Especially on a day such as today, a bath was so much more than a simple cleaning ritual for the nymph. The touch of the water on her skin gave her that very distinct feeling of home.  She was gone for barely a day. But already she longed to go back. How could she think differently after today?  Luckily, the feeling subsided somewhat by the water’s warmth, soothing her spirit’s restlessness as if Genidoris herself was singing her a lullaby. The water was not confined by the bath. Instead, it had shaped itself around Lanassa resembling a sphere.  Inside Lanassa drifted, curled up and eyes closed. Not awake nor asleep, she had entered in some kind of restful trance.  She enjoyed the peace she had now for as long as she’d be able to. She knew she couldn’t stay in here forever, if only.  

Only like this was Lanassa able to forget all that troubled her, even if it was only for a little while. In the meantime,  the manipulation of the water made for good practice.  The way she was controlling this wasn’t particularly hard, but the length made it a good test of endurance. It was something she’d done more often back at home, sweet home.  And now. following  years of practice, Lanassa could hold this for long times while basically meditating. It was a method Opis used herself when she was still in training, so she was told.  If this training held water (pun intended) for those thousands of years, then surely it’s worth something. 

The longer this went on, the more her mind drifted. She thought of the temple. Did they miss her already? Were they cleaning the temple properly, or were they still slacking off? Maybe Opis finally whipped them into gear now that they didn’t have their youngest little acolyte to push every chore onto.  And as she thought of Opis, she remembered one very particular occasion…

[hr]
[b]”Lanassa!”[/b] The older priestess growled with a frown and crossed arms at the eight-year old girl that obviously wasn’t paying any attention. [b]”Listen to me for once, for Genidoris’ sake! This is the third time this month you were out after curfew!  The third! ”[/b] She held three fingers in front of Lanassa’s face as she said that. [b]”We have rules, child. They’re there not because we like them, but because we want to keep us all safe. You most of all.”[/b] This line seemed to catch Lanassa’s attention, as she stared straight into the violet eyes of her superior. [color=00aeef][b]”Rules, Polynome?”[/b][/color] Much like other Nymphs, Polynome was a ravishing sight to behold.  She had a humble two-hundred years to her name. Her skin was so pale that it almost seemed to glow. In contrast, she had dark raven hair that rested just above her butt.  Her incredibly slender stature and lack of curvaceous features made her appear a lot younger than the usual Nymph that had stopped aging, a feature that was incredibly highly valued amongst certain members of both sexes.  Lanassa could appreciate that beauty, but she hoped she’d have a little more… development herself. It seemed the most popular Nymphs, such as queen Amphritrite and high priestess Opis, had curves more often than not. [color=00aeef][b]”Why should I follow rules that nobody else follows? I had to clean our sleeping quarters because you didn’t do so! Isn’t it a rule to do your chores, Poly? I want some time to play too!”[/b][/color] Lanassa answered with a frown of her own. 

Polynome rose a brow [b]”That is no way to speak to your superior, young lady! I had important reasons to leave that to you… yes… I was very busy!”[/b] Lanassa shook her head. [color=00aeef][b]”Busy with that guy again.”[/b][/color] She blurted out. Polynome’s eyes spurted open slightly, but she had not anticipated the exact knowledge of the child. [color=00aeef][b]”Every Monday, 3PM, under the great willow in the temple garden… he had his hands in your clothes when you  two kissed today... and then you two left.”[/b][/color] Polynome stumbled backward, letting out a high pitched [b]”Eep!”[/b] as she did. Nymph children weren’t particularly prudishly raised, but there were things not meant for the eyes of a child. [b]”Lanassa, I swear to the spirits themselves. Go to your room, think about what tone you are using and never speak of such things again.”[/b] Unfortunately for Polynome, her young stature was ill-suited for intimidation. Lanassa bared her teeth in anger, then stuck out her tongue. [color=00aeef][b]”You can’t make me!”[/b][/color] Lanassa then ran off, closely followed by Polynome.

The temple grounds, normally so tranquil, were disturbed by the sounds of angered shouting and the muttering of bystanders. Yet, all sound was immediately silenced by the entrance of Opis herself. Her presence was like an aura that blanketed the entire area that demanded immediate attention and respect. The natural demeanor of this age-old nymph, composed of soft grey eyes and a gentle smile and accompanied by downright extreme composure, was not one that demanded tranquility. Rather, the simple feeling that she was around you seemed to demand acknowledgement of the authority that you were expected to give to the most important attendant of the water spirit. It was an authority demanded  not by fear, but simply by astounding charisma. Her simple, demanding presence alone was enough to silence everybody before she had even uttered a word. She took a few seconds to take in the situation before she spoke in a calm voice. [color=bc8dbf][b]”Please, everyone, return to your activities. I shall see this matter settled.”[/b][/color] She then looked at Polynome, who instantly shuddered. She knew that, as one of the two shouting, she had to stay to settle this matter. And that made her anything but happy. If Opis had to get involved, you knew you were going to be in trouble. 

[b]”O-opis, ma’am.[/b] Polynome stuttered [b]”Lanassa, s-she’s…”[/b]the nymph pointed upward, into the great willow where the figure of the young Lanassa could be seen, sitting comfortably on one of the branches. She looked at Opis, and immediately pointed at Polynome and shouted. [color=00aeef][b]”Her fault!”[/b][/color] Of all trees, this one was particularly high, and it should speak for itself that climbing it wasn’t allowed. [color=bc8dbf][b]”I assume there is an explanation for this…nonsense.”[/b][/color] Polynome shrunk slightly as she tried to explain the situation through stuttering and squirming. One simply did not lie to Opis, and Lanassa made sure that Polynome didn’t leave out a single painful detail from up there. Ultimately, Opis simply sighed. [color=bc8dbf][b]”Am I to conclude that I have yet another case of negligence to add to your resume, Polynome?”[/b][/color] The younger priestess was practically groveling at this point in a mixture of shame and acceptance of said shame. And that needed no confirmation [color=bc8dbf][b]”Yes, I will see to it personally that you are put to work daily for the next five years. No breaks for you… as for you…”[/b][/color] Opis looked upward, straight at the young Lanassa. Within a fraction of a second, a large burst of water erupted from beneath the feet of Opis, propelling her to exactly Lanassa’s height and landed on the branch. Startled, Lanassa let out a yelp before promptly falling backward. However, the water used to propel Opis had already worked its way upward. Masterfully, the water formed itself in a sphere around Lanassa, preventing a rather dangerous plummet. Opis shook her head before jumping into the sphere herself and then guiding it downward. Once their feet were once again safely planted on the temple’s soil, Lanassa was able to feel the looming presence of the head priestess. She was drenched in the water, while Opis was somehow completely dry. [color=bc8dbf][b]”You, child, seem to forget why I worry about you on a daily basis. I will not accept you skipping curfew again… and if I see you climbing this tree one more time I will see to it personally that you won’t be walking around unattended for the coming three-hundred years. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”[/b][/color] Not so much by her words, but more by Opis’ unusual action, Lanassa nodded her head hastily. She quivered at the aura that the woman was surrounding herself with. Lanassa wasn’t sure how to describe it. It seemed to be seething with rage, but that same rage was seeded in boundless worry and love. Lanassa walked away from this experience with two things: The first was a lesson: You could make Opis mad once and get away with it, but you did not do it twice. The second thing was a six-month long detention. 

[hr]
About an hour had passed since she had entered the bathroom, and then Lanassa’s memories were rather abruptly disrupted by the sound of knocking, along with the voice she recognized as the wereserpent’s. She wasn’t entirely sure whether the serpentine lisp he had was adorable, or incredibly irritating. Either way, she’d have to live with it for now. She broke out of her meditation and quickly wrapped a towel around her surprisingly dry body. [color=00aeef][b]”Coming!”[/b][/color] Within about five seconds, the door opened to stand face-to-face with the serpent. It wouldn’t be hard to notice for Morpheus that the Nymph’s expression seemed a lot more happy than it had before. Or maybe it would be hard for Morpheus to notice her face at all. After all, despite properly covering herself this towel did a rather poor job at masking Lanassa’s voluptuous figure. Her priestess garb, that she had worn since she left home as a sign of respect, did a rather amazing job at hiding such features. Still, Lanassa wasn’t exactly prudish. As long as she wasn’t stark naked, she wasn’t exactly against showing off a little. [color=00aeef][b]”Is there something you need?”[/b][/color]