Twenty Questions, Give or Take

Who: Dorian and Rose
Where: NMU Book Faire
When: Noon

It was the last day of the book faire and even if Rose really didn't see it as a huge priority now, she knew she'd beat herself up about not going later. So she dressed up warm to try to stave off the cold or flu that was still bothering her and headed out to the main building. She needed a couple of books for literature and they were easy to find. She then picked up a book by Neil Gaiman she hadn't read before and planned on heading straight out again once she paid. The plan kind of fell through as she spotted Dorian on her way back out, instantly recognizing Caleb's brother from that night in Ohio where they'd come to meet her. It made sense for him to be there, he owned that bookstore she remembered now so it shouldn't surprise her. So she wandered over to the Nevermore table and gave him a little wave once she was there. "Hi," she said, lips twitcing into a small smile. "We met last week... I'm Rose." There was an unspoken question in there as she didn't want to just assume he remembered her.

Dorian looked up and smiled. Of course he remembered her. They might not have spent all that much time together, but it wasn't all that long ago and she'd meant quite a bit to Caleb. Or it seemed that way to Dorian, at least. "Hey Rose, how's it going?" he asked, piling the books back into a box. He'd been out there an hour and that was about all he could take. Dorian was far too impatient to stay after lunch, figuring that if they'd missed his table the past three days, it was their own fault. "Liking Marquette so far?"

Rose nodded, relieved there were no awkward blank looks involved and he seemed to remember her just fine. "It's beautiful," she said truthfully. "Underestimated the cold though, I've been sick, but vitamins and warm clothes should see me through the winter. How are you?" She couldn't help but look at the books that were still on the table, quirking a brow at some of the titles. No wonder Caleb talked about witches like there was nothing to it, that was a lot of supernatural titles right there. "Packing up already?"

"I'm good. It's nice to be home for a change, but as far as the book faire goes, "I'm lazy, and a bad salesman," Dorian said with a small laugh. "I thought I'd head out and get some lunch. Care to join me? Soup might be good for you, and I promise not to keep you out in the cold too long." He might barely know Rose, but he was always good for company. If she needed to hurry on her way, though, he could always drop by Joey's.

Rose thought about it, glancing back the way she'd come before deciding why not. "You have a car?" She asked which was probably dumb considering all the books he had to carry with him. Of course he had a car. He wouldn't be dragging that stuff on a sled all the way to the book store, now would he? "I think lunch might be nice, actually... Yes. Thank you. Have you seen Caleb at all today?"

While Dorian liked to walk around town, he wasn't going to do so with a box full of books. "You're in luck," he said, putting the last of the books in the box. "A car would be part of the requirement for keeping you warm." Pulling on his coat, he picked up the box and checked one last time to make sure he had everything with him. "I haven't seen him today, except in passing. Hello, good morning, that kind of thing. Why? What's up?"

"Oh nothing, I'll call him later today," Rose said with a dismissive wave of a mitten. So Caleb was awake, she made a note of that. It was weird to think they grew up in the same home, Dorian and Caleb. Dorian seemed so easy going somehow, far more relaxed and quick to smile, so had Math for that matter. Another thing that made Caleb an enigma she guessed. "Do you need a hand with these?" She asked though she wouldn't be all that great with boxes, books tended to be heavy and those were big. Still she wasn't a weakling, even if she was still sick.

"Naw, I got 'em, but thanks for the offer," Dorian said, leading the way towards his car. He would have liked to expanded on what was going on with Caleb, but they hadn't talked all that much as of late. They were both doing their own things, living in the same house, and as long as they both came home at night, or checked in on occasion, Dorian didn't worry too much about him. Hopefully that wasn't being neglectful, but Caleb seemed a lot better off than he had been before. "Have you started classes yet? Or are you still getting settled?" Dorian asked. He wasn't sure on the specifics of her move, but he knew the intent.

"Yes, I had a few classes last week before I got sick," Rose replied as she followed him to the exit. "It's been really nice so far, though kind of hard since we're not using the same books I was before. So I'm slowly catching up." and spending more money on books, joy! "Did you go to school here? No wait, you all moved here from the South, no?"

"I grew up in the South, same as Math and Caleb, but I went to school out in California," Dorian said. "After I graduated, I made my way up here. Moved in sometime in May. Maybe it was June. Caleb came up in July, then Mathias showed up sometime after that." And now they were one big happy family. Or something like that. Dysfunctional, maybe, but better than they'd been to begin with. "There's been a lot of students come by the shop, though. And it's a small town, which makes it easier to meet people and actually see them again."

Rose nodded along and even smiled at him a little, though it was definitely more subdued than was like her. "I definitely feel better in a small town, I don't know what I was thinking moving to a city for school. I just got lost there. It feels more personal here. So, California... Don't tell me you were a surfer dude," she said a little teasingly.

"It's easy to get lost anywhere if you don't meet people and make connections. It's a little scary how few people I know here in Marquette, but I'm working at it now. I'm glad to hear it's working better for you here," Dorian said, fishing his keys out of his pocket as they headed out towards the parking lot. The snow had been a shock that morning, but he supposed he should get used to it. "I can surf, but I'm not really a surfer dude," Dorian grinned. "And trust me, there's thousands of guys out there than can show me up. One in particular that can vouch for how bad I am, and he's somewhere around town." Though Dorian wasn't all that sure he wanted Aiden to meet her.

"It's just an association thing," Rose said with a grin, zipping up her jacket better to keep her neck from getting cold. "California - surfer dudes and movie stars and if you were a movie star, you probably wouldn't have a bookstore in Marquette without being harassed." She watched her step in the snow, worried there might be ice underneath but made it to the car without slipping so it seemed to be okay. It was beautiful, the white over everything, covering trees and cars like a blanket put down to mute everything just for her.

"Surfer dude works better, then, unless book bum is one of my options. Not to say all I did in college was read. You can't go to college without experiencing your own fair share of parties," Dorian said, loading the books in the trunk before opening the car door for her. "Any idea what you want to study yet?" he asked. To be honest, he wasn't entirely sure how far along she was in school. It was hard to tell. She looked young, but she could be as old as twenty-one. Girls always confused him when it came to telling ages.

"About a month," Rose replied as she climbed in, smiling gratefully at the gentleman thing. It was sweet and somewhat unexpected. She waited until he got in as well, pulling on her seatbelt, then continued. "I'm focusing on biology right now, I haven't really decided on majors but I have time yet. I'm interested in being a vet though, maybe... What did you major in?"

"Something not near as useful as veterinary medicine," Dorian said as he climbed in his side of the car. "I double majored in Comparative Literature and Anthropology, with a major in folklore and public culture, then got my masters in Cultural Studies, with a concentration in myth and ritual." He started the car, then immediately turned on the heater. "It basically makes me qualified to work in a bookstore like Nevermore, as well as occasionally run around and check out the weird stuff people see."

"And it sounds really impressive," she added because it really did. "I thought for a moment you were going to say Philosophy, which is kind of the universally known subject for being useless professionally." He was more talkative without his brothers around, that much was already obvious, and she was somewhat glad she'd accepted the offer. It was nice to get out, talk to someone about something that didn't include home and pain and suicidal thoughts.

Funny thing was, Dorian didn't need the degree to know how the information he learned before even taking one class. He'd been brought up with a fair amount of it. That only became an issue when it contradicted with what the professors incorrectly believed. "Well, it's basically supernatural philosophy, but thanks," he smiled. "I enjoy it, which is what I think matters. What kind of soup do you like?" It was a jump in subjects, but would help him pick out the best place to go.

"Cauliflower," Rose replied but her mind was really on what he'd just told her. Supernatural philosophy, it did sound a little like he might have theories on what happened at home - as much as she hadn't wanted to bring it up, she wasn't about to just not do it if there might be any answers. Still, it would wait until they had food and somewhere nice to sit, she could wait that long. "How about you?"

"I'm thinking potato," he said, wondering if he knew anywhere that might have cauliflower soup. Dorian turned towards Mya's, thinking that she might have a good selection, and might be willing to make something up if that wasn't the case. "Something thick, that'll warm me up." He was also graving gumbo, but if he wanted food from home he was going to have to make it himself. He'd yet to find a good cajun restaurant in Marquette.

"Oh I'm not really picky," Rose said with a shrug. "It's just the first thing that came to mind - nice, thick cauliflower soup. With real cauliflowers, you can always get the flavor in a cup-a-soup but it really isn't the same." And now she was ranting about soup, It wasn't proving to be that great of a distraction but apparently she had a lot to say about it. Awesome. "Where do you want to eat?"

"I was thinking Mya's Diner," Dorian grinned. "Have you been there yet? They've got a little of everything, though I can't guarantee cauliflower soup." It seemed like an unusual choice to him, but if she said it was good, he thought he might have to try it sometime. "Do you cook a lot?" he asked. "Are you in a place where you can cook?" It only occurred to him afterwards that if she was in a dorm, she wouldn't have a kitchen.

"No but I have a kettle," Rose replied. "And yeah I've been there before, it's really nice. I'm not much of a cook myself, I can make a few things but nothing fancy. How about you? You a kitchen person? My friend always jokes about how men make better cooks." They were close to Mya's and she recognized the way by now and felt a little relieved. It'd be somehow calmer to sit down with food and then maybe she could really talk to him instead of this inane babble she was currently doing about cooking.

"I can cook, but I don't always like to. Spending more than twenty minutes in the kitchen isn't worth it if it's just for me and my brothers," Dorian said, turning down the road that led to Mya's Diner. "Our mom wasn't big into cooking either, so it's really nothing new. We got fed, but she preferred to pick things up, or let my dad handle it." Pulling into the parking space, Dorian put the car in park, then shut it down. "Watch your step; there's ice," he warned her, opening his door.

Rose bit back a little wince at the mention of their parents, there was something dark there and it was weird to see him talk about it so casually. She got out of the car and although her shoes were quite good for snow and ice, she still felt a little stiff and jittery until she'd made it safely to the diner.

As soon as they made it safe inside, Dorian requested a table for two and they found their seats. Now that they were warm, and prepared to get food, he was far more comfortable, and twice as glad that he'd decided to leave the book faire for the day. "So... How are you holding up?" Dorian asked, deciding that he could ask now that he could focus his attention on her. They'd barely talked before, but he knew her situation. It seemed rude to ignore it.

"Good thanks," she said quietly and grabbed the menu with a little smile at him. "I wanted to ask you actually... Your bookstore, it's all about those odd things." She found it hard to focus on the menu and wondered if she should have saved this question for later, but there it was, half way out so it was a little late to back out. "Do you have any books on like... Well. Mysterious disappearances? I haven't found anything but nonsense online and Caleb seems convinced this is pretty common or something. Or you know, more common than one would think."

'Good' was... unusual, but Dorian wasn't going to push. Instead he waited to see what she had to ask, and then debated on what was the best way to answer. "I have books on different supernatural experiences that people have had. But, generally speaking, those are stories written by people who were around to record them." Dorian shut the menu, not entirely sure what he wanted, but deciding this was more important for the time being. "Have you ever heard of the Roanoke Colony?"

Rose shook her head. "That's what I thought though, you can easily find logical explanations for disappearances that happen in war torn countries or back in times where superstition was rampant and things were generally... well, you know." She sighed quietly and shook her head. "You can't compare that to something that happens in modern days. It's one thing to be traveling on a ship that goes missing, you know? Than to be at home and... In modern times."

"The Roanoke Colony wasn't a ship that went missing," Dorian said with a little smile. "It was an entire colony that disappeared. And you're right. You can find logical explanations. Even though they're still referred to as The Lost Colony, some people believe they just dropped everything and joined the natives." Based on what Dorian knew of the world, and what was in it, he had an easier time accepting that it was probably a bit more sinister than that. "There's also stories like The Pied Piper of Hamelin. And I know it's a fairy tale these days, but it started as a historical account based on the abduction of children from the city. The rats were added later." Dorian paused and took a sip of water. "I guess what I'm saying is... these things happen, but when they do, no one believes them. They write them off as stories blown out of proportion. When they're looked into, all the police come up with are dead ends. I can start naming some less known stories, but they happen on and off throughout history, always written off in some way or another, but that doesn't mean they didn't happen at all."

"Mm, but there's a big difference between a story written today and two centuries ago," Rose said quietly. "It may still be common that one person goes missing but a big group... That shouldn't be something that slips under the radar." She furrowed her brows and thought about it. It wasn't normal how everyone dismissed her story, there should have been reports about this by now. It wasn't like they weren't reliant on the outside world in Big Cabin, they regularly got deliveries from other towns, not to mention mail.

"The only people who tend to pursue stories like this are those with a personal connection. Eventually deliveries stop, since there's no one calling them in. Bills pile up, cause there's no one there to pay them. It is unusual, and it may be the first time it's happened in the US in a while, but it still happens. Have you been able to contact anyone else that might not have been at home? Other friends who left for school?" Dorian asked. It would be good for her to make contact with someone she knew before, if possible. "Did you have distant cousins maybe, that lived out of town? I know that's not an explanation, but... I don't know that you're going to find one. I'll see what I can find for you in my selection, though, just in case."

Rose shook her head sadly. "I looked but there's nobody I can find," she said quietly. "The only family I had outside of Big Cabin is dead. I don't know the others and last names... really aren't a lot to go on." She could see herself do that though, going through the phone book calling hundreds of people to check... How many would she call before giving up? "We were always close, maybe because we only had each other, I don't know..."

Dorian was sure there'd be an eventual investigation, but without anything to go on, it could just end up looking like a massive runaway. It didn't make sense and it wasn't comforting, but she would have to accept that they weren't coming back, no matter what happened to them. "You know... just because you don't know why they're gone, doesn't change the fact that they are," Dorian said gently. "If something horrible happened, do you really want to know? Or would you prefer to think they all ran off without telling anyone?"

Rose gave him a Look, one very incredulous look at that. "I'd rather know the truth," she said, barely believing he'd asked. "Besides, I could never think that, no matter how delusional I got. That they all just ran away? Two days after my mom gave me a ticket to come home? If they were like that, they'd have waited and taken me with them."

"I don't actually think that's the case," Dorian said, rolling his eyes. "I just doubt that any solution you're going to find in my shop is going to end well for them. Large scale disappearances just... I know it's gotta be hard just having them gone, so I wasn't sure you wanted to look into that sort of thing. But if you really want some kind of explanation, I'll see what I can dig up." He was worried that it might make it worse, though, especially since he expected them all to be dead.

"I don't expect it to be something you can find answers to in your store," Rose said softly. "I just don't think that having other examples to compare to can be bad." Especially since she was pretty sure this was a very special case. Everything else so far was different with the timing or the location. Ships sank, airplanes crashed, people in the past were unenlightened and without good means of communication.

"No, I don't think it's going to be in my store. Or necessarily in a book. But there are pieces all over the place, ideas that help complete the puzzle. I can put some calls out, see if anyone knows of anything similar. Just be aware that your answer might not be something you're prepared to accept. There are a lot of weird things out there," Dorian said, pausing as the waitress came over to take their order. Dorian opened the menu, looking over it quickly, then ordered a bowl of potato soup.

They didn't have Cauliflower soup so Rose ended up ordering a sandwich and tea. It was obviously a Lockwood family trade to focus on the potential negativity of every situation so she tried to ignore it for now. Though letting Dorian get away with it made her feel even more like she should hurry up and talk to Caleb already. "It might not, or it might," she said with a calm that came only from willpower. "I just want as much information as I can get."

Dorian nodded, understanding that much. "If I was in your place, I'd wanna know," he said. Of course, that would be followed by hunting down and tearing to pieces whomever dared touch his family. When it came to the rules he was working on, he'd break all his rules for them. "Just to have some closer, maybe. To have some understanding. To know if I should have hope or give up. It would be hard... not knowing."

"It is," Rose said quietly. "I'd rather know. Even if it's bad. At least I'd know what to do, you know?" Or maybe not, but dealing would be easier. As usually the thought made her feel bad since while she didn't know, there was still hope. Ahh damned hellish circle, how miserably acquainted she was with it by now.

"I know," Dorian said. It would be hard to give up hope without a solid reason to do so. Good or bad, having an answer would let her move on. Right now, she was just stuck in the middle, waiting for some kind of an answer. "Is there anything else I can do to help?" he asked. "I'll make the calls, do the research and all, but I mean, for you."

Rose thought about it for a moment. Be very nice to Caleb so he won't be so grumpy was the only thing she thought of for a few moments but then she smiled. "Just knowing what's in the shop is great and hey, lunch." She gestured around and shrugged. "It's good to get out a bit."

"Any time," Dorian chuckled. "I should give you my number, just in case. Or get yours, so I can call you if I find anything. And if I do... You've got an open mind, right?" Dorian asked, raising a brow. It was the best he could do to see if she'd think he was totally insane when one of his leads turned up some kind of crazy vampire colony attack, or something like it. Better to lead into those things gently, he figured.

"Yeah I do," Rose said and nodded. "Open enough but not so open my brain falls out." She got her phone out of her pocket and handed it to Dorian. "Put your number in and I'll send you mine," she said and finally felt warm enough to unbutton her jacket. Good thing she hadn't gone with her original idea to just put her coat on over her pajamas and head out like that. Pajamas in public were just another sign of her being the 'crazy girl' again.

"My brain fell out a long time ago," Dorian grinned, taking her phone and entering in his number. Anyone that knew him knew he was willing to believe almost anything, that most of it he'd heard of, and the rest he could figure out. While there was plenty out there he didn't understand, at least he was aware it could happen.

Rose grinned softly at that and shook her head. "You seem to be holding your own just fine despite it," she told him as her sandwich and tea arrived and she realized just how hungry she was. "I'm probably going to be so sick of tea by the time this winter is over," she said lightly as she plopped a sugar cube into the cup.

It amused Dorian to hear her say that, after all he'd been through. "Apparently I have a talent for it," he said, smiling softly. He could pretend everything was okay, and he could pull it off for a while, but without a bit of chaos, he'd end up disappearing in another couple months. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that again. "You should start to rotate it with coffee and hot chocolate," he said, taking a bite of his soup. "Maybe some hot cider too. Or maybe you just need a bunch of different flavors of tea."

"Oh I will, I'm trying to refrain from over indulging on the waffles and hot chocolate they serve here," Rose sighed, eyeing the counter for a moment. "Otherwise I'll end up rolling out the door. But God, it's good." She smiled again and took a bite of her sandwich.

"One order of waffles and hot chocolate isn't gonna have you rolling anywhere," Dorian grinned. "There's nothing wrong with a little indulgence occasionally. Give in to temptation from time to time, that kind of thing." He knew it had done him a world of good.

"Indulging is fine," Rose agreed. "But over-indulgence never is." And she really felt like she was a risk case for getting fat. She was curvy and it was only the sports that kept her somewhat slender. It wasn't something she moped about to others though, girls talking about how fat they were... not something she wanted to be like. "And I've given into temptation a little too much in the last few weeks."

Dorian nodded, he could understand that. She had every reason to be upset as of late, and he knew some people used food to escape that. "If you say so," he smiled. "But if that's the case, you can't tell. Is school keeping you busy?" he asked, curious to hear what she did with her free time.

"I have a lot of catching up to do," she said with a small shrug. She really had to pick up her pace if she wanted to do well in her freshman year, it was just starting to get harder to care. But since they were speaking of education, that brought something else to mind. "What made you become so intensely interested in the supernatural?"

Now there was a question that was difficult to answer, mostly because she was a friend of Caleb's, and it was important to keep the stories straight. He didn't want anything to turn up contradictory, so Dorian took a sip of his drink, attempting to think quick on his feet. "I saw things growing up in New Orleans, heard things. It's a city that has it's own ghosts and legends, and so I guess I started in at a young age. When I got to college, it was really the only thing that held my interest, and so I pursued it on a larger scale." And that was all true... minus the family connection.

"Yeah I can see how New Orleans could get you interested," Rose said. "Did you like living there?" It was a nice enough question but she was still curious about where Caleb had come from. "You were born and raised, am I right?"

"I was," Dorian nodded. "All three of us were born in New Orleans. Our parents still have a house there, and it's where Caleb went to school until this year. I was talking to someone the other day about maybe going back for Mardi Gras this year, but it's been a while since I spent a lot of time there." While Dorian thought it was a great city, and he'd enjoyed growing up there, spending time at home wasn't exactly his favorite thing to do. It wasn't Caleb he'd been avoiding, but his parents.

"It seems like a fascinating place," Rose said. "If a little scary." She really couldn't help associating New Orleans with scary Voodoo stuff and even Mardi Gras looked a little scary from what she'd seen of it. People just went nuts and the whole beads thing... Yeah, she wouldn't want to actually be there.

"It's only scary if you're alone," Dorian pointed out, even though he hadn't thought it was all that scary for himself. At least, not all of the time. But Rose was a young girl, and it wasn't a good place for her to be alone. "There's a lot of history there, a lot more than just Bourbon Street. You should go sometime. If we ever go home, I'm sure you'd be welcome." Though... maybe not with his mom. That was a hard call.

That offer was pretty weird to Rose who was still convinced about the family's violence against Caleb. She smiled a little awkwardly and shrugged. "Big cities in general are just kinda... scary, I guess. But then there's the cemetaries that are all... You know." She shuddered a little at the thought of human bones being so easy to reach. "It just seems like a place that's really exciting and beautiful but, I wouldn't fit in."

"The cemeteries are a little different due to the flooding. If they buried them underground, they'd have to worry about them crawling back to the surface," Dorian said, trying not to be amused by the fear it brought her. He'd grown up with New Orleans graveyards and hadn't realized until he was older that other places did it differently. "Why don't you think you'd fit in?" Dorian asked curiously. "It's not big city. Bigger than Marquette, sure, but nothing like New York. New Orleans has this old south feel to it. It's different than anywhere else I've ever been."

Rose cringed at the thought of skeletons making their way up to the surface, especially with how he worded it -crawling, like they were reanimated and coming back to do people harm. "It just seems so... wild," she said and felt like the world's biggest prude at that moment. "The Mardi Gras. From what I've seen and heard anyway. I'm not the biggest fan of wild."

"As I said, there's more to New Orleans than Bourbon Street," Dorian chuckled. "But I understand. It's definitely not for everyone." He stopped for a minute, taking a few bites of soup as he wondered how a girl who wanted nothing more than a normal, quiet life ended up in Marquette. It was really the last place she should be. "Small towns can be dangerous, too, though. I hope you're not wandering around by yourself at night," he said, feeling the need to at least warn her.

"Uhm, no," Rose said though there had been that one time, but it had been before eight so it didn't really count, did it? "No, Caleb has told me all about how horribly dangerous this place can be. Ugh, I didn't mean to sound dismissive, he just... Gets overprotective." No more talking about Caleb, please, she would have to call him and that was all sorts of complicated and uncomfortable and already she could feel her chest tighten just at the thought. "Thia and Dean told me too... the gangs? It seems so odd."

There was a lot about Caleb that Dorian still didn't know or understand. Why he'd picked Rose to protect, a girl he didn't even know, he couldn't guess, but he could tell it was happening, even from a far. The least he could do was support him. "From time to time, things in Marquette get a little... well, dangerous is the best word. The threat doesn't seem to be constant, or no one would live here, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be cautious. Caleb's right to be worried about your safety," Dorian said. "I wasn't in town when the gangs came through, but I've heard it was pretty bad. Just... be careful, okay?"

Rose nodded seriously and picked at her toast with her fingernails, appetite dwindling. "He said it's apparently common that gangs target the same places again so it might... But it'd be safe at his friends' house because it's outside of town. You know, Thia and Dean? So I'm supposed to go there if something happens again. It just seems like such a big city problem, gangs... Not something you'd expect in small towns." But it looked like small towns weren't safe anywhere anymore.

Thia and Dean... he'd heard Caleb talk about them, but he didn't really know them. Caleb's friends had changed a bit since they really talked. Dorian wondered what had become of Leija. "If Caleb thinks that's the safest place in town, he's probably right. If you can't get there, though, let one of us know. Caleb, me, or Math-- well, I shouldn't speak for them, but you can always call me." And he'd do his very best to get her to safety. "Hopefully the gangs won't come back, but I think every town has it's own problems. You just never know until you get there." Dorian would have to say Marquette just had more unusual problems than the others.

"Thanks," she said with a genuine smile and just a hint of surprise. "It's really good to know that, especially since I don't have a car so... getting there might be tricky." Especially if Caleb never talked to her again, she didn't know what she'd do then. Roll over and die? She thought for a moment about questions that were burned into her mind but she wasn't sure how to ask them without offending. "Can I ask you something?" She finally said, even before she'd really made up her mind. "What was... Caleb like? Growing up?"

Oh shit. Dorian took a sip of his drink, thrown a question that he didn't know how to answer. He wanted to tell her, but he knew so very little, and his memory was that of an emo teenage boy who was so busy worrying about himself that he'd barely noticed what was going on with his kid brother. Even worse, that part of him still lingered. Dorian still felt guilty for neglecting Caleb. "You ask like he's all grown up now," Dorian said, lips twisting to the side. "He was a quiet kid. He liked to draw. Still does. But I left for college when he was eleven. I feel like I'm just now getting to really know him." And sucking at it still.

Rose nodded and then shrugged. "He just seems so... Hurt." Dangerous territory to wander into and she probably should step back before she did something to offend him. "You two are so different. It's hard to imagine you growing up together." She looked down at her food and decided she probably wouldn't benefit from starving herself so she took another bite of toast, still sneaking him a curious glance.

There was that guilt again, creeping up on him and taking it's hold. Dorian's gaze shifted down to the table as he rubbed his arm, thinking about how very hurt Caleb had been... probably still was. "We didn't really... grow up together, I mean," Dorian said. "I wasn't real happy when I was living at home, and then I was gone and... Our parents really fucked up." He didn't really know what was appropriate to say. Should he let Caleb deal with this? Saying too much seemed like he'd be betraying his brother's trust.

Rose pressed her lips together, knowing she'd crossed a line there somewhere. She wasn't used to the need to be cautious when finding out about people's lives, everyone she'd ever known had been fairly normal with normal childhoods and uncomplicated sadnesses in their lives. "I gathered," she said quietly and for now that was all she needed to hear. So they were just all messed up in different ways, Dorian carried it well, Caleb didn't. "It's really sweet of you to let him live with you now, I'm sure it's helping."

"Maybe," Dorian said. Did you hear about the part where he tried to commit suicide? That was on my watch. That's how well my helping went, right before I ran away... Talking about their family, especially their home life and how different it had been for each of them, was not a pleasant topic. Dorian had spent the first sixteen years of his life feeling second best to Mathias, his older brother who could do no wrong in their mother's eyes. When he'd finally been able to do something worth noticing, it came with broken glass and years of frustration. Even if he'd finally gotten that part under control, the memories of his home life weren't all sunshine and butterflies. It hurt to know that Caleb's were even worse. "I think it's good that he has friends. He needs friends like you, people he can trust, that won't let him down or leave him. It's important not to give up on him... or let him give up on himself."

Rose's gaze flicked down at the table. "He doesn't trust me," she said softly. "I'm not even sure he likes me. Truthfully? I annoy him." She knew she'd said too much, the argument, if she could call it that, the day before was not something she wanted to burden Dorian with. "Or at least he gets annoyed a lot when he's around me." She feigned a laugh, trying to lighten up what she'd just said. "But you're right, people who don't give up on you are important."

"Caleb doesn't trust anyone, to my knowledge," Dorian said. "So don't take it personally. And he's easily annoyed with people who don't think like him." Like me, Dorian thought. The majority of his conversations with Caleb usually involved arguing of some sort. No matter how hard he tried, things just seemed to go wrong. "I don't think the annoyance is aimed at you, but maybe more along the lines that he doesn't get your way of thinking. The important part is persistance," he said with a little smile. Hopefully Rose would be good for Caleb. She cared enough to ask the questions.

She gave him a little smile again and nodded. "I can be stubborn," she said softly. "Thank you, by the way. It helps to hear this." Leija had said as much too, how Caleb was difficult and prickly, she was right and coming from two sources made Rose all the more decisive about calling him once she got home. "So," she said, intent on changing the subject for now since this was getting a little too close to hurting her. "Why don't you tell me some amazing supernatural stories from your studies?"