KAI

Shopping went better than I thought. I don't think I've seen a female so carefree and stiff about shopping. I understand she's not from here and I don't know how they find what to wear on Di Hipsodat, but I expect her to be free and happy. She wants to learn and she's done a great job so far, asking questions about everything that feels strange to her and so things she can't understand. She doesn't talk much, she was silent throughout the process, just nodding and watching everything I do.

After paying for all the clothes I bought, I move closer to her and make sure she's walking closely with me. I don't want her doing anything stupid after the shit she pulled with the escalator, she wasn't even afraid that people could see her.

"Are you hungry?" I ask her when I notice the hotdog place. I haven't eaten anything since I woke this morning, just coffee and... My laptop is still at the coffee shop. I'm hungry as hell and it's her fault I'm this hungry. She made me walk from the park to this place, which is like five miles.

Her eyes snaps at the banner hanging in front of the kiosk, the hotdog was poorly portrayed as a living being with the sausage having hands and legs, it's wearing a smiley expression and it mouth is opened, the hotdog is holding a hotdog.

She shake her head, obviously not finding the humor in image.

"It looks weird but it tastes good. Want to try it with me?" I offer.

"Are we going somewhere else?" She asks and adds, "I would like to rest now, I'm tired."

"Nowhere, just my home, we have the whole of tomorrow to explore the city." I tell her, mental noting that I need to take more time off from work because I can't let her out of my sight for more than a minute, who know she'll do? The woman has conquered more worlds than I've lived. "Still don't want to try out the hotdog?"

"Why do call it hotdog?" She asks. "That doesn't look like a dog." Her eyes not leaving the banner.

"I'm surprised you know what a dog is. Do you have them on Di Hipsodat?"

She shakes her head. "I learned it. The boy I bumped has a Labrador."

I frown. "How exactly did you know he has a Labrador?"

I thought her powers were just to learn the language, not learn about the person's life.

"I saw it," she says. I raise my eyebrows in question but she doesn't see me. She continues anyway. "I was in his head briefly. I looked into his life."

"Right, anyway Hotdog is just a name, it's actually a wiener—sausage made from beef, pork or chicken. Let's try it out and see if you like it or not." I convince her again and I won't stop until she agrees to try it out.

"Okay." She agrees. Just like that without thinking.

I don't bother to hide my smile as I say, "You are going to love it, I promise. Let's go." I lead the way to the kiosk. It's a good thing that I already ask them to have what I bought delivered to my house because I don't think I'll be about to balance everything in my hands.

I stop in front of kiosk and see a woman working behind the counter, the hotdog sign is emblemed on her apron and chef hat. "Hey,"

The lady raises her head from what she's doing and meet my gaze. "Hey, what can I get you guys?"

"Four hotdogs: one with ketchup, another with mustard, a plain one and the last one should the mixture of ketchup and mustard." I list and bring out my wallet from my pocket to remove my credit card.

I pass the card to her. She collects it and walks away. Waiting, I look at Laura to see her lost in thought. I wish I could look into her head and she what she's thinking. I need to get my thoughts in order because I don't know when she's listening. The lady returns with our order, my stomach rumbles at the sight of it.

"Here you go," She drops the hotdogs on the counter and slide my card to me. "Enjoy."

I pick two and face Laura. "Carry the remaining." I order.

I don't expect to do as she was told but she surprises me when she carries the hotdogs. I lead her to the plastic chair and table near the kiosk and ask her to sit while I drop the hotdogs on the table. She pulls the chair for herself and sits.

"Don't go anywhere, I'll quickly go get some water or soda, which one would you like?" I ask knowing she'll pick water. I doubt she knows what soda is.

"Water." Just what I thought.

"Soda it is." I go get us some soda. How is she supposed to learn by sticking to what she knows.

I return to see Laura sitting straight with her hands on her knees. If I didn't know better I'd say she's tense. Her eyes are on the two kids sitting in the table next to us, fighting while their mother is typing away on her phone. Laura isn't hiding her fascination when it comes to earth. She makes me want to... I don't know, guide and protect her. Even though I only just met her and I've heard lots of awful things about her, I  want to get to know her, the real her.

I drop the juice on the table in front of the hotdogs and she looks up. I sit on the chair in front of her and stare at her. "OJ tastes good."

"What did you get for yourself?" She asks, looking away from me to the hotdogs.

"I brought it for the both of us, but you get to choose first." I push the four Hotdogs towards her and realize I should bought mine separately since we're testing. Well, I'll just eat the one she doesn't like.

Surprising me, Laura shakes her head. "No, I wasn't talking about the hotdogs. I was referring to the soda, you called it." She nudges her chin towards the orange juice.

I take the bottle and wave it at her. "Oh this? It's just orange juice." She nods and drops her eyes on the hotdogs. She claims she isn't hungry but I doubt she's aware she's swallowing, obviously salivating. "See anyone you like?" I press because something tells me she's not going to ask.

"I'm waiting for you to choose for me. Which one would you recommend I try first?"

Wow, she's opened to different options and she wants my opinion. She'll fit on Earth well.

"You'd let me do that for you?" I don't bother hiding my surprise.

Her eyes meets mine and I see something in her ice blue eyes that I can't explain. She hasn't showed any ounce of emotions since I saw her but now her eyes are dancing in emotions I don't understand. That is until she tells me, "I don't trust anyone, Malakai. And given the history I have with your sister, I shouldn't trust you, but somehow I do. I trust you, Kai Stark."

My mouth drops open unable to form real words. "Wow..." I blow out after some moment and blink myself back to reality, clearing my throat. "Thanks...umm... I think you should try the plain one before trying the rest."

She is quick to grab the plain hotdogs and brings it to her mouth, she opens it and takes a big bite. I try not to make a sound at the way her mouth opens and takes the bite of the hotdog, I don't think I've ever seen any take that big of a bite. She drops the rest in the paper and chew slowly. I can tell her the way her mouth coils in disgust that she doesn't like it.

"Do you like it?" I ask anyway.

She shakes her head and swallows after chewing enough. "I don't like it. I couldn't get the taste. It was ask if I just chewing on air."

Okay... That is a oddly specific description

I encourage her to try the one with both mustard and ketchup. She brings the Hotdog close to her mouth and instead of taking a bite, she licks the mustard and ketchup.

"You're supposed to chew it and lick it. Watch me." I take the one with mustard and watch her watch me as I take a bite and chew. God this taste good.

She frowns and continue licking. "Come on, Laura, you're supposed to–"

She slams her empty palm on the table and snaps her eyes at me. "Laura-El. You will call me Laura-El, not Laura. I am still El-Sah-El and you will show me respect!"

I drop the hotdog and raise my hand up in surrender. "I'm sorry, I meant no offense. Laura-El, got it."

Baby steps. I still need to tell her that people on Earth would find the name Laura-El weird, but anyway....

"I like this one," she says, picking the hotdog she was licking. She didn't even eat it. "Can I have more?"

"You can have as many as you want as you as you eat it, not lick."

"I will do what I want."

Stubborn woman.

I reach from across the table and collect the hotdog from her. "You are supposed to eat it and not lick it." I tell her again.

"I like it like that," She glares at him and reaches for it. "Give it to me!" She demands.

Kai frowns and give it to her. I take the one I was eating and ask her to watch me eat. "Or I'm sending your ass to the zoo."

She growls, actually sounded like an animal before doing as she was told. She take a bite, not as big as the previous one and chew. From the look on her face I know she doesn't like it before I can say anything, she drops it on the paper and removes the sausage. She eats that with a ghost of smile on her face. I realized Laura doesn't like the buns, she prefers the sausage covered the mustard and ketchup. She asks me to buy her more and I order five more, and watch as she eats the sausage covered in mustard and ketchup up only.

I draw the line after sausage number fourteen and ask her to drink the orange juice. She doesn't make any comments about it, so I'm not sure if she likes it or not.

We leave the place after than and begin to walk down the street. I'm not sure hailing for a cab would do us any good and the walks to my house is very far.

"When are we going to your place?" She asks with a smile.

I blink to make sure I'm not seeing things. She is smiling at me. Not just that she's been less snappy and mean to me since we started shopping. She isn't behaving like herself. Something about her mood and behavior has shifted.

"Why are you smiling at me?" I dare ask.

"You are good to me, Kai." She responds, which is also weird.

"You were ready to kill me hours ago, you had your deadly whip wrapped around my neck. What changed?" I press. I need know if she was just pretending to be an hardcore woman.

She shrugs. "Nothing changed except you touched me." She says.

I touched her, so what? She almost burned my palm off.

"What does that have to do with your change in mood?"

"You gave me some of your emotions when you did," she tell me with a smile. "It will wear off soon, don't worry." She assures me.

It make sense now, I gave her some of my emotions. Actually, it makes zero sense. What the fuck does that even mean? I gave her my emotions. I've lived a thousand lives and I've seen people. I've powers that can't be explain but this, this is unreal.

"Does it happen all the time? How does it even happen?" I have to ask.

"No. It only happened because I wanted to know what you were feeling at the moment, now I know your intentions about me are pure and innocent, that is why I trust you. Let's go."

What the hell? That explanation makes absolutely no sense.

"You said you trust me," I begin. She looks at me and nods. "Can I touch you again?" She opens her mouth decline but I continue. "I can teleport us there. To my house, it'll save us the time and energy."

Suggesting teleportation is dangerous because I don't know the full capacity of Laura's powers and I can't begin to understand how it'll affect the travelling to my home. But it's easier than walking it.

"You're a teleporter?" She asks and I nod. "I didn't know Kaia could teleport."

"There's a lot you don't know about my sister and me. So about teleporting, are you in?" I urge.

"Yes, I am."

"I will have to touch you, please don't burn me."

She shrugs and holds out her hands. She sure knows how teleportation works. I place my hand on her and take us away. This isn't the first time I'm teleporting to my house. I drop us at my living room, it's a big space that clean as white; leather couch, wallpaper and persian rug covering the wooden floor. "Make yourself comfortable while I got step up your room." I tell her before walking to the waiting area where my housekeeper dropped the stuff we ordered from SASH.

I pick them all up and walk upstairs to one of the guest rooms and set the shopping bag on the bed.

Oh Kai, what have you gotten yourself in to?

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