With the events of yesterday afternoon fresh in his mind, Alem Elshadeed kept a close eye on Asahina as she slept. On their arrival to his ‘home’, he had immediately settled Aseela who was quite unused to a method of transportation other than herself. Asahina still in his grasp, the young man quickly brought her inside and laid her to rest on his bed. Removing his cloak and bringing it around himself once again, he drew the covers back across her and could only allow her exhaustion to bring forth sleep. She was unresponsive after her attack on the monster, yet it could not be entirely unexpected when you fully engulfed a foreign object like that without hesitation. The only emotion that could be identified was fear and confusion. Leaning against the wall directly across from his bed, Asahina would rise up with a sudden jerk and immediately be able to spot him. His eyes would meet hers, and with arms still crossed he moved himself from his resting position to get a good look at her. At least she was able to react to her environment, otherwise they’d really be in a tight spot. Asahina had returned to a more meek and worried state.

[b]“You won’t hurt me.”[/b] Alem replied as though it were fact, not a belief. Alem would exit the room momentarily, returning with a couple pears and a cup of water. Due to his roaming he was not well-stocked on consumables, much of what he carried was with Aseela at all times. Coming beside her, he handed her the cup and placed both pears in her lap before he pulled away, not out of fear but of respecting personal space. As she might notice now, the cloak he covered her with was back on his person for the time being. [b]“I’ve reached out to a friend, he’ll be here shortly. But before I introduce you to him, I need you to look me in the eyes and tell me who you are.”[/b] It may have been awkward for her to look up at him and eat at the same time, and so Alem knelt down so their eyes were level with one another. [b]“They captured you, took you from your home, and placed you into a ‘machine’ …why would they go out of their way to do this to you? To go so far as to release a monster and endanger the lives of others, all for either killing you or taking you back. You’re more than you let on before.”[/b]

Alem was much more talkative now, as much more happened to be on the line. Asahina withheld information that would have likely been of vital use to him in keeping her safe, yet she told him nothing. Either her state of mind brought some kind of amnesia, or she did it on purpose. As strange as it might have seemed, Alem believed that Asahina was an honest person, and that she wouldn’t keep something from him. The way she carried herself, even with that appearance, spoke more than her words. 

~-~

[b]“So how’s it looking? Can we get in?”

“Getting in isn’t the problem, young lady. It’s finding what we are looking for and getting out without sounding any alarms.”
[/b]
Rika and Okal journeyed from the ‘Oasis’ bar as the others continued to rest. Osa had stirred and awoken just as they were preparing to go, forewarning her about the arrival of a young man who he had hired to join them in their cause. A splitsecond decision, but one he hoped prove beneficial. Even in the early morning the heat was already settling over Agrabah, having Rika wrap her jacket around her waist as she walked beside Okal atop a camel. Given that this trip to find a ‘hero’ of Agrabah would bring them to the outskirts of town towards the west, they had a little time to kill, and it was more than obvious that they were the only ones with a mind for strategy at the moment. 

[b]“You said something about a Sultan?” [/b]Rika asked.

Okal nodded, stroking his beard as he did so. Unlike so many others, Okal loved early mornings. The city was quiet and preparing for the day, and it allowed him some peace and quiet before opening time for his own business. Word travels fast, but it traveled to him faster than anyone else. [b]“You talk quietly, so keep this to yourself: He’s alive, as is most of the guard loyal to him. Thanks to that creature you spoke of yesterday, I’ve managed to acquire the information necessary to keep the peace without risking the necks of my men inside. Because of that distraction, it cut the risks right in half.”

“So, is he rich?”[/b]

[b]“In trinkets and gold, yes. Information? No, he is as dry as the ground beneath us. There is more wealth in information than there is any gold, but gold is pretty good too, no?”[/b]

[b]“Agreed. What about the factory?” [/b]Rika pressed. The Sultan had a daughter, and if her hunch was correct then that daughter was the one fueling the factory hidden here. 

[b]“Underneath the palace, far beneath the prison cells keeping the Sultan captive. My man wouldn’t go any further, but if it is like you described, that is the place you are looking for.”[/b] Okal glanced to Rika. [b]“You are certain that is where the Princess might be held?”[/b]

[b]“It’s a guess, but there’s no way they’d have killed her, not if she's carrying what I think she is.”[/b] Rika looked to Okal now, glad to have someone to talk some strategy with for the time being. It was unlikely many people out here understood the importance of it as they did. [b]“How much pull does your guard captain have with the others?”[/b]

[b]“Enough. If his word won’t count among the fresh ones, coin will. Coin always tempts the weak-minded, and it’s not as if this Empire has any guards of intelligence. However, you do not get as far as I have in this world without knowing never to underestimate your foe, no matter how simple. The stupid ones always seem to surprise you the most.”[/b]

Nodding her head in agreement, Rika scanned the area once-over. Her hearing detected no heartbeats following after them, and it wasn’t as if they were speaking loud enough to be overheard to begin with. Still, Okal had a point that Rika could agree with.

[b]“We can do a head count when we get back, how much further?” 

“Not far, not far. As long as we stick on the outside we should be fine, look for Aseela, his horse. It is hard to keep those two apart.”[/b]

Rika had to admit that that horse was gorgeous, and if this guy Okal spoke of was the real deal then their odds of success here were just as good as they were on Hollow Bastion.[b] “All right, and by the way …I think I know how to pay you off for your help.”[/b]

[b]“Do you now?”

“Yes, and it’s a gift that’ll keep giving as long as you do.”
[/b]