Before much time passed Azaire was normal looking again and decided a nice relaxing bath was in order to recover from the fight and calm down tensions. Azaire played with the sparks playing over Jared's arms as he thought it over. The sparks seemed to play around his hands teasing him and playing with him as well. Since everyone had gotten a bit ragged from the test, except Titania, they could use a change of clothes anyway.
Azaire's nice clothes he'd kept on this entire time now sported many rips, holes, and grimy blood and dirt covering them. Roran in the cream white work blouse, and loose jet black work slacks, and the dusty brown works boots that made up eighty percent of his blacksmith out fit was full of dirt from the forced nap from earlier and he could certainly use a shower and change as well. Then there was Jared who despite having his robes designed to withstand a growth spurt ended up slightly overpowering the scripts causing there to be rips here and there from the outfit not growing properly with him, and not to mention the sandy dirt that covered the front of his clothes from when he was being crushed into the ground.(Yes he was still sore about that!) Although Titania wasn't to dirtied during the test she was nobility and was not against regular bathing despite her more militant side being capable of going without for as long as needed. Also a change of armor wouldn't hurt either.
"Where are we going to shower there isn't really much of a water source near here?" Titania was the first to point out the most obvious problem with that idea.
"If one or more of us are willing to wait out here to guard my body while I'm inside we can shower in my ring." At this point Azaire had given up all pretenses of hiding his ring and it's capability from anyone in the group. He was not so gullible to trust anyone so easily nor was he much of a people person but this strange motley crew just made him feel so out of sync with his norm. He couldn't help but feel an instant connection to them that wasn't shaken easily. He couldn't help but trust them.
With this being the case he raised his ring and explained. "With this ring I can astral project myself into the ring and replace whatever condition I was in before entering the ring with my astral projections condition when he leaves the ring. That being said whatever condition I'm in in this dimension will be the condition my astral projection enters in. In this way if I shower inside and change I'll become showered and changed upon leaving. The only problem with me projecting into the ring instead of just calling things out of the ring is that while I'm inside I'm disconnected from my body and I'm vulnerable to the whatever happens to my actual body in this dimension. If I'm killed or maimed while inside I will most likely die or even worse have my soul become stuck in that dimension."
Titania was the only person who hadn't seen or known about the ring and upon being introduced her face paled like she had seen a ghost for a moment with a bit of shock showing before her eye's glassed over for a moment then she shook her head clearing her face into her normal stony expression.
'Didn't expect her to be so shocked by it but I guess it is pretty priceless.'
After explaining how they would refresh themselves Azaire immediately glomped onto his brother's arm and tugged at him insistently. "Big bro you're going to bathe with me right? It's been so long I miss sharing our brotherly bonding baths!" Azaire gave Roran his special weapon: puppy dog face that he used rarely when he had to get his way.
"Wha...little bro you're to....oh fine!" Roran who was about to turn down his little brother's embarrassing request couldn't resist that accursed secret weapon his little brother used as he thought to himself: 'No fair that's cheating!'
Jumping for joy Azaire looked to the other's with a quick glance and asked if either of the other two were going to join them this time around or wait until the next shift. Titania decided to wait and before Jared could think of asking to join Titania looked at him with disgust like he was scum before he could say anything and Roran glared at him. When Jared tried to give Roran an innocent look his naturally threatening face terrified Roran.
'What is with this thug-like face, should I really allow my brother to associate with this predatory man!' Roran tried, and failed, to hide discreetly behind his little brother. With a sad sigh Jared said he'd take the next shift with Titania. It wasn't the worst situation after all. He'd get to protect Azaire's body and besides Azaire was still to young to do anything more then bathe with and try not to seem creepy during anyway.
Now that he thought about it Jared decided it was better this way anyway. "Now that it's decided we'll go ahead and get started so you guys can have a chance to get in soon." Azaire who was oblivious to the silent arguments going on around him tugged his brother into a criss-cross meditative pose on the ground and immediately his brother was sucked into his ring and his eye's went glassy making it clear he'd gone in as well.
"What you sure you don't want to snuggle up to the kid? Help him bathe? Maybe you can change his diaper while you're at it!" Titania gave a gentle smirk that took the sting out of her words making it clear she wasn't serious.
'She knows how to joke?' Jared exclaimed in his mind in a state of wonder. He had not expected the little princess to even know the definition of humor. (Yes he was aware she was technically a King why should he care) "Ha, ha princess you should become a professional comedian....no....really. Sigh. I don't think his brother likes me anymore. He seemed not to mind before. Did I do something to annoy him?" Jared was slightly depressed.
Skye trotted up plopping into his lap trying to cheer him up with his concerned whimpers. "It's okay little buddy." Jared gently rubbed the little wolf hounds head to comfort him. Meanwhile Titania looked over Jared with sharp eyes as if she could tell his mood with a single glance. She gave no sign at being upset over being called princess. For a good portion of her life that HAD been her title. To tell the truth she much preferred NOT being called king.
"Whoa you have it bad don't you sparkly prince," Titania accused glibly. She fixed Jared with a half-playful, half-curious, and one hundred percent patronizing smile as she continued. "What is it about him? Do all giants fall so fast, because I'd swear you two have only just met. Well I guess that doesn't matter much, but what does.....is what exactly do you plan to do now. I know I joked about him not even being a century but humans mature quicker with their short lifespans. In the eye's of humans he's already an adult who can marry and have kids by now. How far are you trying to go? How close do you want to be now?"
Jared was a bit taken aback at first but on second thought despite her obviously being nosy and sticking her nose in his business everything she asked were questions he'd been thinking over himself or things that matched his frame of mind. Somehow having her ask him out loud make things a lot clearer.
"I'm fine with just being a friend for now and waiting for him to mature more. He's still young after all, and I have a very long time to wait. Right now...." Jared thought back to the little bit of time they'd spent together. The shared laughter, the late night talking, the endless discussions he listened to while ridding about plants and animals, and mostly about the cuddles. There was still so much to learn and he wanted to grow along and experience how the young man changed and grew and keep on learning all about his Azaire. ".....right now...I want to know more....."
**************
Up on a big hill created by the ring there was a bath & sauna building. Inside this building in the hot bath area two brother's floated at the edge of a big bath pool. There was a filtration script in the bath that kept the water fresh even after the dirtiest person bathed there the water would stay clean to use. The water was just hot enough to feel relaxing for a human without completely boiling them. Azaire laid against the edge of the pool with his head in his arms as his brother Roran floated behind him and kneaded the head full of shampoo bubbles on his little brother's head.
They had gotten half the large pool soapy already and since it wasn't seen as dirt the suds floated peacefully along. They would disappear when the brothers left as the pool would then completely refresh itself but for now they somehow made the experience even more relaxing. Inside the room was the imitation of a natural hot spring but indoors so the whole atmosphere brought to mind a serene aura of peace. The two had already helped wash each other's back and after insisting on washing his own hair Roran had started on his little brother's hair. Besides a little small talk the two had been mostly quiet as they washed.
Azaire had looked out of it for the most part and constantly had a far away look on his face. In fact Azaire was looking out with just such a face as he let his brother wash his hair. After a while of this silence Roran spoke into the silence. "He's something else to have you thinking about him so much." As Roran washed away the soap crown and put some more shampoo on his head, Azaire looked at his brother in askance confused by the random outburst. Roran rolled his eyes and answered the unasked question.
"Jared. The giant. Don't tell me it's not him you've been thinking about the past thirty minutes." Roran's voice was knowing and matter of fact. "Oh." Azaire turned back to stare out at nothing in particular for a moment. He was not particularly surprised at his brother's astuteness. 'He knows me so well huh'
After another short silence Azaire replied, "I've never met anyone quite like him. So forthright but he doesn't seem to expect whatever he wants from me. Like he's pushy and patient at the same time. The more I get to know about him the more endearing he seems. As far as friends go I don't think I've met anyone quite as promising as him. I can't keep my mind off him....."
Azaire submerged his head underwater for a moment making bubbles and washing the new lather of soap from his head. When he reemerged he leaned back and floated in the pool as he continued. ".....I....I.....I want to.....know more. I know there are things he has avoided saying even now. I can't blame him.....we just met.....but I really want to know as much about him as possible! I want to know more!" Roran looked at the fervent look in his brother's eyes and shook his head. 'Still just too oblivious. Ah'
**********
After the heart to hearts the brothers switched out with the royals and after a while everyone was washed and rested with new clothes. Titania wore a set of sleeveless armor similar to her previous set except the wood was golden now giving the armor a golden look. Roran wore another black smith outfit with a onyx black blouse this time, Jared wore a identical but now intact pair of his sky blue robes and Azaire wore a pair of brown sweatpants and a green t-shirt that said "Keep Calm and Hug Trees."
The sun was in the middle of the sky giving off an orangish tinge, making the sand beneath them look bloody red in the fiery light. This (and the watches they carried) let them realize it was already the afternoon. Before they could wonder long though master Talya walked back into camp with the aura of a satiated beast. She looked around at her rested charges before speaking. "So who's ready for the next test!"
[AN: So Author's Thought didn't give me much space so I'll drop my last two announcement's here: I already have half of the next chapter written up and I'll try to dish it out to you guys by tonight but I can't make any promises. Lastly I'm thinking Thursday's and Friday's for regular updates for now and those should start next week. I have to work this weekend so there isn't likely to be bonus chapters but you never know adversity breeds challenge. Love you guys, hope I can become an even better writer for you and that this book will only get better as it grow's :) Peace!]