Mars Argo & the Silver Wolf [original]

chapter eight.

CHAPTER EIGHT.
diplomacy at its finest.

      MAX LET OUT A LOUD HUFF, " None of these people will even look at us for more than a minute. "

     " We must look intimidating. " Kanae decided, seeming unbothered by the statement. Max shook his head, black tendrils swishing back and forth, making him push his goggles further on to his head.

     " No, you look intimidating. " Max corrected, making Kanae glare up at him; he immediately nodded, " Yup, that's exactly what I'm talking about, stop doing that and maybe everyone wouldn't run away from us. "

     It was Kanae's turn to scoff, rolling her eyes as they continued aimlessly walking around the plaza. Still, she tried to lose the permanent scowl on her face as she insisted, " They're not running away— "

     " Shit! " Max exclaimed as a big ball flew right at them, his hand shooting out and catching it right before it could slam into Kanae's face; she barely flinched, her eyes following the bronze arm from in front of her all the way up to his face, nodding gratefully at him.

     He lowered the yellow ball from her head, tilting his head slightly as he stated, " See, now they're throwing stuff at us. "

    Kanae said nothing, but he could still hear the small growl she made when he turned to find the owner of the ball. His eyes easily landed on a young boy standing near a trash bin, his eyes widened considerably as he stared at the ball in Max's hand before he met the Vulcan's eyes. Max glanced over at Kanae briefly before he slowly walked towards the boy, offering him a warm smile as he approached. The boy looked frozen in his place.

    " Hey, this yours? " Max asked, and the boy hesitated before slowly nodding, his eyes darting between Max and Kanae; the Vulcan let out a small laugh, " Impressive arm. You nearly took my friend's head off. "

    " Sorry. " The boy muttered, and Max shook his head dismissively.

    " Don't worry about it, she's so hardheaded she probably wouldn't have noticed. " Kanae made a noise of annoyance, scowling at the back of Max's head as he ignored her. He nodded towards the ball and raised his eyebrows at the boy, " Here, catch. "

    As he tossed the ball back, the boy caught it with both hands. Max half expected him to take off sprinting the other way, but when he didn't, he was pleasantly surprised. He took another step forward, holding his hand out to show he was harmless, and he crouched down to the boy's height.

    " What's your name? " He asked, and the boy flicked his head, brushing the brown bangs from his eyes.

     " Jonah. " The boy answered firmly, and Max pursed his lips, glancing back at Kanae with a raised brow. She looked skeptical, but didn't say anything.

    " Okay, Jonah, we are on a very important mission, and we need to talk to some important people. " Max told him, watching the interest build on Jonah's face. " Can you take us to your parents? "

    Jonah seemed a little reluctant, but, as he thought it over, a small smile burst onto his face, and he nodded. Max couldn't help but grin back, rising to stand when Jonah placed his ball under his arm and grabbed the taller boy's hand with his other. Max was a bit taken back, but fought the initial reaction he had to pull away from the touch. He turned to look at Kanae over his shoulder, gesturing for her to follow him.

     Kanae looked less than enthusiastic, but she did look slightly amused at Jonah tugging on Max's hand as he led them through the plaza. Max raised an eyebrow at her as if to question what was so funny. She simply shook her head and followed after him. Jonah weaved them through the many Minervans heading back and forth between the buildings. Eventually, they were heading towards a small flower vendor, where dozens of different colored plants were bunched together in vases. A woman stood near the front, absentmindedly tapping her fingers on the surface of the vendor, looking off in the distance.