Steamy in the City

## Content Information

Didi had shown up at Iva’s looking like a butch icon in her one nice shirt, a white button down that mostly refused to button over her chest. She didn’t have much variety in nice pants, either, but on the plus side she didn’t think Iva had ever seen her wearing them, so the outfit would be new to her. She expected Iva to be as elegant as ever and didn’t want to disappoint.

Iva greeted her at the door, with a fashionable tank top that was peach-colored with cream tie-dyed pattern stripes and a twin-beaded V neckline. She wore a pair of cream color slacks that were not so hard on her legs. She wore a set of corresponding beaded earrings that dangle on her ears and a set of narrowed rose-gold framed shades. She gave Didi a once over, not recognizing this break from what Didi usually come to her with regular, “My my, overachieving aren’t we? We might not make it to Amber Springs if I look at you for too long.”

The blue-haired wolf grinned at that, taking in the gorgeous gorgon and her stylish look, the elegance that seemed effortless.

“Goodness, is it my turn to be the voice of restraint?” she teased. She stepped up to Iva and gave her a warm kiss -- affectionate and staid -- then took her hand. “Today I have plans for us. First stop, Chinatown in Amber Springs…”

“I guess I need to stop trying to kiss you back, and get on the wheel.” Iva smiled as she reached into her belt and pressed at the button to unlock the car with a beep.

“It’s funny that there is a Chinatown in a place like Amber Springs. It’s kinda weird too.” Iva commented as she let herself inside the car and pressed the button to open the door on the passenger.

“Night Falls is the first place I’ve lived outside of Vermont,” Didi replied, as she got in. “It’s set a pretty high bar for weirdness. This week I was plucked out of the fabrication lab by a weird therapy house that wouldn’t let us go until we worked through some feelings…”

She laughed at the memory. She was annoyed at the house, but it had helped her and Lily. And the steaks were good, too.

Once Didi had climbed inside and closed the door, Iva drove off and continued the route out of Night Falls.

“Just when I thought I saw the highest level of weirdness, everyone tends to prove me wrong. Then again, I basically got spirited away to another realm by something yesterday until I discovered a young werecat boy who had his fair share of problems.” Iva was not going to get into the details about the person in question being part of the cult and is now a spy for her right now. “Met quite an array of people there and a few unpleasant ones. Never did find out who sent us there in the first place.”

“A werecat?” Didi frowned and not-so-subtly sniffed in Iva’s direction. “Not one of the Valleycats I hope. They’re complete assholes!” She decided not to get into how she and Berry had given a few of them a thumping the other day for crossing into pack territory.

“I don’t think so. They didn’t have any hint that they came from those jerks. The lad was pretty different, probably turned by a passenger-by. They seem to have a unique set of troubles.” Iva answered.

“Aw, that’s really hard, especially if they don’t have anyone to help them through the changes. Did they come back with you?”

“He did . . .” Iva sighed, figure it was best to let Didi know, “He’s stuck in a rut with this anti-magic cult affair that has been a problem that I’m working with Selene and several others to deal with. I can’t reveal him otherwise he would be caught in a deadly situation. We’re working to get him out of there. Now that I think about it, I keep getting this feeling that something wanted me to find him since he felt trapped in a cult like that.”

“Well if he’s with Selene then he’ll be okay,” Didi said, making a mental note to check in with Berry and see if the poor catboy needed a predator’s guidance. “There truly are some weird forces at work around here… at least some of them seem to be helpful ones.”

“I hoped so. Of course, we got the good rolls in the weirdness dice. I’m sure there is a bad roll somewhere this week.” Iva mused.

“You can’t just say things like that!” Didi joked. “Now we’re going to drive right into Narnia or something and I refuse to miss our spa time to get embroiled in some Christian allegory, no matter how furry it is.”

“Furry, Christian allegory, and Narnia. Thank you for making suggestions in our special Weirdness of Fate Lotto. We’ll be happy to entertain your requests in our next drawing!” Iva responded in an iconic customer service tone and a joval grin.

Didi giggled at that. “This won’t stop being funny until it actually happens to us. But I’ve no doubt you’d be ruling Narnia in no time, and I’ll keep you warm when the ice witch comes around.”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to rule Narnia. No cell service.” Iva spoke in a laughing conclusion, “I would bitch about the food, and we have to teach them all how to eat good. Also, you would get into it with the lion.”

“Fuck that guy,” Didi agreed, happily. “But yeah, no cell reception is a dealbreaker. Let’s stick with our original plan and head into the city.”

It was a beautiful day, and with the windows cracked she could take in the fresh spring air. She resisted the urge to stick her head fully out the window, though. Today was a day to be dignified with Didi.

Instead she turned to smile at Iva and to marvel at how lucky she was to be here with the gorgon.

“Just do it, I know you want to.” Iva said with a fiendish grin, calling Didi on an urge that was apparent.

Didi rolled her eyes and started to protest, but Iva had her dead to rights and she just blushed slightly.

“If you insist,” she said, lowering the window a bit more and sticking her head out, her expression blissful as the wind ruffled her hair.

*Later...*

Once they arrived in Chinatown, Didi once again poked her nose outside.

“Take the next right,” she said.

“Alright. Are you sure about this? I’m going to have to park soon since these streets won’t be car friendly.” Iva asked, looking for the designated parking areas.

The wolf had her eyes shut. “It’s a couple of blocks off… but sure, park anywhere and we can walk!”

The car drove up on one of the unlimited, but expensive parking lots which Didi had intervened to pay. Once outside of the lot, Iva asked, “So what are we looking for here? This feels like just a run of the mill area for a date.”

Didi took Iva’s arm in hers. “This is the part where I show off one of the perks of dating a werewolf,” she said, starting to lead the way. “All these flashy restaurants *look* like they’d have good dim sum, but…” She sniffed the air. “There’s always a hidden treasure, a hole in the wall with the *best* food…” She looked brightly at Iva. “And it’s this way!”

“Now I’m starting to feel like the cast of that mystery cartoon people sang praises about.” Iva shakes her head laughing as she follows Didi through the streets of this version of Chinatown, walking past various shops and booths along the way. There was even a medicine and herbal shop that Iva had half a mind to stop her food hunting wolf fate to browse for new stuff for her homemade hair and skin products, but stopped herself, putting it in her mind to drop by later.

Sure enough, the spot Didi picked didn’t look like much, but the food was delicious, and they got to try a bunch of small plates.

“I’ve always wanted to try soup dumplings,” Didi said, when they arrived. “Have you ever had them?”

“Actually no, I never heard of soup dumplings actually,” Iva answered, looking sheepish.

Didi raised her hands in a gesture of excitement. “There’s soup *inside* the dumpling! A little broth and chicken and stuff. So don’t nibble, just pop the whole thing in your mouth…”

She had one on her spoon, giving it a moment to cool off but eager to try the treat that one of her packmates had told her about a while back.

Iva looked at the dumpling rather nervously, after giving Didi a glare about the nibbling. She took a moment and blew into the one dumpling into her spoon. Give a glance at the eagerly awaiting Didi, she took the one dumpling into her mouth.

“Hmm...it’s good…It’s so simple...”

Didi smiled at the sight of Iva enjoying the dumpling before she tried her own. “Mmm!” Even expecting it, the soupy inside was a little surprising. “It’s like a wonton soup but inside out.”

Iva nods as she continues to eat. “So besides roller derby, what other sports do you mess around with? I thought about getting back into some of my own sport habits. Don’t know what I could be good for.”

“Oh, that’d be neat! But competitively, roller derby is it for me -- it’s a big time commitment and it’s quality time with some packmates, too. I’ll play whatever for fun, though. Preference for going fast and getting physical. Rugby would be neat…” She tilted her head as she looked up at Iva. “You said getting back into the habit? What have you enjoyed in the past, besides archery?”

“Well, there is surfing...but, I rather wait before I get back into that.” Iva thinks to herself, “I don’t know really, I doubt I’m good enough for college basketball. What do you think I could be good at?”

“Volleyball, for one,” Didi replied, almost instantly. “With the precision and teamwork, you’d be amazing. I could see tennis, too, if you wanted a more one-on-one option. You’ve got archery and I guess at some point surfing for your real solo options… You know, I’ve always wanted to try water skiing! Have you been?”

“Actually no. Never seem to be something I could get into, and most sea activities I see are mostly surfing or diving from my hometown. Volleyball...I could try that”

“Oh, swimming!” said Didi. “That’d be a fun sport, too. It’s so cool that you grew up with the sea right there to swim in. But yeah, there’s pick-up volleyball all the time at the beach, and a pit outside of B Dorm.”

“Well, you do know how much of a control freak I can be. They might not accept me into the team.” Iva mused, half joking. She was actually serious and had doubts.

“Not until they realize you’re almost always right,” Didi said, before realizing that there was some real anxiety behind it. “I mean, if you’re just doing it for fun and exercise, I’m sure you can put together a team you vibe with. If you’re talking about serious competition, then… there are probably some big personalities on the volleyball team who would expect a newbie to fall in line, even a newbie with skills.”

“Didi, you remember what happened when I had to put up a big-headed bastard RA of floor 2 during the Carter Hall Games?, before you all got through to me?” Iva asked with a lingering expression, “I have the tendency to become a terrible person, when I’m determined and my pride is disrespected.”

“I do remember! That was the first time I learned that you could kill with a look, even though I didn’t know yet that it was ``literally`` true.” She chewed her lip as she thought about it, her expression showing how much she cared about Iva. “You’re never a terrible person, you just have some things that set you off, for really good reasons.”

“You say that, but that’s only because I avoided doing whatever it takes to achieve it without making everyone upset at my methods. I just fear for that one mistake that would make everyone turn on me or reject me...” because it’s happened when my mistake was not realizing that I was not human. The thought made Iva think further on her own personal anxiety.

Didi scooted her chair around the table to get closer and hold Iva’s hand. She’d known that Iva felt an enormous amount of pressure to be perfect, but it went deeper even than she’d realized.

“It’s not fair, how some people just get endless excuses for being a mess, and others are held to an impossible standard. I can’t fix… society… but I can tell you that you won’t be alone, whatever mistake you make. I admire you so much, I care about you, and I’m not the only one. The real you, not perfect but brilliant and wise and strong and caring and deserving the benefit of the doubt when it comes to a mistake.” She held Iva’s hand in both of hers. “I know it’s probably small comfort, but it’s true.”

“Thanks, I will try my best. I probably won’t earn a lot of friends, but I’m fine with a small group,” Iva finished off the last of her dumplings after saying that. “So... isn’t anything else that caught your nose that we think should try?”

As always, it was hard for Didi to read Iva’s reaction, but she hoped she could make her feel less alone. Less precarious.

She turned at the question, giving one last sniff around the delicious-smelling room. “That table over there, they have pork ribs that smell really good, and there’s a seasoning in it I don’t recognize. Maybe we could stop at that herb shop we passed and figure out what it is…”

The ribs were indeed delicious, and with a few minutes to kill they stopped by the herb shop. Didi was always curious about Iva’s chemistry work, and the nice thing about the herb shop was that it wasn’t full of icky-smelling lab chemicals.

With a few new ingredients in hand, they headed to the spa a short walk away. There were a few different rooms with different themes, and their room had a night-time theme with twinkling stars, silhouetted tree branches and bats, and a crescent moon. It had a dual-purpose shower and steam room, a cold plunge, a hot tub, and a small massage bed. With towels and water in hand, they were given a brief tour of how to activate the various steams and jets and heat and lights, and then left in privacy with some mellow instrumental music playing softly on the room’s speakers.

“What do you think?” asked Didi.

“This is a pretty interesting aesthetic coming from a spa, but it has a unique charm. ” Iva kept herself looking at each of the nice baths and various things in the spa. Though she went to spas before with her mother, this felt new even though she recognized several of the amenities here. “So, my lovely friend...any idea on how to start?” Iva asked, toying with the wolf’s experience with spas.

“The steam room was the big draw, I think,” she said. “The big bribe, if you will,” she added with a grin. “I’ve never actually been to a place like this. Vicki had a hot tub in the yard… it was so nice with the snow coming down.” She sighed fondly at the memory, despite everything. “I’ll start the steam room going while we get undressed!”

“Sounds good. I think if we’re going for a massage, which I would insist, we would need to wait a bit longer before we could partake. At least, an hour.”

“At least,” said Didi, excited to try everything in the room with Iva. Well, everything except the cold plunge; Iva probably wouldn’t go for that.

Didi stripped down and left her clothes in the cubby by the door, giving Iva a hug before heading to the steam room.

“Didi!” Iva exclaimed to her. This girl….the dressing room, and lockers. While Iva loved Didi’s energy, there was something to say about her overeagerness at times.

“This place is ours for the next hour and a half, Iva!” She stretched up her arms and transformed, towering in the space as an eight foot tall wolfwoman. “We can relax! Though I don’t plan on leaving any fur I’d have to explain…”

“Wait? You rented the whole place out?” Iva gave a most puzzled look.

“They have a bunch of different rooms like this, that’s how it works. They don’t all have all the stuff, and there are different themes… It’s just us in here now.” She shrunk back down to human form and tilted her head.

“I see...I guess I will have to see if I become rusty...” Iva smiled, looking at the massage bed before looking back at Didi, “For now, steam and salt sounds good..” The gorgon chucked as she moved on a bench and undressed slowly. Didi could watch the brass/onyx pattern of scales along Iva’s back as the clothes fell away. Iva put her clothes in the dresser in the spa and wrapped a towel around her, “Shall we?”

The gorgon’s scales were so beautiful, and the idea of a massage later on sounded perfect. Didi smiled and took her cool hand, leading her into the warm, billowing steam. She took a deep breath and savored the heat on her skin.

Iva shifted back to a full gorgon from the head down while Didi led her inside. Her body slithered over to the uplifted benches and near the jars of various salts, “They have various oils flavored for everything here. Lavender-oil infused, honey-calcite/himalayan blend, ooo…” She picked up a jar of green tinted salts, “They said this one is has grapeseed, apricot and vitamins oils mixed with Mediterranean sea salt, I’m kinda curious if that's true on the sea salt part, I would know.” Iva chuckled, putting down the jar. She rejoined Didi to enjoy the heat, warming her snakelike body up from the cold.

“Yeah? Would you know by taste or smell?” The werewolf stretched in the heat before sitting beside Iva. “Probably smell. Unless you’re gonna taste their oils…”

“No, I won’t be licking any of this. That would be the worst. Mostly smell. Sea salt from my home always had traces of...something. In a way, you can tell that it’s from the sea there.” Iva leaned against the wall and relaxed, “My mother’s business used a lot of Mediterranean sea salt in some of their products, so I’m acquainted with the smell. My mother used to concept new products at home as well. Did you know someone had the gall to lie to her about the contents of a prototype body scrub, thinking she couldn’t tell the difference? That poor sap probably had their ears ringing to this day from the tongue lashing she gave them.”

Didi grinned, imagining the righteous fury, that verbal evisceration that Iva herself excelled at.

“Well I hope it’s real… a little taste of home.” Didi paused. “Scent of home.”

She relaxed and shut her eyes, resting her ankle next to the tip of Iva’s tail, where it could curl around her.

“If they have juniper, pine, woodsmoke, we could do the scents of Vermont, too,” Didi said.

“I don’t think they would have something like that, I’m afraid. Regardless of the scents, it’ll still be good for your skin. You’ll feel soft as a newborn pup once we’re done.” Iva leaned her head against Didi’s shoulder. Her snake tail curled around the werewolf’s ankle, rubbing against it. “This is nice.”

Didi smiled at the snakes around her as Iva rested her head, giving Luci a wink.

“You’re making me all soft and delightful is exactly why I’m known as ‘Fluffy’ these days. But I just can’t resist.”

“I’m happy in helping you maintain your namesake.” Iva smiled, while Luci boops Didi on the nose in return.

After a few moments just relaxing and enjoying being together, Didi spoke again in a contented voice. “I like the name Fluffy, it turns out. It reminds me of happy things… and the name Zahra gave me is just kind of boring. Slate. It felt badass at the time, but… well, now I know I’m a badass; I don’t need to be named after a rock.”

“Well, you are a bit hard-headed at times...” Iva teased in a singsong jingle.

Didi laughed -- softly, so as not to disturb the snakes. “That’s hysssterical, coming from you,” she teased back. “And don’t cold-blooded creatures like to lounge on hot rocks?”

“That might be so, but my love for hot rocks shouldn’t be taken for granite. Otherwise, someone might get punnished,” Iva answered with a playful shove at Didi, laughing. “I’ll go get the salts.”

With a groan, Didi let that playful shove tip her over to lay on the bench amidst the steam. It sounded like Iva was calling a truce on the punning, and body salts were definitely a compelling peace offering. The wolf was thinking of something else, though, the fact that Iva had used the word ‘love.’ She certainly felt devoted to the gorgon, she admired her, she adored being around her, wanted the best for her, would do pretty much anything for her.

But it had been a figure of speech. A love for hot rocks. Not to be taken for… granite. It didn’t mean that Iva felt… any kind of way about her. Necessarily.

After a conspicuously long delay, she replied. “Both of the ones you found before seemed good. Let’s see if that salt is really Mediterranean!”

“Time to find out.”

Walking back with two legs rather than snake tail, Iva returned and instructed the werewolf the fine art of the salt scrub. How the salt exfoliates the skin and how effective it is now that they have been in the steam for a while. Afterwards, they would have to shower to rinse it and whatever dead and dirty away.

Iva took the jar of Mediterranean blend salts, and gave it a sniff. There was a murrur of, “Not pure Mediterranean, but close enough.” Taking a handful of the scrub, she began rubbing along her arms in a slow demonstration towards Didi from the otherside of the steam room.

“I found some scents that won’t overwhelm your nose if that helps.” Iva spoke as she put her leg up on the bench and continued the scrub from the thigh shamelessly.

The guttural sound that came from Didi’s throat clearly indicated her ``acute`` interest in Iva’s lesson, while not resembling any human word in the least. She stepped over to join the gorgon.

“Smells nice… why don’t I help you with those hard-to-reach areas?” she said, perhaps missing the point of the demonstration. Or perhaps not.

“Nah, I think I got most of it. I want to avoid rubbing salt on the back scales, but thank you.” Iva looks at Didi, “However, you probably should get started and have no scales to worry about. Would you like help?”

“Yes, please~” Didi grinned and took a bit in her hand to work over her arms, turning her muscular back to the gorgon. Her back rippled as she stretched her arms, applying the scrub to each of them.

Iva started at Didi’s for a long dwelling moment. The appetiting view caused long trailing hiss and a forked tongue to flick out of her mouth. The gorgon, realizing what’s happening, retracted her tongue, while getting the salt scrub and began to go to work. There was no pressure behind her hands, allowing the salt to rub along the skin of the back, working the shoulders then going lower…

*Some steamy minutes later…*

The two emerged from the shower relaxed and smooth. Noticeably flushed, Didi went right for the cold plunge, a little pool of cold water that drew a little ‘yip’ from her before she sighed in relief from the heat.

After a few breaths, she gave Iva a wicked look. “I can just imagine how you’d squirm if I gave you an ice cold hug~” she teased, starting to climb out of the tub.

“Now you look at you, thinking if I’ll squirm. Actually.” Iva dipped her leg into the edge of the cold plunge tub. “I don’t want to overheat as much as freeze.” She said in a matter-of-fact manner.

“Oh! In that case…” Didi wrapped her now-frigid body around the gorgon in a loose hug, trading delicious hot-and-cold sensations.

“Hey!” Iva yelped out startled. It was such an awkward position with one leg in the cold plunge, and chilly wolf around her. “Dirk would have a fit if I wasn’t restraining him!” Iva laughed, not fighting Didi at the moment, but looking at her while keeping her balance, “So, what’s next on the itinerary?"

Letting out a naughty giggle, Didi released Iva from her icy grasp. “Next, I’m going to just melt a bit in the hot tub. And maybe massages at some point if we want a break from being in the water. There’s no agenda besides just relaxing,” she said, with a soft moan of pleasure as she lowered herself into the heat.

Once released and allowed to remove her leg from the cold dip, Iva stared daggers at her chilling assailant as she went to the hot tub, but the stare was not entirely hostile. The gorgon’s glare broke into a chuckle before going into the hot tub herself. “Haahaa...relaxing is good. Might not get many grand opportunities after this.”

“Let’s make the most of it, then,” said Didi, softly. “And leave worries for another day.”

“Yeah, let’s…” Iva closed her eyes, taking in the comfort with a moan. “...Way better idea than Narnia. The weirdness dice can go away.”

Didi let out a chuckle at that and relaxed into the hot water. It was nice to space out in good company, to soak and cuddle and not worry about a thing.

After a little bit she went back to the cold plunge, then took Iva up on that offer of a massage.

Iva came out of the cold plunge, with a towel wrapped around her. She directed Didi to lay down the small massage table, “I’ll warn ya. My mother didn’t raise an amateur. . .”

“Consider me warned,” said Didi, climbing onto the table. “That I may soon be a helpless putty in your hands.”

“Oh, I can do better than that.” Iva mused, while sorting through the commentary assortment of massage oils. Once she made her choice, she walked away across the room to the controls to lower the lights further. A few candles were lit near on the wall. There were no footsteps, just a gentle slither as Iva returned back to Didi, “Tell me what pressure is good. Going to start with the neck.”

The confident comment sent a thrill down Didi’s spine and she shifted to lay just right on the bed. From the first touch, she could tell that Iva meant what she said: she knew exactly what she was doing.

“Mmmmm, harder,” she purred. The day was relaxing her, but Iva could feel at once the tension Didi carried in her neck and back.

Happily obliging to the request, Iva gradually increased the pressure. Her snakes fed her all the information she needed down to the tension points and where to focus on. It was like back home where her mom’s first lesson about using her Gorgon’s snakes to sense things along the body involved learning how to massage properly. It was super awkward and the newborn gorgon made a ton of mistakes, but now...this was second nature. The massage progressed along the back, “You still have something on your mind. A knead for your thoughts?”

The werewolf let out a soft grumble. “It’s Arsling. I’m angry and guilty all at once; how am I supposed to tell her what I’m angry about when I hurt her so much? And… how could I make amends when I’m still furious? Ughhhrrr…” Her groan melted into a happy noise at Iva’s touch.

As promised, Iva made a kneading motion in a particular spot on Didi’s back, “I don’t think I understand the context outside of your anger. If it were me, I would either just let it out unrestricted or build up to that moment. I’m sorry, I’m afraid there is so much I can say on the matter, since I only know her briefly on passby” And I threaten to kill her if she harms you. Iva reverted focus back on the noises she got from her skill, seeking to distract herself from that errant thought.

“Mmmm, at some point it’ll all come out I suppose. I don’t need to figure it out today. I just want to be here, fully here with you.”

“That’s good. We’ll deal with those problems later, for now.” Iva resumed her massage to a part of Didi’s body to get a better reaction.

The wolf let out a soft, wordless moan that made it clear all problems were forgotten, as Iva made good on her boast.

*...Fade to black...*

*Later...*

“That was fun. You’re going to be alright, D?” Iva asked as while her snakes were manning the steering wheel on the journey back to Night Falls.

“Oh I can take a lot harder than that,” replied the wolf, with a wink. Before Iva could respond, she went on, “I’m doing great! Compared to a week or two ago, it feels like so much has gone right, like all my problems are just… human life stuff. Not to mention that I’ve been on a wonderful date with a cunning, caring, beautiful, brilliant woman who makes me swoon~”

“Harder, huh? You seem to forget my warning.” Iva gave a fun leer before she returned her face to the road, “While I’m grateful for all ‘human problems’ as of late, it always gave me a strong impression that something terrible is coming. That...calm before the storm saying, but right now…”

“...Right now, I’m wonderfully grateful for a very nice date with a wild-spirited, fierce, good-hearted woman who is always welcoming me with her strong arms. ♪”

Didi’s affection was bright and clear in her eyes, and she leaned across to kiss Iva’s cheek. “If it’s the calm before the storm, at least it’s a good calm.”

“It’s a welcomed calm, and one is interested in creating more senseless opportunities for them, I wouldn’t mind the opportunity…”

“You need only ask,” replied the wolf, smiling and looking sidelong at Iva.

Iva answered with a sly grin back as the car passed the destination sign with 13 miles to Night Falls.