Another World

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Lucien chuckled at Tumn and started petting his head. He did love the feel of his scales, it reminded him so much of home and the hatchery. He was almost bereft as she left his bed. It had been so comfortable with her in his arms but she needed to get ready. He listened as she explained the city tab hoping that they would allow him to have one. He probably wouldn't buy very much tonight besides snacks and drinks. He mostly just wanted to talk to people and show off his new markings. He laughed when she left as Tumn curled right up beside him.

He sat up in bed and quickly pulled his boots on and laced them up. Then he plopped back right on top of Tumn. He scritched him some more and sighed. "Do you think she likes me Tumn?" he whispered. "I would give anything just to have her around forever. Even if we didn't become romantically involved, just to see her beautiful face every day would be enough." He turned to look at the little dragon. "This is just between you and me though okay? Don't tell her what I said." He waited for her to be finished, still petting Tumn. When he heard her voice, he stood up and grabbed his white tank, shoving the top of it in the back pocket of his shorts. "Come on Tumn! Let's show the world what a big bad dragon you are!" He chuckling, snagging her hand and bringing the back of it to his lips. "I'm ready."
 
Tumn made an 'oof' as Lucien landed on him and wiggled around a bit, then stilled and listened intently as the man started speaking to him about Leila. At the end of it all, he chittered his own opinions and agreed to keep quiet, though he knew that Lucien would understand none of it. He dove off the bed as Lucien called to him and trotted right out the door, bounding down the stairs excitedly. Leila watched him run by and laughed, shaking her head as Lucien took her hand.


"Great, now you've made him excited to get his ego stroked by everybody outside," she said with a smile, tugging him out the door and locking it before lacing her fingers back through his and walking down the stairs. "There are a lot of places to shop for clothes and the like around here. We'll wander until you see a store that looks promising since I'm not sure what style you want," she suggested, moving outside with him. Tumn had already run off, strutting down the sidewalk with his head held high as the ladies all stopped to pet him. "Oh dear," Leila laughed.
 
Lucien thought about the style of clothing he would want to wear. He liked what he was wearing right now but had no idea of the weather patterns in the world. He figured he would wait to see the rest of the men and what they were wearing to judge by that. He would never retire his cloak though, it was handcrafted by his mother. He shrugged, "Guess I'll figure it out when I see it," he said opening the front door for her. He wondered what other people would think as they walked down the road hand in hand. They were so comfortable with each other already, would they think they were a couple? He would let her answer the questions about that particular detail. He would love to just say yes but he wasn't sure what she thought about it.

He looked in the direction she was looking when he heard her laugh and smiled. "Way to go Tumn!" he called out. He kissed Leila's temple, "You're gonna have to watch out for him now. He's a ladie's dragon. Come on, let's go see the shops." He gently pulled her towards the clothing shops downtown. The first couple of shops they had didn't really appeal to him. The clothing was thick and long and looked like it would be really hot to wear. He figured if the days got cooler he'd try them out then. The third shop he entered had just what he was looking for. It had short pants like what he was wearing, shirts similar to his and some with sleeves, and then there were shorts that were made out of a silky material and had almost a netting inside them, they were also very brightly colored. He looked at them confused, "What are these for?" he asked holding them up.
 
Leila laughed and nodded, walking along with Lucien as they left Tumn to his own devices. No doubt he'd find somebody to flirt with until they were ready to begin the festival. She glanced in each of the stores, then followed Lucien into the one that appealed to him. While he looked around, she browsed as well, interested in a few dresses that weren't the style she normally wore. As he asked about something, she looked up and grinned. She honestly debated telling him that it was their formal wear for weddings and such, but she didn't think she could keep a straight face.


"They're swim trunks, to wear when men go swimming in public," she explained with a smile, then gestured to some shirts made of a stretchy yet thick-seeming material. "Some men wear those shirts as well, for surfing. Maybe I'll take you to the ocean sometime soon and show you what I'm talking about," she added, then walked over to the shop owner to ensure they could start a tab. The lady agreed, luckily, and Leila wandered back over to Lucien. "Have you found anything you want yet?"
 
Lucien held up a couple of pairs of shorts and shirts he had gathered. They were all pretty simple, most of them only one color each. He wasn't sure about the designs, he didn't know what was popular and what would make him look like a fool. He picked out a pair of the swim trunks to get, they were half black half blue with white netting on the inside. He wondered why men would wear this but didn't bother to ask. He'd figure it out once he started wearing them. "I don't really know how much to get or even what your currency is like," he confessed, "I feel completely ignorant being here."

He looked at just about everything the store had to offer and picked out some shoes he thought would be comfortable and a few more items. All of this was weird to him. He was used to going to the tailor and having them make whatever you needed. Here everything seemed to be premade and they just guessed on sizes and hoped the right sized people came into their store. "I guess I'm done. I would ask how much this is all going to cost but I'll have no idea what you are talking about. Who is the owner so I can ask if I can have these?"
 
"It's a lot simpler than it used to be before the wars started. We have golden coins that are about this big," she said, gesturing with her fingers to about the size of a half-dollar. "Ten of those is equal to a bill, which is paper money. One hundred bills gets you one bill with a bigger symbol on it. That's it. Nobody really has use for bigger ones than that anymore, we're all either charitable or poor," she explained, laughing a little. She guided him over to the counter and the woman behind it rang up everything, then wrote the number down on a piece of paper where she had already taken down Leila's contact information.


"You're all set, dears! Have a nice evening and enjoy the festival! Don't have too much Makii!" the woman said, laughing a bit.


"Thank you," Leila said, taking Lucien's hand after they had gathered up the bags and leading him back out to the sidewalk. They still had an hour or so until the sun would truly be set. "Shall we find another store? Or are you finished? We may want to find something to eat before the festival - usually at these types of parties there are only drinks and a lot of snack foods."
 
Lucien listened as Leila explained her currency to him. It was a hell of a lot simpler here then it was back home. "I guess you would consider me poor then," he chuckled. He smiled to the woman that added up the cost for his clothing and thanked her. That was the second time that he had heard Makii mentioned and to not have too much of it. He waited until they had exited the store to inquire. "I think this is probably enough for now. We can drop it off at the apartment and then get something to eat. I'm interested to find out the other kinds of foods you have here. What is this Makii that keeps being talked about?"

He led her back to her home and dropped his bags off in his room. As they walked back outside he sniffed the air. He could smell a plethora of different scents he thought he could identify as food. Some of the scents he remembered from home, others he had no idea. There were a lot of people out and about, laughing and socializing. Tonight would be fun he thought. He looked around for Tumn as they walked towards the places that sold food wondering if he was hungry as well. They hadn't eaten since breakfast so his stomach felt empty. "You lead for this part. Pick your favorite food to eat," he suggested. He wanted to know for future reference.
 
"Makii is.. It's kind of hard to explain. The closest thing that I could compare it to is wine, but it isn't alcohol. It's made from a variety of berries and every batch has a special herb in it that is used sometimes by interrogators. The effects are very similar to being drunk, I suppose. You get very confident, start telling the truth when it's normally something that you would lie about, that sort of thing. Some people get clumsy from it just because of the rush of being so.. free. It's a hard feeling to describe. Most of the time it's served mixed with a bit of liquor just for fun," she explained, not mentioning that after a single glass she tended to giggle like crazy and would tell anybody anything. Two glasses and she was completely gone - a lightweight, admittedly.


She walked with him back to the apartment, then back outside as she started scanning the restaurants to look for any familiar ones. Finally she spotted one that she had been to the last time she came to the city. From what she recalled, it was delicious. She led him over and sat at a small outdoor table just as Tumn waltzed up to them and plopped down next to Leila's chair.


"Figures you'd show up when there's food to be had," she teased, and he rumbled something back at her. "I am not!" she argued with a laugh, then looked up as the waiter came over. "A full plate, please, and a couple of Cokes," she said, and he walked away. She turned to Lucien to describe what they would be eating, but then she had her attention caught by a girl her age across the street who was calling her name excitedly and obviously wanting to show off a new dress she had just bought.


"I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere," she said with a smile, trotting across the street and squealing appropriately over the pretty garment. A man strolled up and plopped down in Leila's seat, eying Lucien for a moment. His longish hair was pulled back in a short ponytail, black with streaks of very dark blue. One eye was a purplish blue and the other a much lighter blue, as though blind. He was older but not elderly, and after a moment he offered a smile.


"So. You're the one the whole town has been talking about, eh? I'm Markus. I was here in the city preparing when the attack went off back home but I heard that you helped out considerably," he said in a friendly tone, then glanced at Leila. "And that's not all I've heard.." he added, looking back at Lucien. "Care to explain yourself?"
 
Lucien smirked as she explained the drink. He remembered drinks similar to that back home. Why anyone would want to dull their senses and act like a fool in public was beyond him. He had never tried any of it. But he supposed he was in a new place and he wanted to experience everything they had to offer so he'd try one drink. He didn't know how fast it would affect him but he had been told that when you first started drinking it didn't take long. He smiled to Tumn as he sat down next to Leila at the table. Figures he had found them when they were about to eat. He wondered what a full plate was and she looked like she was going to tell him but she was distracted. He looked behind him to see another girl waving excitedly. He nodded to her as she left him at the table with the dragon and watched her run over.

His eyes turned to the man who sat down in her chair. He seemed to be friendly, perhaps an older sibling or just a friend, he wasn't sure. They hadn't really talked about each other's family. He was confused by what he needed to explain. He smiled, "A pleasure to meet you Markus. My name is Lucien. Leila has been showing me around and helping me get used to your way of life. She's allowing me to stay with her until can make my own way." He hoped that wasn't the end of it but they hadn't exactly talked about their feelings either. The man made him a little nervous, not knowing what his connection was to her. He wondered if perhaps this was an old lover or something like that. He didn't want to put too much of an explanation into how he felt about her just in case.
 
Markus was silent and just looked Lucien over as he offered up an explanation as to why he had been spending so much time with Leila. He nodded slightly and waited a little bit after he stopped talking, then chuckled and tipped his head.


"I like you, Lucien. See, I came over here to just scare you a bit and question you. People with bad intentions get really nervous when you do that, see? Leila means a lot to a lot of different people around here and I just wanted to make sure that she wasn't making the same mistake as last time," he explained, then grinned. "I can tell she made a better choice this time. There's a lot you should probably know, but I'm sure you'll figure most of it out on your own. That is, if she's stopped being such a little secret keeper."


He was going to go on, but Leila had trotted back across the street and wasn't surprised to see Markus there. She half bowed and turned her right hand against her chest with two fingers extended, a typical sign of respect for an elder. After, however, she pulled him out of the chair and hugged him.


"Are you harassing Lucien?" she demanded with a grin.


"Of course not. I just wanted to meet the man who saved the town. I'll see you two later," he said, waving and walking away. Leila sat and the waiter came over with a wide platter of kebabs. Chicken mixed with fruit and steak, along with a variety of dipping sauces and a few dessert kebabs with pure fruit and chocolate balls.
 
Lucien relaxed a bit when Markus started laughing and talking. He smiled at the older gentleman glad he thought Lucien was a better choice. He wondered what he was a better choice than though. He guessed she'd had a bad past with men. He was set on changing that. She would never feel unwanted with him around and he would never treat her badly. She deserved so much more than that. He was about to tell him that she hasn't really told him much about her past and ask him what the markings meant when Leila walked back over. He smiled at the show of affection between the two. He had no doubt she meant a lot to quite a few people here.

"It was nice talking to you Markus," he waved as the older man walked away. Lucien raised his brows as a huge platter was set before them. He recognized some of the items on the sticks but not all of them. He waited for her to start eating so that he could see how to eat the food. He would simply pick up the stick and eat the food off it by his teeth but he wasn't sure if that was considered rude here or not. "So, now that the markings are done and they are visible, you going to tell me what they mean?" He wanted to know because she gave them to him and they were a reflection of what she thought of him.
 
Leila picked up a stick and plucked a piece of pineapple off the end with her lips, munching the sweet fruit contentedly. It had been seared a bit on the grill, but all of the delicious juices were still trapped inside. She gestured to Lucien to pick up a stick as well, pausing for only the span of a heartbeat as he asked his question. Chewing and swallowing slowly before she replied, she gave him a sort of half shrug.


"The markings are mostly abstract, we don't know a lot about the meanings behind them. Like I said before, a lot depends on the person and since everybody is unique, we don't have it down to a science. That one on your upper arm, though, looks like the one that some of the other men have. We think it means warrior or something similar," she said, telling the truth completely but also leaving things out carefully.


"Markus didn't really bother you, did he? He can come across as intimidating sometimes, but he's just a big ol' teddy bear," she went on, hoping to stop his questions before she started blushing. She tossed Tumn a piece of steak since he wouldn't stop staring at her food, and the dragon munched on it noisily before stealing an entire stick for himself with his talon.
 
Lucien picked up one of the sticks and started plucking pieces off with his teeth. The food was succulent and juicy, it made his mouth water for more. If this is what they made all the time he could definitely eat it every day. He listened as she half explained his markings. Why was she so conveniently leaving out the marks on his chest and back? He'd have to find out later he supposed. He was pretty sure the people drinking Makii later tonight would reveal their meaning. He was a patient man and he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable.

"I was a bit nervous when he first sat with me but once he explained what he wanted it was fine. I wouldn't mind speaking with him again. This is really great. What is it?" he asked holding up his empty stick. He picked up another one and started munching. He chuckled at Tumn as he captured one for himself. The plate was big enough for the three of them easily. He watched her eat, her tongue snaking out of her mouth to lick the juices that spilled when she took bites of the sweet fruits. He remembered pressing his lips against hers. His eyes focused on the plump lips before he realized he was staring, he had even stopped eating.
 
"I'm sure he'll come up to you again at the festival. Markus is one of the oldest residents we have, even though he doesn't look it. He's very wise and very curious, so I'm sure he'll want to talk to you more and find out all about where you came from," Leila said with a nod, making a face at Tumn as he chomped down on the food he had stolen. He rumbled something at her and she blinked blankly, then frowned and chittered back at him in his own language. Since he decided not to reply, she shrugged and resumed eating.


"What is it?" she asked in confusion when she realized belatedly that Lucien was staring at her. Had she said something odd? Thinking back to what she had said, she wondered if it was because she was talking to Tumn. "It's not a hard language to learn, you know. I'm sure you'll pick up on it sooner or later. Tumn can actually speak like we can, he's just stubborn and chooses not to," she said, and the dragon snorted and grumbled again. Leila laughed and threw her empty stick at him. "It is not a dirty language, you oversized lizard!"
 
Lucien shook his head and tried to recover, "I'm sure I will pick up on it with time." He looked at Tumn as he grumbled and tried to laugh with Leila with her comment. He was too distracted. He ate the rest of his meal quietly, trying to think of something to talk about. His brain swirled with questions and thoughts he couldn't put voice to. He wasn't even tasting the food anymore. He took a sip of his drink and damn near choked on it. He turned away from the table, away from Tumn's direction and coughed and sputtered. He looked back at the glass and tried to sniff it and recoiled back from it. It fizzed at him which was something he hadn't expected.

"Sorry Leila, I can clean up the mess. I'm sorry." He grabbed a napkin and started wiping everything off. He was so embarrassed, he couldn't even look at her. He wiped of the adjoining chair, the table he had caught and then his face. He set the napkin back on the table and looked down at his lap. "It appears its going to take a bit longer than I expected to get used to things around here. I'm sorry about the mess."
 
Leila blinked as Lucien started coughing, startled by the reaction until she realized that he probably hadn't experienced soda before and the carbonation may have been a bit of a surprise. She bit her lower lip to keep in a laugh, actually relieved that she wasn't the only one who had, for lack of a better term, 'clumsy moments'. Picking up her napkin, she helped to wiped up the few spots that he had missed and shook her head at his apologizing.


"Don't worry about it. Really. I should have just asked for water, I wasn't thinking. I should be the one apologizing," she said with a smile and a bit of a laugh. Tumn ignored them entirely and stole a few more kebabs, eating them contentedly before wandering off to socialize with a group of girls that were all too happy to give him pettings.


"Do you want to go home and change or are you reasonably dry?" she asked with a smile, honestly not upset in the least.
 
Lucien sighed, "You had no idea I'd never had a drink like this before. I should have tested it before I gulped it down. It was my fault. I'm dry, I got most of it on the floor." He rolled his eyes, annoyed with himself for being stupid. "Let's just forget that happened." He watched Tumn strut over to a group of girls and laughed, "He's just eating that up isn't he?" He shook his head and picked up one of the sticks that had brown balls on it. "What is this?" he muttered out loud. He took a small bite to taste it. The material was sweet and bitter at the same time and melted in his mouth. "Wow, this world never ceases to amazed me." He smiled.

Looking out over the city he noticed more and more people gathering. Some stood and talked in groups, others wandered in and out of shops. He wondered if he was holding her back from meeting her friends. He was following her around everywhere she went. Some people liked their independence. He looked back to her and smirked. "You getting sick of me yet?" he asked. The question was half playful, half asking her for the truth.
 
"Of course he is. Tumn has always been quite the attention hog. Dragons here can decide when they want to grow, for the most part. Sometimes situations force them to grow before they really want to, but there have been cases long ago where some decided to say the size he was before for their entire lives. There are very few dragons in this city, so everybody gets to fawn over him. Conceited little thing," she said with a laugh, then smiled as Lucien asked about another food. "That's chocolate. A dessert. One of my favorites," she said, picking up a stick with strawberries, raspberries, and chocolate balls on it.


"Never," she answered immediately to his question, then had to hold back a faint blush as she realized that she hadn't even thought before responding. "I think you'll get sick of me first," she added with a smile, then munched a raspberry as she glanced around and noticed how many people were gathering. The sun was starting to set and everybody was starting to prepare. "I suppose I should warn you that our parties tend to get loud and chaotic, but I'm sure you guessed that from the Makii. Also, there's usually a lot of music.. If you see a tall girl with really light blue hair that seems to be hunting for somebody, hide me."
 
Lucien smirked as she answered his last question quickly. That answered it completely in his mind. She thought he would get sick of her first? 'Don't count on it," he said quietly as he finished the contents of his last stick. The crowd was getting thicker. He listened to her description of their parties. This would be a different experience for him. He hardly remembered any parties back home and most of them were organized and dull. He thought he would like a bit of chaos. He smiled, "Well, shall we join them?" He started placing all the empty sticks in the center of the platter.

"Who is this girl I'll be hiding you from?" he asked, curious as to why she would want to be hidden. He was learning more and more about her the more people were around. He didn't know if it was her slipping up or her feeling more comfortable with people around. He hoped she was relaxed with him, she seemed to sleep better when he held her, but that could be his imagination. He looked out at the crowd once more wondering what tonight would bring.
 
"Her name is Bridget. She's a very good friend of mine but she tends to hunt me down at all of the parties once she knows I've been drinking. I'm less apt to run from her if I'm not sober, see. She likes to uh.. persuade me into getting up on stage," she explained, shaking her head a bit and putting her empty sticks on the platter as well. She stood up and walked around the table, offering her hand to him with a smile. Tonight would be fun, she decided. It was a time to forget their hardships and celebrate all that they had.


There were already well over a hundred people in the downtown area, and more were showing up by the minute. Shops remained open and put some things on display outside, and some people wandered around with trays of free food and drink. A massive stage was being quickly thrown together in the middle square, and a band was setting up and tuning their instruments. Soon some simple music started, something upbeat and without words that had people dancing around.
 
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