"Al" he simply said, holding out his hand for the man to shake, letting the 'kid' remark slide. He didn't want to piss anyone off just yet. "Justin? Jewel has told me some about you. Said you could help me out. I'm kind of new to this part of town." Al shot a quick glance at the other two and around the church, seeing it dilapidated and in need of repair, much like the rest of town.<br/><br/>"A newbie, eh?" Claws asked. His pompous demeanor obvious as the man slowly circled Al, looking him up and down. Al remained silent as he finished his circle and Claws laughed, "I don't know, Justin. Looks like a rich kid who ran away from home. His clothes are too new and clean. Just a little bird that fell out of the nest?" The remark made Al flinch and ball his fists at his sides.<br/><br/>"Claws, back off the new kid, would you?" Ko said with a sigh, "I'm sure he has his reasons for being here."<br/><br/>"He's stupid. He won't last a week here." Claws retorted, "He's one of those stuck up hybrids that thinks they're better than us normal Humans. Jewel is different, she grew up on the streets. It's not something you can learn overnight."<br/><br/>"That's why I'm here. To learn. I don't expect it to be an overnight thing." Al said.<br/><br/>"The bird has a voice!" Claws exclaimed, seemingly surprised, "Be careful with that here, boy. It could get you killed."<br/><br/>"I'm learning already." Al replied sarcastically. The smile faded from Claw's face. Al blinked and found the blades of Claw's weapon pressed to his throat. Al didn't move.<br/><br/>"You will learn,<span style="font-style: italic">boy</span>that the first, THE FIRST thing you should never do is piss me off!" Claws yelled at him. Al raised an eyebrow and felt a blade of the weapon graze his neck, then frost suddenly started to form on the metal. Claws watched as the metal of his weapon started to feel freezing cold and a thick layer of ice slowly formed around the blades and grip, making his arm shake as he tried to hold onto the freezing metal.<br/><br/>"Magic, eh? I see you have some spunk in you at least." He muttered. He quickly removed the frozen claw from Al's neck and walked away, trying to pull his hand out of the weapon, but it was frozen to his wrist. In a frustrated yell, he slammed it onto the side of a church pew and the ice shattered, letting him remove it and nurse a reddened hand.<br/><br/>"I can hold my own." Al said, "I just need guidance and advice, which is why I'm here."