Captain-Mandated Spa Day

T'Pren had only been inside the bath house once, and that was the day before to see if Lorelei were around. She'd gotten as far as the front desk before turning back around, which was where she was now. Her hair was down over her ears and she wore a worn-to-the-point-of-great-comfort, oversized lilac sweater with soft brown pants. She pulled the sweater up over her one bared shoulder self-consciously as she waited for whatever horrific doom awaited her behind these walls. But at least it was Lorelei and not some stranger.

Rai had seen to that. Early in the morning, he'd contacted Lorelei to explain that the little halfie was under strict orders to spend a good portion of her day in the other woman's care, being pampered and relaxing. From the way she was shifting on her feet, she probably really needed it. Somebody was probably going to have to foot the bill for rearranging all of Lorelei's other appointments, but it wasn't like Starfleet personnel had many expenses other than things like these. Lorelei was no doubt promised considerable compensation for her last minute dedication.

A beautiful Risan man greeted her at the front desk with a pleasant smile. He was wearing only a pair of sheer harem pants and a long robe, sleeveless and open at the chest - making Pren realize the way Lorelei dressed as much the norm as personal preference. He ran down the list on the illuminated panel before him when the lieutenant told him her name. "Ah yes, of course, you have an appointment with Miss Furanda today. This way, please."

he swept the curtain aside and led her down a pretty corridor to a private room. It was large and pleasantly lit with a warm glowing orb and several soothingly scented candles. There was a tiled pool in one corner of the room, framed with potted foliage, and a massage table on the other side. There was also a beautiful screen for changing, a comfortable recliner, and shelves with fresh towels, robes and mysterious creams and oils in lovely bottles and jars. The man told Pren to get comfortable and that Lorelei would be with her in just a few moments, and left her alone. She did not have to wait long before the Risan herself swept into the room, perfumed and dressed in one of her less sheer but not much less revealing robes. "Pren! How do you do?"

Those harem pants looked pretty comfy, actually, and T'Pren was a little jealous. She followed him down the hall trying not to stare at his body and being mostly successful, right into a room where she apparently she was supposed to make herself comfortable. She spun a slow circle to take everything in and was closely studying the little apothecary section of the room when Lorelei arrived.

The grin she offered in greeting was wry. "Apparently so poorly that I have a day at the bath house on Captain's orders. How are you?"

"Very well, thank you," Lorelei replied, taking Pren in. "Let's make sure we get you feeling the same way. Why don't you sit down," she smoothly gestured towards one of the chairs, and crossed the room to join her in the other.

Considering the other times Lorelei had run into Pren on the station since her arrival, she actually looked fairly okay. Now that she was in a private room with Lorelei, she was a little more relaxed about being in this strange place with its overwhelming fragrances. And she had a little healthy color in her cheeks from a night of frolicking followed by actual sleep.

The half-Vulcan was more than willing to do as she was requested and curled up in the offered chair, pulling her feet up underneath her. "You'll have to walk me through the etiquette," she admitted. "I've never done anything like this before and I don't really know what I'm in for."

"Well, actually," Lorelei replied, folding her hands over her lap, "You'll have to walk me through! Since this is entirely about you, making you feel comfortable, relaxed and safe is my priority. So," she continued in an almost lulling, pleasantly soft tone that was slightly different from her more animated way of talking in public, "you told me a little bit about yourself and your issues with touch the other day. I have prepared a set of really lovely gloves to use. Is there anything else you'd like to tell me before we decide on what kind of treatment you'd like to have today?"

The pale green that brightened T'Pren's cheeks also dropped her gaze to her lap with momentary embarrassment. Ah, yes. The gloves. "Actually," she began apologetically, and when she looked up at Lorelei it was with a helpless sort of smile, "I think I'd like to try it without the gloves. But if I started to flood you with memories or...well, you can decide at any time to use gloves if it's easier. I don't have the best control of my psionic abilities."

She pressed her lips together as she tried to think of anything else Lorelei ought to know. "I may develop a tremor at some point. It's completely normal and I'm fine if it happens." What else. She searched the room for clues but finally shook her head. "I think...just...talk me through it? Whatever...whatever it is that we end up doing."

Lorelei smiled. "Very well, we'll start without the gloves and see how it goes." She paused at Pren's last words. The poor thing didn't really think the Commander was forcing her in for happy endings, did she? Spa day meant spa day - more would come only if she explicitly asked for it herself. "For today, I think we should start with a relaxing soak, then a massage - back, neck, shoulders, limbs and scalp - and a mask and moisturizing treatment to finish off. How does that sound?"

T'Pren definitely wasn't thinking about happy endings. She'd had her own last night and the thought hadn't even crossed her mind. Which is why she made no move to backpedal or explain what she'd meant. She was sweetly oblivious.

The half-Vulcan gave an exaggerated shrug and smiled at Lorelei. "Not too intimidating."

"Wonderful," Lorelei smiled, and got up to cross to the cabinet, "Are there scents you especially enjoy or don't like?"

"As long as nothing smells sterilized or medical, it should be fine," T'Pren replied frankly. But after a moment's additional thought, she added, "I do love the smell of the ocean."

"People usually take off their clothes for these things, correct?" she wondered suddenly, but not with any kind of discomfort at the thought.

"Yes, you can change behind the screen," Lorelei replied, pulling a fresh robe off the shelf and handing it to Pren.

Screen? T'Pren frowned at the screen and walked over toward it, robe in hand...only to put the robe over the top of it so she could start to undress. She didn't bother going behind the screen. She turned her back to Lorelei, but only because that was how she was already facing. Without hesitation, T'Pren pulled her sweater over her head, carefully folding it and putting that over the screen as well. Then she moved on to her pants, rolling them down with her thumbs in the waist and bending to step out of them without even a modicum of shame or embarrassment. Because she is one neurotic little half-breed, but nudity is not one of her hangups. Well. Usually. She folded her pants and had them join her shirt and was taking her time pulling the robe over her slender form.

If her face and extremities were pale, her naked body was practically see-through. It was the kind of skin color that was either genetic...or came from an exceptionally long period of time without any UV light at all.

Nudity bothered Lorelei even less, and so she happily let Pren change as she pleased while she picked bath salts, oils and creams with scents that Pren would like and which would help her relax better off the shelf. She set some by the massage table and others by the bath, and began to fill the tub to a perfect temperature - hot enough to steam and make Pren sweat, but not so much as to scald. She sprinkled Risan sea salts and a seaweed oil into the water with a practiced hand. The room filled with the scent of salty ocean breeze and delicate flowers.

As the aroma filled the room, T'Pren dropped her shoulders at least two inches down to where they probably should normally be. She closed her eyes, draped in the robe but not actually bothering to close it up, and concentrated only on breathing those scents in. "That's perfect," she murmured, surprised to already find a small lump of emotion in her throat.

Lorelei smiled and led Pren with resting touch on the shoulders to the bath. She helped the lieutenant out of the robe and held out her hand to steady her as she stepped into the water.

T'Pren shrugged out of the robe easily and, preparing herself a little for the telepathic contact, took Lorelei's hand as she slipped into the steaming bath. But as she got deeper into the water and her body started actually releasing tension, her emotional life went a little frantic. Her expression was deeply worried and she stopped waist-deep, choking down a wave of nausea.

"Are you alright?" came Lorelei's soothing voice. She neither pulled away nor pushed Pren to go on.

After another moment of letting the nausea pass and checking in with herself about whether or not she was going to flee the room naked, T'Pren took another deep breath of the ocean scents and lowered herself the rest of the way into the tub. "Remember how I said I might cry?" she asked with grim humor.

"That's fine," Lorelei replied completely calmly. She knelt on the floor beside the edge of the pool and smoothed Pren's head back onto a folded up towel.

Lorelei's reassurance seemed to help hugely, and whatever urge to cry had bubbled up was ebbing again, letting the slim young woman relax into the water. She closed her eyes and let Lorelei guide her wherever she was supposed to go, concentrating on breathing and placidity.

Lorelei rubbed some chamomile oil into her palms, then slowly smoothed her fingertips over Pren's brows ridges out to the temples. Having worked with Vulcans before, she did her best to settle her mind and project quiet serenity so that no intrusive thoughts would bother her client.

It was neither psionically overwhelming nor an interruptive sort of expression of emotion that began to push gentle tears at a glacier pace down her cheeks. It was peaceful and easy, sinking down the Vulcan's face in cooperation with the deepening of her breathing. It was simple, pure release. Or the beginnings of it, at least.

Lorelei made no comment or take any obvious notice of the tears, merely wiping them away with the corner of the washcloth when they interfered with her massage. Her fingers slowly rubbed the frown out of Pren's forehead, then smoothed away the pressure between her temples. She gently sat her up and lowered a carved bowl into the water, running it over Pren's head. It was almost like being washed by a parent - gently manipulating, careful not to get soap in your eyes, firm yet tender. After Pren was completely soaked, Lorelei began to scrub her down with a pleasantly rough sponge.