Getsemiel

[Alberich]

Tim and Bryce arrived on horseback. Tim had ridden in sullen silence, his earlier fuming rage down to a low sub-boil. Maybe she wouldn't make it into town, or maybe wouldn't manage to kill anyone anyway. He disliked the taste of failure but there was nothing to do but swallow it.

Tim made his report to Rose in a few neutral words - they'd seen her, she'd gotten off the road, there wasn't a place to intercept her. Failure. Sorry. I'll try to watch your back.

He'd hoped to find Brad and engage him in a little conversation, something nice and clean like Seminary memories. When he learned that Brad and the others were off splashing around in the nude...he swallowed hard and stayed away from there. He'd do a cleansing prayer later.

[Graybeard]

Sister Rose's head spun with the combined impact of two sets of mind-speech (I shouldn't try to do that with two people at once, she counseled herself), the ... mellow pronouncements of Brother Tyler [OOC: rather than reproducing, in response to Maduin's question, what he saw, just say it's consistent with this description -- /OOC:], and now the intrusion of Brother Tim. "What was that all about?" Father Arnold asked as soon as Tim had given his report.

"We're not entirely sure," Rose answered, hoping the subject could be dropped until Tyler wandered off somewhere. "Probably not connected to our main mission, though. Maduin here apparently has an enemy out there somewhere."

Arnold nodded, all business now; as Rose had learned, the Calfornicans could get that way remarkably quickly when not under the influence of their ... rituals. "Of course, you are under the protection of our church here," he said. "The Patriarch has commanded it. We obey. Arrangements will be made for your safety."

Rose nodded in reply. "We'll take you up on that kind offer, thanks. Just for one night, at the most; wherever Father Blaise has gone, we can't let him get too much of a lead. But there's fact finding to do ... after a little bath." She turned to Argus with a smile. "Shall we?"

------------

"Oh, wow," Brad repeated, as Desiree slipped into the baths; whether these two events were related was an open subject.

[Drannin]

"Uh..." Argus started, when he suddenly felt a blazing stare on the back of his head. Slowly, he turned around in his chair to notice Harker, peeking around the door frame... STARING at him. Just STARING. With a great deal of MEANING behind it. Slowly, Harker slid back behind the door frame. Slowly, Argus turned back to Rose and smiled evenly. "Well, why not?"

I think Harker will murder me in my sleep if I don't go through with it. Also:

Roseisgonnabenakedohmy.

Creeping stealthily down the hall Harker thought to himself:

I will murder him in his sleep if he doesn't go through with it. Also:

Rosegonnabenakedawyeah!

It was touching how close master and familiar's thoughts were.

[Graybeard]

Sister Rose nodded as Maduin and Bryce went off together, out of the sight of Father Arnold; they would have been surprised to learn that the Calfornican attitude toward same-sex couples wasn't really much more -- tolerant than the Orthodox position. Brother Tim had gone off somewhere as well (I hope he's okay, Rose thought), so she headed for the baths, taking a blushing Argus gently but firmly by the hand.

Moments later, she'd slipped out of her robes, leaving her clad only in undergarments. (Was Argus disappointed by that? She didn't stop to check his face.) From there, however ... A brief but intense, silent debate began inside Rose's head.

Of course you're going to get out of these things too, silly.

But it's ... undignified, not nun-like...

And when did that ever stop you? Besides, like you were saying earlier, when in Romiel, do as the Romians do.

I don't know ... will the rest of the party think less of me for it?

The party that, by and large, will be in the tub with you, you mean?

Well, them and ... Argus.

Snort. And just what are we thinking about here?

Okay, point. But Harker ...

So if the little pervert wanders around, get out, throw him as far as you can manage, get back in. After that session skipping stones, you have a good arm for a woman, you know. Besides, Argus would surely be glad to help.

But I'm in my mid-to-late thirties. The other people in there look so young. I don't want to embarrass myself by sagging in ... parts that, on the others, don't sag.

Snort, again. As if the combination of years of military service, even more years of taking care of yourself, and never to be forgotten, your shape-shifting magic haven't taken care of that. And besides ... you do want Argus, who's older than you are, to join you, don't you?

...

Oh, the hell with it.

She slipped shyly out of the rest of her clothes, folded them neatly atop her robe, and slipped into the foaming waves, not even noticing whether Argus was watching or not.

[Drusia]

"Oh, wow," Brad repeated, as Desiree slipped into the baths; whether these two events were related was an open subject.

I smile. "Thank you, Brad. Also - could you please pass me one of those brownies?"

I turn to Eli. "Care to share?"

-- Desiree

[Drannin]

Argus' first thought was that Rose had a very soft hand. So gentle and smooth... Sort of like Cirella's... Which brought to mind a mental image of his late wife. Holding a sign saying 'GET ON WITH IT ALREADY.' Possibly dropping the 'with' while switching the 'it' and 'on.' Honestly, Cirella would have preferred Argus to have gotten on with his life rather than pine over her endlessly.

Argus was mulling this over as he hesitated over his clothing. Weren't there separate changing rooms? Other Tsuirakuans would have thought him prudish, but he had always felt oh Rose was in her underwear now. Oh wow. Wow. Stop staring Argus. No, screw you. STOP STARING. NO. Oh dear gods he was staring at Rose. Flushing slightly, he looked away with the mental image engraved in his mind, awkwardly disrobing himself.

...

Damn.

Who knew Rose had a body like that?

Removing his shirt, Argus inspected his shoulder. No external signs of calcification, good... Argus didn't want Rose to see rocks growing out of his shoulder. He suddenly realized that Rose was hesitating, still in her underwear. She must be embarrassed, and I guess I can't blame her. This is, for many reasons, an awkward never mind there they go... So much for the underwear.

As Rose strode away, Argus found his head swiveling to follow her rather than just looking out of the corner of his eye.

Damn. Wow. Hell Yeah.

...

Fuck it.

Argus took off the rest of his clothes and followed Rose into the bath.

(OOC: Male hormones, GO!)

[Jack Rothwell]

"Care to share?"

Eli looked at the offered brownie doubtfully, suddenly thinking very hard about the people they'd seen in town so far. The offending article looked tasty... but the half-elf had no desire to risk eating one in case he'd wind up stoned, putting on white robes, growing a beard and declaring the truth of 'The Great Om' or similar.

"I'll... pass, if it's all the same to you." Eli tried to relax, finding it difficult under the inquiring gazes of the humans.

"I think I might take a look around town later." He began, more from something to say than anything else. "There must be something useful we can take with us."

[Graybeard]

[OOC: Sareth seems to be MIA, so to nudge things just slightly, I'm putting a few, still ambiguous, words in Lillith's mouth. Come back soon!]

Lillith looked doubtfully at the brownie she'd taken. "Brad, are you sure this doesn't have any animal to it, not even any renderings? The spirits..."

Her voice trailed off, but Brad was on it. "Sweetheart, like, I'm sure the spirits are okay with this thing. Like, the Calfornicans are totally vegetarians." His smile got broad as well as mellow.

The girl looked again at the brownie. She had to admit, what little sense of the spirits she was getting here certainly was ... non-confrontational ...

-----------

"Mmmmm," Sister Rose purred at Argus as he settled in beside her. "I'm not exactly comfortable with all the elements of Calfornican theology and practice, but I have to admit, this does feel good." In several ways. "It's also supposed to be therapeutic. Would it be all right if I massaged your bad shoulder? It wouldn't make things worse, would it? I'll be gentle, I promise..."

If there was a double entendre in that last comment, she was blissfully unaware of it.

[Drannin]

Yes, thought Argus.

"Yes," Argus said politely, "Thank you. I was checking it earlier and there were a few jagged points near the surface, so be a bit cautious. Other than that I appreciate it."

I'm getting a naked massage from Rose.

Argus had to admit, it wasn't a terrible thought at all. On an unrelated note, he was wondered... and dreading... just what the hell had gotten into Brad, what with that goofy smile.

[Sareth]

The fact that Californicans were vegetarian seemed to ease Lillith's concerns. The girl reached over and took a brownie, eating it with a slightly arched eyebrow. "There's a slightly odd taste to this..."

Moments later, just as Argus was consenting (to a massage, unfortunately), Lillith was staring at the water rippling away from their entrance. "When did water become so beautifully awesome?" she asked. "I mean, it's like... so full of colors. Like a rainbow, only we can bathe in it. We should, like, totally absorb all the colors and become one with the colorful awesome spirit of the water, y'know?"

With that she turned a bit in the bath and leaned back against Brad, her hand resting on his thigh. "We all must become one together. With the water. Totally." Suddenly she jabbed a finger towards Argus and Rose. "Like them! Totally awesome." And then she slipped completely underwater and began blowing bubbles just to hear the pretty colors.