A Foxy Bath Companion

Gideon couldn’t get out. The overwhelming warmth wrapped around his body while submerged in neck deep water turned his limbs into mush. It made him recall days when he could just sit in the tub for an hour after school, book in hand to relax, maybe even fall asleep until the water turned chilly.

But here, the water never got cold. A continuous flow poured from the jars of Volpe girl statues, placed there specifically to appease the male tastes. It was his one chance to experience total relaxation each cycle, as they were nearing the final leg of their journey. It didn’t matter to him that he was being a complete slob right now, arms and legs spread out to capture as much volume as possible.

His other two companions would just have to make do. There was plenty of room, even for their far larger, battle-hardened bodies.

“Man, this is great! A totally different heat from the forge!”

Gideon eyed Ferdinand, whose rippling muscles gleamed as steam condensed to water dripping over his body, toned by the continuous practice of hammering and shaping materials into equipment. Just the thought of hurling those shields like boomerangs was more than Gideon could bear. The only way he’d be able to lug one around was if he got a running start and used it to surf down a hill.

“To think our knight captain traveling incognito grew up here. And his family owning one of these places to boot! Sounds like you have a backup plan in case the kingdom decides that traveling with vagabonds is grounds for discharge.”

Ferdinand playfully squirted a jet of water between his hands at Raffy, who was taking just as much space, despite being on the lean side. The difference was made up by the tail that he had let loose around him, puffing up from the water.

Gideon couldn’t help but reach over and give one of the tails sticking out of the water a fluff, something that instantly made Raffy self-conscious. He retreated, snatching that tail with him to exit the water.

The set of water-logged tails drooped over his butt, but somehow, the extra weight gave Raffy no problems. With a mighty flick, the syphoned water flew back into the baths.

In an instant, the fluffy tail that he had managed to hide under his armor normally had flattened and curled around his waist. It covered his front to create some modesty as he turned to the other two.

“Don’t go thinking that you’ll be getting free service because of that. Travelers aren’t too common, so those with heavy coin purses such as yourselves could afford to drop an extra tip now, couldn’t you?”

“Fine fine. I saved up plenty from my bounty shenanigans. Not to mention, Mr. Recel and Retardis here didn’t take anything from me for the absolutely sick weapons he crafted.” Gideon shrugged, dismissing any thoughts of personal greed. He had learned from previous cycles the importance of being well funded for the trip, particularly since methods of earning easy money grew scarce the farther they got from the capital.

Ferrero was a last stop before they started venturing into the Northern Lands, where the influences of Time magic still lingered around the ruins of Clockenspiel. They needed to hit the markets the next morning to restock their supplies, but for the evening, they could simply enjoy their stay at a fine hot springs inn.

“Money ain’t worth much to me out here. I’m getting paid in ideas that you’re all giving me. I can’t help but wonder if there’s still some way to harness that Time Stop ability that you use, Giddy boy. Or at least, some way of telling when you use it.” Ferdinand’s eyes were lost in thought for a moment, obviously a genius at work who wouldn’t give up on the impossible.

“If I had any clue, I’d tell you. But just as I’ve told Roze before, I woke up in this world with no idea why I have this power. My only hope is finding something in the archives of Clockenspiel.”

“How’s that countdown of yours? Think we’ll make it?”

Gideon looked at the glowing numbers on his arm, trying to do some mental math.

“Six… no, just under half a year remaining? Plenty of time to mess around with it.”

Ferdinand chuckled, wading over to him. There was a devious smile on his face.

“Plenty of time to mess around, like right about now?”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Gideon flashed a smile, quite suspicious as he was normally a terrible liar. The man wore his heart on his sleeve, and his desires ran down the corners of his mouth.

“C’mon, don’t give me that.” Ferdinand slapped him on the shoulder. “You’re telling me that you can stop time, and you don’t go around to the other side to get a look at the girlies?”

Gideon laughed, a bit of a nervous chuckle that was clear he was hiding something.

“I haven’t spied on anyone with Time Stop yet.”

At least, not in this cycle.

Both sets of eyes drilled into him with unquestionable doubt. Gideon could feel the pressure jabbing him like a button pressed repeatedly.

“Look, let’s put it this way. Do you feel anything when you look at that half naked statue over there?”

“No, why?” they responded, in sync.

“When time is frozen, everyone is like statues to me. Because of how careful I have to be with my actions, I can’t exactly be all touchy-feely. Part of the romance of a naked body is seeing it respond, right?”

Both sets of eyes looked off to the side with quiet acknowledgement. They could see an ounce of reason in those statements.

“Besides, if I wanted to peek, there’s plenty of options around here. I happen to find the Volpe race to be rather alluring.”

Gideon couldn’t deny that part of him. Seeing a fantasy world where girls with animal ears walking around caught his attention. It didn’t help that he lived in a society where putting them in gacha games was all the craze.

However, Raffy eyed him with a face mixed with realization and disgust. On one hand, he knew that humankind and Volpe were known to mingle. On the other hand, being in close proximity to such a blatant admirer of crossing the species gap seemed rather alarming.

“Eyes off my younger sister, or I’ll freeze them off.”

He was, of course, referring to the inn receptionist, who had greeted them cordially at the entrance. Raffy dispelled his disguise because his family could see through him anyways. The temperature of the water started to get noticeably colder, making Gideon and Ferdinand wonder if he weren’t trying to freeze a different pair.

“Woah, woah! Time! Time! I never had any intention to! Wait, I have a good idea! If you want to ensure that I keep my eyes focused on the right places, how about giving me the right service that will keep me out of trouble?”

The water went back to the right temperature at that moment, Raffy cocking his head at the request. It took him ten seconds to realize what it meant.

“You don’t mean…”

“You can shape your entire body as a disguise, right? Give us a little show!” Gideon clapped back. He had asked for it on other cycles, a fact that Raffy had no way of knowing.

The thought of that made Ferdinand choke on the humid air, almost slipping and drowning himself.

“Ahahaha, let’s see it! I’m with Giddy boy. Share those abilities with us!”

Raffy shook his head. Reason told him that it was likely the most plausible solution. Yet, he hated how logical he could be at times like this. Given that his body was already lean and almost feminine-like, he could easily pull off a few curves with some well-placed ice to cast an illusion.

Giving in to the peer pressure, Raffy exhaled a breath of ice. It hit the humid, warm air, forming a mist that momentarily clouded over his body. When it dispersed, a voluptuous Volpe girl stood meekly before them. Her tail was still wrapped around her torso, covering the bottom. One arm guarded a set of cleavage that was teasing of its shamelessness but covering all the right places.

Raffy made one hell of a fox-eared girl.

“Ooooohhhh!!!”

Gideon and Ferdinand rose from the water, arms pumped and cheering. They were all too happy with the result. Perhaps for Gideon, it had loosened his lips a bit much.

“Choosing the Madam as your go-to girl, how scandalous, Raffy!”

The Volpe girl’s eyes went from being embarrassed to an instant death glare.

“How do you know what my mother looks like?!”

“Errr…”

Gideon had forgotten that he had met her in a different cycle.

The illusion was dispelled at that moment, Raffy forming a large blade of ice in his hands. By the time he had readied his executioner’s blade, Gideon had disappeared from the waters with a splash.

“Get back here! You don’t get to see and just leave! Pay with your body!”

Ferdinand simply shook his head, easing back into the warm water to retreat from the cold coming off Raffy. He was glad that someone else stuck his foot in his mouth before him. Gideon was a lovable chap for that.

Meanwhile, the missing person in question had long disappeared in frozen time, finding refuge elsewhere to relax. He had given up on his soak and found a nice place to sit down for a moment in the warm air.

“Man, that son of yours is quite something. Quick to anger when it comes to family.”

He spoke in a whisper, too low for anyone in the room to pick up. He looked over to see the Madam of the inn, taking a soak nearby. She was frozen while sipping a small cup, presumably some booze.

“Probably why I feel so glad he’s traveling with us. He’ll be key to getting us all the way to the end. You can be mighty proud of him for that. I just wanted you to know how I felt, even if you can’t actually understand me.”

Perhaps, she would hear a garble the moment time proceeded, but it would be like a trick of the ears, easily dismissed. Gideon smiled as he got up and started to walk away. He had to find a good place to hole up for some time. Enough for Raffy to realize that he had overreacted. After all, he forgave him all the other times. There was no reason he wouldn’t this time.

“Maybe I will take a stroll through town, just to check out the girls here. There’s a good dozen more hot springs on my list.”

Gideon never passed up on the chance to enjoy himself, particularly when he had moments to spare. Not to mention, it appeased any other suspicious ideas imagined on a whim. What happened in Time Stop stayed in Time Stop.

He smiled as he hit the town for an extra long night.