Three things happened when Mazerine awoke the next morning. First, she let out a soft groan, immediately closing her eyes after having had them open for only a split second, the slightly dim light from the still-stormy morning coming in from the window being just enough to cause her head to continue to throb. She attributed this in fact to the amount of ale and whiskey she had consumed the night before, although her head was still rather cloudy.  Next, she snapped her eyes back open as she realized that she was staring at the side of a man's face.  For a moment, she stared at him, blinking rapidly as she attempted to remember what had gotten her into that particular situation.  Her conversation with Douken, who was to be her partner in an upcoming expedition - the conversation that had taken place in the tavern and that which had taken place in the room - came flooding back to her, right down to when she had offered him the other half of the bed before she had fallen asleep herself.  Finally, she moved to roll onto her back and misjudged the distance she had remaining on her edge of the bed, rolling off the edge and landing with a soft thud on the wooden floor.

She winced slightly, unsure if her landing had been loud enough to wake Douken, and got up as quietly as she could.  A shiver ran down her spine as her bare feet touched the cold, unheated floor, making a bee-line straight to the table on which the tray of water and some sort of tincture or medicine sat.  She poured some water from the pitcher into the cup she had sipped from previously, taking a large gulp.  Grabbing the jar with the medicine, she took the dropper out and opened her mouth, dripping some in.  She shuddered at the taste as she replaced the dropper.

She moved to stretch, realizing she had slept in every layer of her clothing the night before, the buckles of the corset she wore over her tunic had been pressing against her skin.  She loosened them, allowing the tunic to fall loosely around her, twisting slightly and enjoying the comfort.  She had a leather satchel in the corner of the room filled with some of her belongings, and she walked over to it, fishing a few things out.  She draped what she grabbed over the back of a chair, and began the arduous process of changing while there was another person in the room. It was fairly simple, as the tunic she wore fell just a few inches above her knee, allowing her enough privacy to remove her skirt and change into the pair of black leather leggings she had pulled out.  Being sure her back as turned towards the bed, she removed the tunic as well, pulling a different one on that had been dyed a deep green color.  

With a bit of a struggle, she pulled her boots on and wrapped a thick leather belt around her waist, cinching it tightly and attaching a small dagger in a leather holster to its side - one of the few physical weapons she ever carried with her.  With that, she walked over towards the window and pulled the shabby drapes back slightly, looking out at the storm that was still raging on.  The hail had subsided, but from the window she was able to see that there was absolutely no way they were going to be able to get a ship back to the mainland that day - the waves at the docks were crashing several feet over the docks, and onto the decks of the ships that were anchored there.  She sighed heavily, knowing that this would push their departure back even further.  Pulling the drapes the rest of the way open, she walked back to the table and sat down, sipping at the water she had poured.  She then chanced a glance back at the bed to see if Douken had awoken during the slight ruckus she had been making in preparing for the day, trying to decide what the day would hold if they were unable to travel, as was fairly certain. At least, if nothing else, they would be able to plan a bit more using her map, and perhaps get to know one another a bit more, so they had a better idea of who they were traveling with.

The thud echoed from Mazerine's fall off the bed echoed through the room, causing Douken to stir where he laid, but instead of getting up from it, he still laid still, as if giving herself time to compose herself and not feel guilty for waking him up. He gave her another minute or two before he was going to start to get up, but mixing in with the tattering of rain on the window was the clanging of small metal as it was fiddled with before shifting through something. He could only guess that she was getting herself changed, which meant he should give her another moment to herself.

He used the sound of footsteps and the lack of rustling as a sign of her finishing up before finally letting out a loud yawn before pushing himself up, rubbing his eyes before looking around, turning his heard towards Mazerine once he caught her in his peripheral. "Ah, good morning. Hope you slept well," he told her as he stepped out of bed, walking over to the window overlooking the city. "Talk about great way to an adventure, huh?" he joked, sarcasm flooded in his voice. "At the very least this lets us make sure we got plenty of rations and emergency care kits for whatever may occur," he stated, heading over to where he left his bag and pulling out a belt where a steel fan rested upon to rest at his back when worn.

Strapping it on, he turned to look over to her, stating, "Why don't we get some breakfast first?"

Mazerine's gaze turned back to Douken as he awoke, or at least as she perceived him awakening, not knowing that he had in fact been awake for some time already.  She flashed him a smile, already starting to feel back to normal thanks to the medicinal concoction she had just downed.  "Morning," she said softly.  "Like a rock, but I'm sure that's no surprise considering the state I was in," she said, a bit of color coming to her cheeks.  She fiddled with her hair as he moved to the window, beginning to braid it in a long plait that fell over one of her shoulders.  "I really was hoping the storm was going to let up, but there was no chance… it looks downright terrible out there," she added, tying the end of her braid with a thin strip of leather.   

She stood up when he mentioned breakfast.   "Food sounds absolutely wonderful right now," she said, agreeing with him.  She grabbed a few things before they left the room - a couple pieces of parchment, a box containing an inkwell and a quill, and the map she had shown him previously.  "Two birds with one stone, we can plan out a few things and make some supply lists, like you said," she explained.  The two walked out the door and back down the stairs to the tavern that the inn sat above.  Fortunately for the pair, it was one of the taverns in Egjora known for the food it served as well, so they did not have to venture out into the storm just yet - that would happen when they needed to obtain supplies.  

Mazerine chose the same table she had been sitting at before Douken's arrival the night before, more out of habit than anything else as she had sat there several times before.  She set the things she carried down with her, spreading the map out on the table and glancing down at it for a minute.  Pushing everything to the side so it was not in her way nor was it in Douken's way, she sat back in her chair, stretching her arms up over her head and letting out a bit of a groan.  "Not the most comfortable bed I've slept in, but it tops sleeping on the ground," she said, attempting to make idle conversation.  Of course, she felt a bit awkward - after all, wasn't it always a bit strange to share your bed with someone you'd only just met?  

Just then, one of the barmaids stopped over with a hot kettle of tea and a couple of mugs, as well as a pitcher of water.  "Food for the both of you?" she asked, and Mazerine nodded.

"Yes, please and thank you," she said.  It was clear that her speech was much more eloquent when she was not inebriated.  She spoke with a propriety that indicated some sort of nobility, though the snobbish tone that many nobles carried was absent from her voice.  The barmaid gave her a quick smile and nod and went away, presumably to begin preparing their meal.  "I do hope you aren't overly picky about what you eat," she said, turning back to Douken.  "They've wonderful food here, though the selection is rather limited.  Breakfast is usually just an assortment of meats and fruits and cheese - sometimes eggs depending on if the owner's chickens have been in agreement with him," she added.  

Knowing that a bit of time would pass before their food would be served, she poured herself a mug of the steaming tea that they had been served, taking a sip of the still piping hot liquid.  She relished in the feeling as she swallowed it, warming her up considerably from the damp, cool air of the tavern.  "So, Douken.  If I recall from last night's conversation, you've a history of exploration.  Where do you hail from?" she asked, finding that she was curious about his history.  He seemed a proper man, of course, but she still chastised herself for putting herself into a situation where she could have been unsafe - fortunately for her, her misguided judgment had been correct.  "Unless, of course, that's a subject you'd rather not broach," she added, almost apologetically at the end.  She gave him a quick smile once more and took another sip of her tea, awaiting his response.

Douken was not one to really argue on where the pair settled themselves. After all, he had only arrived last night, so there was no real flow to his placement in terms of where to settle down, though he did question why set everything up right away. Wouldn't the food get in the way? Not only that, but he would like to not be distracted by a growling stomach. However, before she got started with it, she set things aside before making a quick quip on their living situation. He figured she slept there for a few days, but it did not stop him from chuckling. "True," he replied, "but would you have paid more silver just for a comfier bed? When you are used to making camp, any bed becomes a luxury."

The pot of tea was just the thing he could ask for. Simple, yet hot to warm you up and it helped with waking up. He also bet it would work well with the meal that was to come. "Hey, any food is better than conjured air," he told her, pouring himself a mug after her before taking in a quick drink… Okay, so maybe he was not too much of a fan of hot tea, with the water scorching his tongue. At the very least, t did taste good and warm himself up. It was all a simple matter of sipping slowly so he didn't burn all his taste buds off before they ate.

Of course, it would be time before they ate, and there was no desire to talk about work, which meant it was fare to learn about each other it seemed. "Not a problem," he answered, waving the notion of being a difficult topic. "I come from a fairly small town at the base of the Jackboot Range over in Parvpora. Nothing spectacular, really. Just me and a family of crazies all about finding a spectacular treasure. In fact, my grandfather settled there because he thought an answer lied with this there," he told her, pointing over at the key-like item that hung around his neck. "Dad thought his stories were nuts, but the old man certainly wasn't wrong about this item being worthless." Taking a hold of its base, Douken's fingers began to spark with a green energy, resonating with the key before it seemed to have erupted to life, blue glyphs floating in the air emphasizing its key shape. However, as soon as he let go, the energy died and the symbols faded away.

"I don't know that I would have paid more to have a more comfortable bed - but perhaps another bed entirely," she said, though her pale cheeks turned rosy immediately after she spoke.  "I mean no offense, I am just generally a rather restless sleeper, I move about quite a bit - but I am stiff from staying in one position so as not to encroach on your comfort," she said, offering him a rather sheepish grin.  The two continued to chat about the room, making camp, and breakfast for a time, sipping on their tea.  Mazerine listened rather intently to his explanation of where he was from. 

She watched Douken's hands as he began to fiddle with the key-shaped thing hanging from his neck, her eyes widening slightly at the events that took place as he held it, and she tilted her head slightly when the energy faded away when he let it go.  "That's rather interesting," she said softly, slowly shifting her gaze back to his face from the necklace.  "It most certainly is not worthless… but hard to judge an item's worth when you don't know what it does," she said.  The tone of her voice made it clear that she found the item fascinating and wanted to know more about it, but was in no way, shape, or form concerned about its value.  She opened her mouth to continue on the subject but snapped it shut again as a burst of wind rushed through the tavern, the door having opened to allow more patrons in.

Just then, the barmaid approached them carrying a tray of assorted meats, steaming with heat from having just been cooked up, as well as various cheeses and fruits.  As she set it down, Mazerine handed her a fistful of silver.  "Thank you, this looks wonderful," said Mazerine, and the barmaid gave her a smile and a nod before walking away.  Mazerine slid one of the plates to sit in front of Douken, before setting the other down in front of herself.  She gave him a quick smile and began to dish up a bit of food.  She pushed the tray towards him and picked a strawberry off of her own plate.  Bringing the berry to her mouth, she wrapped her lips around it to take a bite but froze just as her teeth had punctured the fruit.  Her eyes were fixated on a group of three men - the three who had entered just recently, to be exact.  They sat at the bar counter, speaking to the barkeep.  

The half-bitten strawberry fell from Mazerine's mouth, and her eyes widened slightly as though she were terrified.  Slowly, she leaned across the table and placed her hand on Douken's forearm.  "Listen.  We need to leave.  We need to leave now," she said, her fingers pressing slightly into his arm to get her point across.  She darted her gaze to the men at the bar, before looking back to him, hoping that he would take the hint.  "I'll explain when it's safe.  When we leave, I need you to walk beside me - they can't see me," she said.  With that, she stood up, waiting for him to follow suit.  When he did, she positioned herself so that he was standing between her and the men.  With a few tugs at her hair, she covered the points of her ears.  Grabbing Douken's arm, she wrapped it around her waist slightly, so that the pair would look like nothing more than a couple exiting the tavern into the storm.  She then walked the pair towards the door, intent on exiting with no situation arising.

Just as she pulled the door open, a strong gust of wind blew her hair back, revealing the points of her ears once more.  The men at the counter turned towards the door with the commotion the gust of wind had caught, and it was clear that they recognized Mazerine on sight.  "Oy, it's the elf-bitch!" the largest of the men called, and the other two immediately stood from their stools, one of the wooden seats clamoring to the floor with a loud crash.  

"Go!" she yelled, and the pair hurried out the door.  She knew that a million questions would be running through Douken's mind, and she would answer them to the best of her ability as soon as it was safe.  The rain pelted the pair as they ran out into the storm, Mazerine's hair taking no time at all to be dripping wet and plastered to her face.  As though she had a plan of escape already routed in her mind, she immediately steered them down an alley not far from the tavern.  Unfortunately, the wind was blowing in a direction that turned the alley into a wind tunnel with painfully heavy rain.

"Here," she said and moved her back flat up against a stone wall in the alley.  She pulled Douken towards her and got him to lean on the wall slightly, pressing her face against his chest as though she were going to embrace him in a loving manner - she was really just doing all she could to hide her face, should the men choose to follow them in that direction.  She placed one hand around him and on his back as though holding him to her - fortunately for the pair, the tavern they were at was in a seedier part of Egjora, where that sort of sight would not be uncommon.  "Just… wait," she said, her voice muffled against him.  The rain continued to pelt them as the wind seemed to pick up speed.

Sure enough, the men came walking past the alley moments after that - they shot Douken one glance and saw nothing other than a man and woman locked in an embrace in an alley, and continued on.  After a few minutes passed and she could be sure that they had continued searching for the pair elsewhere, she removed her arm from around his back and pushed him slightly away, looking up at him.  "So… that map that I had…" she began, shivering from the cold wind and wet rain.  Her clothing was completely soaked, clinging to her form, her hair disheveled and dripping wet from the storm pummeling them.  "I sort of… stole it from those men," she said, yelling over the howling wind.  She looked at Douken with an apologetic gaze, chewing on her lower lip slightly.  She definitely hoped, at that point, that Douken would not decline her employ - but she could offer further explanation once the two were out of the storm again.

It was sad they had to abandon the fresh plate of food, but at the very least he placed his trust with Mazerine. Sure, he knew nothing of the band of three that entered (to him, they were simply others seeking to escape the storm), but if she did not trust them, he expected a good reason. At the very least the silver was handed when they got the food, so they would not be called out for dine and dashing, even if they let out a massive platter of food. If anything, he would feel ashamed if they were called out for wasteful.

Still, he was sure to follow her movements that she hinted with, not being shy with his arm around her to help make things look a bit more authentic. However, when she was called out, the pair booked it into the rain, even if their clothes were not quite suited for the weather. Maybe they won't think of it as wasteful? he could not stop himself from thinking as the pair became quickly trenched.

When the elf chose to pull herself between him and a wall, Douken was sure to make sure their steps were more into the shadowy portion of the alleyway. Otherwise, a white-haired man in a simple shirt and shorts out on the rain would stand out way too much, especially if the caught sight of him before. With her arms going around him, he did the same, looking down as he flowed magic through his finger, his fingers ready to trace a simple rune just in case things turned bad. Luckily, it seemed all turned out well, and for a while nothing else was around them except for the echoes of rain striking the flood in rapid succession.

When things were safe and the pair took a step away from each other, she explained why exactly those men were after her. "Not words you should yell in this town," was his first reply. "At least, if you want to keep your hands and the rumors are true. Why don't we talk about this in a warmer spot?" However, the tavern would probably be the worst place to head straight back. After all, that would be the first place to seek them out. "I mean, it may be daring, and you are free to decline, but a bath house would be a location I doubt they would check…" He honestly expected the declaration, considering they were still strangers and he was offering a mixed bath. However, it would be really warm in there and a good hiding spot for the time being.

Mazerine nearly laughed when Douken chastised her for speaking too loudly.  With as loud as the wind was roaring through the alley coupled with the rain hammering down on them, someone would have to be standing right next to them to be able to hear what she had shouted at him.  She understood his concern, however - Egjora held its civility in high esteem.  Anything that would jeopardize that reputation needed to be eradicated - thievery included.  

Pushing away a clump of soaking wet hair that had plastered itself to her face, she nodded enthusiastically at his suggestion of where they could head to get out of the storm.  "At this rate, I don't care," she said, loudly enough so he could still hear her over the raging storm.  "We're both going to catch a death of a cold if we're in this storm much longer," she said.  "I think there was one a few blocks towards the docks.  It's not too far," she said.  She gestured for him to follow her and took off down the alley in the direction of the docks - not quite running, but traveling at a faster pace than one would in kinder weather.

She had to admit to herself, a bathhouse was a rather scandalous place for a pair of near-strangers to share a conversation, no matter what the necessity.  Sure, they were both soaking wet, freezing cold, and the tavern would not be a safe place for them at the current moment, and the bathhouse would allow for them to warm themselves up while getting their clothing dried - but it was scandalous nevertheless.

Before long, the pair had ducked into a simple looking stone building, plain and boring on the outside with nothing more than a sign reading 'Egjora Baths.'  Once inside, however, one would see that the place was beautifully built and decorated.  Mazerine walked towards the main counter, dropping a hefty amount of silver (dripping wet from the rain) on the counter to secure a private bathing room for the pair - what they needed to discuss could most certainly not be discussed around the ears of strangers, as there was always a chance that those strangers would either know the men she stole the map from or would alert the authorities that there was a thief in their midst.  

The pair walked down a hallway as the woman at the front directed them, and Mazerine used the key the woman had given her to unlock a large wooden door at the end of it.  The door opened to give way to a large room with a sunken-in bath basin in the center, coaled heaters on the sides for drying towels and clothing.  After they had both entered, Mazerine shut the door and flipped the lock on it behind them, to be sure that they would not be interrupted by any unwanted guests.  Before doing anything else, she wandered over to the taps by the bath, conduits that the bathhouse proprietor had rigged with magic to pour out steaming hot water.  She twisted them to activate, and soon the basin was filling up with water, steam billowing over the surface.

Mazerine awkwardly peeled her boots off, the wet leather squelching as she tossed them to the side.  As she began unlacing the cording on the sides of her leggings to remove them, she began speaking to Douken simultaneously.  "Thanks for going along with that," she said, glancing up at him with a bit of a grin.  "I didn't steal the map just for fun, you know," she said, her words breaking slightly as she wrenched the wet leather off of her skin.  She tossed the soaked leggings to the side, soon followed by the belt cinched around her waist.  "They actually stole from me first," she began to explain.  "They sort of followed me here from Adeluna," she continued, tugging the tunic over her head and discarding it with the other already removed clothing.  Scooping the clothing up, she draped them over the racks hovering above one of the coal heaters.  She made no move to cover herself as she padded barefoot across the room, shivery slightly from the damp. Years of growing up in nobility with servants drawing her bath for her as well as bathing her had given her the lack of modesty.  Besides, she figured  "They stole it from me there, and they weren't horribly happy when I snatched it back from them on the ship… so I'm sort of on the run.  From them, at least.  I might be able to defend myself against beasts in the wild and the like… but I don't know about from three grown men who've each got at least a foot on me," she said.  "So I need to get to the ruins - with the map - before they get it back from me."  Of course, she wasn't too worried about the map - the chest it was stored in back in her room at the tavern was heavily warded so that no one would be able to open it without her present.

She gave a bit of a shrug, and maneuvered herself to sit on the edge of the basin, her bare legs dipping into the steaming water.  She let out a contented sigh, relishing in the feeling, before slipping her entire body in, dunking her head and all.  She emerged in the steam, looking up at Douken with a grin.  "Bet you thought you were just going to help out some poor little elf girl find her way through the jungle, huh?" she said, laughing slightly. "I don't exactly look the roguish type, do I?" she added with a grin, before realizing that she had just paraded about completely naked in front of what could be referred to as a stranger.  Her cheeks immediately blazed crimson, though the heat from the water and the steam could have been to blame.  She said nothing to him regarding such, though she did find herself fixing her gaze on him, as though waiting to see if he would act with as much boldness as she did, or if he would choose to change behind one of the screens and cover himself with a towel.  Such behavior choices would, of course, give way to a bit more of his personality, and she was beginning to find him rather interesting.  

The gnome behind the counter hated bad weather. It meant many people stayed inside and tried to keep themselves warm instead of braving the rain to come in and get cleaned up all before braving the rain back home or to the tavern. At the very least, it did allow her to try and study weather patterns to try and handle her shift as best as possible, making sure everything was prepared for less guests, getting cleaning staff in to take care of some of the bigger "messes…" Makes her glad she was not on cleaning duty.

Still, considering the condition of the storm, she did not expect any traffic to flow through at all, which sent her a bit of a shock when a human and elf pair found themselves coming in drenched from the storm, with the elf woman quick to place a large sum on the counter. She did not need to count it to tell it was above the usual rate. She wanted  a more… private… space for the two of them. "Very well," she told them, collecting the funds before guiding them to one of their higher leveled private bathrooms. "Feel free to enjoy yourselves," she said in a near chuckle. She should be sure to send a cleaning crew into that room after they were done…

"Talk about fancier on the inside," Douken muttered to himself as he looked around the room they were given. Sure, it was not as big as the open air bath he visited recently, but it seemed they made up for that with its decoration and coals for them to get their items dried up. Mazerine was sure to take advantage of the coals right away as she slowly stripped down, hanging each item above to try to remove any water she could. While she could have easily stripped behind a folding screen before wrapping herself up from his view with a towel, she boldly took them off in front, no worry about covering herself before slipping herself in the bath.

"Am I to guess the map is more like a piece to a puzzle than a simple guideline?" Douken chuckled as she pulled the shirt over his head, following suit with hanging it over the coals to try before working on his belt. He had a small code when handling such a situation. If his company was more open with it, he should be as well… Maybe more because of a pride thing, but it was something he never really thought of in hindsight. By the time she dunked her head in, Douken worked off his pants before hanging them up. Her small quip came up as he was pulling out the fan that rested upon the belt. "There are many kinds of characters out there," Douken chuckled, folding out the fan. "Not long ago, I met an orc that preferred the culinary arts over the martial."

And speaking of the culinary arts, there was still the fact that they could not have been able to enjoy much of the spread the pair was given to enjoy. So, with his index and middle fingers sparking with energy, he touched the fan, causing his mana to seemingly arc onto the item as he moved his hand about, drawing out a crest before pulling away. With a quick pulse, the rune lifted up before swirling into the form of an apple, which he rolled into his hand via tilting the fan before folding it back up and sheathing it. After taking a quick bite of the mana fruit, Douken joined Mazerine in the bath they were given. At the very least, he made sure to give her some distance… just in case.

Still, with a slip into the water, Douken could not stop himself from letting out a relieved sigh. "Warm baths like this are always a joy to have," he said, as if acknowledging the rarity it came in terms of enjoying.

Mazerine glanced at Douken as he spoke to her while he undressed.  It was unintentional, but her gaze wandered his form momentarily before she realized such and tore it away, focusing on other aspects of the room.  "You'd be guessing right," she said, clearing her throat slightly as she answered his question about the map.  "There's some sort of… not warding, but some enchantment on the map that is needed.  There's a guardian present there," she said.  "That's really all I know - the map keeps the guardian from attacking whoever carries it with them," she added, shrugging slightly.  "I figure it will come into use further into the ruins, too, once we get past the door that I need to unward," she said.  It seemed that she thought there was something worth all the trouble the pair had been going through.  She dunked her head under the surface of the water again, smoothing her hair over her head as she emerged once more, just in time to see Douken using his fan to cast some sort of rune-driven spell, resulting in a bit of fruit.  It was magic unlike anything she was used to seeing, and she figured it would be useful during the coming journey ahead of them.

She had to agree with Douken's statement as he slipped into the water.  "Beats running from some awful thugs, doesn't it?" she said, a smile spreading across her face.  "I paid that gnome at the desk more than enough silver for us to have this room until tomorrow - it's no inn, but considering what normally happens in these establishments, there's a place to sleep if we're still here past nightfall," she said, gesturing with one head towards the back of the room, where a large canopied bed and a few sofas sat behind sheer screens.  "Hopefully the storm will have subsided by then, and we can head back to the tavern and gather our belongings and catch a ship to the mainland."  She closed her eyes for a moment, relishing in the relaxation the bath offered.  The chill that the rain had seeped into her skin had subsided, though she shivered slightly as a loud crack of thunder sounded outside, dulled by the stone walls around them.  "I can surely say I am glad to be out there no longer," she said, glancing over at Douken.

The water rippling beside her, Mazerine moved through the basin towards Douken, closing the short distance that remained between them, the steam swirling around her as she did so.  She shifted to one side slightly, reaching for a tray that had been waiting towards the edge of the basin.  A large carafe of wine and two metal cups sat there, and she poured a bit into each one, handing one over to Douken.  "Might not be the classiest of establishments but they do know how to treat those who want to spend their silver," she said, taking a large gulp of the sweeter liquid before setting the cup down.  She felt the warmth of the wine travel through her body as she moved back through the water, coming to rest against the edge of the basin beside Douken.  

"I've gotta say, your abilities are quite different than any I've come across," she explained. "And this," she said, reaching out to grasp the key-like relic that still hung from his neck.  "This is most certainly different than anything I've seen before."  She moved a bit closer to him to get a better look at it, hoping he would not be offended by her sudden and blatant curiosity.  It was once more clear that her years living in nobility had taken away any sense of personal space, as she was used to people fussing over her appearance on a regular basis. She turned it over in her fingers, the back of her hand skimming across the water and Douken's neck as she looked at its uniqueness and the chain it hung from.  She noticed a small bit missing near the clasp, and that it seemed to be crafted out of a metal she had never seen before.  After a moment, she dropped it, but did not move, her eyes still fixated on the relic as it went back to hanging from Douken's neck.  "So you've yet to figure out what it does then?  Or have you tried?" she asked, finally drawing her gaze away from the item.  She fixed her gaze on his face and stepped back into the water, opening her mouth to say something else - yet instead of words, her feet slipped backward underneath herself and she slipped forward, splashing in the water and, given their still rather close proximity, falling directly towards Douken, her movement slowed somewhat by the water's resistance.  She flailed her arms in an attempt to steady herself and managed to get a hand on his shoulder.  "Okay, I'm starting to think that you've put some sort of jinx on me to make me either an idiot or incredibly clumsy," she said, her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment as she straightened up slightly in the water, steadying herself with her hand still resting on his shoulder.  Her free hand pushed her hair out of her face as she waited for his reaction, half expecting him to give up right then and there and tell her she would be on her own for this mission, not wanting to deal with the shenanigans that had ensued since their meeting.

Douken chuckled to her comment about escaping their chasers before looking over where she was pointing at. It seemed this place was more towards exotic experiences than actually getting cleaned from a long day's work, considering how colorful the bedding area was… or the fact that a bathhouse had a bed in the first place in the same room as the tub! Maybe they had a more public area for cleaning, and these areas were made for such luxuries and pleasures.

"The thunder has been very quiet, so I am pretty sure the storm is at its tail end," he assured her, knowing how much she wanted to get going as quickly as possible. Instead, they got themselves chased, clinging to each other, and enjoying warm waters together naked. "If we can catch a ship without them, then I am sure we will be in the clear." After all, they may think they were still on that portion of Canelux.

As the pair relaxed, the steam from the hot water and the coals were slowly filling the room with steam, causing the region to be more difficult to see, though still enough for figures to still be notable. However, this did make the sound of her movement seem to stand out more thanks to the visual impairment, soon finding Mazarine come close, offering him a glass of wine that seemed to have been supplied by the facility. Maybe a bonus because of how much they paid? Still, he gave her a smile before raising his glass to her and taking a drink, eyes widening a bit to its strength. For a wine, it was really strong… Even stronger than the ale they were drinking in the bar! Was this, perchance a Drawrven Wine? After all, Dwarves had their own formulas in their drinks so they can feel a buzz. He honestly had no real idea on how it would hit a human and elf… well, it seemed they would find out son enough.

With her settling right next to him, leaning over to examine the key, he could not help but get a little red. After all, he could feel her skin as she examined the artifact around his neck. "Rune magic," he told her in terms of his ability as she worked around the artifact and getting in as much detail as she could about the item. "Often used to take notes about magic, but nearly a dead art in terms of actual casting. After all, chanting is much faster and different effects can occur if you draw them even slightly differently."

When she asked about its purposes, he smiled and told her, "Well, what are keys often used for?" expecting to get hit for such a quip. "However, it does not work on normal doors. Instead, it open doors I creEAA-" He was quickly interrupted by her slipping and using him as a brace. However, she was still a bit wobbly and more instinctively moved to grab hold of her to keep her stable until she found her footing, letting the apple hit the water and dissipate into the air.

"Now when would I have the time frame to place a curse on you?" he told her as a response to her accusation. "Between all the time we have been together, the only spell I casted summoned a fake piece of fruit that only I took a bite out of. If anything, I would be the cursed one." With her stable, he let her go before taking her glass, making some more room to once more sit down as he poured both of them more of the wine.