[Moonstone Baths]Just so you'll know ... (Lilith)

[Laeli]

Laeli most reluctantly rose from the still hot water of the bath. The water lapped about from her movements, reflecting the soft glow of light from the walls and ceilings, which she had heard were made of real moonstone. The attendant had checked on her every so often and replenished the tub with hot water as needed. Now it was full almost to the brim, for she had sat and soaked for at least a half hour. But she had decided even before she arrived at the bath house that today she would give herself a special treat, one which she might have been a bit ‘young’ for on previous years when visiting Riverfall. Almost eighteen now, she felt she could spend a bit of her hard earned money on the luxury of a massage. Things were both up and down, in the aftermath of the djed storm and other things that had occurred since her arrival in Riverfall. The prospect of a massage, to soothe away the worries and the stress and to simply revitalize her body and spirit, seemed most alluring. She could hardly wait! So as she rose and reached for a huge, soft towel to dry off with, her reluctance fell away with the water, and she rubbed herself vigorously until her skin glowed rosy pink. Wrapping another dry towel around her slight frame, she made her way into the hall and then to the room across the way. Peeking in, she was met with a smile by a pretty girl in the same uniform type tunic that the other attendants wore. Laeli smiled back and indicated that she was ready, and was shown to a long, high table, padded and covered in leather. With a fair bit of a scramble, the petite Drykas managed to get herself up on its surface and still keep a hold of her towel. She stretched out on her tummy and turned her head to lay her cheek on the flat pillow. It smelled of lavendar. Her eyes closed and she was surprised to hear the sound of footsteps receding. As she had requested the warm stone massage, though, she assumed the attendant had gone to fetch the smooth, polished fist sized rocks they used. In another moment, the door opened again and she heard footsteps again, but these were much heavier. Raising her head she turned her face to look. A huge, exceedingly tall Akalak had entered the room. He wore only loose fitting trousers which hung low on his hips and ended, collected, at the knee. The Drykas girl was more than a bit surprised, and she blushed mightily. “I, um, I . . . “ She stammered, craning her neck to see if the girl who had just left was somehow standing behind the big, blue . . . guy. It could have easily been so, given his size. But no, there was only him. And indeed he did carry a tray set with something covered by a towel. He set this down at a table and asked in a very deep voice, “You did ask for a warm stone massage, right?” What could she do? She was too embarrassed to act like this was any big deal. So she bit her lip and nodded dumbly. Setting her now burning cheek back down on the pillow, she heard the Akalak making some preparations and then he was stepping over to her. She tried very hard not to flinch when his fingers touched the top of her towel, and though she really wanted to pull it about her and jump off the table and run, she forced herself to breathe and stay calm. They did this all the time, right? Even though he was a male, he must have seen many a toweled young lady in his job. They wouldn’t let him work here if he wasn’t a professional, she hoped. “I just will pull this down a bit, just to expose your back.” His deep voice was soft and apparently meant to reassure her. Oh, great! He must have realized what a novice she was at this! Laeli felt so unsophisticated. But, he did just as he said he would, and soon enough, the warm stones had been placed in what she could only assume were strategic spots on her shoulders and back. Almost without her realizing it, he was gone and she was alone, the heat from the stones soothing into her muscles. It was bliss. In just another moment, though, the door opened once again. Laeli heard two voices, both soft, and female thankfully, and it was clear another customer was also wishing the same type of treatment. She did open her eyes once she had heard the newcomer settle on the table beside her. Another girl, much like herself in age it seemed, who was just settling down to get comfortable. Laeli smiled in her friendly way, and thought to ask, “Um, have you had one of these before?” Might as well give the other girl fair warning of what was to come.

[Lilith Krahe]

After a long, boring day, Lilith was ready for a good massage. She had taken a short bath first to take off the grime and sweat from the day. This left Lilith feeling fresh and relaxed. It also left her wearing nothing but the towel wrapped around her body and the silver band around her arm. Lilith had begun to become accustomed to her new life. Being a Nakivak had it's advantages, and having to bear Akilak children wasn't the end of the world. She still would have chosen a few dozen other outcomes for her life over this one, but she had to make the best of the hand she was dealt. She was still alive and for now she was going to enjoy some uninterrupted luxury. Lilith's wet feet left small marks on the floor behind her as she strode through the halls looking for an attendant. With one hand holding her towel up, Lilith ran her other hand through her hair back and forth rapidly, shaking the last of the water out. Quick drying was one of the advantages of her newly shortened hair. Lilith thought it made her look edgy and dangerous, and it was one of the many things she had decided to change about herself. This was the new Lilith, Lilith the survivor. She smiled at the thought. It didn't take long for her to find an attendant who could show her toward the massage room. The young blonde lead Lilith into the massage room and pointed her toward a table next to another girl. Lilith didn't pay much attention to the girl other than to notice that they were roughly the same age and size. She even looked as if she might be sleeping, resting peacefully with her eyes closed. The attendant told Lilith to lay on the table while she got the masseur. Once the other woman had left, Lilith let the drop down to her waist. She tied in securely before laying out on her stomach. Lilith turned her head to face the girl next to her and waited to see if she opened her eyes. The girl's leg caught Lilith's attention, and Lilith admired the intricate tattoos, or whatever the Drykas called those marks. She couldn't remember the exact word. A tattoo, that is what Lilith needed, she thought. That would complete her edgy look, right? But was that allowed for Nakivaks? Another question about her new life that she didn't have an answer to yet. The other woman's words broke Lilith's stare and her looked up to the woman's face awkwardly. Lilith hoped that the girl didn't get the impression she was being leered at. It took a couple moments for Lilith to gather her thoughts and address the question she had been posed. "Yeah, once before. Is this your first time?" Lilith smiled warmly as she got comfortable. "I like the tattoos. You're Drykas, right?" Lilith had met a couple Drykas in her lifetime, but they had all been men. They seemed like a nice enough people, but this was the first chance she had to actually talk to one. Lilith wanted to fulfill her curiosity about the girl and her people, but she didn't want to intrude on the girl's relaxation. She decided to simply introduce herself and see if the girl wanted to engage in a conversation. "I'm Lilith, by the way."

[Laeli]

The other girl smiled back with an equally friendly look, but when she answered, Laeli’s face dropped just the slightest. Oh dear, it seemed she was probably the only one who had ever been embarrassed by having to be exposed in front of a big, blue person, a male person, that she didn’t know. Sometimes she wondered if her life hadn’t been a bit too sheltered. Her brothers did seem to be very protective of her, which was a good thing, relative to the inherent dangers of life in Cyphrus. But she had reached an age when she felt as if perhaps they, and her parents, were too protective – stifling sometimes. She understood more, now, how Ya-ya felt. She missed him. So she answered the girl with the slightest hint of wistfulness in her voice. “Yes, I’ve been here to bathe, but this is my first time having a massage.” She hesitated, reconsidering if it was really necessary to ‘warn’ the girl about the imminent arrival of the Akalak Masseur. It was possible that different staff worked different days and hours. As she pondered, her new companion complimented her windmarks and then introduced herself. “I’m Laeli. Lilith is a pretty name – it makes me think of lilies,” she said her smile growing back to its usual sunniness. “And yes, you got it right – Drykas.” She lifted her left leg a tiny bit and craned her head a bit to look at the vine. “That’s a windmark. And the one on my shoulder as well.” She bent her right hand back where it lay against her side and tapped the swirling wind pattern there. “They are tattoos, special ones we get when we are bonded to our first Strider.” She thought of Ya-ya again. “If that happens – it doesn’t always.” Her eyes had already taken in that part of Lilith that was revealed and she didn’t see any body decorations. “You don’t have any tattoos?” she asked, curious about the customs in Riverfall. But, of course, it dawned on her that Lilith might not be a resident here. The city was still full of refuges from the storm. “Are you from here?” For the moment any thought of cautioning the girl about what was to come flew right from her mind.

[Lilith Krahe]

Lilith blushed slightly at the other girl's compliment of her name. 'Laeli', Lilith concentrated on that name, trying to commit it to her memory. Lilith was excited that she was actually getting to engage in coversation with the girl from a different culture. A million questions rushed to Lilith's mind and she wanted to ask them all at once, but, when she tried, her mouth froze leaving it in a wide gape for a moment. When Laeli began talking about her tattoo's, Lilith was able to regain her composure and at least wait patiently to ask her question. Tattoos were something Lilith had never thought much about, and the idea of getting one herself, while not one she would dismiss out of hand, was something she had never really considered. That would be a contemplation for another time, but it is was nice to know she had someone she could ask about them if she ever was interested in getting one. Lilith had noticed the wind mark on Laeli's leg, but she had somehow over looked them one on the girl's shoulder. She tried her best not to be rude and stare, but she was truly fascinated. Lilith knew that a Strider was the type of horse that Drykas rode, but she didn't really know how they differed from a regular one. She had once heard of Kelvic 'bonding' and wondered if maybe it was something like that. However, that questions wasn't even close to the top of her list, so it would have to wait for later. Lilith had to pull her mind back to the present when she noticed Laeli was saying something again; something more about tattoos. Lilith hadn't felt uncomfortable being as exposed as she was in front of another girl, but, when Laeli noticed her lack of markings, Lilith did become a little self conscience. She adjust the towel at her waist to make sure was was appropriately covered before positioning her arms in a way that the sides of her breasts were hidden as well. Lilith didn't want to make Laeli uncomfortable with an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction. "No I don't. Maybe you and I could go out and I could get one after our massages." Lilith was joking, of course, but it wasn't always easy to tell with her. Her sense of humor was a little odd at times and she didn't always convey sarcasm well. However, Laeli's next question didn't seem to show any sign that the joke was lost on her. This was easy enough to answer, Lilith thought. "Yeah, born and raised here. City life probably doesn't have as much adventure as living out in the sea of grass, does it?" Lilith realized that she didn't really know how long this girl had been in the city. Perhaps she had lived here her whole life as well. Lilith would sure feel silly if she had, so she decided to follow her first question up with a second. "Are you in the city because of the storm? Or have you been here longer?" The conversation had so far distracted Lilith from the fact that the attendant with the hot stones hadn't been in yet to take care of her. So, when the hulking blue man stepped through the door, it almost came as a surprise to Lilith, as if she had forgotten she was even her for a massage. Lilith smiled and relaxed as the man walked over to her and began placing the stones on the different muscle groups of her back. Her throat let out a soft moan with each one, and her eyes rested closed, letting her mind drift peacefully without a care. When Lilith had heard the blue man leave the room she opened her eyes again and gave a soft smile toward Laeli. "So how are you enjoying your first massage, Ms. Laeli?" Before letting the other girl answer, Lilith spoke again. "I, for one, think this is exactly what I needed to take the stress off." She felt good bonding with another girl like this. It was exactly the kind of companionship Lilith needed. Everything was perfectly relaxing, the stones, the atmosphere, and the company. It was simply perfect.

[ooc]I'm so very sorry for the wait! Please forgive me, work has been crazy.[/ooc]