Chapter Text
“Scorching hot days and freezing cold nights… I- I don’t think I’m gonna make it…”
“I told you that you didn’t have to accompany me all the way here,” Alhaitham slowly reminded the whining Layla who seemed ready to drop any given moment. Her legs wobble, her shoulders and wings are sagged as well under the relentless desert sun. Why did she go with Haitham again?
Alhaitham shakes his head, amused at how the elf is right now. With a gentle tug at her hand, the man leads Lyla to a small oasis where there is shade and water to relieve her weary joints. The moment her skin is under the protection of the palms, Layla sags even further with relief now that some semblance of coolness is felt. “Finally…” she moans as she lets herself slide to the sands, dragging the man with her. Soon enough, her head is against his shoulder, cooling down.
The vulture lets his songbird rest and voices his thoughts- one that’s Layla heard before.
“If you wanted to try my preening oil, you could just ask and I’d give you mine. I won’t mind.”
“I know…” Layla says tiredly, “But I really wanna know where you farm the sand grease pupas so that I won’t have to bother you in the future. Besides, I also wanna know how you brew your preening oil.”
A fond smile etches itself on Alhaitham’s lips after hearing her words. He’s always admired how Layla- no matter how tired or how ready she is to drop dead at any moment- always strive for independence; a need (or is it a want?) driven in her due to her unwilling dependence on the stars’ blessings. But that’s a story for another time. Right now, Alhaitham is focused on the present- and that is resting with Layla and entertaining her wish to learn about his preening oil.
“Is your preening oil not satisfactory for your wings?” The man inquires with a studying glance on the state of her wings. Beautiful as always yet could use some preening after their hours of flying and walking across the Desert of Hadramaveth.
The woman shakes her head a negative, “No, but I want to learn how I can mix sand grease pupa & nilotpala seeds into a brew. When I tried your preening oil, I noticed that it didn’t wear off for two days compared to mine which I have to re-apply every day.
Alhaitham nodded and supposes that her reasoning is understandable. When he tried her preening oil, he observed his feathers to be healthier so perhaps mixing sand grease pupa and nilotpala seeds may be beneficial. “My point still stands, you didn’t have to accompany me.”
“But I want to,” the words slip easily without Layla realizing. Her cheeks flush ever so lightly knowing that her words are rather blunt, revealing a brief look into her thoughts about him. She’s not accompanying him not only because she wants to learn about his preening oil, but also to be with him. The hypothesis may be a far-stretch as the evidence is still rather vague, however, Alhaitham knows the elf enough to form his prior hypothesis.
She makes an excuse, “B-besides… it doesn’t hurt to have someone watch your back right?”
Ah… So it’s about the recent events that transpired last week. She’s worried. She doesn’t want to be alone after that…
What she said is now a sound reason rather an excuse.
Alhaitham reads through the lines and brings a comforting arm around her frame. “You’re right. There’s safety in numbers.”
Layla nods as well and the pair stay silent for a little while now that the mood between them grows somber. The woman yawns quietly then speaks up again, “You think… more will come?” She asks in a whisper as she summons her Curtain of Slumber to encompass them and protect them further from the dry heat.
He wants to comfort her, but giving her a false hope for security will only cause more harm than good for her. Thus, he shakes his head. “No- they’ll most likely come back. That being said; stay vigilant. However, I promise you- I’ll get to the bottom of this, alright?”
Layla lifts her head to take a look of his face. She blinks once, twice- then smiles. Alhaitham is man who doesn’t openly declare his promises yet seeing him otherwise is a bit of a surprise. However, his verbal effort is appreciated nonetheless.
“Thank you, Alhaitham.”
After a few more minutes of rest, Layla finally deems herself rested enough so she stands and dusts her clothes off.
“Feeling better?” He inquires as he does the same.
Layla hums a positive with the same smile on her face, “The pupae are not gonna farm themselves if we just dawdle around.”
He smirks and crosses his arms, seeing an opportunity to tease her. “Well, I wonder whose fault is it for us dawdling around…”
The nightingale pouts and pokes at his arm, “You get chronic insomnia; see what happens.”
Alhaitham chuckles, deep and mellow- a rather pleasing sound to the elf’s ears causing her breath to hitch ever so slightly- barely noticeable and hopefully gone unnoticed by the man. Little did she know, he noticed.