“I am not a Sable Legionnaire,” I mumbled.
“Just slide down a bit, you gangly bidget,” he countered, so I did as asked, smiling to myself over his calling me a bidget. I adored the small, rusty red birds that flitted from evergreen to evergreen with short, sharp tweets. I watched as he moved closer, rising to his knees to begin soaping my head. “Fucking crime what you done to that pretty hair of yours. I’d like to see it grown to your arse so I could spend my nights brushing it out then spreading it over my pillow before I plow your sweet arse.”
“Commoners are forbidden to grow their hair long,” I reminded him as I began to fiddle with his wet beard, rolling the blue beads between my fingers as he soaped my scalp and lovingly soaped my face with his fingertips.
“You elves got dumb laws,” he muttered then dunked me under the water without warning. I came up, sputtering, ready to lash out when his smile dulled the urge to retaliate. Instead, I shook the droplets from my face and placed my arm into his waiting hand.
“Agreed,” I replied as he began washing my hand, soapy fingers gliding between soapy fingers before his hand slid up to clean my forearm then my biceps. “You said we had much to discuss.”
“Aye, that we do, but perhaps later. I’m enjoying this too much to bring the outside world in right now.”
That seemed true and right, so I let him bathe me, giving over an arm then a leg then another leg. Rising up out of heated water to let him soap my back, my arse, and my irritated hole.
“Now you,” I said when I’d been rinsed off with warm water, his ministrations those of a lady’s maid for the queen. He nodded. I plucked the soap from his hand to start with his beard. He seemed content to sit back as I played lady’s maid. “Rumor has it that Lady Merrilyn often bathes the queen, sometimes spending a whole afternoon in the bathing chamber with our lovely Queen Raewyn. Now I understand. Washing off had always been something that was forced on me as a boy when the stink got so bad even my grandmother could bear it no longer. Once I had matured, I came to understand that sexual partners disliked body odor, so I would bathe in streams and ponds and crush pine needles in my hand. The aroma was clean yet natural, so the beasts of the woods would not scent me so easily.”
“I like you clean. The dirt hides your dots.”
I smiled softly while rubbing soap into the length of his beard. “It was intended to. My hair and freckles were too obvious.”
“Mm, true, but those red locks were so pretty seems a crime what you did to them.” He closed his eyes so I could move to his hair. Kneeling at his side, I doused and soaped liberally then gave him a gentle shove to get his head under the water. When he came up out of the pool, I stole a kiss from his wet lips. “I do like your kisses. Tell me where were you sleeping while you were here. Did you find lodging?”
“In the streets.” He frowned deeply. “It was part of my disguise. No one pays mind to paupers, and I was trying to get information.”
“Information about what?” I pressed my lips together. Asdren sighed a bone-weary sigh. “Look, I know you’re working on the sly here, seeking out this Cadere elf. I did my time in the ranks where secrecy was key to mission success.”
“What did you do in the military?”
“Nice try. You and them pretty eyes ain’t diverting me again. My point was that I understand the need for discretion. I also know my knowledge of these pirates is greater than yours. Sellswords and privateers brush elbows from time to time. I’d like to help you out if you’ll let me.”
I took a few moments to think over that offer. Trust did not come easily for me, but I felt I could confide in Asdren wholly.
“You know my mission as well as I do,” I said around a sigh. “I’ve gently asked about the Cadere elf but have met nothing but rebukes and threats of knives in my gullet,” I passed along, lifting a strong arm from the bath to begin soaping it and then his broad chest. I’d never seen a man so furry. It made my cock twitch just running my fingers through the hair on his chest. “It seems no one in this town knows the name.”
“They know they just ain’t talking.”
I glanced up from his muscular biceps to find his keen eyes on me. “You know this how?”
“Because we all know of him, we just know better than to talk about him on the streets.”
I sat back on my heels, his arm resting in my soapy hands, the blurb of hot water bubbling in various pools filling the steamy area.
“Do you know him?” I chanced to ask.
“Know of him. Know the name for sure. Also heard the whispered false names they toss about when confronted by the Navy. Well, guess it’s not a name so much as a moniker that the founder of Quinn’s Quay, Quinn Cadere, went by a few hundred years ago. Each male in the line uses that pseudonym as their own. So you may want to keep that pointy ear to the ground for the name of Lawful Larry to be dropped.”
That was a rightfully silly name.
“What is that? A sue-do-nim?” I asked.
“It’s a name someone makes up for themselves. Like bards, actors, and other artists do.”
“Ah, I see.” My father and his bandits rarely used their real names. I nudged him to rise so I could wash his legs and cock. He spread his stout legs wide so I could run the bar of soap along his hole and stones, then lather his cock. “So you know where to find this Larry then?” I gave his flaccid cock a gentle tug to indicate he should sit. “I love your prick.”
“It’s terribly fond of you too, Chirp.” His lower half, and most of his upper, slid back into the pool. I found a bottle of primrose oil by the rim of the stone tub, so I began to massage it into his hair and beard, for lye soap was harsh on hair as well as skin. He purred just as Jaculi does when having the scales on his belly petted. “I might. He’s the son of the captain of the Cloud’s Shame. Not sure when that’s coming into port, but—”
“It is set to dock soon.” His bright blue eyes opened sluggishly, thick brows knotting. “I have heard people talking.”
“So these darling ears are for more than just decoration.” He reached up to caress the tip of my left ear. He stared at the earring from Click in my lobe then eased out of the tub to rummage in his trousers lying right where he had left them. I watched with interest, tossing the soap aside, enjoying the way his arse bunched then relaxed when he walked. After fishing about in his pants, he returned to the tub, his right hand clenched. “I got something for you. Meant to give it to you that night you run off like I was a case of crabs.”
