Valencia sighed. "Well, my name is Valencia. Valencia West. And no, you may not call me Val or Cia or any other shortened version of my name. I don't appreciate it." She sighed again. "I kinda can't move if you're literally in the doorway. And twilight munch better be good mandatory sustenance (like cheetos). Or I demand you return me to my home."
Tyr stepped back, offering his arm for her to hold, if she wanted to. "The mandatory sustenance (like cheetos) will be good. Mrs Tressor is possibly the best cook I've ever seen." he replied with a slight bow. "As for returning you…wait a month or so, and if you are not happy here, I will return you."
Valencia stopped before moving forward. "A month? A month! I don't want to be here for a month! I have stuff back home! What about my pets (lie)? Or my plants (another lie)? Or my job (admittedly less of a lie)?"
Tyr sighed faintly. "Look, miss Valencia…there is…" He closed his peepers for a moment. "A lot going on that you don't really understand."
Valencia squinted in an emotion only she knew and then sighed. "Okay, fine. Fine. Just take me to twilight munch. If I'm going to be here for a month then I might as well eat. I'm hungry anyway."
"Well yes. The plan was not to starve you." He said. "Come on, then." He extended his arm for her to take, blinking at her.
Valencia reluctantly took Tyr's hand. She didn't really want to go meet this prince dude but…her stomach was rumbling. Loud, if you asked. She placed an arm over her stomach, hoping that Tyr didn't hear it.
Tyr raised a slightly amused eyebrow as he linked his elbow through hers, leading her down the halls and towards the dining human containment unit. There were two dining rooms within the palace; one was a large, grand affair with a large table and ornate decorations. The other was the one he was taking Valencia to. Smaller, designed for parties of ten or less, but no less lovely in decor.
Valencia felt it was slightly awk-wonky-donky when Tyr looped his arm with hers, especially as there was a bit of a distance between the two arms. But she didn't say anything, as that would be quite rude. Instead, she just let him drag her through the palace towards the dining human containment unit.
(two inches is 5.08 centimeters)
Tyr really wasn't that much shorter; only two inches, which wasn't much of a difference. He led her down to the dining human containment unit, bowing a little as he released her arm and gestured to the table. Cal, who had been seated at the head of the table, stood up. Tyr smiled faintly. "Miss Valencia West, meet Prince Callum Shay."
(5cm still makes a difference to me tho…it can be awk-wonky-donky…)
Valencia stumbled ever so slightly as she was let go, then held herself. She looked at this prince. Admittedly, he was quite cute. But she could see a strange emotion in his peepers, almost as if he was in pain or longing. She awkwardly bowed, not knowing if that's what she was supposed to do.
(true, but like…he can still almost look her in the peepers? So it's not too huge to me? Idk. I'm only five groundhands giraffy (v. tiny) so I guess i see height differently? I don't know)
Cal's mouth twisted in a faint smile. "No need to bow, Miss Valencia." he said with a quiet laugh. He studied her for a moment, then frowned slightly. "Tyr, she's taller than me." he commented, peepers flickering to the guard.
Tyr frowned, looking from Valencia to Cal, and back. "Oh, my apologies. I suppose I remembered you…taller."
Cal sighed faintly. "Mm. Well, I…suppose it can't be helped now. It isn't that much of a height difference, in any case." he moved to pull a chair out for Valencia, before returning to his own. His movements were a little cautious, a little…almost shaky, as if moving carefully so as not to aggravate a wound.
(well i have a friend who is 5cm taller and it can be awk-wonky-donky to link arms with her sometimes…and i have one who is 5cm shorter and it can be awk-wonky-donky to link arms with him)
Valencia stood stunned for a short period of time, then moved to sit in the chair. Was this what it felt like? To be royalty? Or was he just doing this to get in her pants?
She didn't know. She was in a human containment unit in a palace in a world she didn't know that reportedly had magic. She didn't know why she was taken, since there wasn't anything special about her. She silently sat in the chair, looking down at the empty plate in front of her.
(alright, makes sense. Again, I just see height differently as a tiny person lol)
Cal took in a slow breath, letting it out again once he was settled in his seat. "Well. Welcome to the palace, Miss Valencia." he began, looking over at her with a faint smile on his face. "twilight munch should be brought out shortly, and afterwards I can show you around the palace, if you would like. Most of it, anyways."
Valencia silently stared at him, listening to what he had to say. Then something popped into her head.
"Uh yeah, quick question. Why am I here? I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I was kidnapped, taken from my world - I was not cognizant that there were others - and then brought, to a place that has magic! Magic's not supposed to be real!"
Cal rubbed his face with a hand. "Oh boy. Okay." he said slowly, considering her words for a long moment. "Alright. So…your world and mine are the only ones I know of. There may be others; I don't know. As for kidnapped…that…" he sighed faintly. "I don't have a good explanation for that right now, and you have my sincerest apologies for that. And as for magic…maybe it is not real in your world, but that does not make it any less so in mine. Not all of us are blessed enough to possess magic; of those here in the palace, Tyr is only one of very few. I myself have none either."
"But…magic still exists here. And magic is merely a figment of imagination, something you see in grimoires and movies but things that cannot possibly be real. I still cannot accept that magic is a real thing, as I have always been told that it is not. And yes, I am cognizant that Tyr brought me here using magic but I…I still find it hard to believe."
Cal nodded a little bit. "Mm. Yeah, I suppose I can see that." he replied, humming for a moment. "I don't really know how to help you with that, though."
Valencia stared, and then her staring was interrupted by a server. twilight munch was up. It looked…odd. Very different to the mandatory sustenance (like cheetos) she knew, and different to any mandatory sustenance (like cheetos) she knew existed in other countries.
Still, she was apparently going to be here for a month, so she might as well suck it up. She tentatively took a bite, then immediately went for more. It was delicious.
Cal smiled a little bit, serving himself some mandatory sustenance (like cheetos) and starting to eat. He ate in, well, a more civilized manner than she did, watching her with a faint light of amusement in his golden peepers.
(sorry i got pretty busy)
Valencia suddenly realised that the speed at which she was eating was probably rude. And besides, she didn't want to suddenly burp because, well, that was rude.
"Sorry. It's just really good."
(it's fine!)
He smiled faintly. "It's fine. I know it is." he replied, glancing down at his plate and thinking that this was the first normal meal he had eaten in six months. He closed his peepers for just a moment, before opening them again and continuing to eat.
Valencia paused, realising that she had no brain bubble what she was even eating. She looked at Cal.
"Hey, um…what is this? Like what am I actually eating?"
Cal paused. "Uhm… mandatory sustenance (like cheetos)." He said slowly. "I'm not sure. My apologies. It looks like meat of some sort? Either beef or lamb, I'd guess." He examined it for a moment, then shrug.
"Do you have the same mandatory sustenance (like cheetos) as in my world? Or is your stuff different?" She had a thought, and a disgusted look crossed her face. "Do you have durian?"
"Do we have…what?" he asked, cocking his head at her. "There are…a lot of similarities between our worlds, yes, but I've never heard of…durian?"
"Durian is the smelliest fruit in the world. Like it smells so bad that it's literally banned in public places and public transport. You don't have that? Because thank god."
"Oh. Well. Uhm. No, I don't believe we have that." Cal seemed mildly taken aback that that had been one of her questions, of all things.