[Social] Island Establishment

The careful search was proving fruitless. It didn’t help that the swordswoman was unwilling to touch, well, anything. If she had been able to float, she would’ve even avoided the floor and the carpet. All this... comfort... seemed lavish and luxurious in her eyes, even if the truth may have been a bit closer to the mundane. No matter how she looked around, she couldn’t find the captain’s private bath. A deep, dark doubt started creeping into her mind. What if... there wasn’t one...? Perhaps she had jumped to conclusions like an utter fool? Slowly she started inching back towards the door. There was still time to retreat back to her hole... Or so she dared to hope.

Upon hearing the worst possible voice for the occasion, Yumiko froze in her tracks. Shame and panic were taking turns screaming into her ears, telling her to run and hide immediately. The consensus was that she absolutely couldn’t let her master see her like this. When honesty tried to interject, they hushed it by insisting that staying silent technically wasn’t lying. Her soldier instincts, meanwhile, marched to her mouth and simply said... “Sir, yes, sir!” Loud and clear enough for half the ship to hear it. All the other emotions were promptly drowned beneath the sound of internal screaming. She was almost thankful that she couldn’t hear herself think.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

As the door opened ever so slightly, the Captain would find the freshly promoted Commander standing stiffly at the center of his room. She clutched the bundle of clothes against her chest, meager protection against prying eyes. Her long, disheveled hair cascaded down her shoulders and back like a white, foaming waterfall. The numerous bandages wrapping her body had brand new stains on them, the painful price to pay for exerting herself against her allies. An imaginary brush had painted her visage with a garish shade of pink, a stark contrast against her otherwise pale skin.

Suddenly the wounded soldier snapped to attention and... saluted his peeping captain. It was perhaps the first time ever she quietly cursed her far too successful basic training. Her mouth was not done embarrassing her just yet either. Oh, far from it... “Sir, I was looking for the bath, I mean thy bath, because I assumed thou have one as I have never seen thou bathe, not that I would stalk thee, only while thou were awake, I mean...” A true master of conversation, she just kept blurting out words in the order they popped into her mind, not even stopping to breathe. Once she hit the rock bottom, she promptly started digging. And the internal screaming continued.

-----*^*-----

Finally the panicking marine managed to shut her mouth. Her wide-eyed stare slowly shifted along his pointing arm. In hindsight it may have been an obvious location, but she was not exactly in a stable and sharp state of mind. She nodded stiffly, completely missing most of what he just said. However, as she started inching towards the door, the awkward man inadvertently stopped her. A big helping of visible confusion was added to the swirling mess. What was he...? She took the black bundle and tentatively turned it in her hands. As the cloth unfolded to its true shape, she froze.

The internal screaming intensified.

Without a word, not even a hasty thanks, the wounded woman darted towards the side door. She slammed it shut behind her and slumped weakly against it. Her hands rose to cover her tomato-colored features. Some of the deafening sound raging inside her head leaked out as an embarrassed and frustrated groan. “Gaaaaah...” Verily she had just made an utter fool of herself. Her gut was basically begging for the blade, for the sweet release of seppuku. At least then she would have to no longer feel this burning shame. It was worse than any physical wound she had ever suffered.

After several deep breaths, Yumiko managed to get a grip. For the most part. In an effort to distract herself, she started folding the clothes into a neat pile. Routines helped her focus. Her eyes scanned the bathroom, from the large bathtub to the fine decorations. Not a single stain or cracked tile in sight. This was by far the most lavish bathroom she had ever seen ...Though the bar admittedly wasn’t set very high there. In her eyes, even something mundane seemed all shiny and sparkly. Much too good for a worthless warrior. She shook the messy thoughts out of her mind and finished folding the clothes. Enough distractions... She couldn’t waste her master’s generousness.

Soon, the sound of splashing water softly filled the silence. Gentle warmth seeped through the wounded woman’s body. A soft sigh slipped from her lips. Dripping crimson spiraled down the drain. Wisps of steam danced in the air. Time lost all meaning. Shame, doubt, fear, all of the toxic thoughts faded away as she floated on the cloud of comfort. For the longest moment she simply... was. Eventually, the splashing stopped. A borrowed towel rustled gently. Swift motions brought all the missing pieces back together. Each article of clothing found its place like a piece of armor. One more deep breath...

And the door opened again.

Yumiko stepped out refreshed and clad in her usual attire. Her long, flowing hair had been tied neatly into a ponytail that swept the floor like a painter’s brush with each step. A healthy blush colored her cheeks, painted by warmth rather than shame. Stopping in front of Anton, she promptly dropped to her knees and pressed her forehead against the floor. “Sir. From the bottom of mine heart, I thank thee for allowing me this unspeakably selfish request.” She couldn’t put into words how much she had needed that. “I am in thy debt. As promised, I will do anything thou ask. Please name thy terms.” She was fully prepared to do anything, like scrub the whole ship clean from keel to the smokestacks with her toothbrush. That had been her previous superior’s personal favorite.