Scene #1686: You Scrub My Back I'll Hug Yours

Owner	Pose
Sanary Rondel	This was definitely new. Sanary didn't know what to expect even after hearing about this... Dun Realtai? If Yari was touting its virtues, however, there had to be something good about this place. Besides, exploring new areas wasn't exactly a new thing to the healer despite the more obvious obstacles to finding her way around. Sure, it would probably have been much easier to actually find Yari in the first place with a guide of some sort, but where was the fun in that? Or at least it would be more fun if she wasn't hopelessly lost. "So that way's the place with the big doors, village is over there, and this is..." Holding one hand against the outside wall of... Some sort of building, Sanary turns around slowly in the realization that she is lost. Very, very lost.
Yari Takane	Really, the castle-village is wonderful, even /if/ it's leader doesn't like Yari very much. After the little snow-ball fight, she can't really blame him either. Yari is most certainly a suspicious individual. But the much less suspicious Sanary Rondell is currently our Centurion's target. Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, Yari finally spies her prey! With a near-silent leap, the great killer gets in position! Then springs upon Sanary with a hug from behind. Between her unusual actions, and the rosey cheeks on pale flesh, she is /definitely/ drunk. Huuuuug! "Hello Sanary. Do you like the village so far?" Thankfully, her speech still retains much of her Yari-ness inherent in the Au Ra, but she's for once seeming /relaxed/. And mostly without injury too after the severe fighting last night!
Sanary Rondel	"Gotta be around here somewhere..." Sanary hums to herself as she keeps circling around the building and following the wall, completely unaware of the ninja's presence! It's not until Yari's already upon her and grabbing her from behind that she finally notices the woman's presence, a startled yelp settling into an amused laugh. "Whoa! Hey, Yari. This place is nice, yeah... Uh. You okay?" She sounds rather amused by Yari's change in demanor and only mildly confused, reaching back to give her a light pat on the side. It's not as if she could really return the hug from this angle, anyway, but she'll try anyway! "Sorry about being late. I got a little... Very lost. But you found me, so! Where to?"
Yari Takane	"Morale is high, ma'am!" She comes most exhuberantly. There's even a little swishy tail back there. Then, she lets go, steps back, and throws a sharp salute. For a minute, she almost looks sober. "My morale officer has advised me, in his words, to 'loosen up' while off duty." Then, she'll try to take Sanary's wrist and start pulling her along! "Remind me to upload a ma...Mmm." Woops. "An auditory map." They are indeed, a thing. Crazy garleans. "Our mission will be to maintain high morale. First objective: raid the open air baths! This will be an assault! Charge, Miss Rondel!" With a warm smile in body and voice alike, Yari giggles drunk-happily, and starts running off towards the baths! "Don't fall behind! One-hundred-fifty paces forward, thirty-two to the right!" Yari luckily doesn't go Ninja Fast, but her steps are still quick. If she beats Sanary there, the doors to the baths would be held open, and towels as well as wine balanced in her arms. "Ladies first!"
Sanary Rondel	Giggling lightly, Sanary gives Yari a light nod and sways in the hug lightly before she's released. "Good to hear. You definitely sound loosened up right now. Very loosened up, even." Laughing as she follow Yari via wrist-pulling, she hums again at the mention of an auditory map. "Do those even exist? Didn't think that was a thing... Huh." It certainly sounds useful, although the healer's having quite a bit of trouble picturing that. Not that a picture would be useful, but still. "A charge, eh? Aye aye, ma'am!" She hops in place a few times before running after the Centurion with the directions she's given. Even at full speed, Sanary's definitely nowhere near as fast as Yari, although she still seems fine to keep going even when she does reach the baths. "Think I almost ran into someone, but... Aah, it's fine. So is this place one of those heated baths I've heard about?"
Yari Takane	"They are! Our magitek maps display light. In stealth missions, I usually use one. Some of the more advanced ones can even actively track aetheric sources, like people and relay their positions." The ninja smiles wider. "It's not bad to get a little loose every now and then." That hug transitions to a one-armed squeeze about the shoulder before she's off! Stepping inside, it's a neat little building, with the main room, changing rooms, and then the baths beyond. It's already warm even here. Setting down her payload in the main room for a passing servant girl to take on in, Yari slips into the changing rooms. Garlean troops aren't exactly known for modesty, and she undressed quickly. It helps, too, that Sanary's blind. Yari's a lean, strong, cute thing that if one discounts a small bevy of scarrs, isn't bad on the eyes overall. She's sporting a new wound, it seems, though: on the return trip back, one of her soldiers failed to properly stow a rifle. A misfire and a grazing shot to the side later, and it's still a little tender now. When Yari exits the baths and slips into the warm water, she 'eep's' a little at the temperature. Then, she slowly sinks in up to her neck as she just leans back. "Mmm. Glory to Garlean-style baths!" The design here, is remarkably close to the ones back home. "Mmm-hmm. Do you not have those at home?" Reaching out, she takes a glass of red wine, two already left out for the pair. "I...want to know about you, Sanary. What was your home like?" Pause. "And why do you work for Mister Murasame?"
Sanary Rondel	"If it's anything like that book magic... Hm." Sanary sounds intrigued as Yari speaks about the maps briefly, eventually settling into another laugh and returning the hug. "True, true. Let's get in there, then!" There's still the changing to deal with, of course, and the healer doesn't seem all that bothered by the nudity aspect of it all. Granted, the blindness certainly helps lower her inhibitions, but not much lower than they already are. Sanary undresses fairly quickly as well, only needing to take off her usual coat and tunic combo along with her relatively ancient boots. Physically, she's definitely closer to the stronger side than the lean side, with numerous faded scars scattered around her body. The only thing preserving her modesty as she actually gets into the baths is a thick layer of bandages wrapping around her chest. The healer hesitates briefly as she dips a toe into the bath, taking a deep breath before just dropping herself in. She exhales quickly, then lets out a loud shout and settles into the water more readily. "Oh... Damn. This is muuuch better than back home. All I had back home was cold river water." Another relaxed groan. She's definitely enjoying herself, if a little too much as she just keeps sinking downwards. The wine goes unnoticed for now. "Home was... Smelly. Lots of pigs, a lot of traders, not a lot of people cleaning themselves. They used to give me shit for bathing twice a week. Definitely not as nice as out here." She snickers lightly and dunks her face in the water briefly, gasping as she comes back up. "Aah... He was willing to hire me, so I joined up." A simple answer, if somewhat... Bland? Unambitious?
Yari Takane	Yari can't help but feel a tinge of drunken envy. Sanary looks strong and properly soldier-like! She bites her lip a little bit, then just laughs. Weird one, this Au Ra! But it seems the description of her home has Yari frowning a bit. She sighs a little. "Mmm. Longest I've ever gone without one is three days. We always find at least a river on patrol, usually. A clean soldier is a happy one!" Reeeach. Sanary's head gets a little ruffle with her tail. "But here you can have one every day if you wanted. I'm glad the locals know at least that much of proper culture!" She ays in a burst of nationalistic pride. "Understood. Just..." She pauses. "Be careful." States Yari quietly. Then she cheers up. "Home was the camp for me. They raised me, and taught me how to act like a soldier and a good citizen. I guess my 'home' is any place I lay my head with soldiers and friends beside me." The lizardess finally sits up a bit, sipping some wine. Grabbing some soap, she starts to work on her hair. There's quite a bit of it to work on, too. Scrub scrub scrub!
Sanary Rondel	The healer lets out a satisfied hum at the head ruffling, reaching up to pat Yari's tail lightly. "Definitely. After getting used to these showers, I really don't think I can go back to even three a week. Laughing with a light nod, Sanary yawns lightly while drifting along towards the Au Ra. "I get why you mentioned this place now. It's like what I've heard being rich is like." There's another brief moment of humming in her voice before she straightens back out in the water. "Have you worked with Souji before? Just wondering." She raises an eyebrow, a curious look in her faded eye as she gets some shampoo to start washing out her own hair. Even before she actually gets to work, it's significantly cleaner than it had looked during their first meeting. "Who's 'they'? Mm... Yeah, being with friends sounds about right for home. I wonder..." She goes quiet for a moment, then lets out another relaxed laugh. "... Guess that means being around here is more like home than my... Home home was? Or something like that."
Yari Takane	Yari pauses a moment, then ducks under water. Her hair billows out as she tugs in down, getting the soap out. When she's back up, the long now sodden locks are back to their usual immaculate state. "Mmm! These people work hard, and many outsiders have helped improve this place from what I've researched. There's little actual wealth that I've noticed. But I think I like useful things like this more." Cue more soap, lathering up the rest of her for now. "No. We've only met once. Just...sorry, I shouldn't lecture like I am your Mother. And you probably know anyway. But, I know selling weapons is a dangerous business. Wits and discipline about you, mmm?" "Ah, sorry. I..." "It's a bit of a gloomy story, but, a friend should know it. I am an orphan. My first memory was being pulled out from underneath a few bodies. Bandit attack that the Legion I used to be in stopped. It's part of why I became a soldier. Debts are a heavy thing to carry around." Ducking down again, she comes up once more soaked. Thankfully there's plenty of towels. "Could you get my back, Sanary?" Siiip wine.
Sanary Rondel	"Huh. Doubt my village could ever pull something like this off. I mean, I'm good, but when /I'm/ their best fighter, you know there's something off about everyone." Chuckling lightly, Sanary furrows her brow slightly as she listens to the Au Ra while rinsing the rest of the shampoo out of her hair. Smooth, but still a little poofy in spots. "I'll be careful. I'm on healing duty in their security force, anyway, so there'll be people around to draw more attention than me. But thanks." She gives Yari a light pat on the shoulder and goes quiet as she speaks again. The blind girl doesn't say anything right away even as the story finishes, floating closer after the request. Instead of getting to work on her back right away, however, she reaches around to hug Yari from behind. "Sorry to hear about that. That sucks. Mm... But you know what? You've got this new group now, I'm here, and we've got your back. So.... Uh. Yeah." Sanary pats her chest lightly before releasing her, another laugh escaping the girl as she starts cleaning off the Centurion's back. "Really gotta work on finishing those thoughts better..."
Yari Takane	"Why'd you join up, Sanary? Army or militia?" Curiously asks the lizardy woman! Frowning briefly, she reaches over to touch up that hair. De-poofing time go! Then she leans back. "Mmm. With hair like that, you'll have men falling for you in no time. Partners are good for morale!" The answer doesn't seem to make the Centurion any less openly worried, but at least she smiles and nods. A hand is waved. "No. It let me meet wonderful people and become strong enough to help Hydaelyn. I'm satisfied with how my life has gone. I just think that you deserve honesty from me, that's all." Eep! The hug has her stiffen at first, then quickly relaxing with a hiss. Even the pat has her just relaxing for a bit, leaning her head back to rub Sanary's shoulder like some kind of cat. Maybe there's some kitty blood in her? Then scrubby times. Her tail sways happily. "Never thought I'd have friends. You don't get that in the service. It's not something I'm very good at, but, I'm going to train until I'm a perfect soldier, and perfect friend." She nods to herself, hand squeezing into a ball in front of her.
Sanary Rondel	"Militia. It was either that or keep shovelling pig shit every day for the rest of my life. And I was pretty good with an axe even before the training." A confident smile crosses the human's face, although it's replaced with a flustered snicker moments later. "Wha? My hair's nothing special. And what's this about 'partner's now?" She runs her hand through Yari's hair lightly and gives it a light sniff before geting back to the back scrubbing, moving steadily and firmly while trying not to be too rough about it. "Besides, your hair smells a lot nicer than. Bet you've got a better body for... Uh. Things, too." She grins mischievously and lowers her hands briefly to give Yari's sides a light poke. "Kinda curious if you're seeing anyone, but... Ah. You're already a great friend. I mean, you're putting up with me, aren't you?"
Yari Takane	Yari smirks just a little bit, pausing to devour more wine. Thank goodness for Confederate technology. "There's a saying I've heard that there can be honor in even humble work. But I think that you have found the place you need to be. Remember: blind fighting training soon. You will be swinging that axe again soon." Other than a slight head tilt, Yari doesn't protest against the sniff or run of the hand. It's pretty silky, too! This is a woman who really takes care of herself. "Jasmine and peppermint based herbs. If you wash your hair with it once a week...I can mix some for you tonight if you'd like." "Morale~." Is all she says about partners, smirking. Then she eeps! Seems her sides are sensitive! "Seeing...?" Yari Takane reaches over, downs a good third of that wine bottle in one go, then puts it down and belts out a laugh that has her shaking. When she can finally control herself enough to speak, she'll lean back into that firm back-washing. Ahh~. "I spend most of my time with soldiers. I can't afford things like that with the troops. It never ends well. I...mmm..." She blushes a bit here. "Never dated. Well, unless you count some disguises in my work like what we did in Chicago. But those were just illusions, other names that were burnt away after the job was through." Then she smiles brightly. "I wouldn't mind finding a real date for Yari Takane the Au Ra, though." Those words then have Yari turning around, leaning up, and planting a smooch on Sanary's forehead. "Sanary. That means a lot to me." There's a little moisture in those eyes of Yari's that are so often impassive or analytical. The woman is touched. "Alright, turn around! Your turn!"
Sanary Rondel	Sanary hrrms lightly before finally taking the other glass of wine to take a sip of it herself, flinching slightly at the unfamiliar familiar. "Ohh that's... Something." "Very... Mm. I don't know how much honor there is in moving shit around, though." Snickering again, Sanary takes one more sip of the wine and sets it aside. Even that bit seems to be enough to affect her, although she does hold herself together fairly well. "Wonder if I could ever.." She trails off, a faint redness coming over her cheeks at the mention of 'morale' and 'partners. "... Ah, probably not something I'd have to worry about, anyway." Listening again, she doesn't react immediately the forehead smooch and seems confused for a moment. Once it actually hits her, however, the blush deepens as the healer tries to draw attention away from that with another laugh. "W-well, I'm sure you'll do fine. There's gotta be guys lining up to try and get your attention, right? O-or girls, even. I mean, if I was..." Turning another deeper shade of red, the notion of getting her back washed suddenly becomes much more appealing as Sanary turns around quickly. "M-my turn it is! Don't be afraid to.. Uh. Dig in a little if you need to. I can take it." She grabs the bottle of wine and downs about a quarter of what's left in there before putting that aside, coughing lightly at having drank so quickly.
Yari Takane	Yari wiggles her tail a bit, digging into her culinary knowledge. "Mmm. I'm not entirely certain what region it was produced in. Good flavor, right mixture of bitterness to sweet. Maybe not the best year, however. Either the servants are being stingy, or Sir Bedivere is slighting me." A shake of the head there. "But good enough to be drunk with a good friend." The ninja goes a bit straighter as she thinks. "No. Even a man who works hauling excrement can have honor. It's dirty, terrible work, I imagine. But someone who has no other talents, but works to support themselves through their own toil...day in, day out, working. Showing perserverence. Without that humble work, it'd all pile up." Yari looks into Sanary's eyes, solemn and serious. " The animals would die. The butchers wouldn't have meat. /People/ would have less meat. Even if it was for a day, if that man didn't shovel shit and a single pig died...there is a chance a single person could die because there was not that meat from the shit-shoveler's work. A society is an interlocking chain, Sanary. From the lowest to the highest. Excrement hauler to Emperor. Each and every one of them can find honor through dedication and hard work." Then, she softens a bit. A hand rises up, and lightly bonks Sanary on the top of the head. "So please don't say words like that about farm workers." Then, cue back-washing! Yari catches that redness, her assassin's brain faculties turning. She knows embarrassment, clinically. But it doesn't quite catch up with her emotionally. Not quite. Yari Takane walks a thin edge, and in the end as the two get a hint, she can't help but slowly blush herself. "I am an Au Ra, Sanary. I think my Legatus wants to correct this flaw, but, much of my society doesn't like those 'outside'. I have worked very hard. But my society is primarily made of humans, and these scales of mine..." She briefly holds up her tail for emphasis, then lowers it. Eventually she just strokes her tail against Sanary's lower back, a tiny little slick massage with how slightly wet they usually are and the additional water's lubrication. "Make me suitable for those with...mmm. Exotic tastes, or lower of merit. And if my partner is of the Empire, I have enough Garlean pride to not accept something like that because of my race. So no. There aren't many men." Yari digs in, giggling a touch. "Can't hold your drink? I see you need more training, Sanary Rondel!" Her tail latches onto that bottle and she finishes it off. "Servant! Another bottle please!" She's pretty good, Yari is, with her hands. It's both firm scrubbing and muscle-relaxing massage. The ninja whispers to Sanary. "Besides. I think girls are cuter in things like that." There's a wet Au Ra nose against Sanary's neck, and then she gets Sanary nice and lathered up!
Sanary Rondel	"Huh... I never would've known. All they had in the village was local swill, and... I was usually the one that dragged the people that got drunk home." A designated carrier, perhaps? It would certainly explain the girl's low tolerance to the drink. "I don't even know how to explain the taste of this... Interesting, though." Sanary straightens up as Yari speaks. Although she can't see Yari looking at her, she does face the woman with an intent look in her eye. "Mm... Never thought about it that way." She nods bashfully by the time Yari finishes and the meaning of her words finally sink in, snickering lightly at the tap on her head. "Alright, I'll be good. Wish someone told me all this before I got into fighting." Relaxing again, Sanary breathes in sharply through her nose before sighing contently at the back washing. "Mm...Strong, smart, good at disguises and this. People would be dumb to not to want you just because of something like scales or-" The healer squeaks lightly at the lower back tail massage, arching forward for a moment before leaning back against the Au Ra. "I-if anything, I figured that'd just make you look better to 'em." Laughing lightly at the request for more booze, the healer hums softly and rolls her head from side to side lightly. She squeaks again at the touch to her neck, letting out an embarassed snicker at the whisper. "H-hey... If one of the people you know here heard that, they might get the wrong idea..."
Yari Takane	Yari's head lowers a bit. Then, she wraps up Sanary in a hug. "So you're the one who drags people like me home in your town?" A little smirk, and she lets go. For a moment, she leans back, and sighs. "That makes me happy. This place, Dune Realtai, makes me honest. Mmm. No. I'm just too honest for a person in my line of work, and this place only makes that flaw worse. But...I trust you." The empty bottle is held up, and she splashes the bottom of it in the water for a moment for emphasis to the blind girl. "Soldiers like myself drink to forget. All the dead comrades. All the mistakes that lead to that point. The scarrs we've gained. You and I share a miserable occupation, I think. To kill. The reasons, in that, are irrelevent." Then, she smiles fully. "And the ones of we soldiers who manage to drag home drunken people like me are the ones who have found something above booze to keep them stable and their morale high. So please, Sanary. Don't ever drink like me. There's something that broke in me in the battlefield. I cling to a bottle to keep that wound from costing my life and my honor. You do not deserve that." Yari takes a deep breath, and finally just laughs. "I really do pour myself out in this land, beside my best friend, and completely sloshed. Embarassing. But there's no one else I would rather make a fool of myself in front of." Cue another hair-ruffle. Then she pauses. She might be immodest as a person, but there's only so much she can take. Yari blushes near to her chest. "I am not a native Garlean. Doma is a nation conquered." She starts, then simply pulls away from Sanary and floats in the water lazily. "...I think my transfer to Lord Gaius van Baelsar's Legion was appropriate. If I'm to guess, he did this because I have a service record of partial note. I do not mean to boast. But I suspect he has a plan for my service. I am alright with that, so long as it benefits the empire. I am a tool in the Emperor's hands." "My people, Garlea, need to become accustomed to those not born in Garlea. It is as simple as that." A pause, another blush, and then she looks at Sanary softly. "Let them hear it. I am annoyed with one man here, and the Lady of this place is...good." She raises up her hand, and offers a useless thumbs-up. The idea is offered in her voice, however. "You have started me on a journey, Sanary Rondel. Let's see where it ends up, mmm?" Then she just relaxes, floating in warm waters as more wine is brought. "...What is the naval term? Drag me back to port, Miss Rondel. Wine! Morale!" It's about this time that Yari Takane falls asleep in a floating, emotion and booze-fueled sleep in the water. Poor Sanary might have to haul her out and dress her enough to sleep it off, after a while. Apparently sleep-floating is a thing in ninja training.
Sanary Rondel	"Preeeetty much. Not a fun job, but I'd rather be doing that than hoping everyone actually gets back safely on their own." Chuckling lightly, Sanary takes a long breath of the warm bath air as she perks up at the idea of being trusted. She goes quiet again as Yari speaks of the drink, the scars, and the motivations. She actually starts laughing as Yari does, allowing herself to drift in the water again. "I /wish/ I was that great. It's actually... I think I just don't like the flavor that much, is all." She grins bashfully at the hair-ruffling, giving the Au Ra a playful poke at the side. "But if someone like me can be your best friend, then... Sure, I'll be that person for ya. Every time you get drunk, I'll drag your ass back home and we can get some ice cream in the morning." The talk of Yari's homeland comes and goes, the healer letting out another hum as she redirects her floating back towards the Au Ra. "Sometimes... I think it's easier to just focus on that. Do the best we can at our jobs, let someone else handle the heavy thinking. If something goes wrong, it's on them, anyway. Can't blame the tools for the handlers messing up." Easing up on the floating as the new wine is brought over, Sanary actually finds herself just behind Yari and cradles her arms around the woman, pulling her over towards the edge of the tub slowly. "Aye aye, ma'am! First, we gotta get you refueled at port, and then... M-morale?" Getting Yari out of the water was the easy part. The hard part was figuring out just what she meant with the last part.