bath time (2024)

Light Mode

The Arisen sighs as she sinks into the water, closing her eyes as she rests her head against the edge of the wooden tub. The hot water served as anodyne to the girl’s aching muscles, filled with curative herbs that aided recovery and relaxation. It had been quite some time since she and her pawn had found the time to avail of an inn’s bathing services, a welcome luxury after trekking through the forests of Vermund for days straight. Camping was fun, but nothing beat a proper bed and bath, after all.

While scrubbing her fur, a knock on the nearby door caught the Arisen’s attention, her eyes now fixated on the door.

“May I come in, Master?” A muffled voice askes beyond the door, coming from none other than her own Pawn.

“Aye,” the Arisen replied, before turning her back against the door. She stares at a nearby jug of scented water, listening to her Pawn’s familiar stride as he walks closer to her. She hears him place something on a nearby stool, before preparing to join her in the tub.

“Excuse me,” he says, before stepping into the tub, the added weight displacing some of the water onto the floor.

As he settles into the tub, his Arisen leans against his chest, getting comfortable despite the cramped two-person situation they had with the washtub.

She tilts her head back, her feline eyes finding her Pawn’s own. She gives him an exaggerated pout, and before playfully nudging her head against his chest.

“‘Tis a waste of water isn’t it?” she asks, ending her question with a little snicker.

“If I recall correctly, it was you who suggested that we share the inn’s bathing facilities, Master.” her pawn scoffs, before reaching over to grab one of the jugs nearby. “It wouldn’t hurt to loosen your purse every now and then, after all.”

“And it wouldn’t hurt if we took turns instead,” The Arisen sticks out her tongue in response, only to be met with a stream of warm rosewater soaking her head.

“Now that would be a waste of both time and water, Master.” her pawn says with a cheeky smile, setting aside the jug with one hand as he uses the other to massage the beastren’s scalp.

“I suppose,” the Arisen mumbled, only to immediately lose her train of thought as her pawn ran his fingers through her hair, working the scented water into the strands.

“Better?”

“Mm.”

She lets out a quiet purr as she leans into his touch, firm yet gentle as he combed his fingers through her hair, loosening any knots and tangles that had formed on his Arisen’s hair.

This sort of grooming had become a little ritual that the two had adopted after the pawn had discovered the Arisen’s apparent forgetfulness towards taking care of her mane, especially when the two were out and about in the wild. He had given her quite the scolding when he discovered a patch of matted fur on the Arisen’s back a few summers ago.

“You really should start brushing your fur more, Arisen.” the pawn comments, briefly plucking a few strands of loose fur from the girl’s shoulder. “Especially now that your winter coat is growing in. Wouldn’t want a repeat of last time, do you?”

The girl laughs. “I know, I know. A bit difficult to do on the road, though. I’d rather not be left bare in the middle of a night raid.”

“Then perhaps we should start camping less, Arisen?” the pawn notes, withdrawing his hands from the girl’s fur to pick up a nearby sponge.

“I wouldn’t be able to eat your grilled meats as often as I’d like, though.” the Arisen bemoaned, sinking into the water dramatically.

“Do we not have a hearth back home in Vernworth, Arisen?” her pawn asks, now focusing on scrubbing himself. “We don’t have to camp every time you wish to eat my cooking, you know.”

“But it’s different! We get to hunt if we’re camping. And we get to sleep somewhere with a nice view at times.”

The pawn sighs, before rinsing himself off with the remainder of the rosewater.

“Well, the grime we accumulate throughout our travels forbids me to become comfortable with your back-to-back camping habit, Master.”

“What’s stopping you from bathing in a river?”

“‘Twould a decent alternative were the waters of Vermund not infested with Saurians and their ilk.” the pawn replies, before pausing briefly to recall something. “Last time I checked, you still have trouble fighting those lizards, Master. Facing those beasts naked is the last thing I’d want to experience.”

The Arisen winces. A brief memory of the two stuck in a cave filled with Rattlers comes to mind. She still has scars from that encounter. “Okay, okay. But we can just avoid those campsites.”

“You say that, and yet.” the pawn says, before shaking his head. “Ah, well, ‘tis your choice, anyway, Arisen. I suppose it’s not my problem if you end up getting fleas again.”

“That was one time!”

“One time too many, methinks.” her pawn says, laughing before plucking a stray herb out of the girl’s fur. “Doesn’t really help that you’re awfully fond of hunting, too.”

“‘Twas merely bad luck,” the Arisen retorts, before giving her face one final splash of water. “I’m sure it won’t happen again.”

“Bold words, Arisen.” her pawn replies, his eyes still on the beastren as she steps out of the wooden tub.

“Will you be staying longer?” she asks, while picking up a nearby towel. “Might get something to eat in the tavern –”

Her words are interrupted by an involuntary yowl from her lips, as her pawn plucks something out of her fur.

“What the –”

“This is exactly why I’m not too fond of the constant camping, Master,” the pawn replies, holding a tuft of fur and something else between his fingers.

The Arisen knew what that thing was, even without the aid of her glasses. It was a tick, albeit a small one, its legs still wriggling as it struggled to move against the pawn’s fingers.

“Remind me to check your fur for more unexpected companions once you’re dry, okay?” he says, sighing as he drowns the unsightly insect in a nearby bucket of water.

“Fine…” the Arisen replies, defeated.

Time to lessen their camping outings in the near future, she thinks.