Historical Reference ((with Archailfire))

Maybe there was an accident or a mistake? Lilith thought as she heard the part about the prophecy beginning. She didn't know what to make of it, because if a person was coming out of some iron tablet after being in there for 3000 thousand years, clearly something was not right. Yet, being from the 21st century, she was doubtful of anything catastrophic happening. It was the old argument that many realists pressed against those who believed in these ancient predictions: How come the Lykos could foresee the end of the world as we know it but they couldn't foresee the end of their own civilization? It was an old argument, used countless time, but it held some truth. Still, the young archaeologist kept her mouth shut in favor of preserving the beliefs of this ancient warrior.

She felt some of the tension she was currently holding release when he tilted his head and repeated the word coffee questioningly. He really /is/ cute, she thought, especially with that face. Lilith knew that despite even their cultural differences, Mako was not her type. Had he lived in the modern world, she knew they probably wouldn't have interacted simply because of the kind of person he is. Still, despite that, she could admire him all she likes because hot damn he was gorgeous.

She smiled at the warrior and stood up from the table. "Don't you worry, Lilith Darkholme will show the wonders of coffee," she said excitedly, pointing at herself with a thumb. "Sweetie, you're in the big city, there's a Starbucks on every corner." Lilith grabbed his hand with one of hers and used the other to pick up their tray of leftover food and threw it out before pulling him out the door.
 
He took a small moment to look her over, a moment to truly appraise her in sunlight. She was beautiful, she reminded him of some of the women from his home. Fair, dark haired, smart. Somewhere deep in his mind he came to the realization that she would make a good mate, she was young, more than likely fertile. Though he had no idea of the rituals and customs this strange world held. The females could be the primary hunters for all he knew! So with that he would keep himself and his thoughts to himself.

Watching her stand he raised a curious eyebrow, unsure of why she was getting up so quickly. "Alright then..." He replied still seeming rather confused by it, though now he at least knew her clan name. "How am I sweet? I would imagine I taste like salt not honey..." He spoke before bringing the back of his hand to his lips and licked it. "Yep, not sweet..." He spoke looking back to her just before she began to tug him out the door. He followed behind once again, though he glanced down to her hand as she pulled him along, staring for a moment before he let the slight thoughts go and just follow her once again.
 
Lilith snorted at his comment. "Salty then?" she suggested with a smile as she tugged him along until they arrived at Times Square, the center of New York, which was currently bustling with people as it always was. "It's a term of endearment, a nickname," she explained, as she spotted a coffee shop at the corner and kept dragging him along until they were in the freshly air conditioned shop. "Now, I know it's hot outside and we should probably get cold drinks, but it's your first time having coffee so you need to drink it the right way," she insisted, getting up and ordering a standard latte with whipped cream and chocolate for him and an iced coffee for herself.

Lilith handed him the drink as she took a sip from hers. She figured that Mako probably wouldn't like it and that caffeine wasn't the best type of beverage to give a warrior who has never had sugar in his diet, but coffee should be one of the first things used to introduce this man to modern society. People sometimes drank it more than water. "I used to make these before I was sent off to Germany," she explained. "That was my job aside from school."
 
Mako followed, though he was far more distracted by the thousands of people around him. The smells of fumes and sweat that reached his nose made him cringe a bit. He almost growled at a few that bumped into him without apologizing, though the fact that she had him kept him from loosing his cool. His yellow eyes just stared at her back, trying to avoid the bustle, the noise. His discomfort was apparent. Those... boxes on wheels... enclosed chariots? Where were their horses? Any which way they created an awful racket to his untrained ears. As they entered the coffee shop his nose was assaulted again, this time by sweet and bitter scents. His eyes darted around again before he looked to the drink cautiously. Slowly enough he brought it to his lips.

His eyes narrowed, staring at it blankly for a long moment, a confused whine like sound escaping him. All the subtle flavours some would have to search for with the sweetness and bitterness exploded in his mouth far more. For a long moment he simply stared again, "You made this?" He asked before he began to slowly sip at it. He wasn't even half way through when his hands started to tremble just a bit. The confusion only grew on his face, why was he feeling so much more excited?
 
"Yeahh, maybe coffee really was a bad idea," she commented as she observed the way he was shaking a little bit. She grabbed the coffee from his hands and setting it at the table next to her. "It might just be too much. I probably should have gone with decaf." She pursed her lips before taking another sip from her own coffee. Lilith wasn't sure if it was the refreshing coffee she just had, the feeling of going out after being in the University day and night, or having this new odd, but pleasant companion with her, but she was excited and in a very good mood. Still... Glancing sideways the archaeologist wondered if it was too much too soon. This world was far too different for him to take it all in.

"Hey," she finally said, "if you want, we can call it a day. We can go back to my place and you can ask me questions or go to sleep. It's a long walk so it'll burn off all of that energy." Mentally, Lilith couldn't help but recall the last time, especially in her second and third years at the university where she had both drunkenly and non-drunkenly asked guys to go back to her place for another reason altogether. Once her fourth year hit and especially when she started her grad school, she had cut back on those nights and they were few and far between. Though since she's been abroad, she hasn't been to a real college party in quite a few months.

She mentally shook her head, focusing back on what she was going to say. Her eyes grew softer as she spoke, "I know it's probably a little much, and it seems like you'll be here a while, so we don't have to do everything at once." Despite the way he seemed to take it all in stride, Lilith couldn't help but feel like Mako was really just good at hiding what he's really thinking and feeling. There's no way any human being, born-warrior or not, could be able to not be freaked out by his current predicament. She could only wonder how odd her world must look to him.
 
He looked to her as she spoke, "M-maybe..." He was almost stuttering as she pried the cup from his shivering hands. For a long moment he just stared at his fingers ass they shook. "D-d-d-decaf?" Cantering his trembling head slightly he looked to her again, wondering what that was in comparison. He would only give a nod in response, his hands soon finding their way into the pocket of his hoodie. Mako was trying desperately to not shiver like a whipped pup.

Her next statement made him look to her again, "O-okay..." He spoke, "C-can we get my c-cloak and sword?" He questioned, after all, he was a warrior. Already he felt naked without them. He looked around the store for a moment, 'bright eyed and bushy tailed' essentially before he took a long steadying breath. Everything felt so much more alert. "I-I haven't felt this way since my wolfborne ceremony..." He spoke looking to her, a small smile crossing the corners of his lips while he looked down to her again.
 
"Of course!" she said, already half-way out the door. Lilith will explain the concept of decaf the next time she went for coffee, which she totally would tomorrow morning. At the mention of the wolfborne ceremony, Lilith raised her eyebrows up in both surprise and curiosity. "What is the wolfborne ceremony?" she asked excitedly. "Is it a coming of age ceremony for your people? Or is it specifically for warriors? What exactly do you do?" She couldn't help the onslaught of questions. Whereas Mako seemed to be holding back some of his questions, the young archaeologist did the exact opposite. It was her job to ask questions after all.

Grabbing his hand again, and heading back in the direction of the university at a fast pace that would hopefully help burn off some of that caffeine rush. Lilith would be lying if she said that she didn't like the feel of holding the larger hand in hers right now.
 
He gave a nod, glad that he could have his things. If she refused he wouldn't have left them anyway, and that would be more of an issue than taking it he figured. Her sudden onslaught of questions surprised him, then again people in his time knew of his people and their ways, after all they were a superpower. "The wolfborne ceremony is where a young warrior earns his cloak and sword. He is placed in a wolf den and told to survive for one week, either he dies or the wolves accept him and let him live. From there on he is considered a wolf." He replied looking to her, "I had to fight the wolcves to prove myself and make them accept me, that's where a good many of my scars came from." A bit of pride lay in his voice while he nodded, it was a right of passage and a mark of manhood.

Holding her hand he followed along, doing his best not to lash out at the people again, his nerves on edge from the caffeine. He glanced down to the small pale hand in his large darker one. It was an odd feeling to say the least. He didn't hate it though, but women of his people didn't do such things.
 
Lilith's eyes widened, what a brutal coming-of-age tradition. She was curious as to how many warriors-to-be died in the ceremony, but refrained from asking. Thinking on the tradition that they were accepted into the pack forming a sort-of alliance, that means that the Lykos were the first people who have somewhat tried to domesticate the dog species. How interesting, Lilith thought. "What happens with the wolves afterwards? Do they join you or hunt with you?" she asked, tilting her head to the side as they finally arrived at the University.

Just as she predicted, only a few people lingered in the halls with the classes done for the day and no one, not even the professor was in the back room she was in earlier. The cloak and sword were on her desk, untouched. Even if someone had been in here, they wouldn't have bothered anything on her desk or they would face her wrath.
 
Mako looked a bit perplexed a moment before speaking again. "The wolves remain in their den unless they decide to follow the warrior home." He replied looking to her, "I had a pup named Blaidd that came with me." His eyes darted around as they reentered the university. "We do have many wolves within our villages, very loyal animals..." He spoke, though he sounded like his culture still existed, proof that he was trying to deny the fall. Fumbling with the hoodie again he eventually got it off, once again revealing his strong torso before he looked to her. "You probably don't want me to wear these do you?" He asked looking to her once again, realizing that she didn't want him to walk around in his cloak earlier.
 
Lilith looked at Mako's golden eyes and nodded along. "I know how that is. I used to have a Siberian Husky named Shelby which is sort of like a wolf but much less.. violent. She was my best friend as a kid," she said nostalgically. "They're great company." Thinking about it, in terms of dogs, not much has changed even over 3000 years. Sure, there are many more breeds and they're a lot less wild, the bond between a dog and the person is almost the same. Minus the whole part about getting eaten if you're not accepted into the pack. And though Lilith was a fan of bigger dogs herself, she couldn't help but wonder how Mako were to react if she showed him the small chihuahuas and dachshunds that are descendants of the very dogs that he had fought off when he became a warrior.

Lilith looked at the garments guiltily. He really shouldn't wear that, but she couldn't bring herself to say no. It's a part of his culture after all and who was she to tell him no? And the bloodstains weren't that recognizable that someone would be concerned. "Don't wear them in the University but as soon as we are outside of the grounds, go right ahead," she finally said. Sure, they might get a few odd looks, but people will probably figure he was a cosplayer like she did at first. Needless to say, even a time travelling warrior was not the oddest thing you can find in the city. "Don't take too long, we're taking the subway," she said. Whether or not he would enjoy being on it, she could only wait and see.
 
"Wolves aren't violent..." He replied, seeming almost offended at the prospect. Then again he grew up around them and knew how to coincide with them peacefully. His eyes looked around for a moment while she led him on, keeping his distance from some of the less savourable people he saw. This was an odd world, people with bright hair, piercings, drawings. It made so very little sense to him, if he were honest he would say he was getting a headache from all the exposure though he wouldn't admit it to her. He couldn't show weakness, specifically when part of him saw her as a potential mate. Coming along as they returned to the campus he soon released her hand, taking up his cloak and sheathed sword. The allowance she gave for him to wear them placed a smile to his lips and a nod. "As you wish." He replied before he nodded to her, taking off his bracers as well, rolling it all up into what seemed like a furry bedroll. "What's a subway?" He asked, the roll under his arm, the rest of his chest still uncovered, he didn't have a shirt after all.
 
"I suppose you're right, but they are wild," she pointed out, feeling a little guilty of the way she spoke of his culture's sacred animal. Lilith began walking out of the room, her laptop bag slung over her shoulder and locking the door to the room where she spent a good amount of her time. "Just walk bare chested for now. Seriously, I don't think many people will mind." Lilith sure as hell didn't mind. She tried not to stare openly, but man, she doesn't think she's ever seen someone look that good except on television.

But despite his good looks, Lilith was even more appreciative that he hasn't tried to kill her since the morning (joking, of course), and that he has been respectful towards her the whole day so far. Honestly, he was a pretty nice guy too, even if he was little out of touch with society (biggest understatement of the millennium). It was a short walk to the subway, and since it was nearing the warmer part of spring, no one would really look twice at someone walking around shirtless. Well, maybe they would look twice just to get a good look.

When he asked her the question, Lilith's brows furrowed in puzzlement and she pushed her glasses upwards as she tried to think of a way to explain it. "It's like a metal cart, that's closed and it has wheels that run on a track," she described awkwardly. "It can take us anywhere in the city and it travels underground really fast." Lilith grimaced at her own explanation of it, but she couldn't think of better words to describe it.
 
He didn't need to be told twice to walk around bare chested, it was comfortable for him anyway. He followed along behind her, keeping the roll close to him while he looked rather confused at the people, specifically women, who stopped and stared or did multiple takes at him. He even noticed some people looking jelously at her, why? He had no idea. None the less he remained quiet, trying his best to just focus on her back instead of letting the thousands of new sights, smells, and sounds from overwhelming him. It was maddening none the less though.

"Underground? In caves?" He asked following behind her, looking rather confused by the prospect. He looked around, seeming a bit skeptical of taking some sort of cart underground. "We don't have any torches though... how will we see?" He asked looking to her, almost as if he was worried about it. Then again he came from a time where death lingered in the shadows of night, even the best warrior could be assasinated or simply mauled in the dark.
 
Lilith tried not to notice the stares, 99% of them aimed at Mako appreciatively and the last 1% aimed at glaring daggers at her. She honestly didn't care too much at the ones on her though, when the world was filled with so many people you get used to strangers being rude or non-discreet every once in a while. She felt bad for Mako who probably didn't understand the meaning of the stares he was getting. She'd have to talk to him about how 'courting' and 'relationships' worked in the modern day world when they get back to her place. Instead, she paid the people no mind as she started heading down one of the stairwells towards the subway. "Not in caves, they're more like small buildings and tunnels we made that are lit up with the modern-day version of light," she explained, hoping he would understand. "Just stay close to me, because I warn you, it's really crowded around this time. And smelly," she added as an afterthought.
 
Mako followed along behind her, avoiding most of the stares as best he could. "O-okay then..." He replied seeming skeptical. A small sigh escaped his lips before he followed her down, seeming a bit worried about going underground like this. The sheer stench that hit him made him cough for a moment, having a bit of a hard time following her while he tried his best to adjust to the many scents around him, plus the ungodly noise. He grasped at the back of her shirt to make sure he didn't lose her in the crowd, a small growl welling up in his chest from the people bumping into him.
 
Lilith jumped a little bit when she felt a hand grasp the back of her shirt, and she turned around thinking it was some pervert that liked to roam around these parts of the area, but relaxed instantly seeing that Mako just didn't want to get separated. She grabbed the hand grasping her shirt instead and tugged him along, knowing they would move much faster this way. She paid the fare for both of them before pushing through the turnstile like she passed through the crowds. Finally, they arrived at the platform where the train was just coming in time for them to board. "Just watch your step," she said.
 
He looked down to the hand again, surprised that she took his once more. It did bring a few more stares at her however. She may as well have been dragging a Calvin Klein model with the looks she was receiving. "This place stinks..." He spoke looking to her as they went though the turntable. His eyes looked to her before he cringed at the squeal of breaking wheels. He followed her onboard though, the smell far more condensed but he did his best to keep his composure through it. His golden eyes darted around, holding his cloak roll tight against him as if afraid someone would mess with it in the tight confines of the train.
 
Lilith's nose wrinkled at Mako's comment of the smell. She was pretty used to the smell after all these years but even so, she tried not to pay attention to it much. She figured that to Mako, the smell must have been atrocious. "Yeah, it's always like this," she said followed by a small apology. If she had a car, she would have simply driven him, but cars in the city were expensive and cabs even more so.

She looked at the way he was clinging to his cloak and couldn't help but think it was wise to do so on the subway. If the streets were odd, the subway was the circus of the city. There were some rude, weird, and downright freaky people that road these trains and it was a price she paid every day for taking the inexpensive way to and from school. "Now, the train is going to go really fast and it's going to get dark outside the windows, but don't worry, it's all completely safe," she assured.
 
((Shall we skip until they get home?))
 
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