I love me some gen threads, especially funny or drama-filled ones, but I am also shamelessly here for shipping AUs. The general Liem-shipping vibe is "I want more than this, but I shouldn't & they can't possibly want me back," so if you're into that, I've got what you need. His default setting is very D&D-like high fantasy, but I'm comfortable playing him in modern fantasy settings as well. Pretty much any prompt can also accommodate Liem being a full vampire instead of a dhampir, if that's your thing.
Prompts for inspiration:
• Arranged Marriage: Liem's shady vampire family has arranged his marriage to you, but he seems a rather reluctant fiance.
• Bodyguard Shipping: It's Liem's duty to keep you safe and out of trouble, possibly despite your best efforts.
• Companion to Royalty: Reclusive vampire king Liem and YOU! Are you a gift from a local power? Sacrifice from the townsfolk? Or did you just stumble up the road to his castle during a storm?
• Enemies to Lovers: Maybe Liem is a foreign agent trying to sabotage your country or organization. Or maybe you're rebelling against the current regime and he's trying to take you in.
• Fake Dating/Fake Married: A relationship is your cover story while you're travelling for some secret reason. Gotta keep up appearances.
• Hunter & Hunted: Are you a hunter trying to track Liem down? Or a snack that proved more than he bargained for?
• Hurt (Comfort Optional): Whether he's hurt, sick, drugged, or just upset, two things remain constant: Liem needs help, and he doesn't want to accept it. But maybe you don't want to fix him anyway; maybe you want to make him worse.
• Living a Lie: Whether you're undercover on a mission, or you lied to cover something up and now you have to commit, you're stuck playing a role until you accomplish some secret objective — or until you can shake off your nosy company.
• Loss of Control: For whatever reason, one of you is struggling not to go berserk — or perhaps has already failed. If it's Liem, can you help him come back to himself, or are you the one pushing him over the edge?
• Out of the Frying Pan: The classic "tried to help someone in trouble, ended up with a new and possibly worse problem" situation. But at least you're in it together!
• Priest/Celibacy: Default here is that Liem is the priest, but it could go the other way. Smutty, or just laden with UST? You decide.
• Texting: Stupid TFLN-style text threads, my beloved...
• Random Scenario: For if none of the above tickle your fancy.
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no subject
But those things did not usually involve kissing. It could be argued that technically she had kept a cool enough head, they'd managed to extricate themselves from the situation in the end, after all, but-]
Li-
[No, wait, she had... She wasn't supposed to call him by his first name, she was just his guide, she'd only done it in the bar because she'd landed on that ridiculous claim as a last resort and no woman would call her own husband by his family name.]
Mr. Talbott, I told you-
[She is... cross. Not even quite about the kiss, not yet, there's something she has to say first before she even gets there, while she still has professionalism left in her and before her slump turns into a collapse as the nervous adrenaline wears off.]
I told you not to wander off by yourself without me, especially before I checked what the tensions were like in this territory, what were you thinking- ?
[He'd been such an obedient and sensible charge up until that point, she cannot imagine he could have just... decided to investigate a nice smelling bushel of fruits in the market without paying attention to her moving forward and gathering supplies for the next leg of their journey?]
no subject
I wasn't intending to stray far.
[His thumb traces restlessly over the carven details of his holy symbol; the wood feels unfamiliar compared to the silver key tucked safely into one of his pouches, but the display of wealth would only earn him trouble on the road. His only current concession to appearances is the humble, polished quartz studs at his ears.]
I just wanted to get out of the sun for a spell.
[Since he arrived in Tian Xia, he's been playing the part of the cloistered holy man. It's helped to explain his wan appearance and poor stamina, both of which grow starkly apparent beneath the sun's light… And in some cases, it also serves to explain his "ignorance" of certain worldly realities, like the willingness of tavern ruffians to accost a humble travelling priest.
But he does seem penitent in the face of her displeasure.]
I apologize. It wasn't my intent to make your job more difficult.
no subject
Mr. Talbott, please… It’s my job to keep you safe, you have to tell me if you’re feeling ill…
[Now she’s worried about something else on top of the rest, and though her voice still retains some of that chiding tone, it’s softened by genuine concern- not just for a client, but for a fellow person, who surely wasn’t her friend but… was her companion for this long journey, someone she (thinks she) has started to get to know along the way.]
Even if it takes a year to get you to Goka, I’ll make it happen… You just have to be in one piece when we get there.
[Had she pushed him too hard on the journey? Sha Gozen had said the man requested a certain route, one that eschewed some of the safer but more time-consuming legs of the journey, so she’d made the logical assumption he was in some kind of hurry, but… What did time matter if you were kidnapped and turned into a hostage in plains centaur turf wars, or even worse- ?
The blush is still hot and heavy on her cheeks, though, as her thoughts return to the bar and what had happened there, her more commanding posture curling back in with embarrassment, fingers lacing and unlacing as she tries to think… Could she have come up with a better lie? Had that really been the best thing to say to defuse the situation… ? It may have actually inflamed something entirely different, and yet…]
You don’t… You don’t have to apologize for kissing me. I’m the one who should apologize, I came up with that story about us being married when my usual methods didn’t work…
[And though she’d hoped to continue on this journey without awkwardness between them, or without, perhaps, finding out what his stance was on certain personal things…]
I’m sure… In Taldor you don’t have, ah, couples like that, right?
[So it’s understandable, perhaps, not at all strange… If he thought such things distasteful, in top of what he must think as a holy man.]
It’s rare, but it… sometimes happens, here, so I just… I just had to hope it would work…
[And thankfully it seems to have, for now, but… Oh, gods, she hasn’t even explained some of those concepts to him… Tent spouses and marriage knives and where she’d gotten her idea from…]
no subject
It's nothing serious, I assure you… but you're right. I'll keep you better apprised from now on. [He aims a small, apologetic smile her way.] You have enough to be thinking about without having to fret over my condition as well.
[Liem finally releases the wooden key hanging against his chest, clasping his hands in front of him in the way that he's learned makes him look pious and contemplative, but which mostly serves to occupy his hands so he can't fuss with them while he's talking. He levels a thoughtful look up at Konoha's flushed, brown face.]
I haven't spent enough time in the east to know, [he says honestly.] But I've not heard of such a thing before. Nor have I heard anything about tent spouses.
[He's certainly never seen any of the centaurs frequenting Taldor's eastern border advertising a relationship with a human, at least on any of his travels. And besides, he's not meant to be especially worldly as far as she knows. His ignorance could just as easily be due to personal unfamiliarity as to cultural differences.
But for now, he takes a step closer to Konoha where she's leaning against the wall, withdrawing the carven knife from his pocket.]
Here. You can have this back now.
no subject
Sha Gozen told me things might have deteriorated since her last agent came through here, but I didn’t think it would have gotten this bad… I’ll have to leave word for the next courier…
[It’s half muttered, more a note for herself she was making sure to memorize by saying aloud, but… It at least benefits him by turning her attention from his lack of stamina in the sun to the logistics of her work, how to deal with the problem now facing them going forward.
This town was still on the fringes, from now they’d be moving even further into the heart of congested territory, so if the local centaur clans were restless…
Her marriage dagger is offered back to her, and Konoha can’t help herself from taking it rather quickly, holding it carefully in both hands and running a thumb over the carefully carved patterns in the sheath. Flowers that bloomed in her home village. The crest of the lord her parents borrowed land from. Trees for her first job, and the meaning of her name.]
Ah, I didn’t explain that yet, did I… ?
[Tent spouses. She clears her throat somewhat awkwardly, the blush on her skin… definitely not fading.]
It’s… I thought it was better to say that’s what you were, because it’s dishonorable to hurt someone like that. Even if you’re warring… killing an enemy is one thing, but tent family are supposed to be off limits. So a “tent husband” is… Well, it’s usually a “tent wife”, but… a- would you call it a “house wife”?
[People in Oppara lived in stone houses, didn’t they? Sha Gozen had told her tales of Taldor on more than one occasion.]
It’s… they cook and they clean and mind the home and the children, they’re not combatants at all…
[Never mind that she’d also handed him a knife??? Was this confusing? Konoha’s tail swishes awkwardly behind her, stuttering a bit as she realizes-]
It- It was definitely something I just said because only “husband” would mean you might still be fair game… I didn’t mean anything about your character or, um- what type of spouse you’d be!
[Abadar’s priests could marry, right? The one who’d lived closest to their village had a family… !]
no subject
I'm sure you didn't, [he agrees.
Her explanation makes perfect sense given their earlier situation, even if the idea of a house husband does seem a rather strange and foreign one, at least in a heterosexual marriage. Considering Taldor's own male-leaning culture, it's a given that in any marriage involving both a man and a woman, the man would be the head of the household. But then, perhaps between a human and a centaur things would intrinsically be more muddied.]
I appreciate you coming to my defense. I was able to walk away without ending up in any real trouble, because of you.
[Even though they had still ended up making a scene. Nonetheless, an awkward scene is still preferable to a robbery or a beating. Things could have ended up considerably worse.
A frown crosses his face as the thought settles over the forefront of his awareness. They've only just started crossing the plains centaurs' territory. If things are going to be this difficult for the entire way, that could prove more of a problem than he'd anticipated.]
Is this the kind of reception I can continue to expect as we travel…?
no subject
So she’d just gambled that anyone here who didn’t understand the concept would just make the assumption that oh… Even though she was a woman, she was obviously the stronger up against a two leg, of course she would be the dominant one.
But Liem brings up the same point that has kept her unease from fully fading. If things were already tense this far south… what guarantee did they have they wouldn’t get worse the further in they went? No, odds said they probably would if this was the situation here, so…
He might recognize the look on her face, then, as her gaze drops once more to the knife held tightly in her hands. The same sort of reluctant look from the bar of a woman contemplating handing over something incredibly precious to her… Before she offers the blade back to him.]
… Here.
[She hasn’t lost a client yet, and she’s not about to now.]
If it’s like this or even worse where we go from now… It might be better if you just have this on you. As long as you’re not opposed…
[He is a servant of Abadar, after all, and she’s essentially asking him to live a lie, potentially a discomforting one, for most of their journey… Still-]
Ebou dari are… we exchange them, at weddings. They’re carved by our parents, or our clans… and you only have the one. No one… Probably no one would believe a woman would give it away just for an act or a job, so… If you wear it, it might prevent you from being hassled.
[In exchange, he might be a subject of curiosity or untoward gossip, but… That was better than kidnapped or dead. … Wasn’t it?]
If you have something I could wear in exchange… It might just work.
[This proposal… of there having been a proposal.]
no subject
When she offers her knife back to him, surprise lifts his brows above the dark circles of his lenses. Her reluctance to part with it shows plainly in the lingering look she aims at it; he doubts any man not related to her by blood has ever held the knife before today.
He's extremely conscious of the itch prickling at his hand that urges him to reach out and accept it. He needs every advantage he can get, and in this instance, that means the independence to stick on his quarry's trail without letting his guide be privy to his every inquiry. Nonetheless, he hesitates to actually accept the marriage knife, given all that it represents.]
You would pose as the wife of an itinerant priest, simply to safely fulfill a contact?
no subject
But she did still wish for it-- Falling in love, getting married, for having children. Even if the closest thing she has now is this, ironically enough...]
I promised I would get you to Goka... and you already gave my boss half the money...
[He asks if she will do it "simply" to fulfill her contract, but that's not simple at all... But even if it was... Konoha smiles somewhat wryly, her thumb running along the handcarved sheath of her dagger.]
I guess I should be asking you the same... Would you pose as the husband of a centaur guide, just to do a pilgrimage?
[Trying to project a stronger sense of confidence, not wanting him to feel awkward or guilty over something she'd proposed so suddenly and just hoped would work... She lets out a tiny laugh, only slightly nervous.]
We could, ah, compare which makes the more difficult lifestyle for a spouse, after a while... ?
[An itinerant priest or a local guide? That might be a close one...]
I don't think we should have to do much... Plains centaurs aren't that affectionate in public outside breeding season, so as long as we just exchange the right items and stay in the same room... Once I coach you on some of the customs, it should be believable enough...
[So... Konoha offers him the dagger again, a bit closer and easier to take.]
no subject
I would do whatever my journey required of me. And I will, [is what he says. And he reaches out again, accepting the knife carefully, like a holy and irreplaceable relic. He spends a moment appreciating the details carved into its sheath and handle, then secures it to his belt alongside the small, ivory-handled knife that is currently the only other blade visible on his person.
He wasn't lying when he implied that there was no item that a Taldan wife would be expected to wear to signify her marriage to him—he's no titled aristocrat, to bestow rank upon his spouse that would need to be displayed in some way. But the ruse will be more convincing if he provides her with a visible token of some kind to show her connection to him. His hand moves to a small, disused pouch hanging at his side, speaks a word that is neither Tien nor Taldane, and flicks it open to withdraw a heavy gold ring bearing the image of a two-headed eagle.]
See if this will fit you.
[He rolls it into his palm and extends his hand in offer, looking mildly apologetic.]
And then… we can see about the rest.
no subject
But- It was fine! Sha Gozen had married a human, and so Konoha knows her job isn't in any danger. That was the most important thing. And she... Once he leaves, she could maybe pretend that he had gone on another pilgrimage far away to anyone who might inquire, or she could follow custom and blacken the grip of her marriage dagger to mark herself as a widow once again available. There were options. ... And all of them were preferable to a man getting kidnapped or dying. She doesn't want to make him feel guilty for that, when she's been the one to propose it in the first place.
So she surrenders her knife. Her fingers do linger just a touch overlong, but she releases it into his care anyway, and is reassured by how delicately he handles it. Her hands curl empty without it as she watches him work some little spell on the pouch at his side, and then she has something to hold again. It's heavier than she thought it would be... and so fancy seeming? Maybe it was his emergency funds... The eagle was... Abadar, she thinks? That made sense...]
... Does this look right?
[She's never worn a ring before. But it slipped not too loose and not too tight down the middle finger of her left hand, where she guesses it might be less likely to get damaged or interfere with her movements. From there, she holds out her hand as if to display it, turning her wrist over to show off both sides.]
no subject
Hmm, it fits you quite well.
[He repeats the word from before, almost absently, then reaches out to take her hand gently in his. Callused fingertips brush over the heavy gold band, probing to see if it's liable to slip. The thought of its sliding off and getting lost makes him feel uneasy, but the ring seems unlikely to go anywhere in its present location.]
It looks good on you. I hope it's not too ostentatious.
[He's opted to stow his other rings for now—even the magical ones, which he feels a bit naked without. This one is one of the more exquisitely made rings in his collection, but none of them are exactly humble-looking; thus their current home in one of his pouches, out of sight.]
I thought the two-headed eagle would best signify a connection, since it's Abadar's creature. How does it feel?
no subject
- There's that word again? She almost asks, but.
Oh. His hands were... She mistook it for smoothness, almost, but no. It's a faint chill, like his lips had felt. She really... His circulation must be so poor, she'd have to try and make sure they stayed places along the way that were warmer.]
I think this ring would look good on anyone... It's very handsome.
[Those might not quite be the right adjectives, but Taldane wasn't the easiest language to learn. Obediently, she surrenders her hand and the fit of the jewelry to his inspection, wanting it inspected to make sure everything was fine when... by the looks of it, the ring was likely worth more than she made in months. Maybe even a year. Or two. Cautiously, she flexes her fingers in the cup of his hand, alternating between a slow fist and a splay of her digits, noting how... incongruous it looked, such a fine thing on the calloused, slightly scarred hand of a woman who obviously made her living in manual labor and harsh environments. But maybe that was fine... Just like with her dagger, it made it more believable, in a weird way. What man would entrust such a fine thing to a centaur guide just for a ruse?]
I'm not used to this sort of thing, but I don't think it will get in the way... and I'll- I'll be much careful with it, I promise.
[If she expected such for her dagger, the least she cold do is treat his false gift the same... And, just because she doubts she'll ever see something this fine again, certainly not on her... Konoha does accidentally take a moment just to look at it, admiring the glint on the metal and how detailed the eagle looked. The craftsmen who made it must be so skilled...]
... Oppara must be such a shiny place...
[She's just heard stories.]
no subject
Not to mention, the less contact she ends up having with his skin, the better.]
Ah… You've probably heard it called the Gilded City, yes?
[Liem's business-like expression brightens slightly at the mention of his home city. It's a constant in speaking with him that the topic seems to consistently put him in a pleasant mood.]
It's been a very long time since the buildings were actually gilded, but the city is still quite beautiful. And there's still certainly plenty of glitter to be found.
[On artworks, in shining marble and glass, adorning Oppara's aristocracy. He didn't really appreciate the full extent of the city's beauty until he began travelling, but Liem hasn't yet seen it's equal, even since leaving Taldor's borders. Although some of the things he's spied in Tian Xia have come close.]
This knife you've lent me is also quite beautiful. I promise to take proper care of it while you're letting me keep it.
no subject
Mmm...
[So she nods. Gilded... glitter... A last look at the shining gold now adorning her finger that looked to her like a pretty convincing troth. Curling her fingers back inwards, she lowers her hands, unable to stop them from fussing just a little at the hem of her waist sash as she smiles again.]
Please do... I have the best marriage knife in my province, pretty sure... My father is a woodworker, but he's getting on in years, I don't know if he could make another one as good if something happened to it...
[Maybe a lot of women think that about their own knives and make similar brags... But Konoha sounds pretty confident, even if it was just to cover her doubts, hoping that this plan she's come up would work. It would work. They could make it work. And if they were lucky, they wouldn't have to fall back on it much at all... It would be just in case.]
Father-
[No, she should... She should practice calling him as a wife would, or she might mix things up by accident and ruin something.]
... Liem. You rest here for today. I wasn't finished shopping for supplies, so I'll go get those and bring back some dinner with me, alright? I'll get a blanket and sleep on the floor or sleep standing, you take the bed.
[He's the paying customer, to start with... and she's the one who'd started this whole marriage ruse. Admittedly, this was a room for centaurs, so the bed is more of a thickly stuffed pallet than a proper framed bed, but. It was decently comfortable despite how it might look to someone used to finer things in life.]
no subject
[Liem agrees willingly with her assessment of the knife's artistry, despite his own lack of practical knowledge about craft work. He's no more than a man who appreciates beautiful things, but Konoha's pride in her father's work is enough for him. In any case, the value inherent in an object like this one is mostly cultural. The artistry involved in the piece makes no difference to his intention to take care with it regardless.
In contrast, he frowns when she speaks next, objections crowding visibly into his expression. He dislikes relegating Konoha to the floor so he can take a bed he'll hardly even benefit from; it isn't as though he ever sleeps the night through, even in comfortable circumstances.
He also isn't inclined to hide indoors when he still hasn't learned the answers to any of his questions. The trouble is, he already said that he'd ducked into that tavern to rest in the shade. It would only be suspicious to insist on going back out, and probably foolhardy in the extreme if he slipped out by himself after she left.
He masters his frown with an effort, giving her a small nod.]
Very well. I'll stay out of sight here.
[Her job will be easier without a foreign man to tow around, in any case.]
Take whatever time you need.
no subject
She's observed him enough, so far on their journey... to have asked for no sauce and spice on his. She ate the rest of her two stomachs' fill while she was out, so he wouldn't feel any pressure, and after arranging some things for the next mornings' departure... she bids him goodnight, and backs herself into a corner of the room, locking up her knees and crossing her arms beneath her breasts, letting her chin dip down and her eyes close to fall into the light sleep of a creature able to rest standing.
Their first hurdle as "husband" and "wife"... comes quite early, when they leave the inn the next day only to find that one of the two centaurs who had accosted them the previous day was hanging around in wait. ... And not to take revenge. It becomes quite awkward quite quickly, when it seems that the stallion had a vested interest in knowing if a relationship like there's was actually possible, something unrequited and suppressed in his own desires. Thankfully... they fake their way through it, and Konoha can't help, in the end, wishing their former "enemy" luck in his pursuits.
They have luck themselves, along the road. It isn't high season, and there is not so much traffic to contend with just yet. They make good time at first, with hired cart part of the way, a ferry crossing, and then back to foot travel, slow and steady, camping under the stars in tents along the way. In fact, Konoha even starts to think they might make it to the next inn without incident beyond a few odd looks... until, having to take a detour in the wake of a flash flood having washed a road out, the rockier terrain ends with a bit of a twist and a sharp stone lodged in her hoof. A hoofpick and a bit of help from Liem dislodges it, but...
It's aching a little more than she'd like by the time they made it to the city, and then to their lodging. She doesn't try to hide it, but she also doesn't complain, still evaluating... But, perhaps she won't sleep standing tonight. The floor would be kinder on her fetlocks. Setting down her supplies, she gives a long, self-indulgent stretch, both arms arching above her head and rump twitching as she cracks her neck left and right, letting out a low sigh.]
We still made decent time with all that... So far so good!
[They'd even managed to avoid most conversations about their relationships, not too many lies needed with knife and ring on open display, and thanks to her updated map they'd avoided more openly hostile tribes (as of yet)...]
Do you mind if I use the bath after you, Liem... ? I'll just soak my legs.
no subject
He is bothered, though, by essentially robbing Konoha of the chance to sleep in an actual bed on the rare occasion that they reach an inn to spend the night in. They have to share a room, of course; it would be tremendously suspicious not to. But trying to suggest that she let him sleep on the floor instead of her is a non-starter. The long days under the sun and his inconsistent sleeping habits leave him looking permanently tired, no matter how peaceful their nights are. He looks like a man who needs to be tucked into bed for a proper rest for a change, instead of making do with a bedroll on a clear patch of ground.]
Not at all. I'm sure they must need it.
[Hanging up his hat and cloak, Liem glances down at her leg, wondering how badly her hoof is paining her. Walking on it for hours on end surely hasn't done her any favours. He's already not in the habit of taking long, leisurely baths, but he makes a private note to be extra brisk today.]
I'll be quick.
no subject
Aha, yeah...
[Until she's determined exactly how bad it might be, she just gives a little laugh and agrees. Her legs might need it.]
But there's no need to rush, or anything... I need to rearrange some supplies, anyway! You should soak...
[After the maid is summoned to start the tidy little fire and re-heat the water in the large but simple jinba-sized tub in the corner of the room, she arranges herself in the way that would best offer modesty for him, putting her back to the bath and trying to focus on supplies instead of how easy it was for her keen senses to pick up things like rustling clothing and lapping water.
Her tail swishes gently across the floor as she keeps her hands busy, stuffing heavy packs that she carried on her back with new supplies from this outpost, taking longer than needed to pack everything as tightly and efficiently as possible. But silence is... Well, she was comfortable enough with it, but she ends up not being able to help herself...]
Is the water nice... ?
[The inn had changed hands since she last came through this route, so- It was... worth asking...]
I heard that Goka has whole bathhouses that use water that springs from the earth hot... and some of them have healing properties, even!
no subject
The tub is large enough that he's very nearly swimming in it, only his head and shoulders rising above the water's surface although his posture is as straight as ever. Though he expects she isn't looking his way, Liem sits with his back to her, his glasses resting nearby to be put back on once he's ready to get out. He hasn't allowed her so much as a glimpse of his eyes since they started travelling together; when asked about the habit, he'd said it was a personal preference, and left it at that.]
Does it?
[Of the things Liem has gone out of his way to learn about Goka, the quality of its bathhouses has not been a feature.]
That sounds enjoyable. I've heard of such places, but never been.
The water's still quite nice, though you may want the maid to heat it again before you get in, if you want a proper soak.
no subject
That's what I heard, anyway!
[She chirps back a cheery answer as she folds a rain cape into the smallest shape possible. If someone asked her why her "husband" wore shaded glasses all the time, what should she say... ?]
There are springs near my home village, actually, but you have to worry about snakes and leeches... I'd definitely go to a nice clean inside bathhouse if there was one...
[It occurs to her to ask something else, then, and without thinking she just turns her head to do so, because obviously you just looked at the people you were asking things, but-]
They don't have them in...
[His back is to her, and the tub meant for jinba is so large that it's not like she sees anything untoward, but Konoha is actually shocked by what she sees anyway. He'd described his work only vaguely, yes, but with his weakness in the sun and how he always seemed so tired, she had just assumed it was something sedentary and scribe-like, nothing that would... require a lean, muscular back much more like that of an archer or lancer.
Oh. Liem is... fit?
And Konoha forgets to finish her sentence or respond about the maid until it's been far too obviously long.]
... Oppara?
[Maid, right, she should... grope for the cord near the door that calls the maid...]
no subject
Ah, well yes. A real bath is certainly nicer than contending with biting creatures in a stream somewhere.
[The pause in her question hangs conspicuously in the air between them, and he almost turns to look back at her before recalling his current state. Instead, he turns his attention back to kneading the stiffness from one of his calves, listening as she finally finishes her thought.]
Oppara does have bathhouses, of course. But it isn’t anywhere near the mountains, so the water there is heated only by the sun.
[Which means, of course, that his only choices for visiting are to show up when the bathhouse first opens, before the water has warmed much, or to endure the sun on his naked skin, which is one of his least-favourite sensations he has to experience with any regularity. He almost always opts for the former.]
no subject
[Oh… When he moves, the muscles of his back move. Which. Made sense, of course, but… Konoha still watches a bit longer than is really proper. It was… it was odd, right? Or… maybe it wasn’t, maybe he did charity work for Abadar or… had to work construction as penance for something, or just… liked a certain sport or fitness routine? Still, it was… his shoulders are so well built, almost like an-
The bell rings before Konoha realizes she’s just absently tugged it, and a second later she registers it, straightening up in alarm and slapping a hand over her face to force herself to stop looking. Eight million plains gods, she can’t blame it on being distracted by his physique???]
Ah- ! Sorry, sorry, I called too soon, um-
[She turns back around to not get caught peeping but then… oh, no, that would look so weird to the maid if it seemed like she was trying not to look at her husband disrobed… !]
I’m going to look! To be natural! Just stay in!
[The walls of the tub were quite high, it’s… it’s fine! She throws some supplies around behind her and quickly resituates, trying not to blush so terribly or look too directly so by the time the maid arrives with more wood for the fire…
Konoha is only blushing a little and she even manages to say a mostly convincing We’d like to reheat the water, please.]
no subject
Ah— Don't trouble yourself over it. I'm sure the maid is accustomed to such things.
[To being called upon mid-bath, he means. Probably they're less used to rooms being shared between a human man and a centaur woman, but it doesn't trouble him if the staff at this outpost establishment have something to gossip about tomorrow. Once morning comes, he and Konoha will be on their way regardless.
Once she mentions looking natural, however, it occurs to him that it would be highly unusual for him to avoid looking at the maid for the entire time she's present, even if she has questions about the water temperature. He leans hastily back out of the tub to retrieve his lenses, sliding them on just in time for the maid to knock and come inside.
He's been seen naked by strangers before, of course. The public bathhouses in Oppara aren't separated by gender, so he isn't exactly shy about being seen bathing. It's definitely more awkward when it's just him, his guide, and one inn maid though. Liem waits as casually as he can manage while she builds up the fire again, going back to kneading the muscles of his calves as though she hasn't interrupted him in the slightest. It doesn't take a long time to stoke the fire sufficiently, but it's still longer than he'd like, and he catches a few sideways glances from the maid when she thinks he isn't watching.]
hello!!!
And sure, he's probably right that the maid is probably used to this sort of thing... But she isn't. There wasn't exactly a lot of opportunities for a woman in her line of work to meet people. At least, people who weren't clients or just... brief, brief connections. She hadn't been able to help herself from indulging in a bit of heat-induced flirtation, she'd entertained a courtship or two... but centaurs didn't quite do things the way humans did, and having been raised by two-legged parents... She found herself a bit disappointed in some ways, mentally, no matter how fine it was physically. ... She didn't see so many men in the bath, is the point.
But she strives to act like this is totally normal for her- for them. She leaves Liem to instruct the maid on temperature, and mostly just tries to continue packing, but. It's normal to look, right? It must be. So she occasionally makes a point of looking... not staring, just. Glancing over. Saying things like We'll be getting up with the sun tomorrow, alright? and Not still sore, are you?
Very natural. But as part of her looking... She notices... she isn't the only one.]
Ahem.
[If she were a wife... Would she be the jealous type? Maybe? She's not sure... But Konoha still clears her throat rather loudly, just a bit possessively, nodding her head towards the door.]
... You can go now, miss. Thank you.
[So then she wasn't the only woman in the room blushing a bit, briefly, before the girl skitters back out the door with stories to regale the other staff with later. Weirdly, Konoha feels a bit satisfied for a moment... Before she remembers.]
Oh, right-
[She covers her eyes with her hands for a moment, it's easier than getting back upright enough to turn her heavy body all the way back around again.]
You can get out now, Liem... Thanks...
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