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(apparently, I wrote a haiku last night)
(about Zedd and Nathaniel:)
(Hello, Zeddicus)
(I desire choccy milk)
(Hand it over now)
Depression and Choccy Milk (OXO with Caustic)
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(Lmao nice)
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(1:30 AM Ash is weird as hell)
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(Holy frick i leave for 3 days and come back to threats wow)
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(apparently, I wrote a haiku last night)
(about Zedd and Nathaniel:)
(Hello, Zeddicus)
(I desire choccy milk)
(Hand it over now)
(You can't make demands)
(Your name is not Nathaniel)
(So no choccy milk.)
(- From Zeddicus)
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"Okay…" Nathaniel leaned his head against Zedd's arm, still holding one bar of metal close to his chest. "If it's getting delivered, when's it gonna get back to your apartment, sir?" He asked Zedd curiously. "How soon would we be able to set up a forge so I can actually start making things?"
The blacksmith spoke up instead, knowing his inventory better than Zedd would. "Depending on what you pick, it'll get there today. Some of the better heat treating ovens might be a few days," he explained. Zedd looked down at Nathaniel leaning on his arm. "My guess is you'd be able to start making them within the week," he stated. "So uh, go start looking at what you want," Zedd added.
"Mmkay…" Nathaniel wandered off to go look at the ovens, still clutching a metal bar close to his chest. He didn't actually know much about the ovens themselves, so he didn't quite know what to look for in one. "Um… which ones of these are good, sir?" He asked the blacksmith after a couple minutes of trying to figure out what he was doing.
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The older man gestured to all of the ones before Nathaniel. "All of them are fine, it mostly depends on the temperature you'd need and size," the blacksmith replied, hoping that information was enough help. He still felt odd talking to such a young kid about making metal working. Hell, was this boy even in school?
(Haha… noooo…)
"Hmm…" Nathaniel examined the labels of the heat treating ovens until he found one that was a good temperature for what he usually worked with. It was also relatively compact, so it would be more manageable for him. "I think this one is good."
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It was pure luck that Nathaniel had chosen an oven that was still in supply. They wouldn't have to wait for it to be shipped in, and the two could take everything home. Nathaniel would be able to start working within a day or two.
"Good choice," the blacksmith hummed. He also had a few of the basic tools in hand already that one would need when working with metal. There was even a smaller sized anvil closer to the door waiting to be paid for.
Nathaniel adjusted his grip on his bar of metal, standing next to Zedd while the man paid for all the things. He hummed idly, glancing around the shop from where he stood while he waited. His wings fluttered a bit occasionally.
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The total ended up being about as high as Zedd expected, but it was no less saddening to know how much money was gone now. Nathaniel was going to have to sell a few knives fairly soon if his own sales weren't high. After everything was finally processed, everything was wheeled out into a truck with a fairly large back trailer. It was necessary with all the weight. "Seeing as you probably don't know anything about building a forge, I'll drive and set it up for you," the blacksmith said, walking out of the shop with the two others. The man locked the door up after switching his sign to closed, and went to get in the vehicle. There were only two seats inside the truck so Nathaniel would have to sit on Zedd's lap. It seemed to surprise the blacksmith at the two climbing in, due to their wings, but said nothing about it, noting Nathaniel's wings more carefully.
"Thank you, sir. That's very kind of you." Nathaniel climbed up into the truck with Zedd and carefully got himself settled. He wasn't sure how safe this was, but he kept quiet. He kept his crumpled wings folded as tightly to his back as he could manage so that they wouldn't be in the way. He was bewildered, clearly, and was curiously looking around the interior of the vehicle. He'd never been inside such a thing before. "How long does it take to get home in this thing, sir?" He asked, looking up to the blacksmith after he seemed satisfied with examining the truck.
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The man started up the engine, preparing the drive to the store that was merely a few blocks away. He raised a brow, bewildered as to how the kid sitting on Zedd's lap didn't seem to know what a truck was, but knew his way around with metal. "It's probably going to take about a minute. Literally," the blacksmith stated, easing his foot onto the gas pedal.
"Really?" Nathaniel asked, his eyes widening with awe and curiosity. "That's so cool! How does it get there so fast?" He asked curiously, cocking his head to the side a bit. "Is it magic or something?" He jumped when the truck started moving and clung to Zedd tightly. "H-How's it doing that??"
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Zedd suddenly felt a bit awkward with Nathaniel asking so many questions. It was very hard to forget the boy wasn't from earth. "It's not magic, it's run by an engine," Zeddicus said simply. "It's a machine that powers the truck so the wheels turn," he added. The blacksmith chuckled at this. "I certainly wish we had magic powered cars. It'd make things run a lot smoother."
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(Nathaniel's such a cutie…)
"Ohhh…" Nathaniel looked around the inside of the truck again, seeming intrigued. After a few seconds of glancing between Zedd and the blacksmith, he looked away nervously. "…I take it that that's something I'm supposed to know already?" He asked weakly. "I'm sorry… I'm being dumb again, aren't I?"
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Zedd sighed. "Stop that. You aren't dumb for asking questions. Kids know the basics of a car by your age, yes, but you literally aren't even from here," he huffed. That was really what was starting to make him frustrated. All the negative speak wasn't good for Nathaniel. Meanwhile the blacksmith seemed even more surprised. What did he mean 'not from here?'
"S-Sorry, sir…" Nathaniel flushed in embarrassment and shied away at Zedd's tone, worried that he had made him angry. He jumped when the car went over a speedbump and clung to Zedd. "W-What was that?! Did we hit a person??" He asked worriedly, looking around for an injured person.
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Zedd patted Nathaniel's head awkwardly. "No, it's a small bump in the road to prevent speeding- I mean going too fast," Zedd explained. It had also made him a little sad with how the angel had moved away from him for a moment. He wasn't angry at him, but how was Zedd not to get mad at all the self doubt the boy had?
Nathaniel sighed softly in relief and buried his face in Zedd's shoulder. "Phew… I thought we hurt somebody for a second there. That would've been bad…" He wrapped his arms around Zedd's neck and tried again to fold his wings, which were puffed up with fear. He only looked up again when the car came to a stop.
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"We're here," the blacksmith said cheerily. "Zeddicus, were you not supposed to be open today?" the man questioned, already moving to the back of the truck.
"I'll tell you later. If I say anything now, Nathaniel will assume it's his fault," Zeddicus stated before looking at the angel beside him. "Which it isn't," he added to reassure the boy before moving to unlock the store again.
Nathaniel relaxed a little at the reassurance, but he still seemed nervous. He stuck close to Zedd as they walked, clinging tightly to his hand. "W-Where are we going to set up the forge, sir?" He asked softly, looking up at Zedd as he unlocked the door.
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The door opened with a soft click. He didn't seem to mind that Nathaniel was holding his hand at the moment. On the other side of the shop was another few doors. One of them was where he made his potions, but the other was relatively empty. He never found a good purpose for it. Until now anyways. "The door on the right has a room that's nearly empty. We'll put it in there."
Nathaniel nodded, his eyes falling upon the aforementioned door. "Sounds good to me, sir. Thank you." He noticed the blacksmith coming in and quickly moved out of the way, ending up stumbling backwards into Zedd.
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Nathaniel was so light, Zeddicus didn't even stumble at being run into. There was a clock hanging on the wall, and seeing that he had included Nathaniel in his own non-breakfast-eating habit, he figured lunch was a must. "Wanna go upstairs for something to eat?"
Nathaniel quickly apologized for bumping into Zedd and stepped out of the way. When Zedd mentioned food, he brightened and nodded eagerly. "Yeah! I'm starving." He darted over to the stairs and ran up them, taking them two at a time.
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Zedd blinked, watching the boy run so fast. He would have never guessed Nathaniel had hurt himself so badly just the night before. Upon making it to the top of the stairs, he wondered what he should even make. "Is there anything you had to eat that you really liked before?" Zedd asked, already deciding to take out the milk and the chocolate syrup to keep Nathaniel in high spirits.
Nathaniel grinned brightly when he saw Zedd pull out the components for chocolate milk, his wings fluttering a bit. "Um… I've liked everything you've m made, sir! You're a very good cook!" He climbed onto a stool to massage his aching leg, though this didn't seem to dampen his spirits at all.