Second Quest: Establish the Seven Winds Health and Beauty Spa

[lightnovelexperiences]

1 - Elysium - Seven Winds Spa

A storefront on Brimstone Avenue of Elysium recently opened to little fanfare, but soon attracts some attention for the novelty: a bathhouse and health spa called the Seven Winds Health and Beauty Spa. After a brisk shower one can enjoy a hot spring, a cold bath, mineral water, tea and a healthy snack - and the attention of a masseur or masseuse, rubbing away your aches and fatigue, trimming nails and exfoliating skin, and keeping up pleasant and soothing chatter.

Listening to the middle management of the Empire gripe about their jobs without judgement.

Because every last worker for the Spa is a Crimson Corsair, and the place is in the business of gathering intel from those middle managers. It has a secondary purpose as exactly what it appears to be, of course, and if a corsair wants to make use of the bath or reserve a massage or a mani/pedi, the proprietor - one Deedee Yeowoo - may be the one to provide that for them.

2 - The Vault - Training Room

It's time, with news of war on the horizon, for Deedee to start keeping up her practice. Her style of martial arts has something in common with kenpo and something in common with the acrobatics of wing chun, enhanced with wind magic that adds considerable knockback to her blows and speed to her movements.

She's willing to practice with spear or staff, or unarmed, with anyone willing to fight with her - though she's particularly interested in duels where magic is on the table.

3 - Wildcard
There are other things she could be doing, though she mostly stays in Elysium for it. What else might you ask of her?

Comments

[newmemorywhodis]

Link considers it for a moment, then nods. Sure - why not?

He's here - he might as try out all the things Deedee's spa has to offer.

[lightnovelexperiences]

The artificial waterfall takes a little getting used to.

But then Link is provided with a towel and finds the men’s baths.

The hot bath is the exact temperature at which fatigue melts and drips away from the body, and the cool bath is just enough to be invigorating rather than ennervating, and then he is escorted to a chair with long armrests.

An attendant carefully files the nails of one hand in a see-sawing motion, somehow instinctually leaving a bit of a clawed look on his casting hand; then rubs a cream over where nail meets finger, and brings out a bowl to soak it, and repeats the process with his other hand.

And then, Deedee comes out, all smiles, carrying a small bundle on a towel.

“I thought I’d take over from here. How has it been so far, Link?” she asks.

[newmemorywhodis]

Funny how she ends up making a little bit of a claw on the nails on his right. Visually, there's no difference between his arms anymore. But as the recent and unexpected re-emergence of Fuse had shown...Rauru's Zonai arm wasn't quite as gone as Link had thought it was.

As Deedee comes out, Link nods his head once. Holds up his hands, to show her the good job the attendant had done on his nails. And says, "Good."

It had been very nice. Even comparable to the spa in Gerudo Town.

He does pause though, and asks: "You'll add colour?" Because he would really like some colour. He'd been looking forward to it.

[lightnovelexperiences]

"Of course. It's a great color on you," she says.

And she does - paint her nails with deft brushstrokes, and apply soft pressure and soft pulling to fingers and palms, and scraping off dead skin, until Link is left with relaxed, supple, and, well, well-manicured hands.

[newmemorywhodis]

As the entire process unfolds, rather than leaning back and drifting off while Deedee works, Link instead sits forward, leaning in close so he can watch what she's doing. He's never painted his own nails - having always instead gained them thanks to the enchantments of the Frostbite Armour - but maybe he could learn?

"It is hard?" he asks. There does seem to be a lot of steps involved. But maybe that's just because this is the special spa treatment?

[lightnovelexperiences]

"Nail care and painting? No," she says. "File back and forth so it's even, one light brushstroke on each nail. The rest of the steps are to soften callused skin, you're going to need that every time you trim your nails."

She finishes up, and withdraws, and looks over her handiwork.

"Give it a minute to dry, and I think we're done. You seem to like it."

[newmemorywhodis]

Link nods. She's right - he does like it.

"It's pretty," he says simply. And Link did like being pretty. Exactly how much varied greatly depending on his mood - but at least a little was always nice. There's a reason he liked wearing his blue hoop earrings, after all.

[lightnovelexperiences]

“It is,” she agrees. Then, grinning, she adds: “Somehow I feel like the Corsairs will handle an occasional ache to be pretty better than the Imps will.”

With the last detritus of her labors squirreled away, Deedee offers Link a hand up. “Feel free to visit any time if you need a soak, a backrub… or a change of color.”

[newmemorywhodis]

"Thank you," Link says, accepting the hand and standing up. "You have lots of colours."

Enough that if Link were to try them all...he'd probably have to come back to Deedee's quite a few times.