Just before sunrise the next morning, inside the Sanctum of Central Tail...
After waking up and enjoying the sight of a naked Ilina screaming obscenities and using gravity magic to hurl random objects at an uncharacteristically remorseful Nina, I teleport back into my guest room in what I've come to assume is Teyla's and Xian's house.
To my surprise, I find Teyla fast asleep in my bed, looking rather...interesting. She's laid on her side, wearing what a short, red sleep robe that exposes most of her thighs. In addition, her rust-red tail can be seen poking out from under it, twitching every few seconds in a way that briefly exposes her lacy underwear.
I quickly avert my eyes, groaning internally at the implications of finding her here. To be clear, I'm not referring to why the hell she snuck into my room dressed like this. To maintain plausible deniability with Ilina, I'm going to try and forget about that.
No, I'm referring to how many questions and concerns about myself that I'm now going to have to wade through. When I teleported away for the night yesterday, I left a series of silencing and one-way forcefield spells lining my room. The idea was, if anyone came far enough into my room to see that I was not asleep in my bed, they'd get trapped here until I returned. That way, I would have a chance to talk to them and remedy any issues before they spiraled out of control.
Unfortunately, it seems that what I thought was a paranoid failsafe actually ensnared Teyla – the person most likely to make me regret giving her compromising information on me. So, my morning just became one massive headache. These past twenty-four hours have really thrown me one dumpster fire after another.
I purse my lips, turning my gaze back to Teyla. Guess it's best to just rip the band-aid off.
CLAP, CLAP, CLAP!
I clap my hands together forcefully, and the sound immediately causes Teyla's body to jerk upright.
"Wahh!" (Teyla)
Her head snaps around the room, frantic but groggy, until her gaze lands on me. She freezes, her eyes widening to saucers. I smirk at her playfully.
"Morning, sunshine. Sleep well?" (Mizuki)
Her demeanor immediately becomes tense, her eyes scanning the room nervously.
"Y-You're back...you snuck out last night." (Teyla)
I shrug, walking to the chest of drawers nearby, crossing my arms and leaning on it. I raise my eyebrows at Teyla.
"And you snuck into my room. Dressed in that very revealing robe, no less. You know, people may come to some interesting conclusions. Any chance you want to just keep these little secrets between us, protect both of our reputations?" (Mizuki)
Her eyes slide down to her body, slow and confused. Then, her cheeks slowly redden, and she looks at me indignantly, her prior fear seemingly overridden by embarrassment. She stutters, her voice shrill.
"I-It's not revealing! It's just sleepwear you pervert!" (Teyla)
This is what we're discussing? Fine with me, I guess. Better than my disappearance.
I scoff at her.
"If it's not revealing, then how do I know that you like black, lace panties?" (Mizuki)
Her full face and ears transition to fire truck red, her eyes widening in horror. One arm quickly moves across her chest, while the other moves to the hem of her robe, pushing it down over her thighs. She practically screams, her voice cracking.
"Y-You looked!? What's the matter with you!?" (Teyla)
I roll my eyes, raising my hands defensively.
"I did not look, okay? The way you were sleeping when I came into the room, I noticed. Very different. Like the gentleman I am, I woke you up to protect your modesty. One of us had to make the effort, after all." (Mizuki)
Her face remains somewhat red, but this time, it's seemingly in anger. Her eyes narrow, her jaw clenches, and her fists clench against her body.
"Y-You...you're...GAH! You're an ass!" (Teyla)
I hang my head and sigh, my voice thick with sarcasm.
"Great. Now that you've got your insults out of the way, ready to discuss the elephant {English} in the room?" (Mizuki)
Her expression becomes puzzled, and she glances around the room in confusion.
"The...what? Is that what that strange cage is called?" (Teyla)
I blink, realizing what just happened. Of course, there are no elephants on Azura, so I guess no word for them either. I shake my head.
"Uhm...never mind, it's not important. I'm saying that you unfortunately stumbled into a situation I was trying to hide, and obviously we should discuss it. I'll start. Ehem...Teyla Zang, I'd appreciate you keeping what you saw here last night to yourself. Our little secret." (Mizuki)
Teyla stares at me for several seconds, dumbfounded. Then, her eyes narrow suspiciously, her posture wary.
"Why would I do that? You snuck out into the most protected part of my city, obviously trying to exploit our trust and subvert our security." (Teyla)
I give her a deadpan look.
"Trust? Teyla, let's just be frank about this. Nothing about your actions was based on trust. It was based on the fact that you've already figured out that you can't stop me from doing what I want. Also, I did not roam around your city...there were no nefarious deeds associated with my sneaking out." (Mizuki)
She doesn't flinch. Her eyes gleam with suspicion, her voice incredulous.
"Where could you possibly have been if not roaming around my city? And if you weren't doing anything wrong, why don't you tell me about it? Why did you hide it in the first place? You can't honestly expect me to just take you at your word." (Teyla)
I purse my lips thoughtfully, considering the situation. After a moment, I sigh in resignation...there will need to be concessions here for the gamble I made and lost.
"Tell you what, I'll make you a deal. If you give me your word that all of this will stay between us, I'll answer those questions and two more. What do you say? You've got to be curious about some things, right?" (Mizuki)
Teyla raises her eyebrows in surprise, then her expression becomes conflicted. Thoughtful. After a few moments, she cuts her eyes at me, hesitant.
"Okay...but only if I'm convinced you weren't up to anything that affects my people." (Teyla)
My mouth twitches. I guess that's the best I'm going to get. I nod politely at her.
"Fair enough..." (Mizuki)
I push off the dresser, and begin walking towards Teyla. Her eyes widen in surprise, and she scoots back on the bed, wary. I smile and raise my hands non-threateningly.
"Relax. I'm just assuming you're going to really gouge me for personal information. Call me old-fashioned, but I like to be sitting comfortably next to someone while I bare my soul to them." (Mizuki)
She doesn't relax, and her eyes track me warily, but she lets me sit next to her on the bed. As I take a seat, I sigh, then smile reassuringly.
"Alright. Where do you want to start?" (Mizuki)
She leans forward seriously.
"Where did you go, what were you doing, and why did you hide it? And those do not count for either of my two extra questions." (Teyla)
My lips twist into a small smirk. She's a shrewd woman.
"I went to the Elven Kingdom, to spend some quality time with my fiancé. I hid that fact because I didn't want anyone asking me about...well, I'm sure you can see all the troublesome questions raised." (Mizuki)
Her pupils constrict into pinholes, her voice raising in disbelief. Just...not quite for the reason I assumed.
"You're engaged!?" (Teyla)
I suppress the urge to chuckle at her. What a rookie mistake.
"Yup. That counts as the first of your two extra questions, by the way." (Mizuki)
Teyla blinks, then her face contorts in anger.
"What!? No, that's not fair! It was just confirming part of your answer!" (Teyla)
I shrug.
"Not my problem. I said I'd answer two more of your questions after those, and that's what I did. Agreement fulfilled." (Mizuki)
She frowns, her eyes betraying...hurt, maybe? It's not what I expect. Her voice softens, less demanding, more disappointed.
"Maybe so, but...you're asking me to trust you. Hard to do that if you use cheap tricks to get out of a deal I accepted in good faith." (Teyla)
I stiffen. I...guess she has a point. I sigh, nodding at her.
"You're right...sorry. Ask your first extra question." (Mizuki)
Her eyes widen slightly in surprise, but then her expression warms, a light smile finding its way to her face. She turns thoughtful for a few moments, then she looks at me, curious.
"Tell me about your relationship. Who you're marrying, how you met, etcetera." (Teyla)
I give her a skeptical look.
"Really? You experienced getting trapped in this room last night, and you just heard that I traveled to the other side of the world and back in a night. But instead of that, you want to talk about my love life? Seems like shitty intelligence gathering to me." (Mizuki)
She smirks.
"Nice try. There's nothing useful to me about learning how you did those things, now that I know you can. On the other hand, I just learned you have a fiancé in the Elven Kingdom. I'm willing to bet the backstory there is a lot more interesting." (Teyla)
My eye twitches, annoyed she didn't fall for it. But...nothing I can do. I sigh internally.
"Her name is Ilina Ophelle, and she's the future Queen of the elves. We met in Elmesia, while she was on a secret mission, and I helped her – fought a dragon, saved some elves, blah blah. We became friends, I told her all my secrets, she invited me to the Elven Kingdom, one thing led to another, we fell in love, more stuff happened, and now we're engaged. Happily ever after, the end." (Mizuki)
She gives me a glare full of both exasperation and annoyance.
"The elven crown princess? Really? And that's all the backstory you're going to give me? Seriously? That's evasive." (Teyla)
I roll my eyes.
"No, that's efficient storytelling. You expect me to summarize, like, seven volumes of relationship history for you? Ask follow-up questions if there's something relevant I left out." (Mizuki)
She purses her lips thoughtfully for a moment.
"Why do you love her?" (Teyla)
I groan internally. She's just being nosey at this point.
"Because she's amazing – clever, empathetic, trustworthy, and reliable. Oh, and the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life." (Mizuki)
For some reason, Teyla's jaw seems to tighten. Her voice is slightly strained.
"Huh...you don't say. The most beautiful? Not just one of the...say, top five?" (Teyla)
I nod emphatically, making sure I'm clearer this time.
"No, definitely the most beautiful. I consulted my notes." (Mizuki)
Teyla's eye twitches, staring at me in silence for a moment. I wave my hand dismissively.
"Okay, I've let you milk that single question enough. Ask your last one." (Mizuki)
After a few more seconds of glaring, Teyla reluctantly and irritably asks her last question.
"Fine...I want to know about your Otherworlder background. You know, what your world is like, what your people are like, if there are more of your people here." (Teyla)
I bite my lip contemplatively, deciding what's wise versus necessary to share. I don't like deceiving her when I promised answers, but I also didn't guarantee complete honesty. So, I think some white lies to be consistent with my existing persona are fine.
"For starters, I'm not human. I'm a Nephilim – a race from elven mythology – eternally youthful, powerful, with unique magic. I'm the only one here, and I'm confident that will never change. My home world is complex, diverse, unimaginably advanced, and...not fit to be described further in the little time we have left." (Mizuki)
Teyla's eyes bulge, her voice a choked whisper.
"You mean...you don't age?" (Teyla)
I nod.
"Not past a certain point. I'll just eventually look early- to mid-20s indefinitely, until something kills me." (Mizuki)
She falls silent for quite a while, until...
"How powerful...exactly?" (Teyla)
I smile knowingly.
"Sorry, Teyla, but...you're out of questions." (Mizuki)