Damien had planned to ask Naomi to work on the community project since Jeremy brought it up. It was the convenient choice as he didn't know anyone else well enough to personally ask them out of nowhere.
Now, given the new situation they were in, it had been more urgent that he was to ask Naomi to work together. Just in case his family had any more antics planned for Naomi.
Working together would have its benefits too, as Jeremy mentioned. Damien wasn't confident he even knew humans well enough to know what kind of things they'd be in need of.
Demons didn't need much. They didn't eat food, they didn't require rest, and they didn't get sick often. They mostly had wants. Damien hadn't quite figured out whether humans were the same and to what degree. It was imperative that Damien work with another human on this project.
Much to Damien's surprise though, before he could even bring up the idea, Naomi herself had proposed the collaboration. Much more than that he didn't exactly know how to react when Naomi suggested Forsythia as their project country.
On one hand, it was Forsythia he wanted to help in the first place, but on the other hand that meant Naomi had to go to Forsythia where the Underworld resided.
How could Damien refute Naomi though?
There had been a certain sincerity behind her reasoning to choose Forsythia — a sincerity that Damien selfishly wanted to feel himself. He could never refute her.
But how much could Damien keep agreeing to Naomi's sincerity, especially as someone so unpredictable as her.
"Lenz, this is Damien. Damien, Lenz." Naomi sat in between Damien and the stranger before him. Although he did seem familiar—like a blur in the back of his mind.
Damien nodded to acknowledge him, to which Lenz responded with a wink. Damien couldn't hold his grim expression.
Not another unpredictable force in his life.
"I am Olenzi of Quince. Lenz for short. I'm looking forward to working with you." The stranger, or as he called himself, Lenz, flamboyantly flipped his hair over his shoulder.
"Damien of Forsythia. I hadn't been informed yet, but I'm to trust Naomi's judgment—for now." Damien frowned.
Naomi laughed nervously between them and clasped her hands together, "Lenz is well acquainted with nobles across the nations, and he isn't a stranger to foreign travel. He has land in Forsythia too. I figured he'd be able to help us with expenses and we'll have a place to stay."
Damien glared at her. "I thought expenses weren't a problem for either of us?"
"And he has an extensive knowledge in agriculture and climate, so there'd be no reason to keep our team to just the two of us. We'd have a team of three—like Jeremy's team."
Damien sighed. He could see through their lies, but he figured there was no changing Naomi's mind. The fact that there was a third-party involved just left a sour taste in his mouth.
"What's our first order of action?" Lenz broke the silence, "As the newcomer, I figured we can debrief what we can do to get the project rolling."
Damien rolled his eyes, as he looked to Naomi. She'd been the one who'd done most of the research anyways. Her fervor was difficult to match.
Naomi did a little bounce before she dug for her notebook, "As far as I know, the number of written records on Forsythia is limited. The Grand Library only had three books pertaining Forsythia. Two of which focused on their history and lore. One about its geography. Although, it doesn't have much else other than what we already know."
Lenz hummed, "That would be?"
"Forsythia sits on top of The Frossin Mountains. It's pretty much snowed-over all year long. Most of the country is built wherever land flattens out. To go from town to town you'd have to cross some form of mountain. So it's difficult to get around."
"On top of that they don't grow any local produce of their own. They're heavily dependent on imports, as ironic as it is, or on the animals they're able to hunt, which is also limited to the animals that are able to live in such cold climates."
"How do people live there then?"
Naomi shrugged with no answer.
Damien spoke this time, "Most people from in Forsythia know only what they've been born into. There are many that don't even know of other countries, let alone other towns. They stay where they are safe. Where the storms can't get them."
There's also the fact that the majority of the population in Forsythia were Demons or of Demon blood, so they were resilient against the harsh living conditions.
But Damien wasn't going to reveal that.
"Sounds difficult." Lenz looked defeated.
"As we've discussed." Naomi sighed, but there wasn't a hint of doubt in her demeanor.
"If we want to travel to Forsythia, we should have a plan set before Winter comes. By then it would almost be impossible to get in and out of Forsythia." Damien leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.
"And when does Winter come?" Naomi asked
"In three months, by the end of November."
"Doesn't that mean we'd be stranded in Forsythia after November?"
"Pretty much. The Winter doesn't let out until the Summer again."
"And when does Summer come?"
"The beginning of May."
"The month we graduate."
The three went silent for a moment. Neither of them cared much for academic merit in the first place, so missing a few days wasn't a problem, but the whole school year?
It wasn't uncommon for students to miss out on the majority of their senior year for the sake of their community projects. In fact, Jeremy had already been working on his since the previous year, and although he missed out many days there was no problem since he had a good record.
It wasn't the same case for Damien, Lenz, and Naomi. The fact that they were in the Jester's class had already ruled them out of the possibility of missing even a week.
Especially for Damien, who'd missed out on weeks at a time early in his enrollment. He didn't know attendance was a requirement when he first enrolled, and there were days he didn't even want to see the sunlight.
It wasn't until he received a letter of possible expulsion that he realized that he actually needed to go to school to stay in school.
Damien wouldn't be surprised if it was the same case for either Naomi or Lenz.
The three of them exchanged similar glances, in mutual understanding what situation they were in.
Naomi sighed. Lenz sighed deeper. Damien crossed his hands together and hid behind them.
"There might be a way we can get approved." Naomi finally broke the silence. Lenz and Damien lifted their heads to look at Naomi. She smiled before scribbling something down in her notebook again. "Early morning tomorrow, at sunrise, dress your utmost best and come to my room. Got it?"
Damien looked to Lenz, wondering if he had any idea what Naomi was talking about, but he only shrugged.
"We'll be there."