Notes: Wow! New chapter! Sorry, everything's been crazy lately, but thank you all so much for your patience! And, as a reward, have an extra-long chapter! Enjoy!
Kai POV
Apparently, Newt had the suitcase shipped to Egypt via boat while we were still in it "to save on the cost of tickets, Kai!", so when we stepped outside the case we ended up on a dock, surrounded by a crowd of impatient, pushy people. Ugh, humans.
"Uh, Newt? Where are we?"
"Egypt, of course! Alexandria Port, to be exact!" Newt says, with an air of enthusiasm.
"How did we get here? I'm no expert, but shouldn't it have taken us months to get here?" I ask. I know humans have a lot of advanced technology, but even they can't travel half-way across the world in the span of a week. Not without magic, anyway.
"Technically, yes. However, I've been to this port before, so as soon as the boat got us close enough, I could apparate us directly here. It's just hard to apparate half-way across the world in one go." He explains.
"I see." I murmur, taking in my new surroundings with no small amount of apprehension. It didn't really occur to me that I would have to interact with other humans besides Newt, and to be perfectly honest, I'm still very wary of them. I know from experience that they aren't all as kind and understanding as Newt is. I stick close to his side, and he holds my hand.
"I won't let anything happen to you I promise," He says, and I smile shakily at him.
"I know, I'm just still uneasy about being other humans besides you. I'd rather deal with magical creatures any day," I say. He pulls me into a one-armed hug and rubs my back.
"Same here love, just remember that I will never let anyone hurt you. And if they do try anything, well, I'm sure some of our creatures would love to spend some time with them," He says grinning devilishly, and I shiver. Wow. That should not be as sexy as it is.
"Let's go, then." Newt says, a fierce look of determination on his face. He reaches down to pick up his suitcase, and then squeezes my, as the two of us step into the flow of people.
The only way I can think to describe walking through the crowed port is like swimming right through the middle of a huge school of fish. Everyone seems to be touching you, and bumping into you, and outright shoving in the direction they're trying to go. The only thing that keeps me grounded is Newt's hand in mine.
We travel like that for an unspecified amount of time, but it's long enough for me to know that I would rather spend the rest of my life in Newt's suitcase rather than visit human civilization again.
Finally, we managed to make our way off the dock and just when I think we are free, we have to suffer through an inspection. According to Newt, we need to have our suitcase checked before we can enter the country. I don't know why we don't just apparate through, but Newt seems to think this is necessary.
So, we spend an even longer amount of time waiting in line to have Newt's suitcase full of dangerous magical creatures checked for illegal fruit. And it's not just boring, oh no, that would be too easy. It's also unbelievably hot.
The sun beats down us mercilessly, and being surrounded by humans packed tightly together does absolutely nothing to cool it down. I quickly strip out of the black coat Newt gave me. I consider taking off my shirt too, but when I move to undo the buttons Newt shoots me a warning look and I resign myself to this hell.
How can humans handle living in this heat day to day? Maybe the reason they are always so angry and grumpy with each other is because this what they deal with all the time. Newt hands me some water and I gulp down half of it, then give it back to him. He looks at me worriedly, but I wave off his concern.
"I'm fine Newt, just not used to the heat. I'll adjust to it," I tell him.
"Okay but if you get too hot, go back into the case. I don't want you getting sick," He says, and I kiss is cheek.
"I will don't worry," I tell him, then lean my head on his shoulder.
Finally, finally, we get to the front of the line, and Newt hands his suitcase to an old man with a large white mustache, and a permanent scowl. The man thumps the suitcase down on the small table in front of him and flips the latch open. I have no idea how Newt is intending to keep his creatures hidden, but I trust that he has a plan.
I hold my breath as the inspector opens the lid of the suitcase and peers inside to see… clothes. I relax and glance at Newt who is watching me with amusement. I stick my tongue out at him. The inspector closes the suitcase with a snap and hands it back to Newt, before waving us impatiently forward.
"How did you do that?" I ask, as soon as we are start walking away.
"Simple concealment charm, works every time. Muggles are laughably easy to fool." Newt says, grinning smugly.
"You would make an excellent criminal." I mutter, and he nods in agreement.
"I sort of am, depending on who you ask." He says, and I think about that. I guess he is, in a way.
"So, I'm together with a criminal. Hmm that's kind of hot," I say just to embarrass him, and it works. His face becomes really, really red and it's definitely not from the heat.
"Kai!" He protests, looking around franticly, probably making sure no one heard. I just grin, and walk ahead of him.
"What? One, it's true, and two, I love to see you flustered my love," I say cheekily, and he pretends to frown at me.
"You are going to be the death of me," He groans.
"Of course not! Without you I would be so bored." I tease, kissing his cheek. Newt fights back a pleased smile as the two of us exit the docks and step out onto the streets of Alexandria.
I don't know what made me think that the city would somehow be better than the crowded docks, but in any case, it isn't. The streets are even more crowded and noisy and hot. People bustle around each other, carrying baskets, and pots, and various, non-magical livestock. The street is crammed full of stalls, the vendors shouting and encouraging costumers to buy their products. The air is thick with the smell of animals and humans, occasionally mixed with the spicy smell of different foods drifting from the stalls.I wonder if Newt will let us get something eat when we are done. Something smells amazing, though I can't put my finger on what it is.
I glance around trying to find something that Newt might find interesting, but I don't notice anything strange, or out of place. I look over at him, to see him watching at me with a soft smile.
"You were just looking for creatures, weren't you?" He asks, and I smile.
"I was hoping to find something that you would be interested in, but it's harder than I thought," I tell him frowning. How does he do this every day?
"I don't think we'll find any creatures around here, they tend to avoid muggle societies if they can. We'd have to go out into the middle of the wilderness to hope to find anything. Or, we'd have to find a group of poachers, which is exactly what we plan to do." Newt says.
"How are we supposed to do that?"
"I know a guy." He replies, holding out his arm. With a resigned sigh, I take his arm and the next thing I know, we're disapparating with a crack.
Apparating is probably the most unpleasant way to travel, in my opinion. It's like being squeezed through a tiny tube and having all of your insides turned into goo, before being abruptly dropped into an unfamiliar location. As soon as we landed I doubled over and tried not to throw up.
"Kai? Are you okay?" Newt sounded alarmed, placing a gentle hand on my back. I swallowed a couple of times and took a deep breath.
"Yeah… yeah I'm good." I manage, closing my eyes and willing the world to stop spinning. "Maybe a little warning next time, though?"
"Er, yeah. Sorry about that. I forgot that you've never apparated before. It can be a bit… overwhelming the first time." Newt says. I take another deep breath and compose myself.
"No kidding." I murmur, and take in my new surroundings. "Newt? Where are we?" I ask.
"This is where my contact is." He explains. I glance doubtfully around. We're standing in front of an old abandoned store front, streams of people walking past us, seemingly oblivious to the fact that two random people just appeared out of nowhere.
"Newt, love. This is an abandoned shop." I say, patiently. Newt grins mischievously.
"It only looks like an abandoned shop." He says, and marches up to the door. I sigh and reluctantly follow after him. Why can't he just take three seconds to explain something to me before marching off?
Newt holds the door open for me expectantly, offering me a blinding smile. I shake my head and try not to smile back as I walk through the door.
As soon as I cross into the shop the old, broken down façade falls away. The inside of the shop is alive with color and noise, and I almost think we're back in Newt's suitcase. Various types of animals are curled up in cages stacked around the room, the most prominent of which is an enormous rainbow colored snake coiled contentedly in a large glass tank in front of the store window.
"Newt? What is going on?" I ask, glancing warily at a birdcage containing a bright turquoise owl swinging above my head.
"This is where we can start looking for our creatures." He says, looking at all the creatures grinning. "Beautiful, aren't they?"
"Yes. I wish they were free though," I say, frowning. Memories of my time trapped within that tank come to mind, and I grip my arm, digging the nails into my skin. I feel Newt gently touch my arm and I flinch away.
"Kai it's me you're not there anymore," Newt says, calmly moving my arms apart. I take a few breathes, and shake my head, trying to get rid of the horrid memories.
"I-I'm okay. Sorry, seeing them like that just brought back bad memories." I say with a shaky voice, and Newt kisses my forehead.
"You are free now, and soon, so will all the other creatures." He says, and I smile sadly.
"I know, and I hope that your dream comes true sooner rather than later." I say, then kiss him sweetly on the lips. "Now, show me around and let's see what we can do."
"Right. We should find my contact. He's the owner of this shop, and he knows where we'll be able to find the group of smugglers." Newt says.
"Um, are you sure we haven't already found them?" I ask, looking pointedly at a hermit crab-like creature wandering around in a terrarium full of snow and ice. Newt laughs and shakes his head.
"Alright, good point. But he doesn't mistreat his creatures, illegal though they may be. He's actually a magizoologist, like me." Newt tells me. I tilt my head in confusion. I didn't realize there were other wizards like Newt.
"Alexios!" Newt calls out, presumably to the shop's owner. From far back in the shop a series of loud curses rings out, or at least, I assume they're curses judging from the tone of voice, but the words are in a language I don't understand.
"Hang on!" The voice calls back, in English this time. Newt shoots me a reassuring grin as what sounds like a tower of metal cages falls over, followed by more cursing.
After a while, a man wanders out from behind the shelves of terrariums and aquariums, looking extremely put out.
"What do you want!" The man demands, until he catches sight of Newt and breaks into a wide grin. "Newt Scamander!" He exclaims, and rushes forward to drag Newt into a hug. "How are you my friend!"
"I'm wonderful, Alexios! How are you?" Newt asks, awkwardly patting the man on the back, and winking at me over his shoulder.
I stand away from the two magizoologists and try not to stare at Newt's friend. He is… not what I expected.
The man, Alexios, is tall, even taller than Newt. He wears a stained and dirty looking apron, and he has long, curly black hair that looks like it hasn't been brushed, well, ever. But most strangely, the man has long, twisting antlers sprouting from the top of his head.
"Ah, not so well, Scamander. The mothfly eggs have just started to hatch, the sun hogs have started molting, and on top of that the Pemberley fish is ill again." Alexios says, shaking his head sadly.
"Well, I'm very sorry to hear that. Have you tried brushing the hogs?" Newt suggests. Alexios nods.
"Yes, I've tried everything!" He laments, and the two of them get caught up in a conversation about potential antidotes for molting sun hogs.
I give up trying to follow along, and let my mind wander. I try to subtly study Alexios' antlers. They're taller than they are wide, and they look more like the branches of a tree than actually antlers. They also seem incredibly familiar. I don't remember much from my years before captivity, but I do have a vague memory of meeting a nymph once, with green tinged skin, a bad attitude, and antlers that looked remarkably similar to Alexios'.
"You're a nymph!" I blurt out, cutting into their conversation, then flushing with embarrassment.
Alexios narrows his eyes at me. "Half nymph. What of it?" He asks, defensively.
"Sorry. I just, I didn't know there could be male nymphs." I say, cowering a bit under his gaze.
"Yeah? Well I didn't know there could be sirens that weren't bloodthirsty monsters." He replies, sharply. I flinch at his tone, but I know I deserved that.
"Alexios, this is Kaimana," Newt says, going over to me wrapping his arm around my waist. I lean into him, and look at the ground.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you," I say, and Alexios sighs.
"I am sorry too. How did you two meet?" He asks, and I look at Newt. Newt nods and looks at Alexios. He tells him everything. From how we met, to how long I've been living in the suitcase, to how we got together. He stares at us for a brief moment, then laughs.
"Always knew you would end up with some exotic beauty," Alexios says, and Newt looks embarrassed, and a tiny bit proud at the same time.
"Um, yes. Anyway, perhaps we could get to work?" Newt asks.
"Yes, yes. Good point. Thank you for coming, by the way. I know it's short notice, but, well. It's important."
"I figured it would be, considering I haven't heard from you in ages." Newt says, with a pointed look. Alexios shrugs.
"Things have been… crazy. The aurors have been tracking us down again. Goodness knows why. They should be focusing on the dangerous smuggling ring, but oh no, they'd rather go after a few stray witches and wizards." He says, shaking his head.
"Still, I figure the best way to get things done is to do them yourself, or at least get a good friend to them for you." Alexios says with a grin. "Come on to the back, I'll get the others and we can give you the details."
We follow him back and I look around clinging to Newts arm. I am not sure how safe I feel here, and I desperately hope Newt knows what he's doing.
"Who else are we meeting Newt?" I ask, but Alexios shushes me. I frown and stick my tongue at his back. Newt kisses my head reassuringly.
"Just a few other friends. They're witches and wizards who are on the run from the law. Like me. Most of them were caught smuggling illegal plants or animals and had to leave their country." Newt murmurs, as Alexios leads us deeper into the shop, past rows and row of strange beasts.
"Oh." I reply faintly, trying not to freak out. Smugglers. Like the people who captured me all those years ago. I don't remember their names, or their faces. Just cold hands, and eyes searing with hatred and cruel delight in my misery. I shiver and position myself closer to Newt as we walk.
The shop appears to go on for ages, making me think it's got an expansion charm on it, like Newt's suitcase. The deeper we go into the shop, it seems, the stranger things we find. The place feels almost claustrophobic with all the dusty shelves packed full of terrariums and aquariums pressing in. I only catch glimpses of the creatures as we pass by, but at one point I'm certain I see a huge black spider wandering amongst the cages. I suppress a shudder. This place is just too weird, and I'm starting to miss the controlled chaos of Newt's case.
Slowly, the cages full of beasts begin to taper off, and are replaced with shelves of old antiqued objects, interspersed with the occasional potted plant, and what might be orange mold.
Eventually, Alexios comes to stop in front of a black door with a white sign with the words, "Employees Only" painted on it. I look at Newt with a frantic, "are we really going in there!?" look. He nods, and pats my hand.
"It will be okay, trust me I would never let anything hurt you." He says, and Alexios glances at me in sympathy.
"Look sire—Kaimana. I would never put a fellow creature in harm, nor would Newt," He says, and Newt hums in agreement.
I take a deep breath then nod at Alexios, giving him the okay to open the door. He swings the door open, and a deafening silence follows.
Sitting around a wooden circular table are several witches and wizards playing a card game. As soon as they notice us they call out to greet us various languages, and I wave shyly, leaning against Newt.
"H-hello there." I say, and they all grin at us. Newt's friends are so very strange. I tell him as much, but he just offers me a happy shrug, and steps into the room to greet his old friends. I follow with a sigh, and a small shake of my head.