Imagine...
A husband and his darling wife walking up a quiet path in late spring.
The husband is an orc, large and muscular with deep brown skin and a thick beard. His black hair neatly pulled into a beaded braid and his eyes are as green as the leaves around him. A green charm dangled from his left ear, a perfect match to the one that hung from her neck. The charms seemed to shine brighter in the sun, gleaming and glowing as the lovers laughed. Some thought them a strange couple, a human and a mighty orc. But they were perfectly happy side by side, talking excitedly as they both laugh.
The path is a well worn one and made of stone, bits of grass and tiny flowers peeping from between cracks. All around the them is a peaceful forest, the sun shining between the trees and the birds chirping and singing.
The human woman rushed ahead on the path excitedly, the orc following close behind her.
"It's exactly the same!" She said, spinning around happily.
Garash smiled as he watched his wife wander around, pointing out the things she remembered. She was right of course, it was all the same.
The same trees, the same path, the same sweet smelling air. The same beauty. He had come here five years ago but he could still remember it so clearly, the first time he slipped into that steamy water...
~
The hot springs were famous in these parts.
People from all over flocked to them, some insisting that they were magic and others just hoping to relax. And after his latest adventure...relaxation sounded like heaven to Garash the Undaunted. Even orcs get tired sometimes and after weeks of traveling and battling and nearly dying more times then he like, he just wanted to rest. So he made a little detour on his way home, renting a room at a near by inn and making his way to the hot springs. It was so...peaceful here. So quiet and comfortable.
There seemed to be no one else and, thinking he was all alone, the orc stripped down and stepped into the steaming water. It felt incredible and he could see why some said these springs were magic. They certainly felt magical. He sunk low, thanking the gods as he relaxed for the first time in weeks.
"I don't know what you said but I agree." A voice suddenly said.
He froze. Not only was he not truly alone but that voice sounded awfully close. He began looking around until he made out a small figure in the steam, just on the other side of the pool. And he blushed furiously, realizing he hadn't noticed...
A woman.
He could see her womanly shape through the steam, realizing that she was, well, naked. The orc suddenly remembered that he too was naked, something that only adding to his already burning embarrassment.
"I apologize, I'll leave." He said quickly, his face feeling hotter then the springs themselves.
"You don't have to!" She said. "It's not like we can really see each other so...it's not a big deal."
He paused, thinking it over. It was such a strange thing to say but...she really didn't seem at all bothered by his presence. Garash found himself settling back into the water, albeit a little less relaxed.
"I'm Y/N."
"I...am Garash."
"Then I take it you were speaking Orcish earlier?" She asked.
Hearing no suspicion or dislike in her voice, he confirmed such. She suddenly sounded excited, telling him in a happy tone.
"I've always wanted to visit the Orc Lands! I've been all over the place but I never got to go there before, they won't let me without a group or a guide of some kind and I couldn't find one. It was pretty disappointing."
