[h2]Gertrude and Tyaethe[/h2]

[hider=Shenanigans]
There it was again… [i]something[/i] had an unpleasantly sharp smell to it. It didn't smell quite like anything else Tyaethe could think of but it stung, hanging cloying in the air. She had asked around, and nothing about the way Candaeln was cleaned had changed recently, so it had to be something introduced externally by one of the knights. It wasn't the fairies; they smelled… well, pretty much like their element, and so long as Laoise was happy to stay near the forge, the smell of woodsmoke wasn't overpowering. Fiadh smelled like a tree.

Then this must be…

As Gertrude rounded the corner, it was exceptionally unlikely that she would have expected the vampire to almost spring from her seated position and… sniff at her stomach?

“A bleeding [i]stick[/i],” Gertrude muttered as she paced the grounds, looking down at the present the Moonlit Queen had gifted her. In between naps, her thoughts were occupied by the meaning of this thing, and it annoyed her to no end.

What was she even supposed to do with-

…And that’s when Tyaethe leapt at her, just as she was turning a corner. Her immediate reaction was to blast her attacker, immolate the sod, but she quickly recognized the owner of that snow-white hair. Her fingers had sparked with flame which quickly died down, and her irritated complaints were subsumed entirely in a series of giggles as Tyaethe’s nose brushed up against her belly.

“Eheehee… p-p-piss off! T-that- ehee… w-what are you doing, you daft- YAYA!”

Gertrude was, in fact, rather ticklish there.

The head snapped up from her stomach, eyes giving her a grumpy half-lidded stare. "You [i]stink.[/i]"

The vampire also paused for a second before adding, "… and don't call me Yaya. [sub]Why do you even [i]know[/i] that, it's even rarer than my name down here…[/sub]"

Gertrude’s cheeks colored as she shot Tyaethe a dissatisfied frown.

“I don’t bleeding [i]stink[/i], I use cleaning magic on myself [i]daily[/i],” Gertrude said matter-of-factly, “the spell also takes care of various other health concerns, like providing nutrition and preventing disease. I developed it using components of various spells, and made it into an all-purpose physical maintenance spell.”

Gertrude smirked with no small amount of pride.

“...And ‘Yaya’ is cute, and I like it. A step up from ‘Mosquito’, wouldn’t you say? Perhaps you’re growing on me.”

One fairy-mandated sing-along and suddenly it was like you were all friends. Or maybe it was a witch thing? Jump straight to being overly-familiar as soon as you were done trying to be distant. And if you argued about it, it just got worse and worse. Still, why did she even [i]know[/i] that was right… she didn't have the accent for someone from Stalva, so it wasn't that, and she was pretty sure the girl wasn't from Ithillin.

[i]But[/i] Gertrude had given her the answer. "It's the magic. [i]That's[/i] what stinks," the vampire said, confidently stepping back. It was something clinging to her like a shroud, which… probably made sense if it was meant to be a series of daily effects. Just annoying if you were sensitive to it.

Gertrude shook her head.

“It smells just fine to me, Yaya,” she replied, happy that the nickname seemed to have gotten on the woman’s nerves in a fun new way, “and it’s not like I’ve gotten any other complaints.”

It occurred to Gertrude that Tyaethe had to be immensely sensitive for the scent to bother her, though it didn’t really come as any surprise, given what Gertrude had heard and witnessed in regards to the vampire.

“If that’s all, then, I’ll be off,” she teased, smirking.

A small hand grabbed her wrist, the grip gentle – and yet no less yielding than if an iron bar had suddenly snaked its way around her arm. "Hold up. Why are you using cleaning magic now? The baths are [i]right there.[/i]"

Sure, the magic might be faster, but… well, Tyaethe had yet to see much indication that the Witch apprentice needed to squeeze out any extra time. The blonde-pink girl spent nearly as much time napping as [i]she[/i] did.

Gertrude frowned. Getting grabbed by Tyaethe essentially meant that you would have to humor her to her satisfaction, because there was no other way to get out of this grapple save for violence.

Gertrude remembered throwing a rock at the small woman when she was a child, before running off. She had hoped to harm Tyaethe, but she was too weak. The rock had fallen short by a humiliating amount.

…She didn’t really want to hurt Tyaethe any more, it seemed.

“I have magic. I don’t have to take baths, so I don’t. It’s more efficient that way. Should a knight really complain about [i]more[/i] efficiency, Yaya?”

"[i]Yes,[/i]" the paladin insisted with surprising vehemence, releasing the grip and folding her arms. It seemed it was all the vampire could do to not pout, "More than anyone, warriors need to remember that there's more to life than moving from kill to kill with the most efficiency. Family. Love. Food. [i]Nice baths.[/i] That goes for mages too, or they end up muttering to themselves in dark rooms doing stupid experiments and forgetting to sleep!

"… And usually making undead or something too, because that means more hands," Tyaethe grumbled, breaking her gaze, "But you're here [i]now[/i], and Candaeln has the best baths. It's a waste."

Baths and everything to go with them.

Gertrude had thought she’d gotten Tyaethe with her talk of efficiency, but it seemed that just emboldened her more.Her talk of mages was specific to a degree that she was [i]probably[/i] thinking of someone she knew, which definitely wasn’t good for Gertrude’s chances of getting out of this.

“Please, undead are sodding awful. There are much better ways to get help for your work,” Gertrude said, avoiding the subject at large, “Gretchen is, er-”

Shite.

“Well, it’s much better to just have a twin sister, isn’t it? Besides, you sleep more than I do and barely interact with anyone. I don’t need [i]you[/i] telling me there’s more to life.”

"I still enjoy [i]some[/i] things…" the apparent-child muttered… before deciding that, apparently, that was enough attempting to persuade Gertrude to take a path. Unfortunately for the taller girl, that meant that she had been picked up with about as much effort as a particularly big blanket: a bit awkward to get situated to carry, but the actual [i]weight[/i] was completely insignificant as they made a beeline for the baths.

“Oh, bollocks,” Gertrude growled as Tyaethe picked her up and began hauling her off, “you don’t have to sodding- ugh, fine! I’ll just… whatever.”

Gertrude pouted petulantly and crossed her arms, looking from Tyaethe to the path in front of her.

“Suppose you’ve been around long enough to know the path even if you can’t see it,” Gertrude mumbled. She was pretty sure she took up at least 90% of Tyaethe’s vision, after all.

"Yup."

“You know, I’ve seen you enjoy exactly [i]one[/i] thing since meeting you, and it was murdering that Midnight Hunt blighter.”

"So?" Tyaethe asked, "[i]I've[/i] not seen you enjoy anything yet. It's not like you've been here [i]that[/i] long… and besides, what's wrong with enjoying what you're good at? I've wanted to fight Rozenalt again since everyone was still around. It just… took a while."

Not that there was all that much time to continue the conversation, as the vampire turned around to walk [i]backwards[/i] into the baths. Presumably to avoid bonking Gertrude headfirst into the door.

“How gallant,” Gertrude quipped sarcastically as Tyaethe took great care not to accidentally hit her head while dragging her into the baths, “I suppose you’ll want to go in together to make sure I bathe properly.”

Gertrude huffed, but she had to admit it was quite a sight. The white tile floor stretched out in front of them, vast and luxurious. Perfectly spotless, with plenty of places to rinse off before you got into the baths proper. The word ‘opulent’ had a tendency to be overused, but this was obviously a place that was very important to whoever had it commissioned.

Someone had [i]really liked baths[/i].

“...Who had this place built? [i]No one[/i] needs baths this bleeding nice.”

"The original baths were…" Tyaethe hummed, finally placing Gertrude down and starting to undress, "[i]Inadequate[/i], given the prestige of the knights at the time. Non-existent, really, Candaeln hadn't been fully rebuilt from its original purpose. So why [i]not[/i] push to get nice baths put in? They're much nicer than a bucket of hot water and a fire, and the holy water is good for you…"

Gertrude snorted. It seemed Merilia was completely correct about the spoiled little princess that Yaya was, to have used her influence to push for baths this luxurious. And hot. And filled with holy water, of all things.

“[i]You[/i] did? What a precious thing you are,” Gertrude replied just a bit too mirthfully, “why not add a few rose petals and incense? Light a few candles?”

Then, noticing that Tyaethe was undressing, Gertrude followed suit. That answered [i]that[/i] question, she supposed. They’d be bathing together, it seemed.

Well, it’s not like she was going to get out of this at this point.

"Maybe for special occasions," Tyaethe answered off-handedly, not seeming to give the question much thought as she washed up first, "Easier to appreciate them if they're not… constant. Although that's more of a religious ceremony at that point."

Gertrude rolled her eyes. An honest answer in return for a chide. She had no idea what religious ceremony might include [i]lavish bathing[/i], but she certainly hadn’t heard of it. Then again, the clergy in her village was only invested enough in their goddesses to reap the benefits.

“...Is that a tattoo on your bum?”

Gertrude sat beside Tyaethe and washed off, snorting at the idea of this woman getting such a tattoo.

“You don’t seem the type.”

The vampire paused mid-motion, face flushing, "I-It's a paladin thing… not [i]every[/i] paladin, b-but most get a mark of their respective goddess somewhere. And!"

She paused, pointing dramatically in… basically Gertrude's direction. Close enough? "It's not like there's a lot of places on me with enough space."

Tyaethe [i]was[/i] quite small, after all.

“...Your goddesses like having their paladins permanently mark their bodies in service?”

After a couple of seconds, Gertrude burst out laughing.

“That’s so bleeding [i]kinky[/i]! Ahaha… no, it’s working! I’ve never been very religious, but they’re alright! You might’ve converted me, that’s a bleeding laugh!”

Gertrude wiped a tear from her eye.

“You see that marking? That’s [i]Reon’s[/i] arse you’re looking at!”

"That – no, it's not! It's a paladin thing, not a Reon thing, it's [i]nothing like that[/i]!" Without warning, the vampire had entirely closed the gap between them, red eyes – in an equally red face –  bearing down on her. If the blush didn't lose the intimidation factor, the part where the vampire was half covered in soap suds [i]really[/i] didn't help. "This is entirely a human thing!"

… probably. She didn't think it was really an [i]elf[/i] thing and Hundi would mostly follow along.

Gertrude was surprised by Tyaethe’s speed and vigor. She hadn’t expected to upset the vampire that much, though it was a welcome occurrence. She grinned, and spent a few moments admiring the woman’s face. She had no idea Tyaethe could even [i]look[/i] so flustered.

…It was remarkably cute in a way Gertrude hadn’t expected. A real prize.

“Eh? It’s all [i]your[/i] idea? Doesn’t that make it even kinkier?” Gertrude continued prodding, “getting marked up like that without your goddess saying a word? Though since you’re blessed by Reon still… isn’t that basically tacit approval?”

Gertrude went to poke Tyaethe’s cheek.

Tyaethe made a hard-to-describe high pitched noise as the finger prodded her cheek, then was just as promptly [i]gone[/i], back to washing herself with shocking alacrity and some rather violent splashing sounds before disappearing into the baths proper with [i]another[/i] shockingly loud splash. The vampire was easily flustered, who knew?

Gertrude laughed, but didn’t rush herself as Tyaethe finished up quickly and bolted to the baths. Still, it wasn’t long until Gertrude followed the woman in and made a beeline towards her prey.

“Oh, don’t be like that, Yaya,” Gertrude said patronizingly, “I’m just [i]teasing[/i] a little.”

She grinned as she plopped down next to Tyaethe, and went to pat the woman’s head.

“Is my cute little Yaya angry with me? Well, you wanted me to enjoy myself, right? And I’m [i]very much[/i] enjoying myself.”

"I [i]wanted[/i] you to enjoy the bath," the paladin ground out, gaze drifting out over the steamy expanse of water rather than at the blonde that was once again invading her personal space. She [i]could[/i] move away… but that would just encourage her to chase even more, so what was the point? It would be even worse if she outright [i]stopped[/i] her, she'd probably break something in doing so. 

In the vain hope of steering the conversation to something more reasonable: "See? It's nice in here."

Probably even nicer when you actually [i]accumulated[/i] aches and pains for the blessed water (and heat) to soothe, rather than just regenerating all your damage, but she found the general feel of it relaxing even when it wasn't doing anything.

“...Eh?”

Gertrude had to think for a second. She hadn’t even [i]noticed[/i] how the bath felt. She was too busy having fun teasing Tyaethe. She was quiet for a moment, sorting everything out. Her daily maintenance spell felt good. It did pretty much everything this bath was purported to do.

Still, it had all the appeal of a medicine jar. It reminded her of the days she would have to choke down expensive ichor as a child. If anything, she could say of this bath…

“...It’s warm,” she concluded, looking down at her companion.

And there was still some place deep down that forced Gertrude to consider whether or not she deserved that warmth.

“Well, it had [i]better[/i] be bleeding nice, considering how expensive it must have been to build, and still to maintain.”

"It's cheaper to keep going than you would think. The baths as a whole are blessed… easier to renew than any other enchantment," Tyaethe answered, leaning back and relaxing now that the head patting seemed to have [i]stopped[/i], "As long as the order doesn't stray from its founding principles and the church doesn't get too mad at us to help out, it's just a lot to clean."

She wasn't wrong that it had been expensive but that was… rather insignificant? Candaeln had needed expensive refitting to fit its new role rather than being an [i]actual[/i] defensive outpost that had fallen into some disrepair, it hadn't been an egregious item on the budget.

“Well [i]I[/i] don’t know how all that holy horseshite works,” Gertrude said rudely, shrugging, “but as long as I don’t have to help clean, it’s… not too bad. Does the goddess’ blessed bath water make my scent more bearable to your nose? Because I’m [i]not[/i] stopping my daily castings.”

She poked Tyaethe’s cheek once again for emphasis.

That? Hmm, it wasn't really the baths that were important, it was cleaning [i]first[/i], more the ritual act of it washing away the cloying scent of magical cleaning… right now, she didn't really smell of anything other than soap and water, which was appropriate. Blood, too, but [i]everyone[/i] always smelled of that, it was easy to ignore.

"You smell fine, now," she confirmed, "No need for anything extra."

“I see…”

Gertrude nodded.

“Well, enjoy it, because I can’t see this as something I’d do regularly on my own.”

She didn’t much care whether or not she smelled bad to Tyaethe. In fact, it would be funnier to annoy her. But more than that… the cloying feeling that she didn’t [i]deserve[/i] this warmth was kept at bay primarily through her teasing of the miniature vampire.

Napping was something she felt perfectly happy to do on her own, [i]this[/i] was not.

There was quiet for a minute, Tyaethe seemingly having no response to this and happy to just… stare at whatever patterns she could see in the steam, or the way her hair got [i]everywhere[/i]. But then she finally responded with a flat sounding: "I never thought I would have to carry a grown adult to the bath every day."

“Oh…? You’d deal with [i]this[/i] every day rather than smell my magic?” Gertrude teased incessantly, not at all secretly happy to have someone to talk to regularly other than herself, “I can scarcely believe it. Maybe you have a crush? Perhaps you should get a broomstick tattooed on your belly. You’ve got room other places, you know.”

"I like taking baths!" Tyaethe snapped back, face pink again and looking away, "If it means I don't have to smell that all the time…"

She chose to ignore the implication of a [i]crush[/i], if she even acknowledged that she would [i]never[/i] get away from it. And she did not, in fact, want to be followed around by implications of falling for someone two centuries younger than her… especially one whose personality seemed to be completely rotten, regardless of her looks.

But that second part – "Hey, what's that meant to mean!?" There wasn't [i]that[/i] much space anywhere else!

Gertrude grinned, but avoided saying anything for the moment, her eyes fixing on Tyaethe’s belly beneath the gently sloshing water. She couldn’t help but think a goddess’ brand might have consumed different, also utterly available real estate.

Aside from her bum.

“...Oh, come off it. You know.”

Gertrude prodded once again to emphasize a point, but this time it was the woman’s gut.

"That's nothing!" Tyaethe was definitely pouting, now, folding her arms and seemingly shuffling away from the poking. Slowly. It was, unfortunately, nigh impossible to move imperceptibly away in the bath, "I was still young when I became a vampire, and it's not like I can [i]change[/i] anything…" 

"Well, I can get older," she conceded, still pouting, "But I don't control [i]that[/i], either."

“What do you bleeding [i]mean[/i] you get older but don’t control when?” Gertrude demanded, profoundly baffled by the foolishness coming out of the vampire’s mouth, “that’s… not how vampirism works. Or magic, for that matter.”

As far as Gertrude knew, body alteration on the level of aging or de-aging would be an immensely specialized school of study. Possible, perhaps, for someone absolutely dedicated to that magic. Someone who had a clear idea of the mechanics involved and years of study under their belt.

With Tyaethe’s mana reserves and her many years of life it would be possible, but to Gertrude’s knowledge, the woman hadn’t studied magic [i]at all[/i]. Then again, if she had, it would [i]never[/i] be something she’d have no control over.

Maybe some sort of curse? But what would be the sodding point of [i]that[/i]?

“You’re having me on. What? Then when do you bleeding [i]get older[/i]?”

"When I want to?" Tyaethe responded, incredulity on her face. What was with the disbelief? It didn't seem... all that unreasonable to her. "Look, I'll show you."

The ever-roiling furnace of mana besides Gertrude intensified and then calmed again, surging out, in, and... leaving one vampire who was, despite not having grown all that much vertically, undoubtedly an adult in comparison to her previous appearance. And the overall mana flow had barely changed. 

Gertrude had the ability to perfectly emulate any magic, with a few caveats. If it was innate to a species, obviously she wouldn’t be able to mimic it. A demon using demon magic, for instance. Well, unless Gertrude became a demon somehow. But leaving that aside, the magic also had to make [i]literally any mechanical sense[/i]. Normally this wasn’t an issue, because magic [i]had[/i] to make sense. The basis, the principles, modern magic was built on certain understandings that in turn allowed a mage to understand any spell with enough study.

Whatever it was Tyaethe [i]did[/i] was not that. It was complete nonsense, but it also had a perceptible effect. It had [i]worked[/i] without question, but it worked in a way utterly unobservable to Gertrude.

“WHAT THE SHITE WAS THAT!? WHAT? When did… I thought you said you didn’t control it! How is… WHAT? Wait, so you [i]can[/i] control when you get older? HOW? I couldn’t- I can copy any spell! [i]Any[/i] spell, because I have an innate understanding of the underlying mechanics. I’m a [i]prodigy[/i]. If I see something once, I can mimic it perfectly! And I have no idea what that was!”

"I wanted to be older, so I got older," Tyaethe answered, adjusting her position and then leaning back to smirk at the obviously frustrated Gertrude, "This would have been... hmm, when I was in my twenties? I just kept at it until it worked." 

If she had been aiming for her chronological age at the time, the vampire had undershot it marginally. Not that it made too much difference [i]now[/i]. 

She ’wanted to be older’, so she did it? She ’kept at it’ until it worked? Even the phrasing made Gertrude furious, like it was just that simple!

“That’s not how it works. It [i]doesn’t make sense[/i], and I hate it!”

"Well, it obviously [i]is[/i] how it works. Magic isn't [i]all[/i] spells and rules, it's part of the world," Tyaethe interrupted with a half shrug.

It was Gertrude’s turn to pout, cheeks pink. She stole a glance at Tyaethe.

And another.

…And another.

“You’re [i]still[/i] short,” Gertrude said finally, poking her once more.

"I [i]said[/i] I didn't control it! It just makes me about ten years older than I was – stop that!" the vampire responded, finally making a move to cover her vulnerable belly as it was poked [i]again[/i], having given up on the 'move slowly away' part.

“Ughhh that doesn’t even make sense!” Gertrude growled, frustration building due to how stupid this magic was and her inability to poke Tyaethe, “Whatever you say, I should be able to understand it! This pisses me off.”

Gertrude crossed her arms and let out a huff. If she kept letting Tyaethe annoy her, the little mosquito would win. But this was infuriating! She’d have to ask Merilia about this later. That old hag should have told her!

Just imagining the Witch’s smug expression when she learned that Gertrude had been acquainted with Tyaethe’s ‘magic’...

“You’re really annoying, you know that?” said one of the most annoying women in the world.

"Says [i]you.[/i]"

“...Are you sure that spell ages you ten years? Because you’re still short, you’re still daft, and you’re still a [i]brat[/i]. It’s hardly a wonder you have no friends.”

Tyaethe looked down, briefly, then up to Gertie's eyes, and then very deliberately looked down again. "I know I have a baby face, but [i]really?[/i]"

She still seemed to sink into the water. "And I [i]do[/i] have friends."

Left unspoken, obviously, was that most of the people she would consider under that label (if not all of them) were conspicuously [i]dead[/i] from time or injury.

Gertrude had hoped to get the woman’s goat again. To get her pouty and flustered and red-faced. Gertrude liked those expressions, and liked teasing Tyaethe to get them.

This, however, was not such a reaction. If anything, she looked dejected. That expression wasn’t really fun for Gertrude.

…Did she feel [i]bad[/i]?

Gertrude reached out, but it occurred to her that at this point touching the woman in any way would likely be seen as patronizing. Her hand halted.

“...Funny thing. I’m here on my own merit, the sort of genius you only see once an age. That’s how I like it, I don’t want to be treated differently based on [i]someone else[/i]. But I ended up here anyway.”

Gertrude leaned in, and offered what appeared to be a genuine smile.

“It’s funny because I’m one of Florian’s, though I’m sure there are plenty of [i]those[/i] out there, the bleeding cad.”

"Ten. It's ten, human at least, not the ones with Raya… but obviously, those would be [i]much[/i] too old," Tyaethe muttered, "You can't be descended from Brandt or Adalheid, Brandt's family has never left Aimlenn and Adalheid never got with anyone. Tanja would have pulled you into the college if it was her, she's still there…"

The vampire kept muttering, eyes closed in thought before they snapped open, "Adrian, Gunther, Melania, Reinhard, or Reinhild? Those are the only ones I can think of about the right age. I haven't really stayed in contact with most of the recent generations."
 
Gertrude was frankly a little dumbfounded to hear Tyaethe list all those names, but supposed it was a skill to be expected of a noble brat. She half expected to not hear a name she knew [i]at all[/i], given how dubious her father was and how backwater her village.

Then, she visibly flinched when she heard her father’s name. She hadn’t wanted to deal with [i]that[/i], and thought she wouldn’t have to. That would show her for trying to be [i]nice[/i] for once.

“...Yeah. Gunther’s kid,” she mumbled, “you stopped by the village once to kill some Orcs. I threw a rock at you.”

"Sorry," Tyaethe started after a pause, shaking her head. She couldn't remember the rock, but… "We should have been there much sooner, before they even attacked, but… well, we do rely on information from outlying regions to [i]know[/i]. Your father wasn't as competent as I'd hoped."

Gertrude allowed herself a derisive chuckle.

“He was good enough at hunting game to afford getting drunk every day and occasionally pay for my medicine,” she said, shrugging, “but shite at everything else. I’m sure Florian would have hated the rotter.”

Gertrude closed her eyes, and tried to accept the warmth of the baths without letting the feeling that she didn’t deserve it crop up. She did not succeed.

“Anyways, it’s not your fault. No need to apologize.”

"Yeah, Flori would hate for one of his descendants to be a drunk with no ambition. Or even just the latter…" 

The vampire appeared to have relaxed again, her posture no longer guarded and her eyes closed. "It's not about fault. The Iron Roses are supposed to be the foremost defenders of the country. Paladins are supposed to be the Goddesses' protection made manifest. As long as there are orcs still attacking, as long as there are [i]still orcs[/i], then we aren't doing good enough."

Gertrude sighed. Generally, she considered her only duty to be to herself. Concern yourself with others too much and you’ll be the one at a loss. How a person can hoist a whole country’s safety up on their own shoulders like that without [i]completely breaking[/i] eluded her.

…Then again, maybe Tyaethe was already broken in some ways.

“I’d say you were a workaholic, but I’ve seen you nap enough that even I couldn’t make myself believe [i]that[/i],” Gertrude teased.

"I'm old enough to have retired three times over, and I'm only good for fighting, translating, or religious ceremonies," Tyaethe said after a pause, a certain drowsiness ironically heavy on her voice, "My body's unchanging no matter what I do, so I can't even train to improve it. Does it matter, as long as I'm ready when called for?"

“Sounds bleeding depressing,” Gertrude replied, rolling her eyes, “you could be doing [i]anything[/i]. You could go anywhere, but you chose to stay here for two hundred years and do [i]this[/i]. I honestly don’t get it. I’m sure a lot of people pledge their lives to a cause, but that usually ends in sixty years or so.”

Gertrude reached out to pat Tyaethe’s head once again, this time a bit less teasingly and a bit more sympathetic.

“I’m not too far away from immortality, myself. I’ll probably piss off once I’ve got what I want out of this place. What about you? Plan on staying forever?”

Tyaethe's head moved slightly despite her eyes being shut, as if she was thinking about pulling it away, before her shoulders slumped and she allowed Gertrude to keep patting the fluffy lengths. "You sound like Lilette when she decided to move on. 'But surely you can do something else?' I'd still be a paladin, Reon's not going to release me from my vows. It'd just be back to before I joined, wandering and killing monsters…"

The vampire sighed. "And if Elly ever comes back, or anyone finds [i]any[/i] trace of what happened, then here would be the first place to learn about it. So I'm staying."

“That’s just as depressing as it sounded to begin with,” Gertrude said, shuffling a little closer to make the patting a bit more comfortable, “but what do I know? Maybe the thing you enjoy most is being a weapon or a pet. Maybe if Elionne comes back, all those years will be worth it when she pats you and calls you a good girl for waiting.”

Gertrude continued stroking the woman’s head.

“I don’t know you well enough, I just think it would make [i]me[/i] bleeding miserable.”

Tyaethe didn't respond. This [i]may[/i] have been because it was hard to speak when you'd buried your face underwater before the other person had even finished speaking.

Gertrude grinned. [i]That[/i] was the sort of reaction she wanted to see. She leaned in close, gently patting Tyaethe’s head, and whispered into the woman’s nearly-submerged ear.

“She’ll come back and say ‘good girl, Tyaethe. You’ve been suuuch a good girl’~”

There was a distorted warble through the water, and the distinct feeling that if Tyaethe was [i]able[/i] to magically generate heat through sheer embarrassment, she already would be. 

 … She couldn't do that, right?

There was something Gertrude had been saving for the right time. Something that had been on her mind since Tyaethe had transformed. She’d held her tongue this long, but it seemed the right opportunity to release it into the world.

“Your tits are bleeding [i]huge[/i]. Forget Reon, you have enough real estate for both goddesses, every other deity, and all the stars in the sky. As one of Florian’s line, I feel it is my [i]personal duty[/i] to comment that if two fully-grown Ingvarr women hopped in a magic cauldron with five gallons of milk and a pound of gelatin, they [i]might[/i] come out of it with a chest half as salacious as yours. I have been made keenly aware, without any words having been spoken, why you choose not to use this body for combat. I’ve [i]genuinely[/i] never seen the like.”

There was the sound of splashing water as Tyaethe lifted her head out, although her expression was still thoroughly screened by hair. "[i]I know![/i] I [i]said[/i] I don't control anything!"

There was another splash and the muffled sound of a scream. And then more water, slowly dripping into the hot bath. "It wouldn't be so bad if I at least had my mother's [i]height[/i], but no, I outdid her while being barely taller than [i]Merilia[/i]. [i]You[/i] seem to have gotten lucky."

"… at least you're more eloquent than Flori was."

Gertrude grinned.

“I’m not as lucky as you might think. I was born rather sickly, though I [i]did[/i] end up with some nice proportions. It seems you’ve noticed,” Gertrude teased, “but for the record, I think you’re very pretty.”

Gertrude leaned back in the bath, enjoying a warmth she was slowly becoming more comfortable with.

“Let me guess: he said something like ‘goddesses above, look at those’ pretty much immediately the first time he saw that form.”

"He just stared for so long that Cyrus cuffed him round the head…" Tyaethe laughed slightly, no longer trying to drown herself in the bath. In fact, she seemed rather… melancholic? But not in the same nostalgic way that was oh-so-common… if Gertrude was that good at reading anyone, that is.

"You too? I wanted to be a knight like Erich and papa, but… a girl in no state to even train most of the week never had a chance. Even if I hadn't grown up like this… well, it wouldn't have worked out."

For some reason, it had never really occurred to Gertrude that Tyaethe [i]could[/i] have been sickly. Could have been at all like her as a child. She had seen herself as too different from the noble brat. Well, they were [i]still[/i] very different, but apparently they shared this.

“Then barring any extra tragedies related to the incident, becoming a vampire must have been pretty good for you. I suppose I have a similar story. Is knighthood like you imagined, then? Were you happy to be able to do what you wanted for once?”

"Yes, if you put aside everyone dying, sunlight burning [i]even more[/i] than it always had, needing to feed on blood, not ageing, being a social pariah, the strange change in senses, the forced changes to magical affinity, mana now being tied to [i]hunger[/i] rather than a boundless well, and the part about [i]bleeding out[/i] first, it was good for becoming just dead enough to not be sick," Tyaethe responded in a rather… dead voice. "Happy? I guess once I could start killing monsters. I just wanted to be strong enough to put down the one that did this."

"… And even if I [i]do[/i] ever get strong enough for that, it would just cause a disaster." She added, sighing.	

Gertrude frowned.

“Then I suppose you might’ve enjoyed the path of the mage more, though I struggle to say so given your apparent disinterest in the mechanics of magic. I can keep my sickness relatively at bay through my own ability, though I don’t think I’ll be doing anything particularly [i]knightly[/i] until I’ve cured myself for good. No swords or lances for me, for the time being.”

"Mama always [i]did[/i] push me to be a mage. Said it would be a waste with all the mana I had. Not that that's been any less warped…"

Gertrude demurely pushed her hair over one shoulder, and exposed her neck.

“You’re already pretty strong, you beat Rozenalt’s arse. Why do you think it would cause a disaster to go after this person?”

She gently tapped her neck.

“Ah… and are you hungry? I’m a little curious how this works.”

"It's the Marquess. If she goes, Ithillin has… maybe a few weeks to raise an entire permanent defence force capable of guarding the western half of Talderia, without the benefit of any existing fortifications, or having a dragon around to buy time. Her and her household are tolerated for that alone," she vaguely folded her arms, pouting over something. No [i]way[/i] was she bringing up how dismal the last attempt was, and a mere century and a half wasn't enough to overcome that gap.

Blood, at least, was a better direction for the conversation: "A little. Fighting Rozenalt took a [i]lot[/i], and to not have a reserve…"

There was a definite hunger in her eyes, Tyaethe now sitting up and leaning towards Gertrude, "It's just a little bite. [i]Normally[/i], I go for the wrist. It doesn't bleed much."

Well, the identity of the one who turned Tyaethe into a vampire really did put a damper on the revenge plot. No, Gertrude supposed that wouldn’t end well.

“I see… then I suppose the first order of business in your revenge is to make certain the area can be held permanently without her. Bit of a tall order, that, but I suppose you have time.”

Gertrude leaned in, and offered her neck to Tyaethe.

“My blood is very mana-rich. I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing for you, but something to be aware of.”

She took a deep breath, and her cheeks colored a little.

“And I won’t have it anywhere but the neck. If I’m going to be bitten by a sodding vampire, it’s going to be like in the books and plays.”

"Oh, mana makes things [i]much[/i] richer," Tyaethe was practically [i]purring[/i] now, pressing close to get into position, "Every flavour stronger, every unique characteristic [i]more[/i]. And I'm sure witchcraft has its own flavour to it."

The bite didn't hurt [i]that[/i] much, as sharp as the fangs looked they were almost needle-thin going in, and quite numbing. The actual process of being [i]drunk[/i] from… well, it would in and of itself be quite boring. But there was still the vampire's own chill skin pressed tight against Gertrude, the warmth of the bath – ah, and Tyaethe's quite unexpected moan at the started.

It wasn't that long – shorter than Tyaethe would take from one of the other knights, Gertrude [i]had[/i] shared her own underlying poor health – when the vampire broke off, [i]smiling[/i]. Magical blood was always the best, stronger and richer and… hmm, sweet blood was nothing unusual, but the distinct [i]fruitiness[/i], something not native to any of these countries, but very rarely from oversees…

"You taste like bananas." 

Gertrude had not been expecting for things to go anywhere near this direction when the day started. However, event after event piled atop each other, and she found herself growing some level of fondness for the one person she had actually disliked before even joining the knights. Fond enough, now, to trust the woman with her blood.

It wasn’t as… [i]overtly naughty[/i] as the stories had led her to believe, but it required a level of intimacy that made Gertrude’s cheeks brighten. Trusting someone with your neck like that, trusting that they wouldn’t hurt you, trusting that they’d take just enough…

It probably wasn’t something that Gertrude could have done without knowing she had a backup body, but it was a lot. Especially for her.

Still, it felt surprisingly good.

“...What the fuck’s a banana? Wait- did you bleeding [i]moan[/i]?”

The shorter woman had sunk up to her mouth into the bath again, face a brilliant scarlet as she decided to look everywhere [i]but[/i] Gertrude's direction. "You taste [i]good[/i]. 'Snot any other strong mages in the order, 's been a long time since I got anything that nice… 'sa fruit. Foreign. Takes magic to bring it here, 'll get some."

A grin slowly crept up on Gertrude’s face as she looked down at the vampire.

“Well… if I taste that good, I suppose I understand,” she said with some apparent pride in a flavor that she could not, herself, taste, “if you like it [i]that[/i] much, I guess you can have me on occasion if you ask nicely~”

She patted the woman’s head once more.

“And also if you ask nicely, I’ll join you when you bathe. I’m pretty generous, aren’t I?”

Her grin very quickly became very smug.

“I’ll look forward to trying that banana, Yaya.”

"If you start avoiding it, I won't ask nicely. But… fine."

"Just give me a week or two for the banana."[/hider]