Altair sat rigid in a wide, wooden basin of water as Malik begrudgingly washed his back and shoulders.
"I understand your fear but this is ridiculous," the lower ranking Assassin murmured, scrubbing away a spot of dirt.
"Be quiet," Altair hissed. "I hate water." He managed to glance down at the water surrounding himself before stubbornly looking back up at the wall a short way in front of him. A shiver ran down his back as if to emphasize his statement.
Malik simply grunted and continued to wash Altair's back in silence. It was all he could do for a while. After what seemed like an eternity, however, he broke the silence with a question.
"What happened to you, Altair?" he said, pausing mid-scrub.
Altair naturally tried to avoid the truth as much as possible. "Nothing. I bumped into a guard in a bad mood."
Malik laughed but there was no humor in the sound. He set the towel in his hand down and leaned back. "No guard, bad mood or otherwise, would be able to do this kind of damage to you, which brings me to my next question." He took a short moment of silence to emphasize the fact that he was looking for a serious and real answer. "Who dressed your wounds? I know you don't know how to dress your wounds this well."
"I said it was nothing." Altair stood up then, and walked back towards his robes. "Shouldn't you go check on Kadar?"
"At one time I would have asked you if you should go check on Asiya," Malik replied bitterly. He sighed and got up as well, carefully picking up the water basin. "Sorry," he murmured. "I know you miss her a lot. Kadar misses her as well."
Altair picked up his robes, slid them over his head and around his shoulders. Next he put on his belt and counted his throwing knives. Then he checked his longsword, making sure the blade was sharp. Last was his shortsword. He turned to look at Malik with a sad visage. He didn't say a single word. All he did was keep his eyes on his childhood friend and rival. If Asiya were there to be checked on, he knew she would chase him away and insist she was fine. Oh, how he missed her short temper and flustered expression.
He still remembered how he had found out she'd had feelings for him that weren't negative. Malik coughed softly and offered a sympathetic smile. Altair merely turned away and left the bureau.
Roaming the city, he had no real destination. He walked around. After that became too boring for him to stand, he practiced his stealth. Some time after that, he realized he was moving in the direction of Daliyah's home.
I must be an idiot, he thought to himself as he continued on his way.