Welcome to Gaia! ::

Nixie smiled but kept her mouth shut as she took her turn in the shower. Unlike everyone else, hers was a quick cool scrub with a loofa. She got out, toweled her hair dry, and slipped into a sundress, kitten pumps, and a designer jacket. A quick swipe with the masquera brush and tinted chap-stick, and viola! When she stepped out of the bathroom, she looked fresh and chic.

She picked up her purse and headed towards the door. "Ready?"

Nixie couldn't help but smile at Kaori. She would have to get the poor fox some ballet flats or someone was going to break an ankle. She gathered up the building plans and her new phone. Then she took Kaori's hand in hers, both for moral support and to keep her steady, and led the way out of the hotel and down the street.

Nixie found an outdoor cafe with several private booths. She ordered coffee drinks for them both and then spread the building plans out on the table.

"So, where do you think we should look first?" she asked Kaori. "And what tools do you need to find any hidden nooks and crannies?"

Nixie considered Kaori's observations. "Sovenn has some antique pieces in there that are worth a lot of money. It would be a shame and a waste to break them for nothing. I know--I'll rent an x-ray machine, like the kind veterinarians use on horses. They're very portable, and we can zap all the furniture in one day, have the slides developed over night, and know by breakfast if there's anything we have to go back for." She drank her coffee mechanically as she thought. "I'll send Austin for a list of basic supplies tomorrow. Stud finder, bolt cutters, lick picks, flashlight, crowbar, and a hand-held saw for the sheet rock. Oh--and dust masks and safety goggles, naturally. He loves shopping at hardware stores, no matter what country we're in."

"I figured the x-ray could show us suspicious empty spaces within the solid wood furniture," Nixie replied. "I'm not the TSA--I don't have to know everything at a glance. I just want to know IF something is there. I'll find out WHAT it is later. I'll definitely get you a stethoscope as well. Now, I know these plans aren't going to show us secret vaults, but if you were a suspicious Scandinavian millionaire without a lot of imagination, where might you install a little extra something?"

"I'm sure Austin will see to all your weaponry needs." Nixie circled all the closets and made a note at the bottom for wall-art. She finished her coffee and picked up Kaori's like she had always intended to drink it.

"Mmm, this is definitely one thing I'll miss when I'm home again," she said after taking a sip. "Ok, then. If nothing pans out at the club tonight, we'll attack the chalet tomorrow afternoon." She rolled up the plans and slid them back into the cardboard travel tube. "Now, lover, we have a reservation at the spa."

Nixie caught Kaori's paw and squeezed it. Whether it was an intimate gesture, apology for making her uncomfortable, or a promise for the experiences to come, even Nixie didn't know. As usual, she didn't examine her feelings. She just did what she felt was right and kept moving.

She walked with Kaori, hand in paw, to the spa. Once through the tinted glass doors, the spa looked like a spectacularly decorated and furnished doctor's clinic, with fresh flowers, soft pastel walls, plush recliners and the faintest hint of incense in the air. Nixie went straight to the receptionist, emphasized her last name and offered a business card, and the couple was whisked away for star treatment.

First came the soaking; they were immersed in mineral rich mud up to their chins. Then the scrubbing, to get the mud and all the dead fur and skin off. Then they had to sink their feet into a basin filled with small catfish. The catfish nibbled at their toes, but lacking teeth they only tickled as they deep cleaned their soles and nail-beds. Then they were ushered into a sauna, with only a small white towel for modesty's sake. Once inside, Nixie spread hers out an lay down with her eyes closed as the steam brought a sheen of sweat to every curve of her body.

"So, what do you think so far?" she asked her guest.

Nixie bolted upright with a curse. "I'm so sorry, I totally forgot you were a canid!" she cried, blushing. "Feel free to wait in a cooler place--maybe get a head start on the massage."

Nixie spent another 10 minutes in the sauna and then came out. She met Kaori outside.

"Just the massage and a shower, and then the finer points of primping before we're trying to wriggle into whatever it is that Austin bought for us," she teased gently, still feel guilty over taking her into the sauna.

Twin Asian masseurs with bleach-blond hair led them to a cool room with two massage tables. Nixie unwrapped her towel and laid face down. The masseur oiled up her hands and started to work on Nixie's tense body. The other masseur didn't use oil but water-based fur conditioner to make it easy to bury her slim fingers into Kaori's thick fur and reach the knots of muscles under her pelt.