Layla plans ahead

Layla slowly walked back, re-tracing her steps through the divine chamber. It was just as impossibly vast, just as grand - she slowed for a moment below the huge statue of a face, staring up wonderingly.

Okay, maybe she'd miss this place. The idea that she was giving up her chance to return here did stick out to her a little. Still, there were a lot more things she could do with her life now, she told herself. She sighed, and turned her attention back to finding the exit.

She vaguely remembered the direction she'd come from - and it did stand out, when it amongst the dark and grand architecture, there was a glimpse of the pale tiles of a cheap hotel bathroom. Layla hurried towards it, then stopped on the brink, turning back around. She gave the place a last look, trying to save the memory of every last detail in her mind, before she stepped through and returned to the mundane world.

The door slid shut behind her.

Layla took a deep breath. It certainly felt like something had ended. As much as she admired the place though, she did rather hope there wouldn't be any need to worry about gods and superpowers for a while. She'd been tidying up a few things herself; she'd taken a brief trip back to Egypt to tie up a few loose ends with old friends, and re-affirm some contacts on dig sites.

It wasn't long-term though. She'd had an exhausting day doing all she needed to - tomorrow, she'd be flying back to the UK, and catching up with Marc again. There were definitely some things to talk through there.

Layla looked at the shower for a moment, then shrugged - the perfumed baths of the gods probably did the job well enough. She still felt clean enough. Tiredly, she walked out to the hotel bedroom; the place was small, but it did its job. A place to pass out, recover, and recuperate.

She was already packed; her suitcase wasn't much larger than a backpack. She hadn't been here long, and hadn't needed more than essentials. There was a change of clothes out for tomorrow, a pair of snug shorts for sleepwear, and her phone still out.

Suddenly exhausted, Layla sat down, slumping. First she'd run around half of Cairo, then she'd talked to gods and gone to the brink of the afterlife, and then she'd come all the way back. it was little wonder she was tired.

Blearily, Layla looked at the clock. She raised an eyebrow - it was later than she'd thought. Trips to other realms probably did that, she supposed. Yawning, Layla **** herself to get back up, meaning to prepare for bed.

She was just setting an alarm on her phone when she paused. Bedtime routine, get changed, finish packing so she could get out quickly tomorrow... Something stuck in her mind.

"Um," Layla said. "Okay, if there are any gods hanging around, I'm going to ask you to leave, okay?"

She hesitated. How was she meant to know if they'd heard?

"I'm not kidding," Layla said, eventually.

She grimaced. She walked over to the table, tore off a sheet of hotel-approved stationary, and scrawled an all-caps 'NO PEEKING,' that she folded and placed carefully on her bedside cabinet. Only then did she pull off her pants, making a face. Well, she was never going to be able to stop thinking of being watched by invisible Egyptian deities anymore was she?

Her shirt, pants and underwear went in with the rest of her dirty laundry, leaving just the change of clothes for tomorrow. To sleep in, she tugged up a tight pair of boyshorts - the panties didn't cover much, but they were comfy enough to sleep in, snug against the curve of her butt without the worry of total nudity. She crossed her arms, instinctive heat warming her cheeks.

Yeah, still thinking about the gods. She managed a vague glower around the room, before slipping under the covers. Between her exhaustion, and the softness wrapping around her, she felt herself drifting off quickly. Normally she'd have worn a shirt, but not on the day before a flight when everything was packed. It wasn't worth the hassle.

And her life was just her's again. No worry about the other deities, just a focus on what really mattered. Okay, she'd miss the suit, but it was give-and-take. With a smile on her face, Layla fell asleep.

When Layla awoke - a good half hour before her alarm - she felt something was off. She shifted, thighs rubbing together, and blinked, throwing off the covers - she was naked underneath. She blinked. She was sure she'd pulled on something. She shrugged it off, and rolled out of bed, briefly glancing at the clock. she rubbed her eyes, pushed her hair back, and sighed - she grabbed the 'no peeking' sign and took it to the bathroom with her, sticking it to the side of the shower screen before slipping in to freshen up for the day.

Her flight was in a bit. Still, she could show up earlier, make her way through the airport, and relax on the plane. She liked having a plan.

Ten minutes later and she was out the shower, carefully rubbing her legs and face dry before wrapping the hotel's towel tightly around herself. She walked back out to her room, made a half-hearted effort to make the bed, then lifted her bag up onto it. Her charger went away, she typed a quick text to Marc, and then looked around her room.

By the time she was sure she hadn't forgotten anything else, she felt dry enough to drop the towel and get dressed. She put the towel away, and passed by the no-peeking sign. She quickly screwed it up, throwing it away; it would probably just raise odd questions for the hotel staff if they found it.

Either way, she was done. Layla glanced at herself in the mirror, smiled, and headed out the hotel room. Bag in one hand, room key in the other, plane tickets and passport easily accessible, and a flight back to London due soon enough.

Today was going to go well, she was sure.