I relaxed back into the water and closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of the hot water soaking into my body. I really couldn't remember a time when I had done something like this, but I was glad to experience it now.
So far, things had been as smooth as a wagon down a dirt road, but not everything was terrible.
Tracy had turned out to be quite the surprise, but Annie was also nothing to laugh at. Neither could master the other's skills, but both girls would become strong in their own rights.
My eyes opened before the door did, but I wasn't sure what to do. Annie had said there was no one up here, so who could be coming in?
I kept my back to the door, but I could hear the footsteps walking inside with the door closing behind.
"Talon? Are you in there?" Tracy asked, and I froze in place.
"Uh, yes," I said slowly, and I heard Tracy sigh, which didn't make sense.
Then the door lock turned.
I whirled around, and Tracy was taking off her dress, and she wasn't wearing her glasses. I wasn't sure what the hell was going on here, but I wasn't sure if I should stop it.
"Tracy, are you really sure that you want to come in here with me? I hate to point out the obvious, but you had a beautiful woman, and I am a guy!" I exclaimed, and Tracy smiled.
"You are the observant one, but I don't mind bathing with you. You care about me a lot, and I feel safe around you. Can you wash my back?"
This one was so bold! I almost had to respect her for this, but it had to just be something from my Charisma!
'All-Mighty! There has to be some way to put a cap on this bullshit!'
*Cap? You are barely even affecting this Human. This is your own fault; the Charisma just gives you a boost. You will have no problem if you actually want to convince someone of something.*
That was strange; I would have assumed that it would just affect people no matter what I said. If I had to focus it, then that was
I looked over at Tracy, and she was beautiful, so why shouldn't I wash her back! She could wash my back!
"Sure, sit on the stool, and I will give you a scrub," I said, pulling myself together.
This was fine, and it wasn't like she was coming on to me; it felt more like something a friend would help with. I stood up from the water after she had sat down, had her back to me, and walked over.
Tracy pulled her hair forward, and I grabbed the soap bar, starting to lather her back. Her skin was soft, but I concentrated on what I was doing and got the cloth wet before I started scrubbing.
"You know what I am, right? But you're not scared of me?" Tracy asked, looking forward, and I paused my scrubbing.
"Yeah, you are born with a Natural Blessing called The Old Blood. You don't have your own Mana, but you act as a conduit with Dessra. You have no control over your magic, but you can cast every spell in the Book of Life Blood. As you grow stronger, you will gain greater control and be one of the greatest forces this world has ever seen," I explained as I continued to wash her back, but Tracy started to shake.
"But why aren't you scared of me? I could kill you at any time!" Tracy cried as she turned to face me.
"For one thing, you can't kill me, so don't think you can get rid of me that easily!" I said and flicked her on the forehead, making her wince, and I turned her back around and said, "Next is that I can stop you and teach you. I was only able to learn three of the spells, so it is kind of exciting to find someone that can just use them all!"
"You are really strange, you know that, right?" Tracy said with a sigh, wiping her eyes, but then she started to laugh.
"Hey! I was a recluse my entire life, and I am not good at talking to people. I have strange interests, but I have loved to track my own growth! Since I don't really have any now, I will be tracking both you and Annie's growth from here on out!" I said as I finished, grabbing the bucket of water.
"I guess that makes sense. Did you have a girlfriend before?" Tracy asked, and I dumped the water over her back and walked back to the water.
"Nope, I just trained, fought, and pushed forward. I had thought that it was what a Hero was supposed to do, but I was wrong. So, now I am here and need to try to do things differently!" I laughed, and Tracy came into the water.
I looked away until she had settled in and then looked back, but Tracy was looking at me funny.
"Huh? Did I do something wrong?" I asked, and Tracy blushed.
"You don't look at my body the way other men do," Tracy said quietly, but I heard it loud and clear.
"Of course! You are my friend and party member! Why would I want to make you feel uncomfortable? You are already pretty brave to just come in here like this! I can respect that boldness!" I said, but I was starting to feel my face get red.
Tracy started to laugh at me, but I wasn't sure what was funny about what I said. Still, she was no longer so red-faced, and she seemed happy, so that was good in my books.
If I was doing something that I considered embarrassing, like taking a shit. I wouldn't want people watching me do it; that would be the worst, but if a friend did it!
That would have to be mortifying; I was sure of it!