Damien was more and more curious regarding the world outside, but also a bit scared of it, all because it had changed so much, it seemed.
"But how do people get by then?" he asked, quite conflicted. "What do they do for a living?"
Of course, a lot of his knowledge holes came from the fact he'd never lived in the so called society, he'd always been a recluse, pretty much since birth, so he knew things only from hearing or reading about them - and his information sources were kinda outdated, by two centuries, almost.
Honestly, Damien had never bothered to ask where he was, back when he arrived here. As a small child, with nowhere to go and scared of everyone, he never actually interacted with human beings aside from the woman who'd taken him in, so he couldnt have known.
"I have the books next to the staircase and theres another library, in the west side of the mansion too. Roughly 2426, to be exact, counting all existing books i could find. Please dont bother too much if it gets in your plans tho. You have no obligation to come back…"
He was looking back at his hands again, hiding from her
”Oh, there's lots of jobs out there.” Mari nodded assuringly before rubbing the back of her neck. ”Too many for me to name actually but there are hundreds of ways to make a living.”
Her eyes widened at the number. ”And you've read them all?” she asked, her jaw dropping as she looked at him. She understood that two centuries alone could get boring, especially with no internet or games, but that was still an incredibly impressive feat. ”Wow… That's more than I’ve heard of outside the public library.” she told him with a small smile before carefully putting her hand gently on top of his. ”Don’t worry, Damien. I’ll be back tomorrow. Until now, I didn't have any plans.” she promised.
Well, not too helpful, since various jobs existed since the dawn of civilization, therefore he assumed old jobs had been replaced by new ones, that fit the new time period. What exactly they were tho, he had no idea.
"I see.."
Damien nodded at her surprised question.
"Mhm, each and every one" he confirmed. "There wasn't much else to do here, honestly. So books were kinda all i had. They're not that many honestly, i had to reread them several times, because there was nothing else left"
His body lightly shook when her hand touched his, the initial instinct being to take his hand back, but he abstained - for her sake. Compared to Mari's warm hand, his were cool; not icy cold or anything, just cool, like a breeze.
"Okay then…. Thank you for not wanting to go away immediately…"
She hummed thoughtfully, seeing that her answer didn't help much. ”I’ll tell you what when I come over tomorrow, I’ll see what I can find on current jobs so you can read that too if you want.” she offered with a small smile before she removed her hand from his. It didn't even cross her mind that had been the first time someone touched him since his mother… ”I’m not going to hurt you but I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” she said gently.
”I… I want to say that I understand but I've never actually been that bored.” she admitted. ”I’ve reread a couple of books before just for fun because they were really good.” Honestly, Mari did like reading, but she just wasn't avid about it. Maybe her library card would get more action now for Damien’s sake.
She smiled softly at him again. ”Of course. You're very welcome.” she nodded. ”I just think you're so interesting and deserve a friend. If you’ll let me…” she offered.
Damien nodded a bit, part of him excited that she would come back tomorrow - normally, he wouldnt have put so much hope in her return, but he'd grown to like her to the extent of choosing to trust her.
"Ah no,, its alright…" he tried to calm her. "I just… i havent had anyone else here for so long, that's all…"
"But do you need to be bored to read? I thought one read books for pleasure, or to know more stuff" Honestly, he could not understand why the book number seemed so impressive to her, that amount was sorta small to him - after all, he'd read all of them in a relatively short time, before rereading them all over again to keep himself entertained.
He bowed his head and started blushing at her words, unsure of how to respond.
"I… uh… of course! I'd love to have you as a friend…"
”I understand.” she nodded, smiling softly. Though she still felt that he probably wasn't ready to be touched yet after so long of being alone.
”Well, no. Of course, you don't have to be bored. It's just that there's a lot to do most days.” Mari tried to explain with a sigh. ”For kids our age we have school and homework and chores… the list feels like it goes on forever. When we don't have anything we have to do we get bored because we don't know what to do. Even though we have plenty we could, like reading.”
She smiled brighter and nodded. ”Thank you. I’m glad to be your friend.”
"Mn." he nodded at her words. It felt so wonderful to just have someone that respected his boundaries and him overall; for years he'd missed the feeling so much he'd lost hope of ever experiencing it ever again.
"School and homework…? i heard of them but never been there myself" Damien admitted, looking at one small scratch in the table's surface. "Sounds like a pretty busy schedule, honestly"
In truth, he'd never been way too eager to go to a so called school, mostly because according to his mom, thats where a lot of human kids went, and kids in general are kinda mean.
The boy's blush intensified, more than happy to hear Mari was glad to have him as a friend - it made his usually silent heart beat so rapidly in his chest, it threatened to jump out. His first ever friend. How lovely and unexpected!
A thunder outside reminded him that it was still stormy outside and that it was very late. Mari should perhaps go to sleep, so she wouldnt be tired tomorrow.
"Um, say, its sorta late. Dont you like, need to sleep?" he asked, shyly
”Yeah… Honestly, they're not fun but everyone has to go.” she admitted with a shrug. On one hand, she considered Damien lucky that he didn't have to go but at the same time she felt a little bad that he didn't know… just about the world in general, she supposed. Maybe she could help. She was already going to bring her history book…
”It can get pretty busy but it's also dull most of the time.” she agreed. ”It’s very repetitive. Sometimes the days feel like they run together.”
Mari smiled brightly, trying to hold back a chuckle at his blushing. He really was adorable and she hoped she could be a good friend for him. ”Hm? Oh. Yeah, I do but my parents will freak out if I don't get home.” she said checking the time on her phone. Surely, it couldn’t be that late…
"Everyone?" he tilted his head. "So it's no longer an option for the rich kids, is it?" Despite never having gone to school when he was well, much younger, Damien seemed to at the very least have some knowledge of how the world -used to- work. Had it not been for the world's hatred of him, he probably would have once wanted to go to a school and experience the outer world for himself. Unfortunately for him, that wish was no longer available to him - times may have changed, but he was very unsure someone would want him, especially with the way he looked now.
The boy smiled a little as he made his way towards the door leading back to his room and pulled the handle, opening it wide.
"Repetitive days… tell me about it" he puffed, waiting to see if she wanted to go in as well. To him, every single day had been pretty much the same - wake up, eat, do some work around the house, read, do something else, then go to bed, rinse and repeat.
Having opened the door, the sound of the rain outside was just as loud as it had been when they'd first entered the small kitchen, which meant the storm was still going on, perhaps now fueled by strong wind. In other words, if she were to go outside now, she'd end up soaking wet and probably lost in the forest. Also, according to the large grandfather clock on the stair platform, it was kinda late.
”No. It's not exclusive to the rich anymore.” she shook her head. ”Though they do have a better chance of a more prestigious education. They have their own fancy private schools, as opposed to public schools, that are called ”Ivy League”. Why they're called that? I don't know.” she added with a shrug.
Mari blushed a little when she realized that he understood better than anyone about repetition. That was probably his whole life since he came to this empty house. ”Right… Sorry.” she said as she stood up, grabbed her phone and followed him.
Hearing the storm still raging made her start to reconsider. She had been very lucky to find this place in the first place, finding her way back to the main road would be not only dangerous but kinda stupid too. ”I don't suppose you have an umbrella here, do you?” she asked half-heartedly. She knew it wouldn't help much even if he did.
Well, seemed like being rich still had its perks, even in the modern day.
"Ivy league, thats a funny name. i suppose there's no actual ivy involved, right?" he dared to laugh a little, pulling at the curtains that covered half of the large windows of the room and tying them to their respective place, leaving the windows fully displayed - he liked watching the rain, especially as he went to bed.
After tossing some more wood on the fire to make sure it stayed lit, Damien turned back towards Mari, his only visible green eye shimmering in the light offered by the flames.
"I do have an umbrella - sorta, but i really doubt it would help." he softly chuckled with some sadness in his voice. "Why dont you spend the night? You can go back tomorrow, once its light outside. At least you wont get lost, even if its still raining."
“I’m really not sure… I'm not rich enough to get in.” she shrugged with a soft laugh of her own. ”Though I wouldn't be surprised if there used to be.” Mari admitted as she joined him at the window since she also enjoyed watching the rain.
She nodded slowly, agreeing with him. ”Yeah… that sounds smarter. I’ll just have to call my parents and tell them.” she sighed. ”They’ll get worried otherwise. Oh, and don't worry. I’ll still keep your secret. I’ll just say that I’m spending the night with a friend.” she explained, unlocking her phone
Damien nodded, looking outside at the rain hitting the window, letting the pleasant sense of calm just wash over him. Aside from the two people he'd had in his life, only rain came back again and again, reminding him of the older days.
"Ah, its okay, please dont feel bad about it. I was just curious" he attempted to mend things, even if there was no need for that. His people skills needed some work, it seemed.
"Call them…?" his voice trailed off as he looked at Mari with confusion in his gaze. The boy still had his doubts about the tiny device, but he didnt want to voice his disbelief, so he just watched as she unlocked it, scrolled through it and put it up to her ear, waiting for a response. What a weird ritual thing to do
Mari raised a brow slightly at his first comment. ”Why would I feel bad? I mean, yeah, I'm not rich but my family is well off enough.” she questioned before shaking her head slightly. ”I don't mind that you're curious and you didn't offend me with your question. I was just making a little comment.” she explained gently, hoping that would clear up the misunderstanding.
”Yeah.” she nodded, a little confused. ”I thought I mentioned… My phone lets me talk to people even if they're far away, as long as they have a phone too.” she said a bit softer before her mom picked up. Mari immediately perked up when the call went through and started telling her mom what the situation was, leaving out that Damien was a vampire and where exactly his home was. Just that she wasn't able to get back because of the storm and would be staying the night with a friend.
"Ah, okay" he tried to smile, glad the other had not been offended at his pitiful attempt of communication. Damien's initial shyness had been brushed aside by the girl's gentle nature, and now that he felt more comfortable with her, he was attempting to brush the dust off of his long unused communication skills. But he had the unfortunate tendency of considering any sad-sounding argument his fault, because he had been the one who brought it up in the first place, thus he felt like he needed to apologize.
He watched her talk into the device curiously, slightly fascinated by it, especially since he too had heard the tiny voice coming from its speakers. It really did connect to the other side. To him it almost felt like magic
She smiled briefly back at him before continuing to talk to her mom. It was hard to explain why her parents couldn't just drive over and pick her up while avoiding telling where Damien lived, but somehow Mari managed. It took a couple more minutes to reassure that she was fine and would be safe. She nodded a little, even though her mom couldn't see it, and gave a soft sigh. ”Ok. Yeah, I understand. … I'll be fine. See you in the morning. Love you. … Bye.” she smiled faintly as she hung up.
”Well, I got good news and… not too good news.” she told Damien.
During her conversation with her parents, Damien just stood silently in his corner, only tending to the fire and looking at the windows, to pass the time. For some reason, a small sense of emptiness washed over him in that time, probably because he realized his loneliness after such a long time and kinda missed his own mother. He sighed slowly and pointed his attention somewhere, trying to brush the feeling off, soothing himself with small gentle thoughts he'd crafted in time for himself. It wasnt unusual for him to get such thoughts, in fact he'd had them for years following his Mother's death, but he'd learned to cope with them.
"Uh, what's the bad news?" he asked, once he was snapped out of his thoughts by her voice.
”Once I get home in the morning, I’m going to be grounded because I waited so long to tell my parents so I’ll have to come up with something so I can still come over tomorrow afternoon like I planned.” she said a little embarrassed but still wanting to keep her promise. ”And if you haven't guessed yet, the good news is that I can stay the night. My mom agrees that it's too dangerous and too late for me to try to come home on my own.” Mari smiled at him, hoping that she hadn't disappointed him.
Damien hadnt been grounded in his life, mostly because he wasnt a very troublesome child in his early years, and had been very shy about everything after meeting his second mother, but he could tell by the sound of it that it wasnt something too good.
"I'm… Im very sorry about that" he apologized, even though he technically held no blame, yet feeled responsible for keeping her from contacting her parents earlier. "You really dont need to come if it goes against your parent's wishes…"
On the other side, he felt better knowing she was going to stay with him for the night, he was happy in fact.
"That's neat" the boy smiled lightly. "You can have the bed, i dont mind"
”It’s not your fault.” Mari assured him. ”I’m sure me and my parents can work out something so I can still come over. Might get an earlier curfew or something but I’ll still try to come over.” she reaffirmed her promise. ”But if, for some reason, I can't come over tomorrow then I’ll be over the next day.”
”Are you sure about that?” she asked a little hesitant. ”I’d hate to kick you out of your bed.”
"Ah, okay then…" he resigned, looking away. The guilty feeling was still there, but he didnt want to upset her by maintaining his opinion. If she said it was okay, then it probably was.
"Still, no need to come back too fast. Whenever you feel like it, you can come by. You're always welcome here."
Damien nodded, looking a little more lively.
"Mhm! Really, no need to worry about it, i can sleep somewhere else, its no big deal"
Truth was, as scrawny as he was, he could easily fit on the couch that lay opposite to the large windows - hed slept there many times on ocassion, and he'd never been uncomfortable with it.
Mari bit her lip at his slightly discouraged attitude and started lifting her hand to his shoulder so she could comfort Damien, the same way she did for her brothers on occasion, before pulling back. He probably still wasn't ready to be touched again. ”It’s not your fault, Damien.” she said again. ”It’ll work out. If I can come over tomorrow, I will.” she smiled softly at him.
Her smile grew a little when he brightened up. ”Ok. If you insist.” It was nice to see him more energetic, even if it only was a little.
Her smile along with her insistence that she would come back the next day or the one after gave him a little bit of hope and brought some of his color back. Sure, he felt a little bad for sort of being involved with her getting grounded by her parents, but the prospect of seeing his new friend again after this night nullified some of that guilt, especially with the promise she made to him. He also slightly appreciated her reluctance to touch him - he would have liked a comforting pat or a hug, but his body wasnt as eager sadly. A little bit more time was needed before he could reach that stage.
"Okay… Still, thank you." he nodded his head, playing with his hands. "For being my friend"
Damien moved towards the bed in the room, pulling back half of the blanket and patting the mattress with a hand hidden in the large sleeve of his sweater.
"Here. And don't worry, i promise there's nothing unpleasant in it. It's just a regular bed."
The boy had learned from her reaction earlier with the soup, and he wanted to assure her that there was no hidden surprise anywhere in his stuff. The whole bed was kept in good shape, no inches thick layers of dust or anything disgusting, and the sheets had been changed that very morning. Perhaps the old tale of vampires sleeping in coffins was another thing that was a big fat fake, because for a vampire, Damien respected himself enough to sleep in a proper bed, instead of some creepy wooden box.
”It’s my pleasure.” she smiled at him, genuinely glad to be his first friend in a far too long stretch of time. She already wanted to help him any way she could. Bringing him new books would be a start, maybe teach him a couple of games like Uno, see if he would like chess, and she would definitely go slower on some of the technical stuff… Oh, and she would have to introduce him to some new music too! Poor kid probably didn't even know about The Beatles or Louis Armstrong.
Mari tried not to laugh at how cute he was with those sleeves that were longer than necessary. She nodded at his assurance that his bed was as normal as hers was. She had seen it when she came into the room the first time and had noticed that it looked well cared for… Honestly, hers was usually messier than his was. ”Thank you again.” she said before a yawn took her by surprise. ”Sorry, I guess I’m more tired than I thought.”
He smiled back at her and nodded, putting another log on the fire before heading over to the couch he'd mentioned previously and began arranging the pillows on it, putting most of them aside and only keeping one to rest his head on later.
"No problem" he said to Mari after hearing her yawn. "You should rest now - im afraid ive already kept you up longer than i should have"
He was used to sometimes staying up one or two hours past midnight, but he assumed regular people like Mari werent exactly meant to stay up for too long - neither of his mothers stayed up too late and the few places he'd seen back when he was still wondering around always quieted down once nightfall came around. Mari definitely was not a creature of the night like him, so he intended to have her go to sleep as soon as possible.
Interestingly enough, the bed did not carry the old object smell that most antique stuff seemed to be tainted with - instead, the sheets emanated the gentle fragrance of Lilly of the Valley, though it was hard to tell if that was from the washing process or Damien himself
