Dalia stumbled into the bathroom as Rya slammed the door shut and leaned her back against it.
"What's wrong with you? You seem tense," Dalia said while scratching her ears.
"N-Nothing. It's nothing. Now let's clean ourselves up," Rya said as she made her way towards the Fae-Bath. Once she reached the bath, she noticed that it was big enough for both her and Dalia to fit comfortably. It was made of marble and had a crystal embedded in it. The crystal had a strange glow to it.
'Okay... This will do... Gah! My back feels so tight." Rya thought as she stretched her arms up high above her head until she heard a loud popping noise. She was starting to feel more relaxed after cracking her back. It's been days since she last took a shower, and she was looking forward to the experience. She looked over at Dalia, who had a worried look written on her face.
"So, I just channel my mana into this thing, right? Let's just fill this tub up and relax," Rya said with a smirk.
Rya turns to the Fae-Bath, trying to remember what Quin told her. She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and holds out her hand over the crystal.
'Okay... Channel your mana into this thing. Just imagine your mana flowing into the crystal. Then, when it's full, stop.' Rya thought to herself as she tried to channel her mana.
Even though she was told how to use it, it still feels foreign to her. She sees the crystal that she needs to use her mana on.
"I think I got the hang of it...ACK!" Rya was surprised when she channeled too much of her mana into the crystal, which caused water to spray out from it everywhere.
"HEY! ALPHA!" Dalia yelped when she got hit with the water. She quickly used her arms to shield herself from the spray. Rya tries to hold back her laughter when she sees how wet Dalia has become.
"Ahahaha... Sorry. I'm trying, Dalia. This isn't easy for me," Rya says while cutting off the flow of her mana.
Dalia growled at Rya for a moment, but then she realized how silly she was acting and couldn't help laughing along with her.
"You're lucky you're an alpha. Or else, I would rip you apart," Dalia said as she wagged her tail playfully.
"Yeah, yeah... I said I was sorry, Dalia. Now, I'm going to try again," Rya said as she focused her attention on the crystal. Dalia made sure to hide behind Rya. Just in case she screws up again.
Rya takes a deep breath and focuses. She grips the crystal with both hands in order to focus better. She was going to make sure that she didn't overdo it like the first time. After a couple of seconds, the crystal begins to glow brightly with a blue hue. Rya concentrates until she can feel a little of her mana flowing through it.
"This thing is a bit sensitive to my mana. Hmmm. Ha! I got it!" Rya said with excitement as the water started to fill up the bathtub in no time. She couldn't believe how perfect the water temperature was, not too hot or cold.
Then she takes off her dirty poet's shirt, black pants, and boots before she takes a seat on the edge of the tub. She dips her toe in the water to test the temperature.
"It's perfect," Rya said with a chuckle.
Dalia walks over to the tub, seeing that Rya has already gotten herself comfortable. She reluctantly pulls off her dirty bandages and slowly enters the water.
"Tch! Why do I have to do this? I can just use my-EEP!" *Splash!* Dalia was pulled into the tub by Rya.
The Dark Elf couldn't help herself, and she laughed when she saw Dalia's shocked expression.
"Come on, Dalia. Relax and let's just enjoy ourselves," Rya said as she tried not to laugh again. Dalia gave her the saddest puppy dog look she had ever seen. Rya didn't know why, but she couldn't resist the adorable look she was getting from Dalia.
"Geez... I'm sorry, Dalia. It was supposed to be a joke... Here, let me help you out," Rya said while she gently helped Dalia sit up in the bathtub.
Dalia gasps and shivers as she feels the warm water soaking her body.
"Hmhm... So, humans do this every day? I-I don't think I dislike this," Dalia moans as she closes her eyes. She was enjoying the warmth and comfort of the water.
"Here, let's add some soap to the water," Rya says as she stands up and goes over to the cabinet where she saw a few bottles of scented soap.
She opens the cabinet and grabs a bar of soap. She returns to the bath, but before she gets back in, Dalia splashes her with water.
"HEY! Why did you splash me?" Rya said with an annoyed tone.
"Because I can," Dalia says with a smirk.
"Alright, I guess I deserve that," Rya says with a smile as she hops back into the water.
She then begins rubbing the bar of soap in between her hands, creating suds. Dalia watches in amazement as Rya rubs the soap all over her body, scrubbing away the dirt.
'Goddess! It feels like ages since I've taken a bath!' Rya thought as she continued to wash herself.
Dalia's eyes were glued to the sight before her as she watched Rya clean herself with the soap. She never knew that Dark Elves like to use soap as humans do.
Rya got her hair washed and rinsed and then went about cleaning her body. She then stopped and moved to Dalia, who was sitting in the bathtub. She was holding her nose, trying not to breathe in the clean 'stench' of the soap.
"Doesn't that stuff hurt your nose, Alpha?" Dalia asked as Rya kneeled down in front of her.
"Huh? No, not really... I mean, some fragrances can be stronger than others, but this is fine," Rya replied with a shrug.
"I see..." Dalia mumbles while sniffing the air. She was trying to get used to the scent of the soap.
Rya reached out, grabbed the wolfkin's arm, and began rubbing the bar of soap across her skin, cleaning off the blood and dirt from their trip.
"I don't understand why you would put this stuff all over your body. Doesn't it bother you? Like everything is slipperier," Dalia asked while scrunching up her nose.
"No. It doesn't bother me at all. In fact, I love the feeling of being clean," Rya said with a grin.
"If you say so, Alpha," Dalia replied with a frown.
"Alright, close your eyes," Rya says as she puts her hand under the water and begins rubbing the bar of soap all over Dalia's body.
Dalia was starting to enjoy the sensation of Rya rubbing the bar of soap against her skin and fur. Rya started from her neck, shoulders, arms, and breasts. She took her time cleaning each part of Dalia. Rya was so focused on cleaning Dalia that she forgot about her ulterior motive.
'God dammit! This blood is really dried on! How the hell did her fur get so dirty? It's so soft, too. Hmm, maybe I can find a comb and brush her fur later?' Rya thought as she tried to loosen the hardened blood stuck in Dalia's fur on her forearms.
Dalia noticed Rya's determined look in her eyes and couldn't help but worry that something was wrong with her.
"Is something wrong?" Dalia asked worriedly.
"Huh? Oh! No, everything is fine. It's just this damn blood. It's caked on in some spots. We really went through hell getting here, huh?" Rya said with a sigh.
"Yes... It was glorious," Dalia said proudly.
"Haha... Okay, now I need you to close your eyes so I can wash your hair. Just lean your head back," Rya said with a smile.
"O-Okay," Dalia says nervously. She closed her eyes, leaning her head back, and Rya began pouring water on her head. She then rinsed off her hair, making sure not to get any soap into her eyes.
"Alright, open your eyes," Rya said, and Dalia opened her eyes and sat back upright.
"There, see? Now your hair is clean and smells good," Rya said as she ruffled her hand through Dalia's hair, shaking off the excess water.
"Gah! You Dark Elves are strange. But thank you, Alpha. It feels nice," Dalia said with a giggle.
"Heh... I'm glad you like it. Now that my work is done, it's time to."
*Splash!*
Rya leaned back into the water, soaking her body and hair. With her body submerged, the water reached her chin. She closed her eyes and relaxed. Dalia watched in amazement as the bubbles floated around in the water.
'Mmmm, I can't remember the last time I had a hot bath like this... Going through life-and-death situations can really take it out of you. It's so nice not to think about how I'm going to survive. Wait... I feel like I'm forgetting something?' Rya thought as she lay her head against the rim of the tub.
Dalia giggles at Rya and tilts her head. "Well, you know how to relax. But you seem to have something on your mind, Alpha?"
"It's nothing, Dalia. Just thinking about how nice this is. But I have to admit... I feel like I needed to do something with you... But for the life of me, I can't remember what it was?" Rya said, closing her eyes and laying her head back.
"I see... Well, we will figure it out later," Dalia said with a giggle.
After a minute of lying in the water, Rya's eyes snapped open as she recalled the real reason why she was taking a bath with Dalia.