Chapter 4.1: Sorceresses & Witches

An hour later, two apprentices came to bring her to the bath house. They placed her in a wheelchair, with a pillow behind her back and a thick blanket over her legs to add extra comfort. When she asked about it they explained her aunt had bought it to help her travel easier. Their wheelchairs were too big for someone her size, so Lucille demanded a brand-new one. Elaine was grateful for the chair as the walk to the bathhouse was long and tedious. They had to move on various stairways and hills that she wouldn’t have been able to hobble over.

Thankfully, the bathhouse had a ramp that led to its entrance. The teenager could smell the thick scent of shampoo and bar soap when they entered. Unlike a sauna, the bathhouse was exactly what it advertised. A long hallway connected four rooms separated by sex and age. The room for young girls was in the back, with beautifully painted red peonies on its door. With her jaw dropped, Elaine struggled not to stare at the inside as one of the apprentices opened the door.

The walls were made of bamboo woven together, with their floor being made of cool white and baby blue tiles. The entire right side of the broom was occupied by shelves and cabinets. There were soaps, loofahs, sapors, body butter, and scrubs, as well as what she assumed were primitive bath bombs. Towels with beautifully stitched threads on each of their ends sat folded in a neat pile. Each product was organized by color as the apprentice, not in charge of her chair picked a few to use. Honestly, Elaine was stunned by the amount the clinic owned just for one room. It had to have cost them hundreds of dollars to supply.

The other apprentice, a woman with rose gold curls and a nervous smile, removed the blanket. Both of the women sent with her looked incredibly young. The two of them couldn't be more than twenty-five years old. She wondered if Lucille had anything to do with it as they treated her like a doll. The entire walk both complimented her appearance saying she had glass skin and cute dimples. Because she was treated like a pest by the other apprentices, Elaine felt overwhelmed by this.

“Rebbecca, are you okay with a bath? Or would you like a shower?” She asked, carefully untying the teenager's shoes. To avoid touching the healing leg, she kept her distance from it.

Elaine hummed, unsure of what to say. A shower sounded nice and it would allow her some privacy. But she knew showers in this world were very different from those in her world. When Lucille let her take one, the water that came down was from the rain. A box outside the house would collect the water and it would be cleaned before being deposited onto her body. Every drop would be used and eventually, reused in the water cycle. This world recycled everything it could to preserve nature at its best version of itself.

She looked at the shower in the room. It was big enough for two people to stand in, with one-quarter being a bench to sit on. With only a small square serving as a window, a wooden door locked its occupant inside. Seeing this, she shook her head and looked away. No, a bath sounded much better right now. The teenager looked at the large pool of water next to the shower. There were built-in seats made of marble next to openings where water slowly poured in. It looked comfortable enough for her leg not to hurt too much.

"Rebecca?" The apprentice looked worried at her silence. Both women had started to get down a pair of towels to use.

Elaine left her thoughts and gave her a hesitant smile. "Bath…please." Her voice still was hoarse as she spat out the words and sniffled.

The rose gold-haired woman blushed and muttered about how cute her voice was. She bent down to pick the girl up with both of her arms. The other apprentice who wore black glasses ran the bath water. She kept smiling as the water warmed up, adjusting her black hair.

It seemed like the two were more open with their feelings compared to the older apprentices. As the women undressed her, both of them asked if she was alright. By the time they finished the bathtub was filled halfway with lukewarm water. In all her life, Elaine had never seen water so clear. When the black-haired apprentice poured in body wash she could see it splash in full. Macha green soap swirls and bubbles as it stops filling the tub itself. She put a hand under the water and felt it drip down as she pulled it back up. It felt wonderful, being the perfect temperature for her bath.

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The woman moved slowly as they carefully lowered her in. The water reached up to her neck by the time they stopped. The two got to work on their individual tasks. One apprentice sat behind her, while the other was at her side. She felt her hair being combed through as the light green bubbles tickled her nose. By using the wooden teeth, tangles were undone and knots were worked out. While this happened the apprentice at her side began to massage her body. Elaine found herself blinking a few times, the motions making her feel sleepy. She yawned a bit and closed her eyes as soap was added to her hair.

The soap was rubbed in with the help of water being poured onto it from a small bucket. The water felt cold as the blonde apprentice wiped any water away from her eyes. She let out a sigh, feeling relaxed from the feeling of the woman’s hands scrubbing and untangling. Eventually, she began to fall in and out of sleep. The woman made sure to keep her body upright as she nodded off. Her body was washed clean of sweat as the two women talked to each other. Their voices were low to keep from waking her up and melted into the background noise of the room.

"I don't know what the others were talking about. She's so well-behaved." The voice she recognized as the blonde whispered.

"She's still the child of a sorceress, Agatha." The other woman said, sounding like she had told the blonde this countless times.

"I know, I know. But look at her, she's so cute." A hand moved to pinch one of her cheeks to empathize with her appearance.

A sigh left the black-haired apprentice. "And her mother is beautiful but we both know what their kind does." Elaine heard her stand up, carrying the bottles of soap they used.

The teenager struggled not to ask what they meant by 'their kind'. From what she had seen, witches weren’t rare in this world. The woman who ran the clinic and employed them was one herself. She found it difficult to believe that witches were discriminated against when they were loyal to one. But maybe there were categories of witches she didn't know of. Like a comic where dark magic users are treated the opposite of how light magic users were.

"Not all sorceresses are bad. Mistress is one and she's opened up her home to us," Agatha argued as she used a towel to dry off Elaine's hair. "She gave us all a stable income when no one else would in this town."

"It doesn't matter, Aggie."

"What the hell are you talking about? Mistress is a wonderful wom–"

A bottle fell on the ground and the black-haired woman yelled. "She allowed that wench to come here! Anyone who allows a demon conspirator, a common whore in these walls, is just as bad."

"She walked right in demanding we forget all our other duties to care for her child. Mistress let that woman treat us like dirt for a month's worth of gold. And instead of caring for the sick, we're forced to act like maids for a whore's child."

Agatha stopped drying her hair to argue back, her voice rising as she spoke. "She's a mother, Clarissa. I'd think you of all people would understand what she's feeling." The disappointment in her tone was evident as the room became silent.

It was a lot to take in. The knowledge that sorceresses were so hated didn't matter. What did matter was the way they spoke about Lucille. It pissed her off hearing the way her existence disgusted them. The black-haired woman had called her a whore. She spoke of the woman like she was diseased. She knew they said worse in private. Inside Elaine felt her emotions bubble over as she grits her teeth. Their kindness had been a ruse all because they thought she was a kid.

'My leg's fucked and these people only care about money.' If she wasn't pretending she was sleeping Elaine would've let out a hollow laugh.

Her blood made her something else, someone who was judged without knowing her history. They acted like Lucille hoping for her to be healthy was a crime. Elaine thought back to the auburn-haired woman with pain. If what they said was true, she'd have expected the venom spat at her. Elaine felt like garbage knowing she had forced this from her stupid fall. The kind woman who raised and cared for her had taken the pain gracefully. The only thing that brought her comfort was that the apprentices were unaware of her relation to their Mistress. No, they just assumed the brunette had been swayed by money and not love.

Sitting in the warm water, the teenager found herself burning with rage. During the entire stay, she worked so hard to behave. She felt so guilty for Lucille lashing out she had held her emotions inward. She had assumed the apprentices didn't like her because of that. So she played nice, she listened and apologized. And what that earned her was being ignored, neglected, and lied to. Every compliment they gave her must've been a snide insult she was unable to catch. Any gratitude she felt for the apprentices was gone. Elaine felt hollow as she opened her eyes and looked over at Agatha.

"Thank you," She strained to speak in the childish voice gifted to her. Her hand moved to touch the older woman's as she smiled. "Miss Agatha."