Work Text:
Mirabelle believed she could speak for everyone when she said that she was more than relieved to finally reach an inn with warm, running water. While the party had eventually been forced to put modesty aside on their travels—given the general danger and time crunch—that didn’t change the fact that the cold season was starting to set in. Bathing in rivers was fun in the heat, not so much in the cold.
Isabeau sighed happily as he walked out of the bathroom. “Much better!”
They were all sharing an admittedly large inn room, one with three beds. Off to the side was a writing desk, and a large fireplace took up most of a wall. Mirabelle, Siffrin, and Bonnie had both taken to sitting on pillows around the fire while Odile sat at the desk, a heavy bath robe helping keep her warm.
Bonnie sniffed the air. “Za? Why do you smell like flowers?”
“Moisturizer~!”
Mirabelle nodded along. “Moisturizer!”
“You two are weird,” Bonnie said.
“Now now, not everyone can have the skin of a child, Boniface. Bring the bottle, will you? This cold is starting to chap my hands.”
Isabeau nodded, grabbing the bottle of floral-scented moisturizer and handing it over to Odile. “There you go, madam~”
“Much appreciated.”
Siffrin stood up, joints clicking—they’d been doing that more and more the last few days. “Guess it’s my turn.”
“Wait!” Isabeau said. “I, um, used most of the hot water.”
“Oh, that’s fine,” Siffrin said, waving him off with an oddly stiff motion, wrist barely bending.
“… Siffrin. Do tell me if I’m being invasive, but do you even need to shower?” Odile said. “I don’t believe you’ve ever bathed with us or even come back wet, and you don’t sweat, I assume.”
“Noooooooo?” Siffrin said. They shuffled from side to side until something apparently caught and, with a yelp, fell over.
“FRIN!” Bonnie said, rushing over. “You’re not hurt, are you?! You wouldn’t hide-“
“I’m fine, I’m fine!” Siffrin said, reaching out and mussing up their hair. “I don’t really get hurt, remember?”
“But- but…” Bonnie said. “You’re moving weird, and you just fell over? You’re not gonna, like, turn into a doll and sleep all day again, right?”
“No!” Siffrin said, bolting up to pull them into a hug. “No… I’m fine, I promise. I’m, um, kinda… famous? Right now? I don’t think we have to worry about me running low again.”
“Then what is wrong?” Odile said. “Because I’ve also noticed you getting clumsier, but I thought it was just the terrain… if you’re still having trouble here…”
Mirabelle nodded to herself as something clicked into place in her mind. Would it be weird to guess? They looked kind of flustered though, so maybe she could save him? Maybe??? “Siffrin, is there something wrong with your joints?”
Siffrin nodded, albeit a bit jerkily. “Yeah… They’re gunked up. Normally I’d slip away and clean them when ‘napping,’ but…”
“We’ve been keeping an eye on you,” Isabeau said.
“So you’re just moving slow because there’s dirt in your elbows and stuff? You’re not gonna sleep for a few days or anything?” Bonnie said.
“I’m not gonna sleep, no. Just need a while to clean this out… a long while, probably.”
Before Mirabelle could even think through the implications, she was already asking, “Do you want help?”
… wait. WAIT WAIT WAIT THAT’S WEIRD. THAT’S A FULL GROWN PERSON? SPIRIT? THING???
“Oh Change did I basically just ask you if you want my help bathing???”
“Um… kinda?” Siffrin said. “I mean, it’s not like I have anything down there-“
Isabeau made some noise of sheer pain, earning a raised brow and side eye from Odile. What???
Siffrin continued, “And I guess I could keep my clothes on for most of it? But, well, to get into the joints I have to, um… expose them?”
“Isn’t that just, like, pulling your sleeves up though?” Bonnie said.
“Well, that too, but more like…” they nestled their head into the collar of their cloak. “Disassembly?”
There was a sudden tension in the room. They all knew, of course. Knew it wouldn’t hurt him, knew he must’ve done this several times. They’d all been there when they’d popped a hand off as a joke. But they were all human, and some visceral part of them couldn’t help but flinch at the very suggestion. And Siffrin…
He couldn’t look at them.
Their face was shadowed impossibly dark even despite the lack of hat, lower half buried in his collar. Another stark reminder he wasn’t quite human, just craft and illusions making a convincing facade. “Sorry.”
“No,” Mirabelle said. She walked over, taking one of their hands in hers. Even under the gloves, she could feel the little joints, the little divots that wouldn’t be there on a human. Oh Change, did these need cleaning too? How easy would it be to get things caught in there? She held them a little tighter. “You don’t have to be sorry. I’ll admit, it does sound kind of scary, but isn’t that just more reason to get help?”
Odile nodded astutely. “I do have to agree here. Taking yourself apart, I’d imagine that leaves you quite vulnerable, even if you’re somewhere safe. You’ve always kept watch when we take turns bathing or sleeping, I don’t see why we can’t return the favor.”
Bonnie nodded, coming over and hugging Siffrin from the side. “Yeah! It’s weird and scary and I dunno if I wanna watch ‘cause that feels weird and bad, but you gotta, right? Just like we get weird and gross and gotta bathe!” They hugged a little tighter. “You promise it doesn’t hurt though?”
Siffrin leaned over enough to nuzzle the top of their head, his hands still caught in Mira’s. “I promise, doesn’t hurt a bit.”
“Then… can we… help?” Isabeau said, face near lightless. “I-I mean! At least? Some of us? If it’s awkward I get that too I can totally leave and just use the bathroom forever or you can and-“
“Gems alive, Isabeau,” Odile sighed, though it was soon followed by a chuckle. “I didn’t know that’s where your interests lied.”
“HWUAH?!??” Isabeau was now making tea kettle noises.
And Siffrin was flushed so bright no one could look too close to his head without ending up with spots in their vision.
“… is this… flirting???” Mirabelle asked. Were they flirting? Was that what was happening here? Flirting over bathing? Wait actually she was pretty sure that was common in romance novels, but didn’t think it’d happen in real life??? Is… is bathing actually attractive??? But you’re dirty! That’s why you’re bathing!
Aaaaand Isabeau had face planted into the bed to scream.
Bonnie stared at him, distinctly unimpressed. “Dile, why is Za so weird?”
“A question for the ages, Boniface,” Odile said, smirking.
Apparently this was enough to get Isabeau to sit up and defend himself. He solemnly said, “Love knows no species.”
“Oh certainly, but I don’t think love is the questionable part here,” Odile said back.
Isabeau made more incomprehensible noises, and Siffrin broke out laughing. Not chuckles or snickers, laughing! It was! Infectious! Mirabelle found herself giggling along, then Bonnie then Isabeau and even Odile got roped into it! Any remaining tension had long since been dissipated by the time they stopped. Enough that…
“Well… if you guys are okay with it, I guess I wouldn’t say no to help. Just, y’know. Remember it doesn’t hurt, okay?” Siffrin said.
They all nodded.
And with that, Siffrin started taking things out from their pockets! Tubes, brushes, a pick, cloths…
“Quite the assortment you have here,” Odile said, inspecting some of the various brushes.
Siffrin nodded. “Helps to keep a few different types and some spares. Some of this is pretty ground in, so I imagine we’ll need the scrubbing cloth and bristle brushes a lot. Maybe the pick too…” He looked around at all of them and sighed. “Well, might as well do the weird part first? Or, um… Yeah. I gotta take a leg off. All if it eventually, but maybe just the knee to start? Which also means, uh… pants… off…”
“I’m not ‘posed to see people without pants. Nille says it’s REALLY not allowed,” Bonnie says. “‘Specially with adults.”
“Ah, you’re right. Sorry Bonnie,” Siffrin said.
Aaaaand Isabeau was back to screaming in the bed.
Odile looked at Mirabelle, smirking, “Well then, girls night in the bathroom? Well, two girls and a doll.”
Siffrin looked up over to Isabeau and chuckled sheepishly. “That might be best.”
They relocated to the bathroom. It was still pleasantly steamy, warm and humid in a way that felt all too nice in her throat after the arid flames and the dry cold of winter. They decided quickly that Siffrin should sit on the cabinet, and Odile tried to take the toilet, but…
“This might not be something I can do long term,” she admitted. “But I’m too interested to stop now, if you’re comfortable with that.”
Siffrin nodded. “It’s fine if you’re fine!” He said that, but as he brought his hands over the loop of his pants… “It’s not too weird? For you, Mira? I’m literally built like a doll, and even if I weren’t, my cloak would cover it, but-“
“Siffrin. Healing craft is probably the closest I get to actually being good at something-“
Odile cut her off, “Mirabelle, you’re one of the best healers in Vaugaurde. You’re plenty good, I would say.”
“Thank you! But also, not the point! The point is, um… I have seen people naked. Even before creek bathing. I mean, I don’t seek to look at people without clothes or anything, but I’m comfortable with it in, at least when caring for people. It’s not weird or gross until other people make it weird and gross. Or some wounds can be, but that comes with the territory, and does not apply right now!”
Siffrin looked at her with something hard to pin in his eyes, a bit of that strange, soothing not-shade lacing into his hair. He didn’t say anything, but nodded. Without another word, he kicked off his boots and soon after his pants hit the floor, cloak still covering almost everything, but leaving all the joints and paint on his body exposed. And oh boy! There was an impressive paint job! His calves were mostly a creamy shade of darkless, but tapered off just above his knees was an expanse of lightless spotted with specks of light. Some of them had lines between them, some didn’t, but there was something captivating about it.
“Oh! These are, um… the things! In the sky! At night! What are those called?” Mira said, staring perhaps a bit too closely at his thigh for someone trying not to make it weird.
“Stars! And constellations.”
“Oh… OOOOOH! That’s it! That’s the thing you say! That’s what it means?”
Siffrin nodded.
“Interesting… to paint them on your person, and use it as a swear… they mean a lot to you, right?” Odile said.
“I would hope so. That’s what I am…” His gaze averted, fingers digging into the counter. “Or was, at least.” He stared at his fingers a moment, then smiled softly. “I think I like what I am now though.”
They’d mentioned it before, being Changed. She was tempted to go into another little celebration of it, but…
“As cute as this is, I’m not sitting on a toilet forever. Even with the lid down, this is digging into me, and I’m not standing either,” Odile said. “Besides, I know you, Siffrin. If we let you stall, you’ll wait until we’re all asleep.”
“Eep!” Siffrin squeaked.
“Gasp! Siffrin! How dare you!” Too bad she wasn’t letting it happen either!
Siffrin snorted, holding his arms up defensively. “Okay, okay! I’ll get on with it.” He brought his left leg up, holding his calf. There was a clicking noise as he moved some internal mechanism. A bit of dirt tricked down as he wiggled the two pieces apart until they came apart, releasing a small shower of soil onto the tile. Meekly, he held it out for them to look at.
“Interesting…“ Odile said. “I can see where they fit together, but there doesn’t seem to be any practical way to remove it from the outside. But you do it yourself, so I suppose there wouldn’t need to be…”
Meanwhile, Mirabelle could only notice, “Siffrin! How’ve you been bending this at all?” The layer of gunk was thick, sticky the touch, and somehow he’d gotten rocks and dead grass in it??? “Give me the scrubbing cloth.”
“Yes ma’am,” he said, handing over an abrasive cloth.
Mirabelle quickly got to work trying to chip away at it, but…
“Here.” Siffrin handed her a little metal tool. “Pick might work better to get the bulk off.”
She gently pushed it back. “Thank you, but I can see the… inside… of your thigh???” That was a weird term for it. “Whoever cleans that needs it more.”
The calf had a part sticking out from the knee joint, leaving a particularly difficult cavern to try to clean where it connected. Though…
“Actually… I could do that one, if you want? I can’t imagine it’s easy to get in there alone. I mean, you’d have to take the whole leg off, and that’d impact balance…” She trailed off as she looked over to see Odile staring at her, baffled. “Did- Did I do something weird? Oh no! AM I BEING WEIRD ABOUT THIS?!”
“No!” Both said at once.
Though Odile still looked confused, and Siffrin was doing that full face glowy blush.
“I’ve just never seen you so… in your element, I suppose,” Odile said. “It’s strange, but not unwelcome.”
“A-And I’m not used to, y’know… people… helping with this part? It feels kinda weird, but nice too? I mean…” he fidgeted with his hands—they still seemed to move alright for the most part. “It’s nice, especially, y’know, you, um… thinking about my balance and stuff? And seeing you confident, and having someone care for me, and- and it’s a lot. I- I can’t really move well when I start this, and I know it looks weird, and that I’m not human and-and- and it’s a lot of weird stuff to deal with and I can’t do much and you’re my friend but it’s scary but nice and-“
Mirabelle went over, cupping his face with one hand. “Siffrin, I offered! It’s okay… it’s okay. I don’t mind taking care of you. And, um… if I’m being honest? This is? So cool??? And I’m glad you trust me like this. So it’s okay, okay?”
He was glowing again, glowing so bright she could see it faintly through the layers of fabric covering his chest.
“… huh,” Odile said. Her bones crackled some as she stood up and stretched. “Maybe I’ll take you apart some other time, but I’ll admit, this feels more personal than I expected. Enjoy it, you two.” She left, and then it was just Mirabelle and Siffrin.
At first, she was worried she’d still made it too weird, but Siffrin popped his thigh off as well, trading it for his calf, but opting to clean out the ball socket connecting it to his torso first. There was something strangely meditative to using the pick to dig out little bits of muck that had gotten lodged in the crevices, each chunk that came out giving a small rush of satisfaction.
“Can you… feel this?” Mirabelle asked.
“Kinda?” Siffrin tilted his head back and forth, using a small brush to dislodge something he apparently got stuck on. “The only part of me holding, well… me, is the torso. The rest channels that energy, and usually lasts a while? So, um… it’s fuzzier, but yes.”
Mirabelle nodded. “Tell me if something feels bad then, okay? Or good! Either works.”
Siffrin just nodded, still bright faced.
Soon they finished getting the gunk out of his leg, and…
“Yeah, just like that,” he said.
She copied to motions he made, spreading oil across the joints with the soft cloth. There was a trick to it, apparently, making sure there was enough slickness to make them glide, but not so much that it dripped all over him. Turns out, he had a different bottle for that! Some kind of protective polish that he painted on in wide strokes. It left a bit of extra shine where it touched, even as it dried and hardened.
He seemed far more at ease when it came time to repeat the process with the other leg.
“I usually start with the legs. If I need to get moving, they’re most important, and they get dirty easiest,” he explained. “Plus, y’know, having two arms to work with is nice.”
She wasn’t entirely sure when he took his gloves off either, but he must have at some point, right? There was something mesmerizing about all the tiny, delicate joints on display, about watching them move. She also wasn’t sure when she ended up holding one, gently rubbing her thumb over some of the joints. Part of her was looking for grime, but…
“They’re already clean?”
“A layer or two of gloves helps, buuuuut I actually clean these pretty often. Easy to just take the gloves off brush them out.”
If he minded her curiously feeling out the way they moved, he didn’t show it. If anything he seemed strangely relaxed? The signs weren’t entirely the same as with a human, it wasn’t as if he could drop his shoulders or unclench his jaw, but there was a looseness to the way he moved, a subtle, gentle glow that lit up the fibers of his hair, lacing it with traces of that shade. His expression was similarly bliss, eyes closed and head tilted slightly up with a soft smile on his face.
“… silly question, when your eyes close, can you still see?”
He chuckled, “Are my eyes closed then? I can’t really feel it. Most expressions are… built in???” He hummed to himself, lightly kicking the one leg attached—and reminding Mira to get back to work on the other thigh. “I guess it’s meant to mimic humans in that way. Most just sort of happen, fitting whatever I’m feeling, but I can change it on purpose.”
Mira nodded. “Just like us then!”
“Just like you!”
The right leg was soon finished as well, looking wonderfully shiny as it reattached. The little stars almost seemed to actually sparkle!
“There! That feels much better, doesn’t it? It certainly looks it,” Mirabelle said.
Siffrin let out a quiet, affirmative noise. There was more light in his cheeks, a bit of energy sparking around his hair…
“Siffrin? Is everything okay?” Mirabelle said. “Is this too much?”
“Yes! No? Um… respectively? I think?” There was a strange sort of wax and wane to the glowing he allowed himself in private, a swell and dip like breathing in and out. “It’s just… arms next. And I’ll have to, y’know, cloak and shirt… off…”
“Oh! Oh…”
That made sense. Most people would probably find stripping their pants to be the most embarrassing part, but he was quite protective of the symbol—also a star, maybe?—on his chest.
“I can go, if you’d like. We don’t have to-“
“No!” A hand reached out and grabbed her sleeve so fast that Siffrin almost flew off the cabinet, hair flaring bright enough to leave a small spot in her vision. He seemed to get a hold of himself soon after, eyes averting as he scooted back. “I-I want you to stay…”
Mirabelle briefly weighed her options, but after such a strong response? “Of course.”
It still took him a minute, a minute where he took her hand to see it move. How different must it have looked to him? To see bones move under skin, to see the little wrinkles of knuckles and the way her palms were lighter than the backs of her hands. Could he see veins? Her skin was dark enough that they were hard to make out, but she had to wonder if he found them anyways. She’s pretty sure that normally she would be anxious at the scrutiny, but it felt strangely warm in her chest if anything. He was curious! He was curious too, and she was returning the favor. And there was no judgement in his gaze, just an almost child-like curiosity. Is that what she’d looked like? It was cute!
Eventually he pulled back though, doing one more big cycle of pulling his light in and releasing before pulling his cloak off. The dark undershirt soon followed, leaving his body mostly bare save for the lightless binder not quite hiding the glow of his chest.
The glow of Siffrin. The true Siffrin.
It was tempting to stare, but if he wanted her to look, he’d take it off. So instead she cupped his face with one hand and asked, “Which should we start with?”
There was a sense of relief in the way his legs went limp and eyes slipped shut. It was nice to see. “Right arm. It’s got something really stuck in the shoulder joint that I’ve been dying to clean out.” With little to no further fanfare, he brought his left arm to the shoulder joint and gently teased it apart… or tried to. It stuck?
Mirabelle climbed onto the counter to get a closer look. “It looks like you somehow got a spider web in here??? A lot???”
“Oooooooh, that’s what was tickling me that one night. Spider should be gone.”
She managed to scoop out the worst with the little bristle-headed brush, brushing it through and circling it like a fork in pasta. There was still some to clean afterwards, but that was probably the worst of it.
He tried to help with this as well, but it was clear that working with one arm was slowing him down. This seemed to frustrate him, and after he apologized for the second time that she was moving so much faster, well…
Part of her considered asking him to just take the other arm off too so he hopefully couldn’t worry about it, but that felt like asking too much.
So instead they filled the small room with chatter, sharing stories of the silly things their colleagues had done. By the time they switched arms, Mira was mostly carrying the conversation, straight up gossiping about other housemaidens, but he seemed happier just listening and occasionally chiming in.
Two arms and two legs down! That was mostly done, right?
“Hey Mira?” he said in a small, uncertain voice. “I know it’s weird and stuff, but can you, um…?”
He trailed off a while, but Mira just waited patiently. No need to rush him, right?
“Help me… with… my head? I get if that’s too weird or scary or anything but just think there’s some stuff built up in my neck and it’s reeeeally hard to get to so I almost never do and-“
“Absolutely!” Mirabelle said.
“Ah, that’s okay- WAIT WHAT?!”
She shouldn’t have, but she laughed.
This made Siffrin blush all the brighter, but it didn’t seem like he was taking it back! His hands came up to either side of his head, holding it steady as he unlatched whatever mechanism held it in place, lifting it off and placing it on his lap, still looking at her. Some part of her gut screamed and roiled at the sight, but in an exciting way!!! This was so cool! Look at that! Headless! But still looking at her!
She probably should’ve focused on the neck, but some impulse took a hold of her and she gently scooped up his head instead.
“Wha-?!”
“Hi Siffrin!” She chirped.
“Hel-Hello?”
Before anxiety and/or common sense could catch up with her, she kissed his forehead. The embarrassed noise that came out of him was more than worth it! Help why was this strangely adorable, actually???
His hair didn’t glow without a direct connection to his body, it seemed and-
“Do we need to wash this? I know you don’t sweat or make oil or anything, but I imagine it needs some kind of care sometimes, right?”
“I- I… what? I- yes! I mean, no? I-I have some dry shampoo that works for it, and I put it in not too long ago. Should be fine!!!”
She wanted to believe him, but as her fingers ran through his hair. “Hairbrush.”
“Huh?!”
Wait she was overstepping, wasn’t she? “If you want, I could brush your hair? It’s extra easy to do at this angle! But that’s, uh… probably really weird and I’m so, so sorry and-“
“If- If you want…???” Again, he didn’t glow without at least touching the rest of him, so his face got darker instead of lighter this time. “I think it’s just one thing really stuck in my neck, mostly, so you brush, I clean?”
“Nope. I’ll do both.”
“Why?!”
“Because I… want to?” She couldn’t really think of a deeper reason than that.
“… okay.” He was still really dark faced.
She opted to unstick the debris from the neck joints—a pebble had somehow gotten VERY lodged in there, and some of Isabeau’s hair had gotten tangled up—oil it, and polish both that and his face before moving to the more familiar. She rested his head in her lap as she ran the hair brush through it, facing the mirror so they could still see each other’s faces. He looked…
Blissful.
If she didn’t know better, she’d worry he was dead with how he let his body just go limp, newly oiled joints obeying only gravity. His eyes were shut—for as much as that mattered—but he smiled softly. Even through the thick binder, she could see the ebb and flow of the glow in his chest out of the corner of her eye.
Soon though, she couldn’t even pretend there were more tangles in his hair. She was just petting him at this point. He didn’t seem to mind, but they couldn’t stay here all night, could they? With a bit of reluctance, she told him she was going to put his head back now and the rest of him sat up to let her. It slid back on easily with a few little clicks, and he rolled it, seemingly taking pleasure in the ease of movement. In fact, he did the same with all of his joints, rolling wrists, bending elbows, kicking feet, shaking his head back and forth, it felt great just watching! She ended up mimicking him, to a degree.
Siffrin giggled as he saw this, leaning over to press his forehead to hers. The material was cool to the touch, but warmth radiated from his hair. She ran her fingers through it.
After a few seconds he pulled back and she expected that to be the end of it, but his hands came to the binder, staring to pull it up before seeming to realize what he was doing. His eyes snapped to her, looking for who knows what.
“Do you want me to polish your torso too?”
“Mmmm… yeah. But…” There was more of that in and out flaring, a bit peeking through the bottom of the binder. He hesitated only another second before pulling it over his head. “… wanted to say hi.”
Oh!!! Oh…
Oh.
… Aaaaaaaaw!
Giddy, bubbly warmth filled her chest. “Hello Siffrin! Good to see you!” She waved to the light inside. It felt a little silly, but the happy noise and little flare of brightness in his hair was more than worth it.
He was still watching her, little sparks and flares surrounding his head and even occasionally popping out elsewhere. It felt kinda tickley! And very warm.
His hand reached out, gently taking her wrist and setting it on the edge of the little viewing window. It was warm, so, so warm, enough that it felt like it should hurt, but didn’t. Bits of that shade—the one Loop said was ‘Green’—welled up as she ran her fingers along the not-glass, enraptured. She watched his expression carefully as she leaned in, up until there was too much light in her vision to keep her eyes open. She pressed her forehead there, letting the radiating warmth fill her to the bones. It felt both heavy and light, refreshing energy in her body while long-clenched muscles finally relaxed. Oh Change, that was nice…
His fingers—joints protected by a silk glove—found their way to her hair. It was hard to say how long they sat like that, far away stars dancing behind Mira’s eyelids and both oh so warm, but eventually it was cut off by a knock on the bathroom door making them both jump.
“HURRY UP YOU CRABS I GOTTA PEE!” Bonnie yelled.
“Sorry!” They both yelled then both laughed.
Mira helped out a quick coat of protective polish on his torso, fanning him to help it dry as he tried to put his pants back on. Them both laughing at the gesture probably did more to give it time to dry than anything, actually, but it was still fun!
Mirabelle probably needed a bit of washing up, at least a scrubbing of the arms, by the time Siffrin got all his clothes back on and they left, but Siffrin was glowing in more ways than one.