"Good, you're awake! How're you feeli…" The words drifted across the room from the door, causing Draco to freeze up as the reached her. She inwardly groaned at her completely awful luck. Perhaps the universe just had something out for her? Perhaps the universe just found it hilarious to make her life as miserable as possible? That had to be it, the universe just loved to see her squirm.
The sound of the door being shut drew her out of her mental rant, causing her to finally look up at whoever it was that entered her room. Standing with her back to her, was a human woman. She was dressed in a black t-shirt with a lot of words in english on it back, which she could not understand. A simple pair of stone washed skinny jeans, and a pair of black tennis shoes completed the outfit. Her long hair was tied back in a ponytail that extended down to just between her shoulder blades, and was the same shade of strawberry red as Miia.
Calmly turning around, the woman faced Draco and started walking towards her. She had to be around 5'8, perhaps 5'9, several inches taller than herself. Her face spoke to a mixed ancestry, half Japanese and half American if Draco had to guess, and looked vaguely familiar. Around her neck hung a black cord, carrying a small rounded triangle of an alternate red and black material. The front of the black t-shirt had a strange logo on it, the human depiction of a heart being stabbed through its center by a winged dagger, with two english words in bold white print below it. In her hands was a tray, a small pill bottle, a mug of some steaming liquid, a thermometer, and a covered dinner platter all resting on it.
Stopping directly beside the bed, the woman glanced down at the chewed up pillow and the feathery mess. Sighing deeply, she glanced around the room before spotting the desk and chairs the inn provided every room. Walking over to it, she placed the tray onto it and looked back to Draco, a small smile coming across her features. "I'm gonna need you to get up from the bed so I can change the sheets, ma'am."
Draco blinked rapidly, the words taking a couple seconds to sink in. A slight blush spread across her face in embarrassment, and she nodded rapidly. Cursing inwardly, she got herself untangled from the cocoon of the electric blanket. Really, this is only to be expected. Come here to get back to basics and try to woo someone, only to wind up being an awkward mess. The universe would have it no other way. As she stood up, she noticed the woman look quickly away from her. Looking down at herself, she noticed one simple fact. She had been stripped of all her clothing.
A strangled yelp pushed its way out of her throat as she grabbed at the cover of the bed. She yanked it off and used it to cover herself, the previous light blush roaring to life across her face. After a few awkward seconds passed where neither moved, before Draco managed to force a shout out of her mouth. "Wh-Where the h-hell are my clothes?!"
The woman sighed and went over to the rooms closet, opening the door and starting to dig through it. "They're currently in the drier I believe. You would have gotten sick, or worse, froze to death if you had stayed in them. So you can thank me later. Do you want some actual clothes, or would a bathrobe be fine?"
Draco stared at the woman for a few moments, the cogs in her head turning as she tried to process what she was just told. This human woman… had undressed her. While she had fallen into hibernation because of the cold… And thought she should thank her? Another strangled noise escaped her lips, before she managed to catch herself and cough into her fist. "A-A bathrobe will be fine for now, human."
The woman pulled out one of the complementary plush white bathrobes the resort provided, bundling it up slightly and tossing it over at Draco. Instinctively, she dropped the cover and grabbed the bathrobe. Slipping it on and tying it tight, she was glad to notice the woman had already turned back into the closet, digging out a new sheet. "Not sure if that's better or worse than 'nurse', but my name's Cartwright. Mari Cartwright."
Snorting, Draco padded over to the desk and sat down in one of the two chairs, careful of her tail, eyeing Cartwright as she carried the folded sheet over to the bed. An eyebrow quirked up as she picked up the still soggy pillow, laying it aside next to the nightstand. Sighing slightly, Draco leaned forward a bit and watched the woman work on changing the bed's sheet. She considered just ignoring the introduction to try and regain some pride, but quickly realized that'd be even worse than acknowledging the woman who apparently was responsible for saving her life. Sighing from her nose, Draco rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "Th-Thank you then... Cartwright. I didn't think the staff kept a human nurse on hand."
Cartwright smirked slightly at that, finishing folding the old sheet and starting to lay out the new one. Draco tilted her head in confusion before she explained. "I don't work here. I work at the Cultural Exchange's clinic. They gave me some time off when I asked about becoming a host. Ms. Smith said something about "Perfect, someone who actually knows what they're doing to begin with"."
Draco nodded, looking the woman over in a new light. That's where she saw her before, just in a nurse's scrubs and not in this casual outfit. It reminded her of some other humans she had seen in the past, there was a term to refer to them that she had forgot. Either way, it mattered little in the long run. What did matter, was that there was an attractive woman in her room, who had admitted to wanting to become a host... and she hadn't seen her when she had gone prowling around the bathing area for any liminals not throwing themselves at the men... Now that she was looking at her again, she was pretty attractive, with a round face and noticeable curves to her figure. More than she had, though that wan't very difficult. A small smile tugged Draco's lips up at the corner, as she thought on how perfect this was. "So... You're looking for a homestay? What a coincidence, I'm looking for a host myself."
Cartwright snorted as she finished tucking the new bed sheet in at the edges, standing up straight before glancing back over at Draco. Striding over, she quickly picked up the thermometer and tapped one end, nodding a little bit. She turned to Draco and waggled it, ignoring her frown at having her question ignored. "I'm gonna need to check your temperature, Draco. Keep this firmly placed under your tongue, or we'll have to do it again."
Swiping the thermometer from Cartwright, Draco stuck it in her mouth with a grumble. That had been kind of annoying, her ignoring that attempt at conversation. One would think that someone would jump at the chance to speak to someone with the blood of dragons running through her veins... perhaps she was intimidated? She didn't seem to be intimidated, simply indifferent. She had to know of her importance, she was around liminals pretty much all the time for her work... In the middle of her musing, she was interrupted as Cartwright started humming, her fingers tapping a beat out with her humming.
Before she could consider what song that could have been, Cartwright plucked the thermometer from her mouth and looked at it. Nodding, she put it down onto the tray and pressed the back of her hand against Draco's forehead, causing her to freeze up a little. She hadn't exactly been expecting that, but Cartwright quickly removed her hand, leaving her to breath out a sigh of relief. Picking up the pill bottle, she looked at the label and clicked her tongue. "So, Draco, how're you feeling? Physically, I mean. I can't do much for mental health."
Trying to put on her best 'casanova' smile, Draco leaned an arm onto the desk and waved a hand. "It takes more than a little cold to do in a Dragonewt. I'm at my peak physically, and mentally. If you want me to prove either, you just need to ask." And as if the universe new what she was trying to do, a loud grumble from her stomach reverberated through the room, bringing the blush back to Draco's face and a smile to Cartwright's.
"Well, if you say so Draco. I'm gonna go get my own dinner, so you just eat up and then get some rest. If you start feeling bad, take one of those liminal-safe tylenol. If you start feeling awful, use the phone to call the front desk. They'll contact me." As soon as that all was said, she quickly went and gathered up the dirty laundry that had been piled up on the floor. Before even getting a chance to speak, she had crossed the room to the door, and exited with not even a glance behind herself.
After staring at the door for a few seconds, Draco sighed deeply and ran a hand through her hair, her brow furrowing and her lips tugging down into a frown. She had managed to blow it... That human had been acting polite, but took the first opportunity she had to get away from her. What had she even done to drive her away, she hadn't even tried to approach her about being her homestay, or romantically. It seemed the universe had decided to not even give her the chance this time. Another deeper sigh escaped her lips, and she turned to the tray and picked up the mug. Bringing it to her lips, she quickly took a big swig of the rich black coffee she found inside. Lifting up the cover of the platter to reveal several still steaming skewers of chicken. As she started to dig in, she had already decided she needed something to relax a little. Guess she was going to be bathing after all...
Draco sighed in contentment as she slid down into the hot bath, laying her head on the ledge with her arms underneath as pillows. She had been glad to find the baths completely abandoned, with everyone apparently occupied with dinner. As little thought she had actually spent on the hot springs when she originally thought to come here, she had to admit they felt really good once she got into one. She simply stretched her body out across the bottom, and let her tail float up to the surface, lazily wagging back and forth. Even if she managed to have no luck in her original purpose, this would almost make up for the disappointment. Almost.
Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the heavy sound of hooves clopping against the floor. She simply tried to ignore it, guessing it was that rude minotaur from earlier. She kept her eyes closed, even as the woman walked right up to her bath. Even as she heard the sound of a towel falling to the floor, and felt the water level rise as the large muscle bound liminal lowered herself into the same bath. She only opened her eyes and glanced over at her when she started speaking in that bizarre accent. "How're you feeling?"
She twisted her head to look at the minotaur properly. She had to admit, she was pretty impressive compared to most minotaurs she had seen. The steam in the air had already given a slick sheen to her skin, showing off every line and curve of muscle along her pale body. It seemed as if she had shaved off almost all excess fat from her body, except for what resided in her probably G sized breasts, that bobbed up and down slightly in the water, her bright pink nipples coming in out and sight each time. Her blond hair was left free except for small braids that mixed into it at regular intervals, and the fur along her legs was long and shaggy. With the mixture of scars scattered across her body and face, and the large pair of black horns coming up from her head, the only accurate description for her was 'wild and dangerous'. Which made the stare she was giving even more uncomfortable, causing Draco to squirm a little under it. "I-I'm feeling fine... Why the hell do you care anyway, minotaur? You seemed pretty annoyed at me back in the van."
The minotaur shrugged, causing her chest to bounce even more in the water. She tucked her hands behind her head and stretched her legs out, almost touching the other side of the smaller bath in the process. A small smile crossed her features as she got relaxed. "You were pretty annoyin in the van. But being an ass once isn't enough to get rid of general goodwill. Besides, I wanted to make sure the effort I put in to help save you wasn't wasted."
Draco blinked a few times and groaned, planting her face into her arms. Dammit, this was too embarrassing. Did everyone in the inn know how she had almost gotten herself killed? She was never gonna live this down, she was gonna be a laughing stock for her entire time here. She might as well just head back, there wasn't any point in being here anymore. The universe had raised its hand and decreed "Fuck You". The minotaur reached out and patted her head, startling her from her internal rant. She glared over at her, which only brought a chuckle from the larger woman. "What's the matter, little lady upset that the big minotaur had to drag her in from the blizzard?"
A growl sounded from Draco's throat and her eyes narrowed, as she pushed herself up with one hand. The minotaur just kept a shit-eating grin on her face as she lazily rolled her head to the side to look at her. Draco slammed her fist into the bath floor, growling louder as she grit her teeth. "Are you making fun of me? Even after what happened, I'm still strong enough to kick your mammalian ass."
The minotaur snorted and closed her eyes, getting back to relaxing with the same grin still covering her face. Draco was half tempted to just slug her right then and there, but reined herself in a little as she began to talk. "I wouldn't do it if you didn't make it so easy. Besides, I was makin fun of you gettin annoyed at gettin saved, not that you needed savin. I've seen plenty of folk freeze to death, it isn't a laughin matter."
Draco stared at her for a little bit, before grumbling a bit and settling back down to her previous position. She glared at the minotaur from where she lay, which seemed to only make her grin wider. Eventually, she sighed and just turned to stare out one of the windows at the raging blizzard. The miinotaur cracked an eye open to look over at her, the grin dropping as she herself sighs. "Come on, you can't be that upset over the blizzard. It was pretty impressive that you made it as far as you did, considering your... poikthermal? Whatever the term is."
"It's not that..." Draco sighed out, trying to figure out what exactly to tell the hell she was gonna tell the minotaur. She had just met the woman, and she had wounded her pride a bit. But on the other hand, she was being pleasant enough now, had paid her a compliment, and apparently had helped save her life. What ultimately won out, was the over bearing need to just vent to someone. "It's the fact the universe itself seems out to fuck me. I meet this beautiful, wonderful lamia, alright? We hit it off great, but it turns out she's in love with this idiotic human man. Mammal boy's apparently got multiple liminals all trying to get with him, because he's just sooooooo nice. So I get her to go out on a small boat ride and try to get her to see why she'd be better off with me! She can't see reason, I get a little heated, and I make her angry. The mammal boy shows up and rams a boat into our boat. Bastard humiliated me in front of her!"
"I run off and the regions coordinator finds me, puts me on probation for running off on my own. Sticks me with this kobold woman to do community service, which turned out to be fishing up catfish. So I'm stuck fishing with this kobold when mammal boy shows up with a slime girl in tow! I understandably am furious at the bastard, and try to attack him. The slime must have been paralytic or something, because she just squirts me with some of her goop and next thing I know I can't move a muscle and she's got her tentacles all over me!"
"That's the last time I saw that damnable man, but that's not the end, oh no no no, it's not. I tried to get with a couple other people after Miia, but I got shot down at every turn. I even ran into that lamia again, and I apologized to her for what I did! That was the first time I had apologized ever, and she accepted it! It was only ruined by someone else I pissed off showing up and ruining everything. Now both of those two despise me. It didn't help that literally a couple minutes later, an orc started groping me and I was too surprised and embarrassed to not immediately kick his ass... But yeah, there's been other bull-shit, but over all, the universe has taken a liking to giving me shit. Probably because I'm too fabulous for this world, or something else stupid like that... Hell, the one person here who I might be able to stand as a host took the first chance she had to run off away from me."
The minotaur stared at her for a a couple moments, seeming to wait if she was done with her rant. Draco gave her an exasperated look and she nodded, rubbing her temples and sighing. She took a bit to collect her words, seeming to mull them over on her tongue before speaking. "That's uh... a lot take in. I've got a question for you though, did you know any of the people you hit on before hitting on them? Because to be honest, your an ass with an ego so big that I'm surprised it isn't popping out of your head."
Glowering at her, Draco huffed. "No, I tend to open romantically. I see no reason why I shouldn't, most women should jump at the chance to be with a descendant of dragons. I offer to let them live in the lap of luxury with me, why would I wait to express my interest?"
Tsking and shaking her head lightly, the minotaur leaned back against edge of the bath again. "You sound a lot like the minotaur bulls back among the clan. They were always goin on an on to the women they went after about how they should be with them because they were the best hunters, or won the most Glima matches. It worked on some of the girls, but most others just would pick the one that they found the least infuriating. There wasn't many options back in the clan, but here there are plenty here. So, maybe instead of trying to impress someone with what you are, perhaps try to impress them with who you are?"
Draco growled in annoyance, looking back over at the Minotaur with a squint to her eyes. What the hell did that mean, impress them with who you are? What did she think she had been trying to do? She was a dragonewt, that was who she was! A fabulous descendant of dragons, awe-inspiring, second only to full-blooded dragons! "What in the world are you going on about? Are you sure that you didn't shove some of your brain cells into your biceps."
Angrily snorting, the Minotaur got up, the water running off of her in small rivulets as she got out of the bath. Picking up her towel and wrapping it tightly around herself to contain her massive mammaries, she glared down at Draco who just turned to look back out the window. "What you are, is a Dragonewt. Who you are, is an arrogant idiotic ass who insults people who're trying to give you a touch of friendly advice. Focus a bit more on that half, maybe you'll make people want to hate you less."
Draco turned slightly to watch her tromp off, her eyes naturally being drawn to the swaying of her tail and by extension of her hips. She was half tempted to throw out another insult out after her, but it caught in her throat as she thought about what she had said. An arrogant, idiotic ass... Was that really what people thought she was? She didn't go out of her way to be unpleasant to people that weren't unpleasant to her, she just said the truth. People seemed to hate the truth for some reason... did they really dislike being reminded of how much better dragonewts were... She'd have to think on it more, as at the moment, she had a fine ass to stare at.