>>6338325You sigh and confirm his suspicions.
"Yeah, no shame in that. Gotta watch out, though, gotta watch out..." His voice trails off like he's warning himself more than you.
After a few more minutes of soaking and showering, you and Garrett emerge from the bath, get your things, and grab a soft drink from the vending machine. The cool night air feels amazing on your skin, though you can't wait to get back to your room and under the sheets. In the courtyard, hunters of all stripes have moved benches and chairs into an improvised open-air bar, and are cracking open cans purchased at the nearby deli, which must be making a killing off of these guys. The sound of lively conversation puts you in a placid mood. You get the feeling that this is what it's like most evenings.
"Well, gotta head off now," Garrett removes the towel from his head, still wearing nothing but his frankly filthy-looking track pants. Kind of defeats the point of a bath, but you're not gonna tell him that. "I'll be around tomorrow, hit me up if you want a tour. Take care and shit." He throws out a pretty corny thumbs-up and walks away to the opposite tower from yours, presumably where he lives.
You can't say that you fully (or even partially) trust Garrett, and he did almost get you killed, but it's not like you're spoiled for choice, either. He seems like a good contact to follow-up on, at least for now. If you can find a decent Guild that will accept you, maybe they can help you get your first kills in the Condemned Zone, or something...
Your head is swimming in new information, anxieties and excitement. You fall asleep almost the moment your head hits the pillow. If your mother or your friends back home knew, they'd be clamoring for you to come back immediately. But secretly you think it hasn't been such a terrible first day.
[TO BE CONTINUED...]
