Fates Intertwined

43. | Solution

Aurora sighed at the feel of the hot water against her skin. It had been a long time since she was in an actual shower with scalding hot water that didn't run out within minutes. The water pressure did wonders against the knots in her shoulders and she ran her hands over her face.

Evelyn guided her back to the quarters where the others were, after a long hour of talking which was more like two.

She didn't want to take too long, due to the fact that a guard would be coming to collect them soon, but she couldn't resist just standing under the water.

Her room was large. Larger than anything she had ever seen, but it still had the regalities of it. The guest quarters weren't as dark as the rest of the castle, with more whites and golds. She believed it was due to her not wanting to scare off her guests.

In all honesty, she could care less what the room looked like, as long as it had a bed, a bathroom, and clothes.

Once she finally managed to force herself out, she dried herself off and moved to the closet, finding new clothes to wear. Thankfully, they weren't all dresses.

She pulled out an outfit, all black. There were shoes at the bottom, but she stuck to her boots. She threw on the black crop top that revealed her cleavage, only to cover it with a black jean jacket. She put on the cargo pants, then put her shoes on, the bottom of the pants tucked into her shoes.

Walking into the bathroom, she adjusted her hair, brushing it out. Then there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." She called.

"Hey, Rory?" Her stomach flipped at the sound of her nickname. "I don't know if you heard or not but she said we could..." He slowed as he paused in the bathroom doorway. "...dress comfortably. I see you got the memo."

"Yeah." She smiled slightly. "You're a little late for that one."

"Okay." He smiled, his pearly-white teeth on display. Aurora allowed herself time to run her gaze over him, taking in his outfit. He was in his black leather jacket, a black tee, and ripped jeans. He, too, kept his boots. "If you'd like, you can take a picture." He retorted, catching her staring.

She cleared her throat. "I don't have anything to take pictures on." She stated. They didn't have the money for a phone, and she wasn't going to ask for one. Not when she barely registered that they existed.

"Right." He murmured. She walked toward him, to walk out of the bathroom. "Oh, hang on." He stopped her. He unhooked the necklace from around his neck and, instead, wrapped it around hers. "That looks better." He smiled.

"What's this for?" She asked, her hand moving to the cool metal resting against her skin.

He shrugged. "Looked a little bare, and you don't have jewelry." She nodded slowly and he stuffed his hands in his pockets, obviously nervous. He cleared his throat. "Well, uh, let's go. The guards are waiting."

She nodded, following him out. Two guards stood waiting as Nara's door opened. She burst out in a grayish-green crop top with lace lining and black butterfly design on the front, green cargo pants that fell over her black converse, and an oversized jacket over top with the top part of her black and red hair pinned back with a claw clip. She had a grin on her face.

"Yo, did y'all check out the showers?" She asked, eyes wide. "Those things feel amazing. And they have converse!" She grinned, showing her feet. "God, it feels amazing to be out of those heels. Remind me to never wear heels again so long as I shall live." She grinned.

Zyran chuckled. "Alright. You look great, Nara. Nice shirt."

"Thanks." She glanced down. "You know it's almost like they designed our closets on us. How crazy would that be?"