Valkyrie Smash

"By the way, what do you call this?"

Juni poked a small wooden pick into one of the golden orbs and raised it a little.

"We call it Lokma." The old man replied.

"Lo… what?"

"Lokma. It's a traditional dish from Misr, or Egypt as they call it."

"Strange word."

Even as she made that comment, Ingrid pulled her mask down a little and proceeded to bring one of the treats to her mouth.

"Well, that's to be expected." said the old man, his eyes locked on the Nephilim. "Some Arabic words are hard to pronounce unless you grew up with the language."

"I know about Egypt!" Juni exclaimed. "That's the place where aliens build the giant triangles!"

"Hahaha! You mean the pyramids? Sorry missy but those were built by humans. Aliens aren't real." The old man paused for a moment. "Well, space aliens, at least."

Though she entered panic mode when the two girls disappeared, Sara was able to regain her calm immediately after. Instead of rushing after them, she kept her distance and observed the situation. To her surprise the two were able to order without a problem and even engaged in small talk with the shop owner.

"Whoa! This is really good!" Ingrid said in amazement.

"So sweet!" Juni took a bite as well and couldn't restrain her excitement.

"Glad you like it! Come again soon, okay!"

Hearing the delighted remarks of the two girls, some of the people passing by were drawn to the store. In no time a crowd formed and the old man found himself overwhelmed with customers.

Sara quickly went and pulled Ingrid and Juni away. The store owner might have feigned ignorance despite figuring out their identity, however she couldn't expect the same from everyone else.

"And why did you wander off by yourself, may I ask?" The reporter felt a slight headache as soon as they were out of sight.

"Something smelled nice," Ingrid replied, nonchalantly putting one of the treats into her mouth.

"Sho guuuud!" Juni added while chewing on another bite, a blissful expression on her face.

"What happened to being careful so people wouldn't find out about you?"

Sara heaved a sigh, shaking her head slowly. She noticed her right hand reaching for the inner pocket of her jacket, the place where she usually kept her cigarettes. Shaking away the urge to smoke, she sighed again and turned to the pair.

"You seem too stressed out, miss." Said Ingrid. She glanced at the small box of treats and thought for a moment before picking one of them with the wooden pick. "Here, you can have this."

Seeing the Nephilim extend the golden chunk, the reporter was taken aback, words betraying her. A few seconds passed before she snapped back to reality, clearing her throat and composing herself.

"I appreciate the gesture, but I'm fine." She replied. "I can't really afford to gain more weight."

"A~h, right…" Ingrid's eyes widened in realization and she chomped on the treat right away. "Sweet food makes humans fat."

"What's that?" Juni asked, still munching another piece.

Sara was speechless for a moment, having concluded that the alien girls didn't have to worry about gaining weight from that short exchange. Outstanding beauty, eternal youth, and on top of that a perfect figure that never grew fat. It would be a lie if she said envy wasn't getting to her. Because of that, the reporter turned around and started walking in the direction they came from.

"Wait here." She said. "I will be back in a couple of minutes."

The girls looked at each other, confused, but when the reporter returned carrying a box of her own they understood.

"Guess you couldn't resist." Ingrid grinned.

"Leave me be." Sara replied, going through her serving of the extremely sweet Lokma at quite a fast pace, though the frown she had on made it difficult to believe she was enjoying the treat.

~[ ]~

After finishing their food Sara went on to explain her chosen route for the two girls. They had no complaints whatsoever, agreeing to follow it right away, but something told the reporter that they had no intention of doing so.

Along the way they passed several shops and restaurants, stopping whenever the alien girls saw or smelled something that tickled their appetite. Unfortunately for her, Sara was already way past her daily calorie intake.

If she were to eat anything after that deep fried dessert, it would take her weeks to burn away the excess, and with how busy she was most likely going to be in the near future it was unlikely that she would have the chance, which would only cause it all to get worse.

The party visited two of the sites on their list; the Fountain of Beginings and Time Plaza. The first one, as the name suggests, was a large fountain surrounded by a small park.

Nestled in the heart of a meticulously well kept garden, the fountain stood as a shimmering masterpiece of elegance. The glistering water cascaded from above, moving from one level to the other with a gentle, rhythmic grace. Intricate details carved into the smooth white marble revealed delicate patterns and sculpted aquatic motifs that seemed to come alive in the dancing water.

Crystal-clear streams arched gracefully into the air before delicately descending, creating a mesmerizing play of liquid light.

Surrounding the base, vibrant bursts of blossoming flowers added a splash of color to the scene, their fragrant perfume mingling with the soft murmur of the water. It was a place where serenity and beauty converged, inviting contemplation and stirring the senses with its timeless charm.

"Whoa… this is so… beautiful…" Juni spoke with a gaping mouth, her mind overtaken by the mesmerizing water dance.

"We definitely need something like this in the new palace." Said Ingrid as she took photos with the Valkyrie's phone.

The Fountain of Beginnings was once a single well from which the first refugees drew the water they needed to survive. It was the center of the community for years but eventually ran dry, forcing people to abandon it for another source. That didn't cause its significance to be lost, however.

When the war entered a more stable phase after the Valkyries arrived, the fountain was built over the old well, turning into a symbol of humanity's tenacity, will to survive and the start of a new age.

"You should see it at night." Sara smiled. "The light show is something else."

The Time Plaza didn't have as much historical significance as the Fountain of Beginnings, but it was a sight to behold.

A long pillar of shimmering darkness stood at the center of a vast circular space paved with stone, divided into twelve equal sections by spears pierced into the ground like golden streaks of lightning. Upon closer inspection, one could see the Roman numbers from one to twelve were engraved into the heads of each spear. A shadow fell on the spear with the X, signaling that the time had hit ten.

"For some reason, this place feels a lot more impactful." Ingrid observed, looking around as she walked to the center of the plaza.

"The artist who created it wished to depict the aftermath of a grand battle." Sara explained. "The golden spears represent the twelve heroes who fought against the great darkness."

"Oooh! These look just like the spear I used back in the day!" Juni spoke with sparkling eyes, looking up at one of the golden spears. "But they're much bigger!"

"I thought you fight with a bat?" The Nephilim asked.

"We couldn't use halos back then." The Valkyrie answered. "We had to rely on normal weapons back then."

The topic of their discussion seemed to catch some attention so before they could get themselves exposed, Sara once again found herself dragging them away.

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