A Good Soak [EZRA]

[nineofswords]

Ronnie had been busy lately. Between learning how to work with a new partner, acclimatizing said partner to people, and dealing with her regular duties, Ronnie was exhausted. Not physically, of course; she'd requested that their work load be lightened when she'd first bonded to Osk, and they'd gradually increased the length and difficulty of tasks as he'd gotten used to the work. But it was mentally exhausting, constantly being on alert for signs of stress in her new brown, calming and soothing and reassuring him so he wouldn't bite. He was asleep now, so she felt safe to take a moment to herself, to just relax and take a nice long bath with a glass of wine and not worry or think about anything in particular.

"I have needed this," Ronnie sighed, leaning back into the blissfully warm water. "Nothing relaxes a girl quite like a nice warm bath, wouldn't you agree? It's simply the most perfect way to wash off all your cares, and who can stay stressed with the heat reaching all the way down to your bones to relax your muscles?" she was asking the room in general, making small talk. It had been far too long since she'd been able to be an average young woman, without any serious concerns. She'd taken for granted how easy a partner Onisk had been until meeting Osk. She promised herself she was never going to take free time for granted again.

[Ezra]

Cherami had a similar idea, having finished her duties a bit early today and Cherask was never one to pass up a chance to just laze about in his favorite place, his bed. So taking advantage of her white being content for the moment, she decided she needed to bathe, both to relax and also.. she had gotten a bit dirty during her rounds today and wanted to wash the ick away. She had just finished washing herself and rinsing off when she heard Ronnie speak. She knew of her fellow white handler and had heard she had taken on a wild wher recently and while Cherami herself would likely not welcome such a thing, she was impressed with the fact Ronica seemed to be handling it in stride.

" Aye, and no lady likes being dirty. I know I do not relish such things. Its important to take moments for ourselves like this after all. How have you been adjusting to the duel handler life? Has your new wher settled in alright?" She asked, trying to be more social these days and it would be nice to have a fellow lady to converse with. She couldn't really think of the last time she ever really stopped to have an honest conversation with someone else that did not involve duty somehow. Perhaps it was time to change that.

[nineofswords]

Ronnie let out an enormous sigh. "It's true. No lady likes being dirty. She'll tolerate it as long as needs must, but Faranth help anyone who gets between her and the bathing caverns at the end of her shift." She chuckled slightly to herself. Speaking in the third person like that reminded Ronnie of the woman who'd taught her etiquette. She had been a small and petty woman, but not terribly intelligent, and Ronnie had delighted in running mental circled around her.

She turned to look at the other woman who'd responded to her, surprised that she was asking about Osk. It probably wasn't that surprising, the brown had made quite a stir, and wild whers bonding to people was fairly rare. People had probably talked about it. She wasn't used to that at Fort Weyr. She'd been just one among many for quite some time. But luckily, being talked about wasn't something that phased her.

"Oh! Well thank you for asking! It's been quite interesting, to say the least. Strange, too, considering my new boy is a good deal older than I am, and typically it's the other way around. Osk is his name, incidently, and he's a dear but silly thing. Quite an old man, and absolutely no interest in speaking, which makes it something of a challenge to accommodate him. But we find a way. All those turns learning to be a hostess and how to watch my guests for the slightest sign of discomfort are coming in handy."

She extended a hand to the other whitehandler. "I'm Ronnie, by the way. I don't think we've had the pleasure of meeting before, and if we have I apologize terribly for not remembering you. Onisk is my other bond, a dear sweet little white."