The lobby of the Brimstone Baths was a sight to behold. Just like its exterior, the building's interior design was nothing short of a masterwork, sporting vaulted ceilings decorated with carved statues and smooth wooden floors underfoot. Various demons milled about, either heading from one part of the leisure centre to another, or just sitting and chatting on the various plush couches and chairs set up around the lobby. A couple of children with goggles on their heads ran around chasing on another as their exhausted parents booked them in for swimming lessons. Over at the far side of the front desk, Cobalt could see a small café situated by windows that overlooked the main pool area, where other parents sat and watched as their kids thrashed about in the water below.

"Was it always this fancy?" Cobalt murmured aloud, looking around.

Despite his mother's fame as an actress, she always held firm to the beliefs of living simply. Whenever the Trayers went swimming, in was in either the Brimstone cove or the lake in Phrodival. It was going to be a first experience for him, swimming in water that wasn't full of weeds and small fish.

Glancing over at Jelli, he noticed that her brief bravado had quickly dissipated, and that she was now clutching her bag to her chest, shivering like a leaf in the wind.

"M- M- Maybe I shouldn't have come here..." she murmured fearfully, flinching as one of the children brushed past her tail.

Frowning at the errant younglings, Cobalt pulled the Glutton closer, much to her alarm.

"It'll be fine. Didn't you say you've already had the time booked?" he responded, looking down upon her very red face.

"O- Oh, ja. I- I did, didn't I?"

Noting the nervous look in her eyes as the receptionist waved them over, Cobalt gave Jelli a reassuring pat.

"Do you want me to do the talking?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Her own eyes widened for a second before she turned away and nodded sheepishly.

Taking a deep breath, Cobalt stepped up to the Succubus woman behind the front desk, who was disinterestedly chewing gum as she tapped at her keyboard with one hand, her other occupied with scrolling through her phone.

"Welcome to the Brimstone Baths, can I interest you in a gym membership? New signups get half off for six months," she recited, sounding as though she had said it a thousand times before.

"No thank you, miss. I believe there's a prepaid booking for the swimming pool under the name Pharmine?"

"Lemme check... Yeah, here we are. Could I just get your na-"

The bubblegum burst as soon as she looked at Cobalt. For a few moments, she stared at the Incubus before she slowly tracked her gaze over to the terrified form of Jelli. A grin crept across the receptionist's face as she quirked an eyebrow and typed Cobalt's name into her computer.

"Never mind, I know who you are for a fact, Mr. Trayer!" she laughed.

"S- Sorry?"

"You've been the talk of the town the last couple of months! Say..."

She nodded at the Glutton, who looked as though a light breeze could bowl her over.

"... is that your side piece?" the Succubus asked with a lascivious smile.

Cobalt, however, just scoffed and furrowed his brow.

"Her name is Adeline Pharmine and she is nothing of the sort!" protested the Incubus.

The receptionist just laughed and typed the name in.

"Of course, of course, my lips are sealed! Wouldn't want the wife finding out, eh?"

"What?!"

"Rumour has it that you fucked Parricidio's daughter before leaving her high and dry on your wedding night. Hell of a way to make your mark, man; respect!" cried the receptionist, raising her hand for a high-five.

Cobalt left her hanging.

Turning on his heel, he grabbed Jelli's sleeve and quickly made his way towards the changing rooms, his cheeks burning bright.

"What did she just... um, what was that?" asked the Glutton, glancing back at the front desk.

"N- Nothing, Jelli, just an off-colour joke. Let's go get ready to swim, shall we?"

Pushing through a large set of doors behind the front desk, Cobalt found himself surrounded by a stark change of scenery. All around him was a maze of changing cubicles, wet tile floors and safety signs bolted to similarly tiled walls. Rubber mats helped him keep a grip on the slippery tiles, and yet somehow Jelli still managed to trip into the Incubus. As he held her in place, he crinkled his nose at the sharp sting of chlorine.

"I suppose you can only do so much to fancify public hygiene areas," he remarked over the sound of screaming children and parents.

Jelli nodded shakily and slowly crept back to her feet, clinging to Cobalt's jacket for support.

"There's a lot of people here. How about you take that one there?" he suggested, pointing to the only open cubicle he could currently see.

"A- Are you sure? I d- don't mind waiting..."

"Don't worry about me. I'll go find my own place to change, then we'll meet by the showers; how does that sound?"

Once again Jelli opened her mouth to contest, but noticing the genuine look in her teacher's eyes, she took a deep breath and nodded. She stepped into the cubicle and gave him a little wave before she locked the door.

Hoisting his own bag onto his shoulder, Cobalt began to quickly make his way through the changing area as quickly as the 'No Running' signs would allow him, fluttering his wings as he kept an eye out for an open cubicle. Eventually finding one nestled between the showers and the entrance to the jacuzzies, he slipped inside and locked the door behind him.

As he changed into his swim trunks, the Incubus briefly pondered about the last time he went swimming; that favour for Alison notwithstanding. He remembered splashing about with his family in the cove one summer, having a generally good time before his mother left the quintuplets in charge while she went to buy some more sunscreen, and in the intervening time, Azul somehow managed to accidentally kick a jellyfish. Once Scarlet made a joke about having her kid brother pee on the stings, it took the combined strength of both Violet and Amber to hold Azul back as she desperately made a grab for him. This lasted for quite some time until Viridi deigned to inform them that the urine cure was a myth, and that it would be prudent for them to bring Azul to the hospital.

In retrospect, it wasn't the best tenth birthday, but it had been fun up until that point.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

Just as he fished his goggles out of the bag, Cobalt's train of thought was suddenly derailed by a piercing wail coming from the entrance to the changing rooms. For a split second he thought that someone must have fallen and hurt themselves, only to realise that he recognised the voice.

Jelli!

Grabbing his things, Cobalt bolted out of the cubicle and darted towards the front of the changing rooms, weaving between concerned swimmers as he did so. Sliding to a halt in front of Jelli's cubicle, he worriedly hammered on the door.

"Jelli! Are you alright?!" the Incubus gasped breathlessly.

"Nei- um... I- I'm fine...! P- Please just, um... d- don't...!"

"Jelli?! What happened?!"

"J- Just come in and don't look!"

He heard the lock click open. Gritting his teeth, the Incubus clamped his hand over his eyes and slipped into the cramped cubicle, fumbling with the lock as he shut the door behind him. It was much smaller inside that he had anticipated; he could feel the Glutton's panicked breathing on his bare skin.

"Are you okay? Can I uncover my eyes?"

He heard no reply, just shocked gasps and stifled sobs. Though he felt it was wrong to do so, his concern for his student briefly overpowered his promise to her, causing him to open his eyes.

Jell was sitting on the bench of the cubicle, tears streaking her face as she stared open-mouthed at her shirtless teacher. She herself was wearing a long-sleeved swimming costume, but it was plain to see that she was unable to reach the zipper at the very back. Snapping herself out of her reverie with a congested sniffle, the Glutton peered up at Cobalt with big, quivering eyes.

"I- I can't get it on... I- I- I'm too fat, a- and everyone's gonna laugh at me, a- and I look stupid, and ich bin so h- häßlich, und... und...!"

Taking a deep breath, Cobalt reached forward and gently held her shoulders, patiently waiting until the worst of the tears subsided. Once the sobbing stopped, he wiped the tears from her eyes and gave Jelli a little smile.

"Just relax, okay? I'll help you," he said simply, gesturing for the Glutton to turn around.

Rubbing her reddened eyes, Jelli shuffled around on the bench, exposing her back to the Incubus. Taking care not to touch her bare skin, Cobalt grasped the zipper firmly and pulled it all the way up. He let it go with a little snap, coaxing a yelp from her.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to!"

"N- No, no... I- It's okay. Th- Thank you, sir... sorry..."

Turning back around, the Glutton slumped forward in her seat, looking very deflated.

"What's the matter?" asked Cobalt, getting down onto his knees in order to meet her eye level.

The tears began to flow once more as she suddenly reached forward and wrapped her arms tight around his neck, clinging to him for all dear life.

"H- Hey, what's wrong?" he stammered softly as he gently put his arm around her shoulder.

"I... I... I've never been swimming before! I'm a Glutton and I can't swim!" she wailed, suddenly grabbing her teacher and bawling into his shoulder.

He awkwardly reached over and patted her back.

"Hey, hey, come on. That's nothing to be ashamed of. You'll learn."

She squeezed him tighter.

"No! No I won't! I can't even get a swimsuit on! I- I'm useless!"

Cobalt sighed and rubbed the girl's back sympathetically.

"Look, I'll teach you, alright? I can go grab any floatation devices you may need, then we'll head out to the pool. Jelli, if you ever need help, there's absolutely nothing stopping you from asking me, alright?" he whispered, smiling.

She sniffled and looked up.

"Y- You sure...?" asked Jelli in a quiet voice.

"Of course! Now come on, give me a smile; we're supposed to be having fun, aren't we?"

Despite her very wet face, the corner of her mouth tugged upwards, Cobalt smiled in response and slung his student's bag over his shoulder, before he unlocked the door and gestured for her to step out. A number of onlookers were gawking at them, but he managed to shoo them away before Jelli grew too self-conscious to keep going. After finding a locker in which to stow their bags, the two demons briefly stepped beneath a shower before they finally stepped into the pool proper.

-----

The Brimstone Baths consisted of three main swimming pools, each suited for a different purpose. The smallest and shallowest was reserved almost exclusively for very small children, where babies and toddlers were given the opportunity to splash around under the supervision of matronly Succubi lifeguards, which made sense, considering Lust demons were incredibly maternal and fiercely protective of both their own and others' children. The second pool was the longest, and played host to people swimming laps, as well as swimming lessons for older children and teens, headed by surlier-looking lifeguards. The largest and final pool was set aside for the rest of the swimmers, and was currently where Cobalt was trying to convince his petrified student to get in.

Wherever he looked, Cobalt could see demons laughing and yelling as they splashed about in the pool. Several Nymphs were racing each other in one of the lanes while the water around an Oni father slowly began to bubble as he grew more furious at his rambunctious son.

He winced as the grip on his arm tightened. In sharp contrast, Jelli clung to him like a nervous child, gazing at the sight before her with wide, terrified eyes.

"Don't worry, it's my first time here too," he said, looking down at the Glutton by his side.

She just whimpered and clung ever tighter. Sighing, he led her over to the ladder. Sliding into the cool waters, he looked up to see Jelli nervously teetering on the edge.

"Come on Jelli, it's not deep, see?" said Cobalt, pointing to the rather shallow water.

She nodded at him, but her gaze quickly came to rest on the Incubus' swimming trunks. Her knees began to shake as her face reddened. Before she could right herself, the Glutton suddenly screamed and toppled forward into the water, right on top of her teacher. She screeched and grabbed on to him as he struggled to return to the surface.

"Jelli! Calm down!" cried Cobalt, once he finally got his head above the water.

"No! No! I'll drown! S- Save me! I don't w- wanna die yet!" she screamed, wrapping her legs around Cobalt's waist.

He frowned as several people stopped what they were doing to gawk at the pair. This was exactly the kind of attention he was trying to avoid...!

"What are they doing? This is a family pool!"

"As expected of an Incubus..."

"Kids these days..."

Cobalt sighed and gently grabbed her cheek. Turning her face to his, he gazed deep into her eyes. Wiping the water away, he then carefully manoeuvred her goggles over them.

"Jelli, as long as I'm here, I won't let you drown. Just hold my hand and you'll be fine."

She gasped sharply as her blush intensified.

"Y- Y- Your hand?! B- But isn't that only something-?! B- But I'm not your-?! Why would you even want to- wha?!" breathed Jelli, causing a few bystanders to snicker.

"Well, if you don't want to, then you can just-"

"I- I'LL HOLD IT!" she cried as she violently grabbed his hand.

It took a while, but finally, Cobalt was ready to begin teaching her how to swim. Holding the Glutton's hands, he began to slowly walk backwards as she kicked her legs. Her tail flailed uselessly about, but with a few words of encouragement, he managed to convince her to use it as a rudder of sorts. For a good twenty minutes, the Incubus circled the shallow end of the pool, watching as Jelli slowly grew more and more confident in her ability to propel herself through the water. Right as his thoughts began to wander, however, he heard her clear her throat.

"C- Cobalt? Can I tell you something?" asked Jelli quietly.

"Of course," he replied, glancing behind him to make sure that he wouldn't bump into anyone.

"B- Back when we lived in Germany, my Brud- friend used to try to teach me how to swim," she admitted, glancing down at the bottom of the pool.

The Incubus nodded and swished the water with his own tail.

"Good, keep kicking your legs. I take it he didn't succeed?"

She shook her head as he slowly turned her around for another length.

"N- No... he moved to England when our mothers married and... a- and..."

Suddenly, Jelli began to cry. Cobalt eyes widened as he rushed over to hug the Glutton, pulling her goggles away before they steamed up. Her tears flowed down his back, trickling into the pool and mixing with the water.

"Hey, hey, come on now. There's no need to cry."

"I haven't heard from him in years, Cobalt! He just ran away! A- And I don't know where he's gone!" she wailed.

The Incubus ground his teeth as he looked around at the other swimmers. They were whispering and staring, pointing and snickering. Damn it, this was the last thing he wanted to happen...!

"Jelli, please, people are staring," he warned, guiding her to the edge of the pool in an effort to extricate her from the situation.

"He left us... He could be hurt... He could be dead... no... no..."

Jelli's grip loosened as she began to float away. He reached out to pull her back, and that's when he heard it.

She was rapidly muttering under her breath. Incantations of all sorts were let loose from her lips as she began to hyperventilate. Demons were known to occasionally have magical outbursts, but these outbursts were intensified by feelings of fear and panic. To be worrying about this mysterious man whilst surround by water... Jelli must have been terrified.

"M- Menidutitrof ihim ad...! A- Auqa...! O- OUTCULFREP~!"

He realized this as the water around his student began to bubble and glow green. Swimmers murmured and backed away at the sight while a few of the lifeguards got out of their chairs. Cobalt opened his mouth to say something, but at that very moment, the water around him exploded. It filled his eyes, his ears, his nose. Bubbles obscured his vision, but through the din of rushing water, he could hear people screaming for help.

It was the last thing he heard few he was slammed against a wall, cracking his head against the tiles and knocking Cobalt unconscious.