Chapter 4

It was a strange feeling for Aloy to wander the streets of Meridian under such new, till now unknown circumstances. To an observing person, she was walking alone, looking warily over her shoulder from time to time, and on her way to the city borders. Only that she wasn't quite alone. For several steps behind her, hard to see in the dim twilight between the multistoried buildings, moved a sole figure, evidently independent from her steps. Not that it would ever stop walking, but she could see its head, barely visible in the misty light of moon, stars and elsewhere-located campfires, turn into different directions, wordlessly greeting the few people they passed on their way down into the twisting and winding alleys. Where the real life was taking place, Aloy thought.

At night, it was far more quiet than during the hours of daylight, but this served as an advantage for them. By strolling around in private, Avad was given a perfect opportunity to evaluate the living conditions of his people on his own. The substance of the buildings, which had also been heavily damaged during HADES' attack. Although being constructed in a structured and airy manner, Aloy detected a feeling of claustrophobia which hung at the surrounding walls. It was clearly evident that many people lived close to each other in this area. And like everywhere in the city, some nightguards were patrolling around here as well.

Turning around a corner and stopping in her step, unnecessarily readjusting the string of her bow, Aloy gave her undercover companion a chance to catch up with her. When, out of nowhere, a stranger's voice was echoing through the close-by street. "And what do you think you are doing out here at night?"

She felt heat rise in her chest and could barely suppress a curse. It was not her who'd been addressed like that. It was Avad.

Sneaking back to the edge of the corner in silence, she listened with all her might to the words spoken: "I am off to the campfire down on the second level. Not forbidden, is it?"

"Watch your tongue, master. I don't like your outlook at all, see? What are you up to?"

"My answer hasn't changed. I want to attend the meeting at the campfire."

"Don't you be smart with me, that doesn't work. Who are you?"

"Tarik Salim. I was hired as a carpenter for replacing the furniture destroyed by the metal devils."

In the dim darkness around her, Aloy's face was momentarily disentangled by appreciation. She had to pay the ruler of Meridian some credit for his steady tone and his cunning talent for improvisation.

"I'll get that checked, be sure of that."

"Naturally. Am I allowed to press on, now? Colleagues are waiting for me."

"Alright, fine. Move on."

Approaching steps told Aloy that her companion was catching up with her again and she hurried away from the corner, walking in the middle of the lane to make herself visible for him.

"But I don't like your face, you! You're up to something!", the guardsman called after his king. At the thought of it, she slightly grinned to herself. If only this oblivious man knew whom he'd said these words to...

It was several more miles of stroll through the city, its marketplaces and living sections when Aloy considered it a decent look-around and came to a stop at a nearby fountain, where she helped herself to a few handfuls of water and secretly watched her companion draw closer. She noticed with a little surprise that he'd taken down the hood of his cloak and moved, metaphorically spoken, in broad daylight. Eager to evidently have something to do, she tried to clean her fingernails with the few drops she could hold in her cupped hand until she felt him lean against the stone basin beside her. Only then, she raised her gaze from her fingers: "Got enough for one walk?"

She could barely make out his eyes in the shadowy light of the street, but his voice sounded steady and confident. "There is never too much to behold in this city I do my best to rule. Though I'd think it wiser to retreat for now, we have pushed our luck far enough tonight."

"Me too. How come you let go of the hood?"

"You mean why I show my face?", he smiled. "Sometimes, it's best to hide in plain sight. And to tell you the truth: it started to annoy me as well."

His gaze fell upon her wet fingers and he noticed her subtle gestures of drying them at her trousers. "What's with your hands? Are you hurt?"

"What? No, just tried to get rid of the dust. It's obvious that I could use a decent bath, but that has to wait till tomorrow."

"Why didn't you tell me before? Come with me, I've got something to show you."

Inclining his head briefly to the left and pushing himself from the fountain, he made it clear for her to follow him. For a glimpse of a second, she hesitated; asking herself what he could hold in stock for her now. Though the small but stable stage of trust she'd learnt to place in Avad made her follow his shadowy figure, outlined even darker against the grey dim, without further questions.

He aimed at the road they'd taken for their stroll down into the lower levels, quickly progressing the other way around now, upwards into the realm of the wealthy society. It was not yet the true palace, but the difference was evident when ever you let your eyes wander. He led her past the apartments of the Vanguardsmen - a risky road to take, for to avoid the tired but sharp eyes of the night watchers, they had to melt into every shadow they could find. But Avad proved yet another extraordinary hunter skill his own and Aloy, observing him carefully not to miss any steps, discovered again a new site of the so called Sun-King. And she liked it. She could even feel her curiosity rise at how far those hunting and fighting skills might go. She'd taken notice before of the fact that he was a very athletic and able-bodied man, handsome even. But looks didn't count in battle - and she could feel her fingertips itch with the desire of facing him, spear versus saber. Just once.

They came to a stop in the shadow of a surprisingly modest building, about two stories tall and fitting in perfectly as a round-up of the outer border of this section of the city. It's double-door was well secured with broad wooden planks, but there were no guards placed in its nearby area. Taking in the humble wall, made of cert, red stone, she faced her secretive companion in confusion: "What is this place, exactly?"

"The bath-house of Meridian", was his answer. "Quite a decent site, in my opinion. Modest, of course, but decent."

She shook her head in disbelief. "I don't belong in there. The gesture is nice and I really appreciate it, but my own minor problems can wait till sunrise."

"Of course you don't", was his surprisingly calm respond. "You could have been given a peerage by now, judging by what great deeds you've done to our city so far. But that doesn't suit you. And a place of privacy that fits your humble demands is something I'd grant every civilian of Meridian. If there were any possibilities."

"But we can't get inside by breaking down the front door."

"No need to do that." He pointed his left hand at a window right above his head. A window that was missing its glass. "It was planned like this to guarantee a constant state of fresh air."

Aloy still couldn't quite believe what was going on in this precise moment. The fourteenth king of the Sundom was standing right beside her, out in the streets, in the middle of the night, and was tempting her to break into the bath-house of his capital to get her teeth brushed? Well, what she was in need of was quite more long-winded than that, but the core was the same. And what was even more concerning: she fell for it. This teasing spirit of adventure took hold of her once more and whispered promising possibilities into her ear.

She shortly evaluated the height of the window and found that she couldn't get up there on the spot. Permitting herself a small grin, she asked: "How do I get up there?"

Unexpectedly, Avad took a step back, so that he was leaning with his back against the wall, and held up his hand. "I'll give you a small boost. That should do."

"Alright", she accepted, granting herself two steps as a run-up. One last breath, then she silently broke into action, gained a little speed and placed her left foot in her companion's hands, feeling her body being catapulted upwards by his strength which made it foolishly easy for her to reach the window. Cowering on the stone sill, she turned back to look down. Avad was smiling up to her, obviously proud of the both of them, and she couldn't help but give back a grin.

"How much time do I have?", she asked quietly.

He inclined his head in a teasing manner. "As much as you need, Ma'am."

Careful not to knock anything over, she climbed down into the lightless, circular room. Although her eyes were in need of some time to get accustomed to the even darker environment, she felt herself freeze to the spot for a second at the sight she was beholding. The room was a full round, forged out of smooth sand stone and wood. A few ornaments within the mosaic of the ground were made of white marble, and delicate patterns were decorating the wooden edges and supporters of various shelves and wardrobes across the room.

But what was most important were the bath tubes. There were four of them, usually separated by blue, opaque curtains which were drawn to the side right now. Two of the tubes were formed out of wooden planks, smoothed out so that one could not hurt himself during his bath, whereas the other two were carved from stones, it seemed. Aloy found herself deeply impressed by the care that had been invested into this house and moved around it even more sensitively. She didn't quite know where to start. Where was the water stored, anyway?

Instantly, she switched on her Focus and took another look around. She saw towels, hidden in the twilight, and some purple shades sitting on the shelves, objects without any familiarity to her. Finally, a door revealed itself in a purple blur and she opened it, entering a narrow stairwell which held even more doors in stock for her, located on the same floor she had entered through the window. Not wasting any more time, she started searching for the most important ingredience of a bath. And to her enormous relief, she was successful at the second try.

This room was just half the size of the circular one she'd just left, but fully taken up by five enclosed fireplaces, with cauldrons above them in which the water was obviously heated. All of the coals were extinguished, of course, but the bowls were made of thick metal, which had held the warmth of the water in place even till now. It was a little cooler than normal bath temperature, but Aloy was not a picky person and completely content with what she'd found. Taking up a bucket that stood beside various others at the right-handed wall of the room, she got herself started.

Avad was leaning against the balustrade, his arms folded on top of it, and quietly looked down at the city beneath him. A mild wave of night wind was swirling past his head, tipping his left ear and toying with his short, black hair. The peace and quiet he experienced in this moment made him wonder, for he'd expected quite different if he was honest with himself. There was much to be thought of, countless errands to be run until his realm would be recovered from the past hits it had had to endure under his reign.

He turned from his viewing point at a silent, scratching sound from behind and beheld Aloy, carefully climbing out of the window again. Although he stepped closer immediately, there was no need for assistance. The Nora huntress reached the ground with a soft landing and straightened, brushing a wet braid back behind her ear. Her Focus was glowing faintly blue.

"You waited?", was her first statement.

"Of course I did", Avad answered. "Why do you sound so surprised?"

She shrugged briefly and, though wide awake in her mind, suppressed a yawn. She couldn't have imagined the influence the warm water would have on her. "I thought you'd headed back to the palace by now. Do kings never sleep?"

"Not as much as Nora hunters, that would seem", he joked slightly, though the sight of her evident tiredness seemed to let him spring into seriousness. "But you are right, we really should return. I will see you to your apartment, if you approve."

"You really don't have to do this -"

"What if I'd like to?"

Letting out a silent breath, she rolled her eyes - but with a grin on her face. She shook her head, torn between two possible answers. But finally, she fell for the latter: "Alright, lead the way."

They managed their way back to the lodgings of the soldiers in silence and without disturbance. Though she ignored her sore body as good as possible, Aloy could feel the steely weight of tiredness pressing on her head. She even started to question whether this bath had been a good idea after all, but now it was too late all the same. And Avad proved a reliable leader past the eyes of the night watchers once more, which is why they ended up in front of her door - no, the door to Olin's apartment - sooner that she'd thought they would.

"Here we are", he whispered, checking quickly that they weren't followed.

"Thank you again for the bath", Aloy responded, resting the fingertips of her left hand against the wood of the door. "And for seeing me off."

"No, Aloy. I am the one to thank you. Without you, I probably never would have taken the step out of my quarters. Your company was a pleasure tonight."

She smiled and nodded in return. "So was yours. Is there any chance you will take said step without me again?"

"I think, I was quite hooked by its taste, so yes, definitely. Not very often, of course, but from time to time, it could be a diversion to take into consideration."

"Glad to hear that."

Their faces illuminated by a weak torch, they shared a short moment of appreciation of each other. Upon the realization of their tiny, nightly adventure coming to an end now, Aloy found herself strangely proud of the two of them. The secret mischief was managed - and it was something only the two of them would ever know. She lowered her head the exact moment Avad was about to do the same.

"Good night, Aloy", he spoke, placing his right hand on his heart in the process. A gesture of respect. "I wish you a pleasant sleep."

"The same to you, Avad. Good night."

As she pushed the door open, she risked one last glimpse back over her shoulder. His slender figure was vanishing quickly, soundlessly, into the shadows of night.