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Shadow hummed. He was an old man...a very old man. As such, he'd learned that having a great deal of patience was something that...he just needed. "You never did tell me your name, when I so graciously told you mine," he said suddenly, finishing his second bowl. "By the way...do you have a family?"
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"its Angelo." he moved around trying to find a better spot to lay. "and I dont know what happened to them." he said sleepily then he was asleep. the stress of the day having worn him out.
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Shadow sighed and then took his bowl back out to the kitchen. He returned a moment later and knelt down, quietly gathering Angelo up into his arms. No sense in making the boy sleep on the floor when there was an extra place to sleep, after all. Being careful not to wake him, Shadow carried him off towards the bedroom. He had always had two beds in his room--one for him and an old extra that he rarely had use for. He had had a feeling he shouldn't get rid of it. Gently, Shadow set him in the spare bed and tucked him in. Then, thankfully, he sank down into his own bed.
Damned stubborn child...well, he would need to be taught some manners, that was for sure. For now, Shadow supposed he'd best let him settle down into his new environment... |
The next morning would find the bed empty and most of the bedding gone as well. A full search of the house would find him sleeping in the court yard among the plants there. The bedding pulled up around him to keep him warm. The kitchen looked like he had tried to find something to eat but did not recognize any of what was there as food. So there were a few broken bowls and jars.
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Shadow grumbled when he felt himself waking up. He was often cranky in the morning, for it was against his natural bodily balance to stay awake during the day. Mornings were the worst, along with early afternoon.
Groggily, he sat up, first placing his head in his hands for a few moments and then glancing over at the bed. Knowing the barriers were still up, Shadow drug himself out of bed and put fresh clothing on before heading downstairs. He noticed Angelo in the courtyard and sighed quietly. Then, he peeked into the kitchen. Again, the man grumbled and cleaned up the mess. He would tell him off a little later, but he could understand--it appeared as if he was hungry and was attempting to find something to eat. After tidying up--he was a stickler for cleanliness--Shadow ambled out into the courtyard and stood a distance away, knowing he was likely to get attacked if he ventured too close while Angelo was sleeping. "Angelo. Wake up. Today is going to be a busy day." |
“go way root bound muckraker.” Angelo grumbled half asleep. Pulling the sheet closer to him he buried his face into the dirt by a plant. He was not going to obey this man; he had no power over him, and have even said he did not. Grumbling he scratched at his back before falling back to sleep.
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"I told you to get up."
Shadow's voice had taken on a different tone. It was cold, caustic, and loud enough to wake him up again. Unlike the way he had been acting. "I am a kindred man, but I have a very, very short temper. I don't want to hurt you, boy, but if you continue to take advantage of my kindness, I will have no choice." |
"tired." Angelo covered his head with part of the blanket trying to muffle out the nose of the man. why did he have to wake up so early, and with no food cooking ether. what was so important that he wanted him up so early?
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Shadow paused, then rubbed his temples a bit. "...I saw you went through my kitchen. Are you hungry--is that it? I will make something for you if you are."
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"no...... Sleep." he grumbled, then sitting up he picked up the bedding and walked as far as he could away from shadow before plopping down again in the dirt. "go a way." he buried himself into the bedding once again.
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Shadow rolled his eyes and quietly stalked over to him. Then, he rolled him up in the bedding and scooped him up. "Up. Now. You are not going to act like a spoiled brat in my house."
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After a shot screech Angelo pushed at the sheet. “You can’t do this to me! You even said so yourself, I am not your slave.” A sharp knife appeared in the cloth as he tried to cut the fabric. “Let me go you warthog faced buffoon.” Shadow would recognize the knife as one of the ones from the kitchen.
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Shadow easily dove his hand under the blankets and retrieved the knife, tossing it away. He held him tightly, keeping him wrapped up in the bedding. "You are not my slave, no. But there is a fine line between peacefully living with someone and acting like a spoiled toddler."
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sneering up at Shadow Angelo said. "I never said that I would live peacefully with you. all I want to do is get out of the smelly, dirty, rot infested country."
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"I'm afraid that unless I move, that won't be happening." Once again, there was that strange change in Shadow's demeanor...he looked positively bitter, cold...nasty. But, he was reining in his temper. "It is not like I care about this country. Listen, and listen well. Either you behave here, or I will make you behave. Do I make myself clear?"
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"your not my family, you cant make me." his voice started off strong but slowly got weaker as he tried to act tough. this man had been nice yesterday and it had seemed like a good plan to fight him but now... not so sure.
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Shadow's expression didn't change. He didn't even blink. "I can make you behave. In ways that your family wouldn't dream of making you behave. I could be raping you, throwing you out to the wilderness, selling you out at night. Instead I took you in, gave you food and a place to rest. If you're going to be a damned ungrateful little heathen, then back up your threats, your insults. Do it." It was almost a threat.
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“do what? Attack you? You took my only weapon. Run from you? Already tried that we saw how that went. Beg you, not in your life.” Trying to escape the bedding he squirmed.
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Shadow wouldn't let him. His eyes narrowed minutely. "I am giving you one last chance, boy. If I let you go, you had better behave. I don't expect you to treat me like a king, unless I have king-like company. Just behave, and be respectful. If you don't, I am afraid I will have to punish you."
Carefully, he set him back down and, with a single tug, allowed the bedding to fall away from Angelo, freeing him. |
Stepping back Angelo fell into a fighters crouch. He was not going to take this lightly. The way this man was acting you would think he was the king of Prussia. Slowly dropping his hand forward a shard of pottery flashed. “I will never treat you like a king.”
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Shadow folded his hands across his chest and stood there, expression icy and stoic. "Do it. Attack me. See where that gets you." He sounded serious.
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A low grow, almost animal come from Angelo. He could only see this ending one way, with the man’s death. That was the only way he was going to gain his freedom. His new master had not branded him yet and he was not going to let him do so. The whip scars would be bad enough to explain on his way back. Lunging he brought the shard up to plunge into Shadows chest.
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Shadow grabbed the attacking wrist, roughly, and squeezed, hard enough to dance around breaking bones. He tugged him close, so that they were face to face, noses touching. "Don't make me hurt you more. Behave."
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Being so close the only thing that Angelo could think of was to make him stop hurting him. so he bite his nose, HARD.
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Shadow, in response, smacked his head away, hard enough to make him see stars. "Fine. Have it your way." He wrenched the pottery shard away from him and then snatched him up, flinging him over his shoulder. He rearranged the barriers so he could take him outside, and then walked outside, into his backyard. Fiddling with a bit of magic, he dropped Angelo on the ground and made it so he couldn't move.
"Wait here." He strolled off towards the back of his house, where he kept what he was looking for. A whip, which he'd always had with him. He'd bought it a long time ago and refurbished it--it had little metal teeth on it. |
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