The next morning, we both slept in for the first time in a while. After insisting I should take the bed with Kimba and he would take the couch, I finally gave up, secretly also a bit thankful for it.
Although the bed felt heavenly, the highlight for me was the toilet, the running water and some more freebie objects that came with the room. I now possessed one and a half soaps, two razors, a toothbrush, three rolls of toilet paper, my bag from the Kimberians as well as the first aid kit from them and the dagger from Ferras. Clothes wise, I still had my sweaty hoodie, my dirty tank top, my one bra and underwear that desperately needed to be washed - just like my socks. I also had Ferras' shirt, my sneakers, my jeans and that blasted arrow tip I still carried around with me. Oh, and one wilted flower crown and a few seashells, if those count as well.
For the first time, I was awake before Mr. Sleeping beauty over here. I yawned and stretched, pulled my warm duvet over me again and was tempted to just rest my eyes for a couple more minutes, but no. Kimba, as soon as he saw I was awake, came rushing down from his perch up on one of the beams and landed straight on my face.
I'm hungry Nene. I want some food!
"Nnnnnggg!"
Nene!
"Ugh. Five more minutes?"
Fine! But I will be waiting right here!
And there he stayed. But he didn't quietly sit there, oh no. He made sure that he stepped on my face as much as possible. Rolling around and smacking me with his tail.
"Alright! Alright! Jesus Christ, fine I'll go!"
Yay Nene! You're the best! Love you!
"Yeah, yeah." I grumbled. Silently I slid out of my bed and tiptoed my way into the bathroom where I got dressed and ready for the day. As I opened the bathroom door I nearly got a heart attack from Ferras standing there all dressed and ready to go.
"Woah! When did you get up?" He looked as if he hadn't slept at all last night. Lazily he pushed past me and grumbled something I didn't understand. "What?" He didn't answer, closing the door behind him. "Okay then. I guess we're waiting for him and then we can go." I slipped into my sneakers and sat leaned against a wall. "Do you think we'll be coming back or should we already pack all of our things and head out directly afterward?" Kimba was doing summersaults in the air, trying to throw up and then catch a coin, again and again, ignoring me. "Kimba?" I inquired again. "Yes, we'll be leaving immediately so pack up all of your things. We're leaving." Ferras came strolling out of the bathroom all fresh and ready to go. What the heck, what was it with guys and getting ready so fast? It was so unfair!
Ferras swung on his dark cloak, which was way too warm for the weather outside and pulled on his boots. "We'll be doing some sightseeing before we go, though. I haven't been here in a very long time and I'm sure you wouldn't mind exploring a bit." I think he saw how my face visibly lit up and he smirked. "How do you feel about going to the most famous temple in the whole of Alvira?"
I never had been a fan of churches. In fact, I've never thought highly of any type of religion. Maybe it had to do with our modern-day views of history. Somehow, every conclusion that our history teacher made was that if religion hadn't been around, some of the most gruesome wars never would have happened. Like that one in 2050. One of the worst ones in recent history. But, never the less, I was intrigued and ready to go. I was always curious to see how different cultures lived and expressed their religious beliefs.
Kimba had decided to come with us into the Lydian and Aurelian temple. It was, without a doubt, one of the most spectacular buildings I've ever seen. Although it was in the middle of a city, the garden around the temple was as big as two football fields. They were filled with water fountains, small bridges and the most beautiful blue flower trees that were in full bloom.
The architecture reminded me a bit of the gothic style from Earth. It was made of something like white marble I think. The windows were not filled with glass, but with actual moving water that refracted the sunlight into all directions, creating a glowing and lively atmosphere.
As we passed the great pillars that supported the temple, we had to take off our clothes and put on some kind of blue chiffon dress with a veil that covered my lower face up to my eyes
As we passed the great pillars that supported the temple, we had to take off our clothes and put on some kind of blue chiffon dress with a veil that covered my lower face up to my eyes. The hair had to be open and we walked barefoot. The men got some rather ugly white robe that looked more like a sandbag. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw Ferras walk out of the dressing room.
"Yeah, yeah. You just go ahead and laugh." He grumbled at us. Kimba thought it was hilarious as well and I don't think Ferras will ever hear the end of this one.
When we waded through a small basin, we were drizzled with some holy water from above. I thought that was gonna be it, but oh no. These people decided that it would be a great idea to have the full temple flooded with water at all times. It came streaming down from different sides and pillars, creating a soft current towards the middle of the temple, where one big inverted fountain stood with a golden Elk statue and a silver cat statue on it. I took a closer look at the cat statue. Huh, weird. It looked familiar, but I couldn't remember where from. Well, at least the water was warm.