Kali smiled as she felt the hand of her Queen grace the flesh of her cheek and neck, grazing the injured portion of her ear. It hurt, of course, and she struggled to keep the tell-tale wince off of her face however and even as her bails bit into the soft flesh of her palms Kali maintained a smile.<br/><br/><br/><b><i>“ I promise to share the tale with you, my Queen. It is the least I could do to repay your generosity.”</i></b><br/><br/>It had been a long time since Kali had ever heard her full named used, especially formally. Lanthra was really ever the only one to do so. The thought made her smile as her Queen gracefully stepped back and she was guided out of the room, away from the woman she had missed for so long. As she was gently pulled away she casts one last look over her shoulder and smiles at Lanthra. It was a gentle expression, one full of Kali’s usual confidence and beneath that gentle reassurance was a deep affection one that still lingered after years apart. Eventually she had to break eye contact however and when at least she was forced to the elf looked down at the floor, silently allowing herself to be led along.<br/><br/>Along the way she was quiet at first, deep in thought and far too absorbed in herself to play the kind, plump human girl much attention. Her mind was spinning still, reeling at the realization that this was it, she had made it back home and the woman she loved so long ago was but only a few rooms away. As comforting as this fact was, doubt still lingered over her like a haze however, fogging her mind and making her wonder if what she did today was selfish. Did Lanthra still care for her in such a way? Should she have never set foot in these halls again? What if she ended up only bringing her old flame pain or worse, regret.<br/><br/>By the time they made it to the bathing room Kali had at least come out of her pensive state and made a little small, inconsequential chatter with the human. It was mostly brief conversation about the state of the city and the castle though there was a tale or two from her journey told in typical exaggerated fashion.  When at last she saw the state of the bathing room (and the girls that would be serving her)  Kali laughed.<br/><br/><b><i> “This is surely Lanthra’s doing”</i></b><br/><br/>Stripping Kali down was easy enough. Her clothes were ragged and tattered and she didn’t offer much resistance and in a few moments her bare, agile form were be bared with little in the way of shame or embarrassment on her part. She was lean and trim of body, her curves feminine but subtle suiting a woman of her slender build.<br/><br/>The water was warm and pleasant  ( just as the hands of the attentive women were) and Kali simply sat in the waters and let the girls take care of her. By the time they were done bathing her the woman’s hair shone with its former luster and her skin looked healthy as ever, the dark mocha tone nearly radiant. She felt utterly feminine, beautiful even and it had been a long time since she could claim such. The alien feeling brought a wide smile to her face and after she dismissed the ladies who bathed her she spent a long time just staring at her reflection in the water.<br/><b><i><br/>
<b><i>“I wonder…”</i></b> she pondered, grinning at herself in the waters. “ Will Lanthra find me as fetching as she used to?”</i></b>The elven woman laughs, letting her fingers break the tension at the surface and disrupting her reflection.<b><i>“ Mayhaps she’ll even find the scars handsome.” </i></b><br/><br/>It wasn’t long before the plump human returns , bearing a choice of expensive silk dresses in her arms and news that her old clothes were being  retailored for when she planned to take her leave of the city once more. Thanking the woman, she chooses the blue dress and once out of the water she allows the other women to dry her off and dress her before the choices of the many various scents were offered. She spends a great deal of time picking through the chests, testing each scent until she find ones that makes her grin wide from ear to ear. It was one she was rather familiar with, one Lanthra had always said smelled quite wonderful on her and she would be hard pressed to forget it. It was a subtle scent itself with various floral undertones and a strong finish of spiced vanilla that lingered ever so slightly in the nose.<br/><br/><br/>Once perfumed and buttered she follows the human without complaint, her dress leaving most of her lean body on display. When brought to the doors she thanks the plump human woman and turns to face the massive wooden barriers once again.  She was torn once more, almost transfixed where she stood but as she raised her fist to knock Kali simply shook her head and with a boldness similar to when she barged into the Queen’s practice earlier, simply walked into the chambers before turning to close the heavy doors behind herself.<br/><br/>The chambers, like one would expect were both beautiful and practical. Large and expansive they occupied more than one room of the castle and the decorations themselves were lavish, most of them priceless. Sheer red silks hung over the windows, casting the light that filtered through as an intimate sanguine instead. Golden braziers held scented candles that burned faintly in the night, their flickering light complimented by a few orbs of magical light carefully hidden in recesses in the walls. Against the farthest wall was a familiar four poster bed Kali all too fondly remembered and it was flanked with a variety of chests and drawers. Set up amidst all of this was a table big enough for two already laden with food accompanied by pitchers of chilled elven wine whose golden accents glittered in the flickering candlelight.<br/><br/>Kali bows as she enters, rising quickly and with a wide smile on her face as she fondly regards her seated queen.<br/><br/><b><i>"It felt so strange to have to address you as my Queen."</i></b><br/><br/>she remarks as she walks forward, hips swaying from side to side as she makes not for the table but towards the queen’s beside vanity where her servants usually helped her apply her makeup in the morning time. Her eyes seem to search for something, lingering over each ivory comb brush and jar of valuable makeup before she finds sometime that makes her eyes light up. She still had it, after all these years!<br/><b><i><br/>
“ You know that I always preferred calling you my Desert Flower, as sentimental as I am.”</i></b><br/><br/>The elven woman picks up the object that caught her attention and turns around. It was an ornate hand mirror, one no larger than the size of her palm but it was lavishly decorated with jade and gold and Kali did not have to look to know the inscription was still there.<br/><br/><b><i>“ Remember when I gave this to you? We were so young at the time but I told you I wanted a place in your heart forever…that is  a long time. “ <br/>
</i></b><br/><br/>Kali’s smile turns sentimental and her eyes look wet in the dim candlelight before she turns around to set down the mirror.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>