There was a heavy exhale of breath from Maleki when Aleksandra’s hand touched his shoulder. It was clearly frustration, but not outward frustration. The Flats held both the source of some of his pride as well as where he was most uncertain of his skills. Travelling with other people who knew the land was one thing. This was different and he was reacting differently. Aleksandra’s touch and words however, let him step back from himself and notice it properly. Her request -or apparently notification- caused Maleki to arch a brow towards her.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4da6ff">“If you are insistent on casting magic, then you get to tell Tommen how we can’t be seen,”</span>Maleki said quietly, relaxing and returning to the task of the fire.<br/><br/>It did not take too much longer for Maleki to finally reach the equilibrium of heat and smoke that he had been looking for. His eyes were still scanning and staying on the horizon, but there were less slip ups due to his nerves. There was no way for the tension to dissipate safely, so Maleki was compartmentalizing it, ushering it away to the back of his mind. Perhaps not the best place for it to fester, but it allowed him to function as normal and that was what he was needing right now. The smell of food was helping as well. While he was not hungry, his body held a different opinion despite the knots he had tied his stomach in. So as he knelt over the fire, carefully and thoroughly cooking the food that they had on the low flame, the scent of a meal was putting his future thoughts on eating rather than being eaten.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4da6ff">“Then we need to rethink how we will sleep,” </span>Maleki said.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4da6ff">“Flats are very different at night.”</span><br/><br/>Maleki was just plating the food as Tommen returned. On Aleksandra’s request, Maleki had stifled the fire, but allowed some embers to remain to give Maleki an easier time starting it back up if Aleksandra changed her mind. Maleki himself ate in silence, doing his best to control himself when it came to devouring the food in front of him. His eyes were on the horizon, adjusting to the dimming light of day as quickly as he could allow them.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4da6ff">“If we want to stay in Valkaren for a time, we can get there in a day and a half, maybe closer to two days,”</span>Maleki said suddenly.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4da6ff">“Unless you two do not care to keep the horses much longer.”</span>