The baths were deserted when he got there, which suited Zelgadiss just fine. He washed the dirt of the road off quickly and then sank gratefully into the warm water. He'd really needed this; sometimes he travelled so long that he forgot how heavenly a proper bath could be. The soothing water soon lightened his mood and he was feeling positively peaceful by the time one of the other inn patrons finally entered the baths.
Zelgadiss opened one of his eyes partway as the new arrival entered the water and then sat up with a glare. "Xellos, what are you doing here?"
"I'm staying at a very pleasant inn that has good food, beautiful baths and lots of space, what does it look like I'm doing?"
Zelgadiss frowned. He had no comeback for that. At the moment, Xellos appeared to be doing exactly what he'd said he was. "Fine then." He replied lamely and sat back in the water again, closing his eyes. They sat in silence for a long time before Zelgadiss finally gave in to his curiosity and peaked to see what the mazoku was doing. To his surprise he found Xellos merely lying against the edge of the bath with his arms spread out and his head tilted back. To his even greater surprise, Zelgadiss found that he enjoyed the sight of the relaxing mazoku. It was so strange to see Xellos like this. Usually the mazoku's secretive and annoying nature prevented the chimera from appreciating the priest's attractive appearance. He wondered briefly if Xellos had been created like this or if he'd selected the finely toned body and then dismissed the question as immaterial.
"Enjoying the view Zel-chan?" Xellos asked without even opening his eyes and Zelgadiss blushed as the mazoku continued talking. "You know, it is generally considered rude to stare at another person while in the bath."
"I wasn't staring!" He protested weakly, since that was exactly what he'd been doing.
"No? Just checking out my bod then?"
Zelgadiss blushed even brighter and then looked away.
"Yare, yare Zel-chan, you do look flushed. Maybe you've been in this hot water for too long."
"Oh be quiet." He muttered, trying to decide whether he should take the opportunity for escape that the mazoku had offered him.
If Zelgadiss bails and leaves the baths, Click here.
If Zelgadiss is stubborn and stays, Click here.