Acting Childish

Dane and Damien took Jade with them to an aquarium once their luggage had been given to one of Damien's servants to take to his house with Amon and Drake. It reminded her a lot of Monorail, but maybe that's why the two had brought her there. It wasn't in Damien's character though.


"So why are we here?" She asked the moment after Dane had paid for their tickets.


"I'm meeting someone," Damien growled. He didn't seemed pleased that she was there.


Dane sighed and looked up at the dome ceiling above them, where they stood in the main entrance. "I thought that it would be enjoyable. You've never been to an aquarium have you or well not that you could remember any ways."


She shook her head, finding herself a bit curious about it, but her mind fell back on Damien soon enough, "Who are you meeting?"


"The Taurus King," he muttered with a sigh, letting his eyes drift through the crowd moving around them as they began to notice him and realize who he was. "We should keep moving."


"Yes," Dane replied, gently grabbing Jade's hand in his and walking forwards.


Jade looked around. There were fake whales and dolphins hanging from the high ceiling so that it looked like they were swimming through the air and around the lightly lit circular foyer.


"Come on," Dane urged her as he pulled her towards him. They then followed a current of people drifting down into a dimly lit tunnel-like hallway. She suddenly felt nervous as they were shoved about between the rounded narrow walls.


"Is that The King's advisor?" People's voices began to echo around her as they tried to push their way past Dane to get to him.


"For god's sake!" Damien growled under his breath. It was almost pitch black now. He somehow managed to slip behind Dane and Jade and directed them into a hidden passage in the wall. The voices echoed away from them as they were suddenly thrown into an eerie blue light shinning out from a massive glass aquarium in front of them. It was at least two stories high.


Jade's eyes must have widened to twice their normal size. A million different fish swirled around just behind the glass it was like there was an entire different world in front of her. She smiled as Damien led them to a tall muscular man dressed in a dark green suit leaning against the glass watching them cooly.


He smiled at Damien and eyed him with his dark beady eyes. "Lord Damien," he held out a massive hand towards him. His voice was gravely and came out in a deep growl. He reminded Jade of a monster.


Damien tilted his head and took the hand with his own slender ringed hand. "King Toro."


Then his eyes fell onto Dane and Jade, "Who have you brought with you?"


"My brother and um," he paused with a frown, "adopted daughter."


"Come," he smiled again. He had a creepily wide mouth. Honestly Jade was terrified of him. "Let's sit over there."


It was a table with six seats right beside the glass. Holding her hand tighter Dane guided her to the table. She was the closest to the glass with Dane beside her and Damien beside him. The King sat across from Dane. There was a dead silence until the King laughed deeply. "Well, then I guess we'll just get to it."


Jade's eyes traced him, his olive skin, short dark hair, the gold ring in his nose and his expensive dark green suit. Then she glanced at Damien who was smiling, but whose hair looked like it was standing on edge. He was also dressed in a suit but his was pure black. "Yes, let's," he replied.


"You're unique. You know that," he began never allowing his eyes to leave Damien. "Not a being in all of the world's shares your power. To put it simply I want you."


He was blunt Jade thought. Damien let a silence form and then sighed. "Unfortunately," he spoke slowly, smoothly, "I am tied to the Virgo King as you well know. If I break my contract I will die."


"I am aware," the King spoke with a nod, making Damien purse his lips. "But I have a way to work around that."


Damien laughed uncomfortably. "I don't know how to respond."


"Say yes," the King placed his elbows on top of the table, intensifying his stare.


"You are talking about war," Dane muttered.


"Possibly," he nodded, "but I want what I want and I will have whatever I desire."


"Why do you want me?" Damien sat back in his chair with a sigh, loosing all of the formality he'd previously been wearing.


"Who wouldn't? You can make anything happen!" The king laughed loudly.


That seemed to infuriate Damien as he bit down hard on his lip, "I will not do it."


"Your answer is no?" The King raised his heavy eyebrows.


"Yes, it is and because I have no doubt that given this answer you are going to try kill me I am going to break the first law," he sighed, "forg-"


"Wait," the King stopped him. Damien sucked hard on his lips. His entire body was rigid.


"What?" He snapped, furiously.


"I'm not going to have you killed," he laughed as if it were some joke. Then his eyes moved onto Jade. "Especially not in front of a child. Your answer is clear. I expected it and that was not the only reason I wanted to speak with you. I am curious Damien. You've been in Earthsea to talk with the Pisces King. What for?"


"She-" Damien looked away. He seemed so distracted, unlike himself.


"And then the Leo King," he continued, "again what the hell are you doing? Tell me there isn't already a war brewing."


"I'm not the person that you should be talking to about these matters," Damien sighed, "talk to King Alexi. He orders me about."


"Come on," the King spoke kindly, which must have been hard with such a cold voice, "you don't trust me?"


"I," he glanced at his brother, "you two go ahead and look around this will be awhile."


"No, I don't want to take up your day," he shook his head, "how long will you be in End World?"


Damien bit his lip and Jade could imagine that he would rather have talked to the King that very day to get it over with than to have it hanging over his head, "About week and a half, your highness."


"All right then," he stood, "I'll have someone contact you. Enjoy the rest of your day if you can."


He then turned and walked out of sight. Jade frowned, but then realized that it must have been his power to disappear from one place and appear in another.



"Damien," Dane began slowly.


"Fuck him," Damien growled, standing, but there was no emotion in it. "Calling me all the way out here, making a big deal out of it all, only to speak with me for no more than ten minutes. Demanding me to serve him. I-"


"If you hate working for your king so much why did you sign a contract with him?" Jade interrupted him with wide eyes. He had been speaking so carelessly and slowly that it was easy to break his sentence.



He continued to stare out at nothing. It was odd. "I wasn't old enough to have a choice or to fully understand what I was doing, but switching from one King to another will be worse."


And she almost felt sorry for him. So she changed the subject. "Do you like aquariums?"


His eyes traveled around her, trying to reach the intentions behind her question. "I used to," he muttered half sarcastically. There a hint of feeling! "But now I'm not so sure anymore. I think he just ruined it for me."


Dane smiled almost in relief to see that his brother seemed a bit more himself. Jade wondered what was the matter.


"But you always have your nose stuck in some book about these sort of things," he gave her that half way smiled of his, "what would you like to see come to life?"


"I wouldn't know where to begin," she laughed to herself, letting her eyes follow the fish in the aquarium beside them.


"Then we'll do it all," Damien looked at Dane in a bored way.


"I'm tired Damien," he sighed, putting a hand to his head, "and I don't even want to think of what kind of a mess Amon and Drake have created back home. So I think I'll head on back to the house and-"



"You're coming," Damien growled, "I don't think I could be around her alone for more than half an hour without breaking."


Breaking? Jade wasn't quite sure what that meant or whether she should take it as an insult. Either way Dane ended up staying with them the rest of the day and they did do everything. From petting friendly sea creatures to observing frightening giant monsters with blood red eyes. There was even an exhibit where you walked right into the glass of an aquarium and where encased in some sort of bubble like structure so that you could actually walk inside of the tank with the fishes while breathing. By the time that they were finished and in a cab back to the house, it was dark and Jade's mind was reeling.


"What did you think?" Dane asked her slowly. "I guess you don't remember going there with us when you were five or so."


"With who?" She snapped out of her daydreaming to look at him.


"Damien and myself," he muttered, looking back into the past with glazed eyes and a faint smile.


She frowned. "I liked it a lot. Thank you for taking me."


"You're welcome," Damien muttered in a low voice, from across the car where he sat next to Dane. He seemed to be back in his silent mood.


She bit her lip uncomfortably and glanced out the window. They were in the middle of the city, surrounded by sky high buildings and technology. She felt uneasy.


From her right Damien laughed gently to himself. She tilted her head so the she could she him. He was fooling around with some metal device. "What is that?"


"A phone," he growled, not bothering to look up.


"What?" She now looked at Dane, completely baffled.


"I have one back at the house," he replied, "I'll show you how it works when we get there. Unlike some people I obey the laws and don't transfer things between worlds."


"Who's going to stop me?" Damien muttered through a sigh. "It's a stupid rule any ways. Made up by those idiotic Kings."


"How many Kings are there?" Jade asked curiously.


"Twelve," Damien smiled grimly.


"And then you are a part of his minions," she commented.


"Yes," Damien continued to smile as he moved his fingers across the glass of the phone. He sighed and put it down to actually look up at her, "But hey I'm rich as fucking hell so what does it matter?"


She pinched her lips together as his sarcasm soured the air. "Why not just command-"


"Is that everyone's solution?" Damien laughed gently and without anger, but he was grimacing as if in pain. "While it seems convenient it ill suits me. Besides," he broke into a grin, "it's illegal, you realize."


"It ill suits you?" Jade laughed. "More than working for the King does?"


"Yes," he nodded and through a nasty grin, "don't tell me that you're worried about me, my darling."


"No," she smiled back mimicking him, "hardly, my darling. I'm just tired of hearing you complain about it."


That comment was rewarded with a nasty look. "Jade mind your attitude," Dane hissed at her. "You were the one who brought the subject up any ways, dear."


That was true enough and she had just gotten on Damien's side. She didn't want to backtrack so with a sigh she muttered, "Sorry."


"Please spare me any more of your heartfelt apologies," Damien scoffed.


"Are you mad at me again now?" She sighed.


"Hardly, my dear," he glanced at her. He looked tired. "I just don't like talking about those things."


"Oh," she muttered, "so then what do you wanna talk about?"


"I want pizza for dinner," he muttered absentmindedly, but seriously. "It doesn't really have a refined flavor, but I want it nonetheless."


Jade frowned and glanced at Dane, hoping that he'd take the lead because she had no idea how to respond. "We can order some then," he smiled warmly.


Jade was just wondering what pizza was when Damien looked her way, "Are you even hungry?"


She nodded, but other things were now running though her thoughts like what were the worlds exactly? How many of them were there? How big were they? She frowned. Each world was so different from the last. The way everyone dressed, talked and behaved. The buildings and the cars and technology or the lack of then, all made transitioning difficult for her because she had only ever lived in one world for all she could remember.


"What's the matter?" Dane a rested hand on her thigh in comfort.


"I don't like this world," she muttered. "It's too loud. There are too many people and I don't know anything about it. Is the whole thing just one giant city?"


"Yes," Damien answered with little to no sympathy.


"Well," she bit her lip, "what's the next world that we are going to like?"


"It's a lot like," Dane paused to think, "well it's always night there. It feels like you're in some messed up puppet show. It's literally and physically the second darkest world. I don't think that you will like it at all."


"Aren't you afraid of the dark though?" She asked Damien feeling a bit of her old anger return thinking that she was being taken to all of these awful places against her will.


"Not particularly," he muttered, not bothering with snapping at her or even becoming irritated, "I just don't like being alone in it." The way he spoke made it seem like darkness was an actual living creature, a monster that wanted to devour him. "But we are here any ways," he sighed as the car came to a stop, "so let's get out and eat dinner with the rest. God I hope the place is still intact."


As they stepped out of the car Jade couldn't help but let her mouth drop. This place wasn't a home it was an enormous palace. The size of it made her feel small and uncomfortable. It was very much in the End World style in that it wasn't really a traditional house. Floors jutted out here and there and large gaping windows sat in odd places, walls were slanted and stairs swirled.


Dinner was different this time. Instead of Damien having everyone sit around a table and eat, while talking about day to day things they were sitting in the living room on couches eating pizza out of a box, which Jade decided that she liked. Drake was holding her cat, which he had come around to liking, while Damien laid across a couch with the back of his hand covering his eyes. She had the feeling that he was going through another battle with his power, but she wasn't sure. Maybe he was just tired.


Just tired, Drake looked up at her suddenly. His voice had re-entered her head an hour after she was within a mile of him.


As Amon continued to rapidly flip between channels on the television, Jade muttered to Damien from where she sat on the carpeted floor leaning against Dane's chair, "I liked the pizza."


However he didn't move a muscle in response and Jade assumed that he had already fallen asleep, but Dane growled, "Damien." Slowly his hand slid from his face, hitting the side of the couch and revealing his pale fiery eyes, glaring intently at his brother. "Snap out of it."


Or perhaps I was wrong, Drake smiled as if he were suddenly entertained as his father's eyes rolled back up to the ceiling.



"Do I really need to drag her over here?" Dane sighed, but almost in a warning tone. Jade was slightly curious about who "her" was but she knew better than to ask.


Jade was sent up to her room as Dane made the phone call. Drake had handed her the kitten, but remained. He knew that the house was large enough that by the time Jade was in her room she couldn't quite access his thoughts freely and therefore she wouldn't know anything. Besides she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow so Drake wasn't overly concerned.


She never showed up even though Dane had called her and it was getting late. Amon had already left and fallen asleep.


"Damien do you want to go to your room to sleep?" Dane asked him and when he got no response. He stormed out of the room, growling, "I'm not dealing with this tonight." Drake trailed quickly behind him, refusing to be left in the same room alone with Damien.


"Dane wait!" Drake almost shouted. His uncle was walking so fast, but stopped to turn and look back at him. He seemed to already know what he was about to ask.


"He's going through an episode because of those new marks on his arms. He received them the same way that he received the old ones and it is wreaking havoc on his mental state."


"For once you don't seem sympathetic," Drake commented. Damien's behavior made sense, given that information.


"I'm not," Dane spoke in a serious tone, "this isn't healthy for him and if I allow him to stay like this I don't think he will come out."


"It's one thing after another with him," Drake snapped.


"Yes, it is," Dane nodded. "Jade doesn't need to know about this though. For her it may be one too many things after another."


"God I hate him," Drake growled, "how can you not hate him, uncle?" However when Dane merely sighed and continued to walk in silence another question popped into Drake's head, "Where are we going?"


"I'm going to get a bucket of ice water," Dane muttered. "You are following me, Drake."


He was angry, but it still surprised Drake when he dumped that bucket of ice cold water on top of Damien, who sat up with a start panting heavily. "What. The. Fuck!"


"Good," Dane muttered, "you're up. Now why don't you go upstairs to your bed and get some rest. Things will look better in the morning."


"I am fine Dane. Just wet." He growled. His eyes were completely bloodshot. "Leave me alone. I just want to rest."


"If that were true you'd command me," Dane narrowed his eyes at his brother.


"I'm not commanding anything from anyone . . . for a while," he muttered softly, looking away.


"Stop moping, Damien and get up," Dane snapped at him, forcing his brother to look at him in a confused sort of way. "You heard me," he reassured him and to Drake's surprise the man stood slowly, unsure of why he was listening to his older brother. His eyes never left Dane as they stared at him wide open, but for a second they darted around the room looking for something.


Then when they returned to Dane his frown slowly slouched into a grin. "I see," he coughed and the grin faded into a serious look. "I apologize." Then he left without another word.


"So was it an act or is he just trying to look strong?" Drake asked in complete confusion.


"His moping was replaced by anger when he realized that she didn't show up to coddle him," Dane replied with a sigh.



"Now what?" Drake knew that this night would bring repercussions.


"Nothing that will bother you or Jade," Dane smiled at him, wrapping an arm around him.


"Did you even call her?" He laughed, immediately slipping out of the uncomfortable embrace.


"Yes," he nodded, "when she answered and heard that it was me and not Damien she hung up immediately."


Drake hissed, typical. "She wants him when he needs her."


"You can't expect much else," Dane laughed, light heartedly.


"Oh, yes I can," Drake snapped. "They both behave like children."


"Drake," Dane spoke slowly, letting his deep blue eyes sink into Drake's brown. "Your father did have every right to lay on that couch for days not eating or speaking to a soul, but," he sighed, finally looking away, "like I said I cannot allow him to do that or he will sink so far down that even I will not be able to pull him back up."


Drake nodded, understanding a bit, "So tomorrow-"


"He will be out of the bed at five and no later and out of the house at five thirty on his way to work," Dane pursed his lips.



"I know that I rebuked Jade's wandering curiosity, but how on earth did he get those scars that send him into such utter despondency?" He frowned, feeling like he was completely entitled to the answer.


"If you are that curious Drake," Dane smiled, "ask your father."

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