capture the c h i l d {kire}{blitz}

He was on a shopping run for feed. The animals had munched through so much of their winter stock up that he had to go on a run much sooner than he had expected. Not that it was much of a bad thing, Mace was still being a bit of a bluster and at times it could still be like a minefield in that house. Besides, getting out and away from the others for a time allowed him to think without being interrupted.

He stopped short as a little boy raced down the street, giggling like mad. A girl chased after him, catching him right before he ran into Oscar's legs. Oscar smiled at the pair. "Sorry about that, he got away." He shook his head with a smile. "No worries, no harm done." She looked rather young to have a kid that age, so he searched their faces for resemblance. There was some there, but he couldn't tell much. For all he would know they could be cousins. The boy's grin was killer, making Oscar's own smile grow bigger. "He looks like a handful." That statement was true in two ways, the boy seemed rambunctious and also a good size.

Absently, he wondered whether Reggie wanted a child but quickly turned away from that line of thought. Who was he to think about that.

They're all smiling like fools at each other and he is the only one who doesn't really know why. She grins at him and nods, adjusting the child as he moves. "He has been, and probably will be for quite a time." She gave up on holding the little scamp and set him down, firmly gripping his hand so he doesn't race off again. They appraised each other for a moment, unsure of what to say next. "So, what brings you here?" His smile becomes a little less goofy as he remembers that he has errands, but it is still genuine. "Oh, just running errands." He gave the little boy a smile before looking back to the girl. "What brings you out into this chaos?" He waved a hand at the bustle on the adjoining street, all of the shoppers hurriedly running to and fro to buy and tote items. Horses clopped along now and again and every once in a while someone towed a cow along. The sight of the horses gave him a feeling of excitement, but it was tinged with sadness as well. He missed being around a multitude of horses. Soon he would really have to get Mace to agree on buying a couple new horses.

The boy hides behind her legs and that makes Oscar smile somewhat wryly. It wasn't unusual for children to be uncomfortable about people they didn't know, but he always felt awkward about it. Even so, the girl was still smiling at him, so he supposed everything was still alright. "This little guy wanted to go out on a walk, didn't you Jordan?" Both of them looked at the boy, who nodded. The boy, Jordan apparently, flattened his hair with a hand clapped to his head the moment the girl stopped ruffling his hair. Clearly the conversation was boring the boy as he looked around at everything but Oscar, eyes wide and his body straining against his mother's grip. The sight made Oscar grin. "A little cold for a stroll," most people had something in particular to do today that required them to be outside, "but sometimes it's nice to just go for a walk." He looked at Jordan, who was nearly arched double as he pulled on his arm in an attempt to free himself from his mother's grip. "I like to get out sometimes for a change of pace."