Waiting In Silence

After the excitement had finally died down, Voah removed from her hiding spot and went over to the desk where she noticed a few rolled up parchments and other items laying about on the desk. Unrolling one of the parchments revealed some kind of map, but from the darkness of room, she couldn't make out what it was. If it was a map of the Holy City, it may prove better than her own.

Voah stowed the map in one of her leather straps and peeked into the hall to have a look. It seemed clear enough but as she exited the room and made for the entrance the tell of boot scuffs on sandy stone pointed out her mistake. Promptly she ducked into another room on the other side of the hall, silently reprimanding herself for not being more observant.

Her situation only worsened as she realized what room she had entered. The dark robed figure shuffled in shortly after with a lantern, shut the door, and sat on a creaking stool with a metallic urn situated underneath it. Voah, meanwhile, pressed herself tight between the wall and a large broken clay storage vessel painted with intricate designs. The sound of a masculine voice clearing his throat came from the dark robe as lantern light danced treacherously across part of her face and hair and she prayed the dark robe wouldn't notice as he did his business. She did her best not to sigh from impatience and take shallow breaths through her mouth to avoid the stench as the man hummed an Ozainae song.

Had she been a more ruthless individual, she would have done him in at his most vulnerable moment, but Voah was no assassin. It wouldn't do any good to fight or kill and flee, because then she would have people looking for her. Regardless, her sword remained in hand all the while, poised to rise and strike at the eyes if the man revealed her position.

She had to wait there a little longer until he finished and cleaned himself with some sort of long smoothed stone which he then ground like a pestle into a pot of sand and then dunked into another urn of water. At least they were somewhat hygienic.

As he left she waited a moment longer, trying not to take any chances. The room and hall finally empty, she took her leave swiftly into the night. The crescent moon cut the sky like the blade of one of the dark robes' scimitars, but Voah smiled and sheathed her own blade, the cool wind cooling her sweaty body and a thrill of adrenaline still alive in her veins. She let it take her and persist as she stealthily retraced her steps to find her way out of the abandoned ward and back to her latest temporary camp.

Just as she closed in on the building and rounded the corner, she ran into the arms of Gonyaul exiting.

"Kïtal!" she greeted him with a sigh, breathing heavily.