"The fixation of the Al-Shan people on frequent long baths, often to the tune of multiple times a day, was something scholars have never really understood. In the mainlands, it was already considered good if someone bathed properly twice a week in the summers, and mostly clean their bodies with wet rags otherwise." - A social study on bathing culture, by then professor Garth Wainwrought.

"You two sure about this?" Leila asked with a deepening blush on her face.

The party had split by gender as was traditional when they went to the separate undressing rooms that lead to the baths. It was in there while they undressed that the students - and Krystal - learned of the Al-Shan custom to bathe together, regardless of gender, though Layla offered them towels for use in the baths as an alternative. It was not uncommon for foreigners to balk at that tradition after all.

Krystal and Leila had accepted the towels and draped it over their bodies after they washed themselves. What was considered a proper "bath" in Al-Shan was a far cry from one in the mainlands, as there it was normal for most people to just wet some cloth and roughly cleanse themselves with it. A bath where one soaked in hot water would be nothing less than luxury.

In Al-Shan on the other hand, the undressing room alone already contained running water and seats where bathers were to cleanse themselves before they stepped foot into the actual bath. The bath was set in a wing of the imperial palace, and was a great, extravagant structure, with its floor tiled in marble and walls decorated by murals made out of the same material.

That Aideen had not even paused at the idea of communal bathing in the nude with relative strangers, had not surprised Cal one bit. Neither had Willa surprised her when she declined the towel. People of strong therian heritage like her often felt more comfortable unclothed, and they have their fur for modesty anyway. That Giselle chose to go with the local customs was what surprised her, as she had pegged that girl as the shy one. Instead the girl jested happily with Layla and Aideen as they teased her about her lacking breast size.

"Why not? Feels best this way!" Willa said boisterously to Leila's question. To be fair, Willa inherited her therian heritage very strongly, other than a few tell-tale signs that indicated some mixed blood. She looked little different to a full-blooded wolf-therian otherwise, a figure that looked more like a wolf that walked on two feet and had a more humanoid build, with her hands still more resembling paws. Her bushy tail wagged behind her excitedly.

"All right, come on you all. The boys must be waiting while we chat here." Said Cal as she strode towards the door that led to the main bath chamber.

The main bath chamber itself was massive, of the size where a hundred men would be easily accommodated. Marble pillars supported the room while on its floor were three pools. Two smaller ones to the side were filled with cold water, and a large pool filled with hot water that dominated the room was positioned in the center. To the sides of the large pools were tens of raised benches, while over a dozen servants of both genders, clad only in loincloth hovered around the area as they awaited orders.

Cal guessed right, and she found Vark, Ognar, and Xain already relaxed comfortably inside the main pool. The men startled from their comfortable daze when the women entered, and both Vark and Ognar blushed red while they averted their eyes, to the laughter of Xain and some of the women. For her part Cal just shook her head at the men's behaviour. She sighed in comfort as she lowered herself into the waist deep pool - there were steps on the perimeter which allowed one to sit comfortably as well - and allowed the hot water's embrace to seep into her body.

Krystal had inched closer to Vark who met her midway with Ilena in her embrace - the toddler was just plain excited to have such a large pool to play on - while a buff, mustachioed male servant approached and served them some very cold, sweetened tea together with a small plate of chewy rice cakes filled with sweetened bean paste, all on a floating tray. Similar refreshments were served to everyone else, and Cal smiled at the nostalgic taste of the sweets.

Despite her bravado in the undressing room, Giselle was still quite timid and had covered her breasts and nether regions with her hands until she dipped into the water. On the other hand, Aideen just flaunted herself openly without even a shred of shame, and after a few minutes was the first one to requisition one of the nearby servants to massage her on the nearby benches.

Others got interested when she started to moan in bliss from the servant's trained hands as it kneaded her back and limbs, and not long after the group had moved from chatting in the pool. They chatted from across the benches instead as strong, trained hands kneaded sore muscles and loosened tense joints.

After the massage Xain invited them to the bath's sauna room, where pots of hot rocks were set up in the corners of the room. They sat on the benches as water was poured into the pots, which the hot rocks rapidly boiled, and in turn quickly filled the room with steam. To just sit and perspire in the steamy room was a relaxing experience of a different sort, and a new one to most of the group.

They stayed for fifteen minutes in the sauna before they left, quite literally steamed, and separated again as they headed back to the undressing rooms. Along the way Xain and Cal pointed out that they should have a dip in the cold water pools first to cool down before they leave, which they did to moans of pleasure. Moans that just redoubled when the servants brought out cups of a milky, bittersweet fragrant brew served ice cold to the bathers.

"A different experience to what you're used to, is it not?" Cal asked the group as they lounged around in the cold water pool.

"I swear when I get back I'm importing some of your people to build me one of these in Paradise." Aideen said as she stretched herself. "Or maybe ten. I can see this being popular."

"Never felt so… clean… in my life." Leila said with a relaxed sigh. "Or so relaxed… I'm going to miss this when we go home…"

"You spoiled us, teach." Giselle said with a pout. "How could we return to tepid water in a wooden tub ever again after this?"

"Yesh~ Take responsibility, teach~" Added Willa. The half-therian had thoroughly relaxed herself and was sprawled on her back in the pool. She looked much like a resting puppy when she acted that way.

"I'll introduce you to some stores in Paradise that'll help scratch the itch some on our way back." Cal conceded with a laugh. "You could always visit there, after Aideen got some built at her place too."

"Yep! You kids are welcome in my town." Confirmed Aideen. "I'll have some free passes made for you on our way back. Just hop over by the gate when you wanna visit."

"I didn't know you had an acquaintance around the kids' age here, Celeysria." Asked Krystal who held the still-energetic Ilena as the toddler tread water with her chubby limbs. "Is he another of your students?"

"In a manner of speaking." Cal replied with a grin. None of them had an inkling of Xain's identity so far, and the ones in the know - Aideen, Cal, Layla, and Xain himself - had kept it so out of amusement, and also to allow Xain to interact with people his age without the burden of being the Emperor in mind.

She definitely hoped that their faces would be amusing when they revealed it during dinner, though.