Chapter Four

The streets of Medina were far different from their earlier walk and were now filled with Mystics going about their daily business. Orina could feel their eyes on her as they went and she wondered just what sort of word of mouth had traveled since her arrival. She nearly reconsidered the shopping trip by the time they got back to the house.

"Wait here," Elgin told her once they entered the door. "I've just got to get my other pair of glasses. It'll only be a second!"

She watched him dash into what had until recently been his room and return moments later carrying another pair of glasses, which he slipped into his pocket. He was humming again, which Orina took to be a good sign, and she followed him back out of the house and down a street that led to the city outskirts. There was a tall signpost with the words "City Skimmer" emblazoned on it, with a bench nearby.

Elgin took off his glasses and slipped them into his other pocket. "Ready?"

"Yeah?" Orina answered, still utterly confused.

"Watch this," Elgin said eagerly, then snapped his fingers and transformed into a human. "Ta-dah!"

Orina gasped. She'd never heard of Mystics transforming before and, in fact, the only beings that she knew had the capability to shapeshift were demons. Her eyes widened further as she considered the implications of that possible link and she hoped she wasn't blushing.

"Neat trick, isn't it? This is how we Mystics have learned to disguise ourselves around humans," Elgin explained as Orina allowed herself a stunned appraisal of her friend's disguise. The change was shocking, but she could still recognize the bookish-looking, black-haired man in front of her as Elgin. They were still just about the same height, and she could tell from the way that his clothes fit that he was just as lean as a human. She decided he wasn't bad-looking, either; sure, his nose was beaky and his chin somewhat on the weak side, but he had nice cheekbones, lovely dark eyes, and a brilliant smile. He took a pair of glasses out of his pocket and put them on. "What do you think?"

Orina remained speechless for a moment as she mentally stumbled through all possible compliments, searching for one that wouldn't sound flirtatious. Finding none, she simply applauded. She laughed when Elgin took a deep, theatrical bow.

"That's why I wanted to get my other glasses," he added, still grinning. "My real ones fall off in this form and I'm practically blind without them."

"You do this a lot, then?" Orina asked.

"Often enough," Elgin replied. "This prescription's older, but I can still see out of it. I got a taste for human food and fashion back when I was in college, though I struggled with maintaining human form long enough to establish a career. The universities outside of Medina will admit Mystics, but they don't want to hire them."

"Oh. I'm sorry," she said. Decamerone hadn't mentioned his father having trouble with remaining in human form -- though, he admittedly barely knew him due to his being banished while he was still young -- and Kezmet had oozed through human society in an effortlessly offputting way. Wouldn't Mystics, if they really are derived from demons, obtain the same benefit? And why are you even wondering about this anyway...? she asked herself. "Does it hurt?" she asked him.

"No, not as much hurt as..." Elgin paused. "Have you ever worn a really itchy sweater? It feels like that after a while, except over my entire body. The longest I can manage is two days before I want to take a bath with a wire brush."

"That sounds awful," she said.

"Yes, but this won't take two days," he said. He smiled at her, then gave her arm a squeeze. "The skimmer should be here shortly. It's the only one that runs back and forth to Medina, so it's a bit... careworn... but it rarely breaks down and is usually on time."

Orina watched as a strange, dully-metallic vehicle rattled down the road. It ran like it was on wheels, except that its flat base skimmed above the surface of the roadway. It was blocky and ugly and the windows along its side were partially obscured by painted graffiti. She held tight onto Elgin's arm as the vehicle stopped alongside of them, and winced when the door folded open with a metallic screech. The skimmer driver -- the first human Orina had seen since her arrival -- waved to them both and Elgin helped her onboard.

"Hi, Elgin," the driver said as they passed by towards the seats. "Who's your friend?"

"Hi, Connor," Elgin replied. "This is Orina."

"I've never ridden a skimmer before," Orina said.

"And you brought her on this one?" Connor laughed. "You should be ashamed." With that, the driver hit a lever and the door screeched shut. He hit another button and the skimmer lurched forward, knocking Elgin and Orina back into their seats.

Orina stared wide-eyed as it sped along the roads and towards what she realized with horror to be the open ocean. In her terror, she was only vaguely aware of how she was clutching at Elgin's shirt and she kept her face pressed against his chest once they reached the water. He had one arm around her shoulders and the other across her back, holding her tight. At last, the skimmer jolted to a stop and Orina uncurled her fingers from Elgin's shirt. "You can let go of me now," she mumbled.

"Oh, um, right," he said. He let go and Orina straightened back up in her seat. "Er, shall we go?"

"Yeah, once my heart stops racing," Orina said. She swallowed thickly, then glared at the laughing driver. "Ugh."

"I told you, man," the driver said as they left the skimmer. "Shame, shame."

"Is there something I should be aware of?" Orina asked archly, once the skimmer had left and her hands had ceased shaking.

"The City Skimmer is a rapid-transit vehicle," Elgin said guiltily. "It goes very fast, but it's the best way out of Medina."

"For you, maybe," she muttered. She brushed at her hair, noting with annoyance that most of the pins had been knocked loose. "I was terrified!"

"I'm sorry," Elgin said. He reached for her arm, but she dodged away and started walking faster. "I'm sorry!" he called after her.

Orina stopped, then whirled around to face him, her eyes narrowed. "Don't touch me!"

Elgin stopped as well, eyes wide. "I'm sorry, Orina," he said again. "I should have warned you, but... I just wanted to surprise you. If I'd known it was going to scare you so much, I never would've suggested it. Can you forgive me?"

Orina scowled at him for a moment longer, until her clenched jaw began to shake and she felt tears prickle in her eyes. She told herself that she was still mad at him, but she knew she was angrier at herself. The skimmer ride had truly been harrowing, but she could have just as easily grabbed onto the seat when she felt she needed to hold on for dear life. Instead, she picked Elgin. She hunched her shoulders inward and bowed her head as she started to cry.

"Oh, Orina," Elgin sighed, sounding miserable. He glanced around and made halfhearted shooing motions at the people who had stopped or slowed down to watch after Orina's outburst.

"I forgive you, okay?" she managed, then added, as he approached her, "Just... don't."

"Do you want to leave?" he asked her. "It's okay. We can do this tomorrow, or not at all. It's all up to you. Maybe we can sit down while you decide."

Orina shook her head, but let Elgin gently lead her to a bench by her sleeve. He sat down next to her.

"It'll be okay, Orina," he said softly. "Tell me what I can do to help, and I will."

"I know," Orina finally said, with a shuddering sigh. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her robe, then started to pull out the pins from her hair. When she finally removed them all, she handed them to Elgin. "Keep those. I'll want them back when we get home."

"Okay," he said and put them in the pocket that his glasses had been in. "What else?"

She took a deep breath. "I want to buy a proper hairbrush. I've tried using my fingers, but I can't preen my hair like you do your feathers."

"It helps to have claws as well as a beak. Okay," Elgin said with a faint smile. "What else?"

"And some new clothes. I need something to wear that doesn't make me look like a time traveler from Zeal."

"And?"

"And you need to buy some new pajamas," she said. "Those nightshirts of yours are very soft, and I've decided that you probably look ridiculous in them."

"Oh, no arguments there: I do. I'll wear one tonight and you can laugh yourself sick."

"Okay. But after that, they're all mine. Even the plaid one."

"You look better in them anyway. What else?"

"Stop making me smile. I'm still a little mad at you."

The rest of the shopping trip went on without much incident, though Orina was consciously aware of just how different the stores they visited were from the ones she had patronized in Zeal. While she had previously enjoyed clothes custom tailored to fit her body, in Truce she had to search through eclectic racks of secondhand clothing in maddeningly-inconsistent numbered sizes. It took longer than she was sure either of them expected, but, with Elgin's help, she was able to procure a few blouses and slacks for work and some softer clothes for casual dress. She also helped Elgin select what she felt to be some suitable pajamas.

The part of the adventure she enjoyed least -- aside from the journey there -- happened when Elgin stammeringly directed her towards a very pastel purple store at the end of the plaza that he refused to enter. Instead, she was left to navigate it on her own, left only with the knowledge that she was to ask for a fitting and given the maximum amount they could afford to spend. The fitting involved being whisked off to a small room where she was subjected to some perfunctory measurements by a clerk, and the amount of money proved to be enough for just one of the items she'd endured said experience for. The rest of her undergarments -- as well as the hairbrush she wanted -- were acquired at a harshly-lit, dingy little store that smelled so strongly of cleaning products that it made her nose itch.

"Sorry," Elgin said to her once they reached the stop for the City Skimmer. It was dark out, and the light from the flickering street lamp reflected off his glasses in flashes. He carried all the bags from the stores they visited -- minus the small, pastel bag that Orina held -- and no amount of protest had convinced him to hand any of them over to her.

"For what?" Orina asked. She could see the skimmer approaching in the distance and was glad that it seemed to be running slower than it had earlier. "I had fun. Mostly. Didn't you?"

Elgin sighed. "Yes, yes... but --" The rest of his answer was cut off when the City Skimmer rattled to a stop, its door screeching open just as loudly as before.

"Looks like she forgave you," Connor said as they boarded the skimmer.

"Of course I did!" Orina snapped back. She settled into her seat with some trepidation and gripped its bottom edge so tightly that her knuckles went white. And, once the skimmer lurched into motion, she was glad Elgin let her hold his hand.

Orina sat in the bathtub, enjoying the soak that she felt herself to be more than entitled to after such a busy day. The skimmer ride hadn't been so bad the second time and she could, somewhat grudgingly, admit to herself that she could possibly enjoy it in the future. Still, she wished Elgin had warned her first about its speed before they left Medina.

She pushed that thought aside and reached over to turn on the tap, letting in a bit more hot water. She wasn't even sure how long she intended her bath to last; her fingers were pruned and she could smell dinner cooking. Eventually, she'd have to get out and...

What? Orina asked herself as she shut the tap back off. It's just a meal with a friend. Nothing to feel guilty about. Decamerone wouldn't mind that... he'd be glad to hear I met someone. As a friend! Elgin is just a friend and a very nice man. She heaved a heavy sigh and pulled the stopper. The swirling water reminded her of the timegate and, when she pushed her hands against the drain, the feeling of it sucking against her skin brought tears to her eyes. She pulled her hands away and got up to get dressed in her nightshirt, wiping at her eyes as she did so. And she took what she knew to be longer than necessary to towel her hair off and run the brush through it. She even considered taking the time to pin it back up until she remembered that those were still in Elgin's coat pocket.

"Orina?" Elgin called from the kitchen. "Dinner's ready!"

"Okay!" she called back, then rushed out the door before her conscience could stop her. And she walked quickly through the hall and the living room until what she saw in the kitchen stopped her in her tracks. "You've got to be kidding me."

Elgin turned off the stove, then turned to face her. He was dressed in the orange plaid nightshirt that Orina already considered her last choice between going to bed in her clothes or in clean sleepwear. The shirt reached to his knees and she noticed that, much like with his forearms, his feathers ended at mid-shin. And she told herself that she was only looking at him in order to appreciate how silly his outfit looked with his socks and Roly slippers. "Good evening, Ms. Nightshade: I see that you arrived properly dressed for the event."

"Oh god, Elgin, look at you!" Orina laughed, then walked to the table and sat down. "You look ridiculous!"

Elgin chuckled. "That I do."

Orina smiled at him. "You didn't eat yet, did you?"

"No, not this time," he said, then hummed a tune while he prepared two plates of what Orina saw was spaghetti.

"Good," Orina said. She smiled again when he put the plate in front of her, though she was disappointed to discover that what she first thought were meatballs turned out to be whole mushrooms. It was the sort of food she hadn't eaten since she was very young, back before Alyse became a Guru and when their survivors' benefits barely counted for anything once bills were paid. "This looks great, thank you."

"You're welcome," Elgin said. He placed his own plate across from her, but hesitated before he sat down. "I'm not used to cooking for more than just myself. What sorts of things do you like?"

"Anything," Orina told him. "Everything has been wonderful."

"I'm glad."

Orina took a few more bites, then set her fork down with a frown. She hadn't heard anything from Elgin's side of the table and a glance confirmed her suspicions that his plate was untouched. "I've seen birds eat before," she reminded him. "I've seen them eat worms after it rained. I'm not taking another bite until you do."

Elgin nodded. "If you insist."

Orina watched him reluctantly eat a forkful of spaghetti, then picked her own fork back up and resumed eating. "I'm glad to finally see you eat something -- I was starting to think you were trying to poison me." Elgin laughed and, to her relief, continued on with his meal.

Once they had finished eating and the dishes had been washed and put away, Orina settled down on the couch and pulled the blanket off its back onto her legs. Elgin had stayed behind saying that the dryer was almost finished and that he would be in once everything was folded.

"You know..." she heard him say from the laundry room. "Earlier I said that I'd wear this and you could laugh yourself sick."

"I did laugh," Orina said. "You look like a plaid fool."

"You did, but it wasn't what I'd call laughing yourself sick," Elgin countered.

Orina heard something click in the kitchen. "What in the...?" she began and watched in confusion as one slipper sailed along the kitchen floor and was swiftly followed by the other. "Elgin?!"

The music began to play a moment later; it was something slow, with a slinky beat. Orina stared as Elgin slid into view at the kitchen entryway, nearly losing his balance from the lack of traction his socks provided on the smooth floor. She backed up against the arm of the couch and pulled the blanket up to her chin when the song's instrumentation went brassy, the tempo increased, and the beat suddenly changed from slinky to sleazy.

"...You've got to be kidding me," Orina mumbled, eyes wide, then sputtered when he started to dance. She didn't recognize the steps from anything she knew; in fact, it seemed to be a mix of dance moves, strung together by a lot of hip-shaking. Another near-fall brought him dancing into the living room, towards the couch where Orina laughed as she peeked out from behind the blanket. She shrieked when Elgin snatched the blanket away, then pushed herself to the other side of the sofa to get away from him. "Go away! I can't even look at you!"

Elgin waggled a finger at her, then continued to pursue her around the couch as the song wound down and Orina's laughter became hiccuping giggles. By the time the music ended, Orina was curled up in a wheezing ball. She mock-glared at Elgin when he flopped down next to her on the couch.

"That's more like it!" he said. "So, how are you feeling now?"

"...Like I'm gonna puke."