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Momo grinned, "alright, we'll keep an eye out for ducks too. i hear they were pretty good eating, lots of fat or something like that." he shrugged a little, "at least some of the fancy cook books dad had called for duck fat, so i guess they do." he gave Malcom's hand a little squeeze and thanked god he didn't want to be carried. he was going to be sore for a while because of yesterday.

Momo laughed, "alright, alright, no eating the ducks. they are probably not safe anyways." this was kind of fun, teasing like this. usually he and Hal hardly spoke at all, just walked together towards their destination in silence, only speaking when needed. it was smarter, you lost a lot of water talking, but this was nice too. "so we will just look at them, if there are any. maybe we'll find some rats to eat instead." he was seeing if Malcom knew what rats were and what his reaction would be if he did. Rats, where they could be found, were quite large. their beady red eyes and sharps teeth and claws had been the source of his nightmares for years after he'd first seen one as a child.

It must have been hard for their family. Momo had always known that he had it easy, even with his arm and the other children, his childhood had been nothing compared to most people. and he knew he had his father to thank for that. his father may have been distant and, to be honest, frightening, but he'd been a good father. they were never hungry, they had shelter and water and the people in their community were cared for as well. he'd even told Momo stories about the world before Helga on the rare occasions he would drink what he called 'moonshine' and get drunk. he had only ever hut Momo once and that was when he tried to sneak into his father's lab in the basement. all in all, he'd had a good life and Malcom just reminded him of that over and over. "my mother made my clothes. she would take the hair from different animals and weave it into cloth which she would then use colors to dye and then sew them into what i am wearing now. she was pretty amazing."

Momo looked at Hal and frowned a little. he tried to remember a time when Hal wore something different from what he had on. "i don't know, Hal did mom make you those?" if she did then she just made the same thing over and over. Hal didn't grow, so she wouldn't need to worry about that and he didn't rip and tear his clothes like Momo had. could they really be the same pair of clothing that he'd warn ever since he was made? was that possible?

Momo nodded, "he doesn't need new clothes very often because he doesn't grow and isn't very rough on them. my own clothes are a couple years old because i quite growing. they still work, mom made them really strong, so i will be able to wear them for a few years to come as well." he didn't know what he'd do when they wore out. he knew how to sew and could repair them for a long time, but eventually he'd need new ones and they didn't have the time or supplies for him to make them. but that was a worry for the future. another worry is what they would do to clothe Malcom as he grew. they might have to do some scavenging in cities for old clothing stores that hadn't already been raided.

Momo looked down, he didn't like this talk about who was going to die first. it made him think too much, leaving him with a headache and sick to his stomach. he gave Hal a grateful look for thinking of a way to divert the conversation. "i'm going to win!" he goaded, wiggling his eyebrows. "bet you can't beat me!"

Momo put a finger to his lips and winked. they walked in silence, Momo watching the movement of the sun to check something. he smiled to himself when roughly an hour had passed, he wondered how long Hal would wait before he called time. it was working, though. Malcom was completely silent, the little boy still focused and that was commendable. Momo couldn't help but wonder if that was normal. from what he understood of children, they lost focus quickly. he began to wonder if Malcom had been forced to remain silent before. it lead his thoughts to darker areas, his mind swirling around at what parents that abandoned their child would do while the child was still in their care as the buildings slowly became closer and closer. he just prayed they were all his own thoughts going wild and not true.

Momo grinned, "i'm the king of the silent game!" he patted Malcom's head and started to look around. "that would be best, i've not seen a city this big before." there were several large structures still standing, which was rare. he'd only ever seen a city once, and that was when his father had traveled to one with him as a child. they had been searching for certain parts his father couldn't make and the journey had taken nearly a month there and back. "that might be a good one," there were three stories and it had several windows along the edge, as if for offices, the glass long since broken out. "maybe there will be something further into the building with little weather damage."