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Date/Timing: 5 June 2008
Setting: yard & Vos home; Koffiefontein, South Africa
.
Pietr curls in a tight ball, tastes blood and dust in his mouth.
Impact to his back, his ribs, the back of his head.
Sees stars, lashes out with a foot, connects.
Something heavy—a body—falls across his legs.
Scrambles out from under, flails to his feet, takes off at a dead run for home.
Through the gate, collapses on all fours in the yard, gasping.
A hand on his shoulder.
Turns—
Brain sloshes.
—throws up.
Maarten's hand offers a tissue.
Pietr takes it, wipes his mouth, pants.
Maarten rubs circles on his back.
World slowly stops swirling.
Pietr sits back on his heels.
::Let's go inside and clean you up.::
::Okay.:: Sniffles, wipes his eyes.
Maarten stands, helps Pietr—still wobbly—up, out of his shoes, and to the washroom and flips closed the toilet lid.
Pietr oozes down. 
Maarten wets and soaps a facecloth, gently scrubs Pietr's face.
It comes away dirty and bloody.
Pietr cringes.
Maarten tosses the cloth in the sink. ::It's mostly scratches, but you'll have a black eye.::
Sighs.
Maarten soaks another cloth in cold water and passes it over. ::Put that on your eye.::
Pietr does.
::What happened?::
::Ashwin—:: The cloth slips and Pietr frowns at it. ::—and his friends grabbed and kicked me.::
::Didn't anyone help you?::
::No one knew, I think.:: Shrugs. ::It's not like I can yell for help.::
Maarten's spine and shoulders go tight.
Pietr presses the cloth below his eye, pokes a loose tooth with his tongue, tastes more blood.
A puff from Maarten and he crouches. ::The next time someone comes for you, whistle as loud as you can, yea?::
Pietr queries.
::If I hear, I'll come help.::
Nods.
::Then, I'm going to teach you to fight.:: Grimaces. ::Or at least get away faster.::
::Why?::
::Because they'll give up if you're not an easy target.:: 
'Really?' asks Pietr's eyebrow.
::They're chickens.:: Grins nastily. ::It's why no one comes after me or Niko anymore: they're scared we can hurt them, even if we can't beat them.::
Pietr hangs his head, sighs hopelessly.
Maarten pokes his knee. ::What's that about?::
Pietr sets down the cloth. ::I'm too small and skinny to fight.::
::That's not true. You obviously did well enough to get away today.::
::I /did knock somebody down ....::
::That's great!::
Pietr straightens a little bit.
::We'll just make sure you can /always knock someone down. Do that enough times and they'll leave you alone.:: Maarten grins. ::We'll start after dinner.::
::I can't wait!::
Category:Ficlet
Category:Koffiefontein (setting)
Category:Pietr
Category:Pietr's POV
Category:Pietr (ficlet)
Category:Maarten
Category:Maarten (ficlet)
Category:Nikolaas (mention)
Category:Ashwin (mention)
Category:Ficlets with images