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There's a beautiful hot spring in the Hollow, now thanks to the efforts of Rieko Sato, and goddamnit she is going to enjoy the fuck out of it.
In that spirit, Rieko's already submerged in the steaming water with the brim of her cowboy hat pulled low over her eyes, and resting her head on a wadded up pile of clothing...
And curled up under the hot water, actually under the water, is Ziv. They might be hard to spot, on account of the fact that they blend into the dark water so well, save for the occasional glimmer of neon under the water where their neon pink bikini top, and the neon that flashes through their glass-bottle-full-of-water body, can be spotted. They have their head resting on Eko's lap, just chilling under the water. Like you do. In a non-obscene way, kids, this is a public room.
Rosalyn was alone this evening, Elio and Agate off on adventures of their own- likely trying to get bites of travelers and sneak attacking Buck the large adult crow griffon. Rosalyn was wearing a vintage dress with an oddly simple cut and an enormous hat more appropriate to attending the Ascot. She dropped down at the side of the pool and waved a sparkly green sequin and LED covered cowboy hat in the air.
"Holy shiiiiiiiit," Rieko wriggles as she tries to sit upright -- Sorry Ziv! -- and she whips the battered old cowboy hat off over her horns before gently placing it to the side and making grabby hands at the brand new shiny one in Rosalyn's grasp. "That's dope as hell, Rosalyn!" She flashes a broad grin that leaves her fangs on full display. "You look lovely this evening, by the way..."(edited)
Eko's wiggling means that Ziv surfaces -- that probably looks more ahem than they expected -- but they stay chin-deep in the water, since their gills flare underneath the water's surface. The Siren's solid-black eyes blink rapidly, clearing the water from them. "Whu?" The sparkly green hat is bright though so it doesn't take too too long for them to focus in on it. "Oh goodness! Hi Ros! That is... that's so cool!"
She smiled and crowned E ko with the epic hat. "Isn't it? It's amazing and I wish more clothes had the blinky light things. It'd be fun." She gave Ziv a little shy smile. "How's the water?"
"It is amazing! I showed it to Nao -- I don't know if you know them yet, but you should meet them -- and they said they could design an entire outfit to match it and that I wouldn't even look like a Christmas tree." Rieko adjusts the hat so that it sits right on her head. "They could maybe design you something with blinky lights if you wanted!"
The Oni reaches for Ziv, giving the mermx hair an affectionate ruffle. "I know you two met briefly in the Summer hollow that one time, but Ziv was stepping in and out 'cause Phone Service. Did y'all ever properly meet?"
"... wait, seriously? You can have a whole outfit that looks like that?" Ziv laughs, and they wink at Ros, casually swimming over to the edge of the spring and folding their forearms on it. "It's so good. I didn't think I'd like a hot spring in Summer, but actually, once you get to equilibrium point, it's amazing." They let out a heady sigh and their cheeks flush briefly pink, either at the shy smile or the hair ruffle or -- maybe -- both! "I don't know about properly. I could always spend more time with Ros." Their nose wrinkles up. "I'm Ziv, but you know that."
"We didn't meet properly but things are casual enough that I don't really expect it anymore." Ros hiked the hem of her dress up and stuck her feet in. "Mmmm... It is nice, especially after my feet have been crammed in sweaty boots all day. We could spin up a whole series of pools. This hot one, then have it flow down into a warm one, then a cool one. Goodness, it's the Hedge, add a fourth that's half frozen and put one of those Scandinavian saunas next to it."
"Well they said that probably the hat would be the focal point of the outfit or something. Meaning that the rest of the outfit would mostly just be framing it? I don't know, I don't really know fashion." There's a little cackle from Rieko. Maybe at Rosalyn's joke, maybe at Ziv's little blush. Who knows? "Surely there's a legit swimming hole around here, right? I can't imagine there isn't, considering how many of us like to swim in this Freehold... but if there isn't, that might be a project to work on." A beat. "By the way. How're your roses doing, Ros? Don't need another trim, do you?"(edited)
"That would be amazing," laughs Ziv at the concept of an outfit around the hat. "I don't know much about fashion, either; I just count on people to make things for me, or I steal the clothing of my partners." They scoot over a bit and rest next to Ros, leaning on the edge of the pool and looking up at her with a lopsided grin. "I want an actual swimming place," they agree with a heavy sigh. "That would be so nice."
"I don't actually know how to swim swim," she admitted. "Mark that as another thing I need to learn. Maybe you can teach me, and I'll help you find clothes that work for you! I've gotten pretty good at scouring the thrift stores, as evidenced by our amazing headwear."
She eyed Ziv speculatively. "I should find you a hat too."
Rieko gives the discarded pile of clothing -- namely the fact that there are two of her shirts in that pile -- a look before flashing a grin at Ziv. "You should find them a hat," Rieko tips her own ridiculous hat. "I was raised in a fishing village, so I've been swimming pretty much since before I could walk. Which is probably the reason Ziv and I get along so well." Yeah, let's go with that. "I'm sure between the pair of us, we could totally teach you if you wanted."
They frame their face with their hands like a k-pop star and flutter their eyelashes at Rieko and Petra in turn. Petra for the clothing and hat comment, and Eko just in general. "I will always steal your clothing, Eko. Even if it falls off of me," Ziv comments lazily, stirring the water with their tail. "I was thinking about learning Riddle Kith," they tell Ros. "You could be a Nymph and that would make it really easy to learn! No worries about drowning if you can just breathe water!"
Beat. "Not that you need to worry about drowning if you go with a good teacher. And yeah, I -- have been swimming since I could walk, and I spent something like eighty, ninety years with this tail. I'm happy to teach you."
"Excellent. You're both hired." She bumped hey shoulder against Eko. "I've thought about learning Riddlekith but I'm not entirely sure. How do you like having a tail? I hate my roses- and they're growing back but not uncontrollably as yet- but I'm not sure it'd be... right to change what I am that deeply? I don't know. It's an uncomfortable thought."
"Hell yeah," Rieko flashes her teeth at Rosalyn. "I'm still very excited for you to take me riding soon! Believe it or not, I've never actually been on a horse, so we should probably do that soon-ish, too." She bumps Rosalyn back with her shoulder. "I was thinking about how it might be fun to go swimming as a Siren at some point, too, so we could all do that at the same time if you were super worried."
"Well, if you do it to yourself, the Kith is only cosmetic. If you want to learn how to be able to change your ... like, the stuff you can do? I can teach you the Darkling part of it," offers the Siren, and they lean back a little to look up at Rosalyn. "Well, your roses are beautiful, which is no surprise, because you are. But I can see that they might be annoying." Beat. "It's only temporary. You can't change what you are forever. I've tried it before; I was a Dryad for a couple of hours once. It's -- strange? But ... I think it helped me, empathy-wise."
"Or maybe it's just uncomfortable because it wouldn't be permanent," she said softly. "I'm tired of being seen as just a pretty face. It's the first thing people see, and most people don't look any deeper. The roses, they strangle me with how fucking beautiful they are."
"Well," Rieko offers a little shrug before bumping Rosalyn with her shoulder again. "If it helps at all, that's not the first thing I notice when I see you?"
A shimmering flash of yellow-and-green across Ziv's cheeks, down their shoulders. "I'm sorry," the Darkling answers the Fairest, absently petting a hand along their cheek and puffing out their cheeks. "No, not at all," they agree with Rieko easily. "Every time I've seen you, it's been -- your competence that's impressed me." Yellow shifts to pink, and then fades. "You're a great archer and a good teacher -- and I'm told you're a fantastic rider, though that I haven't witnessed yet."
"Right?" Rieko gestures to Ziv. "You're a bit of a badass, Rosalyn."
She blushed, and a tiny rosebud sprouted in her hair. "Thank you," she said sincerely. "I spent a lot of time in the Hedge before finding the way out. Learned a lot of survival skills because it was learn or die. Elio helped a lot. Kept me safe through my fumblings."
"I didn't realize you and Elio had been together for so long," Rieko tips her hat up to get a better look at Rosalyn. "Do you know how long you spent out there? Also, that reminds me of another thing you're ridiculously good at." She offers a wink, and shoots a little finger pistol at the Fairest. "Caring for, and working alongside Hedgebeasts. That's pretty awesome."(edited)
Eko asks all of the pertinent questions, and so Ziv goes quiet, thoughtful, and scoots a little closer to Ros's knee, blinking up at her with their wide, dark eyes. When someone makes eye contact with Ziv, they go from having solid-black eyes to having white irises, almost like watching a magic 8 ball die float up out of the dark liquid. Hollow-white eyes, staring up at her. "Yes, that's true. You are incredibly competent. And that, frankly, is far more attractive than physical beauty. Anyone could make themselves pretty, in our community."
Ros stole Eko's regular hat and settled it on her head "Alright, you've both buttered me up like a lobster. I suppose I can spill some history," she said lightly and reached out to take their hands. "Time is a fuzzy thing. I went in and got out in a hundred years earth time. I feel like I spent years in the thorns, maybe a decade? Whether that's accurate is anyone's guess. Sleeping for a hundred years is traditional too, and I did a lot of that over there too. And did the tower with stupid long hair. And dancing every night until my feet bled. And being swept away from durance vile by a handsome prince. All the stories until He tired and put me to sleep until he remembered I was still there. I met Elio's mother in a dream, and she sent Elio to me. He helped me escape."
"Yeah, time is a fuck in the Hedge, and Over There." Rieko adjusts her positioning so she can place a hand on Rosalyn's shoulder. "I spent nearly a thousand years in the Emperor's realm, so I can relate to some of that, at least." There's a pause, and she leans against the Fairest. 'Cause apparently this is what you get with Rieko and Ziv. "That's incredible, though. I didn't realize how important Elio was to your Story." A beat. "Did you ever get to meet his mother? Outside of the dream?"
She snuggled in against Eko with a little smile. "I don't even know if she exists outside that dream. She was the Night Mare. Heh. Well, even terrifying embodiments of all that haunts our dreams are preferable to waking up to Him again. She appreciated having a friend. Elio is the dawn that comes after."
"I can only imagine," Rieko offers a sympathetic nod. "Still, it's a hell of a pair to have to pick between. I'm glad you found Elio all the same, though. Otherwise you might not have ended up here at the same time as us, and that would've been tragic." Rieko flashes a grin, and then reaches for her satchel behind the pillow of clothing. Her returns with an apple. Y'know to carve up with her knife.
"So," Rieko chews on her lower lip. "I'm being hunted by goons and thugs from Over There. When I oathed to the Freehold, Devon told me I should... find people to help me take care of it." There's a pause, and she offers an apple slice to Rosalyn. "I was thinking of maybe asking you. Y'know... and not 'cause you're pretty." Her forked tongue snakes out, and she wiggles it.(edited)
Rosalyn rolled her eyes and accepted the apple. "I've been thinking along similar lines, I think. Not hunting thugs and goons per say, but having someone to hunt thugs and goons for. Making a new family."
The Siren pulls themself up out of the water and curls up on the other side of Ros; Ziv drops their head carefully on her shoulder, between the roses, and looks up at her with big eyes.
"Oh yeah?" Rieko quirks an eyebrow. "Ziv and I were really wanting to put together a Motley. Just. Trying to build something." The Oni pulls herself up out of the water fully, and scoots up beside Ros. "... and not just so I have back up against The Emperor's Soldiers."
Ros wrapped an arm around both of them, relaxing more with the open love and acceptance. "Well if you're asking me, I'm in. If you're not, I'm going to make you wish you were," she teased.
"Yeah, I was definitely floating the idea because I want you." Rieko offers Rosalyn a playful nudge with her elbow before draping an arm around the Fairest's shoulders, and then ruffling Ziv's hair on the other side. "Mostly because if you do end up in a motley with us, you'll have to teach me to ride and shoot."
She sticks out her tongue again. Blep.
"We're asking," Ziv replies, affirming. The Siren has their hair ruffled, and those weird neon pink scribbles float across their cheeks again. "I can learn, too. Just in case."
"I have to do that anyways! It's criminal how few people can ride properly. And you can teach me how to swim. Maybe there's an aquatic hedge beasty who needs a home too."(edited)
"Is it really such an underrepresented skill? I'm surprised Lost aren't banging down your door to learn. Mounted archery is literally the coolest fucking thing." Of course Rieko would think that, considering Samurai were known for their horsemanship. There's a bright peal of laughter, and Rieko's thunderous mantle echoes it's approval. "When will you be satisfied with your menagerie? Or are we going to need expanded grounds to keep a bunch of extra critters?"
"I have a Hollow, but it could be bigger," Ziv agrees quietly, gnawing their lower lip. The laughter from Eko brings back the pink scribbles.
"I don't have a menagerie," she protested. "They're family! And free to go if they ever want to. I don't think I could actually keep Elio contained if I wanted to. He goes where he wants and deigns to come when I call because he loves me too." She bit her lip worriedly. "Bailey has Buck, and while I'll be happy for Agate if she chooses to stay with him... He is her own species. He can teach her so much more than I can about being a griffon and seemed to really love her when they met. But I hope she stays with me. I don't want to lose her yet."
"Okay, fair." There's another little laugh. Rieko holds up her hand in surrender, ceding the point about the supposed menagerie. "From where I'm sitting that just means I need to work on Bailey and Buck, next. I'm already doing a skill-swap with them. They're teaching me how to shoot a gun, and in exchange I'm teaching them swords and knives." A beat. "That's a start, anyway..."
Rosalyn looked like pure mischief. "Well this is simple. I'll mention to Agate that we're thinking about inviting Bailey to a motley and she'll tell Buck, who can do all the work convincing Bailey. So when you invite them, it's a snap."
There's another bright cackle from Rieko. "Well I'd like to get to know them a little bit better, first, but that could work. Once I've had a chance to spend more time with them." She offers Ros another little nudge.
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