Sabata - Visiting the bath house - Samheen 29th, late MT

Moderator: Mods

Post Reply
Guest

Sabata - Visiting the bath house - Samheen 29th, late MT

Post by Guest »

The Great Market had been almost exactly as Domino remembered. Except... everything was a bit smaller. She put that down to four years of absence and slightly rose-tinted memories of her childhood, and promptly forgot about it. Sight-seeing and strolling pleasantly down memory lane had been fun, but now it was time to get something useful done, and she had been on the road for a good tenday. Dust did not play well with dreadlocks, and what that all amounted to was a good strong desire for a relaxing bath.

Thankfully, Domino knew exactly where the bath house was, though as a child she'd avoided the place on general principle, children and cleanliness not generally being well-acquainted. It took her a walk of just a few burns to find the old place again - and she was glad of this, her feet and shoulders aching for a break from her pack.

Easily one of the grandest structures in all of Sabata, the bathhouse is a welcome contradiction to the hot and dusty sands of Terra Incognita. About as big as any temple complex in Tazlure, it is the center for deal making and breaking within the city. Reflecting imperial taste, cool white, marble pillars gracefully adorn the outside of the building, while the inside is a wonder to behold.

A dense forest of trees, unfamiliar to all but the most seasoned traveler, grow directly out of the floor. The canopy of branches allow sunlight to filter through the open roof, creating an almost ethereal atmosphere. No one knows how these trees survive in the harsh sunlight, but it is rumored that they are sustained by the magic brought back by the bride of Darian Boroda, the bathhouse's current proprietor.

At the center of the "forest" lie two baths, one cool and one warm. This is where the general population can come to relax and talk about whatever their hearts desire. It is here where race and rank are put aside, if only for a few marks, for the sake of relaxation. Occasionally bards will wander over from The Barbed Poet and entertain whoever happens to be in the baths.

Surrounding the pool are various rooms. Two rooms are set aside for changing, with various storage areas for any belongings. Four of the rooms are set aside for massages. This is where the finest masseuses will knead away all of your troubles. Each of these rooms are adorned with various mosaics depicting a momentous event from Tazlure's history. Various scented candles are burned to create a pleasant smelling, relaxing atmosphere.

The remaining rooms are the private warm baths/saunas, which are reserved for aristocrats and their guests alone. It is here, in these private rooms where business of all sorts is conducted. Aristocrats and their guests can come and relax, while talking politics and negotiations, away from the prying eyes of the public. Slaves heat the temperature to that which the nobles desire, and can add any variety of oils or potions to soften the noble's skin.


Once inside, Domino cast a brief glance over the forested inside of the bath house, unsuprised since she was familiar with the sight, but quietly pleased at it's familiarity. It brought a small smile to her lips as she moved to one of the two changing rooms to drop her things, and she began to undress in an unhurried, unembarrassed way. She was a woman who had never felt self-conscious of her own body, naked or not - though it was unclear whether this had more to do with inherrent confidence or simply not caring what other people thought. How interchangable those two states of being might be...

Naked, she would seek a place to safetly stash her dusty clothes and belongings, and then step out towards the warm bath in the trees. Her skin yearned for the touch of the water, her ankles and arms particularly showing the dirt from her tenday of travel.
Ilaria da'Margeir.
Special Branch
Posts: 300
Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2005 4:56 pm
Location: Dort
Contact:

Post by Ilaria da'Margeir. »

The bath house was empty for this time of day. The only other person that Domino could see was a woman relaxing in the warm baths, her eyes closed. However, Domino could hear a murmur of voices coming from somewhere in the back of the bath house, although there didn't seem to be any chambers back in that direction.

A young slave of about eleven yahren appeared in front of Domino. "Greetings, mistress. May I take care of your things for you while you rest in the baths," she asked, with a deep curtsey.
Now we gotta make the best of it, improvise, adapt to the environment, Darwin, shit happens, I Ching, whatever man, we gotta roll with it.

Veritas vos liberabit

Image is copyright Electra and www.project812.com
Guest

Post by Guest »

Domino grinned at the slave as she arrived, and reached out to tousle the young girl's hair gently. Such overfamiliarity was rather common in the young woman, for she had such confidence around strangers that she frequently treated them as close friends, whereas even the closest friends, treated as friends, might be to her as little as strangers. No, more correctly, she simply did not have close friends, being as she was entirely happy alone in her life. Entirely self-sufficient.

"That would lovely of you, sweetheart. What's your name...? Do you like magic tricks?" Domino smiled, pleasantly, and then stepped past the girl towards the water. "Maybe I shall show you a trick later?"

She couldn't resist an audience. But for now, the bath beckoned. At the edge, she slid down into a seated position and dipped her tanned feet in first, wiggling her toes at the warm water, the comforting familiar feel of it. Then, easily, in one movement, she slid into the water and underneath it, holding her breath and opening her eyes. It felt quite delicious after so many nights on the road. She shook her heavy head of hair around for a moment, enjoying the sensation of water on her scalp, and then craving air surfaced. A moment of worry that the dirt on her skin might begin to discolour the water in a most unpleasant way - but she dismissed this as an inevitable side-effect of bathing. Other people may stick it, I wish to be clean.

Settling back, Domino let her eyes skim around the pool itself, noting the woman apparently sleeping in the corner, and looking for some kind of pumice stone or wash cloths that might be provided. Her feet might require some special attention after all that time on the road, and Domino was not at all shy about dealing with such things (however distasteful her well-worn feet might be) in front of strangers.
Ilaria da'Margeir.
Special Branch
Posts: 300
Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2005 4:56 pm
Location: Dort
Contact:

Post by Ilaria da'Margeir. »

A shy smile stole across the young girl's face, but she didn't answer Domino's question. She ran into one of the rooms that surrounded the baths, and ran out just as quickly, some towels, a pumice stone, and some oils and soap in hand. The girl placed them next to Domino, and took Domino's belongings and placed them in a closet directly behind Domino. The girl then proceeded to sit in a chair off to the side, waiting attentively just in case one of the women should require anything.

It was not long, however, before the man who had been watching Domino at the market entered the bathhouse. He stopped short upon seeing Domino, and gave a short bow. The young slave girl lept out of her chair, and raced across the bathhouse shouting, "Isander!" The man laughed, and caught the girl, twirling her around. "And how is the lovely lady Leena doing today? I brought you something from the market place," he said, as he crouched down so that he was on her level. He held out a delicately carved box to her. "Something for you to keep your stones and powders in. I know that you're always getting small things from Zhanna, so I thought you should have some place to keep them." The young girl hugged him, and then raced off into a back room. Isander strode over to the woman resting on the other side of the baths. He crouched down and whispered something into her ear, keeping one eye on Domino as he did.

The woman slowly opened her eyes, and Domino could see that a milky film covered one of her eyes. The other eye, however, was a brilliant violet color, and seemed to be in perfect working order, seeing as the woman was thoughtfully appraising Domino with an unreadable expression on her face. After what seemed like burns, the woman called over to Domino, with a suprisingly deep voice for such a slight woman. "Isander tells me that you seem to have a penchant for....theatrics and fireworks. Are you, perhaps, familiar with the art of alchemy?"
Now we gotta make the best of it, improvise, adapt to the environment, Darwin, shit happens, I Ching, whatever man, we gotta roll with it.

Veritas vos liberabit

Image is copyright Electra and www.project812.com
Guest

Post by Guest »

Domino felt entirely indifferent towards the presence of a man in the bath house - this place was communal for one, and for another, she had more pressing and interesting things to attend to with her very own feet. The pumice stone was proving a useful device, and with her heavy, sodden hair hanging mainly in her face and the corner of her tongue stuck out, she tended to them with as much concentration as if the rest of the world had ceased to exist the moment she laid eyes upon them. It was the same intensity she applied to everything in her life.

Which was to say, while she appeared innocent of any conversation between the child, the man, and the 'sleeping' woman in the corner, she eavesdropped happily on their conversation while mumbling softly at her own feet in a mildly reproachful way. Many people speak around idiots, after all - it suited Domino to appear utterly absorbed and insensitive.

And when the woman finally spoke, Domino's eyes slid sideways, narrow for a moment. "Excuse me..." She addressed her own feet politely, as if holding a conversation with them were the most normal thing in the world, and then turned her head slightly, peering at the woman between thick ropes of wet hair. "Are you asking for tips, stranger? Or looking for wholesale deals? Perhaps you might get in line if you have some sort of request...? I have other business to attend to first, and it isn't nice to jump the queue..." At this, she wiggled her toes in the general direction of the stranger, and offered a playful grin.

Then, she returned to her feet, addressing them very frankly (and loudly enough that everyone else would easily hear), "I'm so sorry for the interruption. I don't know any Isander, do you...? No, I thought not..."
Ilaria da'Margeir.
Special Branch
Posts: 300
Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2005 4:56 pm
Location: Dort
Contact:

Post by Ilaria da'Margeir. »

The woman stared for a flicker, and then threw back her head, laughing. "No, no. My pursuits are of a more...philosophical nature." She stared hard at Domino, a calculating expression in her eyes. "I'll leave you to yourself for now. However, I'm sure our paths will cross again. Enjoy your bath." With that, the woman exited the baths, and she and Isander meandered into one of the many side rooms.

Leena materialized after the pair left. "I don't like the Lady Mara," she said with a frown. "She seems to have many different personalities. One minute she's nice to you, the next she's flying into a rage. Isander's ok though. I don't know how he puts up with her. Leena crouched down, her voice dropping to a whisper. "They're on a search for the magic stone way out in the middle of the desert. My friend Illyana showed it to me one day, but I wouldn't tell them that. Her people are in charge of protecting it from the likes of her." Leena looked around, and then dangled her feet in the water. "It does all kinds of neat things. It's like magic, only better."
Now we gotta make the best of it, improvise, adapt to the environment, Darwin, shit happens, I Ching, whatever man, we gotta roll with it.

Veritas vos liberabit

Image is copyright Electra and www.project812.com
Guest

Post by Guest »

Philosophical nature...? Domino wondered idly, as the woman made her way out of the baths. It seemed there was little philosophical about alchemy, given that it tended to consist of a great deal of balancing the practical in ways that, hopefully, didn't explode unless you wanted them to. There was nothing philosophical to debate about the properties of silver... it was a science in it's own right. She soaped her toes in a very distracted way, her green eyes focussed in an intense stare in that way she had habit of when something unusual vexed her.

The only reference I've ever come across to philosophy during the study of alchemy was, of course, the Stone... but one hardly came to town seeking the rarest treasure man could conceive and then found they were selling them at market ten for a banner... or perhaps you did...? Whatever twisted story sent me here, maybe there's more to this than...

At this point, her thoughts were interrupted by young Leena, and Domino's thoughts tended to be easily derailed - she set them to one side while the young girl thought. There'd be plenty of time for thinking up conspiracy theories later, and Domino was not a girl to put much stock in such paranoia at the best of times. However, Leena's words only added to her slight consternation - though to Domino's credit, she managed to look interested and sufficiently conspiratorial, and none of her preoccupied thoughts showed on her face.

Ah, the Stone is mentioned. Well, perhaps I was right then. This is all far too easy... anyone would think I was led here directly... it's a pity really, that I'm not as foolish as they appear to believe.

"Like magic, only better?" Domino repeated back to Leena, in that way one answered children in order to explain that you had heard and understood. "Well, that sounds like quite a secret! I promise you I shan't tell anybody, especially that Lady Mara woman. She doesn't seem very nice to me either. I like you better." At least she was honest with that part - as honest as she might be. It wouldn't do to go voicing one's true suspicions loudly to every talkative child that dropped loud hints in your direction. Likeable as Leena seemed, she was still just a child... and a child was an easy enough tool in any deception. Domino stretched out her legs and inspected them, before neatly pulling herself out of the bath and wrapping a towel around herself. Her dreadlocks began to make small pools of water on the floor - from experience, she knew they wouldn't dry out for hours.

"Leena dear, may I tell you a story...?" It seemed an easy enough thing to fall back upon. Domino had a great deal of experience speaking with audiences of all kinds... it was her trade to manipulate while appearing to simply speak. She tightened the towel, tucking it's edge above her breasts to hold it in place, before tucking her long, brown legs beneath her and beginning in her best story-telling voice.

"Once upon a time," She said softly, "There lived a witch woman who was very very wise. But though she was very very wise, she was also very very old - and there was nothing she feared more in the world than death. So one day, because she was a wise witch woman, she took it upon herself to trick death and take for herself immortality. She fetched a drum made of taut deer skin and fine curved gourd, and she put inside the drum three drops of her life's blood, and she sealed it all up with bees' wax so that not even an ant may crawl in. And then she set it out in the sun to dry."

She paused, pushing a handful of wet, matted hair out of her eyes and smiling at Leena. From her experience, even though this story involved death and blood it would not be too gory for a child. Children seemed to revel in death and blood, assuming those who were spilling blood and dying in the story seemed deserving. "Now, once the drum was dry, she took it up, and she named it a name. And the name she gave it was heart. As soon as she gave it this name, the drum set about thrumming... thump-thump, thump-thump, just like that, like the beat of a heart - and her own heart stopped dead in her chest and made not a single sound. And she wrapped up the drum in thick hides and furs, and she hid it away in the darkest cave on the other side of the world where no-one might ever find it. And in this way, she kept her heart safe."

"Now..." She finished, her green eyes twinkling, "Do you think that that drum was really the witch's heart?"
Ilaria da'Margeir.
Special Branch
Posts: 300
Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2005 4:56 pm
Location: Dort
Contact:

Post by Ilaria da'Margeir. »

Leena was totally ensnared by Domino's story. She thought for a good long time before answering Domino's question. A perplexed look settled in on her face. "No, that couldn't be her heart. I mean, if there were such things as witches, then....maybe. But still....her heart would have to be inside her for her to stay alive, wouldn't it?"

Leena was prevented from saying more as customers began to flood the bathhouse. "I'll be right back. Until Mistress Zhanna gets here, I've gotta take care of the customers." Leena went bounding off in the direction of the latest arrivals, leaving Domino in peace for a few moments. Domino might have recognized a few faces from the market, others looked totally foreign to Sabata. Leena chattered away happily to anyone who would listen, and the patrons seemed to regard her with affection, occasionally patting her on the head, as if she were a well behaved pet.

Chatter flowed easily in the relaxed atmosphere of the bathhouse. Topics ranged from the weather to the latest scandals. The babble, however, died down as a figure glided into the baths. The slight woman had pale, silvery blond hair. Her skin was milky white skin that seemed as if it had never been touched by the sun. Every step that she took almost seemed to be a dance offered up to the gods as praise. She would stop every so often to chat with some of the customers, before heading of into the room that Mara and Isander had disappeared into. Leena chose that time to come back and flop down. "That's Mistress Zhanna. She's the one who brought these trees to Sabata. They say that she's.... a witch! I could ask her about your story when she gets out! Did you need me to get anything for you while I'm here? Everyone else seems to be happy, and some of the other slaves should be arriving soon, so I can stay here and talk to you!" Leena seemed very pleased with this prospect.
Now we gotta make the best of it, improvise, adapt to the environment, Darwin, shit happens, I Ching, whatever man, we gotta roll with it.

Veritas vos liberabit

Image is copyright Electra and www.project812.com
Guest

Post by Guest »

It was, of course, very flattering that Leena found the story to be so enthralling. Domino endeavoured not to preen outwardly, and just allowed a pleased grin to show, smiling at the small slave girl affectionately. Even better, her answer had been correct - not for the right reasons, of course, but correct... Domino was about to speak and explain further, and then others arrived and the small girl was obliged to go about her duties. It would have to wait.

Not that waiting was any great chore, particularly. There were few things Domino preferred to do than watch the people pass by, during one of those rare times when she had occasion to sit, to relax, and to do nothing. The bathhouse, by it's very design, was one of the most relaxing places to be... and she found the wait to be a pleasant and calm one, sat upon the edge of the water dipping her spotless toes through the film of the surface, lazily. People were fascinating.

Particularly fascinating was the woman who arrived, shortly. Domino took the time to eye her carefully - not jealously or even covetously, but rather with the simple and intense curiosity displayed when an enquiring, scientific mind is presented with something extraordinary. The woman walked as if she was a dancer, as if her feet trod soft air and not the solid ground as other mortals did. Domino's eyes traced her graceful, almost ethereal form, and found herself recalling a poem she had once heard spoken around a campfire. She spoke it to herself softly, barely louder than a breath, and with the unselfconscious ease of one given to speaking before others.

"Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths, Enwrought with golden and silver light, The blue and the dim and the dark cloths, Of night and light and the half-light, I would spread the cloths under your feet: But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet, Tread softly because you tread on my dreams."

Suddenly, Leena intruded into her thoughts with a loud flop and announced that the lady was named Mistress Zhanna. Domino smiled easily, happy to be interrupted by the girl - she already found herself rather fond of the talkative child. "You could ask her about it if you like. I doubt she practises the same kinds of magic though - and truly, Leena... and this was the point of the story... it is a story! It is my job to tell stories..." Domino said, charmed by the attention. "And you were right, you know. The drum was not the witches' heart - it was just a drum called by a different name."

Domino looked at Leena very carefully then, very seriously for a moment - the effect somewhat ruined by the fat drops of water still dripping from her knots of blonde hair. The child was intelligent, this was a concept she would surely grasp easily. "See, a name gives things power, Leena. A name is a very important thing. You can name a thing any name you like, and if you tell it to other people and they believe you, then to them it is the truth. That doesn't mean it is the truth though. Just because I name a drum a 'heart' does not make it so. The power lies in believing it. Look, I can show you..."

She got to her feet and padded across the floor to fetch her bag, returning very quickly and digging through her things. Wrapped in a bright red blouse, she found a collection of small charms, and carefully chose one before wrapping the rest of them up and stowing them back in the recesses of her things. This particular charm was hand-carved in bone and had once been a part of Domino's dinner. She had carved it herself while stopping one morningtide, next to the bank of a river. It had three elegant swooping tendrils that curled into a point at it's tip, like a tiny curved birdcage with a pointed base. It looked magical - but that was the idea. Of course, it was nothing of the sort. She held it aloft by it's leather thong and let it hang there, spinning gently.

"This... this is a charm that protects life." She began, in hushed tones, "It was blessed by the Ice Queen of Trothgard herself, and dipped into the first snowmelt of spring time, and it is said that while you wear it, no harm can befall you for one whole year. It is named Winter's Heart, because it is like the acorn lying under the ice. It is the prospect of life, warmth in cold places, and it is hope. And you may have it." She placed the thing in Leena's hand, reverently.

"Now," Domino continued, sitting back on her heels and grinning cheekily. "Because I told you all of that, do you believe me? Do you think it is true? And if it is not true, would your belief not still make the thing powerful to you...?"
Ilaria da'Margeir.
Special Branch
Posts: 300
Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2005 4:56 pm
Location: Dort
Contact:

Post by Ilaria da'Margeir. »

OOC: Ah, one of my favorite poems. Again, I apologize for my scatterbrainedness at the moment. I've been out of sorts lately. I hope that your...pending adventure will make up for it though :)

IC: Leena took the charm from her, breathless. "It's beautiful," she breathed. "I could almost believe you! But, of course it's not true." However, Leena handled the charm very carefully, just in case. "Oh," she exclaimed. "You could make a lot of money over at the Barbed Poet! Mistress Zhanna and Master Damien have been looking for people to come and entertain the crowds. I bet people would come from all over just to hear your stories!" Leena was positively bubbling over with the thought. "I'll go and get Mistress Zhanna and you can talk to her."

And with that, Leen was off again. It was obvious that she really wasn't expected to do much around the bathhouse. People seemed to regard her as more of a mascot, which suited her just fine. She knocked on the door that Zhanna had disappeared into,, and then spoke to Zhanna when she came out, gesturing in Domino's direction every once in a while. Zhanna glanced over in Domino's direction and gave a small smile. The pair strolled over to where Domino was sitting, and Zhanna crouched down to Domino's level. "So, young Leena here tells me that you have the gift of storytelling. Perhaps you would like to try your talents out over at the Barbed Poet? I promise that the crowds will appreciate you much more there than at the Crying Dragon."
Now we gotta make the best of it, improvise, adapt to the environment, Darwin, shit happens, I Ching, whatever man, we gotta roll with it.

Veritas vos liberabit

Image is copyright Electra and www.project812.com
Guest

Post by Guest »

Domino knew of the Barbed Poet, of course. Having grown up in Sabata, it was one of the many places into which she'd snuck unasked, and been thrown out when caught. Children weren't generally allowed in such places, as a rule. Not unless they were staff of some kind, or slaves. Domino had never been either - she preferred to forge her own path through life than follow the direction of others.

However, despite her prior knowledge she gave Zhanna a pleasant, friendly smile of greeting, "Thank you for your recommendation, mistress. I was thinking of leaving the baths shortly anyway... wrinkly toes, you know." She wiggled her toes for emphasis and grinned. "Are you a performer yourself, then? Let me guess... a dancer? You move so gracefully I can't imagine you to be anything else."

In truth, Domino suspected this woman were some sort of organiser. There seemed little reason why she'd be inviting strangers to participate in entertainment unless there were something in it for her. The blonde traveller's mind typically worked in this rather callous, money-orientated way - it was all she had known for yahren now, and her work and her personality had merged to find the worst and best in everyone. And for every sale, make it seem like a diamond, when it's really just glass. The arts of the travelling trader led her to be mildly suspicious of allcomers.

Mind you, the invitation was somewhat flattering. Not every person performed at the Barbed Poet - it was something of an honour to be invited. Domino was not technically a storyteller by trade, her usual stock being a combination of lies, the science of alchemy, and a great deal of fake mysticism. Storytelling was simply a useful addition to the fabric of the performance - you did not sell many fake charms or palm-readings if you couldn't spin a good yarn. On the other hand... back to the money. A bit of coin wouldn't go amiss, and it might at least be an interesting change of pace.
Last edited by Guest on Thu Feb 08, 2007 9:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Ilaria da'Margeir.
Special Branch
Posts: 300
Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2005 4:56 pm
Location: Dort
Contact:

Post by Ilaria da'Margeir. »

Zhanna's laugh echoed through the bathhouse, startling some of the patrons relaxing in the baths. "Perhaps in another lifetime I was a dancer. No, I'm guess you could say that I'm a merchant of sorts. I helped my husband build the bathhouse, and I own Rare Blessings, just down the street there." At the mention of her husband, a dark cloud briefly passed over her features, only to be quickly replaced by a sunny smile. "We're planning on having an party of sorts, and I'm always looking to have entertainers. We don't get many of the good kind out here." Zhanna stuck out her hand. "So, how about it? If you need some time to think about it, that's fine. I'll be around here for most of the day, and then later on I'll be heading over to the shop to close up."
Now we gotta make the best of it, improvise, adapt to the environment, Darwin, shit happens, I Ching, whatever man, we gotta roll with it.

Veritas vos liberabit

Image is copyright Electra and www.project812.com
Morg
Moderator
Posts: 2224
Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2005 10:05 pm
Location: UoM/UK

Post by Morg »

Archived without skilling due to player inactivity.

PM me if you'd like to discuss how to proceed :)
[size=84][i]"She told me I had too much to dream last night..."[/i] - [i]Apprentice of the Universe[/i], Pure Reason Revolution
Avatar by [url=http://pixieface.deviantart.com]Liz Green[/url][/size]
Post Reply

Return to “The Sands Archive”