It takes a few minutes before Redmane leaves the bathroom, all wrapped up in her towel. "I checked the cistern for you, so there's fresh hot water if you don't want to bathe in second-hand sweat," she tells him, as she heads for the fire and the thick sheepskin rug before it. "Even though it's my sweat and therefore heroic sweat."
"I've worn plenty of your sweat over the Years," Thomas comments as be basses by Redmane and just grins. It's also funny how something just happens to pinch her right on the butt too. "No peeeeeeeking," he teases as he closes the door behind himself.
After yiping, Redmane gives Tom a glare. "I've seen it before," she notes.
"And I know you want to again!" Thomas claims from the other side. There's the sound of water draining, then after a minute or two, the tub filling back up.
"Riiiight," Redmane says, taking out her hairbrush and kneeling in front of the fire.
"Ahhhh," comes an overly dramatic sigh from the bathroom door. "Nothing like a bath to wash away all the girliness I had to endure today!"
"And a hot bath in a room full of candles and scented soap is sooo manly?" Redmane notes as she brushes out her hair. She then pauses, and goes to the desk to get a piece of paper and then writes carefully on it.
"When they're properly dribbly, they're manly. Don't you go into spooky castles?" Thomas has to ask, then laughs. Water sloshes around as he moves about in the tub. "And by the way, I'm glad you're having some fun, even if this trip is a bit weird!"
Redmane smiles, and says, "I had a lot of fun today! So I guess you deserve a reward of some kind unless you manage to screw up the rest of the date." She folds the paper and goes to slide it under the door into the hallway.
"Mwahahah, the night is still young and my powers are strong! I have time yet!" Thomas cackles. "And admit it, if I was all mushy and nice all the time, it would drive you crazy."
"I dunno," Redmane admits, returning to her spot in front of the fire. "You drive me crazy anyway, since I never can tell if you're being serious or not about anything."
"There's a secret way to always know, you know," Thomas notes as he splashes about.
"Hmm, and since it's a secret, you aren't going to just tell me, right?" Redmane guesses.
"Nah. The secret is ... ask me," Thomas declares.
"Ah, and if you refuse to answer, then you're being serious!" Redmane says with a laugh. "It's not easy for a girl to just ask, you know. It might encourage men to expect us to answer when asked. Which is a grave insult, of course!"
"Not like I ever have to ask you. I always know what you're up to!" Thomas claims. "And right now you're wondering when I'm going to ask you to come wash my back."
After tying her hair back into a ponytail, Redmane says, "That's only the second thing I'm wondering about, and the first is a surprise. Did you wash behind your ears yet?"
"And disturb my many years of dirt collection? What do you think I am, a heathen?" Thomas asks, "Not to mention it might disturb my nice ear tuft."
"I brought Q-Tips," Redmane notes. "I guess I'll do it for you then, so your ear isn't messed up."
"Ooo, my very own harem maiden cleaning my ears," Thomas laughs, "I'll be sure to strategically place washcloths so your delicate sensibilities aren't damaged!"
"A whole washcloth?" Redmane asks, with a grin. "You sure think highly of yourself!"
"Ooo, nice one!" Thomas laughs. "Are you coming or not?"
"Oh, you're ready?" Redmane asks, setting down her things and standing up. She checks her towel, and heads for the bathroom. "Do I have to close my eyes?"
"Only if you want to trip on stuff," Thomas claims, "I'm not that hideous. Close, sure, but not that bad."
Redmane heads inside, and checks to see how Thomas is positioned in the tub.
Thomas has draped a towel over the top of the tub to keep himself modest and has leaned forward. He glances over his shoulder and blows a puff of air to flip some of his hair our of the way. Of course he's looking at Redmane through the 'feline' eye, which makes the 'come hither' roll of his brow a bit ... disturbing.
Redmane arches an eyebrow, and approaches the tub. She dips a finger in to test how warm it still is, and then says, "Okay, close your eyes, buster."
"Rowr," goes Thomas and he grins. He even complies by looking back forward and closing his eyes. The water is actually rather warm and still steaming.
Setting her towel aside, Redmane gets in behind Thomas. "There. I figured you'd try to get me wet anyway," she says. "And be glad I didn't flip a coin, because my other option was sitting in your lap and reaching around to wash your back!"
"Sitting in the lap of the beast is a dangerous proposition," Thomas teases as he slides forward a bit. "This brings back memories of a ruined bathtub and wolves. That water was pretty cold, but you weren't..."
"Ahem," Redmane says, and reaches around Tom's shoulder, hand held out. "Hand me the soap?"
Thomas lifts up a bar of soap and holds it over his shoulder. He deftly rolls it between his fingers, then presents it to Redmane. "Your weapon against the unholy demons of grime, o' knight," he declares.
Redmane snatches it, and lathers up her hands. "No getting catty now. You had your change to wash my back with your tongue already, after all," she notes teasingly, and then starts scrubbing Tom's back.
Thomas, ever contrary, briefly overlays a glamour of a back of fluffy, white, cat fur on his back. "Meow," he declares and the image fades away. Maybe its the light in here, the flicker of the candles, but now and then Redmane could swear she sees the faint line of scars here and there.
Fingers actually linger on those faint ghost-lines. "Do you miss your old scars?" Redmane suddenly asks. "I used to trace them with my fingers, I remember."
"Not really. Its refreshing to have a chance to start over without all the old wounds, you know?" Thomas says with a shrug. "Why do you ask?"
"Just wondering," Redmane says, and then reaches under the water to goose Thomas. "Did you get behind your ears like a good boy?"
"Heck no, I'm not good!" Thomas declares as he splashes water over his shoulder.
Radmane acks, but then she was prepared for getting wet. Using her thumbs, she cleans behind Tom's ears (being extra careful of the tufted one). "And other places you didn't wash but should have?" she asks.
"Well, there's this spot in front a bit lower down..." Thomas teases and glances a bit over his shoulder. And to make matters worse, he slides back a bit until he's lightly leaning on Redmane. "Gotcha," he practically purrs.
"Oh, do you?" Redmane says, and then licks Tom's unpainted ear.
"Ack! You called my bluff," Thomas complains!
"What, you were bluffing?" Redmane says in mock indignation. "First the almost-kiss and now this? I'm tempted to sit in your lap until you cry uncle you know, or turn your head and smother you!"
"Down, Muirenn," Thomas notes, grinning, as he does settle back against Redmane. He reaches back, takes her arms, and wraps them back around himself. "You're supposed to be a Good knight..."
"You aren't having a good night?" Redmane asks, and tries to tickle Thomas' tummy. "You're using me as a bath pillow."
"I don't know ... I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop," Thomas remarks as he playfully bats at Redmane's fingers. "And I think this suite is getting to you!"
"You haven't lied naked on that rug yet," Redmane teases. "Hmmm, you do have me trapped though. I can't get out of the tub. It's a good thing I scrubbed your back though, or I might start chafing again, and we wouldn't want that! I know how much you dislike dealing with such things."
"I'm supposed to lie naked on the rug?" Thomas has to ask and glances over his shoulder. "Just what are you plotting?"
Redmane scootches down a bit when Thomas looks back. "I was trying to insinuate that I had, and found it pleasant," she remarks, using a bad British accent for some reason.
"And just where do you think you're going?" Thomas says with an evil glint in his eyes .... right before he reaches back and tilts his head up. And before Redmane can react, Thomas has his hand behind her head and he's kissing her.
"Hmmfff!" Redmane goes, and nearly slips lower. She hadn't expected Thomas' neck to be so flexible!
The position is awkward enough that Thomas manages to roll himself over so they're now pressed chest to chest. He grins like the Cheshire cat and says, "Well, hello there..."
"Ummm," Redmane goes, looking a bit like a rabbit (although a scale one). "Hi?" she says, and then.. sort of wiggles a bit. Probably nervous!
Thomas reaches up and traces his finger down Redmane's nose. "Why so nervous? You climbed in here..." he points out.
"I wasn't on the bottom then," the girl notes, blushing from where Thomas's finger traces. "Have you decided on your reward for being nice to me all day?" she asks.
"I don't need a reward. I got that a long time ago," Thomas notes and cups his hand gently under Redmane's chin. "And fate gave me a chance to not screw it up again. All in all, I feel pretty lucky." He pats Redmane's cheek, then asks, "Do you want out?"
"What?" Redmane asks, in a bit of daze. "Out? Oh.. uh.. of the tub?" she then asks.
"Of course out of the tub," Thomas says with a playful grin, "Otherwise, why, I might have to make sure you didn't miss any dirt by checking you very thoroughly..."
"Oh, I'm sure you planted some on me," Redmane says, still blushing. "Or I suppose I could get out.. but then you'd have to give me a cat bath!" she teases.
Thomas only answer to that is to lick along Redmane's neck up to her ear, where he nips her earlobe lightly. "Rowr," he murmurs into it.
"I should go see if your surprise has been delivered," Redmane says, and licks Thomas' nose. "Hmmm... should I ask you to close your eyes?"
"And now who is running away?" Thomas teases as he slides back and actually turns around again, giving her privacy. "Thanks for making the bad more fun," he practically rumbles in laughter.
"We'll see who can be the most bad and fun!" Redmane says in challenge, and pulls herself out of the tub. Just to torment Thomas (or at least, she thinks it's torment) she dries herself off before leaving. And outside, Thomas can just hear the door to the room open and close briefly.
Thomas just chuckles to himself and finally slides out of the tub. A thought does occur to him now, though, and he checks to see if Redmane left enough towels for him to dry off with.
There are several washcloths that are dry..
Thomas grabs the remaining washcloths and uses them to dry off with as best he can, then throws on his shirt from earlier, thankful it hands low enough to offer him some modesty. "Lets go see what doom she has planned, eh?" he comments to himself, then opens the bathroom door...
Something was delivered while the two were in the bath, thanks to room service and the note Redmane left out in the hall: three bowls, one filled with strawberries, one with cream, and one with something that's either oil or honey. Redmane is laying on the rug, with the towel around her hips and two strategically placed strawberry halves (held in place with cream) elsewhere.
"I got us some dessert!" she proclaims.
Thomas' reaction has to be really ... interesting. He stands there, mouth agape at the scene. "Er, normally you don't wear your dessert," he says, for once sounding actually surprised. "Do you expect me to lick that off?"
"I know better than to try and manipulate you into doing things, Thomas," Redmane says, sitting up. The strawberries manage to stay in place for the moment! "I don't even remember if you like strawberries. I just wanted you to know that I feel guilty about you not being able to enjoy applying first aid to me in the ruins, and wanted to make it up to you. Or, if not.. to look really silly sitting here with fruit stuck to me."
"Well, you have sort of succeeded on the last part," Thomas has to admit as he heads over and sits down on the rug beside Redmane. "As for the first part, well ... first aid isn't expected to be enjoyable! There was nothing to make up," he claims, "But I appreciate he offer!" And to confuse matters more, his head suddenly dips down and he takes one of those strategically placed strawberries in his mouth! "But far be it for me to pass up dessert!"
"I got honey too, just in case," Redmane says, giggling at the quickness of the berry-grab. "And we have wine, and... okay, maybe it is the room, a little. I mean, it would seem such a waste.. And this rug is really comfortable.. and.." At that point, she leans forward and kisses Thomas. "And.. you look pretty silly in that long shirt yourself.."
Thomas doesn't actually back away from the kiss. "You do realize you're walking into dangerous territory," Thomas has to point out as he reaches over and takes a berry. He dips it in some cream, then promptly puts a dollop on Red's nose tip. "Are you sure you want to do this? Will you be able to look at me in the morning?"
"I'll just look at the cat half," Redmane claims, and tries to lick the cream off of her nose with her own tongue. "When will we have this chance again? And.. it's something you wouldn't have done with Murienn or with Agatha, so it means you like me for.. me!"
"Besides, we don't have to go too far.. just enough to be fun," she adds with a wink.
"And I'm sure the bathtub will be cold enough to help demotivate the situation should it start to go too far," Thomas quips, grinning. "As for a chance again, there's still January to go through, and the way back ... plenty of time to get into further trouble. And oh look, I missed some of that cream." So, of course he licks off the remnants of cream that formerly held a berry. "Now ... lets just make sure the berries last for a while..."