After a little while and eating some of the bread he'd bought to regain energy, Nathaniel dragged himself to his feet. He hid his bread under the thin blanket he had and headed out into the street. He sighed and stumbled every time someone bumped into him, though he always remained silent. At some point, he got knocked into the road and a car screeched to a halt to avoid hitting him. He was frozen in place, just a deer in headlights staring wide eyed at the car.
Depression and Choccy Milk (OXO with Caustic)
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Zedd hadn't really gotten all that far when he recalled being low on an herb. It was one that wasn't used as often, so he rarely remembered to buy any. After returning to make such purchase, he heard the tell tale screech of tires. He turned quickly, hoping nothing too awful happened. He was grumpy, not heartless. Oddly enough, it was the same young kid from before. Except he was simply staring at the driver in the car, looking scared out of his mind. The vehicle honked, the driver irritated. Noting that people yet again merely watched or walked on, Zedd's shoulders actually fell. Sometimes it sucked being an adult with morals. The man walked into the street and took the child by the shoulders.
"What the hell are you doing?! You're holdin' up traffic," he huffed, already pushing him towards the sidewalk. People were staring at him now, obviously beginning to make assumptions.
"About time ya got your kid outta the street!" someone called. Zeddicus whipped his head around looking for wherever the voice came from. "He ain't my damn kid. Just getting him outta they way since nobody else seemed to see the simple solution," he responded, words sounding quite harsh. His hands left the boy's shoulders shortly after, already moving to walk away.
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(frick i love this too much already, i think this is gonna be one of my favorites)
Nathaniel stared at up Zeddicus, still wide eyed, terrified, and trembling. He flushed a bit when he finally came to himself, releasing a shaky breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He felt almost like he was going to pass out. He noticed Zedd walking away yet again before he could actually talk to him and, after a few seconds of hesitation, trotted after him. "Um… sir?" He asked meekly when he'd caught up to Zedd.
His wings were still fluffed up from the scare and he was rather paler than usual, but he'd mostly recovered himself. It was hard for him to tell if Zedd was actually nice or just didn't want him holding up other people by mistake. He seemed to at least have some regard for his wellbeing, which was more than he could say for anyone else around here.
"Sir?" He asked again, having to trot to keep up with Zedd's faster pace and longer legs. He was in good shape other than being malnourished for the past month, so it didn't tire him out too much.
(Aa I'm really liking it too! Our writing styles seem to vibe really well :) )
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"What?" he asked simply, not bothering to make any eye contact. At least he kept his tone even. Despite knowing the kid had to walk a bit fast to keep up, Zedd also refused to slow down. He wanted to be home, and quite frankly alone. It was only a few more blocks until he reached the shop. He could technically fly, but if he did, there was a large risk of losing some of his ingredients. Precisely why he hated shopping. After a moment, Zeddicus spoke without considering how his words would affect the young boy.
"You need help findin' your mommy and daddy or something?" Again, his words weren't sharp, just very blunt.
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(going to bed, got babysitting :D)
(Alrighty ^^)
Nathaniel winced a bit at that and looked away. "I-I… um… no sir, I live alone… I just… wanted to thank you properly for helping me in the market…" He said weakly. "And now for dragging me out of the street, I guess." He kept up the pace, fidgeting uncomfortably as he trotted along. Although his parents had never been particularly loving or affectionate, or perhaps not even good parents, Nathaniel didn't know that. They were his parents who had been wrenched from him, and he missed them. He missed having food around that he could make for himself, or having a roof over his head to protect him from the cold and the rain and storms. Access to clean water, as well, was something he no longer had.
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(bro today was busy, wow)
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It was now that Zedd looked down at the young boy. God, he hated how his little face tugged at his heart like that. If someone so young "lived alone," there was only one thing that meant. The poor kid was living on the streets or some dirty alleyway. Damn it, why did he have to be the hero today? He didn't know how to take care of a kid!
"Uh, no problem, kid," he said, before slowing his pace a bit. Looking at the boy now, he bit his lip, noting how mangled his wings appeared, knowing they might get infected. He also looked bone thin. Internally he groaned. He was gonna have to be the good person here again, huh?
"You need something for those wings of yours. The injuries have clearly not been treated," Zeddicus stated aloud. There was no room for negotiation.
Nathaniel flushed a bit. "Um… w-well, technically they were treated, but they couldn't… fix them…" He said quietly, his voice strained. Don't cry. "I-I mean, they… they still hurt sometimes, but it's okay… I'm used to it by now, sir." He stumbled a bit, but stayed upright. The malnourishment was catching up to him. Don't cry. Nathaniel's stomach growled angrily and he quickly crossed his arms over it in an attempt to stifle the noise. Don't cry. "I… I really don't know what you could give me for them here on earth anyways, sir. If they couldn't fix them up there, I doubt they could fix them down here… I'm just…" He cut himself off, not sure where exactly the sentence was going. Weak. He kept walking, biting his lip a bit. Don't cry. He avoided eye contact with Zeddicus. Useless. Tiny needles pricked at the corners of his eyes. Don't cry. He drew in a wavering breath. Pathetic. His eyes shone and he fought back the tears threatening to spill over.
(Bump?)
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(I had most of a reply done on my phone and then my phone decided to log me out-)
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Zeddicus shook his head. "Lemme rephrase that. It looks like it was a rushed job," he stated. He shuffled the bags on his arms as the handles were now slightly digging into his wrists. It was then that he cast a quick look at the small boy behind him. He was looking down at the ground as he spoke, and his voice seemed to be shaking. Oh shit, he's crying, uh-
"I don't usually do this, but I'll look at them for free…? Uh, maybe something to eat too, I dunno. Just um… please stop crying?"
(Ooft)
Nathaniel quickly tried to brush his tears away with one tiny fist as he drew in a wavering breath. "S-Sorry… sorry, sir… I'm just weak… and, um… thank you very much." He stumbled again, his wings starting to droop. He felt lightheaded and weak and was struggling to keep up at this point. "I'm… I'm sorry…" He kept whispering apologies under his breath as he trotted along beside Zeddicus.
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(Me: NO DON'T APOLOGISE AHHH- oh no i have to keep Zedd somewhat cold frick)
Watching the boy nearly trip, Zedd could only assume that he was a bit dehydrated as well. It hurt him to see the kid so beat up, but he wasn't any kind of saint to care for a kid.
After a few minutes of walking, Zeddicus turned on his heel and walked to the front door of a smaller sized building. He set his bags down onto the ground for a moment to fish out the key from his pocket. After finding it and unlocking the door, he turned to the small boy again. "Go and sit in one of the chairs," he said before picking up his things again.
The room was a bit darker in color design, the walls being a reddish tone, shelves a dark colored wood with various bottles. There were a few chairs near the front before a counter in the center of the room.
(Lmao you're gonna be feeling bad for Nathaniel all the time >:D)
"Y-Yes, sir…" Nathaniel headed into the house and sat down as instructed. He stayed as still as he could despite his exhaustion, though he couldn't keep himself from nodding off a bit. He was pale and clammy, and clearly weak. He likely couldn't have stayed on his feet for much longer anyways.
Though he'd only been out on the streets for about a month, it was really taking a toll on his frail body. He'd been small when he was cast down here, but now he scarcely weighed fifteen pounds due to the malnourishment. His refusal to steal anything was making surviving a much more difficult task for him.
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Zeddicus turned to the front desk to set his bags down behind it. After doing so, he sloppily grabbed one of his general "healing" potions. It wasn't instantaneous by any means, but helped with infections and injuries pretty well. Turning, he noted the small boy had fallen asleep where he sat. He gave a frustrated sigh before grabbing a plastic bin to hold behind the winged child. He carefully took the wing, spreading it as far as he dared before dumping some of the colored liquid over the limb. No doubt it would sting.
Nathaniel jolted awake and yelped, quickly jumping up from where he was sitting. He trembled slightly as he looked up at Zeddicus with distrust. "W-What are you doing, sir…?" He asked warily, taking a couple steps back just in case. He glanced back at his wings, which were still stinging, and winced.
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Zeddicus felt a bit annoyed at the fact that the boy scooted away from him. The liquid dripped onto the chair and the floor as the boy moved. Great, he'd have to clean that up now. He had only gotten to do one of the wings too.
There was also the fact that it shouldn't have hurt that badly. Usually it stung for a moment before numbing came into effect. Then again, most weren't this bad when they used any of Zedd's potions. The poor kid's wings must have really been "healed" haphazardly.
"I need you to move back. I said I'd look at your wings and unless you want it to hurt even more, I need to finish," he stated flatly, holding up the bottle to make his point.
Nathaniel hesitated for several seconds before returning to the chair. He gripped the sides of it tightly, seeming to be trembling a bit. He closed his eyes and drew in a wavering breath, which he then proceeded to hold in anticipation of more pain. He was so tiny that his feet didn't even come close to reaching the ground while he was seated.
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Zeddicus had to hand it to the kid. He wasn't the whiney, loud, needy little thing most kids were. And he did listen to his direction quickly. Go figure.
"It'll numb in a moment," he decided to say just before gently taking the other wing. His own sets were very fragile, so he knew not to pull and to keep his grip soft. He quickly took the bottle again and poured it over the second wing.
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(Zedd: I've had Nathaniel 20 minutes now but if anything happens to him I'd kill everyone in this room and then myself-)
(Nathaniel: W-wait sir, no-)
Nathaniel bit down hard on his lip and closed his eyes, still trembling. He finally released the breath he was holding when the pain started to numb, at which point he had to take several quick, harsh breaths due to how long he'd been holding the first. He was still tightly gripping the chair and seemed jittery.
(Zedd: I've had Nathaniel 20 minutes now but if anything happens to him I'd kill everyone in this room and then myself-)
(Nathaniel: W-wait sir, no-)
(Lmao)
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Zeddicus blinked a moment, expecting a scream or cry of pain. Anything loud. Nothing but a bit of labored breathing. Which was a bit concerning, but after some water or something he assumed the kid would be fine. "Wait a few more seconds and you can get up," he said, already placing the empty bottle on the counter top. Coming behind it now, he took one of the bottles of water he kept for himself and returned over to the small boy still in the chair. "Here," he said, placing the cool bottle in the kid's lap.
(Lmfao loving the new name)
"T-Thank you, sir…" Nathaniel picked up the bottle and drew his knees up to his chest, his eyes shining with pained tears. He sipped at the water absently, using every ounce of self control he had to not just swallow it all down at once. He was terribly dehydrated and the cool water felt so good as it slid down his parched throat.
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(I had to ahahaha)
He hated how it hurt to see the tears in the child's eyes. The kid lived on the streets with little food or water and his wings were totally beaten up. It was obvious how bad his condition was. Oh, he was going to hate asking this…
"How long have you been 'living alone' for?" Zedd questioned, using air quotes.
"Um… it's kinda hard to keep track of the time, but I think it's been around a month… why?" Nathaniel asked weakly, still sipping the water. He curled the tips of his wings around himself as a sort of shield, though the crumpled feathers could do little to protect him now.
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Had he been the one drinking the water, he would have choked. A month?
Jeez, no wonder he looked so horrible. Zeddicus almost wanted to ram his head into a wall. Stars, why not let this kid find some nice little couple who wanted to adopt? Why did he start treating the kid's injuries without thinking? He didn't know. "Holy shit, kid. That's a long ass time. No wonder you look so awful," he found himself saying. Zeddicus shook his head. He wasn't qualified for this.