Damien shifted nervously in his chair, a little uncomfortable at the subject, but he accepted her apology nonetheless. It wasn't her fault vampires were the way they were, he just felt less hopeful about blending in with society, even in this apparent new day and age. Guess his mom was right after all, to keep him away from everything - it wasn't to protect people from him, but to protect him from the world.
Thunder rumbled outside once again, snapping the boy out of his thoughts and making him redirect his attention back to Mari. At the very least she didnt hate him, so he took comfort in that thought.
"Hmm, i think the only time i got to see a town was, um, before i got here, in this mansion, but even then, i saw it from afar. I remember carriages and stone paved roads, some people traveling by horse or on foot. I didnt really get a good look, cuz like i said, i didnt go out much. My former home is nowhere close to this place, though"
Not much to go with, but it indicated that he'd certainly been here for quite some time.
Mari’s jaw dropped for a second before looking at him in slight concern. ”Uhhh, Damien? I’m no history expert but the last time anyone used a horse-drawn carriage for something other than fun was… at least in the 19th century, maybe very early 20th. Right now it's the 21st century out there.” she told him gently. She was sure that the information would be something of a shock to him but that explained a lot about his knowledge on technology. And his wardrobe, to be honest. ”I’m actually a little surprised that you didn't question why I'm not wearing a dress when we met.” she said with a small smile in an attempt to lighten the mood. Though the smile didn't stay long. Two whole centuries alone in this house weren't good for anyone. Maybe she could come back and bring him some new books, even ones on history so he could learn what changed. She wasn't going to force him to go out unless he wanted to. ”Honestly, most people don't even believe that vampires were real anymore. They think that they never even existed in real life.” she felt like she had to let him know that part. ”So… Where exactly are you from then? Before you came here, I mean.”
The boy's only visible eye looked at her with a puzzled expression, blinking a few times.
"The 21st century?" he repeated to himself, tilting his head. His reaction seemed closer to that of someone passively noting how time flew by after being deeply immersed in an activity they really enjoyed. "It really is a long time."
Damien shifted in his chair, still looking down at the lit phone on the table.
"Honestly, i thought you were probably a boy when i first saw you, but then i heard your voice. The only person i remember seeing in a dress was Mother, but it was never something big or eye catching. Just plain fabric. Other than that, i rarely saw other people, cuz i avoided them. Curious how people no longer believe in vampires… They used to be pretty paranoid about them back when i was out there."
He got up and started searching in the drawers, eventually pulling out what looked like a small cake of sorts and placed it on the table, motioning towards the girl as if asking her if she wanted any. He himself still felt the need to nibble on something, after the soup.
"Hmm, i dont know for sure… I remember being on a boat after i last saw mom, but i had to hop off because one man spotted me. After that, i just roamed around some villages for a few days before… uh… i met Mother and came here." As the last part of the sentence left his lips, he turned his head away, hiding more of the left side of his face where there seemed to be a dark mark. Something about that last part of his journey didnt seem to pleasant for him to remember, apparently.
Judging him feature wise, he looked almost of asian descent, based on the hidden eyelid and rounded face, so perhaps he was from somewhere in that area? But then it would mean his journey had been worse than imagined - unless his parents were originally from that part of the world and had settled somewhere else later in life.
She nodded a little before holding back a small laugh at his admitting that he thought she was a guy. She wouldn't hold it against him but it was a little funny. ”That’s ok. I guess I am something of a tomboy sometimes.” she smiled with a light chuckle. ”I don't know how or why people choose to believe that. There are still a fair amount of people who are pretty superstitious.” she shrugged.
”Oh! Yes, please.” Mari's eyes lit up when he pulled out the cake and she nodded eagerly.
She listened carefully to his story but couldn't help raising a brow at the end. ”I see.” The last comment didn't quite line up. It was obvious that whatever really happened was something he didn't want to talk about. She was smart enough not to ask but it had raised a lot of questions in her mind. Was it really only days, was it actually years before he met his adoptive mother? Where was the ship coming from and where was it heading? Maybe Damien was supposed to meet someone at the original port of call… She frowned a little when she noticed the dark mark on his face. It didn't look like a birthmark and, from what she could see, he didn't have freckles… so what was it?
Damien carefully sliced the cake, passing a decent sized slice to Mari, before taking one for himself.
"Well, regardless, i do think you're a pretty person - you'd look nice in anything." he said, taking a bite out of his cake. "Maybe vampires just vanished, so thats why people forgot about them, because they cant find them anymore. They're more likely to believe in what they can prove exists, or so i read."
He hand motioned towards the door leading to the main room, implying the books that lay on the shelves of the book case. Giving how long he'd been staying here, he'd probably read all of them, multiple times probably. And if this mansion was like the ones in its time, there was probably an entire library somewhere in the walls, big enough to keep the boy busy for quite some time.
"Theres a few things i dont remember from that time, sorry" he apologized, still hiding his face from her. "I was, much younger when it happened, that was certain"
”Thank you.” she said to both the cake and his compliment, though she did blush a little when he called her pretty. It was just a natural response. It was very likely that he didn't mean much by it, just him being the sweet bean that she was getting to know him to be. ”You look nice too. You've got your own style.” she smiled before nodding a little. It made more sense that they were hiding than the alternative. ”Yeah, they probably did.” But if they were hiding then Damien was at a disadvantage. The others, if they were still out there, most likely have isolated themselves the way Damien did. ”But you're definitely right. If we can't explain it logically, then it's easier to say it doesn't exist and was just a superstition or something.” Mari admitted.
”It’s ok. It was a long time ago. Honestly, I have a hard time remembering something that happened a couple of weeks ago.” she smiled to show the humor in her statement. ”Besides, even if you do remember, you don't have to talk about it if you don't to. We are still just getting to know each other after all.” she assured him.
Damien shook his head a bit, with a small smile making its way on his pale lips.
"Ah, these? Thanks…" he seemed to blush, looking down at his own clothes. They were honestly stuff he'd found in the mansion - one of the rooms had been more than full of clothes and fabric left by the previous owners, which he picked up and changed to fit his smaller frame. He'd taken several liberties with the sewing, making them in such ways he would feel comfortable in, so they didnt exactly look like they were from the old time period in which they'd been created.
***"Mhm, that's pretty much the case, i suppose." he said, munching on his slice of cake.
He silently thanked Mari for understanding his unwillingness to talk about certain things, for the time being at least; he was starting to feel more and more comfortable around her, and he kinda liked having her here. Perhaps he could finally have a friend? One that wasnt bothered by his nature, just like his mom used to be.
Thank you…"
He took another slice, smaller one this time - perhaps being a vegan vampire increased his appetite for food in general, to make up for the lack of blood consumption - and didnt sit back at the table this time, choosing to eat it while leaning against the counter.
"So, um… what's it like out there? Now, i mean." he asked shyly. As much as he'd liked being alone, now that he'd met someone he had genuinely taken a liking to, he wondered what else was out there, if things really were different from the way he remembered them
She nodded at his cute little smile as she had just taken a bite of her cake when examined his clothes. Mari thought that they were really unique and definitely looked comfortable on him. ”You’re really talented, aren't you? I mean, you can cook, you grow your own food and sew your own clothes. Most people can barely do more than one of those really well.” she complimented him, genuinely impressed by the skills he had. If it had been her who had to live alone for a long time, she would have eventually picked up on how to cook better but would have struggled with the gardening and the most she would have been able to do as far as clothes would be to patch up any tears or holes.
”You’re welcome.” she smiled softly. Honestly, she hoped that if they actually got to be friends, he would tell her what happened. But she knew better than to push on such a sensitive topic.
”Hmm? Oh. It's… No doubt, it's very different from what you remember.” she started to answer. ”Umm, like I said, pretty much everyone has a phone like mine. People use cars instead of walking or using horses. There aren't really any villages anymore, not that I know of in the States anyway. Oh, that's how America divided its land. We still have towns and cities but… You know, if you'd like, I can bring you a map and my history books so you can see how much has changed and how.” she offered when she started getting a little tongue-tied in her explanation.
"Hah, thanks…" he smiled, bowing his head a little bit. "But is it really that uncommon to make your own things? As far as i remember that was how people managed to sustain a living. Has that changed too?"
To him, possessing the necessary living skills to maintain a decent living style had always been a necessity - the more you knew how to do, the less worried you had to be about living as a recluse, simple as that. But then again, he'd never been to a city to see how people managed there so it was very possible that he was unfamiliar with the social lifestyle.
He took a moment to process the information he'd been given, like the disappearance of villages and the replacement of horse riding as means of transportation.
"America… That's the name of this place?" the boy muttered, half to himself, before looking back at Mari. "Sure! I'd love something new to read! I dont think i've had anything new in quite some time, i just reread the whole library whenever i got bored…."
The way he phrased it, he most likely didnt mean the small book case near the stairs by the entrance.
She gave a thoughtful hum before shrugging. ”I wouldn't say uncommon but those types of things are more hobbies than anything else. They're not really necessary unless you work in one of those industries.” she said wondering if she would have to explain what an industry was.
Mari blinked in minor surprise when she heard that he didn't even know the name of the country he was in. Had things really changed that much from when he arrived?
”Ok. I don't think I have anything planned tomorrow so I can bring that stuff then. How many books do you have here?”
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.”
