Incipience

Chapter 15 pt 2

"I thought I'd find you here."

I glance to my left to see Vorem leaning against one of the unused treadmills. Assuming that he's been out for the entire time I've been in the gym, he's been asleep for a solid five hours. The bags under his eyes are still there, but they've gotten smaller. It looks like his little "nap" has done him some good.

"I apologize for leaving you to your own devices for so long. It was inconsiderate of me."

"It's all good," I reply. "I've never had a problem entertaining myself."

"I figured as much," he replies, "but I should not have put you in the position to have to do so."

I pause the treadmill to look down at him. I suppose this is the only time I'll be able to do this, seeing how much taller than him. I'm not short by any means, I stand at a solid 5'10, but he's at least Rombag's height, so he's about a head taller than I am. We're not standing close, but this vantage point lets me see some of his features a bit more clearly.

His indigo eyes have an almond shape to them as opposed to his sister's cat-like ones, and his skin is lightly tanned which is odd given that the two of them both have jobs that keep them inside for the most part. He has the same nose as his cousin and a similar jawline, but his isn't as sharp. Overall, he's a good-looking guy, but that doesn't mean that'll make me jazzed about my situation. I'm not that much of a sellout.

"Don't worry about leaving me alone," I tell him as I hop off the treadmill. "I prefer it if anything."

Not necessarily true, but he doesn't need to know that.

He gives me a nod of understanding, "Noted. Tell me, would you prefer to be left alone right now? I had originally planned on showing you the area when I got home, but if you would rather be left to your lonesome, then I can program a guided tour in your holo-watch and you can get to know Qi' Dejiz on your own."

Hm, a tempting offer, but as someone who saw lost tourists glued to their devices trying (and failing) to make tails of a city nearly every single day of my life, I know that having a local guide is my best bet.

I grab my right foot and start my quad stretches. "Just let me cool down and get dressed and I'll be good to go."

Vorem's brows crinkle in confusion. "Cool down? I assure you the apartment has air conditioning if that is something you are concerned about. I apologize if it was too warm for you earlier but I can very well—"

His rambling is cut short by my laughter. The tinge of guilt I feel for laughing is overshadowed by the funny look on his face. "No, I'm not saying that I'm overheating or saying that your apartment's AC is trash or anything, 'cooling down' is a term used to describe the series of stretches you're supposed to do after working out so your muscles won't be as tense later."

Vorem's cheeks take on a light pink tinge much to my amusement. I pretend not to notice as I continue stretching. From what I remember Xiomoazi telling me, Vorem's the family's scholar and has a reputation for picking up on things quickly, so he's probably feeling more than a bit embarrassed by this mishap. While it's a minor thing that I'll definitely forget about within the next hour, he seems like the type to be kicking himself for the rest of the day. Oh, the plights of perfectionists.

"I suppose I need to study up on Earth's idioms and terminologies. It seems like I didn't memorize them as I thought."

"Don't stress it," I tell him with a shrug. "I'll be honest with you, it's nearly impossible to be up to date with every piece of English lingo, more or less every other language we have on Earth."