Spoils of War

[Lavender Marriott]

Lavender could take it no longer. One could only take a sponge bath or use the miserable bathing areas of the outside market area for so long before one snapped. Especially one as hygienic and obsessive about her condition as Lavender. It was worth the risk, the woman justified, she NEEDED to be clean. Her hair had too long been full of rattails and burrsnests... she craved a bath. And a bath was what she was going to get.

The uncaptured human trod her way to the manor, pretending with all she had, playing the role of a timid slave girl who was returning goods back to her boogie master after a day at the market, or finishing up an errand for the great and mighty being that was so far above her . If anyone saw her, it would probably be another human, most of the other boogies were already attending parties or doing whatever it was that they did and if a boogie saw her, chances were they would have already have gotten ready and wouldn't return to the bathhouses.

Lavender was smart and kept her gaze down, but kept her prideful air as she walked about. She showed that she had respect, but whoever was her keeper must be very powerful or else she wouldn't be able to carry that burden without to terrible a slumping shoulder under the weight.

Stay on your guard! She had to keep reminding herself, make sure you aren't caught, that would be the end of everything. And she hadn't told Luke exactly where she was running off to. He had very little of an idea, but he still didn't need to learn any bad information about her except from her own two lips and not the ones of gossip mongers.

But once the smell of the perfumed hot water hit her nose, she lost most of her awareness and was only concious enough to make sure that she wasn't being followed and that no one was in the bath before she started preparing. This was going to feel more than delictable and she was practically shaking from the thought of it.

This was such a huge risk, but one she felt needed to be taken...

[Kristopher Roberts]

Kristopher was current in the baths, well actually getting ready for one and so Lavender would not see him. The young blond had disrobed and put a towel around his waist to make life a bit easier. That way, if he did get walked in on for any reason it would less embarrassing for him and the other party.

He moved towards the mirrors and cleaned the fog off them that was created by the mixture of hot and cold. He turned his head side to side to look at his red orb. The blond had removed the eye patch and stuck it in his hair as a tie. It was strange really, he wasn't used to having that red eye still and something seemed off about it but he couldn't figure out what it was at all.

Sighing, he poked at the eye and blinked a few times after doing so, well he sure could feel it. So it was attached to him and he could see out of it. Oh well, he really shouldn't be looking a gift horse in the mouth but he was so taken with his new eye that he didn't even hear Lavender stepping into the empty bath house.

[Lavender Marriott]

Lavender hurried into one of the changing areas and pull the curtain closed quietly so she wouldn't alarm anyone that would happen to be in there, and she prayed that there wasn't anyone in there to start with. She stripped off her clothing and placed them in the pack she had brought with her. The woman unwrapped the cloth on her still injured leg, the wound she had gained the first day she had arrived in Wonderland was still open and she suspected there was still infection deep in the tissues. It worried her greatly because if the wound stayed open or infected much longer gang green could set in and she could lose her leg or her life even. That was another reason she so desperately wanted to take a bath. The water would help drain infection from her leg, much unlike a sponge bath which would take away dirt, but not much else. She wanted REAL soap and water.

The wrap stuck to her leg slightly and she cringed as the skin that was healed to it was torn away but he bit her lip and rolled the fabric up so she could clean and then replace it later. She slipped out of the room and snagged a towel from a rack and wrapped it around her. She'd long since lost any form of hair control so the matted tangled mess stuck to her shoulders and neck because of the steam. Limping her way to a bath, she found some oils and salts and threw them in the water. She found an oil true to her own name and threw in the relaxing herb. Peeking around her again, she dropped the towel on the floor and set the pack on top of it. She had to ease herself into the water, especially her injured leg, but the girl finally made it the rest of the way into the water with a contented sigh.

[Kristopher Roberts]

Kristopher sighed softly as he finished looking at his eye. Whatever, he really needed to stop messing with it, it was there and working so who cared about what it was or where it came from. He had other things to do, like take a hot bath. Augusta had already stressed him out enough is and now having this eye and having to hide it until he could figure out how to tell Augusta about it. Well, it took a lot out of him.

Running a hand through his hair, he turned away from the mirrors and walked down the small hall that would lead to the bath and where Lavender would be, unknowing.

It was nice not falling into stuff though as he walked like he used too, without fear of hitting some unforseen object. It was even better when he could see the water on the floor and how to avoid it. It wasn't soo good however when his red and green eyes spotted a figure in the large romen like bath.

A female. Nude. Oh dear.

His two color eyes stared at her, not because of an instant attraction (even though she was very pretty) but because he was utterly confused, lost, and embarssed all at the same time!

"Oh shit..." He managed to get out and quickly turn his back to her, head lowered, an arm across his chest and hand over his face. "I--I--I'm so sorry, I didn't know um...there was a woman here...I...Ahh--ahhh!" Man the blond was a stuttering fool! Plus it might not help poor Lavender to notice that Kristopher was covered in tattoos on his back, hips and arms.

[Lavender Marriott]

Lavender was as relaxed as could be. The muscles in her nearly broken body eased and relaxed, the pain was almost literally dripping away. Even though she had only been in the hot water for a few moments she already felt like she was about to fall asleep, she was nearly there fading in and out. It felt so good to be able to relax and not worry that any moment she might be attacked by a boogie, or taken prisoner, held against her will to serve or be raped by those monsters that stole her from her home. Simply delicious it was, could human's purr? Lavender was pretty sure that's what she was doing right now.

She heard a murmured noise, it sounded like... someone was talking. It didn't sound like it was muffled enough to be from the outside, no, it couldn't be! Instantly on alert, she reacted naturally and spun around to face the sound, HOLY HELL IT WAS A MAN!!! She stood swiftly as if to run, but her leg gave a little spasm and she slipped back into the water with a loud splash. The panic woman lifted out of the water just enough so that she wouldn't drown and she reached out to grab the towel she had forgotten about in her panic but froze. The man wasn't facing her, in fact he seemed to be trying to hide his eyes and avoid looking at her all together. That was a... plus?

She listened to him stammer for a moment, eyeballing his body from her compromised position in the water. The fellow was coated in tattoos, this guy was, Lavender swallowed in panic. Two different emotions were running around in her body. Panic, and fear, only with a slight dash of rationality in the mix. There was a sudden stinging sensation and she knew there was about to be a good deal of pain involved as soon as the adrenaline wore off. Her wound had been opened up by the fall and the scrape as she landed on the hard material of the bath.

Lavender noticed his towel was starting to slip and a furious blush covered her pale cheeks and she averted her own eyes. "Just stay turned around!" She wanted to grab her towel and possibly a second before he turned around again. He had every right to be here and she didn't so she was going to towel up, pack up her gear, change and go. "I'm gonna grab my cover and go okay? Just don't... don't," the adrenaline was fading and her leg was really REALLY starting to hurt. The Epsom salt in the water was seeping into her cut, taking the place of the pink blood that was slowly starting to creep into the water. Lavender inhaled a whimper of pain and bit her lips as she rose out of the water just high enough to grab the one towel she had lying by the water's edge.

"Okay, I got it." Another stifled gasp, "I'm gonna put it on now. Just leave me alone."

[Kristopher Roberts]

Kristopher stayed turned around and didn't even peek. He lowered his hand to hold up his towel that was slipping. Oh god, how embarassing was this! Seriously, embarassing that was for sure! Man, walking in on a chick. A pretty little thing too---with nice---okay he stopped himself. He was a taken man and he really didn't care about women all that much. True, he was bisexual but nowadays he was questioning that and leaning more towards men, or rather Augsexual. Haha, now that was an amusing new word, he would have to tell Augy that sometime.

"Just stay turned around! I'm gonna grab my cover and go okay? Just don't... don't, Okay, I got it.I'm gonna put it on now. Just leave me alone."

He could hear her splashing about and it didn't sound too good. “You alright?” He asked, but didn't turn to look as she was too busy hurting herself to get to her towel. However, her words took him a bit off guard, especially the part of leaving her around. He blinked a few times and held his hands up in the air to show he meant no harm, but still had his back to her.

“Whoa, whoa, settle down.” He said softly with a bit of a amused in his voice. “You don't have to leave. I can do that, I didn't mean to walk in on you. I didn't know there was a lady about but I wont hurt you.” He said assuring her it was alright. “Listen, I'll make it easy alright. I won't follow you nor will I look at you if that makes you feel better and I'll even leave you be. But first let me assure you, I am pretty much on the gay side and so I won't have any ill intentions too you and I am not a boogie, regardless on how I look.” The humor was there in his voice but he as also very, very serious.

He wouldn't hurt the girl nor would he even think of taking any kind of advantage of her either. He could really careless about her being naked. He had a man of his own and he was happy with that. “So, here let me just leave---and---” He heard her again making sounds and then a whimper of pain.

“You okay?” He asked with deep concern, “Please be honest with me, I hope you didn't hurt yourself because of me...um, but if you're decent now...and hurt...can I help you?” He paused and added, “I won't do anything you don't want me too, but I'm kind of a doctor...I work in the hospital. I'm Kris by the way. Kristopher Roberts if that helps any but I doubt it will.” He was trying to reassure he that he was who he said he was and not some perverted freak.

Even if his cheeks where still a bit pink from this encounter.

[Lavender Marriott]

After he admitted that he was surely a human and not a boogie, that chilled some of the fear running through her, but he still might be one of those human's that ratted others out. This guy looked like a pretty tough character so he might actually be a boogie pretending. She didn't see his one red eye, or else she would have run away without a towel had that been the case. But thankfully she hadn't viewed his new orb so she was put to ease even though it was slight. Something else that was helping his case was that he had quickly turned around to avoid looking at her uncovered body, and had assured her that he would remain so until she was decent. Even going so far as to say that he wouldn't turn around period, maybe this guy was legit.

Lavender assumed it was safe to believe him when he claimed a certain sexuality preference over the other through the tone of his voice. It was one of those things you could just tell by the way they said it. Though, she wouldn't have called it had she viewed him as a regular mundane person walking along the street.

“Please be honest with me, I hope you didn't hurt yourself because of me...um, but if you're decent now...and hurt...can I help you?”

Crap... how was she supposed to get out of his mess now? It wasn't like she could prete... wait! Yes she could! She was one of the best actresses back at school, she had often taken a character and made life out of a few words on a piece of paper. Lavender took a few seconds to call on the memory of all that Luke told her about the vicious boogies and how they treated their human slaves, from acts of sexual violence to beatings that left them nearly dead. It would be easy to play that part, considering she knew first hand how boogies could be. It was possible that boogies took their injured ones to the doctor, but a human could sneak to see them if it was bad enough.

“I won't do anything you don't want me too, but I'm kind of a doctor...I work in the hospital. I'm Kris by the way. Kristopher Roberts if that helps any but I doubt it will.”

Shit. That was another kink in the plan. Okay, she was going to have to go through with this. There were a lot of risks here. She could let him work on her leg, which would be a blessing, but then he would see her face, there would be a chance that he would ask who her boogie was. There would also be the danger that he would try to take her somewhere or report her. That would be terrible all in itself. Lavender knew that she wouldn't give out Luke or his hiding places, but she wasn't terrified of what might happen to her as a consequence. 'I never should have come.

All she could do was pray that he didn't ask too many questions and find the gaping holes in her story or notice that she was suddenly stutter-y and extra nervous.

"N-no, it's... it's an old wound that won't stay closed. Yes, I am decent now but...I shouldn't have come here. I finished my errands sooner than I had expected and master is busy right now. I thought that everyone would be out tonight and I could steal away for a few moments."

The girl was trying to avoid stating any direct names else she be called out on the validity of her statements. "I should really be getting back. They'll beat me if I'm not back before they are, and they will be back soon." The bruises and cuts from the general falls and scraps gained during the life of an un-captured human that covered her could add another dimension to her story, another thing turned in her favor.

Though... she did wish that she could afford to let him look at it. It would be nice, safe... and a chance to get rid of the infection would be more than she could ask for. The woman had been keeping it from Luke that she had developed a low-grade fever and some mild chills, a bad sign.

[Kristopher Roberts]

"N-no, it's... it's an old wound that won't stay closed. Yes, I am decent now but...I shouldn't have come here. I finished my errands sooner than I had expected and master is busy right now. I thought that everyone would be out tonight and I could steal away for a few moments."

Kristopher turned around then, she was decent and he let out a breath of air he had no idea he was holding and lowered his hands. Thankfully, his crazy blond curls covered that red eye of his, if she saw it she would of freaked out and ran. So for once in his life, he thanked god for his crazy hair.

His green eye studied her for a long moment and he offered a look of understanding. He didn't say a word though as he looked down at the "old wound" then frowned.

"I should really be getting back. They'll beat me if I'm not back before they are, and they will be back soon."

"I understand all that, trust me, I have one of the most strictest Masters of them all. However," The blond came near Lavender at an easy pace so not to startle her, once he reached her, he carefully lifted her from the water (towel and all) and sat her on the edge of the pool. "Leaving a wound untreated is the quickest way to die in this place. Not every boogie is willing to aid their slave and wil beat them more if not treated." His voice was soft as it always was and his touch matched his voice.

He reached out and took another towel from a nearby rack and twisted her around to face him. Then he took her leg carefully and looked at it, pressing the towel to the leg when needed. "Not very pretty, you let it go a long time." He carefully tilted the leg side to side to view the calf but he never lifted her leg up, he wanted her to feel comfortable and not vulnerable.

"It's infected, but for once, you did a smart thing. The bath will help kill the infection with the water temperature being as it is as well as the cleaning chemicals in it. So for the most part, you fixed that yourself. But what it really needs is a good wrapping and a stitch or two." He released her leg and wrapped the towel about it.

"There's a first aid in here, I make sure that there is one in every public area if possible. So, if you promise not to leave, I'll go and get it and finish tending your leg. Then later on, if you feel safe enough---you can come down to the hospital and I'll make sure it stays healed and not reopen on you."

His green eyes searched her face, he wasn't going to force this on her, but he wanted to help. He wasn't the type of man to let someone go about wounded. "It won't take long, I promise. Then you can be on your way."

[Lavender Marriott]

She stayed in place while he spoke to her and wasn't expecting him to pull anything tricky as he came closer to the startled woman. He played the cards right in treating her like a spooked house pet, the gentle voice and calm demeanor helped to calm her own nerves and almost put her in a position of trust but not quite. So when Kris reached over to her and lifted her out of the water, she had to bite down a yelp. The teenager was about to scold him on his manners but before she had a chance he went into a tirade about her wound. Maybe this guy was legit and was genuinely concerned about her health and safety.

Lavender bit her lip as she watched him examine the puckered flesh. She was very aware that she'd let it go to long, but she wasn't about to say anything to the 'doctor' about that though. She had to continue with the tirade of her Master. Luke had dropped a hint that each boogie had different abilities so maybe she could speak of the Bear guy that had attacked the two of them and Kris wouldn't know the difference. It wasn't likely that every boogie knew of every single other boogie around the area, and if it came to it she knew how to embellish and make a story prettier than it actually was if she had to.
She also couldn't help but frown, a blow struck to her pride when the male said that she had done the smart thing "for once." It deserved a thump on the head at minimum that was for sure, but that would be rude seeing as how he was offering her help. She still wanted to give him a whack as an outlet of long lived aggravation. Then he was addressing her personally, not focusing on her wound anymore. She blinked a couple moments, her teeth becoming an intimate friend with her battered lip as she thought about what to do.

'Well... he believed me that I do have a Master here, and he seems pretty high up in the food chain for social activities, being the resident doc and all. So maybe I can pull this off after all. The only other boogies that have seen me are dead... And it's either die by leg wound or be spiteful and spite right in their faces by going to their own medical offerings. Okay! This will work... I hope.'

All she would have to do was continue to look nervous and never make eye contact with the male and things would go swimmingly. Nervous she could handle, seeing as how she was currently as nervous as humanly possible. "O...okay. I'll wait." She added onto the playby and looked up hurriedly, "Just... please don't tell anyone I was here. Else I fear I'd suffer worse injury than this. They don't normally see my limbs as I try to wear longer clothing, but if they suspect something...well... you know."

The hospital idea didn't sound half bad either, but she was still very frightened and it was evident on her paled face. The female wasn't sure where she could hide in the meantime. If he asked to walk her to her room or wherever it was that the humans stayed that would be another problem, and she had to report to her Master "soon" Spider webs did tend to get tangled when you ran a hand through them... but she would manage. Another happy difficulty, she had no idea where the hospital was in this place.