PM to join [Soothing Waters] A Splash of a Time

[Firenze]

Evening Winter 47, 515 AV

Digging around the chest and through the items on the nearby table Fire tried to find some soap, any soap. Did this man never bathe? A shirt flew over her head from the trunk, a sock followed. At the bottom she found an barely used bar of basic soap. Not the kind she was particularly used to but it would have to make due. She hadn’t seen a towel and decided to grab the scratchy towel from the bed. It probably needed a cleaning anyway.

Bundling herself up she prepared herself against the cold that would hit once she opened the door. The baths, she had been told, wasn’t too far away and so the walk against the wind was going to be a short one.

Holding her hood down over her face, a bag with her things over her shoulder she pushed against the cold northern winds toward the Nettle district. Snow lumped in the narrow roads trying to impede her.

Once she reached the Nettle district, the cover of the walk helping to deter some of the winds, she made her way up toward the third tier. She wasn’t exactly sure which way she needed to go so she wandered through the people shuffling about for the good part of a bell before she’d found the entrance to the baths.

It had been a long day, the workout helping to get her energy, she was ready for a soothing bath to take the ache from her muscles. She rubbed subconsciously at the burns on her wrists as she made her way toward the front area. A tall dark haired man stood near a desk, feet moved toward the man.

“Excuse me could you point me in the direction of the bathing area please?” Fire smiled at the man. “The public area is just that way,” he pointed in the direction of a short hallway, “you’ll go to the locker area and then it’s just past. The public area is two silvers. The private baths are that way and they’re 1 gold. We have other services as well if you would like to hear about them?”

Her heart sank when he told her that it would cost for her to get into the baths. Of course it would! That would be her luck. Normally it wouldn’t have been a big deal and she would’ve headed out to find a stream somewhere to bathe in. Unfortunately it was blustery and cold out and that did not sound appealing in the least. “Oh, okay… thank you.” Fire turned to walk back to the apartment trying to think of a different way to get herself clean.

Others | Firenze | Thoughts

[Baelin Holt]

OOCLore contradicts itself for the baths, I have no idea if it should be down in the Nettle District like Syliras lore says or up in Jordan district area like the Bath’s location info says. Also, I think you’re supposed to take towels off before going into communal baths but if I’m wrong then…whoops. If I misinterpreted the baths let me know and I’ll edit.

Baelin could tell there was going to be a good bit of snow on the ground after seeing the various puddles growing larger and more frequent the closer he got to the exit of the Maiden District. But he was nothing short of stunned when he was greeted with the veritable walls of snow filling the open-aired lane.

All the commotion in the hallways earlier suddenly seemed to make a bit more sense.

The large half-Dhani shimmied his way past a knight who was busy keeping the exit clear of the heavily falling snow and carefully picked his way along the lane. Sandwiched between the Maiden and the Dyres Districts with snow constricting the lane, Baelin only very nearly managed to avoid getting knocked out by a quickly and sloppily swung shovel. By Dira, how he hated winter. A light, sparse coating of snow wasn’t the worst think on Mizahar, but there was no justification for the near tunnel of snow he was currently in.

And, to add insult to injury, it was just so cold. Even the water was too cold to swim in – Baelin’s frostbitten fingers flexed reflexively at the memory – which made bathing that much more challenging. The armorer felt like he was practically swimming in soot with a large helping of his own filth. The half-Dhani’s nose curled in self-disgust as he tried to ignore the odor clinging to him.

He clenched the bar of soap in his hand like a lifeline, reminding himself he was nearly to the baths. Regular winter bathing in Syliras was pricier than he liked, but by Dira did he need a bath. The smith was going to scrub himself raw as soon as he got in that blessed water.

Baelin shook snow off of his cloak as he passed through the Bath’s double doors and briskly headed down the stairs, fishing in his pocket for mizas as he moved. He slowed as the reception desk came into view and he spotted someone already at the desk. As he got closer, Baelin came to a stop a respectful distance behind her to wait his turn as she paid.

Only she didn’t pay. She turned back to the stairs, not smelling the least bit like soap, with an “Oh, okay” and “thank you.”

Baelin frowned, not liking that one bit. On one hand, he wasn’t fond of charity. But on the other, Stormhold was already bursting with the cloying stench of too many unwashed bodies and he’d be damned if he let another out just because she wouldn’t or couldn’t cough up two silver mizas.

He certainly couldn’t afford to send every denizen of Syliras to the baths, but two silver mizas this one time wasn’t going to kill him.

”No,” he growled as she started to move to the exit, fixing her with a look that usually made others still. He looked past her to the receptionist and said firmly, “Two bathss and…” he examined the towel in her hand and reminded himself that he should get one as well, he was just being lazy, “one towel.”

He wasn’t going to pay for whatever other service she may have had in mind, but the woman smelt like a bath could do her good and by Dira he could at least fix that.

“Four silver mizas and one copper,” the man said as he pulled a towel out from behind the desk. Baelin fished in his pocket for a gold and copper miza and set them down, gladly accepting the towel as the man pulled out six silver mizas in change.

Baelin didn’t turn back to the woman; didn’t particularly care one way or the other what she thought. One more clean Syliran was a win in his book, and that was really all there was too it for him. He dropped his change in his pocket and, as the receptionist gestured to the right and explained the Bath’s layout, Baelin headed to the men’s lockers.

The separate changing rooms always managed to tickle a funny bone in him. The bath itself was communal and the water not opaque. But Sylirans seemed to like their illusions of propriety and Baelin wasn’t one to judge. He kicked his boots off, the snow packed into their soles melting rapidly on the stone. The smith hesitated, unsure if he should put something that was only going to melt more in a locker. He licked his lips indecisively, not at all sure if he was making a correct call, and brushed off as much snow as he could in a corner. He deposited the boots in floor level locker and, after peeling the rest of his clothes off, carefully positioned them on top of the dryer top part of his boots, cloak acting as a buffer.

He surveyed the assembly and scratched the back of his head. He was going to be fairly angry at himself if he cleaned himself only to have to climb back into damp and dirty clothes. Maybe he should splurge on their laundry services…

Shaking his head, Baelin wrapped a towel loosely around his waist and made his way to the bath. He inhaled deeply and happily as the warm air greeted him in earnest. The half-Dhani ran a large, calloused hand through much too thick hair to shake it loose of melting snow and rolled his broad shoulders back, letting the heat sink in.

At the edge of the bath he unwrapped his towel and allowed himself a chuckle at the joke of modesty. Folding it neatly, Baelin set it aside and finally sank into the blessedly warm water.

[Firenze]

As she turned to leave she noticed a man that had been standing behind her waiting. She hadn’t heard him approach and was rather surprised to see him. Her eyes roved over his body and she gave him a small smile, hoping that he couldn’t smell the awful stench coming from her.

She moved to make her way out of the bathing foyer but an abrupt ‘No’ gave her pause to see if the man had been talking to her. He ordered two baths and a towel and she glanced around looking for another person in the area. The only other person there was the man standing behind the counter. Had he just paid for a bath for her?

His back to her she tried to lift her arm nonchalantly and take a whiff to see if it was truly that bad. It was. Embarrassment flushed her cheeks. She watched as he handed over the coin and then began to make his way toward the changing area for the men. Eyes just stared for a moment at the back of him until he disappeared into the other room and then glanced over to the man at the desk.

He smiled at her, “Well, looks like you’re all taken care of miss. The lockers are just this way.” With a sweep of his hand he directed her in the opposite direction of where the unusual stranger had gone.

Shuffling her feet she hoisted the bag higher onto her shoulder and gave the clerk another half smile, the edge of her mouth tipping up. Eyes downcast, she turned the corner into a large room with cubbies to hold personal items. It was so strange to see that people left their things unattended. What would happen if someone just wandered in a went through them? It made her nervous.

She wanted to take everything with her but didn’t want to get kicked out for breaking rules and waste the money the man had just paid. Slowly she moved over to the far edge and peered around the corner into where the public bathing area was. A few people mingled around but it wasn’t as busy as she thought it might be. Walking back into the room she began to remove the large black cloak, belt, overly large pants and shirt. They didn’t smell very pleasant and she wasn’t looking forward to putting them back on when finished with her bath. Laundry was in order when back at the apartment.

Shivering she stuffed the items into the locker nearest the entrance to the pool, pulling the blanket and hard bar of soap out and wrapping it up in her arms. Bare feet smacked against the cold stone, arms tucked close moving toward the open area and the warm waters. Winter was the worst. Shivering again she moved to the side and set her towel and soap near the edge but not close enough for it to get wet.

Slipping into the pool she gave a sigh of relief and another silent thank you to the man who’d blessed her with the bath she desperately needed. Months of dirt, grime and blood covered her skin and was caked into her hair. The water rose around her and she let it slip over her head and then popped back out again, slicking the water from her eyes and hair.

Looking around she took in the different people milling about. A few large men were relaxing in one of the far corners. A pair of women chattered near the edge about halfway down. She didn’t spot the man and wondered if he might’ve gone to a private bath.

Others | Firenze | Thoughts

[Baelin Holt]

Baelin took stock of the others in the heated pool as he dipped his bar of soap in the water. Two women were engrossed in a conversation with each other; hopefully they’d stay that way. Baelin didn’t care to try and force small talk while bathing. A few men were in a corner far enough away that Baelin doubted they’d be a problem. Things were looking good so far.

And there was the woman he had paid for. She had beaten him to the pool, likely not taking forever and then some to situate her clothes just so. The half-Dhani gave a tight smile in her direction and brought his attention back to his soap.

Should have looked where everyone was at before you picked your spot, he chided himself. Baelin truly loathed small talk. He never had anything to talk about, tended to rub strangers the wrong way, and just didn’t really like talking in general. And someone whose way you paid for was more likely than a stranger to strike up some form of small talk.

No matter. He’d just avoid eye contact from here on out. It was an excellent strategy for avoiding communication. This was fine.

Baelin aggressively started to rub the soap between his scarred hands to lather it up. He tried to ignore how his fingers on his left hand tingled so much more than the rest of his fingers and toes as the bath rewarmed them. The frostbite he had gotten last winter had supposedly healed in spring, but now that the weather had cooled again he could feel how much more sensitive to the cold they were.

The Eiyon tried not to think about how little he had done since that day. It was when he got his mark and shyke if he’s done anything with it yet. He threatened a Nuit once, but he would have done that even without Dira’s mark.

Frustration welled in him and, try as he might to swat it away and focus on the pleasing sensation of the bath, the urge to lash out at something rose. His movements became more aggressive as he jerked the bar of soap across his soot covered chest.

And he squeezed. Just a bit too hard.

The soap slipped out of his fingers as he clamped down on it and sailed up through the air in an impressive arc before landing with a “plop” in the water. Baelin watched, aghast, as it lazily sunk to the bottom. Mere feet away from the woman he’d paid for.

[Firenze]

The soap was harsh against her skin but complaints wouldn’t be coming from her. Fire was well aware of the layers of dirt that had caked on her skin and a hard scrubbing was definitely in order. Holding tight onto the bar she soaped up the top half of her body, scrubbing her face pink. Blindly she reached for the edge of the bathing pool and set the bar down. Hands scooped up the warm water, flushing the suds, features of the face now distinguishable that the dirt had been cleansed.

As the water flowed from her face she looked up, droplets clinging to her lashes skewing the vision. The man who’d paid for her bath was now in the water nearby. Rubbing the excess off with her hands and leaning to grab for her own soap she watched him. He appeared rather uncomfortable and withdrawn, she wondered if it was because he didn’t like the water or the company.

His movements were harsh and slightly jerky. She knew she shouldn’t be watching him but was curious as to why he paid her way and then never spoke. Could he not speak? The question ran through her mind as she tipped back into the water, lifting a leg and scrubbing it until red marks welted on her skin.

As she moved to lift the other leg she looked over after hearing a plonking noise only a tick away from her. The man was looking in her direction. Brows furrowed slightly as she tried to figure out what he might need from her. Looking down to where the sound had come from she watched as a bar of soap sank through the waters and rested on the bottom. Glancing back up she checked to see if that was his bar and by the look on his face it appeared as though it were.

Taking a deep breath she held onto her own bar and dipped her head under the water. Reaching the other hand out she used her fingertips to search around the bottom of the pool. After a few blind swipes the tips of her fingers knocked into the slick object. Wrapping her digits around it she tried to make sure that she had a good grip and used her legs to push herself back to the surface.

Using the back of her arm she wiped the water from her eyes. The hand with his soap reached out in his direction. “Excuse me, I think you dropped this,” she gave him a smile and took a couple steps toward him, the water sloshed around her as she moved.

NoteSorry for the long wait, thanks for being so patient!

Others | Firenze | Thoughts

[Baelin Holt]

Careless and stupid, he mentally berated as he stared at the sunken soap. It was too far in the stranger’s personal space for him to just go fetch it. At the very least he was going to have to ask her to pause in her bathing and step aside.

He knew he would certainly be none too pleased if someone did that to him. It would be a surefire way to spark his anger.

The stranger met his gaze and seemed to consider him for a moment, her brow furrowed. Baelin ducked his head apologetically and braced himself for whatever she was in the mood to throw. Chastisement? Rage? Annoyance? Indifference? He wasn’t sure.

She looked to the bar, then back at him, and then without missing a beat sucked in a lung full of air and went under.

Baelin’s eyebrow shot up behind his hair in surprise, not at all expecting help to come up in his list of possible scenarios.

Maybe she felt indebted? Perhaps she was just a helpful person? Either way, Baelin couldn’t help but feel a warm feeling creep up his spine as he watched her fumble at the bottom for his bar of soap. The armorer took a step forward, about to help find his own soap, when her fingers grasped onto it and she pushed back up. Strong legs propelled her up faster than Baelin was expecting and he took a quick step back.

Wiping her eyes with an arm, she held the soap out to him. With a smile that left him a bit dazed, she said, “Excuse me, I think you dropped this.”

Baelin stared at the proffered soap for a moment, still a bit too surprised to process things intelligently. He looked back to her, saw that heartwarming smile, and couldn’t help but offer a small, upward curl of his own lips.

She was exceptionally tall for a woman, yet slender and lean. Her whole countenance was an interesting blend of large and small: long yet thin arms, strong and pronounced cheekbones with a small nose nestled between then, a large forehead contrasted with a small chin. It was a somewhat otherworldly sort of beauty. Baelin was a fan. And now that she no longer smelt of grime and sweat, Baelin was able to pick up a pleasantly earthy scent from her. Baelin’s small smile ticked just a bit more upward.

“Thank you,” he rumbled as he reached an arm out. He slipped his fingers around the recovered soap bar, mindful of her slender ones, and grasped it carefully. It would be quite embarrassing to let it slip so soon after. The half-Dhani caught sight of a few small scars on her hand, but he paid them little mind. He had far more scars on his hand, after all. Various burns and scarred tissue from sloppily plucked scales. Combined with his slew of callouses, they were far from “pretty” hands.

What was far more concerning was the marred skin around her wrists. The bruising looked old and nearly healed, but the area it covered over the thin wrist was alarming. This wasn’t just from someone gripping too tightly. The bruises weren’t the size of fingerprints; they were large swatches encircling the entire wrist. If Baelin had to guess, he’d say she had been bound. The healing scratches littered among the bruising did little to alleviate his suspicion.

He looked up sharply and met her eyes, not moving to pull the soap back yet. The half-Dhani didn’t know what to say. It really wasn’t his place to pry. There were all sorts of reasons someone could have been bound. She could have had a bad run in with the knights. Or maybe she’s into being tied up. Perhaps she married the wrong man. Or she could have just been at the wrong place at the wrong time. Regardless of the scenario, it really wasn’t Baelin’s place. Baelin’s struggle in his thoughts was obvious as he scrunched his eyebrows tightly together and gently bit his lip.

[Firenze]

Dropping the soap into his hand, her eyes went to where they brushed briefly in the exchange. Flicking them back up, she saw that he noticed the marks on her wrists. His eyes came up to meet hers; long black hair obscured some of his eyes, she saw they were dark, and that there was something unusual about them. Fire dropped her hand quickly back into the water as she watched his face shift. Her gaze tipped down to his mouth as he sucked his lip between his teeth. A flush came over her cheeks as her smile widened. Fire wondered for a moment if he might be shy and if that had been why he’d not said anything to her before.

When he spoke his voice was deep and gruff. The scars covering his body felt as though he’d been through a lot and her curiosity piqued. Little short red lines littered his smooth skin; she’d never seen anything like it. Although, a person without a scar was a rare sight. Her mind turned back to when they’d first met, “Oh, thank you for the bath, I needed it,” she chuckled softly and awkwardly. His presence was stronger than some of the men she knew, the stretches of silence making him seem mysterious and a little broody.

It made her wonder if he was always like that… it also made her want to splash him to see if he could have fun. The corner of her mouth tipped up as she laughed silently to herself at the thought. Instead of splashing, she decided to try to a little conversation. Moving back, she grabbed her soap and began to finish her initial task while talking, “Do you mind if I ask your name?” The soap gathered suds as she rubbed it between her fingers quickly and then ran it along her arms. “I’m Firenze.” Golden eyes squinted with a smile, her nose wrinkling a little.

If he replied, she would continue the conversation trying to see if she could get him to open up. His demeanor felt as though he might not be one to speak often but perhaps if she could find the right thing to say he might be more apt to do so. She couldn't fault him though; the last couple months had made her not want to talk much either. But she was beginning to realize that wasn't part of her nature. Unlike some felines, Fire had times where being alone was something that she craved and other times having company was preferred. Having a companion was quickly creeping of her checklist of things she needed to do as she was beginning to feel the loneliness of starting over, again.

Tipping her head to the side a little she'd speak boldly and ask where the scars had come from and if he was a Knight as well. Considering most everyone that she'd met since arriving was either a Knight or a Squire.

Others | Firenze | Thoughts

[Baelin Holt]

The stranger met his eyes as he considered her. She didn’t, however, answer his unspoken question. Instead, she ducked her hands down into the water faster than he would have expected.

Baelin could take a hint. Whatever had happened, she seemed to have no desire to talk about it. But before Baelin had a chance to think too much more on it, her gaze tracked down to his lips. Her smile widened. And he saw heat in her cheeks.

His eyebrows jumped up in response. It’s possible he was misinterpreting this, but it seemed almost as if she was expressing an interest. Which was…unusual. Baelin’s ‘sunny disposition’ was usually the nail in his coffin.

It had been…a long time. He licked his lips in thought and studied her in turn. Was this some sort of trick? It didn’t seem so. It was an odd place to rob him, with all his things in another room. And he couldn’t think of any con that would have him as its mark.

The half-Dhani allowed a tentative smile to slowly lift the corners of his mouth.

She was scanning him over, seemingly curious about something. And Baelin found that he was enjoying it. That part of him that enjoyed fanning his vanity was internally preening at the scrutiny. He worked very hard to keep his body in great condition, thank you very much. He’d damn well enjoy an engaging woman’s attention when it lingered.

“Oh, thank you for the bath, I needed it,” she said with a soft chuckle. Baelin responded with a half-hearted shrug of one shoulder. It really had been nothing. She smelled. The cost to fix the problem was minor. No brainer.

Fortunately, he was spared from fumbling through some kind of ‘you’re welcome.’ Instead she laughed silently and stepped back. Baelin’s hesitant smile dipped back down when he interpreted it as the end of their brief encounter. He stepped back as well, fully prepared to accept the end of the conversation and resume bathing in silence.

But it wasn’t the end. She spoke. Asked for his name.

Baelin shot her a surprised look. She continued to lather her arms, telling him her name with a brilliant smile. It was one of those full-faced smiles, where her eyes squinted enough that her sight was probably blurred and her small nose crinkled. It was…shyke, it was cute.

Firenze. He liked it. It suited her. She had an aura about her that was both fierce and playful, as if her very presence was flint against the dull steel that had been his day.

The half-Dhani licked his lips and inclined his head. After a moment’s consideration, he offered, “Baelin.”

He supposed he should continue bathing too, it wouldn’t do to just stand there staring. So he resumed lathering his body as well. But if he moved the soap a bit more lazily about and surreptitiously tensed the areas he lathered…well, that was his own business.

OOCWasn’t sure if you wanted me to go ahead with your last paragraph so I played it safe. Great post! Changed my mind and added a bit to address the end of your last post.

He was sliding his soap along the underside of one of his pecs when she spoke again. Asked where he had gotten his scars. If he was with the Knighthood.

Baelin frowned and paused his bathing. The question hadn't been hostile or derogatory, only curious. All the same, he had no desire to answer her. As far as Baelin was concerned, he was human and scaleless.

"I'm not with the Knighthood," he said after a long moment. Quietly, voice soft in the hope that the necessary sibilance would be missed, he offered, "I'm a ssmith. Mosstly with armor." With any luck, she'd jump on the new bit of info and leave the issue of unnatural scars aside. Maybe one day he could tell a Syliran why he picked at his hands so often. But he doubted that day was today.

[Firenze]

GRADES!

I sincerely WISH we could have finished this. I loved this thread and these two were so adorable! When you come back let me know and I'll post up your grade, it's all ready and waiting for you!

Firenze

XP

• Socialization: 2
• Cleaning: 2
• Swimming: 1

Lores

• Vinicus: Is disgusting
• Location: Nettles District
• Location: Soothing Waters
• Soothing Waters: Expensive to Bathe
• Self: Embarassed by my stench
• Winter is the worst
• Event: The kindness of a stranger
• Baelin: A kind stranger
• Baelin: Dark hair and unusual eyes
• Baelin: The darky broody stranger

Miscellaneous

• Mizas (+/-) | Amount
• Item Purchased (+/-) | Amount
• Item Sold (+/-) | Amount

Update: Baelin:

XP

• Observations: 5
• Leadership: 1
• Rhetoric: 1
• Cleaning: 2
• Socialization: 2

Lores

• Winter is terrible
• The cold makes my old frostbite hurt
• Location: Soothing Waters
• Self: Feeling unusually charitable
• Soothing Waters: Seperate locker rooms are amusing in communal spaces
• Self: Not a fan of small talk
• Firenze: Quite the beauty
• Someone interested in... me?
• The beautiful woman was stinky
• Firenze: I like her