Grotto of the Elements
A nondescript building in the gardens of the School of Earth hides a steep stair leading down into Caroban's crust. At the bottom, beyond a small antechamber is a large spherical room, the bottom hemisphere being below the level of the floor and full of water. Stone platforms stack like long steps, circling the equator and rising to a single platform at the back, their edges lined with fire runes. The curved walls are also engraved with water enchantments, and there are wide gaps between the stone slabs and the wall. At the top, a slightly conical disk hides the peak of the chamber, with many holes clustered around the center of it.

It's a bit of a walk from Enchanted Cuisine to the gardens of the School of Earth, but a little exercise after a meal isn't so bad. Once they've made it down the stairs and the lighting enchantments are activated, Xander waves an arm over the big room. "Ta-da! I present the only magical hot-spring on Caroban!" he says. "It looks better once the enchantments are activated though."

"My! It's a little funny that I never knew about this, even being a water student," says Ren, craning her neck into the chamber curiously. "Especially since it's warm water, that sounds very nice."

"Well, you are new here, mostly. And ... you must also understand, Xander finds every spot he can to try and woo someone," Umeko lightly teases as her neck cranes slightly so she can take in the strange room as well.

Xander begins chanting, and places his hand on one of the fire runes to start charging up the enchantment. As it progresses, the runes along the stone platforms glow red, and the stones themselves begin to glow as well - ranging from pale yellow at the lowest platform and progressing through orange and finally red at the highest, furthest one.

Carla brings up the rear, hands on either side of the narrow stairwell so she can lean in a bit to see over the shorter women. "Mmhmm. You'll see more of them, I'm sure, Ren. We trade these spots around with each other, and there's lots of them, so I don't think anyone knows where all these little surprises are." Once she can slip past, a little awkwardly in her nice dress, she places her palms over some of the darker engraved stones, and concentrates, murmuring. She isn't anywhere near as powerful as Xander, so it takes a bit longer for her to wake the enchantments, but soon enough the rush of water can be heard, given a slight echo in the chamber, and streams pour from the gaps in the walls. It hisses as it hits the warming stones, small clouds of steam coming up.

Ren is giving Xander a look between wary and appraising, but when she sees the water rush into the circular chamber, a hand goes to her mouth. "Oh, but.. our kimono! What should we do with them? I'm deathly afraid the water would ruin them!"

The odd thing is that the water flows up along the curved walls, going behind the cap at the top before flowing down like a shower through the holes in it. "The stones glow by how hot they are - but the red isn't really hot, just hot enough to be comfortable to a Naga," Xander points out.

"We remove them, fold them, and place them out of the reach of the water, of course," Umeko explains as she deftly undoes the delicate ties that hold her obi tight. "Xander will have to promise to behave, or leave, of course," she adds as she flashes a toothy smile to Xander. "You'll be good, won't you?"

"What? Well... uh.." Xander fumbles. "I didn't think you'd actually be going into the water, just using the stones. I figured all Water Mages have bathing suits under their clothing all the time, don't they?"

Carla's laugh reverberates from the spring walls, the skreek taking her hands from the engraved stones and putting them on her considerable hips. "Not any more than all you fire mages smoke. Aren't you having your master's ceremony soon? I would think you'd have let go of silly stereotypes like that by now."

"Oh, yes, tomorrow I think," Xander says, trying not to watch Umeko. "And it's a reasonable stereotype, since you have to walk underwater to get to your rooms and all.."

Ren seems almost to automatically match Umeko in what she's doing, as though the golden kiriga is a surrogate older sister to be followed, though she does pause a moment, eyeing Xander. Still, she was brought up in Jadai, so she doesn't seem particularly discomfitted when she draws off the wrap of her obi, her kimono going loose around her.

Trying to be polite, Xander turns his back to the Kirigas.. but that leaves him looking at Carla. "So..." he says, rubbing the back of his head. "Can you do anything with the steam?" he ends up asking.

Carla grins good-humoredly, and crosses her arms. "Operative term being that we walk, not swim. I think the repellers have only ever failed four or five times!" She steps closer to the water's edge, cinching up the waist of her skirt a bit. "Besides, those gigi swimming clothes that got so popular ride right up and mess with aquadynamics. Much better to just feel the water directly."

The skreek pauses to look up at the clouds and condensation beginning to sweat from the stones. "Well, I've studied a bit with this... is it bothering you? I could probably get it to stream out the entrance."

"What? No.. I was just curious about your mist-working techniques," Xander says quickly. "I mean.. imagine being able to steam-clean clothes while you're still wearing them? No more wrinkles!"

Umeko sure seems unconcerned with undressing. She sheds her kimono with almost ritualistic precision, taking her time as she watches Ren out of the corner of her eye. Each movement to fold the obi is slightly exaggerated for Ren to follow and mimic. Once the obi has folded, the outer part of her kimono is shrugged from her shoulders just enough so that it slides down her arms. Her finger-talons catch it and with delicate precision she folds that up as well, careful to always fold at a seam so as to not leave a noticeable crease. The underlayer is the simplest to remove and fold up with little ritual about it. They are stacked together in order to put them back on, with the obi at the bottom and the underlayer on top. She says nothing to Ren throughout this; all communication being done with slight nods of her head or a smile when the silvery Kiriga gets it right. The last thing Umeko does is reach up and lift out her hair-pins, letting her long white mane flow down freely.

Xander seems to realize something. "We don't have an Air Mage, so can't activate the blow-drying enchantment. And there aren't towels. But I can still dry you off when the time comes to leave, don't worry."

Ren beams at Umeko, seeming relieved when her kimono is so painstakingly arranged and put somewhere safe from the moisture. She seems to treat being in the scales just like she did being in her kimono, touching Umeko on the upper arm. "Oh, this is the first time I've gotten to see your pattern, it's beautiful. Gold through and through, so regal!" Unlike Umeko, while the water apprentice is bright silver, there are sparse flecks of copper along her back, single scales peppering her lithe form, easy to see until she slides the hairpin out of her bun and her long black hair falls over her back like a curtain.

Carla waves a hand Xander. "Oh no worries. We've had practice moving small amounts of water around once we got through basic cantrips, so I can just repel it out of our fur and hair. I'm slow about it, so it's probably barely faster than air drying. Can you help me with the laces in the back? This thing is really tight and they're hard to reach."

"A blessing and a curse," Umeko says and rolls her chin slightly, smiling, then turning once to that Ren can get a complete look. "They take much effort to keep in top condition and sometimes attract attention that I would have preferred to not have. And it is certainly no more beautiful than yours. You, an elegant being of winter with with embers along your spine. I do believe it is as rare as mine." Her head tilts a bit, then she asks Ren as she reaches over to use her talons to comb the silver kiriga's mane out of her face, "Were both your parents colored as you are? Or is the coloration a mix from both? Does your sister also share in the mottling?"

"Oh, of course," Xander says, and starts undoing the laces on the borrowed dress without really thinking about it. He keeps one ear cocked towards Umeko and Ren.. and also tries not to think about the discussion of scale patterns. The less thinking he does right now, the better, most likely.

Ren nods, turning a little so that Umeko can almost count the speckles along her back. Darker and off color they may be, but they still gleam metallic, the cool orange of refined copper. "Oh, yes. We have nothing like your purity, but we still shine, so I know just what you go through.. and how much clay. Rin always said we should be proud of it, and mother said the pattern was 'a shining river over stones'."

Carla lets out a breath as Xander helps loosen her corset, sighing. "Whoof! Oh goodness, that feels better. Thanks, Xander. I wasn't sure I'd be able to eat anything at the restaurant, I wasn't sure it could fit with this thing wrapped around me." With that out of her way, and the laces of her dress untied, she begins working the top of her dress forward, over her upper arms, presenting her back and shoulders bared to the lapi behind her.

"Uhhhh.." Xander says, forgetting what he was going to say. "Oh.. do you need help with.. anything else?"

Umeko gently holds aside Ren's mane and counts the specks. "Your mother was right. Color does not need to be uniform to be beautiful. Little variances here and there add a certain ... artistic touch," she says. "And true, it does ... cost to maintain in occasional discomfort and a lot of fine red clay. But ... seeing how you look reminds me it is very much worth it. It's far easier to see beauty in others than in yourself, or so I have been told." Her hand withdraws and lets Ren's mane drape back down her back.

"Oh, so true," agrees Ren. She tests the water with her foot, and seeming pleased she wades to her knees down steps hidden under the water. Her reflection and Umeko's break across the surface in a mingling of gold and silver motes. "Ohh, it's warmed up so fast! I think this is as nice as a heat bar, though a bit different."

And now Umeko tests the water with a toe tip and soon joins Ren in the water; the pair looking like something out of a painting of spirits of summer and winter. "The warmth sinks in a bit faster here, but the cool air drains it away," she considers, then dips her head once. "So, it is best to stay in the water or upon the stone," she decides and then rolls a bit, twisting over sideways and around Ren as she sinks her entire body into the warm water. Her entire body undulates in the water, tail whipping as she circles Ren once, then floats there comfortably. "This is also a far cry from the cold, wet, mud of the swamps of Sylvania," she notes, "And most welcome."

"I think I'm good for the rest, thanks Hotfoot!" The skreek pulls her arms out from the shoulder straps of her dress, and peels it down to her waist, though she remains faced away from Xander. Unlike the kirigai, she ties her hair up, even though it's shorter than theirs, into a little hazel pony. "Is it warmed up already, girls? Wow, Xander can make those enchantments really jump!" That done, she hooks her thumbs into the waist of her skirt where her top has fallen over it, and steps out of her slippers..

Turning around quickly, Xander presents his own back to the pool. "I'll.. uh.. just wait until you're all settled," he says after swallowing hard.

"We're very terrifying," Umeko confides to Ren, "He's afraid we'll eat him." She even snaps her teeth playfully for emphasis.

Ren sinks into the swirling water up to her neck, blue eyes half lidding contentedly. "Mmm. Oh, what was it like in Sylvania? I've only heard stories. Dreadful ones."

"Oh, it was much worse than any stories you've heard," Umeko says as she half-coils herself in the water, her white main floating about like a cloud in the sky behind her. "We stayed in a city of ghosts and monsters and had to fight a demon that ate all life and energy. It was ... terrifying is appropriate. But, it did teach me to enjoy life where I can and ... relax now and then. Not to mention be willing to try new things, even if they are not traditional for our kind."

The silver kiriga grins as well at Umeko's comment about Xander. "Oh, but I'm sure he already knows I'm harmless. Carla's more dangerous than me. She must be strong to carry that around, at least her back. I mean can you believe that? How do mammals even run like that?"

"You're not calling me fat, are you Ren?" Carla flatly replies. Xander's sharp ears can hear the flump of a skirt tumbling into a loose pile on the stone.

The commentary really isn't helping Xander to keep his mind from wandering (or running) in certain directions. It's bad enough he can hear what the Skreek mage is doing.

"I have never been sure. It is quite vexing to have so much extra mass that shifts about and unbalances you. It cannot be comfortable, surely," Umeko remarks to Ren. "I'm glad to be free of such ... additions. And what is even more amazing is how mammals dance with that. Xander's mother took me to a dance studio while we were in Abu Dhabi. They have developed dance specifically designed to show it off. Along with ... jewelry."

"You did very well without.. those.. Umeko," Xander notes without turning. "Your tail compensates in many ways."

"I don't think you minded my experimentation with jewelry, either," Umeko teases the lapi mage.

Ren's voice becomes wistful. "Abu Dhabi too? You've been everywhere! I've heard their dancers are almost as graceful as ours. Do you like all this travelling? Or miss Jadai?"

Figuring it's safe now, Xander begins removing his own robe and tunic, and manages to get down to his fireproof undershorts before wondering if he has a bunch of naked women watching him.

There's one last little flutter of a very small and light garment being tossed into the heap of clothes, and then a few splashes, two as Carla steps into the spring, and a third as she playfully swats a little plume of water at her friend. "I wasn't always like this, you know. I got used to it. And for travelling, you're on Caroban! How many people can hope to have been here?"

"I do like the travel and meeting so many people. I have even helped work at a restaurant in Rephidim and looked after small children," Umeko notes, "But there are also times I miss the gardens of Jadai and our people. The world has shown me we are quite different as a people. It can be hard to fit in and often lonely." There she pauses so that she can slide over in the water closer to where Xander stands with his back to them. "But if you find friends, that helps so much. They become a new family," she adds, then splashes water on Xander's feet.

The Lapi squeaks and hops up from the splash, then lands back in the puddle and stumbles backwards until he ungracefully falls into the pool.

Ren sighs, and nods, shifting so she isn't trapping her hair between her back and the edge of the roiling pool. "I know how it is, fitting in. But at least here, there's so many people from so many different places that EEE"

The lapi's hearing becomes dominated by the roar of water, and his field of vision obscured by streams and clouds of bright bubbles, with the occasional flash of gold, silver, or buff. He can hear Carla laughing from what sounds like very far away.

Umeko giggles rather hissingly. "Ever graceful, Xander," she teases the lapi as she swims a coiled circle around him, then heads back over towards Ren ... while dragging her tail across the buck's stomach while he's confused. "My advice for fitting in is to be willing to try things; even if they seem a bit odd," she offers to Ren as she draws herself up alongside the silver kiriga. "Within reason, of course. Mammals are crazy, after all."

The brown bunny finally bursts back to the surface and gasps for breath. He takes an embarrassed look around the pool while he wrings out his ears. "Sorry about that.." he apologizes.

Ren's eyes shine, her short muzzle pressed shut with one hand, as though she wants to laugh but feels like she really ought not to. There is genuine concern in her voice, however. "Ohh, are you alright? You didn't hit your head, did you? Oh, his clothes are soaking wet now, he should take them off."

Carla clearly has no such restraint, the skreek leaning back with her elbows on the edge of the pool, the bubbling water up to her collarbones and made to ripple with her laughter.

"He should," Umeko agrees as her lips curl in a devious smile. "Will you help me strip them from him?"

The rabbit seems about to argue, but gets distracted by Carla and forgets what he was going to say.

Ren blinks those large blue eyes of hers, glancing back at Umeko, and then back at Xander. "But I thought those were just for the steam. Carla told me mammals wear special clothes to swim, but I thought she was joking."

The silver kiriga relaxes a little when Umeko glides up next to her, putting an arm around the golden one's slender waist to help her settle next to her. "Hee... wouldn't that upset him?"

"They do since they tend to have more bits that dangle," Umeko explains as she slips her own arm around Ren as she settles in beside her. "And yes, it may. Forgive me, I have a tendency to like to tease Xander. He ... reacts so cutely. It encourages the mischievousness streak within me."

"Aww, well who wouldn't?" lilts Carla, grinning. She's a blonde haze from the midpoint of her chest down, so he feels more than sees her foot plant toes against his side and give him a playful push with remarkably strong swimmer's legs.

"It helps in getting you to behave," Umeko claims, then sticks out her long tongue at the lapi, the two silvery studs in it glinting.

Ren's earfans lift a bit, the kiriga distracted momentarily. "You have metal in your tongue!"

"Mm?" Umeko goes, then tilts her head and shows her tongue to Ren for about thirty seconds. "Oh, I had that done in Abu Dhabi. It was .... a moment of experimentation for me. Something new to try. Apparently people in Abu Dhabi get all sorts of adornments placed," she explains, "I suppose it is a little bit of rebellion. Do you like it? You might be able to have it done here too, the man who did it was a mage..."

"A Metal Mage," Xander notes, as he gets his feet back under him. He decides not to take any chances of being tackled, and pulls his shorts off under the water. He wads them into a ball and is about to toss them back with the other clothes, but then gets an idea. He turns and says, "Heads up, Carla!" just before tossing the wadded ball of fabric over in a high arc towards the Skreek, to see if he can get her to jump up and try to catch it!

Ren grins, tilting her head to study the shining stud through Umeko's long tongue. "It looks so exotic! I think it really suits you, Umeko-sama. I don't think I'd be brave enough to get one myself... it looks like it hurt, and you and Rin might shrug off pain, but I'm a softie! Hee, I bet mammals get these for that kissing ritual they seem to like so much."

"Oh, it hurt," Umeko agrees and bobs her head slightly, "But ... I paid a life mage to accelerate the healing, so ... it didn't hurt long." The kiriga then smiles as she tilts her head slightly, "And yes, someone did mention that it is supposed to make kissing more enjoyable. I admit I find the ritual a bit odd; but it isn't unpleasant." She reaches up and taps the tip of Ren's nose lightly and quickly adds, "And as I said, I have tried lots of unusual things since I left Jadai. So, yes, I have ... kissed."

Being a water mage and a strong swimmer, it's not surprising Carla reacts in the way a water polo player would, lunging up from the spring and stretching an arm up to catch the bundle of wet cloth before it can get past her. Water cascades off her slicked-down coat during her brief flight, and when she comes back down she creates some fairly impressive waves, not all of them water. She laughs, and slings the bundled up shorts in the direction of Xander's head. "Tsk, you!"

Xander lets the wadded up shorts bounce off his head, which is mostly grin right now.

"Umeko is a very good kisser," the bunny notes once he's snapped out of his trance.

Ren crosses her eyes to look at the tip of her nose, then clasps her hands together, laughing cheerily. "Really, you did?! But it sounds SO weird!" At Xander's assertion that Umeko is good at it, and at Umeko's advice to try new things, Ren puts a hand on the golden kiriga's shoulder. "Oh, then you can show me how to do it! We don't face straight on, do we? Our noses would get in the way."

Umeko's eyes flick to Xander, then back to Ren. "I would be honored," Umeko offers as she lifts her hands out of the water. She cups her fingers lightly behind Ren's earfins and neck so that she's holding the silver Kiriga's head gently. "You have to tilts your head to the side so that you can overlap jaws," she instructs as she pushes the Kiriga's head just a little to get it to tilt. "Now, you need to relax your jaw a bit. It isn't like biting at all, as it turns out. Then you close your eyes and join mouths. That's all there is to it, more or less. Now, if you want to try, just relax, close your eyes, and I'll lead..."

Even Carla stares, her mouth half open. Ren doesn't seem to notice, eager to learn new cultural ways with absolutely nothing on her face but sincerity. "Alright, I wondered about that! I couldn't imagine you were supposed to use your teeth. Is it all with the head, or am I supposed to put my hands somewhere?" The silver kiriga ends up putting her arms around Umeko's waist and hugging belly to belly with her, legs entwined, and tilts her head as Umeko directs. "I'm going to hold onto you so the current doesn't move us around too much, I'm afraid we're going to slip on the shelf and bite each other's tongues off."

"Perfect," Umeko agrees as her golden tail flicks around in the water as it locates Ren's and entwines with hers in a spiral of silver and gold. "Now just relax, close your eyes and ... " Umeko explains, though it drifts off when Ren's eyes do close. Umeko leans forward chest pressing against Ren's as her neck arches just so ... and gold and silver snouts interlock with each other. She lets her hands slip from Ren's neck so that her arms can curl lightly behind, as well as let Ren get used to how strange the ritual really is. And it only gets odder ... when subtle movements of Umeko's head and jaw betray that Ren is now discovering firsthand what effect the jewelry has on the ritual. The room seems disturbingly silent as silver and gold entwine and embrace; only the trickle of the water from above helps break the utter surrealness unfolding before Xander and Carla.

"We.. we need to uphold the honor of mammals," Xander says to Carla, holding a hand out to her. "We invented kissing after all - it's not right for us to be outdone like this!"

Carla's jaw clicks shut, and pushes into a wry, bemused smile. "Learn some chaos spells before you push your luck, Hotfoot," she says, wagging a finger at him coyly.

"Well.. I did teach Umeko, so.. uh.. deserve a little credit, right?" Xander notes after being shot down.

Ren's eyes remain closed, but not tightly shut, the kiriga seeming to mull over the sensation of this strange mammalian ritual, arms hugged securely around Umeko's waist, gold and silver meeting in the middle. With crossed arms and twined tails, they look almost like a braided chain of precious metal. Even with her eyes closed, there's a contemplative expression on the water apprentice's face, her jaw working slightly as she tries to follow her mentor's lead (and that metal stud), what passes for the kirigai's lips sealed together. Hmm, fascinating!

Carla giggles, settled back into the water again. "You can be proud, she's.. quite the cultural ambassador!"

Xander moves to try and sit next to Carla, to better watch the show. All the while though, he thinks, "I should be in there with them!"

The skreek seems quite amicable at least... it's fair after that flirty push with her foot, so she doesn't shoo Xander away, quite relaxed even when he finds his hip brushed next to hers. They're apparently broader than they look underwater, but it's probably best not to say that.

Time ticks by as the lesson goes on ... and on ... and on with subtle movements from both of them now as positions change and currents are countered. It's hard to say exactly how long the lesson goes, but it's definitely long enough to put some mammals to shame, that's for sure. But ... Umeko eventually nudges her chin up just slightly as if indicating something, then starts to slowly separate her muzzle and lips from Ren's. With their jaws parted, hints of a studded tongue curled with a pristine one can briefly be seen before they too separate. Umeko's head draws back, yet she does keep herself curled up against and with Ren. "See? It is quite an interesting ritual," she says, her voice lilting slightly. "And not unpleasant at all. Do you wish to try leading...?"

"At least my little sister isn't here," Xander mutters, glad that the coney wasn't interested in 'taking a bath' tonight.

The apprentice's tongue draws back as the tutored kiss finally breaks, and Ren smiles brightly and nods cheerfully, as if she had just been shown how to play ninepins or ktinza, still cozily twined with her new friend. "Mm, it's strange, but I guess it's not unpleasant at all! I can see how the metal bit adds to the ritual, it was like a smooth little bead we were passing back and forth, it felt very different on the tongue. I bet it'd be extra nice if we shared a pala fruit before doing the kiss ritual, I wonder if the mammals have thought of that. Oh, do you think I can do it right? You can tell me if I made any mistakes when it's done. I've learned so much for you in the short time you've been here, Umeko-sama!"

"You should try with a mammal too," Xander offers. If Ren is up for it, it really doesn't matter which mammal she practices with, for him!

"I think you did amazingly well," Umeko says, returning that bright smile, "But do please forgive me that I am not an expert on the topic. Perhaps Carla will allow you to practice with her now and then once we have left. I suspect she is far better than I. But for now, lets see how well you've learned ..." And now it's Umeko's turn to close her eyes, tilt her head, and wait for Ren to initiate the ritual.

"Oh, yes it must be a bit different with a warm-blood. Carla, have you tried this?" Ren turns to her friend, who quickly holds her hands up. "No-o-o-o-t touching this."

"Umm, just how much of what you've learned are thinking of showing her, Umeko?" Xander asks a bit timidly.

The silver kiriga turns back to the gold one, nodding briskly. "Yes, Umeko-sensei! Alright, if I remember right, we tilted this way, and then you pressed your mouth to me like this.. maybe I can do it a little differently." She hugs Umeko closer again so she can comfortably meet snoot to snoot, clasping her lips to her teacher's, the kiss sealing. In her exhuberence to practice, she leans a little more into it, tipping Umeko back a little against the edge of the pool.

Gears grind away in Xander's bunny brain. "I've eaten, recovered from the testing and the duel... I could take on two dragons at once! What've I got to lose?" he thinks. Then glances at Carla. "Although I've heard that Skreeks can get pretty wild too.."

Carla is at the moment too busy biting her lip and looking away a little awkwardly.

Xander takes a chance! "So, that corset must have been hard on you. Want a backrub?" he offers. Then, as usual, goes one step too far, "Or anything else rubbed?"

And Umeko's sinewy spine causes her to arch back over the rim of the pool; giving in to Ren's enthusiastic experiment. This time she lets Ren explore and direct the way things ... and when the practice itself ends. Much like Ren was before, her expression is ... contemplative during the kiss; likely judging the silver kiriga's skill and movement.

Ren wipes at the corner of her mouth with her wrist, still leaning against her friend. "Was that too clumsy? I wondered what it would be like being a little more vigorous with it."

"No, you were fine," Umeko says as she sits upright and still very close to her silvery friend. "Being a little aggressive made it ... intriguing. I do believe I sense a little of your sister's fire within you," she suggests.

"I am also sure we looked terrible to our friends. They must have been bored watching us, as they are more practiced in the ritual" Umeko adds.

Either Carla is used to these offers, she's very good-natured, or she likes Xander. Or maybe all of the above! She gives him another one of those smiles for his cheekiness instead of a slap, eyes narrowed. "Well-ll-ll, it doesn't look like those two are going to be finished with their lessons anytime soon, and you would be surprised at how often I get kinks in my back." Actually, he probably wouldn't, but either way the skreek stands up... and stays demurely facing away, up to the point she lies face down on one of the spring's slabs of stone, tail laid low and ankles crossed, remaining as modest as she was in her dress... sort of. It's as much a taunt as a flirt, as Xander would have to get out of the water to keep his promise. "Oh, I guess they're done... it might be time to dry off and go back to the dorms, huh?"

"See? I fear that my skills are lacking," Umeko admits and gestures one hand towards Xander. "Xander, why don't you help Carla for a bit and educate us on how to do a proper backrub? "We can watch and learn."

The lapi starts to stand, then realizes the kissing had a bigger effect on him than he thought. But.. his back is to the dragons and Carla probably won't notice. "Okay, this is where being a fire mage comes in handy," he notes, and chants his Warmth cantrip to make his palms extra hot before applying them to the Skreek's back.

Umeko tilts her head, then lifts her hand and touches Ren's scaled cheek lightly. "Perhaps they have the right idea. Would you like a massage as well?" she asks. "I cannot do magic like Xander to warm you, but we can make use of the large red stone and come close."

"Oh, we don't have to go back to the dorms yet, Carla!" says Ren, shifting a little to look on from the comfort of her shared seat with Umeko. She looks like she's about to disentangle herself from Umeko to observe the art of massage from a better angle, but at the offer from her friend, she's thankfully diverted away. "Oh, Umeko-sama, you're too good to me. Only if I can return the favor... after all, you'll be back to your journeys soon, so you should be relaxed for them."

Xander twitches a bit, wondering how long he can avoid embarrassment now - or if the Kirigas would even notice in the first place.

Carla lays with her forearms crossed in front of her for a chinrest, and to take a bit of her weight off her chest-rest. Fortunately, she doesn't glance over her shoulder, instead saying, "Fire magic is useful for this? You're not going to singe me, are you?"

"I see great potential in you, Ren," Umeko explains as she begins to uncoil from around her friend, "I consider you a good investment for the future. The fact that I also find you charming, gentle, and a joy to be around is another benefit. Plus ... having not had family I was close to growing up ... it is a joy to find someone of my own kind to be close to. So, I would be honored to lay beneath your claws later. But ... you first, I insist. You have had a difficult life and deserve to be treated well."

"It's just to make things warmer," Xander explains, pressing his hands to the skreek's back. "Heat therapy is good for sore muscles, you know."

The silver kirigi flashes a grin. "I admit, I could get used to this life," she says, uncoiling from Umeko's side and pulling herself out of the water. Unlike with Xander or Carla, she doesn't drag much of the springwater out with her, except for the stream that rolls down from her hair for a second or two. She gathers it up and wraps it around her neck in a wet, black band, and then stretches out over the warm slab of rock opposite the pool from the mammals, her tail kept tucked down to mimic Carla. Of course, she lays considerably flatter than her skreek friend.

"Anything in particular that's sore?" Xander asks, rubbing Carla's shoulders. He figures the muscles there must be taking on most of the load, at a guess..

"So could I," Umeko admits with her own toothy smile as she rests her chin on one of the rocks as Ren settles herself, "Most of my days are in much rougher circumstances. Still, it is best to take these moments when you get them. And ... if you ever do get any time free of your studies and wish to visit Jadai, I can arrange for you to stay on the family estate if you wish." It's now her turn to exit the water and she does so my tail whipping herself away from the stone she is near and glides across to a stone near to where Ren settled. Soon she's sliding free of the pool and much like Ren, the water seems to sheet off her. Her movement looks close to a slither with how she slides up onto Ren and straddles her back, making sure to keep her weight mainly on her knees and shins as she kneels over the silver Kiriga. With a roll of each of her wrists, she lightly runs her hands down Ren's back, then up her sides and out over her upper arms, just taking a moment to see where Ren's muscles go and how fi

It was actually a little difficult to tell until he got this close, the length of his ears making relative heights a little deceptive, but as Xander puts his hands to Carla's back, he finds she's probably a good eight inches taller than he is. She's also rather well built for a mage, not the reedy mathmeticians and madmen of chaos, or the wispy students of spirit. All the swimming seems to have made her lean but sturdy. Between that and Xander's somewhat shorter stature, he finds really getting to work forces him to straddle the skreek directly, pretty much sitting on her... well, seat. Her fur is powderpuff fine, which allows it to dry quickly, but also makes it a bit ticklish. "Whoa, your hands are... oooh... yeah, that's.. that actually feels really nice. I tense up a lot there, between the shoulderblades, and in my lower back... mmm.."

EDIT: Umeko Add: With a roll of each of her wrists, she lightly runs her hands down Ren's back, then up her sides and out over her upper arms, just taking a moment to see where Ren's muscles go and how firm (or not) they are.

The Fire Mage works on the requested areas, and tries not to fantasize about just where that height difference would put his face if.. well, best not to get distracted! He keeps up his cantrip as he works on the sore muscles of the rat-girl.

Ren is a good deal sleeker and more delicate than her student friend, fit and not skinny by any means but certainly more the build of a scholar than of a warrior like Umeko, both kiriga smooth and elegant, but the silver one a bit softer. Still, Umeko can pick out the muscle groups she recognizes in herself, the complex weave at the base of her back and tail, the W over and around her shoulderblades, and the subtle hint of a ridge that follows her spine where some kirigai have developed sawtooth like frills. "I'd love to see Jadai again in that way.. though seeing it from your estate would probably be like seeing a whole different island. Hmm... I'll show you some of the places I liked too, then! I doubt they match your gardens, but there were wonderful places to swim, and little shops to get hot noodles, or catch fish like my father showed me how to."

The knots under Xander's hands are surprisingly hard when the lapi finds them, but with his diligent work and the help of his extra warmth, he can feel them melting bit by bit under his attention, getting a sigh out of Carla. She can be gradually felt to relax all over, along her shoulders and back, and along the insides of Xander's thighs where he rests. "Wow... off all the things I heard about the infamous Hotfoot, I never heard he could give the best backrub short of the four-armed guy at the spa." There's a slightly different tone to her voice now, a little of the wry edge she's had when talking to Xander taken out of it.

"I would love that," Umeko says as her fingers and palms begin their work. She does have to be careful since each fingertip does end in a sharp talon. So, for Umeko it is less kneading and more rolling and stretching work using her palms of those familiar muscle groups, getting them to relax and loosen. "If you also find yourself in Jashin and ever need a place of refuge, seek out the women of the Blushed Pala. They are friends of mine ever since I defended them from a band of uncouth foreigners," the gold Kiriga adds. She pauses in a momentary and bemused smile, then comments, "I do seem to have made many unusual friends and allies in the world. Maybe some day you and your sister can dance in the savannah with the Burning Sands tribe as I once did. There are so many amazing things and people in this world, Ren."

"I'm infamous?" Xander asks, smiling at the notion. "I don't remember blowing up anything important though.."

"The Blushed Pala, that sounds fancy!" Ren rolls her head a little to the side, cheek pillowed on one forearm. Her voice is just a bit deeper, the heat from the pool rising from her keeping Umeko warm as well despite the water dripping away, like a living hot rock. The warmth makes rubbing Ren down even easier, as if she'd been softened by it. "Well, people in the city were usually very nice to Rin and I anyway. You just have to be nice back. And with the nasty ones, you just.. be Rin." She laughs a little, a wave carrying Umeko up a bit.

Carla nods as best she can with her chin already resting on the cushion she's made. "Oh Dagh yes... for one thing, after that duel you had the campus is buzzing. But there's always stories that stick around about the best pranks from the different spheres, and you always got a mention when the fire sphere came up." She pushes her elbows against the stone, and arches her steadily more and more limber back a bit to stretch it before relaxing under Xander's paws again. "You must have heard some of them come back to you... honestly now, how many of them are exaggerated?"

"Well, some of the pranks were justified," Xander claims. "And the duel.. was just yesterday, practically. I doubt the stories have had time to get that out of hand yet. But I did get my nickname from being able to creatively apply the hotfoot spell quickly!" He risks rubbing behind one of Carla's ears with his right hand, while the left keeps working on her back.

"The living embodiment of the yin and yang, you two must be," Umeko lightly teases as her hands come together so that both work in unison on the larger bands of muscles in Ren's back. "And yes, kindness will often carry you far in the world," she agrees. "I am kind until the person warrants otherwise. Though I am a warrior in my soul, I am one who knows its cost and have had to make decisions that ... Anyway, many glorify battles without understanding that they are harsh and cold. It is a path of last resort, but when it is walked, it must be walked with strength and determination. And those of us that choose to walk that path, well it is because there is something that we hold dear and wish to protect."

"Are there any stories of my exploits in the Savan yet?" Xander asks. "I got to meet the Emperor-Potentate. It was terrifying."

"It was not that terrifying, Xander," Umeko comments, "We were heroes, not dinner."

Ren giggles, her tail curling up to tap Umeko's back lightly with the tuft on the end. "Oh, she's not as scary as all that, and I'm not as nice as that. Rin does take a little while to warm up to people, though. I think it's been a part of her work, she has to be careful about trusting anyone." The silver kiriga angles her neck up a little. "Actually, if you really do find her down there... tell her about the time she and I knocked a prize bonsai off Lord Iwata's stoop with a box kite. We laugh about it now, but we ran all the way to the rice fields, and I was so scared I actually beat Rin there, crying the whole way. She'll know you're a friend."

Carla taps the stone thoughtfully with a blunt clawtip. "In the Savan? No, that hasn't gotten back yet... wait, you met the Emperor? Like... the NAGAI Emperor?" Not that there are many other emperors. Her ears go up in surprise... or at least they would have, if the one Xander was rubbing hadn't become too lazy to do so. She takes to resting her chin on one arm, so the other can go back down to her side, fingertips resting lightly along one of the lapi's calves.

It's now Umeko's turn to laugh. "I will remember that. And it is not a matter of if, but when. Xander can tell you that I am an extremely stubborn Kiriga who does not give up," she says qas she runs her palms down Ren's back one last time, then carefully turns herself around so that she's facing Ren's tail ... and gets to work on massaging the thick muscles that line it. "I have to find her now, I have promised you I would help her."

Since Carla has one arm free now, Xander works on it next! He starts with the fingers and palm, recharging his cantrip as he massages the naked appendage.

"Xander was graced by the Emperor rolling his coils over him," Umeko explains since Xander seems too distracted to actually confirm they met the Emperor. "It was in honor of our victory in Viper's Hold, where we routed Beshret the Razer's forces and brought peace to the territory."

"It was a hectic battle," Xander notes. "My first real combat involving actual armies! And giant desert lizards."

"And magic that could warp the flesh of anyone it touched," Umeko remarks when an unpleasant memory returns to her.

Ren's tail, having been standing up, suddenly flops back to the stone when Umeko rubs the fairly strong muscles around its base, relaxing. "My goodness. News had come back that a territory in Nagai had rejoined the Empire after being rescued from a warlord's clutches, but twisted magics and great beasts no doubt from the wild lands... I can't even imagine it." Umeko can feel Ren moving under her as the silver kiriga stretches her legs out, enjoying the sensation.

"Trust me, you really don't want to imagine it!" Xander says. "I blew the face off one of the giant monsters. It smelled awful afterwards. And the cleanup... ugh."

"I led the army that retook the land as the Governess Militant. My General was General Diamondback and our chief mage was the famous Pyrelighter," Umeko explains as her palms work over Ren's tail base, then down her backside and upper legs. "The battle was ... bloody. Many good souls died those days. I made a point to learn their names and write letters to their families as time permitted. It is important that those who lead recognize those who served."

Carla whistles low. "I'm surprised you came back to Caroban, then. I would have thought the Emperor would have made you an honorary citizen and a court mage on the spot. I think you'd have been rich! Though... how scary are we talking, the Emperor?" The fingertips of the skreeks outstretched arm wiggling along Xander's calf, and then the palm rests against it. Her arm is slender while Xander rubs it down, but just a swimmer-fit as the rest of her. Once he reaches the bicep, it's impossible to rub it without his knuckles pressing a little into.. softer parts, but Carla hardly seems to mind.

The silver kiriga nods soberly, her tail flopping off to the side so that it doesn't get in Umeko's way while rubbing down long, sleek legs. "It makes life back home seem very small," Ren muses. "You've done and seen so much, and I don't think you could be any older than Rin and I. Facing death and being responsible for so many lives. What was that tribe you mentioned?"

"I do work for Umeko, who is fairly wealthy now," Xander notes, his fingers lingering a bit here and there. "I got shot at with a cannon too though. So there are trade-offs! Umeko likes to get into trouble."

A grin can be seen along the side of Carla's muzzle. "Well, I suppose if anyone can handle a cannon, it'd be you, right Hotfoot?" She pauses. "Er... Pyrelighter? Vossek the Pyrelighter?"

"He makes terrible jokes, does Mage Pyrelighter," Xander notes. "And the Emperor is just.. so.. HUGE! He could swallow the likes of us up!"

"The Burning Sands," Umeko explains, "A group of free Savanites. They were going to raid us as we crossed ... and instead became allies. All because I dropped my weapons and tried to speak with them instead of simply attacking. As for doing and seeing much ..." It's here Umeko shrugs slightly as she works down Ren's legs. "In truth I went to die, Ren. My life in Jadai had ended when I was .... given to Hakuu to be a trophy. If I was to die, it would be of my own choosing as to how. I had evidence that Hakuu was seeking to betray Jadai and the empire, so I acted upon it. I had hope that it would bring honor to my family so that maybe once they would ..." she says with a creeping sigh in her voice, "Once be proud of me. Much of my life was going up and being told I was a disappointment because I would not be a traditional Kiriga woman."

Xander can feel a shiver run up through the skreek, and she gives Xander's ankle a little squeeze. "He makes jokes? He has to be the... probably second creepiest naga I've seen. He was a guest speaker at one of the collegia's mage career gatherums, and a shiga introduced him as having the third highest wartime body count of currently living mages." She pauses, grimacing. "Though a naga big enough to swallow us whole would probably rank higher on the creepy list. Maybe it's best you didn't take a court mage position after all."

The shiver gives Xander pause for a moment, to properly enjoy it. "I prefer the Kirigai to the Nagas," he notes. "I like legs!" He even uses his toes to try and tickle the backs of Carla's calves.

Ren turns her head so a pale blue eye can look back at Umeko. "Oh... I suppose the life of a noble isn't all candied pala and zolk beds, is it? Rin and I didn't have much, but... the most anybody told us to do was get out of the road." Her tailtip curls around one of Umeko's wrists where a golden hand has come to rest on the backs of her legs. "But now look what you've become! Hero to the empire, friend to the wild men of the Savan, once governess to an entire region, confidant of a general... Hotfoot's boss." She giggles at this last one. "And I guess you'll keep doing that. My sister and I have been fortunate that you've touched our lives, and I very much hope you find her. Do you know much about the southeast coast?"

"I do not, but I will learn as I travel there. What do you know of it?" Umeko asks. She pauses in her massage to reach over and cup her hand over the silver tail curled about her wrist. "As for the life of a noble. A gilded cage is still a cage. It is not all comforts, no. And I have been just as fortunate that you have touched mine. It is knowing people like you that makes enduring harder things possible. You give me things to fight for. A trait I share with your sister. And also speaking of touching, I think it is time that we traded spaces on the rock. I wish to take your offer of returning the favor of massage."

Carla's tail stirs after that little shiver. It's not as dexterous as a kiriga's, but when he tickles the backs of the rat's muscular legs, he can feel it lift up against him where he sits astride Carla's hips. "Hee, well I'm glad you appreciate a good pair of legs. I've been told they're one of my better features. I hear lapi are gifted in that department too... really strong legs and hips."

Ren smiles warmly, rolling onto her flank and sitting up on it, patting her new friend's knee. "Gladly. We won't send you back into the fight without limbering you up again." She scoots a bit to the side to make room to stretch out on the rock, a ghost of her body left on it by a little of the springwater that hadn't quite evaporated yet.

"We're well-built below the waist, certainly," Xander notes, with a bit of a teasing tone.. then spins around on Carla's back and starts massaging her rear!

Umeko eases herself up, then rolls once and stretches out in Ren's former spot, laying stomach down and flat against the warm rock. "Mm, this feels good," she murmurs as her eyelids immediately droop to nearly half-closed. "And I wish I had met both of you when I was younger. Instead of friends I had ... lessons," she remarks, then sticks out her studded tongue in distaste.

"Oop, hey!" It's more mild surprise than protest as Xander turns to end up sitting along the small of Carla's back, the curve almost like a saddle. It gives him a perfect position to continue the massage he started at the skreeks shoulders... and from this end she's quite a bit more of a handful. "Oh... a complete rubdown, you're thorough. Hmhmhm, a lot of muscles there, I suppose. I hope you're enjoying the massage as much as I am, Hotfoot."

"Oh, it's a rare treat indeed!" Xander says as he attacks the rat's muscles (and plays with her tail a bit). "You must swim like an akwavi!"

Ren laces her fingers together and stretches her hands palm out with a few little cracks, then settles herself astride Umeko's back. She leans her weight into her hands, and the golden kiriga can feel knuckles pressing into her back instead of fingertips at first. The silver minidragon bobs at the waist, using the energy of it to roll her knuckles along muscle joins, careful to stretch them out comfortably rather than squish or bruise. The confidence in her hands makes it seem quite practiced, and her progress up and down Umeko's back is very methodical, with symmetry in her treatment of both sides. "We've actually read a little about some of the region southeast of Nagai. Mostly for the way the sea meets it, of course, that's what's relevant to our sphere."

"Umeko lets out a pleased hiss when her muscles begin stretching out. "You're quite practiced in this," she murmurs as her body begins to visibly relax. "What can you tell me of the people there?" she asks as Ren works, "And do you know much of the problems Rin was hired to help with solving?"

Xander's attention shifts to the reptiles when he hears Umeko's hiss.. and he has to start chewing on the tip of his ear to keep himself focused. He might get smacked with Carla's tail otherwise.. or else it might bump into something else. He goes back to kneading, as if making bread back at Enchanted Cuisine during his apprentice years..

Face down, Umeko can't see Ren smiling, but she can hear it in the silver's voice. "Well, my sister trained hard, apparently just like you do. She could get pretty stiff, just like I bet you could, so I got plenty of practice doing this." Once that rolldown with her knuckles is finished, she goes to using her hands and moves from muscle group to muscle group, first pressing with just her thumbs, the pressure deep and applied in small circles to loosen any knots she finds, then soothed with the rest of her hand's spans brought in to evenly rub. "The people there are mostly farmers, I understand. They grow food to raise livestock and feed herbivorous folk, but the weather there is unusual for many places, so other crops thrive there as well, in particular herbs used for medicines and reagents, and all of it is traded with the inner mainland for hardwood, chitin, metal, and other goods. Why Rin would be sent there, I can't begin to guess... I've heard murmurs of uprising."

"Have any names been connected with the uprising rumors?" Umeko asks, though the massage is making it hard to think completely clearly, "I ask because there are certain groups that encourage such things ... and the description of unusual weather makes me wonder if they're somehow involved." As she lies there, growing more and more relaxed, her long tail snakes about until it finds Ren's, then gingerly coils around it again, both to share the warmth and perhaps as a simple indication of friendship.

Xander's practice pays off, even though Carla, despite being pleasantly soft here and there, takes a good bit more working than dough. "Oh, well I've never met an akwavi, though we've heard about them during lessons in aquadynamics. It doesn't sound like I could outswim one, but I bet I can be just as playful." The attention to her legs and rump make her comfortably stretch out the former to enjoy the burn of newly loosened muscles, spreading them apart several degrees and rolling her feet in circles. Xander's angle and the skreeks tail keeps anything untoward hidden, thankfully.

The lapi moves on to the legs once the rump is thoroughly tenderized, muttering his cantrip to help focus. He also hopes Umeko doesn't look over and say anything.

"Mm, none that I know," Ren says, her tail braiding with Umeko's again, black and white tufts matched at the ends. She takes one of Umeko's arms and places one palm at her shoulder, and holds Umeko's wrist with the other, stretching it out straight and gently rolling the shoulder joint in circles, just shy of the joint's natural extention. "I know it has a governor and a cabinet of aids to help represent the farms... most importantly it gives farmers an organization to help them trade their crops competitively, but since they'd broke from the Empire, they also handle things like defense. They negotiated a trade alliance with the Empire, Nagai has had problems since losing some of their agricultural resources. The weather itself is unusual, but it's been that way forever... the currents off the coast are warm, so their sea is very tumultuous and they get lots of sunshine and hard rain both, which is good for some of the rare herbs."

Umeko listens quietly to the description of the organization, nothing seems to stand out that would cause worry that the Cinders are involved ... but being paranoid isn't always a bad thing. "Any rumors of ancient ruins in the area?" Umeko murmurs as her arm goes completely limp in Ren's deft hands, "Or of magical spheres?"

Carla's legs finish stretching out, and she lets them rest again as her lapi masseuse goes to work on thick, powerful thighs. Her tail sways back and forth, and if Xander leaned juuust far enough forward...

The Lapi dares, because.. well, Umeko and Ren probably get to see! And he does want to be thorough. "Your feet aren't ticklish, are they Carla?" he asks.

Ren takes the other arm and gives it the same treatment. It feels a bit awkward, like it should hurt having one's arm pulled into positions like this, but it just feels as though Umeko didn't realize she'd been carrying something heavy until the weight fell away, or didn't realize how tight the muscles there were until they were allowed to relax.

"Well, it's very dramatically named, so I assume there must be something remarkable there," Ren muses. "It's called Dragon's Sorrow."

"If you weren't in school I would hire you to be a personal masseuse," Umeko teases the thin Kiriga sitting upon her. "You are an absolute expert. You are now teaching me. A fair trade for my lessons in the unusual ritual called kissing, I suppose." The name then gives Umeko pause. "Xander, can we send a message to my historian friend, Tinsnip, on Rephidim? I would like him to locate any history he may have on that place and name," she says.

Xander leans a little more forward... a liiiittle more... when he's stretched out more horizontal than he was verticle, suddenly Carla's ankles cross behind Xander's head, trapping it where it is. Carla's voice has an innocently inquisitive tone to it. "Why, Xander... if you intended to kidnap me, you already relaxed my guard with that backrub. You don't need the flintlock you're pressing into my back."

"Meep!" the fire mage squeaks. "Umm, it's.. er... Why yes, Umeko, we can send a message!" He tries not to fall flat on his face though, by grabbing on to Carla's legs!

Carla's question causes Umeko's eyes to open ... which gives her a full view of what is going on. "Xander ... " she says with a sigh, "Can you not behave yourself? Really. Carla, would you like to borrow Xander for the evening and teach him the error of his ways? He would be under orders to obey you as if you were me, of course."

"It's not my fault!" Xander pleads. "You and Ren were.. well.. it's not like I have control over it!"

Ren beams with pride, utterly oblivious to what's going on on the other stone slab. "I guess I never tried this on anyone other than Rin! It helps that you're built so much like her. It's a joy. I've got some clay left, if Xander is indisposed with his master's ceremony, I could even give your scales a touch-up polish before you go."

Carla's long, sturdy legs give Xander some support when he holds onto them, the merciless skreek keeping them crossed as a shapely buff-colored cage. At least the cell has a view. "Oh, a master mage in my employ for an evening? Umeko, you're just as generous to me as you are to Ren!"

"Oh.. I suppose, if Umeko insists.." Xander says, not seeming to mind the situation at all now!

"Then he is all yours, Carla. I only ask that you do not break him," Umeko tells the rat-girl, then flashes a toothy grin to Xander. "I would pay you for your clay so that you could replace it if you would honor me with a touch-up," Umeko offers now with a smile, allowing her eyes to drift away from Xander and Carla for the moment. "And since it sounds like those two will be ... occupied, tonight, you are welcome to stay in my hotel room with me in his stead."

Ren claps her hands gleefully. "It'll be like one of the dorm sleepovers! But classier, and less likely to be raided."

"Oh, those who would dare to raid my room would be in for a surprise," Umeko claims with all seriousness. "And forgive my curiosity here, but how close is my build to your sister? I ask because ... in truth I am curious about family lineages and the origins of our kind. And something interesting that you may not know ... we share a common ancestor with the Nagai."

Carla has propped herself up on her elbows now, the skreek glancing over her shoulder bemusedly. "Oh, I'm sure I'd like that. And I could even return the favor, it'd be the least I could do for that, treating us to dinner, and showing us the Grotto." She finally does uncross her ankles.

Xander nearly falls again. "Well, I'm sure mixing a little Fire and Water would just make things.. Steamier!" he quips, and licks one of Carla's toes!

For all the sassy rejoinders, Carla just squeals ticklishly at that, startling and wiggling her toes and then laughing.

Ren's finally noticed by now, turning on Umeko's back much like Xander did so she can rub down the golden kiriga's legs. "You're very close, actually. She might be a little taller than you, maybe a little heavier, but only just. She's a bit more angular than you are too... you move a little differently, but you both have that lean, graceful frame."

It's now Umeko's turn to stretch her legs out and splay her taloned tows. "I have to wonder if we do share a common Kiriga family line if it was traced back far enough. And how is our movement different? Is it my gait or how my body and tail sways?" she asks as she eyes Xander and Carla and their antics. It's then that she gives Xander a genuine smile, then nods towards him and Carla, perhaps trying to indicate it's all okay.

With the nod from Umeko.. well, Xander starts working his way down Carla's tail next, mischievously. Like all Lightfoots, he seems to be drawn to larger, potentially dangerous women.

Ren's thighs close around Umeko's midsection, seeming to hold her tightly in place, and the silver uses her upper body to push while her hands rub and squeeze along Umeko's legs. Besides loosening the muscle, it feels like just enough pressure to stretch a tiny bit, a little tension escaping from the small of the back and within the pelvis. "You move, mm... in a rolling way, more smoothly and less suddenly than Rin does. Both precise and measured, but you're a powerful river, and she is a crashing wave."

This sort of stretching of muscles is far more pleasant than when Umeko was regressed, that's for certain. "Mm," Umeko mutmurs, momentarily lost in the bliss of relaxation. "If I had to explain where the difference comes from ... I was taught dance and other fine arts growing up, whereas I suspect Ren was not. Dance teaches movements to flow. Much of those lessons helped me also advance in the martial arts; flowing from one technique to the next in a blur of grace. I do so wish to compare styles with Rin some day. I am sure we would learn from each other."

Pulling along the skreek's scaley tail makes it pull up and back, her pelvis lifting a little, tilting up and rounding her out in an even more exaggerated way than she usually is. Some of her weight is held on her knees, her thighs pressed together again and ankles crossed, though this time not behind Xander's head. The lapi mage can feel her back curling under him, Carla giggling and muttering rather than trading jibes. "Xander! They don't need to see that!"

The silver kiriga nods briskly, treating Umeko's tail in much the same way, though with considerably more discretion, working the powerful muscles that give it its sway. "I'm sure you would. When she talks about fighting I don't understand half of it.. center of balance this, and telegraphing that, and reaction time the other. I've definitely never seen her dance."

Umeko's brow arches when she gets presented with a rather odd view thanks to Xander's antics. "Mammalian females are sure complicated in odd ways," she comments to the playing pair, "All fleshy and weird and ... colorful." Her head shakes a bit, returning her attention to Ren and saying, "Perhaps we should retreat and leave the grotto to them? They seem very ... occupied. And speaking of dance, do you know how to? If not, would you like a few lessons this evening? I would not have the time to teach you much, but it may come in in case you are invited to a dance here on Caroban. Xander once told me they have those regularly."

"I'm sure Ren's seen it, aren't you roommates?" Xander teases, and then turns around to see if the Skreek is ticklish along her ribs.

"I'd love to learn some dance!" enthuses Ren. After one last tug-stretch on Umeko's tail, she lets up, sitting back and rolling off her golden match and sitting cross-legged, nodding at Umeko. "I know a little bit, actually... some of the other students have been eager to teach me, but none as graceful as you. Oh yes, I suppose we should get back and wash the spring minerals out of our hair, it's getting late."

Carla's downfall turns out to be that she is quite ticklish, and easily incapacitated with laughter, squirming around under Xander. "Hahaha, not like... heeheestoppit not like this, I don't want to hahaha scar the poor girl..."

Umeko rolls to her side, then pushes herself upward until she's nose to nose with Ren. Without even asking, she tilts her head and briefly kisses Ren, just because, well ... Umeko likes to surprise people. Probably. "Time to get dressed. These stones have dried us well," she says when she pulls back. "We will see you later, Xander, Carla. Thank you both for a delightful evening and ... please do not break each other. I promise to not break Ren." The kiriga smiles wide as she adds, "A new day comes and new friends and new adventures await. Let us not disappoint!"

Cackling wildly, Xander rides the squirming Skreek. "Oh, don't worry about scarring Ren!" he claims. "Kiriga are really resistant to having their minds warped! Now.. what will you give me to let you up, my temporary mistress?"