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"Nari plays with it," he admitted.
Because there was just a bit of hair in the middle of his chest. Not a rug, and certainly nothing that would be considered inappropriate in the Temple of Temptation. Just a hint that drew the eye to all of the rest of his muscles. It made him look even more masculine than his size and strength already did.
I was running my eyes over his body - and he was letting me - when we heard Talin and Nari enter the suite. The door closed behind them, and a few seconds later, I heard someone heading into the bedroom. Surprisingly, it was Talin who stepped into the bathroom first.
"Faylie's fine," he informed me. "Her back, ass, and thighs are raw, and she'll be out of commission for a while, but nothing is permanent or too severe. I also have a feeling she's going to heal faster than normal, and Nari said she prayed for Zeal to use this as a chance to convince Quin to believe. I think Faylie does, or is very close."
"But you passed," Nari said as she followed him in, drying her hands on a small towel. I also noticed that her shirt wasn't the one she'd had on before. "That doesn't mean you won't get more training, though."
"I need training," I assured her. "I never want to be like Nyrren."
"You arenothinglike him," she said as she made her way over to the edge of the tub. "How are you feeling, Ela?"
"Better," I promised. "Wraythe makes it easier."
Talin chuckled. "And that's pretty fucking cute, him cuddling with you like that."
Wraythe hugged me again. "I can do cute."
Pulling in a deep breath, I just relaxed into him. "He said we could send Faylie a tithe to make up for her time off."
"I can do that," Talin assured me. "I'll also have that guy from Obligation deliver it. What's his name, Nari?"
"Drandir?" she asked.
"That one," Talin agreed.
"How do you know him anyway?" I asked as Wraythe finally turned off the water. "Cooking class?"
"No," she said. "He's the guy who pulled me out of class when Maela showed up the first time. He also delivered my cooking results up here. Remember the bad pies?"
"Right," I said. "That's why he looked familiar. So, is he in love with you?"
"Pretty sure he's not," she said. "He's just not stupid. He knows that flirting gets him tithes, and that being on people's good side keeps him from getting in shit. I also think he's a good priest, even if he doesn't like his Path."
"No one likes Obligation," Wraythe pointed out.
"A few people do," Nari assured us. "Like Ati, the head cook. It's her calling. But no, most of them got stuck there. Zeal seems to think it's a way for them to grow as people, learning how to serve us so they can one day serve others. But, you know how Kinen is."
Talin made a noise like he disagreed. "It's not all on Kinen's shoulders. I'm sure a lot of this was set up by the High Priests who came before him. It's human nature, Nari. People want to be special. They want to have luxurious lives, even in the temples."
She shrugged that off and reached for my hand. "Still doing ok?"
"Yeah," I promised. "I'm worn out, but I'm not hating myself as badly. I think catching it before I hit the bottom helped."
"Which means having the room across the hall was a good idea," she said. "Ela, you know we're going to do more of this. Pain sessions, softer sessions, and so on. We will have to work with the other priests if we want to graduate from initiates to disciples."
I sat up to cup her face, water streaming from my hand. "I know. I also know that after that, we'll have sessions with patrons. We will spend nights with nobility. I just don't know how I'm going to handle this when I have to spend all night with them."
"Wraythe will take you to shower and clean up," Nari decided. "I'll deal with the patron, and Talin will watch over me. We will make this work, ok? And who knows, maybe the more you do it, the easier it will get?"
"Shalsa says that some people just do this," I told her. "From the high of the session to the letdown afterwards, some of us crash, and it will always happen."
"And you aren't just anyone," she reminded me. "You are one of Zeal's Chosen. We will do whatever we have to so you don't suffer for this, even if you leave others to deal with it instead, ok? That's why we work, Ela. Because we always put each other first."
"I love you," I told her. "All of you, but you most of all, Nari."
"I love you too," she promised, "and I'm so proud of you. Now, you just have to decide that I can take it too. I don't mean helping, Ela. I mean when we're together. You don't have to treat me like I'm made of glass."
