"so what home remedy do you use to keep it from harming you other then your clothes?" Angelo looked very interested. he had heard that some of the 'Home Remedy's' were way better then what the Roman doctors were selling to their costumers. his grams had taught him a few things about herbs and such, but he still would like to lean more.

"It is a ground-up flower. A rare flower...I only need to swallow a pinch of this powder to keep me going for up to three days. I grow the flower in my garden--it blooms rather quickly," Shadow informed him, pleased that he seemed interested.

"what exactly does it do for you? what does it look like?" placing the last of the dishes away he smiled. "does it have any other property's that can help other people?" maybe becoming his student would not be that bad, maybe he does have some stuff to teach me.

"It fortifies the weak cells of my skin and protects them from sunlight," Shadow explained, leaning against the wall. "It is white, with prominent yellow stamens and a bluish-green stem. It resembles a small-petaled lily. I have not tested its other medical uses, but it might have other properties."

"would it be bad to try? are there more herb lore you know that you can teach me?" he still did not believe that he had magic or any of those gifts but he did know that he had the ability to make good cures and such form herbs. the more he could learn now the better he could be latter.

"I can teach you about the rarer plants I have in my garden, if you'd like." Shadow seemed perfectly pleasant, now, compared to how he could be when he was being called names, or disrespected. It seemed like a pattern was coming on...as long as he was treated kindly, he would return the favor.

"I would love to learn." looking around Angelo walked to the back of the house to the garden. "can we start now?"

"Sure." Shadow followed him out to the garden. Once there, he cleared away his garden supplies so the two of them could sit next to each other comfortably. He pointed out and explained the properties of many of the rare plants there. He paid special attention to the 'Lampshade,' the rare flower he used as a home remedy for his sensitive skin.

"so how did you learn all this?" Angelo had listened quite closely to what was said. he wanted to learn all of what he had to teach. "do you have books that you learn from?"

"A lot of this I learned from Rosethorn," Shadow explained, seeming a bit more comfortable talking about the boy, now. "He was changed by a very old, experienced vampire...not me. This vampire was well-learned when it came to the properties of rare plants. In turn, Rosethorn taught me about these and many others when I took him in."

looking up angelo saw that the sun was almost down. "looks like it is time to eat again." standing up he looked over at Shadow. "how is it that you can eat human food as well as what you need?"

"I can eat both. Human food holds off the hunger, and it provides basic nutrients I need that blood doesn't provide for me," Shadow clarified, standing up. "Mm...we've talked for quite a while. Care to help me cook, now that you know how everything works?"

"I would love to help you...." he looked down at his toes, he had taken off his shoes so that he could feel the dirt in his toes. "could you teach me how to read?"

"To read? Of course. I myself am an avid reader," Shadow yawned, heading out into the kitchen to get started on a meal. "I can speak, read, and write in several different languages."

"and you will teach me all of them?" picking up some of the tools that they would need for cooking he held them out to Shadow. it had been years since he had last tried to learn how to read. when his gram had found him trying to read one of the signs that had been placed on a wall in one of the towns they had been in she had tanned his hide good. there was no need for a grand son of hers, she had said, to learn how to read the rootbound lands words. he know how to read the symbols that the Family used so he needed no other learning.

"As many as you like. It takes time, but you should be able to learn." Shadow started to set out some ingredients. "What shall we make?"

"I dont know, how about you teach me something new each night to cook?" Angelo smiled and stood next to shadow.

"Sure. Let's start with this, first..." Shadow explained. He had chosen a nice meal that seemed to have an equal amount of meats and plants in it.

as they finished eating the meal Angelo yawned. "I think it might be good for me to go to bed now, thank you for teaching me." standing up he picked up the dishes and started cleaning them.

Shadow helped him clean the dishes. "You are welcome." He seemed so glad that Angelo was settling in, since he really didn't have anywhere else to go.

as they finished up the dishes angelo smiled. "thank you sir." turning he headed to the court yard and his bedding. he had been thinking all day about the bedding and where he was sleeping. but he still could not think of any way he could sleep well with out the ground under him. "sir I would like to have a bath some time tomorrow morning. do you have a bath house or a stream that I can use?"

"You don't have to call me sir, Angelo...just Shadow is fine," he informed him, kindly. "I have a small bath house of my own around the back of my home that will work just fine for you."

"thank you." Angelo almost said sir but stopped. "it sounds funny to me to call you shadow, its not a proper name." picking up his bedding he lay it out in the courtyard garden. "so I feel better calling you sir, its not like I am calling you master."

"Hearing someone call me sir makes me feel old," Shadow chuckled, putting the last dish away. "But, it is up to you. Anything but master will work...I will see you in the morning. Good night..." Shadow headed back towards his room, to sleep.

crawling into his bedding Angelo smiled. "well I will never call anyone master sir, no one has that right." he sounded sleepy as he lay down. but his mind just would not let him sleep. tossing and turning for the next few hours he thought of all the things that he had learned today, and the things he had experienced too. if what his gram had said about vampires was not fully true, what else had she said that was not true. he still believed that she was right that he did not have powers but the other folk stories that she had told all the kids, were they true or false?