teamwork
"A strong relationship can be considered a team. You work together and support each other, even when you don’t see eye to eye on something or have goals that aren’t exactly the same."
"I'm so excited!" Teucer shouted as he raced around the three of you. You couldn't suppress your giggle at his antics.
"I'm glad you liked the surprise!" you responded, giving him a high five.
Childe suddenly being called into work on a Saturday meant that he couldn't look after his younger brother who was staying for a few weeks. Luckily, being the kind and generous friend you were, you offered to babysit Teucer. You planned a fun day out to distract him from being upset about not getting to spend his limited time in the area with his brother, picking a game of real life Cluedo.
You decided to drag Scaramouche along with you. You told him you needed him to come because you need three people to play, but you actually wanted an excuse to spend a day out with him. Not that you were experiencing a lack of quality time - he practically lived with you now. Your living room table was often littered with wooden limbs from his puppets, and the closet in your hallway had a designated area for his hat.
"How do we play?" Scaramouche asked you reached the designated starting point, marked on your map with a red cross.
"You've never played Cluedo before?" Teucer looked shocked.
Scaramouche's cheeks coloured. "I didn't have toys or board games growing up..."
You frowned at this; you knew his upbringing had been less than conventional, but every time he made a passing comment that gave you a tiny insight into his past, you felt your heart sink. Maybe one day you would ask him for the full story.
"Well, anyway, you have to figure out who committed the murder, what weapon they used, and where they did it. We get a few clues - we have cards that tell us who, what, and where it isn't. Also, we are working against 2 other teams... whoever figures it out first is the winner."
"It's going to be us," Teucer chanted.
"Of course! I'll expect nothing less!" you grinned, giving him the eighth high five of the outing. Your palm was permanently red and tingly at this point.
Scaramouche felt like he was actually babysitting both of you.
You looked around, offering kind smiles to the other teams. To your left, two women stood with a little boy holding their hands, and to your right stood a man with four young girls crowding around him. You realised this was definitely a family activity - did the other teams think you, Scaramouche, and Teucer were a family too? Your cheeks reddened at the thought. At least Teucer's vibrant orange hair (contrasted with the cool indigo of the older male's) was an indicator that it was unlikely.
A woman dressed in all black suddenly appeared in front of you.
"Welcome to the game, friends!" she enthusiastically waved at the children. "You have one hour to wander around the area and figure out who, what, and where! The rules work like regular Cluedo - you tell the person stood at each "room" who you think it is, what weapon you think was used, and the room you are in! They will reveal if they have any of those cards. They have copies of all the cards, except the ones in the pile in my hand, and the cards that belong to each team are marked so they won't show you one of your own. Each person can ask 1 question per visit, but you are free to return to the same room after you visit somewhere else. The people at each room can also reveal the questions the other team asked, but asking counts as your question. Good luck, your time starts.... now! Come back when you think you have the answer!"
Teucer instantly dashed off towards the dining room, so you had no chance but to follow him, hooking your arm around Scaramouche's to drag him with you.
"Why the dining room?" you asked the boy who skidded to a halt in front of the marked area.
"I don't know," he shrugged. "This guy just looks super cool."
The person he was referring to was a tall man in a deep, velvety purple suit, his face adorned with round spectacles that perched on his nose. You had to admit he played the part of Professor Plum incredibly well.
"What should we ask?" you whispered as your group huddled together.
"Wait a minute," Scaramouche interjected. "Let's look at what cards we have been given. That way we won't ask the wrong thing."
"Clever as always," you rolled your eyes.
"You were the one who told me how to play this game?"
You pulled a pouch out of your pocket that contained a set of three cards. You had received this when you entered the building, along with a map of the area, and a sheet with the lists of the items and characters for you to cross out when you ruled out a possibility.
You pulled each card out one by one as Scaramouche crossed the names off of the list. You had the wrench, Professor Plum, and the dining room.
"Oh no!" Teucer pouted as he looked at the list. "We already know it isn't this room. Maybe I shouldn't have listened to my gut!"
"Hold on Teucer," Scaramouche planted his hand gently on the young boy's shoulder. "I think you might have actually picked the perfect first location."
"Really?" his eyes sparkled at the compliment. "But how?"
"We have the cards for Professor Plum and the dining room, and we were told at the start we won't be shown one of our own, so we can use this to figure out what the weapon is," he replied.
A cough from behind you jolted the three of you.
"What is it that you wish to ask?" Professor Plum questioned.
Clearing his throat, Scaramouche held up the list of weapons. "Professor Plum with the candlestick in the dining room. Do you have any of those cards?"
Professor Plum fiddled with a set of cards in his hand. He turned one towards the three of you - the candlestick. You could confidently rule that one out.
"Do you understand Teucer?" Scaramouche turned to him.
He nodded fervently. "I get it! Ok, my turn. Professor Plum with the lead pipe in the dining room. Did I get any right?"
Silently, Professor Plum fiddled with his cards. This time, he didn't produce a card, but stared blankly at your group. "I have none of the above."
"I did it!" Teucer yelled, turning towards Scaramouche with a huge grin on his face and his arms raised high. Scaramouche almost didn't know what to do, awkwardly high five-ing the child in front of him.
"Then what should I ask?" you contemplated out loud. Since you already knew the weapon, you had less use for this room now.
"You should take a stab at who the person is," Scaramouche whispered into your ear, causing you to shiver involuntarily.
"Was that a pun?" you coughed, hiding your flushed face.
"Maybe," he smirked.
"I am going to say Mrs Peacock with the wrench in the dining room. Any correct?" you finally decided.
Professor Plum sorted through his pile, pulling out Mrs Peacock and showing it to you. You could rule her out as well.
The three of you bid the character goodbye.
"Why did you go for the wrench? Not that it makes a difference, but we knew that it was the lead pipe already," Scaramouche inquired.
"Well, the other teams can ask what we asked. I didn't want them to figure out we knew the weapon," you replied.
"Good thinking. So where to next?" Scaramouche turned to the boy. As much as he was too stubborn to admit it, Scaramouche wanted Teucer to have fun. After all, that was the purpose of the outing (and he had a soft spot for children, but that information was under lock and key in his brain).
"Well, we should go somewhere where another group has been. That way, we can ask what they asked! I just saw a group walk away from the lounge, so let's go there!" Teucer declared, grasping your hand and pulling you along with him.
"You're awfully sharp for your age!" you commented as you made your way to the lounge area.
"A little too sharp," Scaramouche mumbled. You glared at him.
"Well, I want to be just like my big brother!"
You weren't sure what to say to that. You and Scaramouche exchanged amused glances.
"I sure hope he grows out of that," Scaramouche muttered.
The three of you arrived at the lounge to see a woman in a red dress with perfectly blonde hair. Miss Scarlett looked at the three of you with a perfectly poised expression.
"So, how may I help you?"
"Teucer, you go first with your idea," you gestured at the lady in front of you.
"Okay! I would like to know what the team that you just spoke to guessed!"
"Of course," she smiled. "They guessed Mrs Peacock with the wrench in the lounge, Reverend Green with the candlestick in the lounge, and Miss Scarlett with the revolver in the lounge."
"Their guesses are completely random then," you sighed.
"But why would they waste their time on all three guesses if they aren't using at least some form of strategy. Perhaps this means that they believe the murder took place in the lounge and they just wanted to make a lucky guess for the rest of the components?" Scaramouche suggested.
"You're right! I'll ask!" you announced. "Professor Plum with the wrench in the lounge. Are any of those cards in your hand?"
Miss Scarlett rummaged through her cards. The three of you watched intently, hoping she would not pull out a card.
"I have none of them."
The three of you rejoiced, looking at each other with gleaming eyes. Scaramouche wore a competitive smirk, a stark contrast from your beaming face and Teucer's overjoyed expression.
"I'll see if I can figure out who it is from this last guess," Scaramouche turned to face the woman in front of them. "Miss Scarlett with the wrench in the lounge. Any?"
Miss Scarlett's lips curled into a smirk as she pulled out her own card.
"Well, now that we know the room, we should go back to the dining room so we can get the right person," you commented.
"Back to the dining room!" Teucer chanted as he skipped along, beaming from ear to ear.
"He's a good kid, isn't he?" you turned to Scaramouche.
"I suppose," Scaramouche glanced at the excitable figure in front of him, a soft smile present on his face, just for a moment.
"Come on slowcoaches," Teucer yelled from a few feet away from you.
"Wow, he's almost as competitive as you!" you giggled at the man next to you.
"I'm not competitive! This means nothing at all to me, it is entirely inconsequential whether we win or lose..."
"Hm, sure," you teased as you arrived at the dining room once again.
"Back already?" Professor Plum looked amused at the sight of the three of you. "You must be sure that it's this room. How... deductive of you." He bit back a smirk at his comment, probably finding himself to be incredibly witty.
"Quite the opposite actually!" Teucer grinned. You wondered if he caught on to the passive aggressive comment the actor had made, or whether he just delivered a perfect blow to the guy's ego without even intending it.
Professor Plum's eyes widened for a moment, until his expression settled into one of neutrality and he pushed his glasses up. "I take it that these are your last guesses, then?"
"Absolutely," Scaramouche replied quickly. Scaramouche was known for having an abrasive personality in the past, but he had changed, therefore despising anyone who acted the way he once did. Especially if they were rude to people he cared about.
"Who first then?" you questioned, trying to ease the awkward tension in the air.
"Teucer, would you like to guess?" Scaramouche asked, forcing his irked expression to dissipate before facing the child.
"Let me look at the sheet," Teucer demanded. He proceeded to narrow his eyes at the list, making comical thinking poses and humming to himself. "I'm going to guess Dr Orchid with the wrench in the dining room. Am I right?"
Professor Plum triumphantly pulled out the card with Dr Orchid's face on it with a wide smirk painted on his face.
Scaramouche could not contain his annoyance after that. It was unforgivable to be snarky to a child, such an innocent creature, so free of malice. Teucer was the epitome of child-like enthusiasm - even Scaramouche, who rarely showed his emotions, couldn't stop himself from smiling at the displays of juvenile excitement. Scaramouche could not believe the audacity of a grown adult even thinking about being snide to him.
"You guess next," Scaramouche turned to you with gritted teeth. He feared that he would start hurling insults at the man if he had to address him.
"Okay," you nervously laughed, before scanning the list. You had two options - Colonel Mustard or Reverend Green. There was a fifty-fifty chance of picking the right one, and it didn't really matter either way - if you guessed wrong, you would have eliminated all but one, so would know the answer anyway. However, your pride was on the line. You were not any less observant than your partner, so you had picked up on the sarcasm and passive aggressive nature of the man in front of you. You had to get this right, for your sake.
You looked at your feet, willing the answer to somehow come to your mind. You realised your only option was to guess. It was a shame, because you had really been looking forward to having your boyfriend think you were really cool and intelligent for somehow figuring out why it must be one or the other. Teucer would probably consider you a psychic, which would be equally as flattering.
You sighed. "I suppose I will guess Reverend Green with the wrench in the dining room. Do you have any?"
Professor Plum's eyes narrowed slightly. "...I do not..."
You looked at your group, dumbfounded. Your luck astounded you, and evidently Scaramouche and Teucer too as they stared at you with wide eyes. Teucer eventually snapped out of his daze and launched himself at you.
"We did it!" he laughed into your shoulder.
"We did!" you replied, still stunned.
"Nice guess," Scaramouche commented, a faint smile apparent on his face. You felt giddy.
"I suppose congratulations are in order," Professor Plum sighed reluctantly. "Even pretty people like you can have brains." He looked directly at you as he made the statement.
Scaramouche was furious. He wanted to destroy the whole building with him in it, but your hand being laid on his shoulder calmed him down.
"Let's go, ok?" you smiled softly at him. A warm feeling overtook his body, replacing the anger he felt.
You grabbed his hand, intertwining it with yours as you pulled him away from the dining room to go to the starting line and make your final guess, not sparing Professor Plum another glance. Teucer followed the two of you, excitement radiating from his body.
Scaramouche turned around with the intention to scowl at the man behind them. After seeing his irritated face, presumably at the display of affection that showed you were obviously unavailable, Scaramouche couldn't help but stick his tongue out playfully.
Maybe being around two childish figures was rubbing off on him.
As you stood in front of the woman who had explained the rules at the start, you felt a strange sense of pride. You actually really enjoyed the activity, and working with Scaramouche was something you could never get tired of. Solving problems together and getting to help each other out felt really intimate, and it warmed your heart. Seeing Teucer's bright grin was always an added bonus as well.
"Wow, you think you already know? You have only used up one third of the time you had available ... are you sure you want to guess?" she asked the three of you.
"We're sure!" Teucer beamed.
"Aren't you a confident young man? Let's see if your confidence is backed up by your detective skills. I will call everyone over - as per the usual rules of the board game, everyone must hear a group's final guess."
The other two groups gathered around the woman who held three cards in her hand. You were utterly confident in your answer, but the situation was making you feel somewhat apprehensive for some reason. Perhaps it was the crowd around you - what if you had actually messed up somewhere along the line? You didn't think you could face the embarrassment.
A gentle squeeze to your hand ended your worrying. Looking down, you noticed that your hand was still intertwined with Scaramouche's. It was not a huge gesture, but you had been taking things slow with Scaramouche, especially in terms of physical touch as he was evidently not used to it. You rarely touched each other, even less in public. The fact that he had not attempted to remove his hand made your heart swell.
"So, what is your final guess?"
Teucer turned to the pair of you excitedly. You could tell he wanted to make the final guess, and the two of you gave him a nod of encouragement.
"It was Reverend Green with the lead pipe in the lounge," Teucer declared.
The woman remained silent for a moment.
After a few seconds, she grinned. "That's a new record! Well done!"
You could not contain the huge smile that erupted on your face, turning to look at Scaramouche, who looked equally pleased. You swung your arms around him, not considering your actions at all. He seemed surprised at first, but he slowly eased into the gesture.
Teucer launched himself into the middle of you, so the three of you hugged for a moment.
"You seem awfully pleased for someone who 'isn't competitive' and who 'doesn't care if we win or lose'," you mimicked Scaramouche's earlier tone of voice.
He scoffed. "I don't even sound like that."
"You do!" Teucer teased.
"I think you have spoken enough for today," Scaramouche grumbled. A moment later his expression softened. "How about some ice cream to celebrate? Maybe then you'll be quiet..."
"I love ice cream!" Teucer shouted, rushing towards the exit.
You and Scaramouche followed, hands still firmly grasped by one another.
"You were in there for shorter than I expected," a voice greeted you as you exited the building.
As soon as you turned the corner, Childe waved at the three of you. "Hello Teucer!"
"What are you doing here?" Teucer exclaimed, running over to Childe.
"I finished my work as quickly as I could ... I wouldn't want to keep my sibling waiting, especially when he came all this way to stay with me, now would I?" Childe grinned, ruffling his brother's hair.
All thoughts of Scaramouche's offer disappeared from the young boy's mind. "Are we going back home? Can we watch a movie? Can we stay up late? Can we?"
"If you don't tell our mother when you go home, then sure!" Childe winked.
"By the way," he turned to address you and Scaramouche. "Thank you for babysitting my brother today. He can be quite a handful, but you must have managed if you beat the record I set last time I was here."
"You've been before? Who did you go with?" you asked.
"...Myself?"
Scaramouche rolled his eyes, lifting the hand that you were holding to point at the man. "You are definitely the type of freak who does children's activities to 'train'."
As Childe's eyes drifted to the sight of your hands together, his grin grew wider. "Oho! I hope my little brother wasn't interrupting something."
"You little-"
You waved at Childe and Teucer as they drove off. With that finally over, you actually felt a bit drowsy. Your mental capacity for the day had been used up by that point, even though it was only the early evening.
"Are you alright?" Scaramouche asked, noticing your eyes drooping slightly.
"Yeah, for some reason I feel a bit tired. I know you said we should go and eat ice cream after this, but can we just go home and relax instead? Sorry to disappoint you."
Scaramouche almost chuckled. Firstly, he was a huge homebody and you knew this, so he questioned why you would think you would disappoint him by not accepting the offer he very clearly made only to please the little boy you were looking after. Secondly, he would do anything you wanted, no questions asked and no offence taken, whether or not it was what he had in mind.
Thirdly, the fact that you had called it 'home', in a way that included him, was making his heart beat uncontrollably fast.
"You could never disappoint me," he replied, guiding you towards his car. "Let's go home then. There's Ben and Jerry's in the freezer if you want."