“Mikey!” The woman called. He glared ahead as she tried to grab at his free arm. She turned her head and fixed beady eyes on me. “And you are?”

“Someone who knows when they're not welcomed. Stop touching my brother!” I growled, reaching out to slap her wandering hand off him. She flinched back, but turned an ugly pout up to Miles. I snapped my fingers, playing into the cattiness she loved to use herself. “He has a partner. Then again, even if he didn't, you don't qualify.”

“I don't know what you're talking about,” She sniffed, keeping her eyes on him and trying to smoulder. It came off as severely constipated and I laughed to hold back my desire to scratch her ugly eyes out.

“You don't know when someone is calling you unworthy? Not good enough may be better if that word didn't sink in. You should go while you still have some dredges of respect left,” I sneered, taking a harsher grip around her wrist and squeezing ever so lightly. She squealed, trying to pull away. I let her go to watch her flail and arms pinwheel.

Her butt hit sand and dirt. She gaped up to us as I stood over her, Miles tucked half behind my body. “Touch him again, and I will not be responsible for my actions. I don't play nice with people who make trouble for my family.”

With her bikini top and swim shorts doing nothing to hide her shivers, she scrambled away like the leech she was. Miles relaxed after a few long beats and rubbed at his forehead with the heel of his palm. “Women are so much trouble,” He muttered.

“Men even more so,” I shot back with a self-satisfied smirk. “Want to go eat now?”

“Lead the way,” He drawled, playfully bowing to me.

I tugged him along while humming under my breath, sweeping gaze going from stalls to random tourists and back. They looked so out of place in the natural earthiness of the Locals and their architecture. Arches of strong wood and sanded back glass were so different to what we grew up with.

The lobby was just up ahead, and my eyes took in the etches above.

OOO

(A/N: This inscription is attached to the chapter with the translation from Mehza to English.)

OOO

“What do they say?” Miles asked, tilting his chin back to stare at the words. He was never one for linguistics, and while mathematics came to him easily, he preferred the study of medicines and animals. He spoke Irish and a little Welsh from his father's side but he didn't really mesh with LOTE and the Japanese later in highschool.

It made no sense though, since I know less than him and could still read it. “You can't read that?” I asked. “It says Mother Moon right there!” I pointed to the top and waited for him to catch it. His quizzical set brows and fingers rubbing his chin told me no. “But... it's right there!”

“Still can't see anything more than misplaced lines and curves that make up no language I've seen before. The triangles are bothering me. The writer must've been spatially challenged,” He cocked his head.

“It says 'scholar of the Seas-Oceanus' at the bottom in smaller lettering. He tried, okay?” I said and snapped a picture to ask Morgan and then Josh later. “Come on. I'm starving.”

“You're always hungry,” He rolled his eyes and I avoided the gaze of a few employees. I caught one or two using their fancy ear set thing to relay a message. The buzzing in my ear told me there was a reply.

Miles squeezed my hand with extra care when we caught sight of Atlas speaking to one of the suited up men. A manager perhaps.

Atlas’ crossed arms made the usually smiling man look semi-norma. He tracked us the entire way through the dining area entrance and over to our table. The man came along with the heat and tidy server, eyes lingering on me before he excused himself.

'Weird’ I mouthed to Miles and opened the offered menu.

I would not appreciate any interruptions via sticky beaks on my holiday with my brother.

At least the food would arrive quickly.

*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*

A/N: And so... translations! I spent more time than I’d like to admit just developing the symbols for 3 distinctive languages. Mehza will feature here and there in this story. Just know I went a little crazy with the grammar, the verbs and the combinations for the characters. So many, so little time in the chapters (for now).

(How the symbols are pronounced. The triangles are full stops, and the lines are spaces between words.)