Alta hated soap.
It was unnatural to depend on another substance to clean yourself. Even the rodents and hunters in the prison used the resources given by their bodies to clean themselves. Alta was a follower of this school of cleaning, as it was easy to wash herself with her chimeric constitution.
And yet, as the Moonlight fairy carefully spread the soap on the dimmed Blossomflame's back, Alta couldn’t deny the pleasurable feeling. Icasondra’s hands rubbed up and down, spreading the soap, the cold hands against her warm back.
Alta purred.
“What?” The fairy removed her hands in surprise, backpedaling as they were on the shoreline where their feet touched the ground.
“Your caresses are well received,” Alta responded with complete and total seriousness.
“That’s,” Icasondra’s visage gained a coloration similar to the dimmed wings, “nice... But look forward. It’s easier to wash you that way.”
“Understood.” The chimera nodded, her wet hair splashing in consequence.
Icasondra was an expert in bathing, or at least, an expert compared to Alta. The chimera understood the basics, but she didn’t know the most efficient way to do the cleaning. Even then, the Moonlight fairy wasn’t exactly efficient, but it certainly was enjoyable.
With a tap on her arm, Icasondra prompted Alta to raise it. The fairy slowly passed the bar of soap through the chimera’s arm and armpits, then she grabbed some handfuls and water and rinsed the skin. She did the same for the chimera’s other arm and the rest of her back.
“Em... I don’t think we need to do the front side.” Icasondra added with nervousness.
“Why not?” Alta turned to look at the naked fairy. “Is this zone not supposed to be cleaned?”
“No, it’s not that...” The fairy toyed with the soap on her hands, her arms barely covering her breasts. “It’s just...”
“Indecent?” The chimera guessed, which in return made the fairy redden even more.
Icasondra dived under the water, only her eyes and wings poking outside. Her visage was a collage of platinum, beige, red, and blue.
“Blrubub...” She responded in muted mumbles.
“I cannot understand you if you speak underwater,” Alta explained as if the fairy herself hadn’t noticed she was unintelligible.
“Turn back,” Icasondra added with a pout, her mouth barely outside of the water. “I’m going to clean your hair now.”
“Understood.” Alta turned and subsequently heard the splashes of water from the emerging fairy.
It was wrong to take a bath together, but cleaning each other, yes? The chimera pondered, not comprehending the seemingly random bursts of indecency. Is this just her concept of indecency, or is it for everyone else? Or maybe it’s just the fae? The image of the elder appeared in her mind. But their leader is half-naked and is certainly indecent. Why doesn’t she point that out? Is it because of Flrynwydl's hierarchal status?
As more Alta meditated on the definition of indecency, the less she understood the concept.
For now, she just indulged in the soft caresses of the Moonlight fairy as she was cleaning her long hair.
“It’s so smooth...” Icasondra whispered. “And it isn’t remotely tangled.”
“My hair won’t get tangled unless I want it to.” Alta responded, getting a brief ‘eep!’ out of the fairy who hadn’t noticed she was thinking aloud.
“I wish I had that control over my body.” She sighed. “It takes a lot of time to get the hair straight in the morning.”
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“You did not do such a thing today.” The chimera commented.
“Well, today I have been rather sidetracked, and we had to go to Aecansomdrys shop early in the morning, so there wasn’t time...”
“Your hair looks well without any preparations.”
Upon hearing Alta’s statement, Icasondra’s hands stopped moving for an instant but promptly returned to caring for the chimera’s wild mane.
“Thanks...” Alta heard the whisper coming from the fairy’s mouth, also noticing a very slight increase in temperature on the hands tangled in her hair.
It took Icasondra a surprisingly long amount of time to wash Alta’s hair, far more than her body, she had a lot of hair after all. By the time the fairy was done, the sun already began to set.
“Come on, let’s go.” The Moonlight fairy explained. “This place is going to get colder on the night. I wouldn’t want to get us sick.” But as she walked towards the shore, Alta grabbed her arm and stop her. “W-what?”
“You haven’t washed yourself.” The chimera said.
“I can do that tomorrow...” Icasondra responded without looking at Alta, her eyes on the water.
“No.” Alta strengthened her grip on the fairy and brought her closer to her. “We have come here to wash you, first and foremost. So we are not going to go until we do that.”
“But the cold...” The fairy reasoned, covering her nude body with her free arm.
“I can heat you up,” Alta said as she looked directly at her dark blue eyes.
“No! We can’t do that!” Icasondra refused, pulling her arm out of the grab but ultimately failing.
“Why not?” The chimera tilted her head in confusion.
“Those things aren’t meant to do lightly...” The Moonlight fairy added, her visage was tainted in red.
“What?” Alta raised her voice. “Why shouldn’t I heat you with my wings? Aren’t I a Blossomflame fairy?”
“Oh.” Icasondra’s expression was of pure petrification. “Oooooh!” Her skin became redder and redder, and her body temperature also increased. “Sure, let me wash myself really fast, then!” She rushed inside the water, avoiding the other fairy. Yet her movements were blocked as her arm was still restrained.
“No.” The red-haired fairy swayed her head. “You washed me, so I’m going to wash you.”
“No, you really don’t have t-“ But her words died in her throat as she looked at the intense green eyes of the chimera, those of a predator. It wasn’t a suggestion, but a statement.
Laggard, Icasondra accepted her fate and gave Alta the bar of soap.
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Alta was serious and washed her. Icasondra couldn’t stop jittering, but at this point, she didn’t know if it was because of the cold or the embarrassment. Anyways, the chimera fulfilled her word and once they were out of the water, she flared her with her Blossomflame wings.
Aecansomdrys was right, she can control the fire. Alta’s wings hadn’t burned anything, even though they had been in contact with a lot of things. They were only warm and illuminated the place like a simple torch. But now, they burned like a fireplace.
Icasondra rubbed her hands, putting them on Alta’s back as the Blossomflame fairy kept her wings in place.
The wings radiated brighter than ever as they flared with intensity. They seemed to burn oxygen like a campfire, unlike how before they were barely an illusion.
The Moonlight fairy turned her head to the sides to see how the fiery wings eclipsed the light of the setting sun. They shone brighter than a forest fire. Yet far from the chaotic and destructive nature of the fires that sometimes assaulted the Evergreen, these wings appeared brimming with life. Of Life and Chaos, she recalled. Maybe it’s more literal than I thought.
As her body had already regained her heat, Icasondra passed unto her hair, grooming it to get it in a better shape and drying it faster. She was careful to not get her head close enough to the fire to burn it. The damp hair resisted getting dry, so meanwhile she grabbed her maroon towel and tied it around her waist to finally cover her unprotected body.
How have I spent this much time naked? She pondered as she squished more water out of her platinum mane. I swear she’s corrupting me...
“You done?” Alta asked, looking straight forward, once she noticed Icasondra had stopped moving.
“Oh, yes.” The Moonlight fairy replied and the Blossomflame fairy began to turn. “Wait!” She added. “Stay like that for a moment whilst I get dressed!”
And she rushed toward the tree where she had left her clean dress and undergarments, but without taking an eye from the chimera.
“I don’t understand why you have problems with me seeing you dressing up,” Alta complained, yet she faithfully kept her head locked on the lake.
“Because it’s indecent!” Icasondra shouted as she donned her undergarments.
“And washing ourselves on the lake wasn’t?” For most people, that would have been sarcasm, but Icasondra knew that Alta was truly asking a question.
“It was!” The fairy said putting her dress on. “But this is more indecent!”
“So, being clothed is more indecent than being naked? Interesting...” The red-haired fairy chuckled.
Icasondra raised her brows. Before she had sensed authentic confusion, but now she sensed... amusement? Is she toying with me?
“Shut up and get yourself dressed!”
“Okay.” Alta began moving to the tree she left her clothes on, but then stopped and gazed at Icasondra. “Or are you going to look at me while I change?” She added with a predatory smile.
Upon hearing this, Icasondra rapidly fluttered her wings to have her back facing the chimera.
“Would that be indecent?” She continued. “Or not because you are the one doing it?”
“Shut up!” The Moonlight fairy shouted once again, her voice cracking under the strain.
“Yes, yes.” The chimera responded and seemed to be... singing?
This woman is going to be the death of me. Icasondra sighed as she put her hand on her breast, feeling the ferocious beating of her heart.