Al's lips twitch at the tiny human's shamelessness.
Yeah, of course, it felt like that! I thought we're talking seriously T^T
He didn't know if he should laugh or cry. He got nothing from him at all!
"Can you at least tell me your name?"
"Geros."
"Geros as in old man?"
The tiny human nodded at his question. Al was speechless again. Yeah, it was a name but he bet that 'Geros' is not his real name! Who would want to name their child 'old man'!?
"I'm not calling you old man." Al crossed his hands.
"You do know that I knew that it was not your real name right?"
The tiny human nodded his head, confirming that he really did lie.
"Then what am I suppose to call you?"
"Geros," he said nonchalantly
"I refuse to call you that."
The tiny human shrugs his shoulder as if it was nothing and gets back on munching his food. For a moment they engage in a staring battle, whoever looks away first is the loser. With his bulging mouth and the way his cheeks moved when he was chewing, the tiny human looked like a little hamster eating, especially one of those chubby ones. He reminds me of that
Al sighed, giving in, "Okay fine."
"For now, I'm going to call you Maru, little Maru."
Maru gave him a look of shock as his eyes trembled in fear.
"What? You look like my pet hamster. I named him maru."
The boy still looking at him, not believing his words. "He died." He shrugs his shoulder and stands up, taking the dishes with him. "Ah, you should take off your clothes and go wash up." He added, "you smell." scrunching up his nose, gesturing that he really has a bad smell. He then pushes the boy inside the bathroom. "I put salt in it so that you will warm easily."
He doesn't know how to bath a child so he pushes that responsibility to the tiny human himself. Maru seems independent so he guessed it should be alright.
When the child was inside he took his dirty clothes to wash it at the sink in the kitchen.
He needs to find out where the parents of that tiny human, immediately. Or at least before his estrus.
Should he ask Anica to take care of him? Al thought, since she has a child, she knows how to take care of a child. Or he could just let them play at their house as he works at the bar.
Al was just done drying the clothes of Maru with magic when he came out of the shower wrapped in a towel.
"Here, I dry it already." he passes on his clothes. The child took it and wore it again, as he did Al also dried his hair with a spell.
The child's eyes followed the man in front of him.
In the upper class, each houses' has one mage, for them to use. But in his family, they use two mages, one is the senior mage and the other is his apprentice.
Since mages are highly valuable and the magic is scarce they tend to not use any magic unless necessary. Both of them don't waste magic on drying clothes or anything other than healing.
The official mages in the house were given a monthly payment apart from the golds they receive when they heal. Accommodation, food, servants, and all the living necessary were given to them. They lived the same as the Housemasters, but still gets paid. That's why having an official mage could indicate how powerful and wealthy a family was.
And they had two. Two mages in a family are already understatement of their wealth. But this person just used a drying spell to a stranger.
He doesn't seem to care about using magic and he has been using it all day long, non-stop. The water he just uses taking a bath was warm. The lightning inside the house didn't even flicker. The heater that was set according to his wishes. If this was with the other mages, this is already beyond luxury and wealth.
"Hurry up, we're going to buy foods and things you'll need--" he halted his steps as he wears the coat he got from the dumpster when he saw Maru with clean clothes. Jet black hair that highlighted Maru's stunning blue eyes and skin as smooth and clear as a peeled egg, plus the expensive clothes...
He's too distinctive 😅 he really does look expensive. He needs to change his clothes.
"Wait, you look like a high-prized child they might mug me if you look like that."
He looks for clothes at his drawer. Out of the clothes he has Al choose an ugly hand-knitted Christmas sweater. It was red, green, and white that has an indescribable pattern in the middle. This was given and made by Anica. He never wore it and don't ask why.
Then paired with some pink patterned flamingos pants that he greatly dislikes. "Come here and wear this." He passes the clothes onto him.
Maru looks at it for a second reluctant to take it. It was ugly-looking clothes. Even if he doesn't care what he wore, he just can't wear something this...
"Hurry up." Al haste the child and can't wipe the forming smile on his face 😁
Unwillingly, Maru put the clothes on. Obviously, the size is bigger but Maru still followed his instructions and wore the clothes that were given to him. The shirt is twice his size and the pants are so big that he can even play inside. But that's not a problem because Al, with just a wave of his hands, fitted the clothes onto his size.
"Looks good on you. Feels like it made for you." Al stifle his laugh
"..." Maru
"Ahahahahaha!!"
Al laughs uproariously, feeling please with what he made. He can't help it, with those clothes and the serious look on his face 😂
Anyways, after he got his fill laughing. He grabs his keys to lock his apartment when they leave. Not only that he also makes a barrier so that no one could come inside without his knowing he also put illusions and disorienting spells all around the apartment building.
The barrier gave the illusion that his door was just a wall in between the apartments. No ordinary human could notice this unless they are mages. But mages in the Slums? Highly unthinkable.
Maru immediately readied himself to go out. The boy reached out his small hands towards Al and he didn't second guess to grab it. Since the child didn't have a jacket, holding his hand is convenient to give him some warmth.
It was just 10:30 in the morning and yet the clouds are dark. The first snow of winter might be earlier than last year.
As they walk, at the entrance of the slum, three shadows appeared.