The next chapter is up! Enjoy :)
The rest of the drive went smoothly.
During this time, Adar had relaxed completely. While he may have started out guarded and on edge a little being in the car, by the end of the ride, he started to enjoy it.
To him, it was a pleasant way to observe the world around you as you pass it by.
His eyes have stayed glued to the surroundings outside the vehicle as he looked upon the various and different structures of housing and the few people walking by on the sidewalks.
Life here was certainly interesting and different.
His gaze would often drift to Mia as she continued driving and her gaze remained fixed ahead. He knew she was just watching their surroundings on the road. She has told him plenty of information these last several minutes about road laws and why it was important to keep your eyes on the road at all times.
Even if you're talking to someone sitting next to you or behind you within the car, the driver still must keep their eyes ahead and not on the person talking. At the same time, they can still talk to you, without keeping eye contact with you.
"How's the drive been so far? You still, ok?" She asks, while keeping her gaze forward.
This had to be at least the second time she asked him.
Adar was a little unsure if she was asking out of mere concern for his wellbeing or if she expected him to become hysterical at some point during the ride because it was something he has never experienced before in his long life.
Though he likes to believe it's the former.
If not for the fact that she does hold a considerate amount of concern for him and his wellbeing. Probably because he was completely new to this world, and she wanted to make sure he was comfortable and at ease.
"I am fine, Mia. I know you're concerned. But you need not keep asking. You made it clear earlier that we are safe in here." He assured her.
A small flicker of a smile appeared on her face.
"Sorry. I don't mean to keep asking. I guess it has to just do with the fact that I know this is all completely new and strange to you. I'm sure riding in a car is a far cry from me teaching you how simple household appliances work. And this is why I ask. I also wish to point out that where we will be arriving in a couple minutes will be a huge establishment filled with a lot of people. Just figured I'd let you know so know what to expect when we get there and park the car." Mia says.
"I understand. While these dwellings are strange to me, I now know that they are just a part of the world here. Something else to adjust to and get used to and I like to believe in time, I will." He tells her.
"And I believe with the more time you spend here, you will. I guess my concern just stems from putting so much on you in a short amount of time to the point it overwhelms you. Yet know you will eventually see it all for yourself regardless." She admits.
He knew what she meant. Yet he was still unused to someone showing any concern for him, because no one ever has before.
It had been ages since he felt any sense of compassion or concern from another. But after his capture by Morgoth, no one cared. His wellbeing, his emotions, they had become nothing to those he was kept around during his imprisonment.
At that point, Morgoth and Sauron made it pretty clear, that he was no one and nothing.
Just something they can use for their own means and gains, and they have, many times over. Until he was but a mere husk of the elf he used to be.
Obviously, Mia didn't know this, because all she knew was that he was from a place called Middle Earth and from Mordor. But she didn't know what or who he was while there, nor the things he has done over the ages or what was done to him in the beginning. She also didn't know how he came to be here as it was, that upon being murder in such a horrendous way in turn brought him here.
Though he could see, she has looked to the countless holes in his shirts a couple times with questioning looks, he still doesn't believe she knows they were in fact stab wounds from many swords, wielded by his Uruks.
Adar didn't have much more time to harp on it, before she turned into an open area that held many other cars that were sitting stationary in numerous rows in front of a very large establishment.
The place was huge, like a castle, and he saw quite a few people idling about the area, going in and out of it.
"Well, we're here." Mia said.
It didn't take her long to find a parking spot and she found one that wasn't too far at all from the entrance. Which was good, because it meant they could get inside quicker, so he doesn't freeze with the thin, ratty layers he has on.
"They...sell clothing here?" He asks, as he eyes the large building.
"Yeah, among other things. But for now, we are just going to get you some clothes." She told him.
She put the car in park afterwards and turned to him.
"Ok, to take off your seatbelt, just press that red button down by your side with your finger. When you do that, it will release the metal buckle and retract. Then you see that little rectangular shape handle there in the indented part of the door? Grab it and pull it towards you then lightly push open the door to let yourself out." She instructed.
Mia then did the same with her seatbelt to show him a little demonstration on how it's done then reached over and grasped the door handle and tugged on it, opening her door.
Adar followed suit and did the same. Just like the other things she has showed him so far; it was quite simple.
He pressed the red button on the clip, and it released his belt, making it retract. Then he spotted the little lever off on the side on the inside of his door and grabbed it.
He tugged it and then pushed it open as she instructed. The metal door opened and allowed him to exit the car. He then got up and stepped out of it.
"Just put your hand on the outside of the door and push it shut to close it once you're out." She called over from her side when she stepped out.
He put his hands on the cold, sleek metal and pushed the door in, making it close with a small 'thump'.
Mia did the same and rounded the front of the car to meet him.
"You ready to head in?" She asked.
His eyes flickered from her to the large building and back to her again.
"Yes." He replied.
She gave him a small gesture to follow.
Mia waited as Adar approached, then once he was beside her, they started crossing the parking lot together. A cold breeze kicked up as they crossed the small road between the parked cars and the Mall.
She saw him shiver a bit as this happened.
"Don't worry, like my car, they have the heat on inside the building. So, you won't be so cold once we get in." She assured him.
That was a relief to hear.
Adar was still unused to this human form he now resided in. He was still very used to being an Uruk and before that, an Elf. Though as much as he hates admitting it, he never truly was a full-fledged Uruk.
Despite how much Morgoth and Sauron twisted and mutilated him, deep down, he was still an Elf. Eru Illuvatar created him as an Elf, and he never truly believed that Morgoth could have ever changed that, no matter how much dark magic he has used in his attempts to make him one of Arda's very first Uruks.
"Good to know. It is very cold out here. Could very much use a cloak right now." He tells her.
"I'm sorry to say, we don't have cloaks here. Just jackets like the one I'm currently wearing. But I promise you, that they will keep you just as warm and comfortable, if not more so than a cloak. I'll take you to one of the coat stores first within the mall and we will get you one, before grabbing some shirts, pants, and shoes for you." She said.
"Thank you, but we do not need to obtain much for me. Merely a couple items will do." He says, as they head for the front doors of the mall.
Mia shifted her gaze back to him at that.
"Aerin, we cannot just simple get you just one shirt and pair of pants. I'm not entirely sure how wardrobes were on Middle Earth, but here, it's better to have a few outfits that way you have a fresh pair of clothes to wear each day and not wear the same outfit every day. If anything...that is considered to be rather unhygienic it." She said.
She tried to tell him this in the politest way as possible without coming off as insulting.
Hopefully, it was a polite enough response, and he wasn't offended or insulted by it in any way, because as a friend, the last thing she wants to do is insult him and make him feel like how he lived in Middle Earth was wrong and backwards, or at the most...primitive. Despite the fact that how they do live on Middle Earth would be considered primitive in comparison to how humans live here on Earth.
Instead of seeing an annoyed or upset look on his face though, she saw a tiny, amused grin appear on his face.
"Then perhaps this is not the best time to share that this outfit I'm currently wearing; I have worn for a very long time. For I did not have an extended wardrobe back home." He informs her.
How could he? After all, he did not have luxuries like most others. For centuries, he and his Uruks were always busy and on the move, trying to make a life for themselves, because of this, simple things like clothing were not on the forefront of his mind.
"Sorry to hear that. But at least here, that is something you can have." Mia replied.
Perhaps, he could. Yet seeing she would have to obtain clothing for him, he doesn't like the fact that she would have to use any currency she has to obtain these items for him. She has already done a lot for him, and he doesn't want her to keep having to do all these extra things to help him fit in and adjust.
Though something tells him if he were to try and tell her that, she may brush it off and tell him not to worry about it.
Seeing that seems to be what she tends to do when he has told her before that she need not concern herself with him so much. Still, despite all this, he was still grateful that she was helping him as much as she was.
Adar thought it both strange and intriguing that she would go out of her way to help someone she has only met the night before.
Apparently, she's just one of those people that has a very kind heart. In which case, he cannot say he has known very many people like that. Though it could have to do with the fact that whenever people usually did see him in the past, they would look upon him with fear and revulsion.
They stepped through the doors, which made him stop short at first, because the glass doors just slid open on their own once they were less than five feet away.
Mia just placed a hand on his forearm and told him it was alright, before leading him inside.
Once they were in, he looked around the large area. The place was huge, lined with all these indoor shops on either side. Quite a few people were bustling about. Some of which were toting around various bags in their hands.
She watched as he looked around in curiosity at all the different places as they continued walking.
"So many places in here." He says.
"Yeah, with a large variety of things for people to get." She told him.
That seemed fairly obvious.
Many of these shops were lined with glass, making it easy to see inside them. He saw many different types of clothing hanging on metal rods in each shop they walked by.
"So, which one of these places are you taking us to first?" He asks.
"We're going to one of the coat stores first to get you a winter coat. It's only a little further down on the left." Mia replied.
That was fine with him. Especially, if it means he can walk about outside without freezing.
So far, at least no one stared at his odd appearance in passing. Just shows many people these days were so wrapped up in their own lives and business than to notice a man walking around wearing a ratty tunic shirt with more holes than you can shake a stick at with just as equally ratty pants and worn-out knee-high black boots.
They reached the coat store within the next three minutes and went inside. The place looked to be only semi crowded as a few people looked through the racks at the large variety of coats. The store was quite big and had a lot.
Mia led him to the left side of the store where they kept the men's jackets.
"You can start looking through these racks here. And just let me know which one catches your eye that you would like to get. Are there any colors in particular you like more than others?" She asks him.
"I usually wear dark colors like I'm wearing now. So, something black or even dark grey will do. Even dark blue is fine as well." He informs her.
He cannot say he had much for color preferences. Only that he was not fond of bright colors and preferred dark colors since he could remember.
The last time he ever wore anything light in color was during his Awakening in Cuivienen. He along with the other first Elves awoke decked out in white clothing.
"Ok, that helps narrow it down. I can help you look for jackets in that color range." She stated.
He gave her a brief nod, then started looking around.
There seemed to be many different colors. But at least it looked like a good portion of them were dark colors. Mainly dark grey, blue, and green mixed in with quite a few black coats.
"How about this style?" Mia asks.
Adar turned around and saw her holding up a black coat.
It had these horizontal stitched ridges going around it and the material between the stitches was rather poofy, giving it a bulging look and the hood was lined with some kind of grey fur.
He can't say he was fond of the style. Mainly for the fact that he didn't like the puffiness or fur rimmed hood. Even when he reached out to touch the material, it felt strange.
"Thank you, but no. Can't say I care very much for the puffiness and fur around the rim of the hood. The material feels strange and not like it could be very warm." He admits.
Mia nodded in understanding.
She was never crazy about the puffy parka-like jackets with the faux fur rimmed hoods either. But she did want to point out the strange material he was talking about that it was made out of.
"Yeah, I'm not crazy about this style either. But the material it is made out of, it actually is very warm and comfortable. This kind of material is used for insulation. Meaning it hods warmth on the inside that radiates from your body heat while keeping the cold air out. You will find that a lot of winter jackets here are lined on the inside with similar material to this. But the outer parts of certain jackets are made out of other materials. Ones that aren't poofy like this. Though I'm sure, you most likely noticed that by now." She ascertained.
"Yes, and I have so far seen at least one that caught my attention." He told her.
"Really? Which one?" She asked.
"It's over here." He says.
Adar led her past a few racks until they came to a stop at one of them.
Mia eyed it and thought it was a good choice. It was black in color with a hood and appeared to be made out of that heavy duty material that looked a lot like denim but wasn't. It was made out of that cotton blend nylon material that was meant for extreme weather conditions.
To her it looked a lot like those Carhart Jackets, which are typically good ones.
"This is a nice one. Let's find one on the rack that looks like it may be your size." She said.
She studied him, trying to gage what size he could be.
While she herself was only 4ft 11in tall, he looks like he was only a head taller than her. Possibly just under 6ft tall with an average, yet slight build to him. If anything, he looked like he was around the same height as her brother John, who was 5ft 10in.
"Let's try a medium on you. See how that fits." Mia surmised.
Adar was unsure what 'medium' meant. So, he just followed her lead and let her decipher the sizes.
She quickly skirted through the jackets hanging up while looking at the tags for a medium and eventually found one. She then pulled it out and placed the hanger with the jacket hanging off of it on the front of the rack. Then she unzipped it and pulled it off, before giving it to him.
"Here, try it on and see if it fits. There is a mirror right over there if you want to look at it on yourself to see how it looks." Mia said, pointing to a mirror on one of the columns a couple rows over from them.
He took the offered jacket and slipped his arms through the thick sleeves, then shrugged it on.
"Oh, before I forget, this thin piece of metal right here with this little tab is called a zipper. You connect the two thin pieces together at the bottom and then pull the tab upwards to close the jacket. Like this..."
Mia who still has yet to take off her on jacket, grabbed the bottom of the front and pulled them together and connected the pieces at the bottom, then she grabbed the flat metal tab and pulled it up, closing her jacket.
He watched the whole thing closely, before looking down at the jacket he wore and grasped the metal tab at the bottom and the other side of the jacket. He then brought them together trying to connect them.
Though after a few moments of fumbling, Mia did have to help him out a little until he was able to line it up on the track. Afterwards, he pulled it up until it reached his collarbone.
He tested it out, flexing his arms and rotating them a little. He could tell the heavy material was pretty tough and durable, as well as comfortable.
"Does it feel tight at all?" She asks him.
Adar shook his head.
"No, it feels comfortable and not binding in any way." He replied.
"That's good. It also looks good on you too and seems warm. Good enough for this weather at least." She says.
"Yes, now I can rest assure knowing that I won't freeze solid whenever I go outside." He stated, with a hint of amusement in his gaze.
Mia couldn't help but smile a little in amusement herself at his humorous response.
"Yeah, that's always a good thing. Otherwise, I'd have to find a way to lug you back inside and stick you in front of the fireplace so that you could thaw out and it that doesn't work, I suppose I could always use an ice pick." She joked.
He let out a small silent chuckle at that.
"Let's hope not. Something tells me that solution will not be very pleasant. And I would also be back to having clothing riddled in holes again from the sharp pick." He lightly joked back.
She laughed a little at that.
"On that note, let's just stick to placing you in front of the fireplace then." Mia said, with laughter still in her voice.
"Good idea. Be sure to write that down so you know not to go straight to fetching the ice pick." He added.
The young woman just shakes her head with an amused smile.
"Ok, funny man. You want to go check out the jacket in the mirror over there and see how it looks before we decide to buy it?" She asks.
"Alright." He replied.
Then he walked through a couple rows of coat racks before finding himself in front of the tall mirror.
It was interesting how the mirrors here were so crystal clear and didn't have that slight foggy or opaque look to them like the mirrors in Middle Earth. As far as he could see, it fit fine and looked good.
Mia came walking over and observed.
He wasn't looking for very long before he turned to her.
"I like it. We can go with this one." He told her.
"Ok, take it off and we'll bring it up to the counter." She said.
Adar shrugged it off and then they walked through the rows of coats to the back of the store where check out was.
There wasn't much of a line when they got there. Only two customers were ahead of them. It at least didn't take long for him to find a jacket he likes. They were only in there for around ten minutes looking for one.
After a couple more minutes, they made it to the front.
He placed the jacket down on the counter in front of this hefty middle-aged woman with short blonde curly hair and wearing black rimmed glasses. Her gaze went to them, and she smiled.
"You find everything ok?" The woman asked.
"Yeah, thanks." Mia replied with a small polite smile.
The lady then scanned the tag and used the magnet to take off the security tag. Though as she did this, her gaze did flicker to the man and caught a glimpse of his tattered shirt with many holes in it. While she didn't say anything, she did make a slight face briefly, before going back to work. While it was brief, the two did notice the cashier's passing glance at his attire but tried not to pay any mind to it.
"Cash or card?" She asks.
"Card." Mia replied, as she pulled out her wallet and pulled out her credit card from it.
Then she ran it over top of the screen, it beeped once it read her chip, signaling that the card was scanned, and the purchase went through.
As she did this, the woman rolled up the jacket and shoved it in a large brown paper bag, before handing it over to them. Mia took the bag and thanked her before her and Adar turned around to leave.
"Alright, next stop is clothes. And I know of at least a few places here we can go to." She told him, as they walked along through the mall.
"Just remember, we don't have to get much. Just a few articles will suffice." He reminded her.
"Ok. We'll just stick with twenty pairs of everything." She stated.
Adar shifted his gaze to her with an arched brow and slightly surprised look.
"I'm kidding. Even I think that is totally overdoing it when it comes to one's wardrobe. How about we just stick to six pairs of shirts and pants for now, and one pair of shoes?" She suggested.
"That is fine." He said.
To save time and not make this an all-day affair, Mia decided to go to one of the bigger clothing stores within the mall that had a good selection of clothes. Something tells her that he's not the picky type and they shouldn't have much trouble picking out clothing.
This store was one of the ones that took up both floors with one entrance on the first floor and the other entrance on the second floor.
They were just about there when they passed by a lingerie store. Adar did a double take when he saw a couple mannequins shaped like women wearing lacy bras and underwear, along with a few blown up images of women wearing nothing but those same garments.
He quickly looked away and coughed into his closed fist.
Mia saw this and tried not to laugh. But still couldn't resist teasing him.
"I'm not sure they have your style in there. But I could be wrong. So, if you want to go in there and look, then I'm perfectly ok with it." She teased.
"No!" He blurted out with a mortified look.
That's when she did start laughing.
Once that look wore off, it was then replaced with a look that said, 'Really?' as he eyed her. Then he ended up smiling in amusement at her little joke.
"While you may prefer to wear such undergarments, something tells me if you tried to squeeze me in something like that people would look at me in barely concealed horror." He said, with an amused grin.
"Nah, I along with anyone else who sees that would probably die laughing." She replied, with laughter in her tone.
"Sorry to disappoint. But I still wouldn't do it. Besides, only women wear undergarments. Not men." He told her.
That's when her smile faltered a bit.
"Wait, what? You saying men where you're from don't wear underwear beneath their pants?" She asked, clearly surprised.
"No, it's irrelevant to do so. We never needed to." He said.
Mia was silent for a moment, before replying.
"Well...majority of the men here do. I mean, I suppose you don't have to if you don't want to. Especially, if that is what you're used to." She says.
"I can try. But I don't believe it's something I could really get used to." He tells her.
At this point, they made it to the store's entrance and walked in.
"Like I said, you don't have to if you don't want to. Obviously, no one here is going to make you. There are a few men out there that prefer not to wear underwear. Though probably not many. There's a term for that; they call it going 'Commando'. Why? I'm not entirely sure myself why they call it that. Only that, that has been the term for it for a long time now." She explains.
"Still rather odd that most men here would wear them. But for now, I think we should just search for shirts and trousers." He said.
"Fair enough. The men's clothes are down this way on the right." She told him, gesturing down ahead and to the right.
They walked down and made a right into the area of the store that was the men's section.
Here, there was a wide variety of t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, and pants in many different styles.
Like with the jackets, he started walking around the racks and looking around. Mia followed, doing the same. She looked to see if they had any style of clothing in the colors he likes.
Adar bypassed some ugly looking knitted sweaters with different colored stripes on them, barely eve glancing at the atrocious tops.
He did find himself at one table that had these long sleeve shirts with a strange texture and knitting pattern. But they felt very soft and comfortable. Mia saw him stop and eye the thermal shirts. He then picked on shirt up, letting it unravel as he looked it over. The shirt was a medium grey color.
"This looks good." He says.
"Those are called thermal shirts. Perfect for this time of year because they help keep you warm. I have a couple of these types of shirts at home." She tells him.
It was a nice style. Perhaps he will give it a try.
He gripped it in one hand and then looked back down at the table, looking for other ones to take.
"If you want to try those on, try looking for ones that are a medium and large. Then we can find a fitting room and you can try both sizes on to see which one fits you better." She said.
Then she looked down at the table and sifted through them until she found a couple that had the stamp tag on the inside below the collar that had either an 'M' or an 'L'.
"Try to find ones that have these letters. They are all stamped on the inside below the collar like this." She showed him, by holding up the shirt in her hands and pointing out the 'M' on one shirt and 'L' on the other.
Before picking up another shirt, he checked the size of the one in his hand. It had an 'L' on it.
Afterwards, he resumed looking through the neatly folded shirts. Besides the grey one, he did find a black one and navy one he liked. He tossed them over his forearm. He didn't really like the other colors offered. So, he'll go look at some other styles with similar colors. But at least for now he had at least three shirts.
It took a little longer to find another style he seemed to like. He eventually found a style among the sports section and picked up some exercise shirts made out of a thin, stretchy breathable fabric. Just like the first ones he and Mia grabbed, he found two that were some of his preferred colors.
From there, they went on to pants. Those may be a little trickier in size gaging for him. Especially jeans and cargo pants which go by numbers rather than letter sizes like cotton or sweatpants.
Mia feels she can't necessarily go by her brother's pants size either. While he and Adar were roughly around the same height, her brother seemed a bit more stockier than him. Whereas Adar is more on the slighter side.
If her brother was a size thirty-six, then she could guess Adar maybe a thirty-four. So, they may give that size a try and see how it looks. Obviously, he will tell her if they fit right or not.
They eventually wandered over to a table that displayed a number of folded up jeans. He picked up a pair of black wash jeans running his fingers over the material. Just like the thermal shirts, these pants had a strange texture to them.
Nonetheless, they were nice.
"Here, let me see the number on those. We may have to guess your size for these and like the shirts, you'll just have to try them on and see if they fit right or not." She informed him.
Mia peaked at the number on the tag, and it said 30x32. Something tells her these maybe a tad small for him.
"This might be a little small for you. We'll try a thirty-four and see how well that size fits. If they feel too tight, then we'll go a size bigger. If they feel too big, we'll go a size smaller." She says.
He gave her a brief nod.
She skimmed through a neatly folded pile of blue jeans next to the black ones, until she found the number she was looking for. Then she held it up to show him what it looked like.
"This is the number thirty-four. Try looking for pants with this number on the side here." She showed him.
"Alright." He replied.
He had to look through a few of them, before he found a pair that had the same matching number symbols as the ones she showed him on another pair.
As he looked through the rest of the table, he found a couple medium to dark blue ones he kind of liked. He found ones with the same number and picked them up. Mia helped him hold the clothes, all while mentally kicking herself for forgetting to grab a cart.
Afterwards, they walked down a couple rows of racks until he stopped at a rack displaying cargo pants. He decided it was another style he liked and started sifting through them. These too had numbers and he remembered to look for the one Mia asked him to look for.
He ended up with one pair of wash dark grey ones and a pair of black ones.
"Before trying these on. I suggest you grab one short sleeve shirt and a pair of sweatpants. That way you have something to wear to bed. Because these clothes here, are clothes we wear during the day and not night clothes you wear to sleep." She told him.
He asked her if she had seen any as they were walking.
Mia told him that they were a few rows over to the right near the wall. She led him over and there were a couple racks with cotton t-shirts and some racks with sweatpants. They weren't here long before, he settled on one plain black t-shirt and some dark grey sweatpants.
Once he grabbed them, she led him over to the fitting rooms.
"Ok, so you go in here and you can try all the clothes on to see which ones fit. The ones that don't we'll just place on the large return rack over there by te last door against the wall." She explained, while thumbing over to the rack down on their right.
"Alright, I'll let you know which ones fit properly when I finish." He says.
Then he entered the small cubicle. Mia only stepped inside for a moment to place the pile of clothes she was carrying down on the one chair in there in the corner. Afterwards, she closed the door for him.
She then went to sit down in one of the few chairs right outside and waited there for him.
Several minutes went by, until he finally came back out. When she saw his door open, she stood back up and headed back over to him. Mia asked him which ones fit him best.
Just as she speculated, the shirts that were mediums fit him best. Unfortunately, he informed her that the jeans were slightly loose on him around the waist. But the cargo pants fit him fine as well as the sweatpants.
So, they went back and went down a size in the jeans and picked up size thirty-three for him to try on. Which he had better luck with, and that size fit him better. While he was trying on those jeans, she went ahead and picked up a six-pack of socks for him.
Then as they walked to the edge of the men's section. He spotted this round table that had what appeared to be undergarments in it across the walkway.
Mia only turned around to look at a flannel shirt hanging on a rack, contemplating if she should pick one up for her brother while she was here. Though as she sifted through the rack, she sadly couldn't find his size.
When she turned back around, she saw Adar was no longer standing there next to her. She began looking around, but didn't do so for long when she saw him only a few feet away across the open walkway. He appeared to be looking at...women's underwear?
As she walked over, she saw him pick up a pair. By the looks of it, it was a thong. He scrunched up his nose as he eyed the thin lacy piece of fabric.
"Uhh, Aerin, what are you doing with that?" Mia asked.
His gaze went from the flimsy article to her.
"You told me most men here wear undergarments. So, I was merely looking through some here." He told her.
Her eyes widened, then she had to purse her lips to keep herself from laughing. Though it wasn't really working.
"Except...those are women's underwear. Not men's." She managed to get out.
A horrified look appeared on his face, and he quickly dropped the underwear back down on the round table, before looking around briefly to see if anyone witnessed him picking up the undies.
That did it for her and Mia started laughing then and there.
She knew by doing so she most likely embarrassed him. But she couldn't help it. What he said, followed by his mortified look of realization and flinging them back down while looking around was just too damn hilarious.
His cheeks turned a little pink and he lightly coughed into his closed fist, to try and hide his embarrassment.
"The men's...underwear is this way." She said, between laughs.
Once her laughter died down more, she directed back over to the men's section, and they walked over to a table that sold men's underwear in a three pack. She picked up a couple packs of the boxer brief ones for him. Then they finally moved on.
Their last stop afterwards, was the shoe section in the store.
After fifteen to twenty minutes of looking through the selection and figuring out his shoe size, he ended up with a pair of ankle high black work boots.
Then it was finally time to leave and head back home. Adar shrugged on his new jacket and the two of them carried out the bags of clothes and the shoes to her car.
Mia opened the trunk, and they threw the bags in. Then they got into the car, started it up and left.
On the way back home, she decided to hook up her Bluetooth and play some music over the car's speakers. His gaze flickered from the speakers to her as he sat next to her in the passenger seat.
"This car of yours plays music too?" He inquired.
"Yeah, I just hook up my iPhone to it, and the music from my playlist on here plays through the cars speakers." She explained.
She then adjusted the volume a little, so it wasn't too loud.
Adar found the song and words to be interesting yet very different than any music he's ever heard. But then he wasn't necessarily counting on music here to be similar to any on Middle Earth.
"I still can't believe you picked up women's underwear and thinking about trying them on. And the best part was, they weren't even a regular pair, it was a thong." She said, with an amused grin and small chuckle.
He turned to her with a smirk and mischievous glint in his light eyes.
"I wasn't going to. I already knew they were only for women. I just picked them up and said that to see your reaction and get you to laugh." He admitted, with a smirk still ever present on his face.
Mia shared a brief glance with him, before shifting her gaze back to the road ahead of them and let out another small chuckle.
"Well, it worked. And thanks. It's been a long time since I had a good laugh like that." She said, with a smile.
"You're welcome. And thank you, that was quite an interesting and entertaining experience as well as seeing a brief glimpse at what society here is like." He says.
"No problem. And that was just the start. There is still so much more to see and learn about here." She tells him.
His smile softens, "And I look forward to it. Especially since I have someone who is kind and considerate enough to teach me and is a very big help."
She felt a shimmer of warmth at his words.
Not only that, but it was nice not being alone for a change. She's been alone and keeping to herself for the better part of the last couple years. The only time she has company, is when she teaches ballet down in her small dance studio in the finished off basement a couple times a week to a class of eight kids.
While she does enjoy doing that apart from her writing, Mia still couldn't help but feel lonely at times and sad.
So far, Aerin is proving to be good company. Not only that, but he's very bright and appears to have a humorous streak to him, if that underwear joke back at the mall in the store was anything to go by. Plus, she still doesn't deny the fact that he is quite handsome.
Mia may not know why he was suddenly dropped here on Earth from Middle Earth, but she's happy to have come across him when she did.
With a shopping excursion, I couldn't resist adding awkward moments and humor. Plus, I think we all know some form of hilarity would ensue if a character from Middle Earth suddenly found themselves here and experienced their first shopping trip here XD
Until Next Time ;)