; ; Sighing with frustration, she called out to the shape as she began to ; crawl down the half-rotted stool she was perched on.
; ; "Hold on, these eyes don't see as far as they used to. And don't steal ; anything."
; ; Only a faint laugh, not enough for identification, reached her eyes as ; she reached the ground. She stood up to her full height, a short 122 ; cm, and waited for her hands to stop trembling. Still not hearing a ; response, but also no sounds of things being stolen, she reached out ; for a low shelf and hobbled over to the door until her visitor came ; into focus of her ancient eyes.
; ; The stranger was not from around her, she figured that part ; immediately as her dress was cut differently than the more elegant ; manner of Franome. Instead of the long, flowing gowns of the rich, she ; had a long skirt and simple halter top. A smart jacket was casually ; wrapped around her, showing off the smooth curves of her breasts.
; ; She didn't have the starving, haunted look of the peasants and her ; clothes fit her too well. But, her clothes were dirty and a little ; worn; Galidia's mind spun for a mere second and she guessed that the ; woman was a merchant' daughter or someone middle class who ran out of ; money.
; ; Galidia's eyes continued to inspect her guest, admiring the taut ; stomach that peek from between the top and skirt. Her age-glazed eyes ; trailed down, admiring the smooth legs that peeked up at her from ; below the skirt; in an errant thought, the old woman briefly wondered ; if her guest screamed during sex.
; ; As an old widow, she's been so long without a lover that even women ; were beginning to look good. A faint chuckle escaped her lips as she ; thought about that. The chuckle turned into a rasping cough as she ; grabbed the shelf tightly. Each wet noise drained a life out of her ; until she gasped for breath.
; ; Her visitor waited patiently for the coughs to subside. Galidia ; finally recovered enough to peer up at the strange invading her shop.
; ; "Sorry, the cold air causes the hacking. Please shut the door."
; ; Her guest closed the door gingerly and turned back. The old woman ; looked up with a smile, "Welcome, to Galidia's Candles and," she ; struggled not to cough again and just managed, "Incense. How may I ; help you?"
; ; "Uhh, I'm looking for 2352a Bottle Drive. Is it nearby?" Galidia was ; surprised the stranger's voice was soft, but high. There was more than ; a little hint of culture in her accent and the ancient woman placed ; her guest from the south, near the Franome-Carium border.
; ; Galidia coughed wetly again and wiped some of the phlegm on her ; sleeve, "This is 2352 Bottle Drive, there isn't an 'a'...", an ancient ; memory pushed it's way up through the years, "oh, wait, there is, ; isn't there?"
; ; The young woman, in her mid-twenties by Galidia's estimate, looked ; confused. The ancient crone grinned up with a mouth missing more than ; a few teeth. Her guest smiled back, still confused.
; ; Galidia's sharp ears hear the growl of the younger woman's stomach as ; a brief smell of the local baker drifted through the room. She watched ; her guest swallow hard and make a show of concentrating on the ; crone. A nagging idea drifted through the age-filled brain and Galidia ; smiled sly.
; ; "Do you mind if I eat first?"
; ; Emotions stirred on the younger's face for a moment: fear, longing, ; and pain. The old woman nodded and looked closer at her, her eye ; looking back over the smooth flesh and noticed the shallowness of ; someone who had more than a passing experience with hunger and ; suffering. Now that she was looking, she could see them clearly on the ; young woman.
; ; "Want to join me?"
; ; "I-I can't. It wouldn't be proper." The younger woman started to say ; more but the crone patted her on the hip and smiled; she thought of ; her guest naked on her tiny bed, but let the daydream fade away.
; ; "I invited you, girl, so sit down and eat!"
; ; The younger woman hesitated for a second, then nodded. Galidia, ; forcing back a coughing attack, nodded and hobbled back over to her ; stool. Her hands shook as she crawled up the rotted wood and perched ; herself on it's edge. Her guest followed and looked around for ; somewhere to sit.
; ; The older woman pointed to a pile on another stool, a sturdier one ; without padding, "Just shove stuff off."
; ; Gingerly, the young woman set the candle supplies on the table next to ; her and sat down. The old woman watched, seeing marks of money and ; social power in the woman's movements.
; ; Galidia hacked a couple of times as she pushed a smallish basket ; across the table. A few hunks of cheese peeked out of the ; grease-stained cloth covering it. She watched at her guest looked ; hungrily at the food.
; ; "Go ahead, my dear."
; ; With another hesitant smile, the young stranger pulled back the cloth ; to reveal a basket full of fruit, cheese, and bread. Of course, there ; wasn't a lot, but it was something. The stranger's lips grew wetter ; and Galidia could see the hunger fighting in her eyes.
; ; She reached in and pull at a red, shiny apply. Galidia's hand reach ; out and held it down for a second. The young woman tried to drop it, ; but the steel-hard grip caught her. Growing confused, she looked into ; the glazed eyes of the storekeeper.
; ; Galidia looked sternly at her, looking the deep brown eyes of her ; guest, "I don't feed people who I don't know their name."
; ; In the back of her mind, she remembered her bastard of a dead husband ; saying the same thing before they had sex for the first. But, those ; memories faded as the young woman spoke in her soft, tender voice.
; ; "I am sorry. Aini is my name, madam."
; ; "No last name?"
; ; "Hivin, madam."
; ; "I'm not madam, young whelp. Just," she fought back a spasm in her ; throat, "call me Galidia."
; ; "No last name?" A slight smile crossed Aini's face and Galidia ; laughed. Her laughter dissolved into more wet hacking but she soon ; recovered enough to respond.
; ; "When you've done as much as me, you don't need a last name."
; ; Aini nodded and stared at the luscious apple. Galidia handed it to her ; with a smile and Aini attacked it with a three-day hunger. The older ; woman slowly handed her food and water, forcing her to slow down until ; Aini sat back, no longer hungry. Her fingers wrapped around the wooden ; cup as if it was her last drink.
; ; Galidia, after watching her for a while, looked at her shrewdly, "Why ; are you looking that place?"
; ; Aini looked up, surprised at the conversation. She finished her large ; bit of the cheese and swallowed hard.
; ; "Huh?"
; ; "2352a. It's been abandoned for many years."
; ; Aini blushed slightly and pulled out a thick roll of paper. She ; unrolled it on the table, careful not to get it wet. Galidia ; recognized the colors and the art. She gave that piece of paper, many ; years ago, to the ungrateful bastard who grew up to be her son; it was ; a legal deed, in case anything happened to her or her husband.
; ; She stared at it in surprised for a few moment before wheezing, ; "Where'd you get that?"
; ; Aini sat back in surprise of the venom in host's voice, "My brother ; said it was his, before he... he... died. Is it... is it legal?"
; ; The last few words where almost a whisper and the old woman instantly ; knew that Aini came a very long distance in hopes of something better ; than what she left. She briefly considered saying no, but her heart ; softened at the trembling brown eyes.
; ; "Depends. Where did he get it?"
; ; "I don't know. I found it in my brother's stuff when I had..."
; ; The young woman's voice trailed off and didn't pick up again. The ; older woman examined the paper again, her fingers trembling ; slightly. Slowly, she turned it over and pulled out a pen. Finding the ; endorsement line, she signed it with a scrawl.
; ; "Now it's legal, if you sign here."
; ; She pushed the pen and paper over to the girl who stared at her with ; an open mouth. The old woman wondered briefly what it would feel like ; against her skin, but Aini was already paying attention to the paper ; in front of her.
; ; "Are you sure?"
; ; "Well, you're prettier than my son, so yes."
; ; Aini still looked at her hopefully and the old woman briefly wondered ; if she could get the young woman into her bed, even for just one ; night. Noticing the girl wanted a yes or no, she nodded, "Yes, it's ; legal."
; ; Aini's eyes brightened and she smiled, hesitantly. The old woman ; hacked and continued.
; ; "It was back when this entire block cost me just a mark every ; season. Now, I have to pay a hundred every month just to keep this!"
; ; She waves around the depressingly small room, the stool rocking ; dangerously. Aini started to get up, but the old woman easily brought ; the furniture under control.
; ; "He was going to make a spa or bathhouse so he and the bastard could ; see half-naked woman running around. But, he got bored and the bastard ; left me, again, for someone half his age."
; ; "Bastard...?"
; ; "The filth-ridden, dung-beetle, lover-of-undead, infernal-spawn of a ; husband who's only child was an unloving little brat who thought with ; nothing but what hung between his legs. I remember when the bastard ; first came up with the idea to have a beauty contest..."
; ; Aini smiled softly. Sensing the old woman's need to rant, she listened ; for many decidays, smiling as the frail grandmother alternated between ; screaming and explaining all the faults of her ex-husband and son.
; ; As the woman trailed off from her grand stories, she looked sharply at ; Aini.
; ; "I assume you don't have any plans?"
; ; "Plans?" Aini's voice was soft and scared.
; ; "With the building, the house... anything?"
; ; Tears welled up in the young woman's eyes as she shook her head ; slightly. The old woman could see silent sobs crash through the young ; woman's body, but something prevented them from coming out.
; ; "Husband?"
; ; "I haven't been with a man for many years."
; ; "Woman?" Galidia hopes flared briefly, but Aini shook her head. The ; old woman nodded, her hopes of some human companionship before she ; died fading away.
; ; "Do you have a job? Money? Family? Skills?"
; ; Aini shook her head to all of them except the last.
; ; "I know a little magic... and some needlework."
; ; "You were rich once, weren't you?"
; ; Aini nodded once and suddenly burst into tears. Months of travel, ; hunger, and hardship seemed to flood out of her system as she sat ; there sobbing uncontrollably. Galidia crawled down off her stool and ; hugged Aini's leg. The young girl slide out of the chair to sit on the ; ground and held Galidia tightly; streams of tears seem to pour down ; her face, soaking the old woman's shirt.
; ; Sniffing, Aini sat back on the rickety stool as the last of the tears ; stopped flowing. She looked down at the woman with red eyes and ; sniffed daintily. Galidia patted her on the leg and crawled back up ; her stool.
; ; "What are you going to do?"
; ; "I-I don't know. I was hoping that the building would give me ideas, ; m-maybe a warm place to sleep at night."
; ; The old woman resisted offering her bed; she thought hard instead of ; the young woman's problems.
; ; "Well, I don't know about ideas, but you might try fixing the place ; up."
; ; "With what? I have no money? I-I lost it all..."
; ; "I figured."
; ; Aini looked up, but the old woman still had something to say, ; "Depending on how bad it is, I have a little saved up. You could ; borrow it, with a wee bit of interest, and use it to fix up the ; place."
; ; Aini's deep brown eyes sparkled as hope glimmered in their depths.
; ; "W-Why?"
; ; "I have little to spend on these days and you seem as good of a ; project as any. Plus, you never know what you might be willing to try ; next."
; ; Aini felt some additional meaning in those last words, but she didn't ; know what the old lady was hinting at. Galidia saw the confusion and ; let it past.
; ; "If you are willing to put in a lot of hard work, both here and next ; door... I'd be willing to front a little money to get the place ; cleaned up."
; ; "No one has ever... I don't know... Thank you." Aini's speech was as ; broken as she was confused, unsure of why the old woman was helping a ; practical stranger.
; ; The young woman thought for a second, "But, I don't know anything ; about spas."
; ; "Neither did the bastard, but it didn't stop him from trying."
; ; Aini's laugh came out as a half-sob, but she was nodding. The crone ; caught her hand and looked into her blood-shot eyes. When she talked, ; her voice will filled with a serious grimness, "This is a lot of ; work. If you start, finish. If you don't think you can do it, then go ; away. If you take my money and flee, I'll have the city guard on you ; so fast they won't hear your screams for a week."
; ; Aini's smile dropped as a sinking sensation dropped into her ; stomach. A faint prickling of sweat dotted her forehead, but she ; nodded. Her face was set in a serious expression as Galidia's eye ; searched her own.
; ; After a second, the crone sat back.
; ; "Help me clean up and we'll find your 2352a Bottle Drive."
; ; "Yes, madam."
; ; "And sign the deed."
; ; A smile, "Yes, madam."
; ; Close to an deciday later, just enough time for Aini to frantically ; clean the store, the two women found themselves outside in the almost ; deserted street. A pair of guards walked down the street, watching the ; shadows but suspicious care but ignored the women. Beyond a stray cat, ; the street was empty.
; ; They were staring at a wooden wall, almost identical to the other ; walls of the building. It was black with mud, grime, and ; paint. Occasional swirls of color, from long-forgotten graffiti hinted ; at an earlier time, but it was gone down. The lower edge of the wall ; was rotted completely through, showing off mud-soaked bricked and ; shattered concrete.
; ; The air was filled with the thick stench of urine and Aini's nose ; wrinkled in distaste.
; ; "This is it?"
; ; The old woman nodded and tried to say something, but a coughing attack ; slammed into her and she gasped for breath. Aini, waiting for her ; unexpected patron to recover, toyed with the thick rod of metal in her ; hand. The crowbar felt heavy in her arms and already the first twinges ; of strain tugged at her shoulder.
; ; She stepped forward and pushed at the wood, but it didn't move under ; her feeble attempts. Behind her, the crone recovered and looked at ; Aini's firm ass closely before responding.
; ; "We had to board it up a long time ago, after the demon summoner."
; ; Aini jumped back, snatching her hand away as if it was burned.
; ; "Demon summoner!?"
; ; Galidia looked at the pale face and grinned, "Don't worry girl. Had a ; priest come in and say the place was cleaned. The only spirit that ; wasn't resting was the summoner himself after the city guard came in ; and... removed him."
; ; "But, it's safe?"
; ; The crone nodded, choosing to not tell a few minor details. Instead, ; she expanded in on the past of the building.
; ; "After the bastard and moron left, I just left the place opened. A few ; of the homeless called it their home for a few months, but I didn't ; mind. They disappeared when the summoner moved in. Didn't know the boy ; was into demons until the guards broke in and cut off his head. I ; wasn't charged for being an accomplice, but I was stuck with the ; bill."
; ; Aini nodded as the old woman continued, "Didn't have much money at the ; time, so I just had the place boarded up. That was... close to ; twenty-seven years ago, in the spring."
; ; The young woman muttered something and Galidia croaked out a command, ; "Speak up, girl."
; ; "Sorry, madam, I was born twenty-seven years ago, in the spring."
; ; The old woman briefly thought about the age difference, then her ; thoughts turned to what Aini would feel like wrapped around her ; hand. Pushing back the thought of a horny women, the old woman ; shrugged.
; ; "Coincidence."
; ; Galidia almost fell into another coughing attacks as Aini stared at ; the wooden wall in disbelief. Her eyes caught the faint outline where ; a street sign would go and decided it would work out.
; ; Aini was raised a lady, to marry off to the first husband who proved ; his worth. Her brother, a selfish man, was more interested in gaming ; and hunting than in taking care of the estates. Before her father ; died, she never did anything more strenuous then lift her knitting and ; order the servants around.
; ; She looked down at her hands, scarred and callous. After her dad died, ; she expected the servants to stay; they didn't. Soon, it was only her ; brother and her. She tried to do the chores, but she didn't know what ; to do and her brother spent most of his time out in the bars.
; ; One day, he came home with a bundle of stuff. Dropping it on the door ; frame, he stumbled into the house. She found him in the morning on the ; couch, dead from alcohol poisoning.
; ; Two weeks later, the tax collectors took away her home.
; ; Now, she was standing in front of a wooden wall with an old lady ; trying not to cough up one of her lungs. Aini sighed unhappily and ; hefted the crowbar in her hand. The memories of the pain she went ; through to get here, the traveling from town to town, begging for ; rides and avoiding the slavers and rapists. It was not fun, but it ; showed her a world she didn't even knew existed a year ago.
; ; Looking down at her crowbar, she felt her arm ache from it' ; weight. Looking back at the tiny woman, she raised an eyebrow.
; ; Galidia nodded between spasms and Aini hesitantly stepped forward. She ; found a crack and shoved the flat end of the crowbar into it. Wrapping ; her fingers around it, she wondered when the last time she had a ; man. The intervening memories got in the way and she forced the ; thought out of her mind.
; ; Taking a deep breath, she pulled down on the crowbar.
; ; It didn't move.
; ; She tried again and again until her arms and back screamed in ; agony. Finally, the wood creaked. She looked around, for someone to ; ask for help, but the street was deserted. Almost on the edge of ; tears, she forced herself to wrap her hands around the dull metal and ; pull. Finally, the wood creaked then broke off, throwing Aini to the ; ground.
; ; A foul burst of wet air followed her, turning her world green for a ; moment as she struggled not to retch. The old woman, already in a bout ; of coughing managed to avoid the rancid air; she practically ran for ; her store entrance and stood there, wheezing while her shaking hand ; clutched to the door knob.
; ; After an eternity, both woman manage to clear their lungs and look at ; the dark opening of the forgotten bathhouse. It seemed to hold a ; promise of something evil. The foul, wet oder of the darkness seemed ; to wrap around them, strangling them and clutching at them. Somewhere ; deeper into the darkness, something dripped with a random staccato.
; ; Both women stared at the darkness, trying to identify the sound and ; orders when Galidia brightened, "That's were the smell was coming ; from!"
; ; Aini looked down at the short woman, confusion on her face.
; ; Looking up, the ancient crone explained, "My shop used to just sell ; candles I made from wax, but then this horrible smell started stinking ; up the place. I lost a lot of customers and I never had that many to ; begin with. So, I had to learn how to make incense to cover up the ; smell. I still have some guests, but not as many as I used to."
; ; Aini took a deep breath and picked up the crowbar from where she ; dropped it.
; ; "Might as well get it over with."
; ; "That's the spirit!"
; ; Then, the old woman had to sit down as she gasped for breath. Aini ; felt a brief wave of concern but attacked the wall with her aching ; muscles and the crowbar.
; ; Almost twenty days later, two hetods, her muscles still ached. Her ; arms, legs, back, shoulders, and every other part of her body seemed ; to scream in agony each time she moved.
; ; After she attacked the door, ripping away the boards among the foul ; smell and dampness. Then, gagging, she left it alone for a few days to ; air out. Even after that time, the building still reeked of the ; horrible smell.
; ; Even though the doorway was tiny, the rooms behind it were huge ; compared to the rest of the block. A small, narrow hallway lead into a ; building that dominated the entire center of the city block, almost ; one hundred meters on a side. Small, half-finished, private tubs were ; laid out against one wall with a larger, shallow pool in the ; middle. There were places to undress, to store clothes, and even a ; small area for drinks or food. It was a very well designed spa, but in ; very bad shape.
; ; Most of the tile was rotted away or crumbled; years of dampness and ; humidity broke down the fragile stone and gravity did the rest. A ; thick layer of slime coated almost every surface. The thick green and ; yellow fluid had the consistency of tar and clung to every surface ; with almost an infernal intensity. The only place the slime didn't ; stick was the thick black lines of the demon summoner that marred ; almost every surface. Random symbols, obviously meaning something to ; someone, were shoved into the corners, on the walls, along the ; half-broken rail for the bathroom. A circle, also in the black lines, ; was burned into the floor of the large pool.
; ; Half the time she was in there, she got the feeling she was being ; watched. On occasion, she would see movement out of the corner of her ; eyes, but nothing but slime coated the walls when she glanced over.
; ; The air was wet, almost to the point of misting. It smelled of age, ; slime, mildew, and rot. After a few days, she noticed that all of her ; clothes, including the ones Galidia managed to find her, smelled just ; as worse. Every night, she hoped she would get used to the small, but ; she never did.
; ; The time was spent cleaning up the place. The slime was thick, like ; jelly, and refused to come off the wall. It resisted fire, Aini's ; meager magics, and everything else except a sharp knife and ; back-breaking work.
; ; After the first couple times she dumped her foul cleaning water on the ; street, the neighbors and the city guard told her to stop. Soon, she ; was forced to walk two large buckets of smelly water all the way to ; the edge of town, just to dump them. If she dropped them in the water, ; dead fish floated to the surface a few moments later.
; ; The black marks were worse, they refused to come off with anything ; less than an day's worth of scrubbing. And that took off less than a ; few centimeters. After cleaning, her fingers were stained black from ; whatever the summoner used to draw the lines.
; ; She was pleased to find the source of the hot mist, a natural spring ; boiled up through rusted pipes, filling the baths with a dark brown ; and red fluid that left nothing to be desired. She learned a lot about ; the plumbing as she tried to repair the pipes. Frequently, she would ; burst or break one of the rust metal tubes and was forced to fix it ; while being drenched in reddish spring water.
; ; Finally, she manage to repair most of the pipes. She turned the water ; on, hoping it would clear. After almost a week of running the water ; constantly, it finally came out clean and smelling faintly of must and ; sulfur.
; ; Once she had clean water, the cleaning process went faster. But, every ; night when she crawled into the small cot in the cleanest corner, she ; was haunted by every muscle in her body aching. Her hands were red and ; torn by the constant work and her entire body screamed to call a ; servant to finish the work.
; ; Her dreams were also haunted. Something chased her, sometime Galidia, ; sometimes something more horrible. Strange scars would appear on her ; hands, sending bolts of agony through her body as she struggled to ; wake up. Every morning she woke up screaming and swearing never to ; return. But, the old crone wouldn't accept no for an answer and would ; feed her and shove her back into the filth building.
; ; The only real bright point was Galidia. The old woman took care of ; her, treating her as a daughter she never had. Food showed up at ; random times, never a lot but more than she had on the last month of ; her trek to Franome.
; ; The first time Aini forgot and accidentally called Galidia mother, the ; old crone almost exploded in joy. After that, the young girl ; affectionately referred to Galidia as her mother.
; ; Brimming with joy, the ancient crone would also bring in incense and ; candles, letting Aini work until early morning trying to clean ; up. When Aini tried to refuse, Galidia forced her to eat or take the ; candles; she refused any payment except to sit with her at dinner.
; ; As the two weeks came to an end, Galidia found herself walking into ; the semi-clean bathhouse to hear Aini sobbing. Concerned, she hobbled ; deeper into the spa until she found the young woman wailing as hard a ; she could. Her hands were covered in white mud. More of the white ; stuff, some of it powder, some of it like mud, streaked her face, hair ; and even her clothes. Scattered around her, the old woman could see ; brightly colored tiles resting among the supplies. Most of the tile ; were also streaked and coated in the drying cream mud.
; ; As the crone watched, Aini looked at the wall in front of her, which ; was covered in a layer of white concrete, and burst into fresh ; tears. Setting down her bag, Galidia hobbled over and touched Aini' ; shoulder. The young woman turned around, and seeing Galidia, hugged ; her tightly. Her sobs came harder and faster as she held the old woman ; tightly.
; ; For almost ten minutes, Aini sobbed and cried. Touched, the old woman ; just stroked her hair, trying to figure out what happened.
; ; Finally, Aini sat up and wiped away the tears from her face and ; sniffed. Galidia looked at the young woman in the light of the ; candles.
; ; The last two weeks added muscles to her curves, adding a sense of ; power underneath the soft surface. Even with her ancient age, the old ; woman felt more attracted to her. Also, a great joy filled her still ; beating heart; the joy came from watching Aini grow as a human, ; learning to do things on her own and finding a confidence in ; herself. The dark memories of her husband and child were slowly being ; replaced by Aini's laughter and joy as she figured something out or ; completed a small task. More laughter came as they spent their nights ; talking about the floor-plans, the theme, even the clients they might ; get.
; ; Aini felt this memory in Galidia's probing eyes and blushed. Galidia ; coughed a few times to distract her, but the pain of her spasm has ; lessened as the bathhouse was cleaned up.
; ; Holding Aini's hand tightly, the crone looked into her eyes with ; concern and whispered softly.
; ; "What happened?"
; ; Raging emotions crossed her face as Aini struggled not to burst into ; tears. Finally, she manage to push them down and explain in a thin, ; barely controlled voice.
; ; "I got the tiles and grout from the tile-maker down the street. When I ; asked how to put them in, they told me to mix this power," she pointed ; to a pile of the cream-colored powder, "with some water until it felt ; like mud. Then to spread it over the tiles, which I glued to the wall ; and let it dry."
; ; She came close to bursting into tears again. Galidia watched as she ; struggled with her emotions. It came close a few times, but the old ; lady was patiently. Aini took another deep breath and finished.
; ; "Now, it won't come off."
; ; She failed to control the emotions this time and burst into tear ; again. She hugged Galidia tightly and the old woman let her cry it ; out. After a few moments, Galidia stroked Aini's hair.
; ; "Don't cry, little one," Aini snorted in laughter from the short ; woman's comment, but Galidia continued, "it'll work out. You've done ; so much and worked so hard."
; ; Galidia pointed to a small patch that was perfectly done, "You got some ; right."
; ; The young woman shook her head, "I-I didn't do those. At least... I ; don't remember doing it."
; ; Frowning, the old woman shrugged, "No matter. I have faith in you."
; ; Aini pulled back, "But, I have so much to do. You're running out of ; money, and I... I..."
; ; The crone smiled softly, ignoring her own growing fear of running out ; of funds, "Shush. Don't worry about that now. Why don't you take a ; long, hot bath and relax."
; ; "I don't have time... I need..." Aini's voice trailed off at the stern ; look the old woman gave her. She started to say something, but Galidia ; interrupted her.
; ; "No. Take a bath... now!"
; ; A cough threatened to disable her, but Galidia forced it down until ; the girl nodded. As the old woman was attacked by another fit, Aini ; sighed and stood up. She managed to clean one tub completely, it was ; one of the bright spots in the dark, filthy room.
; ; Taking one last look at the solid wall of white concrete, she nodded ; and headed deeper into the bathhouse, to her bath. The old woman ; briefly considered following her, but changed her mind. She hobbled ; out of the spa and shut the new door behind her, leaving Aini in ; peace.
; ; Aini walked with exhaustion into the cleaned room, stripping off her ; clothes as she moved. In a few moments, she was naked, her breast ; pushing up into the air as she used her foot to open the valve to the ; tub. The half-rusted chrome squeaked before letting the clear fluid ; slowly fill up the tiled tub.
; ; She looked in the mirror, admiring herself. The weeks of hard work had ; really trimmed her body. Her fingers stroked against soft skin, ; feeling the muscles underneath. One finger slide down her stomach ; through the brown patch of pubic hair, then slide across her hip and ; up along the curve of her right breast.
; ; The water lapped at the edge of the tub as she gratefully sunk into ; the steaming liquid. Her toe reach out and turned off the valve, ; stopping the flow of hot spring water. Sinking deeper into the ; steaming water, Aini let loose a happy sigh and closed her eyes.
; ; She floated in the deep pool for a while, letting her muscles relax ; and trying not to think of the painful twinges that reminded her of ; her work. As she soaked in the water, she let her mind wander. It ; drifted across the memories of cleaning up the bathhouse, the troubles ; she went getting her from her former home.
; ; Then, her thoughts trailed back to Trerab, an awkward farm boy who ; took her virginity in the back of one of the barns. She laughed to ; herself as she remembered how many times it took for his short shaft ; to find her semi-dry hole. It hurt at first, it felt good after a few ; minutes. It was even better the next time.
; ; Thoughts of sex drifted through her mind, over the two other lovers she ; had and the multiple of fantasies she lived in her bed at night. She ; was imagining them so hard, she felt their feather-light touch against ; her feet.
; ; Moaning softly, she stretched out for her imaginary lovers, ; remembering the feel of their skin and the flood of their cum as it ; coated her inner thighs. Even though she remembered them as clumsy and ; awkward, her imaginary lover stroked her with the soft touch of ; someone who knew her body.
; ; The feather-light touches moved up her legs, exploring her thigh and ; knees. Aini's moans were muted in the hot water as she gently parted ; her thighs, enjoying the memories as they became more vivid and ; colorful.
; ; A smile crossed her lips as she remembered more details, their faces, ; mannerisms, and even smell. She also imagined them as they stroked ; their hands along her body, sliding slick fingers against her breasts ; and shoulders. Their gentle fingers slid along her hard nipple and ; wrapped around them, tugging at the nubs and sending small shoot of ; pleasure along her flesh.
; ; More touches caressed her body, some firm, some light. Her body ; tingled after her dream's caress, but it warmed her skin as she ; shifted slightly in the water.
; ; Caught in a pleasant, floating sensation, Aini started to pick through ; her memories, taking bits and parts of her lovers, the men she's seen ; and met in her years, and even some of the fantasy lover she's dream ; about. There was a clarity to her memory as she took those bits and ; started to spin together a perfect lover.
; ; As she formulated what her lover would be like, she could imagine how ; he would slide his hands down her side, evoking a moan from her chest ; and nuzzles his mouth against the aching nipples. Even though her body ; ached, she felt it responding to her imagination with an intensity ; that scared her.
; ; Even as he stroked, sucked, and touched her, his hands would continue ; to slide down, feeling like they were touching everything, and up ; against her hot sex.
; ; Aini's legs parted in the water until her knees brushed against the ; tiled sides of the tub. Her hands started to move down, but stopped a ; her imagination pulled back. She decided to enjoy the almost-physical ; sensations of her own fantasies and let her hands drop into the hot ; water of the tub.
; ; She continued to build, explore, and admire the perfect lover as he ; formed in her mind, caressing her body. His strong fingers brushed ; against her nether lips, sending more bolts of pleasure along her ; spine as his fingertip caressed and stroked the sensitive outer lips.
; ; The only thing that confused her is that, in her dreams, he seemed to ; have hundreds of long fingers instead of hands. It seemed to match the ; caresses against her skin.
; ; Her mouth opened slightly, to feel his kiss, salty and sweet. Hi ; tongue brushed against her lips, feather-light and delicious as he ; started to explore her mouth as his hands explored her sex.
; ; More feather-light touches brushed against her, teasing almost every ; centimeter of her skin as they stroked and explored her knees, feet, ; sides, neck, and hair.
; ; Her soft moans were muffled now by his kiss as she felt his finger, ; probably his smallest, slip up against her inner folds. The flexible ; tip nuzzled it's way to her pleasure and stroked up against the hard ; fold of her clitoris.
; ; Her gasp was also muffled as lightning bolts of pleasure arched back ; up along her spine. She strained to keep her eyes shut, to enjoy the ; often missed pleasures of a lover, even if he was imaginary. The ; bathhouse and even the crone were forgotten as she allowed a faint ; wave of pleasure to ripple through her body.
; ; Her lover's fingers seem to slide into her sex, gently holding apart ; the thick folds to send his smaller fingers against the opening of her ; sex and against her clitoris. His fingers probed and explored as one ; of his fingers gently slide into her aching sex, filling the tight ; opening with it's girth.
; ; Aini felt her back arch as the finger slide in and out, teasing her ; inner core with sensations she thought she forgot. The trailing finger ; along her body fades as she focused on the feelings of being kissed ; and fingered by her spectral lover.
; ; Her tongue flicked out, exploring the hot mouth of her imagination, ; enjoying the feeling of light touches along it. More tendrils of ; pleasure slid into her mouth, exploring her insides with the same ; curious, but firm, gestures of the wonderful fingers plunging into her ; depths.
; ; Fluttering, her eyes began to open, but a soft, warm pressure held ; them shut. She felt it stroke her face and teased her scalp and she ; relaxed into it; it no longer felt like one man, but hundreds loving ; her at the same time. The image in her mind blurred for a moment ; before she focused on it.
; ; Pleasure teased her senses as she felt her labia part further a more ; fingers slide into her body, stretching her opening slightly more and ; plunging deep into her core. More pleasure flared out from there a the ; fingers touched and explored every crevice of her insides, teasing the ; opening of her womb and pulling out to wrap around her erect clitoris.
; ; Her muffled moan became more insistent as she thrust her hip against ; her dream lover's fingers, enjoying them as they plunged faster and ; deeper into her body, send thick bolts of pleasure to ever inch of her ; skin.
; ; The sucking and stroking of her nipples and breasts overwhelmed her as ; more of her body reacted to the lover, sending building waves of ; pleasure up and down her spine.
; ; Her lover's tongue left her as she moaned with its retreat. Then her ; moans turned more frantic as the wiggling fingers increased their ; frenzy, moving against every centimeter of her flesh, both inside and ; out. Her body was paralyzed by the bolts of ecstasy that came from ; everywhere, flooding her system with building walls of pleasure.
; ; Her orgasm slammed into her with the force of a charging dragon. Her ; scream of pleasure echoed against the tiled walls of the room a her ; body arced and pulled itself out of the water.
; ; The second wave of pleasure slammed into her and her entire body ; tensed, her breasts quivering with each shuddering breath as she rode ; the intense waves like her life depended on it. Her fingers clenched ; air until her body finally relaxed and all tension poured out of her.
; ; With a splash, she landed back in the water, half aware of her ; surroundings as her mind basked the afterglow of her intense ; orgasm. With a start, she realized she still had her eyes closed.
; ; As she started to open them, she felt another feather-light touch ; against her eyes and realized she was still in some sort of ; half-dream. The pressure holding her face was gently but it was ; obvious it wanted her eyes shut. A strange smell filled her senses for ; a moment, one she smelled before but couldn't quite remember.
; ; Her body felt empty as she parted her legs; her lover had left her ; ill-used sex. Even though she lost the image of her phantom lover in ; her mind, she could still feel the tendrils of pleasure caressing ; her. They stroked and touched her, teasing her breasts, throat, and ; even scalp as they massaged her body.
; ; Her moans were softer, more relaxed, as the thousands of stroking ; sensations built up her pleasure, one nerve at a time. Soon, she was ; writhing in the pool, thrusting her hips for something to ; pleasure. Frantic whimpers echoed in the room as she begs the silent ; fingers to please her, to fill her body with their hardness.
; ; Finally, as the pleasure slowly built, her requests were ; answered. Something thick and hard and very hot pressed lightly up ; against her sensitive labia and Aini moaned in pleasure. The thickness ; moved slowly up and down, soaking up her juices that still clung to ; her in the scented water.
; ; Aini pushed her legs apart until her hips ached with her efforts. As ; she relaxed, she felt the feather-light touches against her skin ; tenderly wrap around her legs, holding them apart for the hardness ; poised to enter her body.
; ; Her whimpers, desire to be entered, grew lower as the hardness ; continued to slide up and down, but not into her hot depths. Her hip ; thrusted against it, but it backed up. With her legs trapped, she ; couldn't follow the hardness until it returned to nuzzle at her aching ; opening. Her breasts heaved with each breath as she tried to will the ; hard smoothness into her slit and deeper into her body.
; ; Slowly, the pressure of the rounded tip increased as it continued to ; slide up and down. Her lips were pushed out of the way as it nuzzled ; deeper; soon the tip was caught in the ring of her opening and it ; started to push and pull with tiny movements.
; ; Aini's back arched once against as the thickness of her lover' cock ; began to burrow it's way into her sex, filling her aching tunnel as it ; pushed deeper into her body. Thick ridges teased every part of her ; labia as it easily penetrated her body in tiny little movements.
; ; Her pleasure building, Aini felt her hips thrusting against the ; wiggling shaft but it continued it's slow motion. Further and further ; it pierced her body, shoving nerves and flesh aside as it stroked ; deeper inside.
; ; Aini's moan turned into a single wail of pleasure as she feel the hard ; thickness easily slide into her body, stroking her inner walls, until ; it bumped up against the end of her depths. Even then, it continued to ; push, sliding over the hard knob of her cervix to the very limits of ; her core.
; ; Her wail turned almost frantic as the hardness reversed it's course ; and slowly withdrew, tugging at her labia with each ridge as it left ; her body. Her wail dissolved into whimpers she felt the delicious ; smooth shaft leave her body until only the rounded tip stood poised at ; her entrance.
; ; The second thrust was faster, shoving aside pleasure nerves in one ; long stroke as it bottomed out inside her body. Aini's neck tenses ; with the sudden wave of pleasure, so raw after her first ; orgasm. Before she could respond, the hardness vacated her body almost ; as fast.
; ; Less than a second passed before a third, then a fourth, and then many ; more thrusts plunged into her body, pleasurably scraping against ; sensitive nerves to bury deep inside her tight sex, then yank out with ; an almost mechanical motion.
; ; Aini's moans echoed against the room, interrupted by the staccato ; thrusts of the hard shaft burying itself between her legs. She could ; feel her legs strain to close, to tighten around her lover, but the ; feather-light tendrils, still stroking, prevented her. She was pulled ; apart for her imaginary love and was loving each moment of raw ; pleasure.
; ; As she felt another orgasm build, she willed her lover to come inside ; her, to fill her with the hot wetness she remembered from before. She ; didn't hear a response but she felt the hardness plunge harder and ; harder, curling slightly inside her to fill her with a thick knot ; before slipping out of her body.
; ; Her world focused on that shaft as it plunged inside her, nothing ; existed except the plunging sensations and her own growing ; orgasm. With each thrust, it flared inside her, filling her body with ; hot light of her pleasure.
; ; When she felt her body could take no more of the intense pleasure, she ; felt it explode inside her. The hardness swelled to her very limit and ; soon a hot, liquid warmth flooded her insides. The very sensation of ; her lover's orgasm triggered her own orgasm and her vision behind ; closed lids exploded into an intense white light as her body left her ; control.
; ; Bolt after bolt of pleasure coursed through her nervous system, firing ; again and again as she felt the hardness dominate her world. Each ; twitch, every shudder seem to burn more of the hard shaft deeper into ; her mind and soul.
; ; As her orgasm slowly faded and the afterglow began to mellow into a ; thick feeling of pleasure, she opened her eyes, happy.
; ; Aini was expecting anything but what she saw. She half expected to see ; Galidia in the bath with her, or even just alone with her ; fantasies. What she didn't expect to see was the massive mass of ; wiggling tentacles.
; ; Her mouth opened in surprise as she watched the thousands of ; dusty-gray tendrils boil and weave in her vision. Her eyes slowly ; moved down to her legs as she watched them unravel around her body and ; pull back into the faucet.
; ; Beginning to shake in shock, her eyes moved further, between her legs ; where a hard, thick tentacle was firmly buried into her sex. The ; sensations of her lover felt the same, but there was some insanity as ; she watched centimeter after centimeter slowly slip out of her body, ; leaving an aching emptiness behind.
; ; When she saw the rounded tip slip out of her sex with burst of her ; juices and it's cum floating in the water, she brought her mind into ; focus. Slowly, she started to pull herself out the water, backing away ; from the tentacles.
; ; They did nothing to stop her, instead watched from a distance without ; eyes. She felt naked as she shivered. She finally backed out of the ; tub and moved slowly to the door.
; ; They did nothing.
; ; Her naked body was ignored with her sudden impulse to flee the ; horrible vision in front of her. Her hand gripped for a towel, but it ; was gone.
; ; They did nothing.
; ; Her fingers clutched against the door frame and she slipped past it, ; putting the tiled wall between her and the tentacles that massed in ; her tub.
; ; She sighed and turned around. As soon as her eyes came into focus, she ; screamed loud and hard. The high-pitched voice almost cracked the tile ; with the intensity, but that didn't bother the rest of the tentacles.
; ; Thousands upon thousands of the tentacles filled the room, brushing ; and tapping against the walls. Even more, thicker than the one that ; penetrated her waved in the air, like snakes. Some of the larger ; tentacles were as long as she was.
; ; Her body began to shake again as she tried to see the exit and plan ; her escape. But, the large mass of stone-gray tendrils blocked her ; vision. Her body, still flush from her orgasm, seemed far away as she ; looked around.
; ; Then, something caught her eye. One of the tendrils was chipping away ; at the white grout on the tile. Briefly curious and very scared, she ; looked a little closer, careening her neck for a better sight. As if ; reading her motions, the tendrils peeled away from the wall, exposing ; the brightly colored tile she put there earlier int he day. The grout ; no longer covered the tiles, but was scoured away to leave clean ; lines. Even some of the tiles she put on crooked were straightened.
; ; She could see more of the tentacles cleaning away the last of the ; mess. Even the dark, supernatural lines of the demon summoner were ; disappearing underneath the efforts of the millions of tiny tendril ; that toiled against the wall, floor, and ceiling..
; ; Her fear was forgotten as she watched in surprise as the tentacle ; cleaned her bathhouse, pulling off rust, grime, and slime from the ; walls, fixtures and even the ceiling she was dreading.
; ; "What the..."
; ; Her voice trailed off as she watched in surprise, unable to comprehend ; what was happening.
; ; A motion below her attracted her attention. Looking down, she saw a ; single gray tendril, about as thick as her index finger, wiggle toward ; her. She watched it as it gently stroked against her foot.
; ; When she didn't do anything, it started to slowly curl around her leg ; and start to slide up.
; ; Two years later, things were very different. Aini slowly walked among ; her patrons, enjoying the sweet smell of Galidia's incense. The crowd ; was talking low among themselves as naked men and women dipped in the ; hot spring water and teased each other.
; ; It was a time of celebration and the men and women there were doing ; their best to enjoy it. Aini spotted a few second sons and daughters ; of the city nobles and smiled.
; ; She was naked also, except for purse around her neck. Her belly, six ; months pregnant, still had the defining layer of muscle over it. Her ; left hand continuous drifted down to rub the smooth surface as she ; happily chatted with her friends and clients.
; ; Slowly, she made her way down a narrow corridor, talking with a few ; guests. About six months ago, she expanded the bathhouse to take up ; the entire block. She was making enough money now.
; ; One of the doors opened and Galidia, naked and flushed, stepped out, ; leaving the door opened. Her skin still was covered in the wrinkles of ; age, but her breath was strong and sure. The last two year had put a ; little tone into the crone's body also, leaving a spry woman behind.
; ; Aini smiled,"Hello, mother."
; ; Galidia smiled warmly and her heart warmed up more hearing her adopted ; daughter call her mother. Aini's eyes twinkled as she looked into the ; room, seeing no one.
; ; "Are you enjoying him again?"
; ; Galidia blushed and nodded, "Yeah, I needed a break before I sung ; again."
; ; Aini smiled and knelt to hug the tiny woman; she strained a little ; standing up and used the wall for support. Galidia patted the rounded ; stomach, enjoying the feel of smooth flesh under her hand; Aini never ; bedded her but the old woman, feeling younger than before, still ; wanted her.
; ; "Take care, little one," Aini smiled at their joke, "I think he gave ; us a wonderful gift."
; ; Aini laughed, a clear sound filled with joy and contentment, "You lost ; your cough and poor health, I," she empathized the word, "somehow ; manage to get pregnant."
; ; "Always wanted a grandchild."
; ; Aini's and Galidia's laughter sparkled in the air as a tiny gray ; tendril filled in a crack in the tile with some grout. It waves in the ; air, tasting the smells of incense and candles, then slide back into ; the faucet. ; ;