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"I don't know why Jaheira sent me to this damn conference. There's nothing about logistics I don't already know," said Talli as she looked around the lobby.
She glanced at the marble pillars of the hotel. The decorations were very plain, but the place looked sturdy enough to support a conference about the myriad of ways to store camp supplies.
"I suppose I should check in at the desk," she said with an exasperated sigh.
Clutching her bag to her chest, in case one of the unsavoury characters roaming the hall grabbed it, she went to the desk in the middle of the lobby.
An efficient type looked up, "Name?"
"Quartermaster Talli, of the Harpers."
"Let me see... ah, yes, here we are," said the clerk as she handed her a packet of paper, "This should get you started. And if you are in need of refreshment, the bar is over there."
"I've no need of a drink, but my feet could do with a rest."
Talli walked toward the area the clerk had indicated and looked inside the entryway.
"I suppose a small ale wouldn't kill me."
She took a seat in a cushioned chair near the wall and surveyed her surroundings.
A halfling holding a pad appeared, "Can I help you?"
"I'll have a small ale. And a cup of coffee."
"Anything to eat? We're running a special on meat pies."
"I'm really only sitting here to rest my feet. The broken road was very rough and I'm very sore."
"Oh, you're in luck. The hotel has a masseuse on staff. I'll mark the location on your map."
"I've never had my foot rubbed by a stranger, but I have to admit, the idea does sound tempting."
"I'll be back in a flash with your drink."
In the lobby, another quartermaster was arriving.
"I have no idea why the kithrak sent me to this damn conference. There's nothing about logistics I don't already know," said A'jak'nir Jeera as she looked around the lobby.
She examined the decor. The hotel was little more than a hovel.
"I suppose I'm expected to check in," she grumbled.
She strode across the floor to the desk and slammed her hand on the bell.
The clerk jumped, "Oh! Welcome to the 143rd Annual Quartermaster's Conference! It's not often we have a visit from a planeswalker."
"I'm not surprised. Given the state of this place, I'm amazed you get any visitors."
"Ah, yes. Quite so. Your name?"
"A'jak'nir Jeera, of Creche Y'llek."
"Here you go. This should get you started. The bar is in that direction."
"I don't supposed you could ring for a slave to carry my baggage?"
"We... we don't have slaves. But... I can arrange for a bellhop."
"Never mind. I keep forgetting how backward you people are."
Jeera was headed in the direction the clerk had indicated when something caught her eye. A woman in a robe was exiting a room. Something about the white fabric piqued her curiosity and she marched up to the person.
"That's the first clean thing I've seen since I got here. Where did you get it?"
The woman gave her a confused look, "Get what?"
"That robe you're wearing."
"Oh. The masseuse gave it to me."
"There's a masseuse here?"
"Oh, yes. Quite a good one, too."
"Perhaps this trip isn't a complete waste," mused Jeera.
She entered the room, which turned out to be a sort of lobby. She went up to the counter.
"You have a masseuse?"
The clerk looked up, "Yes. Why do you ask?"
Jeera rolled her eyes, "Why do you think?"
"Oh. Sorry. We're all booked up for the day."
Jeera slid a thick, black coin across the top of the counter, "I think you'll find you have an opening."
The clerk glanced down at the coin and then at the appointment book, "Well! Now that you mention it... I do see an opening! Right this way..."
The clerk led Jeera down a hall to a room with a padded table.
"The masseuse will be right with you. Make yourself comfortable."
Jeera dismissed the clerk with a gesture and closed the door. She found a table with a stack of towels and took one. She held it near her nose and gave it a sniff.
"Amazing. It's actually clean."
She disrobed, wrapped herself with a towel, and lay face down on the table.
Talli finished the last of her coffee and put some money on the table. Then she rose and headed in the direction the wait person had indicated.
"I'm not sure how I feel about this," she muttered as she neared the counter.
"May I help you?"
"I was told you had a masseuse here?"
"I'm sorry. We're completely booked. Would you like to make an appointment for tomorrow?"
"I reckon it's for the best. I wasn't keen on having a stranger touch my feet anyway. I don't suppose you have a loo?"
"Just down the hall."
Talli went down the hall and through a door.
"About time you got here. I've been lying here for ages."
The voice came from a woman with golden skin who was lying face down on a padded table. Talli had never seen anything like it. Or had she? Didn't one of those adventurers at Last Light have similar skin? She couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to touch. To caress. To... what was she thinking! The small ale must've gone right to her head.
"Well, don't just stand there! Take some of that oil and get to work!"
In the years following, whenever she thought back to this moment, Talli was never quite sure why she did what she did next. But she supposed fatigue, the small beer, and the stern voice of the creature had all combined to overcome her usual reticence. She took the bottle of oil from the nearby shelf, poured some into her hand, and when it had warmed to body temperature began rubbing it into the back and shoulders of the woman.
The woman sighed, "Ah. Finally. I was almost about to leave. You people are as lazy as you are filthy."
Talli frowned and directed her attention to the woman's lower back in an attempt to inflict a little retaliatory pain.
"Oh. That's better. I was just going to ask if you planned on doing more than smear oil around."
Talli's face turned red and she started hammering the muscles along the woman's spine with the heels of her hands.
"Oh! That feels... well, as loathe as I am to admit it, that feels wonderful. If you keep this up, I might not ask them to fire you."
That was as much as Talli could take. She turned and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
Jeera turned and sat up,
"What an utter disappointment."
She grabbed a robe from the table and put it on. Then she opened the door and walked to the clerk.
"Your masseuse has abandoned her post."
The clerk looked startled, "Her? The masseuse... the masseuse is a man."
"Then who... let me speak to your manager."
"Ah... sorry, the masseuse is the manager."
"I've had as much as I can take of the service here. This is low even by the standards of this plane," fumed Jeera as she stormed out the doorway.
Moments later the clerk ran out shouting, "Ma'am? Ma'am? You forgot your armor... and your sword..."
Jeera turned and snatched the items from the clerk and headed in the direction of the stairs.
Talli had finally made it to her room. She had taken off her shoes and was rubbing her feet.
"Oh, that feels good, that does. I hope tomorrow goes a little more smoothly, I do."
She couldn't help but wonder if she might see the golden skinned stranger again.