Empty for now

With Anastasia walking ahead of you in her towel you get a lovely very of her smooth legs as she walks. When she leaves the corridor she turns so you can catch up. She had a wide smile on her face when you come to stand next to her. She looks away from you and over the bathroom. "It's rather bare but we'll make do. Cynthia."

Cynthia appeared behind you wrapped in her towel. "Yes your Highness?" She asked awaiting her instructions.

"Take this." Anastasia pulled off her towel and held it out for Cynthia. Your eyes went straight to her chest. "I am going to swim the two of you can amuse yourself until I am done. I'm sure you'll think of something to talk about." She gave you a poignant look and walked to the pool.

You watched her slip into the water a little disappointed she didn't make more of show of it. "My Lord?" Cynthia asked as she folded Anastasia's towel.

"Let have a seat." You walk over to a platform with one of the statues pour out water and take a seat. Cynthia walks with you but doesn't sit. You figure that is because of the whole attending thing. You look and say, "You can join me if you want."

"Oh um, thank you my Lord." She said sitting awkwardly at the edge on the platform.

"Just call me Christopher," you say putting your hands on the platform behind you and leaning back. The warm stone was comfortable and you relaxed your legs. "I already said no hard feeling or anything."

"Yes but I disrespected you, I didn't know you were the son of a Duke, or that you were friends with Princess Anastasia." She explained.

You found it hard to not read into her reasoning. If you were neither of those she wouldn't feel as bad. "You know about my family, tell me about yours." Anastasia was giving you 'bonding time' so you should make use of it.

"Oh my mother is a member of the cities Merchant Guild. My family owns most of the cites docks." Cynthia's aura showed her surprise at your interest in her.

"Where did you learn your swordswomanship?" You ask trying to make your questioning feel natural.

"My mother insisted. Second I grabbed a sword she made me practice every day." The warmth in her aura when she said it suggested their was little more too it. She loved her mother and wanted to make her proud.

You knew the feeling, though it would have been easier if your father had ever let you know ... a breath calms you. At some point you were going to have to deal with those feelings but not now. "Self taught?"

"Mostly. Spending money on a tutor was wasteful. I'm going to be a merchant not a fighter." She didn't sound disappointed by the comment so you made light.

"But every merchant should know how to make a point." You joke to yourself.

Cynthia smirks, "My mother said the same. How did you get so strong?" Her aura shifted when she asked. She'd grabbed control over it.

Suddenly her need to apologize made more sense, she wanted information on you. You felt less bad about Anastasia wanting you to get her to like you rather than wanting to yourself. "Training and practice. I've never had to do anything but train so I've had more time than you. Now that you're at the academy you'll get better quickly." You smile at her and she give you a tight smile back. It was pretty clear she didn't believe you.

"It that really all there is to it? You think I'll be as good as you?" She was still fishing for something and you wondered if this is what your life with Anastasia schemes would be. Verbally dancing with everyone you meet for reasons you neither cared about nor fully understood.

"Just practice and in time sure." You sit up and check to see if Anastasia was nearly done. She was still swimming. "Thinking of move outside of a career as a merchant?"

"I, no, just." She wasn't expecting you to ask the obvious question and her aura slipped from her control. "Just curious. My family doesn't have any connections as far out as Extier Plains. I thought their might be something in the water out there." She joked as her grip on her aura returned.

"Maybe, but I don't know any of the merchants back home." You say waiting for her reaction. If her only interest was about finding some new product to sell, well you didn't feel as bugged about her probing as you had when you didn't know the reason for it.

She didn't say anything and lapsed into awkward silence that was thankfully broken by Anastasia getting out of the pool and sauntering over. "I see you've made yourself comfortable." Anastasia said to you. "Though you shouldn't be wearing your towel here. Cynthia help Christopher get more comfortable."

Cynthia blushed but didn't hesitate to obey Anastasia. She hopped off the platform and walked over. You lifted off the platform and took off your towel. As you handed it to her it occurred to you how comfortable you were with being naked in public. Maybe it was down to this being the baths maybe you were just more ok with public nudity after a few experiences.

Cynthia didn't take your towel. Her eyes were focused on what it had been covering. Just because your mind was ok with nudity didn't mean your lower half wasn't enjoying other peoples.

Anastasia watched the two of her with her typical predatory gaze. "Something wrong Cynthia?" She feigned ignorance and lay down next to you leaning on an elbow to watch the two of you.

"N-no your Highness." She took your towel and folded it keeping her eyes down.

"Aren't you going to join us?" Anastasia asked her. "Just because you are attending to us doesn't mean you should neglect yourself."

Cynthia looked at her a little dumbfounded for a moment then followed Anastasia gaze to her towel. She swallowed and looked at you, her eyes constantly flicking to your lower half hardening now from the attention as much from the nudity on display. She grabbed her towel pulled it off her eyes still glancing at your lower half.

Anastasia leaned further up. "I think I'll have a massage. Christopher why don't you have a swim while Cynthia attends to me."

You stood and walked to the pool. Getting an erection in the baths, while consistent with every time you'd been here, was making you feel a little weird. Something about how confused Cynthia was while you hardened, it felt like you were doing something wrong.

You slip in the pool. The water was the same temperature as the pool and was wonderfully soothing. You swam lazily out and spent some time floating. Every now and then you would look over at Anastasia and see Cynthia talking. You really should work on your personability, it was getting embarrassing how lacking your interpersonal skills were.

You do a few lazy laps. It had been a yew years since you last swam. The local lake back home had been fun to swim in but after a while you lost interest in swimming in favour of magical and academic pursuits. After a while you look over and see Anastasia's aura beckoning you. Being at her literal beck and call was a little irksome but not like you had no reason to go over. If nothing else you are curious what the two had been talking about or more accurately what Anastasia was talking Cynthia into.