Submission (#5878) Approved

     "Can you pass me the comb?" Alais waves his paw towards his pomu and the small pile of items they had carried into the warm, steamy room. The crimson elnin had been waiting for days for this gift he had promised himself and he was just about ready to jump into the warm, lightly bubbling, pool of water. He had learned about hot springs in the northern regions and wanted to experience them however he was in Bellmoril, not Zevija or Strynhald. The region known for it's autumnal trees and golden hues was not exactly the right place to find hot springs... at least not natural ones. Through his investigation he had found out about a local bath house which was just about as close as he was going to get without having to travel for days. He looked around at the décor and chuckled to himself. While the proprietor had tried to capture the 'natural hot spring' vibe, they had done it in the most Bellmoril way. The walls to the room had birch trees painted on them, golden leaves covering both the top third of the walls and painted across most of the ceiling. Small golden vines trailed from flowerboxes hung up in the corners of the room and the fake rocks that had been used to create the edge of the pool showed the marbles and other metamorphic stone of the local mountain range instead of the more granodiorite and obsidian rocks normally found in Zevija.

     Alais shrugged off his outer robes and found the linen undergarments that had be laid out for him by an older elnin with hair tied up in a tight bun. He watched his pomu as it dug around in the pile, scattering trinkets left and right. Some of the items fell into his shadow which made him wince. He hoped nothing important was in that pile because who knows when he'd see it again. After a few minutes the pomu was successful and came up chittering with a fancy copper comb within its paws. The small shadow sprite scurried over on tiny feet before handing the comb to Alais and jumping into the pile of now-folded robes. A collection of small, quick movements betrayed the location of his pomu for about a minute before he could sense an aura of contentment as the little creature took a well earned nap.

     Well earned rest... If he didn't start relaxing now he would never get a moment like this for a long while. Slipping into the hot water he felt the sting of the heat hit him all at once. He sucked in the cooler air into his lungs as a reflex before letting it out slowly. It wasn't until he was sitting down, feeling the warmth penetrate his bones before he let him self wonder where his twin was. They had planned on meeting up together this morning but instead he had a message left for him that consisted of an apology and a promise to meet later on. He suspected she was still tired from traveling in from Kyendi where she went to magical school. He mused for a moment, wondering why she just didn't go to school here, Il'durahn was a much better school in his opinion, it was where he studied the art of sigaldry and celestial exploration. His favorite class was in a high tower nestled in the corner of the campus overlooking a valley filled with birch and maple trees. The golden leaves reminding him of the lakes during a sunset, warm hues filling the view with oranges, reds, and yellows. Alais let his mind drift as he combed out his hair and let the hot waters steep him like a warm tea. His throughs drifted over the recent lesson before it was interrupted by a soft knock at the door.

     "B-b-brother, as you there?" Another hesitant knock came before the familiar voice spoke again, "Are you d-d-decent?"

     With a chuckle Alais called out, "Come on in, the water is fine!" He was surprised she would decide to meet him here considering her usual trepidations but he wasn't going to complain about the intrusion. Smiling wide as the door opened he raised a paw in greeting before remembering it held the comb and changed the wave into a point. Gesturing towards the pile of clothes he stated, "Fuzz-butt is taking a nap if yours wants to join them." With a wry grin he added, "I'm sure they are missing 'Zuri as much as I am missing my sister."

     "Yazuri would be d-d-delighted." Rynn nodded slightly, ignoring the pointed tone and responding in kind, "This sister has missed you too. I would give you a hug b-b-but..." She waved a paw at the steaming water. "I believe I will stay out here." Looking around at the options, she perched upon a grey marbled rock as her pomu jumped down and raced across to join the one that was napping.

     Alais splashed some water in her direction playfully, "You mean you don't want to come and jump in here with all your layers on?" He could see she was actually wearing a lighter robe for once, a crimson long-sleeve dress edged with golden leaves, a sleeveless over-robe layered above, both tied with a simple cloth belt. "Its a new look for you, pretty stylish."

     Self-consciously smoothing down the skirt Rynn looked down at the soft linen fabric with a slight smile, "My friend Malis helped p-p-pick it out. She is quite good with colours and textures, you really should meet her one day." The sister turned bright eyes over to her sibling as if hiding an immense joke. "She actually lives close by..." Rynn paused

     Alais' curiosity was peeked. "Oh? Here in Bellmoril?"

     "...in Faerindell." Rynn finished, trying to suppress a giggle at her brothers scowl.

     "Uuuuugh, you know I can't set foot in that region." Even just thinking about the pollen-filled air that clouded the region of blossoms just set his nose running. "If your friend is so close by, you should invite her to come visit while you are here. Then I can meet her without experiencing a waking death." he had to admit, he was curious about this friend of his sister's, she had written much about Malis but most of it was cryptic at best. "Buuuuut! That can be a plan for another day. You are here now, and I need to hear all about what has been keeping you away from home. What classes are you doing? Favorite teacher? Worst teacher? Have you poisoned anyone yet?" He let himself drop back into the water until his head floated just above the surface and splashed around a little, turning so he could face his sister while they chatted.

     Rynn settled down to a more comfortable perch, finding a throw pillow that resembled birch-tree bark and fiddling with the gilded tassels as she spoke. She had to admit, it was nice being back home among the familiar golden warmth after living within the floating islands of Kyendi but she wasn't planning on giving her brother the satisfaction of knowing that. Instead she focused on her lessons and what she had learned since her last visit; comparing notes with him about his classes in Il'durahn and participating in a friendly battle of who's school was better. Quality time spend with siblings was always the best part about coming home and she was happy she had made the journey.