-Black Wolf POV-

The two of them walked back to Emil-iath. The wolf ran his fingers across the cool surface of the rock in his pocket, trying to ignore the tension that stretched between him and Xi-ren. Despite the clear sky, the knight's expression seemed to darken with every step. Xi-ren gripped his sword in his left hand, knuckles turning white around the hilt.

"You're done early!" Emil-iath greeted, surprise clear in her voice. She glanced at Xi-ren, who looked stonily at the horizon, refusing to acknowledge her at all. Emil-iath's eyebrows twitched in annoyance, then she smoothed it over, turning to the wolf with an awkward smile-

Her eyes landed on the sword strapped to his back, and her smile slipped off her face. The wolf tensed, but Emil-iath didn't say anything, just staring at the sword like she had seen a ghost.

[White Bunny: It seems like there's something you forgot to tell me.]

The nervous laugh almost escaped from him. He resisted the urge to flinch away from Emil-iath. Every time he thought Emil-iath had to be done, she was still staring.

[Black Wolf: More like Xi-ren never tells me anything.]

Xi-ren hadn't said a single word. Even now, he stared off at the horizon, acting like he had no idea what was going on. Emil-iath slowly glanced over at Xi-ren, something akin to grief coloring her features. "Xi-ren, you-"

"He needed a weapon," Xi-ren said flatly. His voice was hard, inviting no further discussion and no other argument. He pushed past Emil-iath. "He needed a weapon, and I need a drink. Don't bother trying to find me tonight."

Emil-iath let out a disbelieving laugh, shaking her head. She laughed harder, pain cracking around the edges. "Xi-ren, you drink orange juice."

Xi-ren turned a dead look on her. "I didn't know you were the one who made that decision for me."

His voice was sharp enough to cut. Emil-iath flinched, hurt flickering across her face. Xi-ren's eyes lingered on her for a moment, but he didn't apologize. Stiffly, he said, "I'll be back in the morning."

[Black Wolf: Humans are complicated.]

That was all he could grasp from the way Emil-iath watched Xi-ren's retreating figure. Her lips were pressed shut, even though it was clear she wanted to say something. The bunny huffed a laugh, curling up in his arms.

[White Bunny: You're underselling yourself if you think you're simple.]

"Sorry about that," Emil-iath added like a second thought. Her expression did not clear no matter how far they walked. In that regard, she was remarkably similar to Xi-ren.

"Same time tomorrow," Emil-iath told him, stopping at the Adventurer's Guild. Her eyes were still distracted, focused on something else. "I'll introduce you to the other party members. And, ah, you might consider a bath."

The wolf looked at Emil-iath blankly. The knight was avoiding his eyes, but he couldn't even tell what she had said.

[White Bunny: She's saying that you stink.]

Heat flooded his cheeks. The wolf quickly looked away. Emil-iath patted him on the back sympathetically, still avoiding his eyes.

"Don't worry. You've been working hard, and it's a completely natural response, and- oh, I'm making it worse, aren't I?"

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The wolf nodded jerkily, wanting nothing more than for the earth to swallow him whole. Reading his expression, Emil-iath winced. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then."

He fled as fast as possible while still technically walking. The bunny's laughter rang through his head, completely unapologetic.

[Black Wolf: Why didn't you tell me?]

He hissed, ducking his head to avoid meeting the eyes of any other humans. He had thought they were looking at the bunny, but- what if it was just because of the way he smelled? How long had it been noticeable? Had Xi-ren-

[White Bunny: Isn't it funnier this way?]

She absolutely deserved the withering look he sent her.

When he asked the inkeeper how much the bath would cost, she laughed at him, too.

"It's on the house. Consider it a favor to us all."

Why did everyone find this funny? The wolf thought morosely, dragging himself up the stairs. He shuffled across to their room, pushing the cheaply-painted door open. He sniffed himself. He didn't think he smelled that bad...

The bath was delivered with a knock and an extra bar of soap, "just in case." He grimaced. Alright, so maybe he did smell that bad.

The air shimmered above the bath. Small wisps curled off the top of the water, similar to the white fog which would form when he let out a long exhale during winter.

He stripped off his clothes, making his way towards the "bath." Two little white blocks had been set beside it- the "soap," presumably. He looked down at the "bath" doubtfully. The bath reminded him of a wooden bowl- a really big bowl.

[White Bunny: You're supposed to get in while the water is hot.]

He grimaced again. He could understand why humans wouldn't want to bathe in cold water- falling into the river sucked, and it always took forever to be warm again- but why would humans want the water to be hot? It was the same as their obsession with getting sunshine- there was so much to love about the shade!

[Black Wolf: Humans are weird.]

He told her, a last ditch attempt to avoid the bath. She snorted, seeing right through him.

[White Bunny: Just get in.]

He took a deep breath in, steeling himself agains the bath. He had faced off against Xi-ren every day, and the bruises which littered his body marked every loss. The bath couldn't be nearly as bad as Xi-ren. He plunged his foot in the bath, then he immediately yanked it out.

[Black Wolf: Hot!]

[White Bunny: You went too fast. You have to give your body to adjust.]

He glared at the hot water. Leave it to the humans to turn everything into torture. This time, he slowly lowered his foot into the bath, sticking his toes in first, then gradually letting the water rise up to his ankle. The wolf took a deep breath in. So far, so good. He carefully lowered his second foot into the bath, then the rest of his body.

This... wasn't so bad. He reached for the soap, dunking it into the water. The soap slipped right out of his hands, shooting to the other side of the bath. After three more attempts- the soap was more slippery than a fish- he finally managed to grasp onto it.

He scrubbed himself clean. The soap bubbles floated to the surface of the water, bursting with soft pops when he touched them. Fascinated, he created more bubbles just to watch them drift across the water.

[White Bunny: What are you doing?]

The bunny asked, watching him from where she sat upon the bed, safely out of the reach of the water.

[Black Wolf: Making bubbles. Want to try? The water is still warm. It's... like the blanket, but a thousand times better!]

She sniffed, tucking her paws under her body.

[White Bunny: You think I'm that gullible? There's only one thing more comfortable than a blanket.]

[Black Wolf: Which is a bath!]

He proclaimed, sitting straighter to make himself look bigger, more convincing. She eyed the bath, the bubbles. Then she shook herself.

[White Bunny: I can't swim.]

She said flatly, turning away to groom the other side of her body. He blinked, surprised. She couldn't swim? It seemed strange, considering everything else she could do, but...

[Black Wolf: I'll just hold you above the water, then.]

She didn't respond. It wasn't a no, so he waited. Finally, she hopped off the bed, padding over to him.

[White Bunny: I'll kill you if you let me drown.]

She muttered, letting him pick her up. He smiled.

[Black Wolf: Of course.]

He lowered her into the water slowly. She scrambled to find a solid foothold, nails digging into his skin. He winced, holding himself still as he waited for her to find something she was comfortable with. Eventually, the pressure on his arm eased.

[Black Wolf: Well? Warm, right?]

[White Bunny: My fur is wet.]

She said, but he knew how to recognize a win. The water was barely lukewarm anymore, but he smiled, scooping up a handful of bubbles and offering them to her anyway.

[Black Wolf: Want to try popping one?]