Ash laced up his boots.

“Alright I’m heading out to go do the dailies. Where is Deus?” he said.

Belbuk and Luke looked up from the dining table.

“He’s in the kitchen licking the pots clean.” Luke replied.

Ash tilted his head towards the kitchen.

Everyone could hear the *Slurp*Honk*Slurp* of a giant goose using its tongue to get the last few crumbs from the inside of a pot.

Ash grimaced. “I’ll take him with me. Try to keep him outside while you two are doing your lessons.”

“That reminds me.” Belbuk leaned over the table. She threw a pair of work gloves at Ash.

Ash caught the gloves as they hit his chest.

“Wear these gloves if you’re going to do pull ups in the woods from now on. Your hands are covered with so many splinters it looks like you jerked off a tree.” Belbuk said.

Ash blushed. “I don’t, I’m not, I’m just doing stretches by the charcoal pit is all.”

“Sure.” Belbuk picked lint off of the hem of her dress. She turned back to Luke. “Okay you’ve gone over herbology a little. But let’s start identifying some other useful alchemical ingredients you can find in the forest.”

Belbuk pointed to a framed shadow box on her wall. A set of insects were pinned to the back in exhibition.

“Now can you identify these insects?” she asked.

“Yes. Those are blow flies, also called carrion flies, sometimes called cluster flies.” Luke said.

“Wait.” Belbuk raised an eyebrow.

“That one is a May Beetle, occasionally referred to as a June Bug.” Ash added from across the room.

“Hold on.” Belbuk put up her hands.

“Then you’ve got a Cicada…” Luke spoke.

“And then a Locust…” Ash spoke.

“Often mistaken for their similarities but the Cicada is a tree dwelling insect…” Luke served.

“While the Locust is a ground dwelling variety of grasshopper.” Ash returned.

“Hold on. How the donkey balls did you know that?” Belbuk blinked several times in a row.

“It was one of the things we learned back in Star Town from our dad. Ash and I know a lot about bugs.” Luke answered.

“Well that saves us some time.” she half smiled.

“Deus! Come on! We’re heading out.” Ash shouted into the kitchen.

“Ahmost ready.” The goose replied.

*Honk*Horf*Horf*

Belbuk twirled her braid as she browsed the shelves of her Cabin. “I suppose we can move on to basic medicines.” she mused.

Belbuk reached up and pulled a jar down off of a shelf.

“We’ll start here. This is molasses. It works well as a laxative.” She opened the jar to show the rich, brown contents to Luke.

“You don’t want me to drink that do you?” Luke asked.

“Oh no no no.” Belbuk smiled. “This is for the chickens.”

#

Ave sat on her cot in the Cabin. She held the dog rock that was Eins in her lap.

“Oh Eins.”

She ever so gently ran her hands over the statue in imitation of petting a dog.

Outside Belbuk was yelling at Luke.

The chickens clucked angrily in the yard.

Ave laid back onto her pile of blankets. She watched the sunlight stream in through the window.

Dust motes danced in the air in front of the glass window panes. Belbuk’s Cabins smelled of like lavender and dry apples. Ave’s eyelids drooped.

The sun traced a gentle arc across the sky. Sunlight rolled up her legs, over her hips, and pooled in her lap.

Her hands petted the stone effigy.

Suddenly Ave bolted upright.

“Luke! Ash!” She shouted. “I have an idea and I need your help.”

#

“This is the biggest boiler I’ve got.” Belbuk shouted.

Deus struggled to bring a large metal stand out from behind the Cabin. The metal contraption was balanced between the goose's giant wings and its beak. Deus huffed with effort.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“It’s not as precise as a real Alchemist still but it does have a spout for draining off hot liquids. Careful with that you bumbling bird! It’s very heavy. If you drop it, it might get damaged.”

“Over here if you please.” Ave directed Deus. She was standing on a flat patch of ground east of the Cabin.

“What are we doing? Making whisky?” Belbuk’s eyes sparkled.

“Nothing like that. We only need the hot water.” Ave replied.

“Oh?” Belbuk’s interest immediately faded.

#

“We brought the water.” Luke shouted as he came up the hill.

He and Ash were carrying water buckets up from the well. Luke carried two buckets in each hand. Ash carried a single bucket. Sweat was rolling down Ash’s face.

“Where do you *Wheeze* want them?” Ash asked.

“Just over here.” Ave replied.

“On the ground?” Luke asked.

“No. In here.” Ave held out her arms.

There was a precision *Snap* of magic. A bronze bathtub appeared next to Ave on the ground. The tub was round and smooth, without any additional embellishments. Easily large enough for a single person to stretch out and relax in.

“You used your mana, to summon a bathtub?” Ash looked sideways at her.

“It’s important. Now help me fill it.” Ave said.

“We’re going to need more water.” Luke observed.

Ash put a hand on Luke’s shoulder. “I’ll fill it. You can go and get more water.”

#

Steam hissed from the boiler. The spout was opened. Hot water began to slowly fill the tub. Ash and Luke took turns refilling the boiler as it drained.

Ave turned to Belbuk. “Do you have any soap?”

Deus interrupted. “I think that I have some wheft over from the other day. Hork, hork, hooork!”

Deus stretched its neck out over the basin.

*Blargle*Blargle*Blargle*

A stream of bubble bath was projectile discharged out of the goose’s beak. Frothy bubbles sloshed up and over the rim of the tub.

*Blargle*Blargle*Hork*

“Is that… clean?” Luke asked.

Deus burped up a single bubble.

“As chean as morning dew.” The goose remarked.

“Whatever.” Ave snorted.

She stepped forward to the edge of the tub. Ave kicked off her boots. With a fluid motion she pulled her shirt over her head. Wearing only her shift and her linen pants she stepped over the rim and lowered herself into the tub.

Luke and Ash politely looked away.

“Should we… go?” Luke offered.

“Don’t be a tomato. The bubbles cover everything.” Ave said as she lowered herself down to her shoulders. “Moonbeams, that feels good.”

Ave slouched down so that she could dip her hair into the water. She straightened back up and readjusted the straps of her shift.

“Don’t go anywhere you two. I need you to keep it hot.” Ave demanded.

“How hot?” Luke asked.

“Just don’t boil me alive.” Ave stretched her legs.

Ash crouched down next to the boiler. “Lucky for you I am a master of charcoal.”

#

Hot water filled the tub. Ave washed and rinsed her hair. Luke refilled the boiler. Ash kept the flame in check. Ave’s fingers and toes began to wrinkle.

“That’s good.” she said. “Now. Give me Eins.”

Luke handed the dog rock over the side of the tub to Ave. Ave held the statue in her hands for a few seconds.

“I hope this works.” she whispered.

Ave plunged the stone into the bathtub. Nothing happened.

“More hot water.” Ave ordered.

Ash opened the valve on the boiler.

Ave waited.

Water filled to the edge of the tub. Ash and Luke exchanged a glance.

“This fresh water is pretty hot, maybe we should…” Luke said.

“Just a little bit longer.” Ave’s cheeks were flushed red.

Water seeped over the rim of the tub. A single bubble rolled up from the bottom of the basin.

*WATERSPLOSION*

A huge bubble burst under the surface. Soap, suds, and surplus steam splashed up and sprayed the surrounding stretch of space with soupy solvent.

A wet puddle of dog fur thrashed in the middle of the tub.

“Ahh! What is happening!? My eyes! It burns! I’m on fire!” the dog yelled out in terror.

“Eins no! That’s the soap! Quickly, rinse him off!” Ave shouted.

Luke heaved a bucket of water into the tub. The tub overflowed. Water and suds sloshed in every direction.

The water settled. Eins floated face up in the middle of the tub.

Ave wiped soap off of her face. “Eins? Eins are you okay?”

Eins took a deep breath. “What is… going on? It was so hot. I thought I was on fire.”

“You turned to stone. You were like a real rock.” Ash explained.

“Oh right. I did do that.” Eins remembered.

“You didn’t have any eyes or ears. We didn’t know how to get you back.” Luke added.

“But even if you couldn’t see or hear I thought that you might still be able to feel.” Ave said.

“I suggested using a tiny hammer.” Ash said.

Luke and Ave frowned.

“But we didn’t do that. It was Ave who came up with the idea of using hot water.” Ash elaborated.

Eins sank down until only the dog's snout was above water. “I see. I may have… overreacted before. I should apologize...”

Ave gathered the small dog into her arms. “It’s fine. We’re glad to have you back. I just wanted to say that I’m sorry.”

“Me too.” Luke said.

“Me three.” Ash said.

“I think that we all overreacted.” Ave wiped water from the dog’s face.

“Thank you.” Eins whimpered. The dog licked its nose. “The truth is that I don’t like fighting. I never have. I’ve spent a long time running away from danger. A long time… alone.”

Eins looked up. “But you all seemed so hopeful. You were so excited. You were on such an incredible adventure. And then you started yelling and… I just wanted it to stop.”

“Eins.” Ave stroked the dog’s fur. “It’s alright now. We’re over that now.”

Ash kneeled down by the tub. “We’re sorry Eins. Sometimes you don’t realize how mean you’re being until someone gets hurt.”

Luke nodded. “We promise that we won’t fight anymore.”

“Well…” Ash squinted.

Luke threw up his hands. “Okay! We promise that we won’t try to hurt each other anymore at least.”

“Better.” Ash admitted.

“Hehe…”

“Hoho…”

“Haha…”

Everyone had a good natured chuckle.

Ave looked down at Eins. “Our adventure didn’t start off the way we expected. But we would still like you to be a part of it.”

“I think I might like that too.” Eins replied. /(^o^)\

The dog wagged its little tail and paddled in the water with its paws.

“Ah! Eins! You’re getting water everywhere!” Ave turned her head to the side.

“I’m sorry. I was a stone for so long. I need to stretch my legs.” Eins barked.

Ash held up his hands. “How is it that you’re magic, but you still smell like a wet dog?”

#

Belbuk leaned against the front porch of her Cabin. She smirked.