The Baker's girl - A tale of Gradzlata

[DramaNerdette]

"Uhhh huh. Thanks, good to know." she shoots a look to Ulricha, knowing they have well and truly stepped in it. There was no way they were going to talk the girl out of this dangerous fantasy life without some serious proof it was a sham, and that at least wasn't happening at the party. Even trying would make her feel shamed, and if she was shamed in front of this crowd, and Trinthalas especially, it would go very VERY poor for her bodyguards, Ziva was sure. She wished for a moment that she was the kind of woman who could smile and laugh and lie her way through the machinations of the wealthy and powerful. That woman could wrest something useful from this evening beyond just a clearer understanding of how screwed they were. Kasia always seemed to come out of things like this smelling like roses, or at least with her hide somehow miraculously intact. Ziva grinned at the thought of going to the red-haired woman for advice. And then the grin slowly faded.

Go to Kasia for advice. It wasn't actually technically the worst idea ever. Maybe. She scanned the room looking for the half-elf. It didn't take long, that shade of hair stood out like a forest fire in a school yard. "Ulricha, Jerina, could you both excuse me for just a moment please?" she said with as gracious a smile she could muster, before weaving through the crowd in Kasia's direction.

 

[siobhancan99]

Kasia spots her coming through the crowd and moves away, but to an area a little bit away from other people. When she comes over the woman grinned "look at us street rats, here in with all the fine people of the town" She rolls her eyes "I mean we come in through the servant's door but look at us now" She grinned her too wide grin, heavily freckled face splitting from it "So what brings you up here? And why do you keep such dangerous company?" She looked over at Ulricha and Jerina "You came at least from a respectable family. You don't have any excuses"

The half elf gently ribbed Ziva "so really though, cuteness, what brings you over to talk to me? I've always had the impression you didn't like me very much."

 

[DramaNerdette]

Ziva rocks her hand back and forth, "Oh you know how it is, he stabbed me, I stabbed him, he offered me a job bodyguarding his intelligent but ridiculously naive new wife. I find myself trying to revise poorly formed opinions. On my part, you have my most sincere apologies if I made things awkward." she takes the worlds tiniest sip of wine and glancing across the room at the elf. "On Jerina's part... do you have any personal opinions on mister tall, dark, and faker than a pirate's shaved penny? I've never seen so obvious a conman take in so many theoretically intelligent people all at once. My current assumption is that it must be some kind of magic charm that... lasts or something."

 

[siobhancan99]

Kasia breaks into a laugh. She grins her too wide grin, flashing too white too new teeth. She leans against the nearby book case. "Gods, Ziva. I mean the question is, is he though?" She brushes her crimson hair out of her face "What he's peddling them isn't his bullshit about being a war hero. That's just... the shine. What he's selling them is their own ideas. I mean I guess that's what the best of us do right? You say all the things that the mark wants to hear right?" She rolls her shoulders "In this case, he says that various ancient philosophers agree that having a wider perspective makes sense in government or some shit. The Homines were.. I mean I guess... a republic before an empire. Even a few cities in Kesh are merchant republics. So he just packages their own desire and throws in some classical allusions. He never asks for anything but they throw gifts at him. So I guess what I'm saying is he's like... the best conman ever. Like, he's doing all of the things that we do but he's doing them so well that its hard to say that he's even being a con. In part because he IS gathering them and he IS inspiring them to act on their republican ideals."

She sipped at her wine "now, that being said. Trinthalas Evershalala? what the actual fuck?" She grins "so he dresses like he's half city elf... but that's unlikely because they view the creation of half-elves as beneath them. They emulate the best of human society but... they're very clear about not mingling. They thought I might be one of them so they sort of tolerate me but... It's tense you know? Also... City elves have Homines names. So if he was half city elf he'd be like.... Junius of the Amii, or Junius Amius or some shit. Instead he has a name that's like... the elfiest elf name in elf town. Like, of the clad in shimmering samite kind of elf. It's like... so absurdly Elfy it has to be fake but in a way it also reinforces people's expectations. He also covers some of the tells... you saw he dyes his hair right? His actual hair is white. like... shockingly white."

She looks Ziva over "He''s hardly the most dangerous person around you. But if you're worried about your mistress there well. You probably should be at least a little. I'm going to guess she's showering money on him." She gestures "look over at how she's looking at him."

She reached out and brushed a lock of Ziva's hair behind her ear then leaned in, whispering "but really, you need to ask yourself about the motivations of every single person you meet in this world. Even if they aren't rich."

 

[DramaNerdette]

The baker girl looks away, taking another sip of wine as she tries to cover her blush. She glances back at Kasia. "I do. Sometimes. More often though, I just trust people I've had a conversation with to be decent, and people I haven't to be pricks. Until proven otherwise. Yeah, it's a bit slapdash, but as a general rule it's shockingly accurate. What I had with Elfmeister McElfenstein over there was not a conversation. It was a stage play. It was OBVIOUSLY a stage play." Ziva thinks for a moment, on the subject of traps.

There are four kinds of traps. The first kind are, to put it bluntly, shitty traps. Poorly constructed, or worn out, or improperly designed, these traps aren't harmless if you're careful with them, but they can hurt you if you just blunder about without care. Yvginy was this kind of trap. The second kind are big flashy traps designed to warn you away. To unnerve a thief with their very appearance. They're not even always dangerous, though like all traps should still be approached with caution. Kasia, Ziva believed, was this kind of trap. Then there's the third kind. The ruse. These traps look cleverly hidden, but not too cleverly. Difficult to disarm, but not impossible. Risky to handle, but not deadly. And then when you think you're done with it and satisfied you've found the traps, you take another step and walk right into one that you never saw coming. Something told Ziva that Trinthalas was the third category of visible trap. The last kind of trap was the kind of trap you don't see coming. That trap is the kind that get's you.

"Kasia, let me pose you a hypothetical. Say you want to gather up everyone who would foment any kind of organized revolution in your upper classes. How would you ferret them out? I know what I would do. I would set an agent to the task of parties. Harmless get togethers. Charming enough to sway the gullible with stories and flair. Obvious enough that the canny will congratulate themselves on spotting the obvious ruse. Of course, maybe I'm just being paranoid. But it's only paranoia if no one really is out to get me." she turned to the half-elf, the burning in her cheeks faded. "But as long as you're giving advice. What would you guess my motivations are? What are yours?"

 

[siobhancan99]

"Hmmmm. my motivation is to get into your pants." the half-elf said with a serious, almost somber tone. She ruined it immediately after with her ridiculous grin and a wink "I'm kidding I've sworn off sex. I just got out of a relationship. Ok so maybe sworn off is a little strong. I'm not on the prowl. except when I am." She turned and looked over the little thief turned bodyguard. "My actual motivations are always the same. Make money, pay off my ungodly debt to the Simics and earn my freedom. I don't know if you heard but..." She shifts uncomfortably "I have an unreasonably large medical expense they paid off and well. I'm essentially Jozep Simic's bitch until it's done. The weird part is like..." She shifts uncomfortably "Despite on one hand being the kind of like... menacing that comes with wealth and power and ambition, and despite looking like an 80 year old man despite being like... 50... he can also be really warm and understanding and supportive. I guess... like... nobody is wholly good or bad you know? Except maybe Marius Longinus. It's so easy coming from the streets to assume all these rich fucks are just terrible people that would step over you because... they would step over you. But they aren't all mustache twirling cackling villains from a stage play either. They work hard and they love their kids and all that kind of shit. It... it's weird and uncomfortable to be confronted with their humanity." She took a big gulp of her wine. and then put her hand on the small of Ziva's back, slightly encouraging her to turn. "At the same time..." she gestured over at Trinthalas...

"Honestly Ziva it never once occurred to me he could work for Kazimir. That's some next level shenanigans there. Kudos to you on being more paranoid than me but by the Lawgiver that makes... so much weird sense." She laughs "I mean it could be bullshit but it... It has a really substantial potential to be true. It also feeds into what I'm saying right? So..." she gestured towards a man in the corner "That guy is straight up wanting an end to the feudal system. He argues that inherited power is oppressive, and that the lack of potential social mobility is poisonous. That guy? He'd blow up the ducal palace and everyone in it to make a better world. The world he wants to make IS probably better. that's good right? blowing up a ton of people and leaving the sons and daughters of the palace guards and servants without parents is pretty fucking shit though. Anyway, if I were Kazimir I'd want eyes on that mother fucker too. He's the heir to a shipping fortune, so you can't just grab him and clap him in irons. Plus you want to know what sort of bomb throwing radicals you need to watch out for as well... plus Kazimir is hooked in with the City Elves. His pet 'aren't-I-just-so-effortlessly-perfect' enchantress, the Baroness Livonia Scipii is some high muckety muck among them. I mean, truth be told that's exactly why I'm here. I mean not exactly." She looked over to the tall, striking if not beautiful Ludowy woman she'd come with. "This is her cause, its not Jozep's. I work for him though, not her. I'm here to report back to him what I see. Not about like.. the state. About everything else. He rightfully said that after a few visits I'd be invisible. Even this" she tugged at her hair "Wouldn't make me stand out. All they'd see is the servant's livery. I'm a non-person to some extent, and people will say things in front of the help because the help don't matter. So I listen, and I report things back. Mostly the business deals that get done here. When I come up with something useful he marks it off my ledger."

She took another small sip of her wine "So that's something you need to always think about. You're the help. They don't really see you. The ones that do see you? They want something. If they didn't want something you'd be like a chair or a potted plant. You'd be scenery. Most of them are just going to want something banal. To be the first rich twat to work his cock up your butt or have your mouth buried in her minge. Once they get it, they'll stop seeing you. It's the ones that don't just want to use you for sex that you have to worry about. They want something else and figuring that out? I mean usually its access. Access to Jerina. Or access to her secrets more like. When her father in law dies she's going to be married to one of the 6 most powerful men in the Duchy."

"Now the other thing you might have to figure out is... lets say you know someone is invisible. And they're listening to what's going on... You have to ask yourself... who are they listening for? Kemal? some merchant's cabal? Maybe the Volkish ambassador? Kazimir? what's the angle?"

 

[DramaNerdette]

Ziva groans, and it turns into a little laugh. "Ever wish you were just cutting purses and running off with the good silver? I wish I was still cutting purses and running off with the good silver sometimes. Though someone being into me for just for access is barking up entirely the wrong tree." she says, partially as a warning, partially as... what else she wasn't sure. A hint she might not mind the half-elf being into her? It's an odd thought. The flighty, energetic woman was a mystery, intriguing in her own weird ways. Also probably a really terrible idea. Also, she was a woman, and while she'd had flights of fancy in that direction in the past, it's not something she'd ever really thought to act on. She glanced across the room at Ulricha. Oh hells, this was going to be a problem at some point. Not now though, business first, figure out personal crises later. Hopefully way, way later. Maybe.

"Well, my motivation is to somehow get my naive little charge disentangled from a group of ultra posh mercenaries that will, absolutely best case scenario, break her heart. Or maybe that's my goal. Yeah, that's more of a goal, my motivation is that I don't like bullies. That's why most of the spare change I get from this crap goes to making it harder to bully my friends and family and neighbors and suchnot." Ziva sighs, and turns to look at Kazia again, "I suppose I may as well lump you in with them now," she says with a smirk, "So if you ever need a hand with the whole debt thing worked on, feel free to reach out. In the meantime, I should get back to work, especially since the Super Trustworthy City Elf said that I could just relax. I swear he makes me feel like someone is trying to scratch my back with a crossbow bolt."

She gives Kazia a little bow, and begins to weave her way back to Jerina and Ulricha, but she doesn't go directly. Instead she sticks to the outer edge of the room, angling to walk past the potentially theoretical palace bomber. Anyone willing to resort to mass murder for political change is someone with a face that Ziva feels like she should remember. Who knows, he might even be an interesting person to have an actual conversation with one day.

 

[siobhancan99]

As Kasia predicted, the girl was invisible to the movers and shakers as she made her way around the room. The livery was as effective as any spell, making her part of the scenery. She heard a few snatches of conversation, and for all their talk of this being a place of revolution and politics, it was also very much a place where the men did business. It seemed that class would tell, and this was at the end of the day a class of merchants as much as anything else. If Ziva had money to invest, she'd have had all the information she needed to make a killing this season. As it was, it was a trifle dull. In the corner though, as promised, was "the bomber" Svatomir. His clothing was simple, dark and of a style that would be worn by a common laborer, but Ziva could see that it hadn't been worn to work in, and probably cost 5 times as much. It was of quality craftsmanship and made to suit an image. He was holding court with a man and a woman, going on about the power of the people and how in the world to come there would be only meritocracy. He envisioned that Kazimir's new university would be used to train the best and brightest children of the city, who would then of course be entrusted by the people with their leadership. "A court of scholars and men who build things. Not brutes who are big enough to waltz around in plate. That's the future!"

Hereditary wealth would of course remain. "Among the merchant class there's a very different ethic than persists among the landed. You teach your sons a trade. They use their wealth to build. It's the landed aristocracy that simply suck off the blood of the common man. They are the real enemy of the people. What is the state but a tool of the people? If one is against the people then the people should rise up." While he made this speech, Ziva could tell one of the caterers was listening intently. The question, as Kasia had put it, was who were they listening for? Themselves? Kasimir? Kemal?

 

[DramaNerdette]

Ziva frowned and moved on. Svatomir wasn't WRONG per se, but he wasn't right either. The kind of chaos he'd bring turn the streets red, and it wouldn't be just the aristocracy who bled. The power vacuum alone would all but ensure war, both civil and traditional. Maybe he was blinded to the consequences by his own zeal. Maybe that was his intent all along. Motivations and motivations and motivations, the poor bastards in the middle ground up between. She took her spot by Ulricha, and went back to scanning the crowd. "I do not like this place one little bit." She said in a whisper, when she was sure no one but Ulricha, not even the servants, were close enough to hear. "How long do you suppose before we could drag our charge out of here without making some kind of scene?"

 

[siobhancan99]

Ulricha frowns "I'm not entirely sure we aren't going to be dismissed so she can spend the night with that half-elf." She shrugged. "Though I would guess he will make an appearance at the house later." She slipped her hand lightly along Ziva's back "But you know. I think her doing ... whatever... is unavoidable. Perhaps if we suggest leaving now he can leave separately...I'll make the suggestion. I'm a Volk its expected for me to be brusque."

She walked over, saying something to Jerina. A few minutes later they were in the carriage heading home. "I'm not.." Ulricha raised a hand "I Don't care what you do as long as you are safe. The job is to guard you not your virtue." She looked over to Ziva "Though its probably best you not have any guests tonight. We're not the only two in the house." She managed to look disapproving and the young countess was gracious enough to be quiet after. As the carriage was put away, Ulricha sent Jerina to bed. "Ziva, keep an eye for any visitors. I'm going to have a bath."

An actual bath, rather than using a hedge wizard's cleaning stick was a bit of an extravagance, but the house was extravagant in the right ways. Ziva could hear the water being drawn as there was a knock at the door, and the half-elf on the other side.

 

[DramaNerdette]

Ziva opened the door, stepped through, and shut it behind her, before giving a slight bow to the half-elf. "Most sincere apologies, but my lady is no longer receiving visitors this evening as she has turned in. Might I offer to deliver a message to her in the morning?" She asked, keeping her voice low. She aimed for polite indifference with a hint of firmness, a tone she normally reserved for customers at the bakery asking if they could get free samples. As she was still dressed from the party, a hand on the hilt of her weapon would be more... formal than threatening. She hoped. Though perhaps a little threatening was not the worst thing in the world.

She looked at the half-elf, and part of her ached for him to make a move she could actually defend against. Something open and hostile instead of his insidious, seeping, poisonous words. She idly fantasized about Banimir paying her to knife him in a dark alley once he got back. Ziva wasn't a murdery type of woman most days, but conmen always set her teeth on edge.

 

[siobhancan99]

Trinthalas eyes flicked up to the upper floor and a small smile appeared on his face, as if to say "I'll see about that" but he merely nodded "Your Mistress left a scarf behind is all." He pulled it out from his purse and offered it "I wouldn't dream of waking her. The hour is late, but I knew that if I didn't bring it now I'd forget it, and it is clearly expensive. I'd feel just terrible every time I saw it on my couch and thought about taking it by. If you could pass it along to her I would be ever so grateful." He bowed, offering it out till she took it. It was not anything Jerina had worn to the Salon, but it did seem to be her taste and it was entirely possible it had at some point been left, perhaps even to offer a valid pretext for a visit.

"Lovely Ziva, your dedication to the comfort of your Mistress is to be commended. Truly" He straightened and backed towards his carriage. "Sleep well. I'm sure our paths will cross again."

When Ziva returned to the house, she could hear the water stop. Ulricha called down to her "Unless you're busy with the elf you can wash my back" teasing. as Ziva was about to toss the scarf in the other room, she felt like something might have been sewn into it. a scrap of paper or something.

 

[DramaNerdette]

"Uh yeah I'll... I'll be right there..." Ziva says, blushing, and looking down the hall, and then back at the scarf. Quickly she drew a dagger and sliced open the concealed pouch as the walked down towards the baths, cheeks burning red. She really wasn't sure if she was angry at the distraction from... whatever was going on with her and Ulricha, or happy for it. Either way, she'd have to get this scarf sewn back up after she read whatever note or thing had been slipped within.

 

[siobhancan99]

The paper was a poem, a rather suggestive one though well written for all that. It was written in a man's hand, with a bold flowing script. The paper was of good quality as well. The issue, of course, was where to get a needle and thread to repair the scarf. Perhaps Ulricha had one, or she could slip out later and get one from home... but she wasn't home at the moment.Putting the scarf aside, she heard Ulricha in the bath, humming a little tune and relaxing. Home was 45 minutes or so, so she could always go there and back and maybe take care of the scarf tonight... or she could try to go in the morning.

 

[DramaNerdette]

"Ugh, enough of these games and the playing of them." Ziva stuffed the scarf and it's hidden note under a cushion, and stepped quietly, and with no small amount of nervousness, into the bathroom with Ulricha. She knew herself for a flirt. Had always been for at long as she realized her Tata would scowl about it and chase her back to the back rooms, leaving her giggling. This was, in hindsight, a hint of her mischievous nature early on. But... well, maybe she was reading this wrong. She didn't flirt with women, or at least she never had before. Why was she flirting with Ulricha? Was Ulricha actually flirting with her. Her cheeks blossomed red as she saw the smooth back of her blond friend, well muscled and graceful, glistening from the water. She swallowed, feeling suddenly small and dowdy. But Ziva was never one for cowardice, so she also stepped quietly forward and took up a washcloth from the stand behind the tub. Oh so gently, and so carefully that neither of them noticed the tremble in her fingers, the young baker girl ran the towel down her friend's spine, letting it dip into the soapy water before bringing it back up, pressing in a little harder to actually scrub. "Hey." She said softly, her voice husky.

 

[siobhancan99]

The bathroom was a study in understated and yet opulent. A huge porcelain tub on clawed bronze feet dominated the room. The tub itself was clearly magical, having no piping or anything with which to draw water to it. The floor was mosaic, done in a Homines pattern with the eagles of the empire surrounded by blue. A reasonably clear mirror that almost gave an accurate reflection hung on the wall nearby. The windows were enchanted against draft, and the glass was nearly clear as well. Nearly clear glass was a sign of money, as only the City Elves really consistently made anything of truly clear glass without the aid of magic.

Ulricha started a little then laughed "I uh... didn't actually expect you. I was teasing" She curled forward, offering the broad expanse of her back to Ziva "But I can't say I'm sorry you took me seriously." The taller woman hugged her legs, at once giving herself a little modesty even as she offered her skin to Ziva's explorations. She reached back, taking her honey-blonde hair and pulling it over her shoulder. Her toned back was crisscrossed here and there with scars. A few small round ones where an arrow had gone through her, a few slashes, one or two that were ugly and irregular, claws or a whip maybe.

She was powerfully built for a woman, broad shouldered but also curved, more than tapered like a man would be. As she felt the rough cloth on her skin she gave a contented sigh, closing her eyes and just feeling the nice touch. "the water as you can feel is very warm. You don't have to get in but you can if you want. The tub keeps it hot" she gestured at a set of eldritch runes glowing red around the edges of the tub. "Can you imagine wasting money making a bathtub instead of using a cleaning stick?" She sighed again "I mean, don't get me wrong I love the indulgence. Taking this job is worth it just for this."

Her chest rose and fell slightly with her breath, and she pressed back subtly into Ziva's hand. "I'm glad you called me in on this little adventure." She twisted a bit, hesitating "I uh. you know this" she gestured "Is nice. Is it why you invited me or is it just you know, " she struggled to find a word "Zufallig? errr." She seemed genuinely consternated for a moment "like a happy coincidence?"

 

[DramaNerdette]

Ziva brushes the cloth up and down her back with a slow and gentle pressure, stopping here and there to let her fingers explore the map of scar tissue, like a tourist in a strange land. "I... is it ok to say if I'm not sure? About getting in or coincidences. I'm... this is new to me, I've never though... I-I mean to say I've THOUGHT about... but not... ugh, shutting up for a minute." she squeezes her eyes closed, face burning with embarrassment. She lets out a slow, calming breath. "Sorry. You know, you should feel flattered here, I don't usually get tongue tied. It's just... you're... you are kinda what I always looked up to, in other women. You're strong, graceful, smart as hell. Tall. Gorgeous blond hair." She ran a thumb down the side of Ulricha's spine, her voice growing soft. "Beautiful. Um. I invited you on the job because I needed backup I trusted, and it needed to be a woman, and that's you. So I guess, yeah. You coming on the job was coincidence. Me joining you to... wash your back... was a misunderstanding. I didn't know you were kidding, and I'll leave if you prefer." The offer hangs in the air, the only sound in the room the light splashes of the cloth as she dips it back into the tub, then returns to scrubbing. Neck, shoulders, spine, hands slipping low, almost to the tall woman's ass.

"Or I could stay. If you want. I've never... stayed with a woman. Hadn't seriously though about it till really recently. So now I'm babbling because it's a dance and I don't know the steps." This time, she let the cloth slip from her fingers into the steamy waters of the tub, slid her hands across the blond's shoulder, down her back, to her hips. "I'd learn though, with you."

 

[siobhancan99]

Ulricha smiled softly and gave a relaxed sigh "that feels nice. I think you're very cute you know. So little and pretty. With such dark hair and big beautiful eyes." She didn't reach for Ziva, instead just letting the other girl touch her. "So I don't dance that much with girls but I like pretty little things like you. I mean, I like a big strong dance partner but so many men just want me to be the strong one. It's easier to do that with someone pretty and small and soft like you." She sat up a bit, letting Ziva see more of her. She looked over "The thing about dancing, is you usually don't learn to dance all in one night. You learn a few steps right?" She arched a little, then settled "So why don't we see how comfortable you are with a few steps and leave it there. IF you want to, you can just wash my back and we can chat and actually get to know each other. If you feel comfortable, you can get in here and I can wash your back. Then you can just relax a little and we can take it from there, but I don't expect you to uh, dance the night away. To extend the metaphor."

She turned and shifted so Ziva could see all of her. She was bustier than Ziva, and more muscled by far. Her front was as scarred as her back, with ragged lines crisscrossing, the result of more than a few battles. Her clear blue eyes looked up at the little baker, and she reached for her hand "And if you don't like the dance it's ok and I won't be offended. Most girls just like to dance with boys." She took Ziva's hand in her own, brushing her fingers softly along the back of it. She looked up into Ziva's eyes, then tugged softly "but if you want to relax in here with me and talk and see if you like it, I'd be really honored." She grins "besides it will take your mind off wondering if that elf is climbing up the trellis."

 

[DramaNerdette]

She squeezed her eyes shut, slipped her hand from her friend's grip, and snapped off a short laugh, "Damnit Ulricha, now I'm gonna worry about that all night." She opened her eyes, grinning. "But... ok, yeah, maybe I'm wound a little tight right now. And... the bath DOES feel nice and steamy warm." Ziva stood up, and with only a little hesitation, began unbuttoning her dress. She pushed it to the floor, and kicked it away, before hooking her thumbs into her underclothes and peeling them off as well. Her pale white skin didn't hold as many scars as the warrior's. A few shallow lines from razor cuts taken in numerous duels. An ugly, broad knot of white scar tissue low on her stomach and hip where she'd been shot, just before she took the guns from the one who shot her. Something about looking at Ulricha, the woman seemed strong, but also feminine, in a way she didn't often let men see. Ziva reached up and pulled the tie from her hair, letting it fall across her back like a wave of night, before carefully stepping over the rim of the tub, lowering herself into the water.

"Oh...oh wow. I've... I've never actually been in a bath before that wasn't just a barrel of cold water." She laughed as the tension from the evening was leached from her neck and shoulders by the heat. One form of tension anyway. The tub itself was more that large enough for the both of them to have plenty of room, but she'd stepped in so close that in sitting down, her legs now brushed against the other woman's beneath the surface. She reached for Ulricha's hand again, and gave a little tug of her own. "So, my blond beauty... whatcha wanna talk about?"

 

[siobhancan99]

Ulricha smiled "the rich really do have it better than us." she looked the girl over "you remain adorable." She released Ziva's hand and took a cloth and soaped it up, then ran the rough surface of it along her inner arm, along up towards her elbow, holding the hand with her other, but cupping the back of it and more just holding it in place. The act was simple, intimate without being sexual or overt. She looked into Ziva's eyes and smiled "I just want to know about you. What its like to grow up here. Why you run around the City at night when you could have a nice safe job." She kept the cloth moving, washing Ziva, but her eyes never left the girl's face. "I mean you're a pretty girl. You like boys. You could have found your own Banimir I'd wager. Maybe not a count but you know, some wealthy merchant's kid. Some guy that would be away at sea half the year to leave you alone with his money" her tone was playful, but curious. "So what makes you dress like a boy and carry a sword and jump from roof to roof like .. err you wouldn't get the reference." She thought a moment "like some sort of gentleman bandit.'

The larger woman shifted, bringing her legs up, then resting them on either side of Ziva so they could sit reasonably close and be somewhat entangled. The bathtub steamed, making a slight haze in the air between them as she continued to wash Ziva and listen to her talk. "Is it the money? the danger? What makes you do the things you do?"

 

[DramaNerdette]

"Freedom." She says, without hesitation. "I want the money, but, that's a side thing. I need the freedom." She rests her free hand on the edge of the tub, watching her bathing partner. "If I snared a... a nice wealthy merchants son, the money wouldn't be mine, it'd be his. No helping dad get back on his feet on his own, no spreading the wealth around the neighborhood. It would be a nice, relaxing gilded cage... but a cage all the same. The neighborhood I live in... you've seen it. We're all on the brink there, in one way or another. I hope that I can get it more stable. But I think I'd be running rooftop to rooftop even if I lived in a place like this. Trying to prove to myself that I can? I don't know. How about you? Why do you do... all the fighting?" she reaches out slowly and run my thumb across a scar on her collar.

"Aren't you afraid? Of death or being crippled? I mean, don't kid yourself, you could hook a man too, if you wanted. You're, I mean... you're really pretty. Statuesque, like all the very best statues. I look at you and I know you're incredibly strong, but... somehow there's a softness." Zira looks up into her eyes, and scoots forward a little, sliding her legs down and under Ulricha's, so they wrap around behind her. "You are Pretty. You don't always have to be the strong one, and anyone worth you will see that."

 

[siobhancan99]

Ulricha braved a small kiss on Ziva's forehead, her chest brushing the smaller girl's as she leaned in. She cupped her face, then leaned in and looked her in the eye a moment before drawing back "Do you know the Nordmark?" She soaped up her hands and gently started to massages Ziva's scalp, cleaning nice and deep, massaging as much as she was getting her clean "It's a cold land on Der Nordsee. Before the Empire we raided our neighbors because we were poor. But we had plenty of fish and so we ate well. As a result we were taller and stronger. There just weren't many of us. When the Empire came" she carefully washed behind Ziva's ears, but kept her eyes on Ziva's "we paid our taxes with blood. We were the emperor's personal guards. A legion of us accompanied him everywhere. After the Empire crumbled we were fought over. We're tall. We're strong, but we aren't numerous. There's 100 Ludowy and 120 Volk for every one of us. So we're ... part of the territory that changes hands every few generations. And our men are almost all at least a few years here and there fighting for one king against another."

She scooped water into her hands and started rinsing the soap from Ziva's hair, tender with her touches, still just trying to be soft and intimate and put the smaller girl at ease. "So we are all taught to fight. Because while the men are gone reaving for Magnus, Bogomil's men come to try to seize the land. So even the women are taught to fight in a square of spears. To wield a crossbow. To wear armor. Most don't aspire to it though. Most just want to live a normal life. My uncle, Lars... he was a powerful druid. My brother, Mathias, is a powerful battle mage. He serves in Magnus' court. When I was a child I was good with languages and it was assumed I'd blossom into a magical talent. As such I was indulged a lot. I never learned a trade or to keep a house and the expectation was I'd be a raider or at least a court wizard. Well.." she laughed "I wasn't. I just kept getting taller and getting into fights and being a nuisance... and not having any magic. So when I was 12 I asked to be a shieldmaiden. I thought I'd just be in the army full time and I'd train other women to fight but...Instead by the time I was 16 I was being sent on raids into Ludowy territory. So this is the life I know. I know how to fight, and how to be quiet. I know how to speak a lot of languages so I can be stranded in enemy territory. So after I left the army... It's not like I can just go be a farmer. Besides I wanted to see other places without them just being Ludowy forts that we were sacking or some poor little bandit camp or pirate cove. I wanted to see the greatest City in the west. So I came here, and my sword is how I earn my keep."

She cupped Ziva's face in her hands, brushing her thumbs along the cheekbones "I mean I know how to be soft too. Maybe if you're good I'll show you."

 

[DramaNerdette]

Ziva leans forward into the kiss slightly, heart pounding at the gentle touch of it. "I'm glad you came to our greatest city in the west." she says with a little smirk, her hands low on Ulricha's waist. She leans forward, turning her head slightly, kissing the other woman on the side of the jaw. As she leans back, she licks a small drop of water from her lips. "And what does being good mean, in this very specific context, my lovely Nord? Does it mean I do what you say, and you can capture more kisses from my forehead?" She takes up the washcloth, and runs it dripping up the side of Ulricha's neck. "Does it mean I get to steal more kisses from you?" The cloth reverses direction, carefully sliding down her collar, over her chest, between her ample breasts. "To be clear, I'm saying yes either way, I just felt I should know what I'm offering up with my side of it." She says, voice barely more than a whisper, leaning in so the blond can feel her breath as she speaks. They both know the smaller woman is treating the seduction as she treats battle, burying her nerves in boldness. The cloth slips from her fingers, but her hand remains, fingers grazing lightly in the valley between the shieldmaiden's breasts.

 

[siobhancan99]

Ulricha leans in and brushes her lips around Ziva's. She lets them just whisper along Ziva's pouty mouth, pulling back to make the girl chase. When she does, she leans in and kisses each corner of her mouth, teasing, her lips gently pressing to her lover's mouth. Her hands continue to cradle Ziva's face, her fingers lightly stroking her cheekbones. She closes her eyes "can't steal what's freely given" she tugs lightly on Ziva's full lower lip, then sucks it into her mouth. She runs her tongue along the flesh, just grazing as she traps the lip in her own. She releases it, then sucks on the upper lip before trapping it in her teeth. She ever so gently tugs then scrapes the edge of her teeth along the lip before sliding her tongue along behind the upper lip. She traces it from one side to the other, letting just the very tip of her tongue brush lightly along just inside.

Her hands slip down along Ziva's neck to her shoulders, rubbing, massaging and working her thumbs into her traps. She Breaks the kiss to smile "I like your hands on me." Her own keep their massage going, conspiring with the heat of the tub to rob the tension from Ziva's body. Or at least ameliorate her nervousness a bit. She leans in, kissing along Ziva's jaw to her ear, then flicks her tongue softly along the ridges of it "you're so adorable, little Ziva. I'm very lucky you asked me to come along."

 

[DramaNerdette]

She purrs, murmuring happily into the kiss, and gasps lightly when it's broken, tilting her head to the side and Ulricha works along her jaw. Ziva pulls the woman closer, ducks her head to kiss a shoulder, lips and tongue trailing up to her neck, and across her throat, down the other side. Her hands slip around Ulricha, pulling herself against the larger woman, the heat of their bodies trapped between them as her hands slide up along her spine, then down again, fingers spread wide at the top of her ass. She leans back, and her hands slide up well-muscled thighs. Ziva grins ruefully. "You know how fast I could run from the watchmen with legs like these? They'd never catch me." She traces her fingertips up and down each leg, the flush on her cheeks and chest belying her casual demeanor.

Ziva looks up at her lover, and lifts up an arm to rest on each shoulder, raises her chin with a twinkle in her eye, an pulls the shield-maiden down into kiss, a little less gentle, a little more hungry. Her own tongue slides between their mouths, slipping alongside her partners, a pleased groan escaping as her hands slide into that thick blond hair holding the woman close.