The Cerulean Bathhouse

"I will let her know as soon as she is finished that you came by, mister...?" She inquired for his name, her answering implying that she was not going to interrupt Yaia while she was at work to come and speak to this strange boy.

The woman studied him subtly as she stood in that beautiful tiled courtyard with him, music gently playing and occasionally, the soft, very distant melody of a wind chime could be heard. The exotic beauty before him smiled as he asked what services were provided.

"The Cerulean Bathhouse provides mineral and herbal baths to calm, relax and rejuvenate the senses, as well as massage and spa services to bring serenity and peace to the spirit."

The woman laughed, a rich and cheery sound, charmed by the youth. She held her arm out toward cushions against the wall benath the shaded awnings. "You may sit here," she told him. "Would you like refreshments? Drink or food?"

He had seated himself without giving his name, just a description of being scarred and crying like a toddler. He refused refreshments, then pulled a sandy harmonica out, an instrument she herself had never seen, and proceeded to slap it noisily against his palm in an effort to get the sand out and... on the pillows and tiled floor of the courtyard.

The woman bit her lip and glanced over her shoulder. A couple of girls were looking curiously over at the situation from behind a column draped with gauzy curtains, but so far, no other clients had come in. The girl playing her smoothing, pretty melody on her lute was looking over at them as well.

The boy asked after what she did and her named, and the half naked woman turned back, her jewelry chiming gently as it draped over her warm, golden skin.

"I am Ydessa," she told Hansel, "and I manage the bathhouse while its owner is busy. What is your name?"

Hopefully, if she kept him talking, he wouldn't play his instrument and he might realize himself that it would be rude to do so while in this building.

"A pleasure to meet you, Johannes," she said with a small bow, polite and welcoming as ever. Her dark eyes glanced to where Hansel had noisily shaken out all of the sand from his harmonica, and then he put it away... only to take out his bow and begin to pick at more sand, putting it on the glazed blue tile of the cerulean courtyard. She was trying to be patient, but it seemed like the foreigner was doing his best to be as rude as possible.

When he plucked his eye from his head, she closed her eyes, her expression calm, and she took a breath before opening her eyes once more. "The Mistress of the Cerulean owns the bathhouse, sir," she said, a bit more patience in her voice than before.

Zora, the Mistress' cheetah seemed to then pad into the courtyard, and its tawny eyes found Hansel. The cheetah's body was sleek and lean, its beautiful fur rippling over its body, long tail twitching back and forth as it walked toward the white man. Then, it stopped, and it sat, its regal head turned in Hansel's direction, and its tail continued to flick.

Ydessa gestured, and a woman came forward, going to her knees beside Hansel with a small brush and a pan to sweep up all the sand that Hansel was spilling out onto the beautiful mosaic floor. "Sir, if you would like to clean yourself of sand, we have baths available," Ydessa told Hansel, as if needing to point out that at the bathhouse he could clean himself... properly. And not rudely. "Otherwise, I think it may be best that you wait outside the building for Yaia."

If there had been a likelihood that anyone might have forgot to mention the foreign boy, there wasn't any reason to any longer. He was making a bad impression, which would likely get Yaia scolded for allowing her... friends... to come and bother her where she was apprenticing.

She was nervous as she found her way into the bath house... She nibbled on the side of a thumb as she advanced inward, her dark eyes drinking in the sight of the interior with admiration. Felina dropped her dainty hand, letting it grip at the silks of her skirts (which felt very warm in this place, as the climate was much warmer than what she was used to) and lifted them some, showing the delicate silk slippers that were now dusty with sand.

The young lady was very pretty, her brown eyes like liquid chocolate, and her blonde tresses perfectly coiffed. She had long lashes that fanned against her cheeks, and full lips that all but begged for attention... Yet one could tell just by her mannerisms and lack of any flirtation with male and female alike, that she was quite untouched.

Felina lowered her lashes as she came to a halt just beyond the entry, waiting quietly and patiently to be seen to.

The girls that had been watching the exchange between Ydessa and Hansel glanced over and saw the movement of the foreign girl in the corner. They gasped to themselves, instantly entranced with her golden hair. It was prized in Sakand, as none were born naturally with it.

"Girls," said a voice, and a woman draped in deep maroon separated them and had them back to attending their duties. She was an older woman, certainly more mature than most who worked there, probably in her early forties. And she was stunning, reminiscent of an era gone by.

She smiled as she approached Felina, and bowed her head to her. "Welcome to the Cerulean Bathhouse," she said to the blonde beauty. "How may we be of service?"

Their conversation was quietly happening on the opposite side of the courtyard where Ydessa and Hansel spoke, Zora the Cheetah sitting near enough to Hansel, although its head now turned to regard Felina.

The woman was quiet, her kohl-lined eyes watching the girl as she spoke, as she found strength, as she found confidence in her words and in her chosen path. And then, a dark brow rose on the woman's elegant face.

"Do you?" She stepped forward and she trailed a slow circle around the golden-haired girl with her doe brown eyes. "Felina is a beautiful name. Are you sure you know what you're asking?" the woman asked as she came back around to Felina's front, standing close in front of her.

"You will never be able to go back to the life you have now if you step forward into the life you're asking for," the woman said, a bit of a warning tone in her voice. To be sabina taliph was both a blessing and a curse, and it was not a choice that should be made simply because someone idolized the beauty and grace of those that could call themselves such.


(What she looks like when she's loungin', I guess...)

He opted to try and scratch the animal under it's chin, hoping once more that like a house cat, it liked such thing. Hans looked to the coin that the woman declined, and then internally smirked upon her means of trying to get it anyway. "I'll spare no expense, I'll take whatever you have. I just need to stay closer than further from Yaia... and err, don't get her in any trouble for this alright? I'm the one doing things wrong, not her." He looked pleadingly at the woman, not wanting to get the angel who was there him any problems. 

When she asked about his age he took a defensive step back but then straightened out with confidence; so what if they knew his age. "Fif-" he began but remembered that he had his birthday a few moths ago. "Sixteen. Why?" he asked curiously. He saw no opening in the foreseeable future to do it whilst nobody was looking, so he pretended to scratch the recent wounds on his face, though in truth he was healing them to look a little more presentable, moving on to his sun-burnt scalp to get a better sheen on his blondish hair. 

She nodded and followed. She might not know of everything, but she wouldn't change her mind either way. What kind of life was living on the streets for a former noble? Not much for Felina to say at that point. She made sure the sand was not going all over when she walked, though, showing respect to the place.