Another Blackwell's Island? (Damien)

[Demetra Katsaros]

Hmm. He made an interesting point about the chivalry thing, but it still seemed fishy. Eww. I didn't want to use the word fishy. Why did I think fishy?

"If all that kindness stuff is just out of respect, then I'll do the same for you. I can take you out and open doors for you and let you do everything first..." Oh, but I wouldn't. I could, but I probably would not. "Eh, scratch that. I won't do any of those things. If you end up in a wheelchair, maybe. You're kind of on your own until then."

I smirked lightly. "I will, however, make you the best damn suit you've had." Well, actually, maybe that was pushing it, too. Can I stick to any of my words? The suit he had on was pretty spiffy, and it was likely made by professionals. Still, I did good work, nothing to snort at. "I'll bring by cloth swatches and take measurements another time, though. I don't really carry all my materials with me. That's something that needs to be scheduled."

[Damien Kross, Jester]

"Scheduled? Heh, so I'll be making appointments with you now?" I feigned being impressed. "My new assistant is a very busy person it seems." I said in the same tone.

Yeah, she'll be busy al-

Enough Jester.

What? I was just gonna say she'd be busy writing articles and gathering sources...

Oh, well then, that's differe-

And fuc-

NO.

"At any rate, I am very interested at taking a look at what you're capable of." I caught myself after a moment. "In terms of tailoring of course." Wow, awkward conversation was getting awkward.

[Demetra Katsaros]

Assistant? Was that what I was going to be called? Ehh... I didn't really like it very much. It sounded kind of like a secretary, and that wasn't what I was going for. Still, it didn't really matter what he called me (unless it was highly offensive; there are some things I could be called and react with slapping in the face), as long as I got to do exactly what I had wanted to do and therefore achieved the goals I had set for myself.

"Of course. I probably have more examples of my 'tailoring' abilities than of left over journalism papers." Wait. No I don't. Tailoring was for menswear. I actually didn't do a lot of menswear. I mean, I made a couple of suits for my mom's roommate's son's friends at some tacky middle school Spring Fling dance, but most of my experience was with making clothes for myself, which, uh, wasn't usually menswear. "Well, not 'tailoring,' per se, but sewing abilities, definitely. I'd be more of a custom clothier than a tailor." Only example I really had, though, was what I was wearing. "Like this dress. It came in the basic shape that it was, so I didn't use too much talent, but I had to let it out in the bust, bring it in a little in the waist, and let it out a bit more in the hips." I wasn't embarrassed saying all this. It may be cutesy when girls blush over little tidbits like their breasts or backside, but I wasn't the blushing type. I could say pretty much anything with a straight face. Well, unless it was mind-blowingly hilarous. My big ass wasn't particularly funny to me, though. "The sleeves were also shortened and gathered toward the forearm. Really, you'd never know that it didn't come this way, if I do say so myself."

I drank a little more water. Gee, I almost forgot it was there. "I've made suits before, and even though they were for, uh, smaller people, I'm sure I can manage to make one for you. Same basic technique, just more material."

[Damien Kross, Jester]

"Well, I'd love it if you were so kind as to do that for me... I've been needing a new suit for a while. True, a few alterations on your dress isn't a whole lot to judge by, but I'm sure you'll do an excellent job." I smiled, completely disregarding the comments she made on the shape of her body.

Wow... Hold on. *Rolls d20.* Yup, you're gay.

...don't I get a saving throw?

Nope. You're gay. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200. Do not penetrate vagoo.

I put the voice out of my head, choosing not to deal with Jester right now. I was finally enjoying a simple conversation with someone.

"So, you are a clothier and a journalist. What else interests you my dear?" I asked, using the term dear as nothing more than a friend term... I hated when people took the word 'dear' as something...

[Demetra Katsaros]

My other interests? He really wanted me to talk about myself again? To each their own. "I thought we went over this before," I replied slowly. "Baby animals, organic fruit, long walks on the beach...?" It was all kind of true, yet at the same time, it was still a joke.

"I don't know where to begin. There's a lot of things I like to do. I wouldn't call myself a goody two shoes, as you've probably recognized, but I do like to do things that generally have a positive effect on myself, my community, and the world, and mostly avoid things that may have a negative effect. That basically means I do a lot of volunteer work for a ton of different programs. I'll do almost anything that's not religious affiliated. I'd rather raise money for people to eat than to put butt massagers in the church benches. I also do protests, if it's for a cause I believe in. Those are actually a lot of fun, 'cause you get with a lot of loud, passionate people and work together toward a common goal. You get away with saying a lot of shit. Just gotta avoid the ones with crazy violent people." Haha. That was certainly good advice, if anyone was willing to take it.

"Hmm... what else... Oh, I like exercise." I looked down at myself. "I know I'm not super skinny, but that's not really what I'm aiming for. I just do it to be healthy, and it's a good stress reliever. Mostly I jog and swim, and I try to beat my own times, but my mom is suggesting I do yoga. I also teach tai-chi, but uh, that's for self-defense more than exercise." I chuckled lightly. "Gotta be dumb to not want to be able to defend yourself, especially in a school like ours."

There had to be more. "I like debating. Don't get me wrong; it's nice when people agree with me on my points, and it's usually easier to get along with them, but uh, there's just something fun about having an intellectual argument with a person who counters your beliefs. It makes you think deeper, and who knows? I might actually switch sides, if they're convincing enough." Ah, but that didn't happen too often.

[Damien Kross, Jester]

The answer she had given me back at school wasn't enough to get a grip on who this girl was, but this time around, she supplied me with more than enough information. So, she was a big social assist type, with a splash of health nut and just a smidge of Green Peace. Alright, I can deal with that.

"Well, I'm glad to hear you concern yourself with so many causes. It's always good to get involved in the community." I took a sip of water. "As far as debate, I guess that's a love we both share. I've had my time with it, but again, something I kinda fell out of... at least, structured debate that is." I smiled.

"So, do you live around here? Parents? Boyfriend?" I inquired. This was just as much a work question as it was a friend question. Her answer would tell me a lot. If she lived nearby, I'd be able to work on projects with her easily. If she lived with parents, then she'd likely have curfews that would interfere with work. If she had a boyfriend, that would possibly cause a distraction, but at the same time, it told me a lot as a friend. Not particularly in the sense of "she's single, make a move," but more in the sense of knowing a little more about her life.

The most simple of questions always said the most about a person.

[Demetra Katsaros]

Was he being serious, about getting involved in the community? Yeah, of course it was good. That's why I did it. I guess my life probably sounded a lot like a public service announcement, so there was no way to talk about it without sounding totally cheesy.

"Yeah, I don't live too far away," I told him. "Skateboarding here would be a little gruesome if the school wasn't nearby. I might still do it, but it would be rather time consuming." And he asked about parents. Huh? Well, of course I had parents. Most of the population has parents; heck, even en vitro babies have their beginning cells formed by sperm and egg that came from some pair of people's inner crotches. Was he asking if I still lived with them, or if they were alive? It was rare to see high-schoolers out on their own so quickly, perhaps not as much at Moral Crest as at other places, but I guess he had to consider all possibilities. I was technically a legal adult. "I live with my mom and like, five other roommates a few blocks down. My dad lives in New York."

And then there was the boyfriend question. Eww. I didn't want to touch that with a sixty-nine foot pole. "As for a boyfriend, why would you just assume that I'm heterosexual?" I wasn't lying, and I didn't intend to lie. Still, I wasn't about to be completely honest about my situation when my best friend and mother didn't even know yet. She came first; this guy, perhaps later. "Maybe I have a girlfriend. Or maybe I have a partner who's somewhere in between." All these maybes just sounded like stalling. "But no, I don't have a boyfriend or a girlfriend, if you're that interested. What about yourself?"

[Damien Kross, Jester]

Ah, now it was my turn to have a question be shot back. Fair enough I suppose. So, my living conditions and my relationship conditions... Uh, one of those was easy to answer... One, not so much. My situation with Kate was complicated... As much as I wanted us to be together, a nagging thought in the back of my head kept telling me it wouldn't happen...

Yeah, that's me.

Oh yeah, huh? Ass hole...

"Well, I have my own little apartment about five minutes from school... Currently living alone. As far as a girl goes, single." I shrugged. "C'est la vie. Bad break-up, never met the right girl, yadda yadda yadda..." I made a hand gesture to accompany the yaddas. "I could bore you with the details... but that isn't really good table conversation... Maybe another time." I smiled, trying to distract myself from the pain.

Then, the appatizer arrived- a nice little tray of five gyoza dumplings. Oh thank God...

"Ah, nice timing." I said, pouring some soy sauce into the small sauce dish. Arming myself with some chopsticks, I tried a bite of the small little bundle of happiness. I swallowed and smiled. "Not bad at all. If the rest of the food is like this, you'll be very happy."

[Demetra Katsaros]

Alright, so I might come across as a total bitch when I say this, but I really don't have a particular amount of sympathy for people getting over break ups. Maybe it's just because I haven't been in that many relationships, or maybe it's because I'm pretty cynical about the whole 'love' business in general, but I really think that most of the population shouldn't make such a fuss over it. The majority of people don't marry their first love. That's just how shit goes down. And if you're going to be married to your fifth love in your thirties while still thinking about your first love from way back when you're fifteen, it's a little fucked up. Sure, promises are made, "I love you"s are exchanged, but hell, move on.

At least I was able to recognize from the very beginning that I "might come across as a total bitch," so at least I could keep my opinion to myself, and I sensed that Damien wasn't interested in talking about it, especially now that the subject had been changed to the arrival of food.

"I don't need food to make me happy," I told him with a shake of my head and a small smile on my lips. "As far as I'm concerned, food is mainly for energy, not pleasure. It'll just be a nice bonus if what I'm eating happens to taste good."

[Damien Kross, Jester]

Wow, this girl was a buzz kill... Hardcore buzz kill. It seemed as if every little thing I brought up she had a retort ready for, and it was always the antithesis. This was a point that was interesting enough to bring up...

"You know, you should really look at the little things more..." I said, waving my hand at the gyoza. "I read once that 'life is a series of challenges and hardships with small intervals of joy.' These little intervals are good food, a kiss, a good movie... Life isn't just necessities. Sure, food IS energy... But what is holding hands if not the exchange of body warmth? What is a kiss if not just trading saliva? These things should be savored for what they give us, not just what they are at their roots..." I took another bite, allowing her to respond.

This would be interesting. I would be able to see how young Demetra deals with a bit of her own medicine being thrown her way.

[Demetra Katsaros]

Hm. This guy could write a poem on what he was talking about. And heck, for all I knew, he already did. But he seemed to get the exact wrong impression. Well, he was talking about what I imagined was lovey-dovey stuff, holding hands, kissing, blah blah blah. I wasn't much of a romantic myself. I'd held Andy's hand, yeah, and we kissed (though no tongue. That would be too improper for this good Christian boy!), with more or less saliva involved, but it wasn't really that special for me. I don't really know why the actions were so important. Still, appreciating 'little things' was almost my entire philosophy. Kinda. Sorta. My philosophy, gone through the editing room and handed back to me a little differently.

"Oh, I definitely like to appreciate the 'little things,'" I told him. He could just be offering advice, but I liked arguing, and this wasn't arguing in the angry way. It was just the clashing of two view points. "I like seeing a child's smile, making a cat purr through soft petting, swimming in the ocean when the water temperature's just right..." Hey, I could be poetic, too! Maybe I wasn't on the level of Damien, with the "body warmth" and "savoring" stuff, but it was decent enough for what usually came out of my mouth. "Food isn't a little thing. Food is a big thing. One out of every three people in the world don't receive adequate nutrition, mostly because they don't have money for food. I'm more happy that my food is clean, filling, and in existence rather than tasting exactly to my preference. Trust me, I'm probably the least indulgent person you've ever met, yet I'm incredibly satisfied with my life and what I do each day. I've got very few regrets."

[Damien Kross, Jester]

Her answer was a good one. I was hoping she wasn't a lifeless shell... I didn't want a lifeless shell on my staff team. I smiled at the end of her response, finishing a piece of gyoza before speaking.

"Well, I'm glad to hear two things. One, you aren't devoid of emotion. Two, we can agree on something." The waiter would arrive with some of her food. My heart sank a little, hoping it would be my noodle dish. i would look to Demetra and raise an eyebrow. "Well, whether or not you have full appreciation for the flavor, I hope you do find enjoyment in it."

It was official. Demetra was someone fun to talk to. I finally found someone who didn't talk about boring, everyday shit. I found someone who could actually be on an equal intellectual level with me and not be afraid or timid to show it.

New friend is win.

[Demetra Katsaros]

Devoid of emotion? Well, I wasn't particularly emotional, but sure, I guess I had some 'emotion' to me, right? Happiness was an emotion, and I felt that pretty often, doing the things I loved. And anger and frustration were emotions. Those were fairly common with me well. But I wasn't really the sad type. Sadness doesn't instigate positive action in the way that indignation does, so perhaps that was the reason my brain felt little use for it. I think the last time I cried was when I viewed the first Peter Joseph artivist film two years ago, just from the sheer horror of the images, words, and concepts before me.

"Oh, I probably will find enjoyment in it," I explained to Damien, eying my order as it slid onto the table. I didn't want to appear starving and desperate for food, but it was a little hunger intensifying to watch the person across from me eat something while my food had still been being prepared. "I'm just saying, I'd probably eat it whether or not it was the best tasting food ever." I took some of the edamame off the plate, placing one pod in my mouth and pressing my teeth down so the bean slid out smoothy as I pulled the empty soft shell away. "But hey, it's certainly not disappointing," I told him after swallowing. I didn't think it would be. Preparation just involved some salt and boiling water, nothing that could be screwed up royally.

[Damien Kross, Jester]

I would be on the fringe of responding when the food would arrive. A wonderful, steaming plate of Beef Yaki Udon. Oh thank you God... I've never needed these noodles more. Let the feasting begin.

With the chopsticks in grasp, I'd take a bite of the beef, then the noodles, savoring the flavor of the oyster sauce. It was a shame that Demetra didn't see the glory of food as I saw it... It was a magical thing. It was something that no other sensation could fulfill.

I would watch with interest as Demetra ate her entree, looking for any sign that she enjoyed it beyond the realm of it being energy.

"So, here's my idea. We finish eating, head back to the classroom, and I put you on the attendance sheet. I think I'll have no regrets bringing you on as a full time member of the group." I smiled.

[Demetra Katsaros]

I finished off the last bit of my miso soup, tipping the bowl to drink the broth. Hey, I hated for anything to go to waste, and it tasted good. It was a little typical that I adored a soup with seaweed and tofu, but oh well. Tofu is win, and tofu will always be win. At least I was trying not to make a rude, annoying slurping sound as I downed the rest. Proof enough that I 'savored' my food? I was generally a slow eater, mostly for health reasons, but eh. Less talk meant more eating.

"Seems like a good plan," I responded, placing my bowl down to have a few bites of what was left of my cucumber salad. Hahah. The cucumber song. Lord, was I immature!

With a final swallow, I fished through my bag for my wallet to pull out a ten dollar bill. That should cover it, right? Soup, salad, and soybeans couldn't cost too much. "Here ya go." I placed the money on the table, trying to avoid the empty plates and bowls.