"New Students" (Klapollo AU)

Oh Heck My Conics!

   A little over a week later, Apollo sat at the table waiting for his mom and sister to finish eating breakfast so they could leave. Well he was more waiting for his mom. Trucy didn't seem like she was going to actually get to eating anytime soon. She was busy talking about a new girl from Nine-Tails Vale. From what he managed to pick up, the girl was likely terrified when Trucy first introduced herself to her.

   "Oh that sounds lovely. You should invite her over some time," Thalassa suggested.

   "Well, I would, but I don't want to make her uncomfortable. Plus she'd probably think Polly's a yokai with his horns."

   "Hey! They're not horns!"

   "Yes, they are!"

   "No, they're not!"

   "They are too!"

   "Are not!"

   Thalassa finally cut between them. "Kids, no arguing at the table. Don't want to run late again, do we?"

   "Aww..., but I was just about to win," Trucy pouted, her soggy stack of pancakes pouting with her.

   "Your brother's becoming a lawyer, my little enchantress. I don't think he'd give up that easily."

   "Only if I didn't help him." Trucy was glaring at him.

   "What did I do?!" Apollo dropped his fork onto his plate.

   Their mother sighed. "C'mon, mes anges. You two still need to put your plates away." Thalassa got up, putting her own plate in the sink. Apollo copied after her while Trucy stuffed as many depressed slabs into her mouth as she could before their mom got to the door.

   Apollo pushed into his rightful spot in the front of the car as soon as they got outside. Zak still hadn't cleaned up the mess in the garage from his last poker game or whatever it was, and he probably never would. The car had barely fit when it was just the magic props in there, so it didn't really matter anyway.

   The radio was still turned all the way down from the last time they drove. The music had been bothering Trucy on an already rough day for her. Apollo spoke up in the silence. "Hey mom?" Thalassa tilted her head up, still keeping her eyes on the road. "When did you learn French?" The car jolted forward a little bit.

   "Ah, it's been a few years. Back when you were still a baby, and I was still traveling away from the troupe, we took a quick trip to France. I didn't pick up much that first time there, but I felt encouraged enough to try learning it on my own. My notes are probably still in a journal somewhere in my room if you'd like to learn. I know your school has its own French class, but I've heard it... isn't the best."

   Apollo shuddered. First time he even met the French teacher he got an obnoxious blast of perfume to the face. He had an arrogant smirk that rivaled that of Hugh O'Conner's when Apollo first met him. The random yelling from the teacher didn't help his case either. "Yeah..., I'll take a look at it one day once you find it. I'd have better luck learning from a shampoo bottle than the teacher."

   His mom giggled. "Our shampoo doesn't even have French, though I'd say I still agree. Valant doesn't seem to like him much."

   "Why is Valant the one keeping up with things about our teachers?"

   "Too much free time from Zak skipping out on the practices. I feel it also has to do with his old friend."

   Trucy sat up in the back. "What'd I hear about Uncle Valant?"

   "Nothing important, dear. Just talking to your brother about a teacher."

   "I think Uncle Valant punched one of my teachers."

   Thalassa nodded. "That wouldn't surprise me. He doesn't take kindly to rude teachers."

   "Yeah, the guy was a jerk. Lied and overexaggerated about things like dad but worse."