"That’s the place," Ria said, pointing to a building that didn't exactly inspire confidence.

"Are you sure it's safe to go in there?"

"Um-hmm, my mom took me and my siblings there a few times."

'Probably when they were short on money - like really, really short on money.'

Nevertheless, struck with guilt for doubting her, I looked back at the dilapidated entrance and the sign above it: [Zuzum's Bathhouse].

"Interesting name," I remarked, unable not to compare the bathhouse to the lavish buildings on the 6th main street we had to cross to get here.

'Only two silvers,' I reminded myself of why I was standing here within sight of the city walls in an obviously poorer part of Castiana with the backpack I had bought just a block back. With the eight silvers and ten coppers I had left after purchasing just one soap, a towel, and a pair of undies - according to the saleswoman, I could do without the "tit wraps," the local bra alternative - a finer place was simply beyond my means.

"It is," the little kitare giggled, then grew serious. "But don't make fun of it. Mr. Zuzum doesn't take it kindly."

Smiling to myself, I nodded in understanding. "And you're okay with waiting for me?"

"Yes, I often play alone."

'Shit!'

"I'll be quick," I blurted out, once again feeling guilty, and strode in before I could change my mind. After receiving the silver coin from the Tender Way representatives, I didn't hesitate so much to waste my little guide's time. Stupid, for sure. The sensible thing would have been to let Ria guide me around the city first, bring her safely back to City Hall, pay for her work, and then take a bath. There were a lot of issues with that, though.

For one, I wasn't sure I'd find this place again.

Then, there was that nasty feeling at the back of my neck. To my annoyance and distress, it didn't, despite my hopes, go away with getting the Tender Way business card; on the contrary, my rather lewd job offer stepped up the interest of whoever was out there watching my tail.

That the smart thing to do would be to report it to the city guards? Sure, if I knew what to actually tell them?

'You see, I have this strange feeling...'

No. They would laugh in my face.

'I needed to take control of my life.'

So, if two pieces of clothing could make me feel human again, being clean might help me gain more confidence and thus discourage anyone from taking a chance on me. Naive maybe, but I had to give it a shot. I just had to.

At the very least, it should rid me of the itching all over my body - and the stench.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Anyway, as stupid a decision as it was, I bought the cheapest version of the bath from the bearer of the funny name Zuzum, the stocky man occupying a large part of the reception area, and followed the instructions to a large room simply marked: [Women: Bath 2]. The place was no more fancy than the rest of the building, just six large wooden tubs in a room with quite a few missing parquet floors and fallen plaster. But despite all that, the room seemed clean and free of mold.

Moreover, I had the place all to myself.

Whatever the reason, be it the state of this bathhouse or just a matter of lucky timing, there was no point in wasting the opportunity by hesitating. And so, choosing the tub farthest from the door, I shed my clothes on the floor and, biting down on my lower lip to prevent unladylike noises escaping my throat, I slipped into the warm water. The bliss seeping through my body was beyond words.

'This… this must be a dream.'

It had to be. There was hardly anything left in my memory to compare it to. Trying to remember, I couldn't even recall what it was like to feel the rain on my skin, let alone drops of warm shower water at home. It was all stolen from me by that deranged asshole, calling himself the Alchemist of Potions.

'Fuck you, fuck you, and that bitch, and that shitty bug!'

If it weren't for them...

"Shit!" I yelled out loud as the hairs on the back of my neck bristled, and a shiver ran through my spine all the way to the tip of my tail, now submerged in the warm water - the water that made me forget that uneasy feeling chasing me around the city, the water that I had almost drowned in, just now.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare the shit out of you," a woman taking the tube next to me said. "You seemed asleep, so..."

'Huh? What? I fell asleep? Shit! Shit, shit, shit! Ria!'

"No, no thank you. I..." I stammered out, coughing up water and stopping short, eyes wide.

"What? You've never seen an avier chick? Or is it these?" the feathered Terr'den woman asked, shamelessly taking her breasts in her hands. "I'm telling you, just an extra weight to fly around with."

"N-no, I was...I was looking at your wings." Absolutely true. Unlike mine, hers grew from the shoulder blades and were at least twice the size. No doubt those wings allowed her to fly through the sky.

"Ah, thanks, I guess. Actually, I was wondering about yours too," she said, stepping brazenly into the water, and spreading her wings behind her as she lay back in the tub. "Can't fly with those, huh?"

"N-no," I murmured and instinctively hid my so far dry wings in the water, only to have the woman laugh heartily at me.

"Don't ruffle your feathers. Most halfs can't fly. But most also hate getting their wings wet. It's really annoying, but," she said, leaning over and peering into my tub. "Judging by the color of the water, something you need to push through. Wings covered in filth can be worse than a bit of water on them."

Unfortunately, she was right on both counts. The more the wings soaked up the water, the more this strange, dull pressure built up within them. And then there was the water itself, which took on a noticeable brown hue, even without me using soap so far.

"Y-yeah."

While I would rather drown in that water than meet the woman's gaze right now, there was no hiding my reason for being here. I didn't come here to impress anyone. Like her, I came to the bathhouse to get rid of the grime - I just had a little more of it on me than her. Thus, without saying another word, I reached for the soap and got to work.

─◇─◇─◇─

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but - is this your first time taking a bath?"

'No, it's not! Why the heck would she think that?'

Nevertheless, I swallowed the bark and instead looked up from Sage I was in the middle of cleaning. "S-sort of. I h-haven't had one in a long, long time. Why?"

"It's just that I've never seen a furry chick be so careless with her ears and the way you're scrubbing the dirt off that tail of yours - well, don't ruffle your feathers, but it looks like you're jerking off in there."

"Wh-what?!" Slowly, dreading what I was gonna see, I looked down between my legs at Sage in my hand and the soap in the other, freezing in utter shame.

'Somebody, please kill me.'