“Lukios. Take a bath.” Ba’an pushed him off her and sat up, wrinkling her nose. “You smell.”

Lukios blinked at her, then sniffed himself. “Really?" He frowned, then sniffed again. "Is it that bad?”

“Yes. You smell like you rolled through a…a…” Ba’an inhaled tentatively, then grimaced. “…meat shop on fire then ran laps around Kyros in the sun. Then you rolled in the dirt and swam through a vat of wine.” It was far worse than she could express; she could scarcely believe she had slept, though her dreams had been deeply…odd. She did not remember them all, but they had involved stumbling through exactly thing thing she had just described: a Dolkoi'ri butcher’s shop on fire and a lake of wine.

It was no mystery why.

She eyed his hair, then the pillows. It was difficult to see in the near darkness of the room, but she suspected those shadows on the surface were black streak marks.

What, exactly, had he done to himself?

He laughed. “Not that far off, actually.” She glared. “I’m going, I’m going!” He paused, then looked at her thoughtfully. “You know Ba’an, it’s awfully early in the morning.”

“No.”

“You don’t even know what I was going to—”

“I am not bathing with you here. We are guests. It is rude.”

“Ha. Okay, how about…”

And that was how Ba’an was cajoled into getting up at an ungodly hour to go to the public baths.

It was ludicrous. There was no one else there, likely because it was still mostly dark outside. The attendant that had appeared had looked annoyed and sleepy; Ba’an had no doubt Lukios had woken him. The look he had given them both could be described as hostile at best. Why had she let him talk her into this?

“This water is filthy.”

“It’s not. We’re the first people here.”

“But it simply…sits here. They do not change it every day. I can smell it.”

“Well, okay, not every day, but they have drains, Ba’an. They do change it out.”

Ba’an stared at the still pools of water with slowly dawning horror.

“No. I will not sit inside this…cesspool of filth. Lukios. Others have scrubbed inside this pool. They have not changed the water. The filth is…is…simply…sitting there. No.” It was not that sharing bathwater was a foreign idea; the People lived in the sands. Water was precious. But even then, they did not share their bathwater with strangers. Family, most certainly, and perhaps close friends, but the entire saa-vuti vur?

No. It was as ludicrous as it was disgusting. Had they truly no sense of batabata?

She glanced at the steaming water again. It would be acceptable if they boiled the pool every night, but Ba'an knew they did not. They kept it warm, which was exactly the perfect home for all the tiny creatures that brought disease; being too small to be seen did not mean they were not there.

She shuddered.

Revolting.

Lukios looked down at the pool, frowning. “Okay, that’s true. So you’re worried about the pools, right?”

“Yes.”

“Here.” He guided her to a spot by the wall; there were stone benches there, as well as some charming stone tables that were perfect for placing towels or other items. There was even a hole in the floor with an elaborately carved metal drain. There seemed to be a theme to the carvings: half-naked women with fishtails and...fish. Ba’an craned her head up. There was a spout resembling some water-bound monster. It had horns, which struck her as somewhat silly: why would a water-bound creature need horns?

There were many such arrangements around the large pool, which was clearly the centerpiece.

It was a very elaborate place to bathe, and Ba'an suspected this place was not strictly for cleanliness.

“I’ll be right back.” He left, and she listened to his footsteps fade away. She shifted, shivering a little now that he was not warming her with his proximity. She heard his soul join the attendant's, and then the attendant stepped away, deeper into the compound; there was a distant creaking, and the sound of running water reached her ears. By the time Lukios returned, water was already flowing from the spout, splashing onto the tiles.

“We’ll skip the soak. How’s that?”

“Acceptable.” He laughed at that, then leaned in to kiss her forehead. Ba'an wrinkled her nose as the smell; it made her nose itch and her eyes water.

Ugh. She leaned away, eying him suspiciously. What, exactly, had he gotten up to the other day?

What do you think, abomination? Ba'an refrained from reacting. She did not like the creature's tone.

Lukios looked at her and made an amused noise that was far too cheerful for the hour. "Okay, okay!" He stepped back and raised his arms, but then he ruined it by grinning and saying, "Can you do that wrinkly nose thing again?"

She rolled her eyes. "Lukios. You stink. Wash yourself immediately."

In the end they sat on the stone benches arranged all around the pools and used the buckets. The water was cold, but it was clean. Lukios seemed to be in a good mood, trying to close the distance between them, but Ba'an put her hand on his chest and pushed him away each time, not at all impressed by his antics. Eventually, Lukios realized sneaking closer would not work, and settled for giving her long, mournful looks, making his eyes go wide and tragic as he slumped in his seat.

Ba'an only raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

There would be no cuddling until he was clean. None.

"Aw, sweetheart. I can't be that bad. I scrubbed off in a fountain before I got back. Really! I did!" Now that was mildly horrifying. In the fountain?

Did the men not urinate into such pools? Drunken Dolkoi'ri men were like dogs—they simply relieved themselves anywhere, uncaring of who was there on the street with them, watching.

Ugh.

"But what is it?" Ba'an eyed the dark streaks in his hair with suspicion. Whatever he had used reeked. It was disgusting, and she did not think it was very fast at all; one good washing would take the colour right out. "What did you do all day, Lukios?"

"It's just the usual dye, sweetheart." He began sliding closer; she put her hand on his chest, glaring. His eyes went wide and mournful again, but Ba'an only handed him a bucket. With a little sigh, he took it obediently, filled it, and dumped it over his head. He began scrubbing.

"And I was just with 'Kles and Pitie." He shrugged, eyes suddenly clear and not particularly mournful. "Nothing too exciting, really."

Tik-tak Mal'uk seemed to find this very amusing. Odd.

Hm.

"It reeks, Lukios. Surely there is something else you may use, if it is very important?" Being recognized by the shop boy had alarmed him, she was sure.

"I guess. But this is Kyros." He shrugged. "There isn't much in the way of options here, sweetheart."

She soaked the washing cloth and squeezed it out, then came up behind him to scrub his back. Lukios sighed, sounding perfectly happy, and relaxed beneath her ministrations. "There! I don't stink so bad now, do I?"

Ba’an had been wrong. He was not an overgrown cat. He was an overgrown puppy. With milk teeth. If he’d had a tail, it would have been wagging frantically. "It is tolerable." She worked the cloth over his shoulders, then down his spine, taking care to be gentle, if thorough.

“Ha! I'll take it. Mmmhm. It’s been a while since we’ve done this now, huh?”

“It has not been two weeks, Lukios.”

“That’s still a long time!”

“We have very different definitions of ‘a long time’,” she said dryly.

“Aw, come on Ba’an. I know you like it when I wash your hair. You always say your arms get tired.” It was true. Ba’an had not cut her hair since leaving the tribe, and it had grown longer than she had ever had it. Washing her hair took a great deal of time and effort. She had been tempted to cut it all off many, many times, except...

Thu’rin had always loved her hair. She had not been able to do it, in the end.

“That is true.” If she lapsed into silence too long, he would grow concerned. It was not kind to think of Thu’rin while she was with Lukios.

“Ba’an?” Ah. Too late.

She tipped her head down and kissed him. “It is nothing.” He smelled much better now, though a faint, coppery smell still lingered.

...Surely not. He had promised.

Tik-tak Mal'uk's amusement had not abated. If anything, it was even more delighted than it had been before. Ahhhh. The smell of lies in the morning. So bracing.

Lukios looked up at her. “If you say so,” he said, doubtfully. He refrained from pushing, and instead closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, tipping his head back. His hair was thick and wavy. Ba’an liked it quite a lot, though it was a shame he kept it cut as short as he did. Now that it was clean, she did not resist the urge to run her fingers through the wet strands. She gently scratched his scalp and his head lolled into her hands, making some very scandalous moaning noises as he did so.

"Very funny, Lukios."

"Ha! You know you love it." He was grinning again, she could tell. It would not take long for him to begin speaking again. Ba'an half-suspected that nothing short of gagging him would keep him quiet for long, and even then, he would simply chew through the strap.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

She scritched his scalp again, secretly delighted by his expression. That was a very, very wide smile.

...Was he wriggling his toes?

“Mmm. Ba’an?”

“Yes?”

“Before I forget—Askles wants us to meet Chloe. Want to do lunch on Aphrodítēs?”

“Oh. Aphrodítēs?”

“It’s…hm, three days from now.”

“I see. Yes, of course.”

“I’ll let him know.”

He sighed as she rubbed the back of his neck. Odd. His muscles were tense and stiff.

...What had he been up to? Surely nothing too terribly taxing? Frowning lightly, she pressed down on the hard knot just above his shoulder blades. Lukios groaned dramatically. "Magic. I swear, sweetheart. Your fingers are magic." Ba'an only sniffed delicately. Well. She was—

Had been a witch. One who had sat in the healing home almost exclusively, in fact; Lukios did not realize how truly lucky he was.

“Lukios?”

“Hmm?” He sounded relaxed and happy now, and Ba'an felt the corners of her mouth turn up of their own volition. Well, why not? It was not as though there was anyone else here to see it.

She cleared her throat. "What did you do with your friends yesterday?"

"Oh. Uh..." There was a beat before he spoke. "Well, I took them out for um...breakfast."

"Your breakfast stank like a butcher's shop and a vat of wine?" She looked at him quizzically. "Lukios...did you decide to wear it?"

"Ha!" Lukios chortled. "Now that would be something, wouldn't it?" He shook his head. "No, no. There were some assholes at the taverna so we uh, had an argument, and then we made friends with the locals and one of them was a butcher. Nice kids, nice shop. Oh, and there was a fire."

"...What?"

Lukios laughed. "Oh, it went fine. The fire brigades came and put it out. And then there was a party. Um. That's the wine." He shrugged. "Nothing too exciting. I guess putting that fire out took some doing. Got sweaty."

Ah. Ba'an sighed. "Lukios, that was very dangerous."

"Uh...I was really careful!" He tilted his head up to smile at her so charmingly that she was immediately suspicious. "Like I said, it wasn't anything too exciting. Except for the fire. Total accident." His eyes went wide and earnest. "Couldn't let that spread, could we?"

He is lying. Well, Tik-tak Mal'uk sounded remarkably cheerful for a bearer of bad news—if it was news.

"Yes." She eyed him. He did not seem to have any burns or bruises, though she would not know if he had injured something inside. "I wondered why you are so stiff." She pressed her thumbs down and he groaned.

"I should put out fires more often. Ahhh, that's nice." And now he was flopping like a boneless fish, ha.

"Now that is very silly, Lukios." Hm, perhaps she ought to use her elbow here?

It was not like Lukios to ignore a fire; of course he would help.

Listen to him, stupid child. Listen. He is an outlander. They are deceitful creatures.

You lie whenever you speak, Ba'an retorted. She slipped her arms around his shoulders and kissed his cheek; he turned abruptly, hands closing around her as he lifted her onto his lap, mouth on hers as she squealed in surprise.

Oh no, stupid child, Tik-tak Mal'uk was saying. An unpleasant truth is a truth all the same.

She ignored it, relaxing into Lukios' warm hold. Ah, yes. This was much better—the water was cold, to the point that she almost glanced toward the steaming pool with longing.

Almost.

"I don't stink now," Lukios cooed, "do I?" He peppered her mouth and throat with kisses; Ba'an slid her arms around his neck, then paused.

"Lukios." She glanced at the far wall, listening to the attendant, who now seemed awake and alert. "This is a public bathhouse. We are in public."

"But we're alone here," he protested. "And I didn't see you allll day yesterday." He kissed her one more time on the mouth, chastely. "You missed me, right?"

Ba'an fixed him with a stern look. "Lukios."

"But you missed me." He nuzzled her. "I missed you, too."

"It was only a day, Lukios." She tucked his wet hair behind his ear and kissed his jaw.

"Felt like forever," he grumbled. "You wouldn't believe how much 'Kles whined all day."

Ba'an lifted an eyebrow. "Over breakfast?"

Lukios snorted. "No. Over...well, you know. Helping out here and there." He shrugged. "Man would absolutely look a gift horse in the mouth."

Ba'an felt her brows knit. "...Is this rude?"

Lukios started laughing. "Oh yeah. That's definitely rude." He glanced toward the entryway then snuck in another kiss. "Well, guess I can't really complain. Had my back all day and I think he might have thrown his knee." Lukios shrugged. "Was limping a bit. Not too bad, though."

"He fell? Or...he overhauled?"

"Oh uh..." Lukios gave a little laugh that sounded suspiciously...nervous.

...Nervous?

Lyyyyyiiiinng. Was the creature singing?

Ba'an ignored it.

Lukios cleared his throat. "Well, we might have tussled with the assholes a bit"—his gaze flicked over her face and he added, hastily—"but I did not punch anyone!"

...Was Tik-tak Mal'uk chuckling? Ba'an frowned.

"He was injured fighting?"

Lukios scratched his cheek. "Probably. Didn't look too bad, though." He sighed. "Yeah, I should go check up on him. Get a surgeon to take a look." Lukios drew her closer and rubbed his nose against hers until she turned her face and sneezed. He was grinning again. "But not right away." He nipped at her. "We have some catching up to do, don't we?" By his tone, Ba'an did not think it was the sort of catching up that involved much speaking.

"Yes." She continued blandly, "There are no spirits at the estate."

"Huh?" Lukios stared at her, puzzled.

"Nikias, Lukios." Ba'an stood. Lukios made a noise that was more often heard from very small, sad animals than grown men as she slipped from his grasp.

"What about him?" Hm. Now he sounded much more upset than he had all morning. "Forget that prick. I already told him not to pull any more bullshit or I'd feed him his own—"

"You threatened him?"

"Well—no. Maybe. No. I mean, I was definitely not threatening him." Lukios scowled. "Oh, come on. He's decided to be a prick, so he deserves some pricking back."

Ba'an sighed. "It is better if he believes he has the upper-hand, Lukios. If he believes he is clever, and we are none the wiser."

Lukios coughed quietly. "Uh. About that..."

Oh.

----------------------------------------

Ba'an gave in and pinched the bridge of her nose. "But you did not thrash him."

"Oh, come on. No, I did not thrash Niki. Not that he wouldn't have had it coming." Lukios sounded distinctly sulky. She could not see his expression because he was washing her hair; despite his tone, his touch was gentle and steady.

"But you argued. And now you are not speaking to each other."

"Well, we both went to bed. So I guess not." Lukios sighed. "I dunno, sweetheart. He's being a real little shit about this whole thing." She heard him scratch the back of his head, then she felt him straighten, voice going cheery. "But the good news is, he doesn't have any idea that you're...you know. He's assumed you're a spy, or thereabouts. Thinks the A'tat sent you, or something stupid like that." She tilted her face back just in time to see him make a face. "Ugh. Politicians. I swear. Assassins and spies everywhere. Gods. Who wants to live like that?"

"Some consider it a fair trade." Power was the same everywhere, it seemed.

Lukios snorted. "I don't." He shook his head. "Don't know how your people do it, but around here? Poisons, stabbings, drownings, trampled by horses...the list of awful ways to die just goes on and on. And you know the worst part?" He poured a bucket of water over her head and she rinsed the cleaning oils out. They smelled very floral and sweet, and they made her hair feel soft after. Ba'an rather liked them a great deal, though not as much as the food.

"No."

"That knife in the dark? Hired—or held—by someone you love. Almost always." He made a noise of disgust. "Well, in the big families, at least. There's always someone in line, you know? And sometimes they want their turn faster. It's sick."

Ba'an frowned. House Helios was a big family, was it not? And he sounded so certain.

...Would Lukios be safe in Heliopolis? Alone? Without Rekos?

"Lukios..."

"Uh...now that sounds worried." He moved his hands down and rubbed her neck. "Relax, sweetheart. I told him to stop being a little shit and he got mad. He'll get over it, especially once I kill those stupid—uh. Once I clean up his messy city. Province. Ahem."

Ba'an turned around. "Kill the—?"

Lukios cleared his throat. "I mean, can't raid a fortress without killing a few...you know. Uh." Lukios made a valiant attempt to pull her into his lap, but she stilled his movement with her hands on his forearms, fixing him with a hard stare.

"Lukios. You said you would not be raiding any forts."

"I'm not! I'm just uh...scouting? For numbers."

"That is not what you said."

"Sweetheart. I can't leave Eirene up there. It's been five months. She's pregnant."

"That is why you must say yes. I can fly over the fort. I can report numbers. I can—" Kill them by herself, if needed. It was in the middle of the desert. Who would know if the cliff wall collapsed beneath the fort during a storm? If the men could not get out? She only needed to know which room Eirene was held in, but that would be easy; she only had to fly about the fortress for a day to know.

It would be very easy if he brought his men after the storm; they would hardly have to fight at all. They would only need to escort the girl back to Kyros for care, then take her to Heliopolis.

Why was he being so unreasonable?

"No, no, no. That's definitely not why I asked you to come to Kyros. No. Sweetheart, this is not your mess. It's my mess. An outlander mess. You don't want any piece of this mess, Ba'an. You have enough to deal with, since...you know."

He finally succeeded in tugging her onto his lap again, running his hands over her back in an attempt to soothe her. "No crow sightings while you're in Kyros, sweetheart. It's way too dangerous, Ba'an. I'm serious. The guys I'm taking up there are serious, and they seriously hate crows. No."

"It is in the middle of the desert, Lukios. Who will report back? The cliff-cats?"

"Ba'an. Sweetheart." Lukios seemed to be thinking very hard about what came out of his mouth next. "I'm not saying you're not...capable. I'm just saying it's not something for you to...worry about. Or deal with." And yet he looked deeply bothered, mouth uncharacteristically turned down.

"What is it that worries you so, Lukios? Surely not being spotted. It is the desert."

His jaw tightened. Ba'an blinked, surprised. "Lukios?"

"I don't like it." At her blank look, he clarified. "Your magic. I don't like it when you use it."

...Ah. Of course he did not. For all his strangeness, he was still an outlander, one who had faced the might of the People—and the Stormcrow—in battle.

"I understand it is very unnerving, Lukios, but—"

"No." He shook his head decisively. "No. That's not it." He held her wrist up, encircling it with his fingers. "It keeps you real skinny. And I can always tell, you know. When you do something big and witchy." He reached out with his other hand to tuck her hair behind her ear. "You never look too good—like you could eat a horse or something."

He leaned back and repeated, in a very matter-of-fact tone, "I don't like it."

...Ah. She refrained from squirming through force of will alone.

Tik-tak Mal'uk was laughing already. I wonder what he will do if you tell him? That you will die soon, because you are too stubborn to feed like a proper soul-eater? Perhaps you deserve each other.

"That is not...Lukios, that is not your prob—"

"Yes it is." He gave her an exasperated look. "If you can worry about me going up and killing bandits, I can worry about your magic making you hungry. And sick." He gave her a sharp look. "I don't ever want to find you that way again, Ba'an. So stop."

Oh no. Did he think she had fallen in the Eye because she had over-extended herself?

Of course he did. Tik-tak Mal'uk's body had become something that did not resemble a flesh-and-blood being, and he could not feel the remnants of a magical battle, only see the remnants of the storm she had summoned.

"No, no, Lukios. You misunderstand. I did not—I did not become so ill because of my magic. It is because I battled a...a powerful creature, and I..."

"Used too much magic, right?"

"No. There is no such thing."

Lukios only lifted an eyebrow. "Really? So you can just keep bringing down rain and lightning and not even feel it?"

"...No."

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Bet it's like running up and down a mountain." He stuck his finger in her face. "No magic unless you have to. And this mess with the bandits doesn't fall under 'have to'."

"Lukios." Ba'an crossed her arms, glaring, though it was very difficult to be intimidating while wet and naked and sitting in his lap. "You cannot command me."

He only grinned. "Oh yeah?"

"Lukios."

"Well, that's true..." Still grinning, he stuck his face close to hers. "But know what that means? It means you can't order me around either!"

"I am not commanding you. I am giving you—giving you—wise counsel. That fort is positioned quite cleverly, Lukios. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to break through, even if you had a hundred men, and—"

But Lukios was laughing.

"Lukios?" She scowled. "What is so funny?"

"Oh, sweetheart. No, no. I'm not going to ride up to the gates and knock. Hahaha, no, no. I told you, we can't bring soldiers up there—at least not ones we can see." Ba'an let her scowl deepen.

"Lukios."

Lukios took one look at her face and began cackling anew. "Oh, Ba'an, Ba'an. Sweetheart. Come on. I'd never do something so stupid."

"Lukios."

He was still snickering, but he managed to calm himself long enough to talk. "Oh, sweetheart. Sweetheart. I'm insulted. Really. Really!"

Ba'an only sighed and waited, very patiently. The only thing to do was to wait him out; eventually, he calmed himself enough to lean forward until they were nose to nose.

"Ba'an?"

"Yes, Lukios?" Smiling, he rubbed her nose with his. Ba'an only continued with her flat glare. Not at all put out, he kissed her before he spoke.

"Sweetheart. You ever hear of the Truwisian Horse?"