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Giggling at the mess Emet's hair is in, he sits up too- his own is messy too, but he brushes it down with his fingers before pushing it back out of his face. Then he leans in and starts to fiddle with Emet's hair.

"Then you should rest more. We'll be making sure of that much." He's making no real move to get out of bed despite waking Emet-Selch up. "Might I ask why you don't sleep more often?"

Emet wrinkles his nose and he waves a hand in front of his face as if to 'shoo' Hythlodaeus' hand away. The mess of his hair is the last of his concerns. Surely, whatever it looked like was fine enough for now.

Although he does reach forward and takes a few wefts of Hythlodaeus's lavender hair in his hands and begins to twist them into his friend's signature braid.

"I sleep." He says indignantly. "But it is difficult to truly rest with the weight of my thoughts and obligations." The braiding continues at a pace. "Despite what some have come to think of me, I am capable of feelings."

Hythlodaeus hums contentedly as Emet starts braiding his hair, moving closer to make it easier for him. "I have never thought otherwise. For as much as you enjoy pretending that nothing rattles you, I can tell that isn't the case."

He reaches back up to continue messing with Emet's hair. Too bad, he's fixing it whether he likes it or not. "I can only hope that rest found you easier last night, and will continue to do so." He gives Emet a sincere smile.

There's a small smile given in return, even despite his nonverbal protests of his hair being fussed with. At least his hair sits out of his face and without the gravity-defying tangles now.

Likewise, the braid has all but finished. Emet reaches for the tie around Hythlodaeus' wrist so that he can fasten it at the end.

"What of you?" Emet asks, steering the conversation elsewhere. "It was your first night in the source. Were you able to sleep despite it?"

"Like a baby." He readjusts the braid into its usual place and leans against Emet's shoulder in silent thanks.

"Though perhaps it was simply your presence that calmed me enough for restful slumber. Alone, I imagine things might have been different."

And Emet-Selch would have gone on continuing to bear such a heavy burden, with Hythlodaeus none the wiser nor able to reach him. But as he looks back up at Emet, he focuses just enough to see the hue of his soul, and the sight is enough to make his chest grow tight with how much he loves his friend.

Different for them both.

"Rested enough to explore the outside world?" He asks with some optimism in his voice. Perhaps with company by his side, he could see beauty for the first time in those places he's visited many times before.

"I think so, aye." He slips out of bed and stretches, then looks for his clothes. He only has those ones, he'll have to purchase more... but at least he's not stuck in a robe in a world where robes are outdated.

Playfully, he puts on Emet's coat instead. "Hm, what do you think? I feel I can't quite furrow my brow in the manner you can, but I can surely try if asked."

Emet purses his lips in disapproval at such blatant mockery.

"I do not furrow my brow." He sulks, while coincidentally proving the point by furrowing his brow.

Emet reaches into the air and whips his wrist around in a sharp arc. The coat blinks out of existence around Hythlodaeus' shoulders and appears again in his hands.

Hythlodaeus sighs, shaking his head. "My dear Emet-Selch, the proof is in the lines upon it."

It's said about as lovingly as you can tell someone they're wrinkly. He thinks for a moment, before wandering off to look at the rest of the boat. "Now where did you put the bathroom..." He might as well be clean for their little excursion.

The fact that he knows Hythlodaeus is right makes him want to frown all the more.

When the subject of a bathroom aboard the vessel is brought up a mood-appropriate response seems in order. "I'm not sure. Perhaps I've forgotten to create one in my 'aged' state of being." Emet says with all the finesse of a petulant juvenile.

He kneels down to collect the mountain of fabric that is his clothing, then makes a B-line for the bathroom with all clothing in hand.

Hythlodaeus snorts, but he soon makes an equally petulant sound when he realises what Emet-Selch is doing. He has no choice but to let the Ascian into the bathroom first, at which point he gives a loud, melodramatic sigh.

"Well, I suppose I'm going out to find a bathhouse on my own. Have fun!"

There's the distinct sound of him getting changed again, and then walking past the bathroom door to the exit. He is absolutely going to find somewhere to bathe with or without Emet.

He isn't going to leave.

... is he?

Emet continues his work of getting cleaned and dressed before stepping out into the cabin. It only takes a few short minutes, but when he emerges there is no Hythlodaeus in sight. He'd actually left.

He breathes in deeply and lets his breathe slowly leak out into a prolonged sigh. Hythlodaeus actually went out into the city - a city that he had no knowledge of - to accomplish gods knew what. Now he would have to make a point to find him out there. Emet pinches the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "...Of all the trouble."

The boat is abandoned as Emet makes his way to the docks. Hopefully he couldn't cause too much trouble in such a small amount of time.

Luckily, Hythlodaeus hadn't gotten far. He's sitting on a crate with a group of female Miqo'te dancers, braiding one's hair for her and having flowers weaved into his own by another. He's regaling them with tales of his best friends- his latest tale is about how he was almost eaten by a land-walking shark, but his friend Venat swooped in just at the last moment to save him.

When he spots Emet-Selch, he waves with a smile. "That's Emet-Selch, right there. The one with the terribly unimpressed frown." The girls all wave and giggle. "Come now, friend. Did you really think I'd leave you behind?"

"I wasn't concerned about being left behind." Emet insists with displeasure in his voice. "I was concerned that you'd wandered off into a city you've never been in. You've no concept of the trouble you could get into."

Even so, he doesn't shoo away the dancers that Hythlodaeus is chattering with or insist that they leave. Instead, Emet sits down on a crate right beside him and will remain there - arms folded - until he's finished his business.

Why does this feel so reminiscent of the same exasperation he used to feel when Hythlodaeus did something he disapproved of so long ago? Being frustrated, but ultimately refusing to leave his side.

"You were worried about me?" Grinning, Hythlodaeus leans in. "I'm touched."

He looks just as, if not more, impish with flowers in his hair. It's a little ridiculous. He holds a hand out to pat at Emet's shoulder.

"Lest you forget, I am a grown man." He stands after he's done with the dancer's hair, and gives the ladies a twirl with his arms outstretched. "How do I look?"

Despite the question being directed towards them, his eyes are on Emet-Selch. And now the dancers all wait for Emet-Selch's reply with him.

"Now you're wanting for my opinion?" Emet responds with a scowl. Although it very much seems that each of them looks to him for the final approval.

He stands and usurps one of the flowers that the dancers have in their pile to pin to Hythlodaeus' jacket. There. Now it's worthy of approval.

"Fetching, dare I say." He says concisely. The topic is redirected before they get a chance to dwell on it too much. "Were you intent on staying here with your new friends or did you prefer to explore the city?"

Smirking, Hythlodaeus links arms with Emet-Selch and looks back towards the dancers. "And here is where I must take my leave, my new friends. Duty calls."

He looks back to Emet-Selch, gesturing with one hand to the docks before them. "Let us quit this place, then. I'm sure there are many other places to go, and things to explore. And I still need to bathe, besides."

The arm around him is accepted without complaint.

Emet leaves the square - and those 'friends' - behind as he strolls onward down the docks. "You could have bathed had you waited for a few short minutes on the ship. Otherwise, you'll have to use the inn." Emet complains. They could head back, of course, if he can manage to steer Hythlodaeus in that direction. Somehow he doubts that to be possible.

He shoots Hythlodaeus a look. "Although it would seem a shame to dishevel your hair after working so hard on it."

"I wished to explore." Considering he's still walking away from the boat, it stands to reason that he won't be persuaded all that easily to return.

"I suppose you have a point, though... I will have to keep my hair out of the water." He wonders where the inn is. A change of scenery isn't unwelcome, in Hythlodaeus' opinion, and they will have plenty of time to explore the boat later. "Lead me to the inn, if you would."

"Very well." He says, dismayed at all this taking place. They could have done this in a more convenient manner.

Emet leads through the lower portion of the decks to the upper decks. He makes it a priority to point out any seasonally appropriate decorations along the way from the ongoing festival, just to make sure Hythlodaeus notices the things he may enjoy most. An unintentional look of reverence may be slipped in - indicative of him enjoying such small moments.

They reach the heights of the Limsa deck where a nearby castle looms. Its door is wide open, and there seems to be a smattering of guests at various tables inside.

"It's that way." Emet indicates with a point. "I trust you'll want a room?"

Hythlodaeus notes the look, and his own quiet look of adoration is probably very obvious to anyone looking at them. They very much look like a couple, walking together like this.

"Yes, you can wait inside while I bathe." Looking around the tables, he lets Emet-Selch lead him to the innkeeper. "Greetings, friend! We would like an inn room together."

They get a hearty chuckle from the innkeeper who obviously mistakes them for a couple in the same manner as everyone else. He pats Emet on the shoulder knowingly as he leads the way to their room, before "leaving the lovebirds to it". Hythlodaeus, for his part, seems unrattled- nor does he correct the large man. He simply waves and leads Emet inside. "What a charming fellow."

Emet shoots the inkeep a vary obvious dirty look. Of course, he gets the implication but that doesn't make giving him a pat on the shoulder for it any less appalling. Regardless, he says nothing to counter the point. Protesting always implicates the guilty.

He trails as they proceed to the room.

"Charming indeed." He grumbles once they arrive in the room. A corner room - he notices - one less liable to bother neighbors with noise. How cheeky.

"Must you phrase things in such a way?" Emet asks. "I have my reputation to consider." With the other Ascians, at the very least!

"Oh? And whatever could I have said to tarnish your immaculate reputation, I wonder?"

He plucks the flower from his shirt with a flourish and moves to weave it into Emet-Selch's hair, smirking. "Any untoward implications are entirely of your own making." He steps back to admire Emet with a flower in his hair, before turning to start undoing his shirt. Of Emet's own making, indeed.

"I won't be long." He steps into the bathroom, closing the door quietly behind him. When he exits again around ten minutes later, he's wrapped in a towel with the ends of his hair damp, but still weaved into the flowered braid.

Again, there are no motions to protest. Emet stands there with a resignation indicative of many years of learning to endure Hythlodaeus' embellishments, but with a look that betrays his willingness to continue for years to come.

Once Hytholdaeus excuses himself to the shower, Emet takes to looking around the room. The Inn has been here for many years but he has never deigned to step inside one. He wanders over to the corner where the Orchestron sits and he paws at it until it starts to play a soft melody.

So many minutes pass without his awareness of them. It's only when he hears the door click shut behind him that he turns and sees a freshly bathed Hythlodaeus.

Emet approaches and fusses with the flowers in Hythlodaeus' hair. "You've drowned some of the blooms." He runs a hand over them to breathe more life into the wilting petals. Somehow they look even more vibrant than before. "These are extraordinarily delicate. Consider being more careful in the future."

"My mistake. I had hoped I was careful enough." Either way, if it gives Emet a reason to be close by, Hythlodaeus can't bring himself to mind.

The music has Hythlodaeus humming, before he takes Emet by the hands and starts to dance a little. Mostly it's just swaying their hands together, but he seems content to do so anyway. "Could I trouble you for a different outfit? You have so much aether, after all..."

He kind of just wants to see what Emet will dress him in. The novelty of wearing actual tailored garments hasn't worn off- he still feels odd in them but if Emet picked them out, he finds they're more comfortable.

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