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Post by Bloodtrailkiller on Aug 1, 2020 8:40:52 GMT -8
/Lekalis/
"It's just Toustain..." Lekalis informed Courcy; taking a moment to lean against the frame of the door as he watched her see to her own slow tending. It was in these small moments that he found himself, knowing well how hard it can be to simply find time to tend to the self; to bathe, to eat, to drink... to be jolly.
"... The new Vestal, one of the few genuinely sweet rays of Light it seems." He chuckled and sauntered in, not caring to close the door, as he cleared his throat.
"She came to inform me of Roard's passing; the other Guardian of the house." Lekalis shrugged as he sighed and moved to pick up where he left off.
He fetched a powder from the small nook beneath the bath and covered his hands in it before he beckoned Courcy's head to lean back once again with a gentle roll of his wrists,
"This will keep your scalp and strands strong, and keep any ticks or the like away as well... It'll keep the scent better too." He explained with a hapless shrug.
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Post by speakeroftruths on Aug 1, 2020 16:04:31 GMT -8
Adeney knew too little to be comfortable with simply disposing of the diseased body. How was the corpse infected? Was it contagious? At least it seemed that Andy had come to fetch him promptly, despite what little else he shared. He was led past an old mill house, downstream from its water wheel. The large cadaver lay crumpled in a firepit, much of his torso had already burnt to a crisp. The doctor was glad to have donned his mask before arriving. His beak shielded from the sour fumes of Roard's fungal corpse. "Oh dear." Adeney sighed as he approached the body. The man was bulkier than he had anticipated. "This will be some work. We'd better start then. Do you have some coverings for your hands?" He questioned Andy. [Andy] They don't respond immediately, tossed as they are into a horrible recursion of the events that took place here mere hours before. The fletching of their bolt, still visible in the corpse's chest, even if only as charred remains of speckled feathers lying on the rent breastplate, is a powerful touchstone for their execution. The leper roars, tearing his armor apart, the vestal watches, the inquisitor fires. The dull thud of the body, marred by the snapping of firewood as he fell echoes. The doctor said something. "What?" They blink once, twice, coming back to themselves. "Oh. Yes, of course." A quick motion, and the clasps holding their cloak at their shoulders come loose. They quickly wrap their hands in the material, the excess stretched between as a sort of makeshift sling in which they place the body's legs. Grasping on, they struggle and lift with all of their might, what little they have to offer anyway. |
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Post by black379 on Aug 2, 2020 15:40:14 GMT -8
The hellion cocked her head as the lord returned, unsure at first of whom he spoke. The young church girl, who gave a sermon for Vestalia, seemed to be sincere indeed. Though it scarcely made up for Grace's own offenses.
Courcy pondered on the things Toustain had said, and Lekalis's own suggestion - the importance of bonds outside of sexual intimacy. She wasn't incapable... only desperate.
"Oh." She responded simply, with a relaxed sigh as the man ran his fingers through her hair once more. It was soothing, but more than that. The ginger rested her eyes and let him work on her. It was cruel irony that the man who treated her so gently, prancing around affectionately, was too good to indulge her lust. The model of a fine lover, already bound to another.
"I didn't know you had another guard dog." Courcy scoffed. Her back stretched and she leaned back, closer toward him. "I hope you'd be more upset if I died."
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Post by Bloodtrailkiller on Aug 7, 2020 9:56:49 GMT -8
/Lekalis/
A placid smile and tired gaze settled on Courcy as he worked her hair, silence stretching as one could imagine his thoughts working, contemplating, before he gave in with a tense and drawn out sigh. His smile fading as a solemnity befell him again, his gaze drifting off to a dark wall as he opened his heart.
"He was no dog, I had knighted him... I'd thought I mentioned him, but perhaps not. His loss wounds me, deeply." His tone was level, but melancholic,
"I have lost hundreds of knights before him. I had thought to turn a new leaf here, but it seems that I had dipped too deep into the cyclic river of fate, and he paid for my hope." A frown had begun to tug on the corners of his mouth before he steeled himself with a long inhale, and settled a familiar smile and warm gaze upon Courcy as he drew the bucket he'd cleaned her clothes in over under her head, at the base of the basin so he might cup water over her hair and spill it freely into sosaid bucket.
"I'm trying to be different... but indulgent still. I wish the wealth of my old life but it seems touching it is cursed; If I were to lose you... I would think all of this some great failure." Lekalis chuckled mirthlessly as the sweet scent of flowers began to soften yet spread; an aroma that was not wholly overwhelming but most certainly present and lingering from her hair.
"You know you are a blessing? You're very sweet and kind and giving, and protective; don't let anyone besmirch that, hm?" He offered with a wink as he took a knee and found a few stowed towels beneath the basin, warmed by the coals near but not aside them.
"I should go check Toustain, she seemed to be taking Roard's death harshly--" He held up the towels as he dried off his hands,
"-- Once you're done, dry yourself off, and wrap your hair up in these. And bring the brush; we're not quite finished but I would not want to be unkind to my guest, you know?" He explained as he set the towels down on the stool and gently pushed it over beside the basin as well.
He shuffled over to the doorway and paused, turning to face her there,
"Ah... if... that's alright with you?"
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Post by rosallora on Aug 7, 2020 13:30:39 GMT -8
[Toustain]
She hears softer voices, coming from the other room. A man - Lekalis, obviously, and a woman. Not Tilly - she'd recognize her voice, surely, but this wasn't her. Toustain gathers herself up - breathes evenly, feels the sore skin under her eyes. The Lord had mentioned a bath. Maybe that would do her good - some warm water and soap. Her back would be needing it, and she wouldn't be bothering anyone with it if she did.
And she'd pay, of course. The man had a business to run.
She steps up to where she heard the speaking coming from, pausing by the doorframe. And she sees the woman, unclothed as she was and unabashed, and she averts her eyes to grant her modesty. There was beauty in the form of flesh and it could be recognized, but it wasn't granted nor was it asked for - she wouldn't want to offend. Or stare. "Apologies," she says hurriedly. "I..." she realizes he'd been alone with her - her, as she was? HIM, and HER, as they were? As it so appeared? He was not unclothed at least. Of course.
She swallows thickly, wishing that willing her cheeks not to redden was a reliable tactic. "I did not realize you were not in a state of... I am a fool. This is a bathhouse." She doesn't know what she was thinking. Her eyes are fixed on the floor. "I was. Ready for, if it was alright, for a bath myself." Goddess, save her.
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Post by black379 on Aug 7, 2020 18:51:00 GMT -8
Courcy nodded as Lekalis stepped away once more. The man was more careful with his indulgence than he seemed to think. She knew of a few details of his past affairs from Lavinia. He would not have passed up a pair of women in his bathhouse before.
The hellion wasn't truthfully disappointed, though. She respected him for his change, his commitment to Tilly, which only proved he was of higher standards than most of the hamlet's men.
After wading in the warmth for a moment more, Courcy climbed out of the bath, drying herself as she sat on the edge of the tub. She made no effort to hide herself, until she noticed Toustain at the doorway, and her apparent discomfort. She moved to the stool and sat with her back towards them instead, while she dried and put up her hair.
"Don't mind me." She spoke up, sparing a glance over her shoulder. If Toustain insinuated anything between her and Lekalis, or if she didn't, hardly mattered. There was no benefit to making the vestal uncomfortable, nor jealous. She wondered if Tilly was jealous of the women Lekalis attended in his baths.
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Post by Bloodtrailkiller on Aug 9, 2020 13:38:17 GMT -8
/Lekalis/
His attentions had been largely set upon Courcy, waiting an answer, though he had been aware of her approach he hadn't rightly thought upon her more conscientious sensibilities. It was an amusing surprise he indulged in with a small bubble of laughter,
"Please, you are quite alright; I was just making sure Courcy was settled before I went ahead and set you down." He sighed, his tone still afloat with a jovial air as he nodded to the rather gloomish Courcy.
He lingered, a guilt hanging over him leaving her so.
Lekalis brought his hands together in a subtly implicit manner as he faced Toustain,
"Would it be alright if Courcy joined us once she's dried herself? It would be easier to keep you two in one room, so I might finish Courcy's grooming... and I could always use an extra pair of hands." He proposed with a light shrug of his shoulders that matched his brows.
He cast a glance to Courcy again, hoping to gauge whether or not she'd be alright with the matter given her less than savory memories of Vestals...
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Post by rosallora on Aug 9, 2020 13:47:58 GMT -8
[Toustain]
"Oh..." she didn't realize that there'd be a chance of company during. But if that's the way that they did it, it'd be rude of her to say no. And if he wasn't truly done with Courcy and needed to tend to her, then she'd never dream of getting in the way of it. Tending to. Brushing her hair, perhaps? She didn't know what kinds of services the bathhouse might offer other than warm water and a bar of soap.
"I'd... yes." She swallows. "I know it may sound rather peculiar and I... beg forgiveness in advance, because I'm not sure how many of my particular station you've had here. I'd just ask if I'm given assistance that you not look." She grimaces slightly. She knows how awkwardly the words tumble out of her mouth. "I don't doubt your intentions sir. I simply. It'd be. Easier for me to accept the assistance if this could be done. For the sake of my own..." she stumbles over the wording again, her shoulders drawing up slightly. She grimaces as one of the newer wounds is tugged beneath the bandages that Grace had affixed to her. "ah. It's. If it's too much I can. I'm not sure? I. Ah."
She doesn't know how he would manage not looking exactly. Trying to assist Courcy with a bit of cloth tied around his eyes would hardly be advantageous to care. And if... would he touch her? Her skin? Bare? Surely not. But... her back would need... and if he was looking, he'd see, and maybe have questions, but-
She couldn't run from this situation, she realizes, and fear crawls over her skin. She couldn't be rude. And a warm bath. Warm water. That sounded so nice.
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Post by black379 on Aug 9, 2020 14:59:59 GMT -8
Courcy continued to dry herself, and draped a towel about her shoulders like a cloak. She offered another glance toward Lekalis and the vestal. She didn’t mind taking some time to just sit, while the man prepared Toustain for her own bath.
She couldn’t help but snicker, though, at the woman’s request. It was innocent enough, amusingly monastic. Courcy tried to keep her attention averted, to rest herself and relieve the other woman’s anxiety.
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Post by Bloodtrailkiller on Aug 10, 2020 7:20:18 GMT -8
/Lekalis/
With a mild dejection about his features, he tutted sadly and tapped his brow,
"I knew nuns were known to stammer at scandals but... Come now, have some backbone!" He chuckled and craned out a quick finger beneath her chin with a gentle flick upwards,
"Chin up, full sentences, a smile if you could? Then ask again." Lekalis sighed and glanced to Courcy with a mutually amused shake of his crown; condemning yet indulging in the humor of the sheepish maid.
"I know I play with pleasures your patrons would sooner abscond to the Dark, but trust; we're all friends here." His gaze lowered and he leant in emphatically as he spoke, before he turned away from the doorframe and strode to the room next in line; easily shunting it open with a lfit of the lock and nudge of his toe.
He gestured inwards with a sweeping motion of his arms,
"Of course I'll oblige to your request, by the by. But swallow your nerves, or try to, with that skinny throat of yours."
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Post by rosallora on Aug 10, 2020 7:34:19 GMT -8
[Toustain]
Shame streaks through her. Full sentences, Toustain. You're not even somewhere dangerous - force the sentences out of yourself and make them matter. What would Harina say if she could see this? She'd be mortified, watching someone of the faith putter around with uncertain sounds. How uncommanding. How distasteful. How weak.
"Yes, sir - I'm sorry." She tries to get a smile on her face.
Dear Goddess, that wasn't it.
She's grateful at least when he moves to the next room, and it gives her a moment to collect herself. She was usually so good with people. Why? Why was this happening?
Chin up, Toustain, the Lord was right. Act your station.
Wait, if he was saying he would indulge the question did that mean she wasn't supposed to ask again? She's frozen. Knock out of it! It was a joke! He was joking! Probably? Probably!
She steps into the room, eager to do something, anything, that wasn't further embarrassment. "And - thank you, I have coin by which to pay, of course. I understand you must have business and I don't expect any special exception because of what I am." There we go, it had a subject and predicate and everything. She takes the gold she carries with her and sets it aside. "Whatever the price may be, I'll pay it gladly, sir."
She undoes the rope tie abouther waist and the robe moves outward from her small body that much more. She peers over at the tub, then feels the rim. Smooth... strange. But not bad.
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Post by Bloodtrailkiller on Aug 10, 2020 8:00:27 GMT -8
/Lekalis/
The effort summoned by Toustain was enough to inspire a small wince in sympathetic pain as she stepped into the bathing room,
"Ah... try not to hurt yourself." He advised with a small chuckle as he brought the door to a tastefully shut state; still open just a sliver, to invite Courcy in when she chose.
"As for price... well, how does 100 sound?" Lekalis proposed as he stopped Toustain's full disrobal with a poignant poke to her back as he went about shifting the rudimentary miniature pipe and aqueducts to angle begin filling the basin at a rather slowish rate.
"If you'll step in, I'll fetch the soaps, the oils... and we'll be off." He decided with a punctual nod as he scooted a stool up against the basin and found a seat there. Eyes closed.
Lekalis' smiling demeanor focused some as he pulled out drawers at the base of the tub and began to strike a light to the coals and set aside the aforementioned bathing supplies.
"Ah, and... would you care if I cleaned your clothes? I have a board and brush ready... it'll give me something to do while the waters rise."
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Post by rosallora on Aug 10, 2020 8:31:46 GMT -8
[Toustain]
She listens, she processes. 100 gold was fair, she thinks? She didn't know anything to compare it against... but she takes it out of the bag as the man sets to getting things arranged. "Of course. And.. yes. They could use a wash." The idea of a local Lord scrubbing her clothes against a washboard was. Almost amusing. His wife didn't do that for him, that wasn't part of her duties? But regardless, when he sits respectfully and blindly, she disrobes. She pulls at the small knot in the bandage and undoes it - there's pain that comes with the movement of her shoulders and the negotiation of the linen. "If you have a bin I have a bandage that needs to be... disposed of." The bleeding had certainly stopped by now, after all. She steps carefully, and picks up one of the little bottles he spoke of and brought out, feeling the smooth glass under her fingers. How strange. What was this - the scent? Maybe she'd find out.
The vestal rolls up the bandage into a cylinder, setting it aside. And her robe is folded (not that it mattered, it would soon be unfolded) and set delicately in the man's lap. "My things."
She gently rests a hand on his shoulder a moment. "I'm getting in now." And so she does, after a moment of bowlegged clambering. She settles in the bottom of the tub, drawing her knees up a bit. It was cold enough for her to grit her teeth, but she trusted it wouldn't remain that way for long.
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Post by Bloodtrailkiller on Aug 10, 2020 8:47:39 GMT -8
/Lekalis/
As the smell of the coal's smoke reached his nostrils, he set to sliding the drawer back underneath the tub to warm the filling basin as he set a hand over the clothes and bandage roll set in his lap.
"Ah, naturally." He hummed quietly as he set the bloody bandages aside his stool and reached for the bucket thereabouts nearby; it takes him a few groping reaches before he finds its rim and drags it over, only then realizing it needed to be filled.
"I hope you find this all suitable... I know the Abbey has their own bathhouse; I used to keep it stocked before I got my home." He made some small talk as he held up the bucket to Toustain; filled with a washboard, brush, and other small items.
"Here, fill this will you? Just hold it beneath the pouring pipe for a few moments; should only need it to be half-filled." He explained tamely as he took in a breath drummed his fingers thoughtfully on his lap.
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Post by rosallora on Aug 10, 2020 8:55:37 GMT -8
[Toustain]
"It's very different to have... company." She takes the bucket and holds it under the pipe. The sound is tinny for a moment before the water can properly start pooling in there. "It can be very lonely, sometimes. In a way you don't expect." She spends so much of her time alone. Or alone in company, though the phrase doesn't even make sense to her when she thinks it. She has a few friends - and it was questionable whether she should have them at all. She watches the level of the water go in and makes sure that it's filled at least halfway before removing it, pulling her legs back as cool water splashes once more into the tub.
"Here you are... I imagine you must enjoy the company of plenty! Lots of people coming through, getting cleaned. Maybe I'll find myself coming again at some point. But yes, you must hear a lot of stories. Meet a lot of people? Everyone needs a good bath from time to time, and the idea of someone to help must bring them... some comfort." She tries to remember the last time someone washed her hair. Was it Sister Maurgerite? She grimaces, remembering the tugging. "The nuns weren't very gentle in their bathing." She laughs. "It's as if each of them had claws."
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