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"Oh..." Damon, truly, seemed fascinated by everything he wasn't familiar with on the menu. He paid Jae no mind as he went back in. He wasn't being rude, honestly--he was just too focused on studying the menu and on watching all of the people pass by while they ate. He shifted his hips slightly in the wheelchair, finally folding the menu back up and setting it down so he could finish the rest of his sandwich.
He was quiet while he ate, and he ate slowly. It was eerily similar to the way Shadow ate. Shadow had mentioned that he'd found Damon abandoned as a newborn baby and raised him on his own--he must have picked up a lot of Shadow's mannerisms. |
Hebs had noticed that but he wasn't at all bothered by it. In fact, it made him smile how Damon reminds him much of Shadow. Turning to look at Jae, though, through the glass wall, he caught his gaze and felt his lips twitch up into a smile of amusement just as the boy looked away. From this distance, he could see those cheeks of his color and he pitied him. If only he could make some time for Damon and him to talk. Maybe, they could get to know each other. "Do you want to try their potato fries?" the snake man asked as soon as he'd finished with his cake. The coffee didn't help lessen the taste of sweetness in his mouth. Honestly, he was craving for something... salty.
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"Hm...perhaps...a few. I don't think I can eat too much more." Shadow had always complained about Damon's bad eating habits. He had been, while he was alive, on-and-off bulimic. He didn't appear to have the desire to binge and purge at the moment, though--he wasn't eating too much at all, in fact. Damon straightened slightly in the wheelchair, looking curious. He'd never heard of potato fries before--though he had heard of potatoes, of course--so this was sure to be interesting, he reasoned.
His legs were still completely numb. They hadn't moved at all since he'd been helped into the wheelchair. He also hadn't dared to ask for help trying to walk on them. If they were fragile, he didn't want to push his luck just yet. |
Hebs saw the change in the other's face and he turned to look at Jae, whom he'd suspected was looking at Damon. He'd caught his gaze again but before he could look away, the snake man lifted his hand a bit. Jae was quick to slide the rag into a small pouch hanging by his apron and wiped his hands dry while he used his back to push the door open. He was rather quick when he'd went to Hebs' and Damon's table. "What can I get you?" he asked, his eyebrows raising just a bit. He was just a little bit breathless. "Some potato fries. With salt if that's all right." Jae nodded at this and smiled at them before he'd left to go back into the shop.
It was minutes later when he'd come back and he put this on the table. He was surprised, though, when Hebs had told him to stay put while he went to take care of nature. He excused himself and Jae clutched a little at his apron, feeling nervous being this close to his love interest. Jae seemed to watch him, though, despite this nervousness. |
Damon blinked at how quickly Jae returned to their table, not seeming to understand what the hurry was. These potato fries sounded absolutely fascinating--he knew they would taste salty, but...would they taste like potatoes, even? He waited on the edge of his seat, not literally of course, for Jae to return. When he did and he set the plate of fries down, Damon glanced up idly at Hebs as he stood to leave before reaching out and uncertainly nabbing up one of the fries.
He didn't wolf it down like most people would. Instead, he sat there and nibbled curiously on it, savoring the taste. He seemed so focused on the fries that he only noticed that something was wrong with the 'babysitter' that Hebs had left behind when he caught him out of the corner of his eye holding onto his apron like he would get hurt if he didn't. Damon blinked, turning his eyes up at Jae as he stopped nibbling on the single fry he had. "Is something the matter?" |
Jae watched Damon nibble at the potato fry. It surprised him that he didn't just put that in his mouth whole and chew on it. When he'd seen him catch his gaze and ask that question, Jae's cheeks immediately burned up. "Ah... n-no." The boy looked nervous as he quickly took his hands off from his apron and put them behind him. He clutched them together. "I'm sorry. How are the fries?" Jae's cheeks were still rather red with embarrassment as he tried to smile.
It was getting harder to keep up his composure. He always was like this, after all, when the person he's interested in would pay him any attention. Usually, he'd just be fine with looking at them from afar. Pretty much like Kratos to his siren. |
"There is nothing to be sorry about. They're good. I've never had anything like them before..." Damon admitted before studying the fry in his hand and then taking a good-sized bite out of it. He spent the next few seconds chewing thoughtfully before swallowing. "How do you make them?" The way he was speaking about something so commonplace as fries was a dead give-away that something wasn't right about him. He seemed perfectly competent...just so...so innocent, and childlike. He really didn't know how the world operated now--he'd been six feet under for hundreds of years, after all.
Damon scooped up more fries to chew on, seeming to like the taste of them. Lots of salt was something he wasn't used to. Lots of seasoning in general, really, was something he definitely wasn't accustomed to tasting. |
Jae seemed to have noticed that just now. He looked rather surprised, all nervousness gone in that instant. Damon sounded so... foreign as of the moment. He couldn't help but lose his composure. "We... ah..." His brain malfunctioned so he stopped talking and quickly shut his lips. After a few minutes of observing Damon, he couldn't help but find himself smiling softly. "It's ready made. But, we can make it out from potatoes by peeling it and cutting it into those sizes before deep-frying them in oil." He was also unable to keep his curiosity from surfacing.
"Do you live around here? Are you, perhaps, strictly on a diet?" Potato fries, after all, contained a lot of salt and calories. It's pretty unhealthy but still delicious. |
Damon tilted his head slightly when Jae's 'brain malfunctioned,' so to speak, and while he waited for him to regain his lost composure, he chomped away on those delicious potato fries. When Jae finally did speak, Damon listened closely, looking puzzled, to say the least. "...Deep-frying? What is that?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed together. He'd never heard of that before in all his life. It must have been some kind of cooking technique, though--context clues.
"Oh? Well...I do. But I'll be moving very soon." Damon understood that if the rest of the freaks went back to their original homes, he would go with them all. He didn't know where they all lived permanently, though. "I am vegan, but not on any sort of calorie-based diet." |
Jae nodded at the other's question and blinked at the puzzled look he was giving him. Did this Damon live in this century? He sure looked like it. The boy couldn't help but find himself looking amused. "Maybe I can show you some time," he started, pausing for a second or two before he'd shaken his head, "I mean-" His face turned red as he looked back down. He really shouldn't be this rude to someone. He was in no place, too, to invite a customer to the kitchen when this cafe isn't his own.
Upon hearing, though, that the other was going to move, Jae's eyes immediately shot up. His emerald gaze was almost longing as he uttered a short, "Oh." Bringing up a hand to play a little with the little curls at the nape of his neck, he quickly moved his gaze up at the snake man whom he'd noticed was giving him a sad look. "As he'd said, we'll be moving out soon once Damon is able to walk again." Jae looked surprised as he moved his gaze back at Damon. "Things happened, I suppose. We're just waiting for him to recover." The boy seemed to understand. He nodded. And, Hebs smiled again before taking the seat across the green-haired beauty. Taking a potato fry, he put that in his mouth and chewed languidly. |
"I would love to see sometime...that is, if the offer still stands at a later date." Damon was totally composed. He did get embarrassed--frightfully so, sometimes--but he was so oblivious to come-ons and advances that they went in one ear and out the other. Shadow's flirting hadn't had much effect on Damon most of the time, either. It was disconcerting how...out of it...Damon seemed on a regular basis.
Damon did notice the sort of sad, longing look in Jae's eyes when he said he was going to move. It puzzled the green-haired virtuoso, but...he decided that he didn't want to question it just this moment. Was it possible that Jae wanted to get to know him more? Become good friends? If he was going to leave soon, then surely it wasn't worth it...right? They may never see each other again. Damon peered down at his legs, totally out of commission for now. "Yes...let's just say I'm recovering from a terrible, life-threatening accident. I'm very weak. I can't even feel my legs, let alone move them." He frowned, his underlying worry starting to come to light. "It's...concerning." |
Jae looked absolutely ecstatic. He didn't think Damon would even accept his invitation at all. It made him smile brightly. "Yes!" he answered all too enthusiastically. It made Hebs chuckle in amusement. When Damon had started to say some worrying things, though, Hebs was just about to say something when Jae had piped up quickly:
"You'll get them back soon!" Jae was filled with what looked like empathic determination towards Damon and his legs, "Just keep believing you'll get to walk, Mister Barrow!" Hebs blinked and he smiled before he'd turned his attention back to Damon. "What he said is true. You'll be able to recuperate and walk again. Just give it some time." Getting another piece of of the potato fry, he put that into his mouth and took a sip of the drink again. |
"When do you want me to come?" Damon was open to spending time with a new possible friend any day of the week. He wasn't very mobile, of course--Jae might have to come and get him. And if he did...well...if Shadow caught one speck of Jae's thoughts, there was sure to be trouble. Shadow protected Damon with an iron fist--even before they had gotten involved with each other, this had been the case. He was a little overbearing, but he meant well.
Damon blinked at Jae's rather...enthusiastic...response to his words. "...I will keep believing, yes," he hummed, casting a final mournful glance down at his legs before reaching out to help Hebs finish the rest of the potato fries. Once they were done with these, he figured that they ought to head home. While being out and about was exciting, it was also exhausting for someone in Damon's condition. |
"Any time," he said with a bright smile. Hebs wasn't sure why but he was liking the fact that the boy was a friendly fellow. Pushing his chair back and getting up to his feet, he rubbed his palms on his jeans and moved to get behind Damon's wheelchair. "You can come visit us, too. We live at the villa-" He stopped when he'd seen Jae's amazed look. "It's, ah, not mine, though. It's our ringleader's villa."
"Ringleader...?" "Yeah. We're running a circus back where we live." There was that look of amazement on Jae's face again and Hebs couldn't help but chuckle. "I'd have invited you to watch us but you live here. Just, come visit us any time. Maybe, you can take Damon out for walks, too." Jae nodded at this and he smiled again. "Thank you, Hebs and Mister Barlow. Please come again!" The boy bowed, a custom he couldn't get rid of back while he was living in Korea. |
Damon had suddenly hatched an idea as Hebs spoke, but he only spoke about it when Jae was out of earshot. "...If he wants to see a show so badly...perhaps...Shadow can set up a small show here?" he asked, seeming curious. Well, it was possible to do shows away from home--the walk-in show at the beach had proven that. But, would everyone want to do such a show in the middle of Austria? Not everyone spoke English, here.
Shadow, though, spoke the native language. Damon certainly wouldn't mind getting to see Jae again, and he wouldn't mind getting taken out on walks, either. He wanted to make new friends. Shadow had always kept him very close by his side, and because Shadow had traveled all over Europe while he had Damon and the batch of freaks he did have at the time...Damon never got to make many friends. |
Hebs blinked at Damon's sudden suggestion. He hadn't thought of that. It was possible, but would it be a success? Well, they were good enough as a batch, but without Kenichi, Johnny, Blake, and Rousel, it just wasn't the same. Plus, they were here in the villa to help Damon recuperate. Not make money. "Let's focus on getting you to walk first." The snake man smiled, "But, I don't think Jae would mind whether you'd be in a wheelchair or on your own feet."
By the time they had arrived at the villa, Hebs brought Damon to the living room where he was pretty sure Gian was at. Kratos was probably in his room or taking out a walk at the back. Idly, he wondered where Shadow had gone to. |
"...Very well. But I can perform without having to walk. I play music, after all." Damon's music was a lot like the singing of their siren...but it could openly control the actions of other people. It was a power that, in the wrong hands, could be disastrous. But Damon, of course, wasn't bad in any way. He had no unkind intentions whatsoever, so the power he had was safe for him to use.
Shadow had locked himself away in his vault, which was down below the basement. He was busy sorting through what he had. He had yet, of course, to hand out gifts one-by-one to his freak family. He had specific gifts for some of them, but...as for others, they would have to accompany him individually into the vault and help him choose a gift for themselves. He would be the judge of what they were and weren't allowed to take. |
"If you're looking for Shadow... he went downstairs. Somewhere." Gian frowned a bit and shrugged before he'd gotten up from the couch. Grinning at the sight of Damon, he moved to give him a tight hug and swayed him a little before he'd let go. "Should I start cooking, too?" he asked, his brows raising just a bit. He can't cook delicious food like Hebs and Shadow but he could cook rice. As for what to go with the rice, he'll leave that to either Hebs and Shadow. Lucky for Hebs, too, his burn had healed. It had been a while, after all.
"If you don't mind, please." Hebs gave a little nod and moved to sit on the couch. Gian, though, crouched down to lightly poke at Damon's knees. "Still no feeling in them?" he asked, looking very curious. |
Alfie hadn't wanted to come out from his and Gian's room. He'd been far too comfortable in bed and would be up once food was ready for him, more than likely. As for Shadow...he'd been down in his vault for quite a long while. He'd actually forgotten that he had so much wonderful stuff down there and was trying to organize it. He knew what he wanted to give to Léan, Kratos, and Hebs. As for Gian, Alfie, and Damon...he would let them choose for themselves. He didn't quite know what they wanted.
Damon peered down at his legs as Gian poked them. "...No, no feeling at all," he confirmed mournfully. "Nothing at all. It's...not right. I'm a little worried. Should...Kratos take a look at them?" Kratos may not be able to fix them...but maybe he would be able to see what the issue was up-close. Surely his legs would have regained feeling by now? It wasn't right, and Damon could feel it. |
Gian frowned at that. "Yeah," he should. The boy nodded as he pushed himself back up to his feet. "Your feet don't feel frozen, though, and your bones are pretty hard. But, it's still pretty scary." They could be fragile, after all. And, if they risk Damon walking, he could end up with broken bones and that's hard to reverse. Gian told Hebs and Damon that he's going to go ahead to cook rice and grinned again. Hebs, on the other hand, moved forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "Isn't there anyone trying to play a joke on you, though? For you not to be able to use your legs but your upper body..."
The snake man sighed and shook his head. "Do you want me to bring you to your room? You could rest for a bit." He needed to go find Shadow and see what he was doing. Hopefully, he isn't trapped, in trouble, or anything liike it. |
Damon wrapped his arms around his upper body and swiveled slightly in his seat to face Hebs. He smiled quite gently. "I would like some rest, yes...a nap before eating would be wonderful for me. Just...please be careful with my legs when you lift me. I don't know if anyone would want to harm me...I don't know anyone who could, honestly. But...if you suspect it's foul play, I would speak to Kratos, not me. He seems to know more about these sorts of things than I do, after all."
Shadow, down in his vault, had finally found Hebs' gift--he'd spent quite a while looking for Kratos and Léan's gifts, and now he'd finally found all three of them--and he was using the extra time he didn't think he would have to relax for a while. He was leaning against the wall outside of the vault door, relaxing in the cool darkness. The basement was filled with old pieces of furniture, old props, and coffins--tons of coffins. The vault door was on the far side of the dark basement--a huge door made of some strange-looking material. It didn't have a handle. |
Hebs nodded and smiled in return. Damon's gentle smiles were definitely contagious. "I will, later," he told Damon as he got back up to his feet to get behind the wheelchair. The snake man started to move Damon to his bedroom and stopped when he was by the bed. Slowly - and very carefully, he transferred Damon to the bed and tucked him in. Brushing a few strands of hair away from his face, he smiled softly again. "I'll help you to the table or bring you your food once it's ready." With that said, he parked the wheelchair by the bedside table and left the room to search for their ringleader.
It was quiet going down the basement. He'd noticed the smell of wet and old wood when he'd gone further down and was careful not to trip himself. It was possible, after all, that nails could be sticking out from the floors of the said place. "Shadow?" he called out in a gentle voice as he tried to adjust his eyes to the dark. Being part snake helped him adjust rather quickly. He was able to make out Shadow's form by what looked like a vault door. Without a handle? Worry immediately laced his features and he crouched down by Shadow's side. "Are you all right?" he asked him, his brows raising just a tad. His hand had moved, as well, to put it on Shadow's shoulder. |
"All right...just come and get me, then. I'll be waiting." Damon turned slightly, gingerly moving his legs, so that he could lay slightly on his side in his favorite position to sleep in. He settled, then, and closed his eyes. He didn't like having to depend on everyone else like this--it reminded him of being so sick--but he supposed he would have to settle for it for now while he healed up.
Shadow heard Hebs coming down the basement stairs. He lifted his head slightly once he felt him crouch down and felt a hand on his shoulder so he could meet Hebs' eyes. "Oh, I'm fine. I was just making sure everything was inside my vault. And...making sure I knew where the gifts I have in there for everyone are." He had subtly mentioned gifts beforehand, but never so directly. Just what was in this vault of his? It looked like a pretty big, ominous door. Was it holding things back as well as keeping others out? |
Hebs was relieved when he'd heard Shadow saying he was fine. Moving to sit beside him, he lifted his knees a little and put his elbows on them while he listened to him speak about the gifts. Somehow, he just remembered that. Blinking a little, the snake man pointed to the vault. "You mean, inside there?" It looked ominous all right. And big. Really big. This basement was nothing compared to the villa on the ground floor. This one showed the age of the house and he leaned a little to the side, on Shadow.
"What kind of things are inside?" he asked, his curiosity piqued now that they were talking about gifts and vaults. And, well, pretty much whatnot. |
"Yes, inside there. It is a door, after all, and most doors lead places," Shadow teased, snuggling up playfully against Hebs. He seemed to be getting back to his old self more and more as the days passed--it was refreshing to see. "As for what I have in here...I have a lot of things. Things I wouldn't like getting into the wrong hands. Objects with mystical powers. Strange amulets, coins, and trinkets. Staffs. Weapons. Odd objects in general. I have quite a collection."
He peered up at the door for a moment before standing up. "Since you are here...would you like your gift, first? It's one I'm only going to give to you if you promise not to misuse it." Shadow had picked out a gift he thought Hebs would make good use of. |
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