I finished my shower, letting out a breath of relief. For some reason it felt better and less overwhelming after washing off my worries.
I looked in the mirror trying to examine my appearance. Did I look the same? I couldn't tell ㅡ I couldn't even figure out why I couldn't remember! It felt vaguely familiar looking at my build but not ringing any particular bells.
Water dripped off my strands into the sink, everything in this timeline was so vaguely familiar and so different all at once. The walls of this place still seemed non human, I couldn't think if that was normal for everyone around here in this timeline or just this particular strange shop.
My stomach started to grow, a visceral extreme sort that makes you almost ravenous. After all, I hadn't eaten in decades. Did I need to now? I mean I presumed so if he was grabbing us food.
Some very strange, utterly bizarre music ran through the building in speakers. It isn't as if I was un acquainted with music but these did not seem reminiscent of the tunes and melodical voices and military chants I had become so familiar with. I almost felt as if I was being assualted and jumped in dismay. It sounded like a wretched wracket. Am I to assume the intention was to bleed ones ears?
I walked out the shower and covered my ears slightly, "what ever is that dreadful noise" I said to Feu. She turned to me all vibrant."
"That's rap! Don't you love it?"
"Uh... It's...Interesting" was all I could muster with a pained smile. I glanced around trying to spot Yang.
Feu smirked at me a bit as if noticing it. "Missing your other half already huh?" She asked.
"No, I do not believe so, however I am hungry, I wish him to hurry up so I am not left in this strange place"
She nodded not fully convinced. Behind us now the soft watery girl was gone and two boys were muttering softly and intimately together. I felt my eyes widen at the sight.
There were a number of people in the shop, far from completely void nor empty and yet these two were being a little more than friendly.
I stared at them agape, they looked almost- they looked almost in love! In public!!! "In public?!" I breathed.
Behind me appeared Yang, he popped up spritely, only a mere tad visibly amused. The surprise hardly registering on his face as he saw the same sight. Instead he turned to glance at me as if trying to discern the full extent of my reaction.
Feu turned to see what we were looking at as Yang looked at me with foods and drinks in his bags. She glanced at them before waving her hand dismissively "Oh that, you look surprised Yin. That's normal here honestly. I have a love a bit like this too."
"You- you guys can admit that and go around like this? What will people think! Isn't it dangerous, I mean pardon my direct speech" I stumbled across my words unsure and utterly aghast by this new revelation.
"Hmm, what people will think is their own business. I can't pretend there aren't many places remaining in this world much as you are familiar with that struggle with accepting this. This country however is the 4th most accepting in the world."
She puased letting it sink in. "It has a mixture of old Catholic people still struggling to come to terms with these things having always existed but it isn't usually dangerous. I would say 8 out of 10 people are chill with it. Which isn't always perfect if 20% of your month is filled with bigots- but, I would imagine it's still better to you." She said to me with a shrug of her shoulders.
"You're sure?" I said not even sure myself how to express my shock and confusion on this matter.
"Yeah jaja, we can even get married!"
"YOU CAN GET MARRIED" I looked at her totally agape. Being transported through time is one thing but this- this was too much. "It is like exactly everything from my timeline they think is dirty and sinful, is treated as good here" I said.
"Well, you see people already largely stopped believing in witches by your time right? However, they were once a big deal. Think of this like that. We've made a LOT of progress particularly in the last 20 or so years alone." She sounded so optimistic.
Yang right behind me almost by my side twitched his mouth side to side as if swirling his tongue. My eyes drifted down to his adams apple. I almost gulped watching it.
I snapped into focus when he lifted his arms up and changed the subject holding the food like a prize. "Let us dine now shall we?"
He walked over to a nice table and pulled out items that were packaged in plastic and slightly strange shapped containers. "Here, Rice and millet noodles topped with Garbanzo beans and simple tomato sauce, your favorite! Oh, and I also brought you some stir fried vegetables, cranberry bars and bamboo shoots for you to eat"
I looked down at the food my stomach once again growling. I looked positively starved. My eyes even lighting up as I stared at the food as if it was gold.
He stared at me indicating I may continue "Pardon my manners" I said before quickly digging in as fast as I could. It tasted heavenly. I almost couldn't focus much as Yang suddenly put his hand on my thigh. I felt him press it lightly. My skin lighting up at the contact.
I blushed intensely. My cheeks slightly puffy and full with my bites. I tried to chew and swallow to ask him why he suddenly touched me so. He cut me off "slowly slowly! Don't choke! I'm just trying to say to be careful chewing"
He got up briefly and lit candles in the room, the room had gotten much darker than it had been in the day. I didn't even realize in my hunger and speed to eat. Feu had let us be now too, I realized as I looked around.
"Why wont you use a light?" I asked.
"You lived in darkness so long, I thought this might be....a bit easier to adjust to, sorry I can go turn on the lights right now"
"No no, actually you're right. It's... perfect thank you" I looked at him in the glow of the candlelight. He looked really soft and beautiful. My eating slowed to a reasonable pace as he passed me more food before munching on it again himself.
I thought wow, he looks Iike a spark of light. My thoughts encumbered by him. I felt a pang in my head, a strange string pulling as if I was forgetting something.
"Kill them all!" A voice echoed in my head. An image of a massacre filled with half a battalion lying on the ground. A feeling of anger and despair washed over me. Another separate flash of a small boys eyes of terror saying "STOP" as he was pulled away into some building.
Just as quickly as my brain had frozen on those flashes, the memories seemed to fade. It was like glancing at something, understanding it, then forgetting what it was you understood;
And out of the corner of my eye, Yang was looking at me with a stare in which I could not read.