[PRP][PLOT]Cleaning Up(Nimriel&Naveed)

[Doof]

Dusk, Telrunya City.

The great floating metropolis continued to thrive even as the sun set, its red glow lending a fiery hue to the clean, otherwise white towers of the elevated Alturrim District. At street level, the markets were still in full swing, with pae both on foot and on the wing milling about and criss-crossing paths, some carrying packs laden with imported produce, others cradling decorative items or just eyeing vendors' wares. The breeze was oddly gentle for the altitude, allowing the scents of a dozen food vendors to waft into the air, a combination of spices, frying oil and grilling meat; by design an enticing lure to any angel or demon that happened to be nearby.

Or, almost any demon. One lazily glided overhead, nearing the end of a long, slow descent that began many miles away. His silver-grey and blue skin was scratched and covered in various areas by mud or dirt and he wore nothing but a large pouch secured to his waist. The tangled knots of his hair flopped about in the wind as he flew around the edge of the market, to the edge of the Alturrim District. Had anyone noticed him, he would have seemed well out of place in the clean and well-groomed District, perhaps an individual lost from the less prestigious outer rings or even from the surface, but this demon was nothing if not swift and discreet. Hungry as he was, he was almost tempted by the rich smells coming from the stalls, but he had a place to be and besides, if he held out a little longer he'd be able to truly enjoy the cuisine he'd been away from for the last several weeks.

He landed in a mostly-empty plaza not far from the market and quickly disappeared down a familiar street. Despite his plebian appearance, he carried himself with certainty and poise, moving swiftly and purposefully past rows of glass windows displaying some finer wares; Perfumes in one, jewelry in another, ornate clothing further down yet. Before long he'd arrived at his destination.

The Spa.

There was no hesitation as the lean demon opened the door and casually walked inside, even if he looked a wreck and possibly smelled even worse. He approached the host and unstrapped his pouch, slinging it loosely over his shoulder. "Sorry to drop in. No appointment, but I urgently need the Usual, and my formal attire if you've managed to have it pressed yet." He eyed the lengthening shadows out past the window. "I need to look presentable enough to go to the castle so I can deliver urgent information regarding the heightend activity of tainted creatures to Lords Hania and Andrei."  

[Teigra]

The curtain behind the flustered hostess shifted a bit before being thrown aside by a grinning demon. His long hair was tied back out of the way, but shone when the light hit it; clearly well taken care of. Afterall, what good host didn't make the most of their own spa's amenities? Wouldn't do to have a scruffy-looking host standing up front, even if it was only part time when he wasn't already busy taking care of customers. "I thought I heard one of my favorite clients out here!" he exclaimed, giving Nimriel a grin and a quick once-over. Oh my. Again?

His smile never faltered, nor his smooth stride. He gracefully moved around the desk towards Nimriel, then looked back at the wide eyed hostess. Poor thing, she was still fairly new. She'd get the hang of this eventually...or maybe she wouldn't. Of course, being new... "Lissa? Darling? Be a dear and take care of the foyer, would you?" Naveed chirped, waving dismissively at the mud and things Nimriel had tracked in with him. "I'll take care of Mr. Nimriel. Thanks, sweetie!" He was already leaving the welcoming area, directing Nimriel to follow him into the back rooms, before the poor hostess could say a word.

"Nim, dear, one of these days, I just may get cross with you for mussing up my welcome room," Naveed said with an obvious teasing air as he led the other demon towards the baths. "Now, I know you're in a hurry, but I wouldn't stress too much about getting up to the castle tonight, if I were you." The masseuse had lowered his voice in both tone and volume, sounding more like a conspirator once they had left the open lobby. "I have heard some things, on good authority, but we can get to all that in a moment." Pausing at junction in the hall, he gestured to one door with an open hand. "Go ahead and have a quick, refreshing rinse in the showers, hon, and I'll go prepare your hot bath. It'll just be a couple minutes; come on in when you're done." With a winsome smile, the demon politely ushered his kin towards the showers, then bowed and stepped into the room opposite.

The lighting in the room was kept low, solely provided by candlelight from a number of sources scattered around the room. A large marble tub was the central feature of the room, gleaming gold-finished faucets curved up and over the edge. Naveed turned the hot water on to warm up, then moved towards a cabinet, discretely tucked into the corner of the room. Only now in the privacy of the bathing room, Naveed had allowed concern to touch his expression. While he'd been directing his client towards the showers, he'd been silently taking notes on Nimriel's appearance, the little details that spoke of a larger story. He grabbed a few items and started for the bath, halted, then turned back and pulled out a sealed jar with some sort of poltice or cream inside, then set it on top of the cabinet for later. Ever since Nimriel had become one of his regular clients, often showing up looking similar to how he had this evening, Naveed had started keeping a few extra special items in stock. This wasn't a healing house for serious issues, but they could provide some simple services while catering to the comforts and pampering of the City's finer denizens.

Upon returning to the bath, he tested the water temperature, made a slight adjustment, then plugged the drain. Water began to pool in the bottom, just the tiniest hint of steam gathering in the air. Naveed measured out a cup of granules from one container, thinking to himself, 'Bath salts, for relaxation of the muscles and the mind.' Pouring that in, he followed up with a gnarled root, shaving a bit of it into the water with a grater. 'Ginger, for ridding the body of impurities.' Just a bit; not too much or the scent would be overwhelming. A few droplets from a vial were added next. 'Rose oil, for keeping the skin soft and clean.' The tub filled by this point, he turned off the water and added a few rose petals to the surface of the bath to finish the preparations.

Naveed returned each item to the tray, then back to the cabinet to each of their places. A fresh towel was set out and a linen robe hung nearby before the demon resumed hiding any traces of concern from his expression.

'Focus on the client, providing both the service that they request, as well as the service that they need.'

Doof

 

[Doof]

Nimriel strode off after the demon host (or 'the host that was a demon', more correctly, Nimriel thought to himself), back straight and chin up, despite his considerably motley appearance otherwise. The halls of the spa were modestly lit- dim without being foreboding. Despite the eclectic and exotic collection of lotions and salves stocked in the premises, and their extensive use, the aroma in the hallway was simply an understated note of lavender. All of this created a relaxing atmosphere for clients, although as Naveed had frequently noted, All Nimriel seemed to be capable of was a lessened state of intensity.

The silver demon turned the corner into the shower rooms- plural. Every facet of the spa was aimed at bringing a luxurious experience to pae with fastidious tastes and a enough status to be able to squeeze in an appointment (or in Nimriel's case of course, just appear at the front door). The showers similarly reflected that mentality, with a few doors surrounding a central atrium containing plush couches and some sort of flowing metal artistic installation at the centre that Nimriel had long ago given up trying to understand. Each door led to a shower room, fully appointed with a bench and hooks for clothes, a selection of bathing supplies (in sample size, of course), wall-length mirrors on the wall facing the clothing hooks, and several towels draped over a warming rack facing the entrance to the shower itself.

Nimriel found an unoccupied shower room and locked the door behind him, hanging up the pouch he'd been carrying on one of the clothing hooks and then draping a towel on top of that, completely concealing it from view. He stepped past the glass door to the shower itself, closed it and turned the tap that prompted a stream of water to gush from the shower rose directly overhead. Dirt and muck from the forest washed off his body into the drain below, and he turned on a few more knobs that activated other shower nozzles one by one such that jets of hot water were coming in from all directions.

Now what had Naveed meant when he suggested that there was no need to rush over to the castle? Surely the other demon knew that when Nimriel had some information for the lords it might be of considerable importance to whatever sorties might be planned for their young charges. Something had to be up.

Once he was satisfied that all the grime was off his body, Nimriel shut off the shower and opened the door, reaching for one of the warm towels from the rack. The warm, soft material against his skin was a stark contrast to the roughness of tree limbs that formed the majority of physical contact he'd make with anything during his sojourns into the field. It would be inaccurate to state that he'd been looking forward to this return to civilization, but now that he had, he was glad to be back.

Leaving the wet towel in a rough ball on the bench and ignoring the now-foggy wall mirror, the slender demon picked up the pouch from behind the other towel and simply held it in his hand- it was now far dirtier than he was, and he didn't feel like strapping it back on at that point.

Nimriel exited the shower and backtracked past the 'art', down the hall but then turning left, to where he knew the bath to be. Upon entering the room a different scent filled his senses, stronger than the lavender outside but still pleasant, he couldn't quite pick out the individual notes but he felt assured Naveed had a sound plan for him. He set the pouch down by the bath, just a little out of the way, and gazed at the dark-skinned demon's pleasant expression. The man seemed practically carefree at times.

"Every time I ask for the usual, you change it up a little." Nimriel stated dryly, allowing himself one of his rare smirks. Interacting with others, it helped keep them at ease, or so he'd been told. "You always get it right, of course, but each time you introduce something different I find myself increasing my own collection of oils and lotions at home." The silver demon didn't even test the water as he began sliding in, a slow exhale as he did so.  

[Teigra]

Chuckling softly, Naveed adopted an air of faux innocence. "Why, I have no idea what you might be implying, dear sir. But, if you have no other complaints with the service...?" One could practically hear the wink in his voice, though he'd turned away from Nimriel for a moment. Unless given specific instructions, Naveed always took a liberal interpretation on what 'the Usual' was. It wasn't a particular scent or treatment. For him, it was 'do what's necessary to make the customer comfortable and happy and tend to their needs.' Sometimes he noted a particular need in his regular customers that they never vocalized. Reasons he'd started keeping certain poultices around from healers, in Nimriel's case...

After Nimriel had settled into the bath, Naveed returned, taking a seat at the side. He quickly went to work with deft fingers and a small comb gently working the tangles out of the other demon's hair, ever careful not to cause any discomfort to his guest while he worked. Goodness, it was always so messy after his time in the field. Like untangling a bird's nest. He went to work without a word of complaint, instead switching back to his conspiratory tone of voice again.

"We can keep this quick, if you're still in a hurry, of course. But, as I was saying, I'm not sure I'd worry too much about hurrying up to the castle tonight. You see, I have word that Knight Lord Andrei left on some business to the Isle more than a week ago and hasn't been back yet. And word from the kitchens says that the young lords and ladies may have packed up some supplies a few days back and headed out to the isle as well. Perhaps meeting with Lord Andrei for some business for the Guardians. I don't have any info on that part, only that they took several days of supplies and haven't come back yet. Important work, likely, so hard to say when they might be back. In the meantime, I suppose Master Hania would still be there to receive you, if you wished to go tonight. That, I leave up to you, of course."

Doof

 

[Doof]

Unlike some, Nimriel wasn't the sort to sigh, close his eyes and let Naveed work his magic- and it did feel like magic. The demon rested easily on his wings in the tub, his tail tucked between his legs, eyes keenly studying the decorations in the room, even if he'd seen them many times before. Then Naveed began talking.

Nimriel felt his blood chill even in the warm bath when he learned the young squires had been gone for more than a week. He resisted the urge to sit bolt upright but his tail did twitch a little, betraying a moment of unease. He'd been instructed to gather information on the tainted creatures in the south without much by way on further specifics about it- only that it might serve the squires well on their next mission. So gather information he did, important information, information along the lines of "These things are getting bloody deadly". And now the youngsters had gone out and jumped ahead without any of the papers he'd laboured to write (how rude). Had something happened that hastened their departure?

He forced himself to still his tail. There was nothing for it,. The young sirs and ma'ams were long gone. And nobody had said anything about them actually being on a dangerous mission. Maybe there'd been a disaster somewhere and they were on aid duty. He hoped it was a disaster somewhere. He could convince himself of that fact until he could speak with Hania later.

"Yes, I will meet Lord Hania later, but I suppose I can take my time now. Don't rush. I'll head to the square after this and pick up something to eat before going to the Castle." Nimriel knew that even though he was trying to mask his moment of anxiety, Naveed would see right through it anyway. It was just an extension of an ongoing game Nimriel played; showing nothing but his stiff upper lip and letting Naveed inevitably see right through it. Of all pae, only Naveed ever saw through it.

The silver demon shook his concerns from his mind. "So Naveed, we try to keep a pretty tight lid on things we get up to in the Castle. And yet you always manage to 'get word'. Mind telling me who your friend is, hm?"