“Zack no fight other Zack!” He hissed and backed up. “No fight! No!”

“Please?” He grabs his alt by the arm, digging his jagged little nails in slightly. “Please, really... really want to. Won’t hurt. Promise. No biting.”

“Because. I want it. I want to fight.”

“ Weeeeeeeell…” Milion tapped his chin with his index finger in thought. “ It’s not like I don’t come to visit the palace a lot. Probably every other day. An’…well, don’t tell darlin’ this yet, but I was thinkin’ of askin’ ‘im if I could stay over a couple nights a week. Ya know, in case the gray faces do somethin’ to ‘im or he gets sick, an’ to keep ‘im from gettin’ to lonely. Well, even if he says no, I still come ‘ere a lot, so ya could jus’ hunt me down an’ ask me then.”

A light bulb went off in his head, and he began to rummage in the inventory.“

I’ll also give ya this.” Pulling out a small, round, transparent orb, Milion tossed it gently to Zackry. “ It’s somethin’ from the Ol’ World…a long-distance talkin’ device. I made this one for your father, but ya can ‘ave it instead. If you’re ever in the mood to read, or if ya or darlin’ are in trouble an’ need help, jus’ hold this until it glows an’ talk into it, an’ I’ll get the message. Oh, an’ don’t worry, it’s almost impossible to break.” He winked comfortingly with his two right eyes.

"Yeah. Okay.” Time would certainly prove that right or wrong. He immediately tries to bite it, hoping it would at least be rubbery. Something rubbery and unbreakable would be perfect, like his dog toy had been until he’d lost it. Maybe Zach could make it again. No reason why he couldn’t, he could make anything. “How... works, magic? Ball is magic?” 

“that’s.  .  .interesting.”

the elsen winces a bit at the sight of the repulsive-looking tongue that the other seems to have no problem holding. a part of him wanted to push this creature away and prevent that long thing from touching his shoes, but he was a better man than that.

he sighs at the question asked, mostly to himself. time to give them the only answer he knew.

“i don’t know.”

He’d have a hard time preventing it since the tongue dangled from Zack’s mouth constantly and ended up touching almost everything he got near enough to. It wasn’t wet or anything, just unsightly.

“Always this big?” Zack asks. “Started this way? Also started this way.” Indicates himself, patting his chest. “Not hurt or anything.”

In other news, it’s national egg day

“ Break it, huh?” Milion quizzically examined the book, flipping it over and examining it for any visible rips or tearing or fraying. A second later he realized that, no, Zackry wasn’t talking about the condition of the book, and he blushed in embarrassment.

“ Ah…I see. Okay, then!” The man closed the book and moved to sit on a nearby large rock, rubbing his thumbs on the hard cover absentmindedly. Break it? Rip it? Well, he was only around two or three, and under a lot of stress, and in possession of sharp teeth and claws. An idea began to form in his mind, and me made a mental note to visit Dealer when he could.

“ Well, I have a suggestion, an’ again, ya don’t haveta do it if ya don’t wanna.” Milion smiled at Zackry. “ I carry a lot of books like this in my inventory because of Hugo, ya know. Well, if ya ever wanna read a book but are afraid of breakin’ it, then I can come see ya or ya can come see me, and we’ll read the book together, or I’ll watch ya read it or somethin’. Then, when you’re done, I can put it back in my inventory. That way ya can still look at books–if ya wanna–without breakin’ ‘em.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “ Does somethin’ like that soun’ good?”

“Aah...” That seemed like a good idea but there was just one thing he wasn’t sure about. “How... will Milion know when I want to read? Can’t go there. Can’t send message. Maybe... if we had Elsen. But there are none.” Zacharie couldn’t even really make bugs yet, let alone Elsen.” He scratches under his wing absently. “Cant read still.”

“uh.  .  . yeah. sure.”

he would’ve smiled if he were used to expressing emotion, but the same blank expression remained as he looked down at the little thing gnawing away.

“.  .  .you’re entitled to that opinion, i see. i never thought shoes would taste good.“

“Just got taste! Couldn’t before. No tasting.” He grab the end of his ragged, dangling tongue and holds it up. “It works... inside of mouth, mostly.”

More comfortable now, he climbs onto the shoe. “Why Elsen so big?”

POWERING UP

Milion frowned, stomach lurching at the child’s unusual timidity. “ Are ya sure? I mean, if it’s the readin’ thing, it doesn’t have any words.” Kneeling down, he cracked open the book, showing an illustration of a girl walking through a dark forest. “It’s the pictures that tell the story. An’ ya can also use your imagination to fill in the gaps.”

He shrugged. “ I won’t force us to take it if us don’t want it, though. It’s alright by me!”

“Will... end up broken. Will break it. Rip it.” No sense in lying. Zack nudges the book away. When he got mad, or bored, or itchy, or sad, it would happen to whatever was closest to him. “Can’t have things like that.” 

Hidden? Could it be those gray-faces again? Milion rubbed his face and resisted the urge to groan in frustration. At least they hadn’t meandered over to cause pointless trouble and angst in his own kingdom. Yet. “ Well, that’s good, at least. Doesn’t make it right, though. Gods, you’re jus’ a kid…”

Oh, that reminds me!

“ Hey, while ‘m ‘ere, I’ve been meanin’ to give ya somethin’.” The Batter reached into his inventory, pulled out a flat, wide, colorful book, and held it out to Zackry. “ It’s a picture book. Do you like this sorta thing? If ya do, ya can ‘ave it.”

He reaches to take it, then hesitates, withdrawing his hand. He knew he'd just end up tearing it apart, like he did with all his gifts. "No. No thank." Besides, he still couldn't read. Zacharie had books he could read to Zack. They would stick with those for now.

“ Why are ya afraid? Has someone been threatenin’ ya? If ya want, I can try an’ scare off the people that are bein’ mean to ya. I can be a bit threatenin’ when I put my mind to it…”

"...yes. Saying very bad things. Don't know who they are, though." They'd been masked, hidden. He would probably never know. So he shakes his head, his shaggy hair partially covering his face. "Don't worry. Can't hurt me. Just mean words."