Home, Smelly Home. [M] [Glob!]

[Rhindeer]

"I'm serious! I wouldn't lie about this. The spread of misinformation is anathema to my work! Watch, I'll prove it to you!"

Bouncing to her feet, Mei marched over and scooped her book back up. She took her seat back on the bed, flipped through the pages--she just about had it memorized!--and then turned the book toward Daersen with the book opened to a series of sketches.

There, Mei had written extensive notes (in Thanati), but she had also sketched several detailed images, too. One was an image of a lotus seed pod, one was a honey comb, one was very porous coral, and the most disturbing of the images was that of a toad that carried its eggs under its skin, and whose babies escaped through many tiny holes in its back.

She watched Daersen's face expectantly for his reaction.

[DaGlobster]

Daersen watched her bounce up, quite unsubtly eyeing her as she retrieved her book and came back.

When she opened it up and presented the pages, Daersen scrunched up his brow, his first impulse being to read the words on the page. Once he realized he couldn't, he looked at the pictures. None of them really phased him, save for the toad, which made him frown.

He'd seen some pretty fucked up things in the sewers, things that made the sketches look tame. Corpses made maggot-nests, roach hives, the list went on.

"I mean, personally these things don't really spook me, but I can see where you're coming from. That thing with the toad's pretty gross."

[Rhindeer]

"Well! They may not spook you, but a lot of people have a severe aversion to images like these, so much that it can cause them great distress. Just like some people are terrified of spiders--which, I imagine wouldn't bother you, all things considered! Oh, I have a whole section here about strange phobias, like--"

A knock sounded at the door then, and with a small smile, Mei closed her book and set it down on the bed. "I'll get back to that later."

Rising again, she answered the door, and the men looked relieved to see her wearing a robe--and surprised to see Daersen not. With awkward looks, they quickly set the tub down, retrieved the old one, and exited, the door shutting behind them.

[DaGlobster]

Daersen's eyes lit up when the second bath arrived, and the door was practically halfway closed by the time he was up off the bed and walking towards it. He rubbed his hands, almost incapable of waiting. Once he heard the door lock, he slipped himself in.

He didn't notice that this tub was a tad bit smaller than their previous.

"Ah, that's the stuff. Again," he said, and splashed the water abit with his hands.

"Won't you join me, Mei?" he said with a teasingly seductive tone.

[Rhindeer]

"Oh, of course! Just one second!" Mei said, and it was obvious she missed his teasingly seductive tone as she went about riffling through her travel bag. She pulled out a small case, then shrugged out of her robe and folded carefully, setting that on the bed as well.

Naked again, she strode over to the bath, case in hand, and set it on the floor nearby as she stepped back into the water.

"Ahhh, I think it feels even better the second time around!" she sighed as she sat down--and she noted quite quickly that she had to sort of turn herself sideways and fold her knees to keep from squishing into Daersen too much. "Probably because this time I can actually bathe. The first time, I didn't really feel like I got very clean. Oh! I have a razor, by the way!"

She reached over the side and picked up the case, then flipped it open to draw a simple, sharp straight t razor from it. "It's all yours after I'm done with it. Pass the soap?"

[DaGlobster]

"Definitely better the second time," Daersen agreed as he glanced over the sides of the tub for the soap. He had to pull himself out slightly so he could reach for it, but get it he did. He held it firmly, yet all too softly at the same time, as if worried it would just up and jump out of his grasp.

As he wrested the soap into his grasp, he noticed Mei was tucking herself up.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about brushing up against me. I really couldn't care less about the contact," he said, and finally held the soap out to her.

"Gonna shave your legs?"

[Rhindeer]

"I am!" Mei said as she relaxed a bit more, reassured that he wouldn't be disturbed if they touched. "I hope you don't mind. It's just been quite a while since I've gotten the chance. You know, when you're traveling and all and sleeping where you can, it's sort of the last thing on your mind. I don't have to tell you that, though."

Lifting a leg and propping her foot up against the tub's edge, she snapped the razor open with a flick of her wrist. "Neat, huh? I don't think these are very common everywhere just yet! Not the flippy-open ones, at least. Then again, not everyone even shaves, anyway! It's such a hassle, honestly, though it's fascinating how attitudes on it vary from culture to culture. In some cultures, shaving hair is done as a sign of mourning, or to mark an exile, or done before one's wedding night, and then some cultures view the removal of body hair as anathema, because growing hair is a sign of adulthood. Me, I just do it because I like how it feels."

She laughed at that, taking up the bar of soap and rubbing it over her leg (which had several weeks worth of growth, but which was practically invisible since it was white and sparse; Thanati didn't tend to grow much body hair off their heads) to give it a nice, slick coat. It wasn't ideal, doing it just with soap, but it was better than doing it dry!

"Rather funny, really, that the religious scholar should care about that! But really, I did it because I planned on getting a tattoo on my leg, then I didn't have the time, so I shaved the other to even myself out. Then I just liked how it felt, and hated how prickly it was growing back, so I continued. I guess we can't all have deep reasons for the things we do!"

And as she spoke, she slid the blade over her skin, and she hardly looked like she was paying attention. Truthfully, she'd just done it so many times she could practically do it blindfolded.

[DaGlobster]

"Yeah, I know how you feel. Personally, I just wanted to shave to get this beard off of my face. I'm a good looking guy, I swear! It's just that, well...It's hard, you know? Watching yourself deteriorate. You never really learn just how incredible something as simple as shaving can be until you've been deprived of it..."

Dearsen looked off to the side, accidentally sweeping himself up with emotion.

"Yeah...say!" He suddenly started, looking over at her leg.

"Has anyone ever told you that you've got some nice freaking legs? I mean, for a scholar? Damn. Mine are the same, actually," He said as he lifted a leg of his own up out to show her, his hairlessness allowing her to see his muscles perfectly.

"Except, you know. I don't have any fat on mine. Wish I did..."

[Rhindeer]

Mei actually snorted a laugh, and had to pull the blade back so she didn't nick herself while her shoulders were shaking. With an amused look his way, she reached out gingerly, put a finger to his ankle, and slowly pressed his leg back down.

"Yes, very nice. Ahaha. Suffice to say, I've gotten a good view of your legs previously. Close quarters and nudity don't leave much to the imagination," she said, and returned to her shaving. "Some people are just naturally blessed that way. Or not, depending on whether or not you come from a culture where body hair is reviled or loved! Anyway, you're not the first person to say that. About my legs, I mean. I'm not sure why it's such a surprise! I know scholars have a reputation for being cloistered away indoors, but my work requires a lot of walking, so naturally you're going to get a bit toned just from that."

She rinsed the razor, then finished up that leg before switching to the other. "Speaking of blessings and curses, how did you wind up in the sewers?"

[DaGlobster]

"Well, it's pretty long story. I...uh, chose to live in the sewers," He said, crossing his arms. He glanced to the sides, and motioned for her to come closer.

"I think I'm cursed. My entire family got sick, and I was the only one who stayed healthy. I didn't know what to do, so I left. I heard they all passed away a few months ago, so maybe it was for the best that I left. Iprobsbly would've caught whatever they were carrying."

[Rhindeer]

Mei paused in her shaving to lean in close, and found his words...rather disheartening. Cursed? Because he was healthy when others weren't? So he'd banished himself?

"You know, that sounds less like you're cursed and more like they are," she said, and began to shave beneath her arms when her legs were done. "It's not too unusual, you know. There are many reports of plagues sweeping through towns and families, but not everyone gets it. It's more like the survivors were blessed or very lucky, like Inima wanted them to survive to pass on strong children who could likewise survive. If there weren't those strong ones, why, us humans would have gone the way of the Fynari long ago!"

Mei paused, looked at Daersen. "The Fynari was  a native bird on Thanatos. Very pretty, but very stupid and fragile. One hasn't been seen in decades. Anyway, why be miserable in the sewers just because you're lucky. Oh, here."

Finished shaving, she rinsed the blade, closed it, and handed it over.

[DaGlobster]

"Well, people think I'm cursed. Sorry, it's a bit confusing. I just left before I could be kicked out. I tend to just think of it as a curse anyways, since, you know, entire family's dead. There's also the things with the rats, an--Oh, thanks!"

Daersen took the razor, and examined it. It took him a while, but he managed to click it open, and he also took the bar of soap to lather up his beard with it.

"Anyways, there's also the thing with the rats. Rats and roaches just love me for some reason. They're always following me around. I can tell them to do things, too," he said, and he began to shave his beard.

"Like, I just think things, and they do it. Anything I want."

[Rhindeer]

As Daersen shaved, Mei gave herself another thorough scrubbing to clean off any dirt the first bath may have missed, even re-washing her hair.

"Ohhhh! So that's why the rats acted the way they did! See, I thought you had something to do with that! So you're a beast-speaker, then."

With a grin his way, she rinsed her hair. "You know, beast-speaking is fairly common in Adela, and less common other places. Just like many types of magic run stronger in some cultures than others, well, with Adela it's beast-speaking! That's not to say it can't pop up in other people in different places--even people with no Adelan blood...though the concept of blood is a rather strange one, because humans in general have bred all over the place forever, so when you break it down, we've all got a little of everything in us, probably! I digress. Point is, you're not a freak."

She studied him as she spoke, looking thoughtful. "I know you might feel like one because your animals of choice--or the animals that chose you--are considered vermin, but it's only people that decided that was their value. But Inima put them here, and everything has its place, and they're important, too. Rats are really quite intelligent and they're surprisingly clean! And roaches are survivors. I don't think either creature thinks of themselves as disgusting, worthless vermin."

[DaGlobster]

Daersen looked at Mei as she spoke, face slowly softening as she went on. He couldn't talk, since he had a blade running across his jaw, but the corners of his mouth rose. He whisked off most of his wild sideburns, and flicked the blade off to the side so he wouldn't get any hair in the tub water.

"Th...Thanks, Mei. That means a lot to me," He said, eyes warm with happiness. He went back over the remaining stubble on the sides of his head. Already, the great shape of his jaw was becoming more visible.

"I don't really speak to the vermin, though. They just...gravitate towards me."

[Rhindeer]

"...Ah. I see. Yes, if they seek you out, that could certainly be inconvenient and awkward to explain," Mei said, and once she was finished cleaning herself, she rose from the bath.

She began to wring out her hair. "But think of it this way. If you can compel these creatures to do your bidding, you are the sort of person that could be a very valuable asset to your community! Hasn't it occurred to you before? What kind of business you could do? For example, how many grainaries have issues with mice and rats and insects? They have to get cats to keep the place clean, and still things get it them and ruin their product, losing money and even starving people. How many cities have problems with the diseases these creatures carry?"

Mei fixed him with a pleased grin. "It sounds to me like you've been so caught up in thinking yourself cursed and viewing yourself as small and bad that you haven't been thinking big enough!"

[DaGlobster]

"You know what? You're right!" Daersen said, pointing at her. "I've been just so...caught up in my grief that I just sort of blamed myself. I guess it took someone like you talking to me to make me realize that..."

Of course, he felt a bit ridiculous now. All that time in the sewers felt like it was for nothing now. He felt happy, but at the same time...he felt like a good portion of his life had been converted to a waste of time and effort.

He smiled up at her, and held his arms out.

"Come on. Gimme a hug!"

[Rhindeer]

Mei laughed and shook her head. Really, it seemed so obvious to her! But a lot of things were obvious to her that weren't to other people. It was her natural inclination to be a problem solver--which could frustrate people when she went into problem-solving mode when all they actually wanted her to do was listen.

"Sometimes it can be difficult to see the forest for the trees," she said, and ducked down, ready to hug him without thinking--

But then stopped and straightened back up. "Er. On second thought, we can save that for when you don't have a razor in your hand."

[DaGlobster]

Daersen glanced at the razor in his hand, and smirked at her, pushing it closed with his thumb. He retracted his arms, only stand up from the bath as well. Squaky clean, smoothly shaved, Daersen looked like a completely different man.

He also took the moment to give Mei a good looking over as she stood in front of him.

"Gotta tell you. It feels really good to look like my old self again...

[Rhindeer]

Mei stepped from the tub and flicked water from her fingers, and tip-toed her way to the bed. Once again, she'd forgotten to ask for towels, but she made do, grabbing up her robe and using that to dry herself.

"I'll bet! You look like an entirely different person," she said while she dried herself, giving him a looking over as well, head to toe. There was curiosity in her eyes, because he really did look different! He Under the grime and beard, he didn't look like a homeless man off the streets, but rather like he should be in expensive clothing living in a mansion somewhere. Well. Okay, he still looked homeless in a sense, because he looked starved, but other than that, it was crazy to see because he was pretty attractive.

"If you take what I said to heart, I don't think you'll ever have to look like anything but your old self ever again. You won't have to live in the sewers! Honestly, I think you could do good business, and it's not safe to live down there, anyway," she said as she took a seat on the bed's edge and fluffed her long hair.

[DaGlobster]

"yeah..." Daersen said, and he shook himself up a bit before taking his robes and using them to dry himself. He then let them soak in the water, so they can dry up. Stretching one more time, he plopped down next to Mei on the bed, crossing his arms.

He couldn't hold it in anymore, he had to ask.

"Say, I've got this crazy idea in my head..."

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