A Drow's Dilemma Ep. 29: Heatherheath

"Where is our favorite Faerie Lady?" Ashyr asked as she looked around the common room.

As Ashyr was asking the question, Althaia flowed into the room. She wore an understated white dress that showed tasteful amounts of skin. Predictably, every male (and most of the women) in the room turned their heads to openly gape at her. The tall slender one looked at her with interest as well, but there was no admiration in his eyes. Instead, it was something else. Something unidentifiable. "I already made sure that we have the correct number of beds for our party." Althaia assured them.

Suspicious in nature as she was, Ashyr did not fail to notice the slightly... off look of the tall, slender male. Still didn't stop her from appreciating his appearance. She just made a mental note to keep an eye on him... which didn't make him much different from everyone in the world who wasn't Selene or Caleldir. She was still a drow, after all. At the moment, he seemed inordinately interested in Ashyr's and Selene's fingers.

"Care to lead us there so we can put down our stuff?" Ashyr asked the ivory-clad nymph, pretending that everything was normal. She didn't know about everyone else, but she preferred not to carry around both her swords and all the potions Carlotta had given them. And to put them in a safe place away from the mysterious handsome man. Her eyes turned to the innkeeper. "And get some food started for us. I'm starving."

"Yes. I would like to change out of my traveling gear." Selene agreed primly. She could have changed then and there, but why let people know that her finery was just a magic trick? It would spoil the effect of the imaginary gems she planned on wearing.

"I would love to show you to your rooms." Althaia said demurely. "But we should also wash up before we eat, do you not agree? They have a really great bathhouse here that I would love to visit." It was then that she noticed the way that Ashyr was hefting her swords. "Ah. I see. Right this way." Much to the disappointment of the crowd, Althaia glided back upstairs.

The room in question was on the fourth floor, and boasted a great view of the castle. It was spacious and comfortable, with a gentle fire, a dining table, several elegant chairs, and one large bed. Caleldir groaned at this. "It is one thing when we are camping." He complained. "But people will talk if we insist on acting the same way in public."

"You probably will not have to deal with me." Althaia winked naughtily. "I just know that someone out there would love to have me visit them."

"Spare us the details." Caleldir said shortly. He dropped his bag in the room, and changed his padded armor for a nondescript upper-class merchant's clothing in his usual dark colors.

"Why do you care what they think about you, love?" Ashyr asked with an amused tone. She grinned over at him as she set her things in a corner. "Don't you want to hear the tales they'll tell about the heroic rescuer and his fierce, exotic women? Abyss, that's a legend in the making if I ever heard one."

Selene stuck out her tongue and made a disgusted face. "That sounds like an awful story. Maybe we should get two rooms." She said as she frowned at herself in the mirror. Her robes flowed around her into a longer, pale yellow dress that was in the style of the area - or at least the glimpses of style she'd seen. Silvery gems picked up the ambient light of the room and made her hair and clothing seem to sparkle of its own accord. It looked perhaps a bit too fine for the establishment, but not outrageously so. She pulled her hair up to set it in a stylized knot high on her head. Her appearance was now just a bit better than Althaia's... if the damned woman hadn't be a nymph. Nothing would help that simple fact.

"You would be sleeping alone." Ashyr informed her seriously. She watched her cousin's wardrobe change with merely passing interest. Then she looked to her own clothes. The best that she could do was a slightly less thick and more decorative leather outfit that a man might wear. Add a corset and a bit of cleavage, and she looked passible. That is, until one put her next to Althaia and Selene. It was a good thing that that didn't bother her.

Selene sighed and looked at her feet. "Guess the one bed works. Especially if Althaia will be spending the night with some other poor sap." The younger drow said with no regard to the nymph's feelings, as was her usual manner.

"Come on; let's not worry about that. I heard something about a bath?" Ashyr told her cousin, then the rest of the party. There was a rueful smile on the older drow's face as she rubbed Selene's arm in a conciliatory fashion.

"I care because..." Caleldir stopped. Huh. Why did he care? That was an excellent question, actually. He tried a different tact."I do not want to be thought of as a..." He sighed. "You know what, it does not matter. I will just go with whatever Ashyr decides in sexual matters." he considered where this might lead him. "Probably." He amended.

Althaia shrugged. "In that case: Ashyr! I am going to try to seduce the innkeeper's daughter. I think that I could have an easier time of it if I 'borrowed' Caleldir. So-"

"Absolutely not." Caleldir shut her down. "I do not go around sleeping with every good-looking girl who expresses an interest in me. What if I were to get someone pregnant? I am not ready to have any children, let alone dozens of unknown ones all over the world."

"Since when did you need an easier time seducing someone, Althaia? I'd assumed you be one to enjoy that sort of challenge." Ashyr said with her usual naughty grin. She could have been wrong, though. Perhaps the nymph only liked a challenge in the battlefield and not the bedroom. "Either way, I'm not lending him out to some human. He has a point. We don't need to impregnate any surface dwellers. I'm told they actually expect things from the fathers. Could get ugly."

"I do not need an easier time seducing someone." Althaia explained. "I just prefer to utilize every possible resource. Besides, temporary magical sterilization is easy with druid magic. And I can purify diseases. Anyway, it was just an idea..."

"A terrible idea." Caleldir said sternly.

The nymph pouted. "That is a shame. Oh well, if you change your mind..."

"I won't." Caleldir said firmly. "So... are we going to take a bath before or after we eat? Due to magic, we are at least clean enough to eat, so I would vote for that first. I am pretty hungry."

"I don't care as long as I get both." Selene responded. She didn't seem to care to get involved with the previous topic.

"Food first it is." Ashyr confirmed, since she didn't care either way. "If we bathe first the warm water might put us to sleep before we can get something in our stomachs. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm exhausted."

The younger drow nodded her agreement. For a moment, she looked extremely weary. Only for a moment, though. There was no way she could look presentable compared to Althaia if everyone could see how tired she really was. Appearances were important to the very noble drow.

"Unless you two have a burning urge to eat in the common room, I will ring for them to send food up to our room. I intend on eating up here anyway." With that, he pulled on signalling rope.

Selene frowned for just a moments. She had been expecting the chance to let the world - or at least that particular inn - know that drow beauty wasn't far behind a nymph's. But in the end she was glad not to have to be around all those... inferiors. "I'll eat here." She responded primly. Then she settled into one of the chairs around the table. She looked relieved to be sitting.

Almost immediately after the bell rung, Cieraela appeared, grinning broadly when she saw Caleldir. Her expression turned slightly brittle when she saw the other women there too, and she gave the single bed a confused look. Shrugging that aside, she gave a curtsy. "Good evening, brave heroes. What do you require of me?"

Ashyr grinned toothily at the innkeeper's daughter when she opened the door and seemed surprised to see its contents. Someone had been expecting something different. The older drow suspected that, by the end of the night, the girl wouldn't be too disappointed. Due to sheer experience, Althaia would be able to satisfy her much better no matter what sexual orientation the girl might claim.

Caleldir looked highly uncomfortable. "Err... dinner? Can you send our meal to our room?"

"Of course." she promptly replied. She disappeared down the stairs, returning an improbably short amount of time later, perfectly balancing a truly insane variety of foods and drinks: wine, ale, apple cider, meat pies, roast mutton, rolls, corn, mashed potatoes, a variety of seasonings and trimmings... It smelled divinely delicious. "Enjoy!" She said sweetly. "I made the meat pies and honey rolls myself."

When the girl came back with food in hand, Ashyr joined Selene at the table to begin her not-quite-uncouth devouring of the best food she'd eaten in a little under a week. She was hungrier than she'd thought.

After a few bites, Caleldir's expression changed from embarrassed to impressed. "Ms. Cieraela! Everything is delicious. Your cooking really is top notch."

The girl smiled and blushed. "Of course. Anything for my rescuers. Anything." She lightly rested a hand on Caleldir's shoulder. He looked embarrassed again, but did not push her away. Probably out of a desire not to offend.

"Anything?" Althaia licked her lips.

Cieraela looked confused. "Well, yes?"

"Glad to hear it." Althaia said with absurdly potent supernatural charm. She lightly brushed against the girl's arm, smiling dazzlingly. The magic in the room was so thick that even the completely immune Caleldir swallowed and turned away from looking at the nymph.

Cieraela began to visibly melt. "Err... I should go help with the washing. Enjoy your meal!" She hurried away.

"Ach, that cheating." Ashyr mumbled to herself. Whatever happened to the fine art of non-magically forced seduction? This way had far too much... collateral damage. She had to put her food down for a moment and concentrate hard on something other than the nymph. Her breath had noticeably quickened with arousal. For a few tense moments she wanted nothing more than to tackle Althaia to the floor. Or anyone, really.

Selene reacted similarly. She also didn't see too happy about it. She began grumbling under her breath in her native tongue. It was mostly just profanity, but the word 'faerie' did appear several times.

"Well that was awkward." Caleldir said. He finished eating and stacked the dishes together. "So... we ready to visit the baths?"

"Do you think they have separate baths for their noble guests?" Ashyr asked a bit too quickly. After watching Althaia do what she did, there was clearly one thing on Ashyr's mind. Selene, too, looked up with interest despite the incredibly trying day she had. The nymph was doing a good job at being a Paladin for her particular deity.

Caleldir shrugged. "I do not know. Most human nations sex-segregate their baths, and really frown on any sort of... well, untoward behavior in said baths. But we can go and see what they have to offer." With that, he stood up and rang the service bell.

"Bah, humans are no fun." Ashyr responded. Although she guessed that made sense. Baths were for getting clean, and - as he put it - 'untoward behavior' would only make them need more washing. "But I suppose we can be good for once." She even looked as if she was going to try to keep that promise, even though they didn't have a good track record for keeping things clean in the bathhouse.

Selene didn't look like she believed her cousin.

Cieraela appeared again, trying to hide her flustered appearance. Given the way that her dress was rumpled, it was not too hard to venture a guess at what she had been doing. "Yes?" She asked.

"We are finished with our meal. Can you see to our dishes?" Caleldir asked.

"I will have a servant see to them immediately." She replied. She clapped twice, alerting a nearby young man in drab clothing, and inclined her head towards the mess. The servant immediately began dealing with the dishes.

"We would also like directions to the bathhouse." Althaia purred.

Although she blushed, the girl smiled again. "Of course! Right this way..." She led them down to the ground floor, and to an adjoining building. There were a variety of different rooms available. "What would your preference be: public sex-segregated, private mixed, or private sex-segregated? And do you require any attendants?"

"Private mixed is fine." Selene said in her normal haughty tone when the question was asked of her. She didn't care in the slightest how Caleldir felt about her making the decision for him. After all, she'd made much more life-changing choices for him.

Ciaraela blushed further. She looked at Caleldir with a mixture of scandal, curiosity, admiration, and deep lust. Caleldir looked perturbed, but he was not about to contradict Selene on this so quickly.

Ashyr did not try to amend her cousin's words. Perhaps such a request would throw Cieraela off Caleldir's trail. That, at least, would let him relax a little better. "As long as we have soap and towels, I don't think we'll need attendants." She replied to the girl's second question. Sure, they could probably bring in some attractive people to message their aching muscles, but Ashyr much preferred having an excuse to put her own hands on her party members.

When they passed the main room, Ashyr noted that the copper-haired man was nowhere to be seen. It was if he had never been there.

Closing her eyes and regulating her breath, Ciaraela turned to Ashyr. "Of course we have towels and soap, but are you sure that you do not-"

Althaia gently put her arm around the girl, interrupting her. "Let those three wash up. As for me..." she whispered something to the girl, whose skin turned a color to match her hair.

"If you insist..." the human said slowly.

Caleldir just shook his head. "Well then, Ashyr and Selene, let us leave these two to... whatever." With that, he entered the little room that the weak-kneed Ciaraela had shown them. Although the room was understated in its decoration, being in the same ancient rustic ascetic style as the rest of the building, it was incredibly luxurious all the same. It had running water in both hot and cold, a full steaming bath big enough for five people to stretch out comfortably, and a bench underneath two shower heads. A sign next to the bench read 'Please do not enter the bath until after washing. Thank you for your cooperation, and enjoy your stay with us!'.

"Hmm... this place really is old." Caleldir commented, before causing his clothing to vanish. "I do not know how things are in the Underdark, but up here indoor plumbing is pretty rare these days."

Selene and Ashyr both let their clothing fade as soon as they were left alone in the room. There were quite a few more markings on both of their bodies since Caleldir had last seen them naked. They had the mostly-healed quality of wounds that were closed a few hours before by magic, and would completely disappear before morning. Neither seemed to particularly notice nor care. After Ashyr took out her hair adornments, the drow worked together to rinse each other off. Their hands on each other were familiar and gentle - almost loving, if one forgot their ancestry. Their motions weren't overtly sexual, but there was an intensity to their gazes that suggested that the sensual could break out at any moment.

Finally they both sunk into the hot water of the bath with almost identical sighs of relief. Ashyr pulled her cousin over to her and began rubbing firmly at her shoulders. Selene melted into her grasp. The stress she'd always carried on her face melted with the rest of her body. Without that hardness, it was easy to see who was the more beautiful drow.

For his part, Caleldir washed himself quickly and mechanically, sinking into the tub long before the other two did. While he did give both drow an appreciative look, he did not stare at them. It was clear that he noticed how improved Selene looked when she was less angry and stressed. Smiling, he closed his eyes, enjoying the hot water.

"This place is nice." Ashyr admitted. "I would have thought it'd be hard to keep up an ancient building such as this with all your weather. Of course, our own buildings often stick around for thousands of years. Still think I might prefer a nymph pool out in nature with the night sky overhead." Her usual grin spread across her face. She lowered her lips to brush against Selene's dark shoulder.

"Speak for yourself, dearest." Selene said in a soft, dreamy voice. "I do believe I've found my favorite place in these strange lands."

"It is not too very surprising, really." Caleldir replied. "Most of the really old buildings above ground are shored up with enchantments, and such enchantments grow stronger with age. This thing is probably only more durable now than it was when it was built. And for what it is worth: I prefer this to a nymph pool. Less nymphs in it."

"Why, Caleldir! I am hurt..." Althaia said, interrupting the moment. The nymph strode in with a blushing Cieraela at her heels. Althaia, of course, was naked and reveling in it, while the human girl was attempting to hide herself with a towel, before the nymph gently pried it away, leaving the embarrassed girl as naked as everyone else. She really was incredibly beautiful, even next to the supernatural Althaia she did not look completely out of place. The nymph continued speaking "Cieraela kindly offered to be my attendant in here; I hope you all do not mind." With that, Althaia and Cieraela began washing each other, the nymph very clearly prodding the human to more... bold moves than strictly necessary.

Ashyr grinned over at Althaia and her companion. She didn't mind the company, nor the show they put on. Selene didn't look as amused. It was bad enough to have to share the pool with Caleldir - not that she had anything against him aside from his gender. She would have preferred it to be just Ashyr and her. But it would seem that Ashyr and Caleldir came as a package these days, and Althaia wasn't far behind. Both drow moved over closer to Caleldir to give the other two more room.

"See, this is what I was talking about: nymphs." Caleldir complained, as if that word explained everything. Really, though, it did. He looked apologetically at the two drow.

"Nymphs." Selene agreed. Her expression grew slightly more stressed again. She shifted out of Ashyr's embrace to sit between her older cousin and Caleldir. In the end, she decided that she was more comfortable with Caleldir than either Althaia or the human. It helped that Ashyr seemed to trust him completely.

The older drow sat forward slightly and trained her eye on the nymph and human with her usual grin. She didn't seem too keen on getting involved, though. "Do you usually act as a bath attendant - and naked, no less, -Cieraela, is it?" Ashyr asked with mischief in her eyes. Her hand moved under the water to Selene's thigh, though only a ripple above the water and a slight shift in her arm gave any sign of her movement. The younger drow ignored her.

"Yes. That is my name." Cieraela said, still blushing as she washed Althaia's back. The nymph made a few slight noises that were not, strictly speaking, necessary. "I have worked as a bath attendant before, but... not often, and not in this sort of company." She admitted, blushing as she stared lustfully over at Caleldir.

Caleldir looked incredibly uncomfortable. He looked over at Selene, feeling as if the two of them were having an unspoken agreement as to the general awkwardness of the situation and a preference for the nymph not being there. Especially not with the human. "Err..." he asked. "Are you sure your father is okay with you being here?"