Mina didn't know what she expected when she asked if he had a bath, but this was not it. Egon had an entire room that was almost entirely a bath fed by hot springs nearby. It was practically a pond. He had shown her the bath and explained that bathing is often a social event in Chrysanthos. He would occasionally have several men over at a time to discuss business. He then got her some of the finest soaps and oils she'd ever seen and left her to her own devices.
The water was perfect as she soaked four days of the open sea out of her bones. As she sat on the ledge inside the pool, she admired the room. It was unlike anything in Sapphirus. Colorful columns decorated with gold leafing, the walls and bath itself tiled with mosaics of people and the local fauna and flora. When she was through, she wrapped herself in the most luxurious robes she'd put on her skin. Egon had said they were made of the finest cotton. She would have to see if she could take some home with her. Most of what she owned was made from silk.
Something she really wasn't used to was having to walk through common areas to reach her room and get decent. Out of the three men, only Egon didn't avert his eyes as she came through the living area. She kept her dignity and ignored him rather than give his poor behavior any attention. If she knew anything about men, even negative attention is good attention to some of them.
Egon had told her that he'd prepare clothing for her while she was in the bath, and he didn't disappoint. Colorful gowns in the local styles, with all the appropriate undergarments, shoes, and accessories, had appeared in the room that he'd shown her before her bath. She picked out one in green, a color she never got to wear. At the waist, it had a beautiful beaded belt with flowers and simple geometric patterns. The collar and hem shared similar patterns stitched carefully by very skilled hands. The gold accessories were beautiful and abundant. She decided on a few bangles and a simple necklace to round it out without drawing too much attention to herself. For her hair, she opted for a simple braid, as that was all she knew how to do for herself.
Looking in a mirror after she was dressed was strange. It was like looking at a stranger, which she supposed was a good thing. The most jarring part was that she wasn't exposed for all to see, and didn't have to be. It felt a little bit like freedom.
"Mina?" There was a knock and a call at her door that sounded like Evander.
"Come in," She called back, pulling herself together from that emotional moment.
"Oh," Evander said, stopping in the doorway.
"What? Is it bad?" She looked at herself again in the mirror.
"No, not at all. You look beautiful." He said, flushing pink."I mean. I guess I just got used to you in those plain clothes." She looked him over and saw his hair was a wet mop, and he too was wearing more local clothing. He had picked a light blue set of pants and a shirt with an embroidered split collar. The color really brought out his gorgeous blue eyes.
"You look good, too." She admitted, also flushing a little.
"Anyway," he said after clearing his throat, "Egon says dinner is ready."
"Okay," She went to the door where he was still just standing and staring at her, and offered her arm out to him. He took her hand and wrapped it around his elbow to lead her down the stairs to the dining room.
The next day, they had the morning to themselves because Egon was in the courtyard teaching two young boys swordplay. They all kept mostly to themselves except for breakfast and stayed out of Egon's way. After a midday meal, it was time for Evander to be evaluated. Mina already knew that it wasn't going to be good, but it was worse than that. Egon was pretty put upon throughout the entire ordeal.
"Have you really never held a blade before, Evander?" Egon's question was more of an annoyance than anything else.
"No need except for hunting," Van answered.
"Alright, well, I'm going to need to see the blade you'll be using." Egon insisted.
"You mean the sapphire dagger?" Mina asked, a bit nervous that they were going to have to extract it while others were present again.
"Yes, I mean the sapphire dagger," Egon responded, still annoyed. Eveander looked at her, and she looked back.
"We'd rather remove the dagger in private," Evander stated as definitively as he could muster.
"Why? You won't be able to remove it in private if you need it. You might as well get used to an audience." Egon retorted.
"It's okay, Van." Mina piped up. No need to piss off the only guy they have to help them over a little embarrassment.
"You're sure?" He looked at her and ignored Egon's snort. Mina nodded, reaching back to untie the neck of her dress so she could give Evander better access to her sternum.
She pulled down her dress and untied her shift as well, opening up a large enough space for Evander to fit his hand. Evander stood in front of her, doing his best to shield her from the other two men. While Casper looked away like a gentleman, Egon continued to watch them. Van reached forward as she gripped her clothing, preparing for the overwhelming feeling that came with removing the dagger. As his hand reached her sternum, the heat gathered in her torso. As his hand slipped through, she braced herself for when he touched the dagger and managed to bite back the sigh that almost left her. With a deep breath from both of them, the dagger was outside her body. When she opened her eyes and looked past Evander, Egon was staring, unabashedly, directly at her face.
"Well, that takes too long," was all he said, though his voice was a little gruffer than it had been. "You'll have to work on that. Let me see it. I need to check the weight and balance of it so we can pick a regular dagger that's close. I'm not looking to get nicked with a magical dagger."
"As long as you're not the darkness, or wielding the darkness, it should be the same as any other dagger," Mina explained.
"All the same, we probably shouldn't be flashing this around either," he insisted, carrying the dagger inside to where he kept his extensive arsenal of weapons. Mina had never had anyone but Evander hold the dagger, and it felt very wrong. As Egon examined it, checking it for weight and finding its balance, she felt almost sick. As soon as he handed it back to Evander, that sickness went away. "This here is going to be your best friend for the next while. I'd also like for you to learn to use a sword in tandem. We'll go to the blacksmith when we've finished here and get something made for you. For now, you can keep using the practice sword."
"I can put this back then?" Evander asked.
"Yes, but do it quickly, I still want to get out tonight." Egon insisted. Evander did as he was told. She found that quicker was more tolerable, but harder to hide her reactions to each step of the process. It was like a whirlwind, and from the look on Egon's face when they were done, everything had shown clearly on her face.