Private Tales Take the risk or lose the chance

[Lottie Beaufort]

-- I want you to let it out. Don't be afraid of what will happen...

..."Conceal it. Never let another person see your deformation, Girl. It's unseemly." Lottie's cheek stung from the slap her father had given her across the cheek as she sat crumpled on the floor. The remains of her imaginary friends were just sparkles of light falling to the floor. She sniffed and tried to hold back the tears she knew would only earn her another rebuke. What had she done? She had only been playing...

Taking a deep breathe Lottie dispelled the memory or at least tried to shove it back in its box from whence it had crawled. The first time she had ever used her powers she hadn't known what it was she was doing. She had just wanted to play a game and she had had nobody else to play with with her sisters both out. When she was older she of course had realised what she had done but the doubt and fear of using her magic had already settled deep within her mind. Her tutors had not helped by telling her of the madness that seized women when using magic and they had restricted her to learning fanciful tricks that would please her future husband. At least, they had reasoned, she had been gifted with a more lady-like ability unlike her sisters.

It was that deep rooted block that she had to fight through now with Varys.

I'm right here.

Lottie gave her friend a nervous smile and then shut her eyes again and concentrated. Or rather... let go. She had always been in control even when faced with the freedom her sisters had given her, that fear keeping a tight leash on her. There had only been once with a Devil she had let herself let go a bit more and that had ended in a blood bath. Now though she thought of happy things as she did with the butterflies. Of her sisters laughing. Of watching the Gryphons on a summers evening glide across the great channel. The more Lottie let herself go the more their surroundings began to change. It was like a painting appearing stroke by stroke but the landscape turned from a normal dirt road to a paved cobbled street and in the distance rose a fairytale castle lifted straight from a book a child might read. The trees along the road were purples and pinks and there was a slight touch of warmth seeping through. Even the cart changed to a lavish carriage, the horses became strong white stallions with long fabulous manes and tales. Their outfits, too, became those fit for a Prince and Princess.

Lottie had turned the whole place within a mile into a scene straight from a fairytale.

 

[Varys]

Varys knew the storm that swirled in his apprentice’s eyes. He knew the ominous clouds that surrounded her mind and made seeing within herself clearly a treacherous and frustrating journey. As was quickly becoming the norm, Varys could relate to such troubling thoughts. When it had come time for him to prove his mettle, Varys’ loneliness and lack of self-worth had hindered his progress immensely. It was not until he learned to push past his misgivings, to not focus on the past but on bettering his future that he reached the peak of his strength.

That had taken quite a monumental effort to accomplish, and the circumstances here simply weren't the same. The only thing that the elf sitting beside Lottie could do to help her find that which she'd hidden away inside herself for so long was be present at her side, to be the support she'd never had before. His fingers squeezed her shoulder as she smiled at him, and her Master let out a small chuckle. "I know how you feel. Trust me, you'll feel better when it's done." He had no doubt of that. Slowly her eyes drifted shut, and for a moment there was nothing. No change, not even a shift in the wind.

At least, that's how it would look to the average person, but Varys could hear the world around him, and even the grass and the trees had hushed themselves into silence, feeling an increasing presence in the wind. Her presence. Varys looked around them, silently stunned by the effect she had on their surroundings. Slowly, changes would begin to appear. The colors he saw grew more vibrant, extraordinary. The road beneath their feet now clicked like stone against the hooves of the horses pulling them. Brilliant ribbons of color draped the sky, rainbows that led to a massive castle where the forests of Falwood should stand. Even he himself was suddenly dressed in a brilliant white ensemble befitting some sort of royalty.

Varys had been expecting a small Illusion, this was... incredible. When properly motivated, she rivaled... No, she outclassed him in illusion magic. Varys' illusions were bound by practicality; what could be done by manipulating nature. Lottie seemed able to pour her imagination out into the land before her as if it were canvas. The trees sang happy songs into his mind, the plants swayed happily back and forth...

"Now ease back... Let it fade slowly." He'd leaned in to whisper into her ear softly. It was important not to surprise her. A jarring shock could send her powers awry, and she was doing so well.

Lottie Beaufort

 

[Lottie Beaufort]

It felt like a string had been unravelled and suddenly pulled tight within her mind. Any more and it might snap, but letting go quickly might also have hazardous consequences. She wavered on the knifes edge as Varys told her to ease back. Slow was definitely key but she was struggling to keep that amount of magic in her and she worried it might burst like a bubble at any moment. Or maybe it would consume her like her tutors had warned her all those years ago. Fear and exhaustion meant her 'easing' was not as slow as Varys no doubt meant and it certainly wasn't anything pretty. She let go in quick stops and starts causing the illusion to waver then suddenly spring back into focus, shatter, then reform sections, burst and then come back slightly altered. It created a sensation similar to a ship caught at sea with all the to-ing and fro-ing.

Eventually, however, the landscape went back to what it was before.

Lottie panted hard and her vision swam as she put both hands on the rail before her and held fast. She'd never used that much energy before and it was a shock to the system. So much so that lines of blood streamed from her nose.

 

[Varys]

In many ways, Varys knew, ending such powerful magic was even more dangerous than casting it. Letting go was one thing, but controlling yourself, finding your feet beneath you and landing with both of them on the ground was another entirely. Right now Lottie was burning bright, and to bring the illusions to a stop was asking a fire to dim itself, to extinguish its own life on her command.

It was no easy task, and the elf saw the struggle take shape before him. The illusion around the pair would crackle and reform, struggling to maintain form, which in turn would cause Lottie to protest further. Alas her own magic sought to disobey her, refusing to heed her commands. She was losing it, and in the process faced a very real risk of losing herself. Varys would not allow his first apprentice... his first true friend, to be snuffed out by his own teachings.

More comforting encouragement, soft whispers however lost they were in the whirlpool within her mind. His arms wrapped around her, holding her close as she battled the tides of her own storm, struggling to stay afloat. Finally though, after minutes of agony, the road around them looked normal once again, and Lottie struggled to breathe as she bled on the railing of the wagon.

Quickly Varys released her, taking the reins and pulling the wagon off to the side of the road, sliding around and dropping into the back to ready Lottie's bedroll. She'd be vaguely aware of Varys embracing her, pulling her from the drivers seat and into the back of the wagon to lay down.

"Poor girl. I can see why she spooked the stiff-lips in Oban..." Varys muttered to himself as he sat aside her, digging through one of his bags for his water flask, pulling the stopper and holding it to her lips. "Drink."

Lottie Beaufort

 

[Lottie Beaufort]

Lottie was aware of holding onto the rail but the next moment she could recall was in Varys' arms. Her mind struggled to work out what had happened as he carried her into the back of the wagon and laid her down. Had she fainted? The motion made her horrified and she tried to struggle out of his arms to sit up on her own but her body disobeyed. It felt as though she were trying to wade through quicksand. Every movement was an effort, even just raising her head to drink from the offered waterskin so that she didn't choke. Even still she couldn't sit up all the way and water trickled down her chin. She coughed a little to begin with but was soon guzzling the water down like she hadn't drunk in a week.

Eventually, she shakily pushed the skin away and lay back down with a groan.

"I feel like a minotaur just punched me in the head," she complained and pressed the heels of her palm into her eyes in an attempt to hold her pulsing skull together. "Did I do something wrong?"

 

[Varys]

Varys had to fight back a snort of laughter at the question she asked, pulling back the waterskin and tucking it somewhere he could get to it easily later. "No, you did very well given the situation." He wasn't merely trying to make her feel better about the ordeal either; if she hadn't been as talented as she was, she'd be dead right now. Drawing back a display that was going out of control like that wasn't child's play, even for an accomplished illusionist.

Varys leaned back against the wall of the back with a relieved sigh from his lungs, his eyes trailing over her as if he feared he'd missed something, that she'd be broken somehow and it would be his fault.

Nothing. Why was he so damned worried?

"You're just more powerful than you are experienced, that's all." He stated bluntly. "You're packing some serious talent inside of you, but you aren't used to controlling it yet. The strain of keeping it under your command was too much for your mind and body to take, but you pulled it off anyway. That... is damned impressive."

Raising his arms over his head to stretch, Varys left her there on the mat, climbing back into the front seat of the cart and grabbing the reins with one hand. Thankfully she couldn't see the nervous bite of his lip, the worried look in his eyes that wasn't there before; Lottie was more impressive than he could have ever imagined. Not only were her illusions far stronger than his own, but when she'd pulled that stunt, the world didn't speak back to him.

Somehow, her illusions nullified his most powerful ability.

If she lost control even worse than she did today, if people got hurt... Varys wasn't entirely sure he'd be able to pacify her. For a moment the elf considered calling it all off right then and there. Taking her home, running away, and never returning to Oban again. Maybe he was in too deep, he'd been too confident in his own skills...

Running now would only make him another person to fail her though, another person who gave up on her because of who she was, and what she could do. Varys moved a hand to wipe at a spot of blood that had trickled onto the rail as he pursed his lips in thought. He couldn't do that.

He'd teach her to control this or he'd die trying.

"Just get some rest, alright? We'll be in civilization before you know it. A hot bath and a meal and I bet you'll feel better in no time."

It wouldn't be long, by the time Lottie opened her eyes again they were surrounded by trees on every side, the sunlight little more than a dim glow through the thick treetops shining through roof of the Wagon. It wasn't like the forest she'd been used to outside of Oban though, this one seemed so much more... alive. The air itself seemed to teem with the sounds, the scent of life itself, and the air was as fresh as if Arethil had been born the previous day.

"You awake back there? We're getting close to our stop for the night, I was afraid I was gonna have to let you sleep back there all night."

Lottie Beaufort

 

[Lottie Beaufort]

As Varys informed her of what she'd done, filling in the blanks in her now patchy and vague memory, Lottie could only groan and roll onto her side. There wasn't much of a pillow on the mat but she grabbed something soft that was nearby and pulled it under her head to make herself more comfortable. He had said what she had done was impressive but all she could remember was feeling the greatest high followed by the biggest crash she had ever felt. Everything in the world for a blissful moment had been what she had seen in her mind. She'd even smelt the flowers the way she'd always imagined them to be in the books. But it hadn't been impressive when the whole thing had been torn up like a bit of parchment in what had felt like seconds.

If she had seen it from Varys position she might have realised the extent of her gift.

"YesIthinksleepsagood...." she slurred as he clambered back into the drivers seat. Before he'd even clicked the horses on Lottie was fast asleep. The type of sleep where there was no dreams just peaceful darkness and true rest.

The cart going down a particularly nasty pothole was what jarred her from her sleep and for one panicky moment she couldn't remember where she was or who she was with. Varys voice brought her quickly back to reality. Days could have passed and she would have believed him. With a groan she flopped back into the mat.

"That might be a good idea, I don't think I can move," her whole body felt beaten black and blue and her headache was even worse than when she had gone to sleep. Weakly she reached for the waterskin and took a shaky sip. Too much more and she knew her stomach would make her throw it back up. With another pitiful moan she lay back down. "This is worse than my sisters Moonshine hangovers."

 

[Varys]

As troubled as Varys had been, the relatively quiet trip into the dense forests of Falwood had him awash with an entirely different feeling. This had been the first time he sought to return home in years, ever since he'd left in this very wagon. He'd been so different back then, not the person he was now. When he'd looked back and saw the great city of Fal'Addas fading into the horizon, he'd felt angry, bitter at the place where he'd languished in the streets, stewing in the filth of poverty.

Through his journeys, though, he'd learned valuable truths: The value of a place to call home, the folly of holding onto resentment, and his own identity. Varys looked forward to seeing the place he'd once hated again with trepidation and nervous glee, even though he still wasn't sure it was where he truly belonged most. It was still his home, and it was a beauty that Lottie deserved to see.

The bump that finally roused Lottie from her sleep was the front wheels of the wagon moving from the dirt road to the carefully lain stone of the massive Elven city. Lottie wouldn't be able to see much of anything from the back, but she would hear the sounds of a city alive; voices young and old chattering, laughing and screaming. Hooves on stone and bells ringing in the distance. Varys had always found it too loud when he was younger, but now the scene of the market, flush with traffic and stalls selling everything from weapons to pets made him smile. The air here was so crisp, it made him realize just how dirty and impure a city like Oban felt to him.

There would be time for sightseeing later though. Lottie needed attention and while Varys stood with mouth agape like some tourist who'd never seen a tree before, she was struggling. "You'll be pleased to know we've arrived, young grasshopper." He chirped teasingly. "Sit tight. I'm going to see if an old friend will give us a room..."

---

"If you're Varys, I'll eat my own ears off, boy."

San'Seya hadn't taken them to a particularly ritzy inn, a small little building with a hard-to-pronounce elven name and a grouchy-looking old Elf behind the counter inside, wiping a large mug with a rag. It was already clean, but Varys knew for a fact the old elf didn't have enough business to warrant him doing any other chores.

"Not a very nice way to greet an old friend, Hasell. Here." Varys turned around, bringing his hands up to the back of his head and lifting his long white hair up to expose his nape. The glowing blue mark seemingly tattooed on his flesh there left Hasell with his mouth slightly open. "I'll be damned. You're still alive, you little asshole. I thought for sure you were gonna die, leaving with that wackjob fireworks artist. You really sprouted."

Admittedly, Varys and Hassel had never really been 'friends' so much as Varys usually owed Hassel money and Hassel came up with colorful insults for the then-homeless elf. Still, Varys could see a spark in the older gentleman's eyes that told him Hassel wasn't displeased with seeing him, and he too cracked a smile. "It's a long story, friend. I did a lot of growing up. Another time though, I need a room, and a bath drawn." Hassel immediately narrowed his gaze. "Oh, so we're going right back to begging me?"

Varys chuckled and fished in his jacket for a small sack of coins, tossing them on the table. "I'm not so hard off for money anymore, thankfully."

Quickly rushing back out to the wagon, He opens up the back and leans forward, smirking at Lottie. "Alright, the food's on the fire and bath is being drawn. Time to get up. This place has its own separate room for bathing, so you don't need to worry about privacy, and Hassel's a hell of a cook, though he's a sour sod, for sure."

The smile on his face was as bright as the sun beating down on the forest city, a telling sign of how happy he was to be home.

Lottie Beaufort

 

[Lottie Beaufort]

Lottie shut her eyes and prayed for death as the cart continued to rumble on.

Slowly the smells and the sounds of the new city begun to waft through the gaps in the wagon to fill her senses. Even with a pounding head and a stomach that rolled like the storm seas she was curious about them all and it helped to take her mind off her current condition. Something sweet came first followed by something spicy that got into her throat and made her want to cough. There was the sound of laughter and then a snatch of a song that for even for a few beats sounded so hauntingly beautiful she thought she could sit and listen to it all day. This had to be the city Varys had described to her, the elven one that would make Oban look a small town in comparison. And here she was, clutching her stomach! It infuriated her but anger only made her worse so she whimpered and buried her head under a blanket.

She must have drifted off again for the next thing she knew Varys was telling her to get up and the wagon had stopped moving. Bleary eyed she slowly pulled down the blanket and peeked at him over the top. He looked far too awake and upright for someone in her condition. But the promise of a bath and food was tempting enough to at least stop her from putting her head back down and going to sleep.

"I'm coming..." she promised weakly and begun to butt-shuffle her way to the edge of the wagon not quite trusting her legs to get her to her feet. When she got to the edge where Varys waited she draped her legs over the lip of the wagon and looked down at the floor. It was barely a meter drop but it felt far further and with great care she lowered herself down. Paused. Her legs held her weight and with a relieved sigh she went to take a step and almost took Varys' out with her when she tripped.

"I feel like a baby deer on ice!" she said in frustration as she gripped the front of Varys' shirt to keep herself from hitting the dirt with her face as she got her feet back under her. "Is it like this every time you use magic?"

 

[Varys]

Obviously, this wasn't how Varys had wanted to introduce her to the city he'd grown up in, curled up and feeling like the manifestation of death itself. He could at least take solace in the fact it wasn't anything he'd done that had brought her to this. Well... he had decided to teach her and that had indirectly led to... never mind all that. What was important was that they'd made it. A day or so of rest and the mage was confident her energy would return to her as if it had never left, though she'd be a bit sore for a week and change.

That didn't make it any more pleasant for him to watch her struggle her way out of the blanket she'd wrapped herself in and down to the end of the wagon. Varys had known she'd done a number on herself, but even he had seemingly underestimated the toll her display had taken. Catching her as she stumbled upon contact with the ground, his arms quickly found their way around her to offer support as she gripped his shirt, a chuckle falling down onto the top of her head in response to her question.

"Not once you know what you're doing. In time you'll learn to control just how much you use, but right now you're on empty; you let out everything you had all at once and now your body is feeling the effects." It might not have been an extremely appropriate time for a lesson, but as Varys nonchalantly scooped her up off of her feet to carry her bridal-style towards the Inn, he continues. "All magic, weak or powerful, puts stress on your body, adds weight, makes it work overtime. With all the oomph you put into that illusion, you may as well have jogged from Oban to here." He holds back an amused laugh at the pout she undoubtedly shot up at him.

Hassel was gone from his spot by the time they entered, probably had drawn the bath and was setting up the room. That was fine, the last thing Varys needed was the raised eyebrows that came with carrying a young human woman into a Falwood tavern. The questions he'd get. Making his way down to the end of the hallway, he took a left into the rather luxurious bathroom, especially by the standards you'd expect from such a small building. The floor was some sort of smooth tile, and rather than a traditional tub, the bath was built into the floor itself, with small openings in the side for fresh water from the springs of Fal'Addas to fill the tub and be warmed by the chamber of glowing embers magically protected underneath the water, kept just warm enough to keep the water toasty. Sunlight crept in from small windows placed near the ceiling, the glass marred by imperfections that served to block the view of any uninvited eyes.

"Damn, this place has gotten an upgrade since I was here..." Varys muttered, before looking down awkwardly at Lottie. "Ah. You uh... figure you can undress and all that on your own? Probably don't want me in here while you take care of things..." A hint of red rushed to his cheeks and he looked away for a moment. Was it hot in here? It was definitely hot in here.

Lottie Beaufort

 

[Lottie Beaufort]

It was a testament to how tired she was that Lottie gave not an ounce of protest when he swept her - quite literally - off her feet. She knew her limits, at least physically speaking, and hadn't believed there was a way in hell she was getting to the bath without eating a face full of dirt along the way. It was also, however, a testament to just how much she trusted him that she relaxed when held in such a way. Not very long ago she would have shied away and squirmed out of such a touch from a man. Instead she tucked her head beneath his chin and focused on not falling asleep.

"I think you should have started with that lesson," she muttered after the signature pout aimed in his direction. He had said to let it all go. How was she meant to know there was 'all go' and 'all all go'? A quiet huff was the only other sound out of her before her attention was swallowed entirely by where they would be staying. Humans had some great architects but it appeared that even the shabby elven ones surpassed them. Her eyes were as round as saucers as she took it all in; how did Varys not think her oh so primitive when this was the ordinary in the city of elves? Sleek, simple curves that would have taken a human hand years to craft, the subtle engravings on the doors or the ceiling crowns. She only knew it wasn't meant to be a fancy place because of the atmosphere. An atmosphere that certainly didn't extend to the bathroom.

An audible gasp left her lips as she took it all in with eyes as wide as saucers.

"I've never seen anything like this..." she whispered, all out ignoring Varys' question and missing his blush. She gingerly got down from his arms to study the fact water was coming inside. "How? Is this magic? And-- Oh!" Lottie gasped again when she dipped her hand in to find it warm. Back home baths were run by bringing buckets of water into the room over and over again. "This is amazing..."

 

[Varys]

While technically the two had known each other for many years, the time they'd actually been able to spend together didn't amount to more than a week at the very most. Still, even in that short time the connection that the two of them had made was powerful. It was not mere infatuation, as Varys had somewhat suspected of himself when they'd reunited at the party in Oban. No, looking down at the pouting woman in his arms, Varys saw somebody he held extremely dear. Not just his apprentice, but his best friend.

The only friend he had right now.

A soft smile adorned Varys' lips at Lottie's muttered accusation. "Wasn't that the first lesson? I thought we agreed that the first one at the last inn wouldn't count." He mumbled back down to her. She seemed to be absolutely taken by the architecture of the small inn. If that was the case, he could only imagine how she'd react when she made it outside. Personally, the mage had always seen his kind's way of building as overcomplicated and needlessly flashy. Then again, he'd never gotten to enjoy the luxuries that the higher-end places offered; he'd always been stuck outside, looking in.

Lottie was far too amazed by the quite impressive bath-chamber to register Varys' question, but she answered it nonetheless when she climbed down from his arms and walked carefully to the massive bath herself. If that didn't give him a bit of relief, nothing did. Not that he minded helping but... well, water underneath the bridge, he supposed. Honestly though, the improvements were substantial. This used to be a small room with a standing clawfoot, and now there was a bath big enough for several to fit inside of it with fresh water. Hassel had been doing well.

"The water comes from little tunnels dug into the bed of the rivers and lakes surrounding the city, which funnels it into Fal'Addas. The only magic involved is the small barrier that surrounds the coals underneath. Really simple spell, you can pay a few coins and get it replenished once a week and never need to worry about it."

Clearing his throat, he takes a couple steps back towards the door. "I should see if Hassel has our room ready. I'll leave you to bathe and take mine afterward. Food should be ready by the time you're done."

Lottie Beaufort

 

[Lottie Beaufort]

Lottie's legs couldn't handle the strain of crouching for long and so she ended up sat on the tiled floor watching for the water currents that Varys spoke of. What most intrigued her, however, was the glow of the stones at the bottom of the pool. They looked like fireflies trapped beneath the waves, the ripple of the pool creating the illusion of the little bugs in flight. Her first instinct was to try and create it herself but even thinking of drawing on her magic sent throbbing pains through her head. She grimaced and glanced back at her friend.

"I... don't know if it's a good idea to be alone," she admitted reluctantly. Whilst she hated feeling this weak and hated even more she had to rely on someone for a simple task like bathing, Wren and Blanche had both taught her the importance of admitting defeat when it came. It's what really saved your life. With a sigh she begun to unlace her boots.

"If you promise not to look you can stay. We can just... put our backs to each other," there was plenty of space in the pool. "Least you'll be able to hear me if I fall asleep and nearly drown myself," she laughed under her breath.

 

[Varys]

Varys frowned as he watched Lottie lose her balance and fall to her rear on the tile. The elf had been afraid of that; she was still far too drained to be moving around much on her own. The initial burst of energy that came with being amazed at her surroundings had burnt out fairly quickly. Varys quickly stepped forward and knelt beside her, his hands finding her shoulders as if worried she'd fall the rest of the way.

Lottie was right, of course. It was foolish to even consider leaving her alone after what had just happened, but Varys had allowed his own feelings to cloud his judgment again. A silly mistake that could have been deadly. "It's... smart I stay with you. You're correct." What was he so ansty about? She'd been sleeping pantsless in the same bed as him for the last few nights, hadn't she? He just needed to... not get too curious.

Anymore curious than he already was, anyways.

Patting her shoulders, Varys stands. "You don't need to be straining to look away. I'll keep my eyes under control, but you just worry about you." Varys wasn't particularly modest about his body, but it still brought some level of heat to his face at the thought of being so openly exposed to Lottie. What if she thought him hideous? Of course, nobody else had yet, but there was always that chance. Bah, what was he so worried about?

Sliding off his jacket and pulling his shirt over his head while still standing behind her, he keeps his eyes shut and tries his best to ignore the situation. Just get it over with. It'll be done in no time. He just kept reminding himself as he dropped his trousers to the floor and walked quickly in front of Lottie, stepping down into the warm waters of the pool and lowering to sit on one of the ledges underneath the surface.

His entire body shivered with the sensation of the waves lapping at his sore flesh. Gods above he'd needed this, more than he cared to admit. A small groan of contentment escaped his lips as he sank lower, keeping his eyes shut and his head reclined.

"See? Nothing to be shy about." He was trying to convince himself more than her. "Just... get in and I'll listen close. Promise."

Lottie Beaufort

 

[Lottie Beaufort]

Lottie's eyes widened in shock as Varys passed her - with no warning - completely naked. Heat flooded her cheeks and all she could do was sit there as the shock washed over her like the oceans tide. He'd gone from sounding rather embarrassed about it all to perfect comfortable in the span of a few seconds, clearly! Did any men have shame? It seemed dreadfully unfair that they were born with all the confidence in their body and women were born with none. She blew out a breathe and continued unlacing her other boot.

"I'm going, I'm going. Women have more... things," she huffed. Once the boots were off she shrugged out of the jacket, the shirt, and the breeches before tackling the corset - some habits died hard and she'd been raised in such undergarments. Going without them seemed heresy now. Once that was undone then so came the rest of the underthings. She hesitated, making sure he truly did have his eyes shut, then practically jumped into the pool, quickly finding a perch that covered her up to her chin.

It took a while for her rapid beating heart to calm and for her body to relax enough to even begin to enjoy the heat of the soothing waters. But when she finally did, giving a great sigh as she allowed herself to relax further, she still couldn't quite... close her eyes. Instead she found them drifting back to her bath mate and peaceful way he lay there. Varys had always been a dear friend, one of the closest she had had over the years, but she felt as though she hadn't... looked at him before that moment. He was rather... pretty. The thought shamed her. You told him you wouldn't look, she chided herself and instead turned her gaze to the ceiling, wondering why on earth she had chosen this particular moment to think on Varys rather handsome face.

 

[Varys]

Varys had already shown more modesty around her than he usually would around anybody else. The silver-haired elf was extremely comfortable with his body and had no qualms about being exposed to others. The little bit of hesitation he had shown today was because of who it was. Somehow, Lottie seeing all of him was more substantial than anybody else getting eyes on him.

Even so, it was bound to happen eventually what with them traveling together. Why not get it over with and not have to worry about it. Varys took a deep breath, letting the warmth of the water wash away the sweat and ache of the journey so far as he waited for her to join him. It was strange... she didn't look like she wore much, but the amount of clothes he heard hitting the floor was somewhat disproportionate. What exactly was she hiding under there? Of course, he was able to hold his eyes shut, temper his curiosity.

Of course he was.

The sudden splash made him jump a bit as she jumped into the bath, the waves she made lapping at his flesh. Silly woman, like getting in fast was going to stop him from seeing anything if he'd really been determined to. It brought a little smile to his lips as he reached an arm out and grasped a handful of soap-powder, lathering it between his hands and applying it to his chest and arms, to start with. "It's not like I haven't seen some of it, to be fair. You've been going to bed with no pants on every night..." He teased as he rinsed himself. Whether she knew it or not, Varys felt her eyes on him.

He didn't really mind though. In fact, having her admire him was a bit of an ego boost he didn't know he'd needed...

"I've just been staying dressed at night out of courtesy. I usually sleep rather bare." The mage admitted, nonchalantly.

Lottie Beaufort

 

[Lottie Beaufort]

Lottie might have had the decency to blush when Varys begun to speak, feeling as though he had somehow caught the feel of her gaze, but she did not have the sense to look away. Instead she hunkered down in the water so it came up to her lips and followed the trail of the soap bar as he moved it across his skin in fascination. Non-humans weren't not welcome in Oban - not like they were in Vel'Anir anyway - but there was certainly a sense in human superiority. It had left little chances of her meeting those of other races and most of what she had had to go off were stories. A part of her had still wandered if some of those were true about elves being made of bark but the sight before her proved that to be a myth.

"I can wear breeches if you feel uncomfortable," she mused and then, feeling brave, leaned out of the tub to grab her own bar of soap which she begun to apply to her grimy skin. "And... thank you. I appreciate that... but I don't.. mind. Whatever you feel comfortable wearing," or not wearing. Kress what was she saying?

She begun to furiously wash her hair.

"I can tell that tiara here, I'll be able to pay for my way. My own rooms along the way."

 

[Varys]

Lottie's offer to start wearing more clothes to bed drew a little chuckle from the scrubbing Elf. "I learned a lot of things on the road, Lottie. If a beautiful woman says she'll start being less naked for my own sake, I'm doing something wrong." Varys realized he may be overstepping a bit in calling her beautiful, but he wasn't telling a lie.

Actually, if Lottie hadn't been with Varys it's very possible she may have been welcomed much less warmly. The tensions between the elves and Vel'Anir's humans had certainly strained relations between the two races across the board. There was no written rule barring humans from entering this city, but undoubtedly they were trusted far less than they had been in the past. Varys supposed he'd need to make sure Beaufort didn't dry and sneak away on him like she had in Oban.

San'Seya heard the water shifting, felt Lottie as she began to wash. The temptation to open his eyes was ever-present, but the conversation was more than enough to draw his attention from his desires. "So no, I don't mind you walking around half-dressed. More to the point..." Varys lifted a leg, lathering it as he hummed in thought. "This will be an excellent place for more lessons. The air is practically brimming with energy here, can't you feel it? I've always held a fondness for these trees, though they were never a luxurious home."

Lottie spoke of selling that Tiara she'd swiped from that little party they'd reunited at, and Varys cracked an eye open, though kept it trained somewhere that wasn't her. "If you're sure you'd like to sell it. I'm not exactly hurting for money, Lottie. Speakers are rare, and in high demand. I have more than enough to spare."

A solid rapping on the door to the bath chamber echoed off of the natural walls, and Hassel's voice sounded through the small grate in the entryway.

"Your room is ready. You two better not be making a mess in there, or I'm charging you for it. Varys."

The elf smiled at the chiding way his name was spoken. He'd given old Hassel quite a few headaches in his youth. "Well, I'll let you get out first unless you're waiting on another peek." He teased.

Lottie Beaufort

 

[Lottie Beaufort]

Before, his words would have earnt him a jest or a jibe, but today Lottie merely found herself blushing over the words he attributed to her. Of course, if she took a moment to recollect her exchanged with Varys even in the past few days she would have realised it was not the first time he had alluded or outright said he thought her beautiful. Today was simply the first time she was hearing them. Maybe it was using too much magic, or maybe it was just the complicated knot of adrenaline and fear that had come with leaving home, but whatever it was they had finally made their way through to her.

Quietly she warned herself not to read too far into things; a compliment could simply be that, a compliment. And she couldn't be rude by refuting it (despite, unwittingly, having done so every occasion thus far).

"I'd... like to stay here a bit," Lottie said in her own way of agreeing. She couldn't exactly feel the magic in the walls like he could but there was something that made her feel... inspired. Like an artist might be inspired to paint a magnificent work of art. Given her magic though, perhaps that analogy shouldn't seem so strange. She was just finishing washing out her hair when the rap came, swiftly followed by Varys' snark.

She threw the bar of soap at his head.

"I wasn't peeking!" she proclaimed incredulously then slowly stood, making sure he was keeping his eyes shut, before making her way out to find a towel. When she found the pile she threw one at Varys' face with a snort of laughter.

"Maybe we can hold off on more magic lessons for tonight though, my legs feel like a newborn lambs."

 

[Varys]

Varys had always been flirtatious, at least ever since he'd matured into an adult. The life of a traveling mage could be a cripplingly lonely one, and it could drive a man mad if they didn't try and get affection and attention where they were able. Besides, it kept his wit sharp, the edge of his tongue finely honed. Oftentimes you could win half of a battle with the right words spoken before a single blow was thrown.

It was different with Lottie, as everything seemed to be. Varys wasn't aiming to get her undressed and in the sheets with him tonight as he might have shot for with any other woman; the blush on her cheeks that he didn't need to see to know was there was reward enough for him. Strange, how making her feel that way was fulfilling to him, but it was nothing to linger on, at least not right now.

Lottie's agreement that they should remain here for a time did bring an unmistakable grin to Varys' face. He was hoping she'd be as eager as he was to stick around a while. Even beyond his own selfish desires to be in his home city for a time, the magic so thick in the air here would serve her very well in her training, as long as they got her to better control her flow so she didn't turn the whole city into some brightly colored fairytale castle.

She was so powerful, unbelievably so. When it came to her illusions, he was very nearly jealous of her.

But that jealousy was mixed with a welling of pride. Charlotte Beaufort was going to be something truly special, and he was lucky enough to be the one to help her get there. The stupid smile on his face was suddenly covered up by a cloth projectile, a towel smattering over his face as the elf clambered to his feet, rising from the tub himself and pulling his head free. "Hey now, no need to get defensive."

If she wanted to look, she was beyond welcome to. Even now he wasn't doing much to hide himself.

"I agree with you, however. You're about as wobbly as a one-legged dwarf. Let's get you rested up, and we can worry about training tomorrow.

Drying himself as though nothing were the matter, he waited patiently for her to signal it was alright for him to look. When she did so, he would open his eyes to at least don his trousers again, balling the remainder of his clothes to be washed and following her out of the bath chamber and up to the room they'd rented.

To say it had been upgraded from the last time Varys had stayed there would be a ridiculous understatement. Hassel's inn had been the cheapest little hovel on this side of Fal'Addas years ago, so to see how far it had come made some kind of emotion well up in the now-grown Elf's chest that he couldn't quite place.

Fuck, had he missed Hassel? Was he happy for him?

Tossing his clothes aside, the mage stretches his arms wide above his head with a yawn. "Mmf. I for one, am bushed. While somebody spent the last few hours of our trip sawing logs in the back, I had to drive us in the hot sun without a break because I was worried about my friend." The teasing lithe in his voice was unapologetically snarky, and as he turned to sit on the large bed of the ornate little room complete with a small kitchen and attached balcony, he looked up with her. "Guess I'll just have to make you work up a sweat tomorrow to make up for it... what do you say?"

Lottie Beaufort

 

[Lottie Beaufort]

Lottie studiously kept her back to him. She'd bundled herself up in two towels, and another for her short hair, so that nearly every spec of her body would be covered. Never before had she been so... conscious of how she looked. Before, when she had still had her own dreams and they hadn't yet been tainted with the shadow of a Prince, Lottie had wanted to be an actress or a dancer. She had loved nothing more than when people were looking at her and admiring her. And even though the Prince had stolen that confidence from her for many years, she had liked to think she had regained it. So why did Varys make her feel so... different?

Tiredness.

That could be the only explanation.

She managed to find a large robe hooked on one of the walls and engulfed herself in that before clearing her throat to signal she was modest again. The clothes from the journey were soiled with sweat from the exertion of her magic and needed a good wash. It was a good thing she had a change in her bag.

Lottie followed up the stairs and her eyes widened at the sight of the room. It seemed so opulent for such a small tavern but she was learning that that seemed to be the elvish way. Her gaze instinctively was drawn to the balcony and whilst Varys sat himself down on the bed she wandered over to throw open the doors and drink in the city proper. Thankfully, for Varys' sake, she missed the quip about her snoring.

"Hm?" she blinked out of her daze at the sound of a question then looked over her shoulder at him. "Oh... yes. Tomorrow... Can we explore the city first?" she asked eagerly, completely forgetting the reason why they were here in the first place: to learn magic.

 

[Varys]

The elf's back arched, a soft, satisfied sound escaping his throat as the fresh air of the city of nature hit his back when Lottie opened the balcony doors. Everything about it, the temperature, the breeze, even the way it smelled, it all called to Varys on a base level. He could see why his kind had made their home here. When he wasn't struggling to survive, he too found it to be a paradise.

"Mmmm..." Varys exhaled, a soft smile upon his lips as he looked over at the robed human. Whether it was a conscious attempt to get out of training for a day or an overabundance of excitement at the change of locale, he found the notion rather adorable. Still, she would find only some luck in her endeavor. "...Yes and no. Luckily for you, we can train and explore at the same time. The magical inclinations of this place make a sightseeing tour a fine way to tune yourself."

She was eager, and despite the fact she was still recovering from her previous lesson it seemed already that some of her energy was returning. The brightness in her eyes was unmistakable. Varys laid back on the bed, closing his eyes and wandering his own mind for a time. Lottie could be difficult to get a read on; One moment she would exhibit mature opinions, planning, and thought far above her age, and then moments later she could be like a child in a room full of confectionaries.

"Don't go running off before I wake up this time, though..." Varys warned her groggily, sliding up the bed to rest his head on the pillows. A warm mattress after a hot bath... there was nothing better. "You could get away with it in Oban, but Elves won't take kindly to a human rummaging through their things. I don't want you coming back riddled with arrows."

Lottie Beaufort

 

[Lottie Beaufort]

Almost as if to prove his point, Lottie was busy clambering over the railings to sit on top of it with her legs dangling over the city. She did, at least, remember to keep her robe tightly closed. Her wet hair blew back off her face on the gentle breeze and when she turned to look over her shoulders at his words strands of hair danced across her face.

"Like they would ever be able to shoot me," she sniffed. If she had been feeling her normal self she would have demonstrated her point by duplicating herself or something similar. As it was, whilst she felt better, she still knew she wouldn't be leaving this room till the morning. That didn't mean she couldn't enjoy watching the city from afar to stave off sleep. She'd already missed so much by sleeping during their trundle through the main street.

"You should get some sleep, Varys. It's a busy day tomorrow."

 

[Varys]

Varys couldn't help scoffing at his cocky young apprentice. "Underestimating an elf with a bow is a very serious mistake, and often one you don't get to make twice." Unlike their first night in Oban, Varys trusted Lottie not to cause too much trouble while he slept, but that didn't mean he wanted her getting overconfident. With the bright robe and exposed skin, she was an easy target even now.

That wasn't to say that her suggestion that he start sawing logs right then and there wasn't both sound of mind and appealing. The mere thought of sleep elicited a long yawn from his throat. Rolling onto his side, his eyes struggled to stay open, and it wasn't long before they completely gave in, sliding shut. Still, as he drifted, he mumbled softly to the woman on the ledge.

"Get your ass in here soon, okay? You've been sleeping, but your body still needs rest. I worry about you, Lottie..." It sounded as if there should be more, but the long pause turned to a light snore, and the stress of the trip here finally placed Varys under a veil of sleep.

Lottie Beaufort

 

[Lottie Beaufort]

Lottie realised she was watching him fall asleep with a stupid smile on her face some minutes after his breath had properly evened out into the slow symphony of sleep. She gave a start and quickly turned back to staring at the city. Tiredness was really doing a number on her. Staring at Varys! She scolded herself. It was as stupid as when she had had a crush on her tutor when she was 13. Well, not quite like that yet. She would damn well make sure it didn't get that bad. She would throw herself from this balcony if she started writing his name with little hearts around it.

Putting aside such thought she let the city lights lull her back to them like fireflies and for a few hours more she found herself content watching the beating heart of life below. Eventually, though, sleep called and she crawled into bed in her robe beside him and promptly fell asleep.

This time, Varys would wake before his young apprentice.