The temporary dimension Narisva created was a perfectly defined cube of space with dense gravity. Veneri stood in the center of it, holding two sets of clothes he had taken without hesitation from the Lost and Found back at Liberty Island.
The contrast between those simple Earth items and what they normally wore was almost ridiculous. Narisva looked at the clothes in his hands, her expression before she scoffed, clearly unimpressed by something so ordinary. For beings like them, whose natural forms stood over three meters tall with divine physiques, the clothes looked almost comically small. She didn't even try to hide the judgment in her gaze.
Veneri didn't react to the attitude. He just glanced at the clothes and then back at her before speaking calmly like this was obvious.
"Shrink. We're not walking around like giants in a place like that. It'll draw attention instantly and I'm not dealing with that headache right now."
Narisva held his gaze for a second then rolled her eyes like she found the entire idea mildly annoying, but she didn't argue. Her height reduced to something far more "normal" by Earth standards, though even then she still carried herself like someone far above the environment. Veneri followed right after as the clothes in his hands suddenly became usable instead of useless. Narisva stepped closer, taking the outfit from him without hesitation. Without a single hint of awkwardness, she began removing her Spheraphasian attire like it didn't matter in the slightest.
Veneri didn't look away. There was no reason to pretend this was something unfamiliar or shocking yet even then, there was a pause in his expression as he actually saw her like that in a normal scale.
Narisva stood there in nothing but her bra and underwear, completely unfazed. She glanced down at the white T-shirt with bold red letters reading "I ♥ NY" before giving it a look that clearly said she found it ridiculous. She noticed his gaze immediately and her lips curved slightly as she spoke without even looking up from the shirt.
"As much as you want to touch me right now, you should probably focus. This isn't the time for that, Veneri."
He exhaled lightly through his nose, shaking his head once as if to reset himself before replying evenly;
"You're the one making it a problem, not me. Just put the clothes on so we can move."
That only made her smirk wider as she pulled the shirt over her head, followed by the jeans, which she immediately noticed were tighter than expected. She shifted her weight slightly, adjusting the fit with a small frown before looking down at herself again.
"These are restrictive and the proportions are off, but I guess this is what passes for clothing here."
Even with the casual outfit, she still stood out. Her height was slightly above average for Earth standards. Veneri, meanwhile, began putting on his own set, pulling on the jeans first before reaching for the black T-shirt with the same "I ♥ NY" print, clearly not caring about the design as long as it worked.
Before he could finish, Narisva stepped closer. She reached out and leaned in just slightly to catch his scent.
"You still smell the same. That peony scent hasn't changed at all."
He didn't step back, but his hand caught her wrist just enough to pause her without pushing her away.
"Hey, we just got here. Let's not complicate things before we even understand where we are."
She watched him for a second and huffed quietly, letting him finish putting on the shirt. He adjusted it slightly, glancing down at himself for a moment before looking back at her.
"We need to adjust first. We have to figure out where we are, what era this is, how this world is functioning right now and then we think about getting back."
Narisva tilted her head slightly as she listened.
"You're excited. I've never heard you sound like this before. You know, you're usually calculating everything, breaking down every possible outcome before moving but right now, you're not doing that, you're… looking forward to it."
Veneri looked away briefly as if he was deciding whether to deny it or not but in the end, he didn't bother.
"I'm just… adjusting."
Narisva closed the gap again but this time she didn't touch him.
"You don't have to hide it from me. This is your world, or at least it used to be, so of course you'd feel something about being here again. Take your time with it. We're not in a rush and honestly, I want to see it too. I want to know the world you came from and the place that shaped you before all of this."
He looked at her again, and this time there was no attempt to mask it.
"I'm nervous. And yeah, I'm excited too."
Narisva's smile softened slightly at that.
"Then don't rush it. We figure out what era we're in, we explore, and when we're ready, we find a way back. But until then, we enjoy it a little. If this really is Earth, then I want to see what made you like this."
°°°°°
The space cube vanished without a sound, dissolving and the noise of the real world rushed back in all at once. Veneri and Narisva stepped out onto the walkway near the docks of Liberty Island, blending into the flow of tourists almost immediately,
Even with their height adjusted and their simple clothes, there was something about them that didn't match the rest. It didn't take more than a few seconds before heads started turning, conversations faltered and phones began to rise. The attention spread fast because once one person noticed, others followed.
Narisva walked beside him like none of it mattered but her eyes moved constantly, scanning everything. It didn't take long before her curiosity edged into mild irritation. She leaned slightly closer to him, pointing at a group of tourists holding their phones up at them.
"Are they not used to seeing people who look like us, or is this just how they behave? They keep staring and pointing those block-like gadgets at us like we're something unusual."
Veneri didn't slow down but he followed her gaze briefly before answering.
"They're phones and they're recording or taking pictures. This is normal here. People document things they find interesting, attractive or unusual and right now, we fall into all three categories. From their perspective, we stand out too much, so they're reacting the only way they know how by capturing it."
Narisva frowned slightly as she looked at one of the screens being held up, watching as their images appeared in real time.
"So they're preserving what they see for later or showing it to others for some kind of reaction, is that it? That just sounds like they're seeking attention from something external instead of actually experiencing anything themselves."
She tilted her head slightly, clearly analyzing it rather than just dismissing it.
"It's inefficient, but it also makes sense in a way. If their world lacks the kind of stimuli we're used to, then this becomes their version of entertainment and validation. They don't have power, so they substitute it with visibility. Still boring."
Veneri was amazed by her analysis but he continued anyway.
"Humans from Earth have always been like this. It's not new and it hasn't changed much either, even after everything that should have happened."
There was something in his tone when he said that, like he was comparing what he remembered to what he was seeing now and finding it… off.
"It's been years since I left, but they're still the same."
Narisva didn't respond to that. Instead she suddenly changed direction, stepping directly towards a random male tourist who was staring at her for a little too long. His phone was half-raised like he couldn't decide whether to record or not. He froze when she approached. She looked at him directly.
"What year is it right now?"
The man blinked rapidly. The language she spoke didn't register properly in his mind.
"Uh… wait, what, I—what language is that? I don't understand what you're saying, but uh…"
His face turned red almost instantly as he looked at her, completely distracted now.
"Also, you're… uh… really…"
He didn't even finish the sentence.
Narisva frowned as she looked at him like he was malfunctioning.
"Why is he reacting like that? I asked a simple question. Is he incapable of understanding basic speech or is this another limitation of this world?"
Veneri stepped in smoothly before the situation got more awkward, Narisva noticed the difference immediately.
"She's asking what year is it."
"That's not Spheran. What language is that? And why does it sound so… simple compared to ours?"
Veneri didn't answer her because the man in front of them finally snapped out of his daze just enough to respond. His voice was automatic, almost like he didn't even realize he was answering.
"Uh… it's… it's February 13th, 2027…"
His eyes were still on Narisva as he said it, completely unaware of how easily he had just given them the information. Veneri nodded once.
"Thanks."
He didn't wait for anything else. He turned and continued walking. Narisva followed immediately, leaving the man standing there, still staring after them like he had just seen something unreal. They moved away from the crowd. Narisva looked at him again.
"What's wrong? You got your answer so why do you look like that? That reaction wasn't normal, even for you."
"In my timeline, I was born in 2004, and the Convergence, the apocalypse started in 2021. If this is 2027… then it's been six years since the apocalypse."
"..."
"Everything looks normal. There's no destruction, aftermath or signs of anything happening at all. So either this world is unaffected, or this isn't the same timeline. This is another loop."
"Wait what?"
"I was in the seventh and when I transmigrated, it was the eighth. So this is the Eighth Iteration huh?"