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Hector had a particular destination in mind for this next meditation session. He’d been experimenting with different spots lately, and his most recent one might’ve become his favorite yet. “No one is supposed to know you are here, remember?” said Hector. “And you’re quite famous in your own right, aren’t you?”

“So I’ll be discreet,” said Haqq. “A disguise and alias would be trivial to concoct.”

“Sounds like a pain in the ass,” said Hector, perhaps a little too bluntly.

“Ah, so you agree that purchasing the equipment for private use is the preferred way to go.”

The conversation continued for the full length of their walk, and no matter how flatly Hector stated his refusal, Haqq remained perpetually optimistic that Hector would help him out, one way or another. Optimistic? Or insistent? Hector couldn’t quite tell.

By the time they reached their destination, Hector wasn’t even annoyed, anymore. If anything, he was actually somewhat amused by Haqq’s persistence in playing dumb, like he somehow couldn’t grasp the concept that Hector wasn’t going to do what he wanted.

Thankfully, the sight of said destination provided another opportunity to change the subject.

It was Warrenhold's underground waterfall.

The noise here was something else. It was certainly loud, but surprisingly, not as loud as one might’ve expected. Even at this distance, they didn’t yet have to shout in order to hear each other.

Hector suspected that was because of the way the caves in this immediate area were interconnected. The waterfall had one great cavern of its own--almost as massive as the one that encompassed the castle’s main eight towers--but all around the waterfall were tunnels, even up on the ceiling. It seemed to him that they might’ve been funneling much of the sound away from the base of the waterfall, instead of simply creating one, big echo chamber like he’d originally expected.

Whatever the explanation, it had been a welcome surprise.

“Wow,” said Haqq, once the waterfall came into view. “That is quite something.”

“You haven’t been here yet?” said Hector.

“I have not.”

It was certainly a sight to behold, these days. Unlike when he’d initially found it, covered in total darkness, now the waterfall had large amber lamps lining it on both sides, bathing the entire massive chamber in warm light. And the waterfall itself rose to such a great height that it appeared almost like a vertical runway for aircraft to take off.