Knock, knock, knock.
"Wh-agh! Ow, shit- dammit, Skylar, too tight, that's too tight!"
"Ah! Shoot, sorry, Naomi."
The swordsman sucked in a breath, nerves flaring as he pushed the leather strap back through its loop, and the woman in front of him took a deep sigh of relief as her pauldron loosened a little bit, resting more comfortably over her shoulder. The morning sunlight, filtering in through the nearby window, glinted off of the fortress' cuirass, and Skylar brought an arm up to shield his eyes from the glare, pinching the collar of his shirt and wiping away a couple beads of sweat that had managed to form on his brow. He couldn't help but laugh inwardly at himself, and he spun in a half-circle, picking up a second pauldron and stepping over to his teammate's other side.
"Agh, geez... what was that about?" Naomi growled crassly, staring over her shoulder at Skylar with an irritated expression. He simply gave her an apologetic look and a shrug, laying the piece of armor down onto her tunic's sleeve before starting to fiddle with its own leather straps. She snorted, stretching and rolling her other arm around.
Thankfully, another round of knocks at the room's door answered the fortress' question for her, and she turned away, tilting her head back slightly as she looked at the door. As Skylar moved to the middle of the armor, he glanced past Naomi, whistling at a white-coated, satchel-wearing man sitting on his futon nearby, a book held firmly in his hand. "Hey, Damien, could you get that? We're still tied up over here."
"Huh? Oh, sure!" The older man replied cheerfully, his messy mop of hair falling in front of his face as he got to his feet, the floorboards giving quiet creaks as Damien walked over to the exit, too absorbed in his notes to watch where he was going. The medic only looked up when he bumped into the notched top of the hardwood frame, and he grunted in surprise, then grinned broadly as he reached out to hastily yank the door open. He gave a start when he peeked outside. "Oh, good morning, sir!"
"Ah... good morning to you too." The pleasant-faced innkeeper poked his head into the room, giving the trio of explorers a short wave in greeting. Skylar smiled a silent hello back to the middle-aged man, and Naomi mock-saluted before letting her arm fall back to her side. "I set out your soup and fish in the dining room a few minutes ago, but you still weren't there when I last looked, so I just wanted to check if everything was alright."
"Yeah, we're doing fine," Skylar raised his voice a touch as he spoke, securing the last belt loop. The swordsman patted Naomi's back twice to let her know he had finished, and as the woman ambled over to her bed, he gestured towards the pair of crumpled blankets laid out behind him; a padded white dress and a katana were laid out atop one of them, while his sword, shield, and backpack sat neatly behind his pillow. "Naomi's still getting her armor on, and Hanae and Sahra are down in the bath. They'll probably be coming back upstairs pretty soon, but thanks for checking anyway, sir."
The innkeeper smiled as he surveyed the clearly slept-in futons, and he ducked away in a vain attempt to hide a very brief sigh of amusement. "You're welcome! But make sure that you all don't spend too much longer finishing your preparations. I'd rather not see all my hard work go cold and go to waste. Rosa also stopped by with some fresh hot cordials as well, so you look forward to those, too!"
"Well, haha, I've been ready for a while, so I'll be eating soon," Damien said, slipping his journal back into his bag and planting his fists on his hips, his face a cross between resolute and goofy.
The middle-aged innkeeper coughed into his fist, then disappeared from view, closing the door behind him. Skylar folded his arms, listening to the thumping footsteps dwindle, the ensuing silence only intruded upon by the squeaking and clanking of Naomi's plated boots as she tucked and strapped one into place. The knight wiggled her ankle to check the fit, then let her foot slam hard onto the floor, causing the window's curtains to shake and even managing to rattle the bow, arrows, and gloves that were hanging from a peg on the wall across from her.
"I'm gonna be ready to get going in a second or two here too. God, I'm starving," Naomi thought aloud, groping around for her tower shield and hefting it into the air when she found it. "I'm ready to eat and get some hunting done! We're gonna hit all of those stupid medusa trees so goddamn hard, they won't even stand a chance in hell!"
"I'm looking forward to seeing how they grow so well in the sand! And I've got the warp wires ready, just in case we have another petrification accident!" Damien added, reaching around and drawing out of a thin, silvery-colored coil of rope, wagging the knotted end of it to catch their attention. Sheepishness ran through Skylar's head, and the explorer couldn't help but run his hands through his dark hair, taking a couple steps backwards and turning around, starting to clean and fold his bedcovers.
"Pfff, man, come on, Skylar," He heard Naomi snort behind him, followed by a series of clinks and clanks as the armored woman rose to her full height, having gotten her other plated boot into place. "Just because I was still busy doesn't mean you have to make work for yourself, too! Someone else can deal with the beds while we're gone."
The young man rolled his eyes, his mouth twitching downwards into the slightest of frowns as he stepped from the side of his futon to the front, smoothing out the numerous wrinkles that had formed on the sheets. "But it'll be easier for everyone if I do this now. Besides, we're still-"
Skylar was interrupted as another knock sounded through the inn room, and he glanced away from his work just in time to see the door swing open, Naomi and Damien moving out of the way as a short, pale- and damp-haired girl strode into the room, goggles bumping against her familiar overcoat as she made a beeline for her equipment. A cream-furred canine slowly followed after the sniper, both her body and her head wrapped in a pair of bath towels, her tiny, paw-like feet poking out from underneath the edges of the soaking fabric and scratching almost inaudibly against the wooden planks. Skylar felt his annoyance from moments before drain away, but when the bushi's gaze locked with his, he shook himself out of his trance, embarrassment welling up instead.
"Hey, Hanae," He said, and she smiled gently, nodding at him before walking over to her futon. The swordsman caught a quick glimpse of Sahra, slinging her bow over her shoulder, before going back to his own work. "Hey, Sahra. We had the innkeeper come looking for us just a few minutes ago, so everything's ready for us whenever we're ready for it."
"Yes, I noticed that when we left the bath," Sahra replied plainly, adjusting her belt pouches and fiddling with her quiver, the arrows rattling noisily. The girl jumped up and snatched her gloves, slipping them on with a few swift movements more. "Hanae still has a little drying off to do, but I was going to go back downstairs and eat now. You three look like you were about to leave as well."
"I was! Soup's going to be gross if it gets cold, and we've got a long day ahead of us!" Damien chimed in, walking over to the sniper and giving her head a friendly pat – he pulled back when Sahra shooed him away, reaching up to her bangs and fiddling with her red hairband after fixing the medic with a cool glare. Naomi barked out a laugh, and her teammate smiled as well, casually dropping his hands into his coat pockets and leaning backwards, digging his heels into the floor to keep from falling.
"Thanks for giving me another good reason to get outta this room, nerd. Let's go," The fortress agreed, reaching over and strongly yanking on the back of the doctor's hair, and she turned to look at Skylar and Hanae, the former fluffing his pillow and the latter still drying her head off. Sahra sidled between the rest of the group, Damien hot on her heels and cradling his scalp, and Naomi threw her hands in the air, the sunlight shining against her tower shield. "Bah, I see you two are still dinking around for whatever. Just don't waste everyone's time in here, got it?"
"Oh... um, okay, Naomi. We... we won't be long," Hanae answered quietly, reaffirming her grip on the towel wrapped around her torso. Skylar glanced over, holding back a laugh when he saw the backside of the cloth shaking, no doubt from her tail wagging and thumping against it.
The knight stared at the beastwoman, looking from her to Skylar, then looking out the window at the sleepy Etrian street below, before shrugging placidly and making for the hallway. Both explorers watched as Naomi departed, sharing a wince between each other when her tower shield caught the top of the doorframe, leaving another blemish in the wood. Hanae tilted her head in concern when a mumbled curse drifted back into the room, but a few seconds later, their teammate pulled the shield through fully and hurriedly jogged away, unaware that she had left the door hanging open.
Once the room was mostly silent again, Skylar carefully let the back corners of his quilt drop, striding over and shutting the door himself. The swordsman let his hand slide back down to his side, and he took a deep breath and relaxed, letting his stifled chuckle escape him as he brushed at his pants.
"Ah- ouch-" The dark-haired man swiveled on his heels at the soft gasp of pain, but his alarmed expression quickly morphed into a sympathetic smile when he saw Hanae standing in the center of the group of futons, tugging on a lock of hair that had fallen out from her towel. The bushi froze when she noticed her audience, and her focus flicked up to her hair, then to Skylar again. "Um... ah, Skylar... could you maybe-"
"Help out with brushing again?" He finished for her, the words having already come to mind. Hanae blinked, then nodded. "Of course, Hanae. You know you don't have to ask me every day."
The cream-furred canine smiled at that, and then pulled the towel off of her head, letting it crumple into a heap at her feet. A mess of long, blonde hair spilled forth, falling down her back and shoulders, the morning sun helping to illuminate the lingering dampness from the bath; Skylar furrowed his brow slightly, already able to spot tangles here and there thanks to the light. He stepped over to Hanae's side, the other towel clipping his fingers on the way down as he took a handful of hair and briefly looked it over further before glancing through the windowpane at the cloudless sky. His thumb started to itch, and he idly tried to scratch at it.
He paused halfway when his mind clicked, and he turned back towards his partner again, a blush rapidly rising onto his cheeks as he stared at the beastwoman, who had let her torso's towel fall as well, revealing her usual, dancer-styled undergarments that she had been wearing underneath. Her tail swayed back and forth, and she clasped her hands together, resting them on her exposed midriff. He wondered if anyone could see her from outside, suddenly finding himself tongue-tied. "Er... H-Hanae?"
"Huh?" She brought her arms a bit higher and twiddled her fingers, her shy expression gaining a touch of nervous coyness, and the swordsman gulped, trying his best – and failing – to keep from giving the scantily-clad bushi a once-over. Hanae didn't seem to notice, and she bowed her head and hunched forward somewhat, her bangs falling in front of her eyes; they masked her now-increasing modesty. "O-oh... no, I'm sorry, I thought you would be comfortable... um, let me get my dress on."
"What? No no, that's," Skylar blurted out, and Hanae jumped in surprise, her fur bristling and her eyes widening to the side of saucers at her teammate's sharp reply. The movement caused the gold trim on her top to catch the light, the color shining brighter, and Skylar scrunched his eyes almost shut. He sucked in a breath when his thoughts finally caught up with him, and he spun on his heels and grabbed the window's curtains, covering up the glass completely. The entire bedroom grew just a little bit dimmer, and the explorer exhaled, tapping his boots against the smooth floorboards.
"Hoo... that's what I was thinking about. I'm sorry, normally I remember to close the curtains first." Skylar let himself flop onto his futon, sitting cross-legged on the comfy covers, and he peered up at the beastwoman, softening his voice. "Please don't apologize, Hanae, you're... you're fine. I mean it."
Hanae was silent for a moment, still tense from her partner's brief outburst, but the swordsman nodded slowly, reassuringly, reaching out to her with open palms. The bushi gingerly reached up to brush her hair out of her face, her warm eyes sparkling, and she beamed, tiptoeing over to Skylar's futon. Skylar craned his neck to stare at the ceiling as his fellow explorer turned around and eased herself onto the floor in front of him, her tail – which had stopped waving, he noticed – sitting between his feet. He moved from the tail to the hair that covered up her back, and hummed in thought, the pleasant, mild scent of floral soap wafting past his nostrils.
"Could you start with my sidelocks, please?" Hanae asked quietly. Skylar slipped his fingers into the still-damp mane, dragging them downwards – and stopping when he hit a knot, eliciting a pained yip from the beastwoman in the process. "O-ooch! A-and please go slowly? Ow..."
"Alright," Skylar replied, taking the crazy loop between his fingers and deftly pulling the strands loose from each other, giving the sidelock a gentle tap every so often to check for any more tangles hidden closer to Hanae's coat of fur. Soon enough, though, the swordsman could run his fingers through the section of hair without any trouble, and he moved on to one of the longer parts on the bushi's left side. "Do you have any idea why you've been getting these tangles so much recently?"
"No, not really... I think it might be beca-ah!" Hanae gasped mid-sentence, reflexively scooting further back against her teammate, when Skylar ran into another series of clumps halfway down her hair. The other explorer stopped when he felt the bushi's legs graze against the tips of his boots, and he hunched forward a little, carefully scanning over the problem spots he had run into; resting his hand in place, he brought his other arm over and pinched the first snarl between his fingers. As he returned to work, the beastwoman spoke again, having regained her bearings. "Mmph... because of how dry the Sandy Barrens are. I really hope it isn't as deep as the other parts of the labyrinth have been..."
"That's a good thought, it might be the dry air," Skylar agreed, trailing off as he struggled with a particularly nasty coil right in the middle of Hanae's hair. A full minute had passed before he was able to straighten out the blonde locks, and he continued, hazy images of dead gray trees and endless passages of burning-hot sand coming to mind. "I don't know about the Barrens... remember when Sahra mentioned to Chieftain Quinn that we had made it down there? He just... looked sad all of a sudden."
"Mmhm..." Skylar blinked as Hanae scooted even further back, bunching up the futon's quilt, but before he knew it, the cream-furred canine was sitting sideways on his lap, propping herself up by lightly digging her far arm into his thigh. He kept silent and took the last large handful of her hair into his palms, the drying strands soft to the touch. "...It feels so lonely down there. I wonder if we're the only ones in Etria that even want to explore it."
Hanae curled her knees and dragged her fingertips up Skylar's shirt, using the tips of her nails to trace invisible lines from the swordsman's abs to his chest. The bushi's tail wagged ever-so-slightly when, moments later, she felt her partner wrap an arm around her, gingerly bringing her close before giving her forearm an affectionate squeeze. The kindhearted gesture, along with the sensation of skin and sun against her fur, prompted the cream-furred canine to practically melt into the young man, a serene smile wriggling onto her muzzle as she closed her eyes and fully rested her weight on his side.
Skylar smiled warmly, following his partner's example and propping himself up with an arm, the blush returning to his cheeks as Hanae pressed her midriff into his, snuggling him so much she couldn't have gotten any closer to the explorer if she tried. As she let out a soft sigh, the swordsman narrowed his eyes, finding an odd feeling mixed in with his contentment, something empty and out-of-place. The feeling grew stronger when the beastwoman's hip rubbed against his stomach.
The young man blinked, perking up, and he glanced over at his equipment, still plopped forlornly next to his pillow. "Shoot, I forgot we still need to get down to breakfast!
"Wha...? Oh! Oh my goodness!" Hanae barked out as the remark sank in, and Skylar rose to his feet, lifting the beastwoman up in both arms and then easing her back onto the floor of the bedroom. He wound his gaze upward, winking when his teammate nodded gratefully at him.
While Hanae loped over to her futon, the swordsman grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulders, tugging on the thick leather a couple times until he was satisfied. When he looked back to collect his sword and shield, the bushi had already managed to don her padded dress, her tail whipping through the air. It didn't take much longer for the pair of explorers to finish their preparations, and Skylar walked over to the door, hinges squeaking for a split-second as he pulled it open, and Hanae stepped up to the dark-haired man's side.
"Ready for today?" He asked, standing up straighter and nudging sideways with a shake of his head.
The beastwoman wore a demure smile as she answered. "Yes... thank you."
She slipped out into the hallway, and Skylar took one last glance all around the room, making sure everything was in order, before following in Hanae's footsteps, closing the door behind him.