A Time to Relax [Saffra / Aaron]

[Saffra]

Now that her water was well heated, she undressed, and slowly eased herself into the hot water, not at all bothered by the temperature, but slow going made it feel so much better on the way in. Bundled next to her was her clothes and boots, and against the wall was her staff and bags. With her hair tied back, she finally sank shoulders deep, and enjoyed herself.

Letting the water wash away two days worth of travel, and loosen up her tense muscles. Sadly, she had to remove her wings for this, as the tub was too small to accommodate those extra limbs. With her eyes closing, she started to enjoy this break.

[Aaron Winsett]

Aaron finished filling the copper soaking tub, and slapped his hands together, rubbing them off. The house was large, that was for sure. He'd never been in a place like this.... Well, except his Grandfather's facility, but that had a much less home-like feel than this place.... Hah... Multiple washrooms in a row.

The sage set down the bucket he'd been using with a clang, and set to undressing. He tossed his clothes aside, and untied his hair before starting to ease into the water. He stopped suddenly, as he immediately noticed the chill of the water. This reminded him of his Elfire tome, which the green-haired man was still attempting to learn better.

Retrieving his tome, he heated the water as he had with Saffra's several minutes before, and then turned the bucket over to serve as an improvised table to set his tome on. Maybe he'd catch up on his reading during his soak.... Finally, he was able to ease his way into the steaming water.

[Saffra]

The dragoness blinked open her eyes at the sound of the bucket on the other side of the wall being set down. These walls were very thin indeed, and her tub was close to the middle wall, so it only further increased the sound for her. With a chuckle that could be heard probably on the other side, Saffra fixed her hair a bit, and started to wash out her limbs.

"I wasn't aware these walls were so thin...don't go doing anything in there, Aaron."

She teased playfully, but laughed all the same. With eyes closed, she hummed softly in her head as she worked at cleaning the skum of traveling life away.

"So, was traveling here at all what you hoped to be, Mr. Winsett?"

[Aaron Winsett]

Aaron had just settled into the steamy water and started to relax when he heard Saffra's voice. He jumped a bit in surprise, quickly looking around the room to make sure she wasn't there.

"Do something?" Aaron laughed a bit, amused at her comment.

"That would be counter productive to the purpose of a washroom, yes? Anyway, I'd say as long as you don't throw anything at the walls, we have nothing to be concerned over."

He laughed a bit at the state of things. The walls had to be either very thin, or made of a very light material to let sound through in this manner. Letting half his mind wander, he started scrubbing himself down, and wetting down his hair. He could feel the tension easing in his neck, back, and shoulders just from the first few minutes.

"Mr. Winsett", she'd called him.

"Oh, don't call me that. Makes me sound like some geezer tied down to a desk and a library...." He couldn't help but laughing a bit at his own reaction. He'd always found titles or forms of address, like that, to be a bother. Well, not always, but more recently.... Unless it was something earned, like professor, or lordly titles, he supposed.

"Anyway, the trip here.... It was interesting I've never crossed mountains like that before... and if you meant actually being here, Varia seems very knowledgeable. And busy. Both, I suppose. I'd heard of her a bit from my Grandfather, but she appears to know far more of me than I know of her."

[Saffra]

The Manakete gave a small, initial laugh, as, maybe, Aaron understood her when she mentioned about him possibly doing something while in there. Musing to herself, she only gave a small nod, though of course, the sage could not see that. She stayed silent for the time being, and let the man speak.

"Hardly old, but you should get used to it, you are developing into a young man, and you will be known by that, or possibly "Sage Winsett" or however you humans add titles to each other."

Saffra listened further, and idly splashed water over the copper tub's edge, acting a bit like a child as she cups her hands together, and leaving an area open where her thumbs would go. Splashing the water that filled by pushing her thumbs in, acting like a sort of trigger.

"That she does. I have a question. If you wanted to find this person, why did you not ask me to look when Varia said she would send men out? I may only be one person, but I could have done it in a fraction of the time, I think."

Saffra still bubbled with a bit of anger on that. She could understand if he didn't want to take advantage of her abilities, but she had been feeling like giving aid not long ago.

[Aaron Winsett]

"Hmph..." She was right, about the titles, although he wasn't sure what he'd be called, or had earned. He was certainly getting accomplished at his craft. He probably knew more about magic these days than he did history. That was quite a switch from when he'd started.

Aaron was silent for a moment after Saffra's question, reflecting on it. Was that... tension in her voice? After the brief pause, Aaron answered.

"..I wasn't aware that that was a resource open to me, but... It's been nearly a week since I started this journey. I highly doubt they are still in the vicinity. I'm hoping for word of her movements...."

He should have thought of that. Saffra probably wouldn't even be here if she wasn't willing to help. "I should have made a point to ask for that. I've already asked you to come along, after all...."

The mage shifted in the water a bit, observing as the surface wavered, ripples moving out from his disturbances. "I just hope she's been able to stay strong...." The green haired magi seemed on the verge of speaking on, but stopped suddenly, as if he'd swallowed his breath.

[Saffra]

Saffra just smiled to herself, and to the room, she was glad that Aaron 'saw the light' of her point of view. it was just another moral victory, she had the oddest quirks...the oddest interests. The Dragoness sat up in her tub, and rolled the warm liquid off of her shoulder with her hand, rubbing it, feeling tense...she hasn't had a decent massage in...well, awhile.

"She'll have to be. Possession is a bit out of my realm of knowledge. I can't even think of an instance in my long history of when that's happened before. You should document it."

The comment was innocent, but she knew Aaron would do...whatever he had to do. That part was still fuzzy to him, how did he plan to remove the spirit? Fighting didn't seem like the solution in her eyes, not without killing the vessel. That was up for Aaron, worse comes to worse, she'd have to roast the man, which would be a shame, he was nice to look at.

Saffra's eyes opened wide at an idea, and she knocked on the wall.

"Aaron, lets try to think of more positive things. You have very long hair, ever thought about cutting it?"

[Aaron Winsett]

Document it.... Aaron had so many things he had included in his plans that he wasn't even sure he could add another. By principle, he continued on a belief that he would succeed, but he was also continuing in a manner to be prepared for death. And if Lilith couldn't be saved, but he could? What then? The sage merely closed his eyes and relaxed back into the water a bit more.

The heat rose, the steam wavered throught the air, and suddenly, there was knocking on the wall bordering Saffra's Room. She was talking about his hair? Seemed a bit odd for a topic switch. In some cultures, people knocked on wood to prevent the "wood demons" from overhearing what they were speaking of, and ruining the idea somehow. The sage wondered if Saffra was being multicultural now.

"I have thought of getting it cut, actually. A time or two in Bern, and again when Varia called it a "snake hanging down my back"." He. Paused for a moment at that. He'd not really appreciated the comparison.

"Why do you ask? You think I should get it cut too?"

[Saffra]

Yellow, somewhat slitted eyes looked up at the ceiling as she nodded, she did think he should get it cut. He would look much more grown up if he did. Putting her hands behind her back, she just relaxed, and let the slowly cooling water take it's course.

"Yes, I do. You'll look much more mature with it done, I think."

It was true, Aaron did look a bit... too innocent. His face showed knowledge and experience, but his hair reminded her of a boy from her village, he was a human, too, but he was a child with this dangling pony tail. it was almost similar in respects.

"Its also more cleanly, and less maintenance for a man, not that many take the time to think of hygiene! Some would sooner muck around in the mud rather than take a bath."

[Aaron Winsett]

Aaron laughed softly to himself as Saffra's voice carried over her mention of lack of hygiene.... Playing in the mud. Aaron had heard plenty of stories of children doing such things growing up. Even of grown men lacking the habbits of maintaining cleanliness. The mage himself could never recall having done so in his own childhood. Surely, it had happened a few times, but the green-haired scholar had been a born student. Most of his play had revolved around pretending to be one of the various heroes he'd read about, occasionally even going back and forth between play and his books. Mud and dirt didn't go well with books, nor with a natural born student of books like him.... Of course, his hikes through the local woods and hills hadn't been the most cleanly. He supposed he had had a mixed bag childhood.

He paused briefly before he spoke up again reminiscing over his old memories for a bit.

"Dirt and mud never suited me that much.... Always avoided that when I could." It wasn't much of a point to make. More of an acknowledgement of her comment.

He thought about her point. His long hair did get greasy, and certainly didn't feel good when it was tangled. He should get it cut, and at this house was a good chance. But how to go about getting it cut? He could ask Varia.... Wait a minute.... That discussion about askinf Saffra for help. He couldn't help but giving a small laugh again at his next comment.

"Saffra, do you cut hair?"

[Saffra]

Marle thought about Aaron being covered in mud, and thought of his green hair being untouched, and she started to laugh. He would look like a mound of dirt with a bit of grass at the top. That made her giggle, but that was her own secret joke. Snickering, she stretched out her leg above the water, and continued to rub the warmish water over her skin...then she was asked about being able to cut hair, and that got her attention.

"I can, I'm no professional, but I can make you look presentable, why, was that an offer?"

Her interest was piqued and she hummed thoughtfully about the thought of cutting his hair. It wasn't as great a job as cutting another woman's hair would be, but it was certainly a lot easier. Lowering her leg, she began to sit up in the water filled tub, and look at the ceiling.

[Aaron Winsett]

Secretly, the mage wondered what could be so funny as to set Saffra to giggling like that, but he really wasn't sure he wanted to know. Actually, of course he wanted to know. He wanted to know everything, but he wasn't sure he wanted to ask. Of more interest was her willingness to cut hus hair.

"An offer.... Hmm." Aaron cupped his hand and ran some of the water over his chest and shoulders, allowing it to carry away a portion of the dirt he'd been carrying a moment ago.

"You make this sound like some great chance, Saffra.... But yes. You may consider it a request for help. The first after being taught to ask you for help, you might say." He smiled at that. She probably hadn't been expecting this when she'd told him to ask her for help. It amused him that this was what he was asking for first.

[Saffra]

Saffra began to get up out of the bath, it was cooling, and well, she had enough. She was glad to hear of Aaron's decision in the matter, and she would need to get ready a little bit, beforehand. Cleaning up after a bath took time for a lady.Allowing her wings to bust out, which accidently hit the wall with a thud, she gave a small curse, having underestimated the size of the room.

"That kind of hurt.." She mumbled and wrapped a towel around herself.

"Well, glad to hear it. Enjoy the rest of your bath Aaron, I think I'm done with mine, no fun taking a bath in now cold water."

Smirking, she began to dry herself off, a second towel going around her head as she rubbed the absorbing fabric to clean her hair off of the water. It had felt good while it lasted, something she really needed afterall. It wouldn't take long to get overly dry, before slipping on her simple clothes again that showed off her body a bit. Boots next, as she swung her shawl around her back to cover the wings again. She left, with the towel still around her head, however, a happy hum in her throat.

[Aaron Winsett]

Aaron jumped a bit from the thud against the wall. That had been unexpected. He was just glad that it hadn't broken through... Hah... That would have been awkward.

"Alright, Saffra. I'll see you when we're both out." His own bath was beginning to cool, and he was thinking he might as well finish up now.

Easing himself up and out of the water, he began to go through the ritual of toweling off, and putting on his clothes. He'd already combed out his hair and finished drying it before he realized that damp hair was easier to work with for cutting....

Oh well. With a shrug to himself, he scrutinized his face, before retrieving his tome and carefully burning off the gristle that was there. Hahah... That had scared his parents when he'd told them about it. All it took was an exacting control though, which Aaron had been developing for years now. Mostly satisfied with his appearance, now that he was fuly clothed, he left the washroom. The rest would have to wait until Saffra was ready.