Rukiyo walked farther from Blank, leaving him behind for now as she scanned the area.
She glanced down at the map again, mentally searching for a suitable place, and grimaced at the thought of being interrupted by someone right when she was planning to take a relaxing bath.
But then again.. There's no way anyone can be out here, right? The thought should be reassuring, but somehow it's less so.
She shook her head in irritation, trying to dispel the lingering uneasiness as she picked a direction and headed deeper into the trees to look for some privacy and to her relief, Rukiyo spots a large boulder further up the riverbank— smooth, partially submerged, and with just enough cover to shield her from view.
Half of it was on the water and the other half is digging right down on the riverbank, giving her a good spot behind it to where she can undress.
She eyed it for a moment before nodding.
"Good enough." She muttered under her breath, already turning toward it.
The water there is shallow, but clear; if she bathes behind that rock, no one should be able to see anything from the opposite direction unless they're actively looking for her.
With one last glance back toward where Blank was crouched down by the river, she made her way quickly along the bank until she's close enough to slip behind the boulder unnoticed.
Her fingers moved deftly as she began to unravel the elaborate layers of her clothing, which is a short yukata— or similar to it at least.
The black fabric, with yellow floral designs near the hem, rustled softly as she loosened the yellow obi that was wrapped tightly around her waist, the lace glimmering faintly under the sunlight, catching on every slight movement.
The obi unfastened with ease, along with the fabric cords, or koshihimo, revealing her skin underneath, her sleeves slipping down one arm at a time with the cuffs brushing against her skin softly.
She paused for only half a second, listening for any sound beyond water rushing over rocks before letting all of it pool at her feet, then she blinked down at herself to take off her undergarments, only to be thrown off guard by the sight of her exposed torso.
She has no bra— just a sleek, black fishnet that wrapped tightly around her waist and up to her chest, the mesh clinging to every curve with a teasing snugness, revealing more than it concealed.
She frowned slightly at the unexpected layering choice of the original owner of the body, but there's no time to overthink it now.
With a quiet huff, she stepped out of the yukata entirely, leaving it folded neatly on top of the boulder and following the yukata was the obi and fabric cords.
She peeled the clingy fishnet off her body, adding it to the growing pile of discarded clothing.
Then, she opened the interface of her inventory, grateful that her starter pack includes a few essentials like soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush, and toothpaste.
She glanced at the supplies for a brief second before setting them carefully onto the boulder, right on top of her clothes.
With that done, she turned her gaze back towards the river, its cool water shimmering in the sunlight and tempting her to just dive right in to get rid off the grime from her skin.
Patience. Rukiyo thought and slowly slipped into the river water, the cool current flowing around her body in a gentle embrace, washing over her and lapping gently around her bare skin.
She can't help, but tense at the sudden shock of cold and suck in a sharp breath, her heart quickening just a bit at the sharp jolt of the cold sensation, which took her a few seconds before the initial sensation faded into something more bearable— a pleasant sort of cool that soothed her heated skin.
She can feel her muscles relaxing bit by bit, then she finally allowed herself to fully sink deeper into the water.
"That hits the spot." She breathed out, feeling some particle of dirt and sweat start dissolving, leaving her skin feeling smoother and refreshed.
After a moment, she surfaced again to reach for the soap.
She lathered the bar between her hands, which smelled like lemon, working up a rich, bubbly foam and began to spread it over her skin in smooth, gentle circle motions— paying special attention to the parts that felt the most grimy.
After scrubbing her body, Rukiyo reached for the shampoo next and disappeared beneath the water surface, dipping her head deep in the water and dampening her hair completely.
She remained under the water for a moment, eyes closed, feeling the water soothe the tension in her neck and shoulders.
Her wet hair floated around her, swaying away to her face and neck in.
After a few seconds, she rose again— her hair slicked back, droplets of water tracing glistening paths down her bare skin as she exhaled softly.
Rukiyo pumped a small amount of shampoo into her palms, rubbing the soap between her fingers to work it into a silky lather before dropping the shampoo into the water, catching it between her thighs to keep it in place.
She brought both hands up to her hair, sinking them in her dark strands with slow, deliberate motions.
The scent of the shampoo is crisp and clean; something floral and somehow still smelling like lemon, but not overpowering her senses as she worked it through every inch of tangled black locks.
Feels good. She thought absentmindedly, her eyes fluttering close.
Once satisfied, Rukiyo submerged herself completely onto the water again, letting the water wash away the suds from her hair as she scrub them away.
The shampoo dissolved easily, leaving behind only a faint scent.
She surfaced with a small splash, letting the sunlight hit her face as she takes a shaky, slow breath and carded her fingers through her hair to check if she managed to get off the shampoo properly.
She then grabs the soap again, just in case any residual slime lingered on her skin and rubbed it briskly over every inch of herself.
Her hands move quickly and scrubbed on her underarms, between fingers, down her limbs— just scrubbing until all traces of stickiness are gone and replaced by nothing, but squeaky cleanliness.
"Alright, time for the conditioner." Rukiyo hummed to herself and reached for the the said bottle.
Snap.
But a sudden sound made her freeze, the snap of a branch piercing the silence, which sounded too close for liking, causing her hand to clench around the bottle instantly.
Then, she whipped her head toward the direction of the sound, ready to throw it at the danger.
Her golden eyes locked on the source of the sound, wide with surprise and a hint of alarm, but instead of danger, she's met with something else.
Her gaze clashed with a pair of intense, icy blue ones that were already staring straight back at her.