Chapter 06
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There were a lot of blond-haired and half-naked Eves, now staring back at her. The Adams, who were there as well gave their main attention to Idris, but not before stealing a quick glance at her.
When some of the men began to walk towards where they stood, Quinn unconsciously moved closer to Idris. Her first encounter with the species of this planet wasn't very pleasant, so she didn't know what to expect from them. Friends or foes, the only one she trusted at that moment was Idris.
He, on the other hand, didn't seem so keen on her touching him. When her palm connected with his elbow, he froze under her touch and suddenly began to act strangely. He blinked rapidly, cleared his throat a few times, and to her surprise ... he was blushing.
However, this reaction stopped and Idris collected his composure as soon as the first man joined them. A smile spread on both of their faces when they stood face to face.
The other man put his hand over Idris's shoulder in the same way he had greeted her the other day. Then, to her surprise, he leaned his head towards Idris's. The more he neared, the more her eyes widened.
"Please don't tell that these are going to start kissing now..."
She mumbled under her breath while watching them. Contrary to her assumption, the two men briefly touched their foreheads before parting again. This must have been another one of their customs of greeting a friend. Either that or the men getting touchy were actually lovers.
Quinn stood awkwardly beside Idris, while he took his time explaining their journey. Or so she thought because he pointed a few times towards her and mimicked how she arrived from the sky.
The first woman who dared to near her looked at Quinn with curiosity and pure astonishment. She began to ring around her, carefully tracing every inch of her skin with her vivid eyes. Quinn felt as if she was the one naked under her bald gaze. Goosebumps perked her skin when unknown fingers touched her hair and reflexively, Quinn turned around to face the culprit.
But to her surprise, the woman didn't back away. Her hand remained in mid-air as if she was waiting for permission to touch her again. Carefully she reached for Quinn and this time, her fingers skimmed her right cheek.
Quinn surmised why the woman was so fascinated by her. It must have been because of her skin and hair. While she had darker skin and natural chocolate-colored hair, from what she had seen, the people on this planet, including Idris himself, had lighter-milky skin colors.
Maybe this was their first time seeing someone with different skin color, explaining their fascination. Either that or Quinn was far from the truth and this woman just had the hots for her.
Well, who could blame her for that...
The woman wasn't sore to the eyes either. Her long platinum hair framed the beauty painted all over her face, and her eyes shone like a set of diamonds in the daylight. Although Quinn has always been more of Idris, or the man in front of him, kind of a girl - who knows right? A new planet, new rules.
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Idris had predicted that the other Talanians were going to react to Quinn, just the way they did. He wanted to laugh at how obvious they were. For example, he knew that the first one to approach them as soon as they arrived in the village would be his older brother Igoru. Then, a series of explaining will follow. Igoru will want to know the details of who she was, how he had found her, and where the hell, she had arrived from. But most importantly he will wonder if maybe she was going to be a threat to their people. That would be as expected from Igoru, his a little grumpy, but the most loyal brother.
After him, the star of their village will show. No other than, Idris's best friend and the center of all gossip, Rox. He was a fierce warrior on the field, but also the biggest jester of their kind. Rox will examine Quinn from head to toe, not minding where she came from or who she was. He will, to Idris's misfortune, probably ask inappropriate questions.
Arcanus will be nearby to join the party. The younger brother of Rox was a total contrast to him. Always polite and quiet, he will ask whether she was hungry or thirsty. Then, he will offer to prepare some herb tonic for her. Although his fighting skills were far from excellent, Arcanus's specialty was the healing tonic and paste. He was known for making a tonic so powerful, to bring a man from the edge of dying.
And, Idris was almost going to forget about her - Ejona, his younger sister. Only her level of curiosity could match with Rox's one. Without a doubt, she will be the first one to approach Quinn directly.
These predictions all came true as soon as he felt Quinn jumping out of her skin. He understood Ejona's fascination with Quinn because he too was amazed by her. Her darker skin, a lot different from theirs, fitted her so well. It highlighted her lips and the color of her eyes. He still hadn't figured whether their color was like the river or the night sky above.
Lost in the funny way Quinn was reacting to his sister, Idris's thoughts were broken by the sound of the Chief's voice. Acame, also known as Idris's father has demanded his and Quinn's presence.
Well, well - this was going to be good.
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Words spread in Talan faster than the water floating in her riverbed. Not even a few moments had passed since their arrival and his father was already aware of the whole situation.
As expected Acame begun to question Quinn, even though Idris had carefully explained to him that she didn't understand their language, nor that they did hers. But he was the Chief of their people which meant that he had the authority above them, so Idris couldn't question his choices. Well, not until the old man gives his position to Idris.
His brother Igoru, even though being older than him and first in line for the position, clearly stated that he wasn't interested in becoming a chief. Although he swore to help Idris when his time comes, he didn't want to become a leader. Igoru has always been a quiet type of a guy, more interested in nature, the ground, and the stars above than in ruling their village.
"Where did you say you found this female?"
"Father, she fell from the sky while being eaten by a firebird. I don't know whether the fall was caused by her or the creature, but if I didn't saw her on time, she would have been dead by now."
Idris explained while Quinn just stood beside him. She had been unusually quiet during the whole time since they have arrived.
"And the bird?"
"It's dead. But I haven't seen a creature like that until yesterday. Maybe it arrived from where she came from."
To this comment, Acame's eyebrows lifted a little. It was tough to get a reaction out of him because he always knew how to hold a cold facade, but the unknown things always perked his attention. And Idris knew why they did. Acame has always been over-protective of his people. Anything unexplainable and foreign was a possible threat to him.
"What if other ones come after her? She could be a danger to our kind."
"We will fight like we always do. We don't hide or fear from our enemies."
After the battles they had with the Vakans, the Talanian people lost a lot of its kind. Men, women, and children came in the middle of the war. So Acame didn't want history to repeat itself. Even though most people thought that the Vakans no longer existed, he didn't believe in that theory. He had always warned them to be cautious and prepared for whatever danger comes in their way. And right at that moment, in his eyes, Quinn was a sort of a warning.
"Why does it sounds to me like you want to protect her? Is there something you are not telling me, Idris?"
"No."
Acame's eyes traced all over Idris's face. He knew that he had answered his father's question faster than he should have. Acame's next query came in the form that Idris had expected it would.
"Idris? I always know when you are lying to me."
Idris exhaled deeply, just realizing what he was supposed to tell his father. But how could he, when he didn't even understand the reason why he wanted to protect her? It was too early and enigmatic to be spoken about.
"Well, she... you know."
"I don't, that is why I'm asking you."
Odd or not, Idris couldn't defy a direct order. His father demanded an explanation and him, being bad at lying, had to tell the truth. But how could he explain the things that, well... no one but him and Quinn should know.
"She made her claim on me. Quinn made me hers."
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N O T E:
Now, now - we finally meet some Talanians and we will be seeing these ones quite often. Also, did you know that I adore Idris? He is the cutest being other there. As for the thing he said last, there will be an explanation in the next chapter. And just wait for Quinn's reaction to that. She will ... well, when she finds out what she has done...
How do you like it, by the way? What do you think about the development of this story? Let me know!
-THIA.