Arienne at the Hot-Spring

Arienne stood at the edge of the hot-spring and blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected there to be anyone here--not at this late hour, and not in this cold. The sun was well below the jagged horizon and the stars twinkled in the black sky over the mountains. The moon cast its white-blue glow on the Drearwood Forest, and the still air nipped the skin and froze the breath. It was midnight in the dead of winter--not a breeze stirred the leafless trees and not a sound broke the silence. Not a sound, save for the idle singing of the pool's current occupant--a she-dwarf, judging by her accent.

Arienne couldn't believe her bad luck. She'd come all the way from camp--left her colleagues in the caravan behind and trekked for an hour through the frigid night --just to soak in the thermal pool. Her muscles were sore from the day's travelling and her limbs were grimy and sweating beneath her winter clothes. She'd been beside herself with excitement when she'd seen the road-sign pointing to the spring, and now she'd finally arrived only to find it occupied.

She sighed and muttered a curse to herself as she cast a wistful look at the steaming water, and began to turn around. She'd been looking for a solitary soak beneath the stars, and she was sure that to join the she-dwarf in the hot-spring would be to invite conversation. And even stronger than her aversion to conversation just then was her bashfulness, and she flushed with embarrassment at the very thought of undressing before a stranger.

"Better luck next time, Arienne." She muttered to herself, sighing again, and was taking her first step away from the hot-spring when a woman's voice cut through the night air.

"Oi! Missy! Where d'you think you're goin', eh? Spring's plenty big for two, and I don't bite!"

Arienne stopped in her tracks and her stomach tightened--the dwarf had seen her, and now her options were to simply walk away in embarrassment, or turn around and try to stammer out an excuse for why she was leaving.

"Come on then!" the voice came again, high-pitched and ringing with the sharp notes of dwarf-speech. "Turn around now, and let's get a look at ye!"

The knot in Arienne's stomach remained and she felt the blood rush to her cheeks. But something about the dwarf woman's voice made her stay and turn around.

The pool, with its clear water and clouds of steam, came back into view, and Arienne saw that the speaker had left the far bank and was floating over to her now. Arienne took a step forward, head bowed and eyes downcast, and braced herself for the ensuing pleasantries.

The she-dwarf had almost reached her side of the pool now, and Arienne could see her clearly through the steam. Her round, dimpled cheeks were bright red from the heat of the water, and her lips were parted in a wide grin. Her eyes were a rich blue, and a mop of brown hair spilled from her head down to where it floated in the water about her shoulders. Everything below her shoulders was underwater, but the tops of her breasts floated just above the surface and bobbed with her movement. They were full and round, with beads of water running down their soft white curves, and after a moment Arienne realized that she was staring.

She bit her lip, trying to ignore the sudden heat that bloomed below her belly, and brought her eyes back up to meet the dwarf's.

The knowing look on the dwarf's face told Arienne that she hadn't been discreet.

"Um--hello--" Arienne started, voice catching in her throat. "I--I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--"

"Didn't mean to what?" laughed the dwarf, the warmth never leaving her eyes.

"Didn't mean to interrupt, or didn't mean to stare so long at these?"

At that she leaned back a little, her smile growing even wider and her eyes brighter. She brought her hands up to her bosom, cradling her breasts and lifting them a little higher out of the water.

The heat in Arienne's pelvis flared doubly now, and the knot in her stomach loosened, and all at once she found herself unable to look away. The dwarf's breasts were still half submerged, but her nipples had broken the surface now, pink and perfect. Then just as quickly as she'd lifted them up, she let them sink back down, and leaned forward again with a giggle.

"Thought so!" she said, and winked.

Arienne gave a little gasp and the knot in her stomach returned.

"No! No, I wasn't--I mean, I wouldn't--shouldn't have--"

"Oh, come now." Said the dwarf, her features softening a little. "I was only teasing."

Her voice softened too as she went on.

"I know you humans aren't used to this. Bathin' together and all, I mean. You've got all the space in the world to yourselves here on the surface--no need to all pile into the same tub. But we haven't much room in our mines, and we're used to getting cozy.

"Now come on, missy. You came here to rest your bones and clean up, and I know you'd hoped to do it alone. But I meant it when I said I don't bite, and I'd hate to spoil your night."

The knot was loosening again, and Arienne realized now how tense she'd grown.

"It's a beautiful night," she went on, gesturing up to the clear sky. "Be a shame to waste it. Be an even bigger shame to trapse back to wherever you came from in this cold without warming yourself first. Now come on, you must be freezing!"

Arienne *was* freezing, she realized. She couldn't feel her feet, and her hands had come up to her shoulders without her noticing. Her lips were even beginning to quiver, and all at once she knew that couldn't bear to walk back to camp like this. Slowly, she brought her hands away from her shoulders and nodded.

"It *is* quite chilly out here..."

"Quite chilly?" laughed the small woman. "It's bloody frigid, girl! Now come on. My name's Barodelle. What's yours, eh?"

"Arienne." She answered quietly, her voice beginning to quake with the cold.

"Arienne it is, then! What a pretty name. Now Arienne, you leave those travelling clothes of yours on the bank and come warm yourself."

At that, the she-dwarf, named Barodelle, bobbed forward and hoisted herself out of the water in one deft movement. Arienne gave a startled yelp and jumped back as Barodelle splashed onto the bank and came to her feet. The dwarf's skin was pale and bright in the moonlight, and her body was thick and strong in spite of her small stature. But before Arienne could fully take in the naked form that had appeared before her, Barodelle darted forwards and took hold of the clasp on her travelling cloak.

"Doubt your fingers'll be good for much now, eh miss Arienne? I reckon I should lend a hand." Barodelle gave giggled again, and leaned forward to push the newly loosened cloak from Arienne's shoulders. As she did, her breasts brushed against Arienne's stomach, and she could feel the shorter woman's nipples through her tunic, hardened by the cold. Barodelle leaned forward a little more, and Arienne felt soft flesh pressing against her trunk, warming her through the thin material.

She'd been mortified at first--embarrassed. But now as Barodelle moved to the collar of her tunic, Arienne felt embarrassment give way to something else. She realized that she *wanted* the dwarf to keep going. She *wanted* Barodelle to slip her clothes from her shivering body and see her in full undress. As Barodelle began to undo the ties of her collar, Arienne's excitement started to grow.

One, two, three, the ties came undone, and the cold air crept into her tunic. She felt her own nipples stiffening now, both from the cold and from her growing excitement. She looked down and realized that they were clearly visible through the fabric of her tunic, and saw that Barodelle had also noticed.

"Like I said, miss Arienne--it's a cold night."

Barodelle winked again, and smiled. She looked down at her own bosom, as full and bright as ever under the light of the moon, and Arienne saw that the dwarf's nipples had grown even harder. The dwarf shrugged, giggled, and gave them a tweak before going back to work, reaching for the belt about Arienne's waist. Barodelle's breasts were no longer floating in the water, but even in the open air they had a buoyant quality about them, and they jiggled about as she moved.

Arienne took the opportunity to look her up and down. Below her breasts, the dwarf's figure was full and healthy, with a soft belly that was neither flat nor overfed. Her hips were ample--much larger than Arienne had ever seen on a human--and her thighs were thick and strong. Between those thighs Arienne was surprised to see bare skin, shaved clean and gleaming in the moonlight.

She felt her belt come loose then, and looked up from Barodelle's bald sex to meet the dwarf's eyes.

Her anticipation was growing now, along with the heat rising inside her, and she barely felt the cold night air as it came in through the bottom of her unbelted tunic. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she trembled from more than just the cold as the dwarf took hold of the hem of her tunic.

"Arms up now, Missy." Said Barodelle, and Arienne obliged, bending at the waist to accommodate the woman's short stature. The cold air rushed in around her trunk then as Barodelle swept her tunic up over her shoulders. The garment caught about Arienne's head, but a moment later the dwarf plucked it free and deposited it in the snow with the cloak.

Arienne stood up straight now, her upper half bare to the cold air. Barodelle made no effort to hide her admiration, and Arienne found herself enjoying the exposure.

"You're a fit one, miss Arienne. Fine, lean muscles ye have, and a fine pair o' tits too!" She laughed then, and Arienne felt a wave of fresh embarrassment wash over her as she looked down to her small breasts. Barodelle had a full body, every part of her a handful, and Arienne became conscious of how boyish she must look by comparison. But Barodelle seemed sincere in her admiration, and Arienne found her excitement turning into arousal.

"Almost there, now." Said Barodelle, giving Arienne a coy look and stepping forward to hook her fingers into the human's waistband. "Just need you to kick off your boots first."

"Oh!" said Arienne, "Of course! Here--"

She looked down then, past the gleaming, naked body that stood so close to her, and used her toes and heels to remove her boots. She gasped at the feel of the snow on her bare feet, and nearly jumped into the air.

"Now, are we ready, miss Arienne?" asked Barodelle, wiggling her fingers where they waited at Arienne's waistband.

Arienne surprised even herself when she said "No," and Barodelle raised her eyebrows and hesitated.

"I--I mean," Arienne stammered quickly, "I mean no, *I'll* do it. I want to do it."

Barodelle's smile turned mischievous then, and she removed her hands from Arienne's waistband. Arienne shuddered as the dwarf's fingers brushed the skin above her pubis, and her lower lip curled under her teeth.

Barodelle stood back and rested her hands on her hips.

"Well step to it then, Miss Arienne, before we freeze to death!"

Arienne's hands had begun to shake, and this time she knew it wasn't from the cold. The warmth had returned to her fingers, and she didn't even mind the snow against her feet. Desire had replaced simple arousal, and her whole body grew hot with it as her thumbs slipped down into her waistband. More than anything, she needed to be naked before the stranger Barodelle--she needed the dwarf to look her up and down and take in her Human's body.

Arienne swung her hips from side to side, locked eyes with Barodelle, and began to slide her trousers down. The feeling of the cold air moving in as her skin was exposed sent more shivers of pleasure through her body, and her sex began to swell with it.

She slipped the waistband down until the first tufts of her pubic hair began to show above it, and paused for a moment to watch the expectation grow in Barodelle's face. A little of the mischief had left the she dwarf's eyes--replaced by something more intense-- and her teeth had begun to push against her lower lip. She was absorbed in her anticipation, and seemed to have forgotten that Arienne was watching her.

Arienne's heart was racing and her breath coming quick and shallow. She braced herself, and then slid her trousers down to her knees. Another wave of self-consciousness swept over her. She'd been on the road with her caravan for days, with little time for grooming, and a full wedge of hair covered the place between her legs. But the feeling only lasted a moment, and she was pleased to see Barodelle's eyes widen in approval. Arienne let the dwarf drink her in for a moment, even arching her waist forward a little as if to present herself for inspection.

Then a sudden impulse took her, and as she slid her trousers down to her ankles she turned about and lifted her bared buttocks high in the air. She left it there as she slowly slipped the last of her clothing over her feet, shuddering at the touch of the cold air between her legs. Even after she'd placed her trousers with the rest of her clothing, she remained there, bent over before Barodelle and naked in the moonlight.

Arienne heard Barodelle give a little gasp then. When she looked back over her shoulder, she saw that one of the dwarf's hands was at her breasts, and the other was between her legs, moving slowly. Now it was Barodelle's turn to be embarrassed.

Her face flushed red and her eyes widened for a moment. She gave a timid smile, but she neither spoke nor stopped what she was doing. Her right hand was cupped firmly over her shaved mound, and she drew it up now, two fingers brushing along her labia and coming rest over her clitoris. As she did so, her smile broke and she gave another gasp, mouth falling slack and eyes narrowing.

Still bent over, Arienne gazed back over her shoulder and watched with relish as Barodelle worked. She was kneading the crest of her labia with increasing urgency, lower lip curled under her teeth and eyes closed now. Arienne stood up and faced Barodelle. She stepped out of the heap of her cast-off trousers and moved towards her, still trembling with the ecstasy of her exposure.

They were but a hand's breadth apart now, and Arienne could feel Barodelle's breath hot and quick on her chest as the shorter woman stroked herself, her coyness gone completely now as she stood, vulnerable, utterly absorbed in her self-pleasure. Arienne smiled, and slid one hand down her own trunk and over her mound, finding the wet place amongst her curls. It was her turn to gasp then, and the sound broke Barodelle out of her trance.

He eyes went wide at the sudden sight of Arienne standing so close, and she took a startled step backwards. She would have fallen into the pool then, but for Arienne's quick hand about her waist. Arienne had to stoop to catch the shorter woman, and as she did their faces came so close that their noses brushed. She held her there then for an instant, drinking in the blue expanse of Barodelle's eyes and letting their quickening breaths fill the air between their mouths. Her lips began to tingle, and an urgent need to press them against Barodelle's filled her. But she resisted for the moment, trembling with the feeling of tension, needing it to last a little longer.

So she stood up, keeping her hand about Barodelle's waist as she did, and drawing the smaller woman to her. Barodelle's short stature made her wide-eyed vulnerability all the more intense, and Arienne held her gaze. She lifted her other hand from between her legs, and wrapped both her arms about the dwarf, linking her fingers behind her back. Barodelle's flesh was cooling in the winter air, but there was still heat in it, and it was soft and yielding under Arienne's embrace. Her breasts pressed against Arienne's trunk, just below her own smaller bust. There was no tunic in the way this time, and Arienne shuddered the feeling of their fullness and warmth against her bare stomach.

Barodelle brought her hands together behind Arienne's buttocks then--she was the perfect height for it. Her face was still red with her pleasure, and her teeth still worked at her lower lip, but the look of mischief had returned.

Arienne squeaked in surprise as she felt fingertips in the crease where her thighs met her rump, and the sound stopped short when those fingers found the lips between her legs.

Barodelle was taking charge once again, her moment's abandon now only a memory. Her fingers roved between the firm seat of Arienne's buttocks and the wetness between her legs. Arienne was once again struck by self-consciousness, but it did not drive the pleasure away. She trembled at Barodelle's touch, widening her stance, inviting her in. All at once she was desperate for the dwarf to throw her down, turn her about, explore her, investigate her, and do as she pleased with her. Arienne was at once taken by a craving for powerlessness--to yield utterly to Barodelle's searching touch, and her voice trembled as she forced a few words through the thickness of her arousal.

"Perhaps," she said, "we should get out of the cold."

Barodelle paused, her fingers resting just over Arienne's labia, their closeness tickling the fine hairs there. She smiled and stepped back, reaching behind her back to remove Arienne's hands from about her. She took them both in a feather-light grip.

"Aye, girl." Her voice was husky and breathless now, and lent urgency to her playful tone. "Aye, I think it's time you joined me. Unless, of course, you're still too shy!"

Arienne said nothing. She *was* still shy--still overcome with self-consciousness, and feeling more exposed than ever now that Barodelle was no longer pleasuring herself. But she reveled in it. She ached for that feeling of vulnerability. When Barodelle took another step backwards into the hot spring, Arienne went with her willingly, letting the dwarf lead her with her feather-light grip. The water was almost unbearably hot, especially after standing naked for so long in the cold air. But Arienne yielded to it without a second thought, letting the pins and needles of the scalding water give way to warm relief as she grew accustomed to the heat.

There was much that she would grow accustomed to that night, and she welcomed the thought like she welcomed the shock of the steaming spring water.