The house was one of the largest that Ahken had ever been in. That wasn't saying much, but Ahken still reckoned that the thing was taller and wider and filled with more rooms than anyone could possibly need. He craned his neck to take a look at the ceiling, decorated with a mural of some far-gone event in history, and he vaguely worried whether today was the day when the large portions of the stone walls taken up by glass would give way under the weight of the ceiling and collapse.

All in all, it was one of the smaller houses in the Upper District. It was also the place Oren had sent him to see about a temporary base of operations while she and the Librarian tried to

The woman who owned it was currently walking beside him, gesticulating wildly and talking about something that Ahken only now somewhat guiltily tuned in to hear.

"…not the most spacious of accommodations, I know," she said nervously. "Oren said she wasn't looking for anything fancy, or even permanent. She just needs some, ah, 'space to breathe,' as she called it."

"Right," Ahken said. "Um. Well. It's certainly-"

"And the other thing is that it's in the boring part of town! Nobody who's anybody ever comes here," she added hurriedly, steamrolling over Ahken's sentence with the precision and grace of a kyatt. "Oh, sorry, I interrupted– go on?"

"It's certainly got a wonderful… atmosphere!" Ahken wasn't sure what you were supposed to say to rich people about their houses, but he was rewarded when the woman beamed at him.

"Well, thank you so much, sweetheart, but I'm sure atmosphere isn't what Oren is looking for," she said, laughing slightly in a way that took the condescending edge from her words. The near-constant wringing of her hands that had endured since Ahken had first set foot in the house subsided. "By the way, would you like some tea?"

"That would be nice," Ahken said, smiling. "What kind do you – you're gone."

The woman, whose name Ahken dredged from his memory as Bilkis, had disappeared into a district of the house he could only assume housed the kitchen. He took the opportunity to wander about the foyer, taking in the mural on the ceiling. He didn't recognize anything about, but

He took a seat, finally, on a lavish sofa near the front entrance. He wracked his brain to when Oren had hurriedly coached him on the etiquette in Upper District homes this morning, and thought he was probably in the clear.

Finally relaxing a bit, Ahken sighed as he considered the house. Oren had tasked him with finding a suitable place to house the rebels – or at least one such place. She'd assured him that Bilkis, long loyal to their cause in secret, would be more than willing to help supply a new place for the rebels to gather, at least for a while.

He didn't think it would actually be her house. It was weird enough being in the Upper District, but walking the halls of one of its residents like he owned the place was something he'd never expected to do in all of his days.

Besides, regardless of how big her house was, the factory was much bigger. He didn't know how many people Oren… employed, but he was certain that it would be cramped if they all stayed here. And so close to Dagroda's palace…

He sighed, and wished that somebody more knowledgeable was here with him. Or in his place, come to think of it.

"…don't know how you like it, probably should have asked, but this is the best tea in Forinthry so I hope that makes up for it!" The meandering voice of Bilkis came back floating through the house, startling Ahken out of his thoughts. He accepted the cup with a genuine grin, and took a sip.

His eyes widened. "Hot," Bilkis said gently.

"Yeah," he coughed, putting it onto a table positioned comfortably near the arm of the couch. Bilkis sat down next to him, and placed her cup on an oppositely-positioned table.

"Have, er, have you had time to look around the foyer?" she asked.

"Oh, yes," he said. "That's quite the painting." He inclined his head upwards.

"Oh! That would be when humans first arrived on Gielinor." She smiled up at it. "Ah, but if anyone asks, it's the arrival of Zarosian forces at Senntisten in the Second Age. It's not fashionable to keep the first one up openly, you know, what with the demons who come and go."

Ahken frowned. He had to admit he didn't know much about history, but the mural seemed strangely compelling to him. Behind the crowd of humans, mostly cast in shadow and various forms of bewilderment and fear, but some stood illuminated by the golden light of something behind them. These ones stood tall above the rest, and overlooked a series of small structures made from mud.

"It's-" Ahken stopped.

"Yeah," Bilkis said. She sighed, and stretched her legs out in a manner Ahken was fairly sure was not very aristocratic. "It's beautiful. I'm glad I had it made."

Ahken was about to ask another question when there was a knock on the door. Ahken started in alarm before Bilkis waved him down. "Hold on," she said. "I think I know who that is."

She left the couch and peered out of one of the massive windows one either side of the equally massive door. Ahken sipped tea nervously.

"Oren!" she hissed to him, before opening the door and saying, "Oren!"

Bilkis pulled the younger woman into a ferocious hug before she could object. Ahken stifled a laugh when her eyes opened as far as they would go as she placed her arms gingerly around Bilkis in return.

"It's good to see you again, Bil," she said with less air from her lungs than normal. Her gaze found him. "Hello, Ahken."

"Ma'am," Ahken said, bowing slightly. Bilkis released Oren from her grasp, gripped her arms and beamed.

"You've grown so much!" Bilkis was grinning from ear to ear.

"Thank you," Oren said. "Um. I appreciate it." She turned her gaze to Ahken again. "We have to talk."

Ahken frowned almost as quickly as Bilkis did. "You don't want tea? It's a little cold but I can grab some more from the kitchen!"

"That's alright, Bil," Oren said. "Thank you."

"Well… alright." Bilkis nervously glanced at the two of them before bowing out of the room.

Oren sat beside Ahken on the couch. He squinted after their host. "She's going to the kitchen, right?"

"I'm pleased with your perception."

They sat in silence for a couple of moments. Oren was staring intently at the mural, and Ahken's eyes were drawn back to it. The longer he stared at the painting, the more it revealed. Ahken thought he could see an elf hid away in the darkness of the trees, watching the humans, as well as a pair of eyes staring palely at them from the darkness they faced. At first, Ahken thought it was Loarnab, but now he wasn't so sure.

"What do you think of this place?" Oren asked him.

"Oh," he said. "It's interesting, but I don't know if it would make a good place to gather."

"Hm," Oren said, and left it at that. "Then how do you like it?"

"Sorry?"

"What do you think of it as a house?" she asked. Ahken turned to look at her to find a smile resting softly on her face. "I find it quite charming."

"I haven't been beyond the foyer," he confessed. "I was mostly guessing about the place to gather thing because I thought you would be angry at me if I said I didn't know, and you being angry at me is one of the scariest things I can think of, to be honest."

Oren let out a snorting kind of laugh at that, which Ahken nearly jumped at. "You have nothing to fear from me, you know."

"Really?"

"You have nothing to fear from me."

"Right."

Ahken let his eyes wander towards the painting. "How do you know Bilkis?" he asked.

"She was close to me when I was younger," Oren said, and that was that. Ahken knew intuitively not to press further. "How do you like the painting?"

"It's fascinating," Ahken said. "Bilkis told me about the… other meaning."

"That's good. She loves that painting." She frowned again, and seemed to be ready to plunge Ahken into another awkward silence, before she spoke again. "Have you ever thought about where we come from?"

"You mean where the humans came from?"

"Mm."

Ahken rubbed the back of his head. "Not really," he said, finally. "I mean, I guess, but not seriously. Gielinor is the only home I can think of. I couldn't even imagine a world with just humans."

"I've thought about it," she said seriously. "A world without war, and complete freedom. Sometimes I wish Gielinor was more like that."

Ahken wanted to say that she had no idea what the human home world was even like, but he shut his mouth. If even the first part were true, it was better there than here. Wherever 'there' was.

"I'd like to see it someday," she confessed. She glanced at him in surprise and frowned, as if it were him who said it. "Not that it matters," she said.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes, while Ahken spent the time wondering why he was having such difficulty being comfortable on the softest couch he'd ever sat on. The low sound of Bilkis humming an old song to herself as she re-entered the room was the most relieving sound he'd ever heard.

"Sorry," she said almost immediately upon entrance. "I couldn't find any tea, and also the kitchen was a little bit on fire-"

"Huh?!" Ahken interjected.

"It's fine! It's put out! You know how it is without any servants around," she chuckled nervously.

"We can imagine," Oren said, dryly but without malice. "Thank you for showing us your house, Bil. We should go, but I'll let you know either way."

"Well, alright," she said, smiling. "Come visit more often, Oren! And you too, hon," she said, addressing Ahken. Oren leaned down obediently to allow Bilkis to kiss her forehead, and Ahken, after some surprise, reciprocated the hug that happened immediately after to him. Bilkis beamed at them as she waved them out, and closed the thick, heavily decorated door behind them.

"Don't mind her," Oren said after a few moments. "She doesn't have company often, and she's been lonely for a long time."

"Really?" Ahken said, frowning. "That's not good."

Oren shrugged. "She never wanted a husband, and the only child she needed was me popping up every now and then." She started walking the middle of her sentence, and Ahken hurriedly caught up. Damn, she was tall. He wondered why he'd never noticed that before. Long legs, is what it was.

"She doesn't keep any servants, either," she said, sighing. "Which sounds like no big deal to us, but that's a big house to be alone in, you know."

"I think I understand," Ahken admitted. He wanted to press her further on her relationship with Bilkis – and, more importantly, her past in general – but he sensed that that wouldn't be a good idea.

"Anyway," she changed track. "Here-" she reached into the bag held on her back and pulled out a piece of paper. She held it out to him, and Ahken took it like it was made of gold. "-is the paper you will write a further evaluation of the house on. Just describe it further and tell me if you think it would make a good place for us to gather. Feel free to visit it again if you want, just tell the demons you're visiting Bilkis."

Ahken nodded. He might have to, since he didn't have much more than Bilkis' word to describe the interior of the house.

They approached the gate. The demon in charge opened it without complaint, which Ahken found strange until he realized that it probably just wanted to get rid of them as quickly as possible.

"Well, goodbye," Oren said, and started walking swiftly away.

"Wait!" Ahken said. "Should, uh, should I bring the paper back tomorrow, or…?"

"Oh! Right. Well, yes, but this time, I'm going to tell you to get to the factory without teleportation."

Ahken's eyes widened, and he couldn't speak for a moment. "R-really? You are? What about our… situation? Do you trust me that much?"

"Yes," Oren answered shortly. "That, and the Librarian was 'getting tired of seeing your face.'"

"Right," Ahken said. "Well, I-I really appreciate that."

"Appreciate it by keeping your mouth shut about it," she said. She leaned in close to him, grabbed his arms, and, after a few whispered moments, Ahken knew the path to take. "Make sure you're not followed, and tell nobody," she said. "Not even your sister."

"OK."

"No, not 'OK'. Tell me you won't tell anyone."

"I will not tell anyone," Ahken said solemnly.

"Good." She released him. "Then go home, and I look forward to our next meeting." Then she was gone for real.

Ahken stared after her. "Crazy," he said of him or her, and started back home.

Heyyyy friends! Pals! Buddies! Sorry about the wait, but finals took up most of time (but I did well on them, yay!) and then writer's block hit and aaaaa!

But it's OK, because I'm back now and ready to write! Woo! I feel pumped!

Love all you crazy kids. I'll be back soon (: