Entoma's preparation for the day began late, but she quickly made up for lost time. Her feet clicked over the wooden floor faster than Bertra could follow, and the maid demon said nothing to her at all as she rushed out of the flat.
Bertra, for her part, sat at the table sipping tea poured by Manaly, herself already prepared for the day and ready to enjoy an afternoon out with both an old friend and a new one. She smiled a little behind the little white teacup, her pinky finger extended and the sweet flavor washing over her tongue as the servant of His Majesty rushed to get herself cleaned up.
The tea Manaly prepared was a little sweeter than Bertra cared for, and so she sipped it slower. Her clothing choice for the day was a simple green dress meant for traveling, and a pair of flat walking boots. 'Not at all stylish.' Bertra thought and plucked at the neckline with its little red ruffle against the green. 'But functional.'
Entoma's mind was a whirlwind. She'd woken up, then recalled the night's talk as well as the 'mixed' evening that lay ahead of her. With that rest and the passage of time, she now contemplated all the possibilities which hadn't yet happened… but 'could'. A part of her was ecstatic, another part, fearful, but part of her had another thought entirely. 'I'm not ready.'
Washing herself in the bath was a quick process and she barely paid attention to the warmth of the water that went over her chitin that was far smoother than any skin. But awash within as she washed without care, was a sea of turmoil that would not stop storming within her head.
'At his slightest hesitation, I turned on him because I turned on myself… Bertra made that clear, even if I couldn't see it. I even lashed out at her, and might have done more if she hadn't told me what she went through…' Entoma dunked her head, mask and all, under the water for several seconds.
'Don't be dense.' She finally told herself and splashed through the surface of the water. 'You're going out to the arena with friends, it doesn't have to be more than that.'
The thermae was empty at least, the various small round baths of the large empty room ranged from almost bubbling and boiling, to a slow and gentle steam alone, while others like her own were warm or even cold. The room was a simple brown stone with brass hooks on the wall and small cedar benches beneath. A long window in the thick stone wall allowed light to stream in, but was far too high for the average peeper to get a chance at taking advantage of. When she looked back in the direction of the wall where the glass window let light in, Entoma felt a little ghost of disappointment. 'I would have liked a snack…' Her stomach growled a little and she tittered at the 'not quite' joke that let her turn her mind away from serious matters.
Drying off proved quick for her smooth body and a moment later she threw on her robe and made her way back up stairs to her flat. 'Not exactly the baths of Nazarick but… not half bad either.' She told herself and when she returned to her quarters, Bertra was still sitting at the table sipping tea. "Just a few minutes and then I'll be ready to go."
"I'm sure." Bertra said with a curious little smirk on her face the Entoma could not quite explain. "Please, don't hurry on my account." The elf said to her, and Entoma closed the door between them a moment later.
'Bertra can be a strange one.' Entoma said to herself and threw on a simple purple dress shaped like her maid outfit but with distinct white ruffles around the open ends, along with a simple set of black leather shoes.
A moment of vanity came over her and she looked herself over in the mirror, the purple 'legs' that served as hair, her perfectly masked face, her slender form with long tapered legs and the flowing dress gave her exactly the look she sought. Her arms went up and out, and it was difficult to deny, 'All things being equal, I suppose I really was wondrously created.'
At first glance, she appeared to be just a pretty young girl with purple hair and pale face with a slender, athletic build. Only up close did the 'disguise' become clear seen.
She exited the room just as Bertra handed an empty cup to the black and white clad orc manservant, who carried it and the dish on which it sat, away for washing.
"Perfect timing as always." Entoma quipped at the smirking Bertra.
The elf inclined her head politely and rose to her feet. They left the flat and were halfway down the stairs when they encountered Inta, he immediately stopped at the base of the steps and gave an awkward look up at the pair who were still halfway to the bottom.
"Are- Are we going to the Arena today still?" He asked, the question was a little more loaded than it might have been had the previous evening gone differently, but he wore a pleasant, if slightly strained smile that did not quite expose his fangs.
"Of course!" Bertra chimed in before Entoma could speak, "I wouldn't miss it! Making it out to Arwintar probably won't happen again for at least a few more years if I'm lucky."
"Great!" Inta perked up and clapped his hands together, the noise of his powerful hands clapping together was so great that it bounced back and forth off of the walls. He flushed briefly red in the face when he realized how excited that made him seem, and then backed away to the single door as fast as he could.
He was spared any real embarrassment by Bertra's evident enthusiasm, and the crystal clear, wide smiling woman used one hundred percent of her charm to keep both parties distracted from any lingering discomfort.
Bertra laid a calming hand on the forearm of the vampire, when he almost faltered with his words, and a gentle touch to Entoma's shoulder when she wanted to ask a question. 'I will be the bridge over which they cross.' Bertra thought, and then wanted to smack herself. '...Great, I'm sounding as melodramatic and sappy as the rest of them. I like this body… but I had no idea it would be such an emotional one, I might ask for a chance at being human again just for a few days to restore my senses!'
At least she was able to laugh at herself, the day was bright and clear and the walk into the great capital of the wisest province in the Empire, the first to yield to the one God and the first to recognize him officially for what he was, proved most enjoyable.
The favor of the Sorcerer King and his subordinates, not to mention the temples, proved its value in the bright eyes of its many citizens. A bard played a lively song near the long lines of the arena, he wore what could only be described as a curious looking striped doublet and bounced on his heels while he strummed a lute and sang for those in line. He had a wide-brimmed hat turned upside down in front of himself and notably, a fully armored guard stood nearby watching him play.
Other entertainers put on their own displays for those waiting to enter the arena, tumblers, acrobats, jugglers, while the crowd, clean and modestly dressed, showered them with coppers.
There were several lines at different entrances in the large arched building, each one with hundreds of people stretched almost to the public street, standing around waiting, slowly inching forward a step at a time.
"You know we could bypass this, right?" Entoma pointed out when Inta and Bertra naturally fell in at the back and began to watch a juggler throwing knives up in the air, and whatever the crowd threw to him in turn. He caught a boot and added it to the knives cycling up into the air before coming down again, then after two or three passes, he tossed the boot back to the person who threw it. The coins thrown toward him went up a few times, then ended up in his hat.
Belts, sticks, the toys of children, various hats for both men and women, the juggler caught, used, and returned everything but money.
"Sure," Bertra pointed out, "but this is fine. We don't have many jugglers in Crescent Lake. Actually, none now that I think about it. This is all part of the experience. But thank you." She said, covering for the tiny flinch Inta had when Entoma brought up her status relative to his own.
"I like these acts." Inta said, and tossed a silver toward the juggler, who caught it and cycled it into the mix before the coin clinked into the big cylindrical hat. "It's all part of the fun, but if you-" He hesitated, "want to use your Nazarick status to get seats early, I guess… I don't mind."
It was then that Entoma caught sight of him out of the corner of her eye, his face was more neutral than her mask, eyes unblinking, hands folded behind his back. On the surface it seemed like nothing was amiss… but now more attuned to her companion she could only think, 'I didn't mean it that way…' He seemed almost visibly deflated, reduced to a millimeter tall as his pride and his attempt to treat them both was unwittingly shown up or denigrated or both.
Entoma did her best to recover the situation. "No, you're right, he's very good for someone not using any martial arts." She said, and began to watch as the human who was deftly throwing and catching items, beamed with pride and called out, "C'mon! Challenge me, throw some more!"
And the crowd happily obliged.
A moment of curiosity and temptation overcame the entomancer, and she summoned a pill bug inside her sleeve. She tossed him the rolled up bug which was roughly the size of a fist, and when the juggler incorporated his feet to keep things going insect included, she was no longer bugged at all by the wait.