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“I’m not sure I see the point…” Jason said as he followed Clive into the bathhouse. “The inn I’m staying in has private baths…”
“Private baths aren’t traditional, Jason! You said you wanted to experience Greenstone’s culture, and part of that is communal bathing! Only buildings on the Island have private baths, everyone in Old City uses bathhouses!” Clive explained, leading the way inside. Jason followed, a bemused smile on his face. “Besides, you’ve never had a cold drink after soaking in the bath, and that’s practically a right of passage! Fathers take their sons for their first beer after a hot bath when they become adults!” Clive said enthusiastically.
“Are you trying to be a father to me?” Jason teased, stepping up to the counter and paying for himself and Clive. He was used to paying for them both, his looting power making him a small fortune after so many adventures.
Clive sputtered something about being too young to be a father, but he still led Jason past a curtain and into the bathhouse. There were baskets to stow their clothing, and Clive undressed without hesitation.
Jason’s hands lingered on the buttons of his shirt.
“Where I come from, nudity is kind of… taboo.” He said slowly.
Clive looked up, already unlacing his trousers.
“Really? It’s just a body. Everyone has one.” He said with a shrug, his glowing runic tattoos shifting on his skin.
“Yeah well, when and where you show it off is… complicated.” Was soaking in a bath together that much different than soaking in a hot tub? What difference did a layer of clothing make?
“There are towels if you’re that worried.” Clive said, pulling a basket from the shelf and offering it to Jason.
“That’s not it, I just-” Jason cut himself off. He took a deep breath and collected his thoughts. Even on Earth, there were places where communal bathing was common. It wasn’t that unusual.
Clive reached out and put a hand on Jason’s shoulder.
“You have nothing to feel inadequate about.” He said with a very serious tone, though it was obvious he was struggling not to laugh.
“I’ll show you inadequate!” Jason growled, grinning and he shoved Clive’s hand away. “I suppose… Spending time with so many higher Rank Adventurers, I do feel a little… plain.” Jason admitted.
“Well, the chances of running into a Silver Rank Adventurer here are slim to none. Higher Rankers can typically afford the private baths on the Island.” Clive said, turning and continuing to undress. Jason couldn’t help but notice the way Clive’s spine stuck out in bony knobs down the length of his back as he bent over to slip off his trousers.
Flushing, Jason turned away and hurried to unbutton his shirt. It was just a little casual nudity! It wasn’t a problem! People were just… nude around their friends… all the time!
Jason folded his clothes and tucked them into a basket. He stood there, facing the shelves, just… letting it all hang out. He held the basket with a white-knuckled grip, staring unseeingly at the shelf.
A towel hit Jason in the back of the head.
“You’re overthinking.” Clive said, his bare feet padding on the tile as he walked past Jason and into the steam-filled bathing room.
Compromising with himself, Jason wrapped the towel around his waist and followed through the beaded curtain. The bathing room itself was humble but spacious, tiled with green stone with windows set high into the wall to let in light but to avoid giving the street an eyeful.
Clive was already in the bath, sunk in up to his chest and leaning against the wall. Jason hesitated but forced himself to walk to the edge of the bath. The tile under his feet was slightly textured to provide grip. Steam wafted up from the water and the air smelled faintly herbal. Jason averted his eyes from Clive’s long legs sticking out into the depths of the water, the outline of his tanned skin distorted by the ripples in the surface.
Just get in already! Jason yelled at himself internally, and stepped off the edge of the bath-
His foot hit the surface of the water as if it were just as solid as the tile.
Clive snorted a laugh, tossing his head back.
“Forgot about your water walking power?” He teased, watching as Jason manually turned off his power and suddenly sank.
“It doesn’t cost a lot of mana, I usually just leave it on!” Jason grumbled. As he sank into the water, he pulled the towel from around his waist and set it on the edge of the bath. Now he was- now he was naked. Naked in a bath. Next to Clive. Who was also naked.
Normal. This was normal, Jason reminded himself. He sank lower into the water, feeling the almost-too-hot heat of it sink into his skin. He took a deep breath and leaned back, letting his spine hit the wall. He sat a few feet away from Clive, just… soaking.
It wasn’t bad. It might even be nice.
“Is it always this empty?” Jason asked.
“At this time of day? Yes. Most people bathe after work, so later in the afternoon to evening. We arrived just after opening, honestly.” Clive explained.
“Did you pick this time for my benefit?” Jason accused, turning to look at Clive with narrowed eyes.
“Maybe.” Clive said, arching one eyebrow. “Did it help?”
“Maybe.” Jason shot back. He sank up to his neck in the water and lay his head back against the tile. “How does the bath work? Do they have hot springs in the Delta?”
“There’s usually a boiler, fueled by spirit coins. The boiler itself is infused with Fire Quintessence, and was made by an Essence User. The Magic Society has documentation on most common magical artifices, including the ones used in most bathhouses in Greenstone. I’ve read over the blueprints before, every once in a while I like to look at a schematic and see if there are any blindingly obvious improvements to be made.” Clive said.
“Yeah? Anything blindingly obvious about the water heater?” Jason asked, grinning at Clive.
“Nothing too glaring. Though I did a bit of cross-comparison between different bathhouses in the city, and the efficiency of the spirit coin consumption is really based on the efficacy of the original ritual used to empower the boiler. Now, this is where it gets interesting-” Clive said, sitting up, his eyes gleaming. Jason smiled back at him, letting the heat of the water relax his body as he settled in for a good, long lecture on magical devices from Clive.