Frozen Flame

Chapter 52: Bob's Idea

Ice Kingdom

The sparkling walls around him reflected brilliant rays of light all over him, glimmering and glinting off the water droplets splattered all over his form. Running down him in small waves, the water sloshed over him, brushing gentle, cool fingers across his unclothed skin. Lifting his head up and with closed eyes, he ran his own cool fingertips through wet and smooth hair, feeling the excess drip down his creamy back, feeling the sides and back of his hair cling to his long neck.

A sigh. And a smile.

Oh, that feels so much better! As the dirt and everything accompanying it flew off his skin, a sense of brisk release filled him, emanating from the cleanliness around and throughout his body.

Mirrored, glassy walls surrounded him, the outside only able to see a shadow at best, and these panes enclosing the tall and refreshing shower were, in fact, ice. Raising a weary hand to his neck and rubbing it, he sighed again. Slowly moving his fingers around, he found pressure points and placed his fingers in-between three small, golden dots, slightly raised on his skin and throbbing a steady pulse. A wince, lips twitching to the side, as the golden bumps twinged, reacting with his movements.

Voices clambered from outside, deep in conversation, until one broke from the discussion to shout out, "Bob, are you alright in there? We need to discuss the plan you had earlier."

Oh... yes. Bob remembered the idea he'd shot out earlier, an idea he'd been thinking of for a little while whilst stuck inside the room. He thought they'd taken it pretty well and seemed generally on board with the idea – I mean, it's me, so of course it's a great idea! But it appeared like they needed to discuss it in a bit more detail – Well, I guess that makes sense.

Rubbing his fingers through his hair once more, he turned off the water, placing the soap back in a container, and shook his hair so the water could more easily come out. "Yep, I'm coming."

He grabbed a towel hanging over the top of the shower walls and brushed himself off before chucking clothes on and stepping out into the open once more. Eliza stared at his dripping hair and now clean face before raising an eyebrow. "All finished?"

He nodded. "We should go discuss the idea and figure out the logistics of everything. The board room?"

Eliza turned to the dark, gruff man beside her for conformation, eyes scanning his tired and annoyed complexion. The man sighed, "Yep, the board room works for me."

***

Extended neck, hand clasped around his jaw, Bob's mind ticked, forming a pattern that constantly changed with each new thought. His behind pressed into a hard seat as his legs balanced him, keeping him a reasonable distance from the woman beside him and in an easily escapable state derived from the man seated opposite. "So," he began. "What do we think about it?"

Eliza frowned. "Well, personally I think it's a pretty good idea – we're going to need as much help in this upcoming war as possible, preferably the help of the whole of Ice, so it'd be quite a good thing if we could make it happen. That, however, is the tricky bit. Thorn and I live relatively close and yet we still don't know too much about it. I've heard rumours that Pale Glass has recently started being self-governed, but I haven't seen any evidence of that. They're a pretty quiet sub-section, all things considered, so it's been a little difficult to get any information on them."

Eren spoke up. "Jared should have known a bit... Bob, did Jared ever tell you anything about what was going on with them?"

Bob scoffed. "Wait, you seriously expected Jared to know any extra information that I don't know? I'm sorry, Jared may be a great leader – kind, compassionate, easily decisive, clever in some ways, considerate of his people's concerns, and skilled in talking his way out of things not to mention a few other little skills – but if you think for one second that he's the brains behind the way this country is run, then you have another thing coming."