Fae in America

When Aurora got home, she barely even closed the apartment door behind her. She simply stumbled over to the couch, fell into it, and put her face into her hands.

The sounds of her keys hitting the floor alerted her roommate.

"Aurora, is that you?" Asked Brittany.

While they were both the same age, 24, Brittany certainly looked younger. She kept her blonde hair in a pigtail style, and kept her clothes just a bit out of date. Which she claimed got her more tips.

"Did you just get home? What's wrong?" She asked, seeing Aurora slumped forward.

After a long, complicated breath, Aurora said through her hands:

"I was asked out on a date."

"Oh? Anyone I know?"

Aurora, her head still down, shook it no.

"So, what is wrong? You could use a date, right? Is he ugly?"

Again, Aurora shook her head.

"Well, was he a kid then? Like that boy down the hall who keeps hitting on me." Brittany wondered next.

Again, Aurora shook her head.

"Oooooh, I got it then. The opposite. He is old." Said Brittany, sitting down next to her roommate.

"Oh, you could say that." Answered Aurora, almost finding it funny.

"Hey now, old guys can be fun. How old are we talking? 40's? 50's? 60's?" Asked Brittany, putting a supportive hand on her shoulder. "How big of an age gap are we talking?"

Aurora lifted her head just enough to say:

"I think it is somewhere around 700 years."

"Wait, what?" Asked Brittany as her face tightened up into wrinkles of confusion.

*****

Aurora was expecting to recount what had happened to her at work to Brittany. What she didn't expect was that Brittany had no idea what she was talking about.

"It was all over the television." Protested Aurora. "President Regan was on just a few weeks ago talking about it."

"I don't watch the news." Brittany responded, putting a piece of gum in her mouth.

So Aurora had to break it down for her, giving her the condensed version. That in the middle of a field in Ohio some kind of portal to another world had opened up. From it came a race of people that were mostly human, with the notable exception being they had long pointy ears. Almost immediately everyone started calling them elves.

"Elves?" Brittany asked. "Like, the things that work for Santa?"

"No, like mythical forest creatures." Aurora countered, taking the time to grab a new copy of Time magazine, which had a picture of one visiting the White House.

"Oooh, he looks pretty." Commented the blonde roommate. "Is that the one who asked you out?"

"No." Was all Aurora said to that.

The world had, understandably, gone a little crazy at the arrival of these new visitors. For a while it seemed like they were all anyone talked about. All anyone cared about.

"I'm shocked you hadn't heard anything about it." Said Aurora to her roommate.

Brittany clicked the gum in her mouth and shrugged. "I probably did and just thought they were talking about some nerd book."

Aurora tried to explain more of what had happened in recent events but was quickly cut off.

"Okay, forget all that." Brittany said. "What did you say, when this elf guy asked you out?"

"I... I said sure." Admitted Aurora.

Now Brittany was really interested. "Ohmygosh, where, when?"

"He said... he asked when would be good, and I said since tomorrow was Friday, that after my shift would be good. He said he would swing by and pick me up."

Brittany shook her hair in excitement. "Tell me all you can about him."

"Well, I just met him today." Said Aurora. "All I can really tell you about him is his name."

"Yeah?"

Aurora nodded.

"Eherwin." She said.

*****

The next day, as Aurora was cleaning up, getting ready to leave, she heard her coworker say:

"Hey Aurora, your friend is here."

When she followed her gaze, Aurora saw him standing outside the shop, waiting.

Eherwin the elf was tall, standing at about six and half feet. His hair was a golden yellow, perfectly straight and went long down his back. While it was his ears that clearly marked him as not human, it was his eyes that had caught her gaze when they first met, and did so again.

Where Aurora, and all other humans, had the whites in their eyes, this elven man did not. His sclera was a dark grey, bringing out the brightness in his green colored irises. Big, green eyes that seemed to shine as he smiled and waved through the glass.

Doing her best not to panic, Aurora took off her apron and busied herself with clocking out and getting ready to go.

"Hi." She said, looking up at him as she walked outside.

"Hello again." Replied Eherwin, his voice sounding like the ocean on a quiet night. "I hope I am on time."

"Oh, yeah, perfect timing." Aurora said.

"Then, are you ready to go?" He asked.

"Yeah. But, we didn't really talk about where we were going to go yesterday."

"Are you hungry? I was told that taking you out to dinner would be a traditional first step." Answered the elf.

"Dinner sounds good." Aurora said, happy that it was going to be something so normal, despite it being a little early for dinner.

"Good. Then I will take you wherever you would like to go." The tall Eherwin said with an almost bow as he turned, indicating an open car door.

For the first time Aurora noticed that there were two men actually there with Eherwin. With their black tailored suits and large black sunglasses, they looked like secret service agents.

As Aurora got into the opened backseat door, Eherwin must have sensed her concern and confusion, telling her:

"These men have been assigned to me for protection while I am visiting your lands."

So they might actually be secret service, Aurora realized.

"Do you have a preference on where to go?" The elf asked her as he also went into the backseat.

"Oh, hmmm." Thought Aurora. "There is a place called Shelly's I like to go to. Fancy but not too fancy."

The tall, limber Eherwin leaned forward to ask the agent who was driving:

"Do you know this place?"

"Yes sir." Answered the man, already pulling out into traffic.

Which led to an awkward silence as Aurora sat there, unsure what to say or do. Inspiration struck as she looked out the window. It let her pretend to look out there while she was instead looking at the reflection of her date.

There was certainly something about him, something otherworldly. Beyond just the obvious physical differences, it was also in the way he carried himself. Aurora spent most of the drive over trying to figure out what that was.

When they did arrive Aurora caught for the first time Eherwin making a face that looked like he was unhappy, or displeased.

Again, he must have almost immediately realized this and said:

"Apologies. I am still getting used to having personal guards. I was hoping to open your door for you but..."

As he said this he tried opening his door, revealing that they were locked in. That even when the doors were unlocked, they could only be opened from the outside.

"Oh, don't worry about it." Aurora offered, waiting along with him as the doors were opened for them.

As she put her legs out the door however, Aurora's mind sparked with inspiration. She had been envisioning how Eherwin wanted to come around and open her door for her when she realized there was still something he could do.

It took the elven man only a moment to recognize his opportunity to offer her hand, to help lift her up and out.

"Thank you." She said to him, slinging her purse over a shoulder.

"My pleasure." He said with a deep, respectful bow.

They waited outside the restaurant with one of the agents while the other went in. He didn't explain why, but Aurora figured it was obvious. He wanted to check out the place, and probably talk to the staff and let them know who was about to come in.

Which made sense as already they were attracting attention. People walking down the street would either turn and point, or were even more brazen and just stopped to stare at Eherwin. Like Aurora, none of them had seen an elf in person, only on TV.

Quickly enough though they were ushered inside. Aurora was not surprised at all when they were given a table towards the back of the restaurant, away from prying eyes. She was however a little surprised when the two agents simply sat down at the table across from them.

"Do they bother you?" Asked Eherwin as they were seated. "I can ask if they are able to sit out of sight, if you so desire."

"No, no it is fine." Aurora answered honestly. It was actually probably better to have them there, instead of some random couple constantly staring.

This did however give Aurora a chance to ask:

"Do they bother you?"

Eherwin tilted his head in thought.

"Bother I think is the wrong word. I am simply... adjusting? Does that make more sense?"

The way he asked this caused a realization in Aurora.

"I didn't even think about it." She said to him. "But you are speaking English. That isn't your native language though."

Eherwin smiled and nodded at this. "Indeed. My native language is called Sforerra."

"Can you say something in it for me?" Asked Aurora.

"Roffo fritt sim erfo." Said the elf, slowly and deliberately.

"Wow. What does it mean?"

"Sim is a personal verb, meaning I think. Roffo fritt means your eyes. While erfo is probably somewhere between beautiful or captivating."

As Aurora pieced together what had been said, she did her best to try and hide her blushing behind picking up a menu.

Eherwin did the same, his smile never leaving his face.

It was then that Aurora realized part of what seemed so strange about this man. He was an outsider, a literal being from another world. But she had not once seen him act worried or nervous or confused. He had a tiny smile he wore naturally, then another more broader one when he spoke to her directly.

It was an almost unnatural amount of confidence that the man carried with him.

The server had obviously gotten the message and did not act shocked or surprised as he approached their table.

"Can I get you two something to drink?" He asked, holding up a pad.

Eherwin put his menu down to ask:

"Do you have a juice of some kind?"

"Yes, apple juice or orange juice?" Asked the server.

"Apple would be fine, and can I get a glass of water as well?"

"Certainly. And for you?" The server asked Aurora.

"Water for me as well. But can I get a can of Slice as well?"

"Coming right up." Said the server, and the two were left alone again.

Aurora found herself in a mild state of panic again as she pretended to look at the menu.

"Hmm, do you have any recommendations?" Asked Eherwin, looking at the menu as well.

There was a small increase in the amount of panic Aurora felt in being put on the spot. But nothing compared to how her anxiety skyrocketed when she suddenly realized that she had no idea what elves ate.

Were they vegetarians? Would he freak out if he found out that humans ate dead animals? He had to know they did that already, right?

Steeling herself, the young woman responded:

"Well, what kind of foods did you like back home?"

"I prefer fruits over vegetables, but I will occasionally splurge and have some venison." Said Eherwin, never looking away from his menu.

"Venison?" She repeated.

"That is the correct word, right, venison? It means deer meat?" He asked, looking at her directly.

"Yes. But I don't think they have any of that here." Aurora said, immediately relieved.

Before she could say anything else, the tall elf asked:

"I am not familiar with this word here." While holding his menu out and pointing at it.

"Omlete?" Said Aurora as she leaned over to look. "It is made from eggs. Basically whipped chicken eggs."

"And this one here says it has tomatoes in it, correct?"

"Right." She said in confirmation.

"I will try that then." Said Eherwin, putting his menu down.

When the server came back to get their orders, Aurora decided to get a chicken parmesan, if for no other reason than it sounded like Eherwin knew what a chicken was, if he was okay eating an omelet.

As their menus were being taken away, Aurora couldn't help but think that she had no idea what to do next. Like every memory of every date she had ever been on had fled her mind, gone like a leaf in the wind.

Eherwin however seemed okay with taking the lead on the conversation.

"How long have you lived in Baltimore? Were you born here?" He asked.

Aurora shook her head. "I was born a little more south, in Virginia. I moved here about.... three years ago?"

To that the blonde haired elf simply nodded. Aurora felt the need to respond with her own question.

"How about you? How long have you been in the city?" She asked.

"I came to your world three months ago." Said Eherwin confidently. "I came to your Baltimore almost immediately."

As he said this the elf made a face, one that Aurora was quickly recognizing as him struggling to find the words to say what he really meant.

"Is that right? To say I came to your Baltimore?" He asked her.

"Most people would just say 'came to Baltimore'." Clarified Aurora. "But saying your Baltimore does make it clear that you mean the Baltimore of this word. Do you have a place called Baltimore where you are from?"

To that Eherwin shook his head.

"Not that I know of. But you say you are from Virginia? There is a kind of tree that we call Virginia in my native tongue." Responded the elf.

Aurora wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, but did have a question on her mind after it had come up.

"You said you came to Baltimore right away. Why?"

"This city is close to your capital, Washington." He said in explanation.

"Oh. So you go there often?" She asked. It made sense for him to be a diplomat of some kind, an ambassador. Washington D.C. was only an hour or two away.

"Ocassionally." He said, somewhat cryptically at first. "Part of my... job? My business?"

"Job I think is what you want to say." Aurora offered.

"Part of my job here is to check on my fellow elves that are staying in your capitol. To make sure they report in regularly and are being treated properly."

It was a safety measure Aurora realized. That by keeping the elves that were visiting their world spread out, the less likely something would happen to all of them. She was certain the government would never try anything like holding them hostage, but how well could Eherwin's people know that?

"But, that is only part of your job here?" She asked.

Eherwin nodded, his face becoming more serious. "My job here is the same as all of my fellow elves, to find and capture Zynaxis."

This part of his story Aurora already knew about. That the gate, the portal going between their two worlds was opened by an elf named Zynaxis. He was a renegade, a criminal, wanted before even opening up that portal, which was a crime in itself.

"We don't know why Zynaxis came here." Said Eherwin. "Maybe it was just to hide. But it might be for something more nefarious. We won't know until we find him, and your people will likely not be safe from him until we do."

The conversation had become quite sober, but that changed almost immediately as their food arrived.

Eherwin gave a genuine smile as the plate with his omelet was put down.

"Is that what you were expecting?" Asked Aurora.

"Yes, just so. We have a similar dish back home." Answered the elf, taking up a knife and fork.

Aurora let out a sigh of relief. She honestly didn't know how much of her nervousness was reasonable. It made sense that Eherwin wasn't shocked by human food, he had been here for months. But she also wouldn't have been surprised if there was some food on the menu he found repulsive.

Something about that made her want to ask, but it probably wasn't the best dinner conversation.

"Is..." She started to say, then stopped.

Eherwin said nothing in response, simply stopped moving as he looked at her, curious.

"I should ask..." Aurora finally said after a moment. "Do your people consider it rude to talk while eating?"

That simple, confident smile returned on his face. "Rude while you have food in your mouth, but not during a meal, no."

That was good to know. She also wondered if that might make a good dinner conversation. What is and isn't considered rude in elven society. But before she could say anything else, Eherwin said:

"So, why did you come to Baltimore?"

The question surprised her, so she took a moment before replying. "Well, I had some friends who moved out here. Plus...."

Aurora stopped, unsure how to proceed.

"You had private reasons?" Eherwin asked, guessing that she didn't want to share some detail.

"No, I mean personal, not private." She responded. "Do you know what an art school is?"

"You mean a place to learn. A place where they teach you art, like painting and sculpting?"

She nodded in confirmation. "Yes. I was thinking about going to an art school when I came out here."

"But you didn't? Why?" Asked the elf in between bites of his omelet.

"I... it was mostly money. I told myself I was going to wait until I had enough saved up to go. But I didn't realize how expensive living in the city would be."

To that Eherwin tilted his head. "If you had the money though, you would go to art school?"

He had gone straight to the heart of things with that question.

"I honestly don't know anymore. I don't know what I want to do with my life."

Now Eherwin nodded emphatically. "I can relate with that. I was almost seventy before I had any idea of what I wanted from life. I can't imagine how much more pressure there must be on a person with so much less time to live."

"It does make me feel envious of you to be sure." Aurora admitted, smiling herself. "To live so long, to have so much time to figure things out."

"I do feel the need to point out though, our years are not exactly the same." Said Eherwin.

"Oh?"

The elf nodded before explaining. "Your planet here goes around the sun every 365 days, correct? While our planet back home goes around our sun in almost exactly 300 days."

"I didn't even think of that." Aurora admitted. "There must be so many differences between our two worlds."

"More than I think either of us can imagine." Said Eherwin. "But I suppose the year length doesn't make that much of a difference. On our world I have lived to see 743 summers. But if I had been born on this planet, it would be closer to, what, 500?"

"Still, longer than any human has lived." Admitted Aurora.

"Indeed."

The two of them took a long break from talking to focus on eating. Still, Aurora couldn't help but stare occasionally across the table. The less she thought about her own worries, the more she wanted to question this man. To ask every single question that popped up into her head.

Eherwin instead seemed to treat this more like an actual date with his questions.

"Does your family live in Virginia?" He asked aloud.

"Yes, my immediate family anyway." She answered. "My parents, my sister and my brother."

The elf nodded, replying:

"I have no siblings. It is more common for elf parents to have only a single child than you do here."

Aurora figured that made sense. If elves lived so long, they had to have fewer kids, or they would overpopulate fairly quickly. Which brought on a different question.

"Do your people live in cities like this one?" She asked the elf.

"Not like this, no. We do have cities, including Rannor, where I live. Places where tens of thousands of us live in the same community. But elves live in forests, and our cities are in our forests. We build no tall structures, nothing that goes past the tree line. You can't go fifty steps in an elven city without being able to reach a tree."

"You live in the trees?" Aurora asked.

"Some elven communities do. But most elves live in what you would call a cabin. Small, wooden structures. The most ornate houses are made from actual living trees and other plants, shaped into a home. But more often they are from simple logs and planks."