“Oh gods,” Werond said, easing herself into the steaming waters of the tub. “this feels amazing, oh…” She let out a deep sigh, and slid down, chin almost touching the water. Mouth hidden by side of the tub, she glanced at Serena. “Well…not as good you as felt, obviously.”
Serena raised her face from the damp washcloth and shot a look at Werond, who giggled in response. She raised a hand out of the water and gestured at Serena’s bare form, standing in front of the sink.
“You look beautiful, you know.” Her eyes crinkling with a hidden smile. “Standing them, a little sweaty, annoyed at me. Like a work of –”
“Werond.” Serena signed pointedly.
“Okay, okay.” Werond said, with a deep, mocking sigh. “I’ve teased you enough. I’ll stop.”
She straightened up and leaned her head against the edge. Werond closed her eyes, a small smile upon her lips, as she visibly enjoyed the soak. Serena tore her attention away, annoyed, but grinning just the same.
She stood in front of the sink in Werond’s washroom, grey tile cold under her feet. The tile continued up along the walls and covered the ceiling, giving the washroom a cold, but clean, appearance. The sink was a bowl of porcelain, set into a solid block of granite, bolted into the tiled wall. A large mirror was bolted above it, giving Serena a clear view of her sweaty and tired self, along with the elaborate tiled chair to the right of the sink – the chamber pot. At the end of the room, long side facing the door, the porcelain tub that Werond was currently enjoying sat alone, large enough for two.
Serena was shocked when they had stepped in; she’d never seen anything like it. The washrooms at home had been mostly wooden, with nothing special about their buckets and holes cut into stone seats. This felt as though she’d stepped into the washroom of a queen.
Werond hadn’t noticed at first, and scared her as she clapped her hands, igniting the wooden chandelier that hung from the ceiling with magical light. She grinned at Serena’s obvious amazement and proceed to give her a tour of the room.
Though all of it seemed amazing to Serena, Werond talked at length on the expensive piping built into the garderobe – what she called the chamber pot – and the washtub, pipes not typically found in many homes in the ward. The one connected to the chamber pot whisked waste away, while the pipes to the tub allowed Werond an unlimited amount of hot water, whenever she pleased. Of course, Werond hadn’t a clue how any of it worked, but that didn’t stop her from rambling on about their convenience.
Finished with her face, Serena ducked the washcloth back in the running water, ringing it out, before wiping under her arms. Werond thought her odd for wanting to wipe her body of sweat before she got in, but it was always how Serena had done it.
She frowned.
Though she enjoyed listening to Werond talk about things that excited her, Serena had a suspicion that it was all made in deflection, much like the rest of the evening.
When dinner had finished that night, everyone had gotten up to help clean the kitchen, despite Graham’s objections. As they did, Jo had pulled Werond aside and whispered something in her ear. Serena couldn’t make out what she had said, but whatever it was, the two had moved to the entryway of the kitchen and descended into a hushed conversation. After less than a minute, the two parted, Werond walking back into the kitchen as Jo turned and walked through the living room. A moment later, Serena heard the front door open as Jo left the house.
She had immediately grown suspicious; what had the two discussed that she and everyone else couldn’t hear? No one else had paid them any mind, evidently missing the discussion, and as Werond walked back to the sink, standing next to Serena, she acted as though nothing had happened, shrugging when Serena asked.
She should have stopped then, but Werond’s face was twisted in a small grin and the sight only furthered Serena’s curiosity. She had continued to badger Werond – playfully, but insistently – at what the two had discussed, only for Werond to shrug each time, smile growing wider. Finally, in a last ditch-effort, Serena had dropped her dishes into the sink and declared that she wasn’t doing her share until Werond told her what she and Jo had discussed.
Without missing a beat, Werond dropped her own dish into the washbasin. In front of Graham, Cruck’aa, and Pavel, she turned to Serena, grasped her cheeks with a single hand, and titled her head up to meet her gaze.
She clucked her tongue once.
“I’m going to have to correct that attitude of yours, aren’t I?” Werond had said.
The results were catastrophic.
Werond had to all but drag Serena out of the kitchen, her legs refusing to work, heat pouring from her body, as Cruck’aa shouted at them. Pavel had to hold him back, oblivious to what had occurred. Graham, Werond had mentioned through her giggles, had simply smiled at the exchange.
A kind of frustration welled up in Serena’s chest, causing her to fling her washcloth against the counter. She turned the water off, and attacked her hair, pulling it out of its loose band and combing it out with her fingers.
It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy it. She had enjoyed every minute of it. Serena just wished she had figured out what Werond was doing before she’d fallen for it.
“Are you going to stop reminiscing and get in with me?” Werond asked.
Serena’s head snapped towards Werond, heart in her chest.
“I’m not reminiscing!” She signed, hair falling loosely around her shoulders. “I’m…thinking about the tournament coming up and…everything.”
“I see.” Werond laid her dark arms on the edge of the tub and leaned her chin on them, dripping water to the tile below. “And does thinking about the tournament make you as red as the sun?”
Serena looked back towards the mirror and cursed silently; Werond wasn’t lying.
Abandoning her spot in front of the sink, Serena marched over to the tub, careful of the spilled water, and clambered in. Werond, to her grace, did not stare at Serena as she did.
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Her lips formed a silent O as the water enveloped her. Werond had been right, the warmth of it felt perfect, and as Serena sank down across from her, the thought of ever leaving deserted her mind entirely. It had been sometime since Serena had a true soak; the convenience of sucking away the filth with a snap of her fingers was just too much.
Werond removed her arms from the side and faced Serena, leaning back as she settled in; the size of the tub was perfect for two people, neither of them feeling cramped as they sat across from one another.
“Feels good huh?” Werond said, rolling her shoulders. “Honestly, I’d take this over that snapping you do any day. Water just feels too nice to give up.”
Serena grinned and nodded, but kept her hands folded in her lap. She sunk down, water lapping at her chin, enjoying the warmth that crept through her body.
Werond chuckled at her silence. She stretched her arms out in front of her – almost reaching Serena – and folded them under the water, against her chest. She stretched her legs out next – feet moving to the sides of Serena’s legs – and with a satisfied grunt, slide down in the tub. Her brown hair spread out in the water, and as she straightened up, she slicked it back, brushing loose stands behind her ears.
Serena’s heart sped up at the sight; she couldn’t help but notice just how striking it made her.
Werond’s amber eyes flicked towards her; a grin spread across her rounded, smooth face and she raised a foot out of the water, pointing a toe at Serena.
“You’re staring at me.” She said, her voice low. “Did you…want something?”
“What, no I…” Serena’s heart thudded in her chest. “You…look good with your hair pulled back.”
The playfulness vanished from Werond’s smile, replaced by genuine warmth.
“Well thank you darling. I’d never considered it. Not really my style, I think.”
Serena nodded, dunking her hands back into the water, waiting for her heart to settle.
They sat for a time, soaking in the warm waters. A sense of calm seemed to settle about Serena; she didn’t feel the need to speak, and simply enjoyed Werond’s presence. Her companion’s silence told her that she felt the same. The feeling caused Serena to smile faintly. It had been sometime since they had been able to relax like this.
As the waters began to cool, Werond’s eyes started to droop, her head sliding to the side. Serena grinned, and reached out with her foot, gently poking Werond in the stomach.
She blinked and looked up, slightly confused.
“What?” she mumbled.
“You were falling asleep.” Serena signed.
“Was I not supposed to?” Werond asked with a grin.
“If you fall asleep now, you won’t be able to sleep once we actually go to bed. Mom always warned me about that.”
“Alright.” Werond yawned. “Can’t argue with that. What do you want to talk about then?”
“Uhm…” Serena signed; she hadn’t thought that far ahead. “Are you coming to the tournament with us? I’m not fighting but it would be fun to have you there.”
“Well, I’d like to,” Werond said, wiping her face from the water that Serena flung. “But I can’t, unfortunately. I’ll be busy that day with work. Afraid I’ll miss all of it.”
Serena grinned. “Why don’t you just take the day off? You could, with all that power you got, right?”
Werond narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to speak. She snapped it shut and turned to look at the door of the room, her jaw tight.
Silence fell between them.
Serena’s heart leapt into her throat as the obvious frustration radiated from Werond. Before she could sign, to ask what she’d said wrong, Werond’s face relaxed. She shook her head and turned back to face Serena, reaching out of the water, and gesturing for her to come over.
Hesitantly, Serena slid forward, sending small waves through the water. Halfway to Werond, she flipped around, facing away from her, moving backwards. Her back landed gently against Werond’s chest, causing her to warp her arms around Serena’s waist. Werond rested her chin atop Serena’s head – a familiar position for them.
They sat for a moment, water finally settling. Serena had begun to worry that it would spill over.
She wanted to speak, to ask why Werond looked as irritated as she had. But she felt it would be better if Werond spoke first. And she did, after a few more minutes of silence.
“I know you didn’t mean to,” Werond said softly. “but I don’t like jokes like that. The power I have…it’s not something to be made fun of. My colleagues do the same. Make jokes about what they should do, what to change in the wards to better suit their needs, flip taxes, horde wealth, I…” She shook her head. “I never liked it. I still don’t. So, when you said to just take the day off, I got a bit frustrated.”
“Oh.” Serena signed, heat rising in her chest, though not from the water. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
“There’s no need to apologize. I’m not blaming you, just telling you.” Werond paused. “I’ve had to correct people before, and I tend to get…cross with them. Had to stop myself before I did that to you though. I thought you’d understand. Others haven’t.”
“Why not?”
“Well, because they’re assholes darling.”
Serena laughed at the comment, dropping her hands back into the water. Werond shifted back and placed her lips against Serena’s hair.
The anxiety melted from her, replaced by a warm calm. Werond always held her like this whenever they were alone, and the gentle tightness of her arms, smooth and strong, eased every fear that lodged itself within her chest.
But despite that, Werond’s words rolled about in Serena’s mind. A question formed on her fingers, though she wasn’t sure if she should ask it.
Curiosity, however, was a powerful force.
“Werond?” Serena asked.
“Hmm?”
“Can I ask you about something. About…what you just said?”
Silence.
Serena began to draw her hands back into the water, embarrassed, before Werond nodded.
“Sure.” She said. “But I can’t promise I’ll answer everything.”
“Have…have you told other people about what you do?”
“Yes.” Werond replied instantly, surprising her. “Graham knows. But he’s supposed to. And…” Hesitation filled Werond’s voice, but before Serena could sign, she continued, her voice now soft. “I’ve told one other person. Same thing I told you, nothing more, nothing less. It…didn’t go as well as I’d hoped.”
“Oh.” Serena signed.
Her hands hung in the air, unsure of what to say. If Werond had told another person exactly what Serena knew, did that mean…
“Were you two close?” She asked.
“Extremely.” Werond raised her mouth from Serena’s head. “I won’t lie, I loved him. I really did.”
Him? Serena thought, eyes wide. She was sure Werond was just like her.
“Uhm…can I ask about him?” Serena signed.
“No.” Came a curt response. Then, more softly. “Sorry.”
Serena nodded, hands falling back into the water.
More questions burned on her fingertips, but Serena knew better than to ask them. It had taken Werond the entire day to work up the courage to tell Serena the bare minimum of what she did for a living. To tell someone else and have that not go the way she expected…
She frowned. And with a him, of all people.
There was nothing wrong with that, though Serena couldn’t understand what made men attractive. Maybe a side effect from working in Mom’s tavern. But Serena hadn’t a clue that Werond was different from her.
Bahamut’s Teeth, there was still so much Serena didn’t know about Werond, so much that she wanted to ask her. She knew so much about Serena, yet Serena knew virtually nothing about her. It was maddening at times.
With a shake of her head, Serena adjusted herself more comfortably against Werond.
If Werond wanted her to know, she’d tell her. It wasn’t Serena’s place to pry. She would know. Eventually.
“Serena.” Werond said.
She twisted around towards Werond; a distant look filled her eyes, the smile gone from her face.
“If I asked you to stay in Waterdeep with me, would you?” She asked quietly.
Serena blinked.
“I…” She signed. “I don’t know.” She spoke truthfully.
Werond nodded, accepting the answer, the distant look fading from her eyes. She leaned forward and kissed Serena, gently, before pulling her back in and squeezing her against her body. She turned and laid her cheek on Serena’s head, sending a small shiver through her.
Serena tucked her legs against her chest, against Werond’s arms, and frowned.
It was an odd question, and she had given an odd answer. Serena still had so much she had to do with Pavel, Cruck’aa, and Jo – her task demanded that she move as she needed to. So, staying in Waterdeep with Werond, while a pleasant thought, wasn’t something she could do. It would have been impossible.
Why, then, didn’t she say that?