A Good Soak [Open]

[Avernale]

Avernale sure got moved around a lot. For some reason, the Magic Council saw fit to reassign her to different jurisdictions almost every other week. She thought it was a bit odd, as she figured the Magic Council would prefer to keep their precious Lampade somewhere close by. Maybe it was a clerical error or paradigm shift or some other form of mismanagement Avernale couldn't care less about. At least she was getting out to see the world, albeit mainly the parts watched over by the Magic Council.

Hosenka Town was quite the lovely place, as well. It had a distinctive, oriental flair that she found quite charming, and the food left nothing to be desired. Of course, if there was one thing Hosenka Town was apparently known for, it was their spas. There were few things Avernale liked better after a good workout than a long soak, and there were few better places to get one than a Hosenka Town bath house. Sure, they weren't exactly private baths, but Avernale didn't exactly mind showing off her perfectly-chiseled body to strangers.

Avernale opened the sliding door and stepped into the hot tub room, closing the door behind her. She had on little more than a bath towel loosely draped around her, and it didn't stay that way for long. She gently lowered herself into the steaming-hot water, humming to herself as she let it envelop her. At a good six and a half feet tall, getting in up to her chest required her to recline a bit but she did so gladly, letting out a contented sigh as she draped her arms over the edge of the tub.

"Now this is living," she mused to herself. "I need one of these for my own home."

[Cerys Whitman]

“You’re not kidding,” came the answer of a young woman who had entered the spa behind the extremely tall woman. The woman was still wrapped in her towel, but it was obvious she had an athletic lifestyle. Her hair was short and black. Her eyes were an almost baby blue. No guild markings were visible, but that was because she still had the towel on.

The woman was Cerys Whitman, the new ace of Blue Pegasus. She’d come to the town for a bit of research, but also for a bit of R&R. She needed to calm her nerves a bit after her unexpected promotion, and what better place than natural hotsprings?

Cerys stepped forward, setting foot gingerly into the hot water. “I’m Cerys,” she introduced herself as she set the towel to the side, revealing the jade-colored Blue Pegasus tattoo on her abdomen as she sat down slowly a little ways from Avernale. “I came here to let off some steam before I get to work. You?”

Cerys wasn’t nearly as chisled as Avernale. She wasn’t exactly jealous, but she did suppose the muscles would come in handy when it came to a fight. As the Ace, she would probably get into her share of important fights. At least there would be blood… Cerys’s eyes flicked to the side. No, she shouldn’t think like that. She looked back at the woman and smiled. “Is the soak part of the regimine for getting a body like that?” she chuckled good-naturedly.

[Avernale]

Avernale craned her neck slightly as she looked back at Cerys, as her back was currently to the newcomer. Watching her became easier as she approached, and Avernale could eye her more casually with a slight smile as if being approached by an old friend. Not that she had any idea who Cerys was, of course. The goings-on of the various magic guilds didn’t especially concern her, nor was she that interested, but she did recognize the mark of the Blue Pegasus guild when the Ace removed her towel. A shade of green, ironically. You’d think a guild with a color in its name would place more emphasis on it.

Cerys was easy on the eyes, as well. A notably athletic build, but not as muscular or large as Avernale. Then again, few women were. Few men, for that matter, but that’s beside the point. A hundred and fifty years ago, one might be surprised to see such a fit body from a wizard, but the Grand Magical Games demonstrated that wizards were no slouch in the athletics department. Then again, the term “wizard” was rather loosely-applied, even back then. If it weren’t for her magic sword, Avernale would almost literally just be another soldier. She couldn’t say what kind of wizard Cerys was, but it was certainly one Avernale didn’t mind sharing a hot spring with.

“It’s not what you call an essential part of the workout,” she said, stretching her arms over her head. “But it’s a fantastic way to relax after one, and resting is an important aspect. The name’s Helena, by the way, but everyone calls me Avernale.”

[Cerys Whitman]

Cerys felt Avernale’s eyes on her as the exceptionally large woman turned to appraise her. She wasn’t the most used to public places like this, so it was just a little bit uncomfortable. Still, she figured they were both adults, and even if one found the other nice to look at with her ‘privileged’ view, it wasn’t a big deal. The smaller woman slowly sank into the water, nearly up to her shoulders. “Avernale, huh?” she asked. “Good enough for me. Cerys is fine, on my part. I’ve been called a few other names before, but they’re not exactly flattering.” She chuckled at her own joke. Well, it was semi-true. Few people got to twenty without making a few rivals or enemies. Especially not a blood mage who used to have problems controlling the urges the forbidden magic came with.

Baby blue eyes shifted to Avernale, a pleasant smile on the Ace’s face. “I suppose if I were to properly introduce myself… I’m Cerys Whitman, the newly appointed Ace of Blue Pegasus. I’m out doing a bit of… field research.” Field research meant where she found Shadow Heart or even Crusader members, she usually beat the snot out of them and found out what she could about them. She didn’t look like much, but she was quite the brutal fighter. “Like I said, this seemed like a nice way to relax before getting back to that.”  Cerys’s hand shot out of the water to push her bangs out of her eyes. They had a habit of blocking her right one. “What about you, Avernale? You look like a body builder or some sort of super soldier or something. I mean, the look works for you pretty well. What I mean is, Are you here on vacation, or some sort of business?”

[Avernale]

Avernale didn't laugh at Cerys' joke, though her smile showed she appreciated the wit. It was something she herself was familiar with. A well-built woman wasn’t exactly everyone’s vision of beauty, and plenty of men saw her as a threat to their own masculinity even if they wouldn’t admit it. Even some women derided her, questioning her femininity. It was something she learned to shrug off, as these people meant nothing to her otherwise. Still, she’s had to put a few trolls in their place, much to her satisfaction.

She could also tell her appraising gaze had made the smaller woman uncomfortable, so she made a mental note to reign it in a bit. She saw all she cared to, anyway, and it was poor manners besides. Maybe she could make it up to her later.

Avernale chuckled. “You’re not far off with calling me a ‘super soldier,’ although this body’s the real deal. Nothin’ artificial about it. I’ve been stationed in this town by the Magic Council. I wouldn’t really call myself a wizard, though. All I’ve got is a magic sword, and any idiot could use that.” She sunk down a bit and tilted her head back. “Well, not mine. Mine’s imprinted on me or something and won’t work for anyone else. And it’s pretty heavy to boot. If it wasn’t for that sword, I’d still be in the royal guard.”

[Cerys Whitman]

Cerys was... to put it bluntly… strange when it came to her tastes. Whether it was a man or woman (though so far it had only really applied to women since she wasn’t particularly perverted and had never bathed with men), she didn’t care so much about someone’s looks – at least, not enough to ogle them when they were both in a hot spring relaxing. It was after she’d gained feelings for them or was in a relationship that she started paying attention at all. Avernale had her curiosity and enough of her notice to note that she was extremely muscular for a woman, but that was about it.

At first Cerys’s mental alarm went off when Avernale said that she was stationed here by the Magic Council. What prevented her from acting on it, however, was the facts that Cerys had just introduced herself as the Ace of Blue Pegasus, and no attack or threat had been issued, save for the previously scrutinizing eyeballs belonging to the other woman. She relaxed rather quickly, and showed no sign of her paranoia.

“Not just anyone can use a sword so easily,” Cerys chuckled at Avernale’s statement. “They’re a weapon almost as complicated as magic when it comes to using it effectively, and I’m not someone in the know enough to use them properly.” Not that she wanted to. She preferred her fists, to be honest. Well, she preferred her fists and her magic. Cerys sunk down too so that the warm water was nearly up to her chin. It made her a bit less self-conscious since the hot spring had her mostly concealed. She gave Avernale a friendly grin. “Wizard or not I’m not sure I’d have the most fun getting into a contest of strength with you. Not without magic involved at least.” After a moment Cerys continued, asking about Avernale’s last statement. “So you were in the royal guard?”

[Avernale]

“Yeah,” Avernale said as she sat up a little more. She wasn’t exactly modest about her body, but wasn’t actively showing it off all the same. Although more of her was revealed, the water level was still high enough to obscure most of her. “My family’s been in the royal guard for generations. I guess you could say it’s in our blood, unlike magic. There are no wizards in my family to speak of, with or without magic weapons. I’m probably the first.”

She bent one of her legs, the knee poking out of the water like the tip of an iceberg. “It wasn’t just a matter of tradition, though. I honestly wanted to serve and protect. I still do that, of course, but I can’t help but feel like I let my family down somehow. I don’t think any of them are disappointed in me, but… I dunno. Maybe I’m still in shock. I wasn’t exactly bonded to the sword by choice, and the Magic Council was pretty set on having both it and me. If I had known what would happen, I probably wouldn’t have done it, but I don’t know if I would go back and change it if I could. I think it might’ve been, you know, destiny or something, like the sword was meant for me, maybe.”

[Cerys Whitman]

“I see,” Cerys nodded, crossing her arms and not sitting up. She found Avernale’s story interesting, to be honest. She’d not met any royal guards or former guards. They hadn’t existed since the King ruled Fiore instead of the Magic Council. A lot of people said they were, in general, better trained than the Paladins and Seekers the current government employed. Cerys didn’t know. She hadn’t ever been into that sort of thing growing up, so she’d never properly learned. Now it hardly mattered.

“I’m not sure I believe in destiny,” Cerys responded, moving her arms and sitting up very slightly. “I think sometimes events push us in a direction, but it’s up to us to go that direction or choose something else. Destiny takes away all of our responsibility and whatever credit is due for our hard work.” Cerys shrugged. She was apparently in a relaxed enough mood in the hot spring for at least a short debate… or whatever it was they were doing.

“I guess whatever you want to call it though, stuff happens to us without giving us much choice sometimes. But, that’s why I’m here. I intend to keep people alive and well to make choices when they get the chance, eh? A councilwoman like you is probably the same.”

[Avernale]

((Oops. ^_^; I forgot about the royal family when I made this character. Although, I suppose they could still exist in some fashion even if there's no royalty.))

Avernale chuckled to herself. “Yeah, I’m not usually one to believe in all that ‘Destiny’ mumbo-jumbo, either.” She leaned forward, her arms at her sides. “My body is a testament to self-determination. Believe it or not, I was really weak as a kid. Like, sickly weak. When I was six, the doctors said I wouldn’t live to see eleven.” She lifted an arm out of the water and grasped the air in front of her face. “When I was twelve, I killed a Gorian with my bare hands. I work hard every day to keep this body of mine working perfectly, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

She leaned back, resting her arms on the edge of the spring again. “But I don’t believe in coincidences, either. A powerful, magic sword that binds itself to the first person who touches strikes me as a flaw. Especially when…” She stopped for a moment, then chuckled agaion. “Actually, I’m pretty sure that’s classified. Suffice it to say, it’s an ancient sword.” She turned one arm over and bent it upwards. “Dark skin, red hair, and yellow eyes are pretty rare combination in Fiore, especially for someone whose family has been here for generations. But they’re pretty common on my father’s side of the family.” She put the arm down and grinned. “Who knows? I could be the descendent of an ancient warrior queen.”

[Cerys Whitman]

“That’s actually really neat,” Cerys told Avernale with a nod. “I kind of envy how strong you look... though…” she blushed slightly. “I kind of want to not scare people off *before* I go on a date with them. I do a good enough job after.” Cerys shrugged and listened to the rest of what Avernale had to say. She had to admit the whole binding thing was odd, though maybe it had meant to be bound to one person awhile back and it was simply a side effect of that person being gone by now, or maybe it was a mistake in its creation. One really couldn’t know for sure without some sort of mysterious figure appearing and…. No, she’d had enough mysterious figures in her life appearing and nearly ruining things.

Avernale’s talk about destinies and self-determination made her feel like maybe she shouldn’t be relaxing so much just yet. There was always a possibility the person she was here to find wouldn’t be around if she waited too long. She stood up, reaching over to grab her towel and wrapping it around her. “Sorry to make this so short,” she told Avernale sincerely, “But you’ve reminded me I shouldn’t be relaxing just yet.” She started to turn around and climb out of the hot spring. “Nice meeting you, Avernale.”

-EXIT-

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