I looked around the room to see if maybe Ocello had put some soap somewhere I missed. But there were no pots or bars of soap that I could identify. There was only a long piece of fabric laid nearby that I could use as a towel.
Would it be under the towel? I stepped out of the bath carefully. Water on stone would be slippery, and I knew it would be just my luck to fall. Moving the towel, I picked it up and saw a pale cream block.
Picking it up, I smelled the bar. There was a fresh soapy smell to the bar. It also smelled of fresh mint. Carrying it over to the tub, I dipped it in the water, and it foamed up. Smiling, I jumped back into the water, but my inattention caused me to slip.
I let out a sudden scream and the door swung open, Ocello and Uchel running in like heroes on a mission to save the damsel in distress. My cheeks heated and I spun to face the wall, losing the bar under the surface of the water.
"I'm alright!" I said peeking at the two over my shoulder. The two had paused and were gaping at me as if they had forgotten what they were doing.
"I just slipped a bit, but I'm okay now," I said, hoping that they would leave the bath.
As if they both realized that they were intruding at the same time, they spun around and tried to leave at the same time, bumping shoulders at the door. I was too embarrassed to laugh at them, but they mumbled apologies before exiting the room.
Did I even want to know how much they had just seen. With my brief glimpse, what they saw was enough to get them a bit riled up because I noticed the tightness of their tunics in certain places.
Just thinking about it made me feel overheated. I shouldn't feel guilty about my interest in them, but I did. I had been married for years and been faithful for all of them.
Turning, I saw that the door was shut and I searched for the bar of soap. The water was starting to turn a bit cloudy. After scrubbing myself, I stood.
The tub was different from what I was used to. There was the main tub and at one end where a faucet would be, instead there was a basin that the water could flow into.
It was where the water would heat from the small furnace as it poured like a waterfall into the bigger tub. This meant that the water there was clear and I used it to rinse off.
Picking up the towel, I wrapped it around me. Before knocking on the door to the great room.
"I am here." I heard Uchel on the other side of the door. He sounded gruff, but I was starting to get used to it. "I brought the clothes."
I could hear rustling by the door before he called out again.
"They are next to the door. Ocello and I are going to step outside for a moment so you can get them."
I heard the scraping of their feet against the tiles and then the shutting of the outer door. Opening the door a bit, I saw a light blue-green tunic.
Snatching it up, I dressed quickly. The tunic fell down to my knees. I looked around for something to wear underneath but found nothing. I stared at my underwear. Knowing how much they needed washed, I couldn't bring myself to put them back on.
I wondered where I should wash my clothes, but that would have to wait till tomorrow. I felt scandalous walking around commando, but it couldn't be helped.
I'd ask Ocello or Uchel if they had anything I could wear underneath the tunic, but for now, it was long enough that as long as the wind behaved, I would be fine.
As I came out of the bath, I noticed a basket near the door and decided to put the dirty laundry there. Skipping over to one of the windows, I looked out into the front of the house. The smell of the flowers hit me, and I closed my eyes for a moment, taking in the peace.
"Are you done now?" Ocello asked. I opened my eyes to see him right in front of me. He was very close. If I reached out just a little, I'd be able to kiss him. My eyes went from his eyes to his lips. I could feel the flush of my cheeks.
"Yes," was my voice really that breathy? I cleared my throat and looked away from him. "I put my clothes in the basket next to the bath. I hope that was alright?"
"That is why I put it there. It was a gift from your neighbor. You'll meet them at the party tonight." Ocello moved back and came back into the house. Uchel was behind him. My husband was still red from his encounter, and I did chuckle then.
"You'll have to be sure to introduce me to them." I shifted uncomfortably. "Do you by any chance have something to uh…" I blushed. It was awkward for me to essentially ask for a new pair of underwear, but I threw my shoulders back and took a deep breath.
"I need some thing to cover myself." Uchel looked at me in confusion.
"You are wearing a tunic." Looking up and down, his ears got redder. I suspected that he liked what he saw.
"I know, I mean under the tunic, to cover my intimate parts." Oh, goddess, I cringed at what I just said. This was almost as bad as asking your boyfriend to go buy tampons.
My eyes widened at that thought. It wasn't an issue now, but after the baby is born, I would need to figure out what that looked like in this world.
Looking between Ocello and Uchel, it looked like they were glitching. Both of their jaws were dropped and they looked at each other as if the other would have better answers.
"Does that exist here?" I asked. Ocello was the first to recover.
"I've seen some of the women wear a strap of cloth. I think I could put one together with what we have in the chests." The red on his cheeks had come back.
These two were so innocent. I had barely done anything myself but next to them, I felt like as an experienced woman.
"Thank you." With that, Ocello went off to the chests. I could hear him rummaging through the chests. Using a knife to cut fabric, he worked to put something together that I could wear tonight.
Uchel helped him and took a few of the more colorful strips. The way they worked together, it seemed as if they had been friends for a long time. But since I knew that Ocello hadn't even known Uchel's name I thought that was odd. Especially since he was the chief's son.
Now that I thought about it, he knew about the rumors, too. I gazed at Ocello wondering if I was off the mark with my guesses.
"You two sound really close." The two looked over to me.
"I have known about Ocello for years, though he and I never really went around in the same groups." Uchel shrugged. "He is eight years older than me." Ocello smiled and messed up his hair. Uchel glared at him. I could practically see him stick his tongue out at him.
"I always wanted a little brother." Ocello chuckled as Uchel set down what he was doing and straightened up his hair.
"Who is your little brother?" Uchel glared as he picked up the fabric he was working on.
Cuddles had come over and was playing with the stray strings that had frayed off the fabric. I reached over to get the strands away from him. I had heard that eating strings were bad for animals.
It wasn't long before they had something that looked like a loincloth and a colorful collar for Cuddles.
Ocello handed me the scraps of fabric, and I rushed off to the bathing room to try it on. It felt weird, but it did keep me modest. Going to a welcome party commando was not on my bucket list.
Exiting, I took the collar and tied it around Cuddle's neck.
"You guy as so wonderful. Thank you!" I rushed over to them and paused. I wanted to hug them. I pulled them both toward me and wrapped my arms around each of them. Laughing, I pulled back and gave each of them their own hug and a kiss on the cheek.
I blushed hotly when I did that. Turning, I headed to the door. I held Cuddles in my arms. They may not have noticed the creature earlier, but it would be easier to tell a lot of people at the party.
"Do you think it is too early to go to the party?" I asked.