“Tired, I just want a bath and a bed.”
He quirked a grin at the mention of a bath, but since the girls’ and boys’ baths were nowhere near each other and there wasn’t a mixed-gender bath, the image in his mind wasn’t going to happen.
I sighed. “I’m really not up for anything this evening, Oak; sorry.”
He nodded. “Got it.” There was a tightness to his voice. And with that, he left. Though, halfway down the stairs, he turned back. “And that walk, once I’ve found my avatar?”
I had said maybe to that earlier, but now…
You only live once, Auwei said. Then she giggled.I’ll regret your mistakes for eternity though.
I laughed a little at that, but she was right. I couldn’t help but feel that being with him would be a mistake. Though I couldn’t say exactly why just yet.
“No, Oak, sorry,” I said firmly.
His lips went tight and he gave a sharp nod. “Tease,” he hissed. “You can go to The Pits for all I care!” Then he left in a huff.
And in that moment, I knew what it was about him that didn’t sit right with me: he wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. I had made no commitment to him, so it should have been a simple thing to accept, but he already thought I was his, and that… that was not how I wanted to be treated. I much preferred Pebble’s approach to women.
Once the sun had set, I made my way down to the baths. A basement had been dug out beneath the common area and was accessible by a stairway from both wings of the dorm. The heavy fieldstone walls were dry and warm to the touch. There was some mystical power at work here. I didn’t care to know the details, but Auwei informed me.
In some cases, perhaps a third to a quarter of True-Bonded, the power that combines human and Lumani can produce powers beyond an avatar’s abilities. For those with a particularly strong spirit, strange new powers can emerge. These are more like the powers the mistweavers held, though, generally far more limited in depth or variety. The baths of Silverveil are a mystical thing, yes. They were created by a True-Bonded about a hundred years ago, gifted with power over elemental energies. The ground was dug out from under the dorms without disturbing a soul, stones were gathered and fitted perfectly for the walls, then imbued with a pleasant warmth to keep the bathing area warm and dry, well outside of the baths at least. The baths and showers are fed from a large steel tank of water, which fills itself perpetually, gathering moisture from the air outside. The waters are warmed as they are piped to their location and once a bather is finished, they can drain their dirty water away to the soil outside of the building. It’s really quite fascinating.
It did sound interesting, but I was too tired to care. I decided to try a shower since I got the sense Auwei loved them. I stepped over to the small stall and opened the door to a narrow, segmented area. The outer area held towels and had hooks for clothes. I closed and locked the outer door, took off my dress, hung it up, and stepped into the second area.
The steam from the shower will help to get those wrinkles out of your dress. You probably shouldn’t sleep in it again tonight.
“Yup, sure,” I said, staring at the odd bits of metal protruding from the wall. “So…?”
The bit at the top is where the water comes from. Don’t look directly at it or you’ll get water in your eyes. The lever at the bottom has three settings: warm, hot, and very hot. If you turn it to the first…
I did, and pleasantly warm waters poured out onto me. “Ohhhhhh,” I sighed out heavily, leaning both arms against the stone wall, just letting the waters flow over me.
See?
“Yup, I get it now.”
Curious, I flipped the bottom lever to its second setting and the water grew hotter. It was like having a perfectly hot, but drinkable cup of tea, only… on the outside. I gave another heavy sigh.
“The only trouble is, I just want to sit right now. I’m not sure I have much energy for…
Auwei’s tiny legs tickled as she climbed onto my foot, working hard not to get washed down the drain, which she wouldn’t, she was too large.Here, she said tenderly.
I felt an odd sensation flow into me from where she was on my foot, an internal warmth and energy. It wasn’t much, but it made me feel more awake.
I can’t give much. I’ll be able to give more once we’re Bonded, when my life energies will be one with yours.
Still, I felt revived enough to wash myself. I found a bar of scented soap and began to clean my body. I was filthy. After the soap I took an abrasive scrubber to my skin, leaving it red and raw. I thought that was it, but Auwei pointed out a large bowl in an alcove of the shower.That’s a special soap for your hair; try it.
I did, scooping some of the gooey liquid into my hand, then rubbing it through my hair. Seeing some of the dirt washing down the drain from that, I proceeded to do the rest of my long locks.
“Do you care about my hair, our hair?” I asked, curious. “Is there a length or style you like?”
I’m good with whatever you want. I’ve had all styles and lengths. I love the feel and weight of a long fall of hair and how it covers me, but I also like the weightless freedom and versatility of a short cut. One of the men to whom I was Bonded eventually went bald. That was odd, a new experience, but not as much to my liking.
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” I said with a laugh. I’d have to figure out what I wanted. Dove had said she’d cut her hair back to just below her ears once she started taking more martial training at Pegasus House after she’d become a Noble. I couldn’t quite imagine hair that short.
I finished with my hair and just stood under the hot water for a long moment, soaking it all in.
