“Hot spring time!” Brook called, again dressed in nothing more than a robe and nothing else; after all, she was going to a public bath, to bring a bathing suit would be an insult. The sun had set and the beautiful starry night sky of Xiva hung over their heads.
“Brook!” Gentaro said, blushing, trying not to stare at her. He wasn’t really a prude, no, but he definitely was weak around women.
“What?” She said, “We’re going to a public bath?” She chuckled, “…Or are you embarrased that I have a bigger schlong than you?” She said, getting a kick out of teasing him just as she did with Ethan years ago and from time to time, to this day.
“Sch- What?” He stuttered out, not quite familiar with certain slang that wasn’t in his own language. The term ended up making him more confused than embarrassed.
“Dick! I’m talking about dicks!” Brook said, explaining herself.
She had obviously been drinking for a bit, after they met with Tao. Now they were going over to the hot spring. Gentaro, of course, had to act as the babysitter for this adult woman who he was actually younger than. “Come on, let’s not disturb anyone!” He said. What was he talking about? There was nothing but Primal staff here.
Before long, the two arrived at the hot spring, a glorified jacuzzi, with the added bonus of nudity. A small pool with plenty of space, right now it was just the two of them here for now, but they knew that wouldn’t last; from idle chatter, everyone planned to pay it a visit tonight.
“You seem to be in good spirits.” Gentaro said, “You seemed so cranky earlier. What’s gotten into you?”
“Well, for what’s gotten into me, for one, alcohol.” She gigged, stripping down, now fully naked, dick out. “But, uh, that Audwin guy, you know? He said yes! He said yes to the fight!”
“He did?!” He said, being the last one to hear about this, despite being the fight who was representing Brook. “That’s amazing!”
“In other words, Gen.” She said, “You got to do some preparation, cause the fight is tomorrow. So I guess relax for now and forget about today until tomorrow, as my dad always says.” She said, dipping into the water and floating on her back, over to the edge of the hot spring. It was a bit bigger than your average jacuzzi and a bit smaller than a swimming pool. “Aaaaah… Did they put something in here that relaxes your muscles or something? I’m feeling like I could run a marathon already.” She sank deeper, all the way down to her snout, closing her eyes.
“Uh, probably not.” He said, scratching his head, stripping down now; The white rabbit was now fully naked, feeling bashful as usual. He would then feel a lot less embarrassed once he was below the water. “I think it’s just hot water. Which, I mean, hot water is known to increase mood and relax the muscles, so I’ve been told.”
“Really?” She laughed, rising back up and moving to a place where she was comfortable, “You really sound like Ethan sometimes! You’re smart like that!”
“Me?” He asked, moving closer to Brook, not quite as embarrassed. “I’m just stating some obvious facts. Not too smart.”
“I’ve been shitfaced long enough that I know how to control myself when I’m… Uh, shitfaced.” She said in her drunken stupor. “But still, you are pretty neat to have around,” She said, smiling with her teeth. “I don’t just say that because of the alcohol, I really mean that my time with you here has been an absolute blast! Even with all the shit going on and all the bad stuff I’ve heard. Ethan would love to meet you.”
“You say that, but I’m not too sure myself.” He said, settling down. “Again, I’m just glad to have you back in a good mood. One of us has got to be.”
Before their conversation could continue, a third person walked into the area. He was immediately discernible by his old appearance. Tao! The old markhor waved to the pair, still dressed in his black robe, before sitting down at the edge of the spring, not going in. “Having fun you too? Two young ones lounging in the spring, I expected you to start fucking, as young adults do.”
“You’re hilarious,” Brook sarcastically remarked, looking over to Gentaro. “I’d love that, but he isn’t my type.”
“Same, I like Brook but I’m not into her.” Gentaro, on the other hand, was reasonably flustered. “Seriously.”
“Your type is men, isn’t it, rabbit. Not that there is anything wrong with that.” Tao said, with a laugh, lighting his pipe, puffing on it for a moment. “Ah, but it doesn’t matter. Sex is disallowed in his spring anyways.”
“Anyone else coming?” Brook asked.
“Those two snow leopards will be here soon.” Tao said, “As will the guest of the hour. Patrick Taxis… The man that you two want to fight. You do know that you have til the day after tomorrow to fight him, yes?”
“We’re well aware,” Gentaro nodded. “We have everything set up, actually. Scheduled even. I think…” He said looking over to Brook.
“Yes, yes, Audwin scheduled it 24 hours from now.”
“You talked with him? Lucky you.” Tao puffed on his pipe.
“I didn’t actually talk with him.” Brook said, “A rep of talked to me here, told me the time, and that was that.”
“Sounds like him.” Tao nodded, “Are you certain you have the strength-”
“Enough!” Brook interrupted Tao, “Enough, I came here to relax, alright. I want to just soak for a while and worry about that whole thing tomorrow.” It was what she was saying all day, about wanting to relax and never getting the ability to. She scowled at him, before her expression shifted to a friendly smile. “Please?”
Tao raised a brow, initially annoyed, yet he had to commend the girl’s bravery in being able to talk back to him. “Ah, very well. Why not? A warrior needs their respite.” He thought on all the times he’d bond and chat with Rakkan. The only fighter who could ever best him in a fight. Both his rival and his former lover.
“Well said!” A fourth voice said. Walking through the door, entering into the small hot spring. It was the aforementioned snow leopard. The comparatively small big brother of the pair, Gem. “You having fun there, teasing these two, Tao?”
“Just roughed the rabbit up, that’s all.” Tao said, recalling the brief scuffle he had with Gentaro. Gentaro didn’t find it as funny as Tao.
Following behind Gem, of course, was his little sister, Opal. She dressed only in a towel. None of the robes fit her enormous body. Despite being naked, she still wore her mask. “Hi everyone!” She cheered, waving to the crowd. “Looks like it’s a full crowd today.”
“That tends to happen when you have mixed gender bathes.” Gem said, settling down in the hot spring, right across from Gentaro and Brook. “With you two being alone, I expected you two to start fucking. That is against the rules though.”
“That’s exactly what I said!” Tao laughed, doing a finger gun motion to Gem, who did finger guns back.
“You two seriously aren’t fucking?” He said, looking at Brook and Gentaro.
“Of course not!” Gentaro said, fully blushing.
“I don’t have sex with people I’ve just met!” Brook said, blushing as well. Even under alcohol, she was able to prevent such impromptu flings. “Will you guys drop it?”
“Okay, calm down, sheesh,” Gem shrugged, smirking. “Just joking around as one does.”
Soon, his sister stripped down, and got in the water as well. Everyone could’ve sworn that the water level raised from her getting in. Damn, she was muscular, that much was obvious even with clothes, but it had to be said again and again.
In this moment, these 5 people went silent, simply bathing and relaxing, letting the stress of a long day ease away. Finally, the spa was allowed to do what it was intended to do. Brook sank down into the water, back down to snout level, while Gentaro kept his arms above water, right next to Brook. Gem and Opal as well, stayed next to one another; Brook and Gentaro hoped that Opal wasn’t too uncomfortable, wearing her mask in an environment with a lot of hot water. Tao, meanwhile, stayed at the edge of the water, smoking his pipe, munching on what looked mochi.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“So,” Gem said, looking over at Brook, “I’m curious. How did someone like you become a Handler? I’m trying to wrap my head around this but I just can’t. What’s up? Are you the daughter of some big famous Handler?”
“Nope,” Brook said, rising up, “Me and my friend just got roped into this whole thing. We found a guy passed out on the street. He was a good fighter. Primal invited him. Initially it was only Ethan, that’s my friend, becoming a Handler, but later I became one, just recently. By ‘just recently’ I mean just a yesterday.”
“Yesterday?!” Gem laughed. “So you are really that new?”
“That explains a lot.” Tao added.
“I kind of already knew.” Gentaro added as well.
“Hey, I kinda jumped into the situation on a whim! Plus, you guys are acting like I’m new to Primal, I’ve known about it for a long while at this point.”
“How many fights have you seen,” Gem asked, “I’m not insulting you, I’m just curious. I’ve seen hundreds of fights in my life, keep in mind.”
“Uh, if you count fights that were official, just two.” She hummed, “But I’ve seen a whole lot of fights over my life, not just from Primal. Are you turning ‘how many fights you’ve seen’ into a dick waving contest?”
“I just might… But alright, got it,” Gem nodded.
“What about you? My turn to ask questions.” Brook asked Gem. “How did you and your big sister get into the scene?”
Before Gem could speak, Opal spoke up, putting her arm around Gem, holding him close, practically burying his face in her chest. “I’m his little sister actually! By about 5 years!” She let go of Gem, he gasped for breath. He should be use to her rough handling him by now. Every time they hugged, it felt like his spine was breaking. “But I was always wanting to get into wrestling, since I was a little baby girl. So I trained and trained and trained, then I got really big, thanks to training since I was in elementary school and a steady diet! Then I became a wrestler. Gem was more about the business side of things, so he became the guy who hosted my fights. We became famous in no time and then Primal invited us. It’s been a lot of fun!”
“Cute,” Brook nodded, still enthralled by Opal.
Gentaro looked around, noticing that people were looking over at him expectantly. “Uh… Guess it’s my turn. I’m just an ordinary guy. I became a vigilante because I got tired of all the terrible people in my neighborhood.” He rubbed his chin, “I went after street punks, but learned that that was no way to go about things; blind vigilantism is only going to kill me or kill the ones I love. If I wanted to change my country for the better, I had to go after more dangerous and more influential threats, like Lightning Strike. So just like Opal, I trained and honed my skills, until I am the man I am now.” He rubbed his shoulder, “I still don’t know how to talk with women though.”
“You’re talking with two of them right now!” Opal exclaimed.
“Guess so,” Gentaro nodded.
With Gentaro’s turned passed, everyone looked over to Tao, who was still eating his rice cake. He had the same face he had when he was meditating, zoned out, like he wasn’t even there. But, he spoke up, “I’m no one special.”
Normally, people would pry and ask more about someone’s past, ‘I’m no one special’ wasn’t much of an excuse. Everyone else shared theirs, after all. But, in this case, everyone was still too nervous around Tao, that they decided to leave it at that.
“I’ve been working for Ceiling Unlimited since I was a teen.” Another called, walking into the hot spring. Wrapped in a towel, standing at about 7 feet tall, possibly taller than Opal, was a muscular brown bear. “I owe the company my life. It brought economic stability and jobs back to my home town of Buick Six, my family likely would’ve been homeless if it wasn’t for them. So, through pure muscle training and working the factory floor, I grew really strong. Strong enough to fight and go paw to paw with martial artists and wrestlers like the lot of you.” The bear grinned, looking specifically at Gentaro. “So, rabbit, you’re my opponent tomorrow?”
“That’d be me, yes.” He nodded, watching the bear remove his towel and get into the water. “You’re Patrick, I take it?”
“That’d be me, yes.” Patrick nodded, “I feel we’re off to a rocky start. You hate Ceiling Unlimited, I like them. But, as far as I’m concerned, this is just another fight. One I can’t afford to lose, but I’m trying to be a good sportsman here.”
“I get what you mean,” Gentaro nodded, “Can’t afford to lose it either. This is my home after all. I owe this place my life. That’s where we differ. I owe my life to the people of this island. You owe it to a faceless company.”
“Touche.” Patrick nodded.
“How could you like them though?” Brook said, “Ceiling Unlimited was a weapon’s dealer, they caused a lot of death during the war. Plus their CEO is an asshole.”
“But they saved a lot of lives as well, haven’t they?” Patrick argued, looking over to the hyena. He leaned back, putting his hands behind his head, content to soak in the hot water. “Plus, the CEO’s personality doesn’t matter when you take this into account. How old are you guys?” He said, asking both Gentaro and Brook.
“25.” Brook answered, “Turning 26 next month.”
“23.” Gentaro said.
“So war time babies.” Patrick nodded. “I’m 40. So I grew up during the war. So I have seen what Ceiling Unlimited has done to help people during the war. Offering medical supplies, protection to civilians, and setting up shelters.” He sighed, sounding annoyed, “Guess it doesn’t matter what our thoughts are, as I said. Whether you’re wrong and I’m right, or vice versa, will be decided tomorrow with our fists. But it won’t change either of our opinions, ain’t that the truth?”
“Guess so.” Gentaro nodded. He’d do it, he didn’t care how much good the company had done or how many jobs that it gave people. What they were doing here, exploiting the beautiful land of this island, the small companies and livelihoods of those who live here, that was evil.
A momentary silence went over the group, everyone soaking and relaxing, or trying to relax. Even the most hardened or warriors needed some time to unwind and forget about today until tomorrow. That was until a seventh and final voice chimed in. The sphynx cat known as Iz. “So exciting! There’s actually gonna be a fight here? I didn’t think you’d do it!” She said, right behind Brook and Gentaro, already naked; more naked than usual, her nudity was even more apparent due to her lack of fur.
Brook jumped in shock, everyone else in the hot spring all looked over to the furless cat in surprise. When did she get here? The only one not shocked was Tao, who just gave Iz a wave. As someone always on guard, it was impossible for someone to sneak up on him.
Iz stood there, arms crossed, legs at shoulder width, a proud smile on her face. “You guys are so proactive, even managing to get an old sponge like Tao to come out and socialize. Didn’t expect that from a newbie like you or you.” She said, holding her hand in a peace sign and pointing it towards Brook and Gentaro, “My heart races every time there is gonna be a fight and this is no different.” With unmatched gracefulness, she lowered herself into the water between Brook and Gentaro. Her thin body allowed herself to squeeze between the two without a problem.
“What’s your story?” Gentaro asked.
“My story?” She asked back.
“We were sharing how we got into the company,” Opal explained from across the hot spring. “How’d you get into it? Aren’t you, like, a champion of a previous tournament?”
“That I am, darling.” She nodded, “But I’m nothing special. “Believe it or not, I’m way older than I look. The ripe age of 52.”
“52?!” Patrick exclaimed. He thought he was the second oldest here, behind Tao.
“You don’t look a day above 20.” Gem laughed. Truthfully, it was hard to tell how old she was. Sphynx cats were naturally wrinkly, even the children.
“My skin care treatments and yoga exercises do wonders for my body,” She said, taking some of the water from the hot spring, cupping her hand, and splashing it onto the side of her face. “You should try some, Tao.” She glanced at the Markhor.
“Hilarious.” He nodded, “Even after all these years, you’re still a sardonic brat.”
“…And you’re still an arrogant man who looks like he’s homeless.” She retorted, before looking at the others. “Don’t worry about him. We’re childhood friends, we’re allowed to be jerks to one another.”
“I’m still 10 years your senior.” Tao argued again.
“So, your story?” Brook asked again.
“Told you,” Iz explained, “I’m no one special. Just an old lady who wants to keep on fighting til she days. I had a job at a massage parlor and an acupuncturist. As well as a job at a bathhouse… One of those bathhouses, mind you. A soapland, is what it’s called in Xiva.”
“Oh my,” Gentaro said.
“It’s was a good time, actually,” Iz explained. “Sex work is still work, after all. I realized I had the sex drive for it and the establishment provided me with protection and good cash. I quit because, well, no one wants to lie in bed with an old lady like me and I couldn’t be a sex worker and a fighter in Primal at the same time. I went with Primal.”
Gem considered making a comment about how he wouldn’t mind being in bed with an old lady, as long as they all looked as youthful as Iz, but he knew such a comment would get him slapped and scolded.
A high school drop out, a vigilante, a construction worker, a wrestler and her manager, whatever the hell Tao is, and a former sex worker. Primal certainly was full of people from all kinds of backgrounds and careers.
“What about you Brook?” Iz asked.
“What about me? Already gave my story. I just met a guy who was a good fighter and I was kinda dragged into the Handler job.” Brook answered.
“Who cares about that?” Iz laughed, “I’m asking for your story. Your past. What made you who you are. Telling that story is more of Primal’s story, not your story, huh?”
“I see…” Brook nodded, “I mean, I was born shortly before the war… As in just a few days. I was raised in a place that was untouched by the war; at least untouched as in there was no bullets flying. Met my friend Ethan at an orphanage, even though I wasn’t living at the orphanage. That’s about it.” She rubbed\ the back of her head. “I didn’t really have a rough childhood. Except, well, the shit that happened after the war ended. Stuff I can’t really forget about.”
“Tell me, tell me!” Iz said, excited. A good old tragedy? She always loved to hear a good old tragic backstory!
Brook sighed, looking around at everyone.
“You don’t have to tell it if you don’t want to, Brook.” Opal reassured her.
“I think you’re pressuring her, Iz.” Gem followed up, amused.
“No, it’s fine.” Brook said, “Someone get me a drink, I think after I get a bit more alcohol in my system, I’ll be content to share this. Already shared it with someone beside my best friend, what’s the harm in sharing it with a few more people.” After all, this whole Primal thing was an opportunity to grow as a person, that’s what Ethan wanted. She too had to grow stronger. “Most of my life was fine. Nothing fancy. I met my best friend Ethan when he was ten and I was seven. The real rough parts of my life happened just 9 years ago, shortly after the war ended…”