The sky was getting darker and darker and darker... Large structures were looming in the distance... The little plane against the background appeared as a bird— not a graceful one, no, but one that was fierce and menacing.
"Aisha."
"Yeah?"
Elsword steered the plane in a circle, trying to find a safe place to land. "I thought I should tell you to be careful here. The notes on the map say this is a strange town. We should be expecting a wacky culture here."
"Sure, sure."
The little red plane rolled into an open lot in town, and the two filed out quickly. White, yellow, and orange lines were marked angularly on the cement. Slick-looking capsules drove around on a cement path at unbelievable speeds, gently pulling the two towards the path as the inventions passed by. Flashing lights connected to metal poles emitted colors of red, green, and yellow, and the capsules responded to the colors. Different buildings towered over the duo, glass windows and stone serving as exterior walls that looked both slick and coarse.
"This place is... Strange indeed..." Aisha remarked. "And... they have weird ideas about fashion. The people here dress like Rena!"
The townsfolk all wore different things. One lady wore a simple turquoise dress that went to her knees and covered the tops of her shoulders. A quick-paced man, talking into a flat box held up to his ear, wore a suit and tie and carried a black briefcase. But the very one that disgusted Aisha the most was a girl about her age that passed by, wearing nothing but tight shorts and a tiny, tight shirt that showed the girls midriff. "Does she have no dignity?!"
All the same, passerby's gave peculiar states to the two and their own attire— layers upon layers of different fabrics that created patterns and designs, yet looked so heavy that it could possibly weigh a ton. It wasn't everyday that they saw people dressed so... abnormal and out of place.
"C'mon Aisha, lets go look for a place that sells metal." Elsword pushed Aisha from behind with a whin. In his voice. The concrete jungle was a strange one, that was for sure. Honking from those passing capsules. Little kids holding their mommies' hand. The rhythmic music of a nearby corner. This was a totally different world!
From the edge of their view, a gray sign hung off a building with an open garage. Next to the sign was a humongous wrench and hammer. This was, indeed, a repair shop. The two entered into the place. Inside, shelves of rubber wheels and metal parts were lined against a wall. Behind a cashier counter was a picture of one of those rushing capsules from outside, four black rubber wheels on the back counter, and glass windows. On another side of the place was a glass door leading out to the garage; oil cans were visible rolling along and spilling on the ground.
A man in green mechanic clothes had his feet propped up on the cashier counter while he sat and read a newspaper. His appearance wasn't the cleanest, nor the most appealing. As soon as Elsword and Aisha walked in, his eyes shot up and caught the two with an aggressive stare. "What? You two kids part of some reenactment?" He asked, looking them up and down.
"Uh, no. We're here to find some materials for our plane. Perhaps steel?"
The man popped out a silver box and a white stick from his chest pocket. From the box, a flame flickered and burned an end of the white stick. The man took the unburnt side of the white stick and popped it into his mouth. "You know the rules, kiddo. A minority isn't allowed to operate a vehicle without parental supervision, let alone buy materials to repair one. Come back with your parents, you two."
Aisha stomped her foot and huffed loudly. "I'll have you know, I am far past being a minority! I'm 18!"
The man laughed rudely at the purple girl. "Stupid, you just became an adult. 18 is the time you are, legally, not a minority. What are the schools teaching nowadays?" He picked up his newspaper and continued to read.
Elsword crossed his arms and tilted his head. "Well that's interesting. Where we're from, twelve is the age for becoming an adult."
The man's attention had been caught like a bird in a cage, and his head turned to their direction. "You two are tourists?" Elsword nodded his head. "Ha, no wonder you two are strange!"
Aisha holding herself in restraint, furrowed her brows. "How rude..." Such a boisterous person.
The man spun in his chair to face a flat, smooth square. He flicked a switch, and bright lights filled it with little icons on it. "Steel was it?" He asked, tapping coming from a bumpy board his fingers continuously hit.
"Yes, steel." Elsword was only partly paying attention to the question, for he as mesmerized by the shining square. "That's an interesting machine you got there... What's it called?"
The man stopped the clicking from the bumpy board and gave Elsword a crazy look. "A computer and keyboard...?"
"Fascinating..." Almost as if a lightbulb was in his eyes, his face flashed brightly at the sight of such an amusing computer and keyboard. Definitely some of the more advanced technology!
"Alright... we've got about thirty tons of steel on hand. Just bring it in and we'll fix it up for you."
... What was that? Snapping out of his transfixed state, Elsword and Aisha exchanged looks. "Sir, I don't think you can fix—"
"Listen, bring in your car and we'll repair it."
"That guy had some nerve, you know!"
The two were finally back in their plane, headed off to the next town. The sun was beginning to rest, and the moon was waking from its daytime slumber. The little red plane flew straight and calmly against the orange sky where a group of birds were traveling nearby.
"Calling us the strange ones!" Aisha frowned.
Elsword chuckled. "It was funny too, seeing his reaction when we brought in the plane— dropped jaw and wide eyes. He thought we were from a mad house!" people could be so ridiculous!
"And when he got a further inspection, he found out he couldn't fix it." Aisha rested her head on the metal mass in between the two, smiling sleepily. "Of course, only my Elsword can make and repair this thing."
The redhead brushed his hand through his hair. "Aisha, I'm... not yours. You should give up on that."
"Until you get married, your mine!" His friend declared, pumping her fist into the air. Elsword's face blushed red from her statement.
"Anyways, I hope you realize we'll be seeing cultures out of the ordinary."
"Yeah of course. In a way, I'm kinda interested. What new things will we learn from outside our comfort zone?"