Aylin hesitated before taking a small bite. Her eyes widened slightly as she chewed. "It's... strange, but not bad."
"Told you," Jiang said with a grin, wiping his hands with a napkin. "Greasy, but it hits the spot."
Aylin took another bite, chewing slowly. "We don't have food like this where I'm from. We eat only what we need to survive. There's no time for... enjoyment."
"Well, you're on Earth now," Jiang said, raising his soda in a mock toast. "Might as well try new things."
Aylin clinked her glass against his, the faintest hint of a smile playing on her lips. "Maybe your world has some things worth slowing down for."
Jiang watched her as she took another sip of her drink, a lingering curiosity in his mind. No matter how much she talked about her world being overrun by chaos and ruin, there was always a hint of admiration, pride even, when she mentioned it. It didn't quite add up.
"You know," Jiang began, leaning back against the booth. "You speak about your world like it was... I don't know, something incredible. But from what you've told me, it sounds like it's pretty much fallen apart. Why do you still talk about it like that?"
Aylin placed her soda down, her gaze shifting toward the window, the lights of the diner casting a soft glow across her face. Her expression softened, and her voice dropped just a little. "It wasn't always like that," she said quietly. "Before everything went to hell, my world was... beautiful."
Jiang raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What was it like before?"
Aylin's eyes clouded with memory as she spoke. "There was a time when everything thrived. The cities were grand, filled with magic and life. People weren't always fighting to survive. We had art, music, festivals... everything you could imagine in a peaceful world. But that feels like a lifetime ago now."
She glanced at Jiang, a faint sadness lingering in her gaze. "When I speak highly of it, it's because I'm remembering what it was—what it could be again if we had the chance. Not what it is now."
Jiang nodded, the weight of her words sinking in. "I get it. Holding on to the good parts, even when everything's crumbling."
Aylin gave him a small, wistful smile. "Exactly."
They sat in silence for a moment, the atmosphere shifting slightly as they both reflected on the worlds they came from. Jiang stood after a beat, stretching his arms above his head. "Come on, let's head back. We've still got some packing to do before the flight."
Aylin nodded, but as they stepped outside the diner, the cool evening air greeted them, carrying with it the sounds of distant traffic and soft city murmurs. Jiang glanced up at the skyline, the city lights twinkling like stars against the darkening sky.
"You know," Aylin began, her voice cutting through the quiet, "your world has a kind of... stillness to it. Even with all the noise, there's this undercurrent of peace. I don't feel like I'm constantly about to be attacked."
Jiang nodded, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, that's part of it. We all try to keep going, keep up this appearance of being civilized, but underneath it... there's a lot of chaos. It's just... hidden, you know?"
Aylin turned her gaze back to him, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "Chaos in the form of... what? Greed? Power? Corruption?"
Jiang shrugged, leaning against the counter. "Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. Corruption, wars over resources, people killing each other over petty things... It's like, without magic or monsters, we still find a way to destroy ourselves. It's all greed and power struggles. People at the top want more, and people at the bottom get crushed."
Aylin's expression darkened. "It's not so different from my world, then. The monsters that took over didn't come from nowhere. They were unleashed because of people's desire for more power. Magic was corrupted, twisted, and now it's all we can do to survive."
"Sounds like we both have our own version of monsters," Jiang said, his tone heavy. "Ours just happen to be... human most of the time. But the result's the same—war, destruction, people trying to hold on to whatever they have left."