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Her sing song voice appeared within his consciousness with the same clarity as though she were next to him.
"Caleb! C'mon, you've been in there for hours! Mamma always told me to take time for myself during a busy day so why shouldn't you? Then you can…" the Sending message trailed off as the word limit was reached.
The wizard shook his head, quill poised and frozen over the partially completed notes inside his spellbook. It had been ages since the wizard had the opportunity to return to his arcane studies, given his adventurous lifestyle. He had been dealing with both Jester and Veth’s messages for about an hour now and they only grew more incessant as he attempted to ignore them.
After an all too brief silent period he couldn’t shake the growing suspicion they wouldn’t take no for an answer. Sure enough, moments later a thunderous Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! forced him to withdraw from his work. He slammed the dusty tome shut with a defeated sigh. At least with his impeccable memory Caleb would be able to recall any information at a moment's notice.
"CAAAAAALEB!" the familiar voice of Jester emitted from the other side of the door. "I know you're in there!"
He paused for a moment, pretending to ignore the tiefling's antics knowing full well she would probably find some way to break in if she really wanted to.
"Don't make me get Veth to open this door! She's right here, actually!" This was followed by a stifled giggle in a much higher pitch.
Caleb pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a heavy sigh. Though he had grown accustomed to the pair's shenanigans, the last thing he needed was for his door to come off its hinges (again).
"So much for that," he muttered in Zemnian as he gathered his materials and stacked them in a neat pile. The knocking continued in rapid succession as Caleb approached the door "Please do not destroy my door, I will open it instead!"
He barely has a chance to open the door before two humanoid blurs spring forward like homing missiles and tackle him, causing the wizard to stumble backwards a few feet. The tiny arms of Veth Brenatto surrounded his legs like a vice grip as Jester’s had restrained his upper torso.
“Caleb, I sent you like three Messages, why didn’t you answer?” the blue tiefling demanded as she held him tight within her muscular arms. For someone with a Keen Mind, he was temporarily taken back by her incredible strength, rendering him speechless.
“Hellllloooo? Exandria to Caleb? Caleb, you’re not answering me again,” Jester’s voice suddenly became deadpan, but even more persistent.
“Maybe he’s too stunned by your beauty!” Veth cackled as she also continued to hold his limbs hostage.
“V-Veeeery funny, Veth,” Caleb wheezed, his voice cracking as he felt his pulse quicken and his hands slick with sweat. “Could you please let go of me? I don’t like this.”
The pair of assailants shared a glance before abiding by his request. Caleb remained silent for what seemed like several minutes, his eyes unblinking before he finally spoke again.
"Sorry, the time must have gotten away from me," the wizard replied sheepishly as he rubbed his bleary eyes, fighting back a deep yawn. He felt his body begin to weaken like weights had been attached to his limbs as hands grasp under his armpits though in a more guiding than abrupt gesture. They led him to a nearby couch that matched the rest of the room's simple decor. Within seconds Caleb's body sunk into the firm cushions, the weight of exhaustion seeping over him.
"You work too hard, Caleb," Veth muttered softly as she brushed a few stray locks aside from his face. The wizard tried to utter a retort in protest though his words were cut short by the wispy tail of Frumpkin as the fae cat began kneading biscuits against his chest.
"Six hours, 4 minutes, and 30 seconds,” his speech was slurred as he recounted the length of time he had withdrawn to his quarters.
“We should do something for you, since you’re always doing so much for us!” Jester exclaimed, an excited glint flashing in her eyes. The wizard mustered enough energy in his somewhat exhausted state to glance at the tiefling cleric with mild uncertainty through one open eye.
“Do I dare ask what this ‘something’ is?” he asked, remembering the several other times they had gone ahead and tried to be helpful, sending a secret to Astrid being one of them. Hopefully this would be far tamer than that fiasco.
“We were thinking that you should turn that multi-purpose room into a spa! I miss those bathhouses we used to go to,” the blue tiefling replied with a toothy grin, clasping her manicured hands. Her halfling conspirator who was perched on the arm of the couch nodded with equal enthusiasm.
“There’s been so much fighting lately, and don’t get me wrong, I love a good tussle, but mama needs some Quiet Time,” Veth said.
Caleb thought over their request for a brief moment, fifty seconds to be exact, though it felt infinitely longer. The group certainly had their fair share of communal bathing, so it wasn’t as though it’d be awkward. A part of him that felt compelled to complete his abandoned work lingered in his consciousness as he spoke.
“I suppose I could clear my schedule for today,” he replied, glancing at the pair with a subdued glance.
Beau had been telling him to 'lighten up' as he'd apparently been acting a little too recluse as of late. A hazard of being an accomplished wizard: always shunning social gatherings in favour of increasing one's knowledge.
"Excellent!" Jester let out a squeal of excitement as she skipped towards the silk rope dangling next to the fireplace. Her blue manicured hand grasped the fabric and yanked it downwards with an abrupt swooosh . Moments later there was a creak as a trapdoor swung open to reveal a spectral tabby cat that uttered an inquiring " mrrrow?" as it entered the space.
"Heeeey...uh...Donut...could you get our bath ready? Like a really big one? That'd be so great!" She asked, kneeling down to scratch it's ethereal ears. It cocked its head, staring at the blue tiefling before making another "mrrrw" and vanishing beneath the trapdoor.
Caleb couldn't help but crack a smile at Jester's ability to name all his fae cats. She had given at least forty of them sweet related ones.
"Should we head down there now?" Veth asked, snapping the wizard out of his thoughts.
"Ja, why not?" He replied, nodding towards Jester who skipped towards him, looping an arm around his with Veth gently clasping his other.
It was a surreal feeling to receive any form of physical affection nowadays, especially after more than an entire decade was stolen from him by the Assembly. Volstrucker were always taught that any form of touching was merely a way to disarm an opponent. Thus they could keep their soldiers in line without having to worry about interpersonal relationships.
Sure Bren had always been a bit awkward around others, but after escaping the sanatorium he realized he only knew how to pretend, to compartmentalize his own emotions for the sake of a mission. Years of undergoing strenuous training had molded him into a perfect killing machine, a soldier without a shred of empathy for his victims...
As the trio made their way down the grand staircase he could vaguely hear what Jester had begun rambling enthusiastically about as he'd zoned out again.
"...and I was thinking we could put in a giant waterslide…"
"It should be shaped like a pirate ship!" Veth chimed in, tugging on Caleb's sleeve.
"While you're at it, why not put a mermaid or something on it too?" Caleb replied with a light chuckle. Jester’s eyes widened at his words, her hands immediately rising to rest against her cheeks followed by a flurry of “Are you serious?” and “That sounds like the best idea ever!”
Two spectral cats stood on either side of a massive gold trimmed wooden door, their tails grasping the sashes that hung in the centre. There was a creak as the hinges were pulled forward, a giant swath of steam enveloping the trio as the spa was revealed.
It was a luxurious display of many brass tubs filled to the brim with steaming water, soap bubbles frothing over the tops. There were cats seated on velvet pillows holding aloft trays of various pastries and appetizers.
There was very little time from the moment the trio entered the room to them being fully submerged in a nearby tub. Jester had let out a high pitched squeal before dashing over to the pastries.
Caleb did not realize until he slowly sank beneath the surface how tired he truly was. The heat exposed all the aches and pains that had accumulated over the past few months.
Veth, as though sensing his discomfort, edged closer and began absentmindedly massaging his tense shoulders. Try as he might, the wizard could not hold back the sigh of relief as the pain ebbed away.
"It's amazing you've lasted this long," Veth whispered. "I mean, you're getting so powerful but I'm the one who protects you."
Caleb let out a small chuckle. "Of course," He replied, his eyes slowly drooping closed.
Moments later he felt another presence beside him. The immediate smell of pastries revealed the figure to be Jester, who clutched several donuts in her manicured fingers.
"Hi Cay-leb!" She exclaimed, her voice muffled by the sweets. "This stuff is so delicious! Want one?"
Caleb knew there was no resisting the pleading eyes of their resident tiefling, especially with her level of persistence. He ultimately surrendered and accepted the pastry, which he technically made so it would taste good.
He almost didn't notice Jester curling up against his side as she watched him eat, taking slow, savouring bites.
"You look so much cleaner now, it's so much better than when we first met," she said, smiling as a blue hand swatted bubbles at his face. The suds clung to his beard giving him an ancient sort of appearance.
" Now you look like a wise old wizard!" Veth crowed, scooping up her own bubble 'bomb' and mashing it into his hair.
There was an eerie pause amidst the eruption of cackles from his compatriots as Caleb's expression turned blank. A hand lifted from the suds, a finger extended to gesture away from them.
Suddenly, a ten foot wave, frothing with scented soap towered above the unsuspecting pair before crashing down in a dramatic display. The spectral cats oddly remained in their stations unfazed by the situation.
Jester and Veth emerged from the chaos mostly unscathed except for the large amount of bubbles that now clung to their faces.
"That...was... awesome! " Jester shrieked, waving her arms. "Do it again!"
"If you insist," he muttered in Zemnian before another wave burst forth and engulfed the blue tiefling who's joyful sounds could be heard over the roar of water.
After a few more waves the room was a sopping mess of pastries and scattered furniture with the trio collapsed in the middle in a fit of giggles.
"That was quite fun" Caleb breathed, his eyes closed as he lay on the cool surface of the tile floor.
"We should totally bring the others here next time! I'm sure Beau would love the waves," Jester laughed next to him.
"Don't forget to add in a little extra 'surprise' for comedy purposes," Veth cackled.
The blue tiefling nodded in enthusiastic agreement, inching closer to Caleb and planting a small kiss on his cheek. A faint rosy hue blossomed on the wizard's face as his eyes snapped open.
"Thank you, Caleb. Today was really fun," she said, averting her gaze for a moment. "I know you spend a lot of time working on your books a lot but it's nice to see you having a little fun once and awhile. You looked so happy."
Caleb sat up, gently cupping Jester's face, leaning in to kiss her forehead. "Danke." He whispered. "For everything."