Once Armelle left the room, Peaches quickly took inventory of her pack, stowed the sword she’d stolen and carefully hid the ruby dagger deep within her bag. Satisfied that her belongings were safe, Peaches looked around the room, and stood by the window looking over the small harbor the town had. Every dock was taken with small merchant vessels, some of them still offloading their shipments. Peaches opened the window and let the salt air permeate her senses once more. “I love that smell, it's… it's so…”

  “..Intoxicating.” Armelle said and walked over to Peaches. “Checking out your surroundings, I see?” She pointed to the closest two merchant ships. “That one with the red hull, is ‘Crimson Runner’. That one makes it to Venice and back within a few days, keeping us with lots of trade goods.” She motioned to the next one, “That is ‘The Waverunner’. That one goes to Greece and back, staying close to the coast. Rumor has it, that the wind loves the captain. He makes his runs along the coast within a few weeks. Very fast.” She patted Peaches on the shoulder and pointed to the tub. “I have fresh water, let’s get you cleaned up…Sorry, what should I call you?”

  “Oh…uh.. I have a name my former maiden called me, Peaches.” She half-smiled. “I am not particurly fond of it, but that seems to have stuck. It's far better than my real name, so we won’t discuss that.”

  Clearing her throat and getting a glossy look in her brown eyes, Armelle smiled. “Rumor has it that there was a maiden found dead in the woods, the same day the Duke was killed.” She raised her eyebrow and stepped closer to Peaches. “You are using a name from someone that you have removed from your life. Perhaps a better name, Oui?”

  “What did you have in mind, Lady Bernier? I am open to suggestions.” Peaches commented as she watched Armelle pour the hot water in with the cool fresh water. Stripping out of her battered clothing, Peaches modestly covered her body with her hands until she stepped into the refreshing warm water. “Simply divine, thank you Madam Bernier.”

  “Paralee.” Armelle reached for one of the towels that she brought in and thered it with soap. “The name denotes an entertainer, a thinking person. Savvy skills, driving inspiration.” She washed Peaches back, taking time to clean the small cuts and scrapes. “What do you think?”

  Dipping her head back in the water to ftten out her hair, Peaches came up for air and smiled. “I like it, no more Peaches..I always thought it sounded like a baby name or something.” She said her new name a few times. “Paralee, Paralee, Paralee.” She patted Armell on the hand. “Thank you, now just for a surname…”

  “It should flow, like your raven bck hair.” Armelle snapped her fingers. “Paralee Vallee. It rolls off the tongue.” Reapplying the vender soap to her hands, Armelle began washing the filth from Paralee’s hair. “There we go, darling. You were in a sad state just a little while ago, now look at you.”

  Aware of what was going on with the woman currently washing her hair, Paralee responded as innocently as her French accent would allow. “Yes, Thank you…” She turned her head and batted her hazel eyes up at the woman scrubbing her down. “...A new identity, a clean body, clean room and good meal.” Paralee smiled and quietly spshed water over her breasts, making her nipples perk tightly. Paralee surmised that this lovely older dy had a weak spot for both women and a little danger. “...Lady…Bernier…” She innocently squeaked, “...So kind, to a criminal…” Paralee felt the dy’s hands leave her hair and gently massage her shoulders. Pying a little hard to get, Paralee dunked herself in the water to get the soap out of her hair, then came up sending lines of bubbles down her bare chest, cresting over both of her perky nubs. “Your hands are wonderful, more than I deserve.”

  Breathing heavy and lightly sweating, Armelle resumed her gentle massage of Paralee’s shoulders. “Mmm, Paralee.” Armelle walked over and grabbed a towel from the stack, and tossed it on the wooden floor. Once she got on her knees, the elder woman resumed massaging, but went down Paralee’s arms. “I can’t expin it, my darling Paralee..” She leaned forward and kissed the top of Paralee’s shoulder gently. “...I am drawn into you, like a moth to a fme. My tasty Paralee.” She felt the scab of a particurly nasty cut on Paralee’s arm. “Mercy, Mercy…What do we have here?” She picked away the dried blood and let the wound lightly bleed once more.

  “Ow…” Paralee barely whispered. “Armelle, that was from an earlier fight…” She saw the gzed look on her hostess's face as the older woman kissed her way down to the cut. “...A tree branch caught my sleeve and…” Paralee stopped when Armelle licked and took the blood from the wound into her mouth. “I…I…couldn’t properly cl-clean it.”

  Kissing and swirling her partly bloody tongue around Paralee’s fingers, Armelle finally reached up and cupped Paralee by the chin with both hands. “Shhh…Leave it to Armelle, She will take care of that nasty cut…just first…Mmm..” She leaned in and briefly touched their lips together.

  Paralee tilted her head and closed her firelit hazel eyes, content to let Armelle take the lead. “Ayez pitié de moi... vos lèvres sont tellement…mmhm..” She quivered softly in the warm water. “..soft and gentle.” Paralee stopped talking and puckered her lips for Armelle.

  Sliding her hands through the wet locks, Armelle knew that she wanted this lovely creature in the tub in a needy way. “My tasty, Paralee..how sweet…” She panted before rolling their lips together. “Oh..” Armelle sighed and darted her tongue out circling Paralee’s lips slowly.

  Letting out a content chest-deep sigh, Paralee leaned forward and captured Armelle’s lip in hers for a brief moment. “All mine you lovely devil.” She cooed pyfully and gently kissed Armelle, mirroring the soft trace of her tongue across Armelle’s lips afterward. Paralee opened her eyes, and grinned wide. “Lovely dy…I can’t imagine that the floor is com..” She kissed the older woman again, “...comfy.” Paralee slipped a wet hand from the tub and pulled the string on Armelle’s bodice, freeing the woman’s fair-sized breasts within her shirt. “A little more comfy, Oui?” Paralee teased and nibbled on Armelle’s ear.

  Half groaning as she stood up, Armelle took Paralee’s hand and helped her out of the tub. “I do have other wounds to tend to. I have cleaned you, now it’s time to heal…you.” She purred seductively as she wrapped a towel around her lovely guest. “I can’t send you back out into the world like you were, what kind of hostess would I be?”

  Pying into the weakened ss, Paralee fell into Armelle where she was scooped up and carried to the bed. “Thank you, Ma’am. I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t there to catch me.” Paralee giggled softly and leaned up to kiss her benefactor.

  “My pleasure, Paralee.” Armelle winked pyfully and wrinkled her nose. “As, the pyful quips were fun to break the ice, young dy, but let’s be truthful from here on, Oui?” She pointed to the open wound on Paralee’s arm. “I have some chamomile paste that will take the sting out and close the cut.” She wiped the slowly draining blood from the wound and licked her fingers. “Heaven’s glory, your blood is lovely.” Armelle sighed and went over to the pile of things she brought up, retrieving a small lidded can. “This might sting for a couple of minutes before I can put on a dressing.” She winked and opened the lid. “See, smells lovely. Much like you do now.” She sat down beside Paralee and applied the poultice gingerly.