Casually waving his hand, Damian mobilized the power of myst and pulled back the shadowy tendrils that paralyzed Crash's face.
Slowly, Crash felt the autonomy over his muscles return to him, but he stayed surprisingly calm. Still hanging upside down, he continued staring at Damian sombrely without a word.
Damian raised a curious eyebrow, but immediately realized what was happening. Chuckling gently, he decided to follow suit. Without a word, he simply leaned back against the sofa's backrest, spread his arms and legs wide, and stared back at Crash silently, a lazy grin on his lips.
They stayed like this for several minutes, during which most of the others in the room were becoming increasingly confused. Crash's friends, who were still unable to move a muscle, felt uncomfortable as blood continued flowing to their brain.
Their bodies were powerful and well-trained, so they could suffer some punishment, but they'd already been hanging upside down for more than ten minutes. They felt dizzy, looked flushed, and couldn't focus their eyes very well. They didn't understand why Crash wasn't trying to get this man to turn them back around yet!
"What… is happening right now…?" Tilly muttered, her eyes glancing back and forth between Damian and her brother, utterly confused by the silence.
Next to her, Aurora scoffed and grumbled wryly. "Just dumb male pride at work, Tilly, don't try to understand it…"
She turned to her son sombrely. "Stop being an idiot, Crash!" she grumbled, before continuing in a bitter tone, "Negotiating tactics only work when there's a more or less equal power balance, Crash…" She glanced at the relaxed man next to her. "I don't think we have any of that here…"
Damian didn't react and simply waited patiently. He recognized Crash's efforts as a classic, minor method of manipulation during negotiations: letting the other party be the first to talk. Supposedly, this put them in a weaker position.
'I question the validity of such a tactic, though,' he scoffed inwardly as he slightly tilted his head without breaking eye contact. 'You should always make sure to have significant leverage of some kind before entering any negotiation, anyway… But, since he started this, I'll wait. It's not like I'm in a hurry. Admittedly, however, his commitment is impressive.'
Crash's face fell a little from his mother's words. He felt defiant perseverance bubbling up inside him, but he knew she was right. It's not like he didn't feel the same things his friends did. His vision was swimming. If he kept hanging upside down like this, he'd soon faint.
And yet… he didn't want to dance to this stranger's tune. Years of scraping by in Slagfall, barely surviving as he tried to keep his family safe, had taught him never to beg or look weak, because you'll only be taking advantage of even worse.
Seeing that Crash still remained silent, Aurora became nervous. She looked at Damian. "Please… at least turn them around…" she pleaded. "They may look strong, but they've lived in Slagfall all their lives… they might die if this continues much longer!"
Instantly, Tilly's eyes widened. "Wh— What?!" she exclaimed, only now realizing how serious this was. "D— Damian!" she exclaimed anxiously, turning to him. "Turn them around!" Suddenly, a hint of doubt about his intentions sparked inside her.
"Gladly," Damian smiled without breaking eye contact with Crash. His fingers were casually creating strands of shadowy myst as he shrugged. "But how do I know that's what he wants? He hasn't said a word yet, after all."
Tilly's eyes widened. She jumped off the sofa and cried out at her brother animatedly. "Start talking, you big dummy! Damian isn't so bad! I'm sure you'll get along if you just talk to him!"
The stubborn crash glanced at his younger sister, then at his friends, and then finally sighed in defeat. "F— Fine…" he muttered, slightly slurring his words from dizziness. "Y— Your name is Damian, right?" he asked his captor with a strained voice. "I don't… know what you want… but I'm sure you can't get it if we're dead, so please turn us around!"
Instantly, Tilly and Aurora looked at Damian pleadingly, but there was no need. As soon as Crash gave up, Damian smiled gently and waved his hand. Instantly, the five floating bodies were turned back the right side up, and a lot of groaning ensued.
Black spots floated in front of their eyes, the room was spinning around them, and what little food they'd eaten just before was threatening to attempt an escape through their paralyzed throats.
"Ugh…" Crash groaned as he tried desperately to focus on the man in front of him. Meanwhile, Tilly and Aurora sighed in relief and even felt some gratitude towards Damian for not dragging things out.
"How are you feeling?" Damian asked Crash casually, eternal lazy smile on his lips. "Not too bad, I hope?"
Unfortunately, Crash was not in the mood. "J— Just tell me what you want!" he growled angrily, while still trying to settle himself. "Whatever little I have is yours, just don't hurt the others!"
Damian chuckled and shook his head. "I have no interest in hurting anyone, Crash. I think you've grossly misunderstood my intentions."
He shrugged in a lackadaisical manner and gestured at Crash elegantly. "I've come here with an offer! One that will benefit you, your friends, and your family, if you have the courage to accept."
Everyone's eyes immediately grew suspicious, except Tilly's, but Damian ignored it and continued calmly. "Before we get to that, however, can I trust you and your friends to remain calm if I release you? I'd actually prefer to talk like civilised people, but I had to defend myself before, you know?"
Instant surprise rose among them all. None of them had ever been treated with any kind of respect by people who so clearly overpowered them significantly. Even the ever-skeptical Aurora looked pleasantly surprised.
"I… You'll let us go…?" Crash muttered strangely.
"Sure," Damian shrugged indifferently. "What I want from you and your friends can only be given willingly, so what's the point in threats and coercion? All I ask is that you listen to what I have to say, and if you refuse when I'm done, I'll leave without a fuss."
A small smile spread on his lips. "The truth is, you're not special, Crash, and neither are your family or friends. I do like Tilly, admittedly, and she's a big reason why I'm here, but family's like yours are a dime a dozen in this place, and I only need one of them to accept my offer."
Surprisingly, those words caused some relief among the more sceptical parties there. It was much much better for them if Damian wasn't overly invested in them.
"So?" Damian asked, tilting his head a little. "Can you behave? And will you vouch for your friends?"
Crash looked at his captor solemnly. He remained silent for a moment, but everyone knew there was only one real answer. "Yeah," he nodded. "We won't make a fuss, and… we'll listen to what you have to say."
A victorious grin spread on Damian's lips. "Good!" he chuckled happily and waved his hand. Instantly, his five captives sagged to the floor, their bodies finally under their own control again.