[Aftermath Interlude]

Chapter 18 / 04

The Quiet Abode

Lamet woke with a start. The first things she saw were unfamiliar to her. A white ceiling, white walls, light brown furniture around the small chamber. There was a sweet flower scent, but she could identify neither the blossom nor the origin, as there were no plants in the room. The worst was that it was deathly quiet.

She could smell the dirt and sweat on herself as well. She sat up in the bed. It was too soft; she was surprised she had even managed to sleep in it. But, she was feeling a bit rested. She stood and peeked through the green drapes. It was later in the day, and the dry, stony streets were filled with travelling people, while their steel vehicles sat unmoving.

Geoff?

No response. Her spell had worn off while she slept. Without his guidance she was unsure what to do. She may arouse trouble by wandering into the streets of an alien world. So, she decided to explore within the limits of the building instead.

Outside the bedchamber a large door stood right before her, while a smaller one was at her left. She opened the small one to find a narrow closet full of colourful packages. They were covered in words that the Rite of Tongues could not translate. Some were paper sacks, completely sealed, but there were metal cylinders as well. ‘Beans,’ was one word she knew. A pantry, then, perhaps. But why would beans be confined to a small metal container? There must be some method to retrieve them.

For now, she shrugged and shut the door. Behind her t was an open space with a large window and a door to a balcony. A thickly-cushioned seat sat before a black box with cords running from it. Or to it?

She stepped onto the square blue rug. It was soft between her toes. And such a lovely colour. Attached to that room was another… half room? It was essentially a large nook with counters. It had three white boxes in different sizes. She tugged a handle on the tall rectangular one in the wall and cool air fell over her toes as it opened. It was full of jars, paper boxes, and vegetables. What a wonder! In all her years exploring the country around Mount Flange she had never seen its like, and her brief forays into the Alacana Empire had yielded little better in the way of wondrous discoveries.

Everything in this abode amazed her. Humans’s homes were so organised and tidy. Hers was a hovel by comparison.

Near the cold crate was a deep metal basin with a tall, curved protrusion like an arm. Knobs sat flat at the base. She fiddled with it, and it moved from side to side. She pulled a knob, but it held fast. A twist released a stream of cold water and she leaped back, holding her hand before her defensively.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Lamet leaned down and tasted it with her tongue. It was clean. Pure as a mountain spring. She quickly twisted the knob back. It would not do to waste their water. Though, knowing the miracles of human civilization she would not be surprised to learn they had vast reservoirs or some such thing to feed limitless water to every home. Even Alacana had managed something of the sort.

She returned to the largest door she had seen, and discovered another hidden around the corner from the pantry. Inside was dark, but she had discovered the trick to human illumination in the shopping structure. A little switch in the wall brought light to glass tubes in the ceiling.

It was a tiny room with another water basin and a mirror. This one had a bar of soap on it. Curiously, a shining white bowl sat in one corner next to a roll of paper. She pulled the edge of it up. A lid? It was filled a quarter way with clear water. She closed the lid and tilted her head in thought.

This was a mystery that could not be left unsolved. She was somewhat concerned about being discovered poking around, but… the thought of solving the mystery of the shiny bowl before anyone returned to ruin it with an explanation made it even more thrilling.

Her first thought was a bowl of water for pets, but she had seen no other sign of animals in the abode. She lifted the lid, and tried to picture what purpose the flat rim beneath could have. A tray for food, perhaps, with water readily available for drinking or hand washing? Odd then, that there was another water basin nearby. Food was stored near its own basin anyway.

She noticed the large back portion seemed to have a lid as well and lifted it. It was unexpectedly heavy. She set it down and peered inside. It was another compartment of water, with a chain and some dark bulging thing. She set the lid back on. The next thing to try was the lever.

Down seemed the most natural way to use it, so she pushed the flat lever carefully with one finger. Rushing water sounded from the larger container, and the bowl flooded with water. Her tail perked up as it swirled around, eventually draining until the bottom rested a quarter full again. She was beginning to suspect it was meant for disposing of something.

She turned her attention to the rest of the room. The greater context may aid her in solving the mystery. There were towels, large and small, hung over a bar on the wall. They were soft and thick, unlike any she had seen before. Whoever lived here surely enjoyed a life of luxury. They had the same flower scent she had detected in the bed chamber.

The last thing in the room she assumed immediately by its size was a bath. Large enough to sit comfortably, and with another curved metal fixture with knobs. There was another bar of soap next to a bottle. The largest words on it were illegible to her. She was only truly confused by the curtain that hung before it. Privacy? But with a door to the room, there should be no need.

This was clearly a sort of… hygienics chamber. Hand washing, bathing… waste disposal!

It was a seat! All at once, she understood. Water was used to suppress the smell and help keep the bowl clean, while the excess water behind was run through to flush the waste away.

Her eyes narrowed at the paper. She rubbed the edge with two fingers. It was soft to the touch. She yanked it, and it tore off in a perfect square. Her eyes widened. Now she hypothesised its purpose, to wipe one’s self clean. She dropped the square, letting it drift delicately into the water. As it touched the surface, it turned nearly invisible as it soaked through.

Water soluble paper! Her heart raced from astonishment. Her complete hypothesis warranted verification.

She pulled off her robe, tossed it into the hall, and did the same with her undergarments. She sat naked on the bowl and began her test. It was a bit awkward, the seat was clearly not designed with tails in mind, but soon she was clean to her satisfaction and pushed the lever down with a tremble of excitement.

She squeaked with joy as her waste was replaced with clear, fresh water. Then she thought of another step she could take, and her excitement grew. She used the bar of soap to scrub her hands, then rinsed them in the water basin. Now she was clean. Well, some of her was clean. The rest of her still reeked like a week’s hard work.

She eyed the bath next. Ooh, the bath. First she plugged the drain with a stopper on a chain, and then twisted the knobs. As she suspected, one released hot water, while the other was icy. She fiddled with them until she liked the temperature. Mostly hot.

It filled so quickly that she barely had time to daydream about new adventures through ancient human ruins. Well, there would be enough time in the bath. She scrubbed her body thoroughly with the soap first. As her filth washed off her body into the water her curiosity turned her to the bottle.

She frowned at all the illegible words on it. ‘Hair,’ was the only one that really stood out. She twisted the red lid until it came loose, slipped from her hand and sank into the water. She shrugged and poured the sweet-scented liquid into her hand. It was creamy and lathered like soap. She rubbed it through her hair until its bubbles frothed up and plopped in large blobs into the water. Soon all she could smell was the delicate, flowery aroma. She fished around for the cap and spun it back on.

Lamet felt wonderful. The thin scales on her chest and belly were bright and healthy, her hair was smooth and free of debris. Perhaps the owner of this abode would not return and she could claim it as her own. She could bathe every day. She would need to discover a source of more supplies before they dwindled.

She shook off the thought.

The bath water turned lukewarm before she decided it was time to step out. She stood up and frowned at the dirty water swishing at her shins. She had found the catch to the otherwise miraculous bath. It was not like river bathing, where the flow whisked your filth away. Now she felt foolish standing there with her hair clinging damply to her nose.

She pulled the stopper, and the water began to drain. She could still rinse and use a little more soap if need be. It would be awkward… unless… Her eyes scrutinised the large flat thing that sprouted from the wall like a metal mushroom. She had dismissed it as being unimportant, given she had taken a bath without it, but the holes must be for water.

The water was nearly all drained. She could feel it in her scales that she needed to rinse. She turned the water back on and it poured forcefully down the drain. The flat dispenser was inactive. Every inch of her hands touched every inch of the thing, but she found no obvious way to activate it.

The only thing she had not touched was a tiny thing with a round flat top near the knobs. Like a mushroom. Once again her heart raced with excitement. Their connection was indicated by their same use of the mushroom shape!

She pulled it, and water burst over her head, drenching her anew. She used a little soap to quickly wash the bath residue away, all the while humming with self-satisfaction. Human technology was not too advanced for Lamet the Riteweaver!

When she shut the water off, the greater mushroom spout reduced its output to a trickle and soon only stray drops tapped the bottom of the bath. She stepped onto the plush rug on the floor, and took the larger of the towels to dry herself. The rug was already damp beneath her feet. It occurred to her she could have avoided the leakage if she had pulled the curtain. Another mystery solved.

Her only concern now was her clothes; they were still filthy. She could wash them somewhat without a washing board, but she had seen no place to hang them. With the towel draped over her head, she walked into the corridor to ponder her clothes discarded there. A loud thunk not unlike the weapon Geoff carried came from the large door to her left and she flinched.

It swung open. Geoff, Richard and Sparlyset stood there. Their smiles faded as they saw her. She narrowed her eyes to glare at them. I was having so much fun, she thought.

Richard looked away quickly, but Sparlyset narrowed her eyes back. Geoff glanced down before spinning completely around. She sighed and pulled the towel off her head to cover herself.

“Did you use my shower?” Richard said. So it was Richard’s home.

Lamet stood straight and turned her head up to make herself seem taller. “You should be impressed by the discoveries I have made today. There is nothing your human technology can hide from me.”