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Chiro had a question about vector calculus that he knew better than to ask right now, because his teachers were arguing.
Again.
"It's not that I don't understand the value of Chiro's meditation sessions with you," Gibson said. "However, three hours a day seems like a rather large portion of his schooling time to be spent on such an... abstract concept, especially considering the importance of keeping him up to the standards of the peers he would have in a normal school on more concrete matters."
"Chiro's connection to the Power Primate is the most 'concrete' matter in his life at the moment," Antauri retorted. Chiro couldn't resist staying by the door to Gibson's room and listening in. "He has already surpassed the level many of his peers will academically reach when they graduate high school, much less while they are his age."
"Hmm. Perhaps, if you view Chiro being average as a worthwhile goal. Even before he joined us he was already showing an advanced aptitude for engineering and related fields. Such a gift should be encouraged - one day he may have the opportunity to live a normal adult life, after all."
"A peaceful future such as that is indeed the goal, of course, but as it stands, Chiro's first priority should be enhancing his connection to the Power Primate. I believe, as it stands, he is spending more time on academics than necessary. With the skill-set he has already built, he shouldn't need to concern himself with more than maintaining it for the time being."
"...I... Aha.... I'm sorry, Antauri, but it sounded like you were implying his spiritual tutelage is more important than his academic success."
Oh boy... Antauri was remaining stone cold calm while Gibson was starting to get worked up. As Chiro listened in, he wondered if he should be doing something more about these arguments. He was the leader, after all, and they were discussing him, but... it reminded him of when his parents would speak of him when they thought he wasn't listening, back when they had the time to care.
"Chiro is not like the other children his age, Gibson. While I would never suggest he should be left without academic challenges to sharpen his mind, I sense the future where he requires more of my tutelage is more likely than a future where he needs to have the equivalent of a human college degree by the time he is barely an adult."
Gibson pouted. "So you're saying my tutelage is unnecessary."
Antauri smiled. "On the contrary - you have managed to teach him so efficiently that he can dedicate more of his time to matters of immediate importance."
"Antauri," Gibson rubbed his temples. "Perhaps such flattery would work on the others, but to someone of my intellect, your point about seeing my teaching as less important in our current climate cannot be hidden by a few simple compleme-"
Chiro stepped out from behind the door. "Would you two stop fighting?" He puffed up his chest, trying to seem as authoritative and... leader-ish as he could.
Antauri and Gibson looked up at Chiro, surprised. Not so much by his intrusion - Antauri has certainly sensed that he was there - but at his outburst. The two exchanged a look.
"I... I'm sorry, Chiro," Gibson said. "Did it seem like we were fighting?"
"...Uh..." Chiro deflated. "Well, yeah. It seemed like things were getting pretty heated. I could just... spend more time with both of you if that will fix things?"
"Oh, nonsense, Chiro," Gibson said. "You already spend more than enough time studying."
"Gibson and I were simply having a discussion," Antauri said. "We have very different perceptions about your schooling, so discussing this matter often helps us come to more reasonable conclusions than either of us would on our own."
Antauri smiled at Gibson.
"Agreed," Gibson said. "It is... nice to have someone who can challenge me intellectually while maintaining a different point of view."
Gibson smiled back at Antauri.
Chiro had rarely seen either of them smile, much less at the same time, much less after he'd tried to stop what he'd thought was leading into a full blown fight. The two of them seemed impossibly cheerful, even peaceful, as if they hadn't been exchanging tense words about their core values before he'd stepped in.
....Seriously, what was this weird tension in the room that made Chiro feel like he was intruding on something?
"Uh... okay then. I'll just... let you get back to it then. Later."
Chiro quickly shuffled out, forgetting all about his math question, hearing Gibson and Antauri get right back to their heated discussion as soon as he left. All of this time with the Monkey Team, and sometimes he still didn't understand them.
Maybe adults were just weird like that. Or these two adults specifically.