- Bridget -

The dish Priscilla brought me consisted of a medium steak with a bunch of fancy garnish. On the side were some shoots of asparagus and sliced carrots. At least I think that’s what they were. This was a different world, so it was hard to be sure.

I ate the sides first and started nibbling on the steak. I was used to eating microwaved meals so food this nice was definitely wasted on someone like me.

“Did you make this?” I asked Priscilla when she returned.

“No,” she shook her head. “I serve Lady Stacy. Since she and I don’t eat such food, I’m afraid I’m not well versed in cooking. The meal was prepared by the kitchen staff of the guest house.”

“Well, it’s good anyway.” I took another bite of the steak. It was okay, but I would have preferred pizza or ramen or any of the other forms of garbage I was used to eating. Anything was better than sloth though. “By the way, you aren’t going to tell Stacy what we were talking about earlier right? I don’t think she would want to help me with the temples if she knew my reason.”

“Oh, I… Already spoke with her about. I’m sure she would have figured it out either way though. From what I hear you’ve been very open with her about your… Desire.”

“Yeah, that’s true. I’ll have to talk to her about it. Is she back? Where is she?”

“She will meet with you after we return from the bath house. We can leave as soon as you’re finished eating.”

“I’m pretty much done. I don’t think I can finish all this.” My stomach must have shrunk when I starved. And here I thought my lack of appetite had been just because of the sloth.

As it turned out, the bath house was the building right next door to the guest house. Priscilla took me into the women’s changing room. There were rows of compartments to store your clothes in while you bathed.

“Wait, this is a public bath isn’t it?”

Priscilla blinked at me. “It is, is that a problem?”

I’ve said this before, but I’m not an exhibitionist and I didn’t want to be seen naked.

“Uh, yeah. I don’t think I’m really comfortable with this. We don’t really have public baths where I come from, so…”

She stared at me like I’d grown a second head. “We’re both women though. What is there to be embarrassed about?”

“Isn’t there some private bath I can use?”

“There are a few rooms in the guest house with private baths, but they’re all reserved already. Maybe if we ask Lady Stacy she will lend you the one in her room.”

So private baths are only used by the elite? I’m probably making myself sound super entitled then. Crap.

“I can lend you mine if you want. I don’t use it anyway,” said a voice I didn’t recognize. A petite girl appeared from around the corner, dressed in only a towel. Wet cyan hair clung to her face. She definitely just got out of the bath.

“No, that’s okay. I can ask Stacy.”

“Oh come on,” chimed the blue-haired girl, “I insist.”

I looked to Priscilla. “She isn’t going to eat me is she?” I whispered.

“Lady Bridget,” Priscilla said, looking rather nonplussed, “You’re speaking of the emissary of Ashmay. Do mind your manners.”

Emissary? I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I recognized Ashmay. She was the one behind Stacy’s sexy saliva.

The blue-haired girl giggled. “It’s fine, Prissy. And Bridget, I must say I would love to eat you, but only if you wouldn’t mind.”

Oh, she could hear me? Did people in this world have super hearing? Or was I just talking louder than I thought? Either way, no wonder Prissy scolded me. Nice nickname by the way.

“You know each other?” I asked.

“Of course!” the girl said. “Oh, I haven’t introduced myself. I’m a good friend of Stacy’s. The name’s Leslie. It’s nice to meet you, Bridget.” She held out her hand, a strangely contemporary gesture in this alien world.

Now, I never really liked shaking hands in my previous world, but there was something comforting about the familiar way she acted. I met her hand and we shook.

“Let me just get dressed, then I can show you to my place.”

With that Leslie dropped her towel to the floor, flashing me and Priscilla in the process. I quickly averted my eyes, but Priscilla didn’t seem too bothered by the girl’s lack of shame.

She put on a low-cut dark blue dress that would show a lot of cleavage if she had any to speak of, with matching thigh highs showing a sliver of zettai ryouiki and long gloves that covered most of her arms. It was then that I finally noticed the black whip-like tail with a heart-shaped barb on the end flitting out behind her.

She took my hand again, and led me out of the bath house as Priscilla followed.