respects, predictable at any age.)

Accordingly, Trowa nods, and heads towards Bar. Basic toolkit coming up!

[mm_tl]

Quatre follows and watches, interested, as the toolkit appears.

"Thank you," he tells the Bar, glancing up briefly to Trowa to make sure that was appropriate.