Since you left without a trace, [Galia]

[Zaman Jaraei]

His fist pounded against the door, shaking it on it's hinges. The wood trembled and rocked, but Zaman didn't relent.

"Galia!"

He was practically jumping on his feet, hopping, if you will. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He dropped a shoulder. From time to time, he would look at the darkening sky, watching as the clouds flashed and rumbled overhead. The sound seemed to send a renewed urgency shooting through him. He hammered his fist against her door again.

"Goddamnit Galia, open your goddamn door!" He was practically shouting now. People ran around him, huddling into their shawls. They were trying to get out of the rain.

Yar Zaman Jaraei hadn't seen much of Galia Baryk since the journey out into the plains, but she wasn't ever far from his thoughts. Usually, it was nothing special; just the phantom sensation of her lips on his, or the faint reminder of the press of her chest against his. Sometimes the sensation was different, but the thought was always the same: he had to see her again. Not for sex (well, not only for sex), but for friendship. She'd called him her friend. Him. Zaman Jaraei. Friend. It was the greatest thing.

He wasn't sure how long he'd stood there, but it felt like forever. His hand was like a woodpecker against her door. Jab jab jab. Pound. Tristella's Passion...

What was taking so long?

[Galia Baryk]

No good scout was a heavy sleeper, and if Galia could be counted amongst the best of her league, she was guaranteed to wake at the first knock. By instinct, she sat up in her bed, but the immediate surge of alarm died when she recognized the voice on the opposite side of her door.

Zaman. At first she wondered if she was still dreaming, as she hadn't seen or heard from him in weeks, but the thundering sound was very real. Urgent as it sounded, if it were official business, it was unlikely that he'd be the soldier sent to her room with news.

Tired from the transition between night and day shifts, half of her hoped he would assume she wasn't in the barracks and just go away. But the other half knew better. He was going to keep knocking until he burst through the wood, and she wasn't going to have the repair fees taken from her salary.

Dragging herself from her mattress, she took her time in getting dressed. With her co-tenant out of town on leave, Galia had taken the leisure of sleeping in their room practically nude. While Zaman had already seen her in a similar state before, she had enough sense not to chance repeating that scenario. Throwing a linen shirt overhead and tugging on breeches, she combed her fingers through her hair quickly before stepping to the door.

After unbolting the locks, she cracked the door open enough to see him, but stood in the doorway, barring any immediate entrance. Neutrally, she said, "Hi."

[Zaman Jaraei]

If she was going to take her sweet woman time he was just going to knock harder. His fist hit the slab of wood with more urgency, forcing the door to rattle as if it were caught in a strong wind.

"Galia!"

What was she doing in there, anyway? Crocheting? Damn her.

Rain continued to fall around him, and the sound of thunder grew louder. The storm was coming in strong. He could feel it building in his bones.

Eventually though, she did open the door. It swung back without protest, just as he was about to hammer into it again. His fist punched through empty air, even as his smile cut a path across his face. A flash of teeth greeted her. "Hi." He then reached for her wrist. "Let's go."

Then Yar Zaman Jaraei began to drag Galia Baryk into the pouring rain.

[Galia Baryk]

The air smelled heavy, and thick, with the promise of a storm. Rain was already falling from the dark sky, wind pushing it past the man on her doorstep and spattering it in her face.

He grinned one of those mad man grins. Galia didn't like it, making that much clear by her scowl. But she didn't have time to protest, as he was already latching onto her wrist and pulling her outside. Into the rain. Her fingers grasped for the door, only managing to pull it shut behind her instead of holding on.

Several questions came into mind, but all of them were already answered. Yes, he was insane. No, she didn't have a choice. She resigned to asking one: "Where are we going?"

[Zaman Jaraei]

He tugged her along, leading her through the wet streets.

Rain pattered around them, dripping from clay-tile rooftops, and turning what was once packed earth into mud. The people who bustled around them only added to the mess, churning the mud into something worse. It became sludge, thick and powerful. His boots squelched and protested, but it was as if Zaman didn't notice. He seemed to have fallen into a single-minded quest. His lips moved as if he were counting. Lightning flashed. "Two, three..." And there was the ear-splitting crack of thunder.

Her question seemed to break him from his reverie. Glancing back, he shot her another stupid little smile. "We're going to chase the storm," he said, wondering why she was even asking.

Why else would they be out here?

[Galia Baryk]

She wasn't dressed for this. Water was already starting to soak the thin fabric she'd tossed on, and plastering her hair to her face. At least it was a warm shower, and the wind wasn't too strong yet. She was also lacking in other essentials; money, identification, a weapon, things she never left home without.

Galia tossed a glance back to her door, but didn't attempt to break away. Instead, she forced herself to trust him. The burst of lightning and the roll of thunder made her tense slightly, to her dismay. He would have felt it in his grip. But she was just startled, not afraid.

His answer was delivered so plainly, as if it should have been obvious to her. Her brow was still drawn together. "Why?"

[Zaman Jaraei]

Why?

He tilted his head, thinking. "Because...Well, because." It wasn't an answer and he knew it.

He pressed on, winding through alleyways and main thoroughfares. There were opportunities here and there to walk under canopies that would shield them from the rain, but he never took her in such a direction. In fact, from the moment he'd led her out of her house, he was progressively leading her towards less closed-off areas, as if he were searching for open space.

[Galia Baryk]

She should have been more specific. While she had mostly wondered their purpose for being outside, she also didn't understand why her, or why now. Of all the people he must have known, Galia was the one being dragged from the warmth and comfort of her own dry bed and into a sudden downpour, without so much as a polite 'how are you'.

But she wasn't made for small talk, and asking would have almost sounded like a complaint.

The buildings shrank back and the sky continued to open up. He was quiet as they wove between streets at his lead, and that was unsettling. Wasn't it the other way around, last time? She opened her mouth a few times, yet no further question came forth. Trust him, she told herself, though she wasn't sure why she ought to.

[Zaman Jaraei]

Silence.

Except for the rain, the thunder, and the sudden rush of humanity seeking shelter, there was no sound between them. It was silent enough, he realized. Not oppressive, but noticeable.

He pushed on.

The rumble of thunder was louder near the gates. Lighting danced across the sky, burning hot light into dark clouds. There were also fewer people here; even the guards were hidden from view, tucked into their little stone nooks. It was only Zaman and her now. Just the two of them and nature's fury ripping the sky apart.

He led her to a small patch of land just outside the gates. There, tethered to a series of posts, two horses waited.

Zaman looked at her, his smile suddenly one filled with challenge and competition.

"Have you ever tried to outrun lightning?"

[Galia Baryk]

"No," was all she said, but the are you stupid? was implied.

Galia pushed her hair out of her face, dabbing at her eyes, but to no avail. Water just kept running rivulets down her cheeks. It wasn't unnecessary injury to self that concerned her most. This was cruel to those horses, who could have slipped and fallen in a patch of mud, broken a leg. Or worse, got struck if they couldn't outrun the bolts, killing both mount and rider.

He was daring her, though.

She licked her lips, tasting the beads of rain, and stalked forward toward the beasts. If he was an idiot for proposing this challenge, what did that make her for accepting?

[Zaman Jaraei]

After some delay, he grabbed her wrist again. His grin was back, dancing around his mouth like a riddle. There was something in his eyes too, some kind of jest that couldn't quite come through.

"Are you sure?" he asked her, his eyebrow cocking. Maybe he was serious. Maybe he was just checking how far she'd go...

[Galia Baryk]

She stopped when he grabbed her, turning to glare at him. Everything with Zaman seemed to be some sort of a test, pushing and provoking her into doing things absurd and against better judgment. Yet her competitive impulses made it hard to resist. Galia liked winning, and hated being called a coward.

"Are you sure?" she countered, shouting over the roll of thunder and drum of rain, her other hand planted on her hip. "If you're absolutely serious about this, then yes, I am. Spirits forbid I should let you break your neck on your own out here."

[Zaman Jaraei]

His grin sharpened.

"I'm not," he said. "--serious, I mean." When was he ever serious? Zaman was aware of the fact that this was stupid, and that they were probably going to die out there. He actually had no intention of riding out. He just wanted to see how far she'd come with him.

Pretty far, he realized, and his smile--if possible--grew.

She was literally someone to to weather a storm with.

[Galia Baryk]

He grinned. She continued to narrow her eyes, unable to fathom what could possibly be making him look at her like that. Mad. He is mad. Dropped on his head as a boy.

"So why are we standing out here, then?" Galia said impatiently, then gestured toward the horses. "And why are they not stabled?"

[Zaman Jaraei]

He shrugged.

"Damned if I know. They aren't mine." Maybe their owner didn't care. Maybe their owner was rushing out even now, trying to get them stabled. Zaman couldn't say. And he didn't care much either.

As for why they were out here...

"And why?" he asked her, peering at her through the lashing rain. "Do you have someplace else to be?"