One of Damian's brows rose in surprise as Aslan politely refused his offer for them to part, but he smiled a moment later. "Alright," Damian agreed, glancing around to orient himself before picking a direction. "Let's go."
Damian led them around the city from that point onward, as Damian gave Aslan a small taste of what his days were normally like. He picked places to turn almost at random, wandering in and out of stores that caught his interest. One little shop with a narrow entrance, tucked between a store that sold olive oil and another that sold jewelry and wooden sculptures, turned out to be a particular surprise, three times as deep as it was wide, a full four stories tall, and full of everything from cooking utensils to furniture to kid's toys. Almost the entire second floor was devoted to a massive variety of candles, incense, and scented oils.
On another street, Damian insisted on buying the two of them some strawberry shaped chocolates, which had been filled with a fruity, jello-like substance. The two shared a small bag as they wandered on, occasionally trading a few words if they had something to say.
By the time the sun was starting to set, Damian had led them back to the rose garden he'd found a couple days ago, and he sat down on a bench tucked in between two bushes that still had their leaves to stare up at the coloring sky.
"I had a good day, too," Damian replied, offering a soft smile to Aslan. "I don't usually explore with other people, but it was a very welcome change. Have fun with your game, and send me a message the next time you're free, yeah?"
They parted ways not too much longer, and Damian lingered on the bench for several moments later, watching the sky slowly darken to black.
He hadn't been lying when he'd told Aslan he enjoyed the day, and far more than he'd really expected to. Somehow, getting to share his discoveries, simple as they might have been, with the other man had made them all the more special.
Only once the sky was completely dark, and the streetlights had long since turned on, did Damian rise from where he was sitting, before making his way back home.
Two morning's later, Damian's cup of tea and quiet music was interrupted by a buzz from his cellphone, and a brisk two-tone note. For several moments Damian considered ignoring the notification. There were currently only two people in Damian's phone who had been assigned a notification noise different than the default. One was Aslan, who he'd assigned a four-tone bell. The other was Chris.
After several more moments of consideration, Damian let out a slight sigh, and the phone lifted off the table and floated gently through the air into Damian's hand.
I'm arriving this morning, train shows up at 10:23.
Come meet me at the station?
Damian rubbed at the corner of one eye, before opening the cellphone and replying with a quick agreement. Chris was his friend, and he hadn't seen the man since Chris had left the city a little over a week ago. At the very least, he needed to go pick him up, and he could take advantage of whatever nice dinner the man would inevitably invite him to afterwards.
Three hours later, Damian was dressed and out of his apartment, making his way towards the train station. He picked a bench at the arrival zone that was tucked away behind a pillar, visible from where he knew Chris would be coming out in a few minutes, but hidden from most of the rest of the station.
Governor Christopher Laughlin appeared a few minutes later, accompanied by two men that Damian recognized as plainclothes officers of the state police heroes department. Damian stood up from his bench and lifted a hand in greeting, as Chris broke out in a broad smile.
"Damian," he said cheerfully, gesturing to the two officers before briskly striding forward. He took Damian's hand, shaking it briskly with both hands, an eager smile spread across his face. "It's such an honor to meet you."
Damian couldn't help but laugh at his friend's antics, clasping the other's hand and shaking them vigorously in turn. "And a pleasure to meet you, The Honorable Mr. Governor."
Chris grinned, before clapping Damian lightly on the back. "Come," the man said cheerfully, gesturing towards the exit of the train station. "Jennie and Robin haven't gotten to see you in so long. Let me treat you to lunch today."
Damian was about to agree, having been well prepared for the invitation, when he suddenly caught the sound of a familiar laugh from across the train station. A ripple momentarily filled the air as Damian activated his power, confirming his guess. For a moment, reflected in his eyes wasn't the image of Chris' smiling face, but another face covered by a familiar wild head of blonde hair.
"Alright," Damian agreed casually. "But I want to go say hello to someone first. I'll be right back?"
Chris nodded and Damian turned away, missing the look of shock that flashed in his friend's eyes only a moment after Damian turned.
"He wants to... say hello to someone?" Chris repeated dumbly, barely able to school his expression into something resembling neutrality. "Who?"
Glancing at the two officers, and then at Damian's retreating back, Christopher swallowed, before quietly following after Damian.
It didn't take Damian long to round a corner, going from the waiting area for the trains into the ticketing area. Behind one of the counters, Damian was able to see the young man his powers had shown him only a few moments before. He smiled slightly. "Aslan," he greeted, walking up to the other man. "We seem surprisingly good at meeting each other in unexpected places."