The steam is supposed to wash away impurities and negative energies of the body, so they say. The bath that she promised for only a few minutes became hours and hours seemed like a merry-go-round going around for quite a few times now in the analog that's ticking in the lounge. It could have been the stress that is pulling her body back into the warmth and comfort of the hot springs.

Or maybe Selena is plunged deep into her thoughts, just like how the water has made itself her master.

But when the other people has already gone and left—even the staff will recognize it is not in their best interest to pry—then maybe an actual conversation starts.

"Someone once told me information, when correct, leads to knowledge."

A long pause. Then the sound of water bouncing back and forth against the rocks consumes the void. And then the voice returns, slipping through the crevices of bamboo wall that separates the pools; wall that separates them, and even the things they fight for.

"And just like puzzle pieces, if you have enough you can put together a picture no one else can see."

---

yvagKJ7g

SAUNA: UNDRESSED (959/1000)
FERNANDO SILPH

UNDRESSED

LAID BARE IN BEGINNINGS ANEW

ONE YEAR IS MORE THAN ENOUGH TO EVAPORATE HIS MEMORY. Like the steam that perpetuates the fog between terrain users, so too does his familiarity haze in regards to the voice calling out to him. He thinks nothing of it, unable to piece together the ‘hot topic’ of 2020 with the irritation he faced right out from under him.

Things had been easier back then. Vexing but manageable. Back when he had more control over the recovering semblance of Hoenn political landscape.

“Hinton. Geoffrey Hinton.”

There’s approval in his voice. Inadvertently, he also reveals the source of the quote Fernando had parroted. The fact that it’s thrown back at him is a dart against the board, harmless as the sharp of her wit is wasted on such a dull surface.

“A brilliant man with even more insightful lectures.”

The sound of his body shuffling in the water cuts through the silence. Movement embodies the space between them. The time for rest is over.

“Well, what do you see? What picture has your knowledge cultivated?”

W4QkBWBZ

HEAT POINTS: 861
Selena Desmarais

Fern is a heroin to Selena: their interaction is always one with filled waltzing sparks from the friction of their words. The pain in a world where no one understands her can only be relieved by constant bickering and clashing ideas. He is a true adversary of wit and intellect but also a brother in pursuing goal and ambition.

"Oui, what a brilliant and charming mind he has."

Footsteps resound in the quiet chamber whose void is only filled with the clashing of waters. Then there is a plunge on the other side of the pool, Selena's porcelain complexion touching the hot water, sending ripples toward the only other guy remaining.

"This is the picture: a large marble palace whose building blocks are dreams, abitions, and hard work. And then there's one little crack and voila!—the fortress is crumbling to pieces."

Should the man take a glance at the white-haired lady, he will see her leaning towads against the rock, head resting on her arms as her lips curve to a grin.

"Scary image, isn't it?"

---

zNWtSKaQ

SAUNA: UNDRESSED (922/1000)
FERNANDO SILPH

UNDRESSED

LAID BARE IN BEGINNINGS ANEW

SCENERY CAN NEVER DRAW HIS ATTENTION LIKE LIVE ACTION. Footsteps warn him, creases in the water greet him, but it is her frame that steals his gaze. They mull over what they can discern through the steam, unaware that he’s seen her before. Such elegant white hair has no place in his head.

“Insecurities will always exist. It is up to us to identify which ones are baseless. Those without ground have no weight—no need to fear zero-probabilities.”

Fernando own expression remains stalwart. Unfazed, full set in neutral until prodded otherwise.

“And should they have some merit. Well, that’s the fault of the carpenter.”

pMcVf4vd

HEAT POINTS: 804
Selena Desmarais

"I agree. Although, I doubt that the people in-charge have the guts to admit when they're at fault."

With his tone of indifference, Selena infers Fernando is oblivious to the identity of the lady behind the vapor's veil. The heat overwhelms her in a slowpoke's pace, but his ignorance comforts her. Although Fernando's nonchalance makes her wonder if her absence has dented the political battlefield at all: if this called pursuit of veracity of hers is something the Hoennians really cared for.

After all, the Kalosian left in a split-second without an explanation. Perhaps, her only remaining supporters amidst the controversy have finally moved on, believing that she is indeed an outsider who has no idea what she's doing; that maybe she is just using Hoenn for her personal gains.

"If they're too proud to deny about their own incompetence, perhaps they're leading the people into the wrong direction."

But she came back, nevertheless. The pen continues to scratch on the paper's surface. The ink etches a new chapter.

"Then again, maybe this marble palace doesn't deserve to be built at all, don't you agree?"

---

496SA1m1

SAUNA: UNDRESSED (898/1000)
FERNANDO SILPH

UNDRESSED

LAID BARE IN BEGINNINGS ANEW

SHE COMES FULL CIRCLE. The conversation was never about the about the marble building. It’s about the people related to it. Where they stand, how it hinges on their actions. There’s a deeper meaning behind every word she utters but he’s left baffled, missing the crucial piece to put to the puzzle together.

“Dreams, ambition, hard work; they will always have a place no matter what shape they take. It is up to us to realize their potency.”

His surface may prove more abrasive than the smooth marble of her castle but Fernando remains resolute. His building won’t crumble. His pride becomes the cornerstone of his foundation. Malleable, with difficulty, but never yielding.

lxoXpiFJ

HEAT POINTS: 799
Selena Desmarais