As Claus slowly emerged from a hatch in the floor, he pushed it fully open, firstly pushing the boy out and into the room, then forcing himself out of it. Closing the hatch, he dropped on his back, his feet giving out. ''...'ey? Kid?'' the little fox mumbled in his exhaustion, as usual, not getting an answer from the presumably sleeping boy, with him only being able to confirm him as ''living'' by the reletively quiet sound of his breathing.

''What am i moping about now...?'' he thought to himself as he stood up, cracking his fingers in refreshment. ''Okay then, let's get you somewhere less...wooden?'' Claus said to the boy, monologuing at this point, as he picked up the boy, still enveloped in Claus' very own cloak, and began carrying him through the little house.

Entering a cramped bedroom, Claus placed his ''treasure'' on his bed, leaning his back against the wall behind the bed, taking a seat in the chair on the opposite side of the room, sneaking a peak at the spread-out sheets of paper, covering a majority of the desk's space easily, before spinning the chair itself around and focusing on the child in front of him, starting to analyze him from top to bottom.

His frail and gentle-looking figure, the shiny, white hair, and the abnormally innocent expression as he inhaled and exhaled, an expression quite alien to Claus at that point. Claus' eyes froze up suddenly, stopping at a glint coming from the boy's chest, prompting him to jump out of his chair in a squeal, making his way to bed.

''What's this now?!'' Claus let out in excitement, revealing a small leaf-shaped gem attached to the kid's chest by opening the cloak up a little. The glinting light began to entice him, begging him to touch it. He extended his short arm, his eyes widening at the feeling of a strong grip on his arm, startling him. The boy had opened his eyes.

''Don't...touch that,'' the boy requested in a half-asleep voice, making Claus nervous. ''The hell's with this brat's strength?!'' he thought as he pulled his arm away, tripping and falling off the bed, letting out a short scream before hitting his head on the floor.

The boy yawned, letting his hand fall onto the bed like a rock. ''Miss? Are you alright?'' he asked, smiling ear to ear, opening his eyes half-way. ''I'm fin... Excuse you?!'' Claus yelled at the top of his lungs, jumping onto the bed, grabbing him by the cloak and pulling him towards him violently.

''What do you think you are, superior?! Look at you; you look like a crippled mess!'' Clous let his frustration out, accidentally spitting in the child's face. ''Ah! That's because i wasn't developed enough, that's all! I apologize for the inconvenience, if that's the case.'' he lowered his head down, trying to bow, making Claus to the point iof looking away. ''Y-you were being developed...? By The Tree, you mean? Like, at all?!''

Claus' eyes widened in realisation, ''It...wasn't too early. The tree was being late?!'' he looked at the boy once more. ''Why shouldn't i tough it, then? You holding some santimental value for that thing?'' he asked as he calmed down, sitting down and crossing his legs. ''No-- well, yes, but that's not really it at all. It's more like, you will die.'' he chuckled in a moment of embarrassment, shocking Claus. ''See, it's pulsating through me, trying to make my muscles react to my brain waves; it's filled with the earth's energy, is all, so we both go if you try to meddle with it, mister...'' the boy added in a serious tone, freezing Claus in place.

''...when'll you be able to move on your own?'' Claus tried to hide his stressed and fearful expression, gasping under his breath. ''Hmm... I can't say.'' he replied, disappointed in himself. Claus scoffed, scratching the kid's leg lightly, making a cut and letting a small stream of blood run down his leg, confusing the recently awakened child. ''He's acting human, his body's like a human's, even his blood is normal...'' Claus mumbled to himself, taking a step right off the bed.

''Listen, runt, from today onwards i own you, so get used to seeing my face all the time, got that?!'' he yelled in a stern voice, creating a slight awkward feling in the room. ''Um...yes...?'' the boy forced out the words, as if confused by the order put befoire him. ''What? Suddenly lost your vocabulary?'' Claus asked him in a strict tone. ''No, it's just that... Am i a slave now?'' he asked, putting on a slightly pained expression, mixed with a joyful smile, confusing Claus to his core. ''And if you are? Honestly, it'll be better than what others would try to pick outta you, trust me.'' he explained to him as he began walking out of the room, leaving the kid staring at the gem on his chest, beginnin to mutter to himself, outside of Claus' area of hearing.

Claus, looking at his feet, approached a not-so well-kept area of the already lackluster building. Inside was a furnace, a circular wooden table with a piece of cloth laying on top of it, covered in black spots, and a few shelfs, seemingly ripped off the wall, sitting on a low level, and lastly - a fridge. He looked around in disgust, realising he hadn't entered his kitchen in whole months, seeing as he was always eating with Rosa, at different places in the city.

Opening his fridge, he found nothing but bread, still in its package, and a bottle of alcohol with the label ripped off entirely, only leaving snippets of what was originally there. ''Bread it is...'' he pulled it out, still trying not to look at his pathetic excuse for a kitchen as he looked down inside one of the shelves, finding a ripped paper plate and an empty bottle of water, with the contents apparently having been spilled on the shelf itself, explaining its poor state. Claus took the plate, ripped almost in half, and exited the kitchen.

''Oy, brat, i got you som-- Huh?!'' Claus stopped, dropping the bread as he witnessed the kid moving his arms and feet up and down, hitting the bed and walls, with an overjoyed laugh filling the room entirely. ''Oh, you're back! That was really quick!'' the boy chuckled, jumping off the bed and standing on his legs, the fingers on his hand twitching and the legs themselves shaking. ''Don't give me that shit... When'd you start moving, let alone be able to do normal body functions?'' Claus asked him as he picked up the bread, placing it on his desk, along with the paper plate.

''I don't know, really, it happened on its own all like, SWOOSH, and my fingers started moving!'' he jumped up and down as he shouted, his hair waving all over the place as he did. ''Kid, with how your limbs are looking, you look like I myself could break you with a thin, wooden stick. Eat that.'' Claus said as he pointed at the packaged bread on the desk, causing the boy take a few steps forward, sitting down on the chair.

''You said The Tree was developing you, but your mind and speech seem to've taken presidency over everything else; it's way too backwards, if you ask me.'' Claus commented as he began walking around the room, observing as much of the boy as he could see due to the cloak still covering a majority of his body. ''But, i can clearly move, right? Isn't that enough for a human body?'' he as he tried to rip the packaging of the bread open, beginning to struggle in no time. ''Of course it's not. The body comes first as a human, since it's needed to carry the brain, therefore that's your first and main priority from now on.'' Claus explained as the book, still in backpack, began emitting a strong light, getting both of their attention. ''Keep at it with the bread bad, i'll go deal with something.'' Claus pointed at the it as he exited the room, leaving the boy wide-eyed and confused.

As Claus pulled out the book, he navigated through it, his eyes freezing at the shining page. ''Memento mori: article 4. Connect.'' he groaned in frustration as the light diminished. ''Where the hell are you?!'' a loud, womanly voice came from inside the book, surprising Clous and getting the boy's attention, who was already nobbing on a slice of bread, holding it at the side of his mouth. ''God...dammit, Rosa! This thing is right next to my face, you overly-proud, pompous bitch!'' Clous let out an equally loud scream, only hearing an annoyed ''Hmph!'' on the other end. ''Leave all that aside, the hell happened with the tras--'' ''Quiet!'' Claus interrupted her. ''Don't mention the treasure now, it's a bad idea, trust me,'' he warned her.

''See...'' he began to whisper, not realising the boy was standing right behind him, biting on a second slice along with the first. ''You're kidding, it's a human...? The boss's gonna be pissed, you know.'' Rosa said, causing him to gulp. ''I thought you were the boss!'' the boy shouted loudly, causing for Claus to drop the book on the floor in shock. ''That him? Quite the voice he's got there, don't you think?'' she chuckled, getting ignored. ''I told you to stay back in the room!'' ''But i was curious; is that magic, mister?!'' ''None of your fuckin' business, runt!'' they began yelling, one after the other, leaving Rosa sighing in disappointment.

''Claus, don't yell at it, we don't know what it can do yet!'' Rosa screamed, stopping their banter. ''Bring 'im over for now; we'll run a test or two, okay?'' she suggested, causing him to grit his teeth. ''Bye-bye, Clausy!'' she bid them farewell, with the book suddenly closing on its own in front of them. '''Who's that, mister fox?'' the boy tenaciously asked, ignoring Claus'personal space as he poked his nose with his forefinger. ''Leave that to the side for now, we're going on the move...'' Claus pushd the boy back, leaving to fall off his feet, causing the bread to fly out of his mouth and hit the floor.

''I don't have any clothes here specifically, so you're gonna deal with the cloak a little longer. Try not to, you know, not reveal yourself.'' Claus recommended as he leaned over, picking up the book and patting the dust off of it. ''Go open that closet there for me, now.'' Claus pointed over to a large closet as he out the book away. ''Ah, sure!!'' he agreed obediently, running over to it. ''Just as a heads u--'' Claus tried to warn him, unable to as the door to the closet opened, sending a strong stream of wind through the room, pushing the boy down, almost with no problem at all.

''Yeah, that kinda happens when you open it after it being closed for over a day, kid.'' Clous warned him rather late, laughing on the inside, as he walked up to the closet, with the boy quickly getting up and running over. ''See, that's a crest; when there're two of the same kind at different places in the world, one would transport you to the other, so keep that in mind!'' Claus explained, watching the boy's fascinated expression. ''I'll go through first, then you follow after me.'' he said, getting a happy nod as he stepped forward, disappearing faster than the young boy's eyes could react, as if he had turned into the smallest piece of paper, getting blown away by the strong with so fast, the eye couldn't follow.

''My turn it is, then!!!'' the boy clapped in front of himself, happily fidgeting around in one spot. He looked forward with a strong shine in his eye, excited for what he would see, biting his lip strongly as he stepped forward into the crest.