After a while of Dodo fretting over Nick, she finally let them have a seat at an out of the way booth back in the corner of the diner.
"So what will you two be having?" She asked with a smile on her face.
"Come on, Dodo, just show me where the meat is and I'll do it myself." Abel shook his head.
"Nope! I'm serving you two. Now, what will you have, or do you just want to drink water tonight?" She quirked up a brown, her hands already propped up on her hips. Abel could feel the lecture right on the verge of being released.
"We'll have the usual I guess." Abel scratched his cheek. He turned to Nick who was twiddling his thumbs in his seat. "You eat meat, right?" Nick nodded his head rapidly, making Dodo smile fondly.
"Great! I'll be back with a bowl of cuts in a minute." She hurried away, leaving the two of them together. Abel propped up his head with his knuckle, his elbow placed firmly on the table to support the weight as he thought of how to go about with his little questioning session with Nick.
While he was thinking, Dodo came back with a large bowl of cuts from various creatures. Abel wasn't sure which was which, but he was sure that it was something nice. Probably a few pieces of Ground Rat meat inside the bowl.
A complementary bowl of sauces and other spices was placed by the bowl of cuts, and Dodo left the two to do as they pleased after setting down a jug and two cups of water.
"Just call me if you need anything." She smiled before leaving.
Abel began, using chop sticks to pick up a cut of meat and dip it into the sauce before laying it out on the hot grill that was in the center of the table. The piece of meat immediately began to sizzle loudly as it got cooked. The fires and grills were enchanted, so they prepared the cuts of meat faster than they would if they weren't. In just a few moments, the cut was ready, and Abel moved it to a plate that was by the side.
"Aren't you going to try it?" He asked Nick. The boy's eyes were wide, in surprise, or maybe confusion, Abel wasn't sure. "Here, try this one. If you don't like it, then no problem, you can order something else. It's on me." He pushed the plate before Nick.
Nick hesitantly picked up the perfectly grilled cut of meat with his chop sticks before placing it in his mouth. An explosion of flavor immediately doused his mouth in ecstasy, making him subconsciously close his eyes and let out a low sigh.
"Good, huh?" Abel laughed, already laying out several more cuts on the grill. The two of them ate in silence for a while until the bowl of cuts was almost empty. Abel stealthily reduced his intake, letting Nick eat more. The younger boy eagerly scarfed down the cuts almost instinctively, which made Abel frown. Nick was breathing down the cuts of meat like he rarely ate anything. He would ask him about it later, if they boy was open to speaking about it.
Nick rubbed his belly in satisfaction when the last cut disappeared into his mouth. He was full. He turned to Abel with his eyes basically beaming mini grins of their own, mirroring the one on his face.
"Thanks a lot. That was... nice." He tongued the inside of his cheek.
"It was nothing. I just thought I would treat you to something. You look like you're on the skinny side." He shrugged. Nick's shoulders fell at Abel's words, confirming Abel's suspicions that something was wrong. He didn't want to be that nosy somebody, but if he could help someone, then he would.
"Hey, Nick." He turned to face Nick properly. Nick hummed in response, showing that he was listening. "I think we need to talk about something... I don't want to be nosy, but I kind of noticed some tension between you and your dad... You don't have to tell me anything, but I just thought that if it was me, I would want someone to talk about it to."
The nerves were very obvious on Nick's face. He looked everywhere but Abel's face, but he made no moves to leave, and he didn't outright say that he didn't want to talk about it. It made Abel feel that there was a chance at breaking in and getting Nick to open up to him.
After five long, silent minutes, Nick finally spoke up.
"I've never been liked by my dad... I don't blame him. After all, it was my fault my mom died." His shoulders drooped even more. Abel placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"If it's too much for you, then you don't have to force yourself to go through that." He was genuinely worried about Nick. The boy was a sweet kid, if shy.
"It's fine. I've been needing someone to talk to about it. But..." He looked around the diner. There were still a few people here and there.
"Oh, I think I know somewhere we can talk without people listening in. Let's go." He pulled Nick up to his feet and led him to the counter, the bowls that their food had been served in in their hands while Nick carried the jug and cups.
Dodo was writing something in a record when they stopped by.
"Oh, are you done already?" She perked up upon seeing the two boys.
"Yeah, we're done, and I need to make sure Nick gets home okay. It's not too safe for someone as vulnerable as him to be walking around alone too late at night." Abel spoke and Nick's ears turned red with embarrassment.
"Oh, that's so nice of you. Take care, Nick. Please do come again!" She happily collected their bowls, and Abel slipped a gold coin into her palm.
"Abel, I told you not to waste money!" She fumed, her cheeks puffing out.
"It's not wasting money if it's spent on you." Abel grinned before turning and leaving the diner behind, Nick right on his heels.