âOr you could just call me nothing. You could opt to not talk to me.â
Heâd barely raised his voice in return, so whether they heard him or not didnât matter much in the long run. He was fully content to carry on his way and never see them agâthey were following him. He wasnât a fool to people trying to sneak up on him; Rui tended to be someone that people, well, underestimated.
Looking young would do that. It had almost been funny, once, had he been able to process that emotion.
Shouldnât you be the one at home? Yeah, maybe. Ideally. Once upon a time, even. But the place he stayed here wasnât home, even if heâd gotten more comfortable with it than heâd once been, and neither Mount Natagumoâs false sanctuary nor his parents were here. So what was home? Heâd given up the right to something like that when heâd become a demon.
Rui stopped walking for a moment.
It felt wrong, not putting the word Lower in front of it, but his mind had drifted to Owl and all Rui could think to do was give a title.
âAre you so stupid that you canât take a hint? â no, not even a hint. I couldnât have been any more obvious.â There was no conviction. Not even like how heâd once been able to deliver such words with his usual monotone, where it was obvious he meant it. Not that Alarian knew that. He doubted theyâd be able to call him on his bluff. âWhat does it matter if Iâm closed off? I gave you something to call me. Go away before I slice you to pieces.â
   âUgh. Whereâs the fun in not talking to someone? How do you know who you like and you hate if you donât talk.â
 Mouth curves downward with displeasure, expression soured by the mere thought of just ignoring someone -- or something -- that might catch their eye. Friends and relationships were made with communication, of a sort. So maybe they wouldnât be able to buddy up with the kid. Whatever. He could at least give them a proper chance, get to know them a bit before not liking them. Or threatening to kill them.
 Is it so hard for people to wait for a valid reason to cut them off so violently?
 Alarianâs already mentally waving away the thought. Theyâre able to perk up a bit more at the given âFiveâ, head tilting as they processed what was said. They had asked for a name, not a title or... well, it was a bit small of a number to be his age from the looks of it. Beggars canât be choosers, as the saying goes: Five it is!
   âOh, your hint didnât go unnoticed.â They simply chose to ignore it.
 Honestly, things seemed to have started fairly decently, or as decent as they could assume before plastering their own sort of nickname onto the boy; onto âFiveâ. It was true they had a name to give the face but that was hardly an interaction worth anything, they wanted a conversation. A means of feeding their curiosities and finding interesting company.
   âHey, if youâre gonna slice me open at least have a good reason for it! Iâm just talking.â Thereâs an irritated clicking thatâs quieted by their tongue. âWhy everyone focuses on killing and death is beyond me -- whatever! Your pointâs to drive me away, blah blah...â
 With a huff their legs finally still, cheeks puffed in a faint pout as they turn their gaze away. Given what they are âdeathâ isnât much of a worry, but the topic itself, or the mere implication, is enough to sour the mood.
   âMake a friend or pet a dog or something! Your attitude could use something sweet to counter that sourness of yours.â