[ The banya isn't always one of Yennefer's preferred diversions. After hearing about its existence first from House, she'd paid it somewhat of a wider berth — the less likely she is to encounter that man when she doesn't have to, the better — but without any present access to a tub of her own, something she intends to remedy as soon as she's moved out of the boarding house to better and more private lodgings, this is as close as she'll get to anything that isn't washing out of a bowl full of water.
For the moment, she's heedless of any nudity that might be displayed — she doesn't have the same kind of hesitation to undress in front of others, and knows how to use her body in ways that benefit her, but is less concerned with the concept of modesty than some of the other Void-touched might be.
Thus, she slips out of her dress quickly and efficiently, leaving her clothes in a neat pile to retrieve them later and drawing her hair up into a casual twist off the back of her neck before rinsing herself with the warm water that's been provided and then stepping into the adjacent steam room. The air is scented with herbs, soothing, and she settles herself on an empty bench, leaning back against the wall behind before closing her eyes, a few tendrils of dark hair stuck to the sides of her neck as she breathes in the steam. She might even drift off slightly, ignorant of the possibility of any other company until they make themselves more known. ]
( the banya is nothing like the baths isis is used to, with attendants to cater to her whims and wash scented oils through her hair. here she is left to do such things alone in a place where others frequent, where she can be seen by those she has not necessarily invited to gaze upon her form.
her clothing is folded where others keep their own, she has no problem walking bared before others. it is not the nudity that she minds, as much as the lack of power that this place gives her.
her hair is pulled back into a braid over her back, tied in a silk ribbon she's acquired in trade for her skills. she hasn't bothered to take a towel with her as she enters the steam room, finding that it is not vacant. she takes her own seat and breaths in the warm air, categorizes the herbs she does not know. eventually, the woman with her in the room catches her gaze and isis lets it linger, tracing the lines of her neck and supple breasts. ) Do you know how long one is meant to remain here before entering the pools? I am afraid, this is my first time.
[ The banya is blessedly empty, though whether it will stay that way for long is unclear; even now, Yennefer isn't sure what rouses her from sleep, or whether she simply has been resting in some state in between dreams and reality, relaxation brought on by the scent of herbs in the air and the heavy steam that doesn't successfully disguise any part of her own nudity.
The woman who comes into her focus as she blinks her eyes open slowly is one she's never seen before — she would have remembered her, Yennefer thinks, not simply because her beauty is a stark trait, one evident enough to bring Yennefer's own sister sorceresses to mind with their enchanted appearances, but because of how she seems to look over their shared surroundings, and Yennefer herself in particular. ]
I suppose as long as you feel is needed.
[ She lifts her head slightly from her previous recline against the wall, violet eyes taking the measure of her own unexpected company. It's already an improvement over the possibility of House's appearance, she thinks to herself, a faint smile flickering over her mouth. ] Or before you'd feel yourself growing faint.
( cobalt meets violet and isis returns the smile, a gentle upward turn of her lips that's genuine. the smiles given so far have served purpose; this one does too, she supposes, but it is genuine too. it is easier within the steam-filed space, where reality hides beyond the mist and four wooden walls. ) And what's the measure of need? Loose muscles? An easiness of breath?
( she chuckles and nods, taking the advice to heart either way. she doesn't believe she can grow faint, not from this, but humans can and isis means to act human. )
The baths back home are unlike this. ( at least amongst the gods; she is no stranger to the ones shared by humans either, with their stench of filth that cannot be washed away with simple water and herbs. ) All cool stone and relief from the Sun's heat.
Or an opportunity to find a place of quiet and solitude, where possible.
[ Though Yennefer's voice isn't stern, or cold, and certainly not the kind of tone that would indicate she's referring to current company. It's an unspoken olive branch of sorts, an offer for the other woman to stay here and find peace as she has, at least for however long it might last before someone else seeks out the banya for similar reasons. ]
Soothing in a different manner, I imagine.
[ The coolness would satisfy on its own, but something about the steam feels simultaneously invigorating and relaxing, that languid feeling settling into her muscles as the other woman has made mention of. Her tanned skin is already displaying the effects of the steam, a light sheen of sweat rising on her body, but it's a clean sweat, one she can almost envision taking any impurities along with it.
The soak afterward will feel more refreshing if she lets herself perspire for a while longer, she thinks, smile lingering faintly on her own lips. ] But still a communal experience?
I suppose it is one of the few places one can. ( isis returns the smile, gentle all the same. there is no recourse in the other's voice, but if there were she would heed it. ) Between the festivities the locals put on and the squabbling that seems to filter through our minds.
( she misses that quiet, when peace were her own and the intrusions were that she subjected on the minds of others. fate has cruelly turned on her and she cannot shake the feeling that it is seth's doing, somehow.
she takes a moment to breathe in the hot steam, to let her lungs fill with it so she can parse what herbs she scents in the air. then her eyes flutter open again, nodding at the question. it had been communal when she'd been hiding, communal for the women and children hiding from the wrath of the gods and filled with fear, with the need to rush. she supposes there were times too, where it was the friendly touch that helped ease their suffering instead of a whip or blade. ) Yes. A place where the community helped each other, where one scrubbed the back of another in need.
I’d say you get used to that part of it — [ Being privy to more thoughts than you’d ever want or care for. ] — but it wouldn’t be the truth.
[ Yennefer knows she has the inherent advantage of being able to shield her mind, of being able to block out the others if she deems it necessary, but not everyone has that type of mental capability, that power that can build up walls which prove very difficult to break down. ]
I doubt you’ll find many who are unwilling to scrub your back in particular.
[ But she utters it straightforwardly, as if the other woman’s beauty is a simple fact, something that’s easy to state without hesitation or overplayed flattery. There’s no part of Yennefer that doubts the ability to find a willing partner. Many of the men in this village, especially, would bend over backward for the privilege of nearing someone like her. ]
( she figures as much, for even with fortitude there is the matter of curiosity. some of the squabbling is more entertaining than court gossip, she can admit.
she hums softly, considering. she could find anyone but it is more a matter of finding anyone who catches her eye, who holds the sort of beauty that she admires and a sharp tongue. the men here are plenty willing but she cannot say she has found one yet that makes her crave such a touch; she doubts she will.
but the woman before her with her amethyst eyes, the long lines of her neck and with plushness to her lips? she cannot help but wonder. there is an art to subtlety, yes, but she knows when another's eyes linger all the same. ) And would you be willing? In particular? To lend your time and helping hands?
[ It proves different, impressive even, to get an answer like that; Yennefer wouldn’t have been nearly so convinced if the other woman’s answer had been coy, or a poorly disguised attempt at the very least.
Ultimately, it isn’t words she answers with, but her movement, slowly pushing herself up to stand as she ventures nearer to her only other company in this room. Yet in spite of their shared nudity, her gaze never descends, never sweeps to admire a figure that isn’t hers to study as of this moment. It only holds the eyes before her, verifying that her nearness is welcomed before she settles herself on the bench beside. ]
Turn. [ A murmured encouragement so that she can put her hands to the back she wants in front of her, starting on the tops of shoulders as thumbs press in gently for a sweeping arc that runs over sweat-slicked skin. She’ll knead deeper, with prompting, searching for any stiffness in need of easing. ]
( there is plenty of room on the bench but isis moves, to make room beside her. the company is welcome, offered a smile that's not coy but pleased at the closeness as they move into each other's space.
she turns when told, reaching to sweep the thick braid of hair over her left shoulder and to glance back over at her companion over her right. ) I am Heset.
( no one has questioned the name yet, for it holds no meaning here. she is a stranger to this place with it's own customs and beliefs, her divine reign has not touched this place and in that there is comfort. but known or not, she wishes to share a name at least in silent trade for another as skilled hands work the muscles of her back.
she gasps when a particularly sore spot is found, bites into her lower lip to keep another such sound from echoing around them. )
[ A simple exchange of names, though Heset’s holds no familiarity or recognition for her, apart from being one that would certainly stand out amidst the names more traditionally known throughout the Continent.
Her hands can work easily, frictionlessly, with the sweat the steam has conjured, and she doesn’t need to hear the gasp of pain to feel the tension beneath the press of her fingers, especially when she purposefully digs into the muscle. ]
There’s only so much the steam can mend. [ And while the soak afterward also helps, sometimes a firmer touch is required. But rather than massage too roughly or vigorously, she pauses at that little indraw of breath. ] Too much?
No. I can handle a little firmness. ( a rougher touch, if followed by reverent softness is never unwelcome. isis leans back into the stalled hands, as if seeking.
but it is true that steam can only do so much and in public, she will not risk calling upon magic to soothe what it can not.
she takes a moment to enjoy the simplicity of yennefer's touch, the heat radiating from her sweat-slicked skin. she is tempted to lean back, to what the warmth of her feels pressed against her own back. but there is time for that and she finds pleasure in the simplest of touches, comfort too. ) Perhaps we risk seeing if we will be granted privacy in the baths? So you do not strain yourself too terribly over me.
[ Wanda valued getting to know Heset out in the woods (and near the tropical area that felt so out if place with the geography) that she's the first and only person she thinks about contacting after Strange sets her a task. ]
I need to head back out to the woods to see if a stream was tainted with Voidstuff.
[ God, this sounds so ridiculous, but not as ridiculous as a purple alien wanting to wipe out half the world. Anyway. ]
Do you want to come with me? I could use your help.
Is that what you think is making them all act like chickens with their heads cut off? ( her voice is even, like she's not so worried about the craziness affecting this place.
she's not. her own curses can do worse than what's befallen the town. but then a beat, to be thought of and asked to join. well, a goddess who misses being worshiped cannot resist. ) When do you mean to go? I will be at your side.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
breaking in this inbox hayyyy
Date: 2023-11-30 07:56 pm (UTC)For the moment, she's heedless of any nudity that might be displayed — she doesn't have the same kind of hesitation to undress in front of others, and knows how to use her body in ways that benefit her, but is less concerned with the concept of modesty than some of the other Void-touched might be.
Thus, she slips out of her dress quickly and efficiently, leaving her clothes in a neat pile to retrieve them later and drawing her hair up into a casual twist off the back of her neck before rinsing herself with the warm water that's been provided and then stepping into the adjacent steam room. The air is scented with herbs, soothing, and she settles herself on an empty bench, leaning back against the wall behind before closing her eyes, a few tendrils of dark hair stuck to the sides of her neck as she breathes in the steam. She might even drift off slightly, ignorant of the possibility of any other company until they make themselves more known. ]
matching icons time
Date: 2023-11-30 08:44 pm (UTC)her clothing is folded where others keep their own, she has no problem walking bared before others. it is not the nudity that she minds, as much as the lack of power that this place gives her.
her hair is pulled back into a braid over her back, tied in a silk ribbon she's acquired in trade for her skills. she hasn't bothered to take a towel with her as she enters the steam room, finding that it is not vacant. she takes her own seat and breaths in the warm air, categorizes the herbs she does not know. eventually, the woman with her in the room catches her gaze and isis lets it linger, tracing the lines of her neck and supple breasts. ) Do you know how long one is meant to remain here before entering the pools? I am afraid, this is my first time.
ayyyy
Date: 2023-11-30 09:06 pm (UTC)The woman who comes into her focus as she blinks her eyes open slowly is one she's never seen before — she would have remembered her, Yennefer thinks, not simply because her beauty is a stark trait, one evident enough to bring Yennefer's own sister sorceresses to mind with their enchanted appearances, but because of how she seems to look over their shared surroundings, and Yennefer herself in particular. ]
I suppose as long as you feel is needed.
[ She lifts her head slightly from her previous recline against the wall, violet eyes taking the measure of her own unexpected company. It's already an improvement over the possibility of House's appearance, she thinks to herself, a faint smile flickering over her mouth. ] Or before you'd feel yourself growing faint.
no subject
Date: 2023-11-30 10:09 pm (UTC)( she chuckles and nods, taking the advice to heart either way. she doesn't believe she can grow faint, not from this, but humans can and isis means to act human. )
The baths back home are unlike this. ( at least amongst the gods; she is no stranger to the ones shared by humans either, with their stench of filth that cannot be washed away with simple water and herbs. ) All cool stone and relief from the Sun's heat.
no subject
Date: 2023-11-30 10:24 pm (UTC)[ Though Yennefer's voice isn't stern, or cold, and certainly not the kind of tone that would indicate she's referring to current company. It's an unspoken olive branch of sorts, an offer for the other woman to stay here and find peace as she has, at least for however long it might last before someone else seeks out the banya for similar reasons. ]
Soothing in a different manner, I imagine.
[ The coolness would satisfy on its own, but something about the steam feels simultaneously invigorating and relaxing, that languid feeling settling into her muscles as the other woman has made mention of. Her tanned skin is already displaying the effects of the steam, a light sheen of sweat rising on her body, but it's a clean sweat, one she can almost envision taking any impurities along with it.
The soak afterward will feel more refreshing if she lets herself perspire for a while longer, she thinks, smile lingering faintly on her own lips. ] But still a communal experience?
cw: violence against women & children
Date: 2023-12-02 03:20 am (UTC)( she misses that quiet, when peace were her own and the intrusions were that she subjected on the minds of others. fate has cruelly turned on her and she cannot shake the feeling that it is seth's doing, somehow.
she takes a moment to breathe in the hot steam, to let her lungs fill with it so she can parse what herbs she scents in the air. then her eyes flutter open again, nodding at the question. it had been communal when she'd been hiding, communal for the women and children hiding from the wrath of the gods and filled with fear, with the need to rush. she supposes there were times too, where it was the friendly touch that helped ease their suffering instead of a whip or blade. ) Yes. A place where the community helped each other, where one scrubbed the back of another in need.
I do not see that amongst those who bear marks.
no subject
Date: 2023-12-02 03:31 am (UTC)[ Yennefer knows she has the inherent advantage of being able to shield her mind, of being able to block out the others if she deems it necessary, but not everyone has that type of mental capability, that power that can build up walls which prove very difficult to break down. ]
I doubt you’ll find many who are unwilling to scrub your back in particular.
[ But she utters it straightforwardly, as if the other woman’s beauty is a simple fact, something that’s easy to state without hesitation or overplayed flattery. There’s no part of Yennefer that doubts the ability to find a willing partner. Many of the men in this village, especially, would bend over backward for the privilege of nearing someone like her. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-12-02 04:03 am (UTC)she hums softly, considering. she could find anyone but it is more a matter of finding anyone who catches her eye, who holds the sort of beauty that she admires and a sharp tongue. the men here are plenty willing but she cannot say she has found one yet that makes her crave such a touch; she doubts she will.
but the woman before her with her amethyst eyes, the long lines of her neck and with plushness to her lips? she cannot help but wonder. there is an art to subtlety, yes, but she knows when another's eyes linger all the same. ) And would you be willing? In particular? To lend your time and helping hands?
no subject
Date: 2023-12-02 04:10 am (UTC)Ultimately, it isn’t words she answers with, but her movement, slowly pushing herself up to stand as she ventures nearer to her only other company in this room. Yet in spite of their shared nudity, her gaze never descends, never sweeps to admire a figure that isn’t hers to study as of this moment. It only holds the eyes before her, verifying that her nearness is welcomed before she settles herself on the bench beside. ]
Turn. [ A murmured encouragement so that she can put her hands to the back she wants in front of her, starting on the tops of shoulders as thumbs press in gently for a sweeping arc that runs over sweat-slicked skin. She’ll knead deeper, with prompting, searching for any stiffness in need of easing. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-12-02 04:18 am (UTC)she turns when told, reaching to sweep the thick braid of hair over her left shoulder and to glance back over at her companion over her right. ) I am Heset.
( no one has questioned the name yet, for it holds no meaning here. she is a stranger to this place with it's own customs and beliefs, her divine reign has not touched this place and in that there is comfort. but known or not, she wishes to share a name at least in silent trade for another as skilled hands work the muscles of her back.
she gasps when a particularly sore spot is found, bites into her lower lip to keep another such sound from echoing around them. )
no subject
Date: 2023-12-02 04:25 am (UTC)[ A simple exchange of names, though Heset’s holds no familiarity or recognition for her, apart from being one that would certainly stand out amidst the names more traditionally known throughout the Continent.
Her hands can work easily, frictionlessly, with the sweat the steam has conjured, and she doesn’t need to hear the gasp of pain to feel the tension beneath the press of her fingers, especially when she purposefully digs into the muscle. ]
There’s only so much the steam can mend. [ And while the soak afterward also helps, sometimes a firmer touch is required. But rather than massage too roughly or vigorously, she pauses at that little indraw of breath. ] Too much?
no subject
Date: 2023-12-02 04:33 am (UTC)but it is true that steam can only do so much and in public, she will not risk calling upon magic to soothe what it can not.
she takes a moment to enjoy the simplicity of yennefer's touch, the heat radiating from her sweat-slicked skin. she is tempted to lean back, to what the warmth of her feels pressed against her own back. but there is time for that and she finds pleasure in the simplest of touches, comfort too. ) Perhaps we risk seeing if we will be granted privacy in the baths? So you do not strain yourself too terribly over me.
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From:dont look at the timestamps pls
From:no look, only kiss
From:voice
Date: 2024-01-12 10:49 pm (UTC)I need to head back out to the woods to see if a stream was tainted with Voidstuff.
[ God, this sounds so ridiculous, but not as ridiculous as a purple alien wanting to wipe out half the world. Anyway. ]
Do you want to come with me? I could use your help.
no subject
Date: 2024-01-12 11:19 pm (UTC)she's not. her own curses can do worse than what's befallen the town. but then a beat, to be thought of and asked to join. well, a goddess who misses being worshiped cannot resist. ) When do you mean to go? I will be at your side.
no subject
Date: 2024-02-19 06:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-02-20 01:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-02-20 01:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-02-20 01:59 am (UTC)I must admit, I like it said. You will not be rid of me then.
no subject
Date: 2024-02-20 02:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-02-20 02:13 am (UTC)It pleases me that you don't, I would be morose without your company in this place in such trying times.
no subject
Date: 2024-02-20 02:35 am (UTC)Which is why I’ve come to appreciate your company just as much.
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Date: 2024-02-21 07:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-02-21 07:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-02-21 07:59 pm (UTC)I miss my son most of all.
no subject
Date: 2024-02-21 08:01 pm (UTC)She might be the one happiest to see me when this is all over.
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