devour it all

[He appears yet again. He's a couple of days late, it appears.]

"Forgive my tardiness, I had to handle a couple of vandals ruining the place. Hayday had been closed for days."

(( @crimsoncleaver ))

No worries, I've had my share of hold ups to. My sons been... Busy recently. To say the least.

[ He hummed, standing up before walking away for a few minutes to collect his gear. It looked completely brand new. Just like it had first spawned in untouched. ]

[He handed a generous amount of Bux, far more than what seemed to be countertop cash.]

[How curious it was... that he just conveniently had the money even if Hayday had been closed for days.]

"Aah, my dearest. How you've been reborn..."

[He observes the blade of his Gear, eyeing the new shine it bore thanks to the proper repairs he bothered to invest in.]

[His ears pricked upon hearing of Zuka's son. He knows the young one's name, he's aware of it, but like any other Inphernal, he doesn't bother himself about it.]

[Until now.]

"How busy, may I ask?"

Quite a bit. Hes fine now but he started making a fuss about a house guest, but we sorted it out.

Hes a funny kid.

[It's almost as if he's catered his personality to befit the current interaction. He'd slipped up once, showing the man who he really was before—a nervous wreck scared to show his face.]

[Cleaver's eyes made contact with Zuka's gaze.]

"You raised him quite well."

[ Zuka didn't care if it was polite or an insult, he didnt really want to find out. He kept neutral to all of his clients.. It wasn't his business to know about nor care about their intentions or private lives. He'd rather not know who exactly hes serving. ]

... You seem rather interested in him. For good reasons I assume?

[Swords forbid he be a bit curious!]

"Nothing, I've seen him around though, sticking his nose in places where it shouldn't be."

[The assertiveness in Zuka's tone set off alarm bells in Cleaver's head. Luckily for the shopkeeper, it seems Cleaver is backing down a tad.]

[He appears yet again. He's a couple of days late, it appears.]

"Forgive my tardiness, I had to handle a couple of vandals ruining the place. Hayday had been closed for days."

(( @crimsoncleaver ))

No worries, I've had my share of hold ups to. My sons been... Busy recently. To say the least.

[ He hummed, standing up before walking away for a few minutes to collect his gear. It looked completely brand new. Just like it had first spawned in untouched. ]

[He handed a generous amount of Bux, far more than what seemed to be countertop cash.]

[How curious it was... that he just conveniently had the money even if Hayday had been closed for days.]

"Aah, my dearest. How you've been reborn..."

[He observes the blade of his Gear, eyeing the new shine it bore thanks to the proper repairs he bothered to invest in.]

[His ears pricked upon hearing of Zuka's son. He knows the young one's name, he's aware of it, but like any other Inphernal, he doesn't bother himself about it.]

[Until now.]

"How busy, may I ask?"

Quite a bit. Hes fine now but he started making a fuss about a house guest, but we sorted it out.

Hes a funny kid.

[It's almost as if he's catered his personality to befit the current interaction. He'd slipped up once, showing the man who he really was before—a nervous wreck scared to show his face.]

[Cleaver's eyes made contact with Zuka's gaze.]

"You raised him quite well."

[He appears yet again. He's a couple of days late, it appears.]

"Forgive my tardiness, I had to handle a couple of vandals ruining the place. Hayday had been closed for days."

(( @crimsoncleaver ))

No worries, I've had my share of hold ups to. My sons been... Busy recently. To say the least.

[ He hummed, standing up before walking away for a few minutes to collect his gear. It looked completely brand new. Just like it had first spawned in untouched. ]

[He handed a generous amount of Bux, far more than what seemed to be countertop cash.]

[How curious it was... that he just conveniently had the money even if Hayday had been closed for days.]

"Aah, my dearest. How you've been reborn..."

[He observes the blade of his Gear, eyeing the new shine it bore thanks to the proper repairs he bothered to invest in.]

[His ears pricked upon hearing of Zuka's son. He knows the young one's name, he's aware of it, but like any other Inphernal, he doesn't bother himself about it.]

[Until now.]

"How busy, may I ask?"

((HIHII :"> I WAS VERY SCARED OF INTERACTING AT FIRST....))

While he's not fond of visiting this particular shop, he, unfortunately, needed his gear fixed. So here he is, right outside of Zuka's store, tapping his foot impatiently all while he spun a chipped cleaver in his hands.

"Chipped by a foolish, stubborn customer..." he mumbled, his eye twitched as the thought passed by again, "... I swear, horns are hard to cut off..."

[ Zuka hummed, idly staring off out the window watching people walk by as he stared at his box of cigarettes half tempted to light one... It was a pretty average day at the shop. Not much was really going on besides the basic upgrades and repairs... The standard he'd grown used to. Well that and having to save his son from picking fights again, but that had always been a common occurrence for him so it wasnt really that much of a change. ]

[ What was a change was watching someone actually hesitate to go inside his store. The Stop N' Shop wasn't exactly a place to be scared of. Zuka was a pretty nice and calm inphernal who was well known in the shopping district, so its not like there was much to really fear. The shopkeeper raised a curious brow at the person out front before deciding to get up and go see them, giving a soft huff as he stood up and headed over to try and see what was up. ]

[ Zuka approached the inphernal, raising a curious yet lazy brow. ]

"Yes."

"It's you."

He wiped his cleaver on his chef's apron, the white now stained with a dark crimson.

Having just finished with a troublesome customer doesn't help with how he's coming off. His lax attitude, however, is something else entirely.

Fake would be the best way to describe it.

"Forgive me, I thought it'd be impolite to enter without cleaning my Gear." The inphernal chuckled before continuing to speak. "May I enter now?"

[ He was slightly unnerved but chose to stay as neutral as he could be, not wanting to judge based on appearances and first impressions... Even if they were... A little weird, to say the least. ]

I dont mind the stain, My clients trails around enough dirt as it is. This is a repair and creation store after all. It'd just blend into everything else.

[ Zukas seen a lot in his day.. So being stared down with a very empty smile was nothing new to him, it vaguely reminded him of a certain somebody. Except that smile actually had something behind it... ]

He hopes—prays—he isn't intruding with his existence.

With tenative steps, he entered the store, flicking his blade to rid it of the last specks of blood. The new smell of this building caught him off guard, he could not find the words for it.

It didn't smell new but it definitely wasn't anything like it either.

Either way, he kept those thoughts to himself. It was better he kept quiet anyway.

"My Gear was chipped by some idiot." He mumbled, his smile never fading from his lips as he spoke. "I was doing some work."

[ Zuka eyed the gear in his hand as he stepped back inside, humming as he headed off back over to his counter so they could talk and do a proper lookover. He took a seat around his side of the counter and nodded his head to the seat on the other side for the other to sit down onto. He noticed very fast that this guy needed instructions to do things.. A little strange but Zuka learnt quick. It was something that he was good at. ]

Oh really? What happened? Its not very often I hear stories about others teaching other peoples gears, besides people who work in upgrades and repairs anyways.

[ He commented despite his better judgement, offering a hand out to take his knife to inspect closer to see what he could do. The damage didn't seem too major so Zuka may be able to get it done fast... At least it wasn't worse. ]

Hm. I'll er.. See if I can visit. Any reason you're inviting me?

Mayhaps it was too soon, but if it meant getting more traction than that cafe, then any exposure was good for now.

"No particular reason aside from just starting out in my business." His shoulders shook as he stifled his laughter, directed at himself to mock. "Even though I've been running this restaurant for months, it's never gotten more than 3 customers a month."

He'd love to exaggerate, but unfortunately, data seldom lies, and the data proved he needed more Inphernals in the place.

That and it was good for his appetite, so that he wouldn't go out on as many killing sprees as he does.

He watched the veteran nod toward his Gear. His brain literally had to double-take. He blinked once, staring at his Gear before he gasped softly, realizing it and handing Zuka his kind-of broken Gear. The cleaver's blade was chipped, the owner of it was just as irritated about it as the tool was, as the chipping suggested he had tried to use it on his usual activities while it was half-broken.

The repairs on it were self-taught work, shoddy and rushed, likely to get back to business.

"A-Ah, if I'm coming off as too much, you may tell me off." He laughed again, his baritone voice smoothing into something genuine, maybe even softer. "I'm not from around here, and I've kept to myself most of the time."

You're using your ineptitude as an excuse.

[ Zuka sat back and looked at the gear in his hands carefully, giving a hum of acknowledgement seeing how bad the damages were and what needed to be fixed. It wasn't too bad luckily... The shoddy repairs was easy to use for a full fix up. At least it wasn't completely crumbling in his hands? That helped a bit. He nodded in affirmation to himself. ]

Nah, you're fine. These repairs yourself aren't the best but I can make it work. Luckily its just a few broken parts and dents so it wont take too long to fix up, how soon do you need this by?

He trailed off.

The first bead of sweat trailed down his cheek. Trying to brush off the hastening beat of his heart, he fiddled with his hands.

Play it off. Your pause sounds suspicious.

"... let's say I'm not currently getting ingredients, so I have some free time. Around a week or so?"

His gaze drifted to the side, observing the display racks with all the anxiety of a stray cat.

He's muscular, strong enough to fight anyone weaker, yet he's acting as if someone might bite him should he move a centimeter in the wrong direction.

I see. Well these repairs wont take very long, maybe about an hour or two give or take if I have something else come up.

[ The question was what was Zuka going to say to this now? He wasn't one to really help these sorts of people if he could help it.. Especially not ones like this guy, but a client was a client right? He hummed. Zukas face stayed calm and neutral not letting his inner thought show through at all. He was good at keeping a stone face like that. ]

Any work? Hm. I see.

... You seem nervous. Is there something wrong?

Does he suspect me of something? What kind of crime did I commit?

Is it the murders? Has he noticed some Inphernals dead?

Did I not cover my tracks? Did I not do it perfectly?

The smile dropped, and the Inphernal's speech, so confident mere minutes ago, devolved into incomprehensible mumbling.

I should have asked if it was okay.

He turned his gaze to the floor, biting into his gloved finger again, though it was hard enough for his fang to pierce the fabric and draw some blood.

"It... it appears we got off on the w-wrong foot... y-y-you're... you're staring... at me as if... as if I'm a c-criminal on a stand." The tapping of his foot returned, desperate to ground himself as his mind wandered to endless possibilities—all of which ended in disaster.

[ Zuka got nervous, staring at this poor strangers demeanor crumbled in real time. He shifted and put the gear down back on the table trying to think fast on how to save this... He raised his hand up nervously trying to calm the poor guy down before he completely lost his mind. Zuka didn't really wanna upset the poor guy... He seemed scared enough as it is. ]

Thats.. Not what I meant.

I was just asking, you've seemed so shy and nervous ever since arriving. I just wanted to check in..

[ He hoped that this would work. It was true that Zuka has seen through him completely... But he didn't have to know that fact. Zukas helped all sorts of people good and bad, it really didn't make much of a difference to him. But this way of acting was weird. Even for him. ]

He shook his head, his hand reaching to his shirt collar to realign it.

To fix. To correct. To right something that had no business suddenly going wrong.

He wiped the sweat from his brow, taking one deep breath and exhaling all of that anxiety through a huge sigh. It was heavier than the past he bore—he wasn't willing to admit anything about it.

"R-Right... of course..." He wiped the blood now trickling from his finger onto his red apron, barely staining it with a darker crimson. "I h-haven't spoken to anyone who isn't a customer of mine, so my social skills... leave a lot to be desired..."

Cleaver's eyes were trained on his Gear.

This man will kill you.

You will turn you back on him, and he will kill you.

Respawns don't work on him like any other Inphernal. They hurt like hell, even if it's usually painless for the others.

Cleaver's eyes remained trained on the Gear near to the clerk.

He waved away the anxiety bubbling in his head.

I get that, Im not gonna bite so you're fine. You have nothing to be afraid of when talking to me, no worries.

[ Things seemed to finally be settling down with him. Which is good, Zuka didn't exactly want to be dealing with another crazed smiling person around his shop. Broker was difficult enough to talk to... Having another one would be far too much. ]

B. Zuka. You can just call me Zuka.

It's nice to meet you Cleaver.

His little bird had mentioned that name before... so this was the father of that Inphernal who befriended Sword.

Now he knows why he's so needlessly anxious around him—and he knows he's been seen through.

Cleaver glanced at the shop door.

"S-So... I can... I can leave now, right? I uh... I have to clean the counter."

So hasty to leave...

What do I have to hide?

[ Zuka chuckled, puffing out smoke from his cigarette as he sat up and picked up the Gear again to give a quick once over before turning his attention back to Cleaver. He knew his need to leave quickly was evident and decided to give the poor man some grace. For the betterment of his own sanity. ]

Sure, come back in about an hour and a half. I should be about finished by then. We can talk about prices afterwards since I can see you're pretty hasty to leave, just remember to come back.

Cleaver rushed to the door. He hesitated a bit, standing at the entrance before uttering.

"... Zuka."

He's gone.

Maybe back to cleaning his work...

((HIHII :"> I WAS VERY SCARED OF INTERACTING AT FIRST....))

While he's not fond of visiting this particular shop, he, unfortunately, needed his gear fixed. So here he is, right outside of Zuka's store, tapping his foot impatiently all while he spun a chipped cleaver in his hands.

"Chipped by a foolish, stubborn customer..." he mumbled, his eye twitched as the thought passed by again, "... I swear, horns are hard to cut off..."

[ Zuka hummed, idly staring off out the window watching people walk by as he stared at his box of cigarettes half tempted to light one... It was a pretty average day at the shop. Not much was really going on besides the basic upgrades and repairs... The standard he'd grown used to. Well that and having to save his son from picking fights again, but that had always been a common occurrence for him so it wasnt really that much of a change. ]

[ What was a change was watching someone actually hesitate to go inside his store. The Stop N' Shop wasn't exactly a place to be scared of. Zuka was a pretty nice and calm inphernal who was well known in the shopping district, so its not like there was much to really fear. The shopkeeper raised a curious brow at the person out front before deciding to get up and go see them, giving a soft huff as he stood up and headed over to try and see what was up. ]

[ Zuka approached the inphernal, raising a curious yet lazy brow. ]

"Yes."

"It's you."

He wiped his cleaver on his chef's apron, the white now stained with a dark crimson.

Having just finished with a troublesome customer doesn't help with how he's coming off. His lax attitude, however, is something else entirely.

Fake would be the best way to describe it.

"Forgive me, I thought it'd be impolite to enter without cleaning my Gear." The inphernal chuckled before continuing to speak. "May I enter now?"

[ He was slightly unnerved but chose to stay as neutral as he could be, not wanting to judge based on appearances and first impressions... Even if they were... A little weird, to say the least. ]

I dont mind the stain, My clients trails around enough dirt as it is. This is a repair and creation store after all. It'd just blend into everything else.

[ Zukas seen a lot in his day.. So being stared down with a very empty smile was nothing new to him, it vaguely reminded him of a certain somebody. Except that smile actually had something behind it... ]

He hopes—prays—he isn't intruding with his existence.

With tenative steps, he entered the store, flicking his blade to rid it of the last specks of blood. The new smell of this building caught him off guard, he could not find the words for it.

It didn't smell new but it definitely wasn't anything like it either.

Either way, he kept those thoughts to himself. It was better he kept quiet anyway.

"My Gear was chipped by some idiot." He mumbled, his smile never fading from his lips as he spoke. "I was doing some work."

[ Zuka eyed the gear in his hand as he stepped back inside, humming as he headed off back over to his counter so they could talk and do a proper lookover. He took a seat around his side of the counter and nodded his head to the seat on the other side for the other to sit down onto. He noticed very fast that this guy needed instructions to do things.. A little strange but Zuka learnt quick. It was something that he was good at. ]

Oh really? What happened? Its not very often I hear stories about others teaching other peoples gears, besides people who work in upgrades and repairs anyways.

[ He commented despite his better judgement, offering a hand out to take his knife to inspect closer to see what he could do. The damage didn't seem too major so Zuka may be able to get it done fast... At least it wasn't worse. ]

Hm. I'll er.. See if I can visit. Any reason you're inviting me?

Mayhaps it was too soon, but if it meant getting more traction than that cafe, then any exposure was good for now.

"No particular reason aside from just starting out in my business." His shoulders shook as he stifled his laughter, directed at himself to mock. "Even though I've been running this restaurant for months, it's never gotten more than 3 customers a month."

He'd love to exaggerate, but unfortunately, data seldom lies, and the data proved he needed more Inphernals in the place.

That and it was good for his appetite, so that he wouldn't go out on as many killing sprees as he does.

He watched the veteran nod toward his Gear. His brain literally had to double-take. He blinked once, staring at his Gear before he gasped softly, realizing it and handing Zuka his kind-of broken Gear. The cleaver's blade was chipped, the owner of it was just as irritated about it as the tool was, as the chipping suggested he had tried to use it on his usual activities while it was half-broken.

The repairs on it were self-taught work, shoddy and rushed, likely to get back to business.

"A-Ah, if I'm coming off as too much, you may tell me off." He laughed again, his baritone voice smoothing into something genuine, maybe even softer. "I'm not from around here, and I've kept to myself most of the time."

You're using your ineptitude as an excuse.

[ Zuka sat back and looked at the gear in his hands carefully, giving a hum of acknowledgement seeing how bad the damages were and what needed to be fixed. It wasn't too bad luckily... The shoddy repairs was easy to use for a full fix up. At least it wasn't completely crumbling in his hands? That helped a bit. He nodded in affirmation to himself. ]

Nah, you're fine. These repairs yourself aren't the best but I can make it work. Luckily its just a few broken parts and dents so it wont take too long to fix up, how soon do you need this by?

He trailed off.

The first bead of sweat trailed down his cheek. Trying to brush off the hastening beat of his heart, he fiddled with his hands.

Play it off. Your pause sounds suspicious.

"... let's say I'm not currently getting ingredients, so I have some free time. Around a week or so?"

His gaze drifted to the side, observing the display racks with all the anxiety of a stray cat.

He's muscular, strong enough to fight anyone weaker, yet he's acting as if someone might bite him should he move a centimeter in the wrong direction.

I see. Well these repairs wont take very long, maybe about an hour or two give or take if I have something else come up.

[ The question was what was Zuka going to say to this now? He wasn't one to really help these sorts of people if he could help it.. Especially not ones like this guy, but a client was a client right? He hummed. Zukas face stayed calm and neutral not letting his inner thought show through at all. He was good at keeping a stone face like that. ]

Any work? Hm. I see.

... You seem nervous. Is there something wrong?

Does he suspect me of something? What kind of crime did I commit?

Is it the murders? Has he noticed some Inphernals dead?

Did I not cover my tracks? Did I not do it perfectly?

The smile dropped, and the Inphernal's speech, so confident mere minutes ago, devolved into incomprehensible mumbling.

I should have asked if it was okay.

He turned his gaze to the floor, biting into his gloved finger again, though it was hard enough for his fang to pierce the fabric and draw some blood.

"It... it appears we got off on the w-wrong foot... y-y-you're... you're staring... at me as if... as if I'm a c-criminal on a stand." The tapping of his foot returned, desperate to ground himself as his mind wandered to endless possibilities—all of which ended in disaster.

[ Zuka got nervous, staring at this poor strangers demeanor crumbled in real time. He shifted and put the gear down back on the table trying to think fast on how to save this... He raised his hand up nervously trying to calm the poor guy down before he completely lost his mind. Zuka didn't really wanna upset the poor guy... He seemed scared enough as it is. ]

Thats.. Not what I meant.

I was just asking, you've seemed so shy and nervous ever since arriving. I just wanted to check in..

[ He hoped that this would work. It was true that Zuka has seen through him completely... But he didn't have to know that fact. Zukas helped all sorts of people good and bad, it really didn't make much of a difference to him. But this way of acting was weird. Even for him. ]

He shook his head, his hand reaching to his shirt collar to realign it.

To fix. To correct. To right something that had no business suddenly going wrong.

He wiped the sweat from his brow, taking one deep breath and exhaling all of that anxiety through a huge sigh. It was heavier than the past he bore—he wasn't willing to admit anything about it.

"R-Right... of course..." He wiped the blood now trickling from his finger onto his red apron, barely staining it with a darker crimson. "I h-haven't spoken to anyone who isn't a customer of mine, so my social skills... leave a lot to be desired..."

Cleaver's eyes were trained on his Gear.

This man will kill you.

You will turn you back on him, and he will kill you.

Respawns don't work on him like any other Inphernal. They hurt like hell, even if it's usually painless for the others.

Cleaver's eyes remained trained on the Gear near to the clerk.

He waved away the anxiety bubbling in his head.

I get that, Im not gonna bite so you're fine. You have nothing to be afraid of when talking to me, no worries.

[ Things seemed to finally be settling down with him. Which is good, Zuka didn't exactly want to be dealing with another crazed smiling person around his shop. Broker was difficult enough to talk to... Having another one would be far too much. ]

B. Zuka. You can just call me Zuka.

It's nice to meet you Cleaver.

His little bird had mentioned that name before... so this was the father of that Inphernal who befriended Sword.

Now he knows why he's so needlessly anxious around him—and he knows he's been seen through.

Cleaver glanced at the shop door.

"S-So... I can... I can leave now, right? I uh... I have to clean the counter."

So hasty to leave...

What do I have to hide?

((HIHII :"> I WAS VERY SCARED OF INTERACTING AT FIRST....))

While he's not fond of visiting this particular shop, he, unfortunately, needed his gear fixed. So here he is, right outside of Zuka's store, tapping his foot impatiently all while he spun a chipped cleaver in his hands.

"Chipped by a foolish, stubborn customer..." he mumbled, his eye twitched as the thought passed by again, "... I swear, horns are hard to cut off..."

[ Zuka hummed, idly staring off out the window watching people walk by as he stared at his box of cigarettes half tempted to light one... It was a pretty average day at the shop. Not much was really going on besides the basic upgrades and repairs... The standard he'd grown used to. Well that and having to save his son from picking fights again, but that had always been a common occurrence for him so it wasnt really that much of a change. ]

[ What was a change was watching someone actually hesitate to go inside his store. The Stop N' Shop wasn't exactly a place to be scared of. Zuka was a pretty nice and calm inphernal who was well known in the shopping district, so its not like there was much to really fear. The shopkeeper raised a curious brow at the person out front before deciding to get up and go see them, giving a soft huff as he stood up and headed over to try and see what was up. ]

[ Zuka approached the inphernal, raising a curious yet lazy brow. ]

"Yes."

"It's you."

He wiped his cleaver on his chef's apron, the white now stained with a dark crimson.

Having just finished with a troublesome customer doesn't help with how he's coming off. His lax attitude, however, is something else entirely.

Fake would be the best way to describe it.

"Forgive me, I thought it'd be impolite to enter without cleaning my Gear." The inphernal chuckled before continuing to speak. "May I enter now?"

[ He was slightly unnerved but chose to stay as neutral as he could be, not wanting to judge based on appearances and first impressions... Even if they were... A little weird, to say the least. ]

I dont mind the stain, My clients trails around enough dirt as it is. This is a repair and creation store after all. It'd just blend into everything else.

[ Zukas seen a lot in his day.. So being stared down with a very empty smile was nothing new to him, it vaguely reminded him of a certain somebody. Except that smile actually had something behind it... ]

He hopes—prays—he isn't intruding with his existence.

With tenative steps, he entered the store, flicking his blade to rid it of the last specks of blood. The new smell of this building caught him off guard, he could not find the words for it.

It didn't smell new but it definitely wasn't anything like it either.

Either way, he kept those thoughts to himself. It was better he kept quiet anyway.

"My Gear was chipped by some idiot." He mumbled, his smile never fading from his lips as he spoke. "I was doing some work."

[ Zuka eyed the gear in his hand as he stepped back inside, humming as he headed off back over to his counter so they could talk and do a proper lookover. He took a seat around his side of the counter and nodded his head to the seat on the other side for the other to sit down onto. He noticed very fast that this guy needed instructions to do things.. A little strange but Zuka learnt quick. It was something that he was good at. ]

Oh really? What happened? Its not very often I hear stories about others teaching other peoples gears, besides people who work in upgrades and repairs anyways.

[ He commented despite his better judgement, offering a hand out to take his knife to inspect closer to see what he could do. The damage didn't seem too major so Zuka may be able to get it done fast... At least it wasn't worse. ]

Hm. I'll er.. See if I can visit. Any reason you're inviting me?

Mayhaps it was too soon, but if it meant getting more traction than that cafe, then any exposure was good for now.

"No particular reason aside from just starting out in my business." His shoulders shook as he stifled his laughter, directed at himself to mock. "Even though I've been running this restaurant for months, it's never gotten more than 3 customers a month."

He'd love to exaggerate, but unfortunately, data seldom lies, and the data proved he needed more Inphernals in the place.

That and it was good for his appetite, so that he wouldn't go out on as many killing sprees as he does.

He watched the veteran nod toward his Gear. His brain literally had to double-take. He blinked once, staring at his Gear before he gasped softly, realizing it and handing Zuka his kind-of broken Gear. The cleaver's blade was chipped, the owner of it was just as irritated about it as the tool was, as the chipping suggested he had tried to use it on his usual activities while it was half-broken.

The repairs on it were self-taught work, shoddy and rushed, likely to get back to business.

"A-Ah, if I'm coming off as too much, you may tell me off." He laughed again, his baritone voice smoothing into something genuine, maybe even softer. "I'm not from around here, and I've kept to myself most of the time."

You're using your ineptitude as an excuse.

[ Zuka sat back and looked at the gear in his hands carefully, giving a hum of acknowledgement seeing how bad the damages were and what needed to be fixed. It wasn't too bad luckily... The shoddy repairs was easy to use for a full fix up. At least it wasn't completely crumbling in his hands? That helped a bit. He nodded in affirmation to himself. ]

Nah, you're fine. These repairs yourself aren't the best but I can make it work. Luckily its just a few broken parts and dents so it wont take too long to fix up, how soon do you need this by?

He trailed off.

The first bead of sweat trailed down his cheek. Trying to brush off the hastening beat of his heart, he fiddled with his hands.

Play it off. Your pause sounds suspicious.

"... let's say I'm not currently getting ingredients, so I have some free time. Around a week or so?"

His gaze drifted to the side, observing the display racks with all the anxiety of a stray cat.

He's muscular, strong enough to fight anyone weaker, yet he's acting as if someone might bite him should he move a centimeter in the wrong direction.

I see. Well these repairs wont take very long, maybe about an hour or two give or take if I have something else come up.

[ The question was what was Zuka going to say to this now? He wasn't one to really help these sorts of people if he could help it.. Especially not ones like this guy, but a client was a client right? He hummed. Zukas face stayed calm and neutral not letting his inner thought show through at all. He was good at keeping a stone face like that. ]

Any work? Hm. I see.

... You seem nervous. Is there something wrong?

Does he suspect me of something? What kind of crime did I commit?

Is it the murders? Has he noticed some Inphernals dead?

Did I not cover my tracks? Did I not do it perfectly?

The smile dropped, and the Inphernal's speech, so confident mere minutes ago, devolved into incomprehensible mumbling.

I should have asked if it was okay.

He turned his gaze to the floor, biting into his gloved finger again, though it was hard enough for his fang to pierce the fabric and draw some blood.

"It... it appears we got off on the w-wrong foot... y-y-you're... you're staring... at me as if... as if I'm a c-criminal on a stand." The tapping of his foot returned, desperate to ground himself as his mind wandered to endless possibilities—all of which ended in disaster.

[ Zuka got nervous, staring at this poor strangers demeanor crumbled in real time. He shifted and put the gear down back on the table trying to think fast on how to save this... He raised his hand up nervously trying to calm the poor guy down before he completely lost his mind. Zuka didn't really wanna upset the poor guy... He seemed scared enough as it is. ]

Thats.. Not what I meant.

I was just asking, you've seemed so shy and nervous ever since arriving. I just wanted to check in..

[ He hoped that this would work. It was true that Zuka has seen through him completely... But he didn't have to know that fact. Zukas helped all sorts of people good and bad, it really didn't make much of a difference to him. But this way of acting was weird. Even for him. ]

He shook his head, his hand reaching to his shirt collar to realign it.

To fix. To correct. To right something that had no business suddenly going wrong.

He wiped the sweat from his brow, taking one deep breath and exhaling all of that anxiety through a huge sigh. It was heavier than the past he bore—he wasn't willing to admit anything about it.

"R-Right... of course..." He wiped the blood now trickling from his finger onto his red apron, barely staining it with a darker crimson. "I h-haven't spoken to anyone who isn't a customer of mine, so my social skills... leave a lot to be desired..."

Cleaver's eyes were trained on his Gear.

This man will kill you.

You will turn you back on him, and he will kill you.

Respawns don't work on him like any other Inphernal. They hurt like hell, even if it's usually painless for the others.

Cleaver's eyes remained trained on the Gear near to the clerk.

He waved away the anxiety bubbling in his head.

((HIHII :"> I WAS VERY SCARED OF INTERACTING AT FIRST....))

While he's not fond of visiting this particular shop, he, unfortunately, needed his gear fixed. So here he is, right outside of Zuka's store, tapping his foot impatiently all while he spun a chipped cleaver in his hands.

"Chipped by a foolish, stubborn customer..." he mumbled, his eye twitched as the thought passed by again, "... I swear, horns are hard to cut off..."

[ Zuka hummed, idly staring off out the window watching people walk by as he stared at his box of cigarettes half tempted to light one... It was a pretty average day at the shop. Not much was really going on besides the basic upgrades and repairs... The standard he'd grown used to. Well that and having to save his son from picking fights again, but that had always been a common occurrence for him so it wasnt really that much of a change. ]

[ What was a change was watching someone actually hesitate to go inside his store. The Stop N' Shop wasn't exactly a place to be scared of. Zuka was a pretty nice and calm inphernal who was well known in the shopping district, so its not like there was much to really fear. The shopkeeper raised a curious brow at the person out front before deciding to get up and go see them, giving a soft huff as he stood up and headed over to try and see what was up. ]

[ Zuka approached the inphernal, raising a curious yet lazy brow. ]

"Yes."

"It's you."

He wiped his cleaver on his chef's apron, the white now stained with a dark crimson.

Having just finished with a troublesome customer doesn't help with how he's coming off. His lax attitude, however, is something else entirely.

Fake would be the best way to describe it.

"Forgive me, I thought it'd be impolite to enter without cleaning my Gear." The inphernal chuckled before continuing to speak. "May I enter now?"

[ He was slightly unnerved but chose to stay as neutral as he could be, not wanting to judge based on appearances and first impressions... Even if they were... A little weird, to say the least. ]

I dont mind the stain, My clients trails around enough dirt as it is. This is a repair and creation store after all. It'd just blend into everything else.

[ Zukas seen a lot in his day.. So being stared down with a very empty smile was nothing new to him, it vaguely reminded him of a certain somebody. Except that smile actually had something behind it... ]

He hopes—prays—he isn't intruding with his existence.

With tenative steps, he entered the store, flicking his blade to rid it of the last specks of blood. The new smell of this building caught him off guard, he could not find the words for it.

It didn't smell new but it definitely wasn't anything like it either.

Either way, he kept those thoughts to himself. It was better he kept quiet anyway.

"My Gear was chipped by some idiot." He mumbled, his smile never fading from his lips as he spoke. "I was doing some work."

[ Zuka eyed the gear in his hand as he stepped back inside, humming as he headed off back over to his counter so they could talk and do a proper lookover. He took a seat around his side of the counter and nodded his head to the seat on the other side for the other to sit down onto. He noticed very fast that this guy needed instructions to do things.. A little strange but Zuka learnt quick. It was something that he was good at. ]

Oh really? What happened? Its not very often I hear stories about others teaching other peoples gears, besides people who work in upgrades and repairs anyways.

[ He commented despite his better judgement, offering a hand out to take his knife to inspect closer to see what he could do. The damage didn't seem too major so Zuka may be able to get it done fast... At least it wasn't worse. ]

Hm. I'll er.. See if I can visit. Any reason you're inviting me?

Mayhaps it was too soon, but if it meant getting more traction than that cafe, then any exposure was good for now.

"No particular reason aside from just starting out in my business." His shoulders shook as he stifled his laughter, directed at himself to mock. "Even though I've been running this restaurant for months, it's never gotten more than 3 customers a month."

He'd love to exaggerate, but unfortunately, data seldom lies, and the data proved he needed more Inphernals in the place.

That and it was good for his appetite, so that he wouldn't go out on as many killing sprees as he does.

He watched the veteran nod toward his Gear. His brain literally had to double-take. He blinked once, staring at his Gear before he gasped softly, realizing it and handing Zuka his kind-of broken Gear. The cleaver's blade was chipped, the owner of it was just as irritated about it as the tool was, as the chipping suggested he had tried to use it on his usual activities while it was half-broken.

The repairs on it were self-taught work, shoddy and rushed, likely to get back to business.

"A-Ah, if I'm coming off as too much, you may tell me off." He laughed again, his baritone voice smoothing into something genuine, maybe even softer. "I'm not from around here, and I've kept to myself most of the time."

You're using your ineptitude as an excuse.

[ Zuka sat back and looked at the gear in his hands carefully, giving a hum of acknowledgement seeing how bad the damages were and what needed to be fixed. It wasn't too bad luckily... The shoddy repairs was easy to use for a full fix up. At least it wasn't completely crumbling in his hands? That helped a bit. He nodded in affirmation to himself. ]

Nah, you're fine. These repairs yourself aren't the best but I can make it work. Luckily its just a few broken parts and dents so it wont take too long to fix up, how soon do you need this by?

He trailed off.

The first bead of sweat trailed down his cheek. Trying to brush off the hastening beat of his heart, he fiddled with his hands.

Play it off. Your pause sounds suspicious.

"... let's say I'm not currently getting ingredients, so I have some free time. Around a week or so?"

His gaze drifted to the side, observing the display racks with all the anxiety of a stray cat.

He's muscular, strong enough to fight anyone weaker, yet he's acting as if someone might bite him should he move a centimeter in the wrong direction.

I see. Well these repairs wont take very long, maybe about an hour or two give or take if I have something else come up.

[ The question was what was Zuka going to say to this now? He wasn't one to really help these sorts of people if he could help it.. Especially not ones like this guy, but a client was a client right? He hummed. Zukas face stayed calm and neutral not letting his inner thought show through at all. He was good at keeping a stone face like that. ]

Any work? Hm. I see.

... You seem nervous. Is there something wrong?

Does he suspect me of something? What kind of crime did I commit?

Is it the murders? Has he noticed some Inphernals dead?

Did I not cover my tracks? Did I not do it perfectly?

The smile dropped, and the Inphernal's speech, so confident mere minutes ago, devolved into incomprehensible mumbling.

I should have asked if it was okay.

He turned his gaze to the floor, biting into his gloved finger again, though it was hard enough for his fang to pierce the fabric and draw some blood.

"It... it appears we got off on the w-wrong foot... y-y-you're... you're staring... at me as if... as if I'm a c-criminal on a stand." The tapping of his foot returned, desperate to ground himself as his mind wandered to endless possibilities—all of which ended in disaster.

((HIHII :"> I WAS VERY SCARED OF INTERACTING AT FIRST....))

While he's not fond of visiting this particular shop, he, unfortunately, needed his gear fixed. So here he is, right outside of Zuka's store, tapping his foot impatiently all while he spun a chipped cleaver in his hands.

"Chipped by a foolish, stubborn customer..." he mumbled, his eye twitched as the thought passed by again, "... I swear, horns are hard to cut off..."

[ Zuka hummed, idly staring off out the window watching people walk by as he stared at his box of cigarettes half tempted to light one... It was a pretty average day at the shop. Not much was really going on besides the basic upgrades and repairs... The standard he'd grown used to. Well that and having to save his son from picking fights again, but that had always been a common occurrence for him so it wasnt really that much of a change. ]

[ What was a change was watching someone actually hesitate to go inside his store. The Stop N' Shop wasn't exactly a place to be scared of. Zuka was a pretty nice and calm inphernal who was well known in the shopping district, so its not like there was much to really fear. The shopkeeper raised a curious brow at the person out front before deciding to get up and go see them, giving a soft huff as he stood up and headed over to try and see what was up. ]

[ Zuka approached the inphernal, raising a curious yet lazy brow. ]

"Yes."

"It's you."

He wiped his cleaver on his chef's apron, the white now stained with a dark crimson.

Having just finished with a troublesome customer doesn't help with how he's coming off. His lax attitude, however, is something else entirely.

Fake would be the best way to describe it.

"Forgive me, I thought it'd be impolite to enter without cleaning my Gear." The inphernal chuckled before continuing to speak. "May I enter now?"

[ He was slightly unnerved but chose to stay as neutral as he could be, not wanting to judge based on appearances and first impressions... Even if they were... A little weird, to say the least. ]

I dont mind the stain, My clients trails around enough dirt as it is. This is a repair and creation store after all. It'd just blend into everything else.

[ Zukas seen a lot in his day.. So being stared down with a very empty smile was nothing new to him, it vaguely reminded him of a certain somebody. Except that smile actually had something behind it... ]

He hopes—prays—he isn't intruding with his existence.

With tenative steps, he entered the store, flicking his blade to rid it of the last specks of blood. The new smell of this building caught him off guard, he could not find the words for it.

It didn't smell new but it definitely wasn't anything like it either.

Either way, he kept those thoughts to himself. It was better he kept quiet anyway.

"My Gear was chipped by some idiot." He mumbled, his smile never fading from his lips as he spoke. "I was doing some work."

[ Zuka eyed the gear in his hand as he stepped back inside, humming as he headed off back over to his counter so they could talk and do a proper lookover. He took a seat around his side of the counter and nodded his head to the seat on the other side for the other to sit down onto. He noticed very fast that this guy needed instructions to do things.. A little strange but Zuka learnt quick. It was something that he was good at. ]

Oh really? What happened? Its not very often I hear stories about others teaching other peoples gears, besides people who work in upgrades and repairs anyways.

[ He commented despite his better judgement, offering a hand out to take his knife to inspect closer to see what he could do. The damage didn't seem too major so Zuka may be able to get it done fast... At least it wasn't worse. ]

Hm. I'll er.. See if I can visit. Any reason you're inviting me?

Mayhaps it was too soon, but if it meant getting more traction than that cafe, then any exposure was good for now.

"No particular reason aside from just starting out in my business." His shoulders shook as he stifled his laughter, directed at himself to mock. "Even though I've been running this restaurant for months, it's never gotten more than 3 customers a month."

He'd love to exaggerate, but unfortunately, data seldom lies, and the data proved he needed more Inphernals in the place.

That and it was good for his appetite, so that he wouldn't go out on as many killing sprees as he does.

He watched the veteran nod toward his Gear. His brain literally had to double-take. He blinked once, staring at his Gear before he gasped softly, realizing it and handing Zuka his kind-of broken Gear. The cleaver's blade was chipped, the owner of it was just as irritated about it as the tool was, as the chipping suggested he had tried to use it on his usual activities while it was half-broken.

The repairs on it were self-taught work, shoddy and rushed, likely to get back to business.

"A-Ah, if I'm coming off as too much, you may tell me off." He laughed again, his baritone voice smoothing into something genuine, maybe even softer. "I'm not from around here, and I've kept to myself most of the time."

You're using your ineptitude as an excuse.

[ Zuka sat back and looked at the gear in his hands carefully, giving a hum of acknowledgement seeing how bad the damages were and what needed to be fixed. It wasn't too bad luckily... The shoddy repairs was easy to use for a full fix up. At least it wasn't completely crumbling in his hands? That helped a bit. He nodded in affirmation to himself. ]

Nah, you're fine. These repairs yourself aren't the best but I can make it work. Luckily its just a few broken parts and dents so it wont take too long to fix up, how soon do you need this by?

He trailed off.

The first bead of sweat trailed down his cheek. Trying to brush off the hastening beat of his heart, he fiddled with his hands.

Play it off. Your pause sounds suspicious.

"... let's say I'm not currently getting ingredients, so I have some free time. Around a week or so?"

His gaze drifted to the side, observing the display racks with all the anxiety of a stray cat.

He's muscular, strong enough to fight anyone weaker, yet he's acting as if someone might bite him should he move a centimeter in the wrong direction.

((HIHII :"> I WAS VERY SCARED OF INTERACTING AT FIRST....))

While he's not fond of visiting this particular shop, he, unfortunately, needed his gear fixed. So here he is, right outside of Zuka's store, tapping his foot impatiently all while he spun a chipped cleaver in his hands.

"Chipped by a foolish, stubborn customer..." he mumbled, his eye twitched as the thought passed by again, "... I swear, horns are hard to cut off..."

[ Zuka hummed, idly staring off out the window watching people walk by as he stared at his box of cigarettes half tempted to light one... It was a pretty average day at the shop. Not much was really going on besides the basic upgrades and repairs... The standard he'd grown used to. Well that and having to save his son from picking fights again, but that had always been a common occurrence for him so it wasnt really that much of a change. ]

[ What was a change was watching someone actually hesitate to go inside his store. The Stop N' Shop wasn't exactly a place to be scared of. Zuka was a pretty nice and calm inphernal who was well known in the shopping district, so its not like there was much to really fear. The shopkeeper raised a curious brow at the person out front before deciding to get up and go see them, giving a soft huff as he stood up and headed over to try and see what was up. ]

[ Zuka approached the inphernal, raising a curious yet lazy brow. ]

"Yes."

"It's you."

He wiped his cleaver on his chef's apron, the white now stained with a dark crimson.

Having just finished with a troublesome customer doesn't help with how he's coming off. His lax attitude, however, is something else entirely.

Fake would be the best way to describe it.

"Forgive me, I thought it'd be impolite to enter without cleaning my Gear." The inphernal chuckled before continuing to speak. "May I enter now?"

[ He was slightly unnerved but chose to stay as neutral as he could be, not wanting to judge based on appearances and first impressions... Even if they were... A little weird, to say the least. ]

I dont mind the stain, My clients trails around enough dirt as it is. This is a repair and creation store after all. It'd just blend into everything else.

[ Zukas seen a lot in his day.. So being stared down with a very empty smile was nothing new to him, it vaguely reminded him of a certain somebody. Except that smile actually had something behind it... ]

He hopes—prays—he isn't intruding with his existence.

With tenative steps, he entered the store, flicking his blade to rid it of the last specks of blood. The new smell of this building caught him off guard, he could not find the words for it.

It didn't smell new but it definitely wasn't anything like it either.

Either way, he kept those thoughts to himself. It was better he kept quiet anyway.

"My Gear was chipped by some idiot." He mumbled, his smile never fading from his lips as he spoke. "I was doing some work."

[ Zuka eyed the gear in his hand as he stepped back inside, humming as he headed off back over to his counter so they could talk and do a proper lookover. He took a seat around his side of the counter and nodded his head to the seat on the other side for the other to sit down onto. He noticed very fast that this guy needed instructions to do things.. A little strange but Zuka learnt quick. It was something that he was good at. ]

Oh really? What happened? Its not very often I hear stories about others teaching other peoples gears, besides people who work in upgrades and repairs anyways.

[ He commented despite his better judgement, offering a hand out to take his knife to inspect closer to see what he could do. The damage didn't seem too major so Zuka may be able to get it done fast... At least it wasn't worse. ]

Hm. I'll er.. See if I can visit. Any reason you're inviting me?

Mayhaps it was too soon, but if it meant getting more traction than that cafe, then any exposure was good for now.

"No particular reason aside from just starting out in my business." His shoulders shook as he stifled his laughter, directed at himself to mock. "Even though I've been running this restaurant for months, it's never gotten more than 3 customers a month."

He'd love to exaggerate, but unfortunately, data seldom lies, and the data proved he needed more Inphernals in the place.

That and it was good for his appetite, so that he wouldn't go out on as many killing sprees as he does.

He watched the veteran nod toward his Gear. His brain literally had to double-take. He blinked once, staring at his Gear before he gasped softly, realizing it and handing Zuka his kind-of broken Gear. The cleaver's blade was chipped, the owner of it was just as irritated about it as the tool was, as the chipping suggested he had tried to use it on his usual activities while it was half-broken.

The repairs on it were self-taught work, shoddy and rushed, likely to get back to business.

"A-Ah, if I'm coming off as too much, you may tell me off." He laughed again, his baritone voice smoothing into something genuine, maybe even softer. "I'm not from around here, and I've kept to myself most of the time."

You're using your ineptitude as an excuse.

((HIHII :"> I WAS VERY SCARED OF INTERACTING AT FIRST....))

While he's not fond of visiting this particular shop, he, unfortunately, needed his gear fixed. So here he is, right outside of Zuka's store, tapping his foot impatiently all while he spun a chipped cleaver in his hands.

"Chipped by a foolish, stubborn customer..." he mumbled, his eye twitched as the thought passed by again, "... I swear, horns are hard to cut off..."

[ Zuka hummed, idly staring off out the window watching people walk by as he stared at his box of cigarettes half tempted to light one... It was a pretty average day at the shop. Not much was really going on besides the basic upgrades and repairs... The standard he'd grown used to. Well that and having to save his son from picking fights again, but that had always been a common occurrence for him so it wasnt really that much of a change. ]

[ What was a change was watching someone actually hesitate to go inside his store. The Stop N' Shop wasn't exactly a place to be scared of. Zuka was a pretty nice and calm inphernal who was well known in the shopping district, so its not like there was much to really fear. The shopkeeper raised a curious brow at the person out front before deciding to get up and go see them, giving a soft huff as he stood up and headed over to try and see what was up. ]

[ Zuka approached the inphernal, raising a curious yet lazy brow. ]

"Yes."

"It's you."

He wiped his cleaver on his chef's apron, the white now stained with a dark crimson.

Having just finished with a troublesome customer doesn't help with how he's coming off. His lax attitude, however, is something else entirely.

Fake would be the best way to describe it.

"Forgive me, I thought it'd be impolite to enter without cleaning my Gear." The inphernal chuckled before continuing to speak. "May I enter now?"

[ He was slightly unnerved but chose to stay as neutral as he could be, not wanting to judge based on appearances and first impressions... Even if they were... A little weird, to say the least. ]

I dont mind the stain, My clients trails around enough dirt as it is. This is a repair and creation store after all. It'd just blend into everything else.

[ Zukas seen a lot in his day.. So being stared down with a very empty smile was nothing new to him, it vaguely reminded him of a certain somebody. Except that smile actually had something behind it... ]

He hopes—prays—he isn't intruding with his existence.

With tenative steps, he entered the store, flicking his blade to rid it of the last specks of blood. The new smell of this building caught him off guard, he could not find the words for it.

It didn't smell new but it definitely wasn't anything like it either.

Either way, he kept those thoughts to himself. It was better he kept quiet anyway.

"My Gear was chipped by some idiot." He mumbled, his smile never fading from his lips as he spoke. "I was doing some work."

((HIHII :"> I WAS VERY SCARED OF INTERACTING AT FIRST....))

While he's not fond of visiting this particular shop, he, unfortunately, needed his gear fixed. So here he is, right outside of Zuka's store, tapping his foot impatiently all while he spun a chipped cleaver in his hands.

"Chipped by a foolish, stubborn customer..." he mumbled, his eye twitched as the thought passed by again, "... I swear, horns are hard to cut off..."

[ Zuka hummed, idly staring off out the window watching people walk by as he stared at his box of cigarettes half tempted to light one... It was a pretty average day at the shop. Not much was really going on besides the basic upgrades and repairs... The standard he'd grown used to. Well that and having to save his son from picking fights again, but that had always been a common occurrence for him so it wasnt really that much of a change. ]

[ What was a change was watching someone actually hesitate to go inside his store. The Stop N' Shop wasn't exactly a place to be scared of. Zuka was a pretty nice and calm inphernal who was well known in the shopping district, so its not like there was much to really fear. The shopkeeper raised a curious brow at the person out front before deciding to get up and go see them, giving a soft huff as he stood up and headed over to try and see what was up. ]

[ Zuka approached the inphernal, raising a curious yet lazy brow. ]

"Yes."

"It's you."

He wiped his cleaver on his chef's apron, the white now stained with a dark crimson.

Having just finished with a troublesome customer doesn't help with how he's coming off. His lax attitude, however, is something else entirely.

Fake would be the best way to describe it.

"Forgive me, I thought it'd be impolite to enter without cleaning my Gear." The inphernal chuckled before continuing to speak. "May I enter now?"