れモ尺工ちち丹 (serpentined) wrote in summerview, @ 2018-12-01 20:13:00 |
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Okay, so it was preeeetty obvious that men often neglected the most hard-working parts of the body, their feet and hands, far too often. Like, ingrown toenails and fungus and calluses - oh my! Nerissa had seen it all. And she always imparted her wisdom, the benefits of hand and foot grooming (or hooves, in the case of centaurs) and how healthy it happened to be. In case the men who made appointments at the spa in secrecy or under penalty of death happened to be concerned about testosterone and shit, she had specialty treatments like beer-infused foot soaks, hot stones, and nothing that smelled particularly floral. Or like food. Men usually didn’t want to smell like vanilla or coconut or sparkly cupcakes, so that was out too. For Lennox, she had one of her saltwater nail soaks all set up for the first part of the manicure. It gave the nails a luster, and sealed in moisture. For the rest, she’d see - he trusted her, and she wasn’t going to chop his fingers off, so this would be fun. “Come have a seat, honey,” she beckoned, waving him over to her esthetician’s table. “We’ll just do your hands today since I can tell from here they’re looking rough.” Yikes! Sheepishly he wandered over to the table, color high in his cheeks. He had become somewhat of a nail biter in the last few decades, a nervous habit he had claimed somewhere in his journeys but lately it’d gotten a touch worse for whatever reason. Cress had always urged him to go take care of his nails but he just had not seen the value in it until meeting Ness. Her expertise and wisdom was often given out during their dinner dates until finally she wore him out enough to prompt him to book an appointment. And there he was, scarf and all. Settling down in the seat Lennox swallowed and waited, unsure as to what she had in mind. He trusted her probably more than anyone on the island (which was saying a lot considering he couldn’t communicate the way he used to) and though it took a minute he finally made himself relax. Lifting his hands he set them down onto the top of her table. Years of playing guitar, instruments, could be seen and he knew he probably needed to take better care of himself. Aw, poor babe. Nerissa snickered a little - she talked some shit, but Len didn’t need to worry. She’d take good care of him and it wasn’t like he was the only dude who neglected his pampering needs. “I’ve got ya, you’ll love this,” she promised, plunking his hands into her sea salt mixture. It wasn’t too hot, wasn’t too cold, but was juuuuust right (thanks, Goldilocks) and she let him soak for about thirty seconds in companionable silence - though she was thinking that she really needed to learn sign language, since she knew talking was difficult for her siren buddy here. Then she took his hands to begin cutting the nails with her trusty clipper - one clip only, any more than that could lead to pesky hangnails. “So, date or fuck anyone interesting lately?” she asked conversationally. He was used to her brash nature. Why wouldn’t she speak what was on her mind? Lennox wrinkled the end of his nose in amusement in reply to her question and then shook his head at her. “No...you?” He inquired softly, taking a deep breath afterward. A glance around he studied the spa and took in his surroundings before offering his attention to Nessa again. His love life really hadn’t been interesting in a very long time considering he really hadn’t put much effort into making it eventful. He didn’t date; most of the time any free moments he had were spent with Timpani, his roommate, helping her with whatever she needed. He even let her use his vehicle (and his credit card) so she wasn’t stuck at the house. The process of this manicure was intriguing, he watched in patient silence as Nessa went through the motions of the task. “That’s a shame. What about that Percy chick?” Nerissa asked - she’d come across Percy when the mermaid had been planning the Halloween masquerade, and after attending, it was clear that she did know how to plan a good party. Plus, she was cute - so why not? Though Ness also remembered that Percy had no idea what feminine wiles were. Maybe some more advice was in order. She filed the edges of Lenny’s nails, but it was clear she needed to use the cuticle stick too - gotta pull out the big guns with these claws, damn. “As for me? Yeah, I guess I’ve got a boyfriend now...a mate? I don’t know the official term. Kind of new for me but Zander is great and he looks great without his clothes on.” Which wasn’t the most important aspect of a relationship, but it was a nice bonus. “She’s….nice…” he managed, nodding at his friend. He’d thought a lot about Percy but she was difficult to read and so his approach had to be more calculated. He had been neglectful in reaching out to her, an issue he would resolve as soon as he was done here with Nessa. It seemed wrong to chatter about what could be rather than go figure out what really had potential. Lennox radiated upon hearing that Nessa had someone, a boyfriend or mate or whatever she was calling him. “That’s….fantastic...I’m...happy….for you.” He truly was, even if she couldn’t tell by the squeak of his words. Zander was his name, Lennox filed it away into his memory in the event he ever ran into the guy. A small laugh escaped him. “I’m… glad...he’s….great…” With or without clothes. Percy was nice, it was true. Probably too nice - or fake nice, something like that. She needed someone to bring her out of her self-imposed good girl box. “Go get ‘er, tiger,” Nerissa encouraged. “I bet she’s a beast in the sack, beneath those pearls and kitten heels.” In fact, she’d place money on it. Carefully, she cut away the extra cuticle - very gentle, very softly, since the last thing she wanted was to rip away skin and create a jagged look. Or cause bleeding, an infection, green swollen fingers that Lenny would need removed, et cetera. She’d take the best care of him. “Thanks, honey, I’m happy too,” she looked up, practically beaming and elongated canines on display - just sign her up for the nearest toothpaste commercial. “If you want, we could do a double date sometime. Or is that stupid?” “Maybe…” Lennox replied. He wasn’t the type to kiss and tell anyway - even if he had the knowledge. It seemed inconsiderate to Percy or really to anyone but he kept that to himself. Everyone handled their relationships differently. And then he was shaking his head at her, “Not….stupid...but I’d...need…a date…first.” The smile on his face was one of amusement. Nessa was not shy about speaking her mind and her intentions were good. That was one of the reasons he liked her so much. “Well, get yourself a damn date then,” Nerissa replied cheerfully. “You’re cute, it should happen.” Sure, other things went into dating besides cute - but dating was how you got to know someone, right? Not like she was the ultimate dating guru but she knew some shit. And then, the pièce de résistance, an unscented seaweed lotion concocted by her personally to soothe dry skin and heal any potential nicks (though she was careful with her manicure). Plus a bit of a hand massage too, as she applied the lotion, since hands were a part of the body that hardly ever got massaged. Especially the muscles in the palms, so giving them a good stretch and rub felt really nice. “I’m rooting for you, Lenny. And when you get that date, you’ll have awesome hands for it. Because wow. These puppies were in need of some TLC,” she laughed. He nodded. There was no reason to doubt Nessa, she was on the upside of social interaction. He had been - it felt like ages ago - but it had tapered off and dwindled away. “Thanks.” The massage felt good, the way her fingers kneaded into the muscles of his palms and fingers. He needed to do this more often. A smile was coaxed from him in response. His eyes lit up with it. “They...aren’t…that...bad.” “Not anymore,” she chided, cackling with glee. Nerissa teased because she loved. Or something - well, it was generally true. When she did tease, that meant she liked you at the very least. “No thanks to me and my miracles.” She actually liked giving manicures - they were simple enough to do and often resulted in some good talks and gossip while her client sat there and let themselves be pampered. Pedicures, not so much, it was more difficult to talk during those - and she had to concentrate, especially when she was working on hooves. “Let me give you some of this lotion to go?” she suggested, spinning in her chair, rolling toward the shelves to grab a tube of the stuff. “Just apply at night before bed. Pleeeeease?” Do it in the name of banishing dry, cracked skin, Lenny! Lennox emitted a laugh - that awkward squeaking sound he was known for - and nodded at her. “Okay...okay...if you...insist…” Had he been able to giggle at her persistence he would’ve but he offered only a smile instead. The idea of lotion was a strange one. He was scaly by nature, but maybe he could share it with Timpani if she was interested. Perhaps that would prompt him to use it more often if he could observe the results for himself. He was glad for friends like Nessa. She was honest, straightforward, confident. Those were the types of people he needed to be around so that his own self-appreciation didn’t dwindle into oblivion. “What….do I….owe you?” “Don’t worry about it,” she insisted - Nerissa had so few friends, that it wasn’t like she was giving away spa treatments for free right and left. Just mainly for Zander (it had been a good seduction tool, thinking back on it, and therefore worth it), and now for Lennox. “I make most of the stuff myself, so...it’s really no big deal to share it.” Ugh, that sounded so sentimental. Someone please konk her over the head with a blunt object. “Just recommend someone else to the spa? Pass along the good word? I wouldn’t say no to some new clients.” Lennox nodded. “You….would do...good...for...my roommate…” he managed, considering Timpani, “...she...is cursed….pregnant….it’s a...long story.” He knew that Nessa would take care of anyone he considered a friend so he would mention the spa to Timpani for sure. He could even show off the sweet manicure. And maybe Percy. He was trying his best not to swoon. Cursed and pregnant? Yikes. “Say no mas, honey, I’ve got her,” Nerissa gave a thumbs up.” Like, it was pretty much the weirdest thing she’d ever heard - but whatever. Being pregnant didn’t sound like much of a picnic whether you were cursed or not. She was glad she didn’t have to worry about it, given whom she was currently fucking. “There are lots of good options for someone with swollen ankles and super sore muscles.” Of course, some other treatments weren’t recommended for pregnant women (if she was actually pregnant? How the hell did that work?) but Ness would figure out something that was safe. Any friend of Lenny’s was a friend of hers. Or at least an acquaintenace whom she wouldn’t sneer at, anyway. A sigh of relief. Timpani could probably use a good spa treatment. He already put her on his credit card and she used his car while he walked. She had the master bedroom at their place. Only the best for her. He knew Timpani wasn’t actually pregnant but she was swollen and her back ached, he felt bad for her. “Thank...you.” He was beaming. “We...need...to go...eat again….soon.” “Definitely soon,” Nerissa agreed, with a wink. “You know how much I love to eat.” Especially sushi. Or hearty stews. Steak. Chicken nuggets. A partridge and a pear tree. And that was the damn truth. |