Page 56 of Earth Girls are Easy… To Dominate
Olivia looked at him, breathing slowly as she made her observations. Like all people of Vrex, his skin tone was unlike that of humans. His ember colored skin glowed in the sunlight, making it look like he was made of flame and daggers. The bone crown that protected his head arched upwards and was shaped into various points, resembling a crown with horns. His dark hair was shaved close, making the bone crown the centerpiece. Along his jawline was a beard.
Lord Kaias looked every bit as dangerous as the stories Olivia heard.
“Heart Bindings aren’t about a type of care,”Kaias said darkly. His dark eyes trailed down her body.
He stepped forward, his body eclipsing the sunlight, hiding her in his shadow. She looked up at him, trying to discern what he meant, but his hard stare revealed nothing. Kaias was still the statue of Vrex. Despite everything in her telling her to bow her head down and submit fully, a smirk started to form. She dipped her chin slightly and shrugged.
Something flashed in his dark eyes.
“I don’t know then,”she admitted.
Like some Earth languages, Vrex had many love words. Each one is a different degree of emotion. When she tried to understand it, it reminded her of the difference between a crush, first love, and romantic feelings. But from Lord Kaias’ expression, it seemed there was more to a Heart Binding than just an emotion.
Kaias said something, and she blinked. She frowned slightly, trying to dissect the word’s origin. Every word had a root, from the oldest language to the most modern slang; a root word could be found. Some were easier than others, but the puzzle still stood. If you knew the root word of something, you could use the context. It was a personal pastime of hers, dissecting words and finding their origins.
In her free time, Olivia had been developing a dictionary to help with communication issues. She had been using the speech patterns of the children who came to learn from her. Ambassador Cainai had also been helping with the more upper-class dialect. From her experience, when you spoke a language and could cross the threshold of class, you were nearly unstoppable.
Vrexian was a beast of its own. Its root words were deeply ingrained in its mythologies. There was a level of supernatural to it that sometimes had her wondering about Earth’s stories.
“What did you say?”Olivia asked. She leaned in closer to him, listening for the tonal shifts of consonants and vowels.
Kaias spoke again. The words were the same, but she still struggled to pinpoint the context. The way the words came out of his mouth was like a storm. They rumbled through his chest and out of his lips. It reminded her of the deep heaviness German or Russian sometimes had. But Vrexian had a sharpness to it. Like an Italian mother sharply reminding her children not to slam the door.
Kaias sounded angry, but Olivia knew enough from the children and Cainai that the more powerful the citizen, the more direct their words sounded. The children were soft and playful, like a song. Ambassador Cainai and the Sisterhood were somewhere in the middle. The military, when Olivia passed them, sounded loud and overbearing. Kaias, though, had demand interwoven in his speech patterns.
“I apologize, Lord,”Olivia smiled softly. She bowed her head to show respect. “My language does not have many words for care. It is onlylove.”
“Lo-v?” He said the word tentatively.
“L-uhv,” Olivia repeated the word, taking time to sound it out, “in my language, we use that word for the feelings we have for our parents, children, and friends.”
Lord Auryn said something that made Kaias straighten. Kaias turned and spoke to his Second; his words were clipped and direct. Olivia couldn’t understand what was being said between them, but there was a simmering aura of something dark. Auryn continued to argue with Lord Kaias.
One word that crossed Auryn’s lips sent a chill down her spine.Kill.
Lord Kaias grabbed the other male’s neck and pulled him close. Olivia could see the muscles along his arm go taut with the pressure he was putting on Lord Auryn. Kaias hissed out his words, demanding and straight. They dominated the space. Lord Auryn’s eyes narrowed. He seemed ready for the challenge.
“I understand,”Auryn spoke clearly.
Lord Kaias sighed and lowered his arm. He turned to Olivia, unapologetic for the scene that erupted in front of her. Lord Auryn hissed and rubbed his neck with a hand before walking away. He wandered to a guard posted near a window. The two men whispered amongst each other.
“You should be careful,”Olivia said.
“It is not your place to speak,”Kaias clipped.
Olivia looked up at him. “But it is.”
Kaias frowned.
“I am to speak for the humans,”she explained, “they do not know your language and you do not know ours. I am learning and know the most. I speak for all.”
“You do not speak for me,”he retorted.
“I will say what I see,”Olivia said. Where did she find the courage to go against a ruler, she didn't know. Perhaps it was her American upbringing. “And what I see is a man biding his time.”
She nodded to Auryn to emphasize her point. Kaias hummed in recognition. Anxiety began to drill itself into Olivia. He was right, the politics of their world wasn't her place, but the High Sister and Ambassador Cainai spoke fondly of the ruler. She trusted their judgement.
“I do not need a woman to tell me what my eyes can say,”he snorted out.
