"But… If you bring old items which you say other people want, and put them in a building, wouldnt that make it easier for the bad guys to steal it….?" he commented, finding a modern building less secretive than perhaps an ancient unknown place somewhere hidden in the world out there.
The boy seemed to squirm in his seat a little, unsure of the idea.
"To be very honest, i'd love to, im just not too sure of it."
He didnt want to admit it, but he was scared, despite knowing that Mari's family was probably just as nice as her, he just felt like a cold shiver crept down his spine every time he thought of meeting someone knew through his own accord. Meeting someone through an accident was albeit an unhappy experience for him, mainly because of the huge scare he got, but ultimately he preferred that over actively having to go meet the person, the anxiety was just too much for him.
Damien was left to ponder over the sentence for a few moments, trying his best to find something while seemingly inspecting a bush nearby.
"I dont know what i could start with," he confessed, looking at her as if he were looming for answers. "What should i even do?"
“That… Actually makes sense. You have a good point.” she nodded thoughtfully. “Though I think that museums have very good security and are able to protect their exhibits. And at least two of the more valuable items that Indy finds; one of them gets locked up in a very secret, high-security building that only certain people know where it is and another… well the item actually gets lost after he finds it so that adventure is more about the experience and mending bridges with his dad.” she explained.
“Hey, it's ok. No rush, no pressure.” Mari assured him gently, seeing how uncomfortable he was. “It was just a suggestion. You don't have to if you don't want to.” she said sincerely. Maybe a pet store would be a better way for him to see the different animals. “I promise, I’m not going to make you do something you aren't ready for or just don't want to do.”
She almost shrugged at the question but rubbed the back of her neck thoughtfully instead. “Ok… Well, off-hand, I can think of two things we can test and compare.” she admitted. “If you're up for it, we can test your speed and/or your strength. See if you're stronger or faster than an average human.” she suggested.
The boy made a gesture with his hand, as if saying "see?" when she did admit he had a point. Putting something out there for all to see only made it more easily known to potential thieves, it was just pure logic to him.
"Whoa, are those items that important? I mean, for them to be locked up so well? And if so, why would anyone lock them up in a secret place when they already were a secret?" The matters were getting a little too confusing for him at this point, with all the finding and hiding of stuff that was already hidden once before. But his tone slightly shifted at the end, falling silent for a little.
"Was he.. mad with his dad or something?" Damien asked cautiously, daring to look up at her.
Reassured, the boy nodded with a sigh, pressured by the conflicting decisions. He wanted to go, but first he needed to calm down the tumultuous emotions going around in him. And also the other technical problems.
"I do want to go, honestly, just on another day maybe, when i feel ready. Thank you for understanding tough" he eventually cracked a shy smile, while his hands nervously played with the fabric of his shirt. "But, won't i look somewhat out of place there? I mean, i take it no one dresses like this anymore" Damien pointed at his slightly oversized shirt and dark pants - while it was true they looked well maintained and just as usable like a modern shirt, they were a pretty far cry from Mari's outfits. And even Damien himself wasn't exactly in a stellar state; with his somewhat small and thin frame, this kid didnt look like someone who ate regularly, despite the boy's clearly decent meals.
"Oh, those sound doable, i think… So, are we going to race or something for the speed test?" he asked, his face lighting up at recognizing the tasks he could do to prove if he had any ability at all. As for the strength test, maybe they could try lift something?
Thinking about the context of the actual movies; she knew that the “bad guys” did raid more than a few museums but those were over in Europe, and as far as she was aware they had never made it to the States to try anything like that. “Some of them were. Uh, the leader of those bad guys was… Well, he was a nut, to put it mildly, and was obsessed with finding artifacts like that because he thought they would make him more powerful. So, that first one had to be hidden, plus as important as it was I don't know how too many people would have reacted to seeing it.” she admitted. She shook her head slightly before answering his next question. “No, I don't think he was mad, exactly. But they did have a rough relationship. See his dad was… He dedicated most of his life looking for another important artifact that very few people can say if it even exists or not and that put a lot of strain between him and Indy. Then when Indy's mom passed away… they just sort of stopped seeing or talking to each other.” she explained.
“Of course, take your time.” she nodded, smiling softly back. Mari glanced at his clothes and shrugged a little. “Maybe a little out of place… the pants aren't too strange but if you wore an oversized hoodie over your shirt… You’d be able to get away with it.” she said thoughtfully, though there wasn't much she would be able to do about his build. Hopefully, the hoodie would be able to hide how skinny he looked.
“Basically.” she smiled back. “So, we're going to take turns running from this bush to… that tree over there and back.” she said, pointing at a strong-looking tree a few yards away from them. “I’ll time you with this to see how long it takes you but I’ll need you to time me. Think you can handle that?” she asked as she showed him the stopwatch.
"So, basically the item was hidden again so bad people wont get to it in the first location, right? Since that one is no longer secret. Is that how it works?" he probed, trying to make it make sense for himself. The trope of the big bad guy wanting item x for one of his nefarious plans was pretty familiar to him, from some of the books. It was essentially just a tale of a glorified thief in the end, but with impact on a larger scale
"Oh, i see. I know what thats like. Poor Indy…" he perked up, slightly on a flat tone while he looked elsewhere. It was an unexpected find, but one that he understood to some degree, given his own situation. Except, unlike him, Indiana had the chance to reconcile with his parent, which made the whole thing a lot happier.
"You…. you think i could?" he asked somewhat hopeful at the prospect. "But… where am i going to get a hoodie…?"
While he didnt want to say it out loud, Damien was very intrigued by Mari's outfits, and as much as he would have liked to have the chance of testing them out, he was too shy to admit it. He didnt pick up on her possible concern over his poor build, mainly because he never suspected it was an issue.
The boy looked over at the tree than back at her, nodding enthusiastically.
"Ok, i can do that, but uh, how do i time you?" he said, looking at the object she was holding for he did not know how to operate it.
“More or less.” she admitted. “And the second location is much more defensible so even if someone tried to steal it, they’d have a lot more trouble.” she said with a little smirk. Though she had to hide a small wince when Damien compared the similarities between Indy and his father's relationship and his own being M.I.A. But Mari hadn't given up on helping him find his dad.
“I think so.” she nodded. “Most people wear hoodies often enough. If… Or when you think you'll be ready, I can get one for you.” she told him. Though she was almost wondering if he was just so thin because of his reluctance to eat or drink blood. She really wasn't going to push the idea on him, but considering he seemed to have a higher metabolism for regular food… It was just a possible theory.
She smiled a little and held the watch out so she could show him. “It’s easy. You just click this button to start or stop the timer.” she explained, clicking the button as part of a demonstration before stopping it a few seconds later. “Do you want to run first?” she asked as she cleared the read out.
Damien gave an understanding nod, hand on his chin like he was in deep thought and had just made an important break through. A lot of his conversation was just nods and body languange, making it apparent he had most likely lost some of his socializing skills in the time he spent alone - though thankfully the loneliness hadnt affected his sanity by the looks of it.
"Well, then i guess its good if they're hiding it again. Though im curious about why would anyone want old items? Gold and valuables i can understand, but what about the rest?" he inquired, tilting his head, hand still on his chin and blinking at her innocently with his visible eye.
Honestly Damien was now curious to see this Indiana Jones guy, mainly to see what adventures he went through, but also because he sympathised with his situation a little - the simple fact someone else went through the same as he made him think he would be understood.
"So its like, the current fashion, i take it?"
If multiple people wore them, then they were what people today wanted to wear, despite the fact they looked intriguing and somewhat strange to him, lacking the grace of the cloth he'd seen in his day.
"I trully appreciate all you do for me, but i dont want you to spend too much on me…" he politely protested, rubbing the back of his neck. She'd brought him books, items and now was thinking of clothing, which looked pretty expensive in his eyes - in no way she was obligated to spend on him and he definitely didnt want to make her to.
Seeing it in action, Damien somewhat understood the way to operate the strange little device.
"Uh, okay, i can do it" he nodded, making his way to the bush that was the starting line. He had run before, but never knew just how fast he did - the last time he had ran, his mind had been too much of a blur to actually process anything. But alas, now was the moment of truth.
After his little moment of thought, he took off, sprinting towards the tree with all his might, skidding a little on the ground upon reaching it, trying to halt
“Old items can be very valuable. Especially to the right person.” she pointed out. “Sometimes the older the better. Some collectors can be pretty particular from what I've heard. And certain museums only take things with a specific type of history.” she added with a slightly excited smile. Mari’s mannerisms were certainly different from Damien’s as she didn't seem to rely on body language but could still understand his. Mostly she tended to speak more with her hands when she was excited about something or trying to help explain things to him.
Mari blushed a little and shrugged as she rubbed the back of her neck. “I… I guess you could say that. Honestly, I am not an expert on fashion… At all really. Though most people my age usually seem to wear pretty much whatever they want.” she admitted. “Oh, don't worry about me spending money. I think I have a spare large hoodie you can borrow when you're ready to go out.” she offered.
“Remember. To the tree and back.” she said as she walked with him over to the bush, stopwatch at the ready, though she stayed out of his way so he could run when he was ready. She had half been expecting to give him a countdown to start but Mari was quick enough on the watch when Damien took off running.
"Collectors…? People collect stuff like that? But why…"
From the looks of it, Damien didnt seem like the type to have ever collected anything, so he most likely wasnt familiar with this particular hobby. Especially when it implied the collection of ancient things that werent the conventional valuables.
"People wear what they want…? What kind of fashion is that?" he asked again, genuinely intrigued by how the old customs had been replaced with new ones, that were actually completely in opposition to the old ones. From what his mother had told him, a lot of people dressed according to the fashion and anyone failing to do so was usually lower class or poor, none of which were looked upon favourably, at least not where his mother had come from.
"Oh, you have a spare one? I guess it'd be okay then…" he reluctantly accepted, secretly happy money didnt come into discussion anymore.
The boy managed to turn in the moment he had halted, bolting back towards the starting point, running as fast he could. It had been some time since he'd ran like thia and he was panting a little, even after he'd stopped and was now heading back towards the girl.
"How did i do…?" he sighed, struggling for breath
She shrugged a little. “I think it's because of the history attached to it. No one can own the past or see it themselves so they try to own something from that time.” she tried to explain though she knew how history was written.
“I… I don't know what kind you’d call it but you have to remember that things are different now.” she reminded him gently. “For the longest time women were only allowed to wear skirts or dresses, now we don't have to if we don't want to. … Maybe I should just show you some pictures. It might be easier than trying to explain.” she suggested, pulling out her phone. Mari smiled a little at him and nodded. “I think I have one. You’re a bit smaller than me so my school hoodie from last year should fit you well enough.”
She watched quietly and stopped the timer as soon as he reached her. “Well, without looking at the watch yet, I’d say you did pretty good.” she smiled at him before holding the clock out so they could both look at his time.
"Huh… Pretty weird, wont lie… I guess then thats the reason theres a box of stones somewhere in the library…. Didnt realize it was a collection…" he concluded, remembering the strange object in the room he'd always pondered over.
"Thats an interesting passion to have, to want to own something from the distant past." he melancholied a litle bit, like he was contemplating some distant thought about days long passed - to think of it, Damien didnt really have anything left from his own past, making him feel disconnected. Perhaps thats why he found it all so strange?
The boy nodded insistently when she reminded him - he did remember the world was different now, but it was still pretty hard to comprehend. He scooted over once she pulled out her phone, very curious to see what she'd show him - most likely clothes, but very different than what he knew.
"You outgrew a hoodie in just a year? Wow… Thats kinda cool, but also a bit fascinating"
Still panting, Damien made his way towards her, inspecting the numbers displayed - it didnt mean much to him, but if she thought it was a good number, then he assumed it was.
"So i will be timing you now?" he asled after Mari finished noting down the number.
“I guess it is kind of strange.” she nodded. “But it's probably because people try to own as much of everything as possible and time is one thing they can’t own.” she shrugged though she perked up slightly at the mention of the possible rock collection. “I didn't notice them the last time we were there… Can I see them sometime?”
Mari chuckled a little and shook her head. “I didn't really outgrow it… I can still wear it, I just got a new one when I joined the track team.” she explained as she pulled up pictures of her family and friends so Damien could see the clothes they wore. She might show him other pictures from the Internet but she wasn't sure how safe they would be.
She wasn't entirely sure what to think of his time. It was a good time but… still seemed to be within human limits. Plus, the way he was breathing… She would admit that everything she knew about Vampires was speculated and twisted in fiction so it was possible that the two just busted the myth that Vampires, or just dhampirs, could run faster than a human could see. “Yeah, if you think you can manage the watch.” she nodded, closing her notebook and clearing the time on it.
The boy shuffled a little bit in his seat, taking time to process the information given to him. People hoarded stuff just to own them? Despite the fact the belongings would probably go somewhere else after the person passed.
"You know, i find it pretty interesting that people want to own many things despite not having time. Wont that make it esentially useless in the end?"
He snapped out of his thinking state, a little surprised she would ask for that box of rocks.
"Uh, sure, why not, any time you want to see it. Its in one of the corners of the library, on the first level - i guess i missed them the first time. And theres more of them, not just stones."
Damien backed down a little bit, looking slightly embarrassed to have assumed something as that.
"Oh, i see, sorry" he appologized right away, before leaning in to look at the pictures. Besides the fact they looked so much livelier, the boy couldnt help but marvel at all the various outfits and people appearing in the pictures.
"Are they your family?" he asked, pointing at one of the pics.
Honestly, Damien did not expect to get some insanely good time, he just gave his all, and was perhaps a little proud of it.
"I think i can… I just need to press this button to make it start, no? And the same to turn it off?"
“I… I guess so. I never really thought about it that way.” she told him. “Though I think as long as something has value, or still has a good use, people will still try to own things. And if they’re rare, then they have more value. People think that owning stuff like that makes them seem… richer than they are or are just flaunting their wealth.” she explained before nodding when he told her where the collection was. “Maybe you can show me when I bring back the books you lent me and your writing.” she suggested with a kind smile.
Mari raised a brow at his apology, not having expected it. “It’s fine. You don't have to apologize for anything. Some people can grow that fast at times. I just wasn't one of them last year.” she assured him. “Yeah, that's my family. Cory is the twin missing a tooth in this picture.” she smiled happily. Just from the picture, it was apparent that she had the same eyes as her father and her mother's hair was a little lighter in color than her own.
She smiled proudly at him and nodded as she handed the stopwatch to him. “That’s right.” she confirmed before getting into position. “Ready?”
He nodded approvingly next to her while she spoke, as if reafirming her statement as it left her lips.
"Ah, well, when were rich people different? I never quite understood why one would want to be rich and flaunt it - i mean, i get it, being rich would be kind of cool, since you can have anything you want but showing off isnt just a way to attract thieves?" he questioned, remembering the old days when his mother was still around. They'd never been rich, in fact they lived off their own work, but even then, his mother would tell him about certain wealthy people who had the resources to help, yet never did, just for the sake of being rich. How could one own so much and still be unwilling to share was baffling his mind.
"Of course! We can see them then if you want. And speaking of writing… Did you um, get to my manuscript?"
While he was nervous that someone was reading his works, he was curious about what she thought.
Looking over the picture, Damien noticed how happy they all looked in it, as a family. He could say he was almost envious of Mari and her picture perfect life (somewhat). The parents looked so loving, like they were such people, despite the fact he'd never met them, and the twins were kind of cute in a way. What was it like to have siblings, he wondered.
"They all look so nice and happpy… Did Corey lose the tooth by accident?"
"Mn, ready." he confirmed, holding the stop watch carefully, as if wanting to make sure he didnt drop it. As Mari took off, Damien did his best to time her, paying very much attention to both the girl and the stop watch, wanting to be as precise as possible with the timing.
She chuckled and shrugged. “Me neither really. I mean, I wouldn't mind if my family had a little more money, just to help take care of things but I wouldn't want to be one of those people who just rub it in everyone's face.” she told him. “I agree that it would attract thieves but we also have better security than just locked doors. And the very rich even have their own private security teams… It almost seems paranoid but everyone knows the reason.” she added. She smiled at his question and nodded. “I’ve started on it and I think it's really good. You have some talent in writing, I think.”
Mari chuckled a little and smiled almost nostalgically. “Yeah, that tooth had been loose for a week. Mom had to hide any string we had in the house so my brothers wouldn't tie it around the tooth and try to pull it out themselves.” she told him. “It finally fell out when the two were climbing a tree and Cory slipped, bumping his jaw against a branch. I’m a little surprised he didn't swallow it.” Her life wasn't perfect, of course, but it was a good life and she wouldn't trade her family for anything.
She let out a calm steady breath before taking off in a sprint, trusting Damien to time her well enough. She enjoyed running, it was so exhilarating to feel the wind whipping past her and the steady constant thudding of her feet against the ground. She reached the tree easily and let her fingers brush against the rough bark as she turned back.
(Are you seeing the weird text replacement?? lmaoo)
(Yes, I am. I'm laughing so hard at some of these. Happy april fool day.)
(Beautiful move Notebook, well played haha. Happy april fools :")) did u get pranked in any other way today?)
(personally, no. I'm not around a lot of people and I’m not much of a prankster either. How about you?)
"Its also a little rude to be fair, teasing people for something they do not have and cant obtain easily. Why do that? Also, what kind of security do you guys have? Is it a dog?" he asked innocently, after frowning for a little bit at the thought of people being jerks just because they had wealth privileges. The paranoia did seem like something rich people got however, that much wealth made anyone worry, especially if they never shared it willingly.
"Oh, you really think that…? Thanks…" The boy blushed faintly at the end, as much as his pale skin would allow it.
The end of the story made Damien cringe a little bit with his entire being - surely there were more humane ways of removing a loose tooth than in an accident, especially hitting one's mouth on a branch… There could have been more damage than that if he had been less fortunate.
"That…. was a little scary to be fair… why not let them remove it with string though? It would have been way less dangerous…" String had always been his mother's go to solution, and he had always been fine with it - sure, it may have been a little scary at first, but by the fourth and fifth time, all stress was gone.
Even so, he found Mari's home life to be quite lovable, if not ideal. She had loving parents, two playful little brothers and he could also bet her home was nice too.
The boy pressed the button as soon as he saw her take off, looking at her go as he kept his thumb ready to press the button again at her arrival - from where he stood, she seemed so intriguing and fast, like a deer sprinting among the trees in a forest. When had he last had the opportunity to gaze upon someone else moving like so.
The day dream ended as soon as he realized she was sprinting back towards the bush and panicked to press the button, missing her arrival by a few mere seconds. He hoped she wouldnt be mad at him for the extra seconds
“Yeah, it is very rude of them. But haven't the very wealthy always been like that?” she asked rhetorically but gently, not expecting an answer. She laughed lightly at his question and shook her head. “No we don't have a dog. Some people do, especially German Shepherds. I think I heard those make some of the best guard dogs. There are even some working with the police.” she answered. “Our security system is… It’s electronic and actually installed in the walls. There’s a keypad we use to turn it off and on.”
Mari raised a brow slightly when she noticed Damien’s reaction to her story. It might have been a little unpleasant but there were a lot of worse ways to lose a tooth. “My mom didn't want them to get any ideas about trying to pull any teeth that weren't ready to come out yet.” she explained. “That and… Honestly, I was too scared to do it that way when I lost my baby teeth. I guess I got my parents into the habit of waiting for them to just fall out.” she admitted with a shrug.
She ran past him and slowed to a soft jog as she came back to his side, breathing heavily but smiling. “How’d I do?” she asked, standing next to him as she looked at the clock in his hand.
Unfortunately, the rich and powerful had always had this tendency to stray away from the average man's common sense the more their wealth grew, and it was a tale as old as time.
"And how does an electronic keypad keep you safe exactly…? What can it do against a thief or invader?" he asked, finding it weird how people like the police had dogs, which could actually pursuit and defend against a criminal, but regular people didnt - at least not all of them at least.
"Still, its commendable that they even had the initiative to pull them out early by themselves." Damien commented. "Its alright to be scared of losing teeth, its a bit of an experience whenever it happens. I know i was nervous about losing mine, at first at least. Waiting for them to fall off is also a good idea, just a very long one, with an unexpected end i suppose."
Honestly, that period of his life where he'd lost his first set of teeth had also been a pretty weird one, considering thats also when his fangs had showed up, making him stand out even more than he already had until then.
"Uh, uh, i might have added or taken a few seconds, i have no idea…" he stuttered, letting her see the watch. "Im sorry, i got a little panicked right when i had to press it…."
The difference wasnt that much, it was almost impossible to see had he not mentioned it, so all seemed okay. Compared side by side now, their results were pretty close, with Damien's being a little better, but most likely due to his slim and light built, coupled with the slight misstiming of Mari's route. Overall, not a big difference between them at all.
"Do you want to redo it? For a better timing this time…."
“There’s… sensors that are in the doors and windows. When they're opened they send a signal to the keypad which sets of an alarm and contacts the police if the alarm isn't turned off after a little bit.” she explained. “Though usually, the sound of the alarm scares off any burglars and our neighbors can hear it too. We turn the system on and off using the keypad.”
“Yeah, I guess it was a good thing that they weren't scared by the idea.” Mari chuckled a little and shook her head. “I didn't mind losing my teeth… It was more the sudden action of having them pulled that bothered me. Though when they were loose enough I did gently take them out myself.” she admitted.
“Oh, that's ok. We’re just getting an average reading so a few seconds won't hurt.” she assured him. “I’m a little surprised that we’re so close though… but that's a good thing for you. Honestly, do you get a lot of exercise around here?” she asked as she wrote her time down in the notebook.
"Sensors…? That's a weird way to keep a house safe…. I mean, i guess calling the police is a good idea, but is that it? And how does it manage to contact the police on its own?" He continued to probe for answers, scratching his head at all the complicated details he didnt understand. Just how did an object manage to do all that by itself? Despite wacky inventions having been around for more than two hundred years, Damien hadnt really been exposed to any of them, for various reasons, either monetary or just preferring the more simple life style.
"Well, you were brave if you managed to get over your fear in the end." the boy smiled gently, wanting to seem reassuring. "Sure, its not a nice sensation but it had to be done eventually. "
Damien sighed a little, relieved she wasnt mad at him for messing up the timing.
"I uh, wouldnt say i do too much, aside from the daily chores and the green house work. If you mean running and the like, not really, i havent ran in like, what, years? Not on long distances at least. I rarely go too far from the house."
