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There was a quiet but insistent knock at Alek's hotel room door. Alek groaned quietly, he'd just gotten a moment to rest, away from the cameras and reporters. Was this Volger, trying to get him to go for a late night fencing lesson? All he wanted to do was sleep. He'd been exhausted lately, the work of Tesla's publicity tour taking a heavier toll on him than he'd expected.
"Room Service!" came a voice from beyond the door. Alek frowned. He didn't order room service. This had to be some kind of trick. Bovril was fast asleep on the desk, so the creature would be no help.
He approached the door cautiously, grabbing his rapier as he went. It wasn't the most effective weapon, but it would definitely surprise any would-be assailants.
He spoke carefully through the door, trying to sound nonchalant. "I'm sorry, you must have the wrong room. I didn't order room service."
"I have an order here for Alek. May I come in?"
He blinked. He knew that voice. Alek opened the door just a sliver, peering out into the hallway. "Lilit? What are you doing here?"
The girl stood just outside his room, wearing the uniform of the hotel's maids. She had a cart with two hot cups of coffee steaming on the top. "Well I'm trying to be discreet, but your refusal to play along is quickly spoiling it. Let me in."
Alek opened the door wide, dumbfounded.
"Thank you." She pushed past him, wheeling the cart to a stop next to his desk. She paused to give the sleeping loris a scritch behind the ears. "Coffee?"
"What are you doing here?" Alek blinked. "How did you even get in?"
"Maids' uniforms are simple enough to come by, and rich guests refuse to acknowledge the waitstaff." Lilit shrugged. "And I'm here because I'm sneaking you out for an excursion."
Alek dragged his hands down his face. "Lilit, I can't, I have a job to do here. Tesla has meetings with investors all day tomorrow-"
"You would rather go to investor meetings than spend time with your friend?" She crossed her arms.
"No! No, of course I'd rather spend time with you, but I can't go anywhere without people recognizing me, and I don't want to stir up trouble for you by being seen with the Ottoman Ambassador's assistant-"
"I knew you'd say that. That's why I brought you a disguise." She pulled up the cloth covering the lower shelves of the cart to reveal a change of clothes and a fake beard.
Alek just looked at her, too tired to argue. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because, you idiot, ever since Dylan left on the Leviathan, I'm sure you've needed a friend."
He sighed. It was true, he missed Deryn an awful lot. It had been a week since they'd said goodbye at the consulate, and he'd felt oddly heavy ever since. He missed her boundless confidence and energy, it made him feel more sure of himself. Now, without her, all he wanted to do was sleep.
But at least he had his men. Lilit, recently orphaned and thousands of miles away from her home in Istanbul, had no one. She probably needed a friend just as much as he did, if not more.
Alek managed to smile. It really was good to see her, even if her timing was atrocious. "Where are we going?" He asked.
Lilit's face broke into a grin. "It's a surprise. Now go get changed. You won't make it five steps looking like that." She tossed him the stack of clothes before retreating into his bathroom so she could get out of her maid uniform.
The clothes she'd given him looked like the kind of outfit he'd seen people in the streets below wear as they went about their business. It hardly seemed different enough to keep him from being recognized, at least until he put on the jacket. There was padding in the shoulders, to make them more broad. It would change his whole silhouette. He smiled. Clever.
"I hope you're decent, because I'm coming out," Lilit said. She was wearing a very plain brown dress, her braids pinned up under a boater hat.
Alek smiled at her as he pulled the cap down over his ears. "Well? What do you think?"
She circled him, inspecting his disguise. "The clothes are fine. But you need to put on the beard."
He blinked. "I don't know how-"
"Unbelievable. Do I have to do everything myself?" She tutted a little and got to work fixing the disguise to his face, gluing the mass to his chin and upper lip. It was a horribly uncomfortable situation, and it itched like mad.
Finally, she stepped back and admired her work. "That should work nicely," she said.
Between the jacket, the hat, and the beard, Alek barely recognized himself. "You're a master of disguise," he said, smiling at his friend.
The corner of her mouth quirked up for just a second before she replaced it with an annoyed expression. "Even a master couldn't hide your voice. Just keep quiet."
Lilit steered him over to a small restaurant that was still open at this late hour. Alek marveled at the brilliance of it. This was the perfect spot, far enough out of the way that no one would think to look for him here, but close enough that they could walk back with no trouble at all. She got them a table and ordered each of them a cup of coffee.
"Is the coffee any good here?"Alek asked, scratching at his fake beard.
"No, it's awful. And stop scratching." She kicked him under the table. "But it's open late and the owners don't speak German, so we'll have some privacy."
"Ah. Wonderful." He took a sip of the coffee and grimaced. "How have you been, Lilit?"
"Exiled, mostly." She sighed. "I'm completely useless to the Committee in New York. But it's interesting to see things on a more global scale."
Alek nodded. "Everything is connected. Progress in one country leads to progress in another."
"Corruption, you mean," Lilit said. "America is full of it, just as all the great powers are."
"That's why they need good people like us to fix things." Alek smiled. "We can make everything right."
Lilit rolled her eyes. "I'd forgotten how optimistic you are."
"That's not so bad, is it?" He raised an eyebrow.
"One of these days, boy, it's going to get you in trouble."
"I'm not entirely sure it hasn't already," Alek said. "But enough about that. How's Nene?"
"She's alright." Lilit spooned some sugar into her coffee and began to absently stir it. "She couldn't make the trip with me, so she's still in Istanbul."
"You miss her, don't you?"
Lilit nodded. "Of course I miss her. But she's handling it well enough. She told me in her last letter that she's started writing political essays under a pseudonym. I haven't read any of them yet, but I'm sure they're brilliant."
"Oh, naturally. Nene is one of the smartest people I know," Alek said. "I'm glad she's keeping herself busy."
"Me too."
The two of them drank their gross coffee for a moment in silence. Alek wondered how Lilit was actually doing, but he didn't know how to ask. Deryn probably knew. She was always better at talking to people than he was, she'd probably gotten the whole story from Lilit a week ago.
Finally, Lilit cleared her throat. "How long have you known?" she asked quietly. "About who Dylan really is?"
Alek blinked. It was almost as if the girl had read his mind. "You knew?"
"Of course I knew. I'm not an idiot." She had an odd, steely tone to her voice.
"I've known for a little over a month," he said. "I assume you figured it out ages ago."
Lilit nodded. "I knew back in Istanbul."
"Before or after you kissed?" he asked.
"Before. Quite a while before."
"Ah." Alek cleared his throat. "And you still...?"
"Yes, Alek, I like to kiss girls sometimes. It's an ancient tradition going back centuries." She snapped at him, kicking him hard in the shin under the table.
Alek winced at the pain. "I see. Ah. Good for you."
Lilit's glare softened just a bit, but she still looked tense, like she was preparing for a fight. Alek wondered how long she had been on guard about this around him. An inexcusably long time, he was sure.
"At least you're trying," she said.
"Thank you." Alek raised his coffee in a toast. "You deserve to kiss a pretty girl every now and again."
Lilit visibly relaxed. "You know, you could kiss a pretty boy if you wanted," she said, a sly grin spreading across her face. "I heard you already kissed a very handsome midshipman."
Alek sputtered, choking on his coffee. "I don't- how- she told you?!"
"Of course she told me, you idiot, that's what girls do." Lilit laughed and handed him her napkin. "Goodness, that was quite a reaction. You're bright red. Did I strike a nerve?"
"First of all-" he was interrupted by Lilit's laughter again. "First of all, she kissed me, I didn't kiss anyone. Second of all, that is not the same thing, she's still a girl, even if no one else knows that. And third of all I don't want to kiss a boy! I don't want to kiss anyone!"
"You seem awfully defensive," Lilit said.
"I'm not defensive! You just said something so completely ridiculous-"
"Was it a bad kiss, then?"
He shook his head. "No, it wasn't bad. It..." he trailed off. He didn't remember much about the kiss itself, just the driving rain and the feeling of Deryn's arms around him as the world spun, only righting itself when she pressed her lips to his. "It was fine, I suppose."
"Only fine?" She took a sip of her coffee, grinning at him over the cup.
Alek glared at her, his face still warm. "I had a head wound. You'll have to forgive me for not being more specific."
"I see." Her grin seemed to widen, if possible. "Would you kiss her again, if you could?"
"No!" Alek scowled at the table. "No, I wouldn't. I don't get to do things like that."
"What do you mean, you don't get to? You're a prince." She shrugged. "Spoiled aristocrats like you do whatever they want."
Alek shook his head. "If I'm going to take the throne, I can't marry a commoner. My father did, and that upset started this war," he said. "I've always known that I wouldn't be able to be with someone I love. So, even if I had feelings for her, a relationship with Deryn is completely off the table."
Lilit's smile faded. "Is that her real name? 'Deryn'?"
Alek frowned. "You mean she didn't tell you?"
"She did not. I asked her, before she left, but she wanted me to figure it out on my own," she said. "Did she tell you?"
He shook his head. "There was an article about her father that mentioned a daughter, and I pieced it together from that."
"Ah. I see." Lilit sighed. "Well, at least she's consistent."
Alek nodded and quietly sipped his disgusting coffee. He scratched at his fake beard again. Lilit kicked him underneath the table.
"Stop that!"
"You stop scratching first."
Alek rolled his eyes. He wasn't going to pry the beard off his face, it just itched.
"So are all relationships 'off the table', as you said, or is it just Deryn?" Lilit asked.
Alek paled. "I'm not going to kiss you, if that's what you're asking."
"Ew!! No!!" Lilit shook her head so hard her hat threatened to fall off. "Not in a million years!"
"Good!" he crossed his arms.
"Why would you think I'd want to kiss you?!"
"I don't know!! It's been a very weird night so far!"
Lilit paused, then cracked a small smile. "I suppose it has been rather odd for you, hasn't it, boy?" She asked.
"Yes, it has." He sighed. "Not necessarily bad, of course, but bizarre all the same."
"I should to steal you from your room more often. It would be good for you."
Alek nodded slowly and looked out the window into the city street. A few people passed by the shop, but given the late hour, most seemed eager to go home. No one so much as glanced inside. He wondered what it would be like to live like these people, only concerned with the day-to-day and not the state of the entire world. It would be freeing, he supposed. But so, so aimless.
Lilit's voice jolted him back to the present. "I think you're scared."
Alek blinked. "Excuse me?"
"I think you're scared of Deryn. How she feels about you," Lilit said. "Have the two of you talked about it?"
"There's nothing to talk about. She knows I can't," he said, tracing the wood grain of the table with his finger.
"What if you could?" Lilit asked.
Alek's chest tightened inexplicably. "...I can't think like that," he said. "My best chance of stopping the war is by working with Tesla and eventually taking the throne. That's too important to just throw away."
Lilit sighed. "I should have expected as much. You'll always do what you think is the right thing."
"Do you think I can't handle this?" He asked, trying to ignore the flash of indignation that went through him.
"I think you'd make a better leader than most," she said, pushing her half-drank coffee cup away from her. "But I don't know if you'll be happy."
"I'll be fine, Lilit." He smiled. "I'll have plenty of allies. That will be enough."
"We can hope." She checked her pocket watch and frowned. "I think we ought to get you back."
Alek nodded slowly. "If anyone noticed I was gone, it would be Volger. He'd have my head."
"Then we should be off." Lilit stood up, leaving their payment on the table. "We still need time to take your beard off when we get back to the hotel."
Alek stood, offering his arm for his friend to take. Despite being interrogated, he felt lighter than he had in days. It had been lovely to see his good friend again. "...Could we do this again soon? Thursday, maybe?"
Lilit nodded slowly. "I think Thursday would be fine. I'll bring a different disguise for you, though, there's no point in you being recognized in any fashion."
"I'd rather appreciate it if you didn't give me a beard."
She rolled her eyes. "Keep pushing and next time I'll make you look like a prospector."
Alek laughed. "I'm sure that wouldn't raise any eyebrows."
"Oh, none at all. New York is famous for its prospectors." She waved an arm out at the empty streets. "Nothing but prospectors as far as the eye can see."
He laughed again. "What a strange country this is!"
"And if you change your mind about the whole kissing thing, I'll find you a pretty soldier. Someone who'll be discreet." Lilit grinned. Alek knew she was just teasing, but his face turned bright red all the same.
"That- that won't be necessary, Lilit, but thank you." He paused. "Do you actually know any soldiers who kiss boys, or are you just trying to rile me up?"
Lilit tapped her nose twice. "I suppose you'll have to wait and see for Thursday, won't you?"
He sighed. "You're unbelievable," he said, and they began the walk back to the hotel.