Soak

Posted on 22 May 2021 @ 3:06am by Civilian Iola Hawkins

Mission: Mission 5 - Season of the Witch?
Location: Iola's quarters
2155 words - 4.3 OF Standard Post Measure

Home, he was back home on the beloved ship, the USS Andromeda. Michael looked around his quarters, wincing just slightly at the bruised ribs from having had heels dug into them from Muriel. Having taken a shower to cleanse himself from the dirt and grime, he glanced down at a wrapped gift he had intended on giving to Iola. Iola, he smiled gently, Michael needed to go see her. To, see her beautiful smile and be around her gentle ways.

Michael tapped on his combadge, "Iola are you busy? May I come see you? Where are you located?

"I'm home." Despite the short response,, the joy at hearing from him was clearly audible in her voice. "You don't have to ask to see me." Was this some weird Federation custom? Where she grew up, men just came calling when they desired a woman and their master had given permission. Though noone had ever come for her before, and she had sometimes wondered about it. "You want to come now?" She asked while glancing around her quarters. Maybe she should change?

'I will be there shortly." Michael responded, taking one last look at his reflection. He then left his quarters and headed towards Iola's quarters. Upon reaching there, he rang the chime. He really cared deeply for her but wasn't going to just walk in on her. After all he has respect for Iola.

"Come in!" The Orion woman beamed at the man as he walked in. "You need no chime, you can come in any time," she told him as she walked up, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Are you alright? You seem.. different?"

He pulled her close into a warm embrace, looked into her eyes. "I am just a bit tired, but I am feeling happy, seeing you." leaning in to give her a kiss. "Come lets sit down on the couch, I've got a present for you." taking her hand to lead her to the sofa. "And I will tell you what happened on the planet. I still have sore ribs from it."

"A present?" She looked at him with curious eyes, positively delighted at the prospect of a gift. But they clouded equally fast with worry as she pulled him towards the couch. "Why do you have sore ribs?" she asked, "what did you do? Was it dangerous?"

Michael sat down, still holding Iola's hand turning to look at her when she sat down. "There was an engineer who had gotten ill with the spores that were floating there. She became like a child and wouldn't show me where the transporter boosters unless I played games with her, I was her knight with a strainer on my head and also her steed. She dug her heels into my ribs trying to get me to go faster. Thank goodness the cure was found and we were able to get the transporter boosters and everyone who were infected got better."

"You allowed grown woman to ride you like horse?" The woman's eyes widened. "Why? You got hurt!" She grabbed the fabric of his shirt, trying to lift it and see how bad the damage was. "You need to be careful... You must not get hurt." The very idea of losing one of the very few friends, someone she cared deeply about, scared her. "What if you... die?"

"She had the mind of a child and it was the only way at that time." Michael assured her. "If you wish to look, I will let you though." taking off his shirt so Iola could look. "I only got bruised and I had it looked at when we got back." setting her present down on a nearby table. "See, its getting better." showing her the areas where the bruises were almost gone.

Gentle hand slid across his skin as if to probe the injured area, and she nodded in approval. "You need to take easy," she said, the prospect of a gift already forgotten. "You need soak, long soak in special water." She bit her lip, looking away. "Like slaves gave Aidan...special soak to take away hurt."

Michael closed his eyes as she ran her hand across his ribs, it felt so .. nice. "I know what sort of bath you are talking about. I've had to do that from time to time. " opening his eyes to look at her. "Oh.. Aidan, I do remember him saying something happened but he didn't go into the details. When I've been hurt in martial arts I have taken a soaking bath to ease the pain." he noticed her looking away, "Were you there to help Aidan when he was hurt?"

Iola nodded slowly as she continued to gently run her fingers across his skin. "I was. I did warn him, he didn't listen. I was told to take care of him, he may not remember as he was not awake. He is prideful, and his pride an dignity were taken." She sighed softly. "Second time was far far worse, he hurt very bad." She stopped, resting her hand against his side, turning to face him. "Bath helped, you hurt, you need bath." She gave him a small smile. "I help?"

Michael could feel his walls start to crumble, with her lovely face and with the contact of her hand, and with how he was feeling towards her, which was very strong indeed. "You want me to take a bath... here?" she could feel his heart beating rapidly. "are you sure? I can go to my quarters and ... okay. "

She nodded, leaning closer. "I take your hurt," she told him earnestly, "these are big quarters, I have bath. Shower first, you be clean before taking bath, skin clean to take herbs." She smiled in earnest as she leaned closer, feeling his rapid heartbeat under her hand. Slowly, she kissed him before withdrawing. "I fill bath, you get clean."

Wordlessly he nodded, the taste of her lips upon his. At this moment Michael was totally under her spell, some might say it was her natural pheromones , but it was even deeper than that. He was totally smitten, no turning back. With a shaky breath, he rose from the sofa and made his way towards the shower. He undressed and stepped inside, the water raining over his skin, as he soaped up. Washed, rinsed, all clean and ready for the bath. He reached out for the towel to wrap around himself before stepping out to where Iola was.

Iola arched an eyebrow at him. "Not need towel," she told him as she gestured towards the bath. "No point in getting dry only to get wet." She offered him a slight yet mildly coy smile. "Nothing there I have not seen before," she added lightly, "men at home wear much less than you do now. So do women."

He blushed, for this was the first time he'd been around a woman in the state of full undress, well except for medical purposes. Removing the towel, he slipped into the bathtub. He didn't know why he was feeling so shy, but Michael was. Perhaps it was due to it being Iola, and he was making himself so very vulnerable. And well this was for treatment of his soreness. He trusted her though, and he loved her.

The bathwater felt so good, the temperature so perfect, him audibly sighing out with delight "This feels so great."

'It should." Iola smiled as she let a fragrant oil run across her hands, rubbing it between them. "Lean forward." She waited for him to comply, then started to rub the fragrant oil in, her violet hair falling across his shoulder as she leaned close. "This will feel warm, it will heal your sores. If it is not comfortable, tell me, I will use something else."

"It is good, and smells very nice." he replied, feeling her hair brush along his skin, closing his eyes as he felt the tender ministrations of her rubbing in the oil, "Have you been taught how to massage? You have very talented hands." Her nearness was taking his mind to other paths and he wrestled his mind back to concentrating on currently what was happening.

"Yes, but I am not a healer." Iola let more of the oil dribble across his skin, gently rubbing it in before pouring the rest of the small vial into the water. She took another vial and poured that in as well, making the water start to foam. "Is it feeling better?" she asked, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. She wasn't intentionally being seductive but seeing what was happening, she felt she could afford a little teasing. Especially with her pheromones being subdued by required medication.

"You have hands of a healer though." he murmured softly, "and yes it is feeling better. " his skin prickling up with goosebumps at her gentle kiss. Her being so near him was driving him to distraction. He wanted to reach up and caress her hand, feel her hair between his fingers. He wanted to kiss her, now more than ever.

"I have soft hands because my Don kept me from hard labour. I am personal attendant to Don," she said somewhat proudly as she continued to massage his shoulders, and rub his sides under the water line. "Lean back," she instructed, "now you need complete soak for few minutes." She sat on the edge of the tub, watching him comply and smiling at him.

Michael felt the water swirl about him as he settled back, he was amazed that the tub was big enough for him to lean back and stretch out his legs and his shoulders covered. He looked up into Iola's smiling face, giving a smile in return. He then closed his eyes, allowing himself to totally relax, going into a semi-meditative state. He could feel the oil and herbal mixture permeate his pores and the soreness disappear.

She ran her hand through the water, causing small waves to lap up against his exposed skin. She watched him in silence as he closed his eyes, watching him relax. She continued to cause waves in a rhythmic fashion until he was ready to come out of the tub.

Michael started to drift off, then came out of his meditative state, the water having cooled down. He opened his eyes and smiled. "I am feeling much better. I think I will get out of the tub now." sitting up and preparing to rise out of the water, looking about for the towel he had laid down nearby.

Rolling her eyes in mock exasperation, Iola held the towel up for him and guided him out of the tub, folding the towel around his body. "You should to go sleep now," she instructed.

Michael nodded, "Sounds like a plan." taking hold of the towel to keep it about him and moved to where his clothing he'd neatly folded, was at. He reached out to get the stack of clothing in preparation to get dressed. "That bath was certainly relaxing, and I'm sure I'll be sleeping rather soundly."

Her hand stopped him from picking them up, and promptly steered him towards the bed. "There," she said, pointing at it, "you sleep there." She had no idea what kind of sleepwear - if any at all - he preferred but she was certain he was able to replicate what he needed or she could do it for him. "You are not walking home, you sleep."

Michael blinked and looked at Iola. "Are you sure? " And seeing the firm look in her eyes, he nodded. "I'll need some pajama bottoms then. " He wasn't one who slept in the nude, as one never knew what sort of emergency could crop up. He walked over to get a pair replicated for himself and pulled them on, dark blue in color. For some reason he didn't want to leave, but then again she had a point. After a bath like that, he might not make it very far.

He went to the bed and crawled in it, this was all so... new to him. What the heck was he thinking? A small voice in his head was shouting at him. Go home to your quarters. Michael looked over to where Iola was, and shushed the nagging voice. He was tired oh so tired.

"You sleep," she ordered sternly before disappearing in the bathroom to get herself cleaned up. Then she pulled spare blankets from a cabinet and snuggled up to him, pulling the spares over her body.

Michael barely registered she was there, but felt even more relaxed with her snuggling to him, it felt nice. "Thank you" he whispered softly then drifted off to sleep, for the herbs and bath and her body warmth, all combining to send him off to slumber land.

---

Iola
Don's Envoy
pnpc Aidan

Lieutenant Michael Hawkins
Chief Engineer
USS Andromeda