[The Tisuma Baths] One Strange Summer Morning (Open)

[Alyx Bronwyn]

3rd Summer, 512 After Valterrian An unusual calm beset the corridors of the Darniva Commonrooms. Normally, by this point in the morning, there would be a slow trickle of traffic as neighbours bustled by each other in their comings-and-goings; some returning to their personal caves with morsels left over from the recent meal, eyes still hooded from such a recent awakening, others hurrying out of their quarters in full regalia, sights set on getting themselves off to whatever task beckoned them forth in the day-in, day-out flow of their transitory lives. Goodness ever knew what lay in store for a Chiet in Wind Reach. Even the most unassuming of days could turn the tide in one's life, subservient to whatever circumstances the Gods had in mind. But such things were the stuff of loaded conversations and books of lore - not the typical subject of one's first thoughts upon waking. And certainly not for one particular young man, nestled cozily in his white-clothed bed. His chest rose and fell with the slow cadence of his breath, drawn through lips parted ever so slightly to the balmy mid-morning air. As his mind began to shrug away the dense fog of sleep, the taste of the air came to him at length. It was sweeter than normal this morning; as though there were a thinness to the normally fluffy warmth of the corridors so close to the geothermal heating network of Mount Skyinarta. His left eyebrow flicked up ever-so-slightly, a myoclonic twitch playing across his freckled cheeks and tugging up one corner of his mouth. This brought him up further from the halls of the Dreamscape, and he half-consciously rolled over in bed, flinging his left arm over the body next to him. Now nose-to-nose with his bedmate, he grinned to himself at the feeling of breath gently rushing over his chin as the other person with him breathed a pleasant sigh. His grin spread wider as his eyes flicked open, warm blue irises peering out from between long, lazy lashes to gaze upon the face of his beloved. "Good morning, beautiful," he breathed gently, his voice groggy with the lingering haze of sleep, yet light as ever. An unintelligible mumble was his only reply from the muscular ginger next to him; he didn't seem the least bit ready to start his day. Chuckling to himself, the smaller young Intarta stretched languidly beneath his sheets, brushing his cool toes against the warmer feet down beneath him. Not even this elicited a response; feigning annoyance, he heaved a slight huff and sat upright in bed, yanking the sheets off of the both of them. Still, his lover stirred not even a muscle. He quirked a brow and shook his head lightly, wondering idly as to the cause of the other's apparent exhaustion. "Ah well, then... I'm getting a start to my day, darling. You just get up when you're good and ready." He leaned down to plant a gentle kiss on his lover's temple, and turned to place his feet on the floor. With a great yawn and another long, protracted stretch, he finally rose from his bed altogether, running a hand idly through his messy red hair. He took a moment to tuck the sheets back around his slumbering mate - who still didn't even twitch in response - and turned to examine his living quarters. Things were a bit of a mess this morning; clothing was strewn about the floor, and a candelabra had fallen from its place on the makeshift shelf across from their bed. 'Goodness... looks like we got a bit carried away last night...' Sultry visions of the bygone night flitted through his mind, and he couldn't help but smirk at his own particular brand of devilishness. That was probably, if he were to be honest, the reason his lover was unwilling to rise this morning. It was also one of his only days off in the work cycle, which was still incredibly hectic since the wild Djed Storm of the most recent season. Deciding these were reasons enough not to fuss about any oversleeping, he set about rummaging through the clothes to find his Bryda. 'Come on, Alyx... you don't even own that much in the way of clothing... what could you have possibly done with them?' He replayed the start of their night in his mind, trying to figure where he'd tossed the garment. With a chuckle, it came to him, and he pranced across the cave on the tips of his toes, flushing in giddy embarrassment as he neared the fabric screen that hung in the entrance of his personal space. He lifted the curtain away and skipped right out into the corridor, his utter lack of clothing either forgotten, or ignored. Sure enough, there were his Bryda, black as the velvety night sky, lying on the stone walkway. He allowed himself a hearty laugh and stepped into them quickly; they were hardly cinched about his waist before he was prancing off down the corridor, a delightful spring in his step. He was apparently quite the morning person. "Goodness, I wonder where everyone is this mor-oh, wow!" He cut himself off in surprise as his gait carried him past one of the few windows in this particular passageway; the skies overhead were full of dark, rolling clouds, gathering from seemingly everywhere at once. It bore a striking semblance to the Springtide storms that would wash over their nook of the Kalea Region, providing a balmy barrier between the biting chill of Winter and the flourishing warmth of Summer. It was pretty evident that a similar sort of storm was edging upon them today. 'Well, that explains the taste of the air this morning... maybe it'll cool things down a bit for us now.' Stealing one last glance at the steely grey sky, he resumed his jubilant trot down the hallway, making for the stairwell that led off the far end, down into the lower levels of Mount Skyinarta. His destination today was the Tisuma Baths; he had nothing to do until the afternoon, and planned on spending as much time in the lavish scene as possible. He hoped to meet a few new people, even; the Baths were his favourite place for socializing. After all, where else could he carry on full conversations whilst completely unhindered by that paradoxical societal anomaly called clothing? A cheerful grin stamped to his cheeks, he rounded the corner into the stairwell, and descended them at speed.

[Vaas]

As Vaas makes his decent down the stairs to the bath, Vaas notices the heat and humidity of early spring not helping his aroma. Taking a bath in the comfort of Ces sweet voice will make his week. Ever since Vaas starting to come to the baths on his own accord, Ces has certainly been at the top of his boyhood crush list. He not sure what she looks like, but the way the other patrons and attendants to the baths talk about her. She must be breathtaking physically, but Vaas doesn't care much about physical looks since he is blind. What gets to him is the sound of her voice. Whenever Ces speaks to him Vaas' heart sinks into his stomach, his wits leak from his ears, and he gets goose bumps all over. It is rather embarrassing situation for the young man, but Vaas clearly lost in her voice is total fine with it. The whole volcano could be falling down around them, and Vaas would still be content in listening to her voice. When Vaas first came to the baths, he could barely make a coherent sentence around her, but today, when he talks to her, he can speak at least two sentences. A accomplishment, Vaas is still proud of to this day.

When Vaas makes it to the bottom of the stairs, he hears Ces talking to a group of people at the entrance of the baths. Vaas hears her heavenly voice begin to speak to the crowd, and Vaas starts smiling dumbly in the direction of Ces' voice as all Vaas all rational thinking leaks from his ears. He hears Ces say the crowd, “Hello everyone, but I have to warn you. The Tisuma Baths are still closed for a indefinite amount of time. Try again in the fall. If you need a bath, feel free to use the lakes until farther notice.” Murmurs go through the crowd, and a woman speaks up, “Ces, what is wrong with the baths?” Ces sighs sadly, and Vaas fights the urge to go up and comfort her. Ces continues sadly, “Please listen everyone. This hurts me as much as you, but the baths are too hot to bath in safely. Everyone just be patient and relax, and if you need a massage. My attendants and I are willing to make appointments for each of you.”

Vaas stands there with a pout on his face, and he starts sulking by the wall. He never enjoyed taking the trails to the lakes. The trails are narrow and loose rocks are scatter all over the paths. It is a nightmare for this blind man to navigate the steep trails of death. He might be exaggerating a little bit, but he was really looking forward to talking to Ces today. Even if he sounds like a mountain jabber monkey whenever he speaks to her now. He says out loud to himself with a heavy sigh, “Well lets get journey over with at least my death will be quick.”

[Nij]

OOCVaas, I'm pretty sure everyone already knows that the baths are closed, because they've been closed for a season already. Requesting the Valintar for a personal Dek to do things for her was one of the best choices she made. The Dek complied because he had to, but Nij knew he also enjoyed having a regular place to sleep and food. She even treated him like a regular person (most of the time) which was an added bonus to him. Also he was attractive. She awoke bright and early, or she assumed, and sat up in bed. She had no blankets, which was just fine, because she hated the feeling of being restrained. Even if it were just a blanket. Vincis, lying on the floor across the room, was the one with her blanket. He was lying on it as a barrier between him and the cold stone floor, which he was used to sleeping on anyways. This was her first time spending the overnight in Wind Reach, and now that it was day, she wanted to make the most of it. Nij was as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as anyone could be, and she hopped over to the Dek's sleeping form. "Wake up, you lazy bum." She chirped in Nari, before leaning down and shaking his shoulders. He snorted in response and rolled over. It was now that Nij noticed different scars crisscrossing his arms, and she subconsciously wondered if there were more. But, no time to dwell on the past of someone she had just met. "Get up. Dear goddess, get up." Were Dek always this tired, or was it just him? He wasn't breathing as slowly anymore, which must mean he was awake. Was he purposely pretending to be asleep? Apparently not, because just a few ticks later he was standing up and yawning. "Where are the Tisuma Baths?" She questioned almost immediately as he stood up. "They're closed." "I don't care, I want to see them. Show them to me." He could do nothing but comply, seeing she was his higher-up. A sense of fairness flared through him for a few moments, along with confusion. She was new, and without an ounce of Inarta blood in her, yet she was a much higher caste than he, a full blooded Inartan. It was his own incompetence that landed him here. She must have a useful skill to be placed so high. Perhaps hunting, but she didn't look like a hunter. Before Vincis could finish his thoughts, Nij was already out the door a walking down the hallway, obviously expecting the Dek to follow. And he did. From what Nij could tell, it was stormy outside. It was humid and sticky, and she could feel her shirt sticking to her form. She was amazed at how an entire city was carved into the mountain, and the colourful glass-work that dotted the caverns and corridors. It wasn't long until they reached the stairwell that descended to the room, which then led to the baths, and the Dek reluctantly led her down.

[Vaas]

After Ces is finished speaking, Vaas makes his way to the table. Vaas takes his place in the short line waiting for chance to make his appointment for a message. He is secretly hoping it is Ces. Who gives him the message, but knowing his luck last spring. It won't be. Vaas leans heavily on his staff, and he decides to pass the time by blowing his hair in front of eyes straight up into the air. Once it falls back down, he would do it again for a span of five minutes. He hears Ces call to him, “Vaas it really wasn't that long of a wait was it?” She smiles to herself as she watched the impatient young man.

Hearing Ces' voice, Vaas' tongue gets instantly tied up, and again he looses all his wits. He smiles at Ces and opens his mouth, but he suddenly forget what he was about to ask. Ces giggles to herself at the panic look on Vaas face. She knows the blind boy had a crush on her for three years, and he still can't utter a coherent sentence to her after all this time. She looks at her servant and snickers softly, her attention back to Vaas and says in a sweet voice, “Would you like a massage Vaas?” Vaas' ears perk up and he nods and says in a quickly, “Yes.” Ces puts a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle and she asks in the same sweet voice, “Would you like my servant to give you a massage, or would you like me to give you a massage?” Vaas' heart goes a flutter when she offers to give him a massage, and he again nods quickly to her and answers quickly, “Yes.” Ces rolls her eyes and asks him again, “This isn't a yes or no question Vaas. The choice is simple. My servant or me. You can pick only one.” Vaas blushes to himself and says quickly, “If it not a bother, I will pick you, Ces.” Vaas stunned at the clarity of his statement smiles proudly to himself stands there with a big smile. The servant looks at the log book and shakes his head. Ces nods to her servant and says without looking at him, “Is early next fall good for you Vaas'. I am book all the way till then.” Vaas frowns to himself and says to her with a weak smile, “No worries Ces. I am a patient man.” Ces takes down his name and calls the next person. Vaas decides to take his place by the wall before setting out to the lakes.

Vaas not wanting to go to the cold lake to take his bath decides to smell himself to see if he really needs a bath. He brings his arm up to his nose and smells it. To save his nose much pain, he pulls his arm away and makes a disgusted face, and he says quietly to himself, “Yes, I better go to the lake. Vaas himself off from the wall and slings the back pack over his shoulders. He frowns to himself, and reluctantly makes his way back to the stairs using his staff to guide his way. Lost in thought, Vaas accidentally runs into a small figure coming down from the stairs. Suddenly realizing he ran into somebody, Vaas eyes widen and he quickly apologizes, “I am sorry. I didn't hurt you did I?”

[Phoenix]

Alyx Bronwyn

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	2
Investigation	1

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	Sleeping in
•	Overdoing it the Night Before

Vaas

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	1
Rhetoric	1
Socialization	1

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	Pouting over Closed Baths
•	Crush on Ces

Nij

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	1
Rhetoric	1
Leadership	1

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	Stuck with a fatigued Dek
•	A tour to the Baths

The Order of the Phoenix

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.