Lira took a moment to look around, observing humans dressed in everything from formal suits to bizarrely casual attire, some were even wearing oversized shirts with strange symbols emblazoned on them. The queen raised an eyebrow as a young man wearing earphones and a hooded jacket brushed past her without so much as a glance.
"How do these humans dress like this?" she asked in genuine confusion. "Their garments have no elegance, no refinement. And their devices…are they all bewitched?"
Lysandra was equally puzzled, scanning the crowd. "If this is how they appear, Your Majesty, then perhaps we should disguise ourselves as well."
Lira looked down at her flowing amethyst gown, the rich fabric catching the light in a way that drew attention. She sighed, reluctantly admitting that Lysandra was right. "Perhaps, though I find it distasteful to lower myself to such attire."
They wandered into a nearby store, where rows of modern clothing lined the walls. The sheer variety of colors and styles left Lira speechless. A store attendant approached, eyes widening as she took in their exotic appearance. "Can I help you find something?"
Lira gave a regal nod. "Yes. We require garments that allow us to blend in with the humans." Her tone was as serious as if she were ordering ceremonial armor.
The attendant chuckled nervously. "Alright, you're looking for something…normal, I take it?"
"Normal, yes," Lira replied, though the word felt foreign on her tongue.
The attendant picked out a pair of jeans and a fitted blouse, holding them out to Lira. "These are pretty standard."
Lira eyed the simple garments with an expression of pure disdain. "These? They lack beauty, elegance, and grace!"
"Yeah, but, uh…they're popular," the attendant offered, slightly intimidated.
Lira sighed and took the garments, disappearing into the fitting room with a reluctance that was palpable. After a few minutes, she emerged, looking almost painfully out of place in her modern attire. The fitted jeans clung to her figure, and the blouse, though simple, enhanced her otherworldly beauty in a way that seemed to make her glow. Lysandra couldn't contain a smirk.
"Your Majesty," she said, struggling to keep her tone serious, "you look…incredible."
Lira glared, tugging at the unfamiliar fabric. "This is horridly uncomfortable. How do they tolerate this?"
The crowd outside, however, saw something entirely different. Even in modern attire, Lira's presence was nothing short of breathtaking. The dim lighting of the store seemed to bend around her, making her almost ethereal as she stepped out into the night.
They couldn't take the clothes with them because they don't have any money on them.
As they continued their journey through the city, Lira marveled at the strange devices humans carried, the machines that sped past them, and the lights that illuminated the sky. It was both mesmerizing and bewildering, and though she would never admit it, she found herself slightly enthralled.
Lysandra, ever the practical one, leaned in close. "We must find a place to stay, Your Majesty. Somewhere we can observe these humans and learn their ways."
Lira nodded, her gaze still sweeping over the cityscape. "Yes. And perhaps, while we do, I may begin to sense the presence of this…human I am destined for." Her words were filled with disdain, but there was a spark of curiosity in her eyes that betrayed her calm exterior.
They made their way to a hotel, drawing stares from the other patrons as they entered. Lysandra, wary and ever-watchful, stayed close to Lira's side, her hand never straying far from her concealed dagger.
The receptionist glanced up as they approached, momentarily taken aback by their regal bearing. "Welcome. Do you have a reservation?"
Lira lifted her chin, exuding an air of authority that made the receptionist instinctively straighten. "I am Queen Lira of Atheris, and I require your finest accommodations."
The receptionist blinked, clearly unsure how to respond. "Uh…right. Do you have a credit card?"
Lira looked at him blankly. "A…credit card?"
Lysandra sighed, leaning in to whisper, "Your Majesty, I believe it's some form of human currency."
The receptionist, now thoroughly confused but too intimidated to ask questions, decided to simply hand over a key. "Room 702, on the top floor."
Lira took the key with a nod of approval, gesturing for Lysandra to follow. "Finally, a human with some sense," she murmured as they ascended to their room with the guide of the hotel attendant.
As the hotel attendant finally left the room, Queen Lira and Lysandra looked around the lavish suite, each with a mixture of suspicion and awe. The furniture gleamed, the fabrics were luxuriously soft, and everything was spotless, but it was the strange devices scattered around the room that held their attention.
Lira eyed the massive, black rectangle on the wall with open skepticism. "What kind of magic do humans practice here?" she muttered, slowly approaching it as if it might attack.
Lysandra, standing behind her queen, looked equally perplexed. "Perhaps this is their way of… spying on one another," she whispered, gripping the handle of her concealed dagger instinctively. "Or it could be a portal of some kind. Should we be concerned?"
Lira narrowed her eyes, a hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. "We are not so easily frightened, are we, Lysandra?" With that, she extended a cautious finger and touched the flat, glassy surface, only to withdraw it immediately when nothing happened.
Just then, her hand brushed against a remote control on the table. Before she could inspect it further, her finger inadvertently pressed a button.
The screen suddenly burst to life, showing an image of a man in a strange suit and tie speaking into a camera with a dazzling smile. Both Lira and Lysandra leaped back, eyes wide with alarm.
"By the gods!" Lira gasped, clutching her chest. "It's as though he's trapped in there, staring right at us!"
Lysandra instinctively drew her dagger, holding it up as she moved to protect her queen. "Sorcery!" she hissed. She squinted at the image, then looked back at her queen. "He's moving, yet there's no scent, no presence… how is this possible?"
Lira leaned closer, her curiosity overcoming her initial shock. The man on the screen was now showing images of distant places, talking animatedly about events she couldn't quite understand. She glanced at Lysandra with a growing sense of determination. "If this is a form of human magic, we must understand it."
In a flash of bravado, Lira pressed another button. The image changed to what seemed to be a group of human females talking about food, each one appearing more excited than the last. Their voices echoed around the room, bubbly and cheerful.
Lira and Lysandra exchanged a baffled look. "Do humans… worship food?" Lira asked, her tone both confused and intrigued.
"They do seem to regard it with great reverence," Lysandra replied, sheathing her dagger but still keeping a wary eye on the screen. "I've never seen people speak of food with such enthusiasm. It's almost as if they believe it has some mystical power."
Lira couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity, though the image of humans treating something as trivial as food with reverence struck her as oddly charming. "Perhaps this realm will surprise us yet. There seems to be more to these humans than we thought."
Just as they started to relax, the channel changed again. This time, flashing lights and loud, chaotic noises filled the room. Scenes of fast-moving chariots, what they would come to know as cars, racing down a road appeared on the screen. Lira and Lysandra recoiled, startled by the loud roar and intensity of the scene.
"That… looks like battle!" Lysandra exclaimed, looking at the screen as if it were a direct threat.
"Or madness," Lira replied, raising a hand to her chin in contemplation. "Do humans willingly throw themselves into such danger? It seems so reckless."
The volume blared as the racing scene continued, prompting Lysandra to clamp her hands over her ears.
Unable to bear the noise too, Lira frantically pressed the buttons on the remote, finally hitting "mute." The room fell into silence, and both women took a collective breath of relief. Lysandra lowered her hands slowly, looking at her queen with newfound respect for her swift action.
"You truly are a powerful queen," Lysandra murmured with a grin. "Only you would have the courage to silence this… this strange human contraption."
Lira chuckled, her initial fear giving way to confidence. "It seems I am learning the ways of this world already." She tossed the remote onto the sofa, crossing her arms in satisfaction. "Though I must say, if humans consider this entertainment, their tastes are certainly peculiar."
Once they had calmed down, Lira sank onto the plush couch, studying her surroundings with a new sense of curiosity. Despite the strange sorcery of their world, humans appeared to live comfortably. Perhaps there was something to admire about them.