LAURA

How dare he speak to me like that? Doesn't he know who I am? I am Lurytendra, El-Sah-El Di Hipsodat. Nobody in Di Hipsodat dares look me in the eye, not to talk of speaking to me the way Malakai had. He was disrespectful and rude. I should've just choked him to death when I had my whip around his neck, but he knows who I am. And he looked like he's been on this strange realm for a while. He knows his way around and I hoped he could show me how to survive, but I thought wrong.

I don't need him. I can make my way until I feel the El gate open again.

I underestimated Riga. He's smarter than I give him credit for. I should have known he'd do something like this, and it was only a matter of time. He kept surprising me. I shouldn't even be surprised after he did what he did to get where he is.

Riga, he was just a worthless lesser being before joining El's force, he became Rig-El and did good for himself. He began as a filthy lesser being to the general of the El's royal army. He was loyal. A very good soldier. One day, he just snapped and decided it was time to be on his own. He betrayed El. He betrayed me. For what? I do not know. All I know is that when I see Riga again, I will make him wish he was dead.

I can't be all right until I know everything is fine at home. I know there's something going on because I can't feel my home anymore. This has never happened before. It's only happening because the doors are closed and Gar-El never seals the door. He would never do that unless there was something going on.

Patient has never been something I'm blessed with but I will wait because I have no means of returning. Gar-El is the only one that can pull me home. Until he does, I'll have to learn about this place.

Everything about this place is different and strange. I've been walking around since I left Malakai, and people haven't stopped looking at me. I find them openly staring at me strange and disrespectful. No one would look at me in Di Hipsodat, but here it's like no one cares about who I am.

Children playing in a park catches my attention. I stand and watch them running around, laughing. I don't get what's funny in what they are doing. They're running around, trying to catch each other but they can't stop laughing. Malakai is right about one thing, Earthlings laugh a lot, I don't see joy or happiness in what they're doing, but they seem to be enjoying themselves.
      
"It's rude to stare." Kai's voice comes behind me. It didn't have any effect on me because I could sense he was near. "And when I said go on then, I didn't mean fly away immediately." His voice sounds loud as he comes to stand beside me, stuffing his hands into his pocket. I'm not sure what material it's made of, the clothing covering his legs.
       
"I know you've been following me," I let him know before he thinks he's a good tracker. "I need to know why?"  I demand, not taking my eyes off the children. They stopped running around instead some of them go into hiding while one stays behind, kneeling on the green land with his hands covering his eyes. What sort of game is it?
      
He makes a displeasing sound and replies, "You are my sister's friend. I can't just let you wander off, and as much as I hate to admit it, you are my responsibility."
   
When I arrived on this planet, I bumped into a man and in a way I was able to learn the language they speak here. It was quick, I couldn't get all but when Kai touched me, I learned some other languages but it wasn't enough. I'm still struggling with some words, but I understand the word 'friend'.
   
"Friend?" I frown, I don't show expression but his word despises me. "I think you misunderstand the concept of the word. Malakaia is a devil disguising as something good. I know the real her. I've seen the real her. She is not my friend, and If I ever get to meet her again, I am going to kill her."

I mean it. I can hear Malakai's thought. I know what his sister told her about me. I should correct his assumptions about me, but I won't say anything.
       
"Agreed. How about we get going to my home?"

"What are they doing?" I ask.

"Who?"

I nod towards the children at the park.

"Oh, them? They're playing hide and seek," he answers.

Hide and seek. I mean it kind of fit the description.

I want to make a comment about the game but open my ears to his mind, and his thoughts comes rushing through. Strange to have another person's thought in my head. I don't invade anyone's mind on Di Hipsodat because father made me promise not to. He is the only one that communicates with me telepathically, and I've learned to close other people's mind off for their protection. I broke my promise when I arrived on Earth and tried to find out what's happening in Di Hipsodat by looking through Riga's men mind but their mind was closed off, like they were prepared for it. It was no surprise because Riga knows I have the power. He must have trained his men for it.

With Kai, I do it willingly. I only just met him but I want to know what he's thinking about everytime. This thing it's something I can't quite understand. Something about pasta.
      
"You realize I can hear your thoughts, right?" I drop my arms from my chest and turn to face him. "Do me a favor and keep it down. They are uncomfortable."

He turns his head and says, "You only hear when you listen, you are not complaining about the kids in the park, I'm sure you can hear them. All of them."

It's true I can hear all of their thoughts but in the short time I've spent, looking at the children, I learned that Earth children only think about eating, playing and sleepy. The ones I've met at least.
        
"You said you wanted to help me." I can't believe myself for reminding him, but I do need his help. I know nothing about Earth and it's beings.
        
The idea makes his laugh and slaps his hands together. "Now we're talking, let's work on your outfit and then we're going home." He tells me. I don't like the way he calls his home my home, but I'll let it pass.

He holds out his hand for me. I frown, my eyes falls from his eyes to his outstretched hand. "Don't push your Stark." I turn around and walk away from him.

"Suit yourself weirdo!" I hear him mutters behind me before yelling, "the Mall's that way!"

†★†

Against my better judgement, I turn back and follow Kai to the place he calls Mall. Kai explained to me that the mall is an enclosed shopping center. It's a place where I can get anything I want. It reminds me of El Dih Kol, the royal market.

I follow behind Kai as he enters a large building. The structure is nothing like I've seen before but I can tell from the surface and overview that it's common on Earth. One thing I've noticed is that, people on this planet are constantly walking and not stopping to acknowledge the other. Stopping after entering the place, the place is busy and crowded, people walking about, going in and out of the place. I've never been to a place like this.

"Let's go." Kai places his hand on my back but removes it almost immediately. I look at him and realize it's because of what happened last he touched me. I'm glad he finally got the message that I hate it when people touch me. "Come," he gestures forward and I walk.

We stop at the foot of what looks like a moving staircase. I've never seen anything like this before. I stand and watch how people are stepping on it and it takes them up. I look over to the other side to see the same thing but it's coming down.

"Why is this thing moving? What is it called?" She asks. I'm not the one to get curious but this thing has me on the edge, I want to know everything about it.

"It's called an Escalator," Kai answers. "And it's moving because that's how it made it. Easier for us to get up without having to walk the stairs." He adds.

"How do we get on it?" I take my eyes off him when a little girl and her mom climbs on it casually. Something about the little Earthling fascinates me. She turns her head to look at me and smiles, I feel her eyes on my body, it stays on the chest where the El's family crest is emblem. She turns away when they reach up and her mother pulls her away.

"Just follow my lead." He tells me. I nod and watch him step on it, placing his hand on the railings. I'm a quick study and I'm not scared of a moving machine.

Following his lead, I place one leg after the other without thinking. My heart swells, shuddering a little and place my hand on railings, and feel it take me up.

I step off and meet Kai's amusing gaze. "How was it?" He asks curiously, eyeing as he waits for my reply.

My eyes falls on the other side, the one going down. It's weird, I'd like to try that one. "I'm going down," I tell him.

Kai furrows his eyebrows and narrows his eyes at me. Gone is the amusing expression. "The store we are going is up here." He reminds me.

I shake my head and go to the other side. Dropping my hands to my side, I step onto the escalator and watching as the moving stairs takes me down. There's something about this that fascinates me.

When I touch the ground, I go to the side that's going up and see Kai looking down at me. He's waiting for me but he'll have to wait a bit because I want to test out a theory. I move and stop at the foot of the step. I place my hand on the railing. Kai frowns and I don't have to read his mind to know what he's thinking. He's wondering what I'll do.

"Let's see what you're truly made of," I whisper and tighten my hold on the railing, spreading the Elsword's energy to it, stopping the movement.

"Fuckin–" I hear Kai mutters before climbing down the escalator without waiting for it to bring him down.

I can hear murmurs around me but I don't care. Kai reaches the ground and rushes to me. He wraps his arms around my waist and peel me off. The moment my palm leaves the railings the escalator begins to work again, the Elsword energy returns inside me.

"What the fuck did you think you were doing?!" Kai snaps at me. I think it's more about me burning him than the damage I did to the escalator.

I frown when I notice people staring at me again, not acknowledging me. This is unacceptable. All they had to do is look at the symbol on my chest and they'll know who I am. Who my father is. But it's like they don't care, instead they're murmuring and making comments about my uniform.

"Who is she?"

"The bitch looks like she belongs in the museum."

"What's up with that outfit? Is it Halloween?"

"Why is she staring at me like that? This bitch is insane."

There though goes on and on.

"I realized something about these lesser beings, they can't do anything without technology. I see from the place I landed to the park and the walk to this place." I continue. "They have no respect for royalty on this planet I am Lurytendra El-Laura-El—" Kai cut me off before I can finish hailing myself.

"You are on Earth, Princess, and this place is different from where you come from. I know you only just got here, but stop comparing it to Di Hipsodat. They are nothing alike. And the easier it will be for you to quickly adapt. You can touch anyone and learn anything but somethings are best learned normally where you have to study. You can't go on destroying things just because you think you can," He sighs and rubs his forehead in frustration. "You asked me to teach you everything you need to know about being a woman, and that's why we are here."

I take everything he just said to my mind and try to make a point of it, but I don't see it. But I do see him though, I know he doesn't belong here, living among the Earthlings. So I ask, "Why are you on Earth, Malakaia Stark?"

Kai's mouth drops open. I read his mind to hear what he's thinking and he doesn't see what my question has to do with anything.

"People on Earth respect their royals but you are not from Earth," He ignores her question, and proceed to answer the previous one. "We are going upstairs now, and you will do nothing reckless or stupid." He orders me in a firm voice.

I frown at his tone. Malakai is getting away with a lot of things. Everyone in Di Hipsodat knows when to and not to speak to me. Malakai talks to me with disrespect all the time and he's lucky he's head is still attached to his body.

"Move." He orders before I can even get a word out. He waits for me to get on before going after me. I don't like him treating me like a child, but I'll let him have his fun. My time will come and then nothing will stop me from feeding him to my dragon.

I step off and wait for him to join me since he's knows where we're going and I'm just following him like a lost animal. Kai leads the way to a place called SASH, or at least that's what the name on top of it says. We enter and my eyes connects with different material that have been cut out and made into different designs. I recognize some of designs as what some women and even girls cover their bodies with.

"Welcome to SASH, a boutique. It's one of my favorite. Here you get to pick out any dress," he says as he rolls twice with his arms spread out. "Everything you need is here. Look around, will you?"

I hum, surprise to know he trusts me to look around with having him crowding me. My feet takes me to the left part of the store, where a lifeless doll that resembles a woman is standing naked except for the piece of clothing covering it's Crebeasth and Yady.

"What are those?" I ask, tilting my head to the side as I inspect this being-lookalike.

"Mannequin?"

Mannequin. Oh yes, mannequin. I know the word mannequin, I just didn't know this was what they call a mannequin. But I'm not talking about mannequin.

I shake my head and point at the mannequin's chest and mound.

"Bra and panties." He answers.

"What?"
        
"Don't tell me you don't have these–" He points his finger at the mannequin. "–on your Planet."

"How can we help you?" Two female comes out from another room that's inside the store. They're dressed the same.

I see Kai smile at them. "There they are, welcome ladies, this is Laura and—" He's about to say something but reframe from doing so. "On second thought we'll just check the place." He waves them off and turns to me. The women walks away, leaving us in their store.

"I know this place is different from where you came from, and I'll make you adapt as much as I can." His words sounds like a vow to me. I nod in understanding. "This is called a Bra," He points his finger at the black lacy brassiere, that's what he called it in his mind. "It's an item of underwear worn to cover the breast," He explains and shows me, using his hands to cover his chest.

Breast. I have breast. I raise my finger and poke it against the armor covering my breast. "This is breast?"

He nods. "Yes. What do you call them on Di Hipsodat?" He asks.

"Crebeasth."

He raises his eyebrows like he wasn't expecting me to answer or that wasn't the answer he was looking for, either way his facial expressions confused me.

"Cool. How do you spell that?"

"Huh?"

Kai shakes his head and waves his hands like he did with the attendant. "Nevermind. Moving on," He points at the black panties. "Panties covers your private part," He explains and I nod. "That's settled. We just need to get you something to wear and–" His eyes moved to my hair. "–then we'll find something to do with your hair. It's looks disheveled. Must be from the fight. Come on, Let's go."

Kai takes me around the store and shows me the different type of women clothing they have here in Earth. They have so many unlike Di Hipsodat. Bra and Panties are underwear that people wear under their clothing. I learn above term of outfit like a dress, blouse, gown, pants, which is different from panties, skirts, jumpsuit, power suit. It's all so many, I'm not sure I can keep all in my head.

Kai asks if I see anything I want or like, but I can't decide anything because I'm not sure I like anything on Earth. It's all just seem too different from Di Hipsodat and I just got here. I don't want to forget I must go back home. I think Kai sees the reasons for my hesitation but he doesn't voices anything out, instead he goes ahead and buys me almost everything in the shop. He pays by giving them a black card, and waits to collect it back. Another curious thing that I want to ask about but it'll have to wait.
      
*****
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