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 Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2020 12:54 pm
While Sylvirah was no stranger to outdoor bathing she'd never seen anything quite like this before.
Just south of Zidel, barely out of the city's limits, a grand inn had formed. The proprietors had stumbled across a plethora of natural hot springs and naturally sought to capitalize on it. She knew the inn was being built in order to drive tourism Northward but the rate in which it had been erected was astonishing. Many a evening as she flew over the city Sylvirah had watched big burly men work late into the evening, sometimes risking themselves by continuing well into the frigid night, but in the end it was the biggest structure she'd ever seen. For one as used to simple huts and caves as she was it didn't take much to impress Sylvirah; still, it was pretty impressive.
As a gesture of goodwill the owners had held events for free passes all week. Naturally she tried to avoid it, seeing as it was basically nothing more than a glorified bath, and yet...here she was, standing inside the changing area with a robe in her hand. How did I get wrapped into this? Well, she hadn't won a ticket so much as it had been given to Grashni. She didn't know if he had something to do with this or if it was simple happenstance, but he'd been pretty insistent that she go in his place so...
The little changing areas had been separated into men and women, though Sylvirah cared little for modesty. It wasn't like she hadn't seen a naked man before nor did she care if she was seen. Snowelle might throw a fight, though, and that's the only reason Sylvirah was trying to go along with things. Do it for her. Hell, Snowelle wasn't even her mother so why was this so hard?
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Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 7:27 am
Iriyana had been dragged along by her aunts and uncles to enjoy the new hot springs. She hadn't put up much of a fuss about it. Family time was something she was used to. Of course she'd rather spend time with Ergon but she was also used to him working all the time. Giving a small yawn she made her way to the small changing area with her towel and robe in hand. When she entered she stopped momentarily at the doorway, her eyes landing on Sylvirah. What were the chances? Riya gave a small smile and a short chuckle before she moved to a place where she could undress and put her things while she enjoyed the bath. "Fancy seeing you here." She commented quietly as she began to remove her boots. "Did you come alone?" Maybe she'd get lucky and Ergon had come along as well.
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Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 1:52 pm
[2/10]
Seeing Iriyana wasn't something she'd planned on. Seeing anyone she knew wasn't really something she'd thought about, but it wasn't exactly outside the realm of possibility. After all, if the owner's had made such a grand spectacle of opening their new lodgings then it would stand to reason that others would be drawn in.
Still, that didn't make her any less anxious.
"Grashni gave me his ticket," She answered in way of explanation. Surely she knew who he was; if Iriyana enough about Sylvirah the last time they talked then she would know her father. Slipping out of her boots, she sat them to the side and started to shuck out of her pants. The more layers she removed the more muscle was revealed, and unfortunately, the same could be said of scars. "What about you?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 6:42 pm
Hearing that it had been her dad that had given her the ticket Riya had to lift her eyebrows a bit. In truth she hadn't thought the man would have or that Sylvirah would have taken it. At least not the way she'd been described. Eventually she grinned and looked at the other girl. "Well that was nice. Do you like hot springs?" Taking the chance to learn more about heat boyfriend's little sister was always good.
When asked what brought her about she shrugged her shoulders as she stripped of the last bits of her clothing. "My aunts and uncles thought it would be fun. My parents and my twin live in Sauti so they think they need to make up for it." Iriyana stayed in Zena for Ergon so she missed a lot of family things but to her it was alright.
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Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 6:53 pm
[3/10]
Sylvirah scrunched up her nose and shook her head. "I've never been. There used to be one a days ride from my village, but bathing in the open is too much of a risk. After we lost Vitya no one went back." She shed the last vestige's of clothing and folded them before slipping into the robe. It was...quite possibly the softest bit of clothing she'd ever tried on in her life and if asked she totally wasn't obsessed with running her fingers over the fabric, oh no.
"Sauti? That's pretty far from here...I can imagine how hard it must be to be away from them." With a length of leather cord Sylvirah tied her hair up into a sloppy bun at the back of her head. "Did you come North for work?" Why else would she have come all this way? Resources started to thin the closer one got to the mountains and 'pleasure trips' weren't exactly common in this area.
Once she was good and ready Sylvirah started to make her way out to the hotspring, looking back every so often so as not to just walk out on a conversation.
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Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 7:01 pm
She had donned her own robe but with short hair she didn't need to bother with tying her hair up. Riya was surprised to hear that Sylvirah hadn't been in a hot spring before but didn't say anything about it. Instead she made sure that her robe was closed, mostly. Her clothes didn't get folded but tossed over a bench to lay in wait for her to put them back on.
"No. I came up here to be with my boyfriend. I don't like being away from him too much." Riya chuckled as she followed her out toward the steaming pool. She couldn't wait to get in and soak. It would be good for her muscles.
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Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 7:16 pm
[4/10]
"Why would you go through all that trouble for a boyfriend? If he were your husband I could understand, but a man who can't commit completely should have been left behind." She walked down a sparsely decorated hall that ended in a rather large door. At first she contemplated if she should open it or not, but Sylvirah had never been one to question things for long. With an eager shove the door gave way to a large hotspring and all the amenities.
There were a few other women in various stages of relaxation scattered about the area. A few older icelings were in the water near the back of the hotspring, murmuring among themselves while a Sauti women was happy enough just dipping her feet in. Others passed about, but it wasn't nearly crowded enough to make Sylvirah nervous.
"What kind of man is he to keep your interest this long?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 7:27 pm
She thought about it. Someone who wasn't going to commit surely wouldn't be worth the effort. "You know I did think about leaving him once. For a small second. But I adore the man too much. And he puts up with me." She laughed at the last. In truth she was very impressed. Ergon was much more sophisticated than she was.
When they made it to the water after going through the door she took a deep breath and let it out. "Ah.. This will be relaxing." It had been a long time since she'd gotten to soak at a hot spring.
"Well, he's a gentleman for one. It took ages for him to even hold my hand in public. He turns the most adorable shade of purply red when I embarrass him." Which Riya liked so long as Ergon wasn't truly upset or hurt by her actions. "He was my first kiss too." She gave a cute sigh. "I recently asked him to move in with me. I think he said yes.. I think. I know he has a lot on his plate with family obligations." If only Sylvirah knew. Riya eyed her a little with a sly smile.
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Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 7:43 pm
[5/10]
Maybe it was because she'd never been in love, but Sylvirah couldn't understand the appeal. 'Dating' was a luxury they had south of the mountain; anything up North was just commitment for procreation's sake and sometimes it involved love, sometimes it didn't.
Taking a cue from a passing woman, Sylvirah hung her robe on a nearby hook and made her way towards the warm water. The steam billowing off of it seemed to have a life of it's own giving the otherwise chilly air an almost comfortable feeling.
"Sounds like a bleyða." She was a little hesitate to get in at first, but quickly changed her tune after dipping her toes in. "A...wuss? I think is the translation?" Once she was in the water up to her shoulders she let out a satisfied sigh and closed her eyes for a moment just to soak it all in. "Or a sveinn...someone whose too young to grow hair. "
What sort of family problems would keep someone from moving in with their partner and starting their own life? And why...did all of this raise red flags for her? With just the top of her head visible above the water Sylvirah furrowed her brows and slowly looked at Iriyana before raising up a bit. "What...is his name?"
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Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 7:52 pm
Riya was already in through process of hanging her robe when Sylvirah did the same. Of course she was slower to enter the water. Not out of hesitance though. She took her time and let the heat work its magic on her feet and calves first, then her knees and thighs, finally her bottom and belly.
By the time Sylvirah asked her for the name of her boyfriend Riya was up to her shoulders in the water and leaning her head back slightly. "Well, he can grow hair. He might be a bit of a wuss but he's my wuss and I'll beat anyone that bothers him." Lifting her head she smiled at Sylvirah. "His name is Ergon." Iriyana was hoping to keep it a bit mysterious for a while longer but she wasn't going to lie to the girl. Or ignore her question. "He might not be my husband, might never be my husband since I'm not as classy as he is.. But he is worth the effort."
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Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2020 7:59 pm
[6/10]
To say Sylvirah was shocked was an understatement. Her eyes widened and she stood a little straighter, the corner of her mouth cricking just the slightest. That would explain why she knew so much about me....but did it really have to be Ergon? The one time she thought she could get away from that mess it seemed to follow her. Lucky really wasn't on her side!
"There's no chance it's a different Ergon, is it?" She'd heard of a few 'southerner's' with similar names while being here, but Sylvirah already knew she'd been caught. " The family obligations keeping him away...is me." Sylvirah sank a little further back into the water. "I'm surprised you're even talking to me; he's surely cursed my name by now."
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Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2020 5:45 am
The shock that she saw on Sylvirah's face was expected. Iriyana gave a small cringe at it and lifted her shoulders just a tad. "Sorry, no. I've been dating your brother since we were younger." Her shoulders went back down as the girl said that she was the family obligations keeping Ergon away. Riya rolled the statement around for a second before she gave a half nod half shake of her head. "Yes and no. Mostly he's concerned for his mother." Having taken note that Sylvirah had sank into the water a bit more as if to hide she chuckled. "He hasn't done all that. Or at least, not in front of me. And I did tell him that he shouldn't be mad at you since it's not your fault that your dad did what he did." Her outlook on things was a lot more laid back than others and she didn't care much about gossip. "I have hybrid aunts and uncles that people don't like, so I don't tend to care what people say about others."
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Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2020 8:46 am
[7/10]
Iriyana was the first person to use the term 'your brother' so casually around Sylvirah outside of Snowelle that it made wince. It was one thing when Ergon's fragile mother went into a 'mood' and acted as if Sylvirah was her own, but hearing someone else say it was just...weird. Not...bad per se just odd.
"She thinks I'm her daughter." Sylvirah grumbled into the water. "Sometimes she talks like Kaygon is still alive and that we've all been living together forever." Most days Sylvirah did her best to amuse the poor woman because as much as she didn't want it to happen it was still nice to have a motherly presence around. Not that she'd ever say as much.
And at the very least Iriyana wasn't encouraging Ergon to be angry with her. It made her trust the other woman a little more. "I knew he had a family before I came down, but I needed help. A part of me knew it might shake things up, but at first I didn't care. Then I saw them and it all just went downhill."
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Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2020 9:16 am
She took a moment to think about that. "She used to have those days even before you arrived." Iriyana had heard about them enough to know. Mostly because it was the days she couldn't have Ergon all to herself. Not that she minded sharing her boyfriend. She leaned her head back again, this time letting her hair touch the water. "If you needed help then there is nothing wrong with that. Besides.. I have siblings and I am glad Ergon gets to experience having one again." Iriyana closed her eyes as she thought about it. Ergon would be off balance for a while but he'd eventually get used to it. "If it makes you feel any better you are always welcome at my place. You've not done anything wrong."
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Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2020 9:37 am
[8/10]
She was right, of course. Sylvirah knew enough about Snowelle to figure out she'd been this way for a long time and that if it weren't her then she very likely could have passed these delusions onto someone else. Still, given the current situation, logic didn't exactly help her to feel better.
Hearing that last bit though caused her to snort laugh. "I don't think he would agree. I'm sure he'll be happy when I'm gone." She shifted around in the water until her back was near the edge. When Sylvirah leaned her own head back it had a nice little stone pillow which was just enough of an anchor to hold her as she floated. "That's....incredibly kind of you. Thanks." It felt...honestly, really freeing to hear someone say it. A certain amount of guilt had been weighing on her chest ever since Ergon had opened that door but now she felt just a little bit lighter. "You know, if Ergon doesn't marry you I might just have to."
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