Chapter Text
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“You’re eating so well!” Enjin remarks from across the table, sounding rather smug. The kid in front of him glances up from his burger, staring at Enjin with his big, blood red eyes, before shifting his gaze elsewhere. He takes another bite—it’s more aggressive than the previous ones. Enjin fully believes the little guy might accidentally tear his hand off, thinking it’s food, given the way he’s eating.
His appetite is concerning to a degree. Enjin keeps in mind that the boy did throw up earlier, and by no means was it a small amount.
Enjin sits back, sinking deeper in his seat. His hand fishes around in his pocket for a few seconds before he reels out a cigarette and a flimsy lighter.
“What’s your name?”
The little boy pauses, and for the first time since they’ve met, he looks flustered. Enjin would find it a bit endearing if he hadn’t been aggressively cursed at, multiple times, before and after a life-threatening situation. The boy swallowed what little food he had left. “…Rudo.”
Enjin nods. “Nice name.”
Rudo stares blankly, his expression somewhat similar to a frog's. “Th-thanks…” And God, his voice is so small. So soft. So young. Is this really the same kid who nearly took down multiple men earlier by himself? The remnants of foreign blood caked atop Rudo’s teeth tell Enjin, yes, it is that same kid.
The thought makes him shudder.
“Look,” Enjin lifted a singular brow, raking his eyes over Rudo’s scruffy appearance. He’s seen stray cats in better shape than him. “I know you want to get back to the Sphere and all, but how old are you?”
“Why?” Rudo questions. No, demands. His voice is hardened by a hostility that takes years of refinement to acquire such sharpness. He narrows his eyes, pinning Enjin with a scathing glare.
The air in Enjin’s lungs evades him—he’s shaking.
“Are you trying to intimidate me?!” The young man roars. His laugh is unabashed and grating to Rudo’s ears. Oh, Good GOD, he’s enjoying this. There’s no way this snot-nosed little shit is trying to scare him, not with that baby face he’s rocking. He'd be nothing more than a headache even if he got a grasp on those beloved gloves of his.
“Am not!”
“You totally were.” He snorts, jabbing his long finger against Rudo’s forehead. The little boy growls, his face twisting into a sneer. Enjin is annoying, but not stupid. He likes having all of his fingers intact, thank you very much. He pulls his hand away.
Rudo’s gloved hands clench at his sides, tight and stubborn. “My age doesn’t matter.”
“It literally does. If you want to know how to get back to the Sphere, you gotta answer my questions. If you don’t like it then you’re more than welcome to find some other chump,” Enjin drawls the last few words, making sure they really stick. The kid seems to take in what he says very, very slowly. The gears are visibly turning. “Just know, if you search for other people, there’s a high chance they’ll do worse than those guys you met back there. I already told you this.”
A heavy grunt punctuates the silence. “I beat their asses.”
“That’s because none of them were Givers,” Enjin notes unkindly. The prideful little shit. “If any of them had a Jinki you’d be dead.”
Rudo opens his mouth to protest. Enjin beats him to it.
“Shut up.” He says firmly, not caring for the nasty mean mug he’s receiving. “You’re a Giver. You have potential. The fact of the matter is, down here, you don’t give information for free. Tell me how old you are and I’ll give you a crash course on what’s down here on the Ground.”
Rudo clenches his jaw.
He doesn’t move.
Enjin doesn’t move. Until he does.
He picks up his Jinki and leaves a small pouch of money on the table. Rudo continues to stare him down, though by now his eyes are wide and his mouth is agape.
Enjin takes a step ba—
“Ten!” Rudo sputters, and just like that, the scared voice from earlier is back. “I’m ten…I think.”