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"So, I suppose you're wondering why you're here" Kaladur started, desperately trying to steer the conversation back to where he wanted it to go.
Kordin seemed to think hard about it for a couple seconds, eyes looking off into the distance in between licks of his tall apple vanilla cone.
"Because nobody likes eating ice cream alone?" he guessed.
If it were anyone else, Kaladur would've thrown them through the flimsy wall of the shop for daring to play dumb to his face. But the kid's wide arctic-gray eyes held nothing but sincerity.
Is that what he seriously thinks? Huh. Dyme really wasn't joking when he said the kid legitimately had zero street smarts.
It shouldn't have been such a shock. He had let a strange adult buy him ice cream for goodness sake.
"That's ... not quite it" Kaladur cautiously continued.
Kordin genuinely looked shocked at the revelation. "Then you're not going to eat yours?"
"That's not- urgh" Kaladur took a frustrated bite of his rainbow-sprinkled monstrosity and grimaced when they stuck to his lips. This was going to seriously hinder his signature intimidating glare. "Listen, kid. Do you have any clue of who I am?"
"Uncle Dyme's boyfriend, Kaladur" he stated innocently, polite smile on his face and no hint of hesitation in his voice.
Kaladur just barely managed to restrain himself from throwing his morals to the wind and sending an innocent child through the wall.
"Ex-boyfriend" he growled, putting on the scariest scowl he could muster with the rainbow sprinkles still decorating his lips. "And it's very important that I find him".
Kordin continued to give him that polite smile. "Why?"
Kaladur had no idea how to answer that. He couldn't exactly tell the child everything that had happened. The betrayal, the traded insults, the radio silence, the fucking child support legal battle-
"Why?" Kordin asked again. "Why?"
What is he, two?
"I ..." he searched for words as carefully as he could. None came.
Oh, what the hell.
"I need to kill him" Kaladur finished. That sounded like a gross oversimplification of his feelings, but hopefully it would be good enough for Kordin.
The kid did not seem the least bit fazed as he finished off the last of his cone. "Hmmmmm ... no, sorry" he eventually shrugged.
Kaladur nearly dropped his rapidly melting cone. "What the hell do you mean 'no'? Kordin, I know you know where-"
"Uncle Dyme told me not to tell you where he went, so I can't. Sorry."
Kaladur only noticed that he was crushing his ice cream with his bare hands when the cracks between his fingers grew cold and sticky. This had been a giant waste of time. "Thanks anyway, kid. See you arou-" he was abruptly cut off by a pair of cold, sticky hands wrapping around him.
"I hope you find him soon, Uncle Kaladur. I've missed you" he whispered into his shoulder.
Kaladur raised his arms to awkwardly pat the kid's shoulder. "Yeah ... I've missed you a lot too ... cub".
Kordin beamed as he eventually let go of him. "Thanks again for the ice cream!" he shouted as he walked away.
"Stay in school!" Kaladur yelled back. What a sweet kid. Maybe he was going soft, but Dyme really had the best family.
He froze in his tracks.
Wait.
Had Kordin called him ...
Uncle ?
He shook his head in disbelief. Damn, the extra sugar must've really messed with his senses.