Open [Sakel Event] The Eye of the Beholder

[Aladari Coolwater]

86th of Summer, 517 AV
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Aladari woke up that morning with a headache to rival the Gods. It pounded fiercely behind her eyes, underneath her brow, and in her ears. Opening her eyes to the light ached her whole body, and her throat already pained her without even trying to swallow the dryness.

Petch. I've done it again.

It wasn't anything new, though, and Aladari knew just how to deal with it. She rolled to one side with a groan and flung her legs off the side of the bed, where they landed in her boots. She leaned over to strap them on, despite the dizziness that overwhelmed her when she did so. Then, collecting her undergarments and cloak from where they were strewn across the floor, dressed herself just enough to take the dog outside.

Upon their return to the house, she threw the cloak back on the floor, picked some mint from the cabinet, and set to making a fire for some tea. It was the only thing she had found so far that would so much as make a dent in a hangover, and with such an awful one pestering her, she couldn't imagine going without today.

After the water had boiled the mint leaves enough to scent the room deliciously, she removed the pot and sloshed some of the hot tea into a cup. Replacing the pot in case she needed more later, Aladari finally sat herself back down in a chair to enjoy a cup of tea in her undergarments. All there was left to do was sip and hope that her memory didn't come back to her from the previous night.

She had almost succeeded in not remembering, too, when a sudden reminder appeared. It- he- crawled out from under her covers, stretching his arms high above his head and grunting. He wiped at his eyes, ruffled his hair to stay out of his vision, then rolled over to look at her with a lazy grin. Aladari didn't see his expression at all. Rather, her eyes drifted across his strong body to where the sheets fell just above his waistline.

"Morning, Al." He said. His voice was melodious, and she knew instantly he was a singer. She fell in love instantly.

He knows my name!

"You make some of that for me?" He asked, nodding to the tea she held. Aladari poured him a cup from the pot before she even knew she was on her feet. Her headache had dissipated in a matter of seconds. He put a hand on her shoulder to thank her, and her heart felt light instead of weighted with guilt. She smiled back at him, feeling too much like a blushing schoolgirl for her own good.

They talked for nearly a bell, in which she learned that they had met last night at the bar where they had been gambling. He had 'won' her for the night, and she had taken it far more seriously than he had intended. They had come back to her apartment under the pretense of her "showing him her kitten", though that clearly wasn't all that had happened. He wasn't upset by any stretch of the imagination, as he assured her.

"I was just surprised that such a rough lady like you could be so gentle. I was a little afraid at first." He winked, and she giggled- a sound she was sure had never come out of her mouth before.

Once they were finished with their tea, the pair began getting dressed, and Aladari could feel his departure nearing. She couldn't explain it, but somehow, she knew this man would be the husband she had always wanted, and she wasn't about to let him go so easily.

"Where's you headed out to today?" She asked.

"Nowhere special." He replied.

"Well then, not me either. How abouts you stay wit' me, an' we could do somethin' special the two of us." A long pause stretched in the air before Aladari dared look up, but when she did, she was met with a grin. He was hovering above her, so close she could see a tiny length of stubble on his chin.

"Well?" He chided playfully, "Get your shoes on. I'm waiting for you!"

"Where we goin'?" Aladari was dumbstruck that it had actually worked.

"Well, how about we head on down to the Moonstone Baths? I heard they have a great massage, and that might just be what a hardworker like you needs."

"You're so nice, and I don't even know you." She gushed, her eyes flooding with red.

He simply laughed. "Does it really matter who I am? Or can we just enjoy this moment?"

She wouldn't argue with him. He was everything she'd ever dreamed of, and to question it would be ungrateful in some ways, downright stupid in others.

"You're right."

"Of course I am. Let's go."

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[Aladari Coolwater]

86th of Summer, 517 AV
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Aladari had always hated seeing couples walk down the street holding hands. It took up too much space. It interrupted people who actually had work to do. It was unnecessary and boastful. Today, though, she had had a sudden change of heart.

She swung her hand in his back and forth lightly as they walked. She almost could've skipped, had she ever learned the trick to it. Instead, she was content to swing her arms and smile at him, and luckily he seemed content in the same.

When they reached the Moonstone Bath and Massage Center, Aladari had to pause for a moment in awe of the view. Outside, the bay whispered at the shore, almost silent compared to the typical roaring of the falls that dominated much of Riverfall. The bathhouse was nearly as stunning. Even from outside, it smelled of soft soaps and herbs. The lighting that shone from the building was celestial in its glow, and it painted Aladari's lover in such a light that the natural glow in his cheeks stood out to her and his eyes glittered with just the slightest hint of mischief.

Depositing a kiss on Aladari's forehead, he gestured to the inside of the facility. "Lead the way." He offered. How he knew that she preferred to be the strong one, the one who paid for them, and the one who lead the way was absolutely magical, she thought.

Aladari let go of his hand to shuffle in her coin purse for the entry fee. Guiding him indoors, she approached the front desk. "Hi," She told the woman at the desk, "We's gonna need two massages for today."

The blonde behind the counter did not flinch at the odd accent, nor at the mention of "we", regardless of the fact that she could only account for one customer.

"Of course. Would you have a request for a massage type? We offer all sorts."

"Well, is a romantic af'ernoon, so what would you think for tha'?"

"We do offer an aromatherapy massage which can be...aphrodisiacal."

Though Aladari didn't understand the long words the masseuse used, she knew the expressions of a human face and the lilt of words under a euphemism well enough to know that the suggestion was just what she wanted.

"Aye, sounds good."

"Alright then. The massage is one bell for four gold, and you said you wanted two?"

"Aye, for me an' the fella."

The masseuse raised a single brow as she looked about the room, but said nothing to her customer. After all, the customer was always right. Aladari did notice the strange gaze, but hastily attributed it to jealousy and nothing more. The mind does not naturally jump to "selective invisibility" as sound reasoning.

"Right then, this way. I'll show you to the private room where you may get undressed and then dress in a robe of our providing. Cara will be in with you in just a tick, as soon as you put this little stone outside the door to show you're ready."

The girl pointed to an array of shimmering moonstones piled in the corner of the private room. In the center, there lay one massage table with a pile of robes beneath. Aladari passed through the doorway and was immediately met with a rose-scented steam which emanated from another pile of rocks in another corner. Smiling and holding her hand out to her lover, she led him into the room behind her.

The masseuse closed the door when she turned away, shaking her head slowly. She would have to warn Cara of this one.

Ledger :

Aromatherapy Massage - 4 GM

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