Tales of the Pearly Kingdom (Pearly Tales Vol. 2)

94. Entering the Bathhouse

"Are you sure about this master?" Seamus asked while he and Greffin carried their towels and a change of clothes followed Cal and Throgar to the public bath.

"I'm sure, not only do I need to instruct you on the proper way of using this kind bathhouse, but we have to get Throgar cleaned up. Besides a bunch of naked men in a tub is an ancient method of bonding." Cal explained as he unlocked the side entrance.

Out the back door of the guild was no alley way. Not in the traditional shady way you find in most populated city. This was the Pearly city where the backstreets were often patrolled by slimes that easily fed on the scraps and garbage of the careless. But even they couldn't get into this backstreet. Cal had claimed it in his construction and it was blocked off from the main streets while still allowing in sunlight. The area was reminiscent of a long corridor rather than an alleyway. In the center was a small decorative garden... well the beginning of a garden since there were no plants, only soil.

The buildings looked like they were carved out of solid stone and crystal while the floor was made out of checkered marble and onyx with gaps between the buildings and the walkways for plants. It was fancier than the ornate yet practical dirt, grass, and crystalline streets.

"I really don't think I should..." Greffin protested with a blush.

"Nonsense, poopy pants! As Seamus's friend you are already like family!" Cal wrapped his arm around Greffin's neck as he led him in the building. The side entrance faced the guild while the main entrance faced the street. To their left were stairs leading to Cal's family's new apartment. On their right were two doorways separated by a desk with an alcove inside of it was cherry blossom tree surrounded by a small pool. Each of the doorways had a short cape for a door one was red with the word Ladies on it, and one was blue with the word Gentlemen.

Across from the desk was the main entrance facing an off street. On either side of the doorway were lockers open to public use.

At the desk sat a Dryad woman in a yukata and glasses reading a book. On the floor behind her was a nymph girl in shorts and t-shirt sleeping with her feet in the pool of water around the tree. The nymph had a bubble coming out of her nose as she snored in and out.

The Dryad looked up, "Hello guildmaster."

"Hey, Bianca." Cal waved. "I see Pond is still tuckered out after filling up the baths."

Bianca turned around. "Yes, I thought I'd let her sleep for the rest of the day. Making that much hot water expends a lot of magic, maintaining the temperature and filtering it will be a lot easier after she levels up a few times though. She's still young, so this will be a good way for her to gain some experience."

"Are you settling in well?" Cal asked.

Bianca took a deep breath. "Yes, this soil you provided is good, it runs deep and has a good flavor. Plus the magical sunlight you set up for me is very adequate. I think we shall be very happy here for a while."

"Good to hear. We're going in now." Cal said as he walked in the room that said 'Gentlemen' on the door.

In the second room there was a sliding door at the far end of the room leading into the baths. This second room there were cubbies on either side of the room with benches in the middle of the room. The cubbies each had a basket with a towel in them.

"First, you take off your clothes and stick it in this basket, they have a complimentary towels and soap, but you'll be better off when you can buy your own." Cal said taking off his shirt. "Throgar, I have Wendy preparing at least one clean outfit for you, I'll give you an advance on your pay so that you can buy some clothes and get set up. You can sleep in the spare room on the first floor of the apartments next door."

Seamus noticed that Greffin was more uncomfortable than he normally was. He guessed it was because neither of them were eager to see a naked over weight orc.

Seamus however wasn't too shy with his own nudity. When he took off his shirt Greffin squeaked and turned around.

"Don't let it bother you Seamus." Cal said. "Some people are just shy, it's nothing to be ashamed of." He patted Greffin on the shoulder and pointed at a door off to the side. "I know it doesn't make sense in a bath house where we get naked but that's a spare room for changing."

Greffin nodded and ran to the door slamming it behind him.

Seamus cocked an eyebrow at Greffin's odd behavior. Normally, he was so stoic and anti-social. Maybe he was shy?

For Seamus, he had been training in the underground churches of the Brother Calloway Cult. There were many times where he showered with other assassins to scrub blood off of himself. Seamus froze and looked around him. This public bath was a far cry from the dark crowded spaces where he and those around him shared a bar of soap to scrub their body, hair, and armor. Afterward a mage would use wind magic to dry them and their clothes off before they put it back on. They got to eat and sleep in clean armor and that was a luxury to him.

He also remembered that when one of the other assassins died it meant there was more room in the crowded shower, and more food. He prayed to Brother Calloway many many times. He didn't know how he felt when he realized that Brother Calloway never heard them, and how that was contradicted with this completely different environment. A clean brightly lit room just for changing and Brother Calloway... Cal, next to him teasing and joking with him. Without Greffin here it didn't feel like he had more space it just felt like the space was emptier.

It was an odd feeling. Is this what it was like to have a friend? That's what Cal called them... Friends.