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After a day of lounging about in the house doing nothing, Axel decided that Nero required some good ole' sunlight and some frehs air. He didn't get much of a protest from the boy- but that wasn't unusual. After all, it was Nero. He was kind of nervous at first, seeing as his 'father' had the tendancy to take him to places that he labelled as 'frightening.' He wasn't so much afraid of the people as the actual place itself- these places were full of scary, big things. One time he and Axel had wandered into a pet store and a bird took a bite into Nero; ever since then, Axel has been unable to get the boy even within the general perimeter of any sort of animal that wasn't humanoid. He was a timid kid, after all, and after being spooked or experiencing something negative it never left him. Impressionable was what Axel called him, very impressionable. After figuring out they were just headed to the grocery store, the scorpion child agreed eagerly and got ready for an outing. The store wasn't scary.

Nero plodded along behind his parental unit, yawning softly and peering out over all of the food... He couldn't imagine why there would ever be so much. His extra legs folded down to his sides, and his claws occasionally tapped some sort of metal shelf or the glass of a fridge. Axel was meandering along the aisles in his usually calm manner, stopping every now and then to stare at a product with his eyebrows raised as if it were trying to convince him to buy it. Well, if it had a good speech for him he'd toss it into the cart, but if not he'd force it back onto the shelf. Well, that's what his child saw, atleast.

Nero stared down at his claws and clicked them together. Click click clack. He hummed and swung his arms at his sides. At one point in time he left his guardian's side to look at a collection of candy. He spent a decent amount of time drooling over the variety before noticing that the older male was disapearing around a corner whilst calling his name to make sure he kept up. He left the candy reluctantly and scampered on over to take position once again beside the cart. Back to the entertain-yourself game. He oogled at the lights in the ceiling- they were kinda funny. They were pretty bright, and they were all flat into the ceiling.... He reached up a claw towards them, as if grasping after them. They were just as far away as they seemed- which was pretty far, especially because he was still a runt.

"D-daddy! W-wook!" Nero dashed ahead to stare into a glass display and right into a valley of cakes. His stomach grumbled, and his 'father' plodded up behind him and gave a chuckle. "They look good, huh kiddo?" "Y-ya-huh. I-I wi-wike cake." Axel nodded once or twice, "Cake's good... Maybe I'll pick up a cupcake for you before we leave. Now c'mon, I gotta get some other stuff first... Would you mind asking that lady for a loaf of fresh break? I'll be waiting over there." Nero nodded and shyly made his way over to the counter, peering up sheepishly at the woman on the other side. "U-um... 'Scooz me? M-miss?" He ducked a bit behind the counter as she looked at him- most people looked at him funny because of his extra eyes and legs. "C-can I h-have a bag of b-bwead peez?" She smiled warmly down at him, relaxing him a bit, and then nodded, "Of course, sweetheart, coming right up."

After the bread mission was over, Nero was riding INSIDE of the cart, arms dangling out over the cart. He'd look from the floor to Axel and then back. Boredboredbored. Normally there were some other kids he could talk to, but now... Well, not really talk to.... But WATCH. He never really approached other kids, and he was rarely approached himself... So... He sighed as Axel stopped and left the cart for a second, moving to scan a shelf. Bored.

The boy started as a cat-like person crept up below him, and he jumped back a bit in surprise. He had, after all, basically been dangling himself over one side of the cart, which made him rather close to the approaching boy. All eyes blinked a few times as he tried to register what the other boy was saying... Where the... Monsters live? How puzzling. He knew absolutely about where the monsters lived, and he wasn't sure he wanted to. Monsters liked scary things like water and big nasty things with sharp pointy teeth that ate little kids. And birds. Nero HATED those nasty, nasty birds.

"M-monsters?" He shifted back to cross his legs and arms, all eight of them. "W-why wouwd I b-be where th-tha m-monsters live?" He had to ponder this for a moment though, whether he wanted to or not. Curiousity demanded it. Where DID monsters live? He obviously had never heard the story that Keanu heard. (Which, I'm guessing is Where The Wild Things Are XD) Would Jekel know where the monsters lived? Was it really fun where they lived? But monsters were bad... Right? In the stories that he'd read they'd kill people and animals and forests and were big and ugly and scary. How could they be fun?

"I-I never... I..." His claws took hold of the side of the cart, barely fitting through the spaces between the little metal bars. He bit down into his lower lip and watched the other boy uncertainly, now curious as to why the younger one though that he HAD been where the monsters lived... Did he smell like monster? Talk like monster?.... This was most perplexing, especially for the mind of a kid. He could only keep still for a moment, and then he was standing up in the cart and hoisting himself on over the side to stand on the floor. Being cooped up in the cart was boring- besides, whether it was good or not- he had company now.

He stretched his arms up over his head and then let them lay neatly at his sides, shuffling somewhat nervously.. He hoped the boy didn't think he was with the monsters because he looked mean or scary or something.

(Sorry, I'm tired. You're not going to get long posts out of me until tommorrow at the least XD)

(Sorry about disapearing last night, my internet died.)

The words of the feline-boy earned him a very, very blank look. Nero pressed his lips together and focused all eyes on the other child, trying to figure out exactly what he was talking about. It didn't make much sense to him... His small child mind couldn't figure out exactly what the younger one was trying to imply. Okay, so... He said that... What? He said that Nero was one of them? But what does that mean? Nero wasn't really dense, he just had trouble understanding some things unless they were told to him directly. And after it was told to him directly, THEN he understood it perfectly well. His expression warped to a confused one, his second pair of eyes blinking. "W-wha?" Now, a new kind of confusion. WHY did the other boy think he was a monster? He wasn't ugly or mean looking like a monster, right? He self consciously drew his extra legs in closer to his abdomen, teeth setting into his lower lip and feet scuffing at the tile floor.

"I-I dun kn-know where tha m-monsters is!" He proclaimed, claws tucking behind him. He didn't know monsters dance. Well, I suppose you learn new things every day. Where monsters good dancers? Now THAT was the question. Did they dance when they were scaring kids? That'd be scary dancing. He didn't know if he'd like to dance with monsters. "I-I'm notta m-monster!" He slouched forward a bit, mouth slowly drooping into a from. "I-I'm not." And then he switched out of his self-conscious mode, straightening a bit, hair falling forward into his eyes slightly. Now he was determined to show that he wasn't lying, in case the other boy didn't believe him, and he would tell this through his assured posture. He had to show somehow that he knew what he was talking about, that he wasn't lying. The tip of his tail flicked unconsciously as the other child looked at it. "I-I'm notta m-monster s-so I dunno wh-where they a-are..." He watched as the other ventured to look closer at his tail. "... Umn... Wh-whassa 'cwicky c-cwacker'? Umn... I-I'm a sc-scorpion a-an... I d-dunno..."

He sure didn't know if the monsters were near here, but he hoped they certainly weren't. Monsters in the grocery store? That would be catastrophic. Oh, and of course Axel would never be able to get him to come here. Ever, ever again. Well, atleast until he grew older and realized such things shouldn't frighten him anymore. Surely as he grew older he would grow braver; atleast, that's what everyone hoped. His timid nature most certainly wouldn't help him when he obtained his dragon- as a matter of fact, that might end in disaster. He would be completely unable to be in control of his dragon.. "'S my t-taiw..." He curled it in and hugged it to his chest slightly, in an almost sheepish sort of manner. A lot of human kids he had met weren't fond of his tail, so he was used to getting some crap about it. "A-aww sc-scorpions h-have th-them. T-taiws w-wike these I-I mean. I-issa s-scorpion t-taiw." He also knew not to let the boy touch or get near his stinger, simply because it looked sharp and Axel said it was dangerous if people got poked with it.. "U-umn... Th-theres.... M-monsters? A-around here?" He looked around somewhat nervously. Now he was curious and he had to know. He glanced about for Axel but was unable to find him- he'd need the older male if it happened that there actually WERE monsters. That would be horrible... His guardian must have just popped around the corner to go fetch something, he did so frequently so Nero wasn't the least bit surprised that he wasn't where he was before.

(Sorry for the wait, too. Didn't see you posted. XD)

Now Nero seemed confused as to why the other boy didn't understand now. Hadn't he said he wasn't a monster? He'd never met someone who so stubbornly clung to an idea as this boy did- sure, Jekel had the tendancy to act stubbornly sometimes, but the shark boy could catch on pretty quick when someone was pointing out an error of his. Like that time in the pool, when Jekel bit that kid... The scorpion almost flinched at that memory- he'd hurt Axel, and Jekel had almost killed someone. It was something he tried to stash in the back of his mind. That had been a scary day. And he sure as heck didn't like scary.. Same wasn't scary. Unlike the boy standing before him, he didn't like things to be different. He didn't like to be same, though, and he was happy his daddy was so different from everyone else, but... Other things could be scary. Different or new things... They made him nervous. And he didn't like to be nervous- although that's basically what he was the majority of the time.

He blinked at what the boy said next, his second pair of eyes remaining shut.. Why did this boy think he was a monster? Why had he looked so confused when he said he wasn't? Did he look scary? Nero really didn't want to think that he really looked that scary.. "I-I'm not a mo-monster!" He protested once more, his extra arms fidgetting with nervous energy by now. The tip of his tail twitched back and forth as he glanced about, head ducking down slightly. "I'm n-not l-lost. Da-daddy i-is right th-there." He pointed a claw at Axel, who stood a short distance away, scanning the aisles. "I-I d-don't know any m-monsters... M-monsters are sc-scary." He informed the boy in a hushed tone, the whole topic making him seem sort of nervous.

He shifted his weight slightly, "A s-scorpion i-isn't a monster, i-its an a-aminal." He noted, and then gave a sage nod. He had many little scorpion toys at home, and he always took them on adventures in his front yard or in his assorted forts littering the house that never seemed to get taken down. Really the house wasm orel ike his playground, seeing as his father was rarely ever there. The only times he had to keep it neat was when his uncle was watching him, but that was okay because his uncle was lots of fun to be around. They'd play cards and out on the tireswing. Sometimes his uncle would go into the shed or the basement and Nero would get lonely because he wasn't allowed to either place and his uncle was always down there for a long time or came out talking on the phone. Then again, the little scorpion could feel lonely rather easily. "A-ah, um!"

He watched the other boy walk away, and wasn't too eager to be left behind. He shot an uncertain look towards Axel. He shouldn't wander off, but... He took off after Keanu, tail swaying behind him slightly. He was distracted momentarily as they passed an aisle that was displaying some candy, but snapped back to attention as the younger boy spoke, all four eyes blinking. "Oh... O-okay Keanu... N-nice t-to meet y-you's." He frowned a bit as the word monster was brought back up, and he sighed slightly. "'M n-not a m-monster.. B-but my na-names N-Nero." He offered, shuffling his sneakers against the tile. He snuck a glance back towards where he'd left his guardian, wondering if he really should just be walking off like this...

The scorpion child pursed his lips as he was defeated, but didn't let it bother him too much after awhile. He'd just come to decide that he wasn't going to be talking this child out of anything right now.. Besides, maybe the boy would forget that he thought he was a monster? Very unlikely, but children can hope for whatever they please.. He blinked as he saw how oddly the boy moved around, completely unafraid of being 'caught' by Axel. He'd never really wandered from his side before, so he'd yet to experience punishment for it. Besides, when would his father finding him ever be a bad thing? Maybe he'd play with them too! He wasn't so sure about that one, but once again, let a child hope. "Sc-scorpions g-got a lot-lotsa arms." He explained, glancing about before turning to his companion once again. "Th-they gots 'e-em for cli-climbing. L-like spiders." He clacked his claws together idly- that was something that was beginning to form into a habit. Oh well, atleast it wasn't teeth grinding or nail biting... Not that he had any nails to bite.

"Okay." The child agreed to climbing without a second thought. He was afraid of plenty of things, but climbing had never been classified as one of them. He adored being up high as much as he loved being in holes or underground. He just liked climbing around.. But he liked the dark better. That's why he made all those forts. They were tons of fun. All four of his eyes took in the shelf now, claws resting on the boy's hips.. He'd never climbed something quite like this before.... Oh well, everything was worth a shot, right? And hopefully this wouldn't end up as something that eternally spooked him away from grocery stores. He grasped at a shelf awkwardly- his claws made it harder for him to climb this sort of obstacle. His extra legs moved in immediately, hooking onto the shelves. He used his tail to push himself up a bit, and then he was up on the first shelf.

After getting on that initial shelf, the rest of the climb seemed unusually easy for the boy. He didn't need to use his claws that much anymore, and instead depended more on his six extra legs and his tail (while it could still reach the ground.) "M-my m-mom?" That was a good question. The scorpion turned his gaze to Keanu, second pair of eyes closing. "I-I dun g-gots one. J-just d-daddy." He hesitated before smiling brightly, "A-and my u-uncle!" His uncle was... A sight to see. He was a fierce looking, rugged, giant man who most feared. Once most certainly did not expect a scaredy cat- erm, scorpion, such as Nero to bond with such a frightening person... But his uncle was one of the people he ended up loving the most. His uncle and his father were a huge part of his life. "M-my da-daddy is r-real n-nice... H-he le-lets be build lo-lotsa f-forts! A-and uncle p-plays card wif m-me." He loved his 'family' and took great pride in them.

The scorpion lad was intent on reaching the top now, peering upwards with a determined expression. Occasionally an extra leg would slip and he'd plunge a little bit, but oddly enough it didn't seem to faze the usually skiddish boy. He seemed to be taking it all in stride- climbing was something that didn't often worry him, really. He drew in a deep breath and just hefted himself up another step, all four eyes narrowed slightly and his lips pursed. He never really got to climb often, so he was still rather out of practice.. He only had the usual victim, that large tree in his front yard with the tireswing.. He adored that tree. His caretaker spoke about making him a treehouse in that one day, or even some strange fort UNDER it. That idea never ceased to excite him. Who wouldn't want a little place to call their own, and hide in whenever they wanted to? Nero personally hoped it would be dark. The boy certainly was afraid of a lot of things, but the dark was never on that list. To be honest, he was almost in absolute love with the shadows and pitch black of darkness. It made him feel safe, while others who were braver recoiled from it.

"Wh-what's an u-uncle?" The child echoed, appearing confused on how to respond to that at first. Luckily he didn't have to, so he simply turned his head and listened to the other one finish. His head tilted slightly, and a grin broke out on his lips. "Ye-Yeah! 'S l-lotsa f-fun!" He chirped merrily, slipping up a moment whilst doing so. He fell back a few steps, but made sure to scurry up twice as fast so as to catch right back up. He had the bad habit of doing a little hopping motion whilst excited, and unfortunately doing so while climbing shelves isn't a grand idea. "H-he's a-a big b-big g-guy... I th-think he's d-daddy's br-brother... Y-yeah, a-and he c-comes to s-see me a-all the t-time! He's s-so c-cool!" He beamed merrily, happy to be on the topic of one of his most loved people. While they were happily talking about their families, Axel turned to find his cart Nero-less. He frowned in dismay and glanced about, a pang of worry hitting him... Oh no.

"Y-yeah... I-it's nice!" The boy reassured with a smile, feeling somewhat special because of his uncle. It didn't seem like many other children got to spend time with their uncles, or even had uncles. He was somewhat surprised- he'd thought them to be a natural part of life. Perhaps not... Maybe not everyone got an uncle that came over to see them everyday and played cards and made forts with them. He nearly toppled down entirely at one point as one leg caught a box rather than a ledge, which was enough to send him reeling almost entirely off balance as the box slipped from the shelf as a result to the lightest prodding. He drew in a deep breath, sunk his teeth into his lower lip, and then set right back into his set task. He needed to reach the top now. He needed to. Just because he was a timid and nervous boy didn't make him any less of a boy. He had the same foolish pride that popped up every now and then, along with that strange determination. That pride and determination was telling him that he absolutely needed to get to the top of this shelf or else he'd be a stupid, whimpy crybaby. He was no stupid whimpy crybaby! He'd prove it, too! He'd reach the top!....

He let out a loud, exhilerated puff of breath as he finally began hoisting himself up to the very top, hesitating as he spotted his friend doing the same. He moved to try and help the younger boy, but the other didn't seem to need it so much. He watched as the spotted child moved up and scouted for monsters. He was about to finish pulling himself up, in the midst of some sort of response when a rather loud noise met his ears and sent a shock through his entire system. Yelling. Yelling=Scary. A very undignified screech left the child as soon as that voice met his ears, and he reeled back with surprising speed, moving immediately to try and bury himself within the shelf his legs had been holding him up on. Boxes and the like toppled down as he shoved them off, making room for himself, curling desperately in towards the safety of darkness. Scary things were bad.

The sound of falling objects, yelling, and screeching sure caught the attention of Axel.. He hesitated, and then sighed. He knew immediately where his child was. "Hoo boy." What'd that kid get into now..? He turned and walked briskly towards the source of the noise, peering about frantically. He pushed through the small crowd that had gathered to watch the scene with vague interest, and they looked at the interupter in a rather displeased manner. He took no heed to that, however, moving quickly towards the shelf. "Neeero!?" He peered about uncertainly.

Nero cowered within the safety of the shelf's depths, eyes closed tightly, tail the only thing draping out. That tail was what Axel managed to spot, and the man let out a slow sigh.. "Hoo boy." He repeated for the second time in the last five minutes, and then stalked forward quickly, "Nero!" He repeated, louder this time. He wished he could have just grabbed his child and pulled the boy down as the woman did to her toddler, but his scorpion boy was currently scared and still wielding a deadly stinger. Four eyes peered down at him in response, all filled with fear and uncertainty, the sound of claws clacking together sounding above them. "Nero, look at this mess." His caretaker pointed out with a surprisingly calm tone, "What did you think you were doing?" He could have pointed out how the little guy shouldn't be pulling such dangerous stunts, but he didn't want to spook him even further by informing him what he was doing was 'scary' because he could have gotten hurt. "Now come down from there!"

The scorpion child looked uncertain, and then slowly began creeping forward, "D-daddy..." He hesitated, looking to towards the loud lady nervously, "S-sca..." He met the sharp look of his guardian once more, and began edging out once again. After a few moments Axel moved forward and hooked him, lifting the little guy and carrying him down. The green fellow clung to the older male immediately, shivering slightly. "Calm down now. Shh. It wasn't that bad. There's nothing scary. Simmer down, little guy.."

Nero peered up at his 'daddy' uncertainly, and then towards Keanu, watching the younger child get scolded. Why, he couldn't just stand for that! "D-don't! D-don't y-yell a-at him, i-it's not h-his fault. M-my fa-fault." He hesitated, "I-I'm so-sorry! Don't y-yell at him! H-he's not a ba-bad b-boy!" The child had the tendancy of throwing himself into the line of fire, as he was doing now. "W-we're okay... D-don't y-y-y-yell." He ducked back into his father's shoulder, tail curling slightly behind him. Axel turned his head to look at the woman, rubbing his boy's back.. "We'll talk about this at home.." He muttered, directing that part to his charge, and then fully turned his attention to the woman, "I'm sorry about this..."

Well, not really. Axel wasn't the most empathetic nor remorseful guy. He didn't care all too much- but manners were manners, and he was a good actor.