Carol
Xavier de Delekou
Provincial Delekou

Xavier watched Candela kiss their daughter and affectionately play with her curls. Word choices aside, she was a wonderful mother and the scene in front of him was a good reminder of how lucky he was.

*'And how stupid you are for putting them in danger.'*

Swallowing the thought, he smiled as Hanna paused, wrinkling her nose, before stepping back and giving him a thumbs up. "Goodbye bean sprout!" He called after her, chuckling. 

"Not one to care about what she interupts, is she?" Xavier asked, pulling off the remaining clothes. His muscles burned and movements were stiff as he climbed into the tub with significant effort. The hot water coaxed a sigh of relief from his lips as he sank into the water, leaning back against the ceramic and resting his head on the edge with his eyes closed. Xavier knew that he needed to clean himself, but in that moment he could care less. The feeling was heaven. 

"Hmm?" He asked, eyes fluttering open to his wife whittling wood in her chair. A nervous flutter of his stomach followed the thought that he wasn't necessarily comfortable with her holding a knife near him naked, but he tried not to show it. "So long as you leave the knife at your chair." He replied with a small smile. "I'm rather partial to my hair."
Erin
Candela de Delekou
Provincial Delekou

Candela tsked, a slight smile forming on her mouth as she placed both the stick and her whittling knife on the counter. "Pity. I thought you could use a bit of a trim," She said as she dusted the reminisce of wood shavings on her hands into the waste basket. It was an obvious lie: Candela loved how long Xavier's hair was. It was thick and shiny and soft; the color of gold in the sunshine. What she would give to be some sort of cosmic hair length exchange between them: for her to have shorter hair and for him to have hair so long he could sit on it.

After savoring that thought for a few moments longer, Candela moved the stool so she was sitting behind Xavier's head. Pouring a good bit of homemade shampoo in her palm, with the other she scooped some warm water onto Xavier's head to wet his hair before mixing the shampoo in. It began to lather rather quickly, the relaxing smell of peppermint and rosemary perfuming the air. After the shampoo was evenly distributed, she gently began to massage his scalp with her finger pads. Even though she was unhappy with his choice of leaving so suddenly and returning in such a state, she couldn't help wanting to show him affection.

"Is that nice?" She asked, leaning her head to look at his face. She wanted to make sure she wasn't putting him to sleep.
Carol
Xavier de Delekou
Provincial Delekou

"Oh?" Xavier watched his wife set down the knife and wood onto the chair, eyebrows raising at her words. "You don't have a hidden pair of scissors in the folds of your dress, do you?" He teased. Candela simply laughed at him before sliding onto the stool behind him. 

Xavier sunk a little deeper into the water as her hands massaged his scalp, the scents of rosemary and peppermint growing stronger with every motion. Sighing in contentment he let his head rest against the edge of the tub, eyes closing as she continued. "Heavenly would be a better choice of words." He replied, quietly.
Erin
Candela de Delekou
Provincial Delekou

A smile formed on Candela's lips at her husband's sigh of contentment. "And to think you initially believed you would have had more fun bathing without me."

She chuckled at her statement, amused at how suggestive those words sounded out of context, as she ran her fingers through his soapy hair before moving her hands down his neck and onto his shoulders, rubbing away the sweat and grime.