IN WHICH DEXLER IS CONVINCED TO TAKE A BATH AND CASANDRA STRIKES A BARGAIN
Dexler (Loraletti Dexler) sloshes through the water toward the pond. He sighs with some relief when he notices the Elven Hall, and then he relaxes further when he sees Pea and Casandra dancing over the water. He waves to them, not noticing the third fae at first.
SweetPea (Emyly Beaumont) giggles and holds her nose. "Hello Dex. Have you been mucking out the barns again?'
Dexler plops down on the pond's edge, screwing his face up. "No..."
Melody (Unsubtle Melody) looks down at the newcomer. "Hello!"
Dexler jumps a few inches in the air, glancing wildly about, before he notices the fae in purple. A bit sheepish, he rubs the back of his neck. "Oh...uh...greetings ma'am"
Casandra (Casandra Shilova) waves at the human during a turn in her dance and says "Greetings Dexler. This is Melody"
Melody laughs. "Ma'am! Do I rate a ma'am now?" She frowns suddenly.
Dexler draws his legs up, resting his chin on his filthy pants as he blinks his round eyes owlishly
Casandra says to Melody, "Dexler is very polite."
Melody stops dancing. She looks down at herself. "Oh, right. I forgot." She looks down at Dexler and offers a sunny smile. "Hello, Dexler!" Then she resumes dancing.
SweetPea asks Dexler 'Are you going swimming?'
Dexler scratches the back of his neck as he peers up at Pea. "Uh...no, ma'am...I'm not gonna swim."
SweetPea says to the other fae, 'What do you think my fae friends? Does Dex need a bath?' Casandra nods in reply.
Dexler looks up, panicky-eyed. "No!" He adds, "I took...uh...one...not too long ago..."
SweetPea smiles 'Let's push him in.' Casandra grins and lands behind him.
Dexler shakes his head quickly, before he mumbles, "Don't...please...I can't swim."
SweetPea says to the dirty boy, "The pond isn't deep.' Melody stops dancing again and watches.
Dexler hastily stands up and begins to back away. "I...uh...I'm allergic..." He bumps into Cas and quickly steps around her. Melody flies quickly to block Dexler's escape.
Casandra says, smiling at Dexler, 'Dont' you want to take a bath????"
Dexler yelps, "No!" and looks wildly between all three, he hollers, "HELP! Someone!"
Melody grins. "Oh, baths are fun."
Casandra says “But it won't hurt you, and you'll smell wonderful”
Dexler tries to sneak around Melody. "No...I'll smell bad...I swear..." Melody reaches out to snag his arm.
Casandra lands again, gently trying to persuade him to cooperate.
SweetPea stands behind Dex trying to block his escape.
Dexler's breathing quickens as Melody grabs his arm and he tries to tug it away. "I'll run off and roll in mud...I swear it..."
SweetPea digs deep in her pouch and finds some rose petals. She giggles and flies over Dex, dropping the fragrant flowers over him. Dexler winces as each rose petal gently brushes against his skin. "Ow..."
SweetPea sniffs ‘Does he not smell much better?'
Melody sighs. "Alright." She lets go, and giggles as the rose petals land on Dexler.
Elestria Ulrik yells as she falls out of the sky into the pond. “ Gi d'anthe...”
Dexler jumps. SweetPea (Emyly Beaumont) hears a gentle splash from the pond and turns. She smiles when she sees the petite drowess and says 'Merry meet El'
Elestria stands up, soaking wet as she stares down at herself......"The pond really spread."
Melody says, "Those rose petals aren't quite enough to cover the stench. Maybe a little fae magic?"
Casandra turns, surprised to see El emerge from the pool.
SweetPea grins. 'A LITTLE glamour? I think he will need a great deal of it.'
Dexler hunches his shoulders, a lot more self-conscious when he sees Ele there. He mumbles, "No...no...I'll go in..."
Elestria spits out a strand of white hair as she approaches....."What's happening?"
SweetPea shakes her head, not believing the words she has heard coming from Dexler. She holds her nose and explains to El ‘Dex needs a bath and we are trying to convince him'
Elestria Ulrik's cheeks dimple as she sees the unfamiliar fae and waves a silver hand at her......"Vedui'...." then she turns to Sweet. "Just shove him in."
Dexler shakes his head at Ele. He stammers, "N-no ma'am...I...I just said I'd go in..."
SweetPea says "But he is bigger than I am. I will need help'
Elestria's face brightens, then she sighs and rolls her eyes......"I'm naut allowed to help....apparently being a High Priestess also means being a good role model." She snorts and approaches the group.
SweetPea laughs, "That will be hard for you El"
Elestria nods in agreement....."Siyo"
SweetPea moves closer to Dex. Dexler glances around at everyone, and while he thinks they're distracted, he tries to inch away. SweetPea shouts 'He is going the wrong way. Let's just walk toward him ‘til he has no place to go but in.'
Elestria clucks her tongue......."Dex....did I ever tell you about the time Linwe had to throw a net over me and drag me to the baths?"
Dexler swallows before he shakes his head, his mouth suddenly dry. "N-no..." He takes a step back toward the pond. SweetPea moves closer to him.
Elestria Ulrik comes closer, her purple eyes sparkling as she says......"Well....it happened....and it was naut much fun,"
Dexler licks his lips before he replies nervously, "I...I bet it wasn't, ma'am..."
SweetPea whispers "I hear mortals use something called soap. Does anyone have some?'
Elestria whispers back to Sweet....."In the Elven Hall. I stole some last night....I mean, Borrowed....there's more in there”
Dexler fidgets nervously as he stares down at the two short people [Elestria and SweetPea]. Elestria Ulrik reaches over to poke Dex in the chest....."You DO know who I am, siyo?"
SweetPea digs deep in her pouch as an idea occurs to her. She pulls out a bit of sparkly dust and tosses it at Dex. SweetPea says 'You need a bath and the water is warm.'
Casandra moves closer "Dexler, the bath sounds appealing to you now.”
Dexler throws his hands up as Ele pokes him, shielding his eyes from the faery dust.
Elestria Ulrik laughs loudly, clapping her hands......."Oh, bwael, bwael!"
Casandra says in a beguiling voice “The water is warm and inviting.” Dexler pauses, and then he nods slowly to Cas's words. She continues “It welcomes you into it's arms, inviting you in.”
Dexler replies, a bit slowly, "The warm water...it welcomes me..."
Elestria Ulrik whispers in Casandra's direction....."Say, 'It loves you' "
Casandra nods and says softly "Yes, the water is delighted you wish to come in "
Dexler blinks once, twice, before he gets a funny little smile on his face. He turns and begins to head to the water. SweetPea watches Dex edge toward the water and grins.
Elestria Ulrik watches, somewhat impressed......"Sweet, can I have some of whatever-that-was that you threw at him?"
SweetPea grins 'it is fairy dust.'
Melody watches, impressed. "I wonder if I can learn to do that with my dust."
Dexler kicks off his sandals and wades into the water. Elestria Ulrik raises her fingers to her mouth and whistles at Dex.
SweetPea whispers to Melody, "I am new at using the glamour and Lady Cas had to say the words."
Dexler turns his head slowly, a dreamy expression on his face as he just stands in the water. Melody says, "He won't get very clean that way."
Casandra says softly "Does he have the soap? and a rag?"
Elestria nods in agreement with Melody....."Siyo...." then she pauses. "How are you sure he won't get TOO relaxed in there and do....uhm....something gross? Warm water tends to have undesirable effects on people”
SweetPea smiles, "But some of the dirt should fall off his clothes and hands”
Melody sighs. "I guess I can try my 'clean' cantrip on him. But it didn't work too well last time I tried it..."
Casandra says "El!"
Elestria glances over at Casandra....."What?"
Casandra: says "El, do you have the soap or did you give it to him?"
Dexler continues to stand still, perfectly content to get wrinkled like a prune in the water.
Casandra nods at Melody "Try it please and put everything you have into it"
SweetPea urges the new fae 'Try it, it can't be any worse than my glamours.'
Elestria Ulrik grins......"I'll go get some soap to help....Melody. The cleaner he is, the better....he probably won't bathe for another six months.” She turns around and runs into the Elven Hall, giggling like a small child....or at least like a half-insane drowess.
SweetPea whispers to Lady Cas 'How long will it last, do you think, the magic?'
Casandra says "I don't know, long enough I suppose."
Melody says "Alright, here goes." She steps up to the water's edge, and concentrates and drawing the weave, summoning the soap and soft rags needed from the other plane to come and wash off Dexler in the water. She wasn't very good at this, and it took everything she had...
Dexler wiggles his toes, getting a pleasantly surprised look on his face as the mud squishes between his toes.
Melody smiles. The spell seemed to be working, as the lather started to form around Dexler. Elestria comes back out with soap in one hand, though she pauses to watch. SweetPea watches the foam float around Dex and laughs "There is even a sweet smell."
Melody frowns. "Why isn't it rinsing him off? Dexler's eyes widen at the lather that begins to form around him, though he remains under the spell of the glamour. He starts snickering, then laughing and slaps at it. The suds continue to form around Dexler, growing into a higher and higher pile of them.
SweetPea watches Dexler play like a fae in the water and giggles. "Now isn’t that fun Dex?'
Dexler's happy reply comes out as, "I like bubbles..." before his neck, then shoulders, disappears beneath the rising suds.
Melody's tone turns to panic. "I can't stop it!"
Elestria Ulrik watches carefully over Casandra's shoulder......"He isn't going to suffocate in there, is he? Today is far too nice a day for anyone to have to die, though I can bring him back.”
SweetPea says 'Oh, he is disappearing! Melody, is that part of the magic?'
Melody charges into the suds, to get Dexler out of them. Dexler makes little gargled noises among all the suds, though he never flails out with his arms. Melody says, "Come with me, out of the suds!" She tries to lead Dexler out of the growing mound. Dexler turns and automatically follows Melody, looking like a living sud monster rising out of the depths. Melody Ivanova looks at the growing pile of suds in the water. "Does anybody know a good dispel?"
SweetPea (Emyly Beaumont) shakes her head "I have not learned that. It will just have to dry on him"
Dexler pats at all the soapy bubbles on his torso, before he begins playing with the ones on his face to form a 'beard.'
Elestria smiles......"At least he likes his bubbles"
Melody shakes her head. "He's not what I'm worried about anymore." She points at the suds still growing on the pond.
SweetPea looks at Dexler in his bubbly beard and says 'He will be a handsome mortal when he has a beard."
Elestria Ulrik laughs as she watches the suds......"Everything in the pond will be clean." Then she winks at Dex......"Oh, siyo, he will be" Dexler mumbles something that sounds like "Ho ho ho" as he shakes his soapy beard.
Elestria arches an eyebrow, before she turns....."I should go find Alak....safe paths, all of you. She waves and wanders off into the forest.
Dexler's chuckles fade away as the glamour begins to slowly, but surely, end. SweetPea says, "Dex you really do smell better.'
Melody watches the suds in the water, hoping for some sign that it would stop. "Did I really put that much mana into it?"
Dexler asks in a distant voice, ribbons of glamour still slowly retreating from his mind, "Huh?" He glances dully down at himself.
Casandra turns and looks at at the wondrously clean Dexler. SweetPea laughs at the sopping wet, foamy, farm boy. Dexler furrows his brow in slight puzzlement, wiping at the suds. Beneath whatever suds he scoops away, he is much, much paler than most of them had ever seen before beneath all that dirt. "What happened...?"
Casandra says "You are exceedingly clean from your toes to the tip of your head, including your clothing. Excellent!"
SweetPea looks at the other two fae "I think we have done a good deed today"
Melody Ivanova: "I don't know if the fish and waterplants would agree with that."
SweetPea says ‘Well, perhaps you and Lady Cas can figure that out. I have done my part and must leave.’ She turns and flies off.
Dexler wipes absent-mindedly at his chin, and is somewhat surprised at the bubble-beard that transfers itself to his arm. "How...?" He turns his head to stare at the sudsy pond, shaking his head to try to clear his mind faster. "Ahhhmmm...?" After that unintelligible question, he asks slowly, "Is that...stuff...gonna go downstream?" He points to the stream trickling away from the pond toward the sheep.
Casandra ponders and says "Oh, I know! Dexler if you will come with me to the fae pool, you can dunk yourself in clear water, and rinse off the suds."
Dexler replies, wiping at his face, "Um...yes, please...ma'am"
Casandra casually dismisses the suds as unimportant to the livestock "Oh yes, it will be swept away to the ocean in no time"
Dexler sighs slowly and mumbles, "I'm really pale..." as he begins to lumber after Cas.
Casandra says “Here we are, just dunk yourself in this nice clear pool, it will fix you right up.”
Dexler hesitates, but then he steps in. He holds his breath and ducks his head underwater. When he comes back up, he is no longer sudsy but very clean.
Casandra smiles "excellent! That wasn't difficult, was it?”
Dexler shoves his hands under his armpits, his teeth chattering. He moans in response, "I'm c-c-cold..." He shakes his head quickly, sending water drops spraying around
Casandra smiles as she sees Melody approach "He is suds free, but now he's cold." She thinks and says, "Let's go to the tavern. There is a fire there to warm you."
Dexler shuffles his feet, his teeth continuing to chatter, though he grabs the hem of his jacket and wrings it to try to get water out. He forces out through his clacking teeth, "M-my other c-c-c-clothes are there t-too..."
Casandra nods, sets off in that direction, and beckons
Melody says "Well, he's just human, let's get him to where he can dry off, unless you think I should risk a 'dry' cantrip..."
Casandra and Dexler enter the tavern. Dexler quickly crosses to the fireplace, and reaching behind it in a corner, finds a bag of his clothes.
Melody Ivanova follows the two to the small tavern. She reads the sign above the door. "The Brittle Biscuit."
Casandra says “There you are Dex, a toasty fire!”
Dexler pulls the lumpy bag out, but then turning, his face pales as he faces another problem. He licks his lip before he mumbles, "Uh...could...could you both, please...um...stand outside for a minute or two?"
Casandra nods "Certainly. Come on Melody." Melody blushes, nods, and steps outside.
Dexler moves to stand in front of the fireplaces, warming his legs. He relaxes as both leave, before he opens the bag. He bites his lower lip as he pulls his clean clothes out of the bag and dumps them unceremoniously on the floor. He pulls off his shirt and tosses it in front of the fireplace, before climbing out of his pants. Leaving them to dry in front of the fire, he pulls on his clean pants and then his shirt. He picks up his vest and slides his arms through. Picking up his belt, he slides it through the loops and latches it. Only then does he go to the door and peek out. "Okay...it's safe now." He disappears back inside to sit by the fire, right next to the pile of his wet clothes. He stretches an arm out to grab his black boots--the ones Linwe told him over and over to never wear while working--and shoves them onto his feet. Then warm and dry, he sighs contentedly. Being clean was nice...not that he would admit it to the fae.
Melody asks the Lady Cas, "Do you have to do that often, to get him clean?"
Casandra frowns and says, "We should, but we've never tried it before"
Dexler sits in front of the fire for a while longer, before he shoves all of his wet clothes into the bag. Without bothering to let them finish drying, he dumps the bag back into its corner and stands.
Melody looks over Dexler. "You clean up nice!" She giggles.
Dexler blinks his hazel eyes as he glances at himself. Then a moment later he chuckles and shrugs. "Well...I guess so. I've never really been CLEAN before." He adds, "Not since..." but then he trails off, his brow furrowing as he tries to remember the last time he was clean. After a pause, he finally says, "Well...not since I can remember."
Casandra gives them a big smile. "Well done Melody. You smell sooo much better Dex. Could you be persuaded to do it regularly?"
Dexler slowly turns his head, lowering his eyebrows as he stares at the fae queen. After a long silence, he asks carefully, "Define 'regularly' "
Casandra says “Ooooh, say once every full moon?”
Dexler is silent again, before he repeats in a pained voice, "Once...a month?" He groans as he stretches his arms.
Casandra reconsiders thinking that she might be hoping for the moon "how about once every other full moon?"
Dexler's expression is still dubious. Casandra sighs. Dexler holds up three fingers. "Once every THREE months!"
Casandra says "I am not used to the necessity of bargaining for my desires." She nods. "Agreed. Once every three months"
Dexler quickly replies, raising his pinky, "Four!"
Casandra scowls at him "NO! Three months.” She says sternly "Once every three months was your idea. I will request Pea's and Melody's help if you need persuasion."
Dexler's expression becomes miserable, and he wheedles, "Why don't I just bathe during the second full moon in one month?"
Casandra laughs, "No Dexler, I will not fall for that. Good attempt though. The second full moon in a month? That happens like once in a blue moon?" she says scornfully.
Dexler's eyes widen; this was not how he had seen things happen when he watched his father bargain. He asks, desperately, "But...but..." before he gets an idea. He sucks in a breath, drawing himself up to his full height. Taking on a stern tone that is fairly obvious it's being mimicked, he states, "Ma'am...I'm going to be twenty summers old next month... I...am a man...I will...I will choose when I will...um...bathe...thank you...” His voice falters and he bites his tongue, waiting to see if his plan worked.
Casandra manages to conceal a smile. "Yes, you are a man, Dexler, and as such you should know that ladies prefer men who smell clean, not as though they have been mucking out the stable. So, after you finish your chores, cleaning up will gain you more smiles from ladies and any other adults than your usual aroma will."
Dexler swallows and replies, carefully, "Well...Justine loves me..." He sneaks a peek at Melody out of the corner of his eye. "Well...um...yes..."
Casandra replies, "Of course she does. But ask her how she feels about bathing and smelly clothing."
Dexler's expression becomes pained. "Aww, ma'am...do I REALLY have to take a bath every three months?"
Melody says, "I need more practice with my clean cantrip anyway, I might just surprise you with it."
Dexler nearly yelps at Melody's words, "Oh gods no!"
Casandra looks heavenward. "I advise you to stick to your suggestion and our bargin Dex, the one you are trying to back out of now."
Dexler bites his lower lip, before he hangs his head. He mumbles, "Yes ma'am..." Casandra smiles, satisfied. Dexler shoves his hands into his pockets and slowly turns away, the very picture of the poor misunderstood man. "I need some sleep...safe paths..." He trudges off, sighing all the way.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Edited for clarity and brevity by Emyly Beaumont. Pictures by Casandra Shilova.
