Neliar - Saturday, September 15, 2001, 8:44 PM
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Bathing House
Sunlight slants into this relatively small building through windows positioned in the ceiling and high on the walls. Glows hide behind decorative sconces, placed on the stone walls to provide a soft ligtht at night. Beside the door leading to the lake is a tall, wide cabinet, the shelves filled with containers of sweetsand, towels and other miscellaneous bath items. On the other side of the door is a matching cabinet, but these shelves are empty for swimmers and bathers to leave their things. In the centre of the room is a pool of warm water, always on the verge of steamy, but not quite. It is shallow where it laps the stone floor at the edges, but deepens to shoulder-height in the centre. A few benches stand around the pool and a long one is even inside it for the lazy bathers.
Shanel is here.

Shanel is lounging the warm water with her back to the door. Her clothes are folded neatly on one of the empty shelf. She is wearing a new one piece black swimsuit. Her back is to the door.

Neliar arrives slightly out of breath caused by chasing after Nel. It's time they had a chat together. Hopefully she'll talk to him this time. "Hi Nel, mind if I join you?" he feels rather awkward around her now, not sure how she'll react to his being here.

Shanel turns in the water, "Hi Neliar." The redness her could be explained by the heat of the water, or not. "Sure." Softly said, almost a wisper. They do need to talk, Shanel just isn't sure what to say. She pushes away from the edge to stand more in the middle and face him.

As he doesn't have anything to bathe in Neliar just takes off his boots and rolls up his trouser legs and dangles with in the water. The move bringing him more or else eye level with Nel. "How are things going?" he's not sure where to start either, he just know they need to do this.

"Fine." This is not going to be easy. Shanel stares down at the water in front of her. She'll look anywhere but the one place she should be looking. Absently readjusting the strap on her suit, "You?"

Neliar's eyes are drawn to the movement, wish it was apart of him that her hand was touching instead of her suit. "Fine." After his talk with Mayala he doesn't think it's a good idea to tell her how much he's been missing her.

Shanel nods slightly. One hand nerviously smooths the fabric of her swimsuit. "That's good." Talking with Mayala helped a bit but it also seemed to create more questions then answers. Very slowly Shanel gathers her courage and her pride and looks up at Neliar. Studying his face for a moment before she speaks. "I'm sorry."

Neliar looks straight at Nel. "what for, I shouldn't have said to you what I did, it's me who should be saying sorry to you. I am really sorry, I didn't mean to upset you like that." and he's regretted that day ever since, he'll have to learn to think before he speaks.

Shanel takes a very deep breath. "I'm sorry for reacting the way I did. I-I was startled an-nd I over reacted. I'm sorry I couldn't just say it back." She takes a shuddering breath. Lowering her head so that her loss hair faces in front of her face. "I'm so sorry." Is whispered, barely audible over the sounds from outside.

Neliar wants nothing more than to go and to hold her and tell her everything is going to be alright but he's not so sure now. He can cope with the fact that she doesn't love him but he's scared she's really going to hurt him. With a half smile he says. "it's okay I didn't say that to you to make you tell me back. I just said it because it was the way that I was feeling then."

Shanel swims over to the side of the pool. She slowly crosses her arms and sets them out on the edge. Without looking at Neliar she lowers her head to be cradled in her arms. "I know." She doesn't want to hurt him. And she doesn't want to loss his friendship, even if there ends up being nothing more then friendship. "Now what?"

Neliar takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly giving himself time to think. A gently places one hand on her hair, not being able to help h imself. "that's up to you." he'll deal with it no matter what she decides, he's got no choice.

Shanel had hoped he'd know. She certainly doesn't. Then again it's her who's have these problems. "I just don't know." She hides her face in her arms and releases a long body shuddering sigh. What to do know.

Neliar lifts his legs out of the water and retries his boots from where he left them. "I think I'd better leave you to do something. Let me know what you decide." he suddenly has to urge to leave and clear his head for while. He has to wait until she makes up her mind one way or the other, he'll just give her some room until then. He can only hope she decides she has /some/ feelings for him.

Shanel nods before sliding under the water briefly. "I never wanted to hurt you. I don't want to hurt you." Just so he understands this. She /needs/ him to understand this. Hulling herself up to the side of the pool she grabs her towel and wripes it around her waist.

Neliar shakes his head, he's got the feeling that she's already made up her mind but she just doesn't want to have to tell him. "I know that." he almost whispers, to his horror he can feel himself chock up. He quickly leaves the bathing house, not bothering to dry his feet. Leaving a trail of footprints behind him.