"I'm not a pirate." To himself, Nick mused that Rufio wouldn't be able to possibly guess what he was, but he was not about to enlighten the youth. "And there are worse things in this City than pirates."
He considered picking the kid up and flying away with him to somewhere safe, but that would only alienate him from the boy even more. he would rather be able to slowly gain the boy's trust, and keep an eye on him in the meantime. He hadn't missed the sudden, but short, interest when he mentioned a hot meal. Nick wondered when the last time was that Rufio had eaten something of real substance.
"Look, will you at least wait here for me if I go get you something to eat? It's on me. No strings attached."