As they stepped out of the building, Chiaya glanced to her left—and immediately saw Tulin Auntie watering her flowers in the garden.
She spun around in a panic and tried to shove Karan back inside, but he didn't move an inch. Was he a three-ton statue?
Karan was caught off guard at first, but once he realized what she was trying to do, he took a few steps back on his own.
That's when Tulin Auntie called out, "Ah, ChiChi dear! Good morning! Where are you off to this early, hmm? You came home late last night with a tall man?!" Tulin Auntie said with a teasing giggle.
Chiaya froze, trying to calculate how many hours had passed since Karan had entered her apartment. The fact that Tulin Auntie already knew was both baffling and—admittedly—impressive. Not even a bird could fly through this neighborhood without Tulin Auntie finding out.
She was nearly seventy, yet she never missed a chance to get dressed up or go out and socialize. Chiaya often wished she could borrow even a fraction of that woman's endless energy.
There was no use running now. With a tired expression, she said, "Ah, yes. He's a childhood friend. Visiting the city. Come on, Karan."
Karan stepped out with his massive frame.
"My, my, you really are as tall and handsome as they say, young man," Tulin Auntie said with a giggle. "Lovely to meet you. I'm Tulin. If you need anything at all, don't you dare hesitate to come over, alright?"
Karan gave a small bow and said in his deep voice,
"I am grateful, honored woman."
Tulin Auntie let out another giggle.
"Would you like to come in for some coffee, dear? I just made a fresh pot!"
Letting Tulin Auntie talk to Karan any longer would have been foolish.
"Thank you but we should get going, Tulin Auntie. See you laaaater!" Chiaya said quickly, grabbing Karan's arm and pulling him away.
Chiaya was trying to find where she'd parked her car. She used it so rarely that sometimes she struggled to remember which street she'd left it on. She found the car on her second try.
Karan had seen a few of these metal boxes along the streets but hadn't quite figured out what they were for.. Now, he was about to step inside one to find out. "Oh, sorry, I don't use it often," she said as she cleared the dry leaves from the windshield. Chiaya got into the driver's seat. She yelled when she realized Karan was trying to get in by pulling on the door frame. "What are you doing! This is an old car and that bear strength of yours is going to pull the door right off if you keep yanking it!" She reached over and opened the door from the inside.
"Put on your seatbelt," Chiaya said. Karan just stared at her blankly again. Chiaya sighed and reached for Karan's seatbelt. As he was thinking about how nice her hair smelled, she was thinking about how big he was to fit in this car. The car started up with strange noises. Karan asked,
"Is it sick?"
"What?"
"Sick? It's coughing like an old man who's a thousand years old."
Chiaya burst out laughing. When she finally calmed down, she replied,
"No, it's not sick, and it's not alive either, but it really is old."
"What do you call this box?"
"A car. It helps people get to places faster."
"And the metal box we stepped into to get to your home? Is that a car too?"
Chiaya laughed.
"That one's called an elevator. Now that you mention it, you're right — we do have a lot of metal boxes. There's even one that flies through the air, it's called a plane. And the one that travels on water is called a ship."
Chiaya had finally managed to shake off her tension. As they got out of the car, she made sure to show Karan how to fasten and unfasten his seatbelt, and how to open the door.
She had parked just a few minutes' walk from the police station.As they walked, Karan took in his surroundings. The street was crowded, and both the cars and the people were making a lot of noise. It reminded him of the liveliest market he used to visit in Narval—back when the Kurun district was still a gathering place for many races, before Unal had taken control over nearly all of Narval. The air would be thick with the scent of spices and food, and the streets alive with voices. He used to shop there, then spend his evenings laughing and drinking with his friends in a nearby tavern—back when the people of Narval still carried no despair on their faces, when they could take joy in their lives.
Now, the market no longer existed—and neither did the friends.
His face darkened with grief. Watching the busy crowd around him only deepened the weight in his chest—it reminded him that his journey was far from over. Surrounded by so many unfamiliar faces, he felt like a drop lost in the sea, searching for another drop. The noise, the motion, the endless stream of strangers… It all made Elara feel impossibly far away.
The sound of giggling broke through his thoughts. A few passing women had glanced at him and whispered to each other. Karan looked around more carefully. Everyone on the street seemed to be eyeing him.
"Why are they looking at me?" he asked.
"Probably because of your accessories," Chiaya replied. "But honestly, I don't think you'd go unnoticed even without them."