Damien kept his gaze sharp. He stepped back as they stepped forward as if intimidated by their presence.
His eyes stayed not on them, but on their aura. It was difficult to dissect it with his awareness alone, but it was necessary to try.
The leader seemed to be telling the truth about his whole "life lesson" thing. He was somewhat sincere in his intentions, though his plan was still to beat and rob him.
It wasn't too surprising. If this was as Damien presumed, then all of these people once had great stature. They were beings who could rule the cosmos with their power alone, so they couldn't naturally possess the demeanor of a street thug.
Instead, if they chose to take on such roles out of necessity, then it was natural for a little bit of their original character to shine through.