The sun was starting to rise, creating various colors painted across the horizon, but this was no time to admire the scenery. Another time maybe he would have smiled as he watched all the different shades blend together perfectly. It was something so simple, and happened everyday, but that never made it less beautiful. Right now, he didn’t even notice the faint whispers and the fingers that were directed at the two, not that he would care if he did pay attention to them.
Upon reaching her out towards him, Flynn was hesitant to grasp her hand in his, but still, she took hold of his arm and tugged him up. He stared at her for another moment, this time not in awe, but just blankly, his mind whirling in a million directions. Should he trust her? He didn’t have anyone else, and the cold was unbearable for someone who only wore a t-shirt. Did he really have a choice? She made a vow to answer his questions, and for now, she was the only one willing to do so.
A simple nod of his head was his silent gesture in agreement, and the two began on their way. They walked along the same path, passing so many alien things on their way. The sights astonished him, which only brought up more questions that he’d need to ask her.
With every second he became more and more worried, anxious, yet amazed. These things were incredible, but that alone was frighting to him. How could someone create something like the stuff he’d seen, when he still used a horse as his main source of transportation? How far ahead were the people of this town?
When they finally stopped, a shocked expression graced his features. The building that stood before them was immense in height. It wasn’t massive like the castle he once knew to be home, no, it’s wasn’t wide like that. However, in height, the two were similar. She’d walked directly towards it, this must be where she resided. His jaw dropped slightly as his eyes followed the building up, then back down to the base.
Upon turning to face her, he felt her cold hand press against his forehead, though she may have spoken a warning, his attention had been so absorbed on the apartment that he hadn’t heard anything she’d said. He didn’t particularly mind though, since she only kept her hand there for a few moments. Instead, she pocketed her hand, and pulled out a what appeared to be a card.
She slid it through something by the door, and just like that, it swung open. It was like a key, it unlocked the door, and opened it on it’s own. This new town never ceased to amaze him. As she invited him in, he was fairly cautious, looking around before actually stepping through the door way. Though she didn’t seem to mean him any harm, he couldn’t help but be a little leery.
Just like everything else here, it didn’t look like the usual interior he was used to. It was appealing, in fact, he liked it better than what he was used to, but it was just so different. He could get used to it though, and fairly quickly at that. He stepped on the mat before him, holding the back of his shoe with his finger before slipping his foot out from it’s grasp.
The small click of the door caught his attention, standing back up as he looked at the door behind him. Even something as simple as the doorknob was different. The silver brass was so much more fine and neat looking, and he wouldn’t get a sliver every time he tried to open a door. His eyes surveyed the walls of her home, before falling on her as she walked off.
He questioned whether he should follow her or not, but for the moment, decided against it. He hadn’t noticed until now, but he had started to warm up, his hands didn’t seem to be as ice cold as they had when he’d first taken the flask from her. Perhaps, whatever she’d given him had actually worked.
It wasn’t like him to be this quiet, usually he’d be cracking jokes and trying to keep the atmosphere light and humorous with his goofy attitude, but right now, he was in no mood for antic behavior.
“Ma’am—” He took a step towards the area she’d walked off too, glimpsing around the corner to see where she’d gone. She’d promised to answer his questions, and boy, did he have a lot. The only problem was, he wasn’t sure where to start. “I have questions. I need to know where I am, so that I can figure out how to get back home.”
“Trust me, darling, I have questions that need to be answered, too,” Jinah whispered under her breath, teeth sinking deep into her bottom lip as she tried her best to focus on getting to the living room in one piece - eyes fixed on the empty space in front of her as she attempted to balance a steaming bowl of stew, a bit of toast and a mug of hot tea all at once with her arms.
Her first question plagued her head - why was she doing this?Jinah pursed her lips, dazed eyes clouded with dark hues and deep thoughts as she worked on arranging the dishes neatly on the table to her satisfaction. She had never really considered herself as kind. Sure, she shrugged. She did put spare change in the donations box at the grocery store from time to time, but only because she would click her tongue with sheer annoyance every time coins began to weigh down her wallet. And sure, she did volunteer to watch over Ace for Thomas every once in a while when he had to travel out of town and the pet hotels were fully booked, but only because she was fonder of the puppy than she’d have liked to admit.
She rose from her crouch at the corner of the coffee table and gestured for the man to dig in (were his lips turning blue, now?) with an indistinct nod of her head. Perhaps Jinah simply had a penchant for picking up people on the streets as she did with Blair, and she certainly hoped with all her might that it wouldn’t develop or evolve into a strange, monstrous fetish of sorts.
“A question for a question,” she decided, sinking back on the couch with a muffled sigh of relief as she rested her aching calves. “You can stay here until we get you home, I suppose, but it won’t be free. Nothing is,” she finished with a throaty laugh. “I was joking - well. We’ll see. Perhaps you won’t have to stay here for long.”
“You asked three questions, if memory serves me well enough,” she pondered with a slight frown, kicking her feet back on the armrest of the sofa, her hair fanning out in feathery strands of deep chocolate across the leather. “Mmmh, well. Here, think fast.” With a slight flick of her fingers, Jinah tossed her smartphone over to the unsuspecting man, counting on his fast reflexes. “Have you… honestly never seen this before? It’s… we call it a phone. You can use it to communicate with friends, or family, or even strangers. All you need is their contact information, or their number. It’s pretty handy for jotting stuff down if you don’t have paper and pen on hand, and you can even use it like a camera.”
Sitting up abruptly, she scooted closer to the stranger, picking up the magazine that she’d been browsing the previous morning that was lying on the edge of the coffee table, a bright smile dancing on her lips. “And… the things you pointed out on the roads earlier? Those are cars, and you use them to get around. They’re fascinating things, honestly,” she pointed to a photograph of a sleek model on one of the pages with the words ‘Lamborghini Veneno’ printed under it in bold letters with a starry-eyed gaze. “This one here’s a beauty. My elder brother has one - I plan to steal it from him often.”
Stretching forwards, Jinah reached out to prise her phone away from the man’s stony grip. Entering the word, 'Corona’ with a flurry of light taps on the screen’s surface, she opened each and every search result that came up. And still… nothing, save for an advertisement for a brand of beer with the same name. She felt as if a rhinoceros was attempting to escape from the confines of her head. She hummed under her breath, racking her brain for ideas.
“Don’t worry, though,” she muttered at last, meeting his eyes over her shoulder. “If you got here by plane, or boat, we can definitely get you back. We’ll find a way - this is the twenty-first century, after all.”
“A question for a question - you owe me two. Who are you?”