Chapter 34

Damien

Damien was so excited about getting to go shopping at Vaccoon's bazaar that he was basically skipping down the hallway. Behind him his scouts were going over duties for large crowds, to which he could only roll his eyes at. He couldn't count the amount of foreign marketplaces that they'd gone together and not once had they ever had anything go wrong. He would never understand why his scouts needed to go over every detail, every time, no matter the situation.

Up ahead he could see Gabriel standing with his scouts. His head was bent as he spoke with Janti, who had a clip board in his hands that he was referencing to. Damien slowed as he looked around the entrance and felt his face, and heart, fall just a little. It was just Gabriel and his scouts, no Nyline.

"Good morning," Damien raised his hand, his pace slowing to a walk. "Well afternoon." He finished the short distance to them as Janti straightened and took a step back. Knowing that Janti was a scout now made Damien feel a little awkward. He was indeed the perfect butler, but the way that he acted around everyone as if he were an outsider and didn't belong, that just didn't sit correctly with him.

"Afternoon," Gabriel turned his full attention onto him.

"Where's Nyline?" Damien took another long look around the entrance as if she would be running down the nearest sets of steps.

"She won't be coming," Gabriel spoke on a sigh making Damien look over at him. Gabriel looked slightly annoyed, which made Damien raise a brow at him as he deflated further. "Or more she is dead set on that fact that she can't." When Damien only raised a brow at him, he continued, "There are too many voices. She said her music box will only stay alive for so long and she didn't want to waste it on going shopping."

That resonated with Damien as he just looked at Gabriel, his face falling. His mind going to back to the air ship when he had been talking to Nyline about flying and going to bazaars, she had instantly told him 'your mate will be everything that you'd hope for and more,' He felt his breath hitch. She'd known right then and there that it was just another thing that would have made them incompatible. His love for shopping, and her inability to be around people. The more he knew of Nyline, and the more he understood her, the more he realized how right she'd been when she said that she had nothing for him. Not only were they two completely different people, but it was as if they were puzzle pieces from two completely different puzzle.

"Well," Damien turned his attention back to Gabriel, who had an understanding look in his eyes. "Maybe we can find something for her?"

"I had already planned on it." Gabriel's mouth quirked up slightly as Janti cleared his throat and Gabriel looked sideways at him. "Anyways, I need to finalize a few things with Janti, you can either go ahead with my scouts or wait for me. Your choice."

"I can wait," Damien said waving at Gabriel to go speak with Janti. "I'll be outside." Gabriel only nodded before he turned and started talking to Janti once more. The clipboard that he'd seen on the landing strip the day before out as they discussed whatever was on it. He glanced around the room to see his scouts chatting with Gabriel's. A few words reached his ears and he heard that they were going over crowd duty with each other.

Damien turned without another word as he walked out the large two front doors and out in the garden. It was even more amazing in the daylight as he glanced around and realized that the trees were even bigger than he had originally thought, their trunks stretching up to the sky and their leaves about as big as his hands.

Feeling eyes on him he looked around, his eyes falling on a very large burley man with bright orange eyes, close cut black hair, and skin a shade that made Damien think that he'd spent an excessive amount of time in the sun. He was leaning up against the castle wall, watching Damien with an unamused expression on his face. Damien couldn't help but feel his eyebrow raise at the person. They wore no uniform or distinguishing markings on any of their clothing, just a normal pair of jeans and a black T-shirt that hugged the man's frame showing off every muscle. He made no movement as he uncrossed and re-crossed his arms, those orange orbs unmoving as they continued to focus on Damien.

"Hey, I was wondering where you went." Jakes voice spoke right as an arm landed on his shoulder. Damien took the moment to look at Jake before his eyes trailed back to the man, who was now gone. He couldn't help but feel the hairs on the back of his neck raise. He could tell that he was still being watched, which meant that the man was a scout. However, he wasn't sure as to why the king or queen would have a scout shadowing him or why they would make their presence known. He paused mid thought as he wondered how exactly Gabriel's parents would have reacted to him finding out Vaccoon's secret. Gabriel had said that it would be fine, but was it really? "Damien," He turned his eyes back to Jake.

"What? Sorry, I was just spacing out." Damien tried to recover the conversation quickly. "What did you say?"

"I was asking you what Prince Gabriel said about Nyline?"

"Oh, there are to many voices for her to come." Jake's face froze before it fell and he looked at the ground, his nose scrunching up, one finger going to his lips as if he were thinking on something very hard.

"I guess your right," Jake mumbled. His eyes were darting back and forth as if he were connecting the dots to something in his mind.

"What did you just figure out?" Damien laughed. Jake's head shot up, his eyes going to Damien's slightly wide.

"Nothing." Damien cracked a smile; he wrapped his arm around his shoulder and pulled him in close.

"Ah, come on. I know that look in your eyes. What's up?" He pulled him around the neck, so their heads were almost touching. Their eyes connected and Damien's face softened into a half smile. Jake on the other hand had stiffened, his eyes darting from Damien's down to his hands.

"It just seems," Jake mumbled, "That it doesn't seem like you and Nyline would have had anything in common."

"I completely agree." Damien said without missing a beat and Jake's face froze before he took a short breath in. "I think that the more I learn about Nyline, the more I realize that even if I could magically make her choose me, we would not mesh. She'd hate Dunhule and my mother even more." He shook his head, his eyes going back to Jake's who was looking at him with a slightly shocked expression. "I'm sure that my mate will enjoy shopping," His face lit up just a little, "and flying. If they haven't gone flying, I think that's the first thing I'll do with them is take them on a trip. We'll go anywhere they want." His voice puttered out as he looked away from Jake and up at the sky. "If they accept me." The last words were spoken in a very soft tone followed by silence.

"What if," Jake blurted before he stopped, and Damien looked down at him as he diverted his eyes from his.

"What if, what?" Jake's face turned down cast and he looked away.

"Nothing," Jake looked around, "It looks like we're ready to go." Jake turned to leave, but Damien reached out and caught his shoulder making him pause, but he didn't look around.

"What were you going to say?" Jake didn't say anything, and Damien felt his heart clench. "Jake, you've been acting weird since we arrived and I'm starting to get worried about you." Jake's entire body stiffened, and Damien could tell that he was forcing his muscles to relax before he turned his eyes back to him. He covered Damien's hand with his one and gave it a soft squeeze.

"I just need to work through some stuff," He mumbled, his eyes turning downcast.

"What do you mean?" Jake didn't look at him but focused on the ground.

"Our entire lives we all thought that you were going to be mated with Nyline, its something that all of us knew and accepted. Even Rebecca, she knew that if Nyline ended up being your mate that she would have to suck it up. I'm just having a problem wrapping my mind around the fact that you'll be mated to someone that isn't the red headed ghost we've searched the aether world for." His last words were a whisper. "I'm just having a hard time accepting it." Damien took a long moment to look at Jake before he turned, he bent his body so that he could catch Jake's eyes.

"Hey," His hand flexed on his shoulder. "I know, and I understand. It's going to be a hard adjustment for everyone. We know nothing about the person who is my real mate and that alone is really scary, so I get it. This entire situation is really horrifying, but hey," Damien smiled softly, and Jake looked up at him, his hands going together as he started to pick at his nails. "We'll be going through it together and that's what really matters, that I have all of you guys." Jake's hands paused in this twitching before he let them drop and smiled.

"I know, I'll always be there for you. I hope you know that." Damien laughed just a little.

"Of course, I know that," he reached over and rustled Jake's hair with one hand. "Now what were you going to say before you stopped yourself?" Jake's smile stayed firmly in place as he laughed softly.

"You know, I can't remember." Damien raised his brow at him, knowing full well that Jake wasn't being honest. Jake let out a breath. "What if… What if the fact that you've been chasing after Nyline your entire life, isn't Nyline's fault?" Damien's face screwed up.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, like what if there are more factors that we understand right now, what if the reason why you've been chasing after Nyline is your true mates' fault and not hers?" Damien's face turned pensive as he thought on the topic.

"I don't think I could hold anything against them." He said finally. "I'm sure that if it was their fault, there was a reason, however, even if that reason wasn't a good one, I still don't think I could ever be mad at them. Yes, it affected all of our lives, but I don't have it in me to hate my mate." Jake paused before he went to respond but was interrupted.

"Hey, are you guys ready to go?" Rebecca shouted over at them as everyone spilled out of the front doors.

"Yeah, we're coming." Damien shouted back as he turned, his face lit up in glee. "Let's go shopping."

"I hope you remember those words later." He thought he heard Jake whisper but when he looked back, Jake just looked at him with a blank expression. In an effort to get back into a good mood he grabbed Jake's hand and half drug him back towards the group.

"Your helping me find all the best deals, just like you always do." He shouted back and he heard Jake laugh softly.

Damien glanced sideways at Gabriel. He was grasping for straws to try and start a conversation. They were walking side by side with their scouts in front and behind them. Gabriel seemed to be slightly grumpy about something, but Damien wasn't sure if he should ask, but at this point it had been at least fifteen minutes since they said a word to each other. He racked his brain, trying to think of something that they would have in common.

"So, what weapon is your favorite?" Damien hedged, and Gabriel jerked as if he hadn't been in his own mind and looked at Damien, a grin spreading across his face.

"Oof, that's a tough one," Gabriel muttered, his eyes going to the sky as he pondered on it. "Probably the katars. Dad really likes dule daggers, but I enjoy the weight of the metal in my hands when it comes to katars, plus the arm piece makes it so that there is extra leverage and more control." Damien smirked.

"Are you good with them?" Gabriel only shrugged his shoulder.

"A couple of my father's scouts use them, and they taught me. I wouldn't say I'm good enough to go up against any of them, but I'm not horrible with them." Gabriel turned an eye onto Damien and seem to actually look at him for the first time since he'd met them in the entrance hall.

"No sword today?" Damien's hand went down to his belt where his sword normally hung from his hip.

"I've found that when you are in a foreign bazar, its better not to have my sword on me. Gives off the wrong vibe to the people around us. When I go shopping, I like to blend into the crowd and just act like I'm another citizen. Talking to the merchants and people, looking and buying wears as if I live here and might be back tomorrow. You can't do that if your carrying hard steel."

"But you are with five scouts?" Damien laughed softly.

"They hide their blades much better than I do, plus most people don't even realize that their scouts. We're just a group of friends on a trip from another kingdom. No one knows where I come from, or my status, unless I tell them."

"I guess you're not wrong," Gabriel chuckled softly, "though I am sure that everyone will know that you're not from Vaccoon." Damien paused thinking on that for just a few seconds, before he nodded his head in agreement.

"Yeah, you're not wrong, I'm sure everyone here has known each other since they received their souls." Gabriel nodded and there was a beat of silence.

"Do you use any other weapon other than the sword?"

"I've tried a couple others. One of my mother's scouts tried to teach me how to use the whip once. It didn't really end well, so I just kept with the sword." Gabriel cringed.

"I hated the whip," he shook his head, "I think I hit myself more times than the target." They laughed

"I completely get that" Damien said on a laugh. "Oh man, you should have seen mother's scouts face when I tried to crack it for the first time. She went from, this should be okay, to give that back to me, in like five seconds." Gabriel laughed.

"That sounds like my dad's scout when he tried to teach me how to use the bow. Apparently, they didn't think that at five I'd shoot past the targets and into the training grounds. Almost hit a group of soldiers who were running." Gabriel let out a snort.

"You didn't hit anyone did you?" Damien's eyes went wide, a slight laugh on his voice.

"Oh no, no, I did take someone's toe off on accident though." Damien cringed and Gabriel laughed. "I'm joking, it hit several feet away from the running track, but my dad likes to exaggerate the story and say I almost hit one of the generals that he's good friends with, they banter about it sometimes after a few drinks."

"When do your parents drink with the generals?" Damien asked sounding shocked.

"Usually at balls, however my parents do host dinners every now and then."

"God that sounds like so much fun," Damien's face sobered. "How often do you guys hold balls up here? I have a feeling that anything happening here will be better than in Dunhule."

"Why's that?"

"Well my parents are so strict, its almost like they aren't people. I don't think I've ever even seen my parents even slightly inebriated. I feel like your kingdom would just be more fun than my uptight formal event."

"Well," Gabriel paused thinking before he turned and looked at Delta. "Janti, when is our next scheduled ball?" There was a pause before she smirked, a spark lighting up her yellow eyes.

"You decided to not have one for your birthday, so for the moment we don't have anything planned for several months." Gabriel rolled his eyes and looked at Damien.

"He's been harassing me about my birthday party for months." Damien cracked a smile as he glanced at Delta who was still grinning but not looking directly at them anymore.

"You didn't end up having a party?" Gabriel shook his head.

"No, and it's a good thing that I didn't." He spoke the last part a little louder, and Damien assumed it was for Janti. "Or when Nyline landed in Thaul it would have taken much longer to get to her." He heard Delta laugh behind them and he wondered if Janti had said something on the matter.

"What about you? No birthday party?" Damien shook his head as he crossed his arms.

"No, the events that are held at my kingdom are very stuffy and I avoid them at all costs." He paused. "My parents don't argue because they don't want to show the kingdom's unmated prince to the public."

"I knew that a lot of things were dependent on having a mate in your kingdom, but I didn't realize that it went all the way to parties." Damien shook his head and only shrugged one shoulder.

"Our kingdoms are very different than yours," He paused, "You know for a kingdom that isn't super big on etiquette, the castle staff seem to be very versed in it." Gabriel laughed.

"I think that has very little to do with my parents and very much to do with the serving staff. You see since we have not received guests in such a long time, I think they all wanted to make sure that they not only impressed Nyline, but also you." Damien laughed.

"I'm not sure if that's the correct way to impress Nyline." Gabriel grinned.

"Probably not, but it worked on you." Damien grinned back, matching the movement on Gabriel's face.

"Well yeah, if Janti wasn't one of your scouts I'd probably be asking if I could steal him." Gabriel barked out a laugh.

"Even if Janti wasn't my scout, I still wouldn't let you have him." Gabriel laughed louder this time, "I don't think I'd make it a week without him at this point."

"You really think so?" Gabriel only glanced at Damien.

"Do you not have your own butler?"

"Yes and no," Damien shrugged, "I had one when I was younger, however as I've grown, I've taken over the running of my daily life." Gabriel smirked pulling up one side of his face in a smug way.

"I think Janti is so much more than just my scheduler. He has several specialties that make him completely irreplaceable. Janti is so much more than just my butler, he just won't ever admit it." Damien raised his brow at him, but Gabriel only shook his head slightly and glanced back at Delta who was looking around as they entered town. Damien nodded as he understood that he didn't want to talk about it with Delta around. Which he would respect.

"So, what types of wears did you want to look at first?" Gabriel rubbed his hands together. "We have several districts in this area. Clothing is going to be down the second road of the main, shoes are at the very end of that. Then we have food on the main path, many of the stalls have different varieties of dishes. Our food is very fresh because the farms are so close. Then down on the other side of this section and to your left, there is jewelry, anything from rings to anklets. Mother wanted me to make a point to tell you that they have very nice hair clips and pins. She said that you might want to look there if you wanted to get your mother something." He paused but only for a second before continuing. "We also have a section of pottery, across the way, down over in that direction." Gabriel pointed down and to the right of where they were standing at the top of a large hill, looking down on the vast city as it branched and twisted making a massive maze. "Then, finally, the weapons district is a couple streets over. That's the blacksmith's district, so they have more than just weapons, but that's the main reason why we go down there."

"Wow," Damien gaped as he looked around the large area as it bustled with people. "This is awesome." He turned his eyes onto Gabriel, his eyes glinting.

"Where do you want to start?" Gabriel couldn't help but grin back at the enthusiasm on his face.

"Jake!" Damien turned in a circle until his scout came into view and he grabbed him, pulling him towards the front of the group by his elbow. "Where should we go first?" Jake only laughed as Damien basically jumped up and down on the balls of his feet holding onto his arm.

"Why don't we go look at the clothing?" Jake turned and looked at Gabriel. "I'm assuming that you guys not only have everyday wear but also have traditional clothing as well?"

"Vaccoon is more of a hodgepodge of people from very different backgrounds, so I wouldn't say that we have a set traditional clothing. However, there are several different types of clothing stalls that will have their traditional wear only with a little twist, I'm sure." Jake smiled at Gabriel.

"Why don't we start there then. I'm sure that Damien will end up finding the most ridiculous outfit that exists." Damien's eyes light up in glee.

"It wouldn't be a trip if I didn't." Damien turned towards the crowed as he spoke. His scouts were already ahead of him, blending with the crowd as he pulled Jake with him, forcing the scout to stick to his side like glue.

"Hey Gab," Adrenell spoke making Damien pause as she walked up behind him, one hand going to his shoulder. "Dash and I need to go order something. Mind if we take five."

"Yeah, take your time. I think we have more than enough scouts here for the two of us." His eyes scanned the area, "Plus it's not super busy today so anything the comes up I can handle." Adrenell and Dashiner grinned at each other before they darted off. Damien watched them go before he turned his attention back to Gabriel and he slowed his pace, Jake still firmly in his grasp.

"Is that normal?" He asked when Gabriel had caught up with him. He made a humming noise in his throat.

"For them to go off while we're in town?" Damien nodded. As they walked through the crowed, several people shouted their greetings to Gabriel or one of his scouts, some waved, others nodded their heads in respect.

"Just as everyone else here has known each other since receiving their soul, they all have known me since I was very small. Everyone here knows my face as well as my scouts. My people are very familiar with the royal family being among them. We are a kingdom that is isolated on top of a mountain, so it's hard not to know everyone." Two children ran up at that point and Jake pulled Damien from their paths as they ran directly into Gabriel's knees. He grinned down at them.

"What are you two doing out here by yourselves?" He spoke as he went down on his ankles in front of them.

"Jason! Elizabeth! Where did you run off to?" An angry woman called over the crowd. "Get your butts back here now."

"Looks like you made mom mad?" Gabriel laughed as they both giggled. Damien realized then that they weren't children, but they were more toddlers than anything. Damien wasn't sure if they were even capable of words at that age. Gabriel only bent and picked up both children, so that they were visible over all the heads of the crowd.

"There you two are." A woman with sand color hair and light blue eyes walked over to them with her arms crossed. "I'm sorry Prince Gabriel, they must have felt that you were near and just took off." She waved her hand in an annoyed manner, looking at the two with a scowl on her face. "You two know better than to simply run off in the middle of the market."

Damien watched the interaction with surprise. The woman did not bow, or even incline her head to show respect in any manner. Then, her words were plain as if she were speaking to just another person on the street.

"That's alright," Gabriel smiled softly. He handed the small children off to the woman who looked down at them. Taking each of their hands she placed them into loops in her skirt. Which Damien looked at with interest, it was as if she'd sewed wooden circlets into her skirt so that the children had something to hold onto. He was slightly confused, how could children that small be expected to walk around the market? The lady's arms held a basket so she wouldn't be carrying them.

"Now, no letting go again until we get home." Both children nodded as they turned their eyes back onto Gabriel. Their little eyes lighting up as they glowed each their own respected color. "Excuse us Prince Gabriel." It was only then that woman gave a small nod of her head before she turned and walked away with the two children in tow. This only made Damien more confused. The children's eyes had not been glowing when they'd run up, were they? He was almost positive that they hadn't. What could have changed in such a short amount of time that would do that.

"Are children of your kingdom not drawn to you because of your aether levels?" Gabriel asked off handedly as he watched the small children with fondness in his eyes.

"I don't think I've ever had children just run up to me." Damien spoke sounding confused.

"Hmm, that's odd." Gabriel turned his eyes onto Damien, they glowed for just a second as if he were trying to tell him something. "That happens often here. Children often just take off when they feel my families aether and run right up to us. At that age they are young enough to know who has the power in the kingdom and who protects them, but they don't have the forethought not to leave their parents side." He shrugged and Damien thought he understood what he was talking about, even though it was in a roundabout way. Demons followed a higher-ranking daemon, Gabriel and his parents would be the highest-ranking daemon's here, so because of that power the younger ones would simply flock to them.

"That's interesting," Damien mused as they entered the alley to find that each side of the walkway was lined with shops on either side, all holding different styles and colors of clothing. "I'll keep that in mind." There was a pause and when he looked at Gabriel, he saw that his eyes were out of focus and his head was turned up towards where they'd just come from.

"Go ahead and start shopping, I'll be over in just a minute." Gabriel said as he blinked and looked at Damien.

"Everything okay?" Gabriel grimaced as he looked around and found Delta who was looking sheepish.

"Everything is fine. My mother is up to her shenanigans again, this time it just involves Nyline. She isn't very happy about it." Damien grimaced.

"You have fun with that," He gave a nervous laugh as he turned towards the alley way of clothing.

"Oh, I will," Gabriel said flatly before he turned and looked Delta in the eyes. "Janti this is not what everyone agreed on last night." Damien heard before his voice was drowned out as he walked further into the alley.

"I hope everything is alright," Jake voiced next to him and Damien nodded.

"I'm sure it will be. Gabriel seems to be able to handle anything that has to do with Nyline."

"Yeah, but his mother has a hand in it." Jake said which made Damien nod his head. His eyes going to Gabriel who was talking to Delta with his arms crossed. Sigma and Shanell were a few feet back watching the conversation with passive faces. To his surprise, Adrenell and Dashiner appeared behind them, the two sets of mates high fived, as Dashiner and Adrenell took Sigma and Shanell's spot before the other two vanished. Gabriel's attention never wavering from Delta who'd placed her fingers onto the side of his neck.

"Gabriel can handle it," Damien's face got super serious, "Now, we're here to shop, so stop worrying about them and let's see if we can find some good stuff." Jake chuckled as they stopped at the first shop and started looking through the things that were hung out for display.

Damien took a minute to take stock of where his scouts were. They would be, like they always were, close but not so close that they looked like a large group. They would be stationed around him, doing their own shopping and acting like a normal pation. Jake of course was right next to him so if anything happened, he had a scout right next to him. He knew that each of his scouts would find their own things to buy, just like they always did. So, with that in mind he turned his attention back to the shop.

About the time they were on the third shop, Gabriel rejoined them, his face tight but that was the only sign on his face that there was something wrong. Damien looked at him as he handed the money over to the shopkeeper.

"Get everything all figured out?" Gabriel ran his hands down his face once.

"As much as I can." He shook his head, "There's only so much I can do to curve my mother when she gets like this. Nyline is just going to have to deal with whatever she has planned." He took one long breath in and focused on Damien, finding that his hands were already full of parcels. "Finding enough things to spend your money on?" Damien's face lit up.

"Of course, I did, I even found something that I think Nyline would like. So I grabbed that as well."

"You got her clothing?" Gabriel's face went completely straight, and Damien looked a little confused.

"Well, yeah." He moved the items around in his hands quickly before he pulled the oversized coat out of his bags. "She always has that one coat on, and I remember you said that she came here with nothing, so I thought this would be appropriate. It somewhat resembles the style that she brought over with her from the human world, and I got the second to largest size since she seems to like baggy clothing. Then. the dark grey can with anything and the color won't stand out." He shrugged as Gabriel took the coat in his hands and looked at it, his face going up on one side.

"I think that she'll love it." His voice was soft as he looked at the coat and handed it back to Damien. "Thank you." Damien only waved a hand.

"It's really nothing. Giving her a coat is nothing compared to how much I've affected her life. I just hope that she doesn't hate it." He shrugged, feeling his heart falling just a little.

"I'm sure she won't. Are you still enjoying this section, or should we head to another place?" Damien looked around the area as he placed eyes on each of his scouts. It looked as if each of them was finishing up their purchases. His eyes wandered for a few minutes before they landed on Jake. He was at one of the shops that Damien had simply glanced over. It mainly held nicer clothing, stuff that one would wear for a birthday or even a ball. Clothing, that Damien owned enough of, and didn't need anymore of. Jake however was holding a tunic in his hands, his eyes unfocused as he glanced down at the fabric, his fingers following the embroidery, as if memorized by it.

"One moment," He muttered as he moved towards his scout. To his surprise Jake didn't notice his presence and jumped when he asked. "Are you going to get that?" Jake looked over at Damien with a guilty expression on his face before it flashed with a hint of pain so quickly that Damien wasn't sure he'd actually seen it. Up closer, Damien was able to see that the tunic was a deep blue color with gold thread.

"Are we moving on?" Jake asked as he set the tunic back down on the table without looking at him.

"Did you want that?" Damien asked again. Jake's eyes glanced to Damien before they flicked back to the tunic, and he seemed to deflate slightly.

"No." Jakes voice would have sounded normal to anyone else, but Damien knew that there was something seriously wrong. Was Jake really so upset with the thought that he would be mated to someone else that it would throw him off this badly? How could he talk to him? How could he get him to talk to him back?

"The blue undertones would really make your eyes pop," Damien spoke softly as he reached down and picked up the tunic, and the gold helps highlight your hair." Jake didn't look down at the top but kept his eyes focused on Damien's shoulder.

"No, there isn't a reason for me to own such a nice piece. It's not like I would ever get the chance of wearing it, so no reason to buy it for it to collect dust." There was a pause when Damien was going to open his mouth again, but Jake continued. "Are we moving on?" Damien glanced down at the top one more time before his eyes connected with Jakes.

"Yes, as long as your done shopping?" Jake nodded.

"I'll meet you at the mouth of the alley." He said quickly before he darted off.

"Couldn't he just wear it to a ball?" Gabriel asked his eyes also on Jake as he walked away.

"Scout's do not attend balls in Dunhule. They are our security and are usually not seen." Damien spoke very softly.

"They don't dress up?" Damien shook his head, his eyes going down to the tunic.

"Rebecca," Damien spoke softly, and her hazel eyes locked onto his and she walked over quickly.

"Yes?"

"I want that tunic." Damien spoke quickly and Rebecca nodded. Damien turned and walked away from the stall.

"Why not just buy it yourself?" Damien didn't look at him as his eyes focused on Jake that was standing a few feet away with Ryan next to him.

"Because Rebecca is better at hiding things than I am. I don't know what's wrong with Jake right now, but if he was looking at something like this then I feel like he knows there's a time in his life coming up that he might need it. Jake doesn't normally look at clothing in general, so I know it must be important. So, I'll make sure he has it when he needs it."

"Do you have a lot of those items for him?" Damien couldn't help but pull up one side of his face.

"I have several items for each of my scouts hidden at my castle. They are good surprise birthday presents." Gabriel laughed.

"You really are a shopper down to your bones, aren't you?" Damien flashed him some teeth.

"I try to take care of my scouts, and I like giving gifts."

"Where are we going next?" Nathan spoke as he appeared behind the two.

"Why don't we head down and look at those hair combs and pins? I think getting mother one would put her in a slightly better mood." Damien pondered as Nathan laughed.

"To bad that doesn't work on your father." Damien only glanced at Nathan to see the glint in his eyes as they both shared a silent laugh.

As they reached Ryan and Jake, Damien noticed that Shanell and Sigma were back, and Delta was missing. Were his scouts taking turns shopping?

"Where to now?" Ryan asked as they stopped in front of them. Jake didn't speak as he turned his attention towards the crowd as if he were searching for a threat.

"We're going to go look at jewelry for mother." Damien responded and Ryan nodded his agreement.

"I want to help pick something out for queen Elizabeth," Angelica spoke softly from his right and he turned to see her. Her blue orbs glinting at the thought of shiny items. Just like always he wasn't sure when she'd walked up next to them or even how long she'd been standing there. Knowing Angelica, she'd probably been following them since they left the last shop.

"Fine," He laughed offering her his arm without missing a beat. "Let's go look at hair junk for mother." Angelica laughed softly like twinkling bells as they headed off.