Zahnrad, while on the way home, remembers something. He turns and heads back south, towards the Blacktail territory. He keeps a casual eye out for people, to make sure he greets them if encountered and doesn't look like a snooper. After a seemingly long time of looking, and now that the sun is dipping below the horizon, Zahn thinks he's found what he was looking for. He looks up the large oak tree and calls out, "Hello! I hope I have the right place. I'm looking for Amelia Blacktail. It's Zahnrad Kettenrad."

A shutter on the side of the cabin opens up, and a dark silhouette appears against lamplight. "Zahn?" Amelia calls down. "What do you want?"

"I'm really sorry to bother you at home. But I realized we never really discussed how we're travelling tomorrow to the castle. I was thinking, given how creepy Igor is, we ought to travel together, you, Olivia, and me. But, I intend to leave pretty early," Zahnrad calls back. "I wanted to know what you thought."

"Oh," Amelia says. After a pause, she calls back down, "You'd better come up then." A trapdoor opens in the bottom of the structure, next to the tree trunk.

"Er, okay," Zahn replies. He carefully makes his through the trapdoor and up into the cabin. He smiles and waves slightly to her, looking a bit nervous. "Sorry again for bothering you at home, but I didn't really have the option of catching you in town again."

Amelia dumps out the contents of a small crate (apparently toiletries) and sets it down so Zahn has someplace to sit. "Sorry about the… well, the whole place. I'm just staying here until family tensions calm down a bit," she says.

Zahn sits down on the crate and looks around. "Well, it's not so bad," he says. "If you need help with anything, just let me know. I can certainly build you some things, or fix it up."

Sitting on her pile of blankets, Amelia shrugs. "It'd take a lot of work to make this place decent," she says. "Anyway, what did you have in mind for the trip to the castle?"

"I don't mind work," Zahn says absently, then rubs his chin. "Well, I intent to get up pretty early. I have to gather together my notes, sketchpad, measuring tape, and a set of tools in case we encounter any odd machines or trap things," he says. "Maybe you could swing by Olivia's early, then up by my shop? We could leave from there and head through the woods to the castle. It's the most direct route."

"How early?" the girl asks, scratching her stomach fur. "Before dawn?"

"I will be, yes. If you get to my place just after dawn, that would be great," Zahn says, then remembers something else. "Oh! Would you like to borrow a pair of my shorts that have all the pockets? No idea if they'll fit you, but could be helpful."

"I could cinch them up with a belt, I suppose," Amy says, thinking it over. Then she smiles and says, "Sure! As long as they're clean."

"Er, I wouldn't give you a dirty pair of shorts. That would be too weird," Zahn says and grins. He shifts a bit on the box. "I intend to get a bath tonight anyway. I could wash a pair to make extra sure they're clean."

"Up at the springs?" Amy asks, looking thoughtful. "I need to clean up and wash out some stuff too. Especially the clothes I wore this morning."

"Yep, up at the springs," Zahn says and nods. He then gets a rather sinister grin on his face. "Say, Amelia … how would you like to get revenge on Clover… ?"

Bending over to stuff clothes into a sack, Amelia looks over her shoulder and asks, "Revenge? I wouldn't mind taking her down a peg or two, I suppose… "

Zahn glances toward the wall. "Well, us Wingnuts do maintain the baths, so I happen to have access to the plans. It would just be awful for her if someone swapped in a nice green fur dye into the system while they're bathing there," Zahn says offhandedly.

Amelia has to sit down and blink at Zahn. "That's… well, it would be pretty nasty," she says, grinning. "But it would also be pretty obvious who did it, wouldn't it?"

"Not necessarily. The otters like the bathes too. Give you three guesses who keeps drilling the holes in the walls, and the first two don't count," Zahnrad says. "You just need to be elsewhere and visible, and they can't blame you. As for me, I can set it up so it happens when I'm nowhere near as well."

"Could you rig it to just get Clover?" Amy asks, tapping her chin with a finger. "That would be more embarrassing than if all her friends were caught too. And Parsley really doesn't deserve it."

"Besides, what reason would they have to suspect me? As long as I can figure out which shower she uses regularly, certainly," Zahnrad replies and plays with is tail idly. "Of course, I don't have to do anything. It just really upset me the way she treated you and I wanted to knock her down a bit for that. Not that you need my help to do it, I'm certain you could deal with her … but my mind has been mulling over ideas."

"I've never managed to pull off a practical joke," Amelia says, shaking her head. "So they wouldn't expect me, I imagine. But… hmm. Clover is always the first in and first out. She'd be the first one to use the shower too."

"It would just need to be a small amount of dye inserted in a burst. It would flush out fast. And it's not like it would really harm her … just make her lime green," Zahn says with a grin.

"Well, if you can set it up, I'd certainly like to see it," Amy remarks, still grinning. She starts stuffing a few other things into her sack now: a lump of soap, some bottles, a comb and a brush.

"Well, I'll have to wait a bit to make sure it can't be linked to anything recent, but I think I can manage it," Zahn replies as he rubs his chin thoughtfully. "I'm sure you'd certainly hear about it, then see it." He looks over, then realizes Amelia is packing; things just sort of pass him by when he's plotting. He scratches his cheek, then asks, "Oh, are you heading up to the springs too?"

"Yeah, I want to wash some stuff," Amelia reminds him. "And a bath will relax me a bit too. It's been a stressful day for me," she notes.

"The whole Clover thing?" Zahn asks as his Kadie curiosity kicks in. "Well, I have to swing by my cabin and grab stuff. You're welcome to walk with me, or just head over to the springs, of course."

"All sorts of things, really," Amy says, and slings the sack over her shoulder. "Sure, I'll walk with you."

"Want to talk about it?" Zahnrad offers and stands up. "And I really need to meet up with my cousin Dieter sometime and finish up the automated clothing washer. It's his design, and it's really pretty good. "

Turning down the lantern to conserve oil, Amelia opens the trapdoor and gives Zahn a considering look. "Maybe," she answers.

"Well, if you need an ear, feel free. If not, I understand," Zahn replies and smiles. "Shall I go out first?" he asks, remembering most Kadies don't like to leave people alone in their cabins.

Amy nods, and makes an 'after you' gesture with her free arm.

Zahnrad slips quietly out the trap door and heads down. He waits quietly by the tree base for Amelia.

After securing the door, the female Kadie drops down next to Zahn. "Wow, the Procession is bright tonight," she comments. "Think you could make an airship that could fly all the way up to it?"

Zahn tilts his head and considers. "I don't know about that," he admits. "Not even the greatest airships can go that high. I hear it gets hard to breathe if you go high enough," he says, slowly as if remembering. "That would be incredible though, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah, who knows what's up there!" Amy agrees, then asks, "Why would it be harder to breath higher up?"

"Don't know. I've just read that in the Airship operations manual I bought of a traveler years ago. It warns about going too high and passing out," Zahn replies and starts walking. "Maybe air is lighter up there and harder to breathe. Like, you know how the air can feel heavy after a rainstorm in the summer?"

"Yeah," Amy agrees, and kicks a stone off of the path towards the river. "But it doesn't make sense. It's air, how can it be heavier or lighter? It doesn't weigh anything to begin with, does it?"

"Actually, it does," Zahn replies and looks at the other Kadie. "I've sorta weighed it. I had an empty balloon and weighed it on a balance. Then I blew it up and weighted it again. It was slightly heavier! Not by much, though."

Zahn considers what he just said, then says, "And that sounds … sad. I'm weighing air. What kinda guy weighs air?"

"Seriously?" Amy asks, looking closely at Zahn to see if he's pulling her tail again. "You've got a balloon?"

"Every now and then travelers have them. I buy them if I can. They're great to bomb my brother with. You just fill 'em with water and sploosh!" Zahn replies and waves his arms animatedly. "If it's cold water, it's even funnier."

Amy is quiet for awhile. Then she says, "I must seem pretty poor and backward to you. I hit things with sticks and rocks."

Zahn considers that, then looks at Amelia. "No, you don't," he replies, tone gently and completely honest. "You don't give yourself enough credit."

"I always pay in cash," Amelia says, seriously.

Zahn grins and nods at that. "It's all perspective, Amelia. Look at me, I guess I seem pretty educated … but, what was my tradeoff for that?" Zahn replies and looks at the Kadie. "I've lived in this town my entire life, yet I barely know anyone. For example, I've known you for years, considered you a friend and all, but I never really tried much to get to know you. And here I find out you're probably one of the greatest people in town. But, I could never be bothered to find the time to learn that. I feel like I'm poor in that respect." He shrugs.

"I suppose I shouldn't let you meet any more people then," Amelia says, grinning in the darkness.

Zahn stops and looks at Amelia. "You shouldn't insult yourself like that," he says, voice quiet.

"I was only joking," Amy says, waving her free hand. "Besides, it's not like you're something I could stash away and keep hidden from everyone. It's interesting to see you… grow, I guess."

"Grow?" Zahnrad asks and starts walking again.

"A few hours ago, you were wondering if you looked good or not," Amelia points out. "Did you ever think about that before?"

"No. I'd never even thought about it before. Never had a reason to," Zahn replies and shrugs.

"Well, that's growth, I think," the girl says. "Maybe even getting upset at Clover because she insulted a friend of yours is growth too. You're thinking more about other people."

Zahnrad looks down at the ground. "Yeah, I suppose," he says, kicking the occasional stick out of the way as he goes. "People just … confuse me. But, that's my own fault. I've been afraid of them."

"Afraid?" Amy asks, looking towards the lights of the dam. "Because you didn't understand them?"

"Afraid because I killed a Creen once," Zahnrad replies and glances over. "I should probably explain that."

"Was it a pet or something?" Amy asks, glancing back.

"No. We used to have a lot of them in our trees. I used to watch them for hours and hours. I was, eight, I think. I was working on a line launcher similar to a crossbow, that we could use to hook into things or up the sides of buildings. I always had a knack for machines. They just made sense to me. So, I wanted to show my parents what I could do. I … hit a Creen testing it," Zahnrad admits and looks toward the lights. "It screamed pretty loudly; I had broken its wing. So, I thought … hey, I could fix the Creen too, right? I could fix anything. I set its wing and tried to comfort it. It was dead the next day. It was then I learned I could certainly hurt something, but I wouldn't be able to fix it. So, I kind of withdrew and stuck to what I knew I could do; what was safe. It's silly to think on it now, and somewhat sad. I was a kid, I didn't know any better at the time … but it's stayed with me."

"That's… well, you had a very different life than me, I can tell," Amelia says. "When I was that age, I was up in the plum trees dumping out Creen nests and beating them away from the fruit."

Zahnrad nods. "Blacktails were farmers, the Wingnuts did the machines. Different outlook on things," Zahnrad replies. He looks over at the Kadie and asks, "What's bothering you, Amelia? For some reason, a knot in my gut says something is eating at you."

"Just… " she begins to say, then shrugs. "I don't know. I worry that I'm distracting you too much, maybe. I want to help you fly, not give you a reason to stay on the ground."

Zahnrad stops again and looks at Amelia. "I don't," he says, no tinge of nervousness for a change. "I will fly some day. It's a promise I made to myself and I will keep it. I work every day at it. But, it doesn't mean I should close myself to every other aspect of living. I've started to see just how … deficient, I am in other things. And please believe me when I say this; you inspire me. You're strong, determined. You've given me a reason to be better, not 'stay on the ground'. You showed me your treasure, I want to show you mine. I want to take you up … " He points skyward and adds, "And show you the endless possibilities in the world."

"Wow," Amy says quietly, grinning at Zahn. "You'd better make sure this new machine of yours doesn't kill you then, or I'll be really disappointed!"

Zahnrad laughs. He walks a bit further in silence, brow furrowed. Suddenly, he raises his eyebrow and looks at Amelia critically. "Can I ask you a question? Are you afraid of something? Are you afraid I'll forget you some day? You say you must look pretty poor to me, then about holding me back. From that … I get the feeling you're worried I'll someday just see you as that and move on."

"Well, I don't know," Amelia says. "I can feel insecure without knowing why."

Zahnrad nods his head slightly and says, "Fair enough." He takes a breath. "I worry you'll get tired of me," he admits. "Tired of the geek."

The girl runs across the bridge below the dam, and says, "I'll meet you at the springs! I want to get my laundry started. I won't get tired of you!"

Zahnrad rubs his neck. "Ah, sure," he says, then heads over to his cabin to fetch his things.

This late in the evening, few would bother to visit the springs. Amelia has the cleaning area and drying shed all to herself until Zahn catches up.

It takes a bit before Zahnrad finally comes into view, a small bag tossed over his shoulder. "Sorry, ran into family, they wanted to talk shop and what I was able to secure from the merchants today," he says. "Found a clean pair of shorts for you, if you'd like to try them on."

Amy hangs a pair of overalls up in the shed, then says, "Sure! They should fit right over my own. Hand 'em over."

Zahnrad digs in the bag, then tosses over a khaki colored pair of shorts that go just below the knees and are lined with pockets. "There you go," he says.

In the dim light of the Procession, Amy is practically a black splotch as she pulls the shorts on over her own. "They're almost like trousers on me," she says. "But I can wear them with a belt okay!" She sounds pretty happy about it.

Zahnrad gives a thumbs-up. "Well, good. They should be useful in holding bits we may find. Glad I could be useful," he says and starts dumping his laundry in an open bin. He tosses in a bit of soap, then starts scrubbing.

Amelia takes the pants off before going back to her own laundry, and puts them into her sack. She starts rinsing out the clothes she wore earlier, in the underground city. "Ah, the smell is all out now, good! I'll be more careful with wine in the future."

Zahnrad laughs. "Boy, that was a weird picnic," he comments, then tosses a shirt over into a rinse bin. "There will be wine at the dinner, Aiken's bringing it."

"I'll stick to water," Amelia says, wringing out a pair of shorts. "I don't want to embarrass myself in front of your family. At least I'll be wearing clothes though!"

Zahnrad laughs and shakes his head. "You could hardly embarrass yourself in front of them, so don't worry. We're an odd bunch," Zahn asserts. "In all honesty, I don't even eat with them that often. I tend to just eat in my cabin what I can prepare on my stove. I work odd hours."

"I guess this will be a special occasion then, what with your family eating together and having the Briars over," Amy says, hanging her clothes up. "And meeting your new girlfriend," she adds, stretching out the last word tauntingly.

Zahnrad tosses a few more bits of clothing into the rinse bin. He glances over at her as she stretches out that word. He's quiet for a bit, then asks, "Are you? I don't want to make assumptions I might be wrong about." He quirks a grin and adds, "If such were to be the case, I figured you'd just tell me." He reaches into the wash in and finds it empty. So, he starts on rinsing out the clothes.

"I honestly don't know," Amelia answers, drying off her hands on her legs. "I've never had a boyfriend, so couldn't say really."

Zahnrad inspects some wet clothing. "What about Morgan?" Zahnrad asks quietly. Satisfied the soap is out, he tosses it up on a bar to dry.

"That's different," Amy says, sitting down on a warm rock. "I wanted to be a witch, but I don't have that spark that lets you do real magic. But my children will have it. Witches don't get married, usually, but they can still have kids."

"Another thing I didn't know," Zahnrad says and hangs up another bit of clothing. "How do you know your children will have it?"

"Because Morgan will be the father," Amelia states. "He got it from his mother, so it must be something passed down. At least, I hope the men can pass it down… "

"Aha. So, if Morgan will be the father, but you marry someone else, ah, how will that work out?" Zahnrad asks. He tosses up the last bit of wet clothing. He then shrugs, considering, "Of course, I guess clans trade kids, so it's not all that different."

"Maybe I won't get married," Amy says, folding her arms across her chest. "It's not a requirement. I can't really picture it anyway."

Zahnrad nods at that. "Maybe you won't," he says in agreement. He starts digging in his pack to retrieve bathing soap.

Picking up her own bag of supplies, Amelia pauses and asks, "Are the baths lit up at night?"

"There are semi-sealed oil lamps in there, but you have to light them," Zahnrad says. "Why do you ask?"

"I've never been here at night before," Amy answers, clutching her bag to her chest, and looking at the walls of the bath enclosure.

Zahnrad walks over. He pats Amelia on the shoulder, then points up at a corner near the door where a lamp hangs. "Also, it's a good idea to keep a set of clothing in there with you, in case the otters think it'll be funny to swipe your clothes so you have to walk home naked." He pauses before going to the men's partitioned side, then asks, "Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

"Sure, so long as it doesn't get all soppy," Amy says, heading into the other changing room. "Oops, we aren't alone," she adds a moment later.

Zahnrad tenses up. "Er, we're not?" he asks and swallows. He clenches his jaw.

Coming back out of the women's changing area, Amelia whispers, "They've got the lamps off, but there's a candle burning down. It's Emmett and the Chalk twins. They're asleep on the rocks in my half."

Zahn rubs his neck and sighs. "I guess that getting a bath tonight is out," he says quietly. "Unless you want to hide your clothing and I chase them off. Or … we share a shower, which would probably be a bad idea."

"It's dark enough," Amy suggests. "We could share a bath if we don't use the lamps. I'm practically a shadow anyway, or we can keep our towels on."

"And, if they wake up … ack," Zahnrad says, considering. "Well, if you think we can manage it without waking them, okay. With the light off, I'm not even sure you could see me, anyway." He takes a breath, feeling this is probably a really bad idea.

"You go first," Amelia says. "We'll be fine as long as we can hear Emmett snoring."

Zahnrad slinks into the empty shower. He quickly disrobes and stuffs the clothing in his sack, then hangs it on the hook near the door. His home may be close, but be has no desire to run back naked. It takes a moment of fiddling, but he gets the water flowing with a quiet hiss.

From outside, Amy whispers, "You've seen both sides before. Is the layout very different?"

"Everything is flipped in location, but not really that different," Zahn whispers back. For some reason, he faces the wall the entire time, back to the entrance. "Why?"

"I don't want to get lost in the dark," the girl answers.

"Follow the sound of the water. The sitting rock is on the other side from the stall you're used to," Zahnrad replies quietly, then goes about soaping up his headfur.

There are some sounds of movement behind Zahn, followed by the noise of someone getting into the hot spring. "Found it," comes a whispered voice from the far end of the bathing area.

Zahn finishes rinsing off his headfur under the shower spray and whispers, "Do you need the spray at all? I find it easier to wash my hair. I don't like going under water." He places his hand on the shutoff knob.

"I'll use it later," Amy whispers in the dark. "I just want to let the heat loosen things up first. I've still got some stiff muscles from the other night."

Zahn shuts off the spray. "Ah, do you mind me slipping in the spring for a moment? I'll keep facing this way and stay on the far side from you," he whispers.

"Come on in, the water's fine," Amy says, and nearly snorts trying not to giggle. "I'm surprised you aren't sore. I can't believe you were able to lift me up like that when I was in the hammock."

"You're not that heavy," Zahn whispers and slowly steps backwards, feeling the way with his toes. "Plus, having to wrestle with huge gears and stuck parts tend have left me, ah, in good shape. I stay pretty active." Carefully, he eases his way into the spring.

"You're really walking backwards?" Amy asks. "Can you see in the dark?"

"Ah … er … kind of," Zahnrad admits. "That's why I'm facing this way."

"Oh, I figured you were facing that way because you thought I could see in the dark," the girl whispers. "I can see your silhouette, but I'm behind the rock, looking over the top. All you'd see is my head," Amy says. "And maybe not even that unless I smiled."

Zahn slowly turns around, ready to turn right back if things are otherwise different. "You seem surprised I'm fairly strong. How come?" he asks.

Amy's chin is resting on her arms, which are draped over the rock. "I just didn't expect it. I'm used to wimpier guys."

Zahn chuckles very quietly. "Well, ah, I could benchpress you probably. I guess I don't really show it. Some probably comes from the rope walking practice," he explains.

After a moment, Amelia asks, "Is benchpress an exercise, or something else?"

"It's an exercise. You lie on your back and lift a weight over your chest to build your arms and chest muscles," Zahnrad replies. "Never heard of it, I take it?"

"No, this is the first time," Amy admits. "I thought it might have to do with some sort of machine, but the bench part threw me."

"Nah. Basically, I can lift my own weight over myself if I need to," Zahnrad replies and relaxes back. "Need to be able to. We have a crisscrossing of ropes and nets in part of the complex. We climb, swing, and jump throughout it to improve our ability to climb around in gearing and such, carrying tools and spare parts. It's fun to do, really."

Pulling back from the rock, Amelia retrieves the bottle she set on the edge of the bath and starts to lather up her hair with the gel inside. "So, would I have to be sitting on your hands or something?" she asks. "There aren't many places you can hold onto someone and lift them like that."

Zahnrad does his best not to grin. "Something like that. It was a figure of speech more than anything. I'm not going to lift you like that," Zahnrad replies and cants his head, trying to listen for snoring.

There's the soft sound of bubbly otter snoring from the other side of the wall, and the occasional sleep-muttering of Lapis as well.

"Oh, so you meant you could benchpress my weight," Amy says, letting her hair conditioner set while she climbs onto the rock to wash her tail. "I'm never sure when you're being literal."

Zahn lets out a hiss, then closes his eyes quickly. "You should warn me before you do that," he whispers. "Right, your weight. Sorry. I guess I can be confusing."

"Warn you?" Amy asks, then pulls her tail up against her chest and teases, "Are you afraid of me then?"

"I don't want you to think I spend time with you in hopes of well, what most guys seem to want," Zahn replies, not quite sure of any other way to say it. "But, no, I'm not afraid of you. I respect you."

"It's odd," Amelia says. "When you're shy like this, you make me feel shy too." She drags her tail through the water to rinse it off, then turns her back to Zahn and flops the sopping wet appendage on top of his head.

Zahn starts, surprised by the sudden impact of the tail on his head. He flails briefly, his eyes snapping open. He eases her tail off his head and then blinks a few times, getting a rather … interesting, view. He shakes his head, gathering his thoughts back and says, "Ah, it's … hard to explain."

There's a splash, as Amelia slides off the rock and submerges to rinse out her hair. When she comes back up, she says, "Probably not. You don't have any sisters, do you?"

Zahn shakes his head. "No, I don't," he replies and looks toward the sidewall. "Why?"

"Just means you aren't used to bathing with girls," Amy says, while wringing out her hair. "I have five older brothers, so I'm more comfortable with it, I guess."

Zahnrad chuckles quietly. "Well, it's different when you're related to them," he says. He finally turns and looks at Amelia. "I just … I have this fear you'll think less of me for looking, or something," he says. "Hard for me to explain. It doesn't make much sense to me either."

Amy pushes through the water, coming around the boulder. "Nah, if I was upset by that sort of thing, I wouldn't have the taste in clothes that I do," she explains. "Plenty of guys got an eyeful when I took swimming lessons two years ago anyway. Emmett never told me there are clothes you can wear just for swimming."

Zahn pushes away from where he's sitting and floats toward Amelia. "That's because he wanted to get an eyeful," he replies. "I think it's his goal to see or sleep with every single girl in town. I think he's even seeing one of my cousins."

Giggling, Amy says, "At the time, I figured it was because Akwavi don't wear anything when they swim. Emmett didn't."

"They also are built for it and spend a lot of time in the water. That's how they are," Zahn replies and shrugs. He floats past the other Kadie and thumps his wet tail against her stomach under water.

Amy makes a mock grab for the tail, but continues on to the edge of the shower platform. She sets her bottle there, next to her bag, and pulls out the lump of soap. "And we're made for hopping through trees," she says, and starts to wash her neck.

When Zahn gets to the edge of the spring, he pushes off and floats backwards slowly. "That would be it," Zahnrad agrees, then considers. "Would you want me to soap your back? It's a terrible pain to reach it all."

Amelia turns to look at Zahn – or not, since her eyes are closed and covered in soapsuds. "I suppose that's safe enough," she agrees. "But don't drop the soap."

"Safe enough? You make it sound like I'd try something," Zahnrad teases. He floats around behind the Kadie and takes the bar of soap from the platform. "Go lay a bit on the rock so your back is out of the water," he suggests.

After wiping soap from her eyes and dunking to rinse, Amelia makes her way back to the rock, half-climbing out of the water to lay across it. "Who said I was worried about you trying something?" she says.

"Because I think I'm the stronger one?" Zahnrad suggests playfully. He makes his way over to the rock and floats beside it. He lathers up his hands, then sets the bar on a free spot on the rock. "All right, I'm going to touch you now," Zahn says, as if he was warning her. He places his hands on the small of her back and starts slowly working the suds into her fur with firm fingertip pressure.

"I bet you get to come here even in the winter," Amelia says, resting her head on her forearms. "My winter coat gets way too thick. I can only brush it out."

"Less often, but yes, I do," Zahn replies and slowly works his way upward to her center back. "How'd you guess?"

"Because you live next to them," Amelia says, closing her eyes. "The ground up here stays warm, doesn't it? So you probably don't get cold enough to grow a coat."

"True. We don't see as much snow around this area. It's not a bad thing. I don't look like a shedding mass in the spring, as a result," Zahn says in a teasing tone. Remembering something about her saying she was feeling stiff, the Kadie works a bit on her muscles as well as just soaping along and between her shoulderblades.

"My brothers never did this," the girl says. "You're spoiling me, you know."

"Did what? Wash your back?" Zahnrad asks and takes a moment to work on her shoulders as well. "And you said you were feeling stiff, anyway."

"Yeah, that," Amy replies. "You should ask to do this to Dr. Pike. You can figure out how her wing muscles all work together then."

Zahnrad chuckles, saying, "I suppose I could. Not a bad idea. I've wanted to get a feel for Eeee wing musculature." He lets up, then just uses his claws to comb her backfur back down so it goes in one direction again. He takes the soap, then pushes away from the rock and says, "There you go."

Amelia slides back down into the water to rinse off. "I think I'd better wash the rest in the shower," she says, and starts wading back towards the platform. "Do you think we'll find anything neat at the castle in the morning?"

Zahnrad is busily soaping up his shoulders and arms as Amelia leaves the spring. "Not sure. Probably lots of junk, but I'm sure we can make use of it. Considering it's in their wine cellar and dungeon … ah, I'm a bit worried about old traps or unstable supports," he says.

"Would someone really set traps in a cellar?" Amy asks as she turns on the shower. "Oh, I forgot who I was talking to for a moment there, nevermind."

Zahn pulls himself up onto the rock so he can soap the remainder of his body. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asks.

"You trap your door," Amelia notes while scrubbing her chest and stomach. "It's normal for you to think of traps."

"Ah, well, I have to," Zahnrad says. In a few minutes, he slips back into the water to rinse off. "And really, I should be heading home shortly. I have to get up frightfully early."

Amelia finishes washing, and pulls a towel out of her sack. "Sorry, I didn't mean to keep you up," she says. "You'd probably have been in bed by now on your own."

Zahnrad waves a hand. "But, I wouldn't have enjoyed the evening as much," he says and climbs out of the spring. He snaps his tail a couple times, shaking the water out of it, then grabs his own towel, saying, "No peeking… " Hard to say if he's being serious or not.

"My eyes aren't as good in the dark," Amy reminds him. "So you'll have to come stand closer."

"Like this?" Zahnrad says and actually steps closer while he's drying off his headfur.

Amy is quiet for a moment, then swats Zahn with her curled up, wet towel. "Yeah, that's about close enough," she says, snickering.

Zahnrad barely keeps from going 'ow!'. He grins sheepishly and works on drying his tail. "Sorry, I wanted to see how you'd react. I should probably resist those urges," he says, sounding really embarrassed.

"Well, at least for another few days, yeah," Amelia says, and pulls on her shorts. "Oh, maybe if we get going early enough, we'll catch Emmett and the bunnies waking up and finding out their clothes have been snatched," she says, wickedly.

"Not that kind of urge … the urge to tease," Zahnrad starts to say, then shrugs. He dries off enough to pull on his own shorts, then tucks the towel in his sack, figuring he can walk home as is. "That's just evil … so, we should do it," he says with a grin. "And don't forget your laundry."

"I never forget my laundry," Amelia says, sounding proud as she finishes dressing and packing her stuff. "I'll go get the clothes out of the other spring," she adds, and tiptoes out of the changing area.

Zahn clawcombs his hair back and makes sure he's got all his things gathered. Quickly, he peeks out of the door, then slips out of the spring and towards the laundry area.

A few moments later, Amy comes out of the other bath area, carrying a second bundle. Something in her posture suggests she's repressing a giggle.

Zahn quirks a grin. "They'll be in for a shock," he whispers. "Come on, let's get out of here before anyone else shows up."

After a safe distance, Amelia takes a deep breath and giggles. "Oh, Emmett's already awake," she says when she recovers. "He pointed me to where they'd hidden their clothes."

Zahn tenses. "What do you mean he was awake?. Er, did he know who all was there?" Zahn asks, looking horrified.

"How does Emmett ever know anything?" Amelia shrugs, collecting her dried clothes and putting them into her sack. "But no, he probably didn't know we were together next door. Otherwise he wouldn't have gestured for me to come and join him, would he?"

Zahn lets out a slow breath and nods. "He might, knowing Emmett. But, oh well, what's done is done," he says with a shrug. "And, it's not like we did anything wrong, anyway."

"Besides stealing their clothes, you mean?" Amy asks, burdened down with multiple bundles of clothing.

"Well, aside from that," Zahn says with a grin. "Want me to hide those in my cabin?"

"Sure," the other Kadie says, handing the bundles over. "I would have just dumped them in the river."

"I was thinking about hanging Clover's underwear on the Inn's sign, m'self," Zahnrad replies as he takes the bundles. "Or, I could use them for grease rags, or something."

"I always wondered what underwear looked like," Amy says. "I always thought it was just something that went with skirts. Learn something new every day, eh?" She grins, and pats Zahn on the tail while his hands are full with the clothes. "Sleep well, Zahny," she says, then skips away down the road.

Zahnrad watches Amelia head down the road. "You too," he says quietly, then heads toward his cabin, arms full of clothing.