Graded [Aslan City] A Bath after the Storm

[RavenSong]

This story takes place in the world of Isekai Hell, following Aria and Regula on their quest for a bath and a breather.

For Reference: This rp takes place after the events of Testimony of Truth.


Location: Aslan City







Aria Barlowe

After what felt like an eternal twenty minutes, Aria observed as the crowd dispersed. A feeling of dread overwhelmed her insides, Could I have done more? She thought, bringing forward the image of Doriels sinister expression, now branded into her mind. She stood wide eyed for a moment collecting her thoughts. Surely a flood of questions filled her psyche as she gazed towards the exit in disbelief. Looking down at the ground for a moment, then shutting her eyes as she shook her head, brushing it off as best as could be mustered before turning to look at Regula. She seemed to have had gotten some interesting news.

Aria would approach Regula, standing before her, trying her best to keep things focused on their goals, although her eyes betrayed how she truly felt. She reached to get a piece of overly ripe tomato from her hair. “Hmm, I think it’s time to get cleaned up. I’m just drenched in..” she then pulled something off her face, unable to make out what it was exactly, she flicked it onto the ground, a look of disgust enveloping her expression. “..stuff.” The war maiden would look towards the way out, then turn her head at Regula. “Let’s get out of here. There’s so much to think over. I for one..” she sighed, “..could use a bath. Seems like you could do with the same, Regula."

She started towards the exit into the city, a sort of squishy sound in her step, as the vegetable juices swished around in her boots. She didn’t care too much, but judging by others reactions towards her as she made her way out said it all. How hard could it be to find a bath in such a large water filled city anyway?


Elvario

 

[Elvario]

Regula
​

Regula felt as bad as she smelled. She wasn't sure what she was covered in and didn't want to think about it too much. Whilst it was true that the woman's criminal title was gone, the fact that Doriel was quick and eager to take her away was incredibly suspicious. She didn't like the fact that he talked about raising the woman either, as she didn't understand why the guard wasn't questioning the fact that they were handing the woman over to someone that nearly tortured her to death mere moments ago. Just how fucked up was this city? The very last few words Regula picked up 'who am I' and Doriel's ominous smile were even worse. She couldn't do anything about it now, but Doriel had made it high on her list of people she wanted to 'deal' with at one point or another. One day, she'd stop him from whatever he was up to and make him pay for this humiliation.

“I don't even want to think about what I'm drenched in...” Regula muttered. The idea of a bath was amazing, but there was one slight issue. “I'd love to, but eh...” Regula pointed towards the Full Clarity shop's employee and started to head in the woman's direction whilst finishing her sentence. “.. she doesn't seem to be wanting to wait around.” In fact, Regula and Aria had to hurry up to follow behind her for the 'secured services'.

As they were heading for Full Clarity, Regula continued their chat. She desperately wanted to distract herself from the fact that they were being stared at by people left and right. “I'm glad Michael and the rest succeeded at least. For what it's worth, this woman doesn't have to see our sorry state either. If she asks about the smell, let's just say we stepped into something... or something...” Regula then realised the flaw in her words. “Scrap that, lying to a diviner seems like the worst idea ever. Let's just hope it isn't brought up and get the reading done with. She seems direct enough.”

Their walk towards the shop was embarrassing to say the least. Being guided by a blind woman whilst looking like they themselves had just been 'absolved' of their crimes, covered in juices and stuff, was enough to draw way more curious eyes than Regula like to have upon her. When they finally managed to enter a more private room, she had a bit more room to breath, but that only made her realise how badly she smelled.

The answer were very promising. She was indeed of royal lineage. She even could get some of the divination in writing, but she was warned that it likely wouldn't amount to much. However, there were a few nobles that might have records of the king's 'nightly businesses' that could back up the divination. If she'd be able to get her hands on those, she'd be able to make a pretty strong case. It was a very promising endeavour for the future.

However, the moment the divination was done with, her mind switched back to more pressing matters. “Now that I've got my answers, let's look for that bath you mentioned. Sorry for dragging you along in such a sorry state first.”

 

[RavenSong]

As Aria started towards the exit, she was contemplating where to begin her search. Until Regula mentioned the Full Clarity woman’s impatience. She’d turn to look over her shoulder silent but with surprised indifference as Regula started towards her. “Hm?” She looked down at her leaky boots, moving her toes as brown water swelled within the leather seams. She didn’t think twice to start after Regula, however soaked and uncomfortable.

Once on their way towards the diviner, still listening to her partner she faced the various expressions in peoples faces as they walked passed at them. It was much worse when they came near larger crowds. She resisted the attention, and the temptation to say something rude. But then again, who could blame them? In a city with magical ‘clean up’ enchantments, it was highly likely that ‘squeaky cleanliness’ was a high priority in Aslans everyday life.

Arias orbs turned to Regula as she walked next to her, “Noted. She’d certainly catch us in a lie.” She attempted a smile, in spite of all the disgusted gazes shooting towards them. “Maybe we should smile and wave..” she proposed teasingly, “..I mean, what a story this would make once you’re queen!” She made a square with her fingers, framing Regulas face within it. “Once upon a time, before Regula was queen of Ryken she set off on a journey to the gizmo city of Aslan in search of her destiny!” She chuckled, but was soon interrupted by a teenager holding his nose. “Ugh!! You stink so bad!”

Aria crossed her arms, but didn’t stop as she continued. “Your attitude stinks kid! Stop smelling me!”

Once they arrived, she became embarrassed as her boots made puddles on the white marble floors. “Egh..”
she stuttered. “I think I’ll wait outside.” She waited outside the door, when Regula came back out she was relieved that she found the information she was looking for, but more so that she was ready to finally have some down time, and nodded her head. “I..” she glanced as a couple walked past them, their smell assaulting their delicate nostrils. “I don’t mind, let’s go..” she looked around a bit. “Maybe let’s just follow the water and see where it takes us?”

Elvario

 

[Elvario]

Regula
​

Regula needed a moment to think through her 'origin story' before coming up with a reply. Even if it was just a tease, there was a real question there. Did she want people to know the truth, or did she want to spread an exaggerated version of it? There could be a point in time where such a question became relevant. She wasn't quite sure about it, so as they were following the water to see where it would take them, Regula decided to get back to the topic. “You know, you've got me thinking. What's better, a brutally honest story on an exaggerated yet inspiring story? Most heroic tales tend to be highly exaggerated and mostly fake, but I know how much people like reading them. Even I loved hearing stories about the Empire's founding...” She trailed off at the latter though, as some memories of the past arose.

That said, she noticed they were near a particularly promising looking place. Something called 'Glyde's Pavilion'. It was a bit odd, but it seemed to have bathhouses. “Oh, this looks promising!” Regula said, as she wanted to go in and enter... Only to be stopped by someone. She expected it'd be because of their smell and appearances, but it was not. Instead, it was due to the need to smoke some stuff through magic hookahs... “I don't know about this one. Regula said, doubtful. "It sounds really shady and I'm not fond of the idea of having my brain functions tempered with.” She shook her head. “Let's go look elsewhere.”

The latter was easier said than done, however, as they were approaching some of the outskirts of town. There was one big and extremely fancy looking place, but just a gloss at the costs there was enough to make Regula start to give up on the idea altogether. It looked like they were going to be out of town to wander through before they'd find an appropriate place at this rate... “At least there's not a lot of people in these parts.” Regula muttered, trying to find some positive to it. “How big do you estimate our chances at finding a bathhouse this far from the city centre?” She wanted to know if Aria was equally worried they'd run fresh out of luck.

 

[RavenSong]

Following the waterways seemed eternal it was hard to say if they would lead anywhere, and peoples glances were beginning to annoy the smelly war maiden. Maybe Regula wanted to distract her and keep Arias attention elsewhere was difficult to say, but it got Aria thinking. She tapped her chin as she thought about her question. “I think a blend of both..” she said, still thinking about it. “..you don’t want to tell complete fiction, but some degree of exaggeration would certainly make things more entertaining. In Highgrove, we would hear stories from the bards and poets who would stay at the inn, some just seemed to good to be true but it got everyone in the tavern dreaming of better days..” She sighed. “..so many wonderful memories.”

After some time and intriguing conversations they arrived at Glydes. She followed behind Regula, looking around at the various types associated here. It seemed to be run by peculiar tiger people. Upon finding out that in order to enter one must partake in smoking some mysterious magic herb, she was visibly surprised. Aria asked a few questions but Regula wouldn’t wait to hear the answers, so she left the front desk after her. After catching up Regula shared her real thoughts about the place. “Yeah, not exactly looking to alter my senses. Considering this city is.. 'different'.. who knows what could happen without weapons and all your senses intact. Besides, it’s run by felines, the best trickster pickpockets, from what I've heard.”

They continued, reaching a few more establishments before Aria began to grow impatient. She took off her boots and emptied the brown water accumulated in them but kept walking barefoot. “Likely almost no chance, but maybe the locals out here might know of a nearby hot spring, or even a small creek outside of the city”. She would look both forward and back on their path. “What do you think? Maybe one of those carriage drivers can give us a ride there.” She pointed at a carriage headed back into the city. “We just need to find one that’s headed out, instead of into Aslan.

 

[Elvario]

Regula
​

Regula nodded. A combination of truth and exaggeration did sound more appealing. Brutal honesty was boring anyhow. That said, Regula sighed upon hearing her fears affirmed. They were heading for a dead end. “A creek...” Regula did not like the idea of that. It'd be cold, for one, exhibitionist for two and without any soaps or lotions or towels. Yeah, she was not looking forwards to such an option. “Let's just ask for a bathhouse. I'm sure there must be something...”

“Excuse me, sir!” She called out the carriage driver. “Do you happen to know if there's a bathhouse...” She was promptly ignored. Great. Really great. The man just drove on, not even looking at her. She knew she looked like trash right now, but to be treated like it as well still hurt her pride.

To her surprise, however, a rather out-of-place looking women overheard her.

Snake-Women

​

Spoiler: Snake-Women

“If you're looking for a bathhousssse, you sshould come to my plasse.”

Regula wasn't one for speciesism, but the snake tail threw her off for a bit. After gathering herself, she replied. “Eh, thanks, ma'am, where would that be at?”

The woman pointed towards an unassuming building, but now that Regula was looking closer to it, there did seem to be some steam coming from it... Was it really a bathhouse? If it was, it was definitely going to be a pretty 'rustic' one, that much was sure. Regula looked at Aria with questioning eyes. She herself was willing to give it a shot, but she wasn't so sure about her companion.

 

[RavenSong]

Aria tilted her head when Aria depressingly repeated about the creek. Being from a rural village had conditioned her to the harshness of everyday peasant life. So the idea of a proper bath house very much went over her head, only with the idea of hot water in her mind. Especially without a Ryke to her name, if desperate enough she was likely to jump in a river. And shiver her way through getting dry. However, if she didn’t have to she’d rather not. And perhaps it was time she raised her standards.

“Very well.” she responded as Regula started towards a carriage. She’d stand there with her boots in her hands looking on as Regula attempted to signal the driver to a halt, or even a brief mention, a lead, anything. He simply kept on going, not even glancing over as if the two were nothing but air. Aria sighed, closing her eyes, “It seems like our only option might be looking for a creek m’lady. Don’t worry, I’ll wash your clothes wh-“ her eyes widened suddenly as she opened them putting her hands over her lips, dropping her filthy boots on the ground. Resisting a shriek at the sudden sound of a snake woman’s voice, she took a few steps back. The snake woman seemed to hiss as she spoke and the end of her tail rattled softly as she moved.

A shiver went up her spine as she suddenly stood up straight. “I.. uh.. we..” she muttered softly like a mouse, flailing for words. Luckily, Regula seemed more composed, and her words broke the silence between them as well. Aria would slowly look towards where the snake woman was pointing, then turn to look at Regula who was already looking at Aria. She wondered if snake people ate people. And if gorgons carry venom in their teeth? How quick would it kill me? She hoped Regula couldn’t tell, as she was forcing a collected expression. She turned to look at the snake woman once more before looking back at Regula, giving her a nod and forced smile. “I-I’m sure it’s quaint m’lady.. a-and it doesn’t seem we have anywhere else to go.”

She turned to bow her head at the snake woman, shaking off her uneasiness, maybe this wouldn’t be as dangerous as she thought, best just to go along with it, “Thank you please lead the way, as you can probably smell already, we are in desperate need of a bath.”

 

[Elvario]

Regula
​

For as much as 'the Queen in the Creek' might sound like a nice fairy-tale, Regula wasn't down for it. Luckily enough, she didn't have to be. With Aria's hesitant agreement, they were off the the bathhouse. From the outside, it looked almost a bit like an abandoned warehouse, but on the inside it had some signs of being functional. It's somewhat decrepit state even added a certain charm to it.

Snake-Women

​

Spoiler: Snake-Women

Short after the woman slithered into the place, she snapped her finger. At the sound, a dozen or so magic lanterns turned on and some sort of odd machine started humming in the background. “Pleasse don't mind the noisse. It'ss jusst warming up the waterss and will sstop onsse it'ss done.” The lady explained, as she then pointed them towards what seemed to be a dressing room off to the side. “You can undress and... rinsse off there” She emphasized the words 'rinse off' pretty heavily. She probably didn't wish the water to turn into a big bowl of half-rotten fruits and vegetables.

Regula nodded to the woman, as she headed straight for the dressing room and didn't waste a lot of time to take off her cloak. The mithril could definitely handle some abuse and shouldn't rust too easily, so she figured she'd start by rinsing it off.

As she was looking for a bucket of water, however, she was shocked to find weird tubes sticking out of the walls instead, in some sort of lower area... It did seem like the place what water would be present, so she went to take a look over there. Yeah, those tubes definitely looked like there could be water coming out of them, but why were they up that high and how did you activate...

She heard an odd click when she stepped in front of one, followed by the sound of running water. A few seconds later a stream of lukewarm, soon to be warm, water come flooding out of the odd tube in the wall. Regula had her wondrous first encounter with with a 'shower', although the fact that she'd been staring directly at it and was blasted in the face with water whilst fully dressed was perhaps a bit less ideal.

Turning red from the surprise and sudden presence of warm water, she mumbled... “I did not expect that...”

 

[RavenSong]

Aria followed the snake woman alongside Regula. She expected worse upon reaching their destination but was pleasantly surprised as the rustic atmosphere became illuminated. It was somewhat hidden though, which made her a bit nervous but it definitely felt private, and quiet. Besides, Regula seemed delighted enough and she trusted her judgement. Although she couldn’t help but wonder why a snake woman of all people would invite them to her bathhouse at no charge of any kind. Or so she thought.

Once the snake woman gave them the instructions, she walked into one of the stalls. Not thinking twice before taking off her clothes except her under garments. She stood there for a bit as she brought her arms close to her body, starting to shiver as she adjusted to the surrounding temperature.

Just about as she was about to inquire about the water however, a stream suddenly came crashing on her head. “Eeek!” She exclaimed, startled by the falling pressure. This was definitely something she had never experienced before, and it certainly beat jumping into a river or a creek. She closed her eyes as the water got warm. Mmm I could get used to this.

She soon came out of the rinsing stall, and stepped outside, slightly shivering before walking up to the pool dipping a toe in the water. “Oh.. it’s hot.” She muttered, almost in disbelief before looking over her shoulder to where Regula was rinsing off.

She looked to the snake woman, and nodded a bit. “Thank you for having us here.” it seemed like a strange time for an introduction, but she didn’t consider it polite otherwise. “..My names Aria, it’s a pleasure.” She said disregarding the fact that her entire lower body was that of a giant snake.

She slowly made her way into the pool, gasping softly as she submerged herself bit by bit.

 

[Elvario]

Regula
​

After a generous face full of water, Regula figured she might as well make use of the opportunity to rinse off her clothes now that she was standing underneath streaming water. She carefully rinsed everything off before wringing out fabric and shaking out the more leathery and mentally parts of her outfit. Once most water was off, she left them to try in other parts of the dressing room. With that done, she could finally turn some attention to herself. Aria had it easier, with a more manageable hair length. Regula had kept it very long, as it was a bit of a status symbol by now. The latter did mean that she had to go through some effort to cleaning out all the stuff that had been caught in it...

That's when she conveniently spotted bottles with soap and shampoo, with price tags that were a little on the pricier side... so that's how this place made its profit. She sighed. “Why not.” She mumbled, as she picked up a bottle that seemed to contain soap specifically for hair. The latter worked wonders. It made it so much easier to clean her hair and even made it feel soft and silky. It even had some flowery scent to it. It was definitely worth the money, although she should start earning more if she wanted to use this type of stuff on the regular.

That said, now that she'd gotten herself rinsed off and clean, it was time for the main event. The water wasn't just warm, it was hot. It actually took Regula some time to get used to it, before it started to feel comfortable. As she submerged herself further into the water, she felt her muscles relax for the first time in a long while. She'd been pretty tense during the past few days, especially the last few hours.

Amaru

​

Spoiler: Amaru

“You're welcome, I'm Amaru.” The women introduced herself to Aria. “Would you care for ssome drinkss to go with the bath?” She asked, with a slight hint of eagerness. It was likely that she was hoping to earn extra from it and wasn't fond of the fact that Aria hadn't fallen for buying anything in the showers. The 'scheme' this place was working with was quickly becoming apparent, but at least the prices weren't exorbitant, just a little bloated compared to what you'd pay elsewhere.

 

[RavenSong]

Aria finally managed to sit down, wincing as she adjusted to the temperature. After a few moments though, a deep feeling of calm overtook her body. It was quite the foreign experience for her, gasping softly as she let her hands float in front of her. Aria would be starting to close her eyes when Regula made her way in, she seemed to be much more used to these sort of functions.

When the snake woman inquired insistently about a beverage, Aria stuttered softly, “Uhm..” then slouched, bringing the water line to just above her upper lip. She immediately realized she didn't have any way to pay for such leasures. But how would she have known this rustic establishment cost money? She had to do something, so she pretended not to have heard the snake woman altogether and feigned being too relaxed to notice. She hoped Regula would make a purchase. But if she didn't then she'd have to say something. It seemed her trip to Aslan was full of embarrassing moments.

I should have brought more money before leaving Highgrove. She thought, mentally kicking herself.

But then there was the question once again of how venomous a gorgons' bites were exactly?

 

[Elvario]

Regula
​

Regula noticed Aria's peculiar lack of reply to the snake woman, even though she'd been asked first, as Regula herself had still been entering the bath. For a moment she wondered why this could be the case, but then she figured she might as well solve it. “Two glasses of that one please.” She pointed at a bottle with an image of strawberries. It was the only one she recognized that wasn't priced a little too high for her meagre blacksmith salary. She hoped Aria liked strawberries, or that it would taste like what the image represented.

Amaru

​

Spoiler: Amaru

“Ass you wissh.” Amaru said, before slithering off to fill two glasses. It was an odd wood-type, probably to accommodate the whole 'bath' situation better than actual glass would. Were one to test it, it'd actually float quite well and somehow keep the drink cool. The drink itself was indeed strawberries, but it had a surprising strong 'punch' to it that surprised Regula. If the heat of the bath wasn't making her face yet already, that stuff certainly did. She already knew she should stick with no more than one of those.

The sales-pitch didn't end there, however, as the snake woman had another question. “Would you like to theme your bath? It'ss only a few copperss exsstra and really addss to the experiensse. We've got woodss, jungle, meadow, desssert and ssky.”

Regula sighed. Looking at Aria. It was clear they were meant to play along, although Regula made a not that this wast he last thing. Otherwise she'd be sliding too fast down this slippery slope. “Do you have any preferences?”

 

[RavenSong]

Not replying seemed to only dig Aria deeper into the hole of her poverty. Watching helplessly as Regula ordered not just one drink but two! She made her way towards Regulas side of the bath, as if the awkward silence from earlier hadn’t even happened. “Thank you..” she replied, looking into the bath maidens' snakelike eyes, she then turned to Regula as she took a sip, about to speak before a familiar and unexpected burning echoed down the throat. She coughed softly, and chuckled. “Oh.. thank you very much m’lady..” she said thankfully. “..I uhm.. must be frank..” she started, holding the wooden glass in her hands. “..I hoped you couldn’t tell earlier when I suggested we visit a creek instead of a bathhouse..” She closed her eyes and bowed her head miserably. “..I don’t have any Rykes left after paying for the carriage ride on our way here from Ryken.”

He looked back up at Regula, “However, before leaving Ryken I received a note from someone who claims to be my father. I took it upon myself to find out as much as I could about him, all I know is he’s a reputable man who’s made a name for himself in the weapons industry.” She stuttered “S-so what I’m trying to say is that.. I promise to pay you back m’lady!”

She then heard the snake woman’s offer, giving her a confident smirk. “Uhm.. sure..” “..hmm, the woods would be nice.” she said, looking at Regula with an embarrassed smile.

 

[Elvario]

Regula
​

Surprise filled Regula, not because of Aria's poverty, but because her desire to pay back. “After all the help you've given me today, you really shouldn't worry about paying me back. If anything, I should be paying you back.” She said, knowing the money she'd spent on hiring folk through the Adventurer's Guild was likely very sparse considering what they ended up going through. It was payment for a simple job to help find a diviner, after all, not to try calming panicked lines

Before Regula could go fully digest, the snake woman heard Aria's answer and spoke.

Amaru

​

Spoiler: Amaru

“Very well! I'll ssett it on woodss. I'll be at the counter oncsse you're done. Pleasse enjoy.” She said, afterwards slithering off to a separate room in the front of the building, but not before activating some sort of magic circle thing that'd previously been invisible to the naked eye. Whatever it was likely had to do with the 'woods' experience they'd paid for.

Slowly yet steadily, things began to change. First, an odd mist filled the room. It had an odd, earthy scent to it. That of rain having fallen recently in the forest. Scents of leaves, moss, perhaps some herbs and flowers, filled the air. Short after, some sort of illusion magic started to work, slowly drawing out the previous look of the place to make place for a forest lake.

Regula instinctively covered herself at first, not immediately feeling comfortable at the idea of being 'outdoors', but the water temperature and feeling of smooth stones made it clear it was an illusion. The latter helped her relax again. “That's a lot more than I was expecting.” She admitted, impressed by the level of magic and change of scenery. She really felt like she was in an oddly warm forest lake. Ah, actually, one thing somewhat ruined the immersion. There weren't any sounds of the forest. The latter was only a minor thing, but it did stand out. That said. “Seems like you've got something close to your creek after all.”

In either case, Regula was drawn back to their previous topic. “I'm not sure what you mean with weapons industry... do you just mean he was a bowyer or a blacksmith that exclusively made weapons?” She wasn't even sure what 'industry' meant, for that matter. “He must have been more talented business man than I am, I can't even pay for my own forge yet... although I do get distracted a lot by testing out my own weapons or by, you know, taking a few days off to divine if I'm bastard royalty.” She said the latter half-jokingly.

 

[RavenSong]

Aria tilted her head a bit with equal surprise at Regulas generosity, before bowing her wet head softly. “I don’t have words.. thank you m’lady.” Suddenly she felt a bit more comfortable around Regula, her posture relaxing. Although she appeared to have a dutiful and stoic personality, there was a certain degree of kindness in Regulas demeanor which Aria appreciated very much.

To much of Arias' surprise the atmosphere changed, a bit dramatically, suddenly feeling as if she was in a forest. It felt strange, but something about it seemed soothing and familiar, perhaps it reminded her of home. She would chuckle at Regulas tease bringing a hand over her lips,nudging her with her elbow, “I’m not used to such lavish things, in Highgrove if you want to get clean you have to fetch water from the well!”

Upon Regulas implied inquiry about the meaning of an industry Aria scratched her head, somewhat confused herself. “I wasn’t familiar with the word ‘industry’ either..” she confessed. “..from what I gather, it’s the creation of some kind of mutual alliance or competition of various alliances of large groups of artisans all working together for a common goal. In this case. Weaponry.”

Aria flat out laughed at her jest. “Hah!! Well.. at least we have a lead..” she’d shake her head in amusement, before taking another sip of her strawberry drink. “..but what if you do find something that proves your nobility? Would you face the current kingdom with your newly found proof?”

 

[Elvario]

Regula
​

Regula laughed a bit at Aria's gratitude, as it was surprisingly cute. “Don't mind it, it's nothing, but you're welcome~” As for the next part. Regula clicked her tongue, as there was some familiar sentiment there. “Yeah, it was the same for me here. It took some real getting used to, but at least we have a wood-burn stove back at home to warm the water. Otherwise I swear I'd have just used Rossle's forge, cause I hate being soaked in cold water.” She really, really missed the times when she had servants prepare her baths in her previous lives. That said, this miraculous bath was many times better than even that.

“Hmmm” Regula uttered, at the explanation of 'industry'. “Sounds like a very interesting business endeavour.” She wondered if she could set-up an industry. It would probably earn her a lot of funds to achieve her other goals. Perhaps she should poke around with other artisans and see if she could come up with something.

The last part was a bit more personal. “No, definitely not. In a best case scenario, they try to pay me for my silence or start threatening me. In a worst case scenario, they'd have me and my proof vanished in no-time. I'll have to be very careful.” She sighed. “I'll need a lot of thing before I'd take any serious steps. People like you, that are capable and willing to support me, are going to be very important. I'll also need enough influence to not simply be cast aside, through money, power or fame. Or maybe I should try to claim a lower nobility rank first and rise up the ladders. If I do the latter, I could try to claim the throne from an insider perspective and whilst rising the ladders, I could arrange for anything else I'll end up needing, like contacts and resources.”

That's when Regula remembered something. “You've worked for a baron Light, right? Could you perhaps introduce me to him? He might be a great contact to help me get into the world of nobles.”

 

[RavenSong]

Aria smiled, a bit uncertain as to why Regula laughed. But it didn’t matter, she was just relieved she wouldn’t have to pay the snake woman with a massage, or a few days of slavery, or worse: commit a crime.

She sighed, at Regula description of her own experience living with very little. She thought of her days in Highgrove. It was much more quiet than the buzzing city of Aslan or even Ryken which never seemed to rest. Filled with its busy people and apparently now, questionable forms of justice. Upon mention of Regulas forge, she inquired curiously. “I’ve yet to meet this.. Rossle..” she started a bit absentmindedly, “..Perhaps someday I’ll have the pleasure of meeting him. Do you think he misses you?” She wasn’t teasing, she was actually quite curious.

“Hmm, I wouldn’t know..” she said moving to the topic of business affairs, tapping her chin in thought. “..although I suppose it could never hurt to work with others towards something greater than one could alone.”

When Regula began to speak about the details of her plans, she got a bit closer, interest piquing. “Well, well.. it seems like we have a lot of groundwork to accomplish, I’m not surprised though..” softly letting her body go deeper into the water, submerging herself to her neck. “..it's certainly predictable that those in power would never relinquish power.”

Maybe I should investigate the letter I was sent. If my so-called father really is who I think he is, his support might help further our cause.

She wasn’t as ignorant to consider a weapons creator would simply support their cause, something told her she would have to gather a following and even a degree of influence to help Regula. She wouldn’t delve into it, not until Aria inquired about the letter further.

When Linneus was mentioned her eyes widened. “Why, yes.. that would be a very good place to start! Before I found you hunting those rabbits, I was summoned to meet with him.. I will say, he has an interesting list of allies, including a barefoot tree woman by the name of Ciu’nan..” She smiled to herself remembering her joyous nature as she continued, “Anyway.. we set off to find this peculiar metal carriage, you remember? Pierre. Linneus then disbanded the company and that was that.. but I’m certain I could arrange a meeting.”

 

[Elvario]

Regula
​

Rossle missing her? Regula laughed at that. “I'm pretty sure his dog is more likely to miss me.” As for meeting the Dwarf that'd require Sky to lead the RP, she wasn't sure how well that would go. “Who knows, maybe one day you can meet him. I'm not sure how on board he would be with my plans to become nobility though. He despised them.” The latter made her realise something. “I'd best set-up my own forge if I want to take steps there, otherwise I'll lose my source of income the moment I'll need it the most. I doubt being a noble is cheap.”

Regula nodded at Aria's estimate. “It's not just about whether they would wish to relinquish it either. If I were to somehow take the throne by a surprise move, the entire country would be in uproar. I'd have to be weary of which nobles, generals, influential merchants, high ranking folk from the adventurer's guild, advisors, diplomats and random fortune-seekers are on my side and whom would seek to make use of the situation to take over the reigns, and that's just domestic. If the country becomes unstable as a result of my rise to the throne, the neighbouring countries would suddenly have an easy target to invade. I'd probably need the army to be fully on my side if I wanted to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. I don't want to rule over a kingdom of corpses and grief, so the more steady I can rise to the top without risking to destabilize the country, the better.”

Regula was glad to learn that Light was indeed a good target. “Pierre? I never knew you guys knew each-other like that. Perhaps we should bring him along then. He offered to transport weapons for me... Oh, do you think Light's soldiers would need any particular type of weaponry? I bet forging him some shields, swords or axes or something would make a great gift, right? We can bring along Pierre to transport them. Or is baron Light not the type to value practical gifts? I'm not entirely sure how well I can smith fancy baubles and trinkets, but I could give it a shot...”

It seemed like their moment of relaxation had started to turn into a strategy meeting. At the very least it was keeping their thoughts away from today's events.

 

[RavenSong]

Aria chuckled, apparently this Rossle wasn’t exactly a very warm business partner. “I see.. I suppose not everyone will be happy to see such a drastic change.. losing friends and gaining enemies when you’ve become such a powerful figure and influence society on a large scale should be expected..” Aria smiled as she placed a hand on her cheek with a romantic sigh. “..I love a good underdog story..” In spite of the fact they were in a relaxing setting, Aria couldn’t shake her underlying sense of duty however. “..well, for what it’s worth m’lady, my sword is at your command.” She said finally.

Aria pondered carefully about the necessity to gain influence, then about the casualties of a change of rule, she never considered a whole country’s balance was at stake and just how delicate a matter it would be “I’m certain we’ll find a way, although many tasks await us on this road, I say we build up your reputation among the people, nobles, clergy and merchants alike.”

Upon Regulas mention of Pierre she nodded. “He’s a strange.. carriage..” she said struggling to find the words to describe him. “..I just don’t know whether to look into that barrel, or the wheels that get him to move, where is his mouth?” A confused expression enveloped her features, but then to that of determination. “Yes, I believe it couldn’t hurt to send Lord Light a shipment of weapons, I’m certain his elite guard could definitely use them..”

“..No, no.. I don’t think fashioning anything more than what you’re comfortable with would be enough, after all, it’s the thought that counts!” She blushed a bit thinking how silly and cliche those last words came out of her mouth. “..heh.. anyway, I’m getting cooked in here.. shall we head out?” She asked after submerging her entire body in the water and getting out of the pool.

“Let’s do this again..” she giggled as water dripped from her hair. “..really enjoyed this hot bath. Next time, bath is on me, I promise!” She’d pose and rotate slowly. “..hmm.. yeah.. squeaky clean!” She exclaimed, before heading into the stall and washing her clothes diligently. Maybe magic dryers were a thing in Aslan? She could only hope.

 

[Elvario]

Regula
​

A bit of confusion arose. Regula wasn't sure what exactly an underdog story was. “Let's just make sure we don't become tragic heroes.” She said, recalling the horrible stuff some of the ancient Greek heroes went through. To that extend, her story here hadn't been too dissimilar. As for Aria's sense of duty; it was appreciated. “I'll make sure to wield it with care~” She said, half-jokingly half-serious.

The topic of Pierre was an interesting one as well. “He definitely is! After working on his 'hull' I'll admit I'm quite fascinated. I'd love to remake him out of mithril and enchant him, but that'd be very costly... Anyhow, he's ideal for gifting a shipment of weapons. He might stand out along the way, which we'll have to be weary of, but once we're in the Light county, that's exactly what we'll want. It will show everyone our gift because our amazing weapon-delivery buddy will catch their eyes and should make a great first impression~”

As for the weapons themselves. “You should tell me all you know about those elite guards of his on our way back to Ryke. I'll try to make the weapons fit them as well as I can. I'm sure personalized ones will come a long way for a gift~” Regula was already glad that it sounded like Light wasn't the type of noble to like fancy but worthless baubles. She had a distaste for those herself as well.

It also looked like it was time to pack up. “You're right, I'm getting a bitt wrinkly~” The moment she stood up to leave the water, the illusion of a forest vanished as quickly as it had set in.

They were back in the 'usual' bathhouse again. “This certainly was an amazing experience though~” It turned out there was one final 'gift' this place had to offer them. As they walked back towards the dressing room, a sudden gust of pretty hot wind blew around them. For a split second, it might have been a little uncomfortable, but they would soon realise that every last droplet of water was gone from them and they were perfectly dried up. For Aria, the same thing would happen after she'd been forced to put on wet clothes upon realising there was no magic clothes drying separately, as the same type of magic activated and dried her up clothes and all this time.

Amaru

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Spoiler: Amaru

“Wass everything to your liking?” The snake woman asked Regula, as she went to pay for the drinks and 'setting' they'd used. All in all, the amount covered their bath usage as well by now, but it had been well worth it. “Definitely!”

As they were leaving, the snake woman even called out to them. “Pleassee make ssure to tell your friendss!”

“We will!” Regula called back, as she and Aria left the bathhouse.

The End​

 

[Skyhunter]

Isekai Hell RP Grade
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Aria (Co GM)- 10 points

Regula (Co GM- 10 Points