The curly blonde haired girl with extremely fair skin is softly pushing me forward to her home. I see the village change to a newer district created by designs I made in the last 3 years. The houses have high quality wood, nails, and especially mortar holding them together.

The pink material that had been everywhere whenever I first got to Tauss is actually a very malleable glass like material if forged in hot temperatures, and it changes color depending on the heat that is used to treat it. It changes from pink, to red depending on the level of heat.

It had become a sign of status to have windows and parts of your house molded in red glass, and that is exactly what the buildings nearby are like. The glass material is even stronger than steel, but less plentiful, so only the wealthy can afford to throw it into their actual homes. The pariah bush it comes from is hard to find and cultivate, so whenever one is found it is usually brutally poached.

I think about how this side of the town is infinitely smaller than the new slum districts. The new economy forming around the area means farmers are not as needed as before. Plus better crop rotation and caretaking is leading to an explosion of food production.

The newly forming economy is based on producing goods using assembly lines and less specialized work, and the only reason its succeeding so well is because of Klay’s leadership. With him and the influx of immigrants, the village has become a city, and now it is closely approaching a city-state...

As we walk I notice Elizabeth is only slightly shorter than me, but I feel a mountain of difference in our expectations. She is obviously used to this process, but I feel incredibly awkward.

I constantly have heat waves that turn my tan skin red before fading back. We walk up to a wide two story building that has a red glass swan in the front. If I was walking her I think I could be much more comfortable...

The walls are made of nicely stained wood, and the engraved doors and windows slightly wake me up from the situation. If I let this go any further their can be trouble...

“Interesting! So Elizabeth, it is fantastic that you want to make my acquaintance, but I am veryyyyyy poor. I don’t think I’d fit in here...” I say with as much sincerity as I can muster.

“Nonsense! I saw you slip Jax some Grads. Those aren’t things a poor man can throw around, and you look positively famished! I know our cooks can get you something delicious to eat. ”

Her grip becomes vice like around my arm. I visualize an anaconda slowly squeezing the life out of me and the blood slowly draining from my face. A butler opens the door, and I am marched into the large building.

The fine glass and wood materials created an incredibly ambient surrounding. Glass floors with small circles to reveal tiny fractions of other floors could be seen, and the walls and hallways were heavily decorated with porcelain. Tiny statues and trinkets from far off lands collected themselves in drones on the fine wooden furniture.

“Impressed?” she says with a cute, but very smug smile.

I sigh as the expectations are shifted, and the atmosphere changes. I'm finally able to say, “If only. It’s decent enough.”

“Surely you jest?” She says while turning her head up and closing her eyes..

Neurons long cold rekindle inside of me, and I say, “My house is made of diamonds and gold! Wood? You can see that anywhere outside, but you can barely even see my house. It blinds with gems earthen in nature, and fine in quality.” I declare the statement with thick sarcasm and over exaggerated hand gestures from my free arm.

“Hoho, it looks like I’ve found my Romeo,” she responds with the same sarcasm.

I'm very surprised by the reference to Romeo, and she picks up on it like a lion sensing the weak link in a herd.

“Haven’t you seen Romeo and Juliet? Oh no! Did I blind you with my cultural finesse?”

“More like bore me to tears love! The real reason I’m surprised would surprise you, but I’d like to hear more about plays that you’ve seen. Maybe you can wow me after mentioning something I haven’t seen, and music as well! What is your favorite kind?” I ask while trying to worm out knowledge of the outside world.

Elizabeth eagerly responds, “Oedipus Rex, The Oresteia, and Prometheus Bound are all good classics. I personally have not heard much music outside of small time musicians. Listening to an orchestra would be like a dream!”

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I freeze mid step. The plays are all made by Greeks...

 How deep is this world and my own threaded? Is history almost the same? Am I on Earth in the past with a different history?

No...Things are different. The power, the Eldritch, the creatures can all be explained away with fantasy but...the gravity difference means it is a completely different world. I can accept everything else as a coincidence of whimsy, but a differing gravity on earth is impossible. The thought gives me a great inner peace, and I speed up to join Elizabeth again.

“You look like hearing those play names brought back ghosts!” Elizabeth says.

“Haha! The funny part is they are ghosts. Only ghosts to me...Elizabeth, I want to let you know something about me,” I say while opening up my arms some and relaxing my shoulders.

“Absolutely!” Elizabeth says and turns to face me.

“I am eight years old,” I say while maintaining eye contact.

“Haha! You jest! Look at these arms. I would say a short man of fifteen perhaps,” she says while grabbing my arms.

“I can only say it again, but I am only eight. I’m just large for my age. I work already so I’m a little thicker than most is all, so now that we understand that...I’m going to go back now...”

I tug away from her grip, but its constriction grows in strength. I look backwards and she is staring at me with her brow furrowed, and one eye twitching.

“Do you understand who I am? I am Elizabeth Chapman. You are going to come have lunch with me...and be thankful I am even talking to you,” she says with a grim undertone.

I yank my arm away and start chuckling hysterically.

“Haha! You really, waha.You really think you’re that important? ” I pause to catch my breathe and collect my thoughts before I make the poor decision to berate the young girl for her ridiculous claim.

“Elizabeth, you are beautiful and charming. Use those instead of your family name to appeal to me. I have to leave because my father needs me for something. How about we meet up for lunch later this week, Ms. Chapman? ”

Her face shifts like a chameleon. From a red face with a twitching eye, to a darker red face with raised eyebrows and a slightly open mouth, to a weird mixture of both...She opens her mouth and reaches out her hand before drawing back. She sighs deeply before saying, “Okay...Where?”

“Only the grandest dining establishment in the whole land would do for a lady like you Elizabeth, so how about my place? I live in the courthouse near the middle of the town square. Do you know where it is?” I say with a knowing smile.

Her face warps from a bright red to ghastly white as the realization hits her. I'm “The” Klay Waulack’s son, and she has tried to use her status against me.

“I-I-I’m so sorry! I had no idea Mr. Waulack.” Elizabeth is bowing and starts to glance left and right.

“Nobody does! Come if you want to, okay? I’ll eat there at around 2 every day. I promise a feast of grandiose proportions, and a lively banter that bards will sing about for thousands of years. Can you promise not to jump into my arms by the end?” I smirk with exaggerated motions at the comment. The entire conversation feels like it is bringing me back to a different time...

“...Sure. I’ll be there in three days,” Elizabeth says with the same discomfort I felt only minutes ago.

I turn to the butler and say, “Thank you so much for your valuable service?”

“John sir,” The gray haired butler says while standing perfectly straight.

“John. Please help the poor girl get the courage to come. I would love to see her in a different dress,” I say while snickering and knocking on his shoulder.

The statue like butler tries with all of his might but cracks a smile for a millisecond. I laugh and walk back the way I was led in. I breathe in the lighter fresh air, and I softly say, “...Still got it, haha.”

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I MADE MASSIVE EDITS to this chapter. Please let me know if there are errors with tense, spelling, or anything else. Thank you.