Chapter Eight—Break Loose and Relax

Selene breathed a sigh of relief as she sank into the warm bath. The water caressed her skin, lulling her into a state of utter relaxation. Her aches and bruises faded under the soft touch of the water.

Her hair, still damp from being washed, was piled high atop her head, a few strands escaping into the water. She paid them no mind as she tilted her head back to rest against the lid of the basin, her eyes closing.

In her minds eye she saw Sinbad, laughing and running around with the orphans, lifting them up on his shoulders, climbing the trees with them. It was really quite endearing, despite her present attitude towards him.

He is a player. If you do not play the game, you have nothing to worry about, she reminded herself, inhaling deeply before sinking further into the water. Her chin hit, then her lips, and then her nose was submerged under the water.

"Selene-"

Selene's eyes widened, a shriek escaping from her lips as she plastered her body against the tub. In the doorway stood a wide-eyed Ja'far. His cheeks tinged crimson, the color rising quickly all the way up to his cheeks as he stood there, frozen to the spot.

"Get out!" she screamed, picking up the pitcher of water from the nearby side-table. In a second it was flying through the air towards his head. As it struck home she quickly grabbed the nearby towel and wrapped it around her body so she was at least partially clothed.

"Ja'far, did you tell-"

And now Sinbad was in the room, staring at Ja'far who lay twitching on the ground.

"What are you doing on the ground?"

"Didn't anyone teach either of you to knock?" Selene seethed from beside the bathtub. She glared at them, wringing the water out of her hair.

"I didn't see anything, and I am so sorry," Ja'far managed to say, rubbing his forehead, though his entire face seemed to have an imprint from the pitcher, gripped in his other hand.

Sinbad, on the other hand, now seeming to grasp the situation stared at Selene, blinking once, then twice.

"Ja'far! You scoundrel you!"

Suddenly Ja'far was locked in a hug. "I knew you had it in you! You actually tried to sneak a peek at Selene!"

"I did no such thing!" Ja'far yelled at him, his hand pressing into Sinbad's face to push him away.

"Aw, come on, you know you did!"

"I did not!"

"Yes you-"

"Did not!"

Selene watched the exchange back and forth for a few moments before rolling her eyes. She turned from them both and walked behind the changing screen, pulling on her pants and a light blue tunic. She tied her hair back in a knotted and messy bun before returning her attention to the two men who had barged into her room unannounced.

"Now, what is it exactly that you want?" She tried to keep her voice calm, but it still sounded harsh and clipped to her own ears. Neither of them responded. Sinbad was too focused on goading on Ja'far, and the other was too busy screaming his head off at him. She felt her eye twitch at their lack of response.

Reaching forward, Selene grabbed them both by the ear. "What the hell do you want?" Her voice came out much more forcefully this time.

"Oh-uh…" Sinbad trailed off. His eyes seemed to be drawn to her body, noticing that she was clothed once more. "Damn…"

Ja'far pulled himself together quickly, shooting a glare at Sinbad. "I came to inform you of the party tonight."

"Party?"

"Yes. We are welcoming in some new guests and would like you and your companions to join in on the fun." Ja'far smiled brightly.

Selene eyed him, her hands planted firmly on her hips. The smile was very reminiscent of the one he had given her the first day. It had put her at ease then, but that was a different case now.

"I'll pass. Laila would probably be interested though."

Sinbad shook his head, a soft smile on his face. "I am personally asking you all to attend. And…" he trailed off, elbowing Ja'far, who scowled slight at him in return.

"I was about to get there." He turned his attention back to Selene. "To apologize for my misguided grievances against you, I would like you to go down to the boutiques and pick out whatever outfits you and your companions require for the party. I've already let them know to be expecting you and to send the bill to me."

Selene blinked. "Really?"

He nodded. "I was…wrong. Hard as it is to admit, it is true. You seem to bare no ill will towards Sinbad or Sindria, and if Yunan sent you, well, I can't really question it that much."

Selene eyed him carefully.

Well…Laila definitely would enjoy that. And we could really use some fun.

She let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. "Alright."

From the hall, Selene heard a whoop of joy that could only come from one fabulous red-head. In an instant, Laila was in the room, her arms around Selene's neck. "Thank you! Thank you! I'm so happy!"

Selene laughed, pushing her away slightly. "Calm down. The party's not for a couple of hours."

"You're right! That means we must leave now in order to get everything done! I don't know if that'll be enough time!"

Laila gripped Selene's hand and dragged her to the door.

Selene frowned. "Laila, all we're doing is getting clothes and getting ready. It's only two in the afternoon."

"And the party begins at six," Sinbad agreed.

"Only four hours!" Laila gasped. "Selene, you know it takes longer than that to get ready."

"It takes you longer than that," Selene grumbled the retort.

"Bye now! Gotta go grab Leon too!"

Down in the market district, Selene found herself seated beside Leon on a plush couch. Leon just pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, ignoring the high pitched squeals coming from various parts of the store. Selene, on the other hand, thought she was going to strangle his sister.

"Why did you agree to this?" he muttered.

"Because it makes her happy," Selene grumbled, letting her head hang back, bobbing up and down every so slightly. "Though I am beginning to regret that decision right now."

Leon nodded in agreement.

"Selene! Oh my god, you just have to wear this dress."

Selene righted herself to look at the dress before her. A dark purple skin-tight dress that would leave little up to the imagination.

"Nope." She sagged back into the seat. "Doesn't allow for me to wear Alduin. Try again."

Laila frowned. "Fine. But you need to show off that side of yourself sometime."

Selene raised an eyebrow. "What side?"

"That feminine side. I know its in there somewhere, beneath those tunics and pants."

Selene rolled her eyes and looked over to Leon for assistance, who just shrugged his shoulders in response.

"At least try it on!"

Selene stared at her for a second then huffed. "Can't I just wear this?"

"No!" Laila's nose crinkled in disdain. "Not to a party."

Selene groaned inwardly before pulling herself up from the couch.

"Fine. Let's try some of this stuff on."

First it was the skin tight purple dress. It took her five minutes to shove her body into it, and then she was about ready to cut up the damn thing with Alduin. Next came a dark green dress that poofed out after the waistline, making Selene look like an upside down cup. What came next however…

"Oh…that's it," Laila smiled.

It wasn't exactly something Selene would normally wear, but she had to admit, she did look nice in it. The dark red fabric looked almost black in places, shifting slightly in the light of the room. A fitted corset held the sleeveless dress against her body, the fabric becoming looser around her waist, but still fairly fitted.

"I don't know…" Selene frowned.

"Add some heels and you'll be perfect," Laila clapped her hands.

"No, that's not it. I can barely move in this thing like I need to." Selene tried to lunge forward in it, stumbling slightly over the fabric. "I wouldn't be able to fight in it if I had to."

Laila frowned and crossed her arms. "Why would you need to fight? It's a party."

"But what if something happens? We need to be prepared."

"If something happens, Leon and I will protect you until you are in a position to fight."

"That shouldn't be the case," Selene shot back, frowning.

"Selene, you need to relax, and have a little fun. It's just a party. What's the worst that could happen?"

Selene stared at herself in the mirror. Her long hair had curled into relaxed ringlets as it dried. She pulled it up into a loose pony tail, holding it up there with her hands.

I guess relaxing wouldn't be so bad.