JP - The Keep - Bath

Miyuki was happy to slip away and go find the bathing area. She was tired of feeling dirty.

The bathing area was several wooden tubs divided in small, stall-like rooms with curtains for privacy. There were towels and soaps. Water could be gotten from the kitchen.

Smiling, Miyuki got to work. She really needed a bath and this was perfect!

People could be heard talking and moving around the kitchen.

Not sure how people would react, the kitsune made her way into the kitchen and glanced around.

Ila was startled by the sudden appearance of the kitsune, but managed to not drop the tray of fresh sticky buns. She set the tray on a work table and looked to the baker she was apprenticed to- a middle aged woman with curly black hair and violet eyes like Lek’s. The baker recovered faster than her apprentice and smiled. “Hello. Are you new here?”

"Yes, hi…hello…uh…I'm Miyuki…" The kitsune said nervously as she tugged at some loose fabric of her wardrobe. "Uh, I was told to get water from here to…use the baths? Yes, I think that's what he said." Her mind slipped to Wulfsen and she suddenly wished she had asked him to introduce her to others.

"I'm Aislyn Gerthrim and this is Ila. You're in luck for water, my son has been given busy work." Aislyn smiled sadly and gestured to three cauldrons bubbling with hot water over the fire. "It shouldn't take long to bring buckets of hot from here, and get a few buckets of cold from the well. Ila can help you." It might have seemed unkind for Ais to volunteer her apprentice to lug water, but the girl spent so much time hiding in the kitchen she needed every opportunity to actually interact with other people… including people with tails.

“Oh, uhm…thank you.” Miyuki said shyly and gave the apprentice an awkward smile. “So…where are the buckets I should be using?”

Ila got some buckets from a closet and scooped water from one of the cauldrons.

Miyuki watched for a moment, seeing how Ila was careful about how she got the water. Tail twitching with honest interest, she followed the servant’s example and soon got a bucket of water as well. “Thank you,” She told her.

Ila nodded. She lugged the buckets to the closest tub.

Lek returned to the kitchen, not following Rook’s advice he was bringing more water from the well to heat.

“Oh good, you’re here. Help Ila and Miyuki fill the tub, Lek.” Aislyn said.

Lek frowned. “But Difyr told me to bring her hot water.”

“You brought enough water up those stairs for two baths- you know they don’t need all that water.” Aislyn chided. “Help out down here.”

Lek did not look happy, but he started carrying water to the tub.

Miyuki made sure to carry her own and added the water to the tub as Ila instructed. She was on her way back when Lek was heading that way and almost slammed right into him. “Uh…sorry…” She said, blinking. “Why are you shirtless?”

Lek managed to dodge the kitsune without the water in his buckets even sloshing. “Er, I got hot carrying buckets of boiling water to the third floor of the dormitory.”

“You carried them that far?!” Miyuki sputtered. “What are you? A super human or something?”

“No… I’ve been training.” Lek flushed. “It’s not that far compared to the Keep walls.”

“Oh,” Miyuki muttered and stepped aside for him. “Well, uhm…excuse me then.”

“It’s okay.” Lek shrugged and carried the buckets to the tub.

“Lek is… useful to have around.” Ila said calmly as she refilled her own bucket.

“I guess,” Miyuki sighed and kept helping until the tub was full. “I need to get my…I need to clean up.” She didn’t want to talk about her fur or what was going on in her personal situation. A hand merely touched her bag and she hugged it to her stomach.

Lek set a bucket of hot water and a bucket of cold water next to the tub with a water dipper. He nodded and left, probably to get EVEN MORE WATER for Difyr.

“Okay, I’ll leave you to it.” Ila said, going back to the kitchen.

Thankful for the privacy, Miyuki slid the curtain closed and took the time to remove all of her layers of clothing. Setting them aside, she touched the water and found it a bit too hot. Cooling it a little with the cold water, she slipped in and cleaned up, her eyes downcast with fear and shame. One hand pressed to her stomach where there was just the slightest notion of a bump.

They already had enough problems. She would have to keep this to herself - not that she planned to say anything anyway. She was far too ashamed. All she knew was that she’d probably need to leave…there was no one here giving her reason to stay, right?

Grumbling, she soaked in the water for a bit longer.