"i think i know that, mom always told me to not look at it directly. If only there was something for skin as well, haha…" he chuckled, looking around with the glasses on to further admire the new light everything was in.
He turned back to look at her when she pointed out his hair, the boy making a confused noise before noticing the problem and pulling the hair out from between the glasses and his face, letting it drape on the outside now, still a bit weird but better nonetheless.
"Mmm, then i should probably put them on outside no? Is there anything else you have to show or are we good to go?"
“Actually, there is. Sunscreen. It's just a lotion, or spray, that helps prevent your skin from getting sunburned. And I think I told you about aloe vera.” she smiled back, getting the joke he was making but she still wanted to let him know about it… Maybe she should bring him some.
“Much better.” she nodded when he fixed his hair. It definitely looked better over his new glasses than under. “No. I don't think you need anything else. You should blend in pretty well.” she assured, as she stood up and adjusted her bag. “Are… Are you ready?”
"Oh, that. Yeah, you did tell me, when i showed you my leg." he nodded in reminiscence. "Why is it that people need it again? They dont burn in the sun do they? So why do they need it?"
Standing still and with the new additions, Damien looked a lot less like a victorian era vampire and more like a 21st century kid whose parents seemingly gave him too much freedom and was left to pick his own clothes. It wasnt bad enough to make him stand out like a sore thumb, but would definitely get some side eyes from passers by, the main culprit being his unrealistic yet naturally green hued hair.
The boy looked down at himself then at the girl, comparing their looks before nodding very slowly.
"I, um… I think i am. Lead the way?"
“Right. Well, people don't burn as easily or as… badly as you did but if we stay out in the sun too long or if it's a particularly hot day then yes. We can still burn.” she explained. “One time we went down to the beach and I waited too long before putting on sunscreen. I was so red the next day, I looked like a cooked lobster. And I was peeling for a week.” she laughed. Mari smiled as she looked at him. Sure, he would still stick out a little but maybe not as much as he thought. His hair was definitely unique but people dyed their hair all kinds of different colors. It should be fine. “Alrght.” she smiled encouragingly and gently reached out her hand for him. “Let’s go.”
"Oooh, i see. So it affects you slower than it does me?" he tried making sense of it, even though he wasnt exactly sure. He hadnt witnessed his own leg start burning in the sun to know exactly what the entire process looked like, he had only felt the pain and seen the melted flesh, looking like he'd been burned with a flame. Mari had mentioned turning red and peeling off so perhaps thats how far normal humans went when it came to sunburns? He didnt know.
He chuckled a little with her, shifting around in his clothes a little nervously. With hesitant moves, he took her hand and allowed her to lead him out of the room and eventually house.
“Probably… I've never heard of anyone getting a scar like yours but we can still get sun damage if we're not careful.” she admitted. She smiled gently when he took her hand and followed her out of his home, though she found herself stopping for a moment and taking a calming breath before they reached the gate. “You ready?” she asked since this was probably the closest Damien had probably been to the city since his adoptive mom… well, became his mom.
"i find it rather interesting im not the only one affected by the sun" the boy murmured, genuinely intrigued by the whole ordeal. At the beginning he'd thought the same since his mother had told him the exact thing, but ever since he learned he was a vampire and read a few books about them, he'd wondered if all had been a small white lie to make him feel normal. Now he was back full circle and satisfied with the answer that dipped in both sides.
Reaching the gate, Damien couldnt help but feel a little intimidated. While he'd been outside of the clearing's perimeter for things like wood n stuff, he'd never set foot outside the gate itself. The thought he was about to leave his home for real this time began to set in, making his heart race.
"Mn. I am" he replied after a short pause in which he breathed in, trying to not give away his anxiety.
“Really? As far as I know, everyone is affected by the sun, in one way or another.” she said in a hopefully reassuring tone. She didn't fully understand why he was glad to know that but maybe that wasn't important. At the very least, it would give them something to talk about on their walk into town.
Mari smiled patiently when Damien seemed to hesitate. It was completely understandable and she wasn't going to rush him. She nodded at his confirmation and gave him hand a soft squeeze before pushing the gate open just enough for them to fit through.
"Well, most my mother ever got from the sun was slightly darker skin so i cant be too sure…' Damien replied as he trailed her slowly.
Walking through the gate gave the boy the most unnerving chill he'd ever gotten, nervously looking back a few times as he walked further and further away from it and into the faded trail ahead. He kept on holding Mari'd hand, albeit a little tighter as to not slip out of it somehow, in his mind.
“That’s a very normal reaction for most people.” she nodded. “Well, depending how long they are out in the sun. And some people are just naturally more sensitive than others, so they tan or even burn faster than others.” she explained, not mentioning that, from what she understood, he was possibly a more extreme case. Not that it was his fault or that he was going to burst into flames anytime soon.
Mari didn't mind his tighter grip and gently ran her thumb across the back of his hand to hopefully calm and reassure him. “It’s going to be ok. If you want to go back at any time, just let me know. I’ll understand.” she promised, totally willing to take him home if things got to be too much for Damien.
"So it's normal…. hmm…" he hummed, walking alongside her. "You know, for some reason this reminds me a lot of how chicken turns goldish brown when exposed to heat. That's what it made me think of when you said tan."
The analogy seemed ridiculous and comical, but to him it was the closest reference he could use for the situation. Of course it all stopped at the skin level, not comparing people to food anymore for quite the obvious reason.
"Okay… how much do we have to walk until there?" Damien asked, curious about the length of the road the girl took almost every day to see him. He didnt mind walking at all - since thats what he'd been used to back in his day - just that he might be worried her visits might be inconvenient due to the time it took to get to him.
“Very normal.” she nodded, laughing a little at his comparison. “Actually that’s fairly accurate and a pretty similar situation. Only thing is, the sun doesn't “bake” anything deeper than skin level. We're not close enough for it to do anything more.” she explained, smiling at him as they walked.
“Oh, not too long. It's about a fifteen-minute run for me to get to your house from mine. Walking might take a little longer but I don't mind.” Mari shrugged casually.
"Mmm, maybe we should be thankful its not that close" Damien softly mumbled to himself, thinking of himself and how his leg nearly started melting in direct powerful sunlight. Thank god it hadnt been worse, the thought of his exposed leg turning into what was essentially roasted meat was kinda creepy.
"Oh so you run all the way? For your daily exercise i pressume?" He asked, walking beside her.
Mari nodded. “If the Earth was any closer to the sun, life as we know it would be very different. Though the same could be said if the earth was any further away too.” she informed, though she agreed with his comment. “In fact, only Venus and Mars are the only other planets in the right range to be suspected of supporting an Earth-like atmosphere.” she added.
“Yep.” she smiled, popping the “p”. “All the way, every time I come over. I enjoy running and I’m bound to get better and faster the more I do it. But I think the town is actually a little closer than my house.” she said thoughtfully.
"To be fair i never gave that any thought" the boy admitted, looking up at the brush above them and the small spots of sunlight he could make out amongst the trees. "where did you learn all that?"
He continued to trot next to her, holding on to her hand like she was his big sister or something similar, keeping calm as he was aware of the house he was leaving behind. The walking did take a while longer than running would have, but at the same time it was therapeutic in a way to be passing by all the trees and forest land.
"Oh, so you live outside of town?"
“Science class. There's a section on astronomy they teach us… which is the study of the stars and planets.” she answered, giving more explanation when she realized he might not understand the word. “If you want, I can show you some books on that when we go to the library.” she offered.
Mari didn't mind the grip on her hand or the length of time it would take to leave these woods. It would give him time to adjust and prepare for his “reintroduction” to the world and how everything had changed. And in a way it was reassuring for her too, to know that he was with her and she would be able to protect him if it became necessary… Though that was admittedly unlikely. “Well, not like you do. It's still part of a neighborhood but I always considered the actual town to be in the center of things and surrounded by neighborhoods and farms further out.” she explained.
"Yes please" he nodded almost enthusiastically. "It must be amazing to learn such interesting things at school"
It really must have been. Especially having access to all that new information that kept renewing itself, it was almost magical.
"Ohh, so you're like… Closer to the town's borders, you're saying?" he prodded, tilting his head.
The path was growing more wild to this point, signaling the approach of its end and the appearance of the main road soon enough.
She smiled at his enthusiasm to learn but nodded in agreement. “It can be pretty cool, especially when it’s an interesting subject or a fun lesson.” There were plenty of times when the class was dry, boring, or even stressful but there were still some good ones. As to having easy access to something like the library was nice but it was often overlooked and Mari had to admit that she didn't go there very much… Until recently.
“Uhh, I mean, I'm closer to the actual town than you are but the border is… How do I explain this without a map?” she mumbled, rubbing her forehead with her free hand. “Technically, on a map of this area, you do still live in the town. Just closer to the edge than most but not quite the country area. That part’s still miles out.” she finally managed.
"But is learning all you do? You just sit there and study?" Damien asked, interest clear in his voice as he trotted beside her.
"Wait so, as in… You live within the city bounds, just not close to its busier center?"
He didnt see the map either but conjured the image of a simple village in his mind, envisioning the city as so and putting Mari's house closer to the outskirts like hoe he'd seen certain homes be placed.
“In school? More or less. There is more to it, of course, but not always much more.” Mari shrugged slightly, not really sure how else to explain it. There was obviously a lot more to school, she just wasn't sure how to put it into words. At least, without him asking more questions. “Yeah. That's a good way to put it.” she nodded with a soft smile. Though she was planning to show him a “tourist” map when they got to the library, just to give him a better idea of how things were laid out.
"Do you have any favourite classes?"
His steps barely made any noise on the path, not even as he walked through grass or knocked pebbles around. The grip on her hand tightened as they moved closer to the path exit, where he could see a road far ahead behind the trees.
"How is the place you live in? Do you have nice neighbours?" Damien continued to ask, trying to keep his emotions calm in his voice, despite his whole body being tense.
“Two really. Science and History… Well, world history because I’m pretty sure I know enough history about America and it's not really that important to archeology.” she shrugged, glad to keep the conversation going for his benefit. “Though I like science because there's more hands-on stuff in class, unlike English for example.”
Mari nodded and returned the pressure reassuringly. She understood why he was so nervous and didn't blame him. Especially considering what he'd been through the last time he was around people. “Yeah, it's a pretty good neighborhood. Not too far from my school, and some of my classmates live in the same area… but I think it still counts as a quiet neighborhood too.”
"Why isnt it important to uh… Archeology? And by world history, you mean you mean the history of all of the world?" the boy kept asking, trying to distract himself from the road ahead.
"That sounds great. Quiet, nice, with people you know, its what anyone would want, right? And what's it like having neighbours?"
Soon enough, they reached the end of the tree line, and found themselves on the broad yet simple road that run next to the forest. The road was on a hill, offering a large and unrestricted view of the landscape below, the large lake and the few houses built around it.
“Well, compared to the rest of the world, America is still fairly new. I'm pretty sure it's one of the youngest countries and it doesn't have any… ruins or ancient landmarks. South America on the other hand, has a lot of things to discover. So does China, India, Egypt, I think Africa does too.” she explained, getting a little enthusiastic as she talked about her passion. “Yes. Well, pretty much all the world. There's still a lot of history out there that’s either been forgotten or lost and needs to be discovered. And that's what I'm hoping to do.”
Mari nodded a little, not paying much attention to the sight of the town since she had seen it many times before. “I think so… at least, a lot of people would agree with that. And having neighbors is nice, especially if you get to know them. Then you can help them out or they can help you if something comes up.” she told him.
"Ohh so thats what you are hoping to do? Archeology? Now that i think, finding lost civilizations must be so interesting… The mistery and the journey alltogether… Its like a mystery novel almost!"
The boy stopped to look at the new sight displayed before him, taking in the change of scenery. He nearly clung to her as support, as his gaze wondered over the foreign looking houses and the weird oblong things near them that were most likely cars which he did not know of yet.
"Whoa… Is this… Is this what the world looks like now?" Damien dared ask, his voice lightly quivering at the start.
