The Essence Of The Darkness
Episode 81: Dating the Common People
The place was really crowded, even though today was a working day. Filled with families walking hand in hand, complete with happy grinning parents with their children whose eyes sparkle with anticipation. It also appears that couples who join hands cheerfully, hug each other and show affection in public without feeling embarrassed.
The two of them stepped down from the car, then passed through a large parking lot before stopping in front of a giant gate with a statue of a typical large shark decorating there. Akram's own steps seemed to slow down as the man watched the hustle and bustle around him doubtfully. The two of them finally stopped while Akram seemed to be watching over the situation.
Meanwhile, Elana watched Akram's expression with concern. The man looked a little pale staring at the surroundings, and his expression was filled with a real discomfort that could not be hidden.
Elana knew that even as a child, this man had always been raised as a privileged young master. Even maybe, to enjoy an amusement park like this, his parents who guard it strictly will not let it escape in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the crowd, especially with the threat of kidnapping that always targets at all times. Most likely, Akram's parents will choose to make a full reservation of the entire amusement park and let Akram play as much as possible in all areas of the park he himself controls, without worrying about having to interact with others.
As an adult, Elana noticed that Akram still chose that special path for her. The man had a special elevator, a special car park, even a special gate line that kept him isolated from human interaction that might disturb him.
Now, being in the crowd of various types of people, men, women, old, young, children and many more, surely it will be a very challenging social experience for Akram.
“Are... are you sure you will continue to enter? Very crowded there. We... we can just cancel it and choose to sit down to eat lunch in a small cafe that is comfortable and quiet..” Elana offered sincerely despite the sadness also in her soul for missing the opportunity to enter this legendary Ocean Garden Recreation Park.
Akram thinned his lips, his eyes were still looking around and his forehead was furrowing deeply. But finally the man shook his head with determination.
“It's okay. Let's go in,” Akram blocks Elana's hand, then pulls her to enter the gate.
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“Akram! Well done, look at that fish, it's so big!"
Elana exclaimed to forget themselves when they were in the tunnel in the middle of the aquarium with a curved cavity in the middle, with thick clear glass at the base of their footing, around them as well as their top, with thick clear glass at the base of their footing, all of which display clear blue sea water, full of various marine life of various sizes passing and swimming without being disturbed by the fullness of humans who stare in admiration towards them.
Akram himself just froze, glancing at the tiny hand of Elana in his grasp and smiling wryly as if forcing himself to blend in with a place he did not like.
Because it is the location of the most favorite rides in Ocean Garden, the location where they stand so crowded by humans who do not want to miss the opportunity to admire the magic. That's why Akram had to refrain from being nudged here and there by the selfless humans who stepped in without looking right and left in the crowd. He almost exploded in anger when someone of large stature, walked quickly through the crowded human and accidentally nudged the tiny shoulder of Elana to make the woman almost fall. Luckily Elana held him back with a reminiscent gaze, preventing Akram from making a fuss in this place.
Several times Akram snorted with a dissatisfied tone. What's so good about jostling like this just to see the fish swimming here and there? If indeed Elana likes fish, she can install a giant aquarium installation in her apartment that will be filled with various types of rare ornamental fish. So, the woman does not need to have the hassle of maintaining her tiny body in the crowd just to see the fish swimming.
Go on and on Akram grumbled in his heart. But then, her attention was distracted when once again, Elana shook the clasped grip of their clasped hands.
Akram turned his head and looked directly at Elana who looked up at him. Those eyes were full of bright twinkle sparkles that looked extremely adorable, making Akram's heart beat faster for some reason.
“Thank you, I.. I will not forget today! It's a very pleasant day,” Elana has to tiptoe to whisper in Akram's ear, trying to penetrate the low boisterous sounds that surround them.
The gloom that surrounded Akram's expression and Akram's heart instantly unraveled upon hearing Elana's sentence, making a smile reflected on his face.
Akram brought Elana's hand to her lips and kissed her in passing, making Elana's cheeks blush in embarrassment.
“They said the peak of the show in this aquarium area is a shark feeding show that will be held some time later. You want to go there?” akram asked, pulling Elana into his arms and whispering in a seducing tone of voice.
Elana frowned. “But we passed at the entrance of the shark rides and the queue was very long. Even if we go there now, the auditorium bench may be full and we may not be able to catch the time to see it.”
Akram blinked one eye in a relaxed manner, something he had never shown to Elana before. He took a gold card from his pocket and waved it in front of Elana's eyes.
“I did promise a commoner date to you. But in times of urgency, it's good we use shortcuts so that what we want is achieved,” said Akram with a grin on his lips.
Elana's eyes widened, reading clearly what was written on the card.
”VIP pass card?” ask him in disbelief. He had even just heard that there were such facilities in this recreational park.
Akram nodded his head with his usual haughty attitude. “I paid a fortune to get this. With this card, we can enter any vehicle through a special door without queuing,”
Elana looked at Akram doubtfully. “That means... we cheat other visitors who queue, right?” he whispered slowly, filled with guilt and fear until it was heard by the people who surrounded them.
Akram chuckled at the innocent and naive attitude of Elana, he then whispered back, right in the ears of the woman.
“We don't cheat anyone. Those people pay exactly what they're going to get, and so do I. And because I paid more, I deserve more too,” he said haughtily and indisputably.
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The place to watch shark rides is like a dark auditorium with semicircular benches that are terraced from top to bottom, able to accommodate thousands of people at once in a single show.
The lights are darkened, so people can focus their attention on the convex glass that is the wall of the giant aquarium in front of them.
By using the cards owned by Akram, they can enter through a special hallway that is not passed by other people who are queuing up, then choose the best seating position when ordinary visitors have not been allowed to enter this auditorium.
When the benches were full of people and the atmosphere around them was getting more concentrated while Elana was looking straight ahead, towards the show feeding the beautiful sharks as well as adrenaline fishing, Akram did not stare at the giant aquarium. He turned his head to the side, watching Elana's face clearly visible due to the reflection of the lights from inside the giant aquarium.
Again, even in the dim shades of the moment, happiness emanated clearly from Elana's eyes and made Akram's heart full as if squeezed by an invisible hand.
This woman is so easily happy. And at this moment, Elana had begun to be willing to be happy beside him. What would happen if Elana was really pregnant? Will the woman go berserk and hate her for being trapped made pregnant without her own will?
“That one looks like you."
Elana suddenly spoke, making Akram escape from the confusion of his mind and immediately frowned, staring at the aquarium with curiosity.
The show there features trained divers with high guts. The divers were inside a cage-shaped frame and provided food to various types of sharks with giant sizes that revolve around the iron cage, snatching greedily onto the long sticks stuck in the fish that the divers were sticking out of the skeleton protecting them.
Akram could not help but smile ironically at the performance. In that world of water, humans who have always been superior beings must be willing to submit to surrender and succumb. They are now in the cage and surrounded by the wild sea giants that are free.
“Which one?” Akram tries to find out what Elana meant, but does not find it.
Eagerly Elana pointed towards the aquarium, trying to tell the shark she meant.
“That's right there, that's on the other end. Can you see? He did not blend in with the others and did not go around snatching food. He chose to stay in the corner and looked cynically at his comrades who were willing to act foolishly lured by the food, just for the sake of the show. He does not want to be arranged, arrogant and does not want to cooperate. But still, he looks like the most elegant shark of all there is. I would call it a haughty noble shark,” Elana pointed at the large lazy-looking shark mingling and chose to swim under the hidden shadows, choosing to watch over rather than join the fight for food. The woman then chuckled and turned towards Akram with sparkling eyes. “Like you, don't you?” the question then was without guilt and without the slightest mocking intent.
Elana's honesty did not offend Akram at all. His heart was even puffed up by the feeling of being pleased to hear that assessment.
It pleased Akram so that instead of answering Elana's question, Akram lowered his head to snatch the woman's lips in a passionate kiss.
At first Elana tried to resist, realizing that even though darkness surrounded them and protected them from the sight of the eye, they were still in the midst of the crowd.
But Akram restrains Elana's body, attaches himself to her and kisses her, seducing Elana into the beauty of their lips.
The two human children were immersed in the surrounding friendly nuances, as if the boisterous bustle of humankind were no longer around them. It was as if there were only the two of them in this place, expressing an unspoken feeling in the form of intimacy of their own.
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“I want to ride that ride!” Elana carries the ice cream she gave her from the counters available on their travels through various rides of the game. The ice cream was almost consumed, it looked slightly melted, bright pink with a sweet stove taste mixed with milk that looks delicious. Meanwhile, Elana steps excitedly while leading their journey towards the rides that she desperately craves.
Standing looming before them, is a roller coaster ride that is among the five tallest in the world. Even as Akram raised his head, the highest end of the ride was faint, as if swallowed by a cloud so high. His forehead crept in his gaze at the roller coaster, while his ears caught the low boisterous sound of hysterical screams from humans who were pitting their guts up there.
He ogled a large warning board there stating that children who do not meet the height requirements, people with a history of heart disease, and pregnant women, are prohibited to ride the vehicle.
Pregnant woman?
If indeed she managed to fertilize Elana and the woman managed to get pregnant, her gestational age was only one day. However, still a woman who has just been pregnant one day, belongs to the group of pregnant women, right?
Strongly Akram pulled the shoulder of Elana who was about to enter the queue gate of the vehicle which is currently not too crowded. Maybe because this is a vehicle that requires a high level of guts and stamina, not everyone is interested in trying it.
Of course Akram will not let Elana try the rides!
Elana turned her head, frowning as Akram stopped his steps. Akram's expression looked serious and like he was thinking hard, making Elana wonder.
You can't be afraid to ride this roller coaster, right?
Elana opened her mouth to ask, but along with that, Akram spoke and stopped the question that had not been thrown from her lips.
"I'm hungry" after thinking hard about finding the right reason, Akram finally decided to use Elana's greatest weakness. Appetite. "Middle of the day is over and we haven't eaten anything but your ice cream since breakfast. Wouldn't we be better off looking for food first?"
Elana seemed to weigh the words of Akram. Among the rides are very interesting compared to his hunger....
Elana's hand moved to feel her own stomach and like an orchestra waiting for the conductor's cue, her stomach suddenly rumbled, giving a very demanding hunger signal.
He finally nodded his head.
"Alright, let's find some food first," he said cheerfully, completely unaware of the thick relief that immediately smeared Akram's eyeballs when he heard his approval.
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It turned out, even for food, they had trouble in a crowd like this. All the canteens available are fully occupied on all benches, cafes with higher prices are equally full, forcing visitors who have high patience to stand crowded, he said, willing to queue at the entrance to wait for an empty seat.
Despite having a VVIP card for all rides, Akram is unlikely to use the card to gain the privilege of breaking through the food queue or getting empty benches by force, because in broad daylight like this, it will attract the attention of the public, something that he does not want to happen because it can damage the dating of their commoners.
Their only food option is at a fast food outlet, which though also has a full queue, but the service is pretty fast, too, because the menu of various burgers and sandwiches with various fillings is quite easy to prepare for buyers.
Akram observed that the queue went quite fast and the buyers did not have to wait for an empty bench in the canteen to eat. With a practical food menu that does not require a table to eat, they can eat while sitting on the benches of the park that is available in abundance and enjoy their lunch efficiently without hassle.
Akram's watchful eyes revealed an empty bench that had not been filled in a place slightly hidden under a large tree that was quite shady and cool. Elana's body was thrown there, and then Elana sat on the bench with a firm attitude.
"Sit here and don't go anywhere, I'll buy you food there," Akram pressed his chin towards the fast food stalls near them, he turned his eyes back to Elana. "Do you understand?" Akram behaves like a father carrying a five-year-old and warns the child not to go anywhere for fear of the child being lost.
Akram's attitude itself is quite intimidating. The man bowed with both hands clutching his shoulders, while his face was close to Elana's face, not forgetting while thrusting into her sharp eyes.
Treated like that, there was nothing Elana could do but nod her head.
As Akram stepped away, Elana leaned her back on the wooden bench, exhaled, then closed her eyes with a smile on her lips, enjoying the moment of reconciliation when the coolness of the fresh breeze from the movement of the tree leaves dancing on it greeted his cheeks gently.
Unfortunately, Elana's peace did not last long, because suddenly, there was a frenzied voice that sounded close to her, making Elana's attention interested and she immediately opened her eyes.
A group of people walked towards him. They were carrying large equipment like shooting equipment and were busy installing it in the area near Elana.
Elana's head turned towards the larger crowd nearby, and her eyes immediately found the figure that was the center of attention in the crowd. It was a tall figure of a woman with tight guard, wearing sunglasses and very elegant clothes, at this time the woman was being mobbed by her hysterical fans asking for autographs or just asking for a shake.
It seems like a very beautiful famous artist and the artist is about to take a photo shoot at this place...
Elana was so fixated on the unique sight that she did not realize that the two burly men who were the artist's bodyguards had come closer to her, then stood in front of her in an intimidating manner.
"Surge!" snapped at one of the bodyguards violently.
Elana frowned, agape at the confusion of being yelled at without knowing the location of her mistake.
"What the hell." before Elana could finish her sentence, she complained of pain because her arm was suddenly blocked, right where the bruise was still sore, creating an almost unbearable stabbing pain.
"Stop there and find somewhere else! Our lady wants to rest while waiting for the preparation process to finish, and she wants to sit on this bench!"
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