𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃─𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬

one hundred thirty two.

─☼☼☼─

CHARLOTTE CARRERA HATED sand. At least that's what she had just decided after trekking through the desert for hours on end. At one point, she was afraid that the sand dunes never ended, and that they were stuck in a perpetual loop of sand, sun, and sweat. But alas, civilization finally showed itself, a collective sigh of relief sounding around the group. 

"There it is," Pope declared, holding a hand up to shield his eyes from the blaring sun. "My calculations were correct. "That's Essaouira."

"Thank God," Charlotte muttered, causing Rafe to look over at her with an amused smile. The two had fallen into a natural formation next to each other during the walk. The group of them had travelled in a line of pairs, Rafe and Charlotte bringing up the rear. They didn't say much to each other, but it was obvious neither of them wanted to be anywhere else than next to the other. 

JJ clapped his hands together, drawing everyone's attention toward him as he began toward the city walls. "Alright, so the plan is: locate the wharf and find Groff, okay?"

"And then promptly kick Groff in the balls," Charlotte piped up from the back. 

Kiara snorted, "I second that."

"Look, ladies," JJ began as they neared the entrance, "Let's not make things harder than they need to be, alright. We'll see where my plan takes us, but I'm sure there will be time for ball kicking and whatever."

He paused abruptly, causing the rest of the group to run into the back of him. Sandwiched in between Kiara and Rafe, Charlotte grumbled. "JJ, keep walkin' buddy, you're causing a traffic jam!"

JJ took a few steps forward, allowing the rest of them to full enter the city walls. Once they did, Charlotte realized what had JJ stopping in his tracks. The city was bustling with activity, people covered almost ever square inch within the walls. Finding one specific person was going to be like looking for a needle within a stack of needles. 

"This might be a bit harder than I thought," JJ confessed. 

Pope levelled him with a look. "You think?"

Seeming to have a new lease on life, and a much better attitude than he'd had over the past few weeks, JJ propelled forward. "Let's go!" He called, motioning for the rest of them to follow after him. 

A hand was placed on the small of Charlotte's back. "You stay right next to me. Don't let anyone in between us, alright?" Rafe's voice was low, his head dipped so he was speaking directly into her ear. He was so close to her she could feel his breath on her neck. 

Trying to will her heart to settle down, Charlotte gave a small nod. "Got it."

"Charley, come on!" Kiara called over her shoulder, already in the process of following after the group. Charlotte reacted quickly, reaching back to grab Rafe's hand before pulling him along with her. She wasn't going to let any of them get split up. Nothing good ever happened when they got split up. 

Essaourians were surrounding them in all directions, many of them attempted to sell their goods to the group, and weren't keen on taking no for an answer. 

"Can we stay together?" Pope called out over the noise, using his hands to demonstrate the act of staying together. "Like, as a group?"