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The most unexpected things seem to always happen in the most inopportune time. Little did Nomura know when she went to bed, that the following day was going to be the most interesting day of her life since finding the amulet.
Nomura was enjoying a nice deep sleep, which was disturbed by a warm arm suddenly being slung around her. She awoke with a start jumping off the bed, shouting a curse, which woke up the intruder. On Draal's side of the bed sat a dark skinned human, with long white hair woven in tight braids. she shifted into troll form and reached for her khopesh ready to take down this human intruder.
"Who the hell are you!" She shouted, pointing a curved blade at the burly human.
"What the hell are you screaming about?" He groused, giving her a moody glare. That's when it hit her.
This strangers voice sounded almost identical to Draal's, but what got her was the eyes. They were the color of burnt amber. Not a color found in humans.
"Draal?" She asked tentatively.
"Who the hell else would I be?" He grumbled, rolling his eyes. Such a moody attitude.
She suppressed a smile, as it seemed he did not realize his affliction.
"Sorry, it appears you have something stuck on your horns. Kind of threw me off." She shifted back to human.
Draal reached up to grab whatever it was that startled Nomura from his horns, only to find his horns weren't there. He grabbed at the space above his head in futility, before it dawned on him what happened. Instead of the proud horns he inherited from his mother, his head was covered with hair. What in the.... That's when he realized his left arm was no longer azure blue, but a dark muddy brown instead. He cursed, looking down at the rest of him noting that he was turned entirely human. He let out a string of curses that could be heard all the way on the other side of Trollmarket.
.....
Draal sat in the center of the heartstone healing area, where Vendel was looking him over. He was not happy about his predicament. His prosthetic arm set on the bench next to him.
"I honestly am at a loss at this." Vendo commented, placing the magnifying glass he was using down. "The likes of this type of thing happening are unheard of."
"Of course they are." Draal grumbled. He rubbed his hand over his eyes. It certainly was a strange sensation feeling so fleshy.
"Remarkable," Blinky said tersely. "What could have caused this anyways?"
"I bet it was those strange potions we spilled in Gatto's keep when we tried to make him spit us out." Nomura said, unable to stop staring at Draal. He certainly made for a handsome human, even with the permanent scowl on his face.
"How long am I going to be stuck like this?" Draal asked, rubbing at the top of his head, obviously still feeling off about his lack of horns.
"Hard to say, considering the fact we have no idea what Gatto had been keeping amongst his treasures. And I highly doubt any of us will be wanting to return to Argentina anytime soon." Everybody silently agreed with Blinky at that. "It could be days, even weeks."
"Terrific. What am I supposed to do in the meantime?"
"Enjoy your time in the Sun." Vendel answered with a subtle grin. Things certainly have gotten interesting, thanks to the Changeling trollhunter.
...
Draal stood in the room that Nomura left him in while she went to procure human clothing for him to wear, because apparently his traditional kilt was not good enough. There was not a lot of furniture in this room, just two beds, a table, and a mirror that hung on the wall. He stared at his reflection still trying to process his new form.
Gone was his azure stone flesh, in it's place was dark brown skin that was smooth and soft. Gone were his engravings, earned when he came of age, as well as every scar earned from battles. Gone were his tall horns, instead his head was covered with soft hair, in a color similar to the color his horns were. He also noted that human teeth were dull and flat. He sneered at that. The only thing that even remotely remained the same were his eyes. They at least were the same color as they were in his true form. And at least he still had his nose ring, even though his nose was tiny in comparison to a trolls.
He scratched at the harness attached to his shoulder. Blinky had to fashion him a different prosthetic as the old one was not compatible to this form. Blinky had said it was due to the fact that humans do not have the same level of diamagnetism that trolls do, so it needed to be held to his body. It also didn't have the same functions and was harder to move than the other one. It seemed to have slower reaction time.
He ran his hand through his hair again, trying to get used to it, when the door behind him opened. In the mirror he saw it was Nomura back with clothing.
"Here. Hopefully these will fit you. I had to get them from an old storage unit, because unfortunately no clothing stores are open at four in the morning."
Draal picked up a white button shirt she laid on one of the beds. There was also a leather jacket, a pair of blue jeans, and leather shoes.
"How did you just happen to have clothing that would fit me?"
"Oh, I dated somebody back in the sixties that was about your build. Some up-and-coming Rockstar, that was really good at moving his hips." She smiled, remembering the singer fondly.
Draal let out a low growl, causing Nomura to let out a chuckle.
"Do I detect a hint of jealousy?" She asked innocently. Draal turned away, looking back to the clothes. She shook her head. "Look, you go on and get dressed. I'm going to take advantage of the shower. Your cave is nice and all, but nothing beats hot running water."
.....
Nomura climbed out of the shower, squeezing the water from her hair. The hot water from the shower was revitalizing to both forms. She noted that her human hair was getting long, just as well to help hide her identity while in Arcadia. She looked at the outfit she grabbed from the same storage unit. It would be better to wear something other than her flashy pinks, so she grabbed a blue skirt and matching Paisley blouse.
When she left the bathroom she noticed Draal sitting on the edge of one of the beds. He was dressed for the most part, but his shirt wasn't buttoned. The outfit actually looked good on him. She caught herself staring intently at him.
"Well the clothes fit, that's good. Let me help you button your shirt." She approached him, and he stood. Even though he was much smaller than his troll form, he was still nearly a foot taller than her.
"Nomura, why did you struggle finding a place of your own if you could have something like this on the surface?" Draal asked as she worked on his shirt.
"Because this is a motel. You pay by the day for accommodations like this, and it would simply burn through my entire savings if I did that. My condo I owned, but the Janus order knows where I live, so until I can be sure it's safe, it's best if I avoid it." Draal let out a grunt in agreement. "There we are."
Draal looked at himself in the mirror. He still didn't believe this had happened, damn that mountain troll. Nomura looked at the clock on the bedside table and got an idea.
"Come on, I'm going to show you your first sunrise."
...
They climbed atop a nearby hill that overlooked Arcadia. The sun was just turning the sky a dull orange, but hadn't crested the horizon just yet. Draal felt at unease. Was he truely human? Would the sun burn him? He wasn't sure. He reflexively backed into a shadow when the sun started to rise.
"Come on, it's not going to hurt you. Do you trust me?" Nomura asked, holding a hand out.
He did, actually. She has struggled hard to prove herself to be trustworthy. He placed his hand in her out stretched hand and allowed himself to be pulled into the growing sunlight. It felt warm. He saw the beauty that no troll had ever lived to see, the bright colors as the sun rose, changing from dark red, to soft orange, then bright yellow. He was stunned. He turned to Nomura and she too looked breathtaking. The sunlight on her soft blue outfit made such a sight, he honestly did not know what to think.
....
Nomura spent most of the day showing him around Arcadia. Including the museum she worked at. She actually got a pleasant surprise when they arrived.
"Miss Nomura? Is that you?" A familiar voice called out. It was the museum director.
"Oh! Hi." Nomura greeted in a friendly manner. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Yes. It has." They shared a brief hug. Her old boss was one of the few humans she could actually tolerate. "Please tell me you're comming back for your old position? The museum hasn't been the same without you."
"No, sorry. I'm only here for a few days before I have to leave again on my family emergency."
"That's too bad. And who is this strapping young man?" She indicated Draal standing behind Nomura, unsmiling. "Your boyfriend?"
Nomura turned slightly red at the question. "No, no. He's just a friend of mine. Nothing more."
The director chuckled. "Well if you need anything, just let me know, dear. It was nice to see you."
Nomura smiled as her old boss walked off.
"So, what's a 'boyfriend'?" Draal asked with a cocky grin.
Nomura turned to him, flashing her eyes briefly. "You better drop that right now, or I'll show you what it's like for a human to be kicked in the gronk-nuks."
He held up his hands, dropping the subject.
...
Closer to the evening they decided to get some dinner. Nomura took him to her favorite steakhouse. She ordered the food for both of them, as Draal was unsure of what to order, having never really eaten human food. She ordered him a medium rare steak with a side of mashed potatoes.
Draal poked at the steak. "What is this meat?"
"It's steak, made from a cow." Nomura who ordered the same thing, cut into the steak to eat it. It had been some time since she ate in human form, mainly eating troll food in Trollmarket.
"Why is it cooked?"
"Because humans can't eat raw meats, it can make you sick. That's the rarest they would do it, so just try it."
She had to laugh when Draal tried to pick the entire thing in his hand and eat it like a barbarian. She figured he would have difficulty using both utensils, so she helped him by cutting the steak for him. Then she had a scare when he tried to swallow a morsel whole. After saving him from choking she told him it would be much easier if he CHEWED his food. That's the main reason human teeth were flat.
"Hmm it's a lot like cat, but much more tender. Not as stringy. I like it." He said between bites. He was unsure if what to make of the potatoes, they had almost no substance, but they had good flavor.
When it was time for dessert, Nomura took to ordering for them both again. She wondered how his reaction would be to the chocolate cake. Again he poked at it unsuredly before sticking his fork into the cake to take a bite. Nomura couldn't help but stare at the elation that filled his face, the joy of the pure rich sugary goodness of the cake. It certainly was a sight to behold, one she would never forget.
....
As it approached Sunset, there was one last place that Nomura wanted to show Draal. She took him too the top of a hill that overlooked a park. Her favorite park to be exact. Every Friday an instrumental group performed here. The hill was separate enough so you could hear the music but not be near people. The sun was just beginning to set as the musicians played through their pieces.
"Even though Grieg will always be my favorite, I do listen to other music." She gave Draal a subtle wink.
When the musicians started to play some Shubert, one of her favorite songs by him she couldn't help but slowly start to dance. Draal tried to follow, which Nomura found endearing. She placed his right hand on her hip, and her left on his shoulder. She held his other hand and they swayed in time with the music. She found herself getting lost in the music, leaning her head against his chest. She could hear his heart beat. She felt safe. Warm. Almost.... Happy. They stayed like that during the song. When the song ended, it was as if a spell was broken. She pulled away when she realized what had happened.
"Nomura... I--" Draal said softly, but stopped when Nomura backed away, her hand on his chest, unable to look at him.
"I can't do this. I'm sorry." And she ran.
...
She ran. She ran until her legs hurt. She ran until her lungs burned. Then she ran some more. She tried to outrun the pain she felt; the pain in her heart. But no matter how far she ran, nothing could escape it.
She collapsed near a tree, not noticing the tears streaming down her face. 'What a joke to think you deserve happiness. You're just an impure. You shouldn't string him along you fool. That's what you are, just a fool.' The thoughts just ran through her mind over and over. She didn't know how long she sat there, but it was well into the evening as the sun had fully set. Her tirade was interrupted, however, when her phone went off. Pulling it out of her pocket. It was a text from Blinky.
GOOD EVENING MASTER NOMURA. PLEASE COME TO THE LIBRARY AT YOUR EARLIEST CONVENIENCE, I HAVE NEWS REGARDING THE NEXT STONE.
She welcomed the distraction, she pocketed her phone and went to find Draal, who sat right where she had left him, which was just as well considering he wouldn't even know where to go. She knew eventually she'd have to face what happened, but for now they had a stone to get.