Loki X Reader || Girl With The Gold Earring

15 | Long Sticks With Hooks On Them

Y/N had always admired Loki's washroom. She's been in it many times before, but only to clean. She'd never dared to use it; that too is something she makes a trip to the end of the hall for.

The washroom is not like the rest of the palace; cased in shells of gold, or chipped from slabs or marble. It doesn't seem to have any harsh angles either, it's all subtle curves, sloping edges. The sink is embedded in the countertop, the floor slants slightly so water can run into a neat little drain, and the bath is pressed into the ground like a giant had made the concave hole with the pad of his thumb. Everything feels lighter, more bright and airy, despite the fact that it's one of the few rooms in Loki's chambers that doesn't boast a floor-to-ceiling window. 

In fact, there are no windows at all due to the fact that the room is nestled snugly between the hallway and the wide span of the prince's quarters. Maybe magic gives the washroom its warm glow? Or it could be due to the colours, not green or gold like most of Loki's possessions, but blue. Every inch of this room is covered in tiny square tiles studded into pure white plaster, some dark navy like the bottom of an ocean and others as bright as the crest of a wave on a summer's day.

There seems to be a stark difference between how washing is viewed by the classes, Y/N had quickly observed.

The servant's chambers have a room where the staff may bathe, but, like most things, its very existence is due to necessity rather than pleasure. A row of tubs lines one wall, and a row of showers decorates the other, all separated by a thin wooden panel---for privacy. The floor is sliced with channels so water can run off into the row of rusty drains riving the dank little room in two. Water is only heated in colder months, and even then not enough to create steam. The staff of the palace aim to spend as little time in the washroom as possible; hop in, do what you need to do, then get out of there before your feet catch some kind of fungal infection from the manky tiles.

For royalty, though, bathing seems to be... a pass time. Something that you enjoy, not just something you have to do. Everything about the prince's washroom appears to have been designed with aesthetics and comfort in mind; the subtle colours, the non-threatening curves---even the walls bow inwards rather than meet at jarring ninety degrees. Everything looks to be made to promote relaxation---in fact, some of the item's sole purpose seems to be just that.

Like the fountain cascading silently down one wall; a thin, wide sheet of water that Y/N had---at first---assumed to be a curved piece of glass. She couldn't figure its purpose so reached the conclusion that it must be a decoration of some kind, the slight trickling noise it makes adding to the room's tranquil atmosphere.

Or the smooth, convex bumps protruding from one side of the bath; chairs, so you can lounge in the water, lean your head against the lip and doze.

And the candles, the flasks of multi-coloured potions and liquids dotted about all over the flat surfaces that smell like a meadow in summer---

Y/N often finds herself wondering why or how Loki ever leaves the serene confines of this pretty little space. If Y/N had the choice, she wouldn't leave. She'd fill the swimming-pool like tub (not even a tub, it's more of a deep, wide pit), add a few soap tablets, and submerge herself in the foamy water until the pads of her fingers go as wrinkly as Alfdis'. She'd rub the flower-scented potions into her hair and onto her body until the smell of sweet peonies, musky roses, and succulent blossoms follow her wherever she goes. Even then she'd probably stay a bit longer. There's easily enough room for her to swim a minuscule lap of the bath. She'd cross the entire length in about three strokes, but that's a vast improvement from the literal tubs she's used to in the servant's quarters where she can't even stretch out her legs.