Dark Moon | Klaus Mikaelson

Chapter 2

Elijah drummed his fingers against the arm of the chair and got to his feet. "I will provide humans to share their knowledge with you. Give me only a few moments. I have already shown you how to eat here, so please, help yourself."

He returned with a woman, who seemed to have been compelled to not be afraid. She wore even stranger clothes (in Esmeray's opinion), all the same color and made of a rougher fabric, with bulkier shoes than what Elijah had on.

"This woman is a nurse," said Elijah, moving the woman forward. "She treats those who are ill. She does not know Healing Spells, but she does understand modern healing. As in, without magic."

Esmeray reached her hand out, placing her palm delicately on the woman's shoulder. She reached up her other hand, placing a finger on the center of the woman's forehead and closed her eyes. "Be ilja hukkommelse, at vise minne suge."

The nurse stared at her blankly, feeling nothing, but Esmeray's eyes snapped open, and she gasped. "That's fascinating," she whispered, cupping the woman's face. She made her first attempt at speaking English after a moment of pause: "You are a hero."

"Thank you," said the woman almost robotically.

"I understood her," said Esmeray, though her own words were not in English anymore. "She appreciates what I said."

From there, learning the basics became easier. Elijah had only shown her some food the night before, since he didn't have clothes for her to wear and didn't want to urge her into taking a bath if she was just going to have to wear the same thing. The nurse patiently explained to Esmeray how baths and showers worked in this world to reinforce the knowledge Esmeray had taken from her, and before she got dressed, performed an examination to ensure that she was in good health, as she was still essentially mortal. She was given some scrubs to wear in the meantime, and the nurse lectured her a bit on which foods were beneficial for her health and which foods were not. She spoke to her about working out, self care, mental health concerns, and societal standards for women.

"Just know that you don't need to do any of these things," the nurse told her sternly, as though she was speaking to her own daughter. "You're not required to shave or put on makeup or even a fancy outfit. Dress how you want to dress. Make yourself look the way you want to look. Some of us feel nice when we fix ourselves up and some of us don't- it's really a matter of personal preference. No one- guy or girl- has the right to criticize you for how you choose to present yourself."

Esmeray mulled it over, and smiled. "Thank you. Your knowledge has been very useful."

The nurse was then allowed to go home, and Elijah escorted Esmeray out into the streets, testing her understanding. She was able to point out a car, a bicycle, and a restaurant. The Original had to try not to look so surprised so that she wouldn't think he was insulting her. Still, it was fascinating how easily she had been able to learn about the world she was now in.

Of course, there was still a lot left to learn. They entered a clothing store, and Esmeray cornered one of the employees, taking some of their memories about fashion and money. This allowed Esmeray to learn a few new words as well as decide which fashion style she wanted to go for. Elijah noticed that she steered away from the fanciest items, going straight to the darkest types of clothing. It appeared she had chosen more of a grunge/gothic style, and the delighted look on her face let Elijah know that at least, she was enjoying this.

Next, he took her to a coffee shop, where he had her practice her English with the barista and others who were nearby so that she could ask them what type of coffee they preferred. She elected not to try anything, and when Elijah asked why, she said quite thoughtfully that the nurse's personal opinion was that caffeine wasn't really that good for a person.