Sean
It wasn't a pleasant time for Malus after being stung by a fist sized stinger. A scorpion stinger which felt ten times worse than being stung by a hornet. As soon as his muscles seized up on his skeleton frame, Malus felt instant panic that he couldn't breath. He could hear frantic voices fading away along with his consciousness.

What felt like an eternity in darkness was a familiar sensation that he'd never felt in a long time. It was an old fatherly presence there to comfort him. Was this what death felt like? Malus isn't sure if he was still alive while being in this state. He couldn't quite explain why he felt this familiar with something that he can't quite remember. 

Soon all of it was forgotten as his eyes slowly opened. It felt like trying to see through a transparent scotch tape. The smell of pungent pine-sol assaulted his nostrils that made his nose slightly scrunched by the smell. Wherever he was, the room was silent from apart from his weak breathing mixed with the heart monitor. 

"E-ermm..." Malus let out a grunt when he tried to move in his bed. A sharp pain pinched above his collar bone where he was recently stung. He let out a pained gasp that caused him to freeze up, waiting for the uncomfortable angst to disappear.

It took him a while for his eyes to adjust to the room, now realizing that he was placed in the infirmary after the incident. There was an oxygen mask with some tube going down his throat? He wasn't sure what they did to him while he was unconscious.

He felt cold resting on the bed where he wore a blue wrap-front hospital gone. As he peeks under the collar, there was a bandage applied to where he was stung. The flesh that got pierced felt swollen and burned with a fever that left his skin feeling clammy. 

His subconscious swam in a nauseating motion that left him regretting from trying to get up. He laid in the medical bed in utter defeat. The empty void in his gut felt as though it shriveled up into a ball while his entire existence cried for sustenance. All this pain and hunger was driving him to just grab any living thing to drain to make up for the loss of health and nutritions. 

Stuck in a medical room where he waits to be released, Malus was alone with his thoughts to reflect on what happened. Sure, he was upset with Barric. That was then but this is now, unsure of how he feels about his friend. It was a feeling that he wasn't sure how he should describe it. This week his luck hasn't been kind to him as of late.
Velva
Barric's hand was on the doorknob, but he didn't make a move to turn it and open up the door to the room. He had spent about an hour in his room cleaning himself off, debating his life and crying a bit. His guilt was absolutely leading her into his decisions. 

Barric honestly didn't want to really see Malus right now. He'd probably end up feeling worse than he already did. So here he was with a ton of random items from Malus's room that he was here to drop off and debating if it was okay for him to be here. 

Barric finally opened up the door, stepping into the sterile room. His nose scrunched up at the general smell of the room. It smelt so strange when he was here last time and now it smelt so much worse. His eyes found Malus still laying on the bed. He brought up his hand to give a small wave before approaching in a kind of slow walk. 

"Uh hi." He rubbed his hand against his arm and a bag handing low against his leg. "I'm really sorry about all this. I really didn't mean for this to happen." The boy's voice was shaky and his hands were shaking with each word that came out of his mouth. 

"I didn't realize what I did at first and I'm sorry you had to deal with all this because I was panicking like that." He held out the bag to Malus, offering it to him. "I grabbed you a shirt and some other things from your room so you can change and stuff." Going into Malus's room had been awkward, and he honestly felt weird being in there. 

"I didn't go through anything or something. I just grabbed what was already out. I didn't want to invade your privacy or anything like that." He handed over the bag full of the mentioned shirt, a full water bottle and some of the leftover honey sticks.
Sean
"Ughh..." Malus grunted as he painfully, slowly, turned to look over at the familiar figure. It was a little hard to get a sharp image of Barric but he could tell that he was crying. There's nothing that he could feel right now about what happened. Perhaps he would be more cautious and afraid of the scorpion physiology that the older boy has.

Like a champ. Malus fought against the remaining venom as he shakily raised his arm up to give Barric a thumbs up. Then the limb drops back down beside him with a thump. The left side of his body tingled from where the stinger got him above the collar bone. It was lucky he got help in time before the venom could take full effect. It still sucked. He thought he died until he woke up in this hospital bed that left him feeling like crap. 

"H... C-Can... Hhhghh." Malus tried to speak but his tongue felt numb and his throat felt as though it got shredded inside. It hurts so freaking much after he yelled for Barric to get the blood off him. He gladly takes the bag to search for his cellphone. It still had three bars left which means he can communicate with Barric.

*"Can we have some Chinese food? Ordering would be beneficial... And can you give me that potted plant there? I'm really hungry."* The bot read his message.
Velva
Barric placed the bag next to Malus so he could dig through it for whatever he was looking for as he pulled out the phone. He reached into the offered bag, pulling out a bundle of cords for Malus to choose from. "I didn't know if it was charged and didn't know which cord you needed." Mixed in the bundle of cords was most of the cords that were visible once entering the younger boy's room. "So I just kinda grabbed them all." He dropped the bundle of cords onto Malus' lap. "I hope one of those works." He murmured, making a gesture to the bundle before turning around to find a chair. Barric pulled up a chair to Malus' bedside, sitting down onto it. Just as he was about to begin his round of apologies, Malus' phone began speaking. 

"Uh I guess? I can go pick it up." Barric honestly wasn't sure of any Chinese place near Newton's. But if his friend wanted, he could try to find a place. "Unless they deliver it like those pizza places?" He scratched his neck before standing up. He reached over Malus's bed, wrapping his hand around a plant and placing it onto Malus' lap, allowing him to grab onto it before letting it go. Barric sat back in the chair behind him. He leaned forward and folded his hands, thinking for a moment. "I'm really sorry, Malus. I shouldn't have done that. I should've been paying attention." He let out a breath, staring at Malus, waiting for an answer. Barric brought his folded hands to his face as he let himself breathe. After a small pause, he left it at that, going back to the Chinese food conversation. 

"Do you need me to call them?" It would've definitely been hard for Malus to communicate over a phone call. So it was likely Barric would need to talk to the people for Malus. He wasn't much help till Malus told him what he wanted and showed him how to call the place on the phone they had access to. "Are there even any places near here?"
Sean
*"Oh no,no. You can order online now with an app for the restaurant to get the order. It's a little more pricier compared to paying for it at a restaurant or picking it up yourself. My dad gave me my allowance so I have enough to order for two. They just need my name, address and the location of the place. Just need to pick it up at the entrance, I'll probably get one of the staff to do it if you like?"* The bot read out the text message while Malus weakly seized the plant with his bare hands.

The poor indoor plant begins to wither away until it shrivels up as it loses its rich green color. It looks like it just died from an instant drought by the hands of Malus. It fed him a little by helping the wound heal slightly better than it did before.

Then he moved the dead plant in its pot to go sit on the top of the table nearby. And he begins to text on the cellphone for the bot to begin reading it after he finished.

*"Accident happens. Especially when you're a complete noob having powers is difficult to control sometimes. The sting really sucked because it hurts a lot from the venom making it feel worse than it should. I got scared and thought I died when I couldn't breathe or move. Just try not to sting me next time, it really hurts. X.X."*

After the bot finished reading out his text and listening to Barric, Malus already checked the local area for Chinese restaurants before making an order. He'll show the farm kid steps on how to order on the phone with the app. He would use his bank card to pay ahead so they don't have to deal with further complications with Baric paying in cash. Malus doesn't think that the older kid would know what to do if he did come to purchase. Not yet anyways.

Malus switched the screen for his bot to read his text out loud. *"I'm going to order Wonton Soup and Spring Rolls. What do you want to get?"*
Velva
"I... I don't need anything. I've never really even had Chinese food, so I wouldn't even know what to order." He let out an awkward chuckle, another benefit of being in the middle of nowhere. You couldn't order from anywhere and his mom just didn't want him eating a ton of shitty food from those types of places. "My ma never wanted me eating those types of foods. We also really couldn't order it because of where we lived." He made a few gestures with his hands, talking with them. Barric watched intently as the plants shriveled beneath his fingers. It was an interesting power being able to drain life like that. It was scary definitely, but also just interesting. 

Barric let out a frustrated huff, straightening his back a bit. "No, I'm really sorry." He let out a laugh, his chest shaking with the quiet chuckles. "I won't, I promise." He wasn't aware how bad his stings were till he had stung Malus. To be fair, he couldn't really stab himself. That wasn't an option. So Malus was really his first test subject, which was a kind of fucked up to say, especially about his friend. But it was the only way he could word it. Malus was the first one to experience his sting. Barric had attempted to use it on Giannis and the hounds at the IKEA, but either they couldn't tell him how it felt or they just didn't experience it, so hearing Malus's thoughts of it was interesting.

Barric watched for a bit as Malus scrolled through his phone. He wasn't fully sure what he was doing yet, but as the phone flipped over and Malus began doing the process step by step for Barric to see, he realized was what going to happen. "I really don't need anything." The phone was thrown into the farmer's scarred hands without care of what he was saying. "Uh." He awkwardly picked it up, his hands moving it in an unnatural way. As he scrolled through it with his middle finger, his nose scrunched up. "It all looks so yellow? Why is it like that?" There was barely any in other color in the pictures from what Barric could see, it honestly looked kinda gross to him. "I've never heard of a lot of this stuff." He murmured, scrunching his brows together.
Sean
Malus couldn't help but make that ,*"Do you really have to listen to what your mommy has to say?"* Face. It made him feel that Barric's mom is a control freak by how he made that excuse. He watched as Barric struggled to read the yellow lettering on the screen. The best response that he could do is give the farmer kid a shrug, purposely making a derp expression. Then he made a grabby hand motion before taking the phone from him.

He decided to just order Barric chow mein and a side of spare ribs in a small portion. And ordering two fortune cookies and basic soft drinks. After placing an order and asking one of the staff to pick up the food, Malus turned back to his chat to start typing.

*"After you stung me good, I think you owe me company on trying out something new. You're not living on the farm right now, it's an opportunity to try new things and have some fun. I'm not asking you to drink alcohol. I do want to hang out? It's hard to say this. I'm just happy to be out of my household for once. You stayed in the middle of nowhere on a farm. So let's just party before we have to go back home?"*

Malus just wants to make the best of his time in Newton Cradle.

Despite being in pain the young kid just wanted to make the most of it before he had to walk back to Abigail. A witch of a mother who was a cruel woman for even the underworld to notice her mean streak.

*"While waiting for the order. I was wondering how you manage to get so strong? You nearly knocked me off the mat at the gym."*
Velva
Barric's ears flushed a darker shade at the way Malus looked at him. Now that he thought about it it was kind of stupid that he was still worried about his mom's diet standards. It was kind of embedded in his bones at this point and he didn't really want to try all this food. It seemed kinda gross. Reluctantly he handed the phone back over to Malus after noticing the hand gestures Malus had been making him. The kid went through at least similar motions to when he was ordering his own food so Barric just assumed he had annoyed the kid with his judgement of the food's color that he decided to order for him. Barric sat with his hands folded in his lap silently staring off at the wall next to Malus' head as the kid began typing again. 

He seemed to zone back in as the bot spoke again. He hummed it was true he wasn't on the farm anymore, with his mother controlling his diet. But that doesn't necessarily mean he wants to do all this stuff. "I guess. I just don't really like the look of that food." He let out an awkward chuckle. "I mean, I've drank before. Not a ton." He laughed to himself a bit. It was in the moment kind of funny that his parents were so worried about Chinese food and the grease, but weren't worried about his access to alcohol. "I mean my birthday.." He looks around, trying to spot a calendar in the room. He found one and after squinting at it for a moment. "Is in like a week. So I can try alcohol legally if I want to." Barric was pretty sure the legal age to get all that type of stuff here was 18. He had his ID somewhere in his room, so he could probably run off at some point on his birthday and pick something up. "But yeah, I guess we could."

Barric listened to Malus' message for a moment before just blinking. He let out another laugh. "It just kind of came with the territory of where I grew up. You had to be strong doing all the stuff I was doing back home. There are machines that help, yeah, but still some things need to be done by hand and doing it for almost 17 years of your life it all packs together." Trying to keep up with everyone on the farm from a young age probably helped too. He couldn't remember an age where he wasn't helping out, even if it was in small ways.
Sean
"Oh? Your 17? I turned 15 last march when they shipped me to Newton Cradle." The bot read the message as Malus switch the screen to see how long the order would take. "I guess you were born strong. I mainly grew up over seas in a hospital where my gramps would keep an eye on me for my parents." Malus subconsciously rubbed the scar across his neck, remembering the operations. " Before arriving here I got a phone call from my doctor telling me that I need another operation to make it easier for me to breath and swallow food better."

He nervously bit the corner of his lip with his fang, typing ahead of the bit. The venom seem to be weakening for him to move his left arm a bit more better. The stabbed wound where Barric shived him still aches. "I don't know if it's going to happen since a lot happened. So I think it got pushed back until it's organized for me when I graduate or have it down in a nearby hospital. "

He had to lay back in his hospital bed to type on his phone, The tired look in Malus's eyes is noticeable with his dark wavy hair a mess. The kid look like he fits right in the infirmary in his fragile state. On his right wrist revealed a golden band with native carvings of some sort of water bear creature. There were too other homemade bands made of braided fabric and leather. It all look well hand crafted and genuine.

"So I kinda didn't get that head start being that strong. My gramps job as the owner and crypt keeper of a cemetery drawn me in to go get a job there. The payment wasn't much but it help me get by at home."
Velva
Barric nodded. "Yeah seventeen. You think if I sign up for the military, they'll let me out of here early?" His body shook with a laugh. It was a dumb idea. He doubted he would have access to the items to sign up for the military at all. And leaving Malus at Newton's alone didn't sound like something he wanted to do yet. He hummed, leaning forward in his chair. Malus' theory wasn't entirely incorrect. "I don't think I was born this way. I like to think it wasn't just dumb luck on genetics. I think I put some work into it." He had put a lot more work into than Malus probably realized. Or at least thought he had. "Do you think it will work? The operation." The comment about the phone call made Barric wonder how many operations the kid had in his lifetime. Probably more times than Barric's been to the doctor in his life. "I mean, it's understandable. It might not be possible to do something like here."

Barric leaned forward slightly, his hands still clasped together. He ran his tongue along his teeth, listening to Malus' message. A cemetery was an interesting place to work. Probably more interesting than the life that was waiting for Barric once he left Newton's. "I mean, at least you'll be doing something interesting. Plus, it fits the whole." He made a gesture towards Malus. A joking smile came onto his face. "Look, you're going for. Grim reaper and shit." He snorted at his own joke, no matter how bad it was. After a moment, he continued talking again. "I think either way it's better than what's waiting for me when I get home. I have little outside of Newton's. I just go back to Alabama after this and just back to what was going on before here."

It was a bit upsetting, honestly. Going back home after a taste of freedom. He likely wouldn't ever be in contact with Malus or anyone else he met here after he went back home. Suddenly, the military wasn't looking so bad to the boy. At least then he could write letters and such to Malus.
Sean
Malus gave a small smile but a noticeable look pained by Barric's bad joke. It sounds too similar to a terrible dad joke for him. He waits for his farmer friend to finish talking before he types up a message to respond.

*"I think the operation might help."*

And then types up another text for the bot to read it aloud while Malus checks the time for the delivery. *"It's possible that you could ask Newton Cradle to set up a personal plan for yourself. If you want to find more opportunities for yourself, I think it would be wise to explore what you can find here while you can. You're still young and it's natural to want to explore beyond your boundaries at home."*

*"To be more frank with you Barric... I don't want to go back home for reasons. There's nothing for me to do about it as I am now. Especially when I grow into an adult I'm not sure if anything is going to change. It's the quietest time I have been here that felt better than being at my old place. It's just that my home is very busy, it gets exhausting."*

Malus didn't feel the need to have to explain to Barric about details of his living situation. It was something very personal that he felt ashamed of how he's being treated by his mother and younger siblings. The only people who treated him like a proper family is his grandparents and dad. 

Telling Barric would be a complete downer for any moment that would make anyone feel very depressed hearing his story. 

*"I'm not entirely sure what I would do after graduating. I plan on working to save money early to get into a program to earn my degree in college. Move out somewhere and think of my next plan for what to do next. Things turned into a mess when I started sinking into shadows and turning into a monster. So I'm unsure what to do now."*
Velva
Barric nodded, staring at Malus as the kid types. If there were operations like that, why could they just set Malus' vocal cords, right? Was there a reason they hadn't? Probably. And it was probably some long complicated medical reason that Barric couldn't even begin to understand. So he bit his tongue on the question. Maybe in their lifetime, doctors would find a way to fix Malus fully. Or at least somewhat. So the kid didn't have to suffer as much as he did. He snorted. 

"Yeah, no, that's never happening." The look in his eyes was a little sad as he debated what to let the younger kid know about his life. "I don't have a lot ahead of me. I'm lucky about this." He made a gesture to the surrounding room, referring to Newton's. "All happened. No matter how bad it is. Otherwise, I'd still be trapped in my room at home, occasionally going out to help when they needed me." He chuckled like it was meant to be some kind of joke. The laughter didn't fully reach his eyes. His body was kind of slumped, not holding the same life it did moments before. Barric looked sad while talking about his life before Newton's.

"I don't really want to either. I hope you don't have to." He murmured, cracking his fingers. Barric didn't want to be a downer, but he didn't have much good to say in the moment. So he just sat quietly while Malus explained everything to him. Only occasionally nodding and cracking his fingers. "I doubt you're as much as a monster as you think you are. You're 15 years old, not some mad scientist purposefully fucking up people's lives." Malus was just a product of something he couldn't control. Like a lot of kids here.

Barric guessed that's why they got along so well. They understood each other, or at least Malus understood Barric. Even if it was only a little bit.
Sean
Malus had no idea what went in Barric's life other than knowing it must be boring. Living in a middle of no where with just parents sounds a little unhealthy. There's no way to grow with having this generational mentality that may pass on negative or positive traits. He somewhat get the look that Barric is making which made crueak his head into a tilt. Something about that laughter didn't match the expression in his eyes.

Then it was his turn to make a small sad smile as his light gray eyes become dull. Gray and gloomy as a solemn storm cloud from a far off distance. When it comes to Abigail, his mother, she would take him out to do errands for her. Some of which is getting his hands dirtied with crime that he never wanted to do. A lot of it was being a tool to be sent out to pay someone back who disrespects the woman. He remember staying with one of her thuggish friends while she went out taking care of some underworld business. It wasn't so bad being along with a stranger. He was mostly ignored or taken out to get ice cream, play poker or watch boring baseball game on TV.

*"I don't do experiments on people like one? Use to get into a lot of fights in high school where kids call me Cut Throat. It's a big mess there. Some of them were quite racist toward me. It's a very white school where it runs on some system that the popular kids made up. Did got along with some students but there's no friendship in it."* The bot read the text massage.

This is when one of the staffs arrived with a white plastic bag of the chinese food. There was formality from Malus and the worker before the take-out meal was left on the table. It didn't take the young kid to quickly set it up, making sure Barric get his simple chow mein and spare ribs. Malus was already digging into his wanton soup like he hadn't eaten in a decade. He had to be careful to swallow after chewing the food.
Velva
Barric seemed to snap out of his trance after a moment. Still, the realization of everything at home not being normal seemed to be hitting him like a truck. His mother was always strange to him. She seemed to think Barric was her only friend besides his father. Constantly hovering over his shoulder, keeping him in the house as much as possible, pulling him out of his room just to talk to her or hangout with her in some shape or form. He'd never seen her with friends her age. It made him sad to think about that a woman her age had to rely on her son as a friend. 

But then he thought deeper about her actions. He was honestly thought someone was hunting him down after she had read Newton's letter to them. The way she kicked, screamed, threw things and so much more. Then eerily quietness followed after where she just seemed to sit in her room and cry for the next few days. It seemed over the top. Like a toddler throwing a tantrum. Had Malus' mother acted like that? Had Akvile's or Ares or the other kids he saw wandering the halls? Or was it just him?

He chewed on the inside of his mouth, suddenly deep in his thoughts again. The familiar sound of the bot reading out one of Malus' messages drew him out of the hole he had dug in his mind. Barric glanced up as the bot read that message. "That's..." Horrible? Atrocious? Rude? There were a lot of words he could use there. He swallowed, opening his mouth to speak again. "Terrible. Maybe I'm lucky I never got to experience highschool. I don't think I would survive something like that." Everything he learned about Malus seemed to get sadder and sadder. He felt bad for the kid. Maybe his mother and her temper tantrums weren't the worst thing that could've happened to him. Barric should consider himself lucky compared to Malus. The staff member poking their head in the room and handing off the food to Malus seemed to not draw Barric away from the hole he had crawled back in.

The food sitting in front of him was ignored for a few minutes before Barric seemed to finally notice it. He blinked, tilting his head, staring at the items in front of him. "What are these?" He blurted out of nowhere, his pointer finger pointing at the items in front of him. He honestly couldn't remember ever seeing either item before and he'd at least like to know what he's eating. They both held a foreign look at the southern boy. At least one of the items didn't hold the same yellowish color he had seen on the menu that Malus had shown him.
Sean
Malus was busy shoveling food into his mouth with the bowl tilted, devouring the wanton soup before gradually slowing down. He had to chew the larger pieces of vegetables slowly so he can swallow it better.

He used his right hand with the golden bracelet to push the food toward him. There was a serious glint in his light gray eyes, like a demanding look that he wanted Barric to eat.

There is an old cultural way that stuck on him from his grandmother's side where she taught him some old traditions. It's rather rude to not accept a gift, especially food, from a relative or good friend. It's not often in those times to be receiving gifts with meaning behind it. 

There was a historic and serious aura surrounding Malus as he slowly pushed the box of food in front of Barric . An expression saying,**"EEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAT IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTT!!!!!!"**

This was for the best for the farmer kid to break away from the restraints that his mother put on him. It's about time to enjoy this freedom while they can. Barric made him steal a cow on a misadventure that he'd never wanted to participate in. 

*"Chow Mein and Spare Ribs. There's a fortune cookie, break it to get a piece of paper that tells you your fortune. It's a gimmick."*
Velva
"Fortune cookie?" He had heard of them before. Just never seen one in real life before. His hand reached over the table, swiping one of the two fortune cookies up from beside Malus. He held it for a moment, not opening the plastic and examining it. Another yellow food. What was with all the yellow foods he had been offered today? It was getting strange at this point. 

Barric eyed the food for a moment before awkwardly picking up the sticks they had provided that he assumed he was meant to eat the food with. He reached over, pulling the ribs towards himself and opening the container. His fingers seemed to have trouble holding on to the chopsticks, clearly not used to them. He attempted to pick up one of the spare ribs by what he assumed to be the bone. It was the most familiar of the two items, and he hated to admit he was a little scared of not liking the other item Malus had chosen for him. 

Barric brought it to his mouth, tearing into it. He chewed on it, debating on the taste. It wasn't gross; it was just different. He dropped the rib back into the container by accident. "Shit." He murmured, trying to pick it up it back up. Maybe he wasn't supposed to use the chopsticks for these. Well, he already committed, he decided. Barric tried to pick up the rib again, but he seemed to only have luck for the first time. The rib slipped from the chopsticks in each attempt he had to pick it up.

He stared at it, a slightly sad look in his eyes. "Why can't I pick it up?" He dove in, attempting to pick up the item again. "Why do they need to make it so hard?" There was a kind of sad tone in his voice as the item fell from the grasp of the chopsticks.
Sean
"Chop sticks are traditional utensils that symbolize culture and other stuff in china and other parts of Asia. There's a pack of fork, spoon and butter knife in the plastic bag. If you like, you can eat the spare ribs with your hand. The pack of dark liquid is soya sauce that you spread over the noodles." The bot read the text in the background.

Malus was already back to picking at his wanton soup, eating it more calmly now after he got something in his stomach. He now knows how sheltered Barric is after the look he had when trying to eat a foreign meal. That was the same look that his youngest brother had when he first time going to a Chinese restaurant trying to use chopsticks when he was nine.

"There's a tiny packages of salt and pepper. Forgot to mentioned. I'm rather surprised that you were not brought out to a restaurant. You're probably the first kid I met so far who hadn't went to one." Thinking about this was also reminding him that he needs to go hunt later for vitality...,....
Velva
"Cool. But why is it so damn hard to eat with them?" He attempted to pick up the piece of meat again watching as it flipped back into the container ignoring Malus's suggestion of eating the ribs with his hands. He was getting frustrated with this. "Did they give us forks or something?" Barric didn't like how much trouble he had to go through to just eat the damn ribs. Screw it. He dropped the chopsticks onto the table and just grabbed one of the ribs with his hand tearing into it. A lot more aggressively than he meant to. He chewed on his silently for a moment just holding onto the rib. After a moment he looked up at Malus and swallowed opening his mouth to speak. "Shouldn't have to work so hard to eat." He murmured before dropping the unfinished rib back into the container. The sauce now dripping from his hands. Barric swiped up a few of the napkins wiping off his hand. Barric let out a grunt of acknowledgement to the salt and pepper comment.

Once he finished cleaning his hand, he looked back up, trying to figure out how to inform Malus he didn't go to a lot of places. "I didn't go anywhere. We never did. My ma always cooked, my grandma before she passed always went to the grocery store alone, then my dad took over and my dad ordered most of our supplies online. Ever heard of Tractor Supply?" He asked out of nowhere. Barric didn't seem to wait for Malus to answer before talking again. "I went there a handful of times with my dad. I think that was the only time I ever been off the farm, besides for auctions and a few fairs. Even then I just stayed with my ma the entire time." He put down the left over napkins, tossing the used one in the trashcan next to Malus' bed. "My ma had to be going for me to be allowed to attend. But once I was like 12 or 13, I stopped being allowed to go cause I was old enough to not do stupid shit while they were gone."

His drawl seemed to come out as his speech slowed talking about home. It wasn't that he was hesitant about telling Malus all this more, so he could just imagine what his mom would have to say about all this. "I got a lot more freedom when my pops was alive. But you know old men die one way or another so that all stopped once I was 6 or something. Surprised I even remember all that." That was the first time he had mentioned his grandfather to anyone at Newton's. He didn't have a lot of memories of the man. Just a few vague ones he remembers, so it's was kind of hard to talk about a man Barric felt like he barely knew. Or maybe it was just easier not acknowledging his existence in Barric's life nowadays.
Sean
Malus slowly stops eating as he glances up at Barric who was savagely devouring the food like a heathen. The best thing he could do is let him eat since he pressured him to eat Chinese food. He did forget a bit about that side with Barric having that rough edge. 

He doesn't say anything as he focuses on his own meal, now wondering what other things they can do later after he's better. How Barric was brought up had stunted his growth as a person for just living with his clingy mom. 

The empty bowl remained in his hands while he listened to the farmer kid talk. It must have really sucked being kept captive at a dingy farm with a weird mom. He was a little embarrassed to be talking about his grandmother who tries to live like the old traditions. Preserving the culture through her grandchildren. For some reason she favored him more out of the rest of his siblings. Malus could have easily guessed why. 

He wasn't all that too close with his grandfather. It was like he was following a leader taking up knowledge to take after his role. So it left him unable to really relate to Barric since his old man is still alive and kicking while working at the cemetery. 

And wow.

Malus didn't expect to feel so sorry for the farmer kid. They really need to live a life that they deserve better than what they had in the boonies. Way better. And so he decided to bring this up to try to loosen up the dismal mood.

*"I am sorry that you didn't get to go out much. We should do something after they release me from this infirmary. I heard there's a petstore downtown. Maybe if we make more friends we could go visit the swimming pool or a pizza parlor?"*
Velva
"Pet store? Why go there? There's a ton of farms round here that we can find plenty of animals at. And the cow you haven't visited yet." He mumbled the last part, a little bit of sass in his tone but still clearly joking. Barric took another rib, eating it in the same manner he had the first. The chopsticks annoyed him, so he avoided the devil's personal utensils till he calmed down a bit. If he dropped a piece of rib one more time, they'd likely end in pieces at his hands. "I can't swim either." He grumbled unhappily with his mouth partially full of rib. Swimming seemed like something everyone knew how to do but Barric. But there were a lot of things people knew how to do that Barric seemed to fall behind in and honestly, swimming didn't seem like the most interesting thing to the farmer kid. 

Pizza didn't either. But he guessed he wouldn't mind going if Malus really wanted to do that type of thing. "If you wanna go to a restaurant or something, we can. We don't need more friends to do something like that. Unless there's like some rule that we are not allowed to go somewhere unless we have multiple friends." He joked after swallowing the piece of rib. He was absent mildly chewing away at the food. Quietly munching his way through the container. Once he got past his original weariness, the food wasn't terrible. It wasn't the type of food he normally enjoyed, but it wasn't the worse thing in the world. Barric put the plastic lid over the top of the now empty container of ribs. It's as if he had inhaled the entire thing with how fast they disappeared.

"A pet store could be fun. Sounds like something I'd enjoy." He doesn't really know what all they carry at a pet store. Well, most likely things for your pets, but he was more curious about the animals they had and if they would sell him anything he could use for his new cow. Maybe they had a tub that he could as a water bowl for her. The one he had bought felt too small for a cow of her size.
Sean
Malus finds Barric to be a bit of a tough one to crack. That mindset may not get him very far for having a more fulfilling life. How they've become friends remains a mystery for the universe to know. 

*"Well ... .As for the pet store, it's to make up for not visiting that cow. We could find something to make her life a little more comfortable. There's also other, newer creatures to look at other than the same thing that you're used to. It is quite a shame that you can't swim so that crosses it out. Restaurants sound okay with you then I am fine with it as well. "* Bot read before pausing for a second before saying,*"I guess if I were to drown, I suppose you can't save me but watch me become fish food."*

Malus cracks open his fortune cookie with the paper inside saying,*"Learn From Your Mistakes. Try Not To Make Them Again."*

The time the two boys hung out at the infirmary lasted until visiting hours were over. What else will these misfits get into?

**Until Next Time in Newton Cradle!!!!!!**