Thread: Testing the Waters Who: Lillie Tharelle, Lucressia Peron Where: A small pond not far from camp When: Evening, 10 Solis Rating: PG-13 Summary: Two women are curious about one another's secrets. Will a chance meeting at the pond bathing change any of that? Or simply give rise to more questions?
Lillie almost missed boiling her own bathwater every night and lugging it up to her room. Almost. But the cold water of the pond was a trade off for many things. For the shores of her homeland again, for the warm embrace of her lover every night, even if those nights were recently spent in a bedroll on the hard, damp ground. Her satin slippers had been traded in for sturdy leather boots, now well broken-in. The soles of them crunched twigs and dry leaves beneath as she slipped away from the camp, a bundle in her arms and the sound of conversation fading behind her.
The moon overhead was full enough that she had no trouble seeing as she picked her way through the sparse cluster of trees. Brush was heavier the closer she got to the water. She could see the reflection of the silvery orb on the still surface of the pond. A log lay half-collapsed on the closest bank, the wood rotten where it had sat a long time in the water. Lillie crossed to it, looking around with curious eyes. The air smelled of dampness and grass, and waterlogged wood. She could see nothing of the camp except the occasional flickering of firelight bouncing off the broad trunks of tress in the distance. The sounds of voices did not reach her and she turned back away to set her bundle atop the log.
Leaning down she untied the laces of her boots and slipped her feet free. Her stockings came next, rolled up and tucked inside the boots with care. Her bare feet flexed in the dirt and damp grass, strands tickling between her toes. She reached back with one hand to work the buttons on the back of her dress loose to her waist, then to tug her hair free of it's braid, folding up her ribbon and opening the bundle she'd set on the log. Inside the roll of leather lay a folded nightgown and robe, a square of cloth to dry her skin, and a small bar of rose-scented soap.
Lillie set the ribbon atop her nightgown and reached for the soap, tugging her dress over her head along with the shift she wore beneath. Both dress and undergarments were carefully folded and placed in the leather bundle. She set the drying cloth aside and refolded the leather bundle. The night was warm, so she did not feel a chill against her bare skin as she stepped closer to the water. Her toe touching the pond itself however, made her foot curl slightly as she made a little sound.
Well, it was always better to dive in, so to speak, rather than take so long you lost your nerve. Holding tightly to the soap Lillie scanned the water for a deeper section, then dove in, the night's water parting like ebony silk with a quiet splash. She surfaced with a gasp, then brushed her damp hair from her face, shivering a little.