Having stayed up late the night prior speaking to Amali, Nasira was letting her mind wander more than usual as she watched the shadows on the table in front of her shift as hungry men walked to and fro in the dining commons. The twenty-minute lunch break, while she desperately needed the rest, was only making it that much harder to bring herself to go back to work. Nasira was not used to staying up late, she was normally quite punctual with her self-appointed bedtime, but she couldn't bring herself to say goodbye to Amali all too early. There had been no lull in the conversation, and she'd lost track of time.

Though, despite having asked her there out of curiosity over her job, Amali had neglected to ask her much at all and had done most of the talking herself. She had a flair for storytelling. Nasira found even the mundane tales she told, which would otherwise have been quite bland, to be surprisingly fascinating.

Unfortunately, Nasira did have to end the conversation eventually, though not before inviting Amali to join her for dinner and tea with Zaina the next day. Knowing she had been staying at an inn for some time, Nasira was worried the girl might be overspending her budget. Especially since she had no source of income.

Mindlessly chewing on his food, only barely noticing the heavy overuse of seasoning on the meat, Malik feigned interest in the talk of templar plots Altair and the others at the table were engaged in. Occasionally he would mumble an "oh really?" or a "how dare they." Though perhaps as a high ranking, well respected, leader of the brotherhood, he should have been paying attention. It was just too difficult to focus on business while trying to eat lunch in the first place, even more so while across the room, directly in his line of sight, Nasira was sitting, seemingly engaging in a silent conversation with herself.

The constant change in her expression as she thought to herself was fascinating. How could she not notice how much her facial muscles were shifting? Of course, he also couldn't help but notice her unfocused eyes were aimed straight at Altair. Nasira didn't even seem to know she was looking at him. What could she be thinking about so intensely?

Just as Nasira lifted her cup, Malik tuned to Altair, who had been stuffing food into his mouth at an alarming pace. "You're embarrassing yourself in front of your admirer." Following the statement, Malik nodded his head in the direction of the woman sipping at her drink across the room, her eyes still locked listlessly on Altair. Pausing in his speedy consumption, Altair shifted his gaze toward her only for her to start violently coughing.

She'd swallowed her drink wrong. She couldn't stop coughing, probably drawing a lot of attention from those around her. A few moments later, after regaining her breath, though still releasing a few smaller coughs, she noticed a new shadow looming over her table. "Are you alright?" Hearing his voice was enough for Nasira to know who was standing on the other side of her table.

She was meeting him far too often for comfort in the past weeks. When she least expected, he would suddenly appear right in front of her. His constant appearances were disrupting her peace of mind.

Not wanting to look into his eyes and admit to herself that it was, in fact, Altair standing there, Nasira opted instead to keep her eyes on the table, watching his shadow shift with all the others. "Ahem… yes, I'm cough… just fine…" Though her reply couldn't have been very reassuring with her continuing cough, or the way her voice broke. Nasira could feel her cheeks heating, knowing most everyone around her had been staring at her since her fit had begun.

Picking up her drink, stalling until she could think of an escape, Nasira swallowed another sip to sooth her now raw throat. "My break is about done. I should head back." Standing too suddenly, her movements felt choppy and awkward. Leaving the room as quickly as she could, she kept her head low, making sure not to look into anyone's face, particularly not Altair's.

Stepping into the hallway, she couldn't help but think back to what Malik had said the day before. "Fighting to protect people like you". In truth, Altair had never done anything against her, he had never endangered her. Deep down, she knew being so terrified of someone just because they were capable of harm was absurd, but she still couldn't quell the lingering doubt in her mind. If one day he really did lash out, go mad with power, or lose control, what would it take to stop him? How many would die before-

No, thoughts like this were getting her nowhere. Nasira had every reason to trust him as it was. He had, indirectly of course, protected her, as well as the rest of Masyaf time and time again. Altair had only ever approached her with concern for her wellbeing. In fact, it seemed like every time they spoke, he was asking if she was okay or needed help.

If Nasira was going to be stuck meeting him so often anyway, then it would be better if she didn't feel like she was about to have a heart attack every time. It was decided then, the next time she encountered him, she wouldn't run away. Nasira would greet him properly. If she had the chance, she would even try to speak first.

Even knowing she felt flustered or shy, her constant running away made getting to know her very difficult. What little information Altair had was shallow. All he really knew were a few of the foods she liked, the colors she wore most often, and that she liked to keep her appearance neat. Most of that information he had learned through… questionable methods.

Once back at his table with the others, Altair received a few odd looks from the men not aware of his interest in Nasira. He had just left a meeting, seemingly at random, after all. Malik on the other hand was looking all too pleased with himself as he brought the conversation back to the business they had been discussing.

"Why don't you stay with Nasira then? She has enough space for you." Nasira hadn't expected that. Amali had joined her, Kaaf and Zaina for dinner. Kaaf had disappeared into another room, and the three of them had been talking for a couple of hours, enjoying a mildly sweet tea. Then Zaina had, after hearing about Amali's living situation, suddenly offered up this idea.

Though, Nasira couldn't really think of a reason to refuse. She liked Amali, her stories were entertaining, and she knew it was only until the girl did whatever it was she had come to Masyaf to do. Looking into Amali's eyes, she could see the tentative hope building up. Nasira would feel terrible if she turned her down now. "Well… I don't see why not."

Lighting up with absolute joy, Amali's face couldn't have looked any happier. 'Exactly as planned.' She had been expecting this from the moment she met Nasira the day before. Though, she hadn't quite predicted the offer to come so soon. She had expected to have to act a little more pitiful for at least a few more days. Feeling only the slightest bit of guilt for taking advantage of her ability to pull on heartstrings, Amali gladly accepted the proposal.

"That would be fantastic! …But are you sure? You really don't mind me imposing like this?" Of course, Amali only asked knowing she wouldn't be refused after the offer had already been made.

"Of course. I would be happy to have you stay." Nasira was getting a little excited herself, Amali's enthusiasm might have been rubbing off on her. But whatever the case, it might be nice having someone around for a while. "If you want you can even move in tonight."

"Then we can stop by the inn and I'll pick up my things on our way to your house! I can't wait"

The day had been long. It seemed longer than most. Templars were on the move and the assassins needed a counter strategy. But they weren't entirely sure of the templar's plot, so they'd had to determine several different strategies to counter the various schemes the enemy might throw at them. The meeting had lasted several hours, and Altair still had to finish the rest of his work afterwards as well.

Entering his room, Altair wondered once more if he would ever have someone to return to. He would walk through the door, maybe she would be in the middle of one of her hobbies. Back turned to the door, she would be so engrossed in what she was doing she wouldn't even notice him enter. Sneaking up behind her would be all too easy for someone of his talents. The thought of a light brown braid swaying lightly as a breeze flowed in through his widow had him almost mesmerized.

The images he saw were so clear. How could something that seemed so real be nothing but his imagination? By this time, Altair had realized, he had been thinking of this woman, this faceless, silhouette of a human, for too many months to be just a passing whim. Altair hadn't really believed it at first, following Malik's advice had all started as nothing more than a way to spend his time, a new hobby to pursue. But perhaps Malik hadn't been so wrong. Perhaps Altair really was… just lonely.