coins-for-your-troubles/chapters/chapter-07.md

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title: WIP
availability: private
access: private
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Karin tested the water with her finger. It would have been hot for most people but for her, it was barely warm. However, it was better than nothing. There were a few things that being in the fields had taught her: never turn down a meal, always seal her boots, and never pass up a bath that wasn't filled with mud and leeches.

Slipping off a robe that Suras had found for her, Karin levered herself over the edge of the wooden tub with a hiss of pain. Every movement caused her chest to ache. As the warmth enveloped her, she let out a soft moan and sank into it. She slid along the wooden seat until her shoulders rested along the tub's edge and only her nipples peeked out of the water. Almost immediately, her injuries throbbed more painfully but she didn't care anymore. She was just happy she was immersed in clean water.

"Oh, sweet mother of mercy," she whispered to herself. She didn't really believe in the Divine Couple, not after killing hundreds of beasts twisted by magic and alchemy. There were no gods in the world, only the insanity of mages and the corrupting effects of magic.

She reached up and rested her wrist on the edge of the tub. Spreading her legs, she enjoyed the warm currents as they ran along her body.

"You look comfortable," Suras said as she came into the bathing area.

"For the most part." Karin smiled. "Thank you. I haven't had a bath in months. Even a warm one like this."

Suras set down a small tray.

When Karin spotted a bottle of whiskey and a glass, she smiled. "You know me already."

Suras poured a healthy measure into the glass before giving it to Karin. She gestured down to the water and the naked body underneath the surface.

Karin dipped her chest lower, immerse her nipples under the surface. A blush rose in her cheeks.

"Do you want it hotter? How much?"

Karin grinned. "I doubt you could make it hot enough for me."

Suras leaned over the edge, her bodice almost skimming across the water. "You'd be surprised."

Karin found herself only inches away from Suras's freckled face. The urge to reach up and touch her was overwhelming for a moment. Her eyes slowly rose to focus on the freckles that dusted across Suras's nose and cheeks. The little dark motes drew her in, she fought not to lift her body to kiss them. She wasn't sure how Suras would respond.

But that didn't stop the fantasies from racing through her thoughts.

Suras reached out, trailing her fingertips along the surface. The water boiled underneath her and heat blossomed in the wake of her gesture. She drew a wide circle along the surface, her hand sailing over Karin's submerged breasts, across her side, and then down across her thighs.

The searing heat flooded over Karin's body. She could feel it washing over her flanks and thighs. More of it flowed between her legs, prickling her nethers with a welcoming caress. Her recent injuries burned but she didn't care while immersed in what would be the most perfect bath of her life. "Oh, yes...." she moaned.

She leaned her head back to rest it on the edge. "That is what I need."

Suras lifted her fingertip and flicked a droplet away. "Judging from that adorable sound, I got it hot enough?" She raised an eyebrow and smirked.

Karin panted as she stared at the younger woman. The heat swirling around her made it difficult not to think about how attractive Suras was. The urge to reach out redoubled. She clutched the edge of the tub until her knuckles creaked.

Suras, who still leaned over the edge of the tub, turned to smile.

They were only inches away from each other.

"Anything else you want?" she whispered.

Karin whimpered. "I...." The words died in her throat.

Suras remained still for a moment. Then she stood up. "If you do, just call for me. I'll drop anything I'm working on."

She stepped back before heading the door.

"W-Why?" Karin suddenly asked. She was afraid of the answer, but Suras's gentle touches and the way she moved made it impossible not to know the answer. She turned to look at the younger woman over her shoulder.

Suras paused at the door. When she looked back, she was smiling. "Because I want to."

"You don't have to do all this for me. I'm not... I'm not that important."

"Well, isn't that for me to decide?"

Karin opened her mouth but closed it when she realized she didn't have a respond.

"Besides, what I do in my personal time is my decision." Suras pushed a strand of her hair back over her ear. "I choose to take care of you. Unless you want me to stop?"

"No, I-I like it." Karin said with a sigh. "Damn the gods, I'm not good at this type of thing."

Suras's smile grew broader. She turned around and leaned against the door. "What type of thing?"

"I..." Karin sighed and squirmed. "I like you being near."

Suras stepped away from the door, trailing her fingertips on the handle for a moment. "Like me taking care of me or like me as a peach?"

Karin's lungs stopped working.

"Because," Suras said as she swayed back to the tub. "I like the idea of being your peach, you know."

"You know what that means?"

Suras set down the bottle of whiskey and her tray. She leaned over the edge of the tub until she was looking dirctly at Karin. "I think it means you like to lick them, right?"

The heat boiling inside Karin didn't come from the water. She let out a soft gasp of longing.

"I'll admit," Suras said as she glanced to the side and smiled. "I've licked a few peaches of my own, if you know what I mean. In fact, I'm quite fond of peaches of... say a certain maturity?" Her gaze came back to Karin and she gave a wry smile.

Karin pried her hand from the edge of the tub. Shaking, she lifted it up to cup Suras's cheek with her palm.

Suras leaned forward into the kiss. It was light. It was electric. It was overwhelming hot from the first light touch to the way her soft lips parted lightly in a shared moan.