Private Eastern Brisshal Heroes Do More Than Kill Goblins and Drink Ale

[Toko]

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Eventually the rabbit's head started resurfacing, the water line now resting just below her nose as Toko looked around to see what was the current status on the surface.

"Mumnbhuphhbrai nwa..."

The reply to his comment was unintelligible, but it was easy to assume the general idea as her ears folded backwards and the Lepus frowned in the direction of Brutus. What insufferable cheat code did he use for that insane hearing?! Although the flush on her cheeks had abatted while Toko had been under there was still a leftover coloration... although the blame could be from embarrassment just as much as it could be from the temperature of the waters.

"My heart is fine, thank you very much...!"

She took the offered hand, allowing the Felis to help Toko climb out of the pool before almost immediately regretting it as a chill breeze crossed pass. She quickly shivered in response, a soft sneeze escaping, before the warmth of her towel touched Toko's skin and the Lepus instinctively reached out to catch it.Carefully she dried out most of her skin before quickly wrapping the towel around her frame, hoping to keep as much body warmth trapped as possible, before Toko begun to wring the excess water out of her hair with her hands.

"Osoraku... not so much because of the mud, that probably got washed away by now, but to get any excess minerals from the water off your hair and skin."

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"Sounds like a plan." The giant would quip back, gathering up their various affects such as the basket of eggs, the picnic supplies, and any discarded dishes. His eyes scanned the springs for any other trace of their time spent here, making sure to leave it just as they found it before padding over to the changing rooms they'd gotten changed in. He would stretch lightly, enjoying the wonderful feeling in his muscles having been reinvigorated in the heat. He would pause outside the showers, cracking his neck and stretching his arms.

"Yo, Toko?" He would turn back to the Lepus with a smirk on his lips. "Need me to get your back?" The question was innocent enough, but given the difficulties she'd been having, the idea of teasing her just a little more was too much to pass up. He would crank on his shower and wait for the woman's reaction.

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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She followed behind the giant, having realized that while she had been removing the excess water from her hair Brutus had already tidied up the place. Nothing looked out of place or disturbed, save of course for the damp spots where water had pooled once they got out of the hot springs, and with nothing else to do she quietly followed behind the Felis as they headed into the mixed shower room.

"Yo, Toko!"
"Mmm... nani?"
"Need me to get your back?"
"Haaaiii..."

The words were out of Toko's mouth before the Lepus had a time to actually consider them, after all it was a common request to receive in public baths and they had already done this before... until her brain finally reminded Toko that the help would need to be returned in kind.

. . . shimatta!!!

The blush on her cheeks returned, reaching up to the base of the Lepus' ears, before the realization dawned on Toko that Brutus was probably doing this on purpose now. Zurui!!! Still it's not like she could backpedal now, the nervous rabbit now biting the inside of her cheek as she immediately beelined for her shower stall.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

The giant would hum to himself softly as he went about showering, bringing out the soap that the Lepus had given him, quickly going through the motions of rinsing himself off from the sulfuric water. He had to admit that being clean again was nice, the mud had managed to get itself into all sorts of nooks and crannies. Most of which he could take care of himself, but his back was another problem. When he was mostly squeaky clean, he would kill the water and with a towel around his waist saunter over to the other side where the Lepus was showering.

He would lean at the doorway into that area, knocking on the wall loudly but now looking in. "You ready for me to get your back or do you still need a minute?" Part of him felt a little guilty for this level of teasing, but another part of him enjoyed the thrill of teasing the rabbit woman. Perhaps it was instinctual, the predator blood within his body and the prey blood within hers.

Or maybe he was just happy to have a leg up on someone for once.

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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Ochitske Toko... you've done this once already!

The shower was turned on full blast, the warm water more than welcomed after the brief walk in the outdoor air from the pool to the changing room. She quickly stepped under it, allowing the stream to run all the way down her body, before two hands rose to slap her cheeks softly as Toko tried to pull herself together.

The soap was withdrawn from her inventory as the Lepus proceeded to lather her bath cloth and shower, glad to remove whatever bud still lingered in her ears and hair along with the harsh minerals that clung to her skin from the hotspring.She had just finished scrubbing her feet when a knock at the side of her stall caused the Lepus to jump slightly in surprise, before she poked her head to look at Brutus.

"Hai haiii."

She stepped out of the shower stream just enough so that her back was exposed, holding the lathered cloth up for Brutus to take. Her heartbeat remained normal for the time being, after all this was the easy part... she only hoped it would remain that way when it was her turn to wash the giant's back.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

Brutus would easily take the cloth, no issues with this. He's basically gotten any and all nerves about handling her body out with the mud wrestling. He would gently start with the nape of her neck and work his way down, gently kneading the cloth along her back and once again giving her a light back massage. As he began cleaning her back, suddenly his guilt for the constant teasing was beginning to weigh on him. Sure, he wasn't being mean spirited, but at the same time he wasn't being much better than a bully.

"You know..." the giant began, pausing as he looked for the right words. "If I'm being honest, the first time I did this for you I was super nervous." His morality won out on this one, and he figured this admission would perhaps cut the tension in the air. "I wasn't really used to uh..." he paused. "Bathing with others, so the idea of scrubbing your back was a little nerve wracking." His hands found the small or her back, rubbing in clockwise circles.

"I didn't say anything earlier because I thought you'd think I was lame."

The admission was a rather rare bit on unbridled honesty. It wasn't like he was lying when he slipped into the Brutus Persona, but he wasn't being true to Olivier as a whole. He was just being the parts of himself he wished he could be more of, subtracting the bits of himself he didn't like. Reforming himself into an image he liked.

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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It was almost comical how the Lepus wasn't nervous when Brutus was watching her back, Toko completely aware that her heart wasn't fluttering even as the Felis began to slowly work the lathered cloth around the skin of her back. Instead she felt normal, the same way she'd always felt whenever she had visited the public mixed bath back in Ōgimi, but the Lepus couldn't figure out why she was getting so flustered when the tables were reversed.

Sure, Brutus was good looking and with an envious physique... but was that really all it took to actually make her heart skip a beat?

"You know..."
"Mmm...?"

His words brought Toko back from her thoughts, the Lepus' ears swiveling slightly to better catch his words. Part of her had tensed up, expecting another jab that would fluster her like the ones before, but soon the rabbit let go of a breath she'd been holding on to without realizing as Brutus continued speaking.

"I kinda figured..." A small smile crossed her lips as she remembered the moment. "I know this isn't customary in Western culture... and I almost thought about not asking."

Granted, part of that had been because Toko hadn't wanted to come out looking like a weirdo... but the Lepus had also wanted to avoid putting a new friend in an uncomfortable situation.

"... but I really had an itchy spot that I just couldn't reach."

@Brutus Dhalgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"Well..." Brutus replied with a chuckle, gently scratching the small of her back. "You know what they say. I'll scratch your back if you've got mine." He could feel her release a breath, as if she had been tensing up for some sort of suckerpunch, and the guilt tightened a bit in his chest.

"I think it's really cool how this game could put us in touch given how far away we live from each other. It's kinda cool really, seeing your culture, learning new things and hearing new words from you." He would finish scrubbing her back, finishing it off with a few light pokes onto pressure points to help release some of the tension she was holding in her back.

"It makes a big world feel really small,"

He would grab a nearby bucket that had some warm water in it and dump it over her shoulders, rinsing her off properly. "That outta do it..."

He took a step back, hanging the rag on the side of the shower stall and grinned slightly. "I'll go ahead and grab the stool."

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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A soft purr echoed from Toko when he suddenly scratched the small of her back, the rabbit's tail flickering a few times in response as she arched her back unconsciously... before the Lepus found herself pouting in disappointment as Brutus finished washing her backside.

Badump...!

"Y-Yeah, it's amazing how much technology has advanced to this point..."

Her voice broke at first before the Lepus tried to cover it up. What is wrong with me...?! She could feel the flush on her cheeks once more, embarrassed at the fact that she had actually felt disappointed when Brutus had stopped scratching her back.

"I've definitely learned a lot about other cultures from meeting so many Travelers in-game... it really does make the world seem super small."

She'd kept her face from tilting to look back at Brutus, and when the water washed down her back the lepus let out a relieved sigh as she felt the heat on the top of her cheeks dissipating.

"U-Uun...! I'll fill up the bucket in the mean time."

@Brutus Dhalgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

Brutus' heart skipped a beat. She was cute, really fucking cute. It honestly wasn't fair, he was slowly learning how to push her buttons, and how could you put buttons in front of him and not expect him to push them? Especially when her reactions were so cute. It felt empowering, how with just a few words or a light touch he could send her heart aflutter.

Who needed drugs when you had shit like this?

"The world definitely feels super small. For the low low price of like...three grand I could probably fly from the states to Japan in a little under twentyish hours. Could you imagine telling that to like...your great great grandfather?"

She was practically radiating disappointment as he fetched the stool and brought it back over to her Lepus, plopping it down and taking a seat, still wrapped in his towel. "You know, you've still got a lot of tension in your back. When we're done I could give you a deep backrub to try and work out all of the knots?"

If she wanted him to work her over, he'd be more than happy to oblige, but first it was her turn.

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"Pffft… I don’t know if I’d call three grand a low low price…" A soft chuckle escaped the Lepus as she moved to grab the rag from where Brutus had hung it, Toko being careful to properly wash the cloth before lathering up the fabric once more in preparation. "… but yeah, that’s still pretty insane."

Not to mention how fast everything had developed, in the grand scheme of things humanity had advanced more since the end of the 20th century and this new 21st century than it had for all the millennia of years that humanity had existed prior to this time frame. VR technology alone was a prime example of this, with TerraSphere 2 currently being the crown jewel of its time.

Once the cloth was ready she had moved to pick the now empty bucket, placing it underneath her running shower so it could slowly fill up once more. By then the giant had already returned, the Felis sitting down on the stool with his back facing the rabbit. Badump…! She felt the light blush on her cheeks begin to rise, before the Lepus chewed on the inside of her cheek to distract her mind.

Yamete… you already cleaned his back before, just do the same thing again!

She took a deep breathe, followed by another one, before Toko began to scrub away at the Felis’ broad back with the lathered cloth. Similar to Brutus’ approach the rabbit had started by the nape of his own neck, but just as she moved to the right shoulder Toko suddenly found herself with an offer that—quite honestly—she didn’t want to refuse.

Badump…! Badump…! Badump!

"Ah, ha-hai…!"
Baka! You’re supposed to say no… or at least try to!

Suddenly her cheeks felt like they were burning, the Lepus almost dripping the cloth on accident before resuming her work on Brutus’ back. Toko was very glad right in that moment that the Felis couldn’t see her face, because if she was right it was probably pretty red right now—the heat of her blushing having even extended almost to the top of her long ears. Zurui…! How am I supposed to calm down after that?! Her mind and heart were both racing now, and for a few moments the Lepus kneading almost lacked any force behind it before it slowly seemed to return as Toko tried to get a grip on her emotions.

Ochitske!!!

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"You okay back there?" Brutus would ask without looking back. He could practically feel her heartbeat throbbing through her fingertips. As she pressed into his back, he leaned back into her ever so slightly applying some more pressure for her unwittingly. "Are you sure you didn't get hurt during all of that fighting?"

Her heart was aflutter the moment he pressed the rag to his back. His admission hadn't really helped much it would seem, but perhaps that was just her disposition. Easily flustered when tossed outside of her comfort zone, and it was incredibly easily to send her flying out of her comfort zone.

"If you want, you don't have to scrub my back if your hands are hurt." He could give her the out, the ability to remove herself from this situation, a small mercy for his constant teasing.

The room was beginning to grow thick with steam, and he was beginning to sweat a bit. He would reach up and wipe a droplet of steam or water from his brow.

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"I'm f-fine." The Lepus took a couple of deep breaths as quietly as she could, aware that her actions were probably not going unnoticed by the Felis. "I'm not hurt at all Brutus-s-senpai, I promise."

The last thing Toko wanted was to make him worry again just because she couldn't have a handle on... whatever the fuck was wrong hit her chest and her face today. Besides how could Toko live with herself and not return the favor that Brutus had given her? With that the Lepus seemed to get back into her groove, her kneading becoming harder and even employing the use of her elbows just like earlier in the day.

"Pheeewww..."

The back of her hand swiped across Toko's forehead, the steam of the changing room combined with the act of scrubbing and massaging Brutus' massively broad back being quite the workout for the rabbit. "Alright, hold still you giant." With that she grabbed the now overfilled bucket of warm water, carefully tilting the bucket so the water would fall down his back for a rinse.

@Brutus Dhalgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

Brutus would grin slightly to himself, it would appear that offering her an out had helped her shore up her resolve. Excellent. He would grunt appreciatively as she dug her elbow into a rather tough knot, working it loose and scrubbing out his back. "There you go. That's it, right fuck-ING" She hit another knot and smashed it oblivion. "There." He let out a deep sigh as the tension melted from his back.

"Hold still your giant." He would braces himself as she dumped hot water down his sudsed up back, whistling slightly.

"You know." He drawled. "The Japanese really are onto something here. This is the fucking best." He would rise from his seat, take a quick dip under the running shower head of Toko's shower to get any missed suds, and then head out to the changing area, dripping with water as he did so.

"And lord alive, any man you end up marrying." He chuckled. "If you're as good with those hands IRL as you are here? They're going to be spoiled fucking rotten." He would waste no time getting his pants back on, skipping the shirt for the moment. "Go ahead and like redress to your level of comfort and lay down over on that bench over there.

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"Mhmm, it's pretty convenient...” She'd avert her eyes as he moved to enter her shower, waiting until Brutus was done before she gingerly stepped inside for a final rinse. "... a shower never feels complete without a backrub."

She had dried herself up quickly, the towel now draped across her elbows to collect the water dripping from her hair, before slipping her own pants back on, just as Brutus' voice called from across the room.

"And lord alive, any man you end up marrying... if you're as good with those hands IRL as you are here? They're going to be spoiled fucking rotten."
"I-Iie...! Don't be silly, it's not that big of a deal."

Badump...!

Nao had long since resigned to the fate of the old single lady with at least five cats or more in her house, after all she wasn't interested in leaving Ōgimi—and unless she married someone a decade her senior, or a decade her junior, the options were pretty much null. The last of the excess water was removed from her hair before Toko looked over at the bench Brutus pointed, opting to remain shirtless as well as she laid down with her back facing upwards.

@Brutus Dhalgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"Look, all I'm saying is that if I came home to that every day for the rest of my life, I would die a happy man."

Brutus would find himself kneeling over the woman as she lied down from the side, cracking his neck and then his fingers before rolling his shoulders out and getting to work. He would gently place his fingers on her back, running them along her back looking for knots and any tension in her muscles. Once a target was located, he would begin to apply targeted pressure, working his fingers in a clockwise circle, and then a counterclockwise circle, increasing in pressure until the knot would release.

Although if you look a fraction as good as you do in game I'd die a happy man anyways. He mused internally.

"So..." he paused as he found another knot. "You speak about your grandmother in the past tense. How long ago did she pass if you don't mind me asking?" Based on what he was hearing and interpreting she lived alone, but he wasn't one hundred percent sure. Better to ask than assume.

He would continue working his hands up and down her back, systematically targeting knots and destroying them with extreme prejudice as they spoke.

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"... if I came home to that every day for the rest of my life, I would die a happy man."
Badump...!

She was thankful to be lying down on the bench, using her crossed arms as a comfortable resting spot for her head, because it meant she could actually hide her face from Brutus when the blush on her cheeks flared up at his statement.

He's just saying that to be nice...

Her muscles tensed at first as his hands connected with her skin, the Lepus not entirely used to this type of activity... actually, now that Toko thought about it, this might've been the first time she received a proper massage from someone that knew what they were doing. "Mmmmmm...!" She soon found out that it was a different, but very enjoyable, feeling—the Lepus almost purring in contentment at the pressured circling motions while Brutus slowly worked on any remaining tension knots.

"Ah... uun." Her voice was quiet at the end, Toko now shifting so her face was somewhat visible once more to the Felis. "... she passed away six months ago."

@Brutus Dhalgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"Ah," Brutus chirped, pausing in his rubbing. "Gomen, I didn't realize I was touching on a recent loss." He'd expected it to be a sad conversation, but not something she hadn't quite finished grieving over. He couldn't imagine how she felt, being alone like that after living with a family member alone for so long. It would be like ripping out part of your soul.

He would return to the kneading of her back with an increased attentiveness. Once the knots were all gone, he would begin attacking various pressure points along her back.

"Do you live with anyone else? Or are you all alone now?" His tail would flick idly, his mouth contorted in a grimace that he hoped she couldn't see. He'd accidentally put himself in a weird situation, and wasn't quite sure how to navigate these waters. His normal bravado would come off insensitive, he knew that much, but it wasn't like he could just change subjects either. If she wanted to talk about it, he supposed he would let her vent, and if she didn't he would let her change the topic is she wished.

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"Ah, iiyo... you don't need to apologize, senpai-nii."

It wasn't the Felis'fault after all that Nao's grandmother had already passed, and of course he would've been curious considering she had mentioned the woman a few times throughout the day. Curiosity was a natural thing, after all, and she wasn't going to fault Brutus for that.

"Mmmhm, it was always just obaachan and myself..." The old woman had always been there for Nao since her earlier memories, always ensuring her granddaughter had lacked nothing when it came to the love and affection of a parental figure. "... okaasan died in an accident when I was very young."

There was a silent pause that followed, aware that this topic was probably awkward for Brutus. After all they'd only just met today, she didn't need to unload all of this onto him. "It's okay though... that's just how things are s-sometimes, ne?" She could feel a lump forming in her throat, her voice breaking ever so slightly, before the Lepus tried to give Brutus a reassuring smile that she was fine...

@Brutus Dhalgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"I can't imagine how lonely it must be." He really couldn't. He'd grown up with two little sisters and both his parents. His cousins lived down the street, and his grandparents were also within town. The entire Clisson Clan had clustered up, he'd never spent a day in his life truly alone.

Even when he'd gone to college, he'd made a bunch of friends rather quickly through his drama club, where he's met Susan, his ex. When all of that fell through, he lived with his Troop now and was constantly stuck in a trailer or camp with them, packed in like a can of sardines. He'd never spent a day of his life alone like her.

His hands found themselves just idly running up and down her spine, doing his best to keep up the pretext of this massage session. "But I guess you get to spare yourself a bit through VR eh? All sorts of places and people you can go see just by slapping on a headset right? And here?" He chuckled. "You might as well be teleporting yourself to another world eh?" His words felt hollow, but he didn't know how to make them any less hollow.

...

His hands stopped, and he moved to sit on the bench beside her head, looking down at her. "Tell ya what. I'm gonna give you my Discord and phone number. If you're ever feeling lonely, no matter when, hit me up and I'll do my best to free myself up and come meet you here in VR so you don't have to be alone. How's that sound?"

@Toko