"Great job guys!" Aria said as she lavished praise and food on her animal performers. She checked them for any health issues in case one of them strained themselves or stepped badly. She was careful not to push the animals too hard (which led to a drop in animal attacks on the trainers) but she would be remiss not to make sure they were all right.

"We should have done the triple corkscrew dismount."  Jade could be her own worst critic.  We she said 'we' she meant herself.  "It would have popped better."  As she spoke she was washing the chalk off of herself.  She applied it to her hands, naturally, but it got everywhere.

Orlan felt just fine about his own performance. Of course, some performances were better than others, but the trick, at least in his own opinion, was not to mind some performances being worse than others. He watched along with the other performances contentedly that night.

"So, um..." Aria kicked the ground a bit, "with the animals fed or otherwise being tended to... do we... want to... go to the bathhouse? Like a normal one?" Aria asked, in a somewhat embarrassed tone. Aside from the fact that they have a reputation for being fronts for brothels, Aria's sense of smell had become numb to the various kinds of animal stench that she was frequently covered in. She was asking in a roundabout way if she smelled bad.

Once the evening's performance had concluded, and all the guests had left, Cornelius rounded up everyone within the main tent.

"That was a good performance from everyone. No fights, outbursts, or demands of refunds. We will have a couple more nights here, and then move on. As ever, the mornings are you own, so tomorrow if you want to explore the city, go to any shops, make the most of it. I know life is tough out on the trails, but we have one another. We're family!"

Renko's late performance post.

Renko gallops around the ring, doing a standard repertoire of tricks--standing, hopping from side to side, swinging under Kariochi's neck to the other side, leaping dismount and sprint across the ring to remount on the run, swiveling around from front-facing to rear-facing and back again, standing on the saddle to crack his whip in swinging arcs. No mishaps, though the day of travel and unresolved tension over the water keeps him from being outstanding.

Renko Tenmo rolled 5,4 using d8,d6, rerolling max, unique dice with rolls of 5,4 for Riding.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:42, Wed 09 June 2021.

In reply to Aria Fox (msg # 68):

"Well I could certainly use a turn at the washtub, I always stink after a show, and I need to wipe down this costume and air it out overnight.  You just might as well wash up too, if you're pulling it out for one you might as well scrub everyone."

Jade had a diplomatic way of offering "outs" sometimes.

In reply to Aria Fox (msg # 68):
"Renko will go with to baths, keep you safe," he says to the girl.

"Hey, boss, we do shooting match on afternoon or maybe wrestling?" Renko competes with locals who put up a $2 entry fee for a chance at a purse of $25. He usually wins at the shooting, often at the wrestling (three falls). If he loses, some local gets bragging rights; if he wins, the outfit pockets all the takings. There's usually a fair amount of side wagers involved, especially if the local competition has a reputation.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:53, Wed 09 June 2021.

"Thank you Jade, Renko." Aria says. She had her protective gear also prepared for a cleaning. It was too expensive to not try to keep in good condition.

She also looked forward to Renko's challenges to the locals. However gruff he can be, he was an impressive wrestler and marksman.

"I'll be along for the baths as well, I could never pass up a few gallons of hot water. Plus, I'm sore anyways." He stretched his arms out a bit, for the effect. "Renko, if you're wrestling, I'll drum up some interest with Jade for you." He put down his show hat as he said this.

Harold joined the group, waving a hesitant greeting.  "Hello everyone, sorry to have missed the first show.  I was . . . delayed along the way."

He smiles hopefully.  "A bath sounds lovely.  It's been a long journey, and I would love to wash off the dust."

"Sounds like a good idea Renko, just don't beat them so badly they get angry!" He replies, before waving you all off to enjoy your own time.

The posse make their way into town, searching for a bath house.

The various saloons are busy with the sound of drunken patrons, gamblers, and music playing. The smell of whiskey and cigar smoke wafts through the air.

You find Bettie's Bathouse, with a sign outside:

Fresh Water $1
Used Water 50c
Soap & Towel 25c
Shave 25c

A heavy set woman stands by the entrance. "I dun't hav' sharin' baths, an' ya might'n need ta take turns." She says, checking you over, before looking at Aria and taking a big sniff. "An' afters ya finished, ya might want ta check the pharm'cist, got sum tonics that'll help ya smell all purty too."

Jade, in her town clothes, was among the first to pay up.  If she was getting a bath, well she was getting a bath!

"Oh that sound nice."

Orlan shelled out for fresh water, and for shaving tools to be brought to him so he could trim his face quite precisely.

Aria's face flushed at being singled out. Deciding that she probably needed the full scrub, she quietly paid for the fresh bathwater and the soap. It probably won't help much, the stench has likely gotten under her skin like a tattoo.

Renko forks over a dollar fifty.

The baths are made, with you having private rooms for your bathing.

Fresh, hot water is added to the bath, with a towel and bar of soap on a small stool beside it.

Whilst a nice bath may seem like such a simple thing, it isn't that common whilst travelling, and some of the smaller towns may have extremely rudimentary facilities, where it is a dinged up copper tub, cold water, that isn't always as clean as you would like, and that is when it is first put into the bath!

Jade is certainly not optimized for combat, but I spend some "points" making sure in a fight she actually has something to do.

In reply to Jade Archer (msg # 83):

Once the rush is over, Harold advances hesitantly. He pays for fresh, hot water, soap, and the means for a shave, but waits until he can bath in privacy.

When he finally is able to lower his frail body into the water, he gives an unabashed sigh of pleasure, and relief.  The heat from the water soothes the knotted muscles of his chest and back, and for a moment, he can almost forget the pain he carries with him.

Singing an old Cossack song at the top of his voice, Renko soaks in the steaming tub until it begins to grow tepid, then soaps himself all over before plunging in to rinse away all the scum.

Aria quietly slipped into her bath, scrubbing herself as hard as she could and trying to get the smell off of her, but it's hard for her to tell since her nose is so habituated to animal musk that she honestly wasn't able notice.

She considered what the lady said, and thought maybe she should try it. It couldn't hurt right? Okay, the snake oil didn't work last time, but maybe these people might have something.

Orlan got himself spick and span, and while he was there inquired about any good launderers nearby in addition to where he might find some tonics. The grime of the road had been collecting on him and his things for quite some time, after all.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:15, Tue 22 June 2021.

Reckon strode out of the bathhouse seeming very much the same as when he entered. Being clean, even if he hadn’t sweated out all the grime of days on the road as he would with a proper Cossack bath. Still, the hot water and coarse soap had invigorated his tingling skin.

He sits on the bench in front of the establishment, watching what traffic passed, and waits for his companions.

Aria finishes up and dries herself. She then gets into her clothes (which she should probably wash too, but her nose fails to notice).

"Hello miss? You said something about a tonic?" She asked, face red and blushing.