They were led down a courtyard that was empty to no surprise. The old man didn't ask them any questions except if they wanted to stay on the ground or second floor. It didn't matter to them. If they couldn't be in the open, then it would be good for them.
Jamal just wanted to get some sleep, as the old man finally stopped in front of two rooms near the stairs to the second floor.
"Here's where you'll be staying for however long is needed. For now, everything but the rooms will be free, so come back to the counter during the day if you need anything if we have it," he explained while handed Jamal and Fonda two keys, and then left.
"Welp, I'm just going to sleep. See y'all later." Jamal yawned, opening the door.
He didn't even bother looking around, as he collapsed on the bed and quickly dozed off. The rest of them just looked at him through the open door, and just shrugged it off. If he wanted his sleep, then let him.
"Not going to lie, I'm a bit tired after all this walking, so I'll take a nap or something," Brat added, snatching the keys from Fonda and fumbling with the keyhole in the room next to Jamal's, before finally getting it open.
"We should probably rest too, the city is mostly down, and see what our plans will be for tomorrow," Ula noted, before walking in and closing the door in the room with Jamal.
She checked out the room, noting that it at least had more space and looked nicer than the other one, or at least definitely with what was left of it. It had two dressers and a much larger bathroom in the back and a window to see the courtyard in the front. The bed looked comfy and it felt so too. She places what little belongings they had left inside one of the dressers, and went back outside to ask for some food.
Around an hour later, she returned with a full stomach to find Jamal still out. Closing the door behind her, she laid down next to him and stared at his exhausted body. He looked so calm but still looked fierce, even in his weakened state. She slightly smiled looking at him, before kissing his cheek lightly, then getting under the covers to get some sleep as well. They would need to plan again tomorrow. But Jamal had something else he wanted to do.
About eight hours later, Jamal decided that he would wake up and do what he wanted to do. He eyed Ula, who was still out, and quietly got up from the bed. Taking large steps towards the door, he grabbed the handle once he was close enough, and lightly began to turn it and opened it towards his way. It barely made a sound that he could barely hear, but he was able to get it open all the way before closing it. When it was closed all the way, he finally smiled. He could now do what he aimed to do once they found a place to stay, and it was perfect here.
It was finally dark outside, and the city was quiet from where he was except for the constant moving of rubble and powers still being used around the city. Ignoring this, he walked into the middle of an open courtyard, no one in sight. Closing his eyes, he let his body get consumed by the heat, and he opened his eyes knowing he entered his "sparking" form. But something was off, as he could feel a slight ache in his back, no doubt from the fight. Concentrating, he watched as a fireball was floating above his hand, and fired it into the sky. He could watch as it flew up several feet, before it fell back down into the courtyard, leaving a light burn on the ground.
It felt great that he could do something, but this wasn't enough. He was going to have to push himself a bit more to see how far he could go in his current state. Feeling the flames being controlled in Jamal's arms, he allowed them to condense, creating the fire blades he wanted to make. They were still as sharp as before, but this time the ache hurt even more. It was starting to bother him, but he began to practice slashing the air, pretending to poke and block attacks against his enemies.
Getting more confident in what he could do, he hopped back, pretending to avoid an attack. This time the ache was actually hurting him, but Jamal continued to push himself some more. Still focused, he aimed both hands in front of him, as a fireball was slowly being formed. The light from it shined bright, as the rooms with windows facing the courtyard could see what he was doing. He let it get bigger, but the ache was forcing him to gasp for breath by the time he let it get to its full strength. He quickly let it dissipate before dropping on the ground.
He didn't even realize that he was sweating, as he began to clutch his chest in pain. I couldn't have pushed myself that hard, he thought, as it began to die down.
"Did you just try to blow the place up!" a voice called out in his direction.
He already knew who it was, as he could hear the grass crunch closer to him. He had to come up with something quickly.
"Ula, I can explain. I just wanted to practice." he managed to sputter before she forced him back up.
"Yeah, you wanted to do this now while I was out. If it wasn't for your light show, I wouldn't have known. You can do this later in the morning. I mean look at you! You were on the ground! You know you can't push yourself right now! I don't know what you were trying to show anyone, but you need to rest more than to show off your skills right now." Ula explained as she brought him back to the room, before slamming the door shut.
"I just needed to see what I could do. It's clear I can't do much right now. Didn't mean to scare you or anyone watching." he managed to say, before she hummed in disappointment and getting back in bed, not facing him.
He sighed, knowing he was messing things up, and possibly straining their relationship every time he did something like this. He really needed to pay attention to what he was doing versus what he should be doing, and quickly.