Ty got up and ran. She was late to bathe, was going to be late to breakfast, and still had to wake Kehel.

Kehel. Ty stopped in her tracks.

Spinning around, she rounded the corner and banged on his door as loudly as she could. When it wouldn't open and she heard no noise inside, she remembered something he had said the day before. He was a heavy sleeper, that's why he…

…always left the door open.

Bull's-eye.

She opened the door and launched herself at his bed. When he only grunted sleepily, she took his pillow off his face and got near his ear.

"Third bell, Martyr!" she screamed. Kehel bolted from the bed and opened his eyes. Wide.

"What?" he asked, disheveled, flinging the covers off himself. Ty tried not to stare at her new friend in all his bareness. Ty had no time for ceremonies. Rushing over to his closet, she threw pants, shirt, loincloth and towel at him over her shoulder. As he jumped up to catch the items before they fell on the floor, Ty rushed over to the water pitcher and dumped it on his head.

"HEY!" he said, spitting out the water that had fallen into his mouth as he opened it in dismay. "What was that for?"

"We're going to be late!" she said, rushing to gather his bathing things while he dressed. "We need to bathe and if the House is full I wont be able to! And its already third bell—!"

"Run," he said, taking his things from her hands and dumping hers into them, his shirt still unbuttoned and no shoes on his feet. "You run faster than I do, and the hurry is all yours. Run. I'll be right behind you."

Ty nodded and fled. Once she rounded the corner, she heard the stampede that was Kehel right behind her. Calling in the panther's speed, she flew from the corridors into the main hall, past the Mess and out to the mud road that lead to the Bathing House. As she burst in, she noted the greater amount of people that were running off. Obviously people wanted to be early for breakfast. Fabulous. Depositing her things on the side of the pool that was the 'tub', she watched people run off. She had to wait no more than three seconds for Kehel to burst in as all others left. Running to a corner, she undressed and put on a towel. When the last group of people left, she watched Kehel look distinctly at the ceiling. Rolling her eyes, she checked where his eyes rested before jumping in, shedding the towel millimeters before her entry to the water. Once she was in, she swam quickly to where her things were and collected her washing sands and hair-soap. Kehel still looked at the ceiling.

"Kehel!" she snapped, beginning to rub herself with the sands while hiding under the water's protective cover. "We don't have time for this! I've seen you already! Undress and jump in! I don't want two weeks of armor work, and I will come out myself to push you in fully clothed if I must!"

Hearing this, Kehel looked her in the eye and went visibly red. "But…I should wait until you're done! I don't want to intrude you in all your—!"

He didn't get time to finish the sentence. Using her towel and a great deal of skill, she flung a lasso around his knees and pulled. He fell face-first into the water. As he came out, Ty motioned to his clothes. Resigned, he shed them, looking warily to see where her attention was. She seemed too busy rubbing her hair vigorously to notice him. Though her hair…was undone? How could it be undone?

"Kehel, stop staring at my hair and clean yourself!" she snapped without looking up.

Kehel busied himself with his soap bar as he asked, "Why do you always keep you hair up and braided, Ty?"

"Because I lock my magic in it," she replied, pulling viciously at her hair with a comb. "Damn this by all the gods!" she cried, pulling hard at a lock of hair, screwing up her face because of the pain. As she yelped and cursed, Kehel dropped his bar of soap and rushed over to her.

"I can do it myself, thanks!" she said, pulling at the lock with hatred in her eyes. Kehel wasted no time in slapping her hand away from the comb and taking it up himself. Pulling at it hurriedly, the knot came undone. Depositing the comb in her hand, he rushed underwater in search of his bar of soap. Once he had it, he emerged and ran it through his hair.

Ty had taken the opportunity of his diving into the water to slip out and wrap the towel around herself. She sat now on a bench, busily braiding up her hair in patterns he had never seen before with speed that was enviable. She spoke a single word that made the glass windows tremble and her hair glowed. Once that was done, she took hold of her towel and ran into one of the dressing cubicles. In a matter of minutes she was out again, fully dressed and dried, and hurrying over to the tub as Kehel got out and wrapped his towel around himself.

Ty walked quickly over to the drenched clothes and hung on to the braid directly behind her right earlobe. Pulling on it slightly and murmuring three tight words as she touched his clothes, they became impeccably dry. Tossing them to the stunned Kehel over the door of his chosen cubicle, she gathered their things.

"Kehel, hurry up!" she cried to him, throwing hers and Kehel's things unceremoniously into their packs with no order or neatness to be spoken of. As Kehel emerged from the cubicle, she stared at him.

"Your hair," she gasped. It was now slightly curly, the curls themselves not completely defined though they shone like jewels. She walked over to him, completely forgetting her haste, and felt them, standing on her toes to do so. "So silky," she commented.

"And yours," echoed Kehel, eyed wide at the intricately braided hair. "How do you do that?" As he placed a finger at the center, magic raw as lightning rushed up his finger. Though shocked, he felt its path around the swirling of her braded skull. "Amazing."

The Fourth Bell rang. They both jumped. The Fourth Bell summoned all who weren't already there to the Mess. They were going to be late.

Ty reached behind her and loaded their things into her arms. "Run for the Mess," she told him. "Run. If the Five-Minute Bell rings without me, gather me up a good breakfast. Go!"

Leaving no room for arguments, she fled with feline speed down the hall toward the Left Wing. Remembering why she ran, Kehel shook his head to clear it and ran for the Mess.