She nodded, chuckling a little. “Yeah, that's my dream job. I did tell you about Indy… Uh, Indiana Jones being my inspiration for that. But I never thought of it as a mystery novel before. That's an interesting perspective of it.” she smiled.
Feeling him clutching at her side and freezing up, Mari wrapped her free arm around his shoulders. “Yeah. This is pretty much what most towns look like.” she said softly but assuringly. “It’s ok. I'll keep you safe. Do you want to keep going?” she asked.
"Yeah you did tell me! The cool man finding treasures. Honestly thats what archeology sounded like to me. You look for the puzzle pieces of the picture of what the people before lived like way before you. Its like detective work, but with more digging." the boy replied, glad to see she liked the perspective he presented her with.
Damien continued to look down at the unfamiliar sight, admiring even the completely different landscape ahead. He'd never been this far to this side from his house, but his mother had mentioned it was nothing but forest this way before, so he never came to investigate. Needless to say, he was impressed.
"Mmm, yeah…" Damien said, still holding on tight to her hand. "Let's keep going."
“Right. That's him.” she nodded, happily. “I love the way you describe archeology. I've never heard it put that way, but it's so accurate and explains, probably, the biggest part of why I love it so much.” she smiled.
Mari slowly moved her arm back to look at him. He seemed alright… maybe a little shaken but he also looked impressed. Most likely because he hadn't seen a town in such a long time and things were obviously going to be different. “Alright. Just let me know if it gets to be too much or if you want to go back.” she told him gently before resuming their walk towards the town.
Damien's lips stretched slowly into a smile, standing next to her, feeling slightly proud of himself.
"Well i suppose its the mystery element about it that makes it so interesting. And who doesnt like a good mystery?"
The boy looked up at her and just nodded affirmatively, no longer seeming to find his words for an actual reply. When she resumed walking, so did he, still somewhat clinging to her arm, his head turned towards the village in the distance.
“Very good point. And I guess it would be boring to just document everything without finding something.” she agreed, beaming at him, proud of his apparently more confident stance.
Mari nodded slightly, still holding his hand comfortingly. She kept glancing between him and the sidewalk, making sure to put herself on the side closer to the road, as they walked. She wanted to remind him that he could ask her anything if he saw something he didn't understand but figured he probably would anyway.
"Exactly! Wouldn't you be excited to find something interesting that reveals a part of the puzzle you are looking at? I know i'd be."
It seemed Damien was more willing to continue their chatter about finding lost things than comment on anything else he saw at the moment. The village was far away enough you couldnt tell too much about it other than the obvious design and the yards, while also the road they walked on was pretty much deserted at this point, with no other people or cars coming through in order to prompt any other reaction from the shy boy. Despite his silence however, it was clear his gaze was all over the place, taking in the scenery after years of isolation.
“Very good point. I would definitely be excited to make a find like that.” she nodded with a broad smile, equally happy to keep talking about something she loved and he seemed interested in. At the very least, it might make the transition to the town easier for him. “Hey! What if we… Ok, kinda crazy idea, but it might be fun.” she rambled briefly before she caught up with what she was trying to say.
Mari didn't mind the quiet as they walked. It was almost calming and the fact that there were no cars around was an added bonus. She didn't think it would be too hard to explain what cars were if the topic came up, and she didn't want to scare him if he was unprepared but she was a little concerned about getting tongue-tied as she tried to explain things she wasn't an expert in.
Damien kept on holding to her hand as he looked everywhere around him, even downwards at the road they were on. It was a regular dirt road with stones, but somehow for him it still felt like it was very different from the ones he walked years ago.
"What? What is it?" he raised his gaze towards her, curious about what she had in mind.
“It may be a little childish and you're free to say no but,” she shrugged, blushing a little. “I was thinking, if it would help you… Maybe we could kinda pretend that we're archeologists as we go into town.” she suggested, giving his hand a small squeeze.
"Hmm… Honestly… That doesnt sound bad at all! Like a game, right?" the boy chirped, seeming interested in the idea she had presented him. He'd played something similar before with his mother, so he knew how to generally play it.
"But uhhh… What are we looking for exactly then?"
“Yeah, like a game.” she nodded, glad that he didn't think it was a silly idea and was willing to go along with it. “Umm… I hadn't thought of that. Normally, archeologists find cool ancient artifacts… But you know that. But the only “ancient” things in town is in the local museum and some old books in the library.” she admitted. “Do you have any ideas?”
Damien took a moment to think, trying to find an option that would fit for their current situation. They werent looking for treasure, or objects to be more precise, so looking for something in particular just wasnt a good idea.
"Perhaps…. Would it work if we just went in looking at the places? You know, like going some place that you never saw before, and just want to go and explore. And you could be my guide! How does that sound?" he asked, shifting his gaze towards her expectantly.
“Perfect!” she beamed, glad that he had been able to come up with such a good suggestion. And, technically, she already was his guide so that worked out even better. It did sound just a bit more like playing tourist, and he kinda was, but there was nothing wrong with him being an explorer. After all there was a lot for him to explore in town. “Where should we start, sir?” she couldn't help but giggle a little as she started acting, maybe overacting, like a personal guide.
"Ah, uhhhh, how about we get there first i assume?" the boy chuckled a little nervously, entertained by her act and her enthusiasm, but also a little shy, as he wasnt even sure what to start with. So what better way than to pick the very start?
They kept walking the simple road until the first house appeared in the distance, growing closer as they moved forward.
“Fair enough.” she laughed lightly, nodding at his answer and gave his hand a gentle squeeze to reassure him. It made sense that he wouldn't know what to explore first since he hadn't been to the town in years.
Mari barely noticed the house as they walked, as she passed it so many times on her run. Besides, it was just a house and she didn't know who lived there.
(Sorry it took me so long to get a reply up. Things have been pretty crazy over here, mostly with work.)
(Its okay, dont worry, hope.all is well on your end.)
The boy's gaze was stuck on the house as they passed by it, taking in the design, bright color and overall appearance, so simple and common for Mari yet so alien and fantastic for Damien. It made him wonder what it was like on the inside, behind the large clear window with curtains half drawn; along with the well tended to lawn and the simple yet nice flowerbed at the windows, it intrigued him like an object from a different planet.
"Whoa, thats such a nice house…." he commented, as they walked away from it in the same relaxed pace .
(overall it's ok. Just got a lot of extra hours at work because of the season.)
Mari looked up at the comment before following his gaze. “Oh… Yeah, I guess so.” she nodded, slowing down a little as they passed the house. It was a fairly simple, plain looking house… but it did have a certain charm to it and the landscaping was nice. “Whoever lives here has a good taste in flowers. And a green thumb.” she added with a light chuckle.
(Ahh, sorry to hear that, i hope all.is well over there! Also happy belated holidays! :D i hope you had a nice time with loved ones, also a happy new year!)
"Green thumb?"
The boy turned his gaze back to her, tilting his head in his usual curious manner, intrigued by the new name. He did agree that the person had a nice landscaping arrangement, one that was admittedly strange to him, given he didnt really seen that many yards in his life before.
(It's alright. Happy belated holidays to you too! Everything is much calmer now that the holidays are over. Hope things were good for you too and that you had a very happy holiday with your loved ones as well.)
“Yeah.” Mari nodded, raising her brow slightly. “It just means that a person has a natural talent for plants and gardening. Making things grow,” she explained, a little surprised that he hadn't heard the phrase before. She didn't think it was that new…
(Glad to hear :D thank you for everything, i wish you the best!)
The boy kept stealing glances back at the house as they kept walking, simply just admiring the place as it vanished behind them, soon another one appearing in the distance with a similar result. And another and another.
"oh so like a real good gardener then, right?" he concluded, keeping up with her pace and still holding on to her hand.
Houses began being more common, starting to form actual neighbourhood blocks, with a few people out and about, minding their own business. Each person drew Damien's atrention as he inspected each one and looking over the unfamiliar fashion.
Mari kept a calm steady pace, trying not to pull Damien along as he took in his new surroundings. “Yeah. A naturally talented gardener.” she smiled, glad that he seemed to understand now.
Naturally, she wasn't bothered by any of the houses they passed since she’d seen them many times on her runs, even before she met Damien. And it seemed like most people didn't really look at other houses unless they were planning to move.
Mari kept a calm steady pace, trying not to pull Damien along as he took in his new surroundings. “Yeah. A naturally talented gardener.” she smiled, glad that he seemed to understand now.
Naturally, she wasn't bothered by any of the houses they passed since she’d seen them many times on her runs, even before she met Damien. And it seemed like most people didn't really look at other houses unless they were planning to move.
Unlike Mari's calm and relaxed attitude towards the neighbourhood they were walking through, Damien's mind was thoroughly blown. Every single little thing, from the people to the houses to even the ground itself was like out of a completely new world that he was dying to see more of but was also slightly intimidated by. After a good while of looking at the houses and people, the boy pointed his attention towards the sidewalk they were on, being mesmerized by the smooth texture of it, a far cry from the old dirt roads he grew up with.
"Hey Mari," he tugged at her hand, 'what are those white lines for in the middle of the road? And why do we walk on the side and not the black part?"
“Oh, those lines are to separate the traffic. You go one direction on one side and the other way on the other side. That way cars don't hit each other when they drive past.” Mari explained, knowing that she would have to explain more about cars soon. “Walking on the sidewalk is much safer and pedestrians aren't supposed to walk on the road. If most people were to walk there… Well, we could get hit. You never know when a car or even a motorcycle could show up. It's too dangerous.” she told him gently. Though she hoped she wouldn't have to say exactly what happened when a person was hit by a car.
