Therese
For a couple days Malus remained hidden in his room to regain his energy after the cow incident. He completed his homework online while he stayed bedridden. His asthma wasn't happy about him inhaling pollen in the forest that day.

It was already approaching 6:30 p.M when he decided that he'll pay the Swedish cemetery a visit. Staying cooped up indoors was beginning to feel stifling. So he put on his usual outside clothes; Grave Crew hat, dark jacket, white T-shirt, jeans and new steel toed boots. This time he won't be taking his shovel with him due to not wanting to look like a graverobber.

Luckily, he didn't tell Barric where his dorm is located or else he might get dragged out into the boonies to see the cow. He meekly stuck his head out from his door to glance to the left and right before he quickly stepped out to lock his door.

Next he walks briskly down the hallway straightening his jacket like a confident punk. It looks like he is going out doing something at this approaching late hour. The school is aware that it's just in his blood to be near graves or sites enveloped with death.
Daniel
Barric had been trying to track down Malus ever since the cow incident. He felt as if the other boy had been avoiding him for a while, which seemed understandable. After lying to the boy and scaring him half to death with his new pet, he honestly felt really bad. He sat on it for a day and now spent most of his time hunting down the kid. But based on his apparent absence from the entire building, Barric just had a feeling that the boy was hiding out in his dorm room. Which just made him feel worse that the kid felt like he had to hide in his dorm room just to get away from him. He'd tried to find his dorm room, but with what felt like thousands that felt next to impossible. So Barric just resorted to wondering the halls at night a sorry gift clutched in his hand. 

He wasn't sure all of what Malus liked, so he just wandered store to store one day while picking up feed for the cow trying to find things he liked. It came to a small cluster of items: some weird crystals, a bunch of honey sticks, a water bottle that he thought looked cool, a small mouse plushie and a small apology letter. All stuffed into a tiny gift bag. Okay, he wasn't the best at gift giving, but he tried. He wasn't used to upset people and after upsetting his only friend, he couldn't help but hang onto it for a while and try to mend it. 

So here he was, the third night in a row, wandering the halls, trying to find Malus. He ran his fingers along the walls, listening to the vibrations that bounced off the walls throughout the building. There were so many people here, but knowing Malus' general size kind of helped, it seemed. Barric pulled his hand off the wall after finding someone who was at least a similar size to Malus. He sped walked through the halls, not so silently, his boots pounding against the ground. As he turned the corner, he spotted a darkly dressed figure locking a door to the dorm. He stood still for a moment in the middle of the hall, completely still staring at the figure.

Barric didn't want to randomly approach someone he didn't know.

As soon as the figure turned and he caught a sight that it was Malus, he called out. "Malus!" He hollered out and brought up his hand, waving at him. Barric quickly sprinted up to the boy, stopping right in front of him. Without letting Malus get a word in, he began speaking. "Hi so." He stated, staring at Malus dead in the face. "I felt bad for scaring you so bad with the cow thing and lying to you and bringing you along to commit a crime and.." Was there anything else he was meant to be sorry for? "I don't remember if there's anything else, honestly. But I'm sorry and I got you this." He held out the bag, waiting for Malus to take it from him.
Therese
It happened fast.

The first reaction from Malus was to erratically flail his arms in front of himself as he steps backwards by a few feet. He was already shielding his head with his arms as he was going to get ambushed. Upon hearing Barric's voice descend over him, Malus pry one eye open to see that it's the same farmer kid. While listening over his own hammering heart, he understood that this was a way for Barric to apologize to him.

What happened made him upset through the whole day but half of it just drained a lot of his energy. Half way through the woods dealing with the cow had made him exhausted. He just needed a lot of time to recover due to his health difficulties.

His arms lowers from his face as he fetches his cellphone to begin texting. Same old bot from before begins to speak on his behalf. *"I would like to apologize, too. I haven't felt well after spending that much exertion that day. It really made me feel sick and exhausted so I mainly spent my time recovering."*

Malus didn't assume that the gifts were for him since he thought they were Barric's belongings. Then now seeing it being held out in front of him, he was very taken back by the gesture.

"Uh...?" His voice sounded like a questionable grunt. 

His hand reached out sheepishly before hesitating and finally taking the gift bag. "O-oh... Thank you.." Malus said, his voice sounded as velvet and smooth as silk. It was difficult to hear him in the hallway full of kids passing by.
Daniel
Barric held his hand out for a moment longer, listening to the bot. "No, no, it's okay. I shouldn't have scared you like that. So I got you all that. I don't know what you like, so I just got things that seemed like they would interest you or, I guess, just reminded me of you, sorta?" The last part was said more like a question. 

The rocks mostly reminded him of Malus with the dark purple, blue and black each of them were, respectively. The mouse just felt nice, and he figured Malus would like the texture. The other two he really didn't have an explanation for, he just figured Malus seemed like the type to like. 

"I guess it's also a kind of I'm glad you're feeling better gift!" Barric exclaimed excitedly. "Go ahead, open it." He urged, hoping Malus would like the items he had gotten him. 

He was kind of glad that he had caught Malus outside of his dorm room, so after he opened the gift, he could leave the items in his room. "Your welcome." He murmured, a grin growing on his face.
Therese
"You... R-really didn't have to.." Malus says softly, checking the contents inside the small gift bag. It placed a shade of pink on his cheeks, unsure how to describe what he's feeling. It took him a few seconds to realize that he appreciates the gifts very much. He was glad that he wore the white mask to hide his blush from Barric. 

It felt pretty spot on how the farmer kid seemed to have guessed what he liked. The crystals gave him a sense of home when he looked at them. The mouse had a nice texture but it gave him a memory of how he just sucked the life out of these poor creatures. Even the water bottle was an interesting gift because he always carries one in person.

Those honey sticks though...

He gave Barric a gesture for him to wait as he went back into his dark ,spooky room where he placed the gift bag beside the black cat and old teddy bear on his desk. Then he shifted up his white mask high enough for his mouth to be exposed. His hand dug in the little bag to pull out the honey stick to take one big hungry bite.

Crunch!

As he is leaving his room, Malus has his cellphone in his hands while typing with the screen's glow on his white mask. Sticking from his mouth was the honey stick. 

*"Thank you for the gifts, they're lovely."* The bot read his text message. *"How did you know that I like honey?"*

And he shuts the door behind himself as he continues to text with his free hand. *"I'm going to be heading to the cemetery to visit there. Might be back late so I let the staff know where I am going and when I should be back. I'm kind of nocturnal but I had to force myself to stay up during the day back home. Kind of trying to fix my sleep schedule."*
Daniel
He watched closely, trying to gage the thoughts about the gifts. Of course, he couldn't tell if Malus liked any of them or not. Probably wouldn't be able to without the mask either. It was a little bit annoying. He silently hoped they weren't a waste of money and he actually hated every single one. He nodded quietly, watching the kid unlock the door and enter the room. He leaned against the wall, staring at the partially opened door. He closed his eyes, humming a bit and tapping to the rhythm of the tune on his arm. His eyes shot open as Malus exited the room a few moments after. Barric smiled a little, seeing the honey stick hang out of the younger boy's mouth. He listened to the bot, letting out a hum in acknowledgment before answering. "I didn't. Just seemed like something you'd like." He admitted sheepishly. "I hope you do actually enjoy all those things. I wasn't sure what you'd want, so I just got a range of things."

Honey was never something he found super interesting, but seeing it in the store, he just figured it wouldn't hurt to try to give it to Malus. If he didn't like it, he didn't like it. "Is honey actually that good?" Barric asked with a tilted head. "I honestly haven't eaten it much now that I think about it." He placed his hand on the wall, pushing himself off of it while listening to the second message. "You want company or something? I don't think they'll really notice if I'm gone. I'm usually just sitting in my room at this point doing nothing and even if a cemetery is a bit creepy, it's better than just sitting by myself all night." Barric murmured the last part, trying to make it so Malus couldn't fully hear him. He didn't want to accidentally guilt the kid into taking him.
Therese
*"I actually love honey, it's so sweet and natural,"* Malus murmured, his voice still unnaturally soft. He could speak a little more from the treat to help his throat from becoming irritated.

The last bit of what Barric said... Guilt tripped Malus into bringing the goober along with him. Of course, he let the others know in case the farmer boy went missing. In a way, the young kid feared that the staff would assume that he took Barric out to get his life drained dry.

**Time skip.**

*If there were a background song playing, it would have been a playlist of Tim Burton Music.*

Now standing outside the cemetery gate was the odd duo. Malus looked at the padlocks and chains as he approached them. Pulling out makeshift picks made from clips and a needle, he begins unlocking them so Barric doesn't impale himself from climbing the fence. It's one of those iron wrought barricades with pointed arrowheads jotting upward from it. 

The padlock snapped open as its binding chains loosened from the gate. "After you.." Malus said in a hushed tone. He waits for Barric to pass through the threshold before he closes the gate behind them.

The Swedish cemetery was oddly cleaned up, organized with little candles lit by some tombstones with a lot of flower arrangement. Standing amongst the graves are towering trees reaching out toward the approaching moon. 

Occasionally there are a few hoots from owls, crows cawing and crickets chirping in the background of the large cemetery. Malus was already feeling right at home being in this location.
Daniel
Barric nodded, making a mental note of the little comment from the other boy. He could use it if he ever got the date of the boy's birthday. It'd be good information about what to get him. 

**Time Skip** 

Barric stared at the tall gate in front of them. It looked like something out of some cheesy horror movie. The gate looking as if they were about to enter Dracula's tower. The gate was trapped closed by a mix of different chains and padlocks. "How do we.." The question was cut off by Malus pulling out a lock pick. "Do you just carry that around?" It was a strange item to just have, and it made the farmer question if Malus was supposed to be here. If *They* Were supposed to be here. But really, at the moment, Barric couldn't say anything because of what he had looped Malus into a few days ago. He guessed he owed Malus his own night of breaking and entering. Even if Malus seemed a lot stranger than him. 

Barric watched as the padlock fall under Malus's fingers. The gate swung open with a soft push from the darkly dressed kid. The after you were said in such a hushed scratchy tone, Barric almost missed it. "Uh okay." He muttered, stepping into the cemetery. It wasn't as creepy as most would assume. Just very quiet. It was almost nice. He listened to the hoots from the owls before attempting to mimic one. Barric turned around, looking at Malus with a grin on his face. "You think it will think I'm one of them?" He joked, beginning to walk backwards in the cemetery. He chuckled, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. 

He seemed severely underdressed for the event. Wearing a white tank top, flannel and jeans. The only park of his outfit that seemed to fit the event was his boots. Barric kept walking backwards, only taking a glance back to make sure he didn't trip over a grave watching for whenever Malus decided to stop.
Therese
Malus neatly set the chains looped around the metal bar with the padlock partially hanging from the link. He'll lock it right back up later after visiting the cemetery for an hour or two before going back to Newton's Cradle.

He looked out at the rest of the cemetery with appreciation that it is well kept. The care put into this place was in far better conditions than most other countries. The attempted hoots from Barric drew his attention away from the scenery.

"Perhaps..?" Malus said, his voice slightly cracked. 

On his way down the cobbled path there was a sight of him doing volunteer work. Picking up a fallen vase and placing its flowers back inside of it. Then he sets the flower vase next to the headstone before brushing the dead leaves from it. 

He seems to be putting in a lot of care as he looks over the rest of the headstones, not paying too much attention to Barric skimping off. 

When he did turn to see where his friend went off to, Malus raised his hand for the other to pause with his hand raised up in a "Stop" Motion. Then he gestures for the farmer kid to approach him. *"You... N-need to watch out... For grave pits..*" Malus said, his voice making a static sound. It was soft but it sounded like a glitch. His steps were a bit quick as he gently took Barric's arm to lead him away from the dark hole.

The pit appeared camouflage by the shadows which made it look like it's not a hole in the ground. *"There's supposed to be... Cones and tape closing this off..." Malus whispered, his tone gave a static sound. Now digging into his backpack to fish out a flashlight, he flicked it on to shine it into the dark hole. It appeared to have been dug out yesterday. There were a few orange cones scattered inside with a warning sign. 

-

*"Please hold this..."* Malus said, handing the torch into Barric's hands. Then he hops right in to land perfectly on his feet with a loud *"Thrumpth"* Sound. He toss up the orange cones out of the hole, making sure not to hit the farmer kid.

It looks easy how Malus just scrambled out of the hole by lifting himself out. Then he begins setting the orange cones before placing the warning sign. After taking a look over his quick work, he gestured for Barric to follow him. 

*"You know... Sometimes... I...Wished... That... I can talk normally... Like others.."* Malus said quietly, his voice glitching. It was almost close to that of a radio when it was static. He placed his hand over the nasty scar slashed across his throat.* "There's... G-good days... When I can... Speak... A little.."* The young kid pushed his mask around in an angle where it sits on the side of his hat. His light gray eyes are half closed, giving him a sleepy look. Half his face is mostly masked by the collar of his jacket, only revealing the upper half of his face. He was most definitely looking up at the twinkling stars above in admiration, not paying attention to Barric for that moment.
Daniel
"I am." Barric didn't fight as the kid dragged him away from the pit. Looking back at the pit, he took note of the missing cones and stuff that Malus had mentioned. Barric peered into the hole, spotting the items. "Those look important." He murmured as he took the flashlight from Malus, continuing to shine it into the hole. The boy side stepped slightly to avoid the cones and such being thrown out of the hole. Malus' care for the graves was kind of admirable, especially considering he knew none of these people. He shone the light slightly towards the items as Malus began making his way out of the hole. Finally, once the kid pulled himself up, Barric moved the light away from the dugout grave. He flashed it across the graveyard, looking for anything of interest. It helped expand his vision further than usual in such a dark light, but not by much. 

He flashed the light back towards Malus as he heard the scratchy voice begin to speak again. "I wish I could too sometimes. I sound a little dumb with my accent, don't I?" He chuckled quietly. It wasn't on the same level as Malus, but he understood sorta what the kid meant. "Not the same thing you're going through, but everyone wishes they could change something about themselves." Barric murmured, scratching his nose with the handle of the flashlight. It was his way of trying to comfort Malus, even if he didn't fully know what he was going through. "I don't know what it's like to not fully speak your mind. Well, I kinda do. Let me rephrase." He paused his talking, trying to think. "I don't know what it's like to not fully be able to speak." He subconsciously made a gesture towards his throat. "But I get wanting to be like everyone else or sharing a trait you don't have with them." Barric drops his hand after realizing what he's subconsciously doing.

He glances up to see what Malus is staring up. Barric stops for a moment in his tracks, staring up at the stars. It was a lot clearer than the past few nights, allowing for the stars to be pretty much fully visible. The stars littered the sky like bright pieces of glitter and seemed like someone had decorated the sky with thousands more than normally. "It's very bright tonight." He murmured, staring at the moon a bit. Barric looked back over to Malus, waiting for the boy to move on.
Therese
He listened as Barric rambled on as he did his best to comfort. No one in this whole world is made equal, that's as much Malus understood and came to acceptance that he's born flawed. As Barric is rambled on, Malus had his phone out to text up a reply. *"You don't sound dumb."*

That's the reply that Mal could give him. His throat was itching after using his voice so much, it was beginning to hurt. Popping a cough drop into his mouth, Mal continue forward ignoring a few bats fluttering above them. He grown use to the nocturnal creatures that lurked in the cemetery.

Malus wandered over to a wooden bench where he takes a seat. Rummaging in his backpack for a thermos containing hot cocoa. Then he took out two cups he borrowed from the kitchen. And he begin making a quick text for Barric. *"Do you want some cocoa? It's going to be getting colder soon. Sooo, got anything that you would want to talk about?"*
Daniel
Barric grinned, another chuckle being drawn from his chest. "I do. Just a little." He swiped at the bottom of his nose. He watched as the boy found his way to a wooden bench Barric followed, taking the spot right next to Malus. He sat the flashlight down between him, slinging his arm over the back of the bench. 

"Hm?" Barric asked, not fully hearing the boy. After spotting the cups in Malus's hands, he made an oh face. "Uh yeah sure." He murmured, taking the cup from Malus. He didn't have much to talk about. 

"I don't know, honestly. You wanna have a little therapy session or something? I'm sure the ghosts would appreciate it." He joked, letting a little laugh. Barric took a sip of the coco before continuing to speak.

"I mean, you wanna talk about what happened at IKEA or whatever? I don't fully understand what happened myself honestly thinking about it. It all happened kinda fast." He murmured, taking a sip again. "Like, why the hell do you have fucking wood hounds in a furniture store?" He tapped his fingers against the wood, leaning his head back. 

"Also, it was kind of stupid. I had to go to the infirmary for such a small injury." He huffed, rolling his neck over to stare at Malus. "What do you think about the whole situation?"
Therese
The sweet chocolate aroma spilled out into the air in the form of a pale mist from their cups. Malus was enjoying the warm drink, listening to Barric rambling on about the Ikea store. 

It made him think on it for a bit before he used his one hand to nimbly text out a reply about his thoughts on it. *"I think there is some propaganda happening there by someone puppeteering the hounds behind a curtain. It wouldn't be surprising that there are other parahumans running business in an underground, supernatural world. All hidden from the normal human eye. Why they let the dogs out to chase their customers could have been a hunting ground. Maybe a place of some game show or sick bet? Our teacher, Pernilla, did say that we shouldn't have been involved in it. So I am not sure about the details since it wasn't investigated. Even if we were to say that we did go back to look, I am not sure if the mystery there will stay in one place. For all I know, it could have moved on to the next Ikea store."*

Those were Mal's speculation about the Ikea Store. Only theories that he sprung up during a short time while recovering from the incident. 

He takes some sips from his hot cocoa while the bot reads his text. It was a calm, pleasant moment where he could just sit down and not worry so much. 

Right now, Malus is surely feeling ravenous for something. Unsure whether it's for solid food or a life force, he is starting to see Barric like a meal. Then he shakes off the hunger before downing a bit more of his drink to try keep his mind busy.
Daniel
He watched Malus type out some sort of response on his phone. Barric peeked over his shoulder a bit, trying to see what he was typing, but reeled back after a moment, deciding it was easier to just wait for the message. He hummed along to the message, agreeing. "Well, it's a shitty thing to do, no matter what it is. I don't like how these teachers are acting either, honestly." Barric continued placing down the cup to crack his neck a bit. 

"They keep acting like they're guilty of something. As if they're always lying to us." He picked up the cup, taking another drink of the coco. "I may not be the best socially or that smart, but I've seen how people act when they haven't committed some type of sin against another person. Those teachers act like they're hiding something and I really don't like it." He murmured, scratching the side of his face. "Or maybe that's just my dislike for all of them speaking. They all just seem strange to me." He laughed at the joke, continuing to scratch at his face. 

"You like any of them? Pernilla's okay to me. But I just don't like her cause of that meeting I had to have when I get here." He just felt as if they were all hiding something from them. Maybe that was just something the teacher had to do, but he didn't like having things hidden from him. Even if it might be for his own safety or some bullshit. "It might just be me. But everyone I've met refers to Newton's as a prison or something with that type of descriptor, so it could also just be a common thought with everyone and I'm just late to the party or something." He placed the now empty cup next to Malus' leg so he could take it whenever he wanted.
Therese
Malus listened while he typed quietly on his cellphone to prep to reply back to Barric. Occasionally taking sips of his drink, fighting back the need to drain his friend's life essence. Those little bugs at school felt like it wasn't enough. It was like eating one rice grain at a time. Sitting next to him felt like being next to a neon-light that spelled,"Dinner," That is radiating so much life. 

He poured himself a second cup of hot cocoa, trying to distract himself from wanting to drain Barric's life essence. This hunger can be felt everywhere. It wasn't just his stomach that felt crunched into a ball, his entire being felt dry.

*"It's no surprise that the facility is designed to handle kids that are showing supernatural abilities. The government is no doubt in this to keep some control over its more "Unique" Citizens. It's for the safety of its people and the person who needs special help. Many of the students have to go to court before being transferred into Newton Cradle. It's a rehabilitation to help the youth pave a path for themselves on how to cope with their problems and how to control themselves better. The school is like a prison with its curfew, cameras and security guards keeping an eye on the place. There's a hundred or more students with powers that need to be in check.*"

He had to take another drink before he made another text message for the bot to read out loud for Barric. *"If there's Newton Cradle that exists. I fear that there are other evil organizations out there collecting parahumans to be used as tools. We're in their protection to try to steer clear from other trouble. I am well aware that there is secrecy at the school. There are always going to be other kids trying to theorize, uncover those said secrets and get into trouble"* 

Malus was typing before he paused for a minute and then suddenly deleted the message. And he quickly types up a new text before having the bot reading it.

*"Newton Cradle would place a dangerous parahuman in a true prison where they keep them locked up, especially displaying powers that are too destructive. A person that even the school itself can't handle would put them in a more restrictive lock-down. The kids would think the school is a prison? Wait until one of them makes a terrible mistake and get themselves in a real slammer."*
Daniel
Barric listened to the messages quietly. He didn't fully have an opinion on it. "I don't like being watched." He finally said out of the blue. He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. "The cameras and all that jazz. It just weirds me out. Feel like I'm being watched no matter where I am." 

He wasn't used to be surrounded by so much security. Barric never had anywhere to go back home, so he never had a curfew. He'd always just come back inside before it got too dark. But now, with such a strict curfew, he struggled. It was like going from an open field to being tied down with a restrictive leash. "The curfew too don't get me started on it." He scoffed, furrowing his brows. Barric finally pushed himself back up, straightening his back. "I think it was just because of how I got to live back home, but everything feels a lot more restrictive now. Like I can't do a lot of the things I did back home and I kinda get it. This isn't home, but you know." He murmured.

"Yeah. I guess I wouldn't go as far as calling it a prison. Cause like you said, there are probably places doing much worse. But Newton's has its issues too. I can feel it. Just from everything that's happened. The fake world, the AI person, the Ikea hounds, everything. All of it just irks me." Malus wasn't around for most of those and it seemed like Barric wouldn't offer an explanation on most of the events mentioned, choosing to instead continue talking.

Barric tapped his fingers, trying to figure out something else to talk about. He had quickly grown bored with sharing conspiracy theories with Malus about Newton's. Barric honestly was more curious about Malus right now. "You know, you never fully told me what ended you up at Newton's. Your powers and stuff, I mean. I haven't told you everything yet." Barric grinned, staring at Malus. "But you can probably guess what the third thing is if you know anything about scorpions." He continued on, practically skipping over the weird hint like comment. "I assume it has something to do with the shadows from what happened at IKEA. But also it seems pretty limiting on what it could be if it's just involving shadows and not something else. So what is it?" He tilted his head further towards Malus, his toothy grin much more obvious now. Barric coughed a little out before adding on a quick, "Of course you don't have to talk about it."
Therese
Malus looked up at the stars again in thought, now half-listening to Barric about the typical teen angst about Newton's Cradle.

To him it was almost a breath of fresh air away from his abusive household. The only person that he'd miss there is his dad, who would often work hard far from home but always come back happy to see him. 

His hands worked on their own typing on the screen to answer Barric. *"Scorpions rub their legs together to communicate like crickets? Aaaand some species of scorpions get eaten by females for reproductive energy after they do the promenade a' deux dance? Yeah, it was a weird biology topic in class."*

Malus was mostly teasing Barric with this information that he did learn.

He was chugging down a cup of warm cocoa at this point, still trying to sate his thirst for draining life from a living creature. Then when he goes to pour himself another cup, he notices it is empty.

*"Dang..."* Malus thought, turning the thermos upside down to shake it to get only nothing from it. This was time for him to put stuff away before he goes back to texting.

*"It does a little more than just hiding in shadows. Most of it has to do with my anatomy that makes me transform into a small creature, which can do shadow surfing or just hide in it. It's nothing too flashy or amazing."* The bot explained it to him. It was a little difficult to know where he should start explaining how he got into Newton Cradle. He doesn't know Barric all well yet to be giving him anything too juicy. So he is going to do his best with the basics. His arms are wrapped around his backpack for comfort and help sustain warmth while he texts.

*"Well, I'll start with my grandfather not being able to help train me. I have similar shadow abilities but the other stuff was... Not in his field. My dad didn't want to let me go but I kept sinking in the shadows. It was so scary at first when I disappeared. It happened fast. I felt a flash of pain before falling into a shadow in front of my dad. It was like falling into deep, dark water. My grandfather had to reach in and pull me out. This is when the old man told my dad about Newton Cradle where I could get special help. Since there was a lot going on with me to a point that another parahuman in my family... Just couldn't help me."*

Malus felt heat building up in his cheeks as he sort of hid half his face behind his backpack. The glow of the screen made his eyes seem to glow silver. *"It's rather hard to talk about my other ability that is health related. Pernilla was surprised that it wasn't listed in my records, I don't think what they're doing is helping much. And I'm afraid they'll put me away if they find out that it's not helping. The other one I am not sure about, yet. Think my abilities may still be developing."* 

He looks much smaller, frailer and insecure when he talks a bit about himself.
Daniel
Barric snorted at the teasing. "Yeah, I rub my legs together and a bunch of scorpions appear." He joked. To drive the point home, he wrapped one leg over top the other and began rubbing the back of his calf against his shin. After a moment, he stops and looks at Malus. "They don't like me anymore." He snorted before unwrapping his legs. 

"Would you prefer I get consumed by a bunch of female scorpions?" At this point, he couldn't help but shoot a ton of jokes about Malus' unserious guesses. "Seriously, though, I have essentially little teeth all over my hands and feet. I sense vibrations and I can feel like the size of the thing I'm sensing, how far it is and a few other things. It's how I found you outside your dorm room." He adjusted himself, pulling his legs up onto the bench. He sat cris cross, looking over at Malus. "It's usually what I rely on to find certain things I can't really see," Barric murmured to himself. 

Barric listened intently to the message as it began ringing out through the graveyard. It wasn't a lot of information but enough to work off of for a conversation. "Yeah, but sometimes not having something super flashy can help you." The comment was dropped about it before moving on to the next two messages. 

Barric didn't say anything else between the messages, waiting till the end of the second one to say anything else. The message seemed way too heartfelt for the joke Barric wanted to make about his reason for being at Newton's, so he held back for now. "Well, they apparently need to know *Everything, so it was bound to get put on there, eventually. Even if you don't want it to be." The words came out in a slightly bitter tone. Like he wasn't just referring to Malus' comment about his file. "Yeah, well, maybe you just haven't been here long enough. No one's ended up dead, right? They must be doing something right. Maybe that right will help you eventually."

Barric's hand grabbed Malus' shoulder again suddenly. "They aren't going to lock you away or some shit. I'll blow a gasket if they try to." It was said in such a joking tone that the slight threat in his voice was almost completely unnoticeable. Almost. Barric stood up, stretching a bit. "I'm assuming we didn't come here to just talk, so let's do whatever you came here for." He offered a hand to Malus to help the boy up.
Therese
Malus stared at the tanned paw that Barric offered; taking it as he got up. It was a good thing that he always had gloves on. One touch would be as easy as squeezing water from a bundle of yellow, Cellulose sponges.

*"Well then, don't you be making Aries jealous now. He's meant to be the explosive kid at the school,"* The bot said, reading out the text on the phone. *"We're mainly here just to hang out at the cemetery. I don't mind walking to enjoy the quietness of this place."*

Malus lets go of the kid's hand as he looks out into the darkness. *"How far can you see with your blindsight?"* 

He was curious about Barric's scorpion ability since after he mentioned how he had similar ability to that creature. Malus can see very little in the darkness in his other form. It wasn't great but it helped him get around better in the shadows.

Then there was that itch again when he felt a sudden pulse that made him feel a little dizzy. Malus quickly steeled himself to appear normal, not wanting to worry Barric. In a way, he felt like his backstory might be too gloomy for others to know or hear about. He's trying to remain PG for the sake of others, especially his new friend, so that he doesn't frighten him away.

Walking on the cobbled path helped him feel slightly better after feeling the cold wind blew past them. Hearing the dead leaves skittering across the man made road, the hoot of an owl and crickets chirping in the grass.

*"I sort of want to show you the spot where I would hang out away from the public. It's located in the woods where there's not many graves. It's a nice spot where I just want to be alone with my thoughts."* The bot said, reading out his text message. *"Do you see the two angels over there with the rose bushes? You cut through there where you would find a hidden path that isn't too noticeable."* Malus flicks on the flashlight to show where it is. *"It's okay if you don't want to go there."*
Daniel
He pulled Malus up to his feet, letting go once the kid seemed to have his balance. "Good." He chuckled. He wasn't going to expose his dislike for the kid to Malus yet. Malus didn't need to know about all the shit he did on his first day at Newtown's. Barric gave him a look when he said this. "Barric, do you wanna go to a restaurant or something? Oh yeah, Malus, I would love to be so glad we aren't going to a cemetery for bonding time." He mocked Malus' voice in a joking tone, making gestures with his hand the entire time. "Is this what you do in your free time? I've never heard of anyone who hangs out at a cemetery in their free time?" He paused, staring at Malus for a moment. "Actually, you seem like the type to do this." With that, he turned on his heel, continuing into the cemetery. 

"How far? I honestly don't know. Never really tested it. I don't use it often since I know where everything is." He hadn't really pushed most of his powers to the limit yet. The only limit he knew so far was the limb limit, and he wasn't interested in trying to push past that. He was already so uncomfortable with having two extra limbs, he didn't need eight more.

He ran his hands through his hair, humming. "I can feel sounds with it, too. Anything that causes vibrations essentially. It sucks though when there's loud music or something playing. It overwhelms me. I couldn't wear socks for a while when it first developed cause of how sensitive it was." He laughed, shaking his head at the memories of wandering around the farm sockless. It was a fun time in his life, if you could call it. It was a fun time for him. The most intresting time he's had in a while. He nodded, looking over to the area Malus' flashlight was pointed at. Barric took a few steps onto the path hesitantly before getting a bit more confidence and walking faster into the darkness.

The walk down the path was quiet besides the sound of Barric's boots pounding against the ground. As they approached the bigger cluster of graves. He turned around, walking backwards again, ignoring Malus' warning from earlier. "What's so interesting about this place, anyway? Is it the quietness or something for you?" Barric looked around a bit, trying to find anything he thought was super interesting, but everything seemed kind of just like a basic cemetery. Barric continued walking backwards, not paying attention to the world behind him. His luck slowly ran out, it seemed, as he approached an open grave. His foot took another step back, landing on nothing, sending the farmer boy tunneling back.

He let out a loud screech as he fell backwards into the open grave. His body seemed to react before he fully did the popping and cracking of bones echoed through the cemetery. Loud tears originating from the farmer's boy skin as limbs and a tail sprung from his body. The tail shot out of the grave, embedding itself into the cold dirt, nearly landing directly on Malus' foot. Arms sprouted from his hips and chest, digging the nails into the dirt of the open grave slowly him down so he wouldn't fully face plant into the skeleton below. 

Barric was hyper ventilating hanging slightly above the skeleton. His breath was breaking the layer of dust that seemed to cover the skeleton's skull. He couldn't speak or move. He was breathing loudly, his heart practically beating out of his chest. With shaky hands, his body slowly began pulling itself out of the grave, away from the skeleton that sat below him.
Therese
Malus showed a concerned look in the dimness of the light, shining its glow onto the path while he watched Barric walk backwards.

Then he notices the farmer kid dipping backwards quickly where he just disappears into the darkness. It happened so fast, all Malus could do is let out a shocked gasp with his hand reached out. 

The sound of Barric's screech mixed with the macabre snap, crackle and pop filled the cemetery air. It caused Malus to quickly, cautiously, move over to the lip of the hole.

Down below in the pit there was Barric having his scorpion appendages clinging to the side of the dirt walls. Malus reflectively moved his foot back in time to see the huge scorpion stinger embed itself into the ground. 

He wasn't sure what to do with Barric right now after realizing that he may be putting himself in danger if he tried to help. It felt like the best thing he could do is let out a worried grunt.

When looking back at the tail it somehow was making him feel a little squeamish.

*"NOW ISN'T THE TIME TO BE NAUSEATED!"* Malus mentally scolded himself as he did at a panic pace. When he shined his flashlight over to the dirt pile, there was a shovel poking out by its handle. Then he plants the flashlight in an angel where it shines out onto the old grave. He grabs the shovel to carefully peer back into the pit.

"Bar! Grab... Hold!" Malus let out a strained voice, hurting his throat in the process. He had to force himself to speak louder. The boy made sure he lowered the spade down close enough for Barric to at least grab hold of it. It was odd how this grave was dug out further by a few feet deeper, assuming that this person in life could have been rich. From the pit there was a strong scent mixed with old decay, wood and earth that leaked out into the cold air.

A painful squeeze spiked his shoulder when Malus felt a hand squeezing it. The smell of strong cigarette, dirt and sweat had stung his nose. A dark, tall silhouette of a man towered over the masked kid holding a crowbar in one hand while the other held the boy's shoulder.

"What the fuck are you doing out here?" A gravelly voice said, sounding rather annoyed than surprised. "It looks like you both must pay the fee for trespassing." 

This wasn't the usual night watchman that Malus is familiar with. He got permission to have access here to be a volunteer to do mild-clean up if he visited at this hour. The school would have at least set it up so the workers know that he would be here. 

The man squeezed Mal's shoulder so hard that it caused him to let out a pained gasp. He didn't mean to let go of the handle when he felt himself get pulled back.

"I'll deal with you first, kid." The man had a birdish complexion with greasy, mousy brown hair that hung from his head like a mop. His nose was almost like a crooked break peeking out from a face with patchy stubble. Deep set of eyes in a dull blue shade with bags under them, almost giving him a raccoon appearance.He had a lanky build set in well-worn clothes; a thick dark jacket dressed over a red shirt, jeans and tacky oxford shoes. For his age, Malus could guess that the man must be pushing into his thirties.

The first thing that comes to mind for Malus; it's dinner time.
Daniel
A hand wrapped around the handle of the shovel. He held onto it as he dragged himself out of the grave. Barric heard the man in at the last second, his eyes peering over the side of the gate as three of the arms slammed into the dirt surrounding the grave. His boots dug into the side as he pulled himself fully out. It took him a moment to stand up fully, the extra limbs that had sprouted out of his back dragging him down a bit. His body contorted in such a strange way he was almost unrecognizable in the moonlight. The stinger yanked out of the dirt it had situated itself in moments before. As he stood up fully, he finally took notice of the man that stood behind his friend with a grip on his shoulder.

He straightened himself, rolling one of his shoulders back, staring at the man. Barric's eyes flickered between Malus and the man who had a grab on his friend. He hadn't seen the man when they came in here and the way he had grabbed onto Malus so suddenly sneaking up on both of them had already put him on edge. An arm on the back of his neck wrapped around, pushing the sweat drenched hair out of his face. He squinted his eyes, trying to see the man's face. It wasn't one he recognized, so it definitely wasn't school staff coming to hunt the two of them down for being out after curfew. He took a few steps forward, his stinger swiping near Malus's legs but not stinging the other boy.

"Hey." He murmured, his breath louder than his actual voice at the moment. "Who the hell are you?" His tail swiped around Malus's leg, debating grabbing the kid to yank away from the man. If he did that, the kid would no doubt get whiplash. Barric was leaning forward slightly, his chest heaving as he debated what to do in the situation. There was no way this man had good intentions. He eyed Malus through some hairs that had fallen back into his face. Did he have a plan?
Therese
The man's name was Tim Nissen, who was about to harass Malus to go give him whatever valuables he had. Just as he is about to threaten the rusted crowbar, he scrunches his nose to stare at the other kid. This time he looked more confused than disguised at Barric who was now standing out from the hole.

"Don't you be getting close if you don't want your fish hot," He said, his tone threatening. "Whatcha cosplaying as Tryannish from Krapopolish? You ought to be bloody stupid to be dressed up early for Halloween this spring!" He still held onto Mal's shoulder as he used his free hand to swing the rusted bar at Barric's direction.

Malus already took note of the scorpion tail, seeing it debating what to do next in the darkness. He was already growing more frustrated by the circumstances and the hunger gnawing at him. His neck suddenly cracked aside in agitation, then a death rattle rasp from his mouth when he let out a sigh. It took him seconds to suddenly turn into ribbons of shadows.

It took on a quick visage of an arachnid with clusters of glowing white eyes, multiple of spindly legs kicking widely where a white mask hung from the abdomen. The pedipalps and chelicerae spread apart to reveal a faint pale light illuminated from a maw loaded in rows of bristling teeth.

Bristling needle-like teeth.

And there was a predatory clicking that came out of Malus as he twisted his spidery body in an unnatural position, almost wrapping itself on the man's hand. The many hairy legs look almost wiry, thick and wild.

Tim the grave robber let out a shrill panic scream that split the once quiet night. He failed to try to get the creepy monstrosity off from his hand. He screamed even more when the "Actual" Spider fangs jolted out from the mouth to bite down into the bone of his hand.

In the light Tim's face begins to show signs of losing vitality in his health when his eyes slightly push back and his cheeks sunken in. The man felt tired as he swayed where he stood, now raising the crowbar to show a sign that he is going to use it to hit the black spider.
Daniel
He moved back as the rusted crowbar swiped at him. No where near him, thankfully. "You should let him go." He swiped his tail, wrapping the stinger around Malus' ankle, trying to time when to pull the kid back to him. The confused look on his face sparked a thought in his mind. People don't know about Newton. He doesn't know what's going on. Barric looked back at Malus, his eyes slightly panicked. "No." He muttered, taking another step forward. The pop and cracks of bones were heard throughout the cemetery as the limbs growing out of Barric's back were retracted back into his body. He let out a groan as the arms were placed back into his body. Barric stood up fully, his breath finally entering his lungs normally. Then the noises that Malus had been making met his ears. The tail reeled back, suddenly releasing Malus from its grasp and allowing him to fully move.

His brain wasn't fully processing what was happening to him. The clicking coming from Malus connected faster in his brain than the rest of the changes to him. The spider-like legs connected next. Was Malus shape shifting? Barric moved slightly, his body getting dragged down by the memory of the heavy limbs. The unexpected shrill panic noise that left the man's mouth made him wince slightly. Barric watched as large fangs punctured the man's hand and he winced for the dude. His brain didn't seem to fully be processing what was going on. Only really seeing a man and a spider, even with Barric's friend being in place of the spider moments before. Should he be panicking? The grave fall had ripped all of his energy to have any reaction out of him, so the boy just stood there with a slight shocked look on his face, watching as Malus did something. He wasn't quite sure what the kid was doing.

His tail whipped around again, still wanting to go for Malus and yank the boy back. Then there was also his brain telling him to sprint and hide. Get away from the dangerous man that looked as if his life was being torn out of his hands by the darkly dressed kid.
Therese
Malus sort of forgot about Barric when he focused on his prey. It was helping him rejuvenate as it quenched his hunger. He was in a small shadow visage of a spider the size of a basketball. Since Barric already revealed himself, Malus gave up his facade looking normal in front of the grave robber.

He hear Barric making cracking sounds with body in the background. It sound so faint to him while he was drawing the man's life slowly. When he see the man going in for a swing at him, Malus vanishes into the darkness.

"What... The duck did... He go!?" The man wheezed in panic breaths. He turned to look frantically before turning to Barric with his crowbar. "Y-You stay away from me you f-freak!"

Malus begin to manifest into the material plane by having his spider legs form from the man's head in the darkness. It look like fingers gripping his head, but tightly squeezing it. The man let you a sharp gasp as he swings his crow bar toward his head. Malus quickly disappears in time to dodge it. There was a thunk sound from the crowbar that connected to the frontal lobe of the man's head. A pain grunt and his eyes rolled back before he collapsed to the ground. He let out a pained groan, feeling like his soul barely clinging to his body.

Malus popped up from the shadows this time turning back to normal. He look a lot healthier with a pleased look on his face. He has a small smile on his face as he dragged the man toward the pit. Then taking out his phone to see a text message from the night watchmen. So he had to reply as he push the grave digger rolling into the hole.
Daniel
Barric watched the entire scene unfold in front of him with confusion etched on his face. He was still trying to figure out what was happening with his friend. The kid had been transformed into essentially was giant spider. Not one of human size, but still a considerable size. Barric's eyes shot up to the strange man as Malus seemed to disappear into thin air. "You grabbed him." He muttered he didn't want to attack the man. Barric had already been testing his luck with the cow, but he didn't want Malus to get hurt. Barric watched silently as long spider-like legs snaked their way out of the darkness, grabbing ahold of the man's head. 

The crowbar was swung at Malus's head, and a spike of panic rose in his chest. Barric debated just intervening there. But his body seemed to pause for a moment, keeping him from making his way towards the strange man. Malus seemed to have held his own somewhat surprisingly. The boy disappeared into the darkness once again, just to appear in another spot. Barric's eyes frantically moved back and forth between the two. His heart dropped as the man fell to the ground with no warning. The groan was the only sign that the man may still be alive.

Had it been a death rattle? His brain was not fully there. It seemed to still processing the man laying on the ground. The man was thrown into the hole like he was dead. Had Malus killed him? Barric swallowed, taking a few steps back towards the hole. "Is he dead? Did you kill him, Malus?" He asked, a slight shaking tone in his voice. He wasn't willing to crawl back into the hole to test the man's pulse. "Should we call someone? Like a paramedic or a doctor?" He scratched his arm, not looking at Malus, his eyes glued to the man in the hole.
Therese
There was a pained groan from. The hole where the man was rolled in. Malus shakes his head to reply to Barric. He really needs to teach his friend how to do sign language. The worried expression on Barrics face made him show the message on his phone.

It showed that he was communicating with the night watchman. It looks like Mal explained the situation, there would be cops coming to pick up the infamous grave robber. They're going to be escorted back by an officer.

Then Malus types on the phone for the bot to speak for him. *"Sorry for the scare, I was just hungry and this man was being a threat. Don't worry, I do volunteer work at the cemetery sometimes. The grave robber is still alive so don't worry."*
Daniel
Barric peered back in the hole just to hear the man groan. It was still concerning seeing the man face first in the grave but Barric chose not to comment further. He glanced back to seeing the boy holding the phone close to his face trying to get him to read the message on the phone. Barric squinted at the phone silently sounding out the words he didn't instantly get. It took him a minute before he nodded at Malus indicating he had finished reading it. "So will they call someone?" 

Malus began typing away at the phone again as Barric continued to look down at the man, who was still laying face to the ground in the hole. "It's okay." He didn't offer much more of a response, scratching at his face. Barric nodded slightly before turning on his heel and moving away from the hole. He had nearly forgotten about his tail, he now realized. A few feet away from the grave, he paused, retracting it back into his body. Barric turned back to ask Malus a question. "Is that all you wanted here? Are we leaving now?"

His face was mostly blank. The panic and shock previously present completely disappeared. He didn't really know how to react to the things Malus had just done in front of him. The man wasn't dead, but from the way he looked, he might as well have been. But he wasn't. That was the thing Barric needed to nail into his skull. Barric stared at Malus, waiting for his answer.
Therese
*"It would be safer to get back to Newton Cradle, in case this creep got friends. I"M sorry that this experience turn out this way, usually it's quiet out here." Malus gave an apologetic smile as he wave for Barric to follow. The grave keeper would talk to them about what happened before the police arrived, one would take them back to their school.""*