Mari laughed a little, blushing when he complimented her name for the plant. “Really? Well then, I'm glad.” she said though she still wished she could have come up with something more creative. She did sneeze a little when the spicy scent tickled her nose. “Excuse me.” she apologized, pulling back from the pepper.
“Oh, ok.” she nodded at his explanation. “So, more like she had an amulet or talisman that let… this smoke bird know she had a letter?” she asked, hopefully understanding a little better. “That’s still cool. That your dad could make something like that.“
"Mhm! i really do!" he reassured, making space for her to move away from the spicy plant. That thing really was spicy, he hadn't joked about it.
"It's okay. The smell does make your nose hurt if you stay here for too long."
Damien kind of shrugged, as he moved his arms around in a 'yes but actually no' manner.
"I wouldn't exactly say it was an amulet, more like, just an object. Not sure what it was anymore though. All i know was that after mom wrote the letter, she'd take out the object, put it on the letter and then it would turn into a bird and fly away." he explained as best he could. There were more missing details regarding it, but that was all he could recall for now.
"I guess it was. To be able to do something like that, must be so nice…"
She chuckled and shrugged a little. "I guess it does kinda sting a little but it doesn't really hurt." she assured him. "Must be pretty spicy when it's not cooked and on its own."
"Ok." Mari nodded again, taking in the new information. "Hey, have you ever tried doing something like that? You might be able to if your dad could… Or at least something similar." she suggested a little optimistically. Though she didn't know much about magic, but she had considered the possibility that Damien had different… potential than what his father was able to do.
The boy slowly approved with a head nod as he was looking down at the spicy plant.
"It is, but its a very flavourable type of spicy. Like, it might set your mouth on fire, but it tastes good" he said, based on his experience with eating it pretty often to add a bit of strength to the taste of foods. He liked it honestly, even if it tingled his nose sometimes.
"Honestly, no. I didnt even know how to try. Mom was the one who had the thing, but i never got to use it though i wanted to." Damien admitted, looking away, to some other plants that he could show Mari.
"Im not sure how dad did it either"
Mari scrunched up her nose at the description of how hot that pepper was and shook her head. “That’s definitely too spicy for me. I think I’ll take a hard pass on trying it raw.” she said politely.
She paused thoughtfully and nodded. It made a lot of sense that Damien would want to use something like that to contact his father. “Did your mom not let you? I mean, why didn't she?” she asked. “I’m no expert on magic or special abilities but I thought that… Maybe your dad could do that without the object, and maybe you could too.”
The boy just offered an understanding smile, moving on further inside the greenhouse to some new plants which he then proceeded to show her. Most of them weren't that different from their common world counter-part, except from their interesting colors or sometimes odd shape, but generally all that was in there was edible some way or another, including the ones that just looked like normal flowers. On the opposite side of the row Damien was showcasing were the average, everyday vegetables known to man, like tomatoes, bell peppers, cabbage and several others.
"I dont know why. Maybe i wasn't old enough to use it? That's what i remember she told me, anyway." he responded, looking down at his hands. "I don't know how dad did it, i never saw him do it. Who knows, maybe he did do it without the object, anything's possible"
Marissa was absolutely fascinated by each and every one of the unique plants he showed her. She just hoped she wasn't annoying her friend with all the questions she asked about them. Until today, the most interesting foods she knew about were plantains, dragon fruit, and jack fruit. So she wanted to learn as much about these new plants as she could.
She smiled gently at him and placed an assuring hand on his shoulder. “It’s ok. I’m sure we can figure it out.” she said gently. “I wouldn't be surprised if your dad could but I agree that it could be possible. Either way, we'll find out.” she nodded thoughtfully. If Damien was able to do this, wonderful! If not, then nothing would change from what he already could do. But if he could call that smoke bird… would it be able to deliver the letter on its own or would Damien need to know where to send it?
Damien continued to show her around and politely answering any questions she might have. He even offerred to give her a close up look at how a wolfhook berry looked like and was eaten - it was a relatively large purple berry looking fruit, with large hooks on it, most likely used to hang on to passing by animals and transported. The boy also took the liberty of later offering her a glass of its juice once they got back inside the house.
He let out a small sigh and nodded, accepting her statements. They were going to test it out tomorrow anyway, so all he could do was just be patient about it and think of a way to do the thing.
"I'm kind of curious too actually, i do want to see if i can do it." he said, finally looking up at her. "We'll try tomorrow, right?"
Mari nodded occasionally, listening closely to every one of his answers, as she took in all this information. She smiled at both his offers and happily accepted being more than willing to try and see more of the unique foods he grew. Though, at the sight of the large hooks, she was a little hesitant to touch the purple berries.
“If you think you're up for it, then sure. We can try it tomorrow.” she smiled at him, a little excited herself to see if Damien really was able to use any powers. They would have to be careful though. With him being half-human, and having no actual knowledge on how powerful real-life vampires were… It was something of a shot in the dark to guess how strong he was.
The boy reassured her of the relative safety of the berry, opening it in front of her and offering her the soft core. Despite their size, the hooks weren't that dangerous, just a little prickly if you happened to grab them the wrong way by accident, though they were as prickly as a plant spiked ball could get - honestly they weren't that much different from the spiked seed ball of a wild plant or even the green hide of chestnuts, except they stung less.
It did taste quite refreshingly sweet though.
"I dont know if i can do it, but i do want to try!" he admitted, giving her a slightly hopeful look with his only visible eye. If she encouraged and supported him like she was doing now, it wouldn't hurt to at least give it a shot, right?
She nodded at his assurance with a soft smile and accepted the edible part of the berry, humming at the sweet flavor. In a way, she felt like such a tourist. Getting to try all these new foods and even learning about Damien, what his life was like, and honestly, she liked the feeling. At least there wasn't a language barrier though that wouldn't have bothered her either, it just would have been another part of the experience.
“Alright.” Mari smiled brightly at him. “I’m glad that you're was willing to give it a try… I do wish I knew more about this kind of stuff so I could help you more with it.” she admitted, blushing faintly as her smile dimmed a little.
Her positive receival of the berry encouraged Damien to continue showing her around, sometimes letting her taste a few fruits she found interesting, while also offering her some information on the side when the fruit in question was unknown to her. The whole experiece brought him some joy and excitement like he hadn't felt in a very long time, and he liked it.
"Thanks" he responded, looking at her, instinctively seeming to respond to her smile with one of his own. "I really do appreciate all you did for me so far, i really do. But don't worry, i know as much about myself as you do, so i guess we could learn together from this? i suppose?"
Mari was very grateful for how patient he was answering all her questions and letting her try the different types of fruits. She was really enjoying all of this; the time with her newest friend, trying new things and getting to learn so much. It was something she’d always thought about when she dreamed of traveling. Her dream career was as an archaeologist and that definitely required travel.
She chuckled a little, shaking her head. “Well, thanks but it was nothing. I don't really think I’ve done much at least.” she said, her blush growing a bit. “You’re right. We’ll definitely learn this together. And just so you know, whether or not you can do these things, we’ll still be friends.” she assured him.
"So, where to next?" he asked, once reaching the end of the greenhouse. "Back inside for the letter i suppose?"
"We're still friends, got it" he smiled, swaying his body back and forth once more. "Im really glad you're willing to do this with me. I wouldnt have had the courage to do it all by myself"
Mari was still smiling from the interactive tour they had just been on. It had been so much fun! The sunsettia fruit was definitely her new favorite, though the wolfhook berry was a close second. It really was a lot more fun to do stuff like that with a friend.
At the reminder of the letter, she nodded. “Yeah. I’m ready to see it. If you're still willing to show me.” she told him. She knew she was no Sherlock Holmes but she was still hopeful that she might be find something useful to track down his dad.
She chuckled a little at how he swayed when he was apparently nervous or complimented for something. “It’s not a problem. I'm happy to help you out.” she told him sincerely. “I just hope that I’m able to do enough… I'm sure you would have found your courage one way or another. I’m just glad I was here to help you.” she smiled at him.
(Srry for the v short answer before, im in the middle of my exam period and was also real sick yesterday. Will try to do better in the next one qvq ❤)
(It's ok. I didn't mind. I hope you feel better and your exams go well. ❤️)
(I do feel a lot better now, thank u ^^ i did good on today's exam, we'll see about the rest :'D)
"Of course i am" he said, slightly reassuringly. "Just need to find it"
He offered a hand to her, as if he was inviting her to come with him, to find the said letter. It wasn't too clear if he was only gesturing or if he wanted her to take his hand so they could go back inside. Either way, Damien brought them both back to his main room, where he invited her to sit down on the couch while he quickly went into the kitchen, shortly after returning with a glass and a bottle full of the wolfhook juice he'd promised he'd treat her with. The boy poured her a glass, before starting to rummage through the cabinets in the room, checking every drawer for the letter.
After several minutes, Damien finally came back towards the couch, holding a yellowed piece of paper.
"I dont think i would have found the courage without you, i just dont think so…" he admitted, averting his gaze once again, slowly ceasing his swaying body motion. Honestly, had she not been here with him to encourage him and treat him nicely, he probably would have spent his life hiding away in this place, forever afraid of what he was.
"You already did so much for me, so its alright if nothing comes of it in the end. I'm just glad you are here with me."
(Yay! Glad to hear it. Good luck!)
“Alright.” she nodded, taking his hand in hers more out of reflex than anything as she followed him back to his room. “Thanks again for showing me your greenhouse. You really have some incredible plants growing in there.” she smiled.
Mari blushed a little when she realized as she gently let go of his hand when she took a seat. “Sorry.” she murmured, a little embarrassed, as he left the room. Though she offered a soft smile when he brought back the wolfhook juice and sipped it as he searched for the letter. She wished she could help him look for it, but he didn't seem to have too much trouble after a few minutes.
“I’m sure you would have. It just would have taken longer. You just needed a little encouragement but I believe that it was already there. I don't think your parents would want you to be scared. Cautious, maybe but not scared.“ she said still sure of her words as she gently accepted the letter, setting her glass down on the little table next to the couch. She didn't want to accidentally ruin the letter in any way as she examined it. She smiled at him, flattered at his compliments. “I'm glad to be with you too, no matter what happens.”
(Thank you!)
Damien appeared phased for a second when she took his hand - it actually felt nice, sensing the warmth of her palm against his cooler hand - but decided to just roll with it as it was.
"Sure, no problem. I'm glad you liked them! I can give you some fruits from there whenever you want!" he replied, somewhat cheerful.
"Its alright, don't worry" the boy reassured, gently letting go of her hand as she took a seat on the couch.
With the paper in hand, he came back and sat next to her, looking past the letter.
"i cant say for sure i would have eventually summoned the courage to try it out eventually. I dont even know what i can do, and if i can, then i assume it would require me to act like an actual vampire and i haven't ever hurt anyone before. I wouldn't want to start doing that now… im not afraid of what it could do to me, more like what i could do to others. he confessed, hoping she could understand his hesitance towards his non human side.
His darkened expression lit up with a comforted smile, Mari's encouragement making him once again feel safe around her.
“I loved them!” Mari assured him with a broad smile. “Well, if you're sure about that. I'd hate to take advantage of your food supply.” she told him… Though she was more than willing to bring him anything that she could if he didn't have it or just wanted something.
She nodded a little at his assurance, still a little embarrassed but she had to admit she was relieved that he was apparently not so skittish about being touched anymore.
“I guess that's fair.” she agreed softly since neither of them knew what Damien was really able to do… “Wait… so you’ve never had blood before?” she asked, unsure if he had actually mentioned that earlier. “I guess… I can see why you would think that it might be related.” she said thoughtfully since she hadn't considered that possibility. “I highly doubt you would ever hurt someone. You’re such a sweet softy. But… I guess if it turns out that you do need blood to kick start your powers… I could offer you some or try to find a way to get some from the hospital or blood bank…”
"Oh, dont worry, i have plenty stored up. I'll be fine if you take a few. Take it as a gift from me, in turn for all the nice things you brought me today" he offered, waving his hand reassuringly. Damien was glad to share some of his things with her, even more so if she did the same with him. Besides, he had enough to afford to give her as much as she wanted - especially the fresh ones, if she wanted.
The boy shook his head negatively at her question.
"No, i never tasted it before, at all. Probably just my own, once or twice when i got injured while playing outside, but it was never more than just a few drops. It didn't taste that great though…"
The topic had come up before, he just hadn't gone into too much detail the first time. Whenever it came to his lack of abilities, Damien had deduced it was probably because he'd never eaten the things he was supposed to, as a vampire. The idea of blood itself actually felt pretty repulsive to him in a way, knowing it came from a person, just like him.
"Ah, no, please, its alright. If i do need blood, i'd rather stay powerless than drink that thing. No need to offer me yours, i dont think i could…."
“Well… Ok, I guess that's fair.” she smiled gratefully at his offer, though she still had plans to bring him more modern things when they spent time together. He had a few things to catch up on. “Thanks, Damien.”
She nodded occasionally as he explained. “Yeah… I guess that's normal. I always thought it tasted kinda metallic.” she agreed, though she looked at him in mild surprise at his opinion on staying powerless… if he really was. “Are you sure? I mean, I admire your resolve on that but… Maybe it's just because I know I don't have any abilities but I… Well, I guess it doesn't matter until we find out if you need it or not first.” she rationalized still thoughtful.
"No problem! You're most welcome" the boy said, making a mental note to not forget to pack up a few sunsettias for her before she left for home.
"It does actually! i've no idea how can someone drink that thing…. Thats another reason why i never had blood in my life." he confessed, looking at the paper in his hand. Damien just could not see himself consuming the red liquid anywhere in his life; his stomach went up in knots just when he thought about its taste.
"Im pretty sure about it. I mean, nothing i ever do around the house has required me to use any unnatural ability so far. If i dont need them, then whats the use of having them?"
Mari couldn't help but laugh a little at his reply. She didn't know why exactly but it did sound… cute, in a way. “You’re a sweet chamaco. Never lose that.” she smiled softly him.
If Damien was a normal human she would probably say that he was squeamish but she wasn't sure if that was the right term considering… She shook her head a little to clear it. It didn't matter anyway. “Well, personally, I think having those powers would be pretty cool… Even if you don't need them for everyday life.” she admitted. “But I would have to agree, I'm not sure if I would be able to drink blood from another person.”
She cleared her throat and gestured to the letter. “Are you ready? I mean, can I see it?” she asked softly, still waiting to see if she could help him find his family.
