Measuring up...

[Grub Kelp]

Tired of his reputation for being an incessant whiner and a big baby, Grub lies awake in bed at his mother's house, resolving to change everyone's opinion of him. His deepest, most secret desire is to be like Trouble, yet he never ever would dare to speak this as he knows others would only laugh at him and doom him to failure.

"I'm not a baby," he mutters, punching his fist into his pillow, but then he draws it back with a whimper, realizing even that hurts his hand, "Ow...stupid pillow."

In the lower bunk in the room, Grub isn't sure whether Trouble is still awake. Whether he is or not, he tries to keep his grumbling in a low key so as not to disturb him--or give him a reason to be nosy.

[Trouble Kelp]

Trouble notices Grub's whining about hurting his hand, it does wake Trouble up though. Trouble looks up at Grub's bunk

"Grub, what the heck is your problem?"

[Grub Kelp]

"Nothing," Grub mutters, flopping face-down into his pillow so his voice is muffled and twice as nasal, "Can't sleep."

He suddenly flips over to stare at the ceiling, his movement causing the bed to creak loudly. After all, those bunks are well over 80 years old and they have every right to creak. Finally, Grub turns to face his brother in the dark.

"Hey, Trub...do you think I'm a baby?" he asks at length, afraid of what the answer will be.

[Trouble Kelp]

Trouble tapped his lower lip, thinking.

"Well, you faced down with Butler. And you whacked him with your buzzbaton. You aren't that much of a baby. Everyone has their moments where they love their mommys and like cookies, so no. You're not anymore a baby than I am. We just have different personalities."

[Grub Kelp]

Grub had had the pillow half pulled up over his ears so he could plug them quickly in the event that Trouble would add to his humiliations, but when Trouble actually sticks up for him, his eyes widen in disbelief. He props himself up on his elbow and leans over the edge of his bunk to look down at his brother.

"You really mean that?" he sounds as shocked as he looks, "So...there's hope? I still have a chance to prove myself?"

[Trouble Kelp]

"Yes, Grub. You aren't much of a baby. You just need a little push into the officer ranks. And you don't want Commander Root to do that. He'll punch you into the ranks, whether you like it or not."

Trouble rolls back over hoping that Grub will eventually suck his thumb, cuddle his teddy and go to sleep. He just hopes he doesn't wake up to a big drool spot on his pillow.

[Grub Kelp]

"To be honest with you, brother," Grub continues, obviously not quite ready to sleep on this issue, "I'm kind of scared of the, umm...officer ranks. What if I can't make it? I mean, I know the training is grueling and the pressure is unreal. What if it totally kills me?"

By this time, Grub's whiny voice has become shrill as though someone is choking him. Clearly, the whole idea of reaching the officer ranks scares the living daylights out of him and he is only seeking some kind of reassurance from his older brother.

[Trouble Kelp]

Trouble didn't think going into the officer ranks was that hard, in fact he thought it was easy.

"Grub, going into the ranks isn't scary, in fact, it is quite fun. You have no reason to be scared, I'd be watching you through thick and thin."

[Grub Kelp]

"Gee, that's comforting," Grub mutters sarcastically, "I'm sure you'd be watching me all the way--right along side Chix poking fun at me like you did back in grade school!"

Grub folds his arms across his chest and juts his lower lip out, pouting about the memories he isn't very fond of--particularly the time he fell asleep in class and bangedhis face on his desk so hard that it made him cry.

[Trouble Kelp]

Trouble pounded his fingers impatiently across the genuine oak siding of his bunk, knowing that Grub was going to come back with a pouting, diaper-baby remark.

"Grub, that was way back when. And your still just as much of a baby, as you were then too! You'll never make it into the ranks with that attitude. You know what Commander Root would do to you now. He was pick you up by the back of you pants and drop kick you into Atlantis!"

[Grub Kelp]

"But you just got through saying I wasn't a baby!" Grub wails broken-heartedly, "You lied to me because now you'e saying I am a baby when before you were saying I wasn't! You're a mean big brother and I'm not talking to you anymore!"

Grub then flips over to face the wall and pounds his fist into his pillow, but in so doing, he hurts his hand and can be heard whimpering quietly about it accompanied by occasional sniffling.

[Trouble Kelp]

Part of Trouble wanted to fall back asleep and totally ignore Grub and his sniveling and sniffling. Then the other part wanted to drop kick him into Atlantis himself. Trouble could have sworn that his face was turning beet red. He felt like he was going to explode like a volcano, a volcano he liked to refer to as "Mount Beet Root".

"Grub, you weren't acting like a baby earlier, you were acting for once like an adult. Now you're acting like a spoiled child who needs a 'Time Out' you need to stop sniveling and reflecting. Commander Root also told me 'If you look back, you'll never move on.' And that's exactly how you are acting, you reflect and snivel too much. You just need some serious training, it could take years, possibly eons before you toughen up."

[Grub Kelp]

"Oh, thanks a big fat bunch for having faith in me," Grub huffs, leaning over his bunk to bash Trouble in the face with his pillow, but he puts a little too much force into the swing and ends up flinging himself to the floor with a resounding "thud", "Ow...I'm okay...I think...except my head hurts...and my back...ouch...and I stubbed my toe..."

[Trouble Kelp]

"You're welcome." Trouble chuckles sarcastically, knowing that Grub was not the most agile of elves. He wishes that that young Kelp would toughen up, it happens with most Kelps; one minute their a whimp, the next minute their tough as a gravel road.

[Grub Kelp]

"Shut up," Grub mutters, picking himself up and throwing his pillow back up on his bunk, "Or I'll slap that smirk right off your face, you...big poopy. And I'm still not talking to you--so there!"

Grub climbs back into his bunk and fully intends to keep his vow of silence against his brother at all costs.