Responsibility Ch. 03

Apparently curious, Yana opened the box and looked down at the uneven, blob-like mass of yellow soap. She held the thing in her palms, and then she blinked down at Rahela as if the soap had confounded her idea of what soap even was. Rahela thought that was likely an accurate speculation, considering Yana was from Yahsin.

The tall brunette's lips parted for a few seconds. Then she snapped her lips closed and shook her head almost as a wild beast might do. Rahela didn't even shrug. She said to Yana, "I've forgotten to tell you where the grease is. It should be in the same chest from before. It's in a clay jar with a pig painted on its surface." The grease was meant to keep the hair's length soft and manageable.

"Ye-yes Mistress." Yana put the soap aside and went to that chest. She found the jar and went back to Rahela. Curiosity struck Yana again. She opened the jar and looked inside.

Her eyes seemed to grow. She even gave the contents a little sniff.

"Misssss ... Mistress? Eh-eh, is this ... is ... is this bacon grease?"

Picking up a comb, Rahela confirmed it. "Yes, that's bacon grease."

"Fr-fro ... from a wa-wa-wild ... wild boar?"

"No," Rahela calmly said, "from common farm swine."

Yana truly stared at Rahela then, her mouth agape.

Rahela told her to close her mouth and the jar.

***

The maidens all had their freshly washed, greased, and rinsed hair tightly wrapped in makeshift turbans of white linen. When it was time for everyone to go on to the bathhouse, they noticed that even the Emperor was this way. They hadn't seen such a normal, human thing on this glorious, powerful Emperor before. The maids-in-waiting seemed particularly humbled and unsure of what to say about it.

Rahela told them to keep their attitudes respectful and dignified. "As magnificent as His Majesty is, he was still carved from flesh and bone." She turned her head away from the Emperor's completely uninterested expression. "Don't disgrace yourselves any further."

The bathhouse had three main sections for customers. One: Females only. Two: Males only. Three: Both. The Both section was a popular spot for prostitutes to look for customers. In each section, there were many large tubs of wood, each one able to fit four people. These tubs all had little privacy tents that could be snugly closed, but most people left an opening so they could admire a hanging tapestry or sculpture. There were also wooden screens between each tub for an extra layer of privacy.

Carefully laid across each tub, there would be thin planks serving as tables so that the bathers could have their food. The nearby bakery almost always smelled like bread. How could one resist food in this situation?

Rahela and her maids-in-waiting used buckets of water to wash their bodies. Then, after the female employees took those buckets away, the trio climbed into their rented tub. The water there was just hot enough to relax them. An employee lingered to take their orders for food, and then she left to get said food.

The meal wasn't paltry in any sense. The Emperor had given Rahela a few very heavy coins to make sure that would be so. Tenderloin beef covered with a dark sauce and mushed peas. Soft bread with a white crumb. Bowls of moist pudding made with spring melons and strawberries. Dried sausage and large cheese wedges. Little pies full of gravy, vegetables, and chicken! Chicken! Chicken and poultry in general could be expensive. Their eggs were too valuable for lower classes. And finally, there were cups of ordinary but welcome wine.

This was the moment when Rahela finally understood a certain difference between Yahsin and Testoan eating habits. Whenever Rahela needed to hold something in place to cut it, she'd use a spoon. When she needed to put a piece of food to her mouth she'd either use her fingers or the point of her knife. The girls were different. They preferred to use small forks whenever possible. It seemed that the only food they wanted to touch with their fingers was the bread. Rahela assumed the girls must've thought her habits were odd, but they'd have known better than to bother her about it.

It was a relaxing, almost luxurious scene. It was a pleasure that not even the most uptight matron was likely to preach against. Mellow and calm. Oil lamps and candlelight. Soothing spots in the darkness. Golden reflections sparkling in the water.

Eventually, employees had to be called in to take the now empty dishes and the plank away. Then everyone got out of the tub to dry off and get dressed. Yana seemed to accidentally pick up Oksana's belt, which caused a short disagreement between them.

Rahela stuck her head past the invisible line between the wooden dividers, but she didn't look left nor right. She simply opened her mouth to ask for an employee to escort them to the main exit, where she knew there would be Yahsin soldiers pretending to not be soldiers.

Just then, someone to Rahela's left whispered in Testoan, "Your Majesty."

She turned to see who said such a thing.

A woman grabbed a good portion of Rahela's sleeve and dragged her away. Rahela thought the best thing to do was let herself be led.

More Testoan words were whispered to her as she was led to a rare window. "We'll go the to the marketplace. It'll be impossible to find us there." Gripping the edge of the window, as if she wanted to climb out of the building, the woman smiled at Rahela and said, "Don't worry. We'll put you back on the throne. We'll overthrow this evil empire."

Rahela's hand, the one that didn't have a freshly changed bandage on it, it shot out and took the woman's wrist.

"You're going the wrong way," Rahela whispered to the woman.

With a happy nod, the woman let Rahela be the leader. Rahela was able to avoid the concerned, searching eyes of the maids-in-waiting. She was also able to get the Testoan woman off to a second exit in the building.

Just outside the doorway, her grip tightening on the woman's wrist, Rahela inhaled very, very deeply.

And she screamed.

"SOLDIERS!! SOLDIERS!! TAKE THIS WOMAN!!"

Rahela had also known there would be soldiers pretending to not be soldiers near all the other exits too, not only the main one.

***