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Upon the rain washed circus grounds, through the green of the fast growing grass rose the rich brown soil. The scent of petrichor hung in the air like perfume, complimenting the softness rain brought to the otherwise hardened earth.
Antigone would have found it quite beautiful if it were not for the fact that she had just slipped face first onto the muddy ground.
The ringmistress’s attempts to help her were only met with protests as Antigone insisted she could get up by herself. Each time she tried to prop herself up, her hands slid across the muck and she scrambled even further. Eventually, Marlene had had enough of watching her unsuccessful, frantic movements and wrapped her arms around her torso, pulling her to her feet. She grimaced, her own clothes becoming mud-spattered.
With a shake of her head, she took Antigone’s hand, the two of them stopped by her caravan to retrieve new clothes before marching up the crooked cobblestone streets to Funn Funerals.
Despite the exhaustion behind her eyes, she let the ringmistress guide her down the dingy corridor of her own home. The lightswitch connected to nothing, and candles were lit with haste in their place, emitting a warm glow around the claw-footed bathtub. The ringmistress ran the water shallow, only enough for her to clean the muck from her lover’s body before she could drain it and fill the bath once more for the both of them. Their clean clothes sat on the edge of the sink, folded and waiting patiently for them.
Familiar hands wrapped around Antigone, unclasping the back of her dress. She melted by Marlene’s touch, fabric falling from her body. In her own mind she thanked Georgie a million times for fixing the rusting pipes that ran through the house, and the miracle that they even had hot water. Taking a step back, Marlene gestured with a nudge and Antigone stepped into the tub hand-in-hand with her until she sank into the warm shallow bathwater. It hardly covered her legs as she stretched them out before her, she supposed of course that was the whole point of it.
The ringmistress, still in her own mud spattered clothes, sat on the edge of the tub. She leaned, wiping the filth from her face with a wet cloth.
Her body trembled from the cold air against her wet skin. Marlene’s touch was unexpectedly soft as she asked Antigone to lean her head back. With a sponge, she soaked up warm water, saturating her hair. Her gentle fingers ran through her knotted curls, the scent of rose lingering as she washed her.
Sometimes a week could pass and Antigone did not go outside. She kept to herself, letting the dirt accumulate beneath her nails. The water running down her skin, the way the soap scrubbed against her body, the ringmistress's care took away the deep weariness resting in her aching bones.
The ringmistress had seen her body bare, and still chose to live there with her, curled up inside her heart.
As the old water drained, Antigone pulled her knees up to her chest as the water grew warmer and humid almost to the point of discomfort, but even so she felt at ease. Breathing in deeply, she savored the heat of the tub that sat in a corner of the old, cracked-tile room.
She sighed contentedly as it was the perfect temperature for her sore muscles. As soon as her shoulders disappeared beneath the water, she melted into the porcelain side. With lidded eyes she watched how Marlene followed her with nothing but admiration in her eyes, making sure she was settled and comfortable before leaving her side.
Antigone sunk lower into the tub, pretending as though she were not watching Marlene disrobe before her. Her ringmistress undressed in measured steps, unbuttoning her shirt and setting it aside before sliding her trousers from her legs. She was already barefoot and Antigone let her head tilt to the side as Marlene did away with the rest.
She lets her eyes roam her form. Even though it had not been so long since she first saw her fully, Antigone still found herself in awe of Marlene’s body every time she saw it. The corded muscles of her arms, the tight yet gentle line of her stomach, the length of her gorgeous legs.
That look in her eyes was not lost on the ringmistress. “You like what you see?”
“Immensely.”
Marlene settled against the other end so that they faced one another. She sat up with her arms resting around the rim. Antigone immersed herself lower, her head emerging from the water, reminding the ringmistress of a sea creature of fantasies gone by. The dim candles barely lit the room, keeping them mostly in the darkness her creepy girl much preferred. She gazed at her, Antigone was so strangely adorable, with the way her wet hair floated around her, her brows furrowed as she stared intently at the ringmistress across from her. Their legs entangled, Marlene ran her hands over her calves, resting on her knees for a moment.
Antigone sunk lower, submerging herself. Moving awkwardly through the tub with water thrashing, she reemerged at the ringmistress’s chest. Just as the water flowed, it contained no constant shape, so too did Antigone ebb and flow, melting into Marlene’s arms as she held her. The water settled gently around her outstretched fingers, caressing cooly, eddying in their wake. She pulled her hand out, watching the drips, both transparent and opaque at the same time. Enveloping her once more, this was always something she craved - a physical presence with the ringmistress and nothing more.
She moved once more, pressing her back against the ringmistress's chest. The water Marlene cupped in her hands and brought to her shoulders slid down her skin, warming her only for a moment before the air sent a chill down her spine.
If their bodies were too tidy, then how terribly boring they would be, as if they had never done anything exciting in their lives. Their skin was stained with bruises sustained from their endeavors, healing as the days go on; and as the two of them continue their lives on this earth.
There was a kind of vulnerability present in bathing with one’s lover not so present when one made love, there was nothing to be expected except for gentle touches as Antigone allowed Marlene to wash away all the apprehension that often covered her. She would renew her again and again so long as Antigone did the same for her, washing away her anger and frustration.
She kept her safe, holding her as the rain began to pick up once more, it surrounded the creaking house with white noise, almost like silence but not empty.