Avex left in silence, leaving her there. Umay smiled, looking at the water. "This might be a primitive world, but at least I'm going to smell good."
Umay felt much better with the freshness of the bath. As she stepped out of the water, she noticed her old clothes were still sticky and clung to her skin. She put on the ones Zuhal had given her, but she had no other spares, and Zuhal's clothes were a bit too tight. She looked around, hoping to find something new, but what could she find? The fabrics here were usually made of animal hides and looked nothing like her thin garments.
When she stepped out of the bathroom area, she saw Avex eating a few fruits he had peeled. Umay had eaten them with the skin on. "What can I say, even the peels were sweet," she thought.
Umay adjusted the still-damp fabric, and just as she was thinking, "This won't do, I need to find something to wear," she noticed Avex's gaze. He was standing there, staring at her. But it wasn't an ordinary look—he had forgotten to look away, his brows slightly furrowed.
Umay paused for a moment. I mean, I couldn't look that bad, right? Okay, she didn't have an aesthetic physique, but she couldn't see anything so shocking about herself either.
Confused, she touched her face, checking her chin. Was there something there? Any soap suds left? Was something stuck in her hair?
"Um…" Umay began, blinking. "Just so you know, unless lasers are coming out of your eyes, it's impossible for you to disintegrate me like that."
As if suddenly snapping out of it, Avex narrowed his eyes and tilted his head slightly. "What is a 'laser,' Little Round? I can never understand what you're saying. Did they not upload our language to you?" he muttered, as if making a startling discovery.
Umay straightened up instantly. "What?!"
Avex continued without looking away. "I mean… you always say strange things. How can I train you if we can't communicate? You aren't like the other females. You're more… more…?" He made a gesture in the air, searching for the right word.
Umay crossed her arms. "More what, Avex? More tall? More thin? More—"
Avex suddenly turned his back. "More strong. You are like defenseless infants. Like a newborn. Like a shen-shen. Soft, chubby, vulnerable," he cut her off.
Umay paused for a second, then narrowed her eyes and smiled. "Listen, you alien caveman, if you insult me a bit more, this chubby baby might sit on you and crush you. I'd watch out if I were you."
"No," Avex said quickly. "Unsworn Makus would never commit such an indecency. What do you take me for, woman? Your world truly sends more impudent women here every day."
Avex stood up and took his hooded cloak—the one he used during the freezing months—from the shelves on the wall. He walked over to Umay and carefully draped it over her shoulders. While buttoning the front, he grumbled:
"You look too soft. That won't do you much good in this world. I will train you to be the best hunter; then you can find someone better for the vow. Just be patient for a while."
What was this "vow"? What was this depressive alien Maku rambling about? Hadn't he already said "take this" earlier? Now was she being sent to someone else? Moreover, had he perceived her previous comment as a desire to sleep with him?
She couldn't remember ever being more embarrassed. Her inner voice taunted her as if she could turn any redder: "Oh god, the Purple Hercules thought you said you'd punish him by being with him. And he doesn't seem too against the idea of punishment, does he? 🤤"
Umay blinked. "Um… okay?"
Avex clenched his fists and took a deep breath, then bolted out of the cave without looking back. Umay tried to process the moment that left a silence behind. She blinked rapidly and muttered to herself:
"What just happened?" She thought for a second. Avex's agitation, his escape, that strange look in his eyes…
Umay covered her face with her hands. "This alien literally ran away from me to protect his modesty!" But the real question was, why was her own heart racing so fast?
Avex stepped out into the cold forest air, but even that couldn't erase the strange image from his mind. He wasn't just seeing a "female"; Avex's eyes moved in a hunter's spectrum.
When Umay emerged from the water, Avex noticed how bright and "noisy" her life energy (aura) was. The women of his people radiated a steel-gray, static energy, while Umay's energy constantly shifted colors; it turned a warm orange when she was embarrassed and a vibrating purple when she was annoyed.
Furthermore, his sense of smell whispered confusing information to his mind. The scent coming from Umay was unlike any plant or creature of this world. That slightly sugary, artificial—yet fresh—scent mixed with sweat triggered Avex's primal instincts. This scent didn't signal danger; strangely, it suggested "home," which was the ultimate confusion for a Maku.
Umay's muscle structure, her bone density… everything was so thin and fragile that Avex couldn't fathom how she would survive in this wild nature. In those long seconds he spent scanning her, he could see the vein in her neck throbbing rapidly and the blood flow accelerating under her skin.
When Avex draped the cloak over her shoulders, he flinched when his fingertips accidentally brushed her skin. Her skin was as soft as a shen-shen pup's fur, but where he touched felt as if it had burned his palm.
"How can something so soft exist in this world?" he thought as he walked out. "If I don't turn her into a hunter, this world will devour her in seconds—not just for her beauty, but for this vulnerability."
Around noon, Avex returned with large, dried leaves. The leaves were almost as wide as a tablecloth but incredibly light and flexible.
Umay curiously took one and rubbed it between her fingers. It stretched like fabric but felt as thin and light as linen.
"This… this is wonderful!" she shouted with joy. Avex scanned her from head to toe. "You need clothing. Can you sew something for yourself?"
Umay nodded excitedly. "Yes! I can sew things with these. But I… Hmm, right, I don't have a needle."
Avex opened the leather pouch at his waist and pulled out a few bone needles. But they were large and thick, clearly made for sewing animal hides.
Umay winced as she examined the needles. "I could only sew a tent with these. I need thinner needles."
Avex paused. "We usually use these leaves to make clothes for pups, so I don't have needles to join them. But I can go down to the tribe and get some."
Umay raised her eyebrows. "You sew clothes for your dogs? I didn't expect you to be such a sophisticated species."
Avex didn't answer, but the annoyed expression on his face was clear enough. "'Pup' is the word we use for our own young when they are newborn!"
"I'm going to ask them to fix this language thing again when I go to the tribe. You talk utter nonsense, Little Round!"
Regardless, he turned and walked silently back into the forest.
Umay watched him go. A strange restlessness had taken hold of her. She really did feel defenseless here when he was gone. This wild world was so alien to her.
"I guess I can't say I haven't been scolded for my diction by a giant barbarian alien anymore. What a jerk… as if it hasn't only been four days since I got here—half of which I remember, half I don't. He doesn't like me. He should be glad I haven't lost my mind!" she grumbled.
Then she put her hands on her hips and took a deep breath.
"Well, what am I supposed to do now?!"
She decided to tidy up the home while Avex was away. First, she organized the bath area, then cleaned around where she slept. Then her eyes landed on the game animal sitting in the corner. Avex had brought it in the morning but hadn't processed it yet.
She thought about her own life. The only beautiful moments of her childhood were the summer nights when her father and mother were tipsy. They would light a beautiful fire in their garden. Barbecue, followed by Umay's favorite moments… because those were the rare nights without fighting. She realized those were some of her—actually most of her—best childhood memories. "Alright then, time for some improvised cooking," she said.
She threw the ingredients into a large stone pot, stoked the fire, and tried to make the best meal she could. Her eyes kept drifting to the leaves on the ground. She folded them neatly and set them aside. She could at least make a draft by the time Avex returned in the evening.
Umay sighed. She smiled to herself. "Look at this… Lost in space, on a primitive planet, and I'm still cooking and tidying up. Womanly instincts are something else!"
She had the food ready and the place cleaned up by the time Avex returned. After a while, heavy footsteps were heard at the entrance. Umay looked up and saw Avex entering. He had a few small packages in his hand, likely things he got from the tribe.
Avex raised his eyebrows slightly when he saw Umay sitting by the fire, cooking something. Umay smiled when she caught his surprised expression.
"Welcome back, big guy. See, I wasn't idle either."
Avex approached silently and sat by the fire. He took in the scent of the soup; his eyes flashed with a different emotion for a moment, but he quickly composed his expression.
Umay giggled with satisfaction seeing his reaction. "You won't die if you admit you like it, you know?"
Avex didn't answer but silently handed the package he was holding to Umay. Inside were thin bone needles and some sturdier, thread-like material.
Umay's eyes sparkled as she took the needles. "You actually got them? Wow… Thank you!"
Avex gave a slight nod and silently took a sip of the soup. In that moment, they felt the ice between them melt a little more. Umay couldn't help but chuckle when she saw his glum face. "Clearly, it was a very fun visit."
The sharp look Avex gave her only made Umay feel better.
Why should he be the only one teasing her? Still, she wondered what had happened to him. He had helped her, shared his home and food. He hadn't left her alone with that rude tribe that judged her. Somehow, seeing a creature she was grateful to being upset dampened her mood.
"Big guy, jokes aside, did something happen? You look troubled," she said.
Avex silently shook his head 'no.' Umay wondered for a second if that meant something else in this world, but when the silence continued, she understood it meant 'no' and that he didn't want to talk about it. This giant Greek statue turned out to be quite secretive.
Umay decided to try again. "I understand you don't want to explain, but you can at least tell me if there's anything I can help with, big guy. I don't know what I can do, but…" she said.
A spark flashed in Avex's eyes for a moment.
"When you make clothes for yourself… could you make some for me too? I… mine have become worn out." If the giant alien's cheeks didn't turn red as he said that, Umay didn't know anything.