"Are we there yet?" Alex asked.

"Almost!" JohnWillStab explained.

"There won't be any monsters there, will there?" Jordan asked.

JohnWillStab shrugged.

"I have no clue!" he exclaimed.

As soon as they climbed over the hill before them they saw it, the shallow river going through the heart of Grimwood.

"It looks clean," JohnWillStab noted before heading down to the bank of the river.

They started a fire and set up some rocks around it so they could let their clothes dry.

"I don't really sweat as an undead, but my clothes are covered in dirt and stuff." JohnWillStab thought taking his coat off.

"Woah! Woah! What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Alex demanded covering his eyes with his sleeve.

"What?!" JohnWillStab asked looking around, he assumed there was some sort of enemy nearby.

"Don't just strip in front of everyone!" Alex exclaimed.

"Alex, do I have to remind you I'm a man." John sighed.

"Not right now you're not!" he exclaimed turning to Jordan who was already at the bank of the river washing his robe.

"Jordan! Don't you have the slightest problem with him stripping here?!" Alex exclaimed.

"Why?" he asked seemingly genuinely confused.

"He's a she!" Alex exclaimed.

"...oh you're still on about that! Well... I mean... it's like watching a cross-dresser, I don't find it attractive in any way." he shrugged.

"O-of course I don't either!" he exclaimed red-faced.

Both Jordan and John noticed the red tint on his face and they immediately got the same idea.

JohnWillStab pointed to his face.

"Why are you blushing then?" he asked putting on a seductive voice.

Jordan tried to keep a straight face as Alex got even more flustered.

"For your information, I'm already in a relationship!" Alex exclaimed putting an early end to JohnWillStab's devious plot.

"For real!? Somone actually agreed to spend time with you!?" John exclaimed.

"Yes! It's the aforementioned harpy," he explained, his face no longer looking as flustered as before.

"What about you, Jordan. Who're you waving your magic wand at?" JohnWillStab asked smugly.

"My magic wand?"

"Look, I'm trying to keep this from getting banned on RoyalRoad, work with me man!"

"Alright, I still don't know what you mean!" Jordan complained.

"Your dick man! Your dick!"

"I'm not waving my dick at anyone!" Jordan exclaimed.

"I mean if you're in a relationship!"

"WHAT KIND OF FUCKED-UP RELATIONSHIPS ARE YOU HAVING!?" he demanded.

Jordan took a deep breath, "Alright, well, I spend a lot of my time at work, so I didn't really get to think about my love life." he explained.

"That's sad." Alex and JohnWillStab said in unison.

"Is it? What about you JaneWillStab?" Jordan asked.

"...I ...didn't really find anyone..." he replied uncertainly.

"That is absolutely not something someone who didn't find anyone would say," Alex said with a grin.

"Look! Can we just get in the water? I think the freezing-cold water will feel nicer than dealing with you two questioning my love-life."

JohnWillStab took the rest of his clothes except for his underwear and headed into the water.

Alex averted his eyes but didn't make a big deal out of it.

Jordan was the last to get into the water, when he was finished washing his robes and trousers he placed them by the fire.

The trio sat in the water in complete silence for about two minutes.

"I'm cold," said Alex trying to keep a straight face as his entire body shivered.

"Pfft, guess you can't handle some cold water," Jordan laughed sitting cross-armed. His legs were shaking so much you could see the water splashing over him.

"It's not too bad," JohnWillStab replied sitting in the water.

"Is it because I'm undead... or are the other two just weaklings?" thought JohnWillStab.

"I can totally stay in the water longer than you!" Alex scoffed.

"Prove it!"

Jordan stood up and walked to sit opposite Alex at the other bank.

They stared each other down as JohnWillStab sat and watched.

"It wouldn't be fair of me to join... Still, I feel excluded..." he sighed.

Five minutes passed, then ten, then fifteen.

Jordan and Alex both looked pale, like JohnWillStab as they sat and trembled.

"I should warn them to call it quits before they get hypothermia..." JohnWillStab thought.

"The last one to leave gets five gold!" JohnWillStab yelled (out of JohnWillStab total of fifteen gold.)

He exclaimed seeing the looks in both Jordan and Alex change, this wasn't just a friendly game now, this was a competition, and neither one of them wanted the be the coward who ran away from some cold water.

"Look at him, sitting there thinking he's all high and mighty, as a man of noble blood I won't let him win! I'll use my azure flames to heat the water up from behind!" Alex thought placing his hands behind his back and leaning on the steep bank of the river.

"Look at him, thinking he's so great because he uses long words and acts all smug, I'll use my fire 'magic' to heat the water up behind me!" he thought leaning back, he kept his staff behind his back and quietly created a small flame, the breeze and the poor lighting hiding the steam.

Both Alex and Jordan smile smugly at each other.

"Getting cold yet? You really should get out if you feel ill." Alex taunted.

"No, no, the water is great! I think I can sit here for hours!"

"Hours? I could spend days here!"

"I WILL RENT OUT THE RIVER!"

"NOT IF I BUY IT FIRST!"

"I'll tell him my trick after I win, I'll show him his fancy-talk doesn't make him any better than the rest of us!" Jordan thought.

"I'll let him in on my scheme once I win, we are a party after all... though I'll show him how cunning the great Alex can be first!"

They continued to grin at each other from across the river.

JohnWillStab sat at the point where the two streams of warm water met.

"Five gold for a warm bath... what a great deal," he thought sitting with his arms crossed and his back resting against a smooth rock.