Lesson 122- Try to give people a chance, you don’t need to put them into little boxes, they might surprise you.

We grab a few more drinks and take them back to the table with us. Torin has already returned and is waiting in his seat. Neither Tori or Damien are talking, just kind of… Watching each other. Eli drops down at the table and begins his introduction to Damien again.
“Hey, I’m Eli. Loyal customer of this bar and friend of Rina. And apparently YOU’RE her older brother. So, tell me EVERYTHING. What was she like as a kid? What embarrassing stories do you know? What’s her deepest, darkest secret? Which terrible but catchy boy band did she obsess over in her teen years? No embarrassing story is too small.” Eli says cheerfully. I glare at him.
“Yeah, you really DON’T need to answer that Dami. And in case you’re tempted, let me remind you that I was there for your embarrassing teen years too!” Damien rolls his eyes at me.
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry sis, I’ll keep your secrets. For now at least. But we do need to talk about our dad, a bit at least. Your cop friend can’t look into him if we don’t tell him who to look into.” He points out and I sigh.
“I suppose you’re right. But before that. Eli, how did I not know you’re a cop? You literally never stop talking and you still never mentioned it? How in the world did YOU end up as a cop?” I ask incredulously. Eli smirks.
“I’m good at getting people to talk to me. Not to mention persistent enough to keep at it, and I make a great distraction when worst comes to worst.” He winks at me and I raise an eyebrow.
“Are you telling me you became a cop because you’re a good flirt?” I say jokingly and he shrugs.
“Or maybe just because I enjoy it.” He answers simply. Well, I guess that’s fair enough. The more I think about it, the role DOES kind of suit him. As much as he flirts around, he is right that he knows everything about everyone. Not to mention he chose to befriend Torin, so I know he’s actually not all that judgey when it comes to people. He was willing to give the ‘scary’ demon a chance. I’ve also witnessed him escorting drunk girls home on more than one occasion and I’m one hundred percent confident that he would have made sure they were safe. I suppose being a cop kind of does suit him. Damien clears his throat.
“So, can we get back on topic now? It’s getting kind of late.” He yawns and I can see how tired he looks. He’s definitely been stressed out lately. It’s probably my fault too.
“Go on then.” I agree reluctantly. My brother gives Eli a bit of a run down of the conversation we had before he arrived and Eli is actually totally serious for once. He even gets out his phone and takes notes. Real notes. Is he being… Professional? Woah, I didn’t know he had it in him.

It takes two hours and about four more drinks before Eli is ready to leave, and maybe a little tipsy. Somehow this evening has turned into some kind of weird staff meeting slash hangout since everyone is here and EVERYONE wants to get to know Damien. It’s almost strange how easy the conversation seems to come for everyone. They just chat away and somehow the magic and whatever else just… Never comes up? Either avoiding the topic of magic is way easier than I ever expected it to be, or these guys are just really good at it. Still, the atmosphere is pretty relaxed considering how it was a couple hours ago. Everyone is a little tipsy. Except Torin. I don’t know what his alcohol tolerance is like, but it must be impressive because I never see him so much as slur a word. Eventually Eli heads home. Laura declares the girls' night was a bit of a flop and decides we can try again later. I suppose she achieved her goal when she told me about her plans to ask Kyle out, so she isn’t all that bothered. Obviously Kyle leaves with her since we aren’t opening the bar tonight after all. Catcher cheerfully heads off, declaring that the bar has never been closed as often as it has in the past month, but he quite enjoys it because he gets to spend extra time with his kids. I feel kind of bad about it. Every time it’s closed has been pretty much because of me. Catcher might appreciate it, but it can’t be good for Torin’s business. Although it is strange that this place is open seven days a week. I suppose he likes being here. Or rather he WANTS to enjoy being here. He seems pretty happy here lately, but I sort of know that it hasn’t always been like that. He comes for the company, but he was barely getting that before. Things seem better lately though. Although with the others gone, I doubt he’s enjoying the company much right now. My brother seems to be pouting. I drop into a seat beside him.
“Dude, you have to be exhausted. Go home, we can talk later.” I prompt him. He looks like he can barely keep his eyes open, but he stubbornly refuses.
“No way. I want to stay here so I can keep an eye on you, make sure you’re safe.” He insists.
“I AM safe. That’s why I’m staying here. That way Tori can keep an eye on me.” I tell him with a smile. Damien just looks over at Torin suspiciously.
“I suppose he IS a big guy. I wouldn’t want to mess with him. Although I totally will if you need me to. It’s weird though. Those guys from earlier all work here right? But they all seemed kind of weird around him too. I guess because he’s the boss huh? Is he really strict or something?” Damien wonders aloud.
“Uuh… No, not really. He’s just… Awkward sometimes.” I explain. Damien glances at Tori again.
“I guess I can see that. I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me that ‘Tori’ is a guy though.” He grumbles. I roll my eyes.
“I never said he was a girl either, you assumed. Besides, it didn’t occur to me that you might think he was a girl! Besides, who is gonna mess with me with him around?” I argue. Damien laughs.
“Yeah I guess that’s fair. But… Are you really safe. With him?” He says pointedly and it’s my turn to laugh.
“Dami, he might look scary, but Tori is an absolute teddy bear, a total cinnamon roll. You have nothing to worry about.” I assure him. Damien sighs and nods.
“I was afraid you were going to say that. Fine.” Damien marches his way over to Torin, takes a deep breath and holds out a hand to him. Torin looks confused until Damien reaches forward, grabs his hand and pulls him into a firm handshake.
“I know we were introduced earlier, but I thought it might be good to make it a little more official. So hey, I’m Damian Akari, Rina’s older brother. It’s nice to meet you. Keep her safe or I’ll find a way to end you.” Damien says pleasantly. I roll my eyes but Torin nods seriously.
“Understood.” He agrees. I sigh.
“Guys, I am RIGHT here.” I complain. Damien just stares Tori down for a few more seconds, then releases his hand and comes over to ruffle my hair.
“Okay, I’m going. But I’ll be calling you in the morning to check in.” He glances at the empty bottles and glasses at the edge of the bar.
“Maybe not too early though.” He adds with a grin.
“Night Damien. Careful on your way home, okay?” I prompt and he nods.
“Don’t worry, I took a taxi here. Got to do the whole ‘follow that car’ thing. It was awesome. I totally recommend it. Bye sis.” With that, he walks straight out the bar.