The Pause

Zale woke to a rapping at his door. He bolted up on the couch, panicking a moment while looking around with wild eyes at the unfamiliar scene. "Master Sotanaht," a terse female voice called out, knocking again.

The memory of the last couple of days came flooding back to him, and his heart rate dropped back down. He checked his phone to see he'd slept for nearly three hours. He'd been far more exhausted than he realized. Still coming down for the adrenaline, he bade his visitor enter.

A woman with straight dark hair down her shoulders and back came in. She had a sharp nose and pointed eyes. Her face was placid, but Zale could tell it, too, would somehow be described as sharp. She wore her suit proudly and bowed politely as she entered. "Forgive me for disturbing your sleep. The pharaoh has summoned all for dinner," she spoke, her voice accented much like Shai's.

"Ah, right. Shai IS the pharaoh," Zale retorted in a yawn.

He stood and stretched his stiff and sore muscles for a long moment. "Are you the attendant Shai mentioned?" Zale asked between his stretches.

"Indeed, I am. I am Mert. Feel free to call me as such. I will be tending you during your stay here. Please call on me for anything you require," she announced with grace, though her voice betrayed something unlike her dour actions.

Zale presented himself, asking, "How do I look?"

"Like a majestic camel, Master Sotanaht," she replied gracefully.

Zale thought it might have been a cultural difference for a moment, but the shine in Mert's eyes told him her statement was not meant to be a compliment. "Fine," he sighed, going to his suitcase and grabbing a brush.

He shuffled to the bathroom, taking inventory of its astonishing beauty. It was grander than he'd ever seen a bathroom be. He washed his face, brushed out his hair, and made certain that he straightened out his clothes.

When he returned, Mert seemed to deem his appearance acceptable and led him to the dining hall. Though he'd wanted to discuss the forge and how to process more during dinner, the sheer number of people made it difficult to talk about anything quietly. Shai was also of the mind to not talk about it either.

Instead, they spent the dinner just shooting the shit. Though Zale didn't think he would, he found himself simply enjoying the conversation and company. How long had it been since he'd enjoyed a meal without the harassment of life breathing down his back? He couldn't recall, but he didn't let the thought settle for too long for fear it might bring back all the bad.

When dinner was finished, Zale felt he could sleep for a week without getting enough rest. He retired to his room with Mert's help on the directions and collapsed into the bed after changing clothes this time. So soon as his eyes closed, he was fast asleep.