I stood up and circled around her, wiping her back. From there, I cleaned her shoulders, breasts and stomach. Her armpits, arms and hands came after. I massaged her body as I wiped, her sore muscles relaxing. I cleaned her neck as I gave her a juicy kiss.
"That was nice. Thanks." she gave me a shy smile.
Kekeke. Every living creature is weak to care. I laughed in my mind, however, I couldn't hide the anxious beating of my heart.
I finished it up by scooping a bit of the shampoo and getting her hair all foamy.
"Now how the fuck do we rinse?" I said, looking around for a bucket or something like that.
"Here, look." I turned to her.
She grabbed the cold water faucet, the thing glowing and a hose extending it out the wall.
"Ooh!" I applauded. "That's clever."
"It is." she smirked and turned the hose on me.
The exquisite cold water covered me, the shower taking the foam and dirt away with it. I welcomed the freezing shower with open arms, enjoying the change from the now steam filled bathroom.
Russia had colder winters. The cold doesn't bother me anyway.
I heard Lapia click her tongue as my reaction wasn't screaming or yelping in surprise. She then pointed the hose at herself, the water rinsing her body and hair. She let out a low hiss.
I noticed her skin shimmer, steam coming out of her as she turned the faucet off, returning it to the wall.
"Meh." I snorted and entered the tub. The water was exquisite.
"Ooh." a pleased sigh left the Elf as she sat next to me, leaning her head on my shoulder, her hair sticking to my back.
We both sighed at the same time and laughed.
"We need to talk." her words made me turn my head to her and my pulse quicken.
"We do." I nodded. Our gazes meeting.
"I would very much like us being lovers." she cleared her throat.
"If not, I'd welcome being sex friends. I want you to know I don't indulge in carnal pleasure with just anyone, though. I have standards." her cheeks reddened. "You are capable, collected, respectful. You've showed care, which I appreciate, restrain where it was due, and so far you've been honest. You helped me in my time of need and cared for me at my lowest." she rested a hand on my thigh.
"We are both young. You more than me, but in the long run it's a drop in the sea of time." her free hand ran down my arm, finding my hand and locking fingers. "I'll be honest and admit I've been waiting for an excuse to leave the city. Life here as Lord Punten's Adviser is not exactly fulfilling. It might sound selfish or greedy, but I could further both my research and power alongside you, if you'll have me." she gave me a short nod.
Holy shit. I was surprised she could say so much after such a short time knowing me. Certainly, if Elves lived for thousands of years, and us Halves even longer, as long as we were careful, we'd be together for the long run. I sighed.
When in Rome. I'd be lying if I didn't admit to being interested in her. I've started relationships with less before.
I brought my free hand and held her cheek. "Yeah, sounds perfect to me." I kissed her on the lips. "You taught me a lot, and I'm sure there's a mountain of things I still don't know. I promise to protect you with everything I have, and help you wherever I can. We have all the time in the world to know more about each other, and so far I like everything about you. You're smart, tenacious, and respectful. You didn't trample or abuse my help, receiving what I offered and giving back in what you thought was pertinent." I caressed her cheek.
"Though you were a bit cheeky and flirty, you didn't cross any lines, and I appreciate that. I honestly was planning on accompanying you in your recovery and getting to know you better. Now it's a different story, though." I couldn't help but smile at Lapia's embarrassed expression to my words.
She cleared her throat. "We're on the same page. I'm glad." she closed her eyes and melted on me. "We'll need to find two more, preferably women. I don't think a man can compare to you anymore." she kissed my neck.
"What?" I was confused by her words. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Last night you said you wanted to explore the world, right?" she asked.
"I certainly did." I nodded, still not understanding.
"Ah, right." she realized I had no idea what she was talking about. "When venturing the world, people group up. I explained yesterday how these groups would cover each other's weaknesses." I nodded at her words. "Said groups need to be tightly united. Romantic relationships help tremendously in building trust and unity." she finished.
"And people just ask around 'hey I'll go explore the world, wanna be in a relationship with me?'. That sounds suspicious no matter who asks." I felt my brain become slightly numb.
She laughed at my imitation of how a suspicious person would sound.
"No, not like that." she wiped a tear away. "There's a place where you can find people with matching interests and goals. There'd be a date to get to know each other, and if things work out, you'd set out with a life partner, ideally." she thought for a second then came to a conclusion. "Maybe explaining that people are very open to relationships would clear things up?"
It finally fell in place. The people in this world evolved from bonobos. I chuckled at the thought, I didn't really know if bonobos fucked all the time. Silly comparisons coming back.
"Now I get it." I blinked a few times. "Is sharing partners common?" I had to ask, my monogamist mind a little perplexed at the concept.
"No, no." she shook her head. "Everyone in the group is in a relationship with each other."
"So you're telling me people have orgies all the time?" my eyes widened. "That sounds amazing!"
"Not really. We women don't share males in bed. At least if you have dignity." she scoffed. "I wouldn't want to associate with a fellow woman if she's happy with a second spurt of seed. If you get seed, you better get it all, and if not all, at least the best."
It suddenly got complicated. My confusion was reaching untold heights.
"Then wouldn't other females in our group feel something similar with me, having a penis and all?" I voiced the first concern that popped in my mind.
"You're a Halve. Every seed is the best seed. When you produce it, of course." she pointed at my genitals. "Your cycle is unique to each individual, so we can't even guess. That removes that issue from the equation. Still, the chance of conceiving is as low as it gets with both seeds and eggs anyway, so it's healthy for expectations to be as low." she shrugged, checking her hair.
"I see." I relaxed. It simplified. However, being magically sterile was slightly concerning. "What would we need, then?" the idea of a mutually shared 'harem', if the term even worked in the current situation, slowly formed in my mind. No competition, everyone loves each other. It sounded like a dream.
"Definitely a healer. A scout would be nice too." she thought for a second. "A High Priestess at the very least, ideally an Arch Bishop. Though rarer, they are usually higher level and more inclined to join already powerful groups." she looked at me. "You already set the bar high."
"Hm," I lowered my body, only my head out the water. "What kind of information can be shared? You mentioned taboo intel, but never went into detail."
"Specific numbers are no good. Those are incredibly personal." she took my hair and fiddled with the golden material. "The name of your classes are okay, your total level too. You should only share your highest class level, that's what shows up when you appraise people. By the way, what are yours? I only see your name, race and 'Unknown'." she was making braids with my hair.
"Hoplite, Lancer and Dragoon. 1350 total levels. All classes at 450." I answered, checking my information.
"Holy shit!" she almost shouted. "That's insanely high. I feel kind of inadequate now." she laughed. "I have to push myself, then." her eyes filled with determination. "You're really close to acquiring a new class, too. Wow." she giggled and undid the braids. "I went with Pyromancy, as you already know, and Thaumaturgy, which studies and manipulates space itself through E'er."
"Why is one called 'mancy' and the other isn't?" I was shooting water with my hands.
"Because there was a Goddes involved. Yiama taught one of the first tribes the 'miracle' of the flame and the idiots believed it a divine revelation." she sighed. "E'er then recognized their knowledge, naming the class after their devotion to her." she shook her head.
"Is that proven or a myth?" my inner skeptical showed herself.
"She told the story herself." she stretched, her breasts jiggling slightly. "She lives way up north."
"There's a living God?" I turned to her, my neck almost snapping.
"Plenty, actually. Though they are immortal, they are exceedingly weak. They keep to themselves mostly." she explained, her nimble fingers returning to my hair, forcing my head back in position. "Anyway, back on topic." she was attempting to make drills with my hair. "Once you share your information, it will become visible when appraised by those who know it. I can now see your level and class, even with the massive difference, because it is the truth." she gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Interesting. What if someone asks and I don't want to tell?" I busied myself checking my fingernails.
"Then you don't. Duh." the drills couldn't hold their shape. She clicked her tongue and moved on to another construction project on my head.
"So how does this recruiting business go?" the silver lunulae were lighter than my nails. "Do we just go around asking questions or is there a meeting spot?" I thought back on the one speed dating place I was too ashamed to tell even my close friends.
"Yes, and no." she was doing something with my hair I couldn't quite catch. There was a lot of braiding and tying involved. "The Church lends its grounds as meeting spots. They came up with a system that would simplify the process of finding partners while also saving time. A person fills a form with their interests, what they're willing to share, and their general strengths. The Church takes that form and put them in a registry. We search the registry and find potential candidates, if we like them, the Church can mediate and we meet for a chat." I could feel all my hair on top of my head forming something.
"What if the Church missuses that information?" I reached for my head to try and feel, but the Elf slapped my hand away. "Information warfare and whatnot."
"They'd be mobbed to oblivion." she chuckled, perhaps picturing the event. "It'd take a while, them being mostly healers, but it could happen." she pulled my head back and fixed a few loose locks. "Organizations around the world are highly transparent. If not, they wouldn't exist. Political power is shit compared to a pissed off level 400 Geomancer, for example. There's a reason the occupation is called Public Servant." she let my head go.
"Hmm. And this Church, which God does it worship?" I leaned back on her chest.
"Mostly Danuva. She's credited for awakening the ancient species. They study her teachings and focus on healing." a braid escaped the mess she was creating, provoking an annoyed hiss from the Elf. "Similar to us Wizards, they study for years. Wizards master the Laws of E'er, while Clerics master the Laws of Life."
"How do they increase their power if they study all the time?" I imagined a wrinkly old lady in my arms and cringed.
"Practice. Using skills improves them, which in turn improves your body, increasing the E'er inside you. It's a slow process. I spent forty five years improving myself while studying and teaching and only reached Level 100. Then I moved to this city and killed a few monsters on the way, reaching my current Level. Stress is key to growth." her chin on my head, I felt a hairy pillow between us.
"Sounds like a plan, then. When will we be going?" I stood up and felt my hair releasing from whatever she built and falling freely on my back. I felt a hot wind on my head, water dripping off.
Bathrooms have that function in this world? Fucking awesome.
I deftly did my hair in a single thick braid, using a rubber band to keep the thing from untying.
Lapia followed me out of the bath, towels materializing on my hands. I offered one and she took it, drying her body as I did mine.
"I won't be joining you." she said after a moment of contemplation. "Though Lord Punten gave me a month to rest, I'm already in top shape. I'll feel bad if I just lazed around and left work undone." she shrugged. "You go and fetch us pretty girls, we'll be leaving sooner than you think." she smirked.
"Alright." I smiled at the woman. "I can't expect you to hold my hand all the way. You have responsibilities to take care of."
A knock on the door signaled the arrival of breakfast.
"Just in time." her towel disappeared and a dress similar to the one from last night covered her. "Can I keep the towel?" she asked as she walked to the door.
"Sure, go ahead." I nodded.
White, modest lingerie covered my privates, and a modern dress covered my body. The bodice hugged my torso, the low cut allowed cleavage, not too much to let the bra show, in a V shape. Followed by a plated skirt that reached halfway my thighs. Black with red hems in both the skirt and arm holes. It was both cute and sexy. If you've got it, flaunt it. I looked down and my golden skin was well complemented by the black and red fabric. Leather boots with metallic details reached halfway up my shins, the footwear's many buckles neatly done.
Though I did not wear socks, my skin was more resilient than the material, so it felt surprisingly comfortable.
The same lady from last night came in with a trolley, and her eyes widened for a split second when she saw the absolute mess we did of the bed. I almost fainted with embarassment.