That night, Athena was about to fall asleep when she felt as if there was another presence in the room. She was so distracted by the book she'd been reading that she had failed to notice the presence until a few moments ago.
"Who's there?" She called out to the shadow hiding in the corner.
If it had been watching her for so long without making any moves, it likely would not harm her. Or so she rationalized.
"Took you long enough to realize," Nikolai chuckled as he revealed himself.
He wasn't dressed in his armor like he was in the day. He was dressed simply, in a cotton tunic and fitted pants. She couldn't remember a time when she'd seen him dressed so casually.
"Is that what you usually wear?" She asked as he walked over to her bedside.
Caught off guard by her remark, he flustered with his response, "Well…yes. Do you not like it?"
"No, not at all. I just realized I don't think I've ever seen you without armor of any kind."