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[Sub][right] Interacting with: [@Hero][/right][/sub]

Oh dear Goddess, was this what was in store for them every time they visited the arena? Clarissa felt what little enthusiasm she had left ebbing away at the thought. She’d found herself gulping down air early in the exercise, the burning in her lungs arguably as awful as the Professors’ sadistic beatings. She’d been confident at the beginning; after all, she sparred with her father regularly, she was no slouch of an equestrian, and no one could claim she idled around long enough for the occasional sweet to find any serious purchase on her and here she was, leaning against the arena wall, struggling for breath as if she’d never lifted a finger in her life. She’d read about the effects of mountain air, how it became more difficult to breath the higher up you climbed, but dear Goddess, she’d figured they’d spent enough time to have acclimated! Between the ever present chill and the burning in her lungs, Clarissa believed that one of Jorah’s crude expletives could best capture the essence of her feelings at the moment.

[i]Fuck![/i]

She could feel her blood pumping where Professor Michail landed blow after blow after blow without concern or care. The man moved like lightning and Clarissa wasn’t sure she actually learned anything. How could you learn how to avoid something you couldn’t even see coming? At least Professor Malathice had the decency to warn them and guide them through the process and she was ever so grateful that her House’s leader had mercy. Clarissa may have still struggled to anticipate Professor Euphemia’s blows but at least she couldn’t still feel the sting of them. Who in the world believed Michail made a reasonable Professor? Between his indolent attitude and lack of restraint, the man was a brute through and through. 

Clarissa all but sobbed in relief at Professor Simeon’s suggestion. A hot bath would soothe the aches and help ease the mountain chill in her bones that she could never seem to chase away. She’d always known she’d disliked the cold but learning that it returned the sentiment was an unwelcome discovery. She trudged across the arena, unconcerned with anything other than putting one foot in front of the other without the exhaustion pulling her face first to the ground, and was more than happy to bid the arena grounds goodbye as she passed through the gates. 

Once she found her way to the sauna, she practically threw herself into a shower, intent on cleaning herself quickly as possible so she could soak in the warm water for longer. The first time she’d come to the bathing area, she’d been hesitant. Of course she needed to bathe but it felt particularly indecent to be as open as this space suggested. She’d never been interested in exploring [i]public bathing[/i] like this offered and she’d never come across anywhere that demanded she did. As the only option however, it wasn’t like she could turn it down. The first week had been awkward and even now, she still felt the twinge of indignation but frankly, she needed some form of relief and the open bath was so inviting. 

As soon as she found herself clean, Clarissa passed into the next room and took a deep breath. The scent of eucalyptus in the warm air already had the tenseness in her muscles loosening and she barely paid any attention at all to the others in the room as she sunk into the bath. The relaxing drag of moving water immediately started soothing away the aches and she let out an appreciative sigh, eyes closed as she leaned her head back against the side. She soaked for a few quiet minutes, listening to the sound of the waterfalls in the background, before fully submerging herself. She came up shortly after, massaging she fingers through her hair as she took a moment to look around.

Three others shared the bath. Two girls she vaguely recognized vaguely from around the grounds and one she knew far better: Veronica Berenike von Gerth, future princess consort of Adrestia. Despite her early decision to do so, Clarissa had yet to find an opportunity to introduce herself to the Prince’s bride-to-be. And while this was frankly a subpar opportunity, it was an opportunity nonetheless! She just had to grab the wyvern by the horns and deal with the unusual circumstances. How in the world was she ever going to explain to her family that her first one-on-one meeting with the future princess consort was in a public bath?

[color=FF650E]"Goddess above, today proved more challenging than educational, didn't it? I wished I could say equally but considering Professor Michail's lack of instruction, I'm not certain I can."[/color] Clarissa laughed, offering Veronica an easy smile. [color=FF650E]"We haven't been formally introduced. Clarissa von Edmund, heiress to the Margravate of Edmund. I'd offer you a curtsy but I believe my body may seek vengeance if I demand much more movement from it."[/color]