Reckless in Respite

>You don’t like to ride her.
>Apart from concerns about cleanliness, it just feels like it would be degrading to do that to her.
>No matter that Ziya has asked more than once and given you reassurances that no, she doesn’t think of it like that, it’d be nice to give you a bit of a rest from plodding along.
>Which is what you’re doing right now.
“And you’re sure you’re comfortable with this?”
>By your side, Ziya pauses.
>The massive, mud-caked jyuratodus bends her head down towards you.
>”Yes, I’m sure.”
>Your lips quirk in a little smile at how she tries to sound put out. Her voice, however, while surprisingly sounding like what you might call a contralto, she tends to… burble. Like she’s drinking a jug of water while talking.
>Her blue eyes narrow in a familiar sight and you try to tamp down your grin.
>”But if /you’re/ having second-thoughts, we can just go home.”
>Okay, that does wipe the grin off your face.
>Ziya, at least when walking, is not exactly the fastest monster around. She can run, sure, but when walking her gait is a little more awkward and slow.
“Alright, I’m sorry.”
>You hold up your hands placatingly.
“It’s just not really the kind of thing I would’ve expected and I’m wondering what changed.”
>She glances away from you, towards the upcoming river and the narrow bridge over it.
>”You’re always the one surprising me. Remember when you took me to the spa near Yukumo?”
>You have to chuckle at the memory.
“You mean the one where you wouldn’t let them wash off that special, mineral-filled mud?”
>Ziya pulls her head up in a fit of pique, giving her fins a little agitated flap.
>”W-Well, it’s not like it was that special! Just because it left my scales feeling nice and tingly, there wasn’t any reason they had to…”

>She trails off, no doubt recalling the hefty sum of zenny you had to leave with the irate manager about a guest looking like the staff had been too incompetent to let her wash down afterwards.
>And you move closer to her, placing a hand on one of her fins.
“It’s okay, Ziya. I know you’re sensitive about it.”
>It was one thing to swim around in water, or slop through mud, or luxuriate in muddy water but when forced onto land, jyuratodus like her preferred to protect themselves from the sun with mud dried on their scales.
>Though while you’ve met a couple of others, Ziya takes the cake for keeping herself covered and far more thoroughly than those other ones.
>In fact, you’ve never actually seen what she looks like under all of it.
>Just that the scales around her lips are rather light so maybe she’s more sensitive to light and needs to be more careful.
“And you know it doesn’t matter to me, so long as I can spend time with you.”
>Your friend sighs heavily but turns herself to you, her annoyance now evaporated.
>”I know.”
>She also brings her head over to you, close enough that you can place a hand on one muddy cheek, now dry to the touch.
>Hugging Ziyah has always been awkward, what with the height difference and the way your bodies are so differently shaped and proportioned.
>But you make it work. Sort of.
>You slip your arms under her chin and rest your head against her nose and just rest it there, not able to see her eyes from this position.
>Wasn’t that long ago where she started allowing you to do this, so long as you were delicate and didn’t knock the caked-on mud off of her.
>But it feels like you’ve been growing closer, even if there’s still just that bit of distance between you.
>”But maybe, this weekend, we can do something about that,” Ziya says, beginning to walk again.
>You take up the slow pace beside her and give her a curious look.
“What do you mean?”
>And sweet Ziya simply glances at you and murmurs, “you’ll see.”

>Crossing the bridge is… difficult.
>It’s not quite wide enough for her but she’s utterly insistent on not fording the river. Both of you can see how clear and clean the water is and it’ll just wash the mud right off her. With plenty of daylight left, your dear Ziya would be baked.
>And there isn’t a muddy area anywhere near for her to cover herself again.
>This area is a ways out from Kokoto, at least, so there’s not been any other travellers on the road. That, however, may have something to do with an event going on in Dundorma.
>The innkeeper in Kokoto was a bit bothered by the lost business, enough so that she didn’t even raise a fuss about Ziya staying there. Although she did charge extra to help cover the cleaning bill.
>You were somewhat sympathetic.
>And to Ziya, who was whimpering and fussing about being seen as you helped steady her as she placed her webbed feet on the handrails of the bridge to get across it.
>Lucky for both of you the bridge was stone but even so, more than once you were left worrying about the thing collapsing and taking Ziya down in a tumble of stone and scales and…
>Okay, you really didn’t want to keep thinking about that.
>She had told you that this place you were going to was in the mountains here, situated on a natural hot spring and out of the way, mostly frequented by intelligent monsters.
>Mostly.
>From what she’d heard, they had no qualms about hosting human patrons, especially if they were in the company of monstrous friends, but they didn’t want it to become another place catering specifically to humans.
>Made sense, there couldn’t be many places like this even if the instances of humans working with monsters to construct buildings with their proportions in mind was increasing.
>Quite the lucrative business, after all. Especially where wealthy elder dragons were concerned.

>But as the two of you ascend the mountain, following a winding trail, you slip a jacket out of the pack you’ve been carrying.
>With the mud coating her body, Ziya continues on as if the cold bothers her as little as the sun. Although she does keep a little closer to you.
>”What kind of wyvern would I be if I didn’t take care of my friend?”
>Delight dances in her blue eyes at those words and while you roll your own, you stay close to her.
“So you’re going to cover me in mud to keep me warm, is that it?”
>”No,” Ziya says, matter-of-factly.
>From her tone, however, it’s clear she wants to say more but continues on for a few steps before she does.
>”Up here, I’d have to use snow.”
>True, the mountain had turned from green grasses and the occasional shrub, to scree and boulders, and now to snow lining either side of the path. It lends a peaceful air to your walk with Ziya, something you don’t normally enjoy with the two of you keeping busy in towns.
>And having recently been admitted to the Academy of Monster Hunters, you started having less time around her. It was partly why you so readily agreed to this, seeing as you finally had a bit of time off.
>Even if you weren’t going somewhere Ziya had talked up, just being out here with her, enjoying the serenity and beautiful surroundings with your friend, it’d be worth it.
>Up ahead, you can see steam rising from a large wooden building which must be your destination. It’s utterly enormous and features a tower that’s not dissimilar to the one in the bath in Yukumo.
>Can’t be much longer to get there at this rate.
“Well, looks like you won’t have to-”
>Poff!
“Gah!”
>A mass of snow collides with your back suddenly, leaving you standing stunned from the cold that pierces your body where it runs down off your head and just under your jacket.
>A little burbling laughter from your side draws your attention to Ziya who sports a big, smug grin.
>”Warmer now?”

>Oh.
>So that’s how she wants it, huh?
“Think that knocked my wallet out…”
>You mutter it just about loud enough for her to hear and Ziya cocks her head at you.
>”Knocked your wallet?”
>You step towards the edge of the path and bend down as if looking for something.
>”But it’s in your pocket? How could I have knocked it out?”
>The cold bites your bare hands as you dig your fingers into the snow.
“Well, how’d you get me?”
>From behind, you hear a little swish and a chuckle.
>”Used my tail!”
“Guess it’s easier than using your fins, huh?”
>You hear her finned feet stepping on the path.
>”C’mon, Anon, you’re not saying I took your wallet are you?”
>Sounds like she’s getting closer.
“No, but I’m still gonna…”
>You clench your hand around what you’ve got, turn back to her, and…
>Poff!
>”Ack!”
>In one swift move, you rise and turn, pelting Ziya’s side with a snowball.
>Well, the side of her head, which isn’t actually what you intended to hit but at least you didn’t get either of her eyes.
>A rumbling sound comes from her as she hops back with surprising nimbleness.
>”Anon, what was that for‽”
>Now it’s your turn to chuckle.
“I was attacked by a vicious monster.”
>Ziya’s mouth falls open and her blue eyes go wide.
“Was I wrong to fight back?”
>”Fight-!”
>Screwing her mouth shut, your friend takes a run towards you.
>”I’ll show you a fight!”
>The ground rumbles and shakes as she charges and it reminds you of some of your training from the Academy. You duck down, about to roll forward between her legs.
>Instead, she bounds over you and jumps into the air, sailing across your body and into the snow.
>You’re left crouching there, awestruck by the way she cleanly clears your body with neither webbed foot coming near you before she lands in the snow off to one side of the path.

>It’s a little deeper beyond the path but not so much that she can completely submerge herself in it. Still, Ziya does her best to twist and turn over herself while you prepare yourself for whatever she has in mind.
>A while ago, from a friend, you heard about how wild jyuratodus would emerge from muddy rivers or swamps and throw or just hock great globs of mud to slow down and immobilise their prey. Must be pretty terrifying to be stuck in mud like that, with such a large wyvern bearing down on you.
>But Ziya doesn’t have mud here.
>Just snow.
>And she somehow uses the fins at her sides to toss two piles at you, one of which narrowly misses but it forces you into the path of the other and you are now coated on your front.
“Ziya!”
>But you’re laughing as you cry out her name.
>Laughter that’s joined by her own and rises with yours as the two of you commence your impromptu battle.
>You have to laugh at how she tries to ‘swim’ through the snow, with her long body wiggling about and her tail swishing from side to side in an attempt to propel herself, only to abandon it and start ploughing through it on her feet, using both fins and her tail to send snow towards you.
>As the two of you wade through the snow, you keep pelting her with your own snowballs but she has size and strength on her side and even if she does come out of it with a few white patches across her body, it’s clear that this is one quest that you’ve failed.
>But that’s not what this is about.
>It’s for the same reason you spend so much of your time with Ziya whenever the opportunity arises. Because even when it comes to something as innocent and simple as cavorting in the snow, she makes your heart race.
>Some people don’t understand; they look at her and they just see some lumbering brute who wallows in mud and moves with all the grace of a pregnant apceros. They think she’s one of those lesser intelligent monsters who struggles to form coherent sentences.

>If they could see her now, wiggling up against you in the snow, laughing and promising to get you back on the way home from the weekend getaway, maybe they’d understand. Maybe they’d see just how beautiful those blue eyes are, how perfect the shape of her body is, even hear the strange beauty in her voice.
>If humans can fall in love with mizutsunes or lagiacruses or even the odd lao shan lung, is it really so wrong for you to… ?
>You squash that thought down and push it deep into a dark corner of your mind; Ziya is your friend and as close and affectionate as the two of you might be with one another, she doesn’t see you that way.
>Surely, if she did, she wouldn’t have those qualms about letting you see what’s under all that mud. Just once.
>The rest of the walk is shared with a bit more silence and occasional laughter and quiet, knowing glances between the two of you.
>Knowing she’s planning on getting you back just as much as you are with her.
>A sign outside the establishment you approach proclaims it as the ‘Roamer’s Respite’, in swirling and clearly professional calligraphy, and after the journey the two of you took to get here, you could certainly do with some respite. You’re sure Ziya feels no differently, especially given how much she’s talked up both this place and how much she was looking forward to treating her friend to such an experience.
>Red-brown polished wooden beams line the outside of the building, supporting a curved roof tiled with what look like to be traditional clay tiles. A rather attractive, and stylised, image of a hot spring is painted onto them as well as a smiling mizutsune holding his forelimbs out invitingly towards it, on one side, with an ivory lagiacrus on the other doing the same. Sometimes you forgot just how charming the more out-of-the-way places like this could be.

>Really, though, it’s the size that’s probably the most notable aspect. On the approach, it looked big but standing here at its threshold you can see - it towers over you, with multiple floors and each one being far larger than would be necessary for a human. This place is made for monsters and it looks it. Even the door, at the top of a flight of wooden stairs, looks like it could fit four or five of you, standing on top of each other, easily with room to spare.
>Behind you, the sun hangs low in the sky and more light spills out from inside, from a partially open door. Steam, too, though it also rises from the rear of the building and where the springs must be. Already your muscles assert their tiredness and demand an immediate dip in the relaxing waters.
>”It really is something, huh?”
>Ziya catches you off guard but when you look over at her, she's still looking up at the building.
>”I know what I heard but…”
“Yeah.”
>Seeing is something else.
“Ever been to one of these places?”
>As if you’d hit her with another snowball, Ziya whips her head over to look at you.
>”A hotspring?” You nod. “No, never. The spa in Yukumo was the closest thing but, um…” She turns back to the entrance, looking like she’s considering something for a moment. “Sometimes you just have to take a chance, right?”
>The two of you make your way up the steps, though for you it’s a bit more of a struggle given they’re made more for monsters. Not so much that you can’t climb them but it really is more of a climb than just walking up them.
>Ziya spares a little laughter and you add that to the reasons to exact snowy revenge upon her on the way home. She does offer to help you but it’s teasing and she offers to let you ride her again, just up to the top.
>There’s a pair of paper lanterns flanking the doorway and they’re both monster-sized but that just means you can more easily pick out the details of the decoration.

>Kulu-Ya-Kus, tobi kadachis, yian kut-kus, royal ludroths, and a host of other monsters cavort across a snowy mountainscape and it clearly calls to mind the trip up the mountain to get here.
>Ziya gives you a curious look as you slip your boots off to one side of the massive doorway and you shrug your shoulders.
“Traditional to remove your footwear in places like this.”
>You glance down at her webbed feet.
“Uh, at least for those who wear it.”
>”Just so long as they don’t expect me to remove my mudwear.” She winks at you. “That’s traditional.”
>You roll your eyes but can’t help grinning.
>Your friend spares you struggling to reach up to pull the doorway open and you consider giving her a little leniency when it comes to your later revenge. But… some of the snow she launched at you earlier got down under the collar of your jacket and left cold, melted snow running along your back.
>No, you’ll make a mental note of it and keep a tally. If she can make amends, you’ll spare her what’s coming. Otherwise she’s going to see some of the tricks you learned at the Academy.
>The inside of this building is warm, quite pleasantly so especially after being out in the cold for so long, and the soft light provided by the lanterns that line the hallway further puts you at ease.
>Your feet pad softly upon the wooden floor while Ziya, doing her best not to make too much noise, still thumps with each step.
>”Goodness gracious me, it’s not at all often that we’re graced with a human!”
>That was not Ziya.
>In fact, it wasn’t even another jyuratodus.
>Walking up to you, on hind legs alone, is a mizutsune that looks markedly shorter than most you’ve run into in the past. He carries a large paper fan in one claw that he holds up to his face, though he draws it down and begins to fold it as he approaches.
>Flanking him are a pair of izuchi that skitter along to keep up with his surprisingly confident gait.

>They wear matching blue and orange kimonos, with a little cream colouring for highlights, that complement their own natural colouration.
>"Welcome, darling, to the Roamer's Respite onsen and hotel! I am Torrent, and it should be my greatest pleasure to ensure your stay here is as enjoyable as it is for your monster companion," he says with a bow towards you.
>You've never seen a monster in clothing before, and certainly none so ornate as the kimono this mizutsune sports.
>Pink bubbles refracting purple and yellow light dance across it and you can pick out what look like branches and cherry blossoms behind them. Cinched around his midriff is a wide, purple obi which features iridescent bubble decorations that almost look like tiny scales. The whole thing suggests a degree of playfulness that matches the smile on his lips.
>A smile that visibly falters as he turns to your partner.
>Dripping wet mud, from the now melting snow across her, upon the immaculately cleaned and polished wooden floor. The mizutsune does his best to keep his expression from faltering but you can see the little twitch to his lips as he maintains the smile.
>”Um, b-boss?” one of the izuchi stage whispers. “She getting mud on-”
>With a wave of one claw, the mizutsune silences his assistant.
>"We, ah, pride ourselves upon our, uh, hospitality a-as well as… er…"
>Clearly picking up on his discomfort, Ziya decides to redirect his attention.
>”Thanks! I booked myself and my friend in for the weekend. We should be down as Anon and Ziya?”
>Another thing you’ve never seen is a mizutsune bearing his teeth in such a display of abject disgust and terror, eyes flicking between your friend and the floor. One of his eyelids now starts to twitch, after his lips stopped.
>”Yes… Yes, of course, I recall!”
>Tearing his eyes away from her, he turns to you.

>”Your friend was most insistent we understand you’re a human and, ah, wished to be sure we had suitable accommodations.”
>You glance over to Ziya who flashes you a grin.
“Well, lucky me.”
>”Yes,” Torrent says, his voice sounding increasingly strained, “lucky.”
>For a moment, the five of you just stand there, looking at each other awkwardly. Although one of the izuchi, the one who spoke up with the scratchy voice, narrows his eyes at Ziya and opens his mouth as if about to say something.
>He’s prevented from doing so only by Torrent’s sudden outburst.
>”So! You two must be tired! From your journey!” He leans forward, looking like he’s about to take hold of one of Ziya’s fins with his long, curved claw before he visibly schools his features again and turns back to you. “I’m sure you must be so looking forward to trying our famed hot springs! Why don’t we get you ready? Immediately.”
>He extends a claw off down towards the hall, indicating for you which way to go.
>”O-Of course, you’ll need to wash before doing so! Tradition dictates that one be ritually and… physically pure before bathing in the spring.”
>A good soak does sound pretty nice but…
“Actually, I think Ziya and I would like to get a bite to eat first, right?”
>Indeed, your friend nods firmly.
>”Absolutely! Y’know, Anon, I heard they have some great chefs-”
>”Oho-ho-ho! No, no, no!”
>Torrent actually thrusts one of his claws over his mouth in a dramatic show of hiding it as he laughs. That is, before he folds his fan back out and lifts it to his face, turning his head to one side as he peers over it at you two.
>”Oh darlings, no! You cannot eat before bathing, the experience is inimical to proper digestion! And our food is best enjoyed /after/ you’ve had the opportunity to relax and become rejuvenated.”

>He waves that same claw towards Ziya with barely a look at her and the two izuchi bound over to her. She doesn’t look too pleased, however, and whether it’s about having to bathe first or having an escort, you can’t tell.
>”I believe this is your first time staying with us, yes? I would be a terribly improper host if I didn’t do all in my power to ensure you leave here having received the very finest experience we may offer!”
>One leaps up and takes her fin in one of his forelimbs… dangling from her pointlessly, while the other places his own claw upon her leg. For a moment, before he pulls it back, seeing the slightly wet mud on his claw.
>Torrent takes a deep breath and it’s clear he’s struggling not to chide his subordinates in front of guests.
>”Satori and Ichi will direct you to the facilities where you may wash, as well as provide you with towels for drying yourself after bathing. But should you require any assistance with any matter then please…” He stumbles slightly over his words. “D-Do not hesitate to call upon my services, my dear.”
>Turning back to you, he steps closer and you get a better feel for just how tall he is. Shorter than other mizutsune but still far and away taller than a human.
>”As for you, darling? I’m sure these hallways must be intimidating, so I’ll personally escort you to the bathing facilities.”
>You look over at Ziya who’s doing her best to ignore the izuchi still hanging off her.
“Sound okay to you?”
>Your friend smirks and you can see how she narrowly avoids rolling her eyes.
>”I think I can handle these guys.”
>Having said that, she does turn to the izuchi holding her fin, who kicks his legs in a vain attempt to move. She’s trying not to laugh as much as you are.
>It’s better than seeing her look worried.
>”Splendid!”
>Torrent says as he comes up to your side and leans his body down. You can feel as much as see him extend a forelimb over your back.

>”Then if we may? I should probably tell you that we also pride ourselves upon offering a traditional experience here at the Roamer’s Respite, which means both of you shall be bathing in the hot springs separately.”
>Oh.
>”We wouldn’t want you falling to the temptations of the flesh, at least in the pure waters~!” Torrent almost-whispers to you, with a little pat on your back.
>Ziya, clearly having heard, snorts and mutters something under her breath that you don’t catch. If your escort hears, he makes no indication of it.
>”In addition, we have a beautiful pair of rooms for you that overlook the valley below and should provide an excellent source of relaxation for you over this weekend. In fact, this location was chosen not just for its natural springs but for its breathtaking views and the elder dragon who…”
>Torrent goes on, giving you both what must be the tourist spiel for this place. Good views, the finest felyne chefs this side of Dundorma, they’ve hosted Their Highnesses Luna and Theo in the past and oh gracious how lucky they were to be gifted such an honour, but oh, isn’t it also wonderful to see humans and monsters deepening their friendships and they’re more than happy to help facilitate that here, surely you’ll be pleased to tell all your other monster friends about this beautiful little retreat…
>You begin to tune it out, noticing instead that there aren’t any other patrons passing you by in the halls, monster or human. In fact, apart from Torrent’s chattering and the footsteps of your little group, there’s no other noises that you can hear.
>Ziya, at least, looks more interested in listening to Torrent and her own escorts pipe up with their own “that’s right, boss” or “we’re the best” now and then.
>Until you come to a junction in the hallways that Torrent pauses at.
>”Now then, my dear, down there are the chambers where you may bathe and clean yourself. Thoroughly.”

>You can see her eyes narrow ever so slightly.
>”Satori, Ichi, please be sure to leave her towels outside the bathing area. It would be improper for you to disturb her during such an intimate procedure.”
>Is that the lightest hint of exasperation in his voice?
>Maybe it’s because one of the izuchi is still hanging from Ziya’s fin. Now he’s stretching his legs as far as he can in an attempt to touch the wood floor but he’s a few inches away from it.
>”Sure, boss!” one pipes up.
>”We make sure Miss Ziya nice and clean!” the other replies.
>The knowledge that you won’t be bathing together comes to the fore of your mind and that little prick of disappointment, with it.
“Guess we’ll see each other later, eh?”
>Ziya, however, doesn’t reply except to give you a nod while gazing off down the corridor one of the izuchi indicates.
>”Of course, of course!” Torrent insists with a dismissive way of his claw. “You’ll only be bathing separately, you’re more than welcome to dine together should you wish.”
>You consider reaching out and taking one of Ziya’s fins but the one facing you is still being held by that izuchi who somehow looks none the worse for being swung back and forth as she walked along.
>”But if you would please, darling?”
>Torrent gives your shoulders a gentle push as he turns down the opposite hall.
>The silence of the place feels a little more oppressive as you make your way along; you don’t have Ziya’s voice or her laughter to accompany you as you normally would.
>”I do hope I didn’t offend you with my earlier comment.” You turn to look at Torrent, realising you’d been straining to look back along the hallway in an attempt to get a last glimpse at your friend. “I would never dare to suggest one of our honoured guests would behave in such a disreputable manner.”
“Huh? Oh, right. Yeah. Sure. No problem.”
>You’re only half listening to him but Torrent continues on anyway.

>”It’s a terribly dirty thing, isn’t it? To lower oneself down to one’s basest instincts and let them command oneself. Why, one should choose one’s companions on far more refined and elegant grounds than that, no?”
“Uh-huh. Dirty.”
>”Exactly! A clean mind begets a clean body, as they say, and what is one’s physical self if not a reflection of the spirit that dwells within?”
>How would she take having to wash all the mud off? You hadn’t even considered that before getting here but Ziya didn’t look upset about it. Did she know? If she didn’t, she’s taking it well.
>But does that mean you might see what she looks like underneath all of it? Not in the hot spring, but afterwards maybe.
>”Ah, here we are!”
>The sound of the door to the bathing area being slid back pulls you from your thoughts and Torrent draws up in front of you with a short bow.
>”Please avail yourself of as much of the water as you wish, darling. I shall leave your towels outside for when you finish but if you require any assistance at all…” He leans forward, placing a claw on your shoulder. “Please, do not hesitate to call upon me~”
>What’s funny is that he doesn’t leave. At least, not that you hear.
>The room that you enter is kind of bare, compared to the rest of the building’s interior that you’ve seen. Grey tiles line the floor and cream-coloured tiles line the walls, with a line of purple tiles around the circumference of the room. At one end is a long trough with taps feeding it, as well as large stools and buckets with brushes and bottles sticking out of them.
>You look over one shoulder and Torrent is still standing there, fan folded out and over his mouth. Though looking at his blue eyes, it’s clear he’s smiling.
>”Worry not, darling, the water is quite pleasant! There’s soaps, sponges, and brushes so you can get all those… intimate little spots.” Was that a little giggle? “I’ll fetch your towels but shan’t be long.”

>With a little bow, he slides the door shut. Slowly. Then you finally hear his footsteps retreat.
>Making your way over to the trough, you turn on one of the taps and watch as steaming water pours from it. There’s a little—at least for what must be a monster—pot as well, for rinsing yourself off and as the water fills the trough, you begin to undress yourself, still feeling like there’s eyes upon you.
>Still, you’re used to bathing in front of others from being in the Academy. Just not so much monsters.
>Like Ziya.
>You’re not really paying attention as you strip the last of your clothes off and turn off the tap, beginning to rinse yourself down before you get some soap.
>She didn’t look herself before you left her and you can only guess it’s at having to wash all of her mud off. And now you won’t even get to see her. The real her, under all of it.
>You look down at your naked body, now thoroughly lathered. Was it really that much different than you wearing clothes all the time?
>Monsters didn’t typically wear clothes but, as with Torrent, it was still known to be something that was done.
>And was the reason it bothered you so much just because you felt so close to her? How would you feel if you met a barroth covered in mud? Or another jyuratodus? Would it be like expecting a human to strip down?
>As you continue scrubbing yourself down, you idly wonder if there’ll be any way for her to apply the mud after she cleans and bathes in the spring. Torrent didn’t make any secret of how much he disliked her being covered in it but the idea of him requiring jyuratodus guests to go without their protective mud coverings… He wouldn’t, would he?
>Looking down into the water after having filled the pot to rinse yourself off, you sigh.
>You’re meant to be here to relax and enjoy yourself with Ziya. Even if you have to enjoy the spring separately, you should be focused on that.

>It was really nice of her to bring you here and you’ve got dinner together to still look forward to.
>Water cascades down over your body as you empty the pot over yourself and it sends streams of soapy water running off into a drain.
>A few more times and you’re now dripping wet but clean.
>Padding over to the door, you press your ear against it and listen - you can’t hear anyone outside it so you, with much effort, slide it back a little and poke your head out and see quite a large bucket with towels in it. And thankfully no Torrent in sight.
>Slinging the bucket’s strap over your shoulder is definitely more comfortable than carrying it in your hands, even if it does bump against your side with every step you take.
>There’s another door opposite the one into this bathing room and, while it takes as much effort to push it open just enough for you to step through it, the sight you’re greeted with is well worth it.
>The tiles that line the floor continue on outside the room, under a short awning, but beyond that is the spring itself. Steaming water burbles gently and paper lanterns dot the surrounding, each with a similar decorative design to the ones at the front of the onsen.
>And sure enough, to your right is a large wall which at least isn’t just plain stone. It shows a grassy plain that leads onto a shore, with monsters of various types dotted across it or swimming in the water.
>Already, your nostrils fill with the slightly sharp smell of mineral water and after a brief stretch, you make your way over to the pool.
>It’s hot, enough that it almost burns to the touch but lowering yourself slowly, wincing as you do, you keep your breathing even and allow your body to acclimate.

>Near the edge is the best place you can find where you can sit down without submerging yourself entirely into the pool. Most likely this is just the steps fashioned into the rocks to allow easy access in and out but for a human like you, it makes as good a place as any to rest.
>Overhead, the sky is already darkening and there’s only a few clouds. It reminds you a little of the brief time you spent in Pokke, for your cold weather training. Up there in the mountains, the air felt so clean and clear, absent of the choking smoke from smelteries in cities.
>But when you were camped up on the mountains, your main thought even then was how much you wished Ziya was with you to see how beautiful it all looked. Being able to see all the way down into the valleys and beyond, to the lights of the distant city.
>Instead, all you had was a crackling fire, a small collection of hot drinks, and enough food to keep you going.
>Your eyes wander back to the wall as you think of that - would Ziya already be finished bathing and enjoying the spring, too?
>Maybe tomorrow, if things are as quiet, you can sneak down to the female bathing room and in with her to that side of the spring.
>Torrent would probably blow a gasket if he saw but wasn’t that all part of the fun? Like the pranks back at the Academy involving parashrooms and some of the stew in the canteen.
>Of course, you and your compatriots were dragged before the provost to explain it but it was worth it to get back at the other novices you were locked in that battle with.
>"Anon? Are you there?"
>So lost in thought, you barely hear a voice on the other side of the wall.
>You stand up, inhaling sharply as the cool air hits your body that’s now acclimated to the hot water, and walk a little closer before quickly seating yourself again.
“Ziya?”
>You call back, lifting your head as if it’ll help carry your voice.
“Yeah, I’m here. Are you okay?”

>She’s being quiet and that’s accounting for the wall dulling the sound of her voice.
>Though not for the long silence that follows after your question, broken only by the bubbling water of the pool.
“Did Torrent or those two guys say something to you?”
>If they did… so much for priding themselves on their hospitality. The only thing you’d be telling your friends is to avoid this place. Once you have ‘words’ with your hosts.
>”No.”
>You can’t help but lean a little more against the edge of the pool, willing yourself to be nearer the wall separating the two of you.
“What’s wrong?”
>The last of the fading light of day does its best to peek over the walls cordoning off the spring but already you can spot the moon hanging high.
>It should feel magical. Enchanting. Even just relaxing.
>”It’s…”
>If she says more it’s overshadowed by the sound of water droplets hitting the pool she’s in; sounds like she might be moving.
>Her voice sounds a little louder when she next speaks.
>”You’ve been spending so much time at the Academy lately, it feels like I don’t even see you any more.”
>Was this how Ziya was feeling?
>The way you feel as you sink back into the water, looking down.
>”I know it’s important to you and I don’t want you to give it up!” She sounds almost afraid when she says that and while you want to rush just as much to reassure her in turn, she goes on before you can. “It’s given me a lot of time to think about things.”
>You aren’t the only thing that drops; something inside you, that you weren’t quite sure you even had, feels like it sinks into a muddy pit.
>No matter how much you try, words won’t come out. So Ziya fills the space between you with her own.

>”When you told me about how you were gonna travel the world on an airship with the Guild and see all sorts of new monsters and places… It sounded amazing.” There’s more light splashing of water before Ziya’s voice comes through the wall clearer, the soft burbling in it mingling with the gentle lapping of the water against the edge of the pool in a way that makes your heart clench. “And I was so happy for you. I was! But…”
>Silence stretches on, broken only by the sound of the wind blowing past the top of the walls and the water.
“But I wouldn’t see you. Not until I had some leave or you could get some time to visit.”
>And even then…
>You manage to find your voice at last but you can’t say you’re happy for what you have to use it for.
>And maybe it’s because it sounds like she’s closer or maybe it’s just the old worries catching up to you but you lower yourself more into the water, feeling its heat seep into your tired body.
>What was that about this weekend meant to be a nice getaway for the two of you?
“We knew it was going to happen.”
>”I did.”
>But the intensifying training meant your graduation was coming up - Ziya knew that as well as you did. She’d excitedly asked about it.
>”I guess I just thought it wouldn’t be so soon or it’d be easier or…”
>It was a bad idea to submerge yourself so deep; the cool evening air hits your heated body harder this time when you rise out of the water.
>Still, you hoist yourself onto the edge of the pool and lean close to the wall that separates you and Ziya.
>Press your hand to the cool stone.
“It’s not going to be right away. I’ll be kept in Minegarde for a while longer with the other graduates, in case there’s any last-minute problems. They don’t just throw us to the wulgs, we’ll still have lots of time together!”
>But that too will have to end.
>The thought leaves you feeling deflated.

>”Well…” Ziya says after a moment of stretched silence.* “Is that instructor still taking up a lot of your time? What was his name? Abe?”
>In spite of what the two of you were just discussing, a wry smile curls the edges of your lips up.
“Oba.”
>You’d told Ziya a lot about the old zinogre and how he pushed and pushed and pushed for you to do more.
>’Leave? Pah! What, so you can fawn over some pretty young nargacuga instead of focusing on your training? When an elder dragon is chasing you down, you won’t be remembering silk sheets and soft words, boy!’
>Then he’d set down his kiseru and told you to ‘pick up that lance and let’s see if you can handle a real shock’.
“I don’t know what it is, he kept holding me back on so many nights and pushing me into more advanced classes and training regimens.”
>The cold weather training was in full pack and a weapon. And he expected you to come back with a wyvern tear.
>You’d given it to Ziya.
“Funny thing is, I… I think I’m gonna miss him.”
>”I won’t,” comes Ziya’s almost immediate reply.
>And your smile broadens.
>”So if you’re staying in Minegarde and you won’t have to train as much, does that mean… ?”
>Right, you’d forgotten about that!
“From what I heard from last year’s graduates, it’s sort of treated like an extended leave. I think the Guild wants us to relax a bit after training so much, too.”
>The cool air feels almost good against your damp skin now, like it’s sharpening your mind after you let it be dulled by the comfort of the hot spring.
“So we could definitely come here again.”
>And in spite of the weight that’d pressed down on you, you find it in yourself to smirk.
“As long as Torrent isn’t mean to you. And he stops trying to hit on me.”
>The most wonderful, beautiful sound erupts from the other side of the wall: Ziya’s laughter.

>With the way her voice sounds, it’s easy for other people to think her laughter—the real, mirthful sort—would sound like water splashing or a slightly unpleasant glub-glub-glubbing.
>Easier for you to firmly inform them otherwise.
>About what you hear now - a sound more enchanting than a somnacanth’s song, melodious and sweet like raindrops pattering against crystal.
>”I… I thought I was… the only one who… who saw that!”
>You laugh along with her and it’s like unstrapping your armour after a day of training with Oba.
“O-Oh darling, please!” You do your best to mimic his voice but between your laughter and how Ziya’s keeps you from stopping, it’s difficult. “I would never dream of doing something so uncouth!”
>The sound of louder splashing comes from the other side of the wall and in your mind you can see Ziya’s long, thick tail swishing back and forth with glee.
>”I certainly would not!”
>Like a charge blade being morphed, your body goes rigid as you hear a very distinct, refined voice followed by a delicate click-click-click of claws on stone.
>”A true gentlemonster does not demean himself, and especially his guests, by doing…”
>You slowly, reluctantly turn about.
>”Ah, whatever it is you were discussing.”
>Torrent stands near the edge of the pool on his hind legs with a tray; there’s a tall, white, ceramic bottle with a red stripe around its neck from which steam lazily drifts, and a pair of similar porcelain cups.
>”Which I do hope was not offering you some hot sake.”
>He lowers himself down onto one of his forelegs, effortlessly keeping the tray level in what must be a long practised motion. And his eyes on you.
>”Although drinking too much may be… uncouth, a traditional onsen experience wouldn’t be complete without at least offering you some of our finest sake.”
>So he picked up that you were mimicking his voice but doesn’t sound bothered by it? Either he’s a good sport, he’s a little too into you, or it’s going to come back to bite you later.