Maleki was not oblivious to the effort that Aleksandra was putting forth, and he did appreciate her attempt as well as the method. The words were more or less lost, but the rest was acknowledged mentally at the very least. However, he did not reciprocate to a proper degree. A couple of small pecks from Aleksandra later, and Maleki finally reacted. His hand moved up and gently cupped her face, sliding down to her chin and moving it away so that he could see her whole face and talk properly.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4da6ff"> “A kiss isn’t going to make me forget their graves, Allie, but at least it was an attempt,” </span>Maleki said quietly.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4da6ff">“Get some sleep. I’ll take watch from here.”</span>With that, Maleki released Aleksandra’s chin and leaned against the stone they were under, eyes not quiet as vacant as they scanned  the perimeter.<br/><br/><hr class="bbc-hr"/><br/>The next two days were as harsh as the first. Maleki did not allow for stops unless absolutely necessary to navigate some geographical or environmental situation such as a canyon or a tribal route. The horses were close to gone each night and barely better in the morning, but this was a Flat run, so it was expected. If the group survived, then the horses would have plenty of time to rest in Valkaren. But finally, in the afternoon light that was slowly diving behind the horizon, their destination came into view. Valkaren could be described as a city upon a city. Decades and centuries worth of carving had turned the plateau into a city that simply built up and down instead of out. At the top was the nobility, an artistically covered pit in the center allowing plenty of light into the rest of the city, standing as a testament to the craftsmanship. There were multiple entrances, a massive pair of gates were built into the plateau and the other roughly fifty feet away from the cavern entrance. Inside this walled waiting area was a passage -much thinner, but big enough for two wagons to pass without worry- that led up to multiple other points along the plateau’s elevation, all the way up to the noble’s district at the top. It was made this way so that the defenses would not have to be spread along a massive perimeter, simply held on specific choke-points, while the interior was made to seal off floors of the city with little to no problem. It was a fortress, but there was signs of damage. Sections of the wall had been destroyed, allowing more light into multiple interior floors. The pathways along the side were partially replaced with large wooden slopes, and the first of two gates were twisted and flung open. But Valkaren was alive, if still ruined.<br/><br/>Once they began the approach proper, Maleki had raised a hood over his head, the furs of the shirt that Aleksandra repaired helping to hide himself further. They were more than a simple fashion statement. Inside the waiting area, tents and lean-tos of merchants had been set up en mass, creating a miniature bazaar in the area, though a respectable distance away from the now doubly thick gate that entered the city proper as well as the guard station that protected the slope upwards. Maleki led his two companions to a stable -more akin to a well organized pen- and slid off his mount. A man sitting lazily on the chair whistled and a stableboy came runing up to the small group.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4da6ff"> “Three riders off a Flat Run from Lyzza,”</span>Maleki said before handing the man in the chair some gold.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4da6ff">“I’ll make it back down if the stay’s longer than the recuperation with more.” </span>As the horses were handed off and Maleki adjusted a bit in his cloak, he made is way off into the bazaar, where he could talk to the two of them in private without looking suspicious.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4da6ff"> “We may be stuck here until morning. Got in a bit too late for the gates to open up,”</span>Maleki said, looking over some of the wares for sale.<span class="fixed-color" style="color:#4da6ff">“I’ll handle the Watch Captain later, though, so we may still get in tonight. Whether that's good or bad depends. Valkaren's not like anywhere either of you have been before."</span>