I go down like a sack of potatoes. That isn't the worst way to go down. Keeling over is potentially way worse. Thankfully I don't hit any stones either. Instead I land in the soft grass, or rather the moss which grows in thick pads this close to the house. Still, all conscious thought flees my mind for a moment or maybe even a little longer.

I'm not sure how long I'm in that dazed state, but by the time I manage to regain some focus Agnieszka has put on a nightshirt of her own. Her elf paramour seems to be gone as well. Just as well.

She slaps my cheeks lightly as she helps me get back up.

“Oh my! I'm so sorry about that, dear.”

She guides me over to the wooden bench next to the backdoor where she sits me back down. She gets the bundle I dropped as well and puts it into my lap, as she seats herself next to me.

I'm still at a loss for words, thus she keeps doing all the talking.

“I'm so sorry. I completely forgot … I just didn't expect you to come around this early … I'm …”

She seems to be at a loss for words as well and just shrugs in the end.

“Sorry.”

I finally manage a response.

“Don't be.”

I shake my head, wring my hands and smile sheepishly.

“I really should have turned around and come back a little later.”

I blush like crazy once again. I really should have turned around. It isn't like I was completely clueless.

“Still, that wasn't something I was expecting.”

She laughs and slaps me on the back.

“Dear, I may not be as young as you anymore, but I'm widowed, not dead. It's not like it is all that uncommon around here either. Never mind though. Come on, lets head to the bathhouse instead!”

Before I can protest, or say anything at all for that matter, she gets up and pulls me to my feet as well. I quickly grab my things, only realizing now that she has hers with her as well already, before she pulls me away, towards a little dirt path along the creek.

We follow that path for a little while. It leads past a few other houses towards one of the small groves along the creek's shore. Even from afar I can spot the barely hidden building within it.

It really isn't like the thermal baths in the city at all. Half timbered walls that are only about shoulder height with ample open space above and a steep, thatched roof on top. It really is nothing like in the city. It matches the rest of the village though.

As we approach it another woman catches up with us. I know her in passing. She is a little shorter than me and has flaxen hair. She is from the inn. We haven't had a chance to properly introduce ourselves yet though.

She seems intent to change that as she greets us with a jaunty wave.

“Morning Agnieszka! And a good morning to you as well! You are our new alchemist, Iwona's granddaughter, am I right? I'm Krystina! I run the local branch office of the Adventurer's Guild and help my parents around the inn in general!”

She offers me her hand and I shake it, taken by surprise.

“Right, I'm Valeria, Iwona's granddaughter.”

As we talk we enter the bathhouse. Its interior is about as rustic as the exterior suggests. There is a small basin with running water, possibly fed from the creek, and two much larger basins. The iconography adorning them, as well as the steam rising from one, suggest that one contains cold and the other warm water. Beyond that there are only some wooden stools and buckets as well as some shelves where we can deposit our things.

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Well, whatever, it certainly is still better than washing down by the creek.

Neither Agnieszka nor Krystine slow down at all. They deposit their bundles on the shelf, slip out of their things and start to wash up with water they scoop from the small basin with running water.

I follow swiftly. I focus on washing. At the same time my gaze drifts to my discarded nightshirt though. It sports some green stains now. I'll have to wash it. At the same time it serves to remind me of my general lack of clothes.

Once I'm done washing myself I slip into the warm water together with the other two woman. Oh, what bliss! I slap my cheeks though. I can't let the pleasant feeling of warm water distract me.

“Say, would either of you know where I could get some more clothes around here? I didn't bring all that much when I came here.”

It is the cheerful Krystina who answers first.

“If you don't mind hand-me-downs I could spread the word at the inn. I'm sure someone will have something that will fit.”

At that point Agnieszka chimes in.

“If you aren't in a hurry and have either the fabric or some coin, I can sew you something new as well. You just have to tell me what you need and I'll take some measurements and get going.”

It takes me some serious effort not to stare, considering how the water provides her generous assets with additional lift. Her offer sounds pretty good though.

“Could … could you?”

She nods enthusiastically in reply.

“Sure!”

I sink a little deeper into the water and sigh as some tension leaves my body as at least one of my small problems is solved.

“Mind if I drop by in the evening for those measurements?”

Before she can answer though I recall something else she said earlier.

“And what did you mean earlier? It isn't that uncommon around here?”

One of Krystina's eyebrows rises a little, but she doesn't but in. Her eyes dart from me to the older woman and back though, as she listens in closely.

“Oh, that. Well, plenty of the unmarried woman and some men around here earn a little coin on the side, welcoming strangers to their beds at night.”

Now Krystina laughs out loud.

“Don't tell … oh, don't tell me … bwahaha!”

The older woman promptly grabs her and pulls her under water to shut her up.

As Krystina surfaces again she is still fighting the laughter wracking her body while gasping for breath at the same time. Finally she manages to calm down though.

“Well, never mind. Agnieszka is right though. It isn't uncommon. Plenty of those adventurers aren't exactly hard on the eyes after all and they tend to have money as well. And as long as you aren't married, no one will even bat an eye. The best thing though is, that you don't have to tax this kind of income! You just wear a yellow bandanna with red embroidery to signal that you are available. And if you want to know the appropriate rates to charge your guests you can ask at the temple.”

I'm starting to feel a little faint again. The yellow bandanna with the red embroidery is familiar. I'm pretty sure I have seen something similar in the city. I still have trouble wrapping my mind around the idea, and especially how the two talk about it, though. How can they talk about casual sex with strangers as if it was nothing special at all. Then my eyes widen and I swivel around to face Krystina directly.

“I can't believe it. You too?”

She just shrugs.

“Every once in a while? Whenever I feel like it?”

I'm blushing furiously once more and sink deeper into the water once again while the two share a laugh.

Finally it is time to get out though. We don't want to get wrinkly after all and we don't have time to waste either.

Krystina is the first to leave, just as the sun rises for good and the roosters start waking up the rest of the village.

“If you ever want to post a quest or need help with anything else, drop by the inn!”

With one last cheerful wave she is gone.

Agnieszka pats me on the back and flashes me a smile.

“Come on, let's head home. You have to open your shop as well.”

I nod and return the smile. She is right after all. I still have to take care of those enchantments as well. There is a busy day ahead of me!