Chương 5: The Bathhouse

The sun had just crawled past its zenith as Bella and Gemma slipped back into The Witch's Flagon, finishing the last few bites of the skewers they'd picked up on their way through town. It turned out they didn't just carry over inventories full of rare magical items but also their entire bank of coins stashed away in their extradimensional storage. And skewers cost only a fraction of a drop in a sea of gold when you had grinded enough money to buy most of a kingdom outright.

Behind the counter in the dining hall stood the same powerful looking half-orc from the morning, polishing the last of the mugs and watching the handful of adventurers that clustered around one table in the corner. She nodded quickly to the pair, leaning her elbow on the counter and watching them approach.

"Need something for lunch?" Bella flounced onto one of the stools at the counter with a big grin, only for Gemma to lean in and cut her off, "Not today. We'd like to bathe. Will you arrange that for us?" A complicated expression flashed over the half-orc's face before she sighed.

"As much as I'd love to earn your coin, I recommend you visit the bathhouse across the street. You'll have a much nicer experience there." Her hands flashed for a moment as Bella activated her storage and withdrew a handful of silver coins, pressing them onto the counter and ignoring the startled grunt from the innkeeper.

"Then as thanks for your advice," she beamed, pushing the coins forward. Something in the back of her mind yelled that the amount was excessive, that a single silver coin covered a full night's stay with food, but she shooshed it dismissively. What good was endless coin if she can't spend it?

"We also wanted to ask – Robin was here with us last night. Where are they now?" Chagrin flushed Khudu's face as she reached beneath the counter to retrieve a folded note.

"They said they had something to go do and left after you went to bed last night. Joane was supposed to give you their note when you got up this morning." Her eyes creased with apology for this morning and the 'innocent question' that interrupted the original handover plan. But the half-orc's fluster was nothing compared to the fire burning on Bella and Gemma's cheeks.

"Thank you," the elf murmured as she hurriedly grabbed the parchment and opened it;, hoping to hurry past the awkward moment. Bel + Gem, Seems like Bel's stories weren't just stories after all. All things considered, I'm not too upset and I'm guessing you won't be either. I'm headed to our guildhall to start some projects. See you there whenever you two figure yourselves out. Don't rush~ Robin Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

With a roll of her eyes, Gemma vanished the parchment into her storage and scrubbed at her face with her palm.

"Well, at least they did try to let us know. I guess that's that." She and Bella shared an exasperated look before they pushed away from the counter and waved at Khudu on their way out the door. The bathhouse described by the innkeeper was easily found. Just across the street from the inn was a long squat building with plumes of steam rising from the backside. Above the front door a faded sign featuring a bathtub creaked from its hanging post.

The pair let themselves inside and took a minute to adjust to the dim lighting of the lobby. Small benches formed a ring around the outside of the space, several doorways led off in different directions – the men's bath, the women's bath, and an unmarked door. The main feature of the room drove both of their attention - a well-polished desk with a little silver bell resting on it and a hallway presumably leading to the office behind it.

They approached and after a glance around the otherwise empty space, Bella gave it a little shake. A light musical ringing resonated around the entire room and down the hallway set behind the desk. After a moment frantic tip tapping steps scurried down the hall, preceding a young mousy man bursting in. Literally mousy, Bella chuckled to herself as she realized he had two large dish-shaped ears that framed his nest of soft brown hair, and a bright pink tail that she could see the tip of swaying from behind the desk.

"Welcome!" he gasped breathlessly.

"Welcome to the bathhouse, my-my ladies! It's our pleasure to have you visit us!" Bella and Gemma shared a quiet look; it seemed like they weren't going to manage to get anywhere around town and not be recognized after the celebrations the night prior.

"My, um, my name is Gustav, what can I help you with?"

"We'd… like a bath, please?" Bella piped up with as much cheer as she could muster, wondering if there was something else they were supposed to request here.

"Oh! Oh, uhm, right, right, of course, uhm…" Gustav colored bright pink as he nodded furiously, fumbling around for something behind the counter.

"Yes, of course! Right. Let me just, uhm." He paused for a moment, his gaze darting uneasily between the pair and the doorway leading into the women's bath.

"I think," he murmured uneasily after several long seconds of internal deliberation, "That you would be more comfortable in a private bath. The Knitting Circle is currently using the women's bath." He shuddered slightly. The fumbling ceased as he placed a wooden tag on the counter featuring a faintly glowing painting of a gryphon.

"Please feel free to use the Gryphon Bath. Just tap the tag against the doorway to enter." Bella nodded approvingly at the mention of a private bath. That meant she didn't need to change or wash in a room full of other people. Much preferred. She reached out to take the entry tag, but couldn't help her curiosity: "Who are the Knitting Circle? Why don't we want to bathe with them?" With another shudder, Gustav leaned in towards them.

Bella and Gemma met him closer to the counter, brows raised, as he began to whisper conspiratorially, "They, uhm, have a lot of influence around here. Mothers of important merchants and such. And they can be very, mh, demanding. I recommend steering clear." His frantic nodding told of past run ins with this matronly group that had not ended in his favor.

"Thank you for the advice," Gemma said with an only slightly feigned seriousness, straightening off the counter and putting a hand on Bella's shoulder to push her towards the private baths. The mousekin watched them disappear down the hallway.