Bathhouse

  Chapter word count: 2966

  Traveling through the hallway, Airot made his way back down to the lobby.

  He didn’t have a pn, but upon arriving, he realized he didn’t need one. Across the tavern-like space, seated at a table, were the three he had left. It hadn’t been long, so it was reasonable they were still around, and around they were at a table, leisurely eating.

  Haruku was only drinking, sitting upright without any signs of having ordered food. Simon was slouched back in his chair, a gss and empty pte in front of him, his sleeves rolled up. Elfein was slightly hunched toward the table, his pte still holding some food.

  Airot sagged his shoulders, aware of the awkwardness—after stubbornly insisting he wanted to rest, here he was, less than ten minutes ter, looking for adventure.

  Casually strolling up to them, he gradually overheard their conversation with each closing step. Haruku was the first to notice his presence.

  “No way, long coats are too ostentatious. I mean, what is he? A high-tier yapper?” Lynn scoffed, seemingly replying to Elfein.

  “Why not? There’s no restrictions for clothing choices. And I happen to like my mentor’s style,” Elfein retorted before taking a bite of his food.

  Haruku gnced at Airot and gave a slight nod, unfazed by his sudden appearance.

  “He’s just too shaggy for that professional look. He fits a casual vibe more,” Lynn continued.

  Elfein swallowed before replying. “If he cleaned up, I’m sure it could work. Besides, long flowing fabric just looks cool.”

  As Airot neared the table, his eyes nded on Elfein’s pte.

  It was mostly empty, but from the remnants, it seemed like it was a simple sad. Dressing stains circled the pte, with broken pieces of croutons and bits of boiled egg scattered around. The green lettuce and red small tomatoes added a fresh spsh of color, their vibrancy almost exaggerated.

  As he looked at the dish, something he’d glossed over centered in his mind.

  ‘Really, how do the food yappers work? There’s no more pnts in the world—same for animals. Are we even eating them?’

  “Eh, I dunno,” Lynn took a swig of his cup. “I’d need to see him first, but as he is now, it’s hard to imagine him all tidy. And now he’s shutting himself in his room.”

  Elfein started to reply but hesitated as he finally noticed Airot, the realization stopped him mid-thought.

  Lynn set his cup down. “Resting’s good and all, but we can’t have him holed up in there…” he trailed off. “I’m not good at comforting, so you guys will have to check up on him if he’s not out soon,” he waited a moment before raising his gaze, expecting a reply.

  But they didn’t answer, for they were staring at Airot.

  Seeing Elfein’s expression, Lynn followed his gaze, turning around to see Airot standing next to him.

  Lynn spoke in acceptance. “Ah, I see.”

  “So, uh, you need anything before sleeping?” Elfein asked, confused by Airot’s presence.

  “No, just a change of pns. I got… energized,” Airot clenched his fist, surrounding it in a soft yellow glow.

  “Okay…” Elfein’s confusion further deepened.

  He turned to Lynn, who was equally puzzled, and simply shrugged with a look saying not to ask him. Haruku remained silent, sipping his drink.

  It was clear to Airot that they couldn’t see the glow that now felt so innate to him.

  “Are you hungry?” Elfein asked, still seeking an expnation.

  “No, I ate the everything bar. I was more thinking about picking up on your earlier offer,” Airot crified.

  “Oh,” Elfein nodded. “Having trouble sleeping in dried blood, huh?”

  “Not really, it’s just that… well, I guess… I had a revetion, and I couldn’t sleep because of it.”

  Lynn lit up as if he caught on. “It’s the height, isn’t it.”

  “Ah, yeah, I guess that’d be uncomfortable,” Elfein added before Airot could reply. “Well, whatever the reason, at least you’re not holed up in there.”

  Lynn stood up. “Right. We can go clothes shopping in a bit, but firstly, I think you should wash off the blood… and stuff.”

  Haruku rose from his seat, leaving his empty cup on the table.

  “You can keep him safe, right?” Elfein faced Haruku.

  “Probably. We can always run if it comes to it.”

  “Yeah, do that. I’ll return to the library to note some things, then I’ll meet you at the boutique,” Elfein returned to his sad. “But first, I’m not leaving a pte unfinished.”

  “No worries,” Lynn interjected. “We’ll be done in a jiffy.”

  Lynn threw his arm around Airot as Haruku trotted towards them.

  “The closest bathhouse?” Haruku asked, gripping their colrs.

  “Ye~ah,” Lynn prolongated his reply, having to confirm with himself.

  “I better hurry if I want to catch up to you,” Elfein spoke, wolfing down the remainder of his sad.

  “We don’t need to run for this,” Haruku stated as a neon green square lit up beneath them.

  Elfein motioned a single wave before their surroundings changed in an instant.

  They were outside on another street, the library still nearby, meaning they were still in the same district encircling the library.

  The building adjacent to them stood out from the rest, but its architecture wasn’t unfamiliar.

  Fwless white marble columns with floral carvings upheld the pediment above the front entrance, all glowing warmly in the sunlight. A rge, arched doorway framed in bronze stood at the center. Laurel wreaths adorned the outer walls, while small cylindrical towers atop the structure vented wisps of steam into the cool air.

  It was the same Roman-style architecture Airot had seen with the pace atop the hill near Lynn’s bar.

  The bathhouse occupied a fairly secluded area, with a noticeable gap between it and the neighboring buildings. Yet, unlike the isoted hilltop pace, this bathhouse was still nestled within the street block. The contrast between its intricate design and the gloomy surroundings made its presence all the more striking.

  Truly, a dispy of prestige and wealth, all meticulously maintained.

  “How do they even build these here?” Airot asked in awe. “And what’s with the obsession over the ancient style?”

  Haruku strode ahead, leaving Lynn behind to expin.

  “Well, there’s a group of yappers that fawn over that particur era,” Lynn answered, nudging Airot toward the building. “And they just so happen to have a convenient builder, so the other yappers just let them be.”

  “Is liking history that rare?” Airot mused as they stepped through the bronze doors, where the cool air outside gave way to a warm, fragrant humidity.

  “They’re a bit too into that era. But they also contribute a lot to the city. These bathhouses are one of them.”

  “Do we really need to go to a public bathhouse, though?” AIrot questioned as gentle spshes of flowing water mingled with distant echoes of conversation.

  “It’s faster, and really the only way to consistently clean yourself,” Lynn expined as they walked over polished marble floors veined with gold and crimson, reflecting a soft light casted by sconces lining the walls. “After all, the best you can do at home is just rinse off with water. Here, you get much cleaner. They even sell hygiene products, though they’re at a markup compared to pre-fall standards.”

  As Lynn ranted on, Airot further observed his surroundings.

  Columns of polished stone supported vaulted ceilings, where mosaics were sprawled across. The scent of burning incense mixed with the faint aroma of minerals, oils and fresh herbs—an olfactory promise of cleansing and renewal.

  With each step, the sounds of spshing water grew clearer, the heart of the bathhouse beckoning.

  “And we’ve caught up,” Lynn said as they reached a reception desk. “Did you pay yet?”

  “Yeah. Morre’s,” Haruku replied.

  “Going fast, aren’t we.”

  “You did say we wanted faster,” Haruku directed them to a doorway covered by curtains on their right.

  “I did, but you didn’t have to spend extra.”

  “It’s fine,” Haruku brushed Lynn off.

  Beyond y a spacious chamber filled with lockers and recessed niches along the walls, each serving as a secure compartment for clothing and personal belongings. Light filtered through narrow, high windows, brightening the walls, while cubicles lined the far end. This was the changing room.

  A few men were already inside. Some were occupied with lockers; one was inside a closed cubicle, and others, cd only in towels, moved through the wider portière on the other end.

  “We’re skipping this,” Haruku stated, striding through the changing room.

  Seeing Lynn follow, Airot minded his step and trailed after them, crossing into the next area.

  As the bathhouse’s core revealed itself, a wave of warmth enveloped him, unveiling a vast space centered around a rge, steaming pool of varying depths. A soft mist rose from the water, illuminated by a cascade of light pouring through clerestory windows above.

  Smaller, individual baths lined the sides.

  The walls were adorned with depictions of calm waters and tranquil waves, their surfaces shimmering with droplets of condensation. Cushioned benches were pced under them, offering a pce to pause and unwind.

  Voices mingled in soft echoes, a blend of idle chatter and the soothing rush of water streaming from spouts shaped like lions’ heads. A dozen or so men lounged throughout the core, while others sauntered through various doorways on the right.

  Haruku, however, was headed toward the only passageway on the left-hand wall, a doorless entrance framed in gold with a purple banner overhead.

  Stepping through, they entered a more private space, which happened to be another reception lobby. A curtain wall stretched across the room, blocking the way ahead.

  On one side, two extravagant cushioned benches awaited use, while one the other, a doorway centered on the curtain wall. Beside it stood the reception desk, manned by a man in a light toga.

  Haruku approached the desk, pced a token down, then turned to Airot and gestured toward the doorway that the curtain wall directed to.

  Airot looked back with a confused face. “What?”

  Lynn pushed him forward. “Don’t be so confused. This is why we’re here, now go get cleaned.”

  Still bewildered, Airot stumbled forward as Lynn handed him off to the receptionist, who stepped away from his desk to guide the uninitiated customer.

  Escorted, Airot transitioned to the adjoining room, but not before catching a glimpse of the other side of the curtain wall. It mirrored the yout of the side he’d entered from, only differing with its desk being staffed by a woman.

  Unable to dwell on it, his attention shifted to the room.

  It was stark and utilitarian, bathed in stainless gray. Unlike the ornate corridors he'd passed through, there was no decoration, just an open locker beside a small table and a narrow rectangur pool in front of a pedestal dispying a metallic cube.

  The pool’s narrow width was barely wider than a person, but it stretched longer than a person’s height.

  A set of stairs on the far end of the pool, before the pedestal, led down into the pool, yet the water didn’t spill over. The stairs remained dry despite nothing visible separating them from the water, which behaved as if a gss wall were in pce.

  “I’m guessing you’ve never had a Morre cleansing?” the attendant asked.

  “No, can’t say that I have,” Airot replied. “I just got to the city a few days ago.”

  “Ah, condolutions,” the man nodded. “If you have any objects you’d rather not get wet, pce them here,” he gestured to the table.

  Airot emptied his pockets, setting his notepad, pen and used wrapper down on the table.

  As he began to remove his jacket, the attendant pushed him toward the pool.

  Startled, Airot protested. “Whoa, what’re you doing?”

  “Looking at your clothes, I figured you’d want them cleaned too,” the man replied.

  “Well, yeah, but—”

  “Alright then, no buts,” he gave Airot a firm push into the pool.

  Airot stumbled forward, bracing for a face-first plunge, but his instinctive reaction to prevent that summoned his yellow glow, slowing his fall.

  He hovered just above the water, nearly horizontal.

  “Come on now, you need to get in the water,” the attendant pressed Airot down.

  Despite submerging face-first and shutting his eyes, Airot was instantly immersed in the water, slipping into a cradle of liquid warmth. The water embraced his skin with a silky touch; heat seeped into his weary muscles and uncoiled tension as if drawn out by the water itself.

  His body and mind sank into a deep calm, lulled into a meditative state as each ripple and movement of the water could be felt.

  He floated peacefully, until a sudden, instinctive jolt snapped him back into lucidity.

  He was drowning.

  He kicked, seeking to push off against the bottom, but found no floor. From the outside, The pool seemed shallow, yet now its depth extended beyond Airot’s reach. He reached further and further to no avail, nothing but empty waters could be grasped.

  Panic fred as he gulped some of the mineral-salt infused water.

  His eyes shot open.

  Through the clear water, the pool floor was visible, far beneath him. Somehow, he was suspended above it. Below him, the attendant could be seen fiddling with the cube on the pedestal.

  Enveloped in water, he was hovering above the now-empty pool, though not of his own accord. Encasing himself in yellow, he hastened his fall, only to come to a halt. It seemed to be the end of the water, but it was still a fair height above the pool. Nothing visible was blocking the way, yet something held him back.

  Frantically, he cwed at the unseen obstruction as panic further ensued. He solidified his arms in yellow and struck with all his force, yet only a faint blue tint shimmered through the water. It felt like his punches were actively being rejected, all effortlessly at that.

  All he could achieve was keeping the water out of his lungs, but without air, he wouldn’t st for long.

  The attendant, seeing Airot’s struggle, sighed before approaching him.

  “Stop your yapst. You can’t get through with it on.”

  His voice was muffled but still cut through the water.

  Despite his survival instincts, it was easily deactivated through conscious thought.

  In an instant, Airot abruptly fell out of the water down to the pool’s floor, gasping for air as he id prone.

  “Wha?” Airot muttered, standing up. He patted himself only to feel dry. “Huh?”

  Seeing his confusion, the attendant expined, “Instant drying, I know, part of the Morre cleansing.”

  Having calmed down, Airot took another deep breath, only this time realizing that the air felt purer than ever before.

  Gncing up, he saw the water still hovering above, perfectly contained in its cuboid shape.

  Behind him, a single wall had risen from the pool’s edges, the rest remained in pce. It didn’t seem like it could rise, yet there it was, only slightly overpping with the bottom of the floating water.

  The attendant gestured toward the staircase. Airot climbed out and double-checked himself; his clothes were still damaged and ragged, yet they were stainless, cleaned to perfection.

  “I’m cleaned? Just like that?” Airot asked.

  “Yes, just like that,” the attendant answered nonchantly.

  “How does this work?”

  “It’s best to leave the details. I’m sure you can already guess that yappers help,” he spoke casually, before turning back to Airot with an intrigued look. “You said you arrived just a few days ago?”

  “I did,” Airot confirmed, heading to the table he’d left his items.

  “Wow, congrats then,” the attendant was slightly taken aback. “You’ve already awakened a yapst. Fastest I’ve heard of.”

  “How long does it usually take?”

  “I’m not sure,” he moved toward the door. “But I think a few months for the quicker awakenings.”

  Airot nodded silently as he reached the table. Picking up his belongings, he noticed that the blood stains were also gone.

  “Everything you bring in gets cleansed. That’s the Morre cleansing experience. Expensive, but worth it,” the attendant added before Airot could ask.

  Without further exchange, they exited the room.

  As Airot exited, he saw a woman in a bathrobe sat waiting on the side with the female attendant. It finally clicked that this V.I.P. cleansing area connected gender-separate baths.

  Ignoring them, Airot turned to the male side, where Lynn and Haruku were benched waiting. Seeing Airot come out, they rose from their seats.

  “Quick, right?” Lynn complimented. “Took less than three minutes for you.”

  “Yeah, it’s fast,” Airot agreed. “Are there bathhouses like this throughout the city?”

  “Yup, one or two in most districts,” Lynn replied as Haruku moved ahead.

  Following him back out to the public baths, Airot’s eyes drifted to the vast, steaming pool.

  “If water’s being used as money, then the upkeep for a bathhouse must be expensive. How are they even supplying this much water?”

  “Beats me. Yapper logistics,” Lynn shrugged. He let out a scoff as he joked. “In your current state, you should know more than me, anyway.”

  Their banter carried them through the locker room and back out the front entrance.

  Once outside, Haruku grabbed hold of them both.

  “We didn’t do this in there?” Airot asked.

  “Basic courtesy,” Haruku answered. “Using your yapst in pces like that would be an uphill battle.”

  “Bathhouses are pretty sacred, especially in this age. If you suddenly start using a yapst, people might think you’re about to wreck the pce, and ruin the experience. Being a haven to rex and unwind, most yappers want to guarantee its safety, so threatening that will get a lot of people against you,” Lynn further eborated as Haruku lifted them with one arm each.

  Without another word, Haruku dashed down the street, carrying Lynn and Airot in tow, their surroundings blurring as they sped away.