Mari smiled excitedly as she jogged down the familiar hidden path. It had only been a day but she was looking forward to seeing Damien again. Her messager bag bounced at her side, once again containing a couple books and some bags of fresh foods that she hoped he would like. She had made some good progress on reading his beautifully handwritten papers, however, she did struggle a little with the research on the cherry blossom festivals. Apparently, most of what came up was for the one in DC and only referenced the origin of the tree as somewhere in Japan. But she wasn't going to give up. She would just need to refine her search next time.
Inside the mansion, Damien lay sunken in his pillow, covered by a blanket, with a book in his hands, reading silently. He'd woken up pretty early that day, eating breakfast and then jumping back into bed to finish off the book he'd started yesterday, all without even changing into his normal clothes. After Marissa's departure, he'd neatly and carefully arranged all the things she'd brought him and began reading the books in order. Having been borrowed from a library, he wanted to finish them soon so Mari could return them before getting in trouble. The boy had barely touched the player, in his obsession with the books, though he had placed it neatly next to the books, intending to test it out later.
The bag of candy had been gently placed on a table next to the bed, secure enough so it would not fall by accident. So far, he'd only taken a few more pieces out, eating them at somewhat regular intervals, wanting to make them last for a longer period of time.
Mari had changed from her usual style of clothes to a simple gym outfit including her running shoes and a plain t-shirt with her school team/insignia on a small patch above her heart. Even though they were going to test Damien’s abilities today, she wasn't going to make him do everything by himself. Regardless of whether or not he had abilities, Mari planned accompany him as much as she could.
She carefully made her way through the bars and walked up to the house. “Hello? Damien?” she called out from the entryway, still making her way to his room.
The boy had just turned a page when his sensitive hearing picked up on the voice calling out for him, at which point he sprung out of bed, gently placed the book down on the bed side table, before grabbing his shoes and climbing down the small flight of stairs and into the corridor, to greet Marissa. Initially he did not call out to her, preferring to just scurry across the floor, but eventually when her voice and footsteps got close enough, he finally announced his presence.
"Hi Mari, im here" he chirped, with a wave. Even though it had only been a day, he was very excited to see her again.
Mari smiled brightly when she saw her friend and picked up her pace a little, though she didn't run, to meet him. “Hey.” she greeted as she resisted the impulse to hug him when they were close enough. “You excited for today?” she asked, referring to their exercise to test if Damien had any vampiric abilities or if they were just fiction. Though she would admit that she was a little nervous about how good of a teacher she would be. Either way, it wouldn't change her friendship with him. It was just an interesting experiment.
"Yeah, i am." he replied. "Also pretty nervous… I don't know how things will go"
Damien stopped for a little, looking her up and down, inspecting her clothes. Aside from the fact they looked so very different from what he was used to, they had strong colors which he'd never seen this clear anywhere else. He kind of liked them.
"You, um, wanna go in to put down the bag? I have to get dressed too so…." the boy asked, gesturing to the girl's plump looking bag.
“It’s okay to be nervous.” she assured him with an understanding nod. “I don't really know what’ll happen either.” Though she was looking forward to finding out. Realistically, she knew that his abilities could cover a broad range but it would be good for him to know what he was capable of.
“Sure.” Mari shrugged a little. “I got a few surprises for you. Hope you like them.” she added with a playful smirk.
Damien shifted nervously, playing with his sleeves.
"Yeah, i guess so… It's kind of exciting to do something new after a long time you know?" he admitted, slowly turning around, to lead her to the room where he'd come from. Alongside all his doubt and nervousness was also a shimmer of curiosity just like Marissa, of just how much of him was a vampire, to put it simply.
"Oh, what do you have there?" the boy asked, suddenly more excited, pressing his hand on the door handle to open it, head turned towards the girl and her bag.
Mari nodded with a small smile. “Yeah. It's always a good idea to try something new every once in a while.” she agreed, though she internally winced at how she sounded like she was ripping off a fortune cookie. Hopefully, it wouldn't seem like she was trying too hard to be encouraging.
“Well, if I told you, it wouldn't be much of a surprise.” she teased gently. “But if you really want to know; I brought you a couple more books. The one on astronomy is actually mine so there's no pressure from the library.” she assured him. “And I thought you might like to try some fruit fresh from the store. It's not as interesting as what you grow but they're still pretty good.”
Thankfully for Mari, the boy agreed as well, addmitedly somewhat sheepishly, taking her words to heart. Given he didnt even know what fortune cookies were, she sounded totally genuine to him.
"True, true, but you're going to show me anyway, won't you? So it wont stay a surprise for too long." he giggled a little, walking up the small flight of stairs to get to the platform. The bed was still a little disheveled as he'd left it when he jumped out to greet Mari, so he hurried to arrange it as best he could right then and there.
The notion of more books brought happiness to Damien, but it was the fruits that really sparked his interest. After all, food was one of the few things that could beat a really good book, and Damien was almost always a bit hungry.
He patiently waited for Mari to arrive there as well, almost jumping in place from excitement to see what she'd brought him this time.
She laughed a little at his witty reply and nodded as she followed him into the room. “Fair point.” she smiled. Honestly, she didn't mind if his bed was made or not. She figured it was a result of living with two younger brothers. “Alright.” she nodded before opening the bag and pulling out the books. “So, here's the astronomy book and the other one is just something from light reading… Honestly, I didn't look at the title of this one when I grabbed it.” she admitted. “As for the fruits, I brought you two bags of cherries, one sweet and one more tart, a bag of grapes, a couple pears, and peaches.”
After tossing the pillow back in its place, the boy hurried back to the couch where Marissa had unpacked, nearly beaming with curiosity. One by one, he received the books, looking over at the covers and admiring their new modern look, before placing them next to him and moving his attention over to the food, the actual thing he was excited about.
"Oh i remember cherries. They're small red ones that come in pairs, dont they? I missed those so much! Pears and peaches too… I dont know what grapes are though" he chirped, very curiously looking at each bag
Mari smiled a little as she handed him the books, noticing the second book was something about local plant life, glad he seemed to like them though she chuckled softly when she noticed what really held his interest. “Yeah. At least, I think they grow in pairs. Unfortunately, they're all separate in the bags.” she nodded, relieved that she had brought some of his favorites without knowing it. “Grapes are really good. They're… uh, kinda like cherries except they grow on vines instead of trees. And the darker the color, the sweeter they are. The green or white grapes are very tart, almost bordering on sour, in my opinion.” she told him as she held a bag of red grapes for him.
"Its okay, i dont think their separation affects their taste in any way, at least i hope" he attempted to make a lighthearted joke, as he fiddled with the bag. He was still highly innacquinted with plastic and it felt very weird to the touch, combined with the constant rustle it made.
Damien reached into the bag that she'd offered and picked out a single grape, which he reluctantly tested out.
"Wow.. Its honestly very good! Very juicy, but also sweet. I like them!" he cheerfully declared once his initial doubt and wearyness wore off.
“No, it doesn't.” she assured him with a light chuckle. “Need a little help with the bag?” she offered, seeing him struggle with opening it.
Mari smiled at his reaction to the grapes and nodded. “Yeah. Well, I'm glad you like them.” she told him, wondering if she should bring over some raisins for him next time.
The boy smirked a little at her chuckle, half of his nose becoming wrinkled, in a funny almost Mowgli style, which was also accentuated by the fact the other half of his face was obscured by the hair.
"Uh, yes please…" he responded, handing her the bag and watching carefully as she opened it - plastic bags worked very different than the packaging paper he was used to.
Damien continued to pick out grapes to munch on, preoccupied by the new found sweet taste, but also secretly eyeing the other bags.
"is there anything else you can do with these?" he asked, holding an entire small batch in his hand. "As in, cook them, make something nice to drink?"
Mari smiled at the cute almost Disney-esque expression on his face. She had loved watching The Jungle Book movie when she was a kid and still enjoyed it on occasion… Maybe she should introduce Damien to some of the classic movies.
“Here. It's pretty easy… once you get the hang of it.” she assured him before opening the bag carefully so he could try it next time.
She nodded at the question. “Oh, sure. I don't know about cooking them but juicing them, definitely. Umm, they're actually the main ingredient in wines… and you can dry them out to make raisins.” she explained.
Watching carefully, Damien released a small "oooh" as the knotted material was undone, and its technique was revealed to him. It tied pretty much the same as a long burlap sack, but much tighter and easier…
"Thanks, i'll try to keep it in mind" he thanked, gently taking the bag again and picking out a few cherries.
"Wait, wine? Thats what grapes can be made into? I didnt know that… Mom did promise she'd let me have a little when i was older but i never got to… What's it like? i hear its an alchoholic beverage? And those raisin things, i know those! Mom would bring home some from time to timm when she could." he explained, continuing to eat cherries. Raisins had been one of the few things his mother treated as a delicacy of sorts, bringing them back in small bundles and usually cooking something delicious with them, although she never got to tell him where they came from
“You’re welcome.” she smiled at him, snagging a single cherry for herself as she let him take the bag.
Mari nodded a little. “Yeah, at least the juice can. And yes, it is alcoholic but I think it's pretty good. Legally I'm not allowed to drink alcohol until I’m 21 but my mom has given a couple of sips on special occasions.” she admitted. “There’s a pretty wide variety of wines. It all depends on what kinds of grapes are used, how much alcohol is used, and how long it’s fermented… I think wine is fermented. I know other alcoholic drinks are.” she trailed off thoughtfully for a moment before smiling back at Damien. Raisins were definitely going on the list.
The boy nodded in approval while also humming lightly, before putting the cherry bag aside - they were very good but he didnt want to eat them all right away.
"Why arent you allowed to drink until you're 21?" he questioned, somewhat confused by the information. As far as he'd known, one could drink at any time regardless of age. Though of course, it was only the adults that drunk enough to become inebriated, from what his mother had told him.
"Fermented…? What does it taste like if its fermented?"
Damien knew what fermentation was, due to his past experiences with fruit juice that went bad after fermenting - of course, none of those were fruits that could result in an alcoholic beverage, so he was clueless about the fact that fermentation wasnt always a bad thing.
“Well… Because alcohol affects how you think and make decisions. Apparently, it's a lot easier to make bad decisions, or even stupid ones, while drinking.” she explained. “It’s supposed to be the law’s way of protecting those who are underaged… Or those who are legally too young to make their own decisions.” she added with a shrug since she was unsure how well that actually worked. Yeah, it did help but only to a certain extent.
Mari shrugged again at the question. “It really depends on what is being fermented. I've really only had a couple of things that were.” she admitted before listing some foods that she knew of. “Wine, which I think is fermented with sugar, tastes good depending on what kind of grapes are used. Umm, sauerkraut is basically fermented cabbage and it's a little sour or tart but it tastes pretty great, especially on sandwiches… and I’ve heard of this one dish called kimchi but it's supposedly a little spicy.”
"So theres laws for young people now…" he murmured, mainly for himself. His knowledge about laws wasnt too great to begin with, limiting just to the main ones connected to crimes, about which he'd read in his books, but other than that, it was new to him. "And they work, dont they? The laws"
Damien mentally noted the two new names he'd heard despite the fact he had no idea how to spell or pronounce them.
"Guess there really is a lot i've missed out there" he dared smile a bit. "Do you often get to eat those two things?"
“Yeah. Sort of. It's hard to always know what are laws and what are guidelines for minors.” she answered. Law was never her strong suit, she only knew most of what she wasn't supposed to do. There were probably a few laws that she wasn't aware of. “They work about as well as any law, I guess. Of course, there are people that when you tell them not to do something, they feel like they have to.” she added with a chuckle as she shook her head.
Marissa smiled a little and nodded. “Yeah… But that's what I'm here to help you with. Getting you caught up with the times.” she encouraged. “I’ve had sauerkraut before. It's pretty popular on hot dogs and Rueben sandwiches. Kimchi… I really haven't had an opportunity to try it. Actually, I did try it once and I didn't care for it. I think it was more sour than spicy.” she shrugged.
"So wait, whats the difference between laws and guidelines?" he jumped in, starting to get confused at all the different terms. For minors? did he even fit under that cathegory at this point?
"But… Why would you do the opposite if someone told you not to do something? I mean, isnt it dangerous to do so?"
As someone who barely dared to do anything, Damien found it very hard to even think about doing something he was forbidden to.
The boy gave a small grateful nod, happy to have someone with the patience to teach him new things. Though, his gratitude soon turned to a slight shock when he heard about the first food.
"Wait, you guys eat dogs?" Damien exclaimed, unable to believe his ears.
She shrugged a little. “Well, guidelines are… more like advice or rules you can bend a little. Laws are much more strict and have serious consequences if they're broken.” she tried to explain in the simplest way she could. Technically Mari thought Damien could pass for a minor, considering how young he looked and how innocent he was… Plus, it was very unlikely that anyone would believe his real age.
“I honestly don't know.” she chuckled. “I guess there's some kind of appeal in it, though I haven't really done anything like that. As to being dangerous… It depends on the situation and what someone is being warned against.” she answered, thinking about all the ‘don’t try this at home’ and ’we are trained professionals’ warnings she had seen. There were a couple of times when she had been tempted to do something but generally, she didn't.
Marissa was more than happy to help explain things to him, even if she struggled with some topics. But if she could at least give him a basic understanding of how the world was now… Plus all his new books.
“Ay, mierda. No!” she exclaimed, in Spanish, her eyes widened at the misunderstanding. Though she could understand how he arrived at that conclusion. “No, no no no no. Hot Dogs are not made out of dogs. They're made of beef. From cows.” she assured him. “They look kinda like sausages though and are really good.”
"I think i get it a little bit… Its still a lot though. How do you manage with all of it?"
It may have not seemed much, but it was getting close to an information overload for Damien. Way too many new things to comprehend, especially when they required a more in depth explanation.
Resigned, Damien just rocked slightly in his seat on the couch. Guess there just were people out there that loved doing things others normally would not or were even forbidden, just like how some characters in his books did.
"But… If they're not made of dogs… Why are they called hot dogs then?" the boy asked, slightly relieved of the news. He was glad no dogs were actually hurt, but he was still slightly unsettled
“I… don't really know. I guess I just grew up with this so I sort of always knew it?” she offered as a possibility, though she wasn't sure herself. “But understanding it even a little is a good thing.” Mari added to be encouraging. Though in her opinion, what she understood about laws was that they were complicated and more than a little confusing.
“Umm, I'm not sure. But I think it started as a joke because there are small long dogs, called dachshunds or Weiner dogs, and I guess people think they look similar.” she explained with a shrug.
"Oh, i guess that would make a lot of sense." he commented, seeing the connection between the dots. Apparently he'd forgotten it was much easier to understand something you grew up with, than something you were told about. "I guess it would be good. I mean, its there to help, right?"
What law wouldnt be there to somehow help someone in some way, right?
"W-weiner dogs? as in, actual real life dogs?" he stammered a little. "I dont think i ever saw one…."
Mari nodded a little, smiling softly at him, glad that he understood her answer. "Yeah. They help but it's hard to understand unless you study law… and I can't imagine going through that. From what I heard it's very difficult." she told him.
"Oh, right. Uhh, hang on." she said before digging out her phone and typing in a search. "Yes, they're real dogs. They're not very big but they're very cute. Here." she smiled, holding the phone for him so he could see the pictures.
Damien could figure that studying law was no easy task, mainly when the person was supposed to know a bunch of laws and how to apply them, if he were to trust the books he'd read - none were about the law, but some did contain characters that worked in the field, so that was his only reference.
"What do you study by the way?" he asked, curious to know what his friend wanted to do in life.
The boy leaned in to look at the picture, marveling at the sight of the black and brown creature displayed on the bright screen. It looked funny, but it looked real enough, so he had to trust Mari's word.
"They're really strange… Cute, yes, but kind of strange. The only dogs i saw were large and with long legs, that would bark loudly if you came close. Do they bite?" he inquired, looking up at the girl. It was starting to get pretty obvious Damien hadn't ever owned a pet, or at the very least a dog in his life.
