The five friends landed on their feet, but instantly started swaying and stumbling around. Groaning and cursing, they held on to each other's shoulders to stabilize themselves as the excessive blood in their brains redistributed itself.
Smiling calmly, Damian took this time to let his eyes wander over each of them, and go over what his bloodsense told him about them.
First, there was Crash. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with dark, messy hair and intense grey eyes. Despite being only in his early twenties, his hands were rough and calloused from hard labour. A small scar crossed his left eyebrow, and his ragged clothes were practical—sturdy trousers, worn boots, and a rugged jacket.
Although he'd had some doubts before, it turned out that Crash was just about exactly what his little sister thought he was, at least according to Damian's bloodsense. Fiercely protective, stubborn, courageous, and driven by a relentless dedication to his family and friends.
Next, there was Echo. Crash's girlfriend was slender, yet deceptively muscular from rigorous factory labour. She had shoulder-length, dark auburn hair, tied loosely in a ponytail, and sharp, emerald-green eyes. Her face was angular, and her clothing style was no less practical than Crash's, with fingerless gloves, patched-up jeans, and layered jackets.
According to his bloodsense, she was surprisingly compassionate and emotionally intelligent, likely balancing Crash's stubbornness quite well.
Thirdly, there was Gauge. He was in his late twenties, with a lanky yet strong build, messy blond hair, sharp features, and dark eyes. He was covered in small scars, and his left hand was missing its index finger. His clothing style appeared to begin and end with overall and work gloves.
'This one's the type to mask deeper worries with humorous sarcasm deflection,' Damian muttered curiously to himself. 'But I sense a strong loyalty as well, which makes me wonder about this other thing I felt…'
Shaking his head, he put those thoughts aside for now and turned his attention to the second woman in their group. Moxy was short, wiry, and looked particularly nimble. She was a redhead with blue eyes and short hair that peeked out from under a hoodie.
A piercing adorned her nose, and Damian could barely notice a few more in her ears. Her clothes were layered, yet obviously intended to allow for free movement.
Bloodsense told him she was impulsive, bold, and quick to jump to scepticism and distrust. 'She'll be trouble…' Damian chuckled to himself. 'But once I convince her to trust me, she'll be among the most loyal.'
The last and oldest member of their group was Brick, who quite clearly honoured his name. Muscular and imposing, Brick towered over most people, and even inched above Damian. He sported a buzz cut, deep-set brown eyes, and multiple tattoos that covered his arms and shoulders.
He wore a sleeveless shirt, sturdy boots, and heavy-duty trousers. On his right hand, he was missing part of his little finger.
'This one's curious,' Damian thought to himself as he went over the findings from his bloodsense with a slightly tilted head. 'Still waters run deep, it seems.'
As he finished his thoughts, the group finally regained their senses and started staring at him warily. Most of them kept their emotions in check, but Moxy's blue eyes were basically spitting fire. She parted her lips and almost stepped forward, but was stopped when a sombre but silent Brick stepped in front of her and shook his head.
Crash and Echo stood together and glanced at Moxy. Without a word, Echo left his side and started trying to calm Moxy down. All the while, silence reigned in the small apartment as tension filled the space. It was clear that none of them was exactly clear on what to do now.
Only Tilly and Damian appeared careless, with the former running up to her brother with a big smile. "See?" she crooned happily. "He's not so bad, right? I think this could be a turn-around in our lives, big brother!" She pouted cutely as she hugged him. "Be sure to think about his offer seriously, alright…?"
Sighing, Crash caressed his sister's brown hair and looked down at her strangely. "Didn't we talk about not trusting strangers so easily anymore, T-Rex…?"
But Tilly grumbled as her pout deepened. "So unfair… It's not like I've ever been wrong about anyone."
Crash frowned sternly. "I know, T-Rex, but you only need to be wrong once…"
Tilly scoffed stubbornly and stepped away from him with crossed arms, clearly unwilling to agree with him.
Sighing, Crash turned to Damian again. By now, his four friends had arranged themselves behind and around him. Moxy was clearly still raging on the inside, but she was keeping herself in check for now.
"Are you guys feeling better now?" Damian smiled calmly, crossing one leg over the other while his arms rested widely on the sofa's back. "I do apologize for the harsh treatment, but I'm sure you understand I was feeling quite threatened."
Stepping forward and pointing at him, Moxy immediately snapped, "Bullshit!" as her previous restraint was instantly gone. "You— hmpf… hmpf!"
Her words were interrupted by Echo, who chuckled sheepishly as she put a hand over Moxy's mouth. "Hehe, don't mind her, Sir. She's a little anxious… as we all are." She glanced at all her friends cautiously. "I think we can all agree he acted appropriately, right…?"
Moxy narrowed her eyes and clearly disagreed, but she didn't seem inclined to fight against Echo's hold on her. Instead, she simply crossed her arms and continued glaring at Damian to express her displeasure.
Meanwhile, Brick and Crash nodded solemnly, their eyes never leaving Damian, while Gauge shrugged with a small smirk. "Oh, sure… Becoming a bat for a while is definitely preferable to the obviously long list of other things I'm sure he could be doing to us right now."
He ran a hand through his blond hair and raised an eyebrow. "Like, I hear myst wielders are usually into some freaky stuff, you know…? This one guy told me once—"
"He likes to ramble a little when he's nervous," Crash suddenly interrupted Gauge with a hand on his friend's shoulder, his eyes never leaving Damian. "Please don't mind it, …" He frowned, unsure. "Uhm, what should we call you?"
It's not like he didn't know Damian's name, with Tilly and Aurora using it normally, but he knew that the survival of him and his loved ones depended on keeping this man happy for now.
"Hehe, just my name is fine for now," Damian chuckled indifferently, before finally leaving the couch and jumping to his feet elegantly. "Hopefully, you'll be calling me boss later, though."
He turned his back on the five friends and calmly approached the kitchen table, while turning his head to glance at them curiously. "Anyway, should we have a little talk?"