Lyanna started talking more halfway home.

She asked a lot of questions about what she saw, and Airin tried her best to answer, in simple, short, sentences like she did with her young students in class.

As Lyanna grew more secure, she began to walk next to Airin so she could ask her more questions, and Xander walked a few steps behind them.

A few times they stopped so Lyanna could admire the buildings, the cars, the buses, the metro trains ... all. Her mouth opened wide as she struggled to contain her awe.

When Airin could get some words in among the barrage of questions from Lyanna, she asked how old the girl was. Lyanna said she was five, then she was busy asking this and that again.

When they finally got to her apartment, and Lyanna was exhausted from all the exposure to the new things she saw and learned on the way. She jumped in fright when she heard the metro passing by with its loud noise, she ran to Xander and almost cried until Airin explained, to the best of her ability, what metro was and what the noise was.

That explanation was enough for both Xander and Lyanna, both clearly trusted Airin more now. The little girl quickly rediscovered her curiosity, walked around the living room, asked a few questions, and just casually found her way to the futon couch and slumped – completely forgetting her hunger, and falling asleep right away.

Airin never truly realized the sheer smallness of her apartment, until Xander, with his tall muscular body that seemed to almost touch her ceiling, stood in the middle of it. His clothes made it all more obvious in the backdrop of her apartment, that he came from a completely different place from her.

"Look, I don't know in what kind of home ... castle ... dwelling you live in ...in ... wherever you come from. But this is my home ... dwelling ... apartment ..." Airin stumbled her words.

She felt the urge to speak like those characters she saw in movies about some Middle Ages warriors in their kingdom. "It's a bit ... small ..." Airin added as she took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.

She had guys over before, but this guy in front of her felt different. He felt literally otherworldly, and otherworldly was not just as an adverb, a description, that she would mindlessly add to her social media caption when she did upload a photo of a guy she was with.

Xander looked around, and nodded. "I do not have problem with the size of this ... apartment, Miss Airin."

"Just Airin, please."

"Airin."

"Yes."

Xander stumbled a bit, and Airin came closer. "You are wounded. Let me see it."

"Do not worry about it," Xander took a step back.

"I have some first aid kit. I don't have a car but I could take you to the ER if needed. By cab."

The confusion on Xander's face made Airin realize she had spoken too fast on too many terms that may be new for him. "Just let me at least see it," Airin sighed.

Xander seemed in doubt, his eyebrows furrowed as he thought, and he finally nodded – a fleeting, unsure, nod. "I have something I could put for it. It will be alright," his doubt was back.

The thunderstorm arrived. Raging rain pummeled the windows, droplets of water ran after one and another, thunder roared, and Airin was glad they got to her apartment before all the water broke loose.

"Fine then. Let me know if you need anything."

"Airin, I ..."

"Yes?"

"My wound is on my stomach. I have to take off my shirt. Would you be comfortable with that?"

Airin startled, she was not sure why though. The gentlemanly demeanor? The question? She was not raised in a cloister, she had been with guys even before Sean, and she had seen shirtless guys before. But that question alone, for reason she could not describe, made her feel like she was considered, she was seen.

"It's fine. Do what you have to, Xander. I'll be in the kitchen," she finally replied.

Xander felt his belt, and took a small leather bag. He handed to bag to Airin. "Could you please help me pour the content of this bag into a bowl and mix a bit of water to make it into paste?"

Airin nodded, took the bag from Xander's hand, and went to the kitchen to do exactly what Xander asked her to. The content of the bag was green powder of sort, smelled like herbs, like a mix of rosemary and mint. With the addition of water, the powder turned to paste, and Airin brought the bowl with the green paste to Xander.

Xander sat on the futon couch next to sleeping Lyanna, took off his outer clothes, and then his shirt. It was obvious he was uncomfortable. He looked to the floor the whole time, while Airin realized that made her uncomfortable too. She looked away, to the rain that fell outside.

When she looked back at the man, Xander was already naked from the waist up.

Airin only now realized that he had a thin, medium length sword sheathed in an all-black scabbard, the one he had set now on the coffee table. How could I miss that Xander had a sword, a weapon to kill someone? Airin felt cold.

Xander's body was covered in tattoos, black-inked characters on his chest, arms, shoulder, and the lower part of his neck. Tattoos that managed to instill a mix of awe and fear in Airin.

There was a small stab wound in Xander's left stomach area. From the greenish brownish stain on the wound, he seemed to have put something on it before, the blood had dried out, and now he put the green paste on it and massaged it.

Xander breath became faster and shorter as he applied the green paste on his wound. Glistening sweats rolled down his face. He shut his eyes tightly as he tried to withstand the pain, and breathed even faster. "It is not ... a deep wound ... it will be ... alright," Xander spoke in halted speech to Airin as he opened his eyes and grimaced. His face was wet from sweat, and his breath labored.

Airin tried to say something, but all words seemed to escape her mind now. "Are you sure that green paste is enough, Xander? It's a wound, deep or not!" that was what finally said. She rushed to the kitchen, grabbed a clean kitchen towel, and kneeled next to Xander.

"Here ... " she gave the kitchen towel to Xander. Xander took it, wiped his hands with it. "Are you sure you don't need a doctor?" she asked again. "Or some sort of bandage? I only have small band-aids, but I can go buy ..."

"No, Airin. It is alright. And doctor? What is that? Like a shaman?" he asked with a clear curiosity in his blue eyes.

"Yes. A healing person."

"Nydda, our palace sorceress, gave this green powder to me. For healing."

Airin decided it may be best not to argue about this with Xander.

They were quiet for some time, trying to adjust to each other's presence, with only the sound of the rain and the gentle snore of Lyanna filling the air around them.

Her fight with Dad seemed so far away, and Airin was surprised of how little she thought of Dad now. She did not even have a chance to check her phone and see if Dad had tried to contact her.

She knew for sure that she was still angry at him and May, she would be angry for a long time, but the anger did not eat her from the inside like it was earlier. It tickled her, it seethed within, but it did not roar anymore.

The green powder paste worked well. Xander showed less signs of being in severe pain, he put his shirt back on, and just stared at the floor.

"Would you like something to eat, to drink?" Airin broke the silence with a question that sounded more like a whisper, and Xander stared at her, nodding, and a soft yes.

She went to the kitchen, trying to figure out what to feed a guy who just shot out of a glowing well?

After a couple minutes looking around among her pretty bare food supplies, she decided on warm tea and cheese sandwich. Sandwich was quickly out of question because she found blackish, greenish mold growing on the bread.

Cornflakes was also out of question. She finished the milk with her breakfast this morning.

Warm tea and instant cup noodles then. Grocery tomorrow! she noted to herself.

Warm tea and cup noodles were good.

Xander at first was completely mesmerized by the noodles. He used the fork and took one strand, lifted it to its entire length, and examined it, smelled it. He had never seen a strand of noodle before.

After inspecting the strand of noodle, he ate the noodles and drank the tea without much word at all. He was hungry, that much was obvious.

The whole time, Airin tried her best to look neutral. There was always that first time to try something new for everyone, including for a man who looked like an esteemed warrior from another time and place to try a cup of instant noodle.

The night had grown late when Xander finished eating noodles and gulping the broth of the noodle till there was not a drop left.

Airin took an extra blanket and draped it over Lyanna. Then she stood in front of Xander, took a deep breath, and nodded gently. "I am ready to listen to your story. Who are you? Where are you from? Please tell me everything. This is ... this is too weird for me. I just need some sort of explanation," she said and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Xander stood up too, and went to the window. He ran his fingers on the width of window, stared to the rain for a few seconds before turning around, facing Airin. "I will tell you now," his voice was low, and he started his story.