Tales of the Exalted

Those that were interested in a bath were brought to a grand open bath house that had been cleared out just for them. Enticing steam rose up from the water and luxurious towels were laid out for whoever wanted them.

Once inside the walls, Ruby slipped out of her clothes without the help of the servants that stood by, folding them and setting them against one of the great pillars holding up part of a balcony. Unashamed of her nakedness, she walked down the steps to the water with confidence and lowered herself in. Floating on her back she guided herself with gentle strokes to the deeper parts where she could recline and enjoy. A small sigh escaped her lips as the water warmed her.

Callista had used the bath house in Terenuthis before so the idea of sharing one with the other women didn't bother her at all. She tried not to rush May too much, but she was eager to relax and get the dirt from the road off of her. The only person who was there presently was Ruby, so she had May help her undress and stepped into the water with her, letting out her own contented sigh.

Eida, Donovan, and Cion all headed to the bath houses themselves after some deliberation on food and lodging. Sanjuro had vanished before Cion could try to pull him along too, which is something Eida should have done. The lapping of water and female voices rose through the silence as the three men stepped through and were taken care of by the servants before entering. Eida took an appraising glance at the two warriors and felt almost insecure with himself. He knew that his lean form was well fit for fighting and labor, but could be considered almost scrawny when compared to their frames.

Cion was all smiles and laughing, clapping them on the back as they walked in on the girls. Eida immediately averted his gaze to give them time to react, he was not expecting the princess to join them in a bath house. At least for now the men had their towels.

The awkward silence as people come in was almost tangible. Ruby stopped floating and let herself immerse into the relaxing water, but didn't bother opening her eyes. She had a good hunch as to who walked in, and she wouldn't let it ruin her time to recuperate from her hours of horseback.

After depositing his armor and weapons in his room, Cion went to search out the other men of the group. He wasn't sure if they had intended to visit the baths but he was quick to try and get some company. Bathhouses were not a custom familiar to the people of Tirnanog until his father had begun the dynast occupation but Cion had grown up with one locally and had many good memories of spending time in one bonding with his brothers and his father. Seeing how standoffish both the other male Solars were, Cion thought it was a good chance for them to get to know each other better.

Cion was too busy trying to get the others to laugh at a joke he was telling to notice the baths were occupied already. He saw the two women in the water and his speech immediately halted. Both were worth looking at but he wasn't so crude that he would let himself stare, especially since he didn't want to get caught at who he was looking at. ”This is an interesting custom. Well, as they say, when in Nexus…” he chuckled pushing the other two men forward towards the water. Cion had nothing to be ashamed about and certainly wasn't going to pass up enjoying a chance to relax with even better company.

She should have known that the sound of the men's voices were coming into the same room, but she had naively assumed there was another bath close by. Callista was too busy trying to coax May in and didn't fully notice the men until they were already in the room. The sudden silence drew her attention to where they can come in and she knew her face was completely red before she could look away. The princess was left with a dilemma, either she exited and revealed her whole self to the men or stayed and tried to keep her composure as they joined her and Ruby. She hesitated too long, and was stuck as Cion waded into the water with them.

May was reluctant to join her mistress in the water. She knew it was a common custom, one even the Azuma practiced.
But next to Callista and Ruby she didn't feel comfortable at all. She was so preoccupied arguing with the Princess she didn't notice the men coming in until it was too late.
Callista froze, unsure what to do and that was enough to galvanize May into action. She jumped into the water and placed her body between the boys and her mistress's modesty.

Ripples turned to small waves that pushed over Ruby's face after May jumped in. She spluttered water out of her nose and glared in the general direction before wading over to the edge and grabbing a couple scrubbing towels and tossing them to the two women. She ducked her head under the surface and came up to get her fiery hair out of her face and looked over two the adorable scene with one man strutting and two unsure. For a moment she wondered exactly how extensive the strange Nahuatl man's tattoos were, but that question was answered rather quickly a they made their way in. She let out a short whistle in admiration to the dedication of the modification before she continued on. Cion's artwork was no less impressive, if less extensive, but the flowing knots seemed to expand over his muscles and create the illusion of more where Eida's seemed almost like a second skin. Even Donovan's bare form was something to be proud of.

Jill seemed to have come into the baths at the perfect time, getting a full view of some shapely behinds as she walked in. Grinning she tossed her clothes aside without the aid of a servant and took a running jump into the water, causing even more waves in the small pool. Jill wasn't as voluptuous as the other women, but she was sinewy from her constant movement and her tattoos decorated her body even more than Eida's did. The only difference is hers were the soft shimmery color of moonsilver and scrolled around her features in the motifs of the ancient language of the Lunars. She was only a little sensitive about her tail, the odd feature that set her apart from most people but they already knew of its presence. ”We should do this more often,” she laughed as she watched half of the party's awkward looks.

Callista took a deep breath and put on a smile while she turned herself a little more modestly. May and Ruby both came to her aid, although she felt a mix of relief and embarrassment as she was glad to be covered but she was a bit ashamed to not be as comfortable with herself as Ruby or Jillian was. It was hard not to let her gaze wander over to the men, not a single one of them was bad to look at. She couldn't help her curiosity, and perhaps it came from coming from a more modest culture but she quickly noticed that Eida wasn't a eunuch. That meant his inability to take a woman was for other reasons.

She laughed a little, if not nervously as Jillian jumped in and made her comment. Relaxing with the group sounded like a nice idea, but not when she was completely exposed.

"This isn't exactly what I expected," she said, unsure if she should be looking for an exit or not.

Donovan was pleased that Edia and Cion were of like mind in establishing
their necessities before enjoying the baths. It was good to feel the
comradery in their small band.

The bath house was far more opulent than the more Spartan facilities he was
used to in An-Tir. The warmth and humidity of the pool let him know what to expect from the water. He hung his towel from one of the posts and gave a
great stretch before he started walking the perimeter of the pool. Ruby
floated on her back, her knees, hands, breasts, and face exposed like small
islands in the pool, while the other ladies sat relaxing by the side. There
seemed to be a mild shock amongst his companions, and then it clicked.
Small manners charm (understand cultural nuances)
They were not used to nudity in this context. They either were not familiar
with this type of bath house, or had only experienced them in same gender
environments. Same gender facilities were common in An-Tir, if you weren't
assigned to breed with someone what difference did it make after all.
There were great mosaics along the walls and the ceilings. People
frolicking in the water, fountains, streams, and ocean under suns rendered
in reds oranges and yellows.

They had some wet steam rooms (his personal favorite of the baths) as well
as salt baths, and cold baths. He stopped when he found what he had hoped
to find, near the cold baths, A small chest insulated from the warmth of the
room. Precious crystal flakes inside. He scooped up a handful of the ice
chips and rubbed them across his chest, under his arms and between his
thighs. The cold rush exhilarating and making him catch his breath.
A great splash erupted behind him startling him, the noise echoing of the
tiled chamber, and the small alcove rooms. He spun around to find Mayumi in the center of the pool, great waves rippling out from her. Well, that is
one way to relax, he thought, though such horseplay was out of place for a
bathhouse and surprising to come from the enigmatic Mayumi. Before he could really finish the thought Jill was flying through the air crashing into the pool as well. Once the water settled he slid himself into the far end of the pool, and slowly swam back to toward the others now that he was sure another body wouldn't come crashing down on him.

Mercy was the last one in. She was surprised t the tattoos covering Cion, Eida and Jill. They were so ornate and pretty. Hers was only a simple design on her arm marking her as part of the warrior caste, the same as Donovan, of course he also had the first order of the three knighthoods which she hoped to have one day. Instead she had several scars on her athletic frame, each a costly lesson learned. The other women had gathered into a group so she slid into the water near them

Its a bath house. What were you expecting?

May didn't care about her own nudity, she was nothing to look at and had no interest in the advances of boys.
She did however fuss as Callista struggled to make up her mind about the situation. In May's opinion the boys were unworthy of seeing the Princess so, and she did her best to tie the towels Ruby had given them in ways that would hide her royal flesh.
The whole group save for Sanjuro was in the bath, and May reminded herself that her brother wasn't part of this group. It was disappointing, but she hoped one day he would be free as well.
Mayumi turned to answer Mercy as she heard more footsteps. Pyrrha's foot steps. May stopped and watched the woman enter the baths and strip down, totally unafraid of the audience, before stepping in.
"Sorry your Grace, I forgot Terenuthis culture is more modest than my own." she said softly. May blushed as the woman smiled her way, realizing she hadn't taken her eyes off the Plataean woman yet.

The princess tried to keep her eyes on the other women and not on the other spectacles presenting themselves. All three of the men displayed their own strange tattoos that drew even more attention to their features, some piquing her curiosity more than others. She had to remind herself that this shouldn't be such an issue, many cultures saw nudity as not a big deal and this was all part of learning about new cultures. This didn't make her any more comfortable, aside from around other women she had been completely dressed and had imagined her first time so exposed would be a more intimate occasion.

"Well, in Terenuthis baths aren't shared with those of the opposite gender," she smiled a little at Mercy’s obliviousness to the situation as she used the wash rag to try and cover her top casually, glad May's body was blocking quite a bit of her.

"Less waves maybe? Come on, lets get you cleaned up a little. Your hair is a mess." Ruby kicked Mercy's legs out from under her to get her head under the surface before running her hands through the coating of dust that had settled in the squire's hair during the long road trip. She laughed as Mercy came up for air, but that might have been enough to break the group's tension. "Thought you lived with horses Knight, wasn't expecting a land-locked city to teach you how to swim. Lets give the princess some time to herself if she wants it.

She let herself float over and away from the other three, giving them a little privacy.

Rather than stand there like part of a spectacle, Eida stepped down into the bath waters to join most everyone else. Once over the initial awkwardness, he realized that Mayumi had strived to keep Callista modest in their company, which made things easier in a way. Self-styling is contagious, and he could not help but feel embarrassed for her because she was not used to this kind of openness. In a way, this was how Eida felt most comfortable. He was strong in a room where he was the only one that had manageable power, and that sensation gave him some measure of comfort.

If this was supposed to be a bonding venture for him and the others, he could not steer himself away from conversations, so he made himself open as best he could.

Cion laughed as the white haired Lunar made even more waves. Sure it was a bath but it didn’t mean they had to be all stuffy about it. He stuck his head under for a moment, flattening the fiery mass to his scalp causing his pointed ears to become more apparent. ”No sense in hiding what when have been blessed with and we aren’t in Terenuthis anymore,” he grinned and swim to the side where they ladies were. ’It does feel very good to be in a nice warm bath after such a long ride. It is a pity Speedy could not come in, he loves water.” Cion imagined the stable boys had their hands full with him right now. Once he had heard about the baths, the horse had become indignant that he wasn’t invited. God blood or not, Cion was pretty sure the temple didn’t want fur in their bath. Then again Silver was floating around so maybe he was wrong in telling Speedy he couldn’t join them.

Donovan swam across the pool giving the ladies a wide berth.

Gentlemen, care to join me in the steam room? He walked out of the pool to retire to one of the steam room alcove. Cion would probably grouse about the change of scener, but he hoped it would make Callista more comfortable.

Cion sighed and rolled his eyes a bit. He had intended for this to be a guys bonding thing, especially since he didn't think Eida was too fond of him and Donovan was always so damn proper so he was inclined to follow the invitation to the steam room. There were naked women though, and Donovan was well aware of this so Cion had to question his motives for wanting to move locations. He couldn't be the only man in the bath though so when he saw Eida look like he might be heading in the direction of the other room he gave up, flashing the ladies a big grin and a wink as he waded to the edge and pulled himself out to follow suit.

”What kind of man leaves a bath full of naked women?” He said light heartedly as he settled into a spot close to the heat source.

Eida shrugged at Donovan's sudden change of heart and waded back the way he came. Holding a hand out, a servant ran over to give him a towel. Sponging away all of the water that clung to his skin, he looked over at Cion to get him over with them. It was his idea the guys spend some time getting to know each other anyway, even with their difference of opinion. "A man willing to respect the ladies' desire for some privacy after an unexpected intrusion."

Handing the towel back, the sorcerer made his way towards the heavy wooden doors that had a thick steam pouring out from between the beams above, not bothering to look back to see if he was followed.