Elendor
Another bath shared
This time the blushing(?) bathers are the fleet masters of Farside and Seaward, respectively. A young scribe gets an eyeful
Sort Date: no date set
Location: Umbar: Public Baths
Game Date: February 3047
IC Time: Evening?
Description: Umbar Public Baths
The marble entrance hall opens into a single large room with a high vaulted ceiling. Here, despite the many sunken brass tubs set into the floor and continuously being filled with hot water by servants, the air is refreshingly cool and humid compared to the street outside. Cinammon incence smolders in ornately enameled blue urns around the room and the floor is composed of brightly colored mosaic tiles. Thick steam curls around to caress those who enter as well as partially obscures those who are submurged in the hot waters.
Bustling with presicion are white clad serving men and woman who attend to your every need and greet you at the door. Silk screens are set up to one side to allow those who are more timid about nudity a semi-private place to change and shelves set into the wall hold clean towels and client's clothing.
Obvious exits:
Zuxzulder's Massage Parlor and Out
[+TIME] Middle-earth time is:
Nighttime on Hevensday, Day 16 of February.
Execute the +TIMEFRAME command for year information.
Real time is: 13:54:11 MDT on Sun Jun 07 2009.
[Azradi(#20135)]
The Seaward Fleet Master is not as quite alone as he thought. A tall woman emerges from behind a screen. She wears her towel wrapped around her lean figure but so tall is she, the lady is forced to choose where she will retain modesty and where it will be forsaken. And so revealing as much as a courtesan's bodice, the lady moves quickly towards the tub the attendants have prepared for her. Perversely, it is the one next to the sole other patron.
Azradi hesitates at sight of the male corsair and looks about her uncertainly.
[Lozir(#32438)]
Soft as her steps are upon the floor, they are loud enough to draw attention in the otherwise empty hall, and Lozir's eyes flicker open as she approaches. It takes a moment for him to collect his thoughts, but as he catches sight of Azradi he grins. Looking her up and down unashamedly he then tilts his head to one side, and greets her:
"An unexpected pleasure indeed, Captain. You dont have private baths in your brother's halls?"
[Azradi(#20135)]
Blushing as she is examined so boldly, Azradi clutches at her towel all the more firmly with one hand and spreads the other protectively over the center of her chest. Her long black hair is unbound and splays across her shoulders and back - but not enough to entirely obscure the collection of scars across her shoulders. Nor, more significantly, the dagger-width scar directly above her left breast.
"We do," she answers, looking around the room with a slightly distressed expression. "I was told...this is not what I expected. I thought the bathhouse had pools and were segregated."
"Will you turn your head, please?" she asks, returning her gaze to Lozir.
[Lozir(#32438)]
"With the utmost reluctance, very well," replies the other, winking ere taking a second, just as obvious survey of his Farside counterpart. An exaggerated sigh leaves his lips then, and Lozir tilts back his head to face the ceiling, before closing his eyes.
"However," adds he then in a conversational tone, "the price for my blindness is the tale of how you came to gain that scar above your breast. No man alive could forgive the one who did that..."
[Azradi(#20135)]
"Thank you," Azradi says, smiling politely. "I agree to your terms, happily."
Once the man has closed his eyes, Azradi unwraps her towel sending wisps of steam to swirl and dance. What could already be seen by her bare legs is confirmed by the sight of the rest of her: Where she is not kissed by the sun, her skin is light.
The Farside lady lets her towel fall to the floor and lowers herself into her tub. Once modestly installed, she glances to her companion, "You can open your eyes now."
[Lozir(#32438)]
Doing so, but continuing to examine the ceiling, Lozir smiles to himself with the lightest shake of his head. "These eyes have seen a great deal, Lady, so you need not worry for shocking them. But, fair is fair, and a deal struck. Tell me of the shameless brute who would dare carve a line across such lovely skin."
[Azradi(#20135)]
"Your eyes may have seen a lot and they may even have seen many women," Azradi replies, smiling. "But they have not seen me."
"But I keep my word and so I will tell you of the time I died"
"When the civil war was a still a battle of words and ideas," the lady begins. "I was assassinated while speaking out against the Emperor in the Market. The coward poisoned me first, and when it paralyzed me he struck, plunging his dagger deep into my chest. In my dying moments, he revealed himself to me."
"I was declared dead by the healers and my body brought back to the Tower. There I was cleaned, arrayed, mourned and laid out in a deep cool room to await my family. I was to be brought back to my home, Aglarrama, for entombment."
The bath-house is not /quite/ empty of other persons. Oh, no other bathers may wait their turn at the steaming tubs, but a narrow door set into one of the walls opens to disgorge a skinny young man, brown of hair and skin. He is more-or-less fully clad in an open-necked white linen shirt and fawn-coloured breeches, though his sand-coloured robe hangs loosely over one arm in concession to the stifling heat of the place. Under his other arm is tucked a ledger and a roll of parchment.
The youth looks about him then starts to circumnavigate the room, keeping to the shadows. At the sound of Azradi's voice he halts, and automatically peers in that direction. At the sight of her unclad form resting in the water he takes a small indrawn breath and swallows, hard, so that his adam's apple bobs nervously up and down.
[Lozir(#32438)]
Lozir's brow furrows at Azradi's tale this, but he rolls his head gently about to stretch his neck above his spread shoulders as he listens. "I had no idea the civil strife began so ignobly. But I take it that the healers were wrong in their assumptions...?"
He lowers his gaze then, glancing about the room, but finding nothing he merely shrugs and looks across to the other tub at last.
[Azradi(#20135)]
"Perhaps they were wrong, but it was not from incompetency," Azradi says, her own gaze following the path of Lozir's survey - perhaps alerted by his actions. Though she too, finds nothing amiss. "They found no sign of breath nor of a heartbeat and my wound did not bleed. And yet, some three days after my death, one of the healers checked on my body and there found a strange sight: I was crumpled on the floor beneath my funeral bier and I bled at last. Of breath and heart, she found signs of life though weak and erratic. I could not be awakened"
"This was the first time my brother secluded himself in the vaults beneath Farside - out of grief and for secret preparations. There were already rumors about that I had been assassinated by a Farsider working for the Emperor and so this healer would not trust the knowledge of living state with any other than Alphros - but to get to him, she had to state her business to his men - and this she dared not do. She was the third generation of her family to serve Farside and her loyalty is unimpeachable. Her husband and son serve in the guards and together, she and her family secreted me away and cared for me until such time she could reach Alphros herself. Weeks passed and still I did not awaken. She devised ways to feed me to keep me alive."
Barzhil's brown skin does not show a flush, but clearly the young man is embarrassed, for he looks hastily away from the bathing Azradi. With soft, quick footsteps he crosses the room towards the bather's alcoves.
[Lozir(#32438)]
"A most loyal woman indeed," nods Lozir to Azradi's tale, though he sniffs thoughtfully. "And who then was the man who assassinated you...?"
Finishing his question but trailing off, the Seaward Captain turns his gaze to the youthful figure of Barzhil, and with a grin of curiosity he says. "Well now, what's this? It seems you've got another admirer, Lady. What reward will you offer his blindness, I wonder..."
[Azradi(#20135)]
Curious, Azradi's head turns to look at the young man approaching the alcoves. She smiles and glances back to Lozir. "It is Barzhil, a scribe of Farside. I suppose he earns the same reward I bestow upon you. I am sure rumors abound about the Tower, but how many know the true tale?"
"And so let him hear the rest of my story even as you hear it. For the next part deals with the assassin." The Farside lady says, continuing her tale. "My mother and father arrived to claim my body and still the healer could not speak to Alphros but in time he emerged and she went to him immediately. There she revealed I lived and offered him her theories of why - for she speculates that the drug I was given to immobilize me was given in too high a dose and it mimicked death instead. Though I have other ideas"
"My brother hurried to my side and the sound of his voice roused me at last. I told him the name of my assassin and he hurried to arrest him. Though weak, I went with him. We found him at the Shrine where Su'ad, as your Lady was known then, had valiantly tried to take him herself. Alphros' wrath was terrible to behold but he kept his restraint and took him in custody rather than kill him then and there."
"And to kill him he had every right for the man was our own lieutenant, Slik'koo. He was questioned and eventually executed. What remains of his body yet hangs from our battlements."
Barzhil clearly hears the sound of his own name, for he turns his head and stammers out, "G-good evening, Lady. And to you, sir," he nods in Lozir's direction, as much as he can without actually /looking/ at the bathing pair. Whatever happened to his self-possession?
And then he appears into the alcove, disrobing just as if he were any other bather and had not just emerged from that inner room. Presumably some, at least, of Azradi's words reach his ears, but he gives no indication.
When, at last, he emerges, it is with a towel tucked discretely round his skinny waist. Gently, he coughs to announce his presence.
[Lozir(#32438)]
Lozir listens intently to the tale, nodding at whiles or raising his brow in surprise instead. But at the last detail he smiles wryly, and turns his gaze toward Barzhil. "A fitting end for a traitor, wouldn't you say, lad?" he asks of the youth. "I've heard tell of those on the high seas that do similar, and hang the corpses of mutinous crewman from the main mast, there for the sport of gulls and crows alike. Treachery is a foulness to all men, it seems, regardless of status or the land of one's birth."
To Azradi then he looks once more, and his eyes glimmer a moment ere he adds: "What reasons did the cur give for his actions?"
[Azradi(#20135)]
"He was angry at my brother," Azradi answers, pulling the suds closer to her chest as the Farside scribe approaches. "He thought Alphros had not adequately rewarded him for his service in the Poros Campaign."
"He even tried to suggest to Su'ad that Alphros had hired him to kill me," Azradi adds, clearly amused at the thought. "I suspect he wished to work mischief even after his death by driving a wedge between us, but he failed."
"Good evening, Barzhil," the Farside lady greets, cheerfully, turning her head briefly to look at the young man. It is a brief regard truly, for she soon deliberately turns her head away to afford the lad privacy to disrobe.
Barzhil blinks as he is addressed, and must perforce look in Lozir's direction ... and Azradi's. "Indeed, sir, it was a most distressing incident," he manages. "But sometimes it is best not speculate on internal Tower matters in public - I don't believe I've seen you in Farside?" One thin brow lifts.
And then Azradi addresses him, and the youth swallows nervously. "Ah ... may I?" He gestures to a nearby tub, carefully not-quite-looking at the bathing woman.
[Lozir(#32438)]
"And I dont believe -anyone- has seen you in the arms of a woman," laughs Lozir to Barzhil's words, a wolfish grin settling upon his lips. "Come now, lad. Don't get blustery about your duties, when your Lady is already being forthcoming, unless you want bluster in return."
Rolling his gaze around back to Azradi, Lozir smiles all the more. "Of course, the idea of your brother plotting against you is plainly ridiculous. What reason could a sister have to do anything but serve her brother's crown faithfully?"
[Azradi(#20135)]
"As you wish," Azradi invites, presumably to Barzhil though she continues to avert her gaze from the young man. Rather her grey eyes remain firmly on Lozir. She grins "I will grant you that it is quite possible for a brother to conspire against his sister, especially in Umbar. No, the impossibility of this notion finds reason in the particular brother and sister of this tale."
"Neither of us would betray the other. It is not in our natures and there is no reason for it. I offer him my loyalty out of choice. I am not bound by duty or tradition to serve my elder. My family expects me to pursue the path of the corsair but how I win my wealth and renown is entirely up to me. I choose to do it by his side."
The youth's adams apple bobs anew at Lozir's words, and he mutters something about "knowing how to observe the proprietries" as he lowers himself into the next tub, his back toward his fellow bathers. Should they choose to look, they will see nothing more titillating than a bony backside.
Once he is safely within the water, he turns slightly, though he still does not look at his companions, and enquires formally, "Did the would-be assassin name his master, in the end? I heard many wild rumours, but ... you know how gossip is."
[Lozir(#32438)]
Looking incredulously to the back of Barzhil's head, Lozir laughs and shakes his own anew. "Were you so busy avoiding looking at the Lady that you closed your ears also, lad? She already said: he tried to imply that Lord Alphros himself was behind it! A lie, of course," the Seaward Captain adds, looking back to Azradi.
"I suppose I should count myself fortunate that I have no siblings to vie with, in the city. I should hate to have to hang my own kin. Luckily, my crew are bound to me by similar loyalties to those that you and your brother share. It's the surest way, for oaths have a way of being twisted, as our friend from Gondor might be said to prove..."
[Azradi(#20135)]
Azradi opens her mouth to reply to the scribe, but is forestalled by the Seaward corsair's own rather blunt explanation. To it she adds: "Even that was merely implied, never stated directly. We assume that he either acted on his own out of spite or was hired by the Emperor."
"Or you could have a sibling such as me," the Farside lady says, returning her attention to Lozir. "The idea of becoming a Tower lord or the Queen of Gondor sounds terribly boring. I prefer to be second in command, as I am now. I find this position grants the right amounts of power and liberty to suit me."
"But yes, I agree with you. The core of my personal crew is from Aglarrama. They serve my brother and I for personal loyalities."
Now Barzhil /does/ look at Lozir directly, and there is a frown on his sharp features. "And since everyone knows that that accusation lacks truth to it, I wondered what he revealed when he was .. ahem, questioned more diligently," he retorts to the man.
Azradi's answer brings a soft sigh to his lips, quiet as the wind that hisses amidst the reeds. "The Emperor would seem to have motive," he agrees drily, and then is silent, busying himself in washing his thin limbs in the steaming water.
[Lozir(#32438)]
Lozir nods to Azradi, merely grinning at Barzhil's words, and replies: "As it should be. Though, I do confess, second in command does have its own limitations. My ship is my own, and I would have it no other way."
[Azradi(#20135)]
"It does," agrees Azradi, sinking lower into the water. One long, glistening leg emerges and she lathers it up with a bar of soap before doing likewise to the second. "But I would not like to live constantly with so many people around me. I like to be able to walk the streets of Umbar without an escort."
"Are you still working for Tower Black, Barzhil?" she asks, conversationally.
At the Lady's query, Barzhil turns his head again. At the sight of that shapely leg he starts, sending water lapping gently against the sides of the bathtub. The youth takes a few deep breaths as though to calm himself. "I have carried out occasional book-keeping for the Steward Mirag, but since the recent ... unfortunate incidents," here he clears his throat, "I find my income much reduced. In a position such as mine, one is alas, a slave to means, much as one might wish to philanthropize, and so ... I have taken on work elsewhere. Such as the bath-house here," he ends smoothly, just as though the massage parlour had nothing to do with his recent visit. And most certainly not that comely new masseur!
[Lozir(#32438)]
Lozir meanwhile has fewer qualms about observing the shapely leg, and does so with a smile to himself as the two other discuss Barzhil's career. However, at the mention of extra work, the Seaward Captain suggests: "I could always use a lad with writing skills, also. Inventory is a serious matter, and my current scribe is getting on in years."
[Azradi(#20135)]
The legs disappear beneath frothy waters. Sitting up, but retaining a modest degree of coverage, Azradi replies: "A pity, then. I suppose this means Jugartha is no longer obligated to work for us. Though I will ask him to continue on if he is willing. Or if the man ever leaves the desert."
Arms, shoulder, chest and face are all lathered in turn. Then with a splash, the Farside lady ducks beneath the water, her knees emerging like mountain islands. Her long black hair billows and floats across the surface for a moment before being pulled down with her.
Barzhil looks to Lozir. "As it happens, I do believe I am in a position to take on a new client." He manages not to sound /too/ desparate. He hesitates. "If, that is, the Lady Azradi is willing. Inter-tower cooperation, carried out with the best of intentions, can sometimes lead to regrettable misunderstandings."
He looks in the direction of Azradi, and sees nothing but twin .. islands. Hastily he chokes and looks away.
[Lozir(#32438)]
"But also glorious nights," chuckles Lozir, softly in reply to Barzhil. "Some experiences are worth the hassle they lead to, if you know what I mean, lad," he winks, and then glances across to Azradi once more. "But if you want work, and coin, I have plenty for you. Come to the docks in the morning, perhaps, and seek out the Naloinzil. Ask for Alazne she'll get you set up and see what you can do..."
[Azradi(#20135)]
Azradi surfaces as the Seaward Captain offers directions to his ship. Dashing the water from her eyes, the lady looks between the two men. "You are finding work with Lozir, Barzhil? Excellent." She rests her gaze on the former, squeezing the water from her long hair. "You will be happy with him, he is a diligent and accurate young man. He has served Alphros well."
Barzhil blinks at Azradi's words. "Really?" he remarks in a tone of polite enquiry, not looking round this time in case he sees more of his Tower Lord's sister than a proper and polite young man should. "I am delighted to hear it!" Oddly, he neither looks nor sounds delighted - rather, his eyes narrow slightly and a frown-line appears between his thin brows.
It is swiftly smoothed away, and he turns to Lozir with a smile. "I am sure it will be a pleasure doing business with you!" he exclaims heartily. "Be assured I will be there early on the morrow. And speaking of such things, I should really be going. I wish you both a - ah, a good evening." This said, he stretches out a hand for his towel.
[Lozir(#32438)]
"And to you," nods Lozir, waving a hand airily, having not once stirred from his position this entire time. Arms still spread wide, his chest stretched open and lips smiling, the Seaward Captain adds: "Don't worry, I wont look..."
Lozir rolls his head about to regard Azradi once more.
[Azradi(#20135)]
Something, perhaps tone of voice, catches the attention of Azradi. She looks at the Scribe for a moment, studying his bony back but soon turns away as he reaches for his towel. Her attention gravitates back to Lozir even as he looks at her. She begins to lather her hair, her eyes wandering to the ink on his chest. "Those are very interesting tattoos," she comments.
Azradi's words only hasten Barzhil's departure. Climbing out of the water, the youth deftly wraps the towel round his thin frame and fairly scurries away toward the alcoves, swallowing for all he's worth, and leaving the bathing pair to do ... well, whatever it is that men and women do in the baths.
The marble entrance hall opens into a single large room with a high vaulted ceiling. Here, despite the many sunken brass tubs set into the floor and continuously being filled with hot water by servants, the air is refreshingly cool and humid compared to the street outside. Cinammon incence smolders in ornately enameled blue urns around the room and the floor is composed of brightly colored mosaic tiles. Thick steam curls around to caress those who enter as well as partially obscures those who are submurged in the hot waters.
Bustling with presicion are white clad serving men and woman who attend to your every need and greet you at the door. Silk screens are set up to one side to allow those who are more timid about nudity a semi-private place to change and shelves set into the wall hold clean towels and client's clothing.
Obvious exits:
Zuxzulder's Massage Parlor and Out
[+TIME] Middle-earth time is:
Nighttime on Hevensday, Day 16 of February.
Execute the +TIMEFRAME command for year information.
Real time is: 13:54:11 MDT on Sun Jun 07 2009.
[Azradi(#20135)]
The Seaward Fleet Master is not as quite alone as he thought. A tall woman emerges from behind a screen. She wears her towel wrapped around her lean figure but so tall is she, the lady is forced to choose where she will retain modesty and where it will be forsaken. And so revealing as much as a courtesan's bodice, the lady moves quickly towards the tub the attendants have prepared for her. Perversely, it is the one next to the sole other patron.
Azradi hesitates at sight of the male corsair and looks about her uncertainly.
[Lozir(#32438)]
Soft as her steps are upon the floor, they are loud enough to draw attention in the otherwise empty hall, and Lozir's eyes flicker open as she approaches. It takes a moment for him to collect his thoughts, but as he catches sight of Azradi he grins. Looking her up and down unashamedly he then tilts his head to one side, and greets her:
"An unexpected pleasure indeed, Captain. You dont have private baths in your brother's halls?"
[Azradi(#20135)]
Blushing as she is examined so boldly, Azradi clutches at her towel all the more firmly with one hand and spreads the other protectively over the center of her chest. Her long black hair is unbound and splays across her shoulders and back - but not enough to entirely obscure the collection of scars across her shoulders. Nor, more significantly, the dagger-width scar directly above her left breast.
"We do," she answers, looking around the room with a slightly distressed expression. "I was told...this is not what I expected. I thought the bathhouse had pools and were segregated."
"Will you turn your head, please?" she asks, returning her gaze to Lozir.
[Lozir(#32438)]
"With the utmost reluctance, very well," replies the other, winking ere taking a second, just as obvious survey of his Farside counterpart. An exaggerated sigh leaves his lips then, and Lozir tilts back his head to face the ceiling, before closing his eyes.
"However," adds he then in a conversational tone, "the price for my blindness is the tale of how you came to gain that scar above your breast. No man alive could forgive the one who did that..."
[Azradi(#20135)]
"Thank you," Azradi says, smiling politely. "I agree to your terms, happily."
Once the man has closed his eyes, Azradi unwraps her towel sending wisps of steam to swirl and dance. What could already be seen by her bare legs is confirmed by the sight of the rest of her: Where she is not kissed by the sun, her skin is light.
The Farside lady lets her towel fall to the floor and lowers herself into her tub. Once modestly installed, she glances to her companion, "You can open your eyes now."
[Lozir(#32438)]
Doing so, but continuing to examine the ceiling, Lozir smiles to himself with the lightest shake of his head. "These eyes have seen a great deal, Lady, so you need not worry for shocking them. But, fair is fair, and a deal struck. Tell me of the shameless brute who would dare carve a line across such lovely skin."
[Azradi(#20135)]
"Your eyes may have seen a lot and they may even have seen many women," Azradi replies, smiling. "But they have not seen me."
"But I keep my word and so I will tell you of the time I died"
"When the civil war was a still a battle of words and ideas," the lady begins. "I was assassinated while speaking out against the Emperor in the Market. The coward poisoned me first, and when it paralyzed me he struck, plunging his dagger deep into my chest. In my dying moments, he revealed himself to me."
"I was declared dead by the healers and my body brought back to the Tower. There I was cleaned, arrayed, mourned and laid out in a deep cool room to await my family. I was to be brought back to my home, Aglarrama, for entombment."
The bath-house is not /quite/ empty of other persons. Oh, no other bathers may wait their turn at the steaming tubs, but a narrow door set into one of the walls opens to disgorge a skinny young man, brown of hair and skin. He is more-or-less fully clad in an open-necked white linen shirt and fawn-coloured breeches, though his sand-coloured robe hangs loosely over one arm in concession to the stifling heat of the place. Under his other arm is tucked a ledger and a roll of parchment.
The youth looks about him then starts to circumnavigate the room, keeping to the shadows. At the sound of Azradi's voice he halts, and automatically peers in that direction. At the sight of her unclad form resting in the water he takes a small indrawn breath and swallows, hard, so that his adam's apple bobs nervously up and down.
[Lozir(#32438)]
Lozir's brow furrows at Azradi's tale this, but he rolls his head gently about to stretch his neck above his spread shoulders as he listens. "I had no idea the civil strife began so ignobly. But I take it that the healers were wrong in their assumptions...?"
He lowers his gaze then, glancing about the room, but finding nothing he merely shrugs and looks across to the other tub at last.
[Azradi(#20135)]
"Perhaps they were wrong, but it was not from incompetency," Azradi says, her own gaze following the path of Lozir's survey - perhaps alerted by his actions. Though she too, finds nothing amiss. "They found no sign of breath nor of a heartbeat and my wound did not bleed. And yet, some three days after my death, one of the healers checked on my body and there found a strange sight: I was crumpled on the floor beneath my funeral bier and I bled at last. Of breath and heart, she found signs of life though weak and erratic. I could not be awakened"
"This was the first time my brother secluded himself in the vaults beneath Farside - out of grief and for secret preparations. There were already rumors about that I had been assassinated by a Farsider working for the Emperor and so this healer would not trust the knowledge of living state with any other than Alphros - but to get to him, she had to state her business to his men - and this she dared not do. She was the third generation of her family to serve Farside and her loyalty is unimpeachable. Her husband and son serve in the guards and together, she and her family secreted me away and cared for me until such time she could reach Alphros herself. Weeks passed and still I did not awaken. She devised ways to feed me to keep me alive."
Barzhil's brown skin does not show a flush, but clearly the young man is embarrassed, for he looks hastily away from the bathing Azradi. With soft, quick footsteps he crosses the room towards the bather's alcoves.
[Lozir(#32438)]
"A most loyal woman indeed," nods Lozir to Azradi's tale, though he sniffs thoughtfully. "And who then was the man who assassinated you...?"
Finishing his question but trailing off, the Seaward Captain turns his gaze to the youthful figure of Barzhil, and with a grin of curiosity he says. "Well now, what's this? It seems you've got another admirer, Lady. What reward will you offer his blindness, I wonder..."
[Azradi(#20135)]
Curious, Azradi's head turns to look at the young man approaching the alcoves. She smiles and glances back to Lozir. "It is Barzhil, a scribe of Farside. I suppose he earns the same reward I bestow upon you. I am sure rumors abound about the Tower, but how many know the true tale?"
"And so let him hear the rest of my story even as you hear it. For the next part deals with the assassin." The Farside lady says, continuing her tale. "My mother and father arrived to claim my body and still the healer could not speak to Alphros but in time he emerged and she went to him immediately. There she revealed I lived and offered him her theories of why - for she speculates that the drug I was given to immobilize me was given in too high a dose and it mimicked death instead. Though I have other ideas"
"My brother hurried to my side and the sound of his voice roused me at last. I told him the name of my assassin and he hurried to arrest him. Though weak, I went with him. We found him at the Shrine where Su'ad, as your Lady was known then, had valiantly tried to take him herself. Alphros' wrath was terrible to behold but he kept his restraint and took him in custody rather than kill him then and there."
"And to kill him he had every right for the man was our own lieutenant, Slik'koo. He was questioned and eventually executed. What remains of his body yet hangs from our battlements."
Barzhil clearly hears the sound of his own name, for he turns his head and stammers out, "G-good evening, Lady. And to you, sir," he nods in Lozir's direction, as much as he can without actually /looking/ at the bathing pair. Whatever happened to his self-possession?
And then he appears into the alcove, disrobing just as if he were any other bather and had not just emerged from that inner room. Presumably some, at least, of Azradi's words reach his ears, but he gives no indication.
When, at last, he emerges, it is with a towel tucked discretely round his skinny waist. Gently, he coughs to announce his presence.
[Lozir(#32438)]
Lozir listens intently to the tale, nodding at whiles or raising his brow in surprise instead. But at the last detail he smiles wryly, and turns his gaze toward Barzhil. "A fitting end for a traitor, wouldn't you say, lad?" he asks of the youth. "I've heard tell of those on the high seas that do similar, and hang the corpses of mutinous crewman from the main mast, there for the sport of gulls and crows alike. Treachery is a foulness to all men, it seems, regardless of status or the land of one's birth."
To Azradi then he looks once more, and his eyes glimmer a moment ere he adds: "What reasons did the cur give for his actions?"
[Azradi(#20135)]
"He was angry at my brother," Azradi answers, pulling the suds closer to her chest as the Farside scribe approaches. "He thought Alphros had not adequately rewarded him for his service in the Poros Campaign."
"He even tried to suggest to Su'ad that Alphros had hired him to kill me," Azradi adds, clearly amused at the thought. "I suspect he wished to work mischief even after his death by driving a wedge between us, but he failed."
"Good evening, Barzhil," the Farside lady greets, cheerfully, turning her head briefly to look at the young man. It is a brief regard truly, for she soon deliberately turns her head away to afford the lad privacy to disrobe.
Barzhil blinks as he is addressed, and must perforce look in Lozir's direction ... and Azradi's. "Indeed, sir, it was a most distressing incident," he manages. "But sometimes it is best not speculate on internal Tower matters in public - I don't believe I've seen you in Farside?" One thin brow lifts.
And then Azradi addresses him, and the youth swallows nervously. "Ah ... may I?" He gestures to a nearby tub, carefully not-quite-looking at the bathing woman.
[Lozir(#32438)]
"And I dont believe -anyone- has seen you in the arms of a woman," laughs Lozir to Barzhil's words, a wolfish grin settling upon his lips. "Come now, lad. Don't get blustery about your duties, when your Lady is already being forthcoming, unless you want bluster in return."
Rolling his gaze around back to Azradi, Lozir smiles all the more. "Of course, the idea of your brother plotting against you is plainly ridiculous. What reason could a sister have to do anything but serve her brother's crown faithfully?"
[Azradi(#20135)]
"As you wish," Azradi invites, presumably to Barzhil though she continues to avert her gaze from the young man. Rather her grey eyes remain firmly on Lozir. She grins "I will grant you that it is quite possible for a brother to conspire against his sister, especially in Umbar. No, the impossibility of this notion finds reason in the particular brother and sister of this tale."
"Neither of us would betray the other. It is not in our natures and there is no reason for it. I offer him my loyalty out of choice. I am not bound by duty or tradition to serve my elder. My family expects me to pursue the path of the corsair but how I win my wealth and renown is entirely up to me. I choose to do it by his side."
The youth's adams apple bobs anew at Lozir's words, and he mutters something about "knowing how to observe the proprietries" as he lowers himself into the next tub, his back toward his fellow bathers. Should they choose to look, they will see nothing more titillating than a bony backside.
Once he is safely within the water, he turns slightly, though he still does not look at his companions, and enquires formally, "Did the would-be assassin name his master, in the end? I heard many wild rumours, but ... you know how gossip is."
[Lozir(#32438)]
Looking incredulously to the back of Barzhil's head, Lozir laughs and shakes his own anew. "Were you so busy avoiding looking at the Lady that you closed your ears also, lad? She already said: he tried to imply that Lord Alphros himself was behind it! A lie, of course," the Seaward Captain adds, looking back to Azradi.
"I suppose I should count myself fortunate that I have no siblings to vie with, in the city. I should hate to have to hang my own kin. Luckily, my crew are bound to me by similar loyalties to those that you and your brother share. It's the surest way, for oaths have a way of being twisted, as our friend from Gondor might be said to prove..."
[Azradi(#20135)]
Azradi opens her mouth to reply to the scribe, but is forestalled by the Seaward corsair's own rather blunt explanation. To it she adds: "Even that was merely implied, never stated directly. We assume that he either acted on his own out of spite or was hired by the Emperor."
"Or you could have a sibling such as me," the Farside lady says, returning her attention to Lozir. "The idea of becoming a Tower lord or the Queen of Gondor sounds terribly boring. I prefer to be second in command, as I am now. I find this position grants the right amounts of power and liberty to suit me."
"But yes, I agree with you. The core of my personal crew is from Aglarrama. They serve my brother and I for personal loyalities."
Now Barzhil /does/ look at Lozir directly, and there is a frown on his sharp features. "And since everyone knows that that accusation lacks truth to it, I wondered what he revealed when he was .. ahem, questioned more diligently," he retorts to the man.
Azradi's answer brings a soft sigh to his lips, quiet as the wind that hisses amidst the reeds. "The Emperor would seem to have motive," he agrees drily, and then is silent, busying himself in washing his thin limbs in the steaming water.
[Lozir(#32438)]
Lozir nods to Azradi, merely grinning at Barzhil's words, and replies: "As it should be. Though, I do confess, second in command does have its own limitations. My ship is my own, and I would have it no other way."
[Azradi(#20135)]
"It does," agrees Azradi, sinking lower into the water. One long, glistening leg emerges and she lathers it up with a bar of soap before doing likewise to the second. "But I would not like to live constantly with so many people around me. I like to be able to walk the streets of Umbar without an escort."
"Are you still working for Tower Black, Barzhil?" she asks, conversationally.
At the Lady's query, Barzhil turns his head again. At the sight of that shapely leg he starts, sending water lapping gently against the sides of the bathtub. The youth takes a few deep breaths as though to calm himself. "I have carried out occasional book-keeping for the Steward Mirag, but since the recent ... unfortunate incidents," here he clears his throat, "I find my income much reduced. In a position such as mine, one is alas, a slave to means, much as one might wish to philanthropize, and so ... I have taken on work elsewhere. Such as the bath-house here," he ends smoothly, just as though the massage parlour had nothing to do with his recent visit. And most certainly not that comely new masseur!
[Lozir(#32438)]
Lozir meanwhile has fewer qualms about observing the shapely leg, and does so with a smile to himself as the two other discuss Barzhil's career. However, at the mention of extra work, the Seaward Captain suggests: "I could always use a lad with writing skills, also. Inventory is a serious matter, and my current scribe is getting on in years."
[Azradi(#20135)]
The legs disappear beneath frothy waters. Sitting up, but retaining a modest degree of coverage, Azradi replies: "A pity, then. I suppose this means Jugartha is no longer obligated to work for us. Though I will ask him to continue on if he is willing. Or if the man ever leaves the desert."
Arms, shoulder, chest and face are all lathered in turn. Then with a splash, the Farside lady ducks beneath the water, her knees emerging like mountain islands. Her long black hair billows and floats across the surface for a moment before being pulled down with her.
Barzhil looks to Lozir. "As it happens, I do believe I am in a position to take on a new client." He manages not to sound /too/ desparate. He hesitates. "If, that is, the Lady Azradi is willing. Inter-tower cooperation, carried out with the best of intentions, can sometimes lead to regrettable misunderstandings."
He looks in the direction of Azradi, and sees nothing but twin .. islands. Hastily he chokes and looks away.
[Lozir(#32438)]
"But also glorious nights," chuckles Lozir, softly in reply to Barzhil. "Some experiences are worth the hassle they lead to, if you know what I mean, lad," he winks, and then glances across to Azradi once more. "But if you want work, and coin, I have plenty for you. Come to the docks in the morning, perhaps, and seek out the Naloinzil. Ask for Alazne she'll get you set up and see what you can do..."
[Azradi(#20135)]
Azradi surfaces as the Seaward Captain offers directions to his ship. Dashing the water from her eyes, the lady looks between the two men. "You are finding work with Lozir, Barzhil? Excellent." She rests her gaze on the former, squeezing the water from her long hair. "You will be happy with him, he is a diligent and accurate young man. He has served Alphros well."
Barzhil blinks at Azradi's words. "Really?" he remarks in a tone of polite enquiry, not looking round this time in case he sees more of his Tower Lord's sister than a proper and polite young man should. "I am delighted to hear it!" Oddly, he neither looks nor sounds delighted - rather, his eyes narrow slightly and a frown-line appears between his thin brows.
It is swiftly smoothed away, and he turns to Lozir with a smile. "I am sure it will be a pleasure doing business with you!" he exclaims heartily. "Be assured I will be there early on the morrow. And speaking of such things, I should really be going. I wish you both a - ah, a good evening." This said, he stretches out a hand for his towel.
[Lozir(#32438)]
"And to you," nods Lozir, waving a hand airily, having not once stirred from his position this entire time. Arms still spread wide, his chest stretched open and lips smiling, the Seaward Captain adds: "Don't worry, I wont look..."
Lozir rolls his head about to regard Azradi once more.
[Azradi(#20135)]
Something, perhaps tone of voice, catches the attention of Azradi. She looks at the Scribe for a moment, studying his bony back but soon turns away as he reaches for his towel. Her attention gravitates back to Lozir even as he looks at her. She begins to lather her hair, her eyes wandering to the ink on his chest. "Those are very interesting tattoos," she comments.
Azradi's words only hasten Barzhil's departure. Climbing out of the water, the youth deftly wraps the towel round his thin frame and fairly scurries away toward the alcoves, swallowing for all he's worth, and leaving the bathing pair to do ... well, whatever it is that men and women do in the baths.
Players: Azradi, Lozir, Barzhil
Located in: Haradrim
