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The heat wave rolled over Radz-at-Han like an entire caravan’s worth of hippopotamuses. Palm trees wilted. Hamsa stuck to the shadows in the corners of their enclosure, huddling in bobbing, squawking masses wherever shade could be found. Street vendors abandoned their stalls, and alchemists left their kilns for less noxious venues. All of the usual bustle that carried on during the day slowed to a crawl as laborers languished in their homes, praying to the Sisters for rain. It was making the entire city miserable, and worse, it was interrupting Y'shtola’s research.
Even she couldn't deny, as much as she wished to simply will it away, that the heat was affecting her ability to focus on her stack of tomes. She had returned briefly to Thavnair to make certain inquiries upon the nature of rifts and voidsent as theorized by the Hannish schools of aetherology, only to be met with the stifling heat that lingered like an unwanted houseguest. And until she could compile satisfactory data from the alchemists, there was little point in returning to Sharlayan; her next line of research depended on the results of the one she was currently pursuing. Moreover, Tataru would be cross with her were she to spend coin recklessly on unnecessary aetheryte fees. So she dove into her tomes, bought as many ice crystals as her traveling bag could hold, and endured.
One stifling evening, however, the prospect of revisiting her previous research failed entirely to engage her distracted mind. That was not to say she did not attempt it regardless, but even the words themselves seemed to be affected by the heat, sliding around upon their pages until Y’shtola had completely given up making any progress. She set the book aside and sighed, stretching out upon the bed in her lightest nightgown, staring up at the painted ceiling of the room Vrtra had so graciously provided. The different colors of paint were aspected slightly towards different elements of aether, and the pattern was visible even to her altered sense of vision.
She knew herself well enough to know that sleep would not come for many more bells, and she needed to find some way to pass the time. ‘Twas unlikely that the heat would allow her to manage anything productive for the time being, so she required a simpler diversion of some sort, one that would, if she were clever, could provide some relief from her present condition.
The most expedient such diversion would be to socialize, but only a few of her companions were currently in Thavnair. Vrtra was no doubt busy with more important affairs. She got along well enough with Estinien, but she had a feeling that he may not respond well to a surprise visit to his quarters – Meteor was still telling jokes about the time he knocked on his door in the middle of the night only to leap from the balcony not a minute later – and her nose wrinkled involuntarily at the thought of how his chamber would smell if she happened to visit too soon after one of his bouts of exercise. To the man's credit, he kept himself tidy enough for a soldier, but her nose was more sensitive than most, and had only grown more so since she had lost her vision. Visiting Estinien to pass the night away was out of the question.
That left only one real choice of companion, a choice that was, in all honesty, very easy for Y'shtola to make: Zero. Ever since they had met her in the dungeons of Troia, Y'shtola had been fascinated by her, and her fascination had only grown ever since Zero had awakened to her neglected emotions and decided to join their cause out of her true heart's desire rather than mere transactional obligation.
It had been some time since anyone with whom Y'shtola could consider a more intimate relationship had crossed the Scions’ path. She had long since recognized Zero as one with whom her heart and mind resonated enough to be a potential partner, but her research and the surrounding circumstances had thus far precluded her from advancing the idea to the woman herself. But now… now she could be on the precipice of a valuable chance.
Mercifully, before she could waste the entire night ruminating on the matter, she was able to will herself onto her feet in her gauzy nightgown and slippers, and was soon making her way down the wide halls of Meghaduta. For a blessing, no overeager guardsman or gossipy palace servant crossed her path until she was in front of the guest chamber she sought.
She knocked lightly. “May I come in, Zero?”
A brief silence, then Zero’s voice, muffled by the door, reached her ears. “Yes.”
Y'shtola quickly obliged, turning the handle and slipping into the room, which was nearly identical in layout to her own. Save for the lack of tomes piled in stacks upon the floor, she might have thought she had ended up where she began.
Zero stood at her window, her attention fixed upon the Thavnairian night. Every time Y'shtola looked upon her with her aethersight, she could not help but marvel at the way the Darkness swirled about her form in an undulating aura, curling in a beautiful, ever-shifting and ephemeral way that defied all of her powers of concrete description. It may have been the same element that the Ascians and Zodiark had wielded, yet only Zero lent the Dark a unique kind of beauty.
As the door swung closed, Zero turned her head to catch Y'shtola's steady gaze in the corner of her eye, but was otherwise motionless. “Do you require me for something?”
“Naught but your company,” Y'shtola said. “There is little to be done in this accursed heat except reading, and I have grown far too uncomfortable to manage even that. I hoped that spending some time with you might help the hours pass more swiftly.”
Zero’s brows pinched, and she turned to face Y'shtola more fully. She still wore her usual clothing, although Vrtra had provided a set of Thavnairian silk pajamas for every one of his guests. “The heat affects you so? My body is constructed differently, so I don't feel any such discomfort.” Even as she spoke, a bead of sweat ran down the side of her cheek, though she exhibited no reaction to its presence.
Y’shtola raised an eyebrow. “You may not feel it in the same manner as I, but you cannot prevent your body's physiological reaction. Pray touch your own forehead: you are perspiring, Zero.”
Zero complied, placing one slender hand upon her forehead. Her eyes widened, almost imperceptibly, as she discovered the moisture upon it. “Strange…”
“Even if you feel little discomfort, this heat may still have a negative effect on your body's tissues,” Y'shtola insisted. “And though you may not feel uncomfortable enough to sleep, the same cannot be said for me. I fear I will be entirely unable to relax unless we find a way to cool down.”
“Hm. I still don’t feel as if it’s affecting me, but I have nothing better to do.” Zero crossed her arms. “Aren’t you capable of using ice magicks? You could cast a spell that would cool us.”
“I could, but I fear Vrtra would be upset if I were to cast such a spell indoors,” Y’shtola explained. “An ice spell may indeed cool the air, but the ice would turn swiftly to water. It would puddle on the floor and soak into the rugs, and if we were not able to dry them sufficiently afterward, mildew would grow and ruin all of the furniture.”
“So we go outside, then.” Zero said.
“Yes… outside…” Y’shtola pondered. “In fact, I do believe I have a better idea than ice magic. Do you know how to swim, Zero?”
Zero shrugged. “I haven’t had the opportunity to do so for a while, but I’m capable.”
“Excellent.” Y’shtola smiled. “Let us make for the gates.”
Under the cover of the still-youthful night, the heat of the sun lingering at the ocean’s misty horizon, Y'shtola and Zero traversed the streets of Radz-at-Han and passed into Thavnair proper. Between the forest’s calming presence and the great waterfalls that crashed continuously on either side of the city gates, creating a protective shroud of mist, the heat was already much more bearable outside of the great walls, yet Y'shtola was still determined to execute her newly-hatched plan.
As soon as they were out of sight of the gateguards, Y'shtola quit the road and began to carefully make her way downhill towards the water. Zero followed in silence, her boots having no trouble finding purchase on the sloping earth.
“I highly doubt anyone traversing the bridge will be able to see us, lest they possess a magitek spotlight of some sort,” Y'shtola said once they had reached the bank of the river, small waves lapping ilms from her feet. “We will be able to swim here in peace.”
“Alright,” said Zero, and made to step straight into the shallows, leather boots, hat, and all.
Quickly, Y'shtola held up a hand. “Do not be so hasty. First, we shall disrobe.”
Zero paused, one foot in the air, and frowned. “I thought that being without clothing was frowned upon here. When Estinien was exercising in his room without clothing, Vrtra scolded him.”
Y'shtola laughed. “How very like Estinien. That was an entirely different situation, I assure you. There are many places in which removing one’s clothing is perfectly acceptable.” She loosened the tie at the front of her robe, letting it slip easily from her shoulders. “You need not do so if you feel uncomfortable with it, of course. But I fully intend to.” With a shrug, the featherlight robe slid down her arms, leaving her nude form exposed to the night air, save for that which was still beneath her drawers.
Zero looked at her for a long moment, both her features and her aether inscrutable. Y'shtola waited patiently. She had no shame in her body, and Zero's gaze was welcome: more than welcome, even. Still, the passing seconds seemed to stretch as the silence between them continued on.
Finally, Zero’s lips parted. “I have no issue with it,” she stated flatly. “But what is the value in disrobing in order to swim? It seems like an unnecessary step.”
“‘Tis bothersome to walk about in wet clothes, and neither of us possess any dedicated swimwear currently,” Y'shtola said. “But those are merely the pragmatic concerns. Swimming in the nude is more exhilarating. To be surrounded by water and let it touch every ilm of skin… you might call it intimate, or sensual.”
“Sensual?” Zero queried, frowning. “I can't say I have any knowledge of such a feeling.”
Y'shtola raised an eyebrow. “From what I understand of the void, I cannot imagine there is much opportunity to become physically close with another. But do you not even recall anything of the sort from before the Flood of Darkness?”
“Voidsent have no reason for physical intimacy. If a voidsent wishes to touch you, you can be certain that their actual wish is to devour you.” Zero shook her head. “My memories from before the flood are less clear, but I cannot recall ever putting thought to such things, even before the world's transformation. Some sought out partners for comfort or simply for a sense of power, but it never seemed a great priority to me.” She looked at Y'shtola thoughtfully. “But my mother must have found value in a partner, or she would not have become pregnant with me. Now I wonder if my lack of such feelings was due to the influence of Darkness upon me.”
“I find that unlikely.” Y'shtola said. “I am no half voidsent, and yet I too have never felt the pull of bodily urges that affect so many. Yet a lack of carnal desires need not preclude an enjoyment of intimacy. I happen to be enjoying myself very much at the moment; do you not agree?”
“...It's nice,” Zero admitted. “I've had only myself to look at ever since I escaped the rift. Seeing another who looks so much like me, yet is different… is interesting.”
“You have my permission to look all you wish,” said Y’shtola. With a quick series of deft movements, her drawers joined the robe upon the riverbank, and she stepped forward into the shallows, letting out a pleased sigh as cool water enveloped her feet. “I don't allow just anyone to do so, you know. Only those that… interest me as well.”
Zero frowned. “You just claimed that you feel no desire.”
“I feel no physical desire,” Y'shtola corrected. “That does not preclude me from feeling interpersonal desires. I find that I quite enjoy your company, Zero, and I do not mind sharing this kind of intimacy with you. I certainly have no desire to go skinny-dipping with Estinien.” She waded further into the water, enjoying the feeling of soft sand giving way between her toes. “Though I do not believe that he desires women at all.”
Behind her, she heard the rustling of fabric as Zero removed her own clothing, but she did not yet turn around. Instead she moved forward until the river embraced her to her waist, breathing deep of the Thavnairian night and enjoying the coolness of the water against her sensitive skin.
Soon enough, the splashing and rippling that accompanied Zero's presence in the water drew near. Y'shtola turned at last, taking in her companion’s slender figure, the breadth of her shoulders and the swell of her small breasts, the flares of Darkness that enveloped her and blended exquisitely with the water. She had found Zero both academically and personally fascinating before, but in that moment of baring themselves to one another, she found herself on the precipice of an emotional abyss more vast than she could have ever scientifically predicted.
“You are beautiful,” were the words that eventually found their way to her lips. She smiled and reached out to touch Zero’s shoulder, her fingertips gentle. Zero said nothing and her expression only slightly shifted at Y'shtola's touch, but the stirring in the depths of her aether belied her stoicism.
Y'shtola chose to spare her further turmoil, and leaned back until she was floating, the rippling currents bearing away the last traces of heat-induced discomfort. After a moment, Zero did the same, and they stayed that way in the tranquility of the night for a time, like two leaves upon the river that had fallen from distant trees. They needed no more words nor did they need to strive for a more physical connection, for they had followed the currents and drifted close in their own way, and it was all the intimacy Y'shtola had ever desired.