Tomas was slightly dazed, his thoughts hadn’t quite managed to properly parse through what was happening. Some part of him had declared it impossible to be real, that this had to be a dream of some kind. It wasn’t, he knew it, but it still felt very much that way. Somehow the very act of sitting in a small tea shop was thrilling in ways he had never thought it possible. The air smelled crisp, rich in the aroma of a thousand different herbal teas, coffee amongst the things being brewed within the busy little spot. The cushions were soft but sturdy, perfect to lean against the chair.

He might have bothered to look around to more carefully enjoy the sights, but it did not feel as if there could truly be anything more beautiful than the woman seated across from him.

Her face was a masterwork of sharp statuesque angles on high cheeks and diamond shaped jaw, yet round plump red lips. Her nose was straight, noble and poised, a perfect cliff for her to look down upon anyone she so wished. Not Tomas, she was looking at him not with a raised nose but rather turning her head downwards to peek upwards in his direction. It turned the statuesque nose into an arrow pointed down to the cleavage contained within a dress that on any other woman it would have been prim and proper. But on her, the large cleavage pushed the cloth and strained it, revealing a valley of flesh and temptation as the woman leaned over the table ever so slightly.

“You were saying?”

Tomas caught himself staring, sputtering and trying to desperately remember if he’d said anything at all in the past several minutes. He was mostly sure he’d almost been drooling.

“I…”

“About where you came from?”

“Oh!” He nodded, straightening up. “Yeah, I’m an offworlder.”

The woman raised her chin slightly to stare more directly at him, her light brown eyes glimmering slightly. “You already mentioned that. I’d asked what kind of place you grew up in.”

“Oh.” He flustered. “Well, I’d… the whole offworld thing is, I thought, erm…”

“Otherworlder.”

“Excuse… me?”

She leaned back, crossing her arms under her bust. “The term, offworlder, it is a rather vain thing, is it not?”

“In… in what sense?”

“Is it not a myriad of worlds? Offworlder may be correct, but it implies a… centric position to things.” The smile was slightly amused. “Otherworlder is also more commonly used in those places that aren’t quite so full of themselves.”

“You travel?”

An acknowledging nod. “I rarely stay anywhere for long.”

“Too much attention?”

“Something like that.”

“Must be tough.” Tomas nodded, his eyes flickered to her neck, noticing it barren of a collar. “My… uh… friend, girlfriend, kinda? She always complains about how people behave around human women.”

She arched a manicured brow.

“Your relationship seems complicated.” She tilted her head slightly. “But I’d rather not pry. You were saying about the world you came from? What is it like?”

“Peaceful, I guess?” He replied, shaking his head. “Technology is sort of more advanced, we don’t have any magic over there, so we rely on computers and industry and things like that.”

“No magic? That… huh.” The woman leaned forward again, turning to the side and speaking to the mousy girl.

Tomas barely acknowledged the maiden’s existence until she pulled out something from her robes and placed it on his hand. He turned downwards, noticing a glowing stone, just barely larger than his thumb, and pulsating with a soft reddish glow. “What’s this?”

“An elemental stone, perfectly safe.” She spoke, pressing the rock down against his palm. “I just want to test something.”

“Test wh-?”

His eyelids fluttered, heat poured from the stone and into his hand. It swept its way up his arm and through his body. It was gone right after, leaving him panting, straining against his clothes and desperately wanting to remove them. Everything was so hot, so… Everything blurred for a moment, words were spoken but none mattered, he just reached out for the glass of water, taking long gulps, his body cooling off within minutes.

“Peculiar.”

“What… what was that?”

“Just a bit of fire elemental energy, harmless, but it does explain why you’ve been so clear headed.”

“What?”

“I… have a condition, you see.” She pulled the stone out of Tomas’ grasp. “My ancestry is quite strong, and I was born with a powerful aberrant aura.”

“Aberrant?”

“It is a kind of elemental energy. If it were ice, the air around me would cool, or if it were fire, it would heat up. Aberrant is different in that on its own it does nothing, only reacting in the presence of other elemental energy and altering it. The specifics obviously varying per individual.” A slight smile, a slight touch against the palm of his hand. “I usually wear an enchanted item to contain my aura, but I removed it half an hour ago since I was curious.”

“Curious?”

“Yes, who wouldn’t be? You are an otherworlder. I’d hoped that would mean things would be different.” She smiled with a hint of sadness at the edge. “The lack of elemental energy within you mitigates it, but it appears you still have just enough for a mild reaction.”

Tomas looked down at his hand, where the elemental stone had been, clenching it closed and open again. There was still some heat underneath the skin, diffusing itself slowly. “Does the aura make other people… hot and bothered?”

“Yes.” The woman nodded. “As you can imagine, many… inconveniences have emerged because of it.”

“Oh geez, I’m… I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be, the improper one was me. I should have told you beforehand.”

As she spoke, she revealed her thin wrist, moving a silver bracelet onto it. Tomas noticed the difference right away though barely, she was still incredibly beautiful by every conceivable measure. But there was something missing all of a sudden, something he couldn’t put into words and made him able to look away for the first time since meeting her.

“Even now, the enchantment is, sadly, incomplete. It is prone to leaking, and maidens can still be affected sometimes.” She shook her head. “I must admit it has been an ordeal.”

“Why is it incomplete?”

“To make the enchantment, it needs a base on how it should interact with another. And as you might imagine, it is hard to find someone who is entirely immune to my aura.” She sighed, her shoulders slumping. “I am guessing it would require for the person to not just have little to no elemental energy, but to also have gotten used to the presence of a powerful aura.”

Tomas nodded. “I guess that would be very hard to find. I wish you good luck.”

She stared at him for a moment, blinking slowly, she turned to the mousegirl next to her as they both shared a look.

Coughing, she adjusted herself in her seat. “I guess it is quite the shame that there are no more otherworlders.” A loud sigh, glancing at Tomas again.

“I mean, I can’t really tell you anything? I’d been told it could be trouble.”

“I wouldn’t want to impose.” She laughed slightly. “I can imagine the news of there being multiple otherworlders would stir the same sort of trouble as when the infamous White Claw came to the city. Now that is a maiden with a very powerful aura.”

“That’s what I was told, yeah.”

Tomas sipped from his glass.

“I do wonder what sort of person managed to bond such a powerful maiden.”

“That was Rick.” He nodded. “He was a chemistry teacher, over at my world.”

The woman looked at Tomas, arching an eyebrow slowly.

He sat upright with a jolt. “Oh! Rick might be able to help!”

“You don’t say?” She batted her eyelashes, leaning forward and reaching across the table, taking his hands in her own. “I know it’s a lot to ask, coming from a stranger, but I would really appreciate your help.”

“I… um, I’m not sure how to contact him though?” He hesitated. “I mean, he’s been with the Earl and the castle, and…”

“You’d just need to leave a message at the gate.”

Her smile remained on her lips but left her eyes.

“That makes sense, I’ll try that.” He nodded enthusiastically, standing up, turning to leave. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Don’t forget your Elf.”

“Who?” A pause, then he glanced at Freya. Tomas’ eyes widened, she’d been sitting right next to him this whole time, face flushed and eyes unfocused. “Freya!”

“Not to worry. She got hit by the aura, a bit.” The woman spoke, twirling her hair. “Just kiss her and she’ll be back to her senses. Might be worked up, though.”

The woman moved to stand up.

“This is my address.” She put down a piece of paper. “If you do learn anything, I would be ever so grateful.” She made sure to lean a bit further and squeeze her cleavage, the gesture drawing Tomas’ attention and rendering him temporarily mute. “Best of luck, young man.”