Anisa's Gym – Women's Bath
What was once a single long Olympian-style bath has been divided in two with a wall partition (although a series of vents at the bottom allow the water to flow between the two halves) and an extra door added for access. The water is kept at about 110 degrees for comfort, and basins and benches have been added to the walls for bathing and grooming. The women's side even has a fancy metal-coated mirror that prevents condensation.

The Gym is pretty much closed down for the evening, as few nocturnal types have joined so far. This gives Kin a good amount of privacy and a chance to clean up after a long day involving more walking about than the Kiriga is used to. Plus, she's curious to try out the sauna and steam room that Anisa mentioned to her.

Kin lets out a long sigh as she enters the women's bath. "Too much today, too much running. Too many loonies," she thinks as she enters the bath, "I'm glad Anisa is allowing me the use of the baths tonight. It also gives me time to look over what she has that I may teach others with to pay her back for the lodgings." The Kiriga doesn't even look around as she sheds her robes; the dingy cloth sliding from her thinnish golden body and pooling around her feet. Without hesitation she heads into the water and settles down on one of the benches beneath the surface. She lets out a pleased sigh, her eyes dropping to half closed. "Better," she mutters in Imperial.

An odd echo bubbles up through the water, sounding a bit like a mild curse.

The reptile's eyes flick open and her pupils flex as her vision focuses. "Hello?" she calls out and starts looking around for the sound of the voice. "Is someone in here?"

There's a bang, and the sound of something vibrating. The water level in the bath suddenly drops several inches before fresh, hot water refills the pool. "Aha!" come a cry from somewhere below the floor.

The Kiriga looks a bit confused. "Hello? You appear to be affecting my bath water. I would be most honored if you would not. I am most dirty and cold," she calls out, and well, downward. "Are you a plumbing gremlin?"

There's a sound from the hallway now; the thump-thump-thump of running feet. This is followed by the door to the bath flying open and a Lapi buck in red robes rushing in and sticking his paw in the bath water. "Yes!" he exclaims. "Perfect temperature!" He hasn't yet noticed Kin.

"Uhm, excuse me?" Kin says and raises a hand towards this odd Lapi to wave at him. She wades through the water towards him. "May I help you? Are you ill? Did you hit your head?" she asks, her head tilting and her mane flipping to one side.

The brown Lapi looks up from the water to see the golden Kiriga. His eyes go wide and starts to choke while trying to back up – managing to trip over his robes. "Oh! Sorry sorry sorry! Nobody is ever in here this late and I didn't know!" he babbles.

Kin holds up her hands. "It's okay, calm down. I am not a sea monster," she explains, thinking perhaps she may look monster-ish to the Lapi. "My name is Kin; I'm a guest of Anisa Snowshoe. May I ask who you are?"

Pulling one ear down across his eyes, the Lapi says, "Oh, ah, I'm Hot- I mean, I'm Xander Lightfoot, a friend of Anisa's! I just got in town today and I always check out her plumbing – I mean, I always check out the gym's plumbing! Because the thermostat wanders over time, and needs to be reset, but she can't afford… anyway, I'm Xander!"

Kin slides up to the edge of the bath and rests her arms on the ledge, then her head on her arms. "You do not need to cover your eyes, Master Lightfoot," she says, "I am not indecent." Smiling, she asks, "So, are you a plumber? I do not think I have ever met a plumber before."

"What?" the Lapi says, and pulls away his ear to actually take a good look at Kin. "But… you're in the women's bath… err… and I'm not a plumber, I'm a Journeyman Fire Mage," he declares, and shows of his official ring with inset red gem.

"Yes, I am in the bath, but I do not mind. Plus, I do not think you can see much beneath the water," the Kiriga points out. She then reaches out and tries to take his hand so she can get a better look at the Lapi. "I've never met a mage before, either."

The stunned Lapi doesn't resist having his hand grabbed. "Never met a Mage before?" Xander asks, focusing on something other than the situation at hand. "How is that possible?"

Kin pulls the hand closer so she can look. "I am not from these lands, I am from Jadai. I believe some people in the foreign lands call us dragons," she comments as she admires the ring. She releases it and smiles to the Lapi, "This land has many first for me. A pleasure to meet you, Master Lightfoot of the Fire Mages."

"Oh, from Jadai!" Xander says, and seems unsure is he should shake Kin's hand or kiss the back of it. "I remember the recruiters from the Journeyman's Ball. Impressive looking robes, I recall. How do you know Anisa though? I'm pretty sure she's never gone to the islands."

"Through her brother, Gibson," Kin answers as she slides back a bit in the water. "He visited my home. The details are not important, but we have been helping each other," she says. After a bit of thought, she asks, "Do you wish to join me? The water is most warm and delightful."

"Well, I wouldn't mind a – Ack!" Xander says, then shakes his head as if clearing it. "Anisa would KILL me if… uh… actually, maybe you could help me with something else?"

Heavy footfalls come from the hallway, much louder and deeper than Xander's own.

"Kill you if you what?" Kin inquires as she watches the strange Lapi. "And I would be honored to help you; will you permit me a few minutes to finish bathing?"

"Oh, sure, I'll just wait out- uh, do you feel the floor shaking?" Xander says, trying to get back to his feet.

"I think someone may be coming," Kin comments. She glides backward in the water, her golden body undulating from side to side like a serpent. "Are you expecting another visitor?"

"What? I wasn't expecting any to begin with," Xander says, then realizes he's still in the women's bath. "Oh Star, it could be Anisa stomping in anger!" he realizes, and hurries to open the door again.

"I thought I heard voices," an intimidatingly deep woman's voice echoes from the hall. The footfalls slow, but lose none of the resounding deepness. The woman's stride becomes deliberate. "Fornication is for barns and taverns," she can be heard to warn. "Not here, and if you are here to steal … " There's a growl that's decidedly feline.

"What a strange person," Kin comments with a small shrug. "I'll see you in a few minutes," she adds a bit louder, "Do please relax. I may be a dragon, but I do not bite. We are not evil monsters." To the odd voice, she calls out, "I do not know of the items you speak. I am simply enjoying a bath and it collided with your mage's work on the plumbing and water heating system."

"What?" Xander asks again, in a more timid voice as he opens the door and spots the feline in question. "But, but… it's not… what do you mean, taverns? Which taverns?"

The feline spots Xander, and frowns. "The taverns with drink and merriment, small man," she replies before continuing forward. At this point Kin can see the figure clearly: she's definitely feline. A lioness of statuesque height and musculature, draped in what may well be a toga, and some equally foreign looking sandals. "Hrrrrm," she growls, looking between the Lapi and the reptile, brow raised.

"I am Kin, a guest of Anisa Snowshoe. Who might you be?" Kin calls out to the feline; not at all looking worried or intimidated by the large creature. "Master Lightfoot was talking with me about being a mage."

"Wow, you're… big," Xander says, forgetting his fear for a moment. He offers his paw, and says, "I'm Xander Lightfoot, Mage of the Sphere of Fire and… uh… I check the thermostats here to make sure nobody gets accidentally frozen or boiled… "

"And he does an excellent job with the water temperature," the reptile says approvingly.

"A mage, is he?" The lioness bends over slightly to look the man over. "Small of size, but big of brain?" She reaches a paw out and encloses his hand before squeezing and shaking. "Magically examining the woman's area, I see." When the lioness laughs, it's truly vibrating, shaking Lapi. "You are like my brother! I will believe you, and save your bones from crushing." She then turns to Kin and smiles. "And you are known to me, I was told you would be here."

"He was intent on his work and didn't notice I was here till after he was checking the water," Kin notes, "He has been quite the gentleman and very polite." As the Kiriga slides around more in the bath, she asks, "Are you looking for me, then?"

"Y-yeah, gentleman… " Xander mutters, and tries to stand taller after the 'small of size' remark. "I'm big enough where it counts," he says under his breath.

"No," the lioness replies in a low roar. "I am here for ritual; it is Behemoth's way that fitness of the body leads to fitness of the spirit." She then glances at the mage, and grins at him. "Are you? Be careful when you make such claim in front of a priestess of the Mountain God, for we are known to accept such challenges."

Kin looks between the two, looking confused. "If you two are to embrace in a challenge, then I will leave you be. Just please allow me a moment to finish and I will be gone," she finally says.

"Priestess?" the Lapi asks. "But, aren't you all… wait, challenge?" The brown bunny takes a moment to collect his thoughts, then says, "Err, sorry, I didn't mean to challenge you in any way, Miss… Behemoth. I'm just here to check the temperature controls. And this lady was going to help me – I have to check the sauna next, and it would help to have someone who is very sensitive to temperature changes there to gauge the results… "

The lioness laughs again, rich and jarring. "Embrace? No. It is that we of the priesthood do not think well of empty boast. I am teasing the small man, for he is amusing, and is laughter not good for the soul?" She laughs again, then strides right inside. "I will help you, if you desire. We believe in hard work, it is our way."

"I think he is wishing to use the reptile nature as a gauge of temperature," Kin comments, then dips below the surface. When she emerges, she says, "Which is good to know, I will be mindful of my body so that it does not adjust itself to compensate by generating heat. In my family runs the ability to control our body temperatures and either enjoy what the world offers, or compensate for the cold."

"Hard work? Well, I just need someone to sit inside," Xander explains. When Kin gets out he blinks and says, "Well, you certainly do something for my body temperature… ah… I didn't just say that!" He covers his mouth, and scoots up the hall to the dressing room for the sauna and steam room. "I'll just wait here!" he calls back.

"That is very interesting," the lioness remarks. "Then if I am not needed, I will use the bath. The cities beyond the Old Empire do not know the delight of the great bath. It is a sad thing." She smirks as the man flees, then grins back at Kin. "Ha, haw. Your foreign notion of bathing has made the small man run, perhaps flexing his muscle! Ha, haw!"

"He is a strange man; very jumpy," Kin comments to the feline and shrugs. "But then, I must admit I find all of you quite peculiar. Is not flexing muscle good for the body? You all speak most strangely too."

"His is the muscle of love; that is a matter for other priestesses, if you are curious." The lioness's toga comes off easily, and she steps out of her sandals just as fast. Standing around six feet tall, and possessed of muscle definition so significant it shows well even on her female frame, she is a massive woman indeed. "It is strange. The Amazons are a worthy race of strength, while his kind are so small."

"I did not know love had muscles," the Kiriga says as she mentally files that away as some sort of joke or slang phrase. "Still, he was polite. I do not know many people in these lands and he was pleasant to talk to. What lands do you hail from?" she asks as she comes out of the bath the rest of the way. The water on her form practically sheets off into a puddle at her feet. Only her mane seems to retain much dampness.

Giving the other woman an appraising once over, the lioness's tail flicks and she says, "I see you have trained, for you have the build of one who favors grace." She nods, quite certain of her judgment, then she gestures a cord around her neck. "I am from Olympia. My family are vintners and farmers, living in great mass on the plains outside of Parthos. Behemoth is my god, and I, his servant-priestess. That is why I am so far from my lands."

Kin has the expression of someone who has just been spoken to in a bizarre twin-tongued-three-foot language. That is, she just smiles and nods. "I see. I have trained in the martial ways from when I was very young, under the tutelage of the great master, Longtooth, bane of the black Khatta," she says as she retrieves one of the towels to finish drying off.

"I shall warm the black Khatta of my homeland of this bane and his wandering apprentice," the lioness says. She laughs, then smiles. "I know that look. That is the look of the one far from home – the look of the wanderer. I have had that look! Come, sit, I will educate you."

"I will be a few more minutes," Kin calls out through the door before she walks back over and kneels down on the hard floor, tail snaking around her legs. As she dries her mane, she asks, "what are you offering to teach me?"

"I will teach you of my home and of my god, which are much the same thing, but I do not expect you to see or understand that." The lioness sits down and folds her legs, placing her hands on her knees. "Parthos is the center of worship for the Olympian Pantheon – the great, Old Gods. Your mage friend would know their name, for they are the patron of all spheres of magic, and their origin, long ago. I serve Behemoth, the Mountain God, the Maker, the Strong. It is he who teaches us to achieve by our own hand, that strength of body is strength of spirit."

"We do not worship such things in my lands. We worship our ancestors and ask for their protection in times of turmoil. If there were any time our lands needed their protection, it is now," Kin says with a sigh. "But those are not issues for you to be concerned with and I apologies for distracting. Please, continue."

"Your choice of worship is strange to me, but it is to be expected of foreigners," the lioness says without distaste. It is simply a statement of fact, as if she had said "the sky is blue." "Ours are the gods of our people, and of many beyond. I have little knowledge of foreign gods." She nods, then goes on, saying, "Now, I am an envoy of my temple, traveling to Caroban on official business. It is not always so, for I do travel much, but I am an envoy to the people – Behemoth's work be known and done."

"So, you seek to convert others to your belief?" Kin reasons.

"If they listen, then I speak. Sometimes I speak anyway, for many are hard of hearing – their ears full of the wax that comes from ignorance and languid living." The lioness grins again. "It is not converts we seek, but we teach who will listen. It is believers, the man of the forest, farm, and village that we speak to. We make Behemoth's will known, and we bring the aid of strength to those in need. We are priests and priestesses of the people, as Behemoth is the servant of the other gods. We teach that through hard work, strength, and purpose, any man and woman may be great."

"It is better than those that speak only with the sword or spear, at least," Kin says with a small nod. She stands and shakes out her mane, then stretches upward in a rustle of golden scales. "I should see to the mage and his work. You may join us if you wish. It sounds a simple enough task," she notes as the Kiriga slips her robe back on and lightly ties the sash.

"It is good to work, it is our prayer to Him," the lioness replies, which sounds like a yes to helping. She dons her toga and sandals, tucking the symbol on the cord around her neck under as she walks. "Logos is the god of the mind."

"I assume that is a yes?" Kin asks, then slips out of the women's bath. She cranes her head around, looking for Xander. "Master Xander? Are you still here? Forgive my delay; I am ready to help."

From outside the changing room for the sauna and steam bath, the sound of chanting can be heard. And peek through the open door would find the Lapi mage sitting cross legged in the middle of the tile floor, chanting to an open control box set between the doors to the two different hot-rooms. There's an elaborate circle of symbols drawn around the controls in red chalk as well.

"A most curious way to flex muscles of love," Kin observes as she spots the Lapi sitting in the center of the floor. "Should we interrupt him? I am not sure where he wants me to go first."

"It is indeed a yes. Behemoth teaches us that we should us our own hands, not leave it to others to accomplish," the lioness explains. She pauses when she nears Xander, her tail twitching. "I sense the stir of the Gift – look! He is invoking magic." The woman points at the cross-legged mage, nodding. "It is not wise to interrupt those who channel, for it requires great concentration."

"The way of the warrior teaches you to empty your mind for your body knows what it must do to survive; you must simply allow it to act unfettered," Kin comments quietly as she watches Xander. Her brow ridge lifts a bit in curiosity.

"Huh, what?" Xander says as he notices the two women. "Oh, you're here! Both of you! I suppose that's convenient," the Lapi says, but doesn't get up. He points to the room on the right, saying, "That's the sauna. It just gets really hot, so Miss Kin would do best in there." He looks up and up at the lioness, and says, "This other room is the steam room. It has an oven for heating up rocks, and you drop the rocks in a bucket of water, and that… wait, you probably know all this, if you're from Ama… from Olympia. Or Tizhar, maybe?" he says to the priestess.

"Behemoth does not teach us to empty our mind, as it must be full with focus and intention. Among us, there are those who follow the path of the artificer – I, too, spent years in the wood forge – and have great skill in their craft. Their minds are full of art and craft, that they might use strength to work the earth." She then gestures at her side, weaponless. "Abaddon is the god of war, he teaches differently. We are not warriors, but we will fight if we must." She turns her head and gives the Lapi a nod. "I am from Olympia, we know much of baths. The public baths of Parthos are a great wonder of our world."

Kin smiles and dips her head to Xander. "Of course, Master Lightfoot," she recites and heads towards the sauna. As she walks past, then away, from Xander her tail undulates back and forth as she steps, making her whole body sway gracefully. When she reaches the door, she peers inside.

Xander chants a little louder to cover his distraction. The inside of the sauna is completely covered in dark wood, save from some stone vents in the floor. There is a stack of fresh towels in one corner of the wall-affixed bench that runs around the room, broken only at the door. The chamber is dimly lit by a single enclosed gas lamp on the wall, just below an exhaust vent.

The lioness walks in to the other room, disrobing as she goes. She hangs her toga on a rack before entering, them squats before the rock bucket.

Without a word, Kin opens the door and slips inside. She draws in a deep breath and then settles herself down on the bench, then folds her hands in her lap. "What are you wishing me to tell you?" she finally calls from within the chamber.

It takes a moment for Xander to recover from the sight of the lioness. "Oh, just… close the doors and I'll turn the heat on," he says. "Then I'll ask you both if it feels like the temperature I call out, okay?"

"As you wish," Kin calls out. She reaches out and hooks the edge of the door with her claws and lightly pulls it so that it swings closed.

"Very well." The lioness reaches back, shutting the door behind her with a bit of a slam.

The Lapi turns the dial for the sauna, sending hot water from the boiler circulating through pipes in the floor. "There's always a discrepancy between the water temperature and the room temperature," he comments loud enough to be heard, then dials up the gas for the steam room oven and hits the igniter button. "Is the oven firing up, Miss… Behemoth?" he asks next, since he doesn't recall the woman ever giving her name.

"Understood," Kin calls back. She leans over and places her hand on the floor, feeling for the warmth radiating from the pipes.

"It is firing, I see Abaddon's work," replies the unnamed lioness.

"Okay, just relax while stuff heats up then," Xander says, checking on his runes. "Kin, please let me know when the air feels as warm as the bath water did. Miss Priestess, when you hear a little bell, use the ladle to pour some water from the bucket over the stones at the top of the oven and tell me if they steam."

"I will do so," Kin says as she sits back up. The Kiriga then relaxes back against the wall and lets out a contented sigh. Her eyes droop closed and she simply relaxes, her mind focusing on the temperature of the room.

"Yours is a strange bath. In Olypmia, we use men," comments the priestess. She leans back against the bench, taking a moment to get comfortable.

After another five minutes, the bell dings in the steam room, and Xander taps on the temperature gauge for the sauna to see if the needle jerks.

The lioness grabs a towel, then picks up a hot rock before dropping it in the water. Steam hisses out, and the Khatta sighs.

"Was the rock hot enough?" Xander calls out towards the steam room.

"It is as hot as the matteh on the docks," the lioness replies.

"Miss Kin, does the temperature in the sauna feel correct yet?" the Lapi calls to the other room.

"You could make it warmer and I would not complain, but then it may not be tolerable to those like you. It is close to the temperature of the bath, which is I believe what you wished?" Kin calls back.

"Okay then," Xander replies, and taps on some of his runes to pull the needle closer to where it should be. "Well, that's it for my work here. Is there anything I can do for you ladies in exchange for your help?"

"You have done enough, and I am content. I would remain here, if you allow it? Steam is good for the muscles … " the priestess answers.

"Well, I do not know many people in this city," Kin says as she exits the sauna and walks over to the Lapi. She sits down near him and folds her hands in her lap. "I would appreciate someone who would be willing to show me the sights sometime? Miss Snowshoe is often busy with work, but you said you were just visiting? I could tell you of my culture in exchange? Perhaps take you to a few Imperial spots here if you have not been. The Heat Club is quite nice and you may find it interesting if you have not been."

"Well, I suppose I could do that," Xander says, smiling as he wipes away his magic circle. "Especially since my cousin is off gallivanting and I have his place to myself. It's nice, but staying cooped up with all that weird stuff he collects gives me the creeps."

"I would not mind seeing the items too if they are unique," Kin offers, "Plus I should not burden the Snowshoes all the time with my presence. Surely they would appreciate not having a guest now and then. And oh, the next time I will be going to the heat club will be to get some scale polishing done so it might be a bit boring for you."

Xander's whiskers twitch. "Oh, uh… never saw that done before… " he manages to say. He knocks on the door to the steam room and asks, "Everything okay in there?"

"Well, if you are curious you are welcome to watch. I do not think you would find it very interesting though; it is merely laying on a table while someone works over my body with a fine rouge," Kin explains simply. "And you can tell me about your studies as a mage, perhaps? I can offer you the arts and writings of my land in trade."

There's no answer at first, then, "It is as all right as one can be when one is not working," the priestess replies in a languid voice.

"Oh, learning magic is pretty boring, except when something explodes," Xander says, and lingers at the door to the steam room. "Umm, perhaps you could check up on the priestess for me? It wouldn't be proper for me to enter."

"Well, then perhaps you could find something more exciting for us to do outside of that?" Kin says, then sighs, adding, "Sorry. I guess I have been feeling a bit lost in these lands and looking for friends; forgive me. I am asking too much of your time." The Kiriga then stands and goes to the door. After a light rap on it, she says, "It is only me, I am looking in to make sure you are fine."

"Exciting, huh?" Xander asks, and goes to shut down the heat for the sauna. "What do Kirigas do for excitement?"

"I am continuing to be surprised by your foreign bathing etiquette," the lioness says from inside. "In my land, all bathe together."

"Really? I've been to a place where Lapis do that too," Xander admits. "It's just… not really deemed appropriate in a lot of places. Mammals can react oddly to each other… "

Kin peers inside the door to check on the priestess. "She seems fine," she says back to Xander. "Excitement? Well, I am not much of a traditional Kiriga," she admits, "I enjoy training in the martial arts, exploring new and unknown places, and protecting those who cannot protect themselves. Most Kiriga like to focus on the arts, or various forms of aesthetics."

"Then you have been to Amazonia, and are a liar, a slave, an enemy, or an adventurer," the priestess says, without judgment in her voice. "How strange the Amazonians are, and, yet, how like us." Inside, the priestess is laying back in a position that could only be comfortable to a feline, as if her bones had melted and her spine twisted.

"Well, I suppose the closest to that might be dancing," Xander says. "Or at least, the sort of dancing Anisa likes, which seems like combat to me." To the priestess behind the door, he notes, "And yes, I've been to Dianus as a guest. My cousin is half-Amazonian. He keeps his mother's armor in his library even."

"You do not dance, then?" Kin asks of Xander. "I will have to ask Anisa of this form of dancing."

"I would not say that within Olympia, but I am not walking these halls because I am quick of fist and long of hatred. Amazonians are our enemy, but I do not see it in you. Would you wish to challenge me, I would accept." The priestess rolls her head towards the door and grins languidly. "It is custom."

"Um, I'm no warrior," Xander says. "I don't have any Amazonian in me, honest. It's just that my uncle married one."

Kin steps away from the door and slips her hands into the sleeves of her robe. "Well, I should be going," the Kiriga says, "Before it gets much later. I will leave you to your challenge."

"I learned ballroom dancing," the brown Lapi tells Kin. "Ah, no please don't leave me! I mean, I'm not challenging the lioness to combat. I don't know why she keeps bringing it up, honest… "

"Then all is well," the priestess says. "You would be ill-equipped for the challenge favored by those who follow Behemoth."

"Ill equipped?" the Lapi asks. "What do you mean? What's the traditional challenge?"

"Wrestling. I will also accept challenges of craft, of strength, and of fitness. I have run in the games," says the lioness. "Challenges of combat are more appropriate to those who follow Abaddon, unless it is unarmed."

"Are you sure you do not wish me to leave?" Kin asks the Lapi, "I feel as though I am listening in on a discussion I should not be."

"Behemoth bids us demonstrate our ability whenever we cam that others see what comes from hard work," the priestess adds. "We will accept challenges, that the supplicant might test themselves, and in accepting, we test ourselves."

"I do not hide my prowess. It is to be seen, just as Behemoth's action in legend. There is teaching in demonstration. How, else, would we be believed? Teaching through action and deed is the best way," the priestess goes on.

"Be careful of that," Kin comments towards the door, "If you expose your technique, people will devise methods to defeat it. There is wisdom in holding techniques secret or developing those that flow and flex like water."

Xander seems lost in the though of wrestling with a large female. "Oh, wait… fitness? So, a foot race would count right?" he asks.

"Yes, but I know well of your people's ability to run," the priestess replies. "As for revelation, does it not make the viewer stronger? I leave combat tactics to Abaddaon's followers."

Kin shakes her head. She pats Xander's shoulder lightly, then says, "Goodnight, Master Xander of the Fire Mages. I will see you again. Good luck with your battle."

"Oh, yes, just ask Anisa where I'm staying, she knows the way," the Lapi tells the retreating Kiriga. "I look forward to seeing you again!"

Kin bows lightly. The Kiriga then turns and walks out the door, disappearing into the complex and presumably off into the night.

"Well, I'm pretty sure that your prowess is obvious compared to mine, so… uh, no need to demonstrate it to me," Xander says through the door, and wonders why he never gets challenges from Priestesses of Ashtoreth?

"That is fine, too. Do not think me the priestess who issues challenges left and right – that is not my way. I have been tweaking your nose, Fire Mage Xander." The priestess drops another rock in the water, producing more steam.

"Why is it that felines have the urge to tease rabbits all the time?" Xander mutters, and sits outside the door until the lioness is ready to leave. Someone has to turn off the oven, after all…