Mike managed to get about three more hours of sleep before his internal clock kicked him awake. He was annoyed but with nothing to do about it except to get up and start his day. Walking into the main hall of his home, he was initially surprised to see the mess left in the living until the memories of last night hit along with a headache. The hangover was starting to kick in.
The first order of business was to get a Tylenol and a mug full of coffee in his system. Then, he worked to clean up the place. A bunch of stuff was broken and there were bullet holes in the floor and walls, but thank Christ that the couch, TV, and PS4 were all alright. He also sealed the broken window with some plastic sheeting as a temporary solution and will get it fixed soon.
After cleaning up the mess, he took a quick shower, changed into fresh clothes, and proceeded to make breakfast. It was breakfast for two, he had a guest to consider now. Unfortunately, his food stores were running low and he had no seafood aside from a two-day-old Tuna Subway. Hopefully, the classic bacon, eggs, and pancakes with orange juice would do for his marine guest who was now sleepily walking into the dining room.
"Morning, Mike," Gura yawned as she headed to the table.
"Morning, Gura," Mike greeted. "I've got a classic breakfast. It's not much, but I hope you'll like it."
"Food!" She gasped, her eyes gleaming brightly as they locked onto the plate of food. And in the blink of an eye, she was sitting on a seat and gobbling down the meal. "Sho good."
"I'm glad," Mike mumbled as he dug into his food, albeit at a much more controlled pace.
A few minutes later, both their plates were empty and they just sat there in silence while letting the food settle. And before long, Mike spoke again.
"So, Gawr Gura, mind telling me about yourself?" He asked.
She visibly flinched but quickly calmed down and thought of how to answer. Fortunately, she already knew this was coming since last night and had a whole story outlined for it.
"So, yeah, I'm an Atlantean from Atlantis. That's why I got the tail and the trident," She began.
"Mhmm, I'm still kinda wrapping my head around this. It's hard to believe," Mike muttered.
"Y-yeah, and I think I'm starting to understand why. I just remembered a couple of things," She said. "About, uh, 2000 to 3000 years ago probably, we were forbidden from going up to the surface and interacting with humans, except a bunch of dudes who the King orders to check out what's going on up here from time to time. Although, I know there was a time we interacted with humans. I saw it! But then, it just stopped. I never understood why."
"I don't have an answer to that, but it raises some interesting points," Mike said. "Tell me about Atlantis."
"It's this giant city with like 60 million people in it! And apparently, it was bigger!" She described.
"Bigger?"
"Well, probably? There's this legend that said Atlantis used to be a giant island on the surface where we lived similarly to you guys a long time ago before I was born. But something happened and we all chill on the seafloor now," She explained. "But that's just a legend, no one believes it, and those who do are usually the crazy ones."
"I see," Mike mumbled while in thought. "It's astonishing that none of us have rediscovered Atlantis, especially with the shit we have now."
"Oh, we have magic barriers around the place to hide the city from you guys. And it's in a spot humans don't really care about too," She said.
"Ah, that makes sense," Mike said. "By the way, why'd you leave Atlantis?"
That question made her flinch and go quiet again. And this time it took her a bit longer to answer. But eventually, she did.
"I… uh, it's complicated," She answered in a quiet voice while keeping her head down.
He raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
"Uh… l-let's just say I had to get away from there. My family and I, uh, we're not on good terms," She answered.
He frowned while scanning her. "Is that why your tail is like that?"
He was gesturing to the missing chunk on her tail that looked like it was bitten off. But she shook her head slightly.
"Not exactly. This only happened when I was getting out of there. A guard's shark mount got to me. It hurt like hell," She answered.
Mike winced, imagining how much that could've hurt. "Ouch, I'm sorry. And I'm sorry if I've been insensitive, some of that must've been rough to talk about."
"It's fine. It sucks, but I remembered something a good friend once told me. He said that talking about things makes it hurt less, and he's right so far," She smiled.
He smiled in return. "Happy to help."
She sighed. "There's another reason. I've always wanted to see what the world up top was like. There's a museum dedicated to the surface world back home, and it's always fascinated me. And aside from being curious, I've also been super bored. Bored and tired and seeing and eating the same things over and over again after thousands of years. I wanted something to change."
"I guess I can understand that," Mike agreed. "How has your experience been so far?"
She frowned. "Terrible."
"I'm so sorry."
"When I reached the surface, I just drifted for a couple of days until I hitched a ride on this giant ship. I eventually ended up in this massive city with a blue statue in the harbor. I remember thinking that it looked so awesome and thinking that it was my new chance at life.
"Boy, was I in for it," She clenched her jaw. "No one took me seriously, thinking I was a kid. Knowing the Atlantean Drachmas I had was useless, I tried looking for a job. No one took me seriously, and I went hungry quick. I had to start stealing or diving into trash for something to eat. I had to run away from the police and creeps more than a few times. See these clothes? Stole them," She gestured to her current outfit.
"I was eventually able to learn a bit more about that place and get enough money for a train out of there. Then I was just drifting along for the next couple of months… until I got here. I was close to giving up too."
Mike's heart broke as he listened to her story. He had seen some pretty depressing things in his lifetime, but this gets to him pretty deeply. He wondered if it was because he could sympathize with her to some degree. Regardless, he needed to make her feel better. So, he reached over and patted her on the head, surprising the girl.
"That must've been terrible, Gura. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. But look on the bright side, at least now you've gained experience, and as a result, you've become stronger than you were months ago. So, chin up, alright?" He said.
She looked at him with wide eyes that seemed to water a bit before she turned away to rub them dry and clean up the evidence quickly.
"I-I guess. Thanks, Mike," She replied in a muffled tone.
"I won't lie, you probably should've stayed home, but what's done is done. Best to just keep going. Speaking of which, are you in hot water for leaving?"
"Oh yeah. If I go back, they'll definitely throw me in jail for a thousand years. Maybe even execute me since I broke a bunch of things on my way here," She replied with a wince.
"Oh shit. Damn. Well, okay then. Guess you're stuck here," Mike sighed. "In that case, make yourself at home."
She perked up. "Huh?"
"You're stuck here with nowhere to go. You can't go back and you'll definitely find yourself into more trouble if you keep going forward. So, why not stay here until you can properly figure something out?" He offered.
Gura was gobsmacked. "Y-You're okay Be with that?"
"If you go back out there without help, you'll just keep screwing up and God knows what happens then. And besides, I've got nothing better to do and I'm feeling nice. Might as well harbor a foreign fugitive while at it," He replied casually.
He was caught off guard when he felt something crash into him, almost knocking him off his chair. Looking down, he saw Gura with arms wrapped around him while burying her face in his chest.
"Thank you so much," She said softly.
Mike smiled a bit and stroked her hair. "No problem."
Then she let go, backing away slightly as well giving him a narrow look. "Hey wait a second, this isn't a ruse to get me to lower my guard, right?"
He just smirked. "I am a stereotypical dude, so my eyes definitely wander around. That said, I'm not into underage little girls, nor will I ever be."
"Hey, I am not a kid!"
"Quick question, how long is the average lifespan of an Atlantean?"
"Uh, about 80 to 100 thousand years. 200 if you're lucky," She answered.
"And how old were you again?"
"Uh, around 9,927 years old. I kinda forgot, but it's up there."
"So an Atlantean typically lives for up t
o 80,000 years while you're only 9-10 thousand years old. And with that information, you can logically assume that you're still basically a kid even in Atlantean terms, right?" He proposed.
Gura froze as her brain took in that information and tried to process it while making incoherent noises as she fumbled for an answer.
"W-Well… um, no… y-you see— no! Uh, um, damnit! Wipe off that smirk, Mike!" She snapped.
He chuckled, getting up from his seat to walk over to her and give her a pat on the head. "Don't hurt yourself, Shrimp. I don't judge, it's okay."
"Don't touch me!" She slapped his hand away."
Mike laughed some more as she proceeded to throw a mini-tantrum while trying and failing to come up with a logical explanation for her age. Although she was apparently a super being capable of outliving him and overpowering him, he did not fear her because he found her way too cute, much to the annoyance of the little shark girl.
It was fun.
Minutes passed and the duo cleaned up their plates before moving to the living room. They sat side by side on the couch as Mike showed her a bunch of books he took as well as an iPad.
"Okay, Gura, since you're clearly out of your element, it's up to me to teach you the essential things to know about this world. Therefore, I'll now also be your ambassador to the world, and more specifically, in this country called the United States," He declared. "That sound cool to you?"
"Yeah, lead the way Mister Ambassador," She said playfully.
"Hehe, got it, ma'am," He said, before picking up a book titled Geography of the USA. "Let's start with the basics first."
He opened up the book to a page showing a map of the continental United States and pointing to different points on it.
"The world is composed of about 195 independent territories called countries. These countries own parts of every landmass on Earth, except Antarctica (we'll get to that later)," He began. "The country you're in now is called the United States of America. We're located here, in the North American continent right in between Canada and Mexico. This country is also the most powerful and influential nation in the world. We have the world's largest economy, the world's largest military, and thus, the largest sphere of influence among other countries. We are also the third largest in population with 330 million people within it.
"The US of A is also composed of fifty smaller states. That's why it's called the 'United States of America' because it's a bunch of unified states on the continent of North America. Easy to understand, right?"
He turned the pages again to one that showed a large city with a familiar-looking statue.
"The city you washed up in is called New York City within the State of New York. It is one of the largest cities, not just in America, but also in the whole world. It's a vital place for trade and commerce, that's why it's so big. And it's got some nice things too.
"Now, I've got some gripes with New York, but it's honestly very pretty if you look around the dark spots."
He showed off the page displaying New York City. There was a map along with photos of the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, the Brooklyn Bridge, the One World Trade Center, Times Square, and Central Park along with accompanying descriptions.
"I admit, from here those look pretty nice," Gura said.
"Mhmm, indeed they are," Mike agreed. "I suspect you just got unlucky. Quick disclaimer, America's got its fair share of problems, just like the rest of the world. But we can be pretty cool if you let us. One day, you can go back to New York and see it in a different light."
"Yeah, I guess," She said.
"Alright," He continued. "If you hitched on trains, that means you've gone through the states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina until you arrived here."
He traced her possible route through the map before flipping the page to the state of their current location.
"You are currently in the State of Georgia in the southern United States. Specifically in Atlanta, the state's capital and most populous city."
Gura chuckled. "That is so ironic."
"Yup," Mike chuckled too. "And that's the very basics of it. Are you up for more?"
"Sure!" Gura smiled.
"Alrighty then," Mike said and flipped the pages. "The United States' capital is Washington in the District of Columbia which is located in this little spot between Maryland and Virginia. The local currency is the US Dollar, which is also the base currency for most of the world, meaning you can use it in many places overseas. The US is also very diverse. We've got tons of things here, including a selection of landscapes from rocky mountains, lush forests, and vast deserts—"
The little school session lasted up to three hours. Gura was quite invested, listening and absorbing his words well. After US geography they moved on to the geography of the rest of the world. He also added in some basic politics and history to keep her aware of the general world situation and a bunch of reminders for things to avoid when interacting with other people. He knows how some can be when it comes to certain things, and he'd hate for Gura to be subject to such bullshit because she didn't know it was bad. After they finished, Mike looked at his watch and blinked.
"Oh damn, 1300 already? Shit," He mumbled. "We blew right past lunch."
"Mike, I'm hungry," Gura said.
"Yeah, me too, kiddo."
Well, this is an issue. He didn't plan to be still breathing right now so he hasn't restocked the fridge. And there were also other essential provisions like soap and toothpaste that they needed. There was no way around it, they needed to go outside.
"Gura, go clean up. We're heading out," He ordered.
"Oh, cool! What are we doing?" She asked.
"The fridge is empty so we gotta buy something to put in it. There's other stuff too like soap and toothpaste. We also gotta get you new clothes to make you more inconspicuous," He answered.
"Alright, give me ten minutes," Gura said before walking away.
Mike also cleaned up a bit and prepared; securing the house and grabbing some stuff. He then headed to his home office, where his gun safe was. He opened it up and retrieved a pistol from within which he'll be using as his concealed carry weapon (CCW) along with a couple of spare mags, a flashlight, and a knife. The pistol in question was a Glock 19 with a Trijicon SRO and a Streamlight TLR-7. This made up Mike's everyday carry weapons (EDC).
Many people, especially those from other countries, often wonder what makes Americans so obsessed with guns. That's because it's a constitutional right for Americans to keep and bear arms. It's much easier to shoot a guy trying to rob you or mug you than anything else. The police are good, but they're always minutes away when seconds count. And really, owning a gun can be attributed to owning a fire extinguisher. You're probably never going to need it, in fact, it's best you never need it. But, when the situation arrives that you need one but don't have one, what the hell are you gonna do? Besides, guns are fun as long as you know what you're doing.
He tucked the pistol in a concealed appendix carry and covered it with his shirt. He then put on his jacket and headed back to the living room to wait for Gura. She came out a few minutes later looking cleaner but still wearing her original clothes.
"By the way, why'd you steal that out of any other clothes?" He asked
"It's cute," She replied.
"Well, can't argue with that logic," He said and opened the door. "C'mon."
They walked through the front door which he locked behind him and led her to his car. He unlocked his dark grey 2014 Ford Expedition and helped Gura into the passenger seat before climbing in himself. Then he started the car and they were off.
"Let's get something to eat first," Mike said as he drove down the road.
Gura mostly kept quiet throughout the short car ride, opting to keep her eyes peering through the window and absorbing everything she saw. The sights were easier to take in when she wasn't running for her life.
Mike then pulled up to this building complex and found a place to park. They hopped out of the car shortly after with him leading the way around the building until stopping at an establishment on the side of the structure. Gura read the words in big, bold, white letters with a red background plastered right on top of the establishment's entrance.
"Five Guys," She read out loud.
"I'm gonna show you one of America's greatest achievements. And it's located right here," Mike stated with a smirk.
He led her inside and she quickly scanned the area. The first thing that hit her was the smell of food. She was almost salivating already but kept herself in check and continued looking. While there were a lot of people inside, it wasn't packed. The walls were colored in white with a strip of red checkered pattern adorning it. There were multiple tables that people occupied. And there was a counter with people behind it and a screen with pictures of food displayed right on top. Mike led her to one of the tables and left.
"Wait here, I'll be back in a few minutes," He told her before leaving.
Gura complied, simply propping her arm on the table and resting her chin while dangling her legs on her seat. She could feel the stares of people from around her, but she didn't mind, she'd gotten used to it. As long as they don't approach her, it's fine. However, she didn't have to think of it for long since Mike came back rather quickly holding two trays full of food which he set down on the table. She inspected the food without touching it. They looked strange but they also smelled good.
"This thing is called a cheeseburger, it's meat and cheese between bread. These little things are called french fries, they're strips of potato that have been deep-fried in oil. And this is a soda, it's basically sugary syrup mixed with carbonated water," He pointed. "Try it. You won't regret it."
They certainly looked strange but also appealing and the smell was undeniable. Moreover, Mike says it's okay, so it should be fine, right? Deciding to take the plunge, she picked up the 'cheeseburger', and took a bite.
"Mmph!" She froze as her eyes widened like saucers.
"Whoa, are you alright?" Mike asked in worry. He caught on to the sudden change of expression and worried that she didn't like it.
However, it was the exact opposite. When the food in her mouth came into contact with her tongue, she experienced an explosion of flavor, unlike anything she's experienced before. She was taken on a wild ride of the century in those five seconds.
"Whoa, hey, take it easy," Mike cautioned as he watched the shark girl violently rip apart the burger with her mouth.
The burger was gone in seconds, allowing her to move on to the fries. Again, the fries were out of this world, and she couldn't help herself from scarfing them down. And finally, the soda. The fizziness of the drink threw her off for a moment, but the sweet taste completely took over and she was steadily gulping it down.
And that was it. In three minutes, she had completely devoured the full meal. Unfortunately, the food did not settle properly and she was feeling hungry again. But before she could even frown, her empty tray was replaced by one that was full. Looking up, she saw Mike taking her tray and sitting back down.
"Huh?" She spoke.
"You still look hungry. Go ahead and eat up," He said.
"B-But, this is yours. I can't just take it," She protested.
"Nah, it's cool. I realized I ordered the wrong thing. You can have it," He insisted. "But, you've gotta slow down. You might choke or vomit."
Gura's eyes gleamed as she accepted the food and dug in; this time, at a much slower pace. Mike will have to order another meal for himself but opted to continue watching the little shark girl eat for a little longer. Something about this spectacle made him feel… warmer inside. Like a piece of his burden had been lifted away.
It felt nice.
"Ugh, I don't think I can go back to seafood," Gura groaned as she held her full stomach.
"It's too early to say that. You could still try our rendition of seafood," Mike suggested.
"Ah right, I haven't tried that yet."
After they finished their meal, they walked out of the restaurant, hopped back in the car, and headed to their next destination. And that was their main objective of the day. A couple of minutes later, they pulled up into the parking of the Walmart and headed inside. All the while, Gura was scanning her surroundings in awe.
"Do you have something like this in Atlantis?" Mike asked.
"There are five huge markets spread out around the city, that's where people get most of their stuff. There are also the small shops and stalls lining the street too," She answered.
"I see. Well, it's not that different up here. Supermarkets sell a wide variety of stuff. Walmart, in particular, has got everything from food, toiletries, utilities, clothes, and even guns," He stated, gesturing to the little section that had firearms labeled as 'sporting goods'. "Walmart's also a chain business, meaning, there are hundreds of stores like this nationwide. Not to mention other supermarket brands like Target and Costco."
"I see."
"Now, let's go get you some new clothes."
And so, their shopping trip entered its first stage in the clothing section where they found a bunch of cheap clothes for Gura to wear. They weren't the most stylish things ever, but they will help the little shark girl blend in with human society. They'll get nicer clothes another time. After that, it was other stuff such as food, water, and toiletries, then it was time to go home.
"Huh, it's not even that late yet," Mike mumbled as he checked his watch. Then, an idea came to him. "Hey, Gura, we've got time. Wanna go somewhere fun?"
"What do you have in mind?" She asked.
"Hmm," He hummed. "Do you know what an arcade is?"
They were on the road again after that. Gura quickly noted that they were going deeper into the city because she could see the tall buildings approaching. She wondered what he meant about fun and started to worry a bit as a defense mechanism. They drove for about five minutes until they arrived at a row of buildings in town. Mike led her into an establishment called 'Bowlero' with Gura immediately scanning the area and gawking in awe.
"Whoa, what is this place?" She asked.
"This is an arcade, Gura," He answered. "Well, a part of it is. There's a bowling alley over there, but we'll get to that later."
Mike then showed Gura the various games laid out in the arcade. Of course, she sucked at the first few tries but adapted at an astonishing rate. So much so that she was pumping out tickets for prizes.
"Damn, you learn quick," He commented.
"I've been told I adapt fairly easy," She said.
After some time on the games and winning a bunch of prizes, Mike decided it was time to move on to bowling. This was a bit difficult because it turned out that Gura was pretty strong, so she'd end up rolling the ball a bit too much. Regardless, she'd once again adapt and she would be rolling out strikes one after the other after a couple of hours.
Hours would pass and the sun would finally come down. Mike had actually lost track of time, cursing to himself a bit as a result. But seeing Gura smile made it seem worth it. Not to mention, he began feeling something in him he hadn't felt in a long time. It was the faintest traces of it, but they were there. Eventually, it was time to leave and Gura followed Mike back to the car while tugging a bag of prizes.
"That was fun!" She exclaimed.
"You learn quick. That'll come in handy for you," Mike said.
"Well, you're a pretty good teacher too. I think that counts," She stated.
He just shrugged. "Used to teach in school as one of my jobs before. I got some experience. But I just guided you, you did most of the work."
"Oh, c'mon, if it weren't for you I'd definitely break something," She laughed. "You're probably one of the most reliable people I've ever met, Mike!"
One fucking job and you still screw it up!
When are you gonna get better?!
You won't get a second chance when you're dead, son. Do it right the first time.
You were the CO on the ground. They were your responsibility.
You're one of the most reliable people I've ever met, Mike!
"… Well, yeah, I kinda have to be."
Gura frowned upon hearing that. She could tell that his mood had suddenly soured. Worse, what she said might've been the cause of that. But she hasn't said anything mean, right? In any case, she needed to fix this. She can't offend Mike; for various reasons, but the most important one was that she did not want to be an ass to someone who's helping her.
"Hey, Mike?" She spoke up upon sitting in the car.
"Yeah?"
"I'm… I'm gonna be here for a while, but I still don't know much about this place. So, can you teach me more?" She asked.
Mike was silent for a few moments, which unnerved her a bit, before turning to her and smiling warmly.
"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say," He said before starting the car. "Want to start now? What would you like to know?"
Thus, another impromptu school session began as they drove back home. Gura eagerly asked questions about various while Mike gladly answered them as best as he could. He was smiling again after that which made her glad. Similarly, Mike felt the earlier discomfort easing out of him, allowing him to finally relax. Later they'd get home and conclude their first full day together which was a success.
However, none of them would notice the vehicle following a good distance away to remain inconspicuous. The two men in the black Toyota Camry had been following the duo for some time now, simply observing them as they went. After gathering enough intel, they broke away from the trailing course and disappeared into the night.
AN: So, first off, I made a mistake when writing. Apparently, it doesn't snow much if at all in Atlanta, lol. So, I went back and corrected that.
Also, updates are gonna be pretty slow. As of now, I still haven't figured out the route I want to take this story in. Specifically, I'm not sure how I'm going to introduce the rest of Myth. Then there's Council/Promise and then Advent, but that's a problem for later. That's why I've been reading through a bunch of other stories, trying to find some inspiration. But, I might have to rip some out, lol. I'll be sure to credit the authors though.
Anyway, that's all I have for now. Thank you very much for reading! Please leave a review to tell me what you think or if you have any ideas you want to share (please help me). And I'll see you all in the next one! Peace out!