Mikan woke up to the smell of something delicious. She sat up in bed and sniffed the air. What was that? The events of the prior day came to her and she wondered if Jaluadecen was cooking breakfast. He might be kind of sulky or arrogant or something but it would be nice having him around for a while. Mikan scooched to the end of her bed and peeked underneath. No Century. 'She probably snuck away in the middle of the night.' Mikan giggled softly. 'Such a strange woman.'
She stepped out of the bed and quickly dressed in her same clothing from the day before. Jaluadecen seemed smugly satisfied when he saw for some reason. Mikan thought about assaying a greeting but then panicked and just sat down. Jaluadecen was wearing a long, light purple robe with his hair loose and flowing down his back in a fine pink wave. He served his food just a few moments later, for both of them. Mikan scarfed down the food. It tasted as good as it smelled. Jaluadecen ate more slowly. It didn't speak to her but he didn't glower as much as he had either. Mikan hoped that was a good sign.
When they were finished and Jaluadecen was cleaning up, Mikan tried to navigate her way back to the videos that instructed her how to understand reading and writing. Tried and failed. Feeling embarrassed and upset, she was randomly hitting buttons hoping for a miracle when Jaluadecen returned and looked over her shoulder. When he spoke, he did not say what she expected. "You have a message. Would you like me to read it for you?"
Mikan blinked. How did he know that? And who would send her a message? "If...if you don't mind." Mikan's heart sped up as he kneeled down next to her. He leaned forward, his robe gaping open and revealing a large expanse of indigo skin. He had a strange, fresh scent. It reminded Mikan of water for some reason, even though it wasn't how water smelled. He brought up something. After her lessons the night before, Mikan could recognize some of the letters, if nothing else.
After a moment, he said, "You purchased some clothing yesterday?" Without waiting for her answer, he said, "It will be delivered today. Soon."
"Oh, alright then." That was fast but considering how quickly her first outfit had been made, she supposed she wasn't surprised. "Um...could you bring up the next lesson?" she asked with a faint blush. Jaluadecen didn't say anything as he did so and Mikan was afraid to look at his face.
After one video and a little ways into the second, a chime on her display made her yelp in surprise. Her face blazed as Jaluadecen calmly opened another message and informed her that her delivery was here. He let in the men and chaperoned them as they stocked her room with her new clothes. Mikan watched in a sort of dazed amazement as they brought in more and more boxes. How many clothes did one person need?!
When they were all done and Jaluadecen had seen them out the door, he came over and sat down across from her. "Do you have anything you are planning on doing today or will we remain in the apartment the entire day?" He asked in a perfectly reasonable tone but Mikan got the feeling he was criticizing her.
"I thought that I might go and visit my family, if you know where the other humans are staying."
She expected maybe a lip curling sneer or something but he just nodded and said, "I will be able to learn."
"Okay. G-great. Thank you." Mikan stood. "Maybe I should take a shower before we go." She realized all of a sudden that her hair must have looked like a rat's nest. Whatever that was. Her mom used the phrase a lot.
Why she should care what her hair looked like with Jaluadecen, she didn't know, but it hurt her feelings when his mouth tightened and he said, "Perhaps that would be a good idea."
Mikan scurried to the bathroom and then stopped short in amazement when she reached the bathroom. The counter was covered in jars and tubes and instruments, none of which she knew the purpose of. When had Jaluadecen brought these in? Why? Mikan edged around the counter and then shed her clothing. She took a quick and efficient shower and then wrapped herself in a towel, planning to run back to her new room for some new clothes. It seemed mad, changing into a brand new outfit the very next day after getting a new one but she had the clothes so why not?
Jaluadecen's voice froze her just a couple of steps outside the bathroom. "That was quick." He got up and walked over to her. Mikan hugged her towel close. "How could you be that fast?" He stopped before her and studied her very frankly. "You have done nothing with your hair. Did you shave at all? Did you apply any lotion?"
Mikan blinked. Lotion? Shave what? She had brushed her hair like she usually did. "Um...I'm sorry?" she ventured.
Jaluadecen clucked. "This will not do. You are visiting your parents today. You must be more presentable than this." Presentable for her parents? Of all the people in the universe, her parents were the last people she thought she needed to be presentable for. Jaluadecen took her arm, not painfully but firmly, and hustled her back into the bathroom. He planted her in front of the mirror and set to work.
First he brushed out her hair for a far longer time than she thought necessary. But she didn't mind because his fingers felt incredibly good manipulating her scalp. Mikan was starting to drift off when he suddenly started spraying her hair with something. Her eyes snapped open but the spraying didn't last long before he started using something else that blew hot hair directly on her head. Before she knew it, her hair was completely dry and looked thicker, somehow.
Then Jaluadecen yanked off her towel and tossed it aside without so much as a warning. Mikan yelped and tried to cover her nudity. Jaluadecen didn't seem to notice. He simply walked around her, lifting one of her arms and shaking his head and muttering under his breath. Mikan wasn't sure she was more offended that he had taken her towel without permission or that he didn't seem affected by her nudity at all.
He took a small black rectangle from the counter. Mikan thought she'd seen Bel get something similar for Callum. He knelt down in front of her and muttered something again. Her translator only picked up the word "hair" but it was enough to make Mikan blush. The fie seemed to be all but hairless below their eyebrows. Mikan had never thought about it before but suddenly the hair all over her body, fine as it was, seemed embarrassing. Jaluadecen ran the shaver over her legs swiftly. Mikan only felt a little warmth but her legs were quickly bare.
Then he moved up to her pubic hair. Mikan's face felt like it was on fire. He shaved some of the hair on her mons pubis and then tried to make her spread her legs. Mikan kept them firmly closed. He looked up at her with a frown but Mikan met his eyes, too shocked to look away like she normally would have. Jaluadecen gestured impatiently and Mikan opened her legs, almost feeling like she was out of her body. Her stomach fluttered madly and electric shocks ran up her spine. Jaluadecen shaved the rest of her hair away and nodded in satisfaction. Does he even see me as a woman? He stood, made her lift her arms and shaved under them. Then he even did something to her eyebrows. Mikan felt panic when she thought he might be shaving them completely but when he moved away, they were still there, just a little thinner.
He set down the shaver and picked up one of his jars. He spun the lid open and then took a healthy scoop out of it. Mikan almost took a step back as he advanced on her but she just froze. He applied the lotion to her entire body from the neck down. Mikan wasn't sure she'd ever been more embarrassed in her entire life. His fingers didn't miss a spot. When that was done, he picked up a different jar and took a smaller scoop out. This he gently spread across her face. It actually felt pretty nice and Mikan thought she might have enjoyed it in different circumstances.
When he was done, he stepped back and studied her. "You have surprisingly good skin for somebody who apparently doesn't have the common sense to moisturize but that won't be the case if you don't keep up a good routine. I can get you the same products that I use if you like. You may borrow my hair dryer for as long as I am with you. The shaver I used should keep you hair free for about a month. There are ones that do even more damage to the follicles but sometimes certain fashions are in vogue that require a bit of hair.
He pursed his lips and muttered, "What else?" His eyes ran over her again and he hissed. "Your nails." He proceeded to trim and tidy her finger and toe nails. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and nodded. "Hmm. Good. Your nails are scuffed but in surprisingly good shape considering. Would you like to paint them?"
Mikan blinked at finally being actually asked what she wanted and, after a moment, said, "Maybe later." Painting her nails did seem like it would be kind of fun but she had the feeling he would just start doing it now rather than letting her put her clothes on.
Jaluadecen nodded as if it didn't concern him in the least and stood. "Now, and I'm terrified of the answer, but did you clean your teeth?"
Mikan squirmed. She'd never heard of somebody cleaning their teeth but she got the feeling that was the wrong answer. "I…got some water in my mouth while I was showering?"
Jaluadecen closed her eyes and muttered, "Savages." Mikan's shoulders drooped. The fie man snapped his eyes open and, after taking a look at her face, said, "I mean the carcha. The way they treated you was...abominable." His voice was as gentle as she ever heard it and even his face softened. Then it twisted in rage. "They are hateful creatures. The universe would be better off if every last one of them was dead." Mikan wasn't sure she would go that far but she kept her peace. "Now," Jaluadecen, back to normal. "It is absolutely necessary to clean your teeth twice a day unless you want them to turn yellow and rot." Mikan nodded, though she couldn't remember any but the very old having yellow teeth.
Jaluadecen busied himself for a moment and then he turned around with a thin tube with a shiny red dollop of something on some short bristles attached to the tube. He touched a spot of the tube and it began to vibrate. "Open your mouth," he commanded. Mikan complied, even though she was suddenly feeling exceptionally embarrassed again. Jaluadecen inspected the inside of her mouth and grunted in surprise. "You actually have excellent teeth. Very straight. You must have good genes. And I'm no expert but I don't see any signs of cavities. I guess the carcha probably didn't hand out many sweets." He snorted and then put the tube into her mouth. The vibrating bristles tickled her gums as he worked them over her teeth. As he worked, Jaluadecen explained proper cleaning technique.
Mikan tried to listen but she was feeling incredibly self-conscious. It was strange. She'd been naked in front of him for a long time and he'd shaved her and touched every part of her while rubbing on lotion but the teeth cleaning felt even more intimate in some way. Her heart was pounding and her fingers dug into the palm of her hand as she squeezed her fists tight. All of a sudden, Jaluadecen seemed to feel it, too. He trailed off and she thought his face might have darkened. It was hard to tell against his indigo skin. That only made things worse for her and her whole body felt hot.
Jaluadecen finished up without a word and then he turned away. He cleared his throat and said, "This was my travel brush. I hadn't used it yet, luckily. I'll let you have it but you should get a proper one yourself." He turned his back to her and cleaned off the brush. Then he picked up a jug of something and poured a little cup. He turned back to her and thrust it at her. "Swish this around in your mouth to coat all of your teeth. It will protect them." Mikan took the cup and tipped it back. It had a sweet flavor, like the paste on the brush had been. She coated her teeth and then swallowed. Jaluadecen nodded and accepted the cup back. He studied her again and said, "Alright. Go get dressed."
Mikan hopped in surprise and then scurried out of the room, feeling an odd mix of relief and disappointment. She stopped just inside her bedroom with a grimace. The whole thing had been extremely embarrassing and yet...it had been nice having somebody fussing over her like that. Not only that but his hands had been so gentle as he touched her...she started feeling kind of hot thinking about it. Mikan shook her head firmly, trying to get rid of the thought. But it kept cropping up as she dressed. 'Jesus, am I going to be thinking of nothing but sex from now on?'
Mikan opened all of her drawers and felt overwhelmed by the amount of clothing she now had. She had no clear idea about how to put together an outfit, other than she generally knew what was a top and what was a bottom. After some consideration, she decided to choose one of the pairs of panties. Bel had said it was important to wear them most of the time. Apparently the only time she shouldn't was when she wanted to 'feel especially sexy.' Bel had said that with a wink but Mikan really wasn't sure what she had been talking about. Mikan picked a pair out that were pale green and smooth and soft.
After that Mikan felt stuck for a moment until inspiration hit her. Her panties were green so she decided to make a green outfit. It gave her direction at least. She selected a top that had such a large scoop neck that it bared most of both shoulders. It was loose-fitting with billowy short sleeves. Most importantly, it was pale green with a white border along the sleeves and hem. The skirt she picked out was white–the only green bottoms had legs and Mikan was feeling kind of enamored of skirts–with an odd ruffled sort of look. It was longer than the skirt she'd been wearing yesterday but still stopped well short of her knees. She decided to wear the same shoes as yesterday, since they were already in the alcove. She had liked the little heeled sandals. Mikan inspected herself in the mirror. She thought her clothes looked nice. Her hair definitely did and her face seemed...brighter, maybe? It was hard to come up with a word but she almost felt pretty. Almost.
Mikan returned to the sitting room and sat at the small table, arranging her skirt as she did so. That would take some getting used to. She considered putting on a video but decided just to wait for Jaluadecen to finish up in the bathroom. That turned out to be a mistake. The man took an inordinate amount of time getting ready. She supposed he had to do all the things he'd done to her but it still seemed to take too long. Mikan had laid her head on her arms on the table and had almost fallen asleep by the time Jaluadecen finally emerged.
He had redone his hair in the two long braids sewn with sparking chimes that tinkled lightly as he moved. His outfit was completely different, though just as odd as the previous one had been. The shirt bared his left arm completely and much of the left side of his chest, curving to cover his stomach. The one sleeve it did have was voluminous and hung so low it covered his hand. The sleeve was crimson while the shirt was bright white and some material that shimmered. His crimson pants were so billowy that at first she thought he was wearing a long skirt. He wore a black sash around his waist and Mikan noticed he'd painted his fingernails and toenails black. No wonder he had taken such a long time! She had to admit he cut quite a figure, though.
Mikan stood as he walked over to her. He studied her and nodded as if he found her outfit acceptable. Mikan flushed, annoyed, pleased and annoyed at being pleased. Jaluadecen reached out and tugged her shirt over so the neck moved to bare one entire shoulder instead of some of both. "That's how you should wear that shirt," he said. Mikan scowled at her toes but she left the shirt as it was. "Alright, shall we go?" Mikan nodded, feeling sulky for some reason.