Azar let out a long sigh of relief as she stepped under the cascade of hot water in the shower of the large communal bathroom hidden away on the second level of the bataclan. She winced as the water found the several scrapes along her arms and legs she'd acquired in her crash but the pain faded away after a moment and she could almost feel the tension in her muscles melting away. She ran her fingers through her wet, heavy hair, pushing it back from her face and sighed again, this time in contentment. She let her eyes drift shut and she leaned forward, resting her head against the tiled wall of the bathroom. The tile was cold and felt pleasant contrasted with the hot water and her skin.
"Figure out what you're going to do about Trickster."
Azar's eyes opened and she raised her lip in a silent snarl as she stood up straight, turning up the temperature of the water as she did so. Damn Ilkin's observant nature! She had been doing just fine with ignoring the entire situation and Sarkan. Unfortunately, Ilkin's words held the damnable ring of truth: If she didn't do something soon, the others would notice. Aysu would gloat in her own way and everyone else would want to know what had gone wrong and everyone would have different suggestions of how to "fix" things.
Azar sighed and let her head fall forward, hitting the wall with a hollow thunk. She repeated the motion twice more before groping for soap and a washcloth. As she carefully washed, Azar prodded her thoughts towards the issue she'd been avoiding. She frowned as she tried to discern the main problems she had taken away from that last encounter with Sarkan.
The boy. Azar was startled at the flare of rage she felt when she thought of the young brat Sarkan had brought to Kooza. It reminded her of Aysu and how she had hounded Azar in the beginning of Azar's relationship with Sarkan. Azar drew in a slow breath- careful not to inhale any water- and let it out as a hissing breath and tried to shove her anger towards the back of her mind. Next issue.
He hurt me. Azar closed her eyes as her stomach contracted into a ball of ice. That alone hurt more than anything else and was grounds to end her relationship with him. Yet…In all of their time together, Sarkan had never hurt her before. He'd always been so careful, letting her decide things for herself rather than forcing her. Her lips twitched. So very different from how he acted in front of the others. She scowled as she rinsed the washcloth she'd used free of soap. She had once told him that she refused to become part of his reputation. By harming her, he'd forced her into that reputation and at the same time, taken a step back in time. She had caught an up close and terrifying glimpse of the cruel creature Aysu had encountered. The circumstances were different though, she thought. Back then, he just hurt her for one remark. This time he was protecting someone. Protecting someone. From me.
Azar shivered despite the hot water as that fateful scene played out behind her closed eyes. She watched, feeling numb as she advanced on Cyrus, noticing for the first time, the fear and guilt present in his expression. She winced as she shoved him and he tripped. He's the same size as Cita and the other contortionists. Azar liked Cita, as much as she liked anyone within Kooza. The girl liked to chatter but she knew when to be quiet. Azar shuddered as her mind replaced Cyrus's scrawny form with Cita's slender frame. Sarkan intervened and it was Cyrus again, shaking with fright behind the Trickster. The scene finished and Azar opened her eyes with a sigh. Her stomach was still knotted but the ice had melted into something acidic.
Azar was distracted by the sound of the bathroom door opening and someone entering. It seemed her time to think had come to an end. "Azar? Ilkin sent me up with muscle rub and to remind you that dinner's ready."
Azar twitched. Of course Ilkin would send Cita. She quickly made sure that there was no soap clinging to her skin or hair and shut off the shower. The water was almost cold anyway, she thought as she wrapped one of the plush towels around herself as she stepped out. "Give me a moment Cita," she called, starting to dry off as she moved towards where she had placed her clothes on the hooks provided.
She was unsurprised to see Cita waiting for her, muscle rub in hand and nodded a greeting. Cita gave her a half smile and waited patiently for Azar to dry herself off, only speaking when Azar reached for her clothes. "Do you want the muscle rub now or after you get dressed?" Azar was starting to feel cold but she knew it was easier to spread the liniment on without clothes. She took a seat on the low bench below the hooks, her back to Cita. "Where do you want it?"
Azar shifted slightly, determining what muscles needed the balm. "My shoulders and upper arms and back," she replied. Cita nodded and started smearing the liniment in a thick layer over the areas Azar had mentioned, ignoring the low hiss of pain Azar let out as she rubbed the stuff into the sorest muscles, watching Azar's skin stain orange from the rub.
Within a few minutes, Cita was done and Azar sighed as the rub started working, numbing her muscles with what felt like an ice cold fire. They both stood and Azar debated over whether she wanted to apply more of the bliss inducing rub along her forearms and stomach. "Let me see that," she said, motioning for Cita to hand over the medium sized tin. Cita did so with a shrug and watched as Azar spread a thin layer along her stomach and legs, carefully avoiding the abrasions from her fall.
Azar closed the tin and tossed it towards Cita who caught it neatly. It took only a few moments for Azar to dress and they left the bathroom. Cita was quiet as they walked, letting Azar focus on gingerly prodding her thoughts in the general direction of what seemed to be their logical conclusion. They stopped by the common room entrance. Kooza lacked a formal dining room and so most meals were taken in the common room due to its proximity to the kitchens. Azar looked at the common room for a long moment before turning towards the bataclan's entrance. "Tell Ilkin I wasn't hungry," she muttered to Cita as she left.
Cita watched Azar leave with a small frown but shrugged and entered the common room. Ilkin turned towards her from where he was talking to Cyrus and scowled when he saw the lack of Azar by Cita's side. He made his excuses to the boy and left the common room.
AN: Argh, I'm sorry for the lack of updates. Life happened. So you get three updates and that actually finishes the story for the moment. I was unashamedly basing the muscle rub off of a real life product: Tiger Balm. If you ever have sore muscles, that stuff is a godsend.