Chapter 27: To the Bath

“Speaking of Ann, she’s looking, right?”

Billie’s blue eyes squinted and looked puzzled before they widened in shock. “She’s our boss. Don’t even say that.”

“Not your type then?” I asked, perhaps more teasingly than necessary.

Those wide eyes narrowed. “I see how it is, crush my feelings and then aim me at another romantic catastrophe. Heartless, Monday March, heartless.” A hint of her previous lightheartedness seemed to be returning.

I put on a smile, trying to make it look like the welcoming one Ann had given me before. “My apologies, Billie. While I think I have a heart, I neither confirm nor deny your accusation. I didn’t think about any possible complications. You liked me enough to approach me, Ann also seems womanly and is looking so I thought maybe.” I shrugged.

The brown hair swayed as Billie shook her head at me. “Just because I like one bald person doesn’t mean I’m attracted to all bald people, or all women. Pfffff, I should go and let you get back to your reading.”

“Billie? I’d like to keep talking, er, as a young copper pinned friend that needs to know more about life in Cecal. Do you have time, or interest in doing that, or even interest in being friends?” I felt more comfortable with Billie than Bluebird or Buckle to be honest, ‘so many ‘B’ names, Strange.’

Expressive eyes squinted at me, perhaps attempting to divine if I was teasing her again. “You're dirty between your toes, and I saw how Ann had you working. As a friend, I’ll remind you that going to bed clean is best. As I work here… dirt stained sheets are extra annoying. Let’s go to the bath, if you chip in an extra brass we can share a private and giggle and chat. No touching anywhere we wouldn’t touch a granny though!”

If I had an eyebrow I would have raised it. “I don’t want to touch Granny G anywhere though?”

Blue eyes rolled. “Fine, we can wash each other's backs and you can wash my hair.” She took a minute to go grab her bath things and we left the Pillow and Pie.

The walk to the bath was companionable. Granny G was not, and told me Buckle was resting and I could visit tomorrow, and then refused to be in any way apologetic when I placed 5 brass in front of her for a private bath for Billie and myself.

“No funny business, and no disturbing the others.” Her lips were pursed as if she’d just eaten an entire lemon.

“Certainly, that’s why we’re taking a private.” I said as I nodded to the lady who nearly instantly aggravated me again. She simply glowered as Billie grabbed the tag provided with a nod of her own to the older attendant, and then led me through the door marked for the private baths. “Ugh, why does she get under my skin so easily?” I muttered, more to myself than to Billie.

Billie glanced back, but kept quiet as we went through our door and flipped the tag to ‘occupied’. It was another open to the sky area, walled in wood that was raised slightly off the stone ground. Some mechanism had warm water spilling down after my friend put our provided tag in a spot in the wall by the door.

“Not sure it’s you, Monday March. She’s always been extra abrasive with folks that have strong bloodlines. I’m not sure why, but that’s her way, not only with you.”

“Billie, you can call me simply Monday, if you like. And, can you tell me about little things? Life things in Cecal. Like, why does everyone call me by my full name? Some of the things I think I know don’t match up.” I was setting my pack aside and pulling off my clothes, checking for tears or stains after my long long day.

“Monday, if you introduce yourself as Monday Montegue Monique March, you will be called Monday Montegue Monique March or perhaps as Em, unless you offer a nickname or alternate option. It’s only polite, of course. Well, I suppose the rude might call you something nasty, or just 'Fancy Britches', not that you have pants.” Billie was also sorting her bath things and glanced back at me as she was speaking.

“Do you have a small cloth or a rag that you don’t care much for? I have soap and a towel, but I’ve got some splatters on my vest that I’d like to clean since we are here.”

A very quiet high sound traveled over the running water before a small cloth hit my shoulder. “Here you go, try not to get the leather too wet. Isn’t good for it.”

“Thanks Billie. So… what exactly does Em mean, anyhow? A few folks have said it, but…”

“Oh, sure Monday. Er, Em is like a bunch of old words, but generally like a non name way to address someone with respect, I guess? Usually if a new customer shows up, or someone I don’t know their name, but want to show consideration for, call them Em.” She didn’t sound entirely certain, but more ‘pretty sure’ about her description.

“Hmm, an honorific? like Sir or Ma’am?” Terms bubbled in my head that seemed similar.

“Huh? I guess maybe? I thought Sirs were low lords and high warriors of the elves. What’s a Ma’am?”

“I guess some of the things in my head just don’t fit? I think a Ma’am is a woman older than you, like older by more than a few years”

“So I’d be a Ma’am?” Billie didn’t seem amused.

“Ah… maybe? Probably not? Well, Millie Goode might call you or Ann ma’am, and if she didn’t make me so ‘argh’ I might call bath granny ma’am ” The soap and warm water was removing the blood spots pretty well, and I was able to do a light wipe down of my clothes before turning back to Billie. “Do you want to wash my back first? Or shall I do yours and your hair?”

In the faint remaining light Billie turned away and sat on a small wooden bench near the falling water. There were some flecks of soap on her limbs as she held a small wooden container over to me. “Wash me first, this is for my back, just a little. Then a dollop of the shampoo from the yellow jar over there for my hair.”

Doing as she asked she told me about life in God’s Bath. How she and Bernie and other kids had learned basic stuff from a town sponsored teacher who trained in Big Bay. How some folks apprenticed as early as 8 years old to their parents, or others in the village. Others hadn’t any prospects and had to find odd jobs, work for their parents or take training from the Guild to try and find a spot they didn’t hate.

Billie talked about bigger places, and jobs or businesses she’d heard of in other spots. While I was scrubbing her scalp she made a tiny whimper sound and then continued with her talk. “Mom works with the guard and Dad does the meals for them. Me and Bernie would help him when we weren’t learning, and we both liked it quite a bit. Both did the required self defense and Mana training, but we aren’t amazing at any of that. Mmmmm, right there a little more.” Billie’s quiet sigh didn’t tingle like Ann’s voice, but it was pleasant. “Yeah. Anyhow, Dad talked Ann into giving us a chance and after 6 weeks part time she agreed to take us on contract. 5 years room and board plus a small increasing wage as we improve, we serve as staff and get to learn every recipe and technique she knows when it comes to the cooking, baking and running a kitchen.

“I’ve never been to Big Bay, but did hear it can be rough if you don’t have good Mana skills. And, much as I hate it, you’ve done enough hair washing and we should probably swap.”

“You hated my hair washing?”

“Nah, hate giving it up. Scalp rubs are bliss.” Billie got up and started to rinse the soapy foam out of her hair and off of her skin as I wet myself back down and applied soap to clean myself. Once I’d scrubbed my limbs and front, I sank onto the wooden bench so she could scrub my back. “Why does it take good Mana skills to live in Big Bay?”

“Well, they aren’t required, but most taxes and fees are claimed in Mana charges and a lot of utilities require Mana charges, or even MU, to pay. So either you do them yourself, or you have to go through chargers, and that can stack up.” I could feel Billie shrug as she was applying some soap to my back. “Smaller places like God’s Bath just don’t have the same Mana needs. Some spots don’t even use money except for dealing with outsiders, they just all pitch in to do what needs doing.”

In a way, that sounded rather nice to me. 'I wonder what kinds of people live like that.' I thought.

Finishing with my back she gave me a short scalp rub, apparently out of ‘fairness’, it really was quite nice. We both rinsed the remaining soap away. Billie fiddled with the tag, and the warm water slowed to a trickling spray making pattering noises. Moving into the sunken stone bath for a soak I asked Billie about leaving the water running at all.

“Oh, it’s just polite. Even if we talk quietly, without the water sounds it’s rather easy for voices to carry and disturb other folks.”