Byzantium

Stage 3

Ivy pushed Elise's wolf back into the tub, then found her hands gripping human. Elise's changes didn't put Ivy off, it only made her more determined. "You're so dirty! You ruined my house!"

Howling, Elise tried to grab hold to the sides of the tub, but they were soaked and her hands kept slipping. Her head popped up above water level and she sucked in a breath before Ivy pushed her back down. Whenever Elise's head rose out of the water, it changed from human to wolf, sometimes a mixture of the two. Ivy begun to ignore it and started scrubbing Elise's skin/fur furiously.

"I'm clean!" Elise cried out, wanting the impromptu bath to stop. "I'm clean!"

Ivy squeezed a generous amount of shampoo onto Elise's head. "And you're going to stay that way!" She scrubbed the shampoo in harder than necessary. "Aren't you? Aren't you!"

Elise tried to wipe her eyes. "Yes!"

Finally, Ivy stopped her assault. She huffed and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, then stood and placed her hands on her hips. Elise glared from underneath her hat of bubbles. Water sloshed in the few seconds of quiet.

"I'm going to clean up the mess you made," Ivy announced. "Finish your bath." She stomped out of the bathroom and slammed the door shut behind her, leaving Elise alone.

Elise grumbled to herself and sunk down into the tub. Who did Ivy think she was? Elise couldn't believe that Ivy went so far. Elise didn't even think that Ivy had it in her, honestly. It was the strangest event to happen so far, one that Elise would probably remember.

Washing the shampoo out of her hair, Elise begun to rethink the type of person that Ivy was. Clearly Ivy liked things clean, contrary to the state of the front and back yards. Elise did admit to herself, though, that she shouldn't have made such a mess in the house. She wouldn't have done it at her home with Cav and Riley. Elise told herself that she would apologize to Ivy when the woman wasn't so angry anymore.

Elise scrubbed the dirt off of her body and didn't like that Ivy wasn't afraid of touching a wolf, nor rough housing with one. Not a lot of humans were brave enough to handle a wolf, in human form, half form, or full form. Elise wanted to think on that but she didn't care all that much. If Ivy wasn't afraid then Elise would have to try and get used to Ivy's space invasions without letting her wolf bite.

Growling, Elise dragged herself out of the tub and begun to dry. Then it hit her that her nakedness hadn't bothered Ivy in the least. Before, Ivy was adamant on Elise wearing clothes and being decent. This time, though, Ivy hadn't mentioned it. She even touched Elise's naked flesh and didn't blush. The girl has more layers than I thought. Elise sighed then fled to her room to not only get dressed, but to avoid Ivy and any more of her wrath. She was out of luck, though, as Ivy knocked on her room door some time later. Elise opened her door gingerly and peeked out.

"I cleaned up your mess," Ivy said calmly. She shoved some clothes at Elise, the ones that Elise had left out in the backyard. "Don't ever do that again. Next time, I won't be so nice."

"Nice?" Elise blurted before she could stop herself. "You dragged me into the bathroom and practically drowned me."

"You ruined my house."

"You scarred me for life."

Ivy smacked Elise's door, forcing it all the way open. "You scared, wolf girl? Scared of water like a cat? Scared of me? Scared of a human?"

Elise growled, her ears pricking up. She didn't like being taunted so obviously. "I'm not scared."

"Sounds like you are." Ivy stepped into Elise's room.