Alexander's apartment was a 30 minute bus-ride away from the Adventurer's Guild, which they instead walked.
Fae was seemingly unbothered by his world and its technology. Cars drove past them, yet not even getting a single glance from her.
She couldn't keep her eyes of his as they walked, as if they were the light at the end of a dark tunnel she was stuck in. As if blinking would turn off the light forever.
Alexander described what he saw, his voice low and tired from the day they had.
Anything technological he explained to the best of his ability, from the elevator ride they used to leave the Adventurer's Guild, to how the motors allowed for the cars to move.
He didn't fully understand everything himself, but knew a little about everything which went a long way for someone who'd never seen any of those things before.
It wasn't only the technology, but anything his eyes fell upon on the way over.
"Is this even interesting?"
She nodded promptly.
"You just want to hear my voice, don't you?"
She nodded again, causing him to sigh in surrender.
They were on the sidewalk, the buildings around them considerably shorter now that they were outside of the downtown area.
The amount of people crossing their path lowered, the night well underway now.
Almost midnight…
Alexander was looking at the time on his new phone, issued by the Adventurer's Guild.
The phone itself served as an ID, and the various applications on it were only useful to Dungeon Runners.
Various tools were on its homepage, one of them to book facilities in the guild, or another to book an appointment with a representative.
Other useful apps were the various forums and chat/call application that were under tight security protocols.
He put his phone down as they turned in an alleyway on their right.
They walked in what would've been total darkness, if it wasn't for his Darkness skill allowing him to see everything clearly.
Fences were on both sides, in a state close to ruins. He could see them moving, their elbows poking out of their hiding spots while some eyes peeked through the darkness.
Alexander slowly came to a stop, Fae imitating his movement.
"If you want to hide from me, you'd better not match my gaze," he said.
He could hear the rustling and whispers, movement discernible on both sides of the alleyway as they promptly left.
He glanced at Fae, then started walking again—quickly imitated once more.
"Whatever runners carry on themselves is sure to fetch a high price, I guess they wanted to see if I was worth the effort."
His walk through the city ascertained one thing: he had a sense for sight.
Every time someone looked into his eyes, it felt like his attention was pulled right away, as if their eyes were beacons through a thunderous storm.
The same way he could feel Fae's gaze beyond her mask, or those who hid beyond the fence. As long as they matched his gaze he'd know it.
A useful power to have, he thought.
The alleyway gave on the apartment complex he lived in.
They crossed the street, and entered the building.
"Oh, wow…"
Alexander's neighbor, Sarah, came out of the staircase, the door closing right behind her.
"You're… a Dungeon Runner? It's the first time I see you wearing that robe…" she said, her eyebrows arched. "And who's this? You have a girlfriend now?"
Alexander's hand went on Fae's shoulder, as he matched her gaze.
"Something like that," he replied.
Anything that'll raise the least amount of questions.
"Really?" she said, walking up.
"What's your name?" she asked.
Fae's eyes remained on Alexander, unwilling to even acknowledge Sarah's existence.
"Fae. She's shy," replied Alexander.
"Oh…" replied Sarah, taking a few steps back. "I won't hold you guys any longer, have a good night!" she said, walking around to leave.
"See you."
He smiled at Fae, then walked up the stairs, his apartment located on the second floor.
He opened the door, the dusty air the first thing that hit him them as they set foot inside.
They stood on the doormat, his tiny apartment a total mess that he had forgotten about.
The windows so dusty it was hard to see through, the walls cluttered with equally dusty paintings and posters of characters from games he enjoyed.
It was chaotic, there wasn't a single wall without anything on it.
They were in the bedroom, with his bed in the right corner while his computer was on the left side.
On the left was also a door leading to the bathroom, and closer to them was an archway that lead into the tiny kitchen that had a miniature-sized refrigerator in it.
Every surface had something on it, dishes layered all around the kitchen while pile of clothes cluttered the bed. His computer desk was somehow the least cluttered area, with a few glasses and books on it.
He felt instant shame and looked at Fae's reaction which hadn't changed.
"Welcome," said Alexander.
She nodded.
He took a few steps in, feeling Fae's hand into his as he stumbled forward.
"It's been a long day."
Left my inner path, fought dungeon runners, met with Sunder, ran through tests and met with the E-tier director…
He had never done so much in so little.
"How much have I missed you, my sweet bed."
He walked over, and simply grabbed everything with both hands and tossed it all on the ground in-between his bed and desk.
Fae watched as the bed slowly peeked through the clothes.
"This will be a lot more comfortable than that rock we slept one…" he said, while tossing the last piece remaining.
He rolled into the bed, ending on his back near the wall.
The pillow and mattress felt like clouds under his back.
It was instant, all it took as a single blink, and everything had gone dark, the world shifting from his room to a much darker place.
But even in dreams, the torment simply didn't end.
As if he was still in his inner path.