Triel leads the way into the almost-lavish bathroom.
The tub is the main attraction of the room--it's quite large, carved from marble and curved in a circle. There's more than enough room for a single person, likely for purposes of leg-room, but it should also be enough to accommodate two bathers. A changing screen stands in the corner of the room, with a few bathrobes of black and white hung over the top of it.
Triel nods at the screen. "Would you like to try it first, Devie?"
Devie nods, not really the squeak her voice would probably be. Slipping behind the screen she takes her clothes off slowly and carefully, since grace is still not a trait she has, and hurry means it is even worse.
This time instead of clumping her stuff on the floor, she gathers and folds, then steps out of the screen clutching a robe against her front. Not wearing it since she didn't want to get it dirty.
While Deive looks awkward in her body, one cannot deny the template of that form was truly a lovely woman, a fact the clutched robe does little to hide.
Triel lets out a little giggle, but respectfully averts her eyes as Devie emerges from behind the screen. "Whenever you're ready, Miss Grey."
"And, for the record, you can look at me all you like. I'm not bothered."
The water in the tub is very warm--ideally suited to soothing aching muscles and washing away grime.
Like a moth to a flame, Devie's eyes can't help but look as Triel offers, which manages to get her confidence up enough to drop the robe. She still looks like a nervous nelly, but she steps into the water in all her glory, then QUICKLY sits. Those few steps of naked was all she could handle. Unfortunately, the plunging sitting causes a got amoung of water to splash out. With a wince, she apologizes "Sorry"
Triel looks once Devie has settled into the tub--and she shakes her head at the sight of the water puddles on the floor. "Oh, Devie..." She sighs before looking towards a nearby shelf. She takes a couple of towels and bottles before setting them next to the tub.
Then she begins changing. She doesn't bother with the changing screen, instead peeling her bodysuit off with the practiced ease of a dancer. She pointedly makes eye contact with Devie as she makes a show of disrobing, their contrasting reactions to being naked making her chuckle on the inside.
Once she's in all of her natural onyx glory, she slides into the tub across from Devie and lets out a moan of relief. Her legs stretch out, nearly touching Devie's own. "...I've waited so long for something like this I almost forgot what it feels like."
"It does feel nice." Devie managed to smile, and relax.
The drow leans over the side of the tub and gathers up a washcloth and glass bottle. After dunking the cloth and pouring the bottle's contents onto it, she runs it up and down her arms to lather them up.
The soap poured onto the cloth smells of lilacs.
"Now, Miss Grey, will you be needing any assistance over there?"
"I can manage" Device says, getting some soap and starting to clean herself, having completely missed Triel's potential meaning. Insread feeling she needs to show that she can
Triel shrugs and goes back to washing herself. It doesn't take her very long to finish with the soapy cloth--she dunks herself in the water and comes back up with her hair matted to her face and head.
"Now... as to where I would like this to go..." The drow's expression turns rather sad as she pushes her hair out of her eyes. "...Devie, my people do not consider the act of sex to be innately connected to... attachment." She sighs. "It's a pleasurable act, but one often employed in manipulations of all kinds."
"Moreover, the stories told of the drow are enough to frighten many away from the prospect of becoming intimate with one. As such..." She looks down into the water. "...I'm... not really picky when it comes to the length of my attachments."
"If... if you want this to be a one-time affair, I can accept that."
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Devie stops soaping herself staring "But... I like you." she says dejected.
Triel tilts her head at Devie. "...I like you as well."
"...does that mean you want something longer-term, then?" Her tone is guarded, but hopeful.
Devie nodded "I think so, no, I know so, but just know I loved myself... I mean Evie loved Deven and Deven loved Evie, more than anything til they died, so I get confused at times, sad, worried, and..." she loses her train of thought, as is evident in her face, but then she smiles again, bright and simple "Yes, is what I mean."
As Devie speaks, Triel gently slides over to her side, her arm sliding around Devie's shoulders again. "I..."
She blinks several times. The corners of her eyes are...
...those aren't water droplets. They're tears, threatening to spill from her cheeks.
"...I'd like that." The words come out sounding a bit choked.
She takes a shuddering breath.
"...may I kiss you?"
Devie squirms a bit, but a good type of squirming. She nods again, not trusting her voice, closes her eyes and leans toward Triel with her lips puckered.
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Triel finds herself closing the distance between her lips and Devie's quickly. The kiss is... a bit clumsy, at first. But it trembles with something genuine. It's not a mere gesture of lustful and lewd intent--it's tentative at first, but as it proceeds it becomes one of passion and ardor.
The drow lets out a moan and pulls Devie into an embrace, the tears in her eyes finally running down her cheeks. Bodies press together in tender silence.
Here is something most people don't realize about Devie Grey... she isn't much of a thinker. She tries SO hard to cover that up, it is hard to tell.
Which is part of the problem, she Tries so hard, her mushy brain never gels with her body, leading into her heartfelt but clumsy kiss, until that moment when she finally stops thinking (Triel's tears stop her heart helping her brain to shut up finally).
The kiss turns from awkward to good, when thinking turns to Doing, her arms wrap around the other woman's neck, muscle memory from the runelord of lust take over, and... well...
Things.
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The night passes by in a blur of passion. Triel vaguely remembers getting out of the tub at some point--perhaps there was barely enough time to get the two of them halfway dry before desire and need overcame them.
In the moment, all Triel really remembered caring about is Devie--and doing unspeakably sapphic things to her body.
------------------
The next morning, Triel's eyes blink open as the first rays of dawn trickle in through the window. She looks over at the sleeping Devie next to her.
Devie wakes with a near-awed brightness in her dark eyes. Her cheeks still hold quite a bit of flush as her cheeks dimple and she smiles a wide but soft "good morning."
Triel gives Devie a smile and gently guides her head to rest between her breasts.
"...good morning."
She yawns. "Feels like it's too early to get up..."
Devie rather enjoyed sleeping in. Especially while snuggling. "Do you think the others are okay?" a tinge of worry in her voice, thoughts hoping Hope found a room to stay in.
"...I'm sure they're just fine." Triel whispers directly into Devie's ear before giving it a gentle, teasing lick.
"Did you enjoy yourself, Miss Grey?" She asks, her arms sliding around Devie beneath the blankets.
While Devie does still worry, she answers "Yes" with much contentment.
Triel’s arm slides down Devie’s back, coming to rest just above her bottom. ”Devie… I’m curious… do you want us to be exclusive?”
Devie just snuggles in more,completely unperturbed by the question "It doesn't matter, I'm three people already, so the question doesn't make any sense."
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Triel blinks.
...not sure we can argue with that.
Eventually, Triel pushes herself up against the bed's headboard and looks down at Devie. "...I suppose we'll have to get up at some point. We do eventually have to meet Runelord Sorshen..."
She sighs. "...it's a shame--I was quite happy to take some time off here."
Devie beams a bit up at Triel, and then nods, stretches out her sleepiness, until she remembers her nakedness. Then rushes up to get on her various layers of cloth and steel.
Unlike Devie, Triel is in no hurry to get herself dressed. She helps Devie get into her clothes and armour long before she puts her bodysuit back on.
Devie and Triel reunite with Ahyoka and Hope. You spend the day among the markets of Riddleport, selling gear and making purchases to prepare yourselves for the next step of your journey. The following morning, you board Tyalee's Whim and set sail for your next destination.
It takes 8 days to reach Magnimar, and after a brief stopover there to resupply, you begin sailing along the southern coast of Varisia as you head towards Korvosa.
The journey is a pleasant one, the autumn winds sending cool breezes across the deck of the ship. As always, Captain Sursha and her crew prove to be excellent hosts, providing good food and company during the long voyage.
You are still about a week away from Korvosa when you are all out on the deck of the ship, enjoying the warm sunshine. The sound of the ocean's waves suddenly rises to an almost deafening tumult, and then time simply stands still. You find you can move and speak to each other, but cannot interact with the world around you. The sailors remain frozen in place, still as statues.
A young woman stands in your midst, having appeared out of nowhere the instant time stopped. She is clad in armor, wielding a curved blade in one hand and carrying a complex, cracked hourglass in the other. She regards you impassively, then speaks.
"You have questions, but I shall not answer them today. You will ask them in time, and I shall reveal what I can. Know for now that you have caused great turmoil in the Dimension of Time, and you have been marked by Time's guardians and predators. I am but Time's Steward, and I bring you gifts from yourselves. Use these gifts well. I have spoken to you twice more in the tomorrows to come, and should you be destined to survive at all, I shall await you in Stethelos."
As the Steward speaks, her form starts to flicker and waver. By the time her words draw to a close, she fades away entirely. After she vanishes, time returns to normal. Those around you resume their activities as if nothing had happened.
Your minds seem to have been infused with fragments of memory, inspiration, and power. The source of these boons is unclear...
Audrahni's Ally: +2 Strength or +2 Wisdom
Close Allies: +2 Charisma or +2 Strength
Intrigued by Thassilon: +2 Constitution or +2 Intelligence
Scion of Legend: +2 Dexterity or +2 Intelligence
Spirit Touched: +2 Dexterity or +2 Wisdom
Time Lost: +1 to any two ability scores
Triel spends most of the voyage with her mask down, enjoying the sea air and calming any tensions that arise as a result of her face being revealed. When not walking about the deck, she splits her time between flirtations with Ahyoka, occasional pranks with Hope and spending wholesome time with Devie (that usually ends in relations, if she's both willing and eager).
When the Time Steward arrives, the drow has a great deal of questions, but the being of Time disappears before she can get any answers. Her flexibility has improved greatly, at the very least.
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Devie spends the time talking with Hope, having relations with Triel, and generally having no idea how to interact with Ahyoka but trying awkwardly several times (which is actually her norm).
She also has no idea what is going on when the steward arrives, but oddly right after she goes from quite pretty to stunning. Still awkward though, always and forever that one.
Hope felt the weird way time flowed all of a sudden and simply shrugged her shoulders about it. She'd experienced strange timey whimey things before when she was in that void with the singularity. The appearance of the woman was odd and what she said was also strange. Ultimately Hope just went with the flow on this one, she'd experienced stranger so this was nothing by comparison.
When she felt the gift from herself settle in the sensation was odd but then so was she. Eventually the woman disappeared and time went back to normal. "That was different," she said, "What did you all get from yourselves," she asked like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Ahyoka spends much of the voyage in contemplation, though quite a bit of time is spent proudly (and shamelessly)showing off her tattoos to those of the crew who ask to see them. She notices both the suddenly deeper bond between Triel and Devie, though she also takes note of Triel's continuing flirtation, and generally gets more comfortable with her new companions.
"Resilience." she answers Hope's question, feeling an innate increase in her ability to withstand anything the future would throw at her (which made her wonder what hells her future self had been through to pass that back as a gift). She could feel an increase in her energy, focus and overall agility to endure, a wonderful boon from the bizarre temporal visitor.
"Got?" Devie remembers the lady said something about gifts, making her look around herself, but then Ahyoka says Resistance, making her wonder aloud "How can you tell?"
Hope rolled her eyes at Devie's question and said, "Because she said we all got a gift from ourselves."
"Oh... I know..." Devie felt chastened but had to admit "She didn't tell me what it was though. Just more Things rattling around in here." Devie knocked her head with her knuckles. She after smiled though. "What gift did the nice lady get you, Hope?"
"I can just feel it, healthier tougher better able to... Survive whatever comes I guess.
Triel tilts her head--then leans back all the way and makes a bridge out of herself.
"Apparently, I'm more flexible." She grins while stretching.
"Well that could definitely be...useful." Ahyoka says with a grin, giving Devie a sly wink.
Triel returns to her upright position, fixing Devie and Ahyoka with a smirk.
You know, by your standards, you're being unbearably subtle.
And?
During the remainder of the voyage to Korvosa, Devie notices a periodic tingling sensation at the back of her neck, as if somebody is watching her. Indeed, at one point, she can hear the sultry voice of Runelord Sorshen speaking to her via a sending spell: "I see you travel to Korvosa. Meet me at the Gatefoot near Kendall Plaza. You shall know me by the sign of the Redeemer Queen."
When Tyalee's Whim at last pulls into the docks of Korvosa on this late Lamashan afternoon, you can see that a great celebration is underway--the Crimson Festival, an annual celebration of the death of the wicked Queen Ileosa and the city's recovery from the dark time under her reign. Wooden statues of the dead queen are raised in each of Korvosa's squares, with a different one being burned in effigy each night, while depictions of the heroes who defeated her grace tapestries, statues, and all manner of commemorative bric-a-brac and mementos for sale in the numerous festival stalls.
Gaudy banners and oddly dressed characters throng the streets as countless citizens celebrate the festival—red mantis assassins, plague victims and the bird-masked plague doctors, the heroes, and even the queen herself. False guillotines behead scarecrow royals who are then burned on bonfires as fireworks are loosed.
Gatefoot is a relic of the past, a giant stone foot that is all that remains of a massive statue that likely once stood tall over the region during the height of Thassilon. You arrive an hour before sunset to find a familiar face waiting for you--Ayavah! Or at least, somebody that looks like Ayavah. The symbol of the Redeemer Queen is emblazoned prominently on the tiefling artist's blouse. There are no bystanders nearby as you approach.
Triel makes sure to keep herself masked and hooded as she moves through Korvosa's streets, pausing momentarily to look at a tapestry of a regal-looking human woman, wearing a dress of pure green with gold highlights and a high collar. Her arms are dressed in elbow-length green gloves that contrast neatly with her pale skin, black back-length hair and storm-grey eyes. Green lightning leaps from the figure's fingertips, flexed as they are in an arcane gesture.
Triel wrinkles her nose at the tapestry before moving on.
When she catches sight of Ayavah, her eyes widen and she immediately approaches her. "Ayavah! Nice to see you again!"
Devie had been distracted by a statue of a pretty young half-orc, Varisian by the look of her, holding a plump chicken of all things. "That's the Magpie." a passing street kid told the staring warrior woman, clearing commenting with affection toward the statue "She roosted chickens in every nook and cranny in the city and mapped out every inch of the sewers so we kids would always have a place to hide and an egg or two to eat. Plus she helped take down the evil queen lady." the kid showed a gapping smile with at least one tooth missing, then grabbed a merchant's purse and got lost in the crowd.
By the time she paid attention again, Triel was approaching Ayavah "Um... that there... this place... are you... Sorshen?"
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"Ayavah" smirks and her form shimmers and changes, revealing a sultry, dark-haired woman that is Devie's exact duplicate. She is clad in a black dress and wears a nearly-transparent scarf of a deep red hue. "Why, hello there. I thought a familiar face might put you at ease. And besides that, my enemies stalk the streets of the city, even now. I don't fear the cult of the Peacock Spirit, but I'd rather focus my time here on entertainment and delights than clashing and combat— wouldn't you agree?"
Her smirk turns into a radiant smile. "It's so nice to finally meet you face-to-face! I am Sorshen, of course! I must say I like the look, Devie. You wear me well."
Sorshen turns and gestures at the statue of the foot behind her. "Much has changed since the last time I was here. This was part of a larger statue of me. Once, it stood a thousand feet high and surveyed all of Eurthynia, my domain, my passion, my legacy. The world has moved on in the millenia I have spent asleep."
For a moment, Triel is decidedly disappointed that the real Ayavah isn’t standing before her.
”Indeed. A pleasure.”
”…say, were you Ayavah in Magnimar as well?”
Sorshen shakes her head. "No, that was the real artist you met there. And what a talent, she is! I simply adore her work!"
”Really? I posed for one of her recent works, myself.”
Devie is at a loss for words seeing Herself. "She's nice" she finds her tongue in talk of Ayavah. "Um... Runelady, why am I In you?" Devie really has no idea why in truth.
Distracted by a detailed mural of a tall white haired woman in black, crouched on a rooftop with a petite brunette wearing a notable pair of goggles, Ahyoka turns just as the mysterious woman changes to matck Devie's appearance...or should she say, Sorshen's?
"A pleasure to meet you!" she says, her mind running through the history, tales and rumors about the woman standing before them.
Ahyoka recalls that Sorshen was the runelord of lust. Sorshen was one of the only two runelords who ruled their domain for the entire lifespan of Thassilon, the other being Xanderghul. She accompanied Xin in his exile from Azlant and was responsible for convincing Xin to delegate the rule of Thassilon to the runelords.
”Really? I posed for one of her recent works, myself.”
"Indeed? Well, I look forward to seeing the finished product," Sorshen says with a smile.
Devie is at a loss for words seeing Herself. "She's nice" she finds her tongue in talk of Ayavah. "Um... Runelady, why am I In you?" Devie really has no idea why in truth.
Sorshen puts a comforting hand on Devie's shoulder. "My dear. I am not entirely sure. The body you are occupying was supposed to be one of my clones, a backup for my spirit to occupy should the unthinkable happen and I meet my untimely demise. I had it warded with a necromantic trap, but it appears that over the millenia, the magic had decayed and become unstable. Somehow, when the trap kille you and your companion, it merged your spirits and deposited them within the inert clone."