It didn't take us long to find a place to stay. I simply led us towards the inn we had used during our only previous stay here. Sure, the town had changed a little since then but not much and the memories were some of my more prominent ones. The hot springs had really left an impression. In the end I only had to ask for directions once when I got turned around a little on a particularly crowded square and even then I hadn't gotten us lost all that much. The cheerful crowds certainly got my own spirits up as well. All these temptations we walked past! My resolve held but only barely.

There were food stalls, street music and plenty of drink. At home even the harvest festival wouldn't have been this lively. Here it was just another night on the town. Caer'zha was a commerce hub situated at a major intersection near the capital in addition to a hot spring town after all. Quu'za was taking everything in with big eyes. Could it be that this was the first time she got to see this side of town? The town itself couldn't be entirely unfamiliar to her, right? She probably came here every once in a while at least. Her people were living close by after all. She probably had only been here during business hours before though. That had to be it.

At last we finally reached the inn. The Horn & Antler encompassed a complex of several buildings. All of them built from really massive stone blocks in the style the trolls preferred. One of the buildings was a barn for the various riding animals of the guests and their feed. The next, the most massive of the three building, was the inn itself with the guest rooms. Only slightly smaller and directly connected to the large inn was the third building. It was the one that drew me here most. The bath. Calling it a bath didn't quite do it justice. There were multiple baths after all. If I recalled it right it was mostly the temperature of the water that set them apart.

Kaele handed the reigns of her ibex off to an animal handler. She put a few coins into his hands as well. “Get him a handful or two of dried mountain herbs if you can please. He deserves a little treat.” The man nodded and led the majestic creature off into the stable. I smiled. The ibex would certainly enjoy that. It might be used to hay harvested here in the lowlands and some grain every once in a while but tasty treats like that would certainly be appreciated. Curiously enough the thought of tasty treats had my own mouth watering as well. I swallowed hard. Well, we probably could afford a nice meal for a change. A nice meal by the local standards at that and not just our own.

I put a hand on the shoulder of Quu'za and turned her towards the front entrance of the inn, since the harpy looked a little lost. “You stay with us for tonight.” She flinched a little. “Don't worry. You can take care of the ogre business tomorrow. It'll probably be for the best that way. Better to take care of it tomorrow than to pester an official this time of the day or rather night.” She relaxed a little at those words and I pulled her along. Kaele followed us as well, her familiar held within her arms and the creatures tail wrapped around one of them. At a glance the little feline might have looked as if it were asleep but the perked ears rotating this way and that every once in a while suggested that it was on high alert in the unfamiliar environment.

The proprietress of the inn already awaited us at the entrance, with a few of her employees at her back. She looked very much like she had back then during our last visit years ago. I bowed towards her and bit back a chuckle as I noticed the way the junior employees ogled me or rather my getup. Even here a full suit of dragon or even just wyvern scale armor was not something you got to see every day. The older woman's composure was impeccable though. There probably were not many things that still could surprise her. She returned my bow. “Rooms for three, a bath and a meal?”

I nodded. That already summed up what had been on my mind pretty well. A bath here already would include soap and scented oils as well as wonderfully fluffy towels. And unless something had drastically changed since our last visit the meal would be quite opulent as well. My mind drifted back to our last visit and especially mother's words as she had this same conversation with the proprietress back then. “Could we have some sweet wine as well while we are in the bath?” The bittersweet smile and the slightly forlorn look on my sister's face suggested that she must have remembered as well.

The proprietress nodded and bowed again, gesturing towards the entrance with one hand. “We will see to it. Please, be my guests.” Her employees hurried to take our luggage, little of it as there was, before guiding us to our rooms. One hurried into the kitchen as well, probably to get the rest of the staff started on our meal. I could hear other guest frolicking in the baths as we walked by. The place was doing good business as far as I could tell. Even my sister's familiar purred up a storm, still pretending to be napping in her arms all the while. Was it the smell of minerals that hung in the air around the bath? I almost missed a step as it triggered a memory of baths I had had in another life entirely. As quick as the fuzzy memory had surfaced it dissolved again into nothingness.

The others were led to their respective rooms and I followed my guide to mine as well. It wasn't the most spacious of rooms. The troll architecture wasn't terribly well suited for those. It was spacious enough though. Two narrow windows allowed me a glance at the busy street below. There was a stand for weapons and armor as well. The most important piece of furniture was the large bed though. Oh, dear Moon Maidens, it looked so inviting I was almost tempted to forget about the bath and the meal and drop into it then and there. That would have been more than just a little inappropriate though. Wearing armor and still covered in dirt and grime I probably would have ruined the sheets if not the bed as a whole. That was an absolute no go.

Instead I turned towards the inn employee who had just finished lighting the magical lights on the wall above the bed. They spread a pleasant, not too bright glow around the room. I handed her my weapon. I didn't let go of it right away though as she accepted it. She looked up at me confused. “Careful with that. Don't ever touch the blade. It's cut from a wyvern's stinger and the beast's poison still lingers. It can kill an ogre in the blink of an eye. Am I clear?” Well, that was a bit of an exaggeration but not by much. I just didn't want any accidents happening. The young gorgon's eyes widened and she nodded. As I finally let go of the glaive's shaft she grasped it with both hands and placed it on the weapon stand with great care.

Once that was taken care of she started to help me out of my armor and the tunic I wore under it. What a great relief that was. I hadn't even noticed how stiff my shoulders had become until this weight was off of them. Once the suit of armor was arranged on the armor stand I let out a sigh of relief. The young woman picked up my discarded clothing. It would be returned tomorrow freshly washed. That was something else I was really looking forward to. Sure, I still had a second tunic in my pack but that just couldn't compare to actual fresh laundry. “Do you know the way to the bath? Or should I guide you?”

I flashed her a smile. “I'll find my way. Thank you.” She bowed and left. I didn't linger any longer either. A quick peek into the rooms of my companions let me know that they probably already were in the bath. Of course. Neither of them had needed help to get out of armor after all. Just as well. I headed to the bath as well, barely taking note of the glances that were thrown my way as I passed other guests already returning from the bath and employees that went about their business. Was it because I was quite a bit taller than them? Was it the scars? In the end I couldn't be bothered to care. I took a deep breath of the hot and humid air of the baths instead, savoring it to the greatest extent.

A bath attendant approached me with a small bucket containing soap and oil bottles as well as combs and razors among other things. She guided me towards the spot where Quu'za and Kaele were already enjoying the attention of two other attendants. The cooing of the harpy as the attendant carefully cleaned her feathers had me chuckling. It put a smile on my sister's face as well. I sat down on the stool offered to me and let the attendant get to work on me and my hair as well. I couldn't tell how much time exactly passed but it was as if it passed in the blink of an eye.

By the time I finally got to relax in the hot bath I had been thoroughly pampered. The same was true for my companions, who sat in the large bath next to me, sighing contently every once in a while. And when the sweet wine I had ordered and the food finally arrived it at good last was as if we were in heaven. Sure, this little guilty pleasure might put a dent into our traveling funds but right now I didn't mind in the slightest.