Lynn
*The man returned, walking to the gates of the palace this time in his normal attire, the stuff he was wearing yesterday. Instead of sneaking in like before. He looked tot eh guards with a smile and nodded to each and then looked at the house. (if there are guards, im assuming there are) And then spoke in a smooth tone*

"Whats it like guarding the grand duchess?"
Joseph
The Duchess gave a small scoff of a laugh and raised her shoulder once more in a shrug. "That depends entirely on the impression you're hoping to make with Mara, Doctor." She told him truthfully. Brothels and ships didn't lend to the best of smells, so she wasn't bothered by them anymore. Though, she did make it a point to keep herself bathed thoroughly in oils. Up until about a year ago, rose oil had been infused in everything she wore. After her last meeting with the Romanov's she'd eradicated it from her perfumes and bath oils, replacing them all with clove for the winter and lavender for the warmer months. 

With Stafford's report finished, she moved to the one beneath it, and hesitated seeing Harmattan's script. It wasn't that torture made her squeamish, though it did, she just felt _wrong_ for reading the updates on the prisoner over breakfast. Her fingers scanned over his script, then she folded her hands over it, finally turning her full attention to the man who sat at the table with her. 

"I'd personally appreciate it though if you made efforts to make a good first impression. Considering the process of finding and maintaining decent staff is nearly impossible these days." She smiled.
Irene
"I'd imagine, what with travelers randomly appearing and requesting audiences. Must be tiring." He said with a smirk. He ate some more and carefully sipped his coffee, visibly reacting as it warmed him. Dayveth noticed her hesitation of one report and was reminded of the hidden duties of royalty. The report could be any number of things, from torture to secret military matters or political fights. He was also reminded that it wasn't his place to know. 

"When you finish your morning reading and we finish our meals I believe I'll head there. I will need someone to show me the way though, in this maze of a home." He have a daring look over the rim of his coffee.
Joseph
"You'll come to find it's smaller than you think, Doctor." She insisted, and with a glance to her left a servant appeared. Lifting the papers, she passed them off to him with the instruction to place them on her desk so she could tend to them later this afternoon. She wanted to go and check on Zane, and she really could have left the Doctor in the hands of any of the staff to accompany him, but she also didn't quite want to start her work day just yet. 

She waited until his plate was cleared before standing, when she did, the rest of the staff in the room stood at attention, and Anya pressed her lips together at the act before she looked to the doctor in his seat. "Come along then, we can't have you getting lost."
David
Charity awoke not long after Anya, but long enough to notice she was gone with nary a trace. She got up to ask if a bath could be prepared, and soon settled back into bed with the book she was reading the night before.

Once the bath was prepared, she bathed. The metal tub didn't bother Charity, nor did the dim light. Earlier in her life she wouldn't have had the opportunity to bathe at all. Keeping the comparison in mind made it quite enjoyable.
Irene
Dayveth finished his plate and stood, carefully moving the beautifully made dining chair. He had spent his life in the woods and small hamlets, cities weren't terribly uncommon, but palaces? It was surreal. He carried his coffee mug carefully and nodded to the Queen. 

"Thank you for taking your time to guide me, I understand you must be busy." He curiously eyed the documents, but he didn't care too much. For now he was happy. He had almost forgotten he had shared his most sacred secret.

"I'm following your lead, Your Grace, as any good citizen should," Dayveth announced with a wink. He was a teasing person, and he felt the Queen got his sense of humor. As employers went, she was high on the list in a lot of categories. She was definitely the most beautiful person he'd worked for. She was the first woman, but still.
Edward
I like dndbeyond a lot for my physical group
Joseph
"Terribly." Anyanka agreed, though she hardly meant it. There was a nations worth of work to be done, but she couldn't focus on that. If she worried too broadly, she'd drive herself mad, and she understood that perfectly. 

Worrying about making sure the new physician found his way to the bathhouse was an easy task to set herself up to. An easy victory to start the day that she knew was bound to test her. Charity was leaving today, and along with an empty bedroom the woman was leaving behind some mixed feelings in the Duchess. Zane wanted her to check in on the prisoner, see if she could get sone information out of her before he moved in to his next rounds. 

And she'd received a letter from Mikhail in her pile of correspondence this morning. 

So a walk through the cold towards the bathhouse wasn't frowned upon, and she lead the way until they reached the structure. It had beeb built after the castle, but done in a similar style. Deep woods and rich colored tiles that contained the flame licked baths. Long stained glass windows cast rosy amber hues over the bathhouse and they found it unoccupied. 

"There are three bath, this main one, and two privates down the corridor. Take your pick of them Doctor, if you find yourself to be a modest man, I recommend coming here before the sun gets too high or long after its set "
Irene
"I'm sorry to hear that," Dayveth replied after the queen commented on her workload. He followed her to their destination, his head on a swivel as he examined his new home. When they reached the bathhouse, he noticed it was built in the same beautiful style as the rest of the palace. "To be expected, of course," Dayveth thought to himself, feeling slightly foolish. 

The new physician turned his head to the Queen, still unused to being called "Doctor." He really wasn't, more of an herbalist, but that's how he sold himself and he would need to get familiar with the title. He noticed how she still managed to look regal in the wee hours of the morning. 

"May I ask why, Your Highness? As well as which bath you would recommend, unless of course you wouldn't know. I reckon you have your own." Dayveth's voice was friendly as he spoke to the woman who he had been constantly thinking about. His previous two encounters with her had brought him great fortune. The first brought a home and a job, the second a friend.
Joseph
Anyanka raised a brow. "Why there are three baths or why I recommend earlier or later sessions?" She asked for clarification, but decided it wasn't worth it to wait when she could answer both. She'd only worn slippers, and she kicked them off carefully, letting her bare feet graze the tiles as her fingers gripped the front of her gown. "I didn't feel the need for more, and I liked the idea of providing those who wanted privacy the option of it until we have the luxury of installing more into the home. Generally, there's more than one modest person within the house, so three just seemed fitting." 

As she spoke, she stepped down the first step into the main bath, pleased to find it was warm. The fires beneath the bathhouse had already been started, but she had assumed they wouldn't be properly tended to until at least after breakfast. Admittedly, she was pleasantly surprised to find her staff worked better than she hoped most days. "As for why I would recommend earlier or later, just because it thins out. You're less likely to run into anyone if you're here for a bath at the witching hour." She teased, casting him a glance over her shoulder as she raised her skirts just enough to keep them out of the water that lapped lazily at her ankles. 

"I've my own personal bath, but I've been known to make use of the establishment. My modesty is long gone, so I have always preferred this one. More room, the salts used in here are stronger, and I love the way the amber glass looks on my skin." She nodded towards the overlooking stained glass windows before stepping out, letting her foot hover for a moment over the step to let a few drops fall from her toes before she released her skirts to flow around her feet once more.
Irene
Dayveth waited patiently for her to finish speaking. He sat on a bench and unbuckled his boots before slipping them off and customarily wriggling his toes. He hopped they didn't smell bad enough for the queen to pick up on it as he quickly swiftly moved to stand them in the water. The water felt heavenly on his calloused, worn feet, better than he would have cared to admit. 

"I'm sure it has occurred to you, Your Highness, that a woman as powerful as yourself could select the strength of the salts which are used in her bath. Is there perhaps a reason you left out in your explanation?" It was a morning of new beginnings. Why not begin boldly?

Dayveth stepped out of the water and back towards the bench, slipping off his shirt and folding it before laying it on the bench. If the queen had been watching, she may have noticed what would have looked like a burn scar that spread from the middle of his back to his right shoulder. If she had blinked after that, she would see that it would have shimmered and disappeared.
Joseph
She smirked at his question. "I'm well aware, but I'm not a _selfish_ woman, doctor." She reminded him. She hadn't been watching, her eyes had dipped down to the small puddle she'd created when she stepped out of the baths, but when she looked up to find him already disrobing she smoothed her hand over the front of her dress. 

"Take your time in here, I'll alert Mara to your location and let her know to be ready when you are. A carriage will take you both to town, please feel free to purchase what you require, but, as I said before, don't let greed pull my purse strings."
Irene
"And as I have asked before, Your Grace, do I strike you as a greedy man?" He then stood there, hesitating. He admittedly wasn't much of a flirt, seeing as how the majority of his time had spent on the roads. The most flirting he'd had to do was with drunken maids at small town taverns, those of which were basically hungry for a well traveled "Adventurer." The few times he's been to cities however, well, the hedge knight showed him how fun was done. 

"You may join me if you wish, Your Highness. I'm afraid my years and practices haven't made me terribly modest. Forgive me if I've stripped too soon, or if I am once again being too forward." He have her an apologetic look, but upon close inspection, a dare lied underneath.