21 𝖣𝖠𝖸𝖲

01

"Sorry, I can't speak Liyuen."  

21 DAYS. chapter one.

Here we go again, with the language I cannot understand.

I held tight to the strap of my shoulder bag, watching this, waiter over here, right in front of me speak things I don't know. I felt tense, embarrassed, and very dumb by just standing here. —nobody or not everyone would know that I can't speak Liyuen, but it's really uncomfortable. The waiter talked in a loud voice, was he mad? What did I do wrong, was taking a picture of your plant not allowed? It's just a plant. He's mad, he kept on talking, pointed at me, my camera, his plant, and back at me.

 I could only sigh,

"I'm telling you, mister..." I mumbled to myself. "I can't understand you."

"Excuse me?"

My eyes then lit up once I heard a voice. Excuse me, they said. Finally. Bless you, oh bless you, I thought. I turned my head and saw a person with turquoise hair, hair length was somehow kind of short. Amber eyes, were they a girl? Not sure.

"May I ask what's happening here?" They asked, sorta masculine. But I nodded, "I can't speak Liyuen, sorry. I don't know what's going on. Really."

They let out a chuckle and nodded back, they turned to the waiter, "signore?"

What a weird haircut, I thought while eyeing him, literally not caring about the waiter. But the hair suited them well though. I then looked at their chest—was that a weird thing to do? —they're flat. But some girls are flat too. I then moved to their throat.

Adam's apple. I touched my throat and felt no bump, while theirs was so visible. Male perhaps?

"Pardon me for intervening all of the sudden. I got curious about what was happening since he was talking while you weren't. I had to ask." He then spoke. I hope it's okay if I use male pronouns on him for now. They might walk away without telling me their name after this. But he spoke real English. I feel like it's been decades since I've heard someone speak English other than me. 

"Ah, yeah. Sorry, I must've caused a scene, didn't I?" I scratched my head. But the more I think of it, maybe not. The waiter was the one who kept talking, not me.

"Worry not, not much had laid eyes." Yeah, somehow I feel like he's a male.

"What did the waiter tell you though?" "—said you were taking pictures of their dish without their permission." 

It was just a plant.

"I was taking a picture of a plant that was on someone's used table." 

"Oh."  Oh, indeed. It's the plant I took pictures of, I can show you my camera if you wanna see or check."They must've misunderstood. Maybe their eyes did them wrong." He commented. How respectful, I thought he'd go 'that's dumb' like how I would.

"Since it's over and the waiter had already left. There's no need for you to be worried about it. You can carry on with your work."

About that. I'm all by myself here in Liyue. I don't know where to start heading. I am bad at socializing, especially with complete strangers from different places I'm not aware of. There was something in me that was hoping he would lend a hand, even for just today. But I feel like I'm about to fall into my habit of agreeing to things that I can't do, just to avoid asking for help or socializing because I'm shy and embarrassed.

"Unless if you're lost, of course." He added.

I shook my head, "I'm not. I'm not lost." I replied. There we go, I knew it. My bad habit. He looked at me and gave me a nod with a small smile. But before he could even reply to anything else, I had to talk. Surprisingly.