Mari shrugged a little at the question. “I have heard that everyone has their own unique scent… But I've never noticed it before.” she admitted.
“Yeah, it is pretty cool.” she agreed, chuckling briefly at his enthusiasm. “Umm, from what I've heard… It's very beautiful and cold up there. Mostly, because there's no atmosphere on the moon. No, the moon itself isn't very bright but the dust and rocks on it are reflective. So the light you see every night when you look at it, is actually coming from the sun and the stars.” she explained as she added astronomy to Damien’s interests. “The robots are just tools for exportation until we can get people there. They're controlled from Earth and collect samples from the planet. There are also cameras on them so we can see what they do. As far as the space station… I don't know much about it. I know it was launched into space some time ago and every so often they alternate who is on board.“
She smiled sympathetically at him and shifted a little, opening her arms so if he wanted another hug he could have it. She wanted to help him feel better even if it was only for a little while about this.
"I dont think its that obvious on everyone…"
He stopped for a brief moment, sniffing the air in Mari's direction.
"Well, at least yours isnt" he continued, puzzled by the experience. Compared to how he recalled his mother, Mari did not smell like anything, at the very least not until he got very close to her - that was probably one reason why he'd failed to notice her the night before upon entering the room.
"No atmosphere? There's no air up there? How come? And how did people manage to breathe then? So the moon is like a giant mirror of some kind?" the next wave of questions came, seemingly in quick succession. "What do the robots look like? Why do they collect samples? What do they do with them? What do they need it for? How are people able to control them from all the way here? And why are they alternating crew on the space station?"
He had read only a few science fiction books, but out of them, only one contained an actual story about being on a different planet, but even there, some things had always intrigued him, especially the machines. What could aid humans out there and keep them alive?
Damien gazed back at her once the girl opened her arms, looking for the meaning of her gesture somewhere on her expression. After a few seconds of just staring, he silently scooted over and hugged her tight yet again, grateful for the comfort. A gesture so small was very helpful to him whenever he felt down
Mari blushed a little, chuckling as he sniffed at her. That was certainly a new experience for her. “Uh, thanks.” she smiled at the comment deciding to take it as a compliment.
“No, there's no air in space. The astronauts were able to survive was because of these special suits they had to wear. They have a personal air supply… I don't know how long it lasts but it would last for a while. As well as oxygen converters in the space ships.” she explained calmly, trying to keep up with the questions. “I… I don't know if you could call the moon a mirror… It only reflects light, not images but it would be cool if it could. Now, the robots collect samples so they can be analyzed and studied so we know what to expect. The robots have basically a long-range remote control that scientists can use because of a very powerful computer system. Don't ask me how it works, I don't know. They alternate the crew so that the people up there can come back home for a while. Otherwise, they might feel like their job is more like a prison.”
Mari gently embraced him as he accepted the hug and rubbed his back to add more comfort for him.
"Dont worry, you smell nice, from up close that is" he rushed to assure her, partially out of fear she might misunderstand what he meant by earlier statement.
"How do they manage to bring air up there? In like some sort of container or how?" the boy asked. It was honestly funny how the more he asked, the more new stuff he found out, like how now people could contain air apparently.
"Samples in order to know to expect what? Moving there? Do people intend moving on the moon? But if there's no air how will they do that? And computers… Those are…? Okay, the crew alternating makes a lot more sense now, i guess no one would want to be so far away from home forever…"
Damien's voice faded with the final sentence, as his train of thought seemed to move in a different direction.
Finding himself in the comfortable hug once again, he dared rub his cheek against her shoulder, in a small attempt at comforting himself. Up close, the girl did smell rather nice, although it was a vague fragrance, like some sort of perfume.
“Ah, that's good to know.” she chuckled again as she hadn't exactly been concerned by his words. “I guess it's just a subtle scent, huh?” she suggested, wondering if the reason why had to do with the deodorant she usually wore or if it was a natural change over the years.
“Yes, actually they use special containers to carry the oxygen when they leave the ship. I believe it's part of the spacesuit.” Mari answered, nodding a little. “Possibly. There have been theories about moving or starting colonies on other planets but I don't know if they've started yet or not. In order to live on a planet without a breathable atmosphere, we would have to build airtight structures for us to live in so our air stays in.” She nodded again, slower this time when she realized how her last answer could come across wrong. “Hey, it's going to be ok. We'll find your family.” she said, reminding him of her promise.
She smiled softly, holding him close, as he nuzzled against her, finding the action very cute. She slowly reached up a free hand and gently started running her fingers through the hair on the back of his head, being careful not to mess with the part covering his scar.
Damien rushed to confirm, relieved his words hadn't been misunderstood.
"Yea, its subtle." he repeated, rubbing the back of his head.
"Have you ever seen one of those spacesuits?" he asked, secretly curious if she could provide some more pictures, like she had done before with the cherry blossoms.
"Why would people want to move to a different planet? what's wrong with this one?"
The idea of trapping air so it could be breathed in outer space intrigued him, given he couldnt touch it or feel it. How could one trap something they couldnt touch?
"i know, i know, its just… I kinda miss the place i used to live in before"
A slight shiver went through his body when he felt her hand touch his head, but it quickly subsided, as he remembered he wasnt in any danger. It actually reminded him a lot of his mother, who used to do the same to him when he was sad.
Mari smiled at him and gave him a nod to assure him that she wasn't offended by his little comment about her scent. Honestly, she figured it could just be another vampire thing… but she didn't really mind either way.
"Personally, no but I've seen space movies… with older styles because that's all they could imitate, I'm sure." she told him, smiling as she took out her phone again and quickly pulled up pictures of spacesuits. Old and new. "Well, one of the theories is that overpopulation will eventually force us to move to other planets. Some might just move because of the trill, the excitment of being able to say that they did. I don't think there's anything really wrong with Earth… just somethings people do to it can be a little damaging." she explained with a small sigh. She nodded softly in understanding and compasion. "And that's completely normal. It's called being homesick. And if there's a way, I'll help you to get back there."
"Sorry." she whispered when she felt him shiver, but she didn't pull away from the hug yet.
With his hunch proven correct, Damien leaned in closer to her phone, anticipating the pictures that would come. Surely enough, he was soon presented with pictures of people in fat white suits, with a weird helmet on their head.
"These are the suits? They look so chubby… That box on the back is the air container?"
His initial puzzled expression turned into a frown, as he took in the idea of overpopulation.
"You're saying… Theres so many people, that theres no more room for them?" he asked slowly, like he couldnt believe it.
"Homesick… Mari i-… i really appreciate what you do for me, but finding my old home would mean travelling the sea… And even then i couldnt tell you where i used to live… im seriously grateful for all your efforts but.. I just dont think its possible."
With each stroke, he slowly allowed himself to relax to the point of him just melting in her arms, no more resistance at all. Resting on her shoulder with his eyes closed was the most calming thing in ages.
"Its okay… Dont worry… Just habit" he whispered back lightly, reassuringly
Mari chuckled a little at his observation but nodded. “Yep. Those are spacesuits, and I believe you're right about those boxes being their air supply. I think they look so bulky is to deal with the different atmosphere out there. Without the suits… people can freeze instantly and… Well, when exposed to a vacuum like that, without the right protection, a person can only survive so long.” she explained gently.
“Honestly, I'm not sure. People think that it might be a possibility but I don't know.” she told him in the same gentle tone, not wanting to upset him. “Another possible reason why we've considered moving is just because of curiosity. Are we alone in the universe or not? And if we're not; what are the others like? It's been a big mystery for years, even before we were able to leave Earth.” she added.
She raised a brow at his confession, concerned and a little confused. “Damien… We don't have to take a boat or a ship if that makes you uncomfortable. If we can figure out where your dad lives, chances are we can fly there and he should know where your home is.” she said kindly with a soft encouraging smile. “Don’t give up yet, chamaco. We just started.”
“Ok.” she smiled back, keeping the soft tone as she continued to hold him, gently touching his hair.
"So its also cold out there? Not just unbreathable? That's so cool… I wonder why" he muttered, taking another mental note about the great unknown out there. Cold enough for one to freeze to death…
"I never thought about life other than here. Well, maybe once or twice but not like this." he admitted, considering the option. Damien barely dared explore the things outside his house, let alone a whole differrent world, filed with other creatures he didnt know anything about. No thanks.
Confused, the boy looked at her again. He wasn't afraid of boats and ships, after all, he'd been on one before with no bad consequence. The problem laid elsewhere.
"Ah, no, i didnt mean that. Its just… I wouldnt want to bother you more than i already have. You'd probably have to pay for the transport, and i wouldnt want to burden you any more… For now, just finding him should be enough for me." His request was small, but it was all he dared ask of her.
Damien continued to enjoy the calm moment, just simply laying there unmoved and feeling the way her fingers made their way through his crudely cut, yet soft locks
“I think it's because there's no atmosphere that it's so cold. You see, an atmosphere is… like a protective shell or bubble around the Earth and it's helping hold in the gasses and heat from the sun that we need for life to exist here.” she tried to explain, even though she wasn't sure how to explain why the other planets didn't have a similar atmosphere. Mari chuckled a little and shrugged. “I’ve definitely thought about the possibility a couple times. On one hand, I think it would be really cool if aliens were real but at the same time, it is… I don't know. I guess it does make me a little nervous.” she admitted.
Mari’s eyes widened briefly at the explanation before she smiled gently at him. “Oh… Sorry, I thought that… Sorry, never mind what I thought then.” she shook her head a little. “Anyway, you are not a bother to me, Damien, and you never will be. Now, we will find him and if I have to take you to him, I will. But who knows maybe he'll come to you. You could write to him again and tell him everything… then he would be able to come here to see you.” she told him hopeful of the possibility, though if it came to it she would be willing to pay for tickets.
Marissa hummed softly and continued to run her fingers through his hair for as long as he needed her to or as long as he wanted. This was very peaceful to her as well since she hadn't done something like this since her brothers got too… energetic to stay still for long periods of time.
"Oh, so its like void out there? With nothing in it, right? But the planets have air, which is also why its warm here, kinda like a greenhouse effect?" he tried to clarify things for himself while also looking at Mri for confirmation.
"It wouldnt be excluded for them to be real. After all, you didnt think vampires were real until you met me. Who's to say they dont exist, but simply just hide away like i do?"
Damien didnt know much about aliens, but that reason had felt the most logical to him, given the circumstances. If vampires were real, then who knew how many other creatures were as well?
While it was good to know his friend did not see him as a bother, he still couldnt allow her to pour too many resources in helping him find one person who probably didnt even exist anymore. The failure scared him more than the success.
"ook… But i have no idea how much this is going to work. I'll be glad if we just find him."
Slowly, Damien moved away from the girl, pulling back his spindly body and lifting a shy gaze towards her. He would have loved to stay there more, but he figured he had spent enough time as it was. Also, he was two steps a way from falling asleep on her arm, which might have been awkward.
"Thanks…"
"Yes, exactly." she smiled proudly at his understanding, though she hadn't expected him to know about the greenhouse effect initially. But since he had one… she may have been too quick to write it off. "You may be right about that. They might be just as real as you and just as shy. Maybe they're just observers or something." she told him with a little shrug as there were multiple possibilities. Meeting Damien certainly made her more curious about whether or not other myths and legends were real.
Mari was a bit more optimistic than he was apparently. Especially since vampires lived for such a long time and were pretty hard to kill. She would be surprised if his father wasn't still around, they just had to find him. "I'm not sure either but I'm willing to keep looking." she assured him.
She nodded and smiled gently as he sat up again. "You're welcome. Anytime." she said softly before stretching a little. She really didn't mind how long he needed to be held, in a way it was a comfort to her too.
Getting an answer right boosted Damien's confidence, further amplified by her encouraging smile. He was learning, which was good since that always brought him some joy and pride in being good at something.
"They could, though im not sure. I can only speak for myself, i dont know what aliens are or if they are real" he added cautiously, looking down at his hand somewhat shyly.
Damien only nodded in response, not contradicting Mari anymore. She clearly had more confidence than he did, so he decided to let her have it her way. Somewhere deep inside he feared that if he were to find his birth father, if he didnt reject him first, he'd lose him the same way he'd lost everyone else in his life who had been dear to him, and he really did not want to go through that again. Unlike Mari, he did not know much about vampires and what they supposedly could do, so he was clueless about the potential flaws in his ideas.
The boy murmured some kind of thank you to her, before moving his attention back to the letter. There wasn't much left in it, but he was curious about what Mari thought of the whole thing.
Mari laughed a little, still smiling at him. “I don't know if anyone really knows if they are real. There have been stories about people seeing them or proof of them but it's hard to know who is telling the truth and who is just making stuff up to get publicity.” she told him with a shrug. “Technically, an alien is just a word that could mean strange, unusual, or unfamiliar. It could even be used to refer to a person from a different country. But the way I've been using it means someone or something from another planet.” she explained, hoping that that was the information he was looking for as she gently bumped his hand with hers.
“Are you alright?” she asked softly as he looked a little upset or thoughtful about something and she wanted to help him if she could.
She smiled softly and nodded at his quiet thanks, looking back at the letter holding it between them so he could see it.
"Why would anyone make stuff up for publicity though? And why aliens?" he questioned.
The whole thing was curious to him - people trying to prove their existence so vehemently they would go as far as fake things. Just why? Perhaps where he was used to people knowing and fearing those like him, he hadn't considered that maybe there were other things out there on the same boat as him. After all, according to Mari, vampires too were in the realm of fiction currently.
"Oooh, i think i got it. But when you mean aliens from another planet, what do you think of? As in, what do they look like? If they have an appearance that is…" he continued, noticing the slight fist bump which made him smile a little.
Damien noticed her eyes on him, and decided to avert his gaze from her.
"Its okay, im just… worried, thats all." he replied, stuffing all of his throughts into that masking comment.
The rest of the letter didnt contain much, just well wishes and an implied hope of one day meeting face to face, plus a post message note, about the boy's mother and a few other things that were slightly ambiguous
“Some people are honestly just nuts. Others think it's a funny prank or are just trying to get famous.” she tried to explain, even though she didn't fully understand it herself. “They probably picked things like aliens and bigfoot because people, in general, don't know enough about them. There are some scientists who think they're smarter than everyone else and will jump at the chance to dispute those stories… Even if they don't have any proof or evidence of their own.”
Mari gave a little shrug at the question. “I don't know. Aliens are a popular myth because no one knows what they really look like.” she told him, smiling softly back. “I’m not sure how many books there are but there are a lot of movies and TV shows about aliens, comic books too and some of them depict them as very similar to humans in appearance just with unique traits or extremely different altogether.”
She raised a brow slightly. “Worried about what?” she pressed gently, still concerned for her friend.
She smiled softly at the last part of the letter, finding it to be just as sweet and caring as the start. Though she knew better than to expect it, she was slightly disappointed at the lack of a name signed on it.
"But, how does one get famous from aliens? Just, how does that work?"
Was it something similar to when people discovered a new species of animal and they became known for it? But then again, aliens werent animals, according to Mari. So how did it count?
"People seem to have a lot of interests these days" he hummed, scratching one of his cheeks thoughtfully. "I mean, the alien situation sounds a lot like the vampire one you told me about. Why are they so interesting to people?"
Damien initially avoided answering, looking to his side at the couch pillow, but slowly melted enough to speak.
"I…. i dont know, i guess everything. From looking for him to finding him or not. Theres so many things that could go wrong… And im kind of scared…" he finally admitted, speaking slowly.
The boy sat quietly next to her, staring at the simple yet delicate signature that only said "Dad". Not his name, not anything else more formal, just dad and it was honestly a preferred term for Damien. It was just so simple yet lovely and heart warming to pronounce
“It’s called a “publicity stunt”. Some magazines and newspapers get desperate for something to publish so if someone sells them a story… Yeah. And some of those papers don't care how hokey it seems. They just want to sell as many as they can.” she explained.
She chuckled a little and nodded. “Yeah, there is a lot of random information that people like to look at or have access to. Old historical and new pop culture stuff.” she answered with a small smile. “I think myths and legends are interesting to so many because of that information and all the different… ways that those stories can be told.”
Mari sighed a little at his answer but nodded sympathetically. “I can understand that. It's ok to be scared.” she assured him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. “But we won't know anything until we look. Wouldn't knowing for certain be better than not knowing at all?”
She did smile at the affectionate word. She always preferred the name “dad” instead of “father”. Though she also liked the nickname of “papa” as well, even though she never used it. “Thank you again for letting me read this.” she said sincerely. “It was a very sweet letter and gave me a couple ideas on where to start looking.”
Honestly, the whole thing about publicity, news and papers made very little sense to him. In the end it was just all about making more money, wasn't it? One of the reasons old as time that often pushed people to do who knows what in order to obtain them, of course.
"Stories really are interesting, so i can see why people would be very interested. I'm just still slightly confused that something like that is considered myth or legend, after it having been fact for so long… Its really impressive how things change over the years." Damien spoke, as he thought about all the info he'd been given.
The gentle pressure of the girl's hand did not make him sink, though normally it would have, and her support once again felt like a soft pillow he could land on, when struck by his own insecurities.
He eventually sighed, resigned.
"I guess you're right.. Knowing really is better than having no clue… So where do we start?"
"Of course, no problem." he sketched a smile, as he took back the letter carefully. It may have not been much, but it had been an item of comfort to him throughout the years.
Yet, the news she had brought out the boy's curiosity once again. Where would she start looking?
Mari nodded a little. “Usually, yes. Stories can be very interesting but I have read and know of a couple that are considered… Well, trash for lack of a better word.” she said with a brief shrug. “If something is considered a myth or a legend it's because it can’t or hasn't been proven as fact yet. That's why it's so interesting to people.” she explained, a little confused on what he meant by something being fact already… Was he referring to himself and other vampires? If so, it didn't really count since it had only been fact to him… not the majority.
She smiled softly when he responded a little more optimistically to looking for his dad. “Well, it's not much and I realize this was a long time ago but… I think your dad lived in Japan when he wrote you that letter. For all we know, he might still be living there.” she answered. “If he moved it will be a bit harder but at least, for now, we have it narrowed down. Maybe he lived near where that festival takes place.”
"Just how bad does a story need to be in order to be considered trash? I mean, i know a bad book when i see one but never that bad" the boy asked, genuinely taken aback by the term. On one side, he probably did not know the library in the mansion contained a most likely carefully selected collection of books, where the chances of a bad book were kinda low from the start, if the original owner had any taste. While on the other one, Damien always appreciated a fantasy story, since it allowed him to imagine so many things, and none he'd read so far had been any lower than the average at best level.
"Guess many people like a good mystery, i assume?" he attempted to summarize everything, while also trying to figure out how on earth did people believing vampires were myths and everything he'd ever been told about them connected logically. If they were real, then how did they become legend?
"Ja..pan…"
The word came off broken out of the boy's mouth, like that was the first time he ever heard of the location and he was trying to engrave it into his memory, as if it was a tiny clue he'd just found.
"Do you.. have any clue as to how to get there? or find him there? It sounds far away…"
“Very bad.” she told him. “If you ever read one, you’d most likely know it. It's a wonder how some of them even get published… But I have to admit, for some reason, some people actually like that stuff. No idea why.” she ended with a shrug since she genuinely didn't know.
Mari chuckled softly at the question and nodded. “I guess so. I mean, I can't think of a single person who doesn't know about Sherlock Holmes, so to some degree it makes sense.” she agreed. “I guess people have always been curious about things they don't understand… Curious and afraid. So they either try to understand it or run away from it and pretend it doesn't exist.” she suggested before swallowing slightly, a little nervous but she had to say it. “Or they try to destroy it.” she added softly.
“Well, sort of.” she admitted. “To be honest, Japan is actually very far away from here. It's an island and a country all on its own. Which makes sense that you were sent on a boat. Back then there wouldn't have been any other way to get there.” she explained. “I… I've never been there before but I hear it's very beautiful. For an island it's… it's a fair size, so finding one person would be… difficult. But if we could figure out where the cherry blossom festival takes place, then that would narrow it down.” she said, trying to sound optimistic.
The boy frowned.
"People are weird sometimes… But how does a bad book make it to the publisher? Just, how? If its that bad, shouldn't an editor reject it or something?" he asked, trying to make sense of the situation.
Curious and afraid? Damien stopped to think about it for a little bit.
"I dont think i ever assumed that people would be scared of something new… Like, for me, i always just thought they hated me, but never thought they could be afraid and that was why they wanted me gone. it just, never crossed my mind that anyone could actually fear someone like me… Its so intriguing to think about" he confessed, looking past her, at the wall. Judging by the girl's soft tone, he knew she was trying to be comforting, but he couldnt help start questioning his knowledge.
Damien quietly followed her mini ramble, just with his curiousity visible in his green iris. To him it was a whole new world she spoke about, and he had no idea what to think of.
"Is… is that it? You just need to find the place where the festival happens and start from there? Sounds a little good actually." the boy dared smile a little, motivated a bit by the possible "plan"
“Yes, they are.” she agreed, not even bothering to deny it. “Maybe an editor can only reject a book so many times? Otherwise, I don't really know how it happens… I'm not much of a writer so I don't know the full process of getting published.” she pointed out.
Mari sighed a little and gave him a soft look. “I guess it is interesting but, Damien, fear can often lead to hate. As a group, we're very easy to scare. Some individuals might be more curious but almost everything new that we can't immediately explain can send us into a panic.” she told him. “It used to be that the only way around it was to get back to normal and get rid of those things that weren't normal or convince people that they never existed in the first place.”
She shrugged a little, smiling back at him. “Well, it's a starting point.” she admitted. It may not have been much but it was still a chance to find his dad.
