Completed Wash Behind Your...what?...

[Ssoehrsinaetheron]

1st of Fall, 517 AV
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The shop would open late today. Ssoerhsinaetheron gave a hissing snarl under his breath as he eyed what had once been little more than a windfall. The forest noble that had fallen under the stroke of some long-forgotten storm had turned into a rotted, slimy husk long ago...but it’s massive form had collected enough moss, debris, and more to have created a notable hollow. Nothing was in there currently, but as he narrowed his eyes in the dawn-glow, he could tell that years -- probably decades -- had turned a simple hollow into a deep hole. Local animals had probably accelerated the matter, but with no heat signatures it was fairly obvious nothing was there now.

He cracked his neck irritatedly, setting down his pack where he would be able to retrieve it quickly. It made only the slightest of sounds on the forest floor now. What leaves had already begun to fall were thoroughly soaked in the pelting rain. Rivulets of water ran down his scales as it was, but he knew things were only going to get worse.

A rumble rolled overhead, earning a glance up from the tired dhani. The canopy blocked most of his view, but what he could see was nothing but endless, dismal grey.

”No point worrying about it more...Caiyha knows the land needs it.”

With that, he slithered headfirst into the cavity.

The moss reeked of fungus, which was what drew him here. The stench only assaulted him for a moment, however, as he plunged into a sludge of mud and rotten plant matter. He jerked his head up out of the mud, wiping at his face furiously to try to clear his vision, swearing a blue streak in Snaketongue. It took a moment, but he was finally able to get himself oriented. He knew the smell of the specific fungus he was trying to find -- it was actually multiple fungi that grew together in a single multi-colored clump. He flicked his tongue, searching for that strange scent in the reeking space...it was a sweet, meaty flavor...like candied livers. Oh...he missed food at the Nest. Candied livers...rich carmelized flavor on the outside, melt-in-your-mouth warmth on the inside…

[Ssoehrsinaetheron]

It took another thunderclap to break his daydreaming and remind him that he was neck-deep in a pit of sludge finding a lump of poison-bearing fungus. He flicked his tongue, careful not to actually touch the walls. The scent...he flicked again. Yes, it came from ahead and to his right. His tail slapped the walls of the hole, flinging mud as he worked to shove himself deeper into it. He could see fine in this lighting, but there was so much filth...finding it by color alone would be impossible. Once he reached the far back wall, he reached out, running his powerful hands along the walls, fingers trailing lightly through the detritus. There were several clusters of typical mushrooms, along with tangles of roots, but the mucol fungus...there it was! They always grew in a lumpy, slick mass. He thumped it lightly just to check, and could hear the wet “Dloop, Dloop” of the squishy lump’s liquid center. Good.

He shivered in the mud. The rain and earth made for a cold mixture...it had been days since he had a good bask. Water dripped onto his face from the trailing end of a rootlet that dangled from the dirt against his head like the finger of a curious child. No time to waste in here, not that he was planning to linger. Shoving his hand into the dirt, he worked his fingers back and forth until they were under the Mucol lump, then pulled towards his body slowly. Every time the lump shifted, he wiggled his hand around in a tight circle, trying to dislodge any connecting roots as he moved...the last thing he needed was for it to rupture.

After a moment of meticulous work, it was finally free. With a sigh of relief, he turned to head out of the hole, having to physically use his free hand to drag himself out towards the end. The entrace was tight for something as large as him, to say the least. As he flopped back out onto the ground, the rain began to finally do him some good and worked to clean the debris and dirt from his scales. Once all sixteen feet of him were free, he swung his tail over to the pack, sliding the strap over his rattle and flicking it back to his waiting hands. A large cloth was extracted and unfolded first. Into the center he placed the fungus -- it’s surface a swirl of orange and leaf-green, laced by purple-black lines. Ugly, but the smells! As he wiped away the protective outer coating, the liver smell faded so that he could just barely get a whiff of the faint minty liquid on the inside. This would make at least two batches of Engeron’s Bane. Good.

Wrapped until as safe as a beloving baby in swaddling, the lump was slipped into his pack, which was then slung over one shoulder. The day had turned to a slightly less dim grey, which meant that somewhere on the other side of the storm the sun had risen. Visibility was dropping, and he could feel his muscles trembling from the extended exposure to the cold. He needed warmth -- and a wash -- and needed it soon. He had no desire to try to boil water over his own hearth.

[Ssoehrsinaetheron]

The Aquillar Hot Springs sent up a plume of steam that, to him, seemed like a beacon for the higher realms. The bathhouse itself was a somewhat simple affair, but a more than welcome relief. An older woman opened the door for him, and smiled.

”Welcome to Aquillar Hot Springs. I am Natlana. Are you here for the tavern or baths?”

Aetheron gathered himself into a tight coil so as to not crowd the room, flashing a closed-lip smile back at her.

”I am definitely here for the baths. I’ll just do the common ones. I’ll need a place to leave my belongings safely...they contain fragile items.”

Natlana nodded, extending her hands to take his bags -- presumably into some safe location she personally oversaw. After he passed them to her, along with payment, she pointed him into the room to his left. ”Through that door you’ll find the pools. I hope you enjoy your time.”

The pools themselves were a strange but welcoming mix of nature and manufacture. The main walls of the hot springs were all masonry work, forming a rounded square, but the bottom of the pool and surrounding areas remained the natural bedrock that supported the water in the first place. The air was humid, but with the lowered surrounding temperatures now it remained tolerable...and for Aetheron, it was downright wonderful.

The eyes of the other occupants turned to him upon entry. Most of them went back to their business with a few comments, while one couple shared some harsh whispers before moving to the far side. It did not matter -- something so beckoning would not be put off by something as slight as that. He eased himself into the water, letting out the type of sigh that is deep, long, involuntary reaction. As he draped his coils under the gently bubbling surface, tendrils of steam curled up his chest and around his head like the hands of a playful lover.

He plunged his head under the waters, bringing it back up as he smoothed it back from his face. This...this was more like it. Still...he could feel the mud caked under his scales, and set to work. His head was first, working his fingers through his hair in a slow, methodical motion first to dislodge any debris, and secondly to free the strands from one another. He was careful, too, to give his scalp a good scrubbing to get off any more stubborn dirt. His face was a more simple matter...just a vigorous rub, starting at the forehead and working in small strokes down each side of his face, around his eyes, and down to his chin. Moving his hands back, he ran his nails around his ears -- first snaking around the folds inside, then around the outside edge.

[Ssoehrsinaetheron]

His head finished, he cupped water in his hands, pouring it over his head and face, repeating the process twice before rubbing down his neck and shoulders. His palms rasped ever so slightly against his skin, a sound reminiscent of running one’s fingers across sheets of old canvas. These scales were small and sparse, making it easy to wash.

Whatever reservations some people had, he did notice at least one young woman -- some sort of human subrace -- watching him with more than usual attention. He met her gaze without lifting his head, smiling ever so slightly as he worked his hands down his lean, muscled body. She flashed a smile at him bashfully and looked away. He chuckled softly and focused himself on his grooming once more. The females of other species were nowhere near as stunning as his own kind, in his opinion, but they could still be pretty, in their own lesser way. Occasionally since moving to Sunberth he had enjoyed them, but he had met none that progressed beyond playthings...he would have just as gladly eaten most of them, considering his food budget that first year while he was trying to set up his business. This year, however, The Coil and Fang was doing well, but now work was his main pursuit, not leisure. Still…

The thought trailed off as he reached his waist, where his scales shifted from the fine, skin-like pattern into a heavy, armor-like plating. He gave a bit of a groan as he set to work...over a dozen feet of scales to clean, and these each took individual care.

Of first concern was lifting them, and running his fingers under each one, peeling away a film of mud that built up underneath. Once that was accomplished, he had to buff them with his palm -- the scales there served like a fine sanding cloth. The surface of his scales, particularly those on his underbelly, saw extensive wear and tear, often being drug over improperly set woodnails on a shop floor or broken glass...any number of things. While the cracks and gouges did not penetrate them, the crevices left could hold grime that would make the surrounding skin sore if it wasn’t cleaned properly.

As he worked his way down his underbelly, he contemplated briefly what he would be doing with himself now that the business was up and running. Ideally, that would mean he could pay off Goldfinger and then begin saving up money. Maybe even become successful to buy out competition! But no...no...competition meant that no one could be certain the source of a poison, and it also meant that there was more need for competing antidote production. At least one rival was good, he decided. The others would have to be dealt with eventually.

As soon as he got to the end of his tail, he worked his tail into a kind of slipnot by looping it over and around himself. Starting just below the rattle, he worked his body in a swinging, circular motion...above water it merely looked like he was squirming slightly, although anyone could have noticed the water swirling around him more. As the twist slid up, it rubbed against the pattern of the scales, lifting them and churning water under them at the same time. It was much like what he did when he needed to shed, except this was a bit more relaxed...partly because he did not want to create too much of a fuss when others were around. He held other species in low regard, certainly, but he was not stupid -- acting too bizarre in this town would only land him trouble.

[Ssoehrsinaetheron]

Unknotting himself, he gave a quick shiver underwater, settling his scales all back into order, then brought the rattle up in front of his chest. It was a massive thing, the size of a great mace, although certainly not even a fraction of the weight. In the peculiar way only his race could have done, no matter how he moved it there was not the slightest sound, as if manipulation of the rattle was so innate as to defy logic. This, too, he gave a quick buffing. Spitting on it, he polished the surface until he could see his own reflection in the tawny layers.

He hesitated a moment, using the reflection to work some of the finer details on his face...peeling off a few dead scales here and there, rubbing out a small scratch on a couple near his lips… . The process was ended by working his hair back into some semblance of a smoothed style instead of the fuzzed mess it was after his initial washing. He pulled a few strands down over one eye curling them around his finger to get just the right twist...there. Done.

During the time -- quite a while, really -- he had managed to get warmth back into his system. In fact, he would not have wanted to remain in for much longer as he felt like he was getting past merely warm and into the range of being slow-cooked. He scanned the room...at some point the woman who had been watching him left. With a shrug, he drew his long body out of the pool and towards the door. Some company would have been nice...but he did have a business to run. The day was already further along that he would have liked, though judging time in this type of weather was nearly impossible. Natlana met him near the door.

”I hope you enjoyed your time...you were in there quite awhile. You look refreshed, though.”

He gave a broad smile, which was genuine but somewhat tainted by his pointed, needle-like teeth and the muscles of his fangs. ”I feel refreshed. This was perfect right now...thank you.”

The woman seemed pleased with this response as she handed him his bags. ”You are quite welcome. Come again soon.”

As he nudged open the door, still slipping his arms into his satchel’s loop, he noticed that the rain had stopped for a moment. The wind was still there, but at least he had a quick break. He whipped out the door, his long body working in an S-pattern to push him rapidly through the grasses towards the south gate.

First day of business in his new shop. No longer running out of a cheap apartment with just his portable kit. He had a few concerns over operating it...but overall, he was thoroughly pleased.

[Zeva]

ssoehrsinaetheron

 

Skills

Observation - 4XP
Planning - 2XP
Foraging - 1XP
Botany - 1XP
Body Building - 1XP
Acrobatics - 1XP
Socialisation - 2XP
Cosmetology - 2XP
Grooming - 1XP

 

Lores

● Observation: Checking an area for life using heat signatures
● Planning: Keeping belongings close in case of a hasty retreat
● Observation: Using scent to find specific fungi
● Memory: Smells and tastes of delicious foods from back at the nest
● Observation: Using the sense of touch to locate an item
● Foraging: Knowing where to find and gather mucol mushrooms
● Botany: How to identify mucol mushrooms
● Mucol mushroom: Grows in clusters of lumpy, slick masses in dark, damp places
● Foraging: Taking care not to rupture mucol mushrooms when gathering
● Mucol mushroom: Physical properties and characteristics
● Poison: Mucol mushroom is a key ingredient in Engeron's Bane
● Foraging: Proper preserving techniques for mucol mushrooms
● Location: Aquillar Hot Springs
● Natlana: Works at Aquillar Hot Springs
● Cosmetology: Basic cleansing and beautifying techniques for the hair, face and ears
● Grooming: Proper scale care
● Grooming: Similar process to shedding but feels more relaxing
● Planning: Thinking about the financial future of The Coil and Fang
● Culture: Being mindful of Dhani form around lesser species
● Cosmetology: Using a finger to add curls to hair

 

Misc

+ Bundle of mucol mushrooms
- 5cm for use of a common spring

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Hey there, nice thread! Remember that I can't award skills if it isn't obvious they are being used. Observation, for instance, can only be gained when your PC actively engages their environment; simply describing the surroundings - despite how detailed - doesn't count towards points. Also, be mindful of how location NPCs are described in their write up and try to play them accordingly, especially when Aetheron is in Dhani form.

Sadly, you are a couple points shy of completing the challenge and some of these cosmetology points were a stretch since they were nearly more grooming than actually beautifying.

Thanks for the read! Do let me know if you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade and don't forget to delete/edit your request in the grading queue.