The Whisper of the Nightingale

Chapter 20: Rumors and Consequences

After the greetings, Raven was showed to a small chamber where a tub of hot water had been prepared in the middle of the room. Various fragrant oils lined the the tub's rim and a soft towel lied, folded, on a stool nearby.

"Change into these once your done." Heron handed her a parcel of clean clothes and then left Raven alone.

Finally alone, Raven relaxed her muscles and walked over to the tub. She dipped her had into it to test the water. Its temperature was perfect; warm but not scorching.

"Four months..." she sighed and started getting undressed.

"Umm, Sister..." Hoatzin's voice echoed a bit nervously in her head.

"Yes Brother?" Raven was down to her undergarments and paused to sniff a orange bottle by the tub - it smelled of sandalwood.

"You are aware of that I don't really have any eyes to close in here, right?"

Raven raised a surprised eyebrow; she understood his concerns right away. She had of course been made aware of the fact that her brother wasn't able to stop seeing what was going on around him, but he hadn't really bothered to bring it up like this before. Then again, until now, Raven had only washed herself sporadically by wiping her arms and legs with a damp cloth.

"So? You are my brother - it's not like you've never seen me naked before?" Raven chuckled. "Besides I'm only four, there is not that much to see."

"I know and you are right," the nervousness in his voice lessened; "I just figured it was best to remind you before, rather than to have you mad at me afterwards."

"Thank you for your concern, big Brother."

Raven tilted the orange bottle and let the oil pore into the tub. Taking of her last piece of tattered clothes, she slipped into the bath with a content smile on her face.

'Ah, I have missed this!' she thought to herself as she closed her eyes. 'Hehe, Brother is still too polite and innocent ...it kind of reminds me of Eric.'

Raven thought back to the odd scientist she had been assigned to protect as he studied the effects of solar flares up in the arctic pole - apparently his research had quite a few military applications and his sponsors wanted to keep their investment safe. Eric had once walked in on her while she bathed in a natural hot spring close to the science station and had nearly fainted when he saw her. Of course, it might have been more due to the shock of seeing all her scars, than seeing the naked Raven herself. Perhaps, it was the combination of the two.

Raven's face grew solemn as she thought back on that mission - her employers might have been satisfied with the results but for her it was one of her few failures... She sighed heavily and sank deeper into the tub, nearly disappearing completely beneath the surface.

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After soaking in the tub for fifteen minutes, Raven reluctantly got out and dressed in her new clothes - a blue, two-piece, cotton set, perfect for working in - and made her way to the room Heron had indicated before. Outside the room she paused to listen at the discussion going on inside. Normally, the thick doors would make eavesdropping rather hard, but Raven had no trouble hearing the conversation going on inside - to her, they might as well have been screaming right next to her, it made no difference.

Within the room Raven could clearly feel the presence of two people - she had yet to recover enough to be able to tell who they were by their auras alone, but their conversation revealed that they were Heron and his wife.