Date: 2023-12-02 04:25 am (UTC)
choicely: (pic#15495677)
From: [personal profile] choicely
Yennefer.

[ 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?

Date: 2023-12-02 04:44 am (UTC)
choicely: (pic#16631703)
From: [personal profile] choicely
[ Yennefer hums, a sound of understanding or perhaps approval, which wouldn’t be a misperception, and while she might have initiated this on a more direct request, she finds the act of it soothes her too, a repetition to the movement of her fingers that lulls her into a more relaxed state.

The suggestion to divert brings her back to an awareness of herself, and while she doesn’t often misread the intention of others — a skill honed during her time at court as Virfuril’s mage — she won’t let herself presume that it has anything to do with a desire beyond leaving the steam, yet. ]


A risk that seems worth taking. [ And it’s unclear whether she might be speaking of the possibility of encountering anyone else or the potential strain, but when her hands still again it’s so she can withdraw and then rise, heading in the direction of the adjacent baths without casting a second glance back. ]

Date: 2023-12-02 06:33 pm (UTC)
choicely: (pic#15495609)
From: [personal profile] choicely
[ Bathing alongside others is not a strange or unfamiliar experience for her; how many times has she spent at a bathhouse in the company of her sister sorceresses, for instance? And yet there is a weight to this moment that seems unlike any of those afternoons, an awareness she possesses of the other woman’s eyes on her that is heightened by their solitary state.

There is relief that accompanies the realization that they have the baths to themselves, at least for now, and while Yennefer doesn’t immediately move to enter the water, she represses a slight smile at Heset’s clear enjoyment of it — only to find herself more surprised when a hand is offered to her directly. ]


The only thing that could improve this is wine.

[ She says it almost like an afterthought, reaching out to take the hand that’s extended, fingers curving slightly as she uses it to help herself down the steps and into the pool. The water is similarly steaming, though there’s also a cold pool for separate soaks, which she does plunge into from time to time even if she mostly favors this one.

Their tethered hands drift across the surface of the water, and Yennefer’s gaze rises to find Heset’s again, as that contact lingers. ]

Date: 2023-12-04 10:24 pm (UTC)
choicely: (pic#15495612)
From: [personal profile] choicely
[ One eyebrow quirks slightly, but that's as far as Yennefer gets in terms of expressing her curiosity — the rest of her attention is drawn in thoroughly by the sensation of the warm water lapping at them, and of another pair of eyes meeting her own. The steam creates its own obscuring effect around them, and while she's under no illusions that they'll remain completely alone while they're here, it's impressive what the mind can temporarily trick itself into willfully believing. ]

I'd rather you be bold than apologize for it.

[ Bold, she can respect; bold, she can admire, and even meet in kind, as Heset presses their palms together, interlocks their fingers. Yennefer lowers that connection beneath the water, maneuvers their arms out slightly to bring bodies in for a closer press. ]

And act on whatever you're thinking about doing right now.

no look, only kiss

Date: 2023-12-28 08:37 pm (UTC)
choicely: (pic#15495678)
From: [personal profile] choicely
You certainly don't strike me as that.

[ Heset's fingers, ascending from the water, are dripping when they run along the curve of her clavicle, rivulets trickling down her skin as the other woman establishes that cupping hold along her neck, and Yennefer tilts her head into the contact, allowing herself a soft sigh, eyes fluttering to half-lidded state even before the distance is further closed between them.

Then she draws in a breath when those lips meet her own — as soft as they look, and more besides. It hasn't been nearly as long since Yennefer kissed a woman thanks to her initial arrival, but, as it had been with Ianthe, neither had she expected something like this to occur here, now. Yet Heset's body presses against her own, beneath the sluicing lap of the water, and Yennefer feels so suddenly hungry with the wanting of it, wanting her in particular, in a way she's felt with few others.

Curious seeking will be rewarded, and responded to in kind, and Yennefer tilts her head to deepen the kiss, her own hand surfacing as dripping fingers slide over Heset's neck, cupping the back of her head beneath the drape of her braid, thumb caressing over the soft edge of jawline while she initiates that first slow tangle of tongues. ]