I rode Penny through the town's streets with a huge bird perched on my arm. I was very used to riding without reins, just relying on my bond with Penny to let her know where she should go. Dime twisted its head to one side or another, wary of the people. And to be honest, the people were even more watchful of the sky-lord. It seems that the rumor that nobody in known history had ever tamed one was true. Not that I doubted Brandon but to hear the truth is one thing, to know it for a fact is another. Our brains are wired to be skeptical.

Tiwatura departed to buy some items I'd need later today. I wasn't completely comfortable with my afternoon plans but Brandon said it was fine and he'd go with me to help and serve as a witness.

Dime was too heavy for me to hold him on my arm for a prolonged amount of time so I told him to return home ahead of us. He took to the air and in mere moments disappeared behind the roofs. Most houses had two or three floors and relied on one another to stand. Rarely there was a side alley leading to the backyard that could be just an abandoned area, a common yard or a private, walled-off annex to one of the wealthier houses.

'Maybe living closer to the central zone would be easier', I thought. I couldn't fit all the people I had in one of the houses, not even the big ones. Thought discarded. I wouldn't have grass for the horses to graze, plant bamboo, let Dime hunt his rats freely.

And room for the children run and play, like children should do. Exactly my plan for the afternoon. Bond with the children, spend time with them. Get to know each of the twelve in-depth.

It is a selfish resolution. I need to calm down this part of me that keeps telling me I am failing as a guardian. But I need to treat them as native children, not as Earth children. Even though they are human, their culture is radically different. It is a culture centered around the fragility of human existence. Where death comes from all directions unexpectedly. It was a miracle that Banunu gave birth to five kids. Women dying of childbirth is a very common situation. Men dying because of violence also. Children dying to disease or starvation. Not cold, because it doesn't snow in winter but heat and dehydration.

Regarding that last point, I should really work on our water reservoir and filters. The water table didn't reach critical levels but it is almost there. But not today. Tomorrow.

We reached home and I let Penny at the front door. Dime was flying above the property, probably looking for something to eat. Glutton bird. I went indoors and caught Arwia finishing her lesson for the day.

"Good afternoon, everyone," I greeted them and the children started to vacate the table, "No, please. Stay there. I have something to tell you."

They obeyed. That was not what I wanted, obedience.

"Please tell us, miss... Sandra," Rimush replied. "We'll obey your commands."

The eldest was well aware of their precarious situation. In the law of this land, I could dump all of them in the streets without even clothes. I'd never do it though.

"That's not what I want. I'm not your boss, I'm your guardian. From where I come, Rimush, children are important. The government, the population organizes themselves to protect children. To teach them, nurture them, raise them to be good people in the future. That's why I took steps, cruel even, to keep you safe. It turned out well because someone else helped your mothers, but that's not the point.

"I do not own you. I'm not helping you to feel good about myself either, or to make a profit selling you later. Next year you will come of age, and Dipa-Tsu will enter your service. Treat him well. It also means you will leave us to strike out on your own. Maybe you should start to think about it. What will you do when you are an adult. Fourteen is too earlier if you ask me, but that's the way this world works.

"Nevertheless, that's not the point. We will eat lunch now, and then I have a series of activities planned for us." I had a plan. I even had accomplices working as I spoke to the children. "You go and wash your hands for lunch. I'm going to have a little chat with Belle."

They obediently complied. I gave Arwia a guilty look and she nodded. If there was one person that could help me reach the hearts of the children, it was her. I went to the kitchen and she followed me.

"Welcome back, Sandra," Belle greeted me as I walked under the awning covering part of the outdoor kitchen. "What's the matter? Why the somber mood? Arwia?"

Was it that obvious? I guess it was. I sucked at poker if that explains something. I was even bad at lying to myself.

"Hey, Belle. How are the lunch preparations? We might need to eat earlier, it will be a crowded afternoon."

She glanced back at the pots and pans on the stove. "In a moment. I think the stew is good already. The bird is in the stove, cooking. Did you invite the guests?"

Dime's mate. I remembered we were cooking her. The sky-lord didn't seem to mind. I didn't know if he could even understand it. Maybe it'd be my Pinchy. I'd cry from both sorrow and pleasure at the tender meat. Yeah, how low had I fallen? Comparing myself to a guy that would eat himself if his head was a donut.

I shook my head, "There will be no guests, Belle. We will eat it for dinner, but it will be served for everyone. I know it might not be enough for everyone, so make a second type of main dish."

"Right," She went into the pantry to get something.

Arwia came around me. She seemed concerned, "Sandra, what is going on? Sky-lord is a type of meat even the richest have trouble getting their hands on. With such a dish it wouldn't be strange if you wanted to invite the Enshi to feast."

Yeah, I could probably visit the King. And then get invited to his harem. But regarding what was going on, I wish I had a better picture. I was stumbling in the dark. Maybe the answer was obvious, but to me, being tossed into this strange world where almost everything smells like blood and waste and half of it was out to eat you in one capacity or another, was too much. I didn't have the stability to focus. Maybe after spending more time here, getting some projects done, getting used to it, putting a damn lock in my bedroom, I could know what to do.

"I'd rather avoid meeting the nobility and royalty at all costs, if possible. I don't think there's any profit in meeting them. Because they would expect to get something out of me and honestly, they have nothing to offer me. I can't have that."

Maybe 'they have nothing I need right now' would be a better way to phrase it. And anything they gave me would come with strings attached. They had morals, they had laws, but one field they lacked desperately, one that could be considered to be still in the stone age was ethics. They didn't have Aristotle, Confucius, the other Greek and Roman philosophers. It shows that their military and weaponry is more advanced than the other civic achievements. Their legal and government systems were still in the bronze age.

It felt like some stupid A.I. was playing CIV using some outdated script.

"I understand," Arwia nodded sympathetically. "They would use you."

I just nodded. "There are people I want to share this meal with that are more important to me than the Enshi. You and Belle. Aristunn and the guards. Rimush and the kids. Hesha-Doka, Tullius, Sere-Naha, and Kali-Maru. Even Nanna if the witch was around. Arwia, I need you today more than any day before this one. Please stay with me and give me advice. Can I tell you what I'm planning to do? Please tell me if that's too stupid."

While I explain my plan to her, I take Arwia to a walk through the back courtyard and we eventually wander into the former slave pens. The metallic dark gray floor is the same. I was afraid the silicon would oxidize and turn all to silica but it seems that the oxide layer grows outward and after a while, oxygen cannot reach the contact surface anymore.

"So, what do you think? Will it work?"

She nodded, "Yes, but the first part will have two effects. They will respect you and it might mitigate their grudge, but they won't stop fearing you. In fact, they will fear you even more if you show them your might."

I crossed my arms, hugging my elbows. "Should I do it?"

"Yes, I think so. I think respect is harder to gain than it is to lose fear. You even have the magistrate's permission to do it."

I smiled at her. "See? That's what I need. Now let me see if I can do something for this soap."

I used another PH strip on the soap since it was still possible to stick one in it. Eleven-ish.

Acceptable since the saponification was still underway. I went to one end of the bamboo mold and placed my hands on the gelly soap. I wanted to feel it, pick up the soap's resonance. I could feel the water, the lye, the glycerin. It was still reacting slowly. After I felt comfortable identifying the resonances, I focused Decompose on aging the soap. Yes, maybe aging was a good term. Accelerate the natural process. I took care to not affect the cellulose of the bamboo.

The soap gel shriveled and cracked. I wetted my hand with water from my canteen and took a dry piece. It lathered when I scrubbed so It was okay. Looking back at what happened, I might have dried the soap too fast. But it was soap. The amount of free lye was very little. Maybe I should add more oils, or the essential oils would take care of that. For the first time, I thought it was okay. I rinsed my hand and dried it.

I tested on a second mold but this time I concentrated on letting the water out too. Speed up just the reaction between the oil and lye. It was harder but doable. The soap hardened but it still felt soft and moist. It would have to cure. And since I was afraid to break the soap if I dried it too fast, I'd trust the hot and dry weather to do the job for me. Using Decompose on the soap was not very useful since I was cutting one day out of a couple weeks.

I took the two pieces I worked on out of their molds anyway. The cracked one could be put to use immediately and the other I'd cut into pieces and try curing them slower without cracking. The bamboo underneath the one I dried felt different and while bamboo was cheap it was a waste to damage it if I could avoid by drying the soap outside.

Before returning to the house, I had to prepare some chemicals. I took my steel bucket, filled it with pure water and dumped a thread of magnesium using Decompose in the same way as I did to make my gold choker but taking care to loop it around the border so the magnesium wasn't all at the bottom of the bucket. Then I dissolved table salt until it saturated. I placed the back of my hand on the water, keeping the palm dry. Then I imagined a series of ant trails that would pull the sodium from the solution and focused Decompose on the sodium metal. Timid streams of metal flowed up from the solution, converging into a puddle of sodium on top of my hand. The chlorine reacted with the magnesium but since I was removing both ions slowly, no oxygen or hydrogen formed.

The magnesium chloride was six times less soluble than the sodium salt so it started to precipitate. Removing the more reactive sodium also cooled the solution, causing more of the salt to precipitate. I had no idea how much sodium I'd need but I saw the large chunk and thought it was more than enough. Overjoyed for finally remembering a way to obtain the sodium without releasing chlorine, I went to the second stage of my plan. I took one of the condoms Theresa gave me and cleaned the lube with a towel. Then I put the sodium inside and tied it without any air. I cut the excess latex and stored both parts.

After that, I retrieved the excess magnesium, filtered the water with Decompose and stored the magnesium chloride in one of my sample tubes.

We went back to the dining room and ate lunch with the children. I wanted to start a conversation but I had no idea what subjects they would like to talk about so I went straight to putting my foot in my mouth, as usual.

"Children, I have something to tell you. After we finish eating, we are going to hunt a monster," I told them.

Amusement, fear, terror, curiosity, disbelief. These five emotions and many more were stamped on the children in varying degrees. I sighed and continued.

"Don't worry, it will be perfectly safe. We will have Arwia and Aristunn and four other guards with us. Let me tell you a story. When I challenged Hama-Tula before the magistrate, I was a fool, for I didn't know the customs and the ways of your people. Even when they tossed me in the river, I still thought it wouldn't end in death. But in the river, I was attacked by a terrible monster, one that lurks in the pit beneath the pier of judgment and devours all that is tossed inside.

"You see, that monster denies people a fair trial before the gods. That abomination kills everyone that is thrown inside. One could say that the gods are aware of the monster but there's no fairness in such a trial under the water, bound by tight ropes, unarmed, blinded, and facing such a monster. I talked to the magistrate, and he authorized me to right this wrong. And that is what we are going to do. You, Rimush, as Hama-Tula's firstborn, you will be the one to strike at the monster with a weapon of my own design. You will avenge your father and put an end to the grudge between me and him. Put his spirit to rest."

There were tears in their eyes. I spent a lot of time since I left the magistrate's office thinking of what to say, what to do. Giving them the opportunity for closure, turning their grief and resentment away from me, forging a bond through memory, I thought of all that. Whether I should do it or not. Back on Earth, that would be considered objectionable, child safety, exposure to violence, etc, etc. But this was not Kansas anymore. They had another mindset. A particular set of challenges. A different morality.

"Is this true?" Rimush asked, fighting to keep the tears at bay, unlike his siblings. "Did father really die to an opportunist muck-dweller and was denied a fair trial?"

"Yes and no, Rimush," I replied. "He had a fair trial because the magistrate said so. But the monster killed him, and not the river. We could challenge his ruling though."

I had to safeguard myself too. If I declared the trial to be not fair, it would strip the legitimacy of everything I accomplished. And the magistrate's word was absolute. Their laws stated that a magistrate's ruling could be challenged before the Enshi, but I doubted someone would do that.

He shook his head. "No. Father was a fool for trying to force a maiden chosen by the mighty Tarhun. If that monster is real, we will be forever grateful for the opportunity to avenge our father."

His siblings quickly agreed to Rimush's words. I clapped my hands to approve what he said as it was custom.

"Let's eat. Transport will be soon here to take us to the river."

Lunch was fish cooked over the open fire and a vegetable stew made of peas, beans, and leek. After we all ate at the same table, Arwia took the children to their rooms to dress in the new clothes Tiwatura bought for them.

When he gave me the falconry bracer that doubled as an archery bracer as well, protecting the forearm and the hand from the arrow and the bowstring, I learned there was a shop that sold child-sized gear for the scions of the upper echelon. I sent him to buy adventuring clothes for all the children. Leather trousers with plates of boiled leather sewn over the thighs and calves, gambesons, and for Rimush, an arming doublet with golden thread embroidered that was a big oversized for him but would fit for the next two years at least. It had straps to tighten around the body and the sleeves could be folded. It seems the articles from that shop were made with growth spurts in mind.

I wanted to go back there and commission some boiled leather skirts. But that would have to wait.

While everyone got dressed, Brandon arrived with a carriage. It was one designed for town use, with seats both inside and over the roof, pulled by two horses.

"Brandon! Thank you for bringing the carriage but didn't we agree you'd have lunch with us?"

He smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Sandra. A scout returned with an important report, I was drawn into the planning room with the other officers."

I felt the concern in his voice. Was it some big trouble? "What is wrong? Oh, sorry. If it is a secret, nevermind."

"No, it is not a secret. One of our scouts saw some army maneuvering in the southwest. It is too far to be of any concern now, but we must be on alert."

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

That's... concerning. Would we get involved in a war?

"How far away are they?"

"Several weeks in a regular army's marching speed. Don't worry, it won't concern us. They are small."

I'm sorry, but my paranoia is too strong. I was about to say something when the children came running, eager to show me their clothes.

Brandon snickered, "It seems someone else is also raising a personal army. You need to update your armory though," He pointed out that none of the children carried weapons.

I punched his arm. "Oh, shut up! They are lovely. My army will kill their enemies with cuteness. And a little help from yours truly."

He glanced at me with a raised eyebrow but probably applied his golden rule of no-engagement and refused to reply. I fought back the urge to tease him and let the issue settle.

"Okay, pipsqueaks," Brandon shouted. "Choose if you are going inside the carriage or on the roof. But don't cry if you go on top and fall down!"

I punched him again. He pretended to not even register it. "You won't fall. There's a railing up there, just hold on to it."

The boys all wanted to ride on top and the girls inside... Ugh. On the carriage, dirty mind.

Brandon went on the coach seat with the driver, Arwia went in the cabin with the girls, and I refused to take the dicky seat at the back. Begone impure thoughts. Instead, I went with the boys on the roof. Dime also followed us from above, circling around the carriage and scaring all other birds from the sky.

The ride to the river was animated. Brandon taught the boys some marching songs and they were singing out loud like a platoon of soldiers while the girls inside were pretending to be princesses going to a ball. I took my iPod and opened a beatbox app. It had a default marching song beat and I put it on the speakers. After a little surprise, they resumed singing with the synthetic drums on the background.

The carriage reached the river, not a soul to be seen around. We got down and gathered.

"Okay. The monster lives right below that pier," I pointed out. "I'll need a moment inside the carriage to finish preparations, you stay around here. Carriage driver, please take the horses away from here. Tie them up at least a hundred paces away from us."

The driver nodded and went to detach the animals from the vehicle.

I had to finish my weapon. I took one PET soda bottle with a cap and cut off a sliver of the bottle and the cap. Then I filled the bottom with aluminum and placed the sodium wrapped in latex inside. To finish it, I poked several large holes for the water. I wish I had a heavier metal I could sacrifice but the others were too valuable. And even if I weren't out of lead I wouldn't use it because it would poison the river. With luck, I'd be able to recover the bottle, cap, and condom for reuse.

I went outside and placed the samples and the trapped bottle on the ground at the same time, taking a step back. Nothing dissolved. Good.

"Arwia, take these three objects here and hold them for me. Rimush, you carry this bottle."

I couldn't touch any of the parts or the other would dissolve. They took the pieces.

"What should I do with this, miss Sandra?" Rimush asked.

"Now you will walk to the pier and then toss the bottle down. Run back when you do. Better yet, put it down."

He obeyed and I took my climbing seat. It took a little goading to make him wear it. I then attached a rope and let Brandom hold the tip wrapped around his strong arm.

"Oh, I see," The captain remarked. "This way we can pull him if something bad happens."

"Is brother Rimush going to be safe?" Belili asked.

"Yes, if you all want to help, hold onto the rope and if he falls or something pulls him. But wait until I tell you to go."

I went to the carriage and set the GoPro on the footrest of the cabin. I adjusted it until It had a good view of the pier and started video recording.

"Nobody stays in front of that black box," I warned them. "Rimush, let me check you one last time."

The only exposed parts of his body were the hands and arms. Rimush and I tested the rope and he went on his way. With a large gulp of air, he steeled himself and walked to the pier. We followed about fifteen meters behind him, keeping some slack on the rope but not too much. He reached the pier and walked until one meter from the edge. Then he lifted the bottle and looked behind him.

"For our father!" He shouted and tossed the bottle down.

"Fly, you fool!" I shouted back at him, in English.

"Run, Rimush!" Muranu broke his usual silence and shouted.

Rimush broke into a dash when he saw the water beneath the pier stir. A long black tentacle slapped the pier behind him and the children started to pull the rope. Then Brandon braced both arms on the rope and heaved, causing Rimush to trip and children to scatter on both sides. Rimush screamed as he was dragged quickly over the dirt and grass while angry tentacles sought flesh on the surface.

"Arwia, give me the squishy ring!" I told her. "Keep the two slivers though."

I stored the latex ring and prayed for the rest of the condom to dissolve. Pidda, Kiya, Muranu were helping a dusty Rimush back on his feet when a loud sucking noise came from the water. A large plume of smoke rose right after, followed by jets of fire. Water splashed everywhere.

"Sandra?" Arwia called. "Should we run away?"

"That's a great idea!" I shouted. "Everyone, behind the carriage!"

The children screamed and ran away. I held Arwia back and took the plastic slivers from her, sending them to storage immediately. She ran and only Brandon and I remained behind.

"I'll hold the monster back!" The rockheaded captain drew his sword. I saw the rope scurrying away with Hapiya and Gadudu carrying end Brandon released.

I shoved him away. He didn't move. "The monster is about to explode! Run away!"

He didn't freaking budge.

Have you ever seen a depth charge exploding from the surface?

I didn't, but I was sure it would look exactly like what happened. A huge explosion raised a plume of vapor, water droplets and fire at least a dozen meters up. Then a secondary burst spread river muck, bones, wood splinters threadbare rotten rope, and tentacle monster bits everywhere.

Everywhere.

Including the carriage, the stupid captain, and me.

I was glad there were no glass windows because it would break. Everything went quiet as a shower of dirt water washed over everyone from above, including the people hiding behind the vehicle.

Everything went quiet for a few moments and then it exploded again, a bit upriver this time. The sodium must've been ejected upwards by the explosion and fell back on the river. This one was weaker though so only Brandon and I took a second bath of river sludge.

Dime screeched, dove and plucked a tentacle from the ground. The children were screaming and crying their lungs out. I saw a black tentacle full of hooks and suction cups flailing on the ground next to the wheel of the carriage and the GoPro. I took Brandon's sword and stabbed the tentacle before I retrieved my camera.

I knew I did well buying the waterproof model.

"By Tarhun's might, Sandra!" The angry guard captain shouted. "What sorcery was that!"

I suppressed a joke about the power of friendship and just shrugged. "I didn't think it would be that powerful, but at least we killed the beast!" I raised the sword that was skewering the tentacle.

Brandon retrieved his sword. "Are you hurt?"

I shook my head, "I'm fine. Even if I got scratched, it would heal right away. And you?"

"I'm fine." He answered curtly and sheathed his sword after cleaning the monster ichor. He was clearly upset at me.

The chaos took a lot of time to settle. I placed the tentacle on the closest thing I had to an evidence bag. It was blue, thin and held a hundred liters. I went around collecting tentacles. I got five. Rimush came out from behind the carriage, his siblings in tow.

"It was true!" He shouted. I could see he was trembling. The children behind him were sobbing. "That was the monster that ate our father! Hama-Tula is avenged!" Rimush roared.

Nobody cheered. I could see he was clearly shaken but trying his best to sound brave. His siblings timidly came back to the front.

Arwia came from behind the children, holding Mot and Bibi by the hand. Gula was hidden behind the former barmaid.

"Brother, look over there!" Muranu shouted.

"What?" Brandon turned around to watch his younger sibling run to a patch of grass.

He raised something round and hairy on both hands. "This is father's head!" He yelled, full of joy and pride. "I'd recognize the scar behind his ear anywhere!"

I gagged. The man's body spent a week underwater being slowly eaten by the monster. One of the worst sights of both my lives and I saw the merchants gutted by the courthouse guards.

"Everyone, look away. Rimush, come with me." We went and Rimush confirmed the scar with a silent nod and tears. I used another evidence bag for the head. "We will give your father a proper burial," I promised.

Both Rimush and Muranu bowed to me. I clapped both boys on the shoulder and dragged them back. Brandon was arguing with the carriage driver about the damages.

"Sandra," Brandon called me, "What are you going to do about the damage to the vehicle?"

"My apologies for the damage. Are the horses alright?" I bowed to the driver. "I'll buy the carriage. How much is it?"

"Two gold mina!" He said with a smirk.

I knew he was robbing me but I shook my head, throwing sludge around. "For that price, you better include the horses."

"Three gold mina. Those horses are of a special breed."

"Three gold mina and you never speak of what happened here to anybody. And that settles everything between us. You will still drive us home."

"Agreed."

I summoned my handbag and took three hexagonal gold coins. They had a large hole in the middle. He examined the coins and put them inside his tunic. Some secret pouch or something like that, I guess.

The trip back was silent, somber. Everyone held a solemn silence. I leaned over the coach seat and tapped Brandon's shoulder.

"How can I help you, Sandra?" He asked without turning back to face me. I knew he was angry.

"How are burial customs in this land?"

"Dig a hole, put the corpse in, cover with dirt."

"You are angry," I stated.

He turned around. "Yes, I am. You blew up the pier. I expect you to pay for that. You threw gurs of mud everywhere. But you did right and killed the monster. But you are still paying for the pier."

"That's fine," I shrugged. "I have a lot of gold."

The coach driver flinched at the word 'gold', obviously greedy. Dime decided to land on the roof railing. He was spotless clean except for the bandanna, that was stained with monster ink.

"I have a sky-lord and can also wield mighty powers to blow up my enemies," I added to the driver. He shrunk a dozen centimeters. Dime chirped and I scratched his head. The children didn't seem too scared of the bird anymore.

"I'd never think of harming the lady," He mumbled.

"Driver, take us to the market," Brandon suddenly decided. He turned around to look at me. "A friend of mine owns a bathhouse. I think we should wash everyone, what do you say?"

Was that an olive branch? I think it is. I smiled back. "Yes, that would be wonderful."

The driver took a turn and went to the center instead of back home. After a couple twists and turns, I noticed people on the dirty side would avoid the carriage like the plague. Were we stinking? You can bet we were. The bathhouse was big, it used up one whole block. I couldn't smell anything but I was imagining lavender and sandalwood and incense and mint and eucalyptus. Anything but river sludge and monster ichor.

An old merchant was waiting for us. I could tell he was a merchant because they all dressed in the same style. Not like I hovered my mouse pointer on him or anything like that. Brandon jumped down to greet him. Then he turned to point at me.

"Sin-Gasit, this is lady Sandra Rinaldi. We are in dire need of your facilities."

"Yes, yes. The famous Lady Rinaldi, the bane of greedy men... Oh, master Rimush. A pleasure seeing you here."

Rimush was not amazed. "Honorable Sin-Gasit, I'm honored you remember me." But he was super polite anyway.

I waved at him, "Hello. We were, like, monster-slaying, and things went a bit out of control. Nobody is hurt, hooray?"

"Oh, was it that large blast by the river? We saw the smoke from here. What a mighty sorcery that was!"

I seriously thought about letting them think it was magic. I couldn't though. And if it weren't for Alfred Nobel's cautionary tale, I'd weaponize the heck with the power of chemistry. I sent a mental command to Dime. He should perch on the roof and wait for me. The bird took off and I replied to Sin-Gasit.

"That wasn't magic but nevermind. Can we use your bathhouse?"

He clapped his hands. "Of course, of course. It is one copper mina per person."

I took four silver shekels and gave it to him. "Keep the change. We are too dirty. The driver is coming too."

Sin-Gasit opened a broad smile. "Yes, yes. The lady is generous. Please, this way."

I noticed that two young men took the reins of the carriage and drove it to a back street as we went inside. I could hear the sound of water splashing and the moisture in the air. We went inside and there was a large rectangular bath with several people. Men and women naked, soaking in the warm water and talking. Sin-Gasit pointed at a side chamber that had no front wall.

"Please wash away the sludge in this chamber. The slaves will bring water and soap. If you excuse me."

Several bronze kettles were sitting on top of a slab of rock with burning coals underneath. The smoke went all to the back, sucked by some invisible chimney. Soon some slaves carrying buckets of water and wearing only a piece of cloth wrapped around their waist and tied up, like those Egyptian shenti. They poured water from the kettles into tubs, checked the temperature, poured cold water and refilled the kettles. They all had slave brands.

"Masters, allow us to wash you," One of them, a man that seemed in his late thirties or early forties announced.

I saw all the kids taking off their clothes. Brandon and Arwia too. And I realized as I looked around. There was no division by gender. Everyone was getting naked to bathe together. I... I had no idea what I should do. Arwia came close to me.

"What is wrong, Sandra. Are you bleeding today?"

I looked at her with disbelief. The girl was butt-naked and it was like nothing was wrong with the world.

"I heal super fast and I wasn't wounded in the explosion. Why would I be bleeding?"

She pointed downwards over her stomach. I blinked twice, trying to figure out what she was saying. Then it clicked. Aunt Flo. I had no idea. It was day thirteen of my new life. I had all the secondary sexual traits well-developed. Right, not as developed as I'd like sometimes but I was comfortable in my own skin. Would I have periods? Probably yes. When is my next one? I had no idea. It could take a whole month, it could be tomorrow.

And I didn't bring tampons. I had a pack of panty liners but those were for everyday use, not for periods.

Worse yet, Arwia distracted me and I couldn't see Brandon naked. He was already inside a tub. Dammit. Sin-Gasit's slaves were washing him. Dammit. The children were three in each tub, frolicking as if everything that happened by the river was a bad dream. It was good. They were resilient. There were two unoccupied tubs. I pointed at the one with a guy.

"Arwia you take that one."

"Okay. Have a nice bath," She nodded and went away.

That way I'd be served by a woman and would also be behind Brandon. I stored my clothes and removed the training tunic when I reached the tub. One lady had a cloth and a scented bar of soap. She greeted me and rubbed my body with the soapy cloth. It was weird being washed by someone else and I was in a sour mood. After she rinsed me with cold water, I entered the tub facing Brandon's back He had no scars on his muscular back, a sign of a brave warrior.

I had a massage and I swear I tried to enjoy but the combination of everything made it difficult. Once the massage was over for the kids, they jumped out of the tubs and ran to the big bath. I could see that Gula, Bibi, and Mot were bashful but they followed the pack.

Arwia got out of her bath next and she leaned to whisper in my ear, "You should not worry about the captain seeing you naked. From what I heard, he already saw everything during your trial."

I splashed water on her. She squealed and ran away. I bade my time. Eye candy or bust.

And my patience was rewarded. Brandon stood up from the tub, in all his blonde hunkiness. I was not disappointed.

He caught me in the act of ogling and smiled. "Are you going to stay there? Come, the water in the central bath is very good."

I threw caution of the window and stood up. I felt his heat vision on me. Call me Amy or Margot, anytime. Unfortunately, it didn't clear a tall building in a single bound.

"Would you escort me?" I purred with what I thought was a sultry tone.

He chortled. I froze. Then the magic wore off as a whiff of cold wind reminded me that I was naked before the very naked and neutrally-stanced naked guard captain. I covered my unmentionables and my cheeks burned.

"I... I... I..." I broke.

"You can't be out here in the cold!" He said that then he picked me up. Full bridal carry. "See, you are trembling!"

It wasn't from cold. But I wouldn't correct his mistake. He gently placed me in the hot water and sat next to me. I didn't move. I heard some water splashing nearby and Arwia shouting, probably the kids doing what kids do in summer. I couldn't move. Brandon was saying something and I had no idea what he was saying. My brain became jelly. I would probably call myself stupid for a month because I totally blew it.

Before I knew, it was time to get out. Arwia wrapped me in some clothes and took me to a place where we could sit and put on some clothes. My head was spinning.

"You spent too much time in the water," She told me.

"Ba-Brandon," I mumbled.

"He went away. Did you faint?"

That was a very convenient excuse, actually.

"I wish."

Arwia wrapped another cloth towel over my shoulders and smiled. It felt like she was hugging me.

"Let me guess, in your world men and women don't take baths together, right?" She whispered in my ear.

"You're a smart girl. That's why I hired you."

"It is not hard to tell when you didn't peel our eyes away from his manhood," She giggled. "It is so refreshing to see a blushing maiden."

"I am not..." I interrupted my protest halfway. Why the heck was I acting like a high-school shoujo protagonist? Yeah, I wasn't a virgin, I had one boyfriend back on Earth. #Orz.

I better shut up.

I summoned a change of clothes from storage and dressed up. The moisture from the bath? Decomposed. Arwia put on the same clothes she was wearing before. It seems that while we were in the bath, they took the clothes and washed them. How long did we stay there? No idea. Outside, I could see it was sunset already.

We had less than one hour of light. The kids were waiting by the front door. Sin-Gasit too.

"Milady Rinaldi!" The elder merchant called me. "Captain Brandon told me to get a driver for your carriage. We cleaned it to the best of our ability. I can recommend a friend of mine to repair the damage but Goru-Ka will take you safely home. He is a good runner and will come back to me on his own so you don't have to worry."

I was seriously impressed by the service. "Honorable Sin-Gasit, I'm impressed. Please, tell me how much I owe you?"

"I wished to give it as a courtesy to the lady but I know your heart won't allow it and I respect you for that. One silver shekel?"

I had no idea if I should haggle up or down. I took two silver shekels from my purse. "In my land, it is customary to give an extra to the people that did a great service. Please make sure the coin reaches the ones that served us today."

Sin-Gasit was a merchant, and while these merchants had a pretty decent honesty rating for such a primitive society, I smelled a weasel. Especially because of what he said next.

"Ah, the lady's heart knows no bounds. I am humbled. The slaves will sing of your generosity tonight."

I raised an eyebrow. "If you can't give them money, at least make sure to give them good food. You can do that, yes?"

He clapped his hands. "Yes, I'll give them one meat meal in your honor."

"That's acceptable. Sin-Gasit, it was a pleasure to be in your care. We must make haste though, or we'll miss the light."

He seemed to have remembered something. "The captain told you to go to the courthouse tomorrow instead of the garrison."

I nodded. He probably wants to close the monster case. And make me pay for the pier. "I'll be there. Thank you."

We got on the carriage and returned home without any further complications. Dime grew bored of waiting and flew back home on his own. I still couldn't believe he ate a tentacle. The driver handed the vehicle to Kanu-Kasu at the gates and the seasoned caravan guard showed his skill as he took the vehicle to the back.

The kids started to yawn as we reached the safety of our home. Inside, Belle-Sunu had the sky-lord served for us. The lure of the exquisite meat was not enough to overcome one basic fact of life that was immutable even between worlds.

Stress tires people. Playing with water tires children. My flock of fledgling humans was barely standing on their feet. Some of them went to the cushions of the sitting area and crashed. Even Rimush was wobbling.

He yawned, "I think I'll retire to my room. I'm not hungry. Goodnight."

I tried to see if Arwia had any moral support. She shook her head, "It is better if we let them sleep. It is a shame they won't get to eat the food."

"Okay," I pointed at the children sleeping on the cushions like a litter of puppies. "Take them to their beds. I'll see what I can do about the food."

I went to the dining area, where Belle-Sunu was worried. "Sandra! The children, what did you do to them? What are we doing with the food?"

"I'll tell you everything. Now, It would be a shame if they can't eat the sky-lord. I'm storing it for later."

I took two disks of copper from my metal stores. I used Decompose to sculpt a cage with round corners and edges around the tray with the roasted eagle and wrapped it around one of the plastic bags that had restored themselves from previous use. Then I stored it. If my theory was correct, it would be still warm when I summoned it again.

"Too bad we don't have a fridge," I absentmindedly commented with a yawn.

"I can't get used to your powers," Belle commented. "Are you going to eat?"

"I'm sorry, Belle. I think I'm going to sleep earlier today."