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The baths at Calin are something else, indeed. The cool tiles soothe Kret's soles, and the warmth of the steam makes her shudder. Attendant girls stand on either side of the door, and others keep their distance as they prepare the water with oils and salts from exotic shores, causing the steam to waft up with a sublime scent.

One of the servants approaches Kret and bows, giving the kobold a closer look at their attire. Their smooth skin is wrapped in cloth that goes around their chests, adorned with golden trim. While their stomachs are uncovered, a cloth wraps around their hips, and drapes not even down to their knees. They are tied by a knot by their thigh, easily removed if requested by their mistress.

The servant speaks up, not lifting her head, and asks, "Is there anything we can do for you, miss? Vi-our previous employer hired us to provide anything that he may need, and we can do the same for you."

"Once Vijaya is cleaned up and has his wits about him, you send him to me. Until then, you can leave me alone." As she says this, she slips into the water, sighing as the warm liquid caresses her body.

Now alone, she realizes that this is perhaps the first real bath she has had in complete privacy and with no one rushing her. Back in her harlotry days, she'd be allowed a cold bucket on most occasions and a communal pool when special guests were to be tended to. Perhaps the best bath she ever had was actually that time she got consumed by that cube of gelatin and acid in that dungeon. Nothing beats an acid bath, but this is the next best thing.

"Finally," she hisses. "Time to relax..." She says as she lowers her face into the water, blowing bubbles without a care in the world.

"You can't be serious," Kret says, shaking her head. She runs her hands along her frills, petting herself. "Relax? You have so much work to do."

Groaning, she turns away, setting off to scrub some of the caked stomach juices from the lamia off of her. The warm waters had loosened them, but stubborn flecks of crust and lining clung beneath her scales. "No, this is great. This is good. I need a break."

"Are you really great, Kret?" Kret asks, her growl tickling her ear with doubts.

She shudders, cupping her head reflexively, but she blinks and looks to see no one. She takes a deep breath, and dares to continue. "What else is there to do, then?"

"The bard still lives. He still goes unpunished. He was right in your grasp, and you let him get away. The very reason you started this fool's quest for petty revenge is getting further and further away from you. Probably heading towards a being you can't possibly overcome and out of your grasp forever. Then you'll have to admit all the abuse getting here was for nothing but a pathetic dream that you were a thing deserving respect. Can you really be so stupid as to think you need to celebrate this temporary victory? Or should? Or can?" Kret hisses these last words.

"I'm not stupid," she says, squeezing her eyes shut. "I just want to be left alone. I can relax. No one will mess with me now that I'm in power." Kret opens her eyes some and takes another calming breath. But it comes out shaky, and does little to alleviate her nerves. "Not even some Dark Queen."

"Oh, yes, just like how no one messed with Vijaya? Just like how one overzealous slave didn't crumble his whole empire by speaking out of turn to one individual?"

"He was already planning to go against her! He was already bringing her down on himself." Kret argues. "I would work with her, certainly! Tell her it was Vijaya's plan, and that I took care of him." She slides some into the pool, down to her mouth.

"That's right," Kret says, "You'd roll onto your back and show your stomach, like the proper little toy you are." Kret lifts herself up from the water. "Maybe whoever takes over for you will put you back on your knees as a pleasure slave again, just where you want to be." The contempt drips from her lips into the pool.

Kret throws herself forward, fists clenched. "I never asked to be in charge to begin with!" she shouts, her voice echoing throughout the bathing chambers. Kret blinks, glancing around. Her fists unclench. Despite being by herself, she doesn't feel very much alone.

She rises out of the pool, letting the water drip off of her scales and onto the tile. The stains and flecks of all sorts of grime are still on her, but she no longer feels like cleaning them off right now.

"And where do you think you're going?" she asks. "Running away from your problems again?"

"No!" she shouts, placing a hand upon her chest. "Of course not! I could get used to being here, but I just want to-"

"With that attitude, you won't keep this place for a week, or catch that bastard bard. But fine, if you want to just step back from everything and relax, let's relax" she says, her hand moving down along her body, scratching along the underbelly.

Kret shudders, looking down as her hand trails down along her form. "I really shouldn't..." she says, though a smile runs up along her mouth. "After all, I am pretty tired, but..." she tickles down just at the bottom of her torso. "I guess I could take some time to relax more actively with myself," she whispers.

"Why not?" she asks. "You deserve to treat yourself like a queen. After all, you are a powerful sorceress, not some street whore." her words fill with a sudden harshness as she says these last few. She pauses to breathe, to calm. "Take your time, relax with yourself." a bit of the harshness of 'street whore' creep back into her mouth. "Use your body, just like everyone else has used you."

Kret lets out an aggravated sigh, and leans up against the wall, letting her body slide down along the polished surface. "Just shut up already. You're ruining everything."

"Am I? When was the last time you enjoyed yourself?"

She scratches her knees. She wants to say something flippant, but no defiant wind fills her sails. She turns away, and her teeth clench as she hisses "I don't... remember..."