Lionhearts ||Skephalo||

27

Finding clothes the right size for the teens was easy enough, surprisingly, and after a bit the two young men were also now carrying new clothes.

Now with clean clothes to change into when they were done, they headed to bathe. They chatter casually as they make their way to the bathhouse. Skeppy is thankful that it's been made accessible for people such as them.

The open space before the entrance to the water, with buckets, towels, cloths and soap, is sparsely populated, and despite this, Skeppy still has a moment of hesitation before deciding it isn't bad to bring the teens in for a bath anyway. He beckons them over to the adjoined baths, making sure that they have a somewhat separate area to go bathe so they won't feel awkward.

Sinking into the warm water is a whole new relief for him, even as he contemplates replacing his bandages later with a wince. Sapnap sinks down until half his face is above the water.
Skeppy is certain this is a hot spring and not a magically heated, artificial spring, but it doesn't particularly matter. Tubbo and Tommy, despite their intense dislike of rain and other water, seem fine with the warmer water, even splashing each other and playing as they wade over to the adjoined area to wash off.

As they do, though he isn't staring, Skeppy notices that Tubbo has an odd marking in between his shoulder blades that almost resembles a design in red ink, and that around the middle of Tommy's back his skin starts to become mottled with pinkish skin that resembles that of a piglin.

They're small details that stick out in a prominent manner as the two comically play in the water. They eventually settle down to help each other wash up, as Skeppy and Sapnap do the same.

"Watch out for the gouge," he warns Sapnap with a flinch as the other begins to wash his back for him. He can't reach that far right now, and besides, it's a bit comforting to share this activity. The rhythmic strokes of the cloth over his skin and the scent of the soap they were using lull him into a bliss, until he dunks down to wash off and trades places with Sapnap.

Across the spring, he can hear Tubbo reprimand Tommy sharply,

"Don't be so rough with that spot! You know the mark is always stupid tender." Tommy apologizes softly, and lightens up around the marking. Skeppy's thoughts stray, wondering what that marking is exactly, but he decides against asking. It's weird enough that he noticed it, after all.

But he can't avoid seeing how Sapnap's skin is littered with tiny scars, and the horrible scarring on his friend's arm; a scar that fades to a faint lavender in the middle.
He musters up the words to ask,

"Your arm, uh— what happened?"

Sapnap dips it under the water, hiding it from view.

"Just...you saw those things that attacked your friend George, right? I got swarmed by them. They tried to take my arm off, one's fangs broke off in my flesh. They do that, sorta— their teeth break off as these venomous spines that embed in prey. I'm pretty sure that's why it healed purple, too."

Skeppy winces as he imagines it, and without any more words or questions, they finish up, drying off and heading back to Eret's once they changed into their new clothes.

Tubbo and Tommy look much more vibrant after they washed off all the grime from their travels, and a smile plays around Skeppy's lips as he watches, out of the corner of his eye, both of them secretively petting each other's hair behind Sapnap and Skeppy's backs, marveling at how soft it now is.
They're so sweet and innocent...I hope we can find their friends soon, they're too young to have to endure such hardships.

An idea begins to bubble up in his mind, solidifying into a plan, a question. Something he can, perhaps, ask of Eret...

"Tubbo," Skeppy says as they turn the corner, "perhaps you should ask Eret if he's heard any news of those people you lost. Maybe he knows something about them?"