<div style="padding: 3px; background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #d8d8d8; font-size: 1em;"><div style="text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; display: block;"><span onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') {  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = ''; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;hide&lt;/a&gt;'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;show&lt;/a&gt;'; }"><b>Spoiler: </b><a href="#" onclick="return false;">show</a></span></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">I'm assuming that Xali and Alexei don't get up to head to the bathing chamber until after the other half of the party is finished, unless there's more than one bath, in which case I suppose we'll go to a separate one.</div></div></div><br/><br/><blockquote class="uncited"><div>“I would also love to hear of your experiences there sometime, Miss Xali. Knowing you, I’m sure you’ll have quite a way of giving us a thrill… with words, I mean! …”</div></blockquote><br/><br/>"Hmm, perhaps I will." she said before she turned away. "But only if you promise to give me a thrilling tale or two of your own."<br/><br/>Xali, of course, was unable to see Alexei's reaction; she did not doubt for a moment that he would follow, even though her prized beauty-enhancing spell had long since worn off. She politely knocked several times on the heavy wooden door leading to the steamy bathhouse, ensuring that the others have finished with their own bath. Since she knew that their chameleonic new companion liked surprises, she took a moment to search the tastefully decorated bathhouse for anything or anyone out of place.<br/><br/><div style="padding: 3px; background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #d8d8d8; font-size: 1em;"><div style="text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 1px solid #CCCCCC; margin-bottom: 3px; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; display: block;"><span onclick="if (this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display != '') {  this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = ''; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;hide&lt;/a&gt;'; } else { this.parentNode.parentNode.getElementsByTagName('div')[1].getElementsByTagName('div')[0].style.display = 'none'; this.innerHTML = '&lt;b&gt;Spoiler: &lt;/b&gt;&lt;a href=\'#\' onClick=\'return false;\'&gt;show&lt;/a&gt;'; }"><b>Spoiler: </b><a href="#" onclick="return false;">show</a></span></div><div class="quotecontent"><div style="display: none;">Search check (1d20 + 7): 2 + 7 = 9</div></div></div><br/><br/>Ever-so-slowly, she began to edge her top up and off. Sure enough, Alexei arrived right on cue. Her tail slowly swished back and forth, and she turned her head halfway to give him a sultry sidelong glance. "Oh, I'm ~so~ glad you decided to join me. I should think I will be more comfortable with your help than with some attendant."<br/><br/>With a *swish*, she pulled off her short top, letting her white-furred bosom bounce free with a toss of her hair. Stretching her arms behind her back, she then showed off one of her favorite striptease tricks; she wrapped her thick, powerful tail around her waist and slowly worked off her short skirt without the use of her hands. After slipping off her sandals, she gently dipped one foot into the warm water, then lowered her body into it inch by inch. "Ahh... the water is quite nice. And such a finely-wrought, spacious tub, too... how thoughtful of the gentleman fox."<br/><br/>Xali slowly sank deeper into the water and reached over to grab a small yellowish block of soap. "Now, before we get started: As ~delightful~ as it is seeing you stripped to the fur, we ought to focus on washing first, before we get too... distracted. I know it's tempting, dar-ling, but trust me when I say it can go wrong. When one thing leads to another, before you know it, both lovers are exhausted and they never end up getting clean before the water grows cold."<br/><br/>She giggled. "It's just as well, though. It will give us the chance to speak about a few important things without spoiling our time together later tonight. Here, since I invited you, it is only fair that I serve you first." Lathering up her hands, she came closer to Alexei and began running her hands up and down his firm, muscular chest, appreciating every inch of its definition with sensitive fingers. Not only did she scrub away dirt and sweat, but her hands felt out areas which were still stiff and sore from the battle earlier in the day, massaging and relaxing them. She gave a purring murmur of satisfaction. "Yes, yes, let go of the tension, there we are..."<br/><br/>After a minute of that, she spoke again. "Mmm... You asked me about Vendra and my homeland not long ago, did you not? Hah, well, I suppose it's not technically my homeland, for I was not born there - I am an anthro, after all - but I lived there most of my life. Vanadiel is at the height of civilization and grace, but never mistake the politeness and civic order for true peace. There is plenty of violence and bad blood amongst the houses of that green, idyllic land, and I got more than my share of it."<br/><br/>"But it is always hidden. They are proud and noble in their own way, but they see no honor in dying pointlessly when they are outmaneuvered. Far better to submit and wait for an opportunity than to meet the fate of a cornered rat. That's how I learned to survive, and that's why Vanadiel avoided war with Caleb. Notice that it hardly took Vendra any time at all to offer Kahimori anything to spare her life, whereas the Nulan woman who has since become a bit padding on my chest was defiant even when she felt the sting of the acids."<br/><br/>Turning her head to the side as she continued to sensually bathe the wolf's strong body, her hands now sliding along his thighs, Xali continued. "I think this little incident with the necromancer may prove to be more important than mere opportunism. You said it yourself, did you not? It's unusual for a member of a secretive order to be so incautious. Perhaps Caleb is involved and hopes we will not find out, or perhaps he is at a disadvantage as well. The point I'm trying to make is that we may come across some very valuable information in this crypt, and we need to consider who it's safe with."<br/><br/>She watched carefully for his reaction. The last thing she wanted was to be revealed as merely jealous. "Now, I don't<span style="font-style: italic">distrust</span>the human girl, per se. I think she is loyal to Kahimori, for the moment. But what if we should be, gods forbid, captured by Caleb's forces? She'll tell them whatever she has to, just like she did with Kahimori. Imagine if Caleb were to get his hands on the necromancer's magic tome, or something even more potent! I think it would be best if we kept it, and any knowledge we find, in the hands of those most trustworthy... Brady and yourself." Xali, of course, wisely abstained from putting herself forward.<br/><br/>Smiling, she turned around. "Make no mistake, she's a lovely young lady and I have nothing against humans. But, well, they're not precisely trustworthy. Or have you been fortunate enough not to have many bad experiences with them?" She submerges herself in the warm water for a moment, then presses her back against him. "There, that's most of you done. Go on and soap me up, and then we'll see about the delicates."