1

The weather was atrociously hot. A brown naiad could be found lounging in the shade, constantly spraying water on to his skin to keep from overheating or drying out. Oh, how the boy longed for a cool dip in a pool. He could go back to his dorm if he really wanted, but his dormmate was hanging out with a crowd of their friends there, doing some sort of after school, extracurricular whatever-thing. Quite frankly, Maddie didn't care much for his dormmate, let alone their friends. He'd rather endure the heat and risk crackling skin instead of being subjected to the gossiping natures of the girl he lived with and their peers.

It wasn't that Maddie disliked girls. Infact, he quite fancied them. It was just that particular group of girls and their shared attitudes that rubbed Maddie the wrong way.

--

Armani was quite happily suckling on a Popsicle, the heat radiating from above. For Below, it was quite hot, and Armani was sweltering in his thick coat of fur. The boy had shed his sweater that day and was wandering around shirtless, wearing nothing but his shorts. It was a day off school where Armani could do and be with anyone he wanted.

Nemoi was in a bad mood and didn't feel like braving the outdoors. Armani and her had become thick as thieves, despite her times unruly mannerisms. But Armani had gotten used to them. For some reason, the boy seemed able to help keep Nemoi in check. The caretakers tried to force Nemoi to submit, but Armani instead just tried to encourage her. She seemed, thus far at any rate, to be more receptive to Armani's style of positive reinforcement. Armani felt like he was genuinely making a real difference in Nemoi's life. It made his whole heart smile.

Armani had been lost in his own world, entirely minding his own business when he tripped over the tail of a lounging naiad, sending his popsicle flying.

--

2

Aah, this was Maddie's chance! He had been waiting for some poor sap to come wandering by, hoping and praying that they had some delicious treat he could steal to help cool himself off. A few folks had passed by, but few had fallen for his tricks. This time Maddie had tried something a little different. He stretched himself out long, right in the way of the freshling boy as they wandered closer, using their tail to trip them.

Maddie let out a fake cry of pain, recoiling away from the boy and his feet, keeping one eye on the popsicle as it went straight up in to the air. The neko seemed much more concerned for the naiad's well being. But that was exactly what Maddie had hoped for.

The Naiad jumped up, snatching the popsicle out of the air and popping it directly in to his mouth with a loud chomp of sharp, serrated teeth.

--

Armani looked horror-struck. One moment be was terrified he had hurt the delicate tail of the small naiad, but the next moment the naiad had stolen his delicious food. Had he been hoodwinked? Bamboozled? Made a fool of?

Armani didn't know what to do or what to say. He had completely fallen victim to a poorly set trap, and the neko wasn't sure how he should feel about it.

”You can't do that ... “ he tried, hoping it was the right thing to say. Armani didn't exactly want his popsicle back, now that it had been in the mouth of another. But ... the boy should know it wasn't exactly a nice thing to do.

--

3

Madline didn't seem to care that the boy seemed upset. Not one, small, remorseful bit. Feeling remorse was not something in Mad's repertoire of feelings. Mad Maddie took care of one thing, and one thing only. That was himself. He came first, before anything else. His wants, his needs, his desires. He wanted the popsicle, so Maddie took it. And now, the delicious, smooth treat was aaaall his.

”Of course I can.” Maddie grinned around his treat. ”What makes you think I can't? I did just do it, after all.”

--

How was Armani supposed to argue with that sort of logic? Armani didn't mean that he couldn't do it. He meant, rather, that it was morally wrong and that stealing from others was a bad idea. As children, people were forced to give back the things they stole and apologize, receiving some sort of punishment from adults to try and show them it was something that brought about unfavourable circumstances. Like losing TV privileges. But in the adult world, stealing could put you behind bars.

”Fine ... you shouldn't do it! That was mine, you know. If I wanted to share I would have offered some to you. But ... I don't even know you.”

Armani crossed his arms over his barred chest. This sucked ...

--

4

Mads gave a shrug of his shoulders, a smarmy sort of look stuck on his face. The boy was trying to teach him how to be morally correct! How cute! It was adorable, really, that the boy thought Madeline cared. Chewing the last of the popsicle off its stick, Madline pulled the stick from his mouth, full of chomp marks, and tossed it on the ground at Armani's feet, as if trying to drive his point home even further. There wasn't much to say, really. Madeline was done here. He had gotten what he wanted, and he was ready to move on and find a new victim. He obviously couldn't strike twice in the same spot. That was just silly.

--

The neko bent down to pick up the stick his popsicle used to be on. The absolute nerve! First, the boy stole from him, and now the naiad was littering! Right in front of someone else! The boy's complete disregard for the world around them and the people in it really irked Armani. He wanted to yell at the naiad, to make him take the stick from his hands and dispose of it properly. To force him to apologize to him for being so mean ... but Armani had heard about those kind of people before. The kind of people who just wanted to watch the world burn.

”You're an awful person ... “ Armani muttered under his breath, eyes drifting towards the Naiad's back as he watched him start to walk away.

--

5

Maddie waved his hand at the boy over his shoulder. Oh, he'd heard the comment. Mads was quite pleased to hear it. He hadn't wanted to be a nice person. Madeline wasn't trying to do good in the world. People had to learn to take care of themselves, and if that neko wasn't going to learn how to cope with the world and the darkness that lurked in it, then Maddie wasn't going to hold his hand.

”Whatever, kid. Have a nice life.”

--

Armani's blood was boiling. That boy was so insufferable! The idea that anyone that ignorant could exist left Armani feeling absolutely perturbed. While he had heard of people being that arrogant, that self-absorbed, and that isolated from other people's feeling, Armani had prayed and hoped he would never have the misfortune of meeting one of those individuals. Now that he had, Armani wished he could go back in time and choose to stay inside with Nemoi instead.

With a heavy sigh and a soured mood, Armani took the mangled popiscle stick and began his search for a nearby trash bin. Just because that naiad was an awful litter bug didn't mean Armani had to be.