Night, in the Chantry bathhouse…

Mirrors are cloaked in steam, the scent of perfumed soap and warm water in the air as Anna and I sit on our wooden stools, washing off a day’s worth of Dungeon crawling and, well... everything else in-between. Yeah!

It’s an unwritten tradition for Healers and Paladins who successfully brave the Cathedral of the First Saint and Saint Alyssa’s three minutes to have the whole bathhouse for themselves. They always come home a little late, after dinner and evening prayers. For that and more, the night is theirs and theirs alone.

Good grief. We spent so much time on the way back home smiling and blushing! Holding hands. Even now, as we sit by each other’s side, she’s got my hand in hers. I don’t think we’ve let go, and if we did… these hands of ours have spent not more than a minute apart! Things are different now, after all. It feels good to be loved. And feeling good’s… good enough.

“You like it?” I tease, eliciting a playful, happy nod from Anna as her fingers run through my hair. “That’s good to know!”

“Yup! It truly is softer than it looks…”

“Heh. I know, right?”

It’s a little hard to wash my hair with only one hand, though! As I said before… these luscious white locks don’t maintain themselves! Unfortunately. However, I’ve got Anna helping out with her (only) free hand, so it’s all good!

“I envy you, Arisa! I wish I had such fancy curls as well…”

“Hey now, yours are pretty nice too! You’ve got a nice, pretty fringe that splits between your eyes. Never seen anything like it! Pretty special, I’ll say!”

“Oh, really now… Arisa!”

I really like this arrangement we’ve got going between us, though! It’s a lot of work keeping my hair the way it is. I’ve had them curly and fancy like this since… I dunno. Forever? My hair’s grown out this way for as long as I can remember. It may or may not be why I won the Student Council election back at St. Elicia’s. I swear, I never hear the end of that one from the guys when we hang out at the rooftop. Bless their hearts.

“It’s true! Don’t be so modest. I love it very much, and that’s what matters!”

“But then, is this all natural? Or is there magic involved? Your hair, I mean!”

“Nope! I wear curlers every night while I sleep! There’s no magic in my world. We do have hairspray, though! But I don’t use that stuff because it makes your hair stiff.”

“I see! Oh! Speaking of your world, umm…”

I smile as I notice the light shades of red on Anna's cheeks. She smells lovely with the scent of lavender and steam, filled with nothing but the best stuff that the Chantry provides. And uh…

Stolen story; please report.

“Oh! Umm… are you…?”

“Oops. Sorry!” I exclaim, grinning myself silly. “Guilty as charged! I was, uh…”

Sweetly, gently, Anna uses both of her hands, slowly easing mine towards her breasts. They’re soft on my palms yet hold firm against my touch… even while I squeeze them gently. It’s… uh… well, I did say before that I’ve got myself a healthy body to be proud of, but right now… I’m feeling very, very jealous! Or not! I’m… happy.

“You don’t mind?” I ask sheepishly as Anna smiles demurely at me, her face flushed with red. “Uh…”

“It’s okay. Because, umm… you know… we’re… umm…”

“We are, Anna. I love you.”

I take my hands off her breasts and quickly lean in, pecking her on her cheek. It burns scarlet on the very spot where my lips had done their good work, a shade redder than the red already in her face from all that… intimacy. Soon enough, that colour spreads to the rest of her face as she places her hands on her cheeks. It’s all very endearing, I’ll admit.

“Oh! Arisa… I love you too.”

“Heh! That’s all from me!” I answer cheerfully. “Anyway… you had something to ask, Anna? I think it was about my world, right?”

“Umm… well…”

Quietly, with the warmest of smiles, I wait for her to regain her composure. She’s cute when she sits stiff and upright, taking small, quick breaths to calm herself down. Just a little!

“Umm… what’s it like in your world?” Anna asks, her eyes wide with wonder. “I’ve been meaning to ask for some time, and umm… I don’t think I know anything at all about where you’re from!”

“Hmm…”

I cup my chin thoughtfully while Anna watches on with twinkles of wonderment in her eyes. I think I had this conversation with her in the previous timeline. Not here, though! We were out on the long road, camping out under the stars.

“It’s a lot like Nisha. We’ve got bad people doing awful things. But there’s also lots of good folks doing lots of good!” I answer, flashing a smile. “It’s a world worth fighting for!”

“In that way, our worlds have similarities, right?” Anna asks in turn. “Umm… on principle, anyway. Distant, yet in so many ways… not so far apart!”

“Yup!”

“But you said that there’s no magic? Only… hairspray?”

“Yeah. There aren’t any monsters or dungeons, either. At least, not the kind we’re used to around here.”

“Huh? If that’s the case, what do your world’s Adventurers do?”

“Well, adventuring ain’t really a thing for most people in my world…” I answer thoughtfully, cupping my chin some more. “There are explorers who embark on expeditions to document the places of the world, but for most of us… we just stay close to home!”

“Oh? Why is that?”

“Most of us go to school or work a job. Day in, day out. When we’re done for the day, some of us spend time with friends or indulge in our hobbies. That’s enough adventure for us! Kinda. Some don’t even get that luxury.”

“Why not?”

“They can’t afford to. Life’s hard for some.”

“I see…” Anna remarks sadly. “But if you said no dungeons, no monsters, no magic…”

She flashes a sweet, gentle smile.

“It must be a nice and peaceful place to live in, right?”

“Like I said, it’s a world worth fighting for!”

“If the chance ever arises…” Anna adds sweetly. “Umm… I’d like to visit! I mean… if it’s possible for you to be summoned to our world from yours, then maybe… the reverse might also be possible, right?”

“I don’t see why not! And if that day ever happens…” I say, placing my hand on my heart as I sit on my little wooden stool. “I’ll take you around town, and we’ll see all the nice places, eat all the good food… see all the nice and pretty things… and we’ll have tons of fun together!”

“Is that a promise, Arisa!?” Anna exclaims, her eyes lighting up with excitement. “I’d love that very much! Thank you!”

“Don’t thank me, silly! The pleasure’s all mine.”

“Oh, Arisa…”

Smiling reverently, Anna dips her hands into her pail of warm water, reaching for my hair once more, washing it slowly, gently… doing it better than I ever could for myself.