Completed Getting Under The Armor

[Kyra]

Timestamp: 16th of Summer 513 AV

It was summer now, and the time of year where baths were most important. It was early in the day and since Kyra didn't have work that day she was free to do other things. Hunting came to mind, or even a walk just to stretch her legs outside the city would do her well. Being in Syliras for over a season now, the smells weren't as bad it seemed, but going outside the city gave her fresh air and a bit of time alone.

But this was a rather hot day, and walking the streets or wilderness would only make her hotter. Instead, she decided to head into the Soothing Waters for a bath and place to cool off. When she arrived, there were people about, it was always so. But there wasn't as many as there were before and this allowed her to move through the line a bit faster. Once it was her turn, the young kelvic stepped up and requested the bathing chamber.

She started to ask for a massage, but she figured that she could get one after the bath if she changed her mind. Kyra was pointed in the direction of the public bath and she headed that way. She made a quick detour to the changing room and stepped back out moments later in nothing but a towel and carrying soap. Kyra pulled the ribbons from her hair so that it could fall loose and hang down her back. Entering the bathing room, she noticed a couple already inside, but they were...busy, so that didn't notice her.

Kyra dropped her towel and slipped into the bath on the other side and exhaled a deep sigh. The water felt wonderful to her skin, and she was already starting to feel a lot cleaner. She had heard sometime ago that she could get someone to bath her, but Kyra was used to do it herself, and so she started, soaking the soap and lathering up her body.

[Orion Michaels]

He'd recentely returned from nearly thirty days on the Kabrin Road. He was exhausted, he was tired, and no amount of sleep seemed to do enough to really invigorate the squire. Dinah had told him it was to be expected, but it certainly didn't make it any easier. His bones and his joints all ached from countless bells on horseback. From the training she put him through, or as she called it, the 'knowledge she could impart'. Wasn't that a joke? The welts on his arm from failed blocks imparted nothing but pain.

All that aside, he felt simply..filthy.

"Maybe that's what my problem is..."

The decision was simple enough, right? A nice relaxing bath in at the Soothing Waters. He could even try and behave. That's what he'd have to tell himself. Sometimes it was better to take a private bath because that removed all temptations. Sometimes it was better to put yourself in a position to fall to temptation.

After greeting the receptionist, Orion was directed to the public bath, despite the fact that he probably knew this locale better than the majority of those who worked here. The humidity grew stronger as he strode towards the changing room, and he was already beginning to feel better, even before he'd entered the water. The warmth was refreshing, even it was a rather warm day.

It didn't take long for the former doctor to exit the changing room, towel around his waist and soap in hand. His body was a mess. Bruises, barely discernible from filth, littered his skin, giving him almost a spotted look. The scar running horizontally across his chest was still so very red, despite having happened over four seasons ago. A daily reminder of what was lost...

Still, he was showing some progress as well. He was fighting better. He felt stronger. He was leaner from all the running which Dinah forced him to do. Muscles were slowly beginning to feel out. He was more than a twig of a man, and he couldn't lie, if he were someone else, he'd petch his own brains out. Would there be anyone around with the same idea? Bathing wasn't the only thing he'd missed out on since late last season, after all.

Stepping to the edge of the water, Orion glanced out over the steamy waters, taking a deep breath to inhale the soothing vapors. Perfect... He dropped his towel and paused just a moment longer than most, before lowering himself down into the warm liquid. He didn't notice the familiar blonde woman until he'd let out a sigh of relief. The warm waters were exactly what he'd needed.

At least until there was a naked Kyra around.

He pushed himself through the water, awkwardly moving through depths which weren't enough to swim in, but a bit much to wade through. That didn't matter, though. Did she notice he was approaching? Did she enjoy seeing him struggle so much? A wicked smirk spread across his lips as she found herself in hearings distance of the squire.

"Need any help with the lathering, ma'am?"

[Kyra]

Kyra could remember bath time when she was little and how she protested, not the bath itself, but the time in which she had to do it. Life was always an adventure for the girl, and there was just too much to do and so little time between her lessons, bath time, and bed time. She would make a splash of each and every event, and wouldn't make it easy on her mother in the least. Kyra could even remember asking her mother to bath with her, and when she refused, the tiny kelvic started to wonder if her mother even took baths since she never did it with her.

The kelvic didn't pay any attention to the others in the bath, nor did she even look their way. Bath time was a somewhat private thing for her, not out of a personal preference, she was just used to doing it alone. Even with Marcelo she mostly took baths alone, although she seemed to take baths more often as well. Kyra continued to clean herself, gently rubbing the soapy bubbles across her bare flesh and buffing herself to a high shine.

With her nose filled and washed from the waters, Kyra's sense of smell was altered and she didn't catch Orion as he entered, though in his state she would probably have rather she didn't. When she heard his voice, the girl spun around and a smile rose upon her lips.

"Well hello Orion, How have you been?" Using her feet to push herself off the wall so that she could peddle towards him, Kyra swam closer, lifted herself up and wrapped her arms around him. It was a gentle hug, one of someone that had been missed and thought of.

Releasing the hug, Kyra slipped back a bit, her eyes falling on the scars on his body that were now mostly hidden by the soap transferred from her own. Suddenly, she dipped herself under water and came back up, while whipping about her hair and then combing the strains away from her eyes. She gave a soft sigh, happiness in the bath and in seeing Orion again. "Where have you been? I started to wonder if more of those..Zith? Had gotten to you. Or that woman...I forget her name. I wondered if she had you chained up in box somewhere...she certainly looks the type."

[Orion Michaels]

It was such a relief to see her. Last they'd met, they were the unfortunate victims of a Zith attack. Just another chapter in the oddly exciting relationship these two held. He'd seen her in almost every way a guy could. As a stranger and an acquaintance. He couldn't get those moans out of his mind for weeks. All over a foot massage....

He'd seen her down to her undergarments, he'd seen her in a slinky dress. He'd seen her dance, and he'd seen her in the heat of combat, more than once. She had a vicious side, he was sure of it. Orion was sure the blonde woman was going to kill the Epyharian they'd fought in the Spinning Coin if he hadn't interceded. She had a gentle side, which he'd seen when she gingerly...well, sort of...treated the wound that those horrible Zith left across his face.

He'd seen so many sides of her. Except the naked one that was hugging him now.

Orion didn't know what to expect, but that wouldn't have been top ten. He didn't have anything witty to say, any joke to give, and no expression to share but shock. So he simply returned the embrace, reaching around to hold her in equal reverence of reuniting with a good friend.

"I've been well enough. I just got back from my patrol on the Kabrin a couple days back," he said, releasing her from his arms, averting his eyes slightly as she moved to submerge herself. "No more Zith, but it's safe to say I'll never forget about them," he said plainly, rubbing the fresh scars on his face to emphasize his point. They were still somewhat sore, but they were healing as well as could be expected, considering where he was when he sustained the wound.

Grinning at her mention of Dinah, he could only shake his head. The two of them had barely exchanged words and had developed a strong distaste for one another, or so it seemed to Orion. Dinah had recommended that he stay away from that woman, but while she could give him a curfew, she wouldn't control who's company he kept. "No, no. Not a box, though sometimes I wish I had one to hide in. She's very....uneven." He shrugged, not sure if he should say more, or if he'd already said too much regarding it.

"But never mind that, how are you doing? I was really surprised to see you wandering out alone. I was worried you were leaving the city again. I don't even have a pretty face to keep you coming back anymore."

[Kyra]

Kyra reached up and gently moved the tips of her fingers across the scars on his face. Bits of water were transferred from her moist skin onto his, and the tiny bubbles slowly began to leak and trickle down his cheek. She gazed at him, closely inspecting the marks on his face. They were still fresh, though it appeared that the marks had changed a bit since she had last saw them, but that could also be because of all of the blood.

"Does it hurt much?" she asked, stalling their earlier conversation in concern for his well being.

On the subject of his patron, Kyra was interested in what he had to say, first impressions were important, and in this, she had got nothing but bad vibes from the woman, even though it was clear that Kyra was trying to help Orion, or so she thought. The young kelvic dipped herself under water again for another tick, coming up and moving her arms across her chest, while her hands massaged her neck. "Is she cruel to you? Well, you don't have to answer, I don't suppose a woman like her would know anything else."

She rubbed at her neck a bit more, fingers tangling through her hair and pulling loose as she drew them away. Her arms lowered, fingers free of her hair where they came down upon her shoulders, as she hugged her arms across her bare breasts. The soapy suds that had covered her slender body were all gone now, and left her with clean, smooth, and somewhat radiant skin. There was a very subtle rise of blush in her cheeks as she listened to him speak, it seemed that the squire had been worried about her, or at least that is how she took it.

Kyra smiled weakly, tilting her head just a bit as she observed his features again. "I think your face is still pretty Orion. But now..it's also rugged...perhaps more like something a bandit would have. But a nice bandit..who took baths."

They never did finish that conversation, the first time it happened was on the night in question, when Kyra was about to leave the city again. But other things happened and it saved her from having to fully explain her reasons. But now he was asking again, and as it appeared that she was no longer going to leave, she didn't see a reason to bring it up again. Lifting her hands up, the young kelvic lightly gripped the soap and started to lather up her hands again to continue her bath. "We're you worried about me Orion? Would it mean so much to you if I were to stay?"

[Orion Michaels]

Orion instinctually closed his eyes as Kyra's fingers gently touched the marks on his face. The scars weren't sensitive anymore, but still phantom pains lingered occasionally. He still couldn't remember the time right around when the injury occurred. He knew it was Zith, Dinah had told him it got him pretty well. He had bits and moments of remembrance. Kyra was there. A vicious battle. Blood. A lot of pain. Kyra...she flipped though the air, or was that just the delusions of his clouded memory?

"No, it's just something there to remind me to keep my eyes open when I'm on patrol. Those Zith are unforgiving, wouldn't you agree?"

Orion let out a quiet chuckle as she continued their conversation on Dinah. If he had the opportunity to lock them both in a room and just watch, well, he might just consider it. Not that he would ever share that with either of them. Not if he valued his bits. "She's a harsh trainer, but I promise, there's something more under what you saw." A much softer side. The one he'd met when she found him at the Soothing Waters. The one he'd met when they first trained at the squire's training grounds. Things had changed a lot...

Orion submerged himself, trying not to let his gaze linger too long on Kyra's nude frame. What the petch is wrong with you, Orion? Why haven't you tried anything? He'd spent so much time with her, and really, nothing had ever happened. He was so used controlling a situation, manipulating it until whoever he was with would make a move. Was that not working?

"I prefer ruggedly handsome over pretty, but I guess I'll have to trust the words of a beautiful woman, huh?" He turned away slightly to give the flush in his cheeks a chance to subside. "A bandit, huh? Can you even imagine that? Me as a bandit?" He turned back, a grin returning to his lips. "Though would you have thought me a squire after meeting me as a masseuse? Give me another season and maybe I'll be a magician."

She quickly turned the conversation back on him, and it suddenly made him uncomfortable. He didn't want to have to answer that question because it made things too...real. "Ah..well..the thing about that is.." He stammered, submerging below the water to get himself clean and buy himself a second to figure out his reply. Of course it would, Kyra. Was it so hard to say?

Resurfacing, water dripped from Orion's face and body as tried to wipe his eyes dry, looking at her blonde frame through blurred vision. "With all the excitement we deal with," he began, moving through the waters towards her, a smirk rising to his feature, "I'd began to grow accustomed to having someone there to bail me out of a bad situation. I mean, you..that is..." His words failing him again, all Orion could do was laugh, resting his back against the side of the bath for support. "Oh boy..."

He exhaled again, looking over Kyra, expecting a confused look. He certainly would have been. "Yeah, it's better when you're around, Kyra," he finally managed. He had no idea how to really be friends, share feelings, any of that shyke. When someone was in his life for more than one passionate night, well, there weren't many of them, so he didn't know what to do. "Gods be kind," he muttered, turning away under the guise of grabbing soap to cleanse himself.

[Kyra]

His scars looked painful to her, nasty even, and it was a shock that he still had his eye. The young kelvic wasn't a doctor like the one in front of her, so she couldn't list what reasons why he still had his eye, but she was just glad that he did, as she was sure he so thought as well. She could still see the others in the bath with them, although they didn't seem as engaged as they were when she stepped in. Perhaps it was the squires entrance that caused them to untangle and separate.

Kyra turned her gaze back to the x-doctor as their conversation about his patron continued. At first it seemed as if Orion felt the same way that she did about the woman, but suddenly his features soften, and he had a far away gaze, as if he were recalling a fond memory. Kyra blinked curiously, she'd never seem him like this, thinking over a woman. Was there something more that she didn't know or understand?"A..softer side..her? Orion, you sound like a man in love. Is this true?" She stared at him closely, even leaning in a bit to watch his reaction.

She watched as he submerged himself and lifted her hands to comb through her hair again. The soaked locks of pale gold hung loose and covered her forehead and coursed down her cheeks. Her nimble fingers slipped in and pulled the strains away from her eyes and pushed them in with the rest of the hair to either side of her head. Glancing over again, she noticed that the couple were watching them, and she wondered if they wanted them to leave. Curious, but it didn't matter, she deserved a good bath as anyone did, and now that she had the good squire talking, she wasn't about to slow it down.

"Ruggedly handsome?" the kelvic repeated with a smirk. "Alright then...ruggedly handsome it is." Kyra tilted her head a bit as she watched him more. It appeared that he was pulling away again, embarrassed maybe, she wasn't sure. He made a good point however, seeing him as a bandit would be hard, but as he also said, she hadn't thought him a Knight in the making either. "That is very true, I would never have guessed.." She giggled softly at his joke, but at the same time, her eyes widen with interest.

"If it is magic that interest you, perhaps I could teach you?"

Kyra continued to soap up her tiny form, creating the suds in her palms by rubbing against the wet soapy mold, and then smoothing out the length of her arms. Her fingers traced her body, moving over her shoulders, neck, and down her chest cupping the supple flesh there before washing below. She had asked him a very simple question, and yet he seemed to have trouble getting the words out. She didn't mean to upset him, or ask him a question that he didn't want to answer, it was simply brought on by the question he had asked her before.

What she could take from his vague speech was that he didn't mind having her around, perhaps as backup for a fight, but it didn't really answer her question...though she supposed it did. "I understand. Things have gotten crazy here a few times. It is..good, to have someone to help with that." She fell silent then and dipped herself under water again, before snapping back up while whipping her hair back. The kelvic was completely clean now, and she was left to enjoy the waters or get out and dry off. "Shall I wash your back?" she asked suddenly. Kya had noticed that he hadn't bathed as much and was wondering if he, like so many others, preferred to have others do it for him.

[Orion Michaels]

That was a joke, right? Orion in love with Dinah? Don't get him wrong, he had a healthy desire for the woman. She was somewhat of the 'forbidden fruit' type, and that just made her all the more wanted. He couldn't lie, the sexual tension was suffocating, and if he had the chance, he'd likely have done things that would make the most crude of men blush. Thing was, she never gave him the chance. "No, I don't love her, Kyra," he chuckled, shaking his head. "I just..understand her, that's all. She's my patron knight, and nothing more." A somewhat dry smirk followed his words though, as he tilted his head slightly at the blonde woman. "Why do you ask? Don't tell me you're jealous, Kyra?"

He didn't pay much mind to those around. They must have wanted to fool around or something, and he didn't care less if they spent themselves right there. Apparently the presence of a wiry squire was a bit much for them. Or more likely, they were simply enchanted by the woman with whom Orion spoke. Not that he could blame them, as he was somewhat entranced by the vixen before him, too.

Then she said something curious. Magic?

"Wait. What?"

He raised an eyebrow, pausing in his own cleaning to focus entirely on Kyra. Had she just offered to teach him magic? "You're..," he began in a somewhat hushed voice. "You're a mage?" Well there was the new focus of the conversation. Not those curves. Not that supple flesh. Kyra the wizard. He'd not expected that. Everyone had their secrets though, and few knew that he was no stranger to magic either.

So shocked was Orion by her revelation, that he spoke plainly to her words about him missing her or not. That wasn't what he'd meant at all. "No, Kyra. It's much more than that. I mean, I trust you, and there aren't many people I say that about. I'd be...sad.." He trailed off, his mind catching up with his words. "Ummm..."

Then she offered to wash his back. "Ooooh boy.." he whispered quietly. Could he really accept her offer?

...

He sure as petch could. This was Orion Michaels after all.

"S-sure. You're kind to offer. It's somewhat difficult getting back there," he stammered somewhat, flipping around so his chest was against the stone side, exposing his back to the blonde. Resting his head against the floor beside the bath, Orion closed his eyes and tried to run his mind over everything they'd discussed, but his thoughts wouldn't cooperate. There was so little he knew about Kyra. That was the norm with beautiful woman and Orion. What was troublesome was the fact he wanted to learn more, and not in the usual way.

[Kyra]

Kyra watched him closely, it was interesting to see the range of emotions that grew and faded from his features at the simple mention of the woman. One thing she knew for sure was that the woman was important to him, and not only because she was just his patron either. She smiled as he did, already expecting a humorous reply. The more time that she spent talking to him, the more she started to understand his ways. He was the light hearten sort, and she liked that. After having spent so much time with a brooding forest witch, it was nice to have a chance.

"Jealous? I am not." Kyra protested and shook her head. "I was only curious. Are you never curious?"

She didn't look much to the others at the moment and focused more on Orion and if he would tell her more about his squirehood. She knew very little about patron knights and squires, and in truth, he was the first that she had spoken to such an extent. Kyra knew that Ravok and Syliras had it's differences, and were obviously against the other, but the more she stayed in the city, the less it seemed so terrible.

The young kelvic smiled and giggled softly to the surprise on Orion's face. She hadn't forgot that Syliras frowned upon magic use, but he had mentioned being a magician so she thought it was ok. "No I'm not a mage. But I was a busker sometime ago." Her golden eyes lit up as she spoke, it was one of the fun stories that she liked to tell people about, even with the sad ending that followed. But she had always chosen, to the best of her ability, to see it all for the good and fun times, rather than the end result.

Kyra was surprised at his sudden change in demeanor and the revelation that he made. It wasn't often that someone told her that they would miss her, or that they would be sad if she were gone. Most people didn't even try to pretend that it was true. She smiled again and her pale cheeks grew a bit rosy as well. Lifting her hand, she showed him the soap and started to rub it between her small fingers and palms to lather them up.

"I'll make it quick and I won't scratch you..."

The kelvic went to work then, soaping up his back and shoulders, nimble fingers curling into his flesh as she massaged the soap into his skin. Her hands went out and around his back, then up the middle where his spine was set below the muscles and skin there. "I've never given a person a bath before, only myself. But I hear that the people here do it all the time." Once she was done, Kyra moved away to allow him to dip himself and rinse off his back. "Orion, do you think I could become a Knight?" It was a first, and an idea that she had thought over for less than a tick, but she had to wonder if it was so different from being a soldier in Ravok.

[Orion Michaels]

"There's nothing with a little jealousy, Kyra," he replied, smiling softly. "Though having to spend that much time with me is hardly something to get jealous of, if you ask me. The only reason you can even stand to be around me is because it's so infrequent, I assure you. And me, curious? All the time, Kyra." He could only hope she didn't pressure him on this, because he didn't know if he could really answer. What drove him, what made him ask questions and wonder about so much? Sometimes he didn't even really know, and to get so deep when he was really just wanting a nice bath was more than Orion wanted.

"A busker, huh?" It wasn't that difficult to picture her doing so. She was always animated, always curious, always wanted to be doing something. Who was more animated than a busker? Little tricks, small slights of hands to draw out the 'ooohs' and 'aaahs' from the crowd. "Why don't you do that anymore..well..other than the fact that us knightly types seem to be against it?"

"I've never met a man who complained about having their back scratched by a beau-....Ahhhhhh..." His line of thought disappeared as she began to clean his back, soft, nimble fingers working into his back, scrubbing the dirt and grime from his skin. She'd never given another a bath? That was a crazy thought to Orion. Oh, the debauchery he'd been part of in this very location. There'd been a time or two where he had to convince a knight he wasn't a wicked man trying to do horrible things to the innocent women enjoying the hot waters with him. Steamy waters usually led to a blind eye being turned, though...

Any of those thoughts were suppressed quickly by her next question. "A knight, Kyra? Would you really want to do that?" It was an unexpected inquiry, she didn't seem the type at all. Though he'd be a hypocrite to tell her anything but yes. It's not like he exactly fit in amongst the armored warriors of the Syliran Knights. He was just a doctor who was in the right place at the right time. Or maybe it was the wrong place..

"I suppose so, Kyra. I mean, they took me, and if that's the case, I imagine you'd have no problems. It'll certainly make you rethink everything, that's for sure. Sometimes I wonder if I'm doing the right thing..." Orion trailed off, as to avoid souring the mood. It was a constant concern of his, him being a twenty six old knight in training. "I could probably talk to some people about it, but I hear they aren't taking on new squires right now."