It turned out to be an oasis, with verdant plants all around it and some of the clearest water Runa had ever seen. It even seemed fairly deep in the middle.

It was also situated in a way, in a dip between two hills, where the brunt of the chill wind wouldn’t touch the pair of them.

Runa dropped her bag on the soft sand that surrounded the oasis and, pulling her waterskins from it, she began the slow and tedious process of replenishing her water. She also took the opportunity to take some sips herself, that is, until she realized her hands were filthy and in no state to hold water.

She heard the splishing of Antyza wading into the oasis. Runa glanced at the woman only briefly and immediately regretted it.

Antyza was entirely nude, thigh-deep in the pool, and running her hand along the fibers of hair at the end of her tail.

Runa felt her blood rush to her face and she coughed. “Could you do that somewhere else?”

“Huh?” Antyza turned to her. “Not really, no. I need to clean my clothes and I’m covered in road dust and sweat. I need a bath.” She winked at Runa. “You could also use one yourself. You smell putrid.”

Runa desperately wanted to wash the dust and grime off herself. She looked around for a place to bathe by herself and, finding nowhere to speak of, sighed in resignation. “Should we just take turns, then?”

She spared a glance at Antyza again, who now had her back to Runa.

Runa’s gaze slid over Antyza’s blue skin, up the back of her thigh to the place where her tail sprouted from her lower back. If she was being honest, Antyza didn’t look bad at all. Her gaze slid up the woman’s lithe frame to her full black hair.

Antyza was looking over her shoulder and their eyes met. Antyza smiled at her mischievously and Runa looked away, feeling heat rise to her face.

“No. I think I’m going to enjoy my time here.” Antyza sank to her knees and dipped her hair under the water before surfacing again. “So either you don’t bathe at all, or we share the oasis.”

Runa groaned and rested her head in her hands. She weighed her options before finally hoisting herself to her feet. “Fine,” she said sourly, beginning to disrobe.

She piled her clothing away from the water and, with great reverence, rested her sword on the small bundle. That being done, she became very aware of her nudity.

Turning back to the oasis, she caught Antyza smiling softly, her gaze half-lidded, looking at her.

“What are you doing?” Runa covered her breasts with an arm.

“Maybe I’m enjoying the view,” Antyza purred before shrugging and dipping her hands in the water. She ran her wet hands along one of her horns, cleaning the small cracks and crevices. Her gaze fixated on Runa again as she began cleaning her other horn. “Runa, sweetheart, don’t just stand there. Come in.”

Runa felt her heartbeat quicken and couldn’t think for the life of her. But she did as Antyza said and waded thigh-deep in the oasis, though she stood rigid and didn’t dare let her arm fall from her chest. She sank to her knees and submerged as much of her body as she could.

Antyza hummed a song that Runa had never heard before as the blue woman cleaned herself by scraping her skin with sand.

To Antyza’s credit, the sand was quite soft between Runa’s toes. It would do well in cleaning.

Runa did her best to steady her breathing and her heart.

‘Why is this so hard for me?’ she thought.

She didn’t notice her surroundings until she heard Antyza swish over to her. “Runa, would you wash my back?” her voice was like silk and honey.

Runa couldn’t help the dry chuckle that escaped her lips. “I’m not washing your back.” She looked up at the woman who stood over her before she could think better of it as her gaze was only slightly below Antyza’s waist level.

Antyza frowned. “What’s wrong?” She sat down in front of Runa. A smile spread across her face as she furrowed her brows. “Don’t tell me you’ve never bathed with another person before.”

Runa scoffed. “Of course, I’ve bathed with another person before.” Where she was trained, the bathing chambers were communal.

“Oh, good. So is the problem that I’m a woman?” Antyza turned her back to Runa and brushed her black hair out of the way. “If you want, you can pretend I’m a man or the prince or something,” she said over her shoulder. “I bet you loved bathing your prince. By the way, did he ever wash himself? Or was that a part of your service to him too? Or maybe it was more a ... pleasure for you?”

Runa swallowed and wasn’t sure if she could blush harder. “It’s not that you’re a ... ” She felt anger rising in her. “And he and I ... It was more ... ” Why was this so hard? “I’ve bathed with women before it’s just that ... ” She trailed off. “Augh!” she screamed. “It isn’t that at all!”

Antyza quirked an eyebrow at her and turned slightly. “So it’s only that it’s ... me?”

Runa threw up her hands. “No!” she lied. “It’s not just because it’s you!”

‘Why the f*ck is she being this way?’ Runa felt like she may burst a blood vessel at this rate.

Antyza opened her mouth in a look of amused disbelief. “I don’t believe it!” She turned around and stood. “It IS just because it’s me!”

Runa was on her feet in an instant, forgetting her modesty entirely. She glared down at the woman, who merely smiled a half-lidded gaze back at her. “F*ck you!” She poked a finger into Antyza’s shoulder.

Antyza’s smile merely widened. “I mean, we are alone ... ”

“That isn’t what I mean and you know it!” d*mn this vile blue woman! Why was she so distracting? “Why are you doing this?” Runa huffed angrily.

She was doing her best not to be angry but it felt like she was only growing more frustrated the longer she tried to calm down. “You keep doing this, Antyza! You goad me and fluster me and make me nervous! You insult me and suggest lurid things about me! Why in the name of the maker are you doing this?!”

She shoved Antyza and the woman stumbled backward. She found a grip on Runa , pulling her off balance as well.

Luckily Runa was able to catch herself on either side of Antyza, with the woman under her, and their faces almost touching. Runa could feel Antyza’s chest rise and fall as their bodies were pressed together.

Antyza’s eyes were wide and she was laughing lightly. “Maybe I do it because I like it,” she said in a husky whisper. “Maybe it’s fun to play with you.”

Runa swallowed, her gaze dipping to Antyza’s blue lips and back to her eyes. She felt anger and frustration and longing crash together with a myriad of emotions. She hated this woman and never wanted to speak to her again.

Before she could think of what she was doing, Runa leaned in and captured Antyza’s lips in a kiss.

When she pulled back, Antyza was wide-eyed and panting.

“I ... ” Runa began to panic. “I didn’t mean–”

Antyza pulled her into another kiss. It was intense and Runa felt her body trembling with the storm of emotions inside of her.

And fueled by that tempest, Runa wrapped her arms around Antyza and deepened the kiss.