Ethan walked into the small room that Alera had led him to. It took just a second to see the entire room. What would have been a full sized bed back home, a woven rug that looked like it had been there for a while, a small dresser with a mirror over it, and a door that was probably to the private bathroom.

When he saw the bed he realized he was much more tired than he’d originally realized. Checking the in-game clock, he saw it was only 1530. Huh. I thought it was later than that. I can’t believe the shitshow from earlier was only this morning. I probably have time to finish two of the intro quests before it gets too late.

Ignoring his sudden desire for a nap, Ethan went to the bathroom. A large wooden tub was against the wall with knobs that would deliver hot or cold water above it. There wasn't an actual commode so Ethan assumed the facilities for the inn was an outhouse outside. In the larger cities there was indoor plumbing, but this small town still didn’t have full toilets. Pipes ran from the tub to a small sink with another polished metal mirror above it. Towels were on a rack with a decent sized box of Soap Sand and a bone comb.

Ethan turned the water on as high and as hot as he could get it. He then got to work stripping himself of his beginning gear.

The sandals came off easy, just a couple knots and they were off. They disappeared from his hands as he stored them in his inventory. His battle axe and throwing axes he placed carefully on the rack next to a towel. Even though this was a safe place, he couldn’t bring himself to let them get too far away. Next he unbuckled his battle harness. The chest strap left an impression from where it had been snug against him. It also left a faintly cleaner outline of skin that hadn’t been smeared in wolf blood. It too went into his inventory.

As he unbuckled his belt, his kilt fell to the ground. The leather strap the only thing holding it in place. He felt a little foolish standing there in a dirty cloth pair of underwear holding a belt so he quickly took off his last garment. He stored everything safely in his inventory. The added bonus of storing it was that his inventory would magically clean everything for when he got it out.

Ethan checked the tub, steam was rising off the surface but it wasn’t full enough for him to get in yet. He turned towards the mirror to study his reflection. When he’d logged in for the first time his headset had scanned his face, his haptic suit had done the same for his body. As a result his characters usually looked pretty similar to how he had looked a few months ago. Minor cosmetic differences occurred between respawns: facial hair, hair style, those sort changes would rotate after death. He could always change them at a barber in Startesgarde if he wasn’t happy.

It wasn’t surprising that his own blue eyes met his gaze in the mirror. They were deep and dark with a white burst around his pupil. All his life his mom had said they were “her father’s eyes”. Everyone told him he took after her side of the family. His hair was darker in game than real life. It fell down to his shoulders in waves that were currently tangled and matted from sweat and blood. He currently had facial hair that was more than five o’clock shadow but not a full beard. That was actually similar to real life. He never could grow a full beard in the real world.

The crude mirror showed the top of his chest down past his shoulders. He could see a new scar from where one of the wolves he’d fought earlier in the day had attacked him. Eating may have restored his health, but only a healing spell would have fully restored the damage. Scars were often semipermanent. Unless he received a heal from a Magic source in the next couple of days, the scar would remain until he died. All in all, Ethan wasn’t unhappy with his appearance.

He turned again to check the water, it had risen high enough that he could get in. Ethan lowered himself into the wooden basin, he gasped in shock from the heat but kept submerging himself. Water sloshed over the side and soaked the floor. The tub wasn’t long enough for him to stretch out completely the best he could do was lean back so the tops of his knees poked through the water while he rested his arms on the sides.

Finally able to relax for the first time that day, Ethan sighed in contentment. There were several things he should have been doing right then, but as he felt the heat of the almost scalding water penetrate his aching muscles, all he wanted was to soak in the glorious and well needed bath.

After several minutes of blissful quiet, Ethan reached for the Soap Sand. He’d been in the game for months now and had come to enjoy bathing with the sweet smelling sand. It was abrasive enough to leave him feeling a little raw but not painful, just enough to make him feel like he’d actually cleaned himself.

When he scooped out a handful he detected a faint floral smell that was somehow familiar. Roses? Didn’t Granny grow those in her garden?

That small memory of home had the same effect as every other time he thought about his real life, a sense of emptiness filled his soul. A longing for everyone he hadn’t seen in months. Ethan felt an urgent need to check the date, to see just how long he’d been gone.

In Game Time 1350. Date 2nd of Catilsmonth.

So, back home it’s...early February. Fuck. The pain inside of him grew worse when he realized that it was almost his mother’s birthday. He could almost hear her voice saying “It’s almost my birthday!” His dad always made a big deal about her birthday. The small scoop of sand spilled from his fingers and he held his head and began uncontrollably sobbing, despair overcoming him.

What if we never get out of here? What if I don’t ever get to see my mom again? I hate this! This isn’t right! I just want to go home!

Ethan sat in silence for several minutes, wishing that the heat of the bath would burn away his anguish. Finally, he wiped the last few tears from his face and reached again for the Soap Sand.