By the time Ashley awoke a few minutes later, Irving had disentangled them both and cleaned up as well as he could. "Go get some sleep," the nobleman barked. "That's an order, soldier!"

"Yes, sir!" Ashley snapped reflexively, though both of them surely knew that if he got any sleep tonight it'd be from sheer exhaustion or sedatives. Or both.

Ashley dressed as quickly as he could, then stopped by his own room briefly, emerging with a set of fresh clothes.

Sleep, he said. Not bloody likely!

He tried his best to look nonchalant as he passed the few guards on duty at this hour, as if he just happened to be taking a jaunty stroll around the Chateau in the middle of the night. He had sense enough not to whistle, for then it would've been obvious he was faking, that something serious had happened, and if there was one thing Ashley didn't want to face tonight, it was curious questions. None of the guards tried to stop him or spoke to him, aside from polite nods acknowledging his presence as he went past them. So, none of them had a clue. Ashley wanted to keep it that way!

He ducked into the men's showers, feeling unclean. He'd never wanted a shower so much in his life, not even after a campaign lasting weeks in the field. Tonight was...ugh.

Ashley tossed his clothes onto a convenient bench, stripped (yet again), stepped into the nearest stall and soaped up. He set the water on near-scalding and scrubbed furiously, as if his racing thoughts and memories could be rinsed away as easily as the lather that was already flowing down the Chateau's drains, where it would be recycled.

He wished it were that easy.

Sleep? Ha! Easy for Irving to say!

He drenched his hair and reached for a bottle of shampoo, not caring that it meant he'd have to re-style his hair tomorrow. Right now Ashley just wanted to be completely, thoroughly clean all over, especially where he'd...oh, yuck. Yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck.

Not that he had anything personal against Irving, he thought. It was just that Ashley was a normal (he thought) healthy (he thought) young man who'd imagined losing his virginity to any number of pretty young girls he'd seen in Meria or on his travels, even Lilka. But another man had never figured in those dreams. Ick.

He finished shampooing and ducked under the hot water just in time to hear someone opening the main door to the shower room. The Gun Warrior growled. He didn't feel like company right then, not when it felt like anyone, everyone could read what had happened on his face.

Whoever it was, they were taking their own sweet time about getting the door open, he thought impatiently. Ashley finished rinsing and snatched a towel off a nearby stack, wrapping it around his waist. He didn't want company or for anyone else to see him naked right now. Only then did he glance up to see who the intruder might be, only to see Irving walking through the main doorway.

Or, rather, limping through the doorway. The nobleman was in sad shape, with a large handprint bruise forming across his face where Blazer/Ashley had slapped him. He appeared a bit disheveled and was grunting in pain. And from the way he hobbled, it was easy to tell where he hurt the worst.

Ashley averted his eyes, feeling ashamed and guilty, several conflicting impulses coursing through him: to forget pride and run back to his room, to apologize, to explain once again (as if Irving didn't know already) that the whole thing was Blazer's doing. Unable to decide what to say, he paused silently, feigning a not-very-convincing interest in the floor tiles.

"Great minds, same track?" Irving muttered as he made ever-so-slow progress toward the tub. "I thought I told you to get some sleep."

Ashley's shoulders sagged in defeat, as if to show how impossible that idea was, orders or no.

The nobleman smiled bitterly. "Yes, I know there's no diplomatic way to tell someone their embrace gives you the creeps. I guess we're in the same boat," he sighed. Only then did it occur to Ashley that Irving could be there for some reason other than to fluster, flummox and embarrass him. That Irving was, in fact, there for the same reason he was. He should have realized it earlier, but Ashley wasn't in the habit of thinking of his own touch as unwelcome, much less painful, though girls had turned him down often enough. Bad as the evening had gone for him, it was certainly worse for the nobleman. At least Ashley had been the violator and not the violated.

Green eyes met gray, but Ashley saw no recrimination there, just a touch of irony and pain. Lots of pain. Irving hadn't even stopped for a Heal Berry before heading to the baths. He'd done just as Ashley had, thrown on some clothes and gone. For some odd reason, that made Ashley feel better, and his conflicting feelings coalesced into a course of action.

"Here, let me help you," he suggested to Irving as he strode up and placed Irving's arm across his shoulders for support. "After all I've done to you tonight, the least I can do is draw you a bath." Normally Irving would have had servants to perform the task, but maybe he didn't want to disturb them this late. Or more likely, he didn't want anyone to see him like this. Or both.

"Thanks," the silver-haired man gulped. Together they made much faster progress, and Ashley eased Irving down to sit on a bench by the tub. "Hot, warm, lukewarm?"

"Hot," Irving breathed. "Hot bubble bath." He found Ashley looking at him quizzically and snarled, "After all I've been through tonight, I. Deserve. A. Bubble. Bath."

Well, Ashley couldn't argue with that, since it was his fault, sort of. He rummaged through the supplies on a nearby cart, at last finding the right bottle way back in the back. Lavender, judging by the scent.

Ashley closed the drain, poured some lavender stuff into the tub, and started the water running.

"Bubble bath, huh? You sure you're not gay?"

"Sure."

"Positive?"

"Positive."

"I mean, are you really, really--?"

"Ashley!"

Right, he was cranky. Not that anyone would blame him. Maybe a hot bath would help. The Gun Warrior kept himself busy assembling supplies and checking the bath water every now and then. He was going to let Irving undress himself; he didn't want anyone, Guardians forbid, to get the idea that he liked taking the clothes off other men.

He was surprised by the nobleman's alacrity, but then again Irving must want a bath as much as Ashley had wanted his shower. He was ready to take the plunge before the tub was three-quarters-filled, so Ashley let Irving lean on him as he lowered himself in. He was in worse shape than Ashley had guessed, with bruises and scrapes on his back that were still bleeding. Ashley reached over and turned the water off, for Irving's weight displaced enough water to nearly fill the tub.

Irving sighed with relief, the tension and pain loosing their hold on him somewhat. "That's so much better...thank you." Ashley moved a bit closer to look at the injuries; he'd had some training in field medicine, as every recruit did. They looked sore but not serious. Ashley dipped a spare washrag into the rub and sponged the wounds gently. Irving grunted every time the rag touched his back. "How did you...I don't remember...?"

"Blazer. Threw me into the wall." Ashley looked away. "It's not your fault, Ashley."

"It has to be."

"It's not. This conflict has been going on since before you were born."

Ministrations done, Ashley let Irving slide back against the back of the tub. The man winced in pain as his back touched the marble, but judging by the stubborn set of his features, he was settling in for a good long soak. Not that any amount of warm water would erase his memories, any more than it had done for Ashley. Done for now, Ashley moved over to the bench where he'd left his clean clothes. He started to dress, but not before darting a glance Irving's way.

"Don't worry," the man groaned. "I'm not looking at you." Indeed, he proved his point by placing a bright yellow hot wet rag over both eyes and sinking back as far as he could without having to change position. "Happy now?"

Had Ashley been a telepath like Kate or Amy and rude enough to peer into the nobleman's thoughts, he would have found that Irving wasn't even thinking about him. No, Irving was contemplating how nice it would be if he could find a way to keep the water warm and spend the night right there in the tub. It wasn't enough to make the pain go away completely, but the hot water did wonders for his tension and stress, and even took some of the weight off his bad leg. In a moment he was going to start scrubbing vigorously whether Ashley was there to be insulted or not. Diplomacy be damned--he'd been through quite enough for one day!

He heard Ashley finish dressing and leave. Alone at last! Irving started scrubbing himself like a scullery maid would wash a particularly revolting dish, a dish with baked-on crusty residue that had been left in a corner with congealed grease in it for a couple of days, not caring how much it hurt, or that the rough cloth re-opened some of his wounds. He grimaced at the pain but otherwise ignored it. Fastidious by nature, tonight's events were just the kind to take the greatest emotional toll on him. Maybe Blazer had known that; there was no telling what powers the ancient demon had. Nearly spent from exertion and exhaustion and stress, Irving decided that his hair needed a rinse tonight. He'd have the servants help give it a real wash tomorrow. He took a deep breath and sank beneath the bubbles and the wisps of lavender-scented steam, swishing his head back and forth to make sure all his tresses were soaked.

He sat back up, only to find that Ashley had returned. What's he doing here?

"For you," Ashley said, proffering a Heal Berry, which Irving scowled and took. He didn't like the taste of Heal Berries, but no one ate them for the taste.

"Thanks," Irving replied, nibbling at the berry and wondering in the back of his mind whether Altaecia could come up with a recipe to make the things palatable.

"Don't mention it," Ashley responded, using a tone of voice that made it clear Irving wasn't supposed to talk about certain other things, either.

"Mention what?" the nobleman bantered, mood much improved by bath-and-berry. It wasn't like he wanted gossip to get started, either. "All the staff need to know is that Blazer attacked me, and steps are being taken so it won't happen again. Nothing else."

"Nothing else," Ashley repeated, the knots in his stomach finally starting to untie a little. Guardians, how he'd been dreading the possibility that he'd have to explain this--to ARMS, and to Marina!

"We're both had a rough day," Irving announced unnecessarily, "and we both need to get some sleep. Why don't I send to the Clinic for some sleeping potions? I could have them delivered to my room."

Sleep...that sounded pretty good. No, that sounded excellent.

"Inviting me up to your place for a drink? I knew it! You ARE gay!"

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am. Not."