People still entered the tavern behind me. I just held onto the human in front of me. Ugh.

For just a few seconds, I rested my head against his chest.

And so we stood until the world stopped being angry.

He gave me a waterskin: “Drink, you’ll feel a little better”

I sniffed at it. Smelled like nothing. After a shrug, I figured it tasted like nothing, too. Water, then.

“Thank you”, I said, handing it back.

He smirked, took a gulp himself and put it away again.

I still leaned on him.

“You’re welcome. Now, should we get going?”, he didn’t push. Just asked. I kept my head where it was for a few more seconds.

Then I nodded: “Aye”

He smiled and helped me stand properly; “Off we are, then”, he said, and we walked. For a while.

At first, it simply felt good to breath fresh air. It did help with clearing my head. The steady pace helped, too. Mazin didn’t seem affected, though. Just walking and walking.

Not affected by the alcohol, I mean.

Huuuh… I did drink too much of that stuff.

But not enough to… not notice where we were.

It was… still away from the main roads.

The houses were not that well maintained. The roads… muddy.

No stones to step on, only earth to sink in.

Also garbage at the side of the houses.

Really, I was glad we were so close to the sea and the smell was taken away that fast.

It was not pleasant at all.

The quarters of the workers. I watched my back more, staying close to Mazin. This was not a proper place for a lady. In disguise or not.

Our way stretched for some time. There were women singing to unruly babies, calming them with tired eyes. There were people standing and smoking. People sleeping on the side of the street.

Most people we saw were exhausted, but some greeted us – and Mazin waved back, calling them by name and asking how their child or mother or partner was. Sometimes out of worry, sometimes with dirty humour, sometimes he was very curt.

It all was strange. I mostly made sure I didn’t step into something.

The feeling of navigating through a maze got more real with every minute we walked.

And then… Mazin just stopped in front of a house.

And jumped up.

Like. He was in front of me one second and the next there was no one.

When I looked up, I only saw his foot disappearing on the roof.

… I was a bit slow, wasn’t I? Right now?

A second later, he bowed down and reached out a hand to me: “Come on, we’re almost there”

I frowned at the hand, but then took it, holding his hand gingerly. It was a little strange.

He rolled his eyes, shook off my hand and grabbed my lower arm.

“Put your foot against the wall”, he said indicating the one in front of me.

I frowned even more: “That… isn’t working”

He didn’t let go of my arm, though. And then I put a foot against the wall experimentally. It didn’T feel safe or like anything that should work. I looked up with an even deeper frown, feeling silly.

“Now put one foot in front of the other”, and he pulled.

Out of pure self-preservation, I did as I was told, feeling the wall under my feet for three contacts.

Then my arms were on the roof.

“There you are”, he said.

And helped me all the way up.

Gravity had lied to me.

I felt betrayed all over. It irked me in the strangest of ways.

“A few more steps”, he said and we walked those steps. Up one ladder. On top of houses.

And then sat down on… blankets.

And leaned back on pillows. Against a wall.

He handed me the waterskin again.

The harbour spread before us.

Mountains in the background. Fires mirrored on the water.

People busy on the other side of the bay. Still moving, in the middle of the night.

Ships creaking.

So many lights.

It smelled of sea and fire.

I settled down a little.