Nathaniel flushed a bit, seeming a bit taken aback and also confused. "I-I… uh… sorry, sir…" He said softly, fidgeting a bit. "What does shit mean?" He asked innocently, looking up at Zeddicus with eyes wide with curiosity. He cocked his head slightly to the side, clearly genuinely confused.
Depression and Choccy Milk (OXO with Caustic)
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(AHAHAHA OH BOY)
Now Zedd actually did hit his head on the wall. He was going to have to explain his foul mouth and what all the profanities meant.
"Ah… fuck, I cursed in front of a kid," he muttered to himself. "Uh, it's a bad word for kids to use, so um… Don't say it," Zeddicus quickly replied louder for the kid to hear.
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(N: what does shit mean?)
(Z: it means crap-)
(N: but what does crap mean?)
(Z: angry dad noises)
"Oh… okay. What's fuck, then?" Nathaniel asked, still just as bewildered. He took another sip of water, kicking his legs a bit under the chair. He seemed to be a little more lively now that he was less dehydrated. It had been a while since he'd actually had access to clean water, so this was definitely a pleasant experience for him.
(Do you happen to have a face claim for Zed? :0)
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(A what now???)
(Like, a picture of a person that looks like him lmao. Excluding the wings of course)
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(Lmaooo yeah I found one recently but I gotta wait until I can use my computer again in 2 days when I have proper wifi)
(Alrighty)
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"Oh… okay. What's fuck, then?" Nathaniel asked, still just as bewildered. He took another sip of water, kicking his legs a bit under the chair. He seemed to be a little more lively now that he was less dehydrated. It had been a while since he'd actually had access to clean water, so this was definitely a pleasant experience for him.
Zeddicus face palmed. "An even worse of a word," he replied sounding tired. He used profanities as part of his vocabulary. And now he'd have to watch what he said until further notice. Sighing, he turned and took of the hat to reveal his slightly curly hair. He hung it on a small coat rack before turning back to the small boy. "I'm guessing you'll want something to eat now won't you?" Zedd asked, wondering why he was offering more than he originally intended.
"Hmm? O-Oh, I couldn't possibly ask you for anything else, sir… you've already done so much for me." Nathaniel flushed lightly and drank a bit more water, seeming almost nervous. "I wouldn't want to inconvenience you or anything, sir…" I already burden everyone else…
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Zeddicus shrugged. "May not be the nicest person, but I'm not gonna let you starve, kid," he stated while crossing his arms. He wasn't a cook by any means either, but he could make a sandwich or something. Looking out the front windows, he noticed the clouds becoming darker. It would probably rain soon. "You're not screaming or crying like an annoying little brat, so I can manage," he added, already moving to walk towards another door in the room. As he opened it, it revealed a set of stairs leading to the second floor.
Perhaps it was the fact that the small boy had wings that he felt less irritated. And the fact that his body was so thin and beaten. Not waiting for any response, Zedd started climbing the stairs, leaving the door open behind him like a silent invitation.
Nathaniel hesitated before drinking the last of his water and hopping off his chair to go trail after Zeddicus. He paused at the foot of the stairs, contemplating, and eventually began climbing them as well. He wasn't sure where he was going or if he was even allowed to be up here, but he was bound to find out pretty soon. He held onto the handrail to keep himself steady as he went on. Living on the streets had earned him a limp alongside the dehydration and starvation.
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(cAUSTIC STOP MAKING ME FEEL BAD)
Upstairs seemed like a fairly simple lay out. A decent living room connected to a small kitchen. Down a small hallway was a bathroom and two bedrooms. The second bedroom was currently being used more similarly to an office. Zeddicus was in the kitchen now, a loaf of bread and some cheese sitting on the counter. He had a pan sitting on the stove heating up already. Kids like grilled cheese right?
(>:D)
Nathaniel made it to the top of the stairs and glanced around curiously. He noticed Zeddicus and just headed towards him, not wanting to explore without permission. He didn't need to know what was here. It wasn't like he was going to be living here or anything, after all. Zed was just going to feed him and send him on his way.
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(Zedd has a page! I'm working on drawing a full reference so I put the sketch to make the idea for him a lot clearer.)
(Nice!)
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(Ok I have an idea that would make Zedd wanna keep him. You don't gotta do this, but it's a way Zedd can slowly warm up to Nathaniel. He gets out a knife he's working on and Zedd notices that it's very well crafted and offers a trade: Nathaniel makes knives to sell and gets "paid" in food and shelter.)
The bread hit the pan with a light hiss from the butter that greased the pan. This was one of the very few meals he didn't ruin every time. It was just bread and cheese anyways. After a minute, Zedd flipped the sandwich over and let it cook on the other side. He didn't look at the small boy who entered his quarters. The food might be simple, but distractions caused burnt food.
(:00 I'm down)
Nathaniel watched Zeddicus for a minute or two before sitting down on a stool to wait. He pulled a dagger out of his pocket to twirl between his small fingers. It wasn't necessarily the safest passtime, but it did occupy him for the time being. He knew he wouldn't drop it, anyways. He did this far too often to actually drop it. He hummed softly to himself as he watched the blade spin.
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Zeddicus sighed, having finished the quick meal he had made. It was fortunate that the shop was closed today. The past events would have been hell to handle otherwise. Juggling both a small child and several customers at once. Zedd nearly winced at the thought. He took a simple butter knife to cut the grilled cheese into two triangles on the plate. Turning, he noted the small boy sitting down and humming to himself. Zedd nearly tripped noting what it was that the young boy was playing with. He set the plate down quickly before walking over to where the boy was seated. "Where in the hell did you get a knife?!" Zeddicus asked, already taking the sharp spinning blade. Kids weren't supposed to have these, much less play with them! He took a glance down at the knife in his hand before looking back at the small boy. "You could have stabbed yourself."
Nathaniel jumped, startled by Zeddicus suddenly appearing and taking the dagger from him. "Hey! I-I mean, um…" Be polite, be polite… "Um… may I please have my dagger back, sir?" He asked meekly. "It's… kinda important…" He fidgeted nervously. When asked where he'd gotten it, he looked back at at Zedd. "Um… I made it back when I lived at home. I kept it with me to keep myself safe on the streets and stuff…"
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Zeddicus was surprised yet again by this kid. He acted mature for his age (minus the obvious timidity) and made knives apparently. He looked down at the blade more carefully, finger tracing along the side. Carefully, he felt the edge of the blade to test if it was even sharp. It seemed to start to stick to the ridges in his finger. It was surprisingly well made. Taking it by the blade, he held the knife back out to the young boy. "It's scary how well made it is," Zedd commented, pursing his lips. "You could sell those for good money," he added, thinking out loud.
Nathaniel took the knife back and returned it to his pocket. "It's kinda just a hobby I picked up… my parents weren't really around too much because they're very busy with their jobs, so I started making swords and daggers and stuff. My parents didn't like it too much because it distracted me from my training sometimes…" He sighed softly and started fidgeting again. "My big brother used to help me get materials and stuff."
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Zeddicus crouched before the small boy now, rather than standing at his full height. "Hobby or not, the quality is very impressive." And that was saying something. He wasn't the type to hand out praise easily. The man looked at the floor in thought for a moment. "Sell them here and you can stay until you've got the money to support yourself."
"R-Really? But I… I don't have an anvil or… materials or anything…" Nathaniel fidgeted a bit, his heart pounding. "Do you really think people would wanna buy them?" He asked curiously, looking up at Zeddicus with his eyes wide. He was still struggling to process everything that was going on.
(HI! Just to let you know, I'm streaming art on twitch atm and I may or may not be drawing Nathaniel and Zedd >_>)
(My username on there is just Caustic_Fraust if you wanna stop by ^^)
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(i ALMOST SCREAMED AT 1 AM THANKS-)
(Are you watching? :00)
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(YEAH. I WAS GONNA REPLY BUT I CAN'T STOP WATCHING. YOU MADE ZEDD HOT ALSO??? AHHHHHHHHH)
(Aaa thanks!)