Reclining on the wooden edges of the tub, Eshalu gratefully allowed her tired muscles to soak in the warm water. The scent of wet wood, even if it was dead wood, was comforting, and reminded her bathing back at the Lodge of Rangers in cold nooks willed into being by druids from the living wood full of icy rainwater. Warm water seemed like an indulgence.<br/><br/>Eshalu was eager to meet Aeryn's touch. The sensation of the human woman's skin against hers was soothing. A reminder that there was peace and pleasure to be found even far from her home. "Before I became an Initiate, we would all go - novices of the Way of the blade, bow or track - to the hot springs a half-moon's trek away from the Caern. The water was hot there, hotter even than it is here, and we could bathe and watch the steam caress the water and explore the red rocks, which had the scent of your forged metal."<br/><br/>Eshalu watched the water ripple around her. She exhaled softly when she felt Aeryn's fingers and the water-soaked sponge scrub at her feet. The sensation was ever so slightly electric. Like the heaviness felt in the air before a storm.<br/><br/>The alert tension that usually kept her muscles taut and on edge gave way to a sensation of release. She let it sink in. It was difficult at first to realise that there was no immediate threat lurking around her, but Aeryn's presence; her voice and her touch, were deeply reassuring.<br/><br/>"I knew you had the spirit and auspice of a hunter," Eshalu said approvingly when Aeryn told her the stories of her scars, "but you should always know that you have slain your quarry. A wounded creature is more dangerous than a healthy one." She smiled, enjoying Aeryn's deft touch, her sharp eyes, the colour of deep lapis, observing each motion of the naturalist's fingers. She saw true skill in Aeryn's touch, evidence of her craft requiring great dexterity and attention to detail.<br/><br/><em>She has a healing touch</em>. Aeryn had nothing to envy the herbalists of Eshalu's Caern.