The red-haired man started to speak with the police officer. As he did so, 072 glared fiercely at him. His hand started to itch. These people made him feel uncomfortable in a way that made his head ache; and he didn't like it.
"Hey-- hey!"
"Uhn?"
072 had unconsciously reached for the shirt's breast pocket, slowly pulling out the metal rod. The odd-box boy gripped his hand tightly, exasperated.
"Calm down, they're not dangerous-- no, actually, they are, but not to us. They're Deviants. Don't tell me you don't recognize the emblem?"
072 turned slightly pink and shook his head, putting his hand down.
'Deviants? What are those?'
He tried to point, but the odd-box boy slapped his hand down almost immediately. The odd-box boy looked at him with a mix of disbelief and amusement.
"Pointing is rude. So you really don't know what they are, do you? You must be worse off than I thought.. so I won't blame you for breaking my music box anymore, 'kay? Although it was really expensive.."
"Mhmk!" 072 nodded, relieved at being given the chance to start over. He realized he felt horrible for breaking the odd box, which seemed to be something the odd-box boy treasured.
"Alright, then. Deviants are people who have connected with the Earth's energy and awakened abilities. That metal rod you're holding is a Deviant's weapon."
072 took out the metal rod, interested.
'So the owner of this was a 'Deviant' of some sort? Wow.'
"Where did you manage to get that, anyway?" The odd-box boy continued.
"Aga.. Naa." 072 replied.
"..Okay. Do you even know what Deviants do?"
072 shook his head.
"They protect Metropolis, of course. They're basically responsible for everything! They go on adventures outside the walls and do missions and stuff. It's incredibly dangerous out there without a Deviant, you know? There are specific times of the day when you can venture outside alone, though." The odd-box boy sounded slightly proud, as if knowing all this made him seem more knowledgeable.
"Uhn?"
"Yes, 'uhn.' Between 7pm to 9pm, it's usually safe to go outside. But during the morning, everything is dangerous for some reason."
"Wara."
072 opened his mouth then closed it again, his face going red. All the words that came out of his mouth was incoherent.
The odd-box boy sighed once more. He looked at the filthy boy before him with an expression of curiosity and intrigue. The metal-rod kid definitely wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, nor the most.. well-informed. He didn't even know what Deviants were until he told him. Between the stolen(?) weapon and his unnatural strength, everything about him screamed 'odd.' He recalled trying to tackle him down just an hour earlier. It was like wrestling with a huge boulder.
Was he even from Metropolis? Despite the urge to ask, he knew the metal-rod kid couldn't answer, even if he wanted to. And besides, he shouldn't pry, especially when he was the one who saved him.
"Well, that's basically it. Oh, and.." he made his voice a little quieter as he continued, "My name is Isiah, by the way."
072 flinched.
"What's wrong? Don't you like my name?" The odd-box boy, now Isiah, said.
072 shook his head vigorously.
Isiah huffed. "Fine! I bet yours sounds stupid, anyway."
072 shook his head again. Isiah crossed his arms in indignation.
"Ugh, I really wish you weren't mu--"
"Hey, kid."
"Eeeek!"
Isiah clutched at 072's neck, terrified. 072 swiftly extended the metal rod--
FWICK.
SLASH!
"!!"
Clang, clang.. 072 was immediately disarmed. The metal rod fell to the floor, clattering as it retracted itself. 072 watched, dumbfounded, as the officers rushed towards them.
"Ahahaha!!"
"Sir, please! They're merely children!"
The one who attacked them was the red-haired man. He grinned widely, showing rows of white teeth, twirling a dagger around his fingers. The officers, despite protesting, couldn't seem to gather the courage to do anything else. Isiah let out a loud, pitiful hiccup.
"I knew it. You're no ordinary kid, aren't you?" He pointed the dagger at 072, whose eyes narrowed. Sweat beaded down his forehead.
'There's no way he..'
"Don't point that at us! That's harassment-- no, child assault!" Isiah flung the broken music box at the red-haired man. An electrifying weight slammed down upon them all. There was a brief silence as the police officers held their breaths, tense.
"Sir, please--"
"It's alright, Mr. Raymond, Officer Hayles. I'm just curious about something."
"Says you! You attacked us!"
The man crossed his arms. "I'm not going to hurt you, kid."
"What? But you nearly did!"
"Relax. It was your friend who attacked first; I merely deflected the blow. And besides, it's him I'm curious of."
072 gently lowered Isiah to the ground, his face cold. Run for it. The thought crossed his mind, but as his gaze swept the encircling crowd, he decided against it. The Deviants... they radiated an aura of power that made his skin crawl. Escape was a fool's dream. It felt as if an invisible force was pinning him down, stealing the air from his lungs.
It was hard for him to make eye contact with wielders of such power. Nevertheless, he glared fiercely up at them.
"..."
The man grinned. He stored his dagger back in it's sheath and raised his hands in defeat.
"Don't fret. I'm merely.. curious. You have a very interesting composition, you see. My friends and I couldn't help but notice it."
"What are you talking about?" Isiah demanded.
A black-haired man, his face etched with fatigue and shadowed by deep eyebags, yawned widely. He glanced from Isiah to 072, his expression irritated. A strange odor wafted from him..
"Is he… drunk?" Isiah whispered.
The officers behind them remained still, not daring to intervene. The black-haired man spoke, his words sounding 'drunk' indeed.
"Deviants, you see, can sense energy. We connect--- yawn-- with the Earth's energy… hic… and draw it out for personal power.. hic. But for some reaso… hic…"
Kneeling, the red-haired man continued, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "But for some very, very interesting reason... there's a massive concentration of energy flowing through your body." He tapped 072's chest. "Every vein, every drop of blood--- is absolutely saturated with it."
072's heart leapt to his throat.
"So, kid. Do you know why that is?"