Solo The Birds and the Bees

[Baiya]

21st of Spring, 521

Love was in the air, and although Lhavit was bustling all over, to Baiya it seemed nowhere had a heavier concentration of people than at the Starglow Spa. People flitted in and out of the spa all day, worrying their hair, skin, and makeup to try to make last minute adjustments to impress someone special. Everyone on staff was called in for the day, so while Baiya was not the go-to masseuse, she found herself plenty busy enough. It seemed that wherever she walked, there was a hand on her shoulder to whisper a request.

“Baiya! Could you bring me the red hair dye?”

“Sure!”

“Baiya? We need the toothpaste over here.”

“I’ll get it.”

“Baiya, I’m out of oil. Could you grab me some?”

“Uh, yeah. Let me just do this first.” Baiya mumbled as she tried to juggle the armfuls of supplies she had accumulated.

“Try to hurry, dear.”

Baiya turned back around and pulled a face silently. Normally she loved her job, but the best part about the spa was relaxation, and she couldn’t pretend that was true when everyone was rushing in and out of rooms. However, much to her surprise, the spa stayed relatively quiet while everyone worked. In fact, Baiya appeared to be the most stressed of any of the workers. Even A’shra, who had exponentially more on her plate today than any other given day, seemed perfectly content.

A’shra even took time to approach Baiya in the hall, arms outstretched. She gestured to herself in a way that might have otherwise indicated a hug, but this time said “give me that”. Baiya handed her the oil on top and nodded to the room where Tawnya was working, but A’shra shook her head and gestured again. So Baiya handed her the toothpaste as well, and pointed to Chiro’s room. Finally, A’shra held out her hand and grabbed the dye from Baiya’s arms.

“Take a break.” A’shra was always soft-spoken, but something about the way she spoke left no room for negotiation. Baiya just slumped her shoulders in defeat.

“Yeah, okay.”

“The terrace is open.” A’shra bowed her head politely and then disappeared down the hall, leaving Baiya to slug up the stairs in silence.

---

The terrace was always a beautiful place. It was stunning to be able to overlook the city on any day. Today, though, the city had a special shine to it. Ribbons waved excitedly in the wind. Lanterns, not yet lit, waited patiently for nightfall to share their colors. The entire city smelt of flowers, and their colors speckled the ground. Seated carefully on a pillow, Baiya closed her eyes to take it in with one deep, slow breath. She pulled the air in through her nose, and then released it through her mouth in a great huff that took much of her exhaustion with it. When she opened her eyes, she was looking not at the city, but rather at its reflection in the pond, where the world became rippling and lucent with the sun. She had never attended herself, but she could see why people might come here for meditation. She would have to try it someday.

“Baiya?” Afwen’s voice interrupted from the doorway. “Are you coming back soon?”

Baiya winced. Okay, maybe I’ll relax some other day. “Yeah, I’m heading back now.”

“Great! I could use you in my room. We have a big job coming in!”

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[Baiya]

21st of Spring, 521

Working with Afwen gave an entirely different mood to the room. Baiya thought that she was chatty- sometimes overly so- but Afwen brought a whole new level.

“The gal coming in thinks she’s going to be proposed to tonight so she wants the works. It’s gonna be hair, makeup, and a massage for her hands and feet. She wants something fancy and romantic so I’m thinking an updo and a glittery springtime look. But whatever we do, she needs to look and feel perfect.”

Afwen scurried around the room, her shoes clicking in time with her voice as she pulled out tool after tool. She had combs, hair brushes, pins and pomades, as well as palettes of face powder, rouges, lip pomades and fine-bristled cosmetic brushes. Baiya did her own face from time to time, but nothing compared to the spread that lay before her.

“So I’m going to start with the hair, and you can do the hands and feet while I work. Then you’ll have to get out of the way so I can do her face.”

Baiya gave her a suspicious glance. So I’m supposed to rush the massage? That’s not how this works. She thought, but Afwen wasn’t paying attention. She was already headed to the door to greet their client, humming merrily to herself.

“Welcome! Come in, come in!” Afwen bowed before their guest and Baiya followed with the same. When Baiya raised her head, she saw what Afwen had meant by a “big job”. The woman exuded wealth from her pores. Despite being in the traditional white robe of the spa and largely stripped of material wealth, her ears still sported beautiful stone studs and Baiya noticed her reaching reflexively for a necklace to fiddle with. The habits seemed nervous, but her face was all smiles and her voice barely contained her excitement.

“Thank you all so much for helping out!”

“Of course! It’s our pleasure!” Afwen chimed. “Have a seat, have a seat. We have lots to do today.”

While the women chatted about the styles and goings-on of Lhavit, Baiya gathered her own materials. First she prepared a shallow bucket with warm water. With the knowledge that the client had requested the works, Baiya went ahead and popped open a bottle of scented vinegar. She had never had the opportunity to use it before, but she had heard it praised for its ability to remove wrinkles and smooth skin- not to mention its strangely attractive citrus smell. She mixed the vinegar in with the water small spoonfuls at a time until the water was just barely colored and fragranced. Finally, she grabbed the warm towels she always worked with and a cute tiny pillow for armrests.

With a roll of her shoulders and a deep breath, she headed into the fray.

“Greetings, Ma’am. I’m Baiya.”

“Oh, beautiful. You have the foot bath ready?”

Baiya was slightly bothered at the lack of introduction, but she had been practicing concealing her annoyed face. Either she was improving or the woman didn’t care. The woman simply raised her feet and allowed Baiya to place them into the warm tub.

“Perfect.” The client purred. “Today will be perfect.”
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[Baiya]

21st of Spring, 521

Knowing she was short on time, Baiya moved to the woman’s hands while she was waiting for the foot bath. Hand massages were generally short anyway unless the customer had a specific injury or problem spot, simply due to the bony nature of the hands, so she figured she could get it done while her feet were soaking.

Letting the woman lean back, Baiya first placed the small pillow under the arm she wasn’t working on so that the customer could rest. For the other side, Baiya rested the hand on her own, using her other hand to begin with soft, warming strokes up and down the forearm to the crook of her elbow. Before she had gotten too far, Afwen elbowed Baiya gently to hand her a bottle of soft scented cream. Spreading a dollop onto her palms and spreading it between her fingers, Baiya began again. In the meantime, Afwen began to brush out the client’s hair. Afwen and the client chattered away like old friends, leaving Baiya to work silently. Listening to their conversation, though, she was happy she didn’t have to try and keep up.

“So I hear there’s a special event tonight we’re getting done up for, hmm?”

“Oh, yes! I absolutely cannot wait. I’ve been waiting so long- we’ve been dating three seasons you know-”

“Mmm, it’s time.”

“That’s what I said. And so yesterday on our date to the tea house he asked me what my plans were for tonight.”

“And you got suspicious right there?”

“Well of course. It’s the day before the Heart’s Festival. And if he proposed tonight we could spend all day together as freshly betrothed.”

“And all night?” Afwen pulled out a mirror and handed it to the customer, raising her eyebrows cheekily in its reflection.

“Hush!” The woman giggled giddily. Then, in conspiratorial tones added, “But I can’t say it didn’t cross my mind.”

Baiya normally had the curiosity of a child toward matters in love as she had never experienced a serious romantic relationship herself, but this discussion could not hold her attention. It seemed to go back and forth and nowhere all at the same time.

Her hands worked down the forearm and onto the palm. Here, she used her thumbs to dig into the crevices between the bones and pull them apart gently. Beneath her pressure, she could feel the muscles stretch then relax back into place. She did this with each section of the hands, working from palm to knuckles to fingers. Reaching the fingers, she took them between her thumb and forefinger and slid it down the length of them, tugging gently and rocking side to side as she did so. Generally, the client would close their eyes or give notions of approval here, or at the very least an indication of disapproval. This woman, however, hardly seemed to notice that Baiya was there at all.

“No, if he doesn’t have something huge planned, I will be furious! I have told him a million things about my ideal fantasy wedding, and if he hasn’t been listening all this time then I don’t suppose he deserves to marry me!”

It was a good thing the woman wasn’t looking, because Baiya barely contained her eye roll.
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[Baiya]

21st of Spring, 521

The other hand was a quick massage before it was time to move on. Afwen had begun circling the chair so she could work on pinning up her bangs and wrapping the client’s hair and Baiya was only getting in the way. So, Baiya moved from her hands and down to her feet.

First she removed the tub and elevated the woman’s feet slightly on a rolled towel. She did not dry them off manually for fear of drying the skin out, but instead allowed them to air dry while she disposed of the water and returned the tub to its resting place. Upon Baiya’s return, she found that her feet were mostly dry. She covered the one she wasn’t working on with a warmed towel before pushing a fresh drop of skin cream into her palms. As she warmed the cream between her palms once more and began to give slow strokes to the woman’s feet, she eavesdropped on the conversation happening around her.

Afwen had a handful of hairpins in her mouth, so she was not saying nearly as much this time, but she still managed to carry on the conversation. The client, on the other hand, was doing plenty of chatting.

“I think that I will wear my favorite dress tonight, too. Oh, you’ll have to see it! It’s smooth and silky and it has little beads woven into the lace around the neck. It cost me a fortune, I tell you, but the lace has survived for so long I do think it was worth it. Oh, but do you think that the red will be too much with all the decorations around? And will it look tacky to carry red flowers as well?”

“Mm-mm.” Afwen murmured. She carefully held the hair in place between her fingers while pinning it down with her other hand.

“You’re right. As long as I’m not also yellow I think it’ll be okay. There probably won’t be flowers tonight anyway. That’s more of a tomorrow deal.”

Baiya finished spreading the skin cream and began to work in earnest at the soles of the woman’s feet. She was surprised to find they were calloused at the heel. She had expected perfect, untouched skin, but it appeared as if this woman had in fact worked on her feet at some point. Baiya worked the calloused area firmly in one direction with the flat of her hand. The combination of the vinegar, the cream, and the pressure slowly began to dissolve the harsh white lines and creases. Once she was satisfied, Baiya traveled further up her foot, making her way to the ball of the foot. Here is where stress lay. Baiya could feel the stiffness as she separated and massaged each knuckle. That was when she noticed the silence for the first time. Half startled, she looked up to see the woman with her eyes closed. She was humming a soft tune to herself, interrupted only when she opened her eyes and met Baiya’s gaze.

“That feels nice.” It sounded less like a compliment and more like a statement of fact, but after working unacknowledged for nearly a bell, Baiya felt the praise in her soul. She beamed.
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[Baiya]

21st of Spring, 521

Renewed by the praise, Baiya worked with fresh energy. She worked her fingers between the toes to reach the thin skin and rubbed the lotion in to soothe the irritated or broken pieces. She worked her way down to the tips, wiggling them gently back and forth just as she had the fingers. She twisted ever so slightly, tugging on the ends of the toes to allow a stretching and relaxing pattern much as she had the palms. The pattern was almost exactly the same, no matter where on the body it happened. She simply had to work her way around the various bones and ropy tendons.

As this type of massage was more familiar to Baiya, her hands began to take over of their own accord and her mind numbed peacefully with the rhythm as she carried on with the opposite foot. She often had the impulse to hum softly to herself, but knowing the spa’s emphasis on a quiet space she suppressed the urge.

Afwen apparently had no such qualms. She hummed as she spun about, putting the finishing touches in place. She rolled a teensy dab of pomade between her hands and smoothed the gel through the bangs of the woman’s hair. She worked from the roots first and spread it out to the edges. Once it was spread properly she began to sculpt the bangs into place. After a tick the waxy pomade solidified a bit, and she used a comb to break up anywhere that the pomade had clumped while keeping it brushed in the correct direction. Baiya made a note in her head to ask Afwen about the pomade, as she had never seen one without the greasy sheen before.

After Afwen was finished, she stepped back to admire her work. The woman really did look beautiful. Her hair was styled with braids that hugged her head all the way around, and her bangs curled softly towards her face. Together, they framed her big eyes and small smile perfectly.

Not wanting to quit in the middle of the job but also not wanting to be in the way, Baiya hurried through her last steps. She gave a few cooldown strokes up and down the feet and around the ankle. She prioritized the spots where the skin cream remained so that the woman’s feet would not be slippery when she left. Hopefully they would also be soft and shiny, but not falling and messing up her hair would be the priority.

Baiya moved out of the way as soon as she was finished, grabbing her towels and creams on the way out. If it had not been true before, it was certainly true then that Baiya had become invisible. Baiya cleared her throat, trying to excuse herself politely, but Afwen and the client continued speaking about the night and what they would do next.

Dejected, Baiya resigned herself to slipping from the room silently. But as she crossed the doorway, she heard Afwen’s happy chirp behind her and stopped in her tracks.

“Baiya! Aren’t you going to stay and help? She might want advice on her makeup too.”

Baiya looked over her shoulder and raised her brow inquisitively. “You want me to stay?”

“Well, you’ve done good enough so far.” Afwen quipped.

Baiya’s heart pounded. She dropped her materials on the ground directly from where she stood, ignoring the heavy thump of her bag. “Okay, I’m coming!”
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[Oralie]

grade award!

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Baiya

Skills

• Observation: 3
• Massage: 3

Lores

• Massage: Mixing a scented foot bath
• Massage: Hand massage techniques
• Lore of the satisfaction of receiving praise

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Please PM me if you have any questions or concerns and don't forget to edit your grade request!